Chapter 321: Suffer the Petty Confucians a Little More; Let Zhang Juzheng Bear the Infamy

Wan Shihe never hid his true self in front of the Emperor. He displayed his wickedness thoroughly. At times, he was a guardian of ritual and law; at other times, he was a poisonous advisor to the Ming Emperor.

As long as His Majesty had need of it, he would reveal his true colors to resolve thorny problems for His Majesty.

The gentleman who followed ritual and the despicable, shameless villain—these two opposing personas were both Wan Shihe himself. It was a unity of opposites, and this transformation required a scale to measure it. That scale was no longer inner morality, but the interests of the Great Ming Dynasty.

Everything was prioritized by the interests of the Great Ming Dynasty; more specifically, the interests of the majority of the people of Great Ming.

Great Ming needed Ryukyu to continue laying the foundation for maritime affairs, and Wan Shihe was willing to bear some infamy.

Since His Majesty the Emperor had disregarded his own honor and directly stated he wanted Ryukyu, Wan Shihe, having caught the wind, knew which way to lean.

"Willingly?" Zhu Yijun truly could not imagine how Shang Jiu could willingly stay. Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix; to be a king in Great Ming, and a king of a different surname at that, would surely lead to a miserable end. It was far inferior to being a king in Ryukyu, where he could do as he pleased and take whatever he wanted from his subjects.

Wan Shihe said quite calmly, "Naturally, I persuaded Shang Jiu by appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him. If the best strategy doesn't work, we move to the middle strategy; if the middle strategy doesn't work, then we have no choice but to use the lowest strategy. Since the King of Ryukyu chose to come, he naturally considered everything thoroughly. Everyone must be responsible for their own choices."

Wan Shihe's reputation in the current court was that of a sycophant. Future historical judgments would certainly not grant him a good name. Everyone must be responsible for their own choices; Wan Shihe had made his choice long ago and would naturally walk this path to the end.

"The settlement of the King of Ryukyu is left to Grand Minister Wan." Zhu Yijun handed this matter over to Wan Shihe to handle.

After resolving the issue of Li Yougong returning to court to report, the daily court discussions began.

Marquis of Ningyuan Li Chengliang continued to garrison fields and reclaim wasteland. The tactics he used were the ancestral Ming methods of advancing by the inch. He drove deep for nearly a hundred *li*, yet only reclaimed ten *li* for garrison farming. His main style was to be as swift as the wind and as immovable as a mountain.

Through repeated sorties, he ground the hundred *li* of territory into dust, then used spring hunts and autumn burnings to turn this land into a complete quagmire. He artificially created a buffer zone, ensuring his enemies would never dare enter it again. The ten *li* he occupied were thoroughly taken; all Tatars, Jianzhou Jurchens, and Haixi Jurchens were registered, broken up, and incorporated into Han households.

Li Chengliang, the "meat grinder," had used this method of advancing by the inch to take nearly a hundred *li* of land over these three years.

The foundation that gave Li Chengliang the confidence to do this was the Great Ming Emperor's full pay, the Great Ming Emperor's rewards, the political inclination of the Ming court toward enriching the nation and strengthening the military, the well-trained guest troops, the guard armies that could fight and defend in camps, and sufficient provisions. These were the reasons stated in Li Chengliang's memorials, but Zhu Yijun believed the fundamental reason Li Chengliang could do this was the endless stream of Great Ming commoners pouring into Liaodong.

"Breaking into the Northeast."

Great Ming's population migration had three directions: walking the Western Pass, breaking into the Northeast, and heading to the Southern Seas. This was long-term population migration. It wasn't just the Qing Dynasty that had such large-scale migration; throughout every dynasty, when the land could no longer support the population, this survival-based migration would appear.

Most Great Ming commoners were farmers. Commoners guarding their own small plots of land to live their lives was a social reality of being attached to the land. Going to a new world to struggle and pioneer required immense courage and motivation.

And survival was the greatest motivation. If they could live, who would be willing to travel such long distances?

Commoners from Shandong and Northern Zhili were pouring into the Liaodong region. Especially since the Ming army repeatedly campaigned in Gule Village, Daning Guard, Huining Guard, and Yingchang, creating a stable environment for survival. Coupled with the excellent performance of Great Ming's two capable officials for land reclamation, Hou Yuzhao and Zhou Liangyin, they attracted countless landless tenant farmers and wandering commoners to head to Liaodong to seek a living.

Great Ming's land survey and return of land were still in the survey stage, and the return of land was being pushed forward step by step, with pilot programs only in the Southern Yamen.

