Chapter 185: The Emperor with a Bizarre Mind

In the long river of history, the main conflict between the Emperor Wanli Emperor and Zhang Zhang Juzheng centered on frugality, which was also the root cause of the Emperor Wanli Emperor's hatred for Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

The Emperor Wanli Emperor loved luxury; Zhang Zhang Juzheng prevented him from indulging in pleasure.

In the second year of Emperor Wanli, the Aoshan lanterns began; the Emperor Wanli Emperor wanted to hold them, but Zhang Zhang Juzheng blocked it. The Emperor's inherent love of luxury was already exposed; after his grand wedding in the sixth year of Emperor Wanli, he, like the Emperor Longqing Emperor, continuously drew from the state treasury. Zhang Zhang Juzheng refused, so the Emperor Wanli Emperor simply ignored him and forcibly withdrew funds.

After his grand wedding, the Emperor Wanli Emperor gradually realized the boundless extent of his imperial power and began constantly increasing silk production quotas, yet still ignored the southern flood disasters and kept raising levies.

From the sixth to the tenth year of Emperor Wanli, despite pressure from Zhang Zhang Juzheng's cabinet, the Emperor Wanli Emperor forcibly extracted one million two hundred thousand taels of border-preparation silver from the state treasury under pretexts such as his wedding, the Prince of Lu's departure to his own palace, his sister's dowry, and post-wedding gifts to concubines.

Even while Zhang Zhang Juzheng was still alive, the conflict was already visible; ambitious men began stirring. Zhang Zhang Suiwei, then Deputy Chief Cabinet Minister, joined the Emperor Wanli Emperor in reckless behavior and clashed with Zhang Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Zhang Juzheng knew he had lost imperial favor and accelerated his reforms, determined to finish his work before losing favor entirely.

Did Zhang Zhang Juzheng harshly restrict the Emperor Wanli Emperor's lifestyle? No. The palace's annual expenditure on gold-flower silver was one million two hundred thousand taels.

A single number is too cold: Zhang Zhang Juzheng's Quan Chu Hall required only about one thousand taels annually to operate normally—enough to sustain it for twelve hundred years. A soldier's pay was eighteen taels; the palace's annual spending alone could support twenty infantry battalions.

The one million two hundred thousand taels of gold-flower silver annually was the amount Zhang Zhang Juzheng's cabinet allocated to the Emperor Wanli Emperor. In less than five years, the Emperor withdrew another one million two hundred thousand taels from the state treasury.

Only Zhang Zhang Juzheng's cabinet and the Six Ministries had such funds to let the Emperor Wanli Emperor squander. Yan Song and Xu Xu Jie couldn't even get this much for themselves, let alone an emperor taking one million two hundred thousand taels every five years.

After Zhang Zhang Juzheng's death in the tenth year of Emperor Wanli, the Emperor Wanli Emperor confiscated his household and found only one hundred thousand taels of silver—less than one month's spending by the Emperor.

That year, for the Prince of Lu's wedding, an additional three hundred thousand taels of silver were drawn from the state treasury for gold, silver, and jewels. The Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial, confronting the Emperor Wanli Emperor: "You haven't repaid your debts yet, and now you come again to plunder the Ministry—what nerve!"

But by then, Zhang Zhang Juzheng was gone. Whether the Ministry of Revenue cursed or not, what could they do?

This was the terrifying expenditure of the Emperor Wanli Emperor in the original historical line: when he built his own mausoleum, a single tomb cost eight million taels of silver.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng feared the young Emperor would emulate the profligate Emperor Longqing Emperor—he had been traumatized—so during every lecture, he repeatedly emphasized self-restraint and frugality.

Now, a major problem has arisen!

The young Emperor is not frugal—he is stingy.

Feng Bao told him something that gave him a terrible headache.

Purple signifies nobility but fades easily; the Emperor originally wore purple robes, but after wearing them, the color faded into blue-green.

A normal person would immediately order new purple robes—once the color fades, you must replace them.

The young Emperor thought differently: if purple fades, why not weave the robes blue-green from the start? That skips the fading process entirely, and blue-green dye is cheaper. White cannot be used, because it yellows, and yellowing means replacement—so blue-green is best.

