Chapter 227: Our Choice Was Not Wrong (Celebrating for Silver Alliance Leader

Japanese pirates are not human. To say that Japanese pirates have small courtesies but no great righteousness is really overestimating them. Japanese pirates are simply not human. Everything they do is not even three-tenths learned in human form, and seven-tenths of animal nature is deep-rooted. This is Japanese pirates.

Admittedly, vulgarizing political diplomacy and personifying the state is a childish behavior.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng repeatedly discussed the theory of contradictions. As a co-author of the theory of contradictions, he would look at problems dialectically. But even looking at problems from a dialectical perspective, one would only reach the basic conclusion that Japanese pirates are not human.

Japanese pirates fear power but have no identification with virtue. They are like poisonous snakes in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity at any time to jump out and bite the Great Ming. If they can bite, they will viciously bite off a piece of flesh and swallow it into their stomachs. If they cannot bite, they will keep licking their wounds in the shadows, quietly waiting for an opportunity.

There is no small courtesy at all. Bowing and apologizing afterwards does not count as courtesy.

Therefore, for Japanese pirates, General Qi Jiguang Jiguang's method is the radical cure. Only by killing all the Japanese pirates one sees can the problem be solved.

If Philip II knew Zhu Yijun's thoughts, he would definitely agree deeply. Only a dead Englishman is a good Englishman.

Songjiang Governor Wang Daokun, River-Operating Commander Xiao Chongye, Songjiang Regional Commander Chen Lin, and others gathered together to execute the imperial court's political decree: armed cruising. The purpose was to make the Ryukyu royal palace completely lean toward the Great Ming. The Great Ming only wanted Ryukyu to be a running dog, while Japan wanted Ryukyu's life.

Wang Daokun looked at the imperial edict and the letter from the Grand Secretary, and found that the Grand Secretary's methods against Japanese pirates were truly ruthless.

"Regarding military arrangements, Regional Commander Chen is fully responsible. The matter of bestowment is left to me and Commander Xiao. However, the Grand Secretary's methods still need to be realized by merchants. Has Sun Keyi arrived?" Wang Daokun asked in confusion.

"Sun Keyi's tail is already in the sky now." Xiao Chongye said with some dissatisfaction.

The meeting at the Guanchao Tower today had been set long ago. As a result, Sun Keyi, a merchant, not only did not arrive early, but was late for so long. Xiao Chongye had reason to be dissatisfied.

"I guess something delayed him." Chen Lin still had a good impression of Sun Keyi.

Sun Keyi was on his way. His brother, Sun Kehong, did not agree with Sun Keyi being the executioner for the imperial court against Japan. The end of being a knife for the Great Ming was very miserable.

Wang Zhi surrendered to Hu Zongxian very early, helped the Great Ming pacify the Japanese pirate menace, occupied the thirty-six islands of Satsuma, and prevented Japanese pirates from infiltrating the Great Ming's maritime borders. Without any substantive charges, Wang Zhi was arrested by the Governor of Zhejiang, Wang Bengu. No matter how nicely it was said in the memorial, Wang Zhi still died.

The end of being a knife for the Great Ming imperial court was so miserable. Sun Keyi received the letter and was going to be a knife for the Great Ming again. What would his end be?

Sun Keyi talked to Sun Kehong for a long time, but ultimately failed to persuade Sun Kehong. Sun Keyi insisted on going, and Sun Kehong naturally wanted to stop him. Sun Kehong's obstruction was very effective, but Sun Keyi had been the head of the family for so many years after all. Finally, he left home and chose to completely surrender to the imperial court.

"Gentlemen, I am late. Please forgive me, please forgive me." As soon as Sun Keyi entered, he nodded and bowed. According to the Great Ming rules, Sun Keyi had to kneel and speak, because everyone sitting here was a big shot with a face.

But the Emperor liked Hence Hai Rui and felt that Hence Hai Rui's nickname, "Hai Pen Holder," had a backbone. Zhang Juzheng once said that correcting a wrong must go to the extreme, so the Great Ming did not practice the kneeling ceremony. Therefore, Sun Keyi could only nod and bow to apologize.

