Chapter 138

Zhang Siwei wanted to kill Zhang Juzheng through a conspiracy, even going so far as to bribe the cooks in the palace to see how many bowls of rice the little Emperor ate each day.

But Wang Chonggu knew for a fact that if Zhang Juzheng were so easy to deal with, Gao Gong would have made his move back then—why wait until now?

Everyone was a "meat-eater" (an official); who wasn't clear on those little tricks? Did Zhang Juzheng need others to teach him how to protect himself? When Zhang Juzheng embarked on this path, he had already disregarded his own posthumous reputation; could he be unaware of the dangers of this road?

This was a classic trap.

Wang Chonggu frowned and asked, "A person lives by their intentions; this falls under the scope of the 'True Learning' of innate knowledge. What exactly is your reasoning for insisting on toppling Zhang Juzheng? Has Zhang Juzheng hindered us in any way? He only wants the Great Ming to be strong."

"He doesn't just hinder us; he creates work for us. Look, the little Emperor and the Senior Grand Secretary feel that we in the Northwest aren't doing well enough and aren't earning enough money. So, they handed this whole wool factory business over to us to manage."

"This is creating something out of nothing. That wool, which on the grasslands could only be used for felt and could never be used as fabric in the Central Plains—even that can make a fortune."

"Zhang Juzheng hasn't even blocked our path to wealth! If someone is in the way, you remove them. Is Zhang Juzheng in the way?"

"Uncle!" Zhang Siwei said with a grave expression, "Because I don't want my life placed in the hands of others! What is imperial power? It is the power of life and death! If you are allowed to live, you live; if you are to die, you die. What is given to you, you must accept; what is not given, you cannot take. This is the power of life and death!"

"Right now, it is the imperial court that has given us business and a way to survive! What if they stop giving? What if they want us dead?"

"Why can we act so recklessly in the Northwest? Isn't it because the power of ritual, music, conquest, rewards, and punishments in the court does not lie with the imperial court, but with us!"

Wang Chonggu carefully pondered Zhang Siwei's words. This was the typical "True Learning" that disregarded facts—the harm of "extending innate knowledge." He felt that his own thoughts were correct, so he followed them to the end, regardless of the consequences.

Zhang Siwei read the "Theory of Contradictions" only to oppose it, but Wang Chonggu had gained considerable experience serving as a Grand Coordinator in the Northwest. The imperial court was extremely cautious regarding the situation in the Northwest, a result of the hierarchical nature of power.

The Zudang (the faction of the Wang family) had made contributions—this was an indisputable contribution: the enfeoffment and tribute of Altan Khan.

Since the Gengxu Incident in the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, when Altan Khan invaded the capital region and plundered it for eight full days, the war in the Northwest had lasted for fifteen years. During these fifteen years, the conflict in the Northwest was like a massive wound, constantly bleeding the Great Ming dry. Combining this with the "Guanzi: Light and Heavy" chapter, one could analyze the primary and secondary contradictions.

At that time, the primary contradiction was between the Great Ming and the Northern Barbarians. The Great Ming could not win, which is why the Jin Party and the Zudang emerged.

The "Treaty of Rules for Altan Khan's Initial Acceptance of the Title of Prince Shunyi" was indeed named "enfeoffment and tribute," but in reality, it was the humiliation of annual tribute. Yet, it also genuinely alleviated this primary contradiction, preventing the Great Ming from wasting a million taels of military pay in the Northwest every year without seeing a single ripple.

A massive wound had been turned into a smaller wound—the Zudang. This was both a humiliation and a contribution.

When Goujian was defeated and chased by King Fuchai of Wu to Mount Kuaiji, Goujian's strategist, Wen Zhong, crawled on his knees before King Fuchai and said: "My King is willing to be your servant, his wife your concubine, to serve at your knees; the State of Yue can become a vassal of the King of Wu."

King Fuchai found Goujian to be very submissive. Later, after Fuchai killed Wu Zixu, King Goujian of Yue began to attack the State of Wu, eventually driving King Fuchai to Mount Gusu. Fuchai's minister, the Wu official Gongsun Xiong, bared his shoulders and crawled on his knees before Goujian, begging him to grant Fuchai the same pardon as at Kuaiji.

