Chapter 216: The Emperor's Inquiry

Huang Qing is a very interesting Juren. His ability to answer the Emperor's questions appropriately is based on his own practical experience, not because he understands the Emperor very well. This is the first time Huang Qing has met the Emperor, and also the first time he has tried to guess what kind of person the Emperor really is.

Before entering the palace for the audience, the Grand Secretary specifically passed a message to him: say whatever you think, do not try to guess the Emperor's intentions, because it is fundamentally impossible to guess.

If the Emperor is a black box that requires inputting commands to analyze, Huang Qing, as a clerk of twelve years, actually does not know what commands to input to analyze the Emperor, so he simply does not guess and says whatever he thinks.

For Huang Qing, or rather for the vast majority of the subjects in the world, the Emperor is just a symbol condensed to represent the court's decisions, not a specific person; he represents the legal system established by Zhu Yuanzhang.

As for the Emperor himself, what he looks like, what he eats, and what he likes have little to do with the subjects. The Emperor is too far away from Huang Qing and those below him, so far away that it is like standing on the ground and looking at the gods in the nine heavens.

Huang Qing did not guess; he answered the questions directly based on his own practical experience, and as it happened, it was the answer the Emperor wanted to hear.

This is a very interesting phenomenon. "Base scholars" like Sun Jigao are being scolded, while "practical officials" like Huang Qing are receiving praise from the Emperor in the Wenhua Hall. If one can get things done, one cannot be a base scholar; if one is a base scholar, one will certainly never get things done.

This is an inevitable law. Base scholars have always talked about "mind and nature" with their hands in their sleeves. To summarize the "mind and nature" that base scholars talk about, it is: "If I think it, I can do it." Base scholars are not the only God in the Western world; they cannot say "let there be light" and have there be light.

Wang Chonggu set up a woolen mill, went through a lot of trouble, and fought until now, only to force himself into becoming a lonely man, and he only basically achieved large-scale production; even replication is difficult to achieve. Why do base scholars think they can do it just because they want to?

Many decisions of the Great Ming Dynasty in the past 150 years have been influenced by this "if I think it, I can do it" mentality.

Zhu Yijun looked at Huang Qing and continued to ask: "It is said that Magistrate Huang is very good at land reclamation. I have some doubts. I have observed a very strange thing, which is very contradictory. The Provincial Governor of Yingtian, Song Yangshan, and the Provincial Governor of Songjiang, Wang Daokun, told me that there are many tenant farmers and hired servants who have lost their land in Jiangnan, and some even sell themselves into slavery to wealthy families just to survive."

"On the other hand, Song Yangshan and Wang Daokun also told me that there is a lot of wasteland in Jiangnan, and people refuse to farm it even if it is left barren. Even the fields and paths are overgrown with weeds, and much of the farmland is abandoned."

"Why don't these landless tenant farmers go farm the land to make a living? Is it because they are lazy?"

"No! Your Majesty, it is not like that! The people of the Great Ming are very hardworking. It is not that they don't want to, but that they cannot, Your Majesty." As soon as Huang Qing heard the Emperor ask this, he became anxious, and his look at Zhang Juzheng changed from fanaticism to doubt.

As the Emperor's teacher, is this how you teach the little Emperor!

But it seems there is no problem... because if this is the case, the powerful and wealthy gentry who control the discourse can push all the responsibility onto the poor and laborers, claiming the poor are lazy and don't want to farm, that the poor envy luxury but cannot work hard to get rich, and that the poor are ignorant and unchangeable. This is the image of the common people that the gentry who have controlled the discourse for a long time have tried their best to shape.

And they have shaped it very successfully.

Zhang Juzheng was slightly helpless and annoyed. Huang Qing, what is that look in your eyes! The little Emperor is testing you, you idiot!

It is not that Zhang Juzheng's education has a problem; the little Emperor is holding the answer and asking about your ability, not because the Emperor doesn't understand. The Emperor wants to know if you understand!

Huang Qing pondered for a long time before saying: "Your Majesty, as a clerk, I once compiled the Ji'an County Annals. I went from Jiangxi to Zhejiang, and then from Zhejiang to the capital. Why can't the common people farm the barren fields?"

"Your Majesty, on the maps, the names of villages such as Yaojia Village, Hujia Village, Zongjia Village, Ma Jia Grave, etc., are countless. These village names generally represent that there is a gentry clan family here. To the common people, they are by no means kind."