These people pouring into Liaodong were fully utilized by Li Chengliang. Every inch of land ground out by the "meat grinder" was completely under his control.

This was the fundamental reason why Li Chengliang's set of tactics could be effective and fully implemented.

Only with ten thousand men working as one could one be invincible under heaven. Missing any one of these points, Li Chengliang could never achieve such results.

The reclamation of Liaodong was effective. Moreover, merit based on heads had been changed to merit based on achievements. Today, with military merit measured by battle lines, the Great Ming army's campaigns no longer deliberately pursued rewards for heads, but instead pursued stabilizing battle lines and expanding results.

"Does the court need to do something to help the Marquis of Ningyuan?" Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "The Confucian scholars are always clamoring that my exam papers are too difficult, saying that one can only practice after becoming an official. But these exam papers require testing practice. The Confucian scholars are right; I will give them the opportunity to practice. Whether it's becoming a supervisory official or going to Liaodong to be a command official, if they achieve the highest grade in the three-year assessment, they can obtain official status."

"His Majesty is sagacious." Minister of Personnel Wan Shihe immediately began to sing praises, completely disregarding the strange looks from the court officials. He was just that kind of official; he always had been.

Was this a sagacious act? Liaodong was also beyond the passes, bitterly cold. August was deep autumn, and by September it began to snow. With the "white-haired wind" raging for over four months and winter lasting over six months, was Confucian scholars going to Liaodong to be officials exile, or was it accumulating practical experience?!

Liaodong—a place where you could freeze your toes off without even noticing!

The Ministry of Personnel was also in a difficult position. Great Ming only had so many vacancies, and three or four people were queuing up for every one. With so many *juren* and *jinshi*, they had to arrange positions, right? These positions didn't fall from the sky. Without opening up territory and establishing counties everywhere, how could Great Ming have so much fat to divide among these wolves and tigers?

Opening up territory might be the only place in the zero-sum game of the officialdom that wasn't zero-sum.

Starting from the sixth year of Wanli, Great Ming's new policies began to be led by the Emperor's decrees. The two major events of the sixth year of Wanli—the design and perfection of the official selection and examination system, and the migration of wealthy households to enrich the capital region—meant all new policies this year were being steadily pushed forward around the tone set at the beginning of the year.

"Grand Minister Wan, Minister of Rites Ma." Zhu Yijun signaled for Zhang Hong to place the items he had prepared in front of the long table for the court discussion.

Wan Shihe and Ma Ziqiang looked at the objects covered by red silk on the table and asked quite puzzledly, "What are these?"

"Rewards." Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "For the monthly exams on the 29th, students who can score 90 points in mathematics, regardless of their background, will be rewarded. These are the rewards I have prepared. They may not be expensive, but they are a token of my heart."

Zhang Hong pulled back the red silk, and several strange objects appeared on the table.

"Forty-power telescopes, sixty-power astronomical telescopes. For 90 to 95 points, a telescope is awarded; for 96 points to a perfect score, an astronomical telescope is bestowed." Zhang Hong explained these strange objects.

The telescopes and astronomical telescopes were worth only ten to fifteen taels of silver, and most of the other items were of similar value. They really weren't too expensive, because items bestowed by the Emperor could not be converted into cash—at least while Zhu Yijun was alive, selling imperial gifts was a crime of rebellion and great disrespect.

Besides the telescopes and astronomical telescopes, there were quill pens made from various bird feathers, glassware, crystal ware, agate, jade, crystal, a full set of *Zhuishu*, abacuses, seeds of special plants, a small box of gears, natural copper ore, silver ore, gold ore, etc. More interesting were some nameplates, all written by the Emperor himself, such as "Rising Step by Step" or "Peace and Joy," carved from teak.

Strange and varied, dazzling to the eyes.

Zhang Hong pointed to the large pile of things and said, "They are divided into two tiers. 96 points and above is excellent, taken from Pool A; 90 to 95 is good, taken from Pool B."

These items were not of high value, but if the Confucian students had to spend their own real gold and silver to buy them, they probably wouldn't. But since the Emperor brought them out as rewards, they became imperial gifts, and the meaning was completely different.

With rewards and punishments, Great Ming's scholar-officials had already enjoyed enough privileges, even far exceeding their contributions, so Zhu Yijun had always been very stingy with rewards. Until recently, seeing more and more Confucian students beginning to read mathematics and their grades gradually starting to improve, Zhu Yijun finally felt moved to give some small favors.

