Chapter 389: The Good Days of Zhu Yiliu Are Completely Over!!

Zhu Yijun originally wanted to give Zhang Juzheng a small shock of imperial willfulness and execute it stubbornly.

He wasn't playing any new tricks; it was just selling official titles, and even titles with fiefs. To put it more clearly, it was the enfeoffment system.

Ever since the Eight Princes' Rebellion broke out in the Western Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasties had absorbed historical lessons. Even for Prince titles, their enfeoffment had no actual territory. Prince, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron were no longer symbols of actual territory, but more of a symbol of social status. The change from fiefs to food-tax-fiefs was the process of the feudal system in the Central Plains changing from the enfeoffment system to the prefecture and county system.

The landmark event of the change from fiefs to food-tax-fiefs was the Shang Yang Reform. At the ninth rank of military merit, "Five Grand Masters," one could obtain three hundred households of tax fiefs.

By the Great Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly reversed history and went against the current, letting the vassal kings have fiefs. That was a decision made based on the huge contradictions between the north and south, as well as the status quo that the Hu Yuan had effectively ruled for a hundred years. It was also a manifestation of Zhu Yuanzhang's "Family Under Heaven" advocacy.

After the Jingnan Campaign, the Chengzu lineage gradually tightened the vassal prohibitions. The vassal kings of the Great Ming went to their fiefs, and under the vassal prohibitions, they couldn't even leave the Prince's mansion.

"Your Majesty, if this end is opened, it will naturally be endlessly harmful. Now the inside and outside of the sea can be distinguished, but in the future, this boundary will be constantly blurred, and in the end, the Great Ming hinterland will inevitably suffer a backlash."

"Take Xu Jie as an example. He could not change from an official selecting officials to a hereditary public official, so he turned to seeking land, trying to achieve his hereditary and permanent status by occupying land." Zhang Juzheng again expounded the original motivation for the wealthy households of the Great Ming to annex land.

Hereditary and permanent, unchanging for ten thousand generations.

The state perishes, but the family does not.

Zhang Juzheng could obtain the iron certificate of the merit of setting the policy because the scope of influence was small, and it was only obtained by chance.

To achieve hereditary status with the merit of setting the policy, there was a huge background, which was the young master and the suspicious state. In the long two hundred years of the Great Ming, it only happened twice.

"Does the teacher mean that in the future, this overseas enfeoffment will be reversed?" Zhu Yijun frowned, understanding Zhang Juzheng's true worry.

The scholars of the Great Ming, in the matter of disappointing people, had never disappointed people. As long as there was a little bit of a flaw, they could tear out a gap, seeking private interests in the name of public interests.

"Your Majesty, it definitely will." Zhang Juzheng answered with slight helplessness.

The Great Ming's noble titles were military merit titles, while overseas titles were pioneering titles. This was repeatedly explained in Zhu Yijun's imperial edict, and the boundary between military merit titles and pioneering titles was very clear and distinct, but this boundary would inevitably be broken.

Can it be distinguished now? Can it be distinguished in the future?

Zhang Juzheng's worry was not the worry of the court ministers. The blurring of military merit titles and pioneering titles would inevitably become inevitable. Since the ending was destined to be a tragedy, why start it?

Actually, some of the court ministers and officials also had the idea of being happy to see it happen. You, the Emperor, sell the grandfather's fields without feeling heartache, and poke a hole in the sky. Taking advantage of the sky leaking to get some benefits was a matter of course.

"With the teacher's great talent, if the new policy stops abruptly, how long will the Great Ming's national destiny last?" Zhu Yijun thought about it. This was still a question of whether it was worth it or not. On the matter of opening the sea, Zhu Yijun had always been very radical and very persistent.

Speaking to this point, Zhu Yijun still refused to give up.

"Not more than a hundred years." Zhang Juzheng's face was a bit painful, but he had really thought about this question. Zhang Juzheng, who knew the current situation of the Great Ming extremely well, had a rough estimate of the Great Ming's national destiny. Optimistically, it could last for a hundred years; pessimistically, it was only fifty or sixty years.

The desolate ancient palace, the palace flowers are lonely and red.

The white-haired palace maid is there, sitting idly and talking about Xuanzong.

Famous generals like clouds, capable officials like rain, the Wenhua Hall is dazzling, the Great Tang's majestic style is prosperous. The Shangyang Palace in Luoyang during the Kaiyuan prosperous age was a palace in heaven. Just one Shangyang Palace had 43,000 palace maids, and thousands of palace maids danced to the *Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment*. The war drums of Yuyang, the clamor of the An Lushan Rebellion, broke this beauty of the human fairyland.

After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Shangyang Palace became desolate. More than 40,000 palace maids fled in the chaos of war. There was a beauty in the palace who hid from her green hair until her hair turned white, changing from a red face to old skin. This white-haired palace maid sat on the stage of the past and told the passersby about the prosperity during the Tang Xuanzong era.