It lasts the longest!

Feng Bao was utterly stunned by the young Emperor's bizarre logic.

"Wearing blue-green and purple signifies nobility—only purple is noble enough to dye."

Yet the frugal Emperor, except for his twelve-symbol dragon robe, wore only blue-green garments—simply because they didn't fade.

For the grand reconstruction of the imperial palace, the Emperor proposed several ideas—all involving cost-cutting—to save expenses. In his words: "Steel-reinforced concrete is extremely strong; no one can see what's inside. With the height of the Ming imperial palace, even with cut corners, it won't collapse. Save wherever possible."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng urged frugality on unnecessary spending—outside the annual one million two hundred thousand taels of gold-flower silver. Within that limit, wasn't the Emperor free to spend as he pleased? As long as he didn't grant excessive rewards, one million two hundred thousand taels was more than sufficient.

Feng Bao said helplessly: "A few days ago, the Empress Dowager suddenly asked how much silver remained in the palace. The Emperor replied there were over seven million taels. The Empress Dowager was shocked and asked whether court ministers were pressuring the Emperor. The Emperor said: 'No. I merely saved it by occasionally using it to reward frontier troops.'"

"Now that the Empress Dowager favors Buddhism, the Emperor plans to donate fifty thousand taels to construct a Buddhist pagoda, seeking the broadest possible public contribution, with the aim of building it as tall and sturdy as possible."

"The Emperor said he would also seek talented architects to oversee the design."

"Wait—how much silver is currently in the palace?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng asked in astonishment. He knew the four million taels seized from confiscated estates had been split evenly, and palace construction costs had also been split evenly—so net gain was only fifty thousand taels.

"Over seven million," Feng Bao said with resignation. "The Emperor also ordered the state treasury to be prepared for emergency loans. We've been borrowing from each other for years—there are always times when funds fall short."

"Didn't the Empress Dowager know she had long since stopped managing palace finances?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng noticed another blind spot.

"Isn't it because the Marquis of Wuqing caused trouble? He demanded money from the court, making the Empress Dowager so anxious she simply gave up entirely," Feng Bao nodded.

The Marquis of Wuqing, Li Wei, didn't just ask once: four thousand taels for his mansion, then thirty thousand taels for his tomb. The Empress Dowager still believed the Ming treasury was as it was in Emperor Wanli's first year—only forty thousand taels in reserve, bankrupt after one campaign—so she stopped caring altogether.

When the seven-million-tael figure emerged, the Empress Dowager was stunned. Her immediate reaction was that court ministers were pushing frugality and bullying the young Emperor.

But the young Emperor said: "No one restricts me."

"Then I understand," Zhang Zhang Juzheng realized. The Empress Dowager's return of power had come far earlier than expected.

Lu Lu Diaoyang whispered: "Chief Cabinet Minister, we cannot continue cutting like this. If we do, disaster will strike."

The Emperor is still young, but he will grow. If frugality is constantly promoted, and he clashes with you, chaos will surely erupt. The Ming has never lacked ambitious men. Zhang Zhang Suiwei has entered the Dissection Academy, but the Ming has no shortage of Wang Li Shizhen types waiting to see you lose imperial favor.

Waiting to see the Emperor you personally raised turn against you and exact revenge.

"Build it. The Emperor has finally indulged once—let him build. Where?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng accepted the Emperor's idea of building a pagoda. What's a pagoda? Excessive frugality isn't good either. The capital's economy depends entirely on the palace—for example, the fruit farmers of Wanping rely on palace snacks to survive.

"Da Longxing Temple. Its incense offerings are the most prosperous. The Emperor says that after its completion, all incense donations will go to the Empress Dowager." At this, Feng Bao's composure finally cracked.

The Emperor is now eyeing even the Buddha's incense money!

Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Lu Lu Diaoyang exchanged horrified glances. They should never have pushed frugality so hard—look at what this has become. The court's dignity is about to be utterly ruined.

Feng Bao continued: "The Emperor said: 'Master, you teach that Buddhism, Daoism, and Nestorianism are heresies. Yet these temple landholdings—where gentry hide their estates under temple names, each temple or monastery holding tens of thousands of acres—must be addressed. When you conduct land surveys, pay special attention. Buddhism, Daoism, and Nestorianism preach detachment and desirelessness. Allow those with official ordination certificates to keep a few acres—ten per person isn't enough, make it twenty. All others must be reclaimed.'"