When Zou Yuanbiao reached Quanning Guard, he caught a cold and could only stay in Quanning Guard for three days. Zou Yuanbiao submitted a memorial claiming illness, which delayed his arrival in Yingchang. Zhu Yijun very magnanimously forgave Zou Yuanbiao's delay. Whether he reached Quanning Guard or Yingchang was fine, as long as he did his work in a down-to-earth manner. Zhu Yijun was not stingy with his magnanimity. If he remained obsessed and unrepentant, then he couldn't blame the Emperor for being heartless.

What was more interesting was that Zhao Nanxing, a *jinshi* of the second year of Wanli who was extremely close to Zou Yuanbiao, submitted a memorial criticizing Zou Yuanbiao thoroughly, even with some personal attacks. One should know that Zhao Nanxing, the "Jade Qilin," Zou Yuanbiao, the "Martial Walker," and Gu Xiancheng were collectively known as the "Three Gentlemen of Donglin."

As a result, Zou Yuanbiao was in trouble, and this Zhao Nanxing not only didn't help, but also kicked him while he was down, giving Zou Yuanbiao a heavy blow, denying him completely from inside to outside, from top to bottom, as if Zou Yuanbiao living in this world was a mistake.

"Send this Zhao Nanxing to Luzon to work. Since he didn't sign up to be a supervisory official, I'll give him a chance to earn official status. If he works, he works; if he doesn't, he can go back to his hometown and wait for orders! Zou Yuanbiao scored 78 in the mathematics exam, but this Zhao Nanxing only scored 32!" Zhu Yijun tapped the table, expressing his dissatisfaction with Zhao Nanxing. What kind of thing was this!

Just the day before, they were like brothers from different fathers and mothers, meeting late, and today he wished Zou Yuanbiao would die immediately?

This face really made Zhu Yijun unable to feel even a shred of good will toward this Zhao Nanxing.

Zhang Juzheng finished reading the memorial and frowned, judging, "A dead duck with a stiff beak, still refusing to recognize his own mistakes, pushing all the blame onto others."

Zhang Juzheng detested this Zhao Nanxing extremely, because Zou Yuanbiao wanted to topple Zhang, and this Zhao Nanxing also wanted to topple Zhang. As the Grand Secretary and Grand Tutor, Zhang Juzheng haggling with this newly promoted *jinshi* made him look petty, but Zhao Nanxing's reason for toppling Zhang was just to seek fame, which Zhang Juzheng truly could not accept.

Someone like Ge Shouli at least knew how to carry the banner of "respecting the sovereign's power," but this Zhao Nanxing couldn't even be bothered to find a reason.

In the "Memorial on the Vices of Empty-Talking Confucian Scholars," Zhang Juzheng had summarized some characteristics of petty Confucians, one of which was calling a deer a horse, setting aside facts, and criticizing just for the sake of criticizing.

Zou Yuanbiao indeed wanted to topple Zhang, and he was a representative of the restorationist faction, but the things Zhao Nanxing impeached Zou Yuanbiao for were all far-fetched and nonsensical. For example, Zhao Nanxing said Zou Yuanbiao kept a mistress and had illegitimate children, making his household restless, but according to the visits by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zou Yuanbiao's personal morality was not that unbearable, and he had no mistress.

Zhang Juzheng didn't like either Zou Yuanbiao or Zhao Nanxing, but Zou Yuanbiao was much stronger than Zhao Nanxing.

Zhao Nanxing didn't speak based on facts; his criticism still focused on personal moral criticism. Zhao Nanxing's claims had no credible points.

Moral criticism of individuals who could not influence the fate of the dynasty was meaningless, because oppression and exploitation hindering the development of productive forces were like contradictions, existing universally.

Social problems were not caused by individual moral issues. Since the Great Ming Emperor firmly supported Zhang Juzheng's new policies, the memorials of impeachment from Great Ming's censors were also gradually changing, shifting from moral criticism of individuals to criticism of facts, and toward criticism of social structures.

Zhao Nanxing's thinking was still stuck in the past, attributing social problems to "virtue not matching the position," meaning that someone's moral corruption led to the decadence of the world. This did not conform to the basic new policy concepts of "unity of knowledge and action," "contradictions releasing all principles," and "acting as one, being sincere and real."

Zhao Nanxing was behind the current version.

Regarding the disposal of Zhao Nanxing, Zhang Juzheng could actually have said nothing, but he expressed his agreement, even criticizing Zhao Nanxing, saying he was a "dead duck with a stiff beak, not knowing how to repent," as if this matter happened because Zhao Nanxing angered him, the Grand Secretary and Grand Tutor, and thus met with misfortune.