"The gentry and wealthy families have clear boundaries between villages. Every blade of grass, every tree, and even a mouthful of water belongs to the gentry and the wealthy families. Even if it is a rocky beach, even if it is saline-alkali land, even if it is sandy land, it belongs to these wealthy families. In places where even birds don't poop, they won't let the displaced refugees move even a shovel of dirt."

"In my hometown, Jiangxi and other places, there is a Zhao Wang Village. There is a pole with a human head in front of this village. Anyone who picks up a piece of firewood from the mountain will be beheaded and hung on the pole as a warning. This kind of human head pole has different names in different places, but they generally exist."

"When I was in Ji'an, I once specifically handled such a case."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of the rows of flagpoles by the Tonghui River. The treacherous officials who secretly colluded with the Hu Lu were beheaded and hung on the poles as a warning, with stone tablets erected below them, inscribed with their crimes.

When Zhu Yijun did this at the time, he was surprised why Zhang Juzheng, who advocated benevolence and forgiveness, did not object or advise him to be benevolent.

Obviously, this kind of human head pole is a common phenomenon in the Great Ming, so Zhang Juzheng didn't say much. It wasn't the little Emperor who learned to be bad; it was the powerful and wealthy people who claimed to be great philanthropists in the Great Ming who corrupted the Emperor.

It is not that the Emperor is cruel, but that such cruel and powerful gentry corrupted the Emperor.

It's all the fault of the powerful gentry!

"What case?" Zhu Yijun asked calmly.

Huang Qing bowed and said: "There is a marriage custom in Jiangxi of steaming a 'lotus cake' before getting married. The case I handled was about this lotus cake."

"It is said that a refugee family of four in Zhao Wang Village drifted to Zhao Wang Village and opened ten acres of wasteland, diverting water from the Zhao family spring to irrigate the wasteland. This refugee was then hung on a pole and hanged to death by the 'Great Philanthropist' Zhao of Zhao Wang Village."

"The two children in the refugee's family were thrown into a ditch and washed away when there was a flood."

"Only this widow was left. The widow was forced to marry the Great Philanthropist Zhao. When she got married, she steamed this lotus cake, but there was arsenic in the lotus cake, which poisoned the Great Philanthropist Zhao's family of twelve to death. This case fell into my hands."

"Your Majesty, every blade of grass and every tree has an owner."

After listening, Zhu Yijun was stunned for a long time before realizing that the story he heard seemed to be a love story.

This widow must die. In terms of the Great Ming law, there is no possibility of leniency for a widow in a case involving twelve lives. But on second thought, the widow's husband and son were killed, and she was forced to marry someone else. What is the point of living?

Since the widow was wandering around with her children and the refugee, it is clear that she knew her husband was reliable.

This is a poignant love story.

"So what is the meaning of steaming the lotus cake in Jiangxi?" Zhu Yijun asked suspiciously.

Huang Qing said very firmly: "Beauty, fulfillment, and longevity."

In this day and age, one follows one's husband, and it is extremely difficult to remarry after divorce. This lotus cake is actually a way to prevent the husband's family from bullying their daughter too much. It is considered a kind of expectation, and it is indeed a beautiful meaning: beauty, fulfillment, and longevity.

Huang Qing continued: "This is why refugees cannot farm the land themselves, because they cannot open up wasteland at all. Moving other people's land and water will lead to death. And they are just refugees; no one reports the case, and even the local government has to tolerate and cover it up, turning big things into small things. Anyway, only refugees died."

"If they meet a soft-hearted gentry—although there are not many, there are always some philanthropists—who gives water to the refugees, once they start reclaiming wasteland, gentry, hooligans, and government clerks will swarm in, all taking profits from these refugees. As soon as the refugee digs a shovel of dirt, they are burdened with several pecks of rice straw tax, grain rent, and private demands. Therefore, no one reclaims wasteland, so the land is left barren."

"The only ones who can lead the people to reclaim wasteland are the court, because the gentry dare not offend the court officials. If a court official dies inexplicably, the court will investigate. Compared to the heavenly soldiers and generals, their few servants are no match at all."

What Huang Qing said is the truth. Yin Zhengmao tore down doors and moved beds, and Ling Yunyi simply killed people. When facing the court, the gentry are afraid. Now the powerful gentry in Liangguang are very dissatisfied with Ling Yunyi and are begging to call back the "National Surname" Yin Zhengmao.

Yin Zhengmao is greedy, but Yin Zhengmao doesn't kill people.