"Merchant Sun really has a big show, making the Songjiang Governor, River-Operating Commander, and Regional Commander wait for Merchant Sun." Xiao Chongye's words were very impolite.

In the past, these merchants begged their grandfathers and grandmothers, and didn't know how much silver they spent, but they might not even be able to see the Songjiang Governor. Being able to see the Governor's secretary still required a strong enough relationship.

This was a dignified high-ranking official of the second rank, but Sun Keyi made Wang Daokun wait.

Wang Daokun was about to reprimand him, but his eyes froze when he saw the torn clothes on Sun Keyi's shoulder and the scratched wound on his wrist. The blood had not yet been wiped clean. He frowned and said: "Did someone stop Merchant Sun?"

"My brother was not very happy, so he locked me at home. I climbed over the wall and fell, hurting my arm. It doesn't matter." Sun Keyi chose to tell the truth. Telling a lie would require ten thousand lies to round it off, so it was better to tell the truth.

Wang Daokun pondered for a moment and said with a full smile: "Well, your brother's concerns are also normal. I am very happy that you can come. Sit, sit, sit."

"My brother wasn't very willing, so he locked me inside the house. I climbed over the wall to get out and sprained my arm, but it's nothing serious." Sun Keyi chose to tell the truth; if he told a lie, he would need ten thousand more lies to cover it up, so it was better to just tell the truth.

If it were Wang Daokun, he would also have concerns. If it were anyone else, they would involuntarily ask, do they really have to do their best to be the Great Ming's dog and devote their lives to the Great Ming?

The end of being a dog for the Great Ming imperial court, surrendering to the Great Ming imperial court and the Emperor, is often not so wonderful. Betraying one's own class and position, in the end, when the wind changes, one will be excluded by the original meat-eaters and disgusted by the new meat-eaters.

The price paid by an individual who betrays their class is extremely expensive and heavy. The harm of seeking glory and getting humiliation is vividly reflected in the lame Sun Kehong trying his best to stop this matter.

"I actually cannot give you any guarantee." Wang Daokun looked at Sun Keyi and said: "If you want to leave, you can leave now."

"The Governor is joking. I have already arrived." Sun Keyi was not Tathagata, but he really came.

He had already made his choice long ago. When he chose to stand on the side of the land survey, there was no way back. Sun Keyi wanted to avenge the grievances suffered by his family. When the imperial court cleaned up Xu Jie, Sun Keyi had already made his choice.

"And the Emperor also gave a guarantee." Sun Keyi said with a strange expression.

Last time the painting boat arrived at Tianjin Wei, Sun Keyi thought that his business, which was hated by heaven and people, would be shattered by the Emperor's thunder. As a result, the Emperor just told him not to force it and drew a clear red line. The painting boat business, as long as it did not involve force, the Emperor would not care so broadly.

Getting on a painting boat was also a very high-end existence in the entire Southern Yamen's world of flowers and willows. It was not that you could get on a painting boat if you wanted to. There were only so many painting boats, and there were only so many goddesses that could be accommodated. It also required competition to get on the job. Force was impossible; it was too low-class. One could only select the best among the best to be pursued by the top stream.

"Regarding the business of going to Japan to sell... marriage agency, how is Merchant Sun's plan?" Wang Daokun almost directly said the essence of the marriage agency matter. Even if it was packaged as a cross-ocean marriage agency, it was better than directly saying it was a trade. Marriage agency had certain human rights, while slaves had no human rights at all.

"I have a plan." Sun Keyi shook his sleeves and took out a memorial. As a Juren, Sun Keyi could sign official documents, point fingers at the imperial court's political decrees, and report back. Regarding the transnational marriage agency, Sun Keyi made detailed arrangements.

"Well, it's very detailed." Wang Daokun's hand shook before he handed the memorial back. He treated it as if he had never seen this memorial. This dirty trade had nothing to do with him, nothing to do with the imperial court, and nothing to do with Zhang Juzheng or the Emperor. It was all trouble caused by Sun Keyi.

The entire process was very perfect.