His Majesty was still young. Some strong winds and the trash on the grave in the future—he, as the Grand Tutor, could still bear them. Let the petty Confucians suffer a little more; let him, Zhang Juzheng, bear the infamy.

The court officials glanced at Zhang Juzheng and then chose to remain silent. Zhu Yijun knew clearly that Zhang Juzheng was protecting the Emperor's reputation. In ensuring the Emperor's sagacity remained undamaged and his achievements remained unblemished, Zhang Juzheng was a die-hard royalist.

Zhao Nanxing thus lost his qualification for the official selection and examination. Either he went to Luzon to bare his teeth at the gorillas, or he went back to his hometown to wait for orders without entering the official path. This was equivalent to saying that the fame Zhao Nanxing had exchanged for a lifetime of hard study had lost all meaning.

What would Zhao Nanxing choose? Zhu Yijun was certain he would head to Luzon.

"There is a case that is very strange. Since ancient times, it has always been the poor and the laborers who owed money to the local gentry, but in our Great Ming, it has been reversed. The local gentry are actually owing money to the commoners. This is a rare thing. Recently, a case appeared in Miyun, west of the capital." Wang Chonggu said with great interest. This case was not very complicated, just quite rare.

The poor and laborers were so poor that a family of six wore two pairs of trousers. Even if the local gentry wanted to borrow money from the small folk, they couldn't borrow any.

These Great Ming local gentry really could squeeze blood out of the poor and laborers.

Wang Chonggu said with great feeling, "Zhao Ji, seventh in line, the villagers usually call him Zhao Laoqi. This Zhao Laoqi is from the Vegetable Household Camp, which has been sending vegetables to the Capital Camp since the Yongle era. Time flies, and the Capital Camp has had its ups and downs. By Zhao Laoqi's generation, their camp of eleven households was sending vegetables to the Sun family west of the capital. The first few years were fine, but this year, the head of the Sun family west of the capital, Sun Zhicheng, suddenly stopped paying."

"Really, they don't even want their faces anymore."

"Zhao Laoqi is not just one household, but the eleven households in their camp. The money owed is not much, totaling 132 taels of silver. This Sun family west of the capital refused to pay. Zhao Laoqi went to ask for it several times, but returned without success. Zhao Laoqi found a scribe to write a petition and sued this Sun Zhicheng in the Miyun County Hall."

Zhu Yijun frowned and asked, "Who won?"

Wang Chonggu bowed and said, "Generally speaking, the Sun family is wealthy and powerful, raising over a dozen professional litigators at home. They can be described as having eyes reaching the heavens. The county magistrate in the county hall drinks at the same table as Sun Zhicheng, and the county lieutenant, assistant magistrate, and head constable all have close dealings with Sun Zhicheng. Sun Zhicheng would inevitably win."

"But Sun Zhicheng still lost the lawsuit. After all, Miyun is in Shuntian Prefecture, in the capital region. Who is right and who is wrong is clear at a glance. The Miyun county magistrate didn't dare to act recklessly. If he shielded Sun Zhicheng, that would be 'governing through bribery,' a vice of indulgence. So Sun Zhicheng lost."

"But this Sun Zhicheng played the rogue, simply refusing to pay, saying he had no silver. The Miyun county magistrate sent yamen runners to inform Sun Zhicheng: The Sun family is wealthy and powerful, totaling over 130 taels of silver. If this causes a scene, Sun Zhicheng will be in big trouble."

"He has no money?" Zhu Yijun frowned and looked at Zhao Mengyou, saying, "Commander, go see if his family has money! I think his family has no money. If they had it, could they owe it and not pay? If they have it, make them have none. The county magistrate already ruled that he must pay, yet he still refuses."

"Is there no law anymore!"

Zhu Yijun, who hated evil as much as he hated his enemies, would not wait for even a second. Since the Miyun county magistrate had withstood the pressure to rule, but lacked the ability to execute it, and had sought help from the court, Zhu Yijun would send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to execute it. Since he claimed to have no money, then he shouldn't have any.

Wang Chonggu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this Sun family says they have no silver, only silk currency. And it's not the fine wool silk currency, but the 'consecrated' cotton silk currency sold by that evil monk Rudeng before. That evil monk Rudeng has been captured, and this cotton silk currency is now worthless."

"Ah?" Zhu Yijun said blankly.