Goujian wanted to exile the King of Wu. Fuchai, ashamed and angry, regretted killing Wu Zixu and committed suicide.

Goujian slept on brushwood and tasted gall; three thousand Yue soldiers were enough to swallow Wu.

If, after the peace talks, the Great Ming could sleep on brushwood and taste gall, sharpen its weapons, and wash away this humiliation, then the peace talks would not be a humiliation. Wang Chonggu would not be a treacherous sycophant, but a strategist of temporary expediency.

Since the first year of the Wanli reign, killing Dong Huli at Xifengkou, pacifying the Gule Fortress in Liaodong, pacifying pirates in the two Guangs, and expelling the Red-Haired Barbarians from Luzon—the Great Ming had indeed been sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, sharpening its weapons. Wang Chonggu had heard that the little Emperor spent all day "grinding his teeth" by eating hard military rations that hurt his teeth. If this wasn't sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, what was it?

Sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall does not mean one must literally lie on firewood, live in a cow shed, or hang a gall bladder to taste every day; it is a concrete manifestation of not forgetting shame.

"You are talking about rebellion! Look at your own weight. Since the Senior Grand Secretary took charge of the country, has he ever unjustly killed a single person? Has he ever killed a person or wiped out a household because of the New Policies or factional strife? Of everyone the Senior Grand Secretary has killed, is there one who didn't deserve to die? Tell me, is there one?"

"This is also the reason why the imperial court can hold the power of life and death, do you understand? You don't understand; you only think that power comes from above."

"You only think that the imperial court holds the power of life and death, and that it isn't in your hands."

"Why would His Majesty or the Senior Grand Secretary want to kill me? Yes, I seized the power of Altan Khan's enfeoffment and tribute, and I did as I pleased in the border regions, but I did everything the court asked of me. Would the court punish me without cause?" Wang Chonggu said with a hint of dejection.

Zhang Siwei's expression shifted several times, and he said sternly, "How can the power of life and death fall into the hands of others? Zhang Juzheng just doesn't want to kill right now! If he wanted to, he could do it. Why place your life in the hands of another's conscience? Does Zhang Juzheng have a conscience?"

"He does! Why wouldn't he?" Wang Chonggu immediately retorted, "In the case of the assassination attempt on the Emperor, Gao Gong was implicated. Did Gao Gong die? Was the Jin Party hunted down? Did a single person from the Zhengzhou faction die? Was anyone driven out of court for being a Gao Gong partisan? With so many censors in court impeaching the Senior Grand Secretary, why did no one attack him on this point?"

"You still don't understand why my relative by marriage, Yang Bo, refused to hand over the leader of the Jin Party to you. You don't understand."

"The assassination attempt on the Emperor." Zhang Siwei calmed down and said these four words flatly.

Wang Chonggu was furious. He pointed at Zhang Siwei, pointing forcefully, but in the end, he didn't say a word. He slowly lowered his hand, waved it, and said, "I'm tired. You may go."

"This nephew takes his leave." Zhang Siwei revealed a triumphant smile. Everyone was in the same boat; with the assassination case hanging there, Wang Chonggu could not stand on Zhang Juzheng's side. Since Zhang Siwei had done this deed, Wang Chonggu had to help him.

Zhang Siwei left.

A figure emerged from behind the screen, hands clasped, watching Zhang Siwei's retreating back. With a face as calm as water, he said, "Father, why don't we kill Zhang Siwei? He bribed Zhang Juzheng's cook—the Emperor's cook—and I have bribed his family's cook."

"Ah?" Wang Chonggu was stunned, then blinked. It was so unexpected, yet so reasonable.

Wang Qian continued, "Before Minister Yang left office, he reached an agreement with the Senior Grand Secretary, and His Majesty knows about it, so he won't casually reopen this old account. If we kill Zhang Siwei, we won't be so passive regarding the assassination case."

"He is too dangerous."

The speaker was Wang Chonggu's son, Wang Qian. Wang Qian managed businesses in the capital. In the first year of the Wanli reign, Wang Qian passed the provincial examination, and in the second year, he participated in the metropolitan examination. Unlike Zhang Juzheng's two sons, Wang Qian truly failed to pass.