The entire process was divided into three parts: the first part was purchasing in Japan, the second part was maritime transport, and the third part was cultivation in the Great Ming.

The conditions for the purchasing part were very strict. First, they had to be over six and under fifteen years old. Second, they had to be virgins. The price was divided into three, six, and nine grades according to appearance. The human traffickers had to strictly control the trade. Anyone over fifteen or not a virgin would be classified as a prostitute, which was simply digging up the roots.

After establishing a good relationship with the local Japanese daimyo, they would open various charitable halls in the name of the nursing home, specifically to adopt baby girls. Individuals or groups could sell them to the charitable halls. As long as there were no deformities, they could be priced.

As for maritime transport, from Japan to the Great Ming, direct navigation took anywhere from fifteen days to four months. Fifteen days was for a five-masted ocean-crossing ship, and four months was for detouring through Ryukyu or Korea. After boarding the ship, they were already Great Ming people. According to their appearance, they would be divided into different warehouses. After arriving in the Great Ming, they would be sent into various charitable halls to cultivate their skills in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, etc.

Sun Keyi frankly stated that these were all tricks that the Great Ming had already used to the point of rot.

In various prefectures and counties, there were all kinds of charitable halls with strange names. But these charitable halls were actually specifically used to buy baby girls, cultivate Yangzhou thin horses, or introduce people for marriage.

Some baby girls were beauties when they were young, but when they grew up, their looks were not upright enough. However, they would also be taught arithmetic, and they could also use an abacus to manage the household when they married into other families. This was a very mature industrial chain in the Great Ming with very rich experience, and Sun Keyi just used these tricks on Japan.

The industrial chain of Yangzhou thin horses, and the four major industrial chains of Korean beauties, Japanese courtesans, and Annam pearl-picking women, were each more perfect than the other.

Sun Keyi said very calmly: "Actually, the Great Ming has many charitable halls. For example, baby-nursing halls, charity-spreading halls, and blessing-protecting halls are all universally existing. These charitable halls are usually for trade, but in disaster years, they open porridge sheds. This opening of porridge sheds must be done by those great kind people."

"These disaster victims have no one to rely on and can only rely on the alms of the porridge sheds. Moreover, there is a trick to the porridge in these porridge sheds. At the beginning, it is when the disaster victims have the most strength. At this time, the porridge in the porridge sheds must not be thin. When the disaster victims' anxiety passes, the porridge in the porridge sheds will become thinner and thinner, so their strength will become less and less, which is convenient for implementation."

"At this time, you want their land deeds, house deeds, and children with porridge; it is all very easy."

Xiao Chongye's mouth twitched, and he said incredibly: "Why not just wait for the disaster victims to starve to death and take it for free? What kind of reason is it to give porridge for nothing? Is it a waste of rice?"

Sun Keyi smiled without saying a word. Xiao Chongye did not like him and felt that Sun Keyi was a petty merchant. Xiao Chongye would subconsciously oppose his words. He was clearly telling the truth, but Xiao Chongye would subconsciously refute it.

Songjiang Governor Wang Daokun looked at Xiao Chongye and explained: "Merchant Sun actually just said that charitable halls must be opened by great kind people because there is profit to be made. Why give porridge? Because these disaster victims actually still have some rations. At the beginning of the disaster, it is when the disaster victims have the most strength. If you don't give porridge, these disaster victims will really break into houses and destroy families. So you must give porridge."

Xiao Chongye then suddenly realized, and after a long silence, he said: "So that's it. Charitable halls are such charitable halls."

"What kind of damn charitable hall!" Chen Lin slammed the table and stood up. He didn't see any kindness in this charitable hall.

"Why did Pan Jixun want to kill people in Jiangxi? I finally understand." Wang Daokun rejoiced again that he was in Songjiang Prefecture. Because of the grain tribute, maritime transport, and other situations, Songjiang Prefecture had slowly become the most prosperous place besides the Southern Yamen. Prosperity meant strong disaster resistance. People living in the current Songjiang Prefecture found it somewhat difficult to understand the matter of heads rolling in Jiangxi because of locusts.