"The incense money will be collected in locked boxes by officials to prevent theft and fully turned over to the state treasury. Localities constantly cry poverty—yet never think of solutions."

"Enough. I'm leaving."

Feng Bao rose and departed. On the surface, the Emperor was building a pagoda; in truth, he was imposing a religious tax. Frankly, only Zhu Zhu Yijun could handle this—because the Empress Dowager believed in Buddhism, and the Zhu imperial family claimed descent from the True Warrior Emperor. Both sides must be taxed, and only the young Emperor could do it.

On one hand, build a pagoda for the Empress Dowager to please her; on the other, ruthlessly survey and reclaim all temple lands—including Buddhist, Daoist, and Nestorian—and seize all incense money for the state.

Whoever opposes it—tear down their temple. The Mughal Empire exterminated Buddhism. Zhu Zhu Yijun wanted to see how many infantry battalions the Buddha could muster.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng finally saw the young Emperor's terrifying nature. Court ministers daily denounced him as a money-grubber—but who was the real money-grubber? The Emperor's methods of generating revenue were far more ruthless than his! He had already set his sights on incense money!

The Emperor's decree must be obeyed. The pagoda and the palace reconstruction would proceed together.

The next day, during court deliberation, Zhang Zhang Juzheng presented several memorials and began the session: first, land surveys must include Buddhist, Daoist, and Nestorian institutions. Any who refused must be reprimanded.

"Chief Cabinet Minister, you've truly taught him well," Wang Wang Chonggu said, awestruck by the young Emperor's tactics.

This covert maneuver was astonishing. Everyone knew temple landholdings were merely a scheme to evade taxes by registering land under temple names.

But it was difficult to act due to the Empress Dowager's Buddhist devotion and the Emperor's public stance.

No one knew how Zhang Zhang Juzheng had persuaded the Emperor, but as the land surveys intensified, the young Emperor added fuel to the fire.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Tan Lun chuckled. "Ah, let's see which fool dares to step forward—then we'll make an example of him! The more uproar, the better!"

Tan Lun clearly relished the spectacle. The young Emperor's move earned his full approval.

Wang Wang Guoguang had no objections either. Localities constantly cried poverty but never sought solutions. The Emperor provided a method—if they failed to implement it, they couldn't blame him.

As for Minister of Rites Ma Ma Ziqiang, he had no objections either. He even added Islam to the list—everyone would be surveyed: gentry estates, temple lands alike.

"If no one objects, we proceed," Zhang Zhang Juzheng glanced around. No one opposed. He wrote the endorsement on the memorial and submitted it to the Emperor.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng clearly understood what the young Emperor was doing: applying relentless pressure to test the limits of the powerful gentry's tolerance—even provoking rebellion to re-plow the land of those daring to resist taxation.

"Governor of Yunyang, Wang Li Shizhen, has submitted a memorial requesting retirement." Zhang Zhang Juzheng held the memorial, unsure what to say.

Wang Li Shizhen had created a huge farce: a provincial governor, a high-ranking official, fooled by a mere student. Of course, the student himself was fooled by his father—but the Huguang Provincial Administration, Surveillance, and Yunyang Governor were all deceived. It was laughable, yet also tragic.

"Wang Li Shizhen's father, Wang Yu, was a formidable man. When Yan Song ruled, Wang Yu defied Yan and his son to arrange Yang Jisheng's funeral—and was later persecuted to death by them. And now Wang Li Shizhen has been fooled by a child," Tan Lun remarked with deep sigh.

Tan Lun, Qi Qi Jiguang, Yu Yu Dayou, and Wang Yu's relationship originated from their joint efforts in suppressing the Japanese pirates. In the thirty-first year of the Emperor Jiajing reign, Wang Yu was appointed Inspector of Military Affairs in Zhejiang and appointed Yu Yu Dayou. The suppression of the Japanese pirates was not accomplished by Qi Qi Jiguang alone—it was the result of coordinated efforts by the southern command, along with civil and military forces from Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong.

