Chapter 48

Then it would be far more than just grain prices soaring in a disaster year!

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

However, very soon Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang detected something amiss.

"If that is the case, how dare you, Su Qiao, still advise us to lift the maritime ban? If we enforce the ban and prevent this silver from entering, would not the realm be at peace?"

50, Su Qiao: It can't be, can it?

Hearing this.

Su Qiao felt utterly speechless in his heart.

"Does Your Majesty truly believe that if the court bans the sea, not a single plank will dare venture onto the waters?"

"Does Your Majesty truly believe that if the court bans the sea, the silver from Fusang will fail to reach Great Ming?"

"It can't be? Can it?"

"Do you think the powerful clans of the Southeast will sit idly by while mountains of gold and silver lie overseas?"

"Do you think that if the court bans the sea, the nobles of Fusang will no longer desire our Great Ming's porcelain, tea, and silk?"

"As long as the demand remains, this sea can never be banned!"

"On the contrary, it will only drive the Southeastern clans to collude with foreign powers; the silver will still flow in, yet remain entirely beyond the court's supervision!"

"If merely banning the sea could solve the problem."

"Why did Great Yu, when taming the floods, ever need to switch from blocking to channeling?"

"He could have simply blocked every waterway in the realm!"

Su Qiao's words echoed throughout the Sihe Academy.

The moment the voice fell, Su Qiao clearly noticed Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's face turn iron-green.

Looking at Old Zhu's iron-green face.

Su Qiao could barely suppress his laughter.

Hurry up and execute me.

Hurry up and execute me already!

Under Su Qiao's expectant gaze, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang angrily pointed at Su Qiao, yet in the end, not a single word came out.

Finally, he fiercely flicked his sleeves, rose abruptly, and declared in a stern voice:

"Return to the palace!"

Leaving only Su Qiao standing dumbfounded in place.

Watching Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's retreating figure.

Su Qiao bit into his jianbing guozi with tears welling in his eyes.

Cursing incessantly in his heart.

What a load of nonsense from those amateur scholars!

You are all liars!

Did you not say Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang killed people like harvesting hemp?

Did you not say his temper was explosive?

This temper is far better than mine!

Must I really travel to Fengyang and dig up the ancestral grave of the Zhu family before he acts?!

How else am I supposed to insult him!

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang stormed into the carriage parked outside Su Qiao's door, fuming.

Muttering incessantly under his breath:

"If our Biao were still here, we would have had Biao teach you a proper lesson!"

"Biao..."

Thinking of Zhu Biao, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been furious just moments before, suddenly fell silent.

A surge of sorrow welled up in his heart.

However, very soon, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang was forced to pull himself together again.

For he was, after all, the Emperor of this empire.

Su Qiao's words also compelled Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang to reflect on his strategies for controlling the hundred officials.

Perhaps.

The salaries of the hundred officials were indeed a bit too low?

Just as he was thinking this.

The chat group before his eyes began to flicker.

Emperor Sizong the Martyr:

"Great-Grandfather, what is wrong? What should your descendant do next?"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, then immediately rallied his spirits and asked in return.

Emperor Taizu the High:

"Pay them the first month's interest as agreed! And return the principal to them as well."

"Cast a long line to catch a big fish!"

"Do not stop until we have secured no less than thirty million taels!"

Emperor Sizong the Martyr:

"Great-Grandfather, this, this fish isn't very big yet?"

Seeing this message, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian's tears were about to flow.

He is indeed the Ancestral Emperor Gao!

He does not even consider one and a half million taels of silver to be a matter of concern!

He even wants thirty million taels of silver!

Chongzhen had only heard of such a figure in his dreams!

That is thirty million taels of silver!

Even if one simply threw it, one could crush the Jurchens to death!

Ancestral Emperor Gao:

"Additionally, you must go and investigate something for us."

Emperor Sizong Lie:

"Please give your orders, Imperial Grandfather."

Ancestral Emperor Gao:

"We have just received a memorial reporting that a silver mine has been discovered in Fusang over there, with an annual output calculated in the hundreds or thousands of stones of silver, and it is increasing year by year."

"Go and investigate whether there is truly such a silver mine in Fusang on your side; if there is, determine its annual silver output!"

Emperor Sizong Lie:

"Yes."

In the spacetime at the other end.

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian closed the chat group by himself.

Meanwhile, Wang Wang Wang Chengen stood nearby, ready to receive orders at any moment.

"Your Majesty, what shall we do next...?"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian whispered:

"Go back and tell Imperial Father-in-Law Zhou to continue his efforts; the bigger the commotion he creates, the better!"

Wang Wang Wang Chengen nodded slightly, yet still spoke with some concern:

"But Your Majesty, this humble servant worries that Imperial Father-in-Law Zhou may have become too accustomed to handling certain matters..."

From the very beginning of this affair,

Wang Wang Wang Chengen had worried that Zhou Kui was secretly profiting from it.

And would ultimately pin all the blame on Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian merely smiled.