"Why kill people?" Xiao Chongye still didn't quite understand.

Xiao Chongye partially agreed with the New Law. He agreed with the Examination Law, the filling of names in the register, the land survey, the return of land, the opening of the seas, the rectification of academic administration, the six-book account, and the strengthening of the army. He even agreed with adding arithmetic to the imperial examination. He agreed with almost all the New Laws.

The only thing Xiao Chongye did not agree with was a wind of public opinion that had arisen in the court, which could bully the gentry, but not the common people.

Sun Keyi was a gentry member, and he did a good job. Although the painting boat business was immoral, Sun Keyi was quite good to the girls and servants on the painting boat, and he also donated silver to the Maritime Academy and donated money to the Songjiang Shipping Commission to build lighthouses at sea.

Pan Jixun was a good man. How did he become the same as Ling Yunyi when he arrived in Jiangxi? With a locust plague, Pan Jixun started killing people.

"The grain for opening the porridge sheds is partly the grain in the Great Ming's Ever-Normal Granary." Wang Daokun sneered and shook his head: "You say, if you were Pan Jixun..."

Xiao Chongye understood in an instant. He slammed the table and stood up, shouting extremely angrily: "Too much, simply too much."

"Too much!" Xiao Chongye stood up and walked around twice, still shouting loudly.

Xiao Chongye left the capital to take office in Songjiang Prefecture when the Songjiang Shipyard was being prepared. Moreover, most of the time, Xiao Chongye was in the shipyard and had not seen much of the world's evil.

Xiao Chongye understood why Zhang Juzheng wanted to deliberately create a wind of public opinion that bullied the gentry and treated the common people kindly.

"Annexation, that's how it was annexed." Wang Daokun looked at the hundreds of boats competing for flow outside the Guanchao Tower, and countless ships loaded with goods entering and leaving the new port. Seeing this scene, who would not sigh at the prosperity of the Great Ming?

The prosperous Su-Song was the Great Ming, and the famine-stricken Shaanxi and Shanxi were also the Great Ming. The Great Ming was culturally prosperous to the point of using Chinese characters, and the Great Ming was also suffering from a locust plague to the point of cannibalism.

This was all the Great Ming.

What Wang Daokun admired most about Zhang Juzheng was the theory of contradictions that Zhang Juzheng had concocted. As a classic, this thing could explain the current situation of the Great Ming being both prosperous and ruined.

Human joys and sorrows are not connected. The people of Su-Song cannot understand the hunger of the people in the Northwest. The Great Ming Emperor, who lives high in the nine heavens, cannot understand the suffering of the Great Ming people.

This is the biggest hidden danger of the Great Ming's New Law. The Great Ming Emperor does not understand what the New Law is going to do. The New Law is going to put layer upon layer of shackles on the people, such as clothes, shoes, houses, and children, so that they will not be full of worries because they have nothing, and will not participate in civil unrest to overthrow the Great Ming imperial court.

What can destroy the Great Ming imperial court is never the four barbarians, nor the feudal princes, nor the powerful, nor the gentry, but those poor people who are dressed in rags and have not a grain of rice in their rice jars.

The Great Ming's New Law can really be implemented, actually, it is maintaining the rule of the Great Ming Emperor.

"Should I say this or not? I just talked about a charitable hall, and Governor Xiao is like this. If I want to talk about other things, wouldn't I not be able to walk out of this Guanchao Tower alive today?" Sun Keyi talked about the charitable hall, just wanting to say that the Great Ming had rich experience in this aspect and did not need to explore anymore.

But this was just the beginning, and Xiao Chongye directly broke his defense, gritting his teeth, looking like he wanted to eat someone.

"Governor, should I continue?" Sun Keyi looked at Wang Daokun, seeking the Governor's opinion.

"Uh, continue." Wang Daokun actually wanted to say, don't say it, don't say it, but after thinking about it, it seemed there was nothing that couldn't be said.

Sun Keyi continued to explain the content of his memorial. It was all the Great Ming's mature experience, but the industrial chain was transferred outward. This time he paid attention to the intensity and did not explain it as clearly and clearly as before, but Xiao Chongye could already understand it.