Of course, Qi Qi Jiguang and Yu Yu Dayou played decisive roles.

"A tiger father, a dog son," Qi Qi Jiguang said little, but held a low opinion of Wang Li Shizhen. Wang Yu was wrongfully accused; after his rehabilitation, Qi Qi Jiguang went to offer condolences and was falsely accused of having an overly close relationship with Wang Li Shizhen. Qi Qi Jiguang didn't know what to say.

"Wang Li Shizhen wandered mountains and rivers in Yunyang, accumulating wealth without restraint, utterly disinterested in governance. He calls himself 'The Scholar of Yanzhou,' spending his days feigning elegance—utterly unfit for office," Hence Hai Rui pronounced Wang Li Shizhen's political death sentence. This man lacked integrity and moral backbone.

The Four Collections of the Yanzhou Scholar, totaling over one hundred and eighty volumes, were Wang Li Shizhen's entire contribution during his one year and eight months in Yunyang—he wrote and printed them himself merely to maintain his literary status.

Being a governor is demanding, especially now, when land surveys demand even more labor. Among so many governors, only Wang Li Shizhen idled away his days, feigning elegance, composing poetry, and writing a massive book.

According to Hence Hai Rui's judgment, this man lacked moral backbone. Governors were subordinate to the Censorate and typically held the title of Left or Right Censor-in-Chief. This Wang Li Shizhen didn't advance land surveys, didn't hunt bandits, didn't investigate public sentiment, didn't dredge waterways, didn't pacify the people—yet spent his days composing poetry. What kind of governance is this?

Wan Shihé sighed: "I've read several volumes of his Four Collections. They're all printed for sale—mere recycled rhetoric of reviving antiquity. He claims Western Han prose is substantial, Eastern Han weak but still grounded; Six Dynasties prose is frivolous and detached from substance; Tang prose is vulgar and still floating; Song prose is crude and detached from even that floating quality; Yuan had no prose at all. In short: read only Western Han prose and Tang poetry—ignore everything else."

Such total rejection was typical among the revivers of antiquity: after the Spring and Autumn Annals, historical writing lost its great principles—only the recording of facts remained. Same formula, same worn-out script, same stale bun, endlessly reheated.

But then again, Wang Li Shizhen was the leader of the Seven Revivers of Antiquity. What else could he discuss? He was simply outdated. Since the Xiaozong Emperor, reviving antiquity had indeed been favored—but the court's atmosphere was changing.

Now, everyone discussed the Theory of Contradiction. Even if not discussing it, one must present the full version of "Unity of Knowledge and Action, Attaining Innate Goodness"—otherwise, one couldn't debate the Theory of Contradiction.

"Then let him return home to idle," Zhang Zhang Juzheng wrote the memorial. The Censorate and Ministry of Personnel both submitted personnel recommendations.

"For Governor of Yunyang, I nominate Xu Xu Xuemo, Left Administrator of Huguang, as Right Vice Censor-in-Chief to govern. What do you all think?"

The Governor of Yunyang oversaw five circuits, eight prefectures, and nine military districts bordering Hubei, Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi: Yunyang, Xiangyang, Jingzhou, Anlu, Nanyang, Xi'an, Hanzhong, and Kuizhou prefectures all fell under his jurisdiction.

This region had many displaced people and frequent rebellions—a critical post. Wang Li Shizhen, in such a vital position, wandered mountains and rivers. Zhang Zhang Juzheng could not be blamed for disregarding their classmate bond.

Wang Daoqun and Ling Ling Yunyi had both served as governors here, but Wang Li Shizhen clearly disappointed Zhang Zhang Juzheng's expectations.

Xu Xu Xuemo was not Zhang Zhang Juzheng's man. When the Prince of Liao was stripped of his title, Xu Xu Xuemo submitted a memorial arguing the Prince could not have rebelled. The Prince was later deposed by the Emperor Longqing Emperor, and Xu Xu Xuemo was dismissed and returned home. He was only reappointed during Emperor Wanli's reign as Huguang's Administrator.

Now he was promoted.

The Governor of Yunyang controlled Zhang Zhang Juzheng's hometown Jiangling. Zhang Zhang Juzheng could not appoint his own man, so he promoted a neutral, non-aligned figure.

