Chapter 1017

But whenever there were eight thousand hoodlums, Zhu Yijun would just hand them over.

These hoodlums and idlers bullied the good people everywhere; they were a factor of social instability. The problem was that the various prefectural yamens of the Great Ming right now did not have that many hoodlums — four thousand was already a lot.

One cannot entirely blame the Luzon Governor-General's Office for pushing their luck and demanding more; the Emperor tried his best to satisfy them every time — it was all spoiled by the vastness of imperial grace.

Very quickly Zhu Yijun revealed a look of relief. Yin Zhengmao's final memorial was actually reminding the Great Ming Emperor that the development speed of the South Seas was very fast, reminding the Emperor of the importance of the South Seas, hoping that the Emperor and the court would not abandon the South Seas.

By his later years Yin Zhengmao had turned into a conservative; he valued the meat he could eat right in front of him more than the mountains of gold and silver far away at the horizon.

He believed that as long as the Great Ming managed the South Seas well, it could guarantee several hundred years of prosperity.

One must mention a certain commodity here: spices.

The South Seas was currently the world's largest spice producer, and the only producer. These things obtainable at a stretch of the hand in the South Seas were hot commodities worldwide. For instance, during the Yongle years, Zhu Di once used spices in place of salaries and gained a certain degree of acceptance.

In Taixi, spices were the favorite of the ruling class — for seasoning, medicine, buying land, paying taxes, marriages, almost all trade could be settled with spices.

If things followed the original timeline, in order to obtain spices, the Dutch would soon establish the infamous Dutch East India Company.

The Dutch granted the East India Company a 21-year monopoly on colonial activities in the South Seas.

And the East India Company paid an 18% annual dividend to the Dutch government in exchange for monopoly rights; the Company could independently raise armies, mint its own coins, establish colonies, sign various treaties with foreign states, and so on.

After two hundred years of colonial activity, they finally established the Dutch East Indies colony — later Indonesia.

And the founding of the Dutch East India Company was for the sake of obtaining spices.

At first the Great Ming Ge Wu Academy's social science doctors believed that the Taixi nobility and ruling class's excessive pursuit of spices was because using large amounts of spices could mask the stench of rotten meat, or preserve meat.

But after over ten years of understanding, the Ge Wu Academy social science doctors negated their own view.

Because the Great Ming's understanding of Taixi gradually deepened, they discovered that Taixi nobles did not lack fresh meat.

In the second year of Longqing, at the celebration ball for the appointment of Portuguese Cardinal Ranucio, a mere two hundred-person ball consumed 1,000 geese, 24 swans, 200 pigs, 200 sheep, and 30 cattle — all slaughtered on the spot.

This single ball alone used a full 68 catties of pepper, 48 catties of fennel, and 12 catties of cinnamon, and the prices of these spices were almost exactly the same as the prices of those fresh meats.

When Antonio became King of Portugal and held a celebration ball, the quantities were almost identical, except that because of his good relations with the Great Ming, his spices were very cheap.

In Taixi, nobles and the ruling class had no shortage of fresh meat supply all year round, so using spices was not to mask the stench of rotten meat, nor for preservation — it was purely a symbol of status, a synonym for luxury.

The more one used, the more noble one's status.

Once a commodity becomes a symbol of a certain social status, its use value becomes secondary, while its exchange value and emotional value become its foundation.

Many poor people in Taixi would buy fennel from merchants and add it to bread, thick soup, and cheese.

The poor would not buy pepper, because pepper was truly too expensive.

An English envoy once presented a kind of bread spread, triggering a significant diplomatic conflict; the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial both agreed the English envoy intended to assassinate the king and usurp the throne!

Because that salty, savory, bitter, sour-to-the-extreme spread, in the eyes of Great Ming scholar-officials, was something even a dog would not eat!

But after careful investigation it was discovered that this thing called Marmite was truly very expensive in England, because all its raw materials were spices blended together; this thing in England could not be bought even with money — it was a non-circulating good thing.

The French envoy, Portuguese envoy, Spanish envoy, Holy Roman Empire envoy, Russian envoy, and others very tactfully expressed their views: in their eyes, England was a culinary desert; concocting such an unpalatable sauce was only normal.

The French envoy even spoke bluntly: the English royal family eats French cuisine.

Feng Bao tasted it, and compared to this spread, even West Lake Vinegar Fish counted as a supreme delicacy. In the end Feng Bao did not dare let His Majesty taste it; he feared his own head would move house!