The officials looked at Wang Chonggu in a daze. This evil monk Rudeng had already begun the death penalty process under the close cooperation of Hai Rui and Wang Chonggu. That Sun Zhicheng actually dared to gamble his family fortune to buy that "consecrated" cotton silk currency; it was truly too rare!

Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "This Sun Zhicheng was simply blinded by greed, thinking that the fine wool silk currency could rise in value, and that this cotton silk currency approved by the Buddha could also rise in value. In one fell swoop, he lost everything and his turnover failed."

Fine wool was promoted by many parties, and with His Majesty manipulating it in the middle, it was one of the tools for Great Ming to mine "human ore." As for that cotton silk currency, what was the use of the Buddha's approval? Human affairs are managed by human monarchs.

Wang Chonggu said with slight helplessness, "Zhao Laoqi went to the Sun mansion to reason with them. The first time he went, he was beaten out. The second time, a conflict occurred. Zhao Laoqi is a farmer, he has plenty of strength and is very honest, but when an honest man gets angry, with one hammer, he beat a guard to death, and with another hammer, he knocked a litigator to death. The Miyun county magistrate had no choice but to take Zhao Laoqi."

Zhu Yijun frowned, "Does the Miyun county magistrate have any suspicion of dereliction of duty or indulgence?"

Wang Chonggu was choked by this. His Majesty's prejudice against civil officials was truly deep-rooted. He had already said that Miyun County was in the capital region; how would the county magistrate dare to indulge in dereliction of duty? Did he not want his life? If he committed dereliction of duty that day, the next day he would be bitten by those mad dogs, the censors.

The censors of the Censorate also had assessments and targets. If he indulged in dereliction of duty, the county magistrate would become a target.

"Your Majesty, please be informed, Zhao Laoqi committed the crime in front of the yamen runners, and the runners couldn't hold him back." Minister of Justice Lu Guangzu hurriedly explained.

It really wasn't the Miyun county magistrate's dereliction of duty. The magistrate had taken the runners several times, but couldn't get the silver. The Sun mansion's guards didn't dare provoke the court's runners, so they beat Zhao Laoqi. The runners tried to stop it, but couldn't. It wasn't that the runners were incompetent; it was just that when Zhao Laoqi was angry, his strength was indeed great.

"Commander, go to the Sun mansion. I don't believe it. He can afford guards, running dogs, litigators, and concubines, but can't come up with 132 taels of silver!" After carefully weighing it, Zhu Yijun immediately made a decision.

"I obey the decree." Zhao Mengyou stood up and left the Wenhua Hall.

When in doubt, confiscate the house first—this was a path dependency.

The Three Judicial Offices were the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate. The Northern Secret Service was indeed also a judicial office, but this judicial office existed outside the inner and outer court, listening only to the Emperor's orders.

Zhu Yijun judged that this Sun Zhicheng definitely had money; he just lost money on the cotton silk currency, so he wanted to scrape it back from the poor and laborers. Once this motive was confirmed, the matter became simple. Disregarding the court's ruling, in the dark, cruel, feudal autocracy operating around the Emperor's will, Sun Zhicheng's behavior could be characterized at its highest as rebellion.

Wang Chonggu said with a difficult expression, "Your Majesty, there is a cause for this. How should Zhao Laoqi be handled?"

Zhao Laoqi killed someone in the street, which according to the law should be beheading, but the case had a cause, so it should be handled according to the circumstances. Cases involving the death penalty all required the Emperor's vermilion approval. The "three-fold report" for the death penalty was a rule that had existed since the Tang Dynasty.

"Exile him to the border for military service; send him to Yingchang." After repeated weighing, Zhu Yijun did not order immediate execution, but sent Zhao Laoqi to Yingchang for military service. In this day and age, exile to the border for military service was a punishment second only to the death penalty. Military service meant doing hard labor in the past, and on the battlefield, it meant standing in the front row.

Zhao Laoqi had plenty of strength. After a few years on the border, with a few hammer blows, chiseling a few Tatars or Eastern Barbarians to death, he would no longer be a criminal of lowly status, but a Great Ming border soldier.

Zhu Yijun gave Zhao Laoqi a chance to turn over a new leaf, and at the same time, dealt a heavy blow to Sun Zhicheng's family.

How incompetent must Sun Zhicheng be to covet the money of the small folk for farming, and even cause a homicide case? Then don't blame Zhu Yijun for cleaning his house inside and out, nice and clean.