The court officials had no objections to this successor.

The Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue jointly calculated the grain and pay for all nine frontier garrisons and prepared a detailed table for the Emperor's review. The table contained rich data: besides the standard allocations of silver, grain, fodder, hay, and cloth, it included last year's expenditures, calculated the deficits, and showed year-over-year growth rates—including negative numbers.

Zhu Zhu Yijun studied it for a long time. "In Emperor Wanli's fourth year, the nine frontier garrisons spent 2.24 million taels of silver and 2.02 million shi of grain. Did this include the Great Wall construction funds?"

"No. The funds are designated separately. The Imperial Inspector and the Censor for Frontier Affairs oversee their supervision," replied Minister of War Tan Lun.

The annual expenditure of the nine garrisons equaled two imperial palaces.

"Xuanfu and Datong alone require 2.5 million taels annually." Zhu Zhu Yijun's fingers tapped the table. The spending of these two garrisons equaled the total of Jizhen, Yongping, Miyun, Changping, Yizhou, Jingxing, and Liaozhen. Xuanfu and Datong's military pay was double that of the Three Border Regions of Shaanxi.

"The reason is that horse purchase silver is included. If we exclude it, their spending is roughly comparable to other garrisons," Wang Wang Chonggu cautiously replied.

The Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue had pulled off a massive maneuver!

This account couldn't be calculated—once calculated, the truth was exposed, the last veil torn away.

Anyone seeing this table, seeing Xuanfu and Datong's far higher expenditures, would ask: Why so much? Then connect it to the Anma Peace Agreement, and finally to the Song Dynasty's annual tribute.

Has the Ming also sunk to paying for peace?

"Some ministers say this tribute trade is no different from the Song's annual tribute. What's the difference? We paid high prices for inferior horses. Third Consort isn't afraid of the Tumens. If I were in charge, I wouldn't be afraid either. Spending over a million taels annually to maintain them—how could the Tumens possibly match the Altan Khan?" Zhu Zhu Yijun ordered Zhang Hong to display the report on the fifteen-screen display.

Zhu Zhu Yijun knew clearly: without the Anma Peace Agreement, the Ming northwest would still be at war, with annual expenditures far exceeding 2.5 million taels. War would cause grain and pay to skyrocket—especially if the war was unwinnable.

"How much has the Capital Garrison spent over the past four years?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked Qi Qi Jiguang.

Qi Qi Jiguang flipped his sleeve and pulled out a memorial, bowing his head: "Ninety-two thousand taels of silver and 840,000 shi of grain—each year the Ministry of Revenue audits these accounts; this is the six-volume ledger of the Capital Garrison."

The Capital Garrison is formidable in combat, well-equipped, and numbers only about ten thousand, yet its rations are extremely ample; its soldiers are selected from the Nine Borders, so this money is well spent.

Zhu Zhu Yijun finally stopped tapping his fingers and said to Minister of Rites Ma Ma Ziqiang: "Issue an edict to General Zhao Yongjiang, summoning San San Niangzi to the capital to renegotiate the price of horses."

"Does the Grand Minister of Justice have any objections?"

Before purging the clan factions, the horse-price silver was unclear; after purging them, it's still unclear—wouldn't that make the purge pointless?

The overarching policy of the border markets remains unchanged, but the negotiation partner for Altan Khan's left wing has shifted from the Zhe Party to the Great Ming court.

During the Emperor Longqing era, when peace and tribute were negotiated, no minister wanted to bear the shame of paying annual tribute; Zhu Zhu Yijun had no fear of losing face.

"No!" Wang Wang Chonggu shouted immediately, even feeling a sense of relief—this horse-price silver affair was finally off his shoulders. Once profitable, it was now a bomb; the annual trade in horses simply didn't earn as much as wool.

The court's winds have shifted.

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded and said: "Continue the court deliberation."

If San San Niangzi returns to the capital and negotiations succeed, the Great Ming will save considerable expenses—this annual one million plus taels of horse-price silver is simply too much.

Some accounts cannot be reconciled. Zhang Zhang Suiwei, Wu Dui, and Fang Fang Fengshi have already gone to the Dissection Institute; this audit will inevitably reveal one truth: how much of the court's extra one million plus taels in horse-price silver flows annually into the steppe.