In his memorial Yin Zhengmao reminded His Majesty that hegemonic military expansion was one road, and using commodity advantages to suck blood globally was another road.

When the sea ban was opened, both roads were passable.

Hegemonic military expansion was truly exhausting, exhausting — even the Emperor had to drill troops daily to prevent violence from spiraling out of control, heading toward the end of exhausting the people and squandering resources on war.

But using commodity advantages to absorb silver from around the world was a road not so exhausting; this road was also not benevolent or righteous, and would even be more cruel.

Commercial colonization was equally bloody and violent; even the Great Ming's opening of the seas, building the small triangular trade and large triangular trade, none were without heads rolling — the bones and blood of Japanese slaves and barbarian slaves were buried in the plantation soil, exchanging for the plantations' harvest.

At the end of the memorial, Yin Zhengmao very tactfully indicated that if His Majesty had other arrangements for Luzon, then let Yin Zongxin remain in the capital, residing inside the Prince Consort's Mansion. He hoped His Majesty could, on account of Yin Zhengmao's hard work expanding territory for the country and dying on the expansion road, leave some dignity.

"One by one, what do they all mean?" Zhu Yijun finished reading the memorial and felt a kind of humiliated anger. He looked at Feng Bao and asked with a startled, doubtful expression: "How is it? In the National Uncle's eyes, am I really such an unreliable person?"

The final part of Yin Zhengmao's memorial was very tactful:

"My son Zongxin is dull; if he cannot be driven, I beg permission for him to return to the capital and enter the Prince Consort's Mansion to attend Your Majesty at your side."

"This minister with his decaying body prostrates and begs the Heavenly Hearing. Since receiving the command to open a fief, twenty years of combing wind and bathing in rain; fortunately relying on Your Majesty's awe and virtue, I managed to achieve an inch of merit. Now miasma entangles my body, I fear the great limit approaches. This minister dares not harbor selfish thoughts; I only fear my young son will ruin Your Majesty's grand South Seas plan."

"As I finish this memorial tears fall; claw marks still carry coconut rain's salty astringency. My spirit shall in the end protect our Imperial Ming's foundation."

But however Zhu Yijun looked at it, he felt Yin Zhengmao was scolding people — scolding him, this Emperor, as unreliable, afraid his own child would become the sacrificial price in the complex struggle.

This humiliated anger quickly turned into anxiety, because Zhang Juzheng was the same; Zhang Juzheng seemed to have never thought about the Emperor protecting his posthumous reputation — his greatest hope was merely that policies would not cease when the man died.

Zhang Juzheng long resided at the court's pivot, Yin Zhengmao guarded distant Luzon — these two people, from one end of the empire to the other, actually had such identical thoughts.

Not only them; even Wang Chonggu was the same. When Wang Chonggu neared his end, he only begged His Majesty to look after Wang Qian, with no further demands.

Zhu Yijun frowned tightly as he reviewed his own twenty years; he felt his performance should have been pretty good.

"Your Majesty, to understand worldly affairs thoroughly is learning; to be practiced in human sentiment is writing." Feng Bao looked at the Emperor in the prime of spring and autumn; he very much understood why Zhang Juzheng, Yin Zhengmao, and Wang Chonggu had such thoughts, but Your Majesty is still young — Your Majesty cannot understand.

Feng Bao carefully weighed his words and said: "Your Majesty, the National Uncle thoroughly understands worldly affairs and is practiced in human sentiment; he knows that people are unreliable."

"A person's寄托 can be music, can be books, can be state affairs and achievements, can be mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, can also be a certain collective — but it absolutely cannot be a person, because the nature of people is changeable."

"If one rests one's life's achievements and what one cares about most entirely on such an unstable thing, and holds excessively high expectations, what one gets can only be disappointment — it will inevitably end in failure."

"It can even become the sharp blade that ultimately kills oneself."

Although Feng Bao had already explained to the best of his ability, he knew His Majesty did not understand — because His Majesty had no twilight qi; His Majesty was full of vigor, spirited and upward — and His Majesty had also encountered reliable people like Mr. Zhang and General Qi.

Probably around forty, when one is no longer confused, Your Majesty will be able to fully understand: changeability is human nature; people are unreliable.