Such a strong Great Tang turned from prosperity to decline, like a giant rock rolling down from a cliff.

And the Great Ming before his eyes, the Great Ming in the early Wanli era, from the Great Ming with full pay for soldiers to the Great Ming with broken mountains and rivers, the speed of turning sharply downward was almost the same as the speed of the Great Tang turning from prosperity to decline.

Zhang Juzheng clearly saw this scene. He had also warned of this scene. He connected the Tang Xuanzong and the Great Ming Shizong Emperor together and discussed the difficulty of ending well. Wasn't he also talking about the fate of the Great Ming?

Three hundred years—a hurdle that a feudal dynasty in the Central Plains could not bypass.

The Great Ming was already more than two hundred years old, and the deadline was approaching. Zhang Juzheng found the key to the dynastic cycle from the long river of history and grasped the main contradiction, which was land. The four words "clearing land and returning it to the people" were the answer of Zhang Juzheng, this outstanding person, to this historical fate. Under the influence of the great debate under the new policy over the years, Zhang Juzheng felt even more clearly that it was the contradiction of the means of production.

"So, why worry?" Zhu Yijun knocked on the table and said quite definitely: "The national destiny is no more than a hundred years. Being a little bolder doesn't matter."

Zhang Juzheng immediately shook his head and said: "But Your Majesty has holy wisdom, great perseverance, and great wisdom. The new policy is rolling forward, and our Great Ming will inevitably last for a long time."

Discussing long-term strategies was a very luxurious thing. Being able to discuss long-term strategies meant that Zhang Juzheng had full confidence in the future of the Great Ming. If your Zhu family's mountains and rivers would only last for a few decades, Zhang Juzheng would not stop it. Even if it were worse, could it be worse than broken mountains and rivers?

It was because he saw the bright future and the dawn before the dawn that Zhang Juzheng blocked it so much.

"Your Majesty, actually this matter is not difficult." Qi Jiguang said quite definitely: "From the beginning, your servant said that your servant is here to support Your Majesty. This matter is actually not as complicated as the ministers think. Human effort can achieve anything. Your Majesty just needs to have more children to solve the problem."

"Have more children?" Zhu Yijun was stunned. This was a huge matter; how did it fall onto his waist?!

Qi Jiguang further said: "It depends on Your Majesty's willingness to part with them, to enfeoff the children overseas, just like the Holy Ancestor High Emperor enfeoffed the vassal kings to guard the mountains and rivers of the state."

"This method of General Qi..." Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up, and several court ministers began to whisper and discuss carefully.

Zhu Yijun stood up and walked out of the West Flower Hall. He left sufficient space for the court ministers to discuss the solution given by Qi Jiguang.

From Qi Jiguang's perspective, the Great Ming court had fallen into a thinking trap. They wanted to stop the Emperor from going against the current, raised the enfeoffment system, and worried about reversing the order of heaven and earth. But from the perspective of a military noble, Qi Jiguang felt that this matter was very simple, and the Prince's mansion could perfectly solve the problem.

The Prince title, leading the overseas pioneering titles, would form a huge interest community, preventing the Great Ming scholars from reversing the order of heaven and earth, because destroying the boundary between military merit titles and pioneering titles directly damaged the interests of the vassal kings in various places—land.

Pioneering titles and land were completely bound together. Once the boundary was blurred and the definition of pioneering titles was unclear, the legitimacy and centripetal force of the vassal kings' rule overseas would drop significantly.

Zhang Juzheng, Wang Chonggu, and Tan Lun discussed for a long time, and the more they talked, the brighter their eyes became, but the three of them tacitly avoided a problem, and they were all thousand-year-old foxes, knowing each other well.

This core problem was imperial power.

Ever since the Yan Prince's mansion succeeded in the Jingnan Campaign, ever since Yongle, vassal kings rebelling had been a topic that the Great Ming could not bypass. Not to mention the distant ones, the last civil official enfeoffed, Wang Yangming, pacified the Chenhao Rebellion, which was the Ning Prince's mansion wanting to imitate the Yan Prince's Jingnan Campaign.

This was a struggle for imperial power caused by the Emperor having no heirs.

In this battle, Zhu Chenhao of the Ning Prince's mansion gathered 60,000 people and claimed 100,000. You know, when the Yan Prince's mansion raised troops, there were only 800 people. If it weren't for the proper handling by the Ting-Gan Provincial Governor and Censor-in-Chief Wang Yangming, I'm afraid it would have been another human catastrophe. The Chenhao Rebellion, which lasted only one month and twelve days, seemed to have calmed down quickly, but if Wang Yangming hadn't been decisive, the Ning Prince would have already entered Nanjing.