The court deliberation continued. Zhang Zhang Juzheng frowned and said: "Minister of Works Liu Xuan and Censor Jia Liu Rushi have jointly submitted a memorial: the people's strength is exhausted, the demands are immense; we beg to halt silk production in Suzhou and Hangzhou, for every additional burden brings disturbance, and every relief brings benefit."

Wang Wang Guoguang smiled and said: "They're accusing the court of competing with the people for profit. The silk from Suzhou and Hangzhou is sold entirely to the Red-Haired Barbarians—should we stop it so the powerful can weave for themselves?"

"They don't pay weavers and silkwomen enough, refuse fair prices for raw silk, refuse to buy looms—and now they blame the court for stealing business? The powerful control their tenant farmers; when tenants secretly sell raw silk to the court, they're furious. Ignore them—they're just whining."

Wang Wang Chonggu shook his head: "I think we must act. These powerful clans may restrict the people from selling raw silk to the court. Clearly instruct the silk procurement agents: if anyone harasses them, they may seek help at the Silk Bureau."

"The Silk Bureau can't solve problems—but it can reach the Son of Heaven directly."

Suzhou and Hangzhou silk production was once exclusively for the palace; now it's dedicated entirely to export trade. Even the Grand Secretaries have little silk left—all has been bought by the Red-Haired Barbarians.

The Great Ming's Suzhou-Hangzhou silk bureau employs a corps of procurement agents who travel from village to village collecting raw silk; otherwise, with silk now so scarce, they could never gather enough—this is thanks to Yu Yu Dayou's suppression of bandits in the southern regions, which has brought peace to the land.

This year's situation will grow even worse.

The price of raw silk will rise further, and silk prices will follow suit.

Wang Wang Chonggu's point is to prevent the powerful from using coercive personal dependency to force the people not to sell raw silk to state workshops—then the court need not be gentle.

"Hmm, the Grand Minister of Justice speaks wisely." Zhang Zhang Juzheng nodded, wrote out the floating note. Wang Wang Chonggu's reminder came just in time and hit the mark—everyone eats from the same pot; if someone tries to smash it, the court's blade is not rusting on its rack.

"What if we divert part of the land returned to farmers to mulberry cultivation? If the powerful play tricks, at least we won't be left with no rice to cook." Wang Wang Guoguang proposed an idea—broadly speaking, replacing rice with mulberry.

"To replace rice with mulberry, we should consult the Provincial Governors of Nanjing, Songjiang, and Zhejiang." Zhang Zhang Juzheng weighed it carefully and decided to seek the opinions of local officials.

Sometimes the court's policies sound splendid in theory, but overly idealistic—and often end in failure.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng, seated in the capital, doesn't understand the primary conflicts in each region. Where can rice be replaced? Where should mulberry trees be planted? How many years until maturity? How much can be changed without affecting grain prices? Where will the seedlings come from? What silkworm strains to use? All need clear plans. To slap a decision on the whole of Zhejiang and replace all rice with mulberry—what kind of state is this?

After the court deliberation ended, Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up abruptly and said with a smile: "Marshal Qi, come along—let's inspect the Capital Garrison's troops!"

Zhu Zhu Yijun previously only reviewed the troops every five days; he was too young then. Now he can inspect them daily, replacing his afternoon martial practice.

The young emperor eagerly awaited this day—the Capital Garrison had finally returned from the northwest.

"Today, I've given each soldier five catties of pork belly, ten catties of potatoes, and a bottle of Guojiao liquor. The Capital Garrison has been on the move for a year—returned to the capital, even journeyed to the northwest. After today's inspection, we'll reward the entire army!"

Zhu Zhu Yijun had previously only reviewed the troops, but the soldiers knew when the emperor came—each visit brought plenty of meat, effectively a reward.

"Marshal Yu, come along too! Master, join us as well!" Zhu Zhu Yijun's departure—especially beyond the capital—demanded a grand procession.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng bowed: "Your servant obeys the imperial command."

Historically, Master Zhang was ultimately betrayed. Please vote for monthly tickets! Awoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

(End of Chapter)