Wang Qian was a businessman; obtaining the greatest benefit with the smallest cost was his instinct.

This madman Zhang Siwei had already threatened the fundamental interests of the Zudang. If Zhang Siwei died, that would be the end of it. We could pin all the blame on Zhang Siwei, clear the old accounts, and everyone could start fresh, right?

Wang Qian was definitely not a gentleman, so he spoke directly about killing.

Seeing his father still hesitating, Wang Qian continued to persuade him, "Father, must we wait until the water is spilled and cannot be gathered before we regret not acting sooner?"

Before King Fuchai of Wu died, he certainly didn't regret killing Wu Zixu; he regretted not killing King Goujian of Yue on Mount Kuaiji.

If Heaven gives you something and you do not take it, you will instead suffer the consequences.

"Make it clean," Wang Chonggu nodded gravely.

"Yes." Wang Qian revealed a smile. In fact, he had been arranging and preparing all along. Whether his father agreed or not, Wang Qian would have done it, because the punishment of the nine clans and three clans would include him—he was on the list of the nine clans.

Zhang Siwei wanted to die, Wang Chonggu did not want to die, and Wang Qian wanted to die even less.

"This is?" Wang Qian picked up the extraction method on the table, looked at it for a long time, and said gravely, "Is this a calculation example sent from the palace?"

Wang Chonggu looked at the calculation example and said with an extremely complex expression, "Yes. One Zhang Juzheng is enough to make people afraid, and the little Emperor is being taught so well by the Senior Grand Secretary. This makes it hard for me to agree with Zhang Siwei's approach. His Majesty is no fool; Zhang Juzheng is better off alive. If he dies and His Majesty takes personal control, the situation will only be worse than it is now."

Wang Chonggu keenly sensed the terrifying nature of the little Emperor. The court officials were influenced by what they saw and heard every day, so they didn't think much of it, but in Wang Chonggu's eyes, the Emperor was a freak.

Even more terrifying than Zhang Juzheng. It was better to let Zhang Juzheng run the country; at least Zhang Juzheng couldn't say, "My virtue is meager and I am young."

Wang Qian tested the extraction method, hurried to the backyard, and took out an abacus. He didn't intend to calculate to twenty-five decimal places; he stopped after three decimal places and put down his pen and paper.

"Father." Wang Qian's hands tapped urgently on the table, "Can you let me study the family's 'Precious Mirror of Mathematics'? The Commander Zhao Mengyou brought a bunch of people to our house last time to help us audit our accounts; that was a humiliation."

"Generations of merchants—how can we not know how to calculate? It's so embarrassing."

Wang Chonggu flicked his sleeve upon hearing this and said, "Nonsense! Why are you studying mathematics? Studying hard and passing the imperial examination is the fundamental thing!"

"That's fine too. If Father won't let me see the family's math books, I won't look at them. The Imperial Estates sell them!" Wang Qian said with a smile.

"You!" Wang Chonggu was so angry he saw stars. His son was grown and no longer listened to his father. Wang Chonggu increasingly felt, why did he return to the capital! To be humiliated?!

Wang Qian wanted to study mathematics, but it wasn't that he liked it; he was preparing for his second failure in the examinations. He didn't pass in the second year of Wanli, didn't pass in the fifth year, and the eighth year of Wanli would be his last chance.

A provincial graduate in the Great Ming could only take the metropolitan examination three times; if they didn't pass, they could never take it again.

And for the metropolitan examination in the eighth year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng would definitely test mathematics. By then, Wang Qian would have to study it whether he wanted to or not.

The imperial examination was the most competitive thing in the entire Great Ming; it was truly thousands of troops crossing a single-log bridge. Anyone with even the slightest advantage over others had to strive with all their might.

The little Emperor's universal extraction principle—one only needed to spend half an hour studying it to understand the derivation principle. This process was very easy and simple; one didn't even need to understand it, one could just memorize it by rote.

This had extremely clear practical significance. For example, if asked: "The volume is 1,728 feet, find the cube root; how long is each side?" Pick up the abacus, and you can quickly get an answer: 12 feet.

For example, to calculate the area of a triangular field, you need base times height, but you can only measure its hypotenuse and one leg. Then, using the Pythagorean theorem, you can calculate it and finally obtain the area of the triangular field.