Zhu Yijun suddenly thought of Hou Yuzhao's "Five-Point Memorial on Land Reclamation": first, equalize farmland; second, set tax standards; third, strictly limit approvals; fourth, monitor collection; fifth, expand reclamation. Equalizing farmland is easy to understand, and the significance of setting tax standards lies in determining the share of farmland tax. As long as someone pursues it, the people can resist taxes with force.

Zhu Yijun once again affirmed that Hou Yuzhao is truly loyal to the monarch and the country.

When Huang Qing said this, the terror of meeting the Emperor had vanished. He cheered himself up. He had to judge whether this was the only chance in his life to meet the Emperor. Since the Emperor asked about land reclamation, he had to make the necessity of land reclamation clear.

He cheered himself up and said quickly: "If you want to reclaim wasteland, first of all, if the court's public opinion and laws favor the powerful gentry, then it is absolutely impossible; secondly, the court must lead the people to reclaim wasteland, otherwise the farmland reclaimed by the people will just be making wedding clothes for others; then there are the farm tools. The poor and laborers have no means of survival and absolutely cannot have any farm tools. If the court doesn't give them, they won't be able to dig out good farmland with their hands; finally, there is the relief grain. It takes three to five years for this land to become regular farmland. How can they continue to survive for these three to five years? These are all problems that must be considered."

Huang Qing talked about the necessary conditions for land reclamation from four aspects: first, political policy support and inclination; second, court officials must have responsibility and take the lead; third, provide production tools to the poor and laborers; fourth, the cost of land reclamation must be considered.

As long as you talk about costs, you are talking about policy implementation. If you don't talk about costs, you are just base scholars deceiving the Emperor.

Decrees that don't talk about costs are all bullshit. This is Zhu Yijun's summary since he started listening to politics at the imperial gate, and he found it extremely useful to distinguish whether a decree is fooling him.

Ma Yilong, the teacher of Xu Zhenming, the Director of the Great Ming Baoqi Division, was a pioneer in land reclamation and a great philanthropist among the gentry. As a gentry, after Ma Yilong retired, he led landless tenant farmers to reclaim land. As a result, after Ma Yilong died, the reclaimed farmland was all usurped by the gentry.

Ma Yilong's failure was because he did not have the first and second conditions.

Xu Zhenming followed in his teacher's footsteps and also reclaimed land, but he also failed because Xu Zhenming lacked the first condition at that time.

And Hou Yuzhao's great success in land reclamation was because he possessed these four conditions, so he succeeded.

Even if he lacked one, he wouldn't have been able to do it.

"I think what Magistrate Huang said is very good." Zhu Yijun looked at Huang Qing and said very satisfied: "If the Great Ming had Huang Qing as local prefects and county magistrates, the world would be well-governed and the people would live in peace."

It is not simple for Huang Qing to go from a clerk to an official. His background is not as good as others, but he was able to obtain an official position, which is truly not easy.

"Reward him!" Zhu Yijun clapped his hands, signaling Feng Bao to give a standard reward. He thought for a moment and said: "Send a copy to Hou Yuzhao in Liaodong as well, to reward him for his meritorious service in land reclamation."

Fifty imperial silver coins, five bottles of national cellar liquor, five feet of woolen cloth, and other rewards, although not many, are definitely not indiscriminate rewards.

The Longqing Emperor liked to reward artists who performed talents at the Aoshan Lantern Festival, and Zhu Yijun also liked to reward, but he gave to officials who were loyal to the monarch and the country, to the capital army, to official craftsmen, and to clerks, but never to artists and base scholars. Zhu Yijun didn't give to base scholars because he hated them, and he didn't give to artists because he couldn't see them.

In order to avoid the rewards of the ancestral laws, the Emperor simply didn't look.

The audience ended, and when Huang Qing left the palace, he still felt like a lifetime away. This little Emperor, it seems, perhaps, maybe, is really not bad. The Emperor could understand what he said and could listen to it, which truly exceeded Huang Qing's expectations.

Huang Qing passed by the Donghua Gate and saw three lists. The first list was naturally the list of successful candidates in the metropolitan examination, the second list was the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination, and the third was a list of mathematics scores.

Only full marks and zero marks were posted.

Students with full marks were basically all on the first list. Being able to learn mathematics well proved that they had the leisure to study mathematics, which proved that they could basically determine that they could pass the metropolitan examination. Those with zero marks basically didn't pass. Zero marks basically represented a lack of any submissive heart. If they were centrifugal from the court's general direction, how could they pass the metropolitan examination?