And in the area of cultivating friends who admire us, Sun Keyi also had many mature plans. Back then, Wang Zhi dared to set himself up as a country in Satsuma, and even usurped the title of king, because Japan was actually still within the Great Ming's sphere of influence. Japanese people who admired the Great Ming's heavenly dynasty were not a minority.

How to cultivate friends who admire us was not a difficult thing for merchants.

In this point, the imperial court officials and court officials somewhat underestimated the Great Ming's influence at this time.

In the entire known world, the Great Ming was the symbol of civilization, because the official language of Japan was Chinese. This was the case in Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, Annam, Siam, and other places. Chinese characters and Chinese language were the only authentic characters and languages.

It was not until the Meiji Restoration that Japan began to slowly use kana; while Korea did not begin to slowly abolish Chinese characters until after the end of the War to Resist America and Aid Korea.

De-Sinicization brought great trouble to Japan and Korea, because their history books were all written in Chinese characters. Abolishing Chinese characters was equivalent to forgetting one's ancestors.

Friends who admire us did not need to be cultivated at all, because there were too many spiritual Great Ming people.

"I actually don't understand why the Great Ming insists on the sea ban. It was clearly broken in the Yongle era." Sun Keyi talked about a basic fact, that the Great Ming's sea ban policy in the Yongle era had been destroyed.

The seven voyages to the Western Ocean were official ships and official trade, which did not mean that the people did not have any trade. On the contrary, even the Great Ming Taizu's son-in-law participated in maritime trade.

"Isn't it because it couldn't be maintained that there was Yuegang, and then the Songjiang Shipping Commission?" Wang Daokun shook his head and said: "The sea ban was originally intended to prevent Japanese pirates."

"The sea ban might be protecting Japanese pirates, not the Great Ming." Sun Keyi said with a heavy face: "As long as the Great Ming navy can maintain its current scale and level, Great Ming merchants will use their commodity advantages to plunder Japan's wealth, enough to turn Japan upside down."

"Of course, it must be that the Great Ming navy can show off its power. As far as my family's business is concerned, the Great Ming maritime merchants earned the most when the Great Ming navy was strong. After that, they were just begging for food under someone else's butcher knife."

In the Great Ming, there was an Emperor and an imperial court, and bullying the common people might attract the wrath of heaven. But doing evil in Japan had no such worries at all. The only condemnation came from conscience.

But merchants obviously had no conscience, especially those who had the strength to engage in maritime trade.

"The Great Ming is very good now, really very good." Sun Keyi left a sentence and left early. He had already fully expounded the part he was going to do, and the rest was to do the work.

Sun Keyi was a person with strong execution ability. He would personally go to Japan.

Sun Keyi stood by the boardwalk of the new port, looking at the twelve boardwalks of the new port, looking at the towering masts on the berths of the port, and showed a smile from his heart.

The Great Ming is really very good now. He really hopes that the Great Ming can always be this good.

Yangzhou, as early as the time of King Fuchai of Wu, already had the earliest Yangzhou—Hancheng. With the passage of time and the opening of the Grand Canal, Yangzhou became an important trade hub and grain transport hub for the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River.

Yangzhou had convenient transportation and was close to the Lianghuai salt fields, so it also became a salt distribution center. A large number of merchants came to Yangzhou to exchange for salt vouchers, pay ship tax for business, and many salt merchants from Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Huizhou settled in Yangzhou. The gathering of merchants also caused a unique pro-business atmosphere. For example, products like Yangzhou thin horses emerged as the times required.

At that time, Yangzhou's old city was far from the Grand Canal. Yangzhou Prefect Zhu Pou decided to build a new city. As a result, the new city was just built when it was flooded. The people complained, and the people who had just moved to the new city were directly soaked in the flood. The reason was that the river embankment was not built well.

Zhu Pou was still worried about the new city's problem when the Japanese pirates invaded. Zhu Pou led the soldiers to resist and finally died in battle at Wangjia Lane, Shakou Village, Yangzhou.