Inside the Quanchu Guild Hall, Zhang Juzheng held a pencil in his hand, looking at a book, earnestly studying a mathematical work from the West.

Wan Shihe visited the Quanchu Guild Hall only a limited number of times. The last time Wan Shihe came was... well, the last time. Wan Shihe said that Zhang Han had recommended Wang Chonggu to return to court, but the communication between Zhang Juzheng and Wan Shihe wasn't about factional strife in the court, but about Western bookkeeping methods.

Double-entry bookkeeping—Zhang Juzheng had once asked Wan Shihe to translate it for him to see.

Wan Shihe had translated it. This book, which recorded Western bookkeeping methods, was titled "Summary of Arithmetic, Geometry, Ratio, and Proportion." Only the eleventh chapter of the ninth part of the third volume discussed auditing; the rest was all mathematical theory.

Unlike the Great Ming's bookkeeping methods, the method the Great Ming was about to promote was the "six-volume, one-ledger" receipt-and-payment method: income, expenditure, same-receipt, same-payment, having-receipt-and-payment; receipts and payments must be equal.

The Western double-entry bookkeeping method was quite interesting: debtor, creditor, same-debit, same-credit, having-debit-and-credit; debits and credits must be equal.

These two bookkeeping methods actually talked about the same thing: recording the ins and outs of money or property clearly.

The Quanchu Guild Hall was always being renovated. If You Qi wanted to deceive Zhang Juzheng, his master, he would only show Zhang Juzheng one set of accounts. This set of accounts contained the ledgers for earth, wood, stone, labor, and other materials. How much was spent on earth and wood, how much on window sills, how much on furniture—as long as it was reasonable, Zhang Juzheng wouldn't see any problems.

And if Zhang Juzheng didn't want to be deceived by You Qi, he had to look at another set of accounts: how much money was given to the carpenters, bricklayers, and earth-stone-wood merchants.

And this set of accounts wasn't in You Qi's hands either. As the chief steward of the Quanchu Guild Hall, You Qi didn't have the time; he found an agent who was responsible for the renovation of the Quanchu Guild Hall.

Zhang Juzheng really did have You Qi get this set of accounts from the agent. This was to see the ins and outs.

The expenditure of the Quanchu Guild Hall had to equal the income of this agent. If they weren't equal, it meant You Qi was deceiving Zhang Juzheng in the middle. The expenditure of the renovation agent had to equal the income of the earth, wood, stone, and labor providers; otherwise, it meant the renovation agent was deceiving Zhang Juzheng.

The renovation cost a total of 7,600 taels of silver. Zhang Juzheng discovered that You Qi had skimmed 300 taels from the renovation of the Quanchu Guild Hall, while the renovation agent had earned 1,200 taels from the Quanchu Guild Hall.

"Get up. You've been with me for so many years; don't let there be a next time." Zhang Juzheng looked at You Qi kneeling on the ground, but he wasn't angry.

When water is too clear, there are no fish. Zhang Juzheng had always advocated for honest officials; getting things done was the top priority. You Qi took 300 taels—in terms of skimming from engineering projects, this really wasn't much. Gu Zhangzhi, the Governor of Yingtian, dredged the waterways in the Southern Capital for 480,000 taels and directly embezzled 300,000 taels.

How much did Yan Song's son, Yan Shifan, take while supervising the construction of the Western Garden? How much did Xu Jie's son, Xu Fan, take while supervising the construction of the Yongshou Palace?

How much silver did Empress Dowager Li's father, Li Wei, the Earl of Wuqing, take while supervising the construction of the late Emperor's mausoleum?

"You Qi, my life and property are all in your hands. You taking a little silver from me is what you deserve for following me, but if you take silver from elsewhere, I will have to hold you accountable," Zhang Juzheng said calmly.

"That cook was bait; I reported it to you, sir!" You Qi's expression was urgent, and he wanted to kneel again, but his master wouldn't let him. In a strange posture, sweating profusely, he explained, "I absolutely did not take silver from elsewhere."