"Where is my name! Where is my name?" Gu Xiancheng roared hysterically in the crowd. He had received the good news from Sun Jigao yesterday that he had passed the examination, but after the list was posted today, he searched through the list of 315 people and found that his name was indeed not there!

"Who is this person?" Huang Qing didn't know Gu Xiancheng. Seeing his silk attire, he was also a gentry disciple. He was just a little strange why this guy was so angry. Huang Qing had never participated in the metropolitan examination and didn't understand where Gu Xiancheng's anger came from. Failing the examination should be a disappointment.

Huang Qing asked the students around him. The students around him had failed the examination and didn't answer, but another Confucian scholar answered the question.

"Gu Xiancheng, a student of Sun Jigao. Yesterday, the good news reached the Xuan Hall. This person booked a three-story private room at Yanxing Tower to treat guests, and the invitations were sent out. As a result, his name is not there. Of course he is crazy." Zhang Siwen said happily.

"He actually failed." Jiao Hong was also full of smiles.

The imperial examination is like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. They all leaped over and turned into dragons, while Gu Xiancheng is still a fish.

Gu Xiancheng received the news that he had leaped over, but when the list was posted, he hadn't leaped over. In the end, he still hadn't leaped over.

According to reason, the list of successful candidates in the metropolitan examination would never be leaked before it was posted, but many things in the Great Ming cannot be judged by reason. For example, the list was leaked in advance. Wang Qian, Zhang Siwen, and other powerful disciples actually knew the result last night.

This kind of privilege is common, but Gu Xiancheng booked a banquet in advance, but it was useless. Those who received the invitations had to go door-to-door one by one and say, "I didn't pass, no need to come." This is too shameful.

Gu Xiancheng didn't invite small households. Gu Xiancheng had to go door-to-door to explain the situation himself.

Zhang Siwen and Jiao Hong were crazy with joy watching Gu Xiancheng's frantic appearance. Next time, he will definitely have to take the mathematics examination. With Gu Xiancheng's sour and rotten spirit, he should never think about passing the metropolitan examination in this life.

"It must be Zhang Juzheng! It must be Zhang Juzheng who changed this list!" Gu Xiancheng suddenly roared, rushed to Zhang Siwen, and shouted hysterically: "Only your father can change this list!"

Zhang Siwen took a step forward, his face full of anger, and said: "I will tell my father. If it is not my father's doing, you will definitely have to bear the crime of false accusation. False accusation will be punished in reverse! Can you afford it?"

"Even if it is my father, what can you do? What can you do?"

Zhang Siwen completely inherited Zhang Juzheng's arrogance. In front of so many students, he directly sprayed Gu Xiancheng until his scalp went numb.

It was Zhang Juzheng who changed the list. What could Gu Xiancheng do? Not to mention that Sun Jigao didn't dare, who in the Great Ming Dynasty dared to provoke Zhang Juzheng?

Not to mention the Emperor's favoritism, even in the dog-eat-dog fights between officials, who could beat Zhang Juzheng? Zhang Juzheng's position as Grand Secretary was not obtained through imperial favor, but through fighting!

"I spoke out of turn, brother, don't blame me." Gu Xiancheng immediately came to his senses, shivered, and broke out in a cold sweat. If Zhang Siwen really bit him and didn't let go, Gu Xiancheng would have only one dead end.

"Are you sober?" Zhang Siwen put away his momentum, flicked his sleeves and said: "The list determined by the two chief examiners and the eighteen examination rooms is not something my father can change. Only one person can change this list. Don't you know who you offended?"

Jiao Hong sighed and said: "The young man who refuted you at Yanxing Tower that day was the Emperor."

"Em... Em... Emperor?" Gu Xiancheng's face turned pale instantly. The young man at Yanxing Tower had the demeanor of a noble, was quick-thinking, and spoke in an orderly manner. He claimed to be from the Penglai Huang family, but he was simply the Penglai imperial family!

It all made sense. Everything made sense.

The last person who was disliked by the Emperor was named Zhang Siwei, and he and his 728 party members were beheaded and hung on the poles by the Tonghui River!

Gu Xiancheng immediately realized that he was in trouble and planned to go home immediately. He couldn't hang around under the Emperor's nose anymore. If he hung around, something big would happen. Gu Xiancheng didn't want to leave either. He still wanted to enter the Imperial Academy. If he didn't pass this time, there would be a next time. He couldn't not learn mathematics. He considered himself a smart person, and he wasn't afraid of taking the mathematics examination next time.