The current Governor of the Three Borders, the former Magistrate of Jun County, Shi Mao Hua, rushed to Yangzhou to take office, began to rectify the new city, built embankments and repaired canals, and connected with the canal through trenches and waterways, which solved both the canal backflow and Yangzhou's defense matters.

Shi Mao Hua was a very talented person. Altan Khan requested a golden seal, and Shi Mao Hua, the Governor of the Three Borders in the Northwest, was also an opponent.

Many of the Great Ming's political decrees were like this. They wanted to solve a problem, but often triggered worse consequences. However, the Great Ming's New Law had been implemented for more than five years. Zhang Juzheng presided over the New Law and did it slowly. First try it, if it works, promote it. If it doesn't work, think of ways to solve the problem, and then try it out.

Taking the land survey as an example, at the end of April in the fifth year of Wanli, the scope of the Great Ming's land survey still did not include Liangguang, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beizhili, Shandong, Liaodong, and other places. Now, pilot it in places where the contradiction between people and land is relatively concentrated, starting from Songjiang Prefecture, then to Yingtian Prefecture, then to the fourteen prefectures of the Southern Yamen, and then to many provinces where the contradiction between people and land is concentrated.

Sometimes, doing nothing is also a kind of political wisdom, because doing it does not mean it can be done well, and it may even trigger worse consequences.

Sun Keyi prepared to board the ship. He checked his suitcase and finally looked at the Songjiang Shipping Commission with nostalgia. He was about to leave his hometown where he was born and raised, go to Japan, execute the Emperor's imperial edict, and do the preparatory work for annihilating Japan.

He did not regret it. Even if he died in Japan on this trip, and his ears were stuffed into an ear mound to be shown off as a trophy, he would not regret it.

Sun Keyi's ship was thirteen three-masted clipper ships, five hundred liao, filled with goods from the Great Ming, and of course various fire guns, cannons, strong crossbows, and armor, all of which were contraband. He also had three combat ships, with a total of six hundred soldiers, all of whom were good men who were white strips in the waves. There were nine maritime defense inspectors and three maritime defense vice-prefects on the ship, and one navy commander, Ma Jin.

Ma Jin and his brother Ma Gui were assistant regional commanders of Datong Prefecture. After Ma Fang was impeached by Wu Baipeng, Ma Jin and Ma Gui were dismissed and sent to the capital to be questioned by Xu Xing. Ma Gui later served as an assistant regional commander of the Beijing Camp as Ma Fang's direct descendant, while Ma Jin was demoted three levels and sent to Songjiang Prefecture to serve as a commander.

The three combat ships belonged to the Great Ming Songjiang Navy. All these contraband items were the family property given to Sun Keyi by the Emperor.

"The Emperor is really not a bad hungry soldier." An old man with gray hair on both sides but a very good spirit stood at the bow of the ship, blowing the sea breeze, and said with great satisfaction.

"Sir, the sea breeze is cool. Go into the cabin." Sun Keyi hurriedly leaned over and met him with the etiquette of a disciple.

This person's name was Xu Wei, and he was Hu Zongxian's aide. After Hu Zongxian died in prison, Xu Wei was locked in the heavenly prison for seven full years. After the Longqing Emperor passed away, he was finally released in the first year of Wanli.

Xu Wei once taught Li Chengliang's son, Li Rusong, and also went to Xuanfu, saw San Niangzi, and finally arrived in Songjiang Prefecture, where he was treated as a guest of honor by Sun Keyi. Xu Wei was imprisoned for seven years, and his family wealth had long been exhausted in the prison disaster. The jailers in the heavenly prison were bottomless pits of rat spirits, and their desires were never satisfied.

He was also cold-hearted toward the imperial court. After being released, he also contacted people like He Xinyin and Ceng Guang.

Xu Wei disdained the words of He and Ceng and was unwilling to be in the same boat with them.

Xu Wei was a scholar, otherwise he would definitely be a rebel. He disdained the imperial court, especially after Hu Zongxian died, Xu Wei was even more disgusted with the imperial court. Even if the Emperor rehabilitated Hu Zongxian and cleaned up Xu Jie, Xu Wei still harbored dissatisfaction with the imperial court. In his view, the gentry were naturally doing all kinds of evil, but the Great Ming officials, one by one, which one was not full of evil?