"Get up, get up. I know. The Jin faction doesn't practice kneeling rituals anymore; it's better if we in the Chu faction don't kneel either." Zhang Juzheng signaled for You Qi to get up and answer, continuing, "Do you remember? Before, Eunuch Feng came with a pencil to announce an imperial decree; he actually refused my salt permits. After Minister Yang learned of this, he looked at him with new respect."

"I have never spoken of this matter. The reason Eunuch Feng refused to take silver from me is because he is His Majesty's man. Do you understand the difference now?"

You Qi pondered for a moment and said, "I understand. You can take money and not do the work, but if you take money and don't say anything, you have a divided heart."

"Exactly! You really do understand." Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Do you remember the old affair with Li Le? I thought I had misjudged Li Le, but Li Le specifically came to explain, so he is still a member of the Guild Hall."

"News came from the palace saying: 'No need to come for the court discussion tomorrow; have the Senior Grand Secretary bring the court officials directly to the Ministry of Revenue to see the silver being stored.'" You Qi said with a face full of confusion, "His Majesty being profit-oriented is one thing, but watching the silver... isn't that a bit..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng said with a hint of annoyance, "You want to say 'profit-oriented,' right? This is what I told His Majesty during the lecture today! You want to say I'm profit-oriented too, right!"

"Seeing is believing! As the Emperor's teacher, I can't let His Majesty grow up unable to distinguish the five grains or understand the value of money. You really are... you make me so angry!"

It was one thing for the little Emperor to hit him with boomerangs every day, but now You Qi was hitting him with boomerangs too!

Preposterous!

The Jiajing Emperor's greatest disgust for the Yan faction was that they took more than he did. The Longqing Emperor lived a life of luxury, and Zhang Juzheng had remonstrated with him several times, even defying the imperial will more than once. In the first year of the Longqing reign, the Longqing Emperor wanted the Ministry of Revenue to provide 300,000 taels; Zhang Juzheng submitted memorials to cut the price down to 100,000. Starting from the second year of the Longqing reign, Zhang Juzheng submitted memorials for four consecutive years, stating that the fireworks at Aoshan were too expensive and should not be rewarded too heavily.

Performances by various artists often cost over a hundred thousand taels of silver.

By the end of the sixth year of the Longqing reign, Zhang Juzheng gradually discovered the key to the problem. The Jiajing Emperor was very clear about how much money three million taels of silver was, but the Longqing Emperor had no concept of money at all. In the Emperor's eyes, money was just a number, without concrete meaning.

How terrifying was this? If the official in charge of agriculture couldn't distinguish the five grains, what kind of agriculture could he promote?

As the Great Ming's top "second-generation imperial," Zhang Juzheng truly hoped that His Majesty would know that money piled up there was a truly enormous number.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng suggested that the little Emperor see for himself the concept of 3.25 million taels—that was the weight of fifteen Ruyi Golden Cudgels.

The next morning, Zhu Yijun finished his breakfast with excitement and said, "Mother, I've finished eating! I'm going to see the silver being stored!"

"Run slowly! You just ate!" Empress Dowager Li watched the little Emperor's hurried figure and called out helplessly.

Zhu Yijun ran out like a bolt of lightning. The little Emperor, who practiced martial arts, was extremely fast on his feet. Zhang Hong was a bit better, but Feng Bao, leading the ceremonial guard, really wanted to shout loudly: "Your Majesty, slow down! The silver won't grow wings and fly away!"

Zhu Yijun slowed down. If he ran to the Chengtian Gate now, he would just make things difficult for the Embroidered Uniform Guards. The time hadn't arrived yet; if the Emperor arrived, the palace gates had to be opened, but the Commander Zhao Mengyou would be violating palace regulations. Then the censors in the court would start their endless nagging again.

Sunlight shone into the palace city, casting a shimmering glow on the sun-shading fans. The autumn morning mist was colorful under the sunlight, swirling around Zhu Yijun like a dream. The dragons embroidered on the Emperor's yellow robe seemed to come alive, surging and floating in the mist.

The sunlight just reached the immortal palms, and the incense smoke seemed to float beside the dragon robes.

Zhu Yijun walked out of the Huangji Gate and arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, where he saw silver carts arriving from the east. Responsible for escorting the silver to the capital were the Tax-Auditing Battalion Commander Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang and the Songjiang Deputy Regional Commander Chen Lin. Box after box of silver was continuously lifted from the long silver carts into the Ministry of Revenue.