But not being liked by the Emperor was a serious matter. Gu Xiancheng was so anxious that his forehead was sweating.

Another student looked at the list, let out a long breath, and looked at Jiao Hong with extremely complex eyes. He walked to Jiao Hong's side and said: "You won."

This person's name was Feng Mengzhen, who was second in the metropolitan examination. The first place was Jiao Hong, not him, Feng Mengzhen. They were all students from the Southern Yamen. Feng Mengzhen actually knew Gu Xiancheng's strength, but in examinations, there are winners and losers. First is first, and the top scholar is the top scholar.

Feng Mengzhen pondered for a moment, showed a relieved smile and said: "It should have been you. I heard you couldn't take it, so I thought I could win by luck."

Feng Mengzhen and Jiao Hong had fought several times in the Southern Yamen, and they were always at a disadvantage. Not being able to beat Jiao Hong in the examination was not a shameful thing.

Jiao Hong's level of scolding people and writing articles had been tested by remonstrance. That mouth had offended many people.

While the students were posting the list, a memorial set off a thousand waves in the court. Led by Guang Mao, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, twelve censors jointly submitted a memorial opposing the Single Whip Law, and the reasons were sufficient. After several days of observation, major miscellaneous newspapers began to discuss the pros and cons of the Single Whip Law.

Only one miscellaneous newspaper was an exception, and that was the *People's Newspaper*.

The bi-weekly *People's Newspaper* didn't report on the Single Whip Law at all. It still focused on reporting the working principle of the water pump, and arranged more than a dozen water pumps in the capital, allowing the people of the capital to use convenient water. It also reported on the application of Zhu Zaiyu's steam turbine in the woolen mill.

The steam turbine was not first used for water lifting. It was placed in the woolen mill mainly to facilitate the improvement of the steam turbine.

The *People's Newspaper* described the difficulty of the first steam turbine landing in an extremely regrettable tone. It exploded on the first day.

Zhu Zaiyu's first steam turbine exploded. It was the boiler. The safety valve of one boiler was overweight, which was not discovered during installation, resulting in an explosion, causing the entire steam turbine to fail to work. It would not be repaired until mid-March.

The *People's Newspaper* held a pessimistic attitude towards the steam turbine. It was not that the steam turbine had a problem, but that the Great Ming had a problem. The current materials made it difficult for it to operate at high speed and stably. To use a steam turbine, a high-pressure, high-temperature, and high-speed steam environment was needed, which was a huge challenge for all components.

The boiler explosion was just the first step.

The steam turbine was good, but the Great Ming's materials were not enough to allow it to operate stably and lastingly. Another type of structure that sprayed water into the cylinder, cooled the cylinder steam to create a vacuum, and then achieved a crank reciprocating structure appeared in the *People's Newspaper*.

The *People's Newspaper* only published a fantasy, because the *People's Newspaper* didn't have enough iron to make this thing.

The Great Ming lacked both coal and iron. If they wanted to do it, only the court could do it.

Zhu Yijun asked Zhu Zaiyu to see if a reciprocating steam engine was feasible. He himself went to the Yilun Hall, preparing for the upcoming debate, or rather, he was going to summon the many officials led by Guang Mao who opposed the new policy.

This public opinion was very large, so large that Zhu Yijun had to respond positively. For this reason, Zhu Yijun specifically summoned the editors of major miscellaneous newspapers in the capital to watch together.

As long as these editors took things out of context, Zhu Yijun was not a person without the power to truss a chicken. He would definitely take the base scholar's dog head and tell him that misinterpreting the Emperor's words was prophecy and a capital crime of treason.

Zhu Yijun took out the Zheng Wang watch and looked at the time. According to the hour, it was 9:00 AM, and the debate was about to begin.

"Your Majesty, I have prepared some documents for Your Majesty to use." Feng Bao and Zhang Hong held two scrolls of books. These were the viewpoints of miscellaneous newspapers collected by the Inner Study, and a cheat sheet organized according to the files of the new laws. After all, this was the Emperor meeting officials outside the palace, and this must not be messed up.

"No need." Although Zhu Yijun said no need, he still took the two scrolls of books in his hand.

What if he remembered something wrong? Wouldn't he make a fool of himself in public?

If the Emperor makes a fool of himself in public, it is not the Emperor's fault, but the official's fault. If an official causes the Emperor to make a fool of himself, he must pay with his life.