Zhu Yijun's two lives added up to nearly sixty years, but in both lives he had always been in his prime, never accumulating that thing called twilight qi — he indeed did not quite understand Feng Bao's words.

Zhu Yijun understood this passage as:

The ministers feel that "running dogs are cooked" is the norm — not only did King Hui of Qin force Shang Yang to death and quarter him, but Emperor Xuan of Han's treatment of the Huo clan after Huo Guang's death, and Yu Qian who righted the collapsing sky was also beheaded and displayed — it has always been so.

From a utilitarian perspective, doing so seems correct, but Zhu Yijun cannot do it — or rather, this Emperor does not have the conditions to do so.

Before, Yu Qian had already sought glory and gained disgrace; it could still be excused by blaming Emperor Yingzong's muddleheadedness. If Zhang Juzheng came again seeking glory and gaining disgrace, there would be no scholar-officials willing to risk their lives for the Emperor.

Hoodlums were being demanded by Luzon batch after batch, and things were already getting tight — let alone loyal and virtuous men.

History has also proven that eunuchs cannot deal with scholar-officials; those who deal with scholar-officials are generally scholar-officials themselves. If no one serves the Emperor with their life, the Great Ming's mandate is exhausted, so he can only practice one-man autocracy, supreme and unrivaled, to preserve Zhang Juzheng's posthumous reputation.

"How are people unreliable? We are reliable!" Zhu Yijun waved his hand and began issuing the imperial edict.

First was the appointment of Yin Zongxin as Grand Coordinator, an appointment Zhu Yijun wrote personally. It gave a comprehensive affirmation of Yin Zhengmao's achievements, and especially praised the Battle of Su Mu, particularly verifying the necessity of large ships at sea, as well as Zhu Yijun's expectations for Yin Zongxin, hoping he would watch over the South Seas for the Great Ming and continuously advance the civilizing influence there.

The imperial edict soon reached the Grand Secretariat, and then an unexpected thing happened: the Grand Secretariat rejected the Emperor's edict.

Ling Yunyi, Shen Li, Zhang Xueyan, Lu Guangzu, Shen Shixing — the five Grand Secretaries unanimously agreed to reject the edict, and each of the five Grand Secretaries' reasons was quite sufficient.

Shen Li opposed it based on ancestral laws: the Commandant of the Princess's Husband does not hold office. Apart from some martial merit nobles who married princesses in the early Ming and continued to serve, the Commandant not serving is part of the rule that maternal relatives must not interfere in politics.

Moreover, Shen Li very tactfully cited the old affair of Li Yuan usurping the Sui. Li Yuan and Sui Emperor Yang Guang were relatives; at the critical moment, Li Yuan entered Chang'an and made himself Emperor.

Ling Yunyi considered it from the angle of loyalty. Yin Zhengmao deserved Your Majesty's courtesy; Yin Zongxin could also command respect, but having long been overseas, a disloyal heart naturally arises.

The Marquis Sishui's residence has long garrisoned Luzon; I fear a change may occur. This far is enough. Replace with a martial merit noble to garrison, establish a Grand Coordinator and yamen to carry out civilizing influence — that is the fundamental strategy.

Zhang Xueyan was simple and direct, speaking without reserve: the Ministry of Revenue has set its sights on Luzon's tax revenue, both land tax and customs duties. Luzon's annual revenue doubling into the Taicang Treasury, Taixi silver flowing like a hundred rivers returning to the sea into the Ming.

In his view, Yin Zhengmao has just passed away, and this timing is just right. The Emperor, on the pretext of familial affection and mourning, keeps Yin Zongxin in the capital for a few years; the Great Ming attempts civilizing influence, and if it fails, then sends Yin Zongxin to garrison Luzon.

Shen Shixing's view is a bit strange. His memorial's core revolves around "the household troops' pacification must not be relaxed, the merchant ships' taxation must not be abolished." He opposes the current appointment, hoping the Emperor will not appoint so hastily, but wait until the court's Grand Coordinator and Luzon's various yamen are established, then appoint.

He is still that personality — holding the bowl level. You're good, I'm good, everyone's good; everything seeks to be thorough.

Lu Guangzu said: "What everyone says is right; he agrees."

Lu Guangzu has always been like this. He entered the Grand Secretariat to fight corruption; on other matters, he basically just has this attitude — following the crowd. The Grand Secretaries had a unified attitude, so he followed along: me too.