When Wang Yangming attacked Nanchang, besieging Wei to save Zhao, forcing Zhu Chenhao to return, Zhu Chenhao was already attacking Anqing, and it would have taken only ten days to enter Nanjing on a smooth path. Later, Wang Yangming broke the Ning Prince's army twice at Huangjiadu and Baziyuan, winning against the strong with the weak, burning the connected camps for a hundred miles, and capturing the Ning Prince and others.

Zhu Chenhao's defeat was mainly because he was hesitant. If he had taken 60,000 people and headed straight for Nanjing by water, hearing that Nanchang was captured, it would have been a desperate situation, but he returned to Nanchang, and the military heart was unstable. The Ning Prince's rebellion was ruined because Zhu Chenhao was both incompetent and loved to play. But what if Zhu Chenhao wasn't so indecisive?

It would inevitably have been another Great Ming North-South War.

Vassal kings rebelling was a heart disease of the Great Ming. Then, enfeoffing the vassal kings overseas would eliminate so many worries and concerns.

Zhu Yijun returned to the West Flower Hall. After a brief discussion, this time the Emperor's imperial edict was no longer opposed by the ministers. Even Hai Rui had no opinion on this. Politics was compromise, and politics was also an exchange of interests. Obviously, the benefits of this move outweighed the disadvantages.

The imperial edict passed through the Grand Secretariat and was sent to the Six Ministries. By evening, the couriers of the Association Hall took the imperial edict and sent it to the four directions of the Great Ming along the Jiulong Official Road.

On the day the imperial edict left the court, the detached palace brought another piece of good news: the favored Consort Zhou Defei was already pregnant. Although there was no fetal heart yet, it had been confirmed by the great physicians of the Dissection Institute. The great physicians still used the old method, which was subcutaneous injection of progesterone from frog skin.

Consort Zhou Defei's inversion method was still very effective.

As soon as these two pieces of news came out, the officials in the capital clearly knew that the negotiation in the West Flower Hall of the detached palace was another complete victory for the Great Ming Emperor!

It is reported that the Great Ming Beijing Battalion Grand General Qi Jiguang also appeared in the West Flower Hall.

Zhang Juzheng, Wang Chonggu, Tan Lun, Wang Guoguang, and Hai Rui had all clearly expressed their opposition. Wan Shihe was just there to make up the numbers.

The power of the Emperor to force his way through the opposition was that Qi Jiguang went to the West Flower Hall to support the Emperor. Obviously, in this closed-door meeting that was not known to outsiders and even the Secretariat could not attend, Qi Jiguang must have expressed his dissatisfaction with the ministers forcing the palace.

This situation made the censor officials very painful. In their narrow world, Qi Jiguang really had 100,000 troops in the Northern Camp.

The censor officials wanted to oppose the Emperor's decree and wanted to force the palace, but they were afraid that the Emperor would really kill them in a rage. As the ballast stone, the Beijing Battalion had already expressed its attitude. This policy of selling official titles was actually passed by the court discussion, which was really unacceptable to everyone, like a fishbone in the throat.

Undercurrents were surging beneath the water, and at the center of the vortex, the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun once again arrived at the loyal Northern Camp.

Zhu Yijun's inspection of the military horses was extremely serious. He would watch the training of the soldiers through the telescope in the Wu Ying Tower, and then he would go to the drill ground and train with the soldiers for an hour, which was called "chicken ribs" by Qi Jiguang. Zhu Yijun had already been able to hit three arrows in a row.

The Great Ming Emperor's bravery had gradually changed from the first master of the youth group to a master of the adult group.

"General Qi was indeed right. Riding and shooting are indeed a bit chicken ribs, especially with more and more firearms." Zhu Yijun turned off his horse, took off his helmet, held it in his arms, and said to Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang was right. Riding and shooting, besides being handsome, had no use, but it was handsome enough, and for Zhu Yijun, it was enough.

"Your Majesty is mighty!" Qi Jiguang led the Great Ming generals to pay their respects.

Riding and shooting, many times, were just to show personal bravery. There were actually not many emperors in the Great Ming who were on horseback. The High Ancestor, the Chengzu, and the Wuzong, there were only three in total. It was not easy for His Majesty to practice riding and shooting to the realm of unity of man and horse. This thing actually had no great use for governing the country, but more of an attitude of the Emperor's strengthening of martial arts.

"Exempt from courtesy, exempt from courtesy." Zhu Yijun handed the helmet to Feng Bao and talked to Qi Jiguang about the military camp.

Counting back eight years, the memorials of the Great Ming military generals had to be given to the Five Military Commissions, and then the Five Commissions would transfer them to the Ministry of War. If the masters of the Ministry of War didn't like the military generals, they would hold the memorials for a period of time, and it wasn't that they wouldn't give them to the Grand Secretariat, they just held them.

The court situation was like a battlefield, changing very quickly. Holding them for one day could play the military generals to death.