So there is a reason why Hou Yuzhao is scolded every day. If Hou Yuzhao hadn't submitted a memorial to the court, Zhang Juzheng wouldn't have established the system of regular court meetings on the third day.

"Your ministers pay homage to Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live Your Majesty." As soon as the group of officials heard the eunuchs shouting that the Emperor had arrived, they began to kneel and salute.

Zhu Yijun looked at the court officials, miscellaneous officials, many editors, and many students, smiled and waved his hands: "Rise, sit, sit."

This was not a court discussion, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed, everyone had a seat, and Zhu Yijun sat on the throne. There was a table with a baffle in front of the throne. Zhu Yijun put the two scrolls of books on the table. This was his public cheat sheet.

"Supervising Secretary Guang Mao, your memorial has been submitted to the court, and the miscellaneous newspapers are boiling with discussion. I have read your memorial and the discussions in the miscellaneous newspapers, and I deeply agree." Zhu Yijun first affirmed Guang Mao's memorial. It was not a base scholar's ancient tomb faction, but a memorial based on the theory of contradictions.

This memorial was very valuable. It was because it was valuable that Zhu Yijun made such a big move to come out and respond personally.

"I thank Your Majesty for your praise." Guang Mao thanked him again. The Emperor's affirmation made him breathe a sigh of relief. Attacking the Single Whip Law was equivalent to attacking the Great Ming's new policy, and equivalent to attacking the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng. But because it involved the importance of the country and the society, Guang Mao had to submit this memorial.

"First, let's talk about the first thing. The Great Ming is poor in silver, and the core of the Single Whip Law is silver. So the starting point of Guang Mao's memorial is based on the Great Ming's poverty in silver. This starting point is excellent, and this is also the reason why the Grand Secretary has refused to fully promote the Single Whip Law until now." Zhu Yijun greatly appreciated Guang Mao's attitude.

What base scholars like to say most is that the Great Ming has everything and doesn't need to take from others to be self-sufficient. This is a necessary rhetoric in the narrative system of the Celestial Empire. For example, if a foreign vassal offers tribute to the court, these base scholars will say this sentence.

And the beginning of Guang Mao's memorial said that the Great Ming has no silver and must take from foreigners, which led to an inevitability: relying on the inflow of silver and being controlled by others.

"Guang Mao, if we don't use silver, should we use treasure notes?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile: "Treasure notes are too dirty to even wipe your ass. If we don't use silver and copper, and don't use the note method, is it possible that the Great Ming doesn't use money?"

"Naturally, money must be used." Guang Mao sighed and said.

"Hmm, that's it. Money must be used, but the Great Ming has neither copper nor silver. If we use iron money and treasure notes, we will be accused of being harsh to the common people and gathering wealth." Zhu Yijun seemed to be asking Guang Mao, but he was actually saying this to all the editors.

The Great Ming needs to use money, and the Great Ming is in a state of widespread money shortage. Even salt vouchers can be used as money. This is the current situation of the Great Ming.

The Great Ming needs to use money, and it can only resort to overseas.

Zhu Yijun and Guang Mao reached the first consensus: the Great Ming needs to use money, and it can only be silver or copper coins. That is why Wang Xiyuan, the former supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, went to Yunnan to mine copper.

He asked with a smile: "So, what does Guang Mao think should be done? Guang Mao's worry is very reasonable. The Great Ming is poor in silver and will inevitably be controlled by others. What should we do?"

Guang Mao thought about it, frowned, and finally tentatively said: "The Japanese country has a lot of silver. Why don't we take down the Japanese country? In this way, we won't lack silver."

Guang Mao was a little confused by the Emperor's combination punches. Bai Yin is controlled by others, so if we take down the Japanese country, won't the problem of being controlled by others be solved?

This logic is so reasonable.

Guang Mao is not a base scholar. His opposition to the Single Whip Law is based on reason and evidence. He is worried about the country. In summary, he is loyal to the monarch and the country.

"Hmm! Good idea!" Tan Lun heard this and immediately clapped his hands and said: "Good, good, good, I think it's possible. The Great Ming navy has been sharpening its sword for several years. If we can't take down the Japanese country now, the Ryukyu Islands are also possible."

"What a good idea!"

There are many people in the Ming Dynasty who oppose the Single Whip Law, and Zhang Juzheng himself is one of them. There is no best decree, only a decree that is relatively applicable to the current environment. To want everything is to lose everything. Ask for monthly tickets, Aowu!!!!!!!!