"I obey the decree." Wang Chonggu and Lu Guangzu both chose to obey. If this matter hadn't caused a homicide, it wouldn't have been brought to the Wenhua Hall to be discussed as a difficult and important case by the Nine Ministers. This was at the feet of the Son of Heaven. If it were just 100 taels of silver, it would be a matter of money, but since people died, it was a matter of life.

Zhao Laoqi, if he had even a little bit of a way out, would never have raised his hammer. To what extent must a person be pushed to do such a thing?

In the afternoon, Zhao Mengyou returned to the palace to report the details of the house confiscation. The items seized from the Sun mansion, regardless of farmland and manors, were valued at 4,532 taels of silver, and the cash alone exceeded 1,500 taels. They indeed had money; they just wouldn't give it to Zhao Laoqi.

As for the rest, everything was being investigated and supplemented. Zhu Yijun intended to exile this Sun Zhicheng and his family to Yingchang as well.

If Zhao Laoqi chose to continue pursuing it, he could pick up a hammer on the border and hammer Sun Zhicheng to death.

And Zhao Nanxing's memorial of confession was also sent before the Emperor. What was interesting was that Zhao Nanxing chose to slide and kneel, preparing to head to Luzon to work.

Exile to Luzon—if he did well, there was still a chance for a comeback. Now, choosing to resist to the end meant all his life's efforts would turn into bubbles. Zhao Nanxing hesitated for a moment, which was a betrayal of his past.

On the 12th day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Wanli, the long-traveling King of Ryukyu, Shang Jiu, arrived at the Great Ming capital seven days later than expected. Along the way, Shang Jiu saw the prosperity of Great Ming; everything was here.

"The chaotic flowers gradually confuse the eyes."

When those luxuries that could only be heard of in books or from others' mouths suddenly became reality, Shang Jiu was lost in this prosperity. Many pleasures were things Shang Jiu had never heard of. Truly, "happy here, not thinking of Ryukyu."

The Songjiang Chamber of Commerce led by Sun Kehong, having received instructions from Songjiang Governor Wang Daokun, immediately arranged a full, one-stop service for Shang Jiu, arranging for him to be on a painted boat. The luxury of the painted boat made even those old masters and young masters in the Southern Yamen, who were already somewhat numb, exclaim that it was exciting.

Wang Daokun did not know the content of the Great Ming court discussion, nor had he received an imperial decree. He simply felt this was an opportunity. This was something delivered to his doorstep. If he didn't arrange for Shang Jiu clearly, Wang Daokun would be unworthy of calling himself a scholar. Even if he had misjudged the wind and the Great Ming Emperor cherished his reputation and refused to act openly, or was even limited by the wind and public opinion in the court and could not touch Ryukyu, Wang Daokun was not afraid. Great Ming was a land of ritual and righteousness, hospitable; this was just the way of treating guests.

The King of Ryukyu was indeed the biggest meat-eater on Ryukyu soil in terms of status, but he lived a life of precariousness in Ryukyu, and there were not many luxury items. He had a total of 120 men in his Iron Forest Army and couldn't collect much tax. If he wanted luxury, he needed a material foundation.

These luxuries rushed toward him, and Shang Jiu was dazzled.

Just as Shang Jiu arrived at the Huotong Station, Wan Shihe, who had been planning for a long time, immediately sent his disciple Wang Menglin, who had not yet formally apprenticed. Wang Menglin and Wang Qian, the son of the Second Grand Secretary, were close friends. The two went together to the Huotong Station and began to arrange for this King of Ryukyu who had come from afar.

"It's so noisy next door. Which country's envoys are staying there?" Shang Jiu was very annoyed with the neighbors. It was one thing for them to be clattering in their room, but there were also some unbearable sounds coming through, making Shang Jiu full of anger.

"Envoys from the Japanese state, it seems they are called something like Mori Motokiyo, and on this side are also envoys from the Japanese state, called Maeda Toshinaga." Wang Qian said happily.

Shang Jiu's complaining expression froze instantly, and he shuddered violently. It turned out that his neighbors were Japanese!

Shang Jiu had no doubt that if he hadn't escaped when the Shimazu family attacked Shuri in Ryukyu, he would have long since been captured and taken to Japan. By then, he feared that even death would be a luxury.

Wang Qian and Wang Menglin looked at each other. Such a clever arrangement was obviously the idea of Great Ming's Grand Minister Wan Shihe. Only Wan Shihe could be this wicked.

This old man was wickedly bad!

Hurry up and cast your monthly votes! If no one casts monthly votes, is there no law anymore! Seeking monthly votes, Awooooo!!!!!!!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 322 =====