When all is said and done, this big piece of fat meat that is Luzon — if the Great Ming doesn't take it now, there will be no way to take it later.

Feng Bao put away the memorials one by one and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Princess's Husband returned from Luzon and brought Laosan, still in swaddling clothes, back to the capital. It seems he intends to stay long-term."

The Directorate of Ceremonial's attitude was consistent with the Grand Secretariat's, only Feng Bao expressed it more tactfully. Obviously it was Yin Zhengmao's deathbed instruction that made Yin Zongxin bring the children back to the capital as well.

"Summon Zongxin to audience." Zhu Yijun deliberated a moment, then directly summoned Yin Zongxin.

Yin Zongxin and Princess Yingjia Zhu Xuanchang arrived together at Tonghe Palace to face the Emperor. After the Princess faced the Emperor, she went to find her mother; Yin Zongxin then reported the course of the Battle of Su Mu to the Emperor in detail.

"Two types of hook-spears still need to be equipped. Although firearms are sharp and hard to stop, hook-spears are also a sharp weapon of naval warfare; Marshal Qi's words are not false." Yin Zongxin summarized the gains and losses of this battle.

Ginger is indeed spicier when old.

In the discussion of whether the navy should fully convert to firearms and abolish cold weapons, Qi Jiguang overruled all objections and retained a large number of cold weapons in the equipment. This is not waste, nor is it insufficient gunpowder; cold weapons have the advantages of cold weapons. Military preparedness is not only about looking at the Great Ming itself, but more at the opponent's military level.

If the enemy is fast sailing ships, cannons are undoubtedly more useful. But if the enemy is small sampans, hook-spears still have the necessity to exist.

"We intend to appoint you as Grand Coordinator of Luzon, to continue civilizing influence in Luzon. Are you willing?" Zhu Yijun looked at Yin Zongxin and asked with a smile.

"Your subject is naturally willing." Yin Zongxin said with a somewhat sorrowful expression: "Your subject has long been at Chijun Shangang and not at my father's knees serving him. Your subject returned to Manila, my father passed away, the mourning hall not yet dismantled, the thirty-six mountain tribes swarmed like bees. Your subject wishes to remain in the capital to observe three years' mourning for my father, to fulfill filial piety."

"To forget one's parents and covet position is treachery; for a son not to see his parent off is rebellion. We beseech Your Majesty to grant this."

Loyalty and filial piety since ancient times cannot both be fulfilled. Yin Zongxin hopes that while exhausting loyalty, he can also fulfill his own filial piety.

Yin Zongxin's reasons are quite sufficient, and appear quite reasonable. To forget one's father's kindness and covet power is a treacherous minister; a father grown old, a son not seeing him off is a rebellious minister.

These words are all correct, but Yin Zongxin's identity is not right. Yin Zongxin is not a scholar-official.

Yin Zhengmao was of scholar-official origin leading troops to war, but by the time it reached Yin Zongxin, he is the Marquis Sishui's martial merit noble. For martial merit nobles, mourning speaks of "military service has no exemption" — when war occurs or the court needs, one must put state affairs first.

As a martial merit noble, Yin Zongxin will not take the imperial examinations for fame either. So these words of his are merely a heartfelt, sincere refusal.

"Your father handed the Marquis Sishui's residence to you." Zhu Yijun reminded Yin Zongxin, letting him speak plainly without guessing games — guessing back and forth is meaningless.

Yin Zongxin originally wanted to muddle through with filial piety, but the Emperor is not easy to fool. He thought back and forth, then said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, your subject does not wish for all my father's painstaking efforts to go to waste. Since the court ministers all disagree, your subject can remain in the capital."

Yin Zongxin chose to speak the truth plainly, making things clear. Following the usual scholar-officials' audience responses, they would circle around a great deal, letting the Emperor guess. But Yin Zongxin is a military man; he spoke directly. He knew about the Grand Secretariat rejecting the edict.

"Someone passed you a message?" Zhu Yijun's brow arched.

Yin Zongxin nodded, saying somewhat blankly: "The ministers passed word, also for your subject's good."

"Bullshit!" Zhu Yijun sneered, leaning back in his chair: "Listening to their nonsense — for your good? Good where? So the ministers' meaning is, this big piece of fat meat Luzon, you can't hold it, so hand it to the ministers to hold?"

"Utter nonsense!"