Each box of silver contained 4,000 taels, weighing 250 catties. Over a thousand boxes were neatly arranged in the courtyard.

The "escort box" was the standard for the Great Ming dynasty for transporting silver. Just as the "ton" on a ship is a unit of volume that gradually became a unit of weight, the escort box didn't necessarily contain silver—that was the rule. It meant that the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Southern Capital soldiers were escorting the boxes, not necessarily the silver.

The boxes all had seals, and each seal bore the signatures and official seals of the Songjiang Governor, the Yingtian Governor, the Nanjing Military Supervisor Eunuch, and the Songjiang Regional Military Commissioner.

When the first box was opened, everyone's expression changed drastically on the spot. It only contained half a box of silver; the rest was filled with tin and zinc ingots!

"What, what, what is going on?!" Wan Shihe pointed at the first box, horrified. Other officials were the same. Half a box of tin and zinc ingots in silver escorted to the capital—this was a capital offense!

The Great Ming Emperor, the Senior Grand Secretary, the Minister of Revenue, Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang, and Chen Lin were all perfectly calm. They knew clearly that this box contained half a box of tin and zinc ingots.

"Minister Wan! I told you to read more, but you didn't want to study mathematics. 3.25 million cannot be divided by 4,000; the result is 812.5 boxes. There must be half a box of tin and zinc ingots!" Zhu Yijun exhaled and said earnestly to Wan Shihe.

Wan Shihe suddenly realized.

Ge Shouli, who asked when he didn't understand, said suspiciously, "That's not right either. There are over a thousand boxes here; isn't that two hundred more than that?"

Wang Guoguang, seeing that Ge Shouli really didn't understand, said with a smile, "The escort boxes don't necessarily contain silver. No one knows what's inside; the soldiers just thought it was a maritime navigation test."

"So that's it, so that's it. It is I who did not understand." Ge Shouli admitted his ignorance openly. Not understanding wasn't a shameful thing; one could learn, one could figure it out. Pretending to understand when one doesn't, or pretending not to understand when one does, is what's detestable.

"Open the rest." Zhu Yijun waved his little hand, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards opened all the boxes.

Among the thousand boxes, 812.5 contained silver, and the rest weren't all tin and zinc ingots—they were silk, which was even more valuable than silver.

Ling, Luo, Chou, and Duan are four types of silk fabrics. They represent both a progression in value and a true reflection of the era's development. Among them, Duan is the most valuable, and Ling is the cheapest. Ling is the oldest silk fabric, dating back to the time of Leizu. Luo appeared during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Chou can be traced back to the Western Han dynasty, while Duan appeared no earlier than the Southern Song dynasty, with the technology only appearing in the Yuan dynasty.

When Li Yashi (a foreign envoy) entered the Ming, he wore Ling to show his status. Therefore, the Great Ming's ban on raw silk was implemented very smoothly, because giving raw silk to the Western Red-Haired Barbarians was truly a waste.

"Your Majesty." Wang Guoguang said tentatively.

Zhu Yijun immediately said, "Don't even talk about it."

"Your Majesty." Wang Guoguang lowered his voice and said, "Could you distribute some silk to the Ministry of Revenue?"

Feng Bao's expression changed drastically, and he immediately said loudly, "The Minister of Revenue is a pillar of our Great Ming; how can he be so profit-oriented! If the censors find out, they will submit memorials again! This was pre-ordered from the Li Zhizao last year to satisfy Western maritime trade, and this time it was sent back to the capital. It's a repayment! This is His Majesty's silk!"

Wang Guoguang continued to argue, "His Majesty can't use so much; consider it a loan from the Ministry of Revenue."

The official uniforms of the Great Ming court used red Luo and blue borders—a type of Luo. A few years ago, the Ministry of Revenue was dirt poor and had exchanged all its silk for silver. Now that silk products were going overseas, the court had silver but couldn't buy silk. Right now, the Great Ming's silk goods were just this little bit in the Emperor's hands, and it was still the Li Zhizao repaying the debt they owed the Emperor last year.

"Court officials can use cotton cloth," Feng Bao said, still unwilling.