No one was cleaner than anyone else. Why should the fifty steps laugh at the hundred steps?

Xu Wei was naturally dissolute and did not like etiquette, but no matter how dissolute a person was, he had to follow the basic rules of life. He had no money...

The Governor of Xuanda, Wu Dui, and the Governor of Datong, Fang Fengshi, once invited him to go to Xuanfu to be a document writer. Xu Wei agreed. Before he set off, Wu Dui and Fang Fengshi were beheaded and displayed by the Emperor on the charge of being Zhang Siwei's party, and their party members were all killed.

Xu Wei thought his life would not last long. After waiting for a long time, he did not wait for the imperial court to arrest him. He knew he had luckily escaped a disaster.

And Sun Keyi had hired him as a teacher for three full years. Sun Keyi contacted Xu Wei because they had a common enemy, Xu Jie. After coming and going, Sun Keyi was convinced by Xu Wei's talent, so he paid the tuition and recognized the teacher.

At that time, Xu Wei needed to wander under the moon hungry. Sun Keyi paid the tuition and treated him well, which made Xu Wei's life much better. Xu Wei also gave a lot of advice in these years. Under Xu Wei's help, Sun Keyi's family business grew bigger and bigger.

"Sir, the disciple has one thing I don't understand. Sir has many resentments toward the imperial court. Why did you agree to my surrender to the imperial court this time, and even go to Japan in person? Wang Zhi's precedent is not far away." Sun Keyi asked with doubts. He finally fell out with his brother Sun Kehong, and even climbed over the wall, which was also Xu Wei's idea.

What made Xu Wei, who had always opposed the imperial court and disdained the officials, agree to Sun Keyi's surrender to the imperial court and the Emperor?

Once the spark of hope is extinguished, it is extremely difficult to ignite it again. But Xu Wei supported Sun Keyi's complete surrender to the Emperor.

Xu Wei looked at Sun Keyi and joked: "You ask this now, isn't it a bit too late? We are already on the ship, it's too late to regret."

"Sir, teach me." Sun Keyi did not play dumb. He was actually very hesitant. Xu Wei told him to do it, so he did it. Even donating silver to the Maritime Hall to exchange for a plaque of a family of officials was Xu Wei's idea.

Xu Wei no longer shirked, his eyes flashing with essence, and he answered clearly: "I don't believe in Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng is no different from the scholars in the world. In my opinion, Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Siwei, and Zhang Juzheng are just the same kind of people, all for the sake of stealing power and coveting high positions."

"I believe in the Emperor."

"To be more precise, the Emperor bestowed the national surname upon Yin Zhengmao, which is the only reason I let you go to Japan to build a career."

"The Emperor rewards those who have merits and punishes those who have faults. Holding the handle of the country, it is just a matter of clear rewards and punishments."

Bestowing the national surname is not something Zhang Juzheng can do. If Zhang Juzheng opens his mouth, it is sprinkling salt on Empress Dowager Li's heart, so Empress Dowager Li would be crazy if she didn't. Therefore, bestowing the national surname upon Yin Zhengmao must be presided over by the Emperor.

Then there is a guarantee.

Xu Wei was not in the court and had never participated in the court meeting, nor did he know that it was Zhang Juzheng who intended to rehabilitate Hu Zongxian, so he released him. Otherwise, where would Xu Wei have the opportunity to say on the ship: Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Siwei are the same hill and the same raccoon?

If Zhu Yijun were here, he would definitely say that Xu Wei was farting, and then take out his Qi family waist knife to physically teach Xu Wei a lesson before stopping.

Even if Xu Wei said good things about Zhu Yijun, Zhu Yijun would not agree with Xu Wei saying bad things about Zhang Juzheng.

"Will our choice be wrong?" Sun Keyi asked still somewhat uncertainly.

Xu Wei said very firmly: "Our choice was not wrong."

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 228 =====

Xu Wei said with great firmness, "Our choice was not wrong."

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(End of this chapter)