"Your Majesty..." Yin Zongxin, hearing the Emperor speak vulgarities, was somewhat apprehensive. He struggled repeatedly before saying: "Your Majesty, it truly is for your subject's good."

Yin Zongxin explained his reasons for thinking so: in the Great Ming, being Marquis Sishui and Princess's Husband, or being a king in Luzon — even a fool knows being Marquis Sishui in the Great Ming is better.

Yin Zongxin still prefers to stay in the Great Ming heartland. Luzon's development is indeed one step further, but it's only one step; it still belongs to the land within the six directions and eight wildernesses, and cannot be compared at all with the Great Ming heartland.

A barbaric land where birds don't shit — better to live in the Great Ming Celestial Empire. You know this from seeing Yin Zongxin send his own sons and daughters back to the Great Ming for education.

Second, he really does have a bit of trouble holding it.

He and Yin Zhengmao are different. Even when Yin Zhengmao took the detour of benevolence, some policies still carried a malice Yin Zongxin couldn't understand.

For example, Yin Zhengmao encouraged Han-tribal intermarriage. At first Yin Zongxin completely thought this was part of benevolent governance. But as time went on, he saw the clues — it was fundamentally not benevolent governance. The Han people coming to Luzon were mostly men, and steady and capable. The tribal people's temperament was extremely lazy.

Would those tribal women choose to marry Han men, or marry tribal men?

Twenty years on, tribal women would rather be concubines to Han men than marry tribal men. What Yin Zongxin found most incomprehensible was that those tribal people actually supported this matter extremely enthusiastically!

This is the most terrifying place to Yin Zongxin. Because the Han side transmitted the bad custom of bride price, causing these tribal women's parents to view their daughters entirely as commodities. If they couldn't find Han men, they would rather not let these daughters marry tribal men.

"Father always said your subject is dull. Your subject now thinks, besides knowing how to fight, your subject really is quite dull." On the road back to the capital, Yin Zongxin thought much. Let him fight, he can kill every last one of the thirty-six mountain tribes without missing one. But when it comes to governance and civilizing influence, he really finds himself somewhat inadequate.

The person is sold, and this person still helps count the money. This is no longer a matter of experience; it requires some talent.

Coincidentally! The vast majority of Great Ming scholars have this talent!

"The National Surname Lord and Our thoughts seem a bit different..." Zhu Yijun was also somewhat startled.

Yin Zongxin said with an extremely complex expression: "Father passed away, your subject took charge of the household. Only then did these matters slowly yield some flavor. Your subject hadn't thought of them before."

For Yin Zongxin, his father was a great mountain one must look up to — his model, and a moral gentleman, a good man among good men.

Even because benevolence took some detours, looking back now, Yin Zongxin doesn't even dare confirm whether those detours were truly detours, or deliberately done to forge consensus.

It seems that back then, many of the benevolent detour policies ultimately had effects all aimed at reducing the population registers.

Yin Zongxin said a great deal, somewhat unfilial.

In fact, until Yin Zhengmao passed away, Yin Zongxin never discovered that behind these seemingly benevolent decrees, there were actually so many twists and turns.

"The ministers passed word; your subject actually feels there isn't much malice." Yin Zongxin concluded.

People should have self-awareness; they are not the type to do bad deeds, and doing bad deeds only makes people laugh until their teeth fall out. Bad deeds should be left to scholars, which is more reliable.

"This way, observe mourning according to regulations for twenty-seven days—twenty-seven months is still too long. After twenty days, follow me south to reside in Songjiang Prefecture, and then you and the Governor of Luzon set sail back to Luzon together?" Zhu Yijun synthesized the opinions of the Grand Secretaries and ultimately chose Shen Shixing's proposal.

The tooth soldiers' garrison must not be lax, and the taxation of merchant ships must not be abolished.

Referring to the old practices of Yunnan, establish a Governor-General, Three Departments, and prefectural, state, and county offices, but the Marquis of Sishui's mansion still guards Luzon to prevent the savage barbarians from rebelling.

"I obey the edict." Yin Zongxin pondered for a moment; he also had no better idea, bowed his head, and took his leave.

Zhu Yijun watched Yin Zongxin's departing back, feeling somewhat moved, and said to Feng Bao: "Grand Secretary Shen truly is a master of balancing water—he really has substance."