Wan Shihe also echoed, "We've been using cotton cloth for a long time; it's really a bit improper and damages the dignity of the court."

Ge Shouli glanced at Hai Rui and whispered, "Your Majesty, Chief Censor Hai's official uniform is cotton cloth. Could we distribute a little bit at your discretion?"

Tan Lun pondered for a moment and said in agreement, "Some time ago, when Chen Xuehui left the relay station, he was cursing. The station attendant asked the Grand Court of Ceremonial why he was so uncomposed. Chen Xuehui wouldn't say, so I went to ask, and Chen Xuehui told me that Li Yashi had asked: 'The Great Ming is a land of silk, why do all the officials wear cotton?'"

"Chen Xuehui couldn't answer, so he was a bit ashamed and angry."

The Great Ming relay stations were under the Ministry of War. In his communication with Li Yashi, Chen Xuehui had been poked in the lungs by Li Yashi: "You Great Ming have all the silk you could want, why do you, a third-rank official, wear cotton?"

Wang Chonggu didn't understand, so he didn't express an opinion.

"Senior Grand Secretary, say something," Lu Diaoyang gently nudged Zhang Juzheng and whispered a reminder.

"Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Forcing the palace for a few bolts of silk was really a bit excessive, but they truly needed silk, and right now, only His Majesty had it.

"Since the teacher has spoken, then distribute a little. Minister of Revenue, it's agreed: you must pay with silver." Zhu Yijun stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the silver in so many boxes, and made his decision.

You want it? Bring money to buy it!

The Great Ming Emperor is profit-oriented!

"Buying is fine," Wang Guoguang pondered and said with conviction, "Is purchasing at a fair price acceptable?"

"Then why not sell it directly to the Red-Haired Barbarians?" Feng Bao immediately retorted. "It's all selling; wouldn't the Emperor earn more by selling to the Western captain Antonio? You say fair price, so it's fair price? Selling to the Red-Haired Barbarians earns an average profit of twelve taels of silver per bolt!"

Wang Guoguang immediately countered, "The Red-Haired Barbarians are not His Majesty's subjects!"

Feng Bao and Wang Guoguang argued back and forth. Both were scholars, so their argument was full of classical references, neither giving an inch. One wanted a fair price, the other wanted the market price. They went back and forth, a battle of tongues—it was quite lively!

The argument left Wang Chonggu dumbfounded!

The Great Ming's pillars of state and a eunuch arguing tooth and nail over the price of silk—Wang Chonggu had truly never seen such a scene.

Zhu Yijun interrupted the argument between Feng Bao and Wang Guoguang and said helplessly, "Alright, alright! Stop arguing! Arguing like this over a bit of silk—let it be at a fair price."

The little Emperor was uncharacteristically generous for once. Earning money was always happy, but money is like water; water must move to be "living water." He would consider it a reward. After all, according to the old system of the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, not only official uniforms but also ear-warmers required silk.

A little eunuch ran over in a hurry. When he crossed the threshold, he tripped and fell. The little eunuch's acting was excellent; this fall was very smooth and fluid. He did a somersault and then knelt steadily on the ground, shouting loudly, "Your Majesty, the Manager of the Prince's Household, Zhang Siwei, has been carried into the Jiekuyuan (the medical/dissection ward)!"

"Ah?! Hurry, hurry, hurry, go and take a look!" Zhu Yijun was overjoyed upon hearing this, but then realized this wasn't the right emotion to show, so he put on a sad face. However, he quickly realized that he had always expressed his dislike for Zhang Siwei, so he immediately switched to a joyful expression.

This series of facial expressions was extremely brilliant, and it fell into the eyes of Zhang Juzheng, who was also extremely helpless—this was the student he had taught.

Changing his face faster than turning a page!

Goujian attacked the State of Wu twice. The first time, he made peace and let Fuchai go. The second time, they fought again, and Goujian only said he would exile Fuchai, but Fuchai committed suicide out of shame. Therefore, throughout the long river of history, few people have blamed Goujian for being unrighteous regarding Fuchai. This allusion comes from Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian." If there are any objections, one can question Sima Qian about it. Please vote for this chapter, Awooooo!!!!!!!

(End of chapter)