"Indeed, after all, he never suffered the hardships of a recommended candidate, went to the capital to take the exams and became top scholar, was appointed to the Grand Secretary's gate, and upon taking office in Songjiang Prefecture achieved much." Feng Bao said with a smile: "A bowl full to the brim with water—wanting to keep it level, others truly lack that ability."

Shen Shixing, this Grand Secretary, truly does not eat his salary in vain; he has substance in his belly and can pour it out.

It seems he seeks completeness in all things, a kind of practice of compromising with all sides, but being able to level that bowl of water is truly not easy.

Zhu Yijun submitted the new handling method to the cabinet for inquiry, then issued a rebuttal; Zhu Yijun thus had his imperial will decided.

Zhu Yijun leaned back in the Grand Tutor's chair, picked up the miscellaneous reports on the table, and began to read; the "Civilization" series had been updated again, this time discussing content consisting of just one character: "Public."

This article cites extensive content from "Theory of Heavenly Selection," "Theory of Human Selection," and "Theory of Survival of the Fittest," expounding an unexpected viewpoint.

Only heaven and earth are the parents of all things; only humans are the spirit of all things.

The reason humans stand out from all things under heaven and become the spirit of all things is not because of physique, endurance, nor even because of fire, nor because of using weapons, but because of publicness.

This viewpoint is quite novel.

In the eyes of traditional Confucian scholars, humans are special because they possess unique wisdom and sufficient moral endowment, enabling them to become masters of all things.

But the Hanlin scholars of the Hanlin Academy seem not to think so; the Hanlin scholars are no longer what they used to be, now the Hanlin Academy is under Gao Qiyu's management, continuing the past and opening the future through further innovation, letting corrupt Confucianism generate new changes—this is Gao Qiyu's stance in managing the Hanlin Academy.

The Hanlin scholars who compile the Civilization series believe: humans are the spirit of all things entirely because of publicness, or rather, because of tighter, better-coordinated cooperation, making humanity more efficient.

Animals also have societies, with wolf kings, monkey kings, lion kings, but these societies cannot maximize the use of wolf packs for hunting to obtain richer harvests or expand population numbers.

These animals are overly selfish.

According to the observations of the scholars of Investigating Things, almost all animals, except for a few bird species that exhibit back-feeding behavior, do not engage in back-feeding; old animals, after losing their hunting ability, die quickly; even the wolf king leading the pack in hunting, when old or injured, is quickly driven away.

The Hanlin scholars do not regard selfishness as a derogatory term, but as a neutral term.

Selfishness leads to extreme inefficiency in hunting experience, edible food types, water source seeking, salt seeking, seasonal food distribution, methods of avoiding natural enemies and disasters, exchange of hunting leftovers, etc.; due to selfishness, sufficient group experience cannot be formed or passed down through generations.

Inefficiency means losing in the process of heavenly selection.

Great Ming's progress in publicness far surpasses all known countries; not to mention the official roads and relay stations, prefectural, state, and county schools, the Inspectorate Office hunting beasts and chasing mountain bandits—just one currently implemented Dinghai educational system is already completely ahead.

Not to mention the Wanli Rejuvenation's overall goal proposed by Your Majesty, the five great tile-roofed houses.

In the view of most Confucian scholars, the Emperor's goal of the five great tile-roofed houses is fundamentally a foolish fantasy; if it were truly built, what difference would it have from a world of great harmony?

Great Ming is the Celestial Dynasty precisely because Great Ming leads other countries in the process of publicness—whether it is the principle of the people as the foundation of the state, or the ongoing implementation of official workshops, post roads, the Dinghai educational system, and the abolition of the base-born registry—these concrete new policies are all part of the process.

Li Ya indeed agrees with this article very much; besides, outside Great Ming, these overseas barbarians—can they first get public toilets sorted out?

The last time Li Ya returned to Taixi, Lisbon was in Xu Fan's hands and became world-renowned as the City of Flowers, while Madrid still reeked horribly.

Zhu Yijun finished reading the entire article; these pen-wielders' argumentative logic is extremely rigorous.

Starting from innate selfishness, selfishness triggers inability to accumulate experience, overall inefficiency, insufficient resource utilization, inevitably leading to defeat in heavenly selection, and finally arriving at the opposition to selfishness—publicness—arguing that Great Ming is rightfully the Celestial Dynasty.

These pen-wielders should get to doing proper work early; will Zhu Yijun still make things difficult for them?

Of course, it might also be because they are being made things difficult for, that they are forced to do proper work against their will.