But now Qi Jiguang could see His Majesty every day.

The situation of civil strength and martial weakness had still not changed, but in wartime, it had reached a balance, which was enough.

Loyalty was not without reason.

"General Qi, the imperial edict that caused the dissatisfaction of the court ministers has been issued for three days. I have been waiting for this group of censor officials to force the palace, but I have waited for so long, and they didn't come, which makes me very disappointed." Zhu Yijun entered the Wu Ying Tower. Today's inspection of the military horses was over, and he would leave after washing up.

"The party leaders didn't let them move, so they didn't dare." Qi Jiguang said with a smile.

"Let's assume it's like that." Zhu Yijun was about to wash up when he suddenly turned his head and said: "General Qi, starting tomorrow, the Prince of Lu will continue to follow me to inspect the military horses and listen to politics at the imperial gate."

"Your servant obeys the decree." Qi Jiguang of course understood that Zhu Yiliu would definitely be enfeoffed overseas in the future. No matter how reluctant Empress Dowager Li was, he would be enfeoffed out. Overseas was not like the sea, the sea was peaceful, but the contradictions overseas were complex, sharp, and very severe. A little carelessness would lead to swords and soldiers, resorting to force. Zhu Yiliu could not be incompetent.

The good days of Zhu Yiliu were completely over!!

Zhu Yijun wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he didn't say it. He actually wanted to tell Qi Jiguang that when others accuse you of wanting to rebel, you had better have the strength to rebel, then no one would dare to accuse you.

This time Qi Jiguang appeared in the West Flower Hall to support the Emperor's muddled decision, and not a single court minister dared to jump out and say anything about Qi Jiguang. Not a single one, and they didn't even mention it. Zhang Juzheng bore all the scolding. Zhang Juzheng was indeed a hereditary military noble, but he didn't lead troops.

This phenomenon had also appeared in history. Guo Ziyi's son, Guo Ai, beat the princess in a drunken state, and even said to the princess: "Your father's throne was something my father didn't want, so he gave it to your father!" The Tang Daizong didn't punish him either, but instead said: "It is indeed so."

This story had a sequel. Later, Guo Ai's second daughter married the Tang Xianzong and became Empress Yian. Later, this second daughter gave birth to the Tang Muzong. In the five dynasties of Muzong, Jingzong, Wen Sect, Wuzong, and Xuanzong, this second daughter was the Empress Dowager of the five dynasties.

Zhu Yiliu sat up suddenly in the morning light, looked at the pitch-black curtain, and then lay down suddenly. He blinked his eyes. Accustomed to waking up early, even though he had spent a month of lazy days, the biological clock carved into his bones still called him up every day.

"The days without listening to politics at the imperial gate are really too good!" Zhu Yiliu covered himself with the quilt, re-sealed himself, and happily intended to continue sleeping.

The biological clock woke him up, but he didn't need to continue listening to politics at the imperial gate. The sleep was too comfortable, and he would spend the rest of his life in this comfort.

Two palace maids walked to the curtain and pulled the curtain open a crack, letting the morning light spill into the bedroom.

"Your Highness, it is time to wake up," the palace maid, dressed in thin gauze, said in a low voice while sitting on the edge of the bed. Sunlight spilled onto her, passing over her collarbones and, through the thin gauze garment, revealing her ample silhouette and slender waist. The golden morning light fell upon her skin, which was like congealed fat, casting layers of halos.

The King of Chu loves slender waists. One can question the King of Chu's ability, but one absolutely cannot question the King of Chu's aesthetics.

"Sigh, Your Highness, news came from the detached palace, asking Your Highness to go listen to politics at the imperial gate." The palace maids sighed and lifted a corner of the quilt, drilling in.

Zhu Yiliu sat up suddenly. Looking but not eating was not enjoyment. He was still young now, and he had promised His Majesty that he would not mess around before his marriage. Zhu Yiliu could still distinguish between being full for one meal and being full for every meal.

The reason he sat up was not because the softness made him react a bit excessively, but because he was surprised to hear those four words: listen to politics at the imperial gate!

This must be an auditory hallucination!

"Mother said it! I don't need to go listen to politics at the imperial gate anymore!" Zhu Yiliu turned around stiffly, looked at the three palace maids, and said blankly.

"Hmm, it was the Empress Dowager who said it, saying that being grounded for a month was enough. Your Highness, it's time to go to the Wenhua Hall." The palace maids didn't understand what this represented, but told the Prince of Lu that the decree was His Majesty's decree, and also the Empress Dowager's decree.

"Are you kidding!!" Zhu Yiliu wailed, rolling around with the quilt, rolling a few times on the "face wash milk" with force, before starting to bathe and change clothes.

Zhu Yijun waited by the small railway and saw Zhu Yiliu, who was full of "I am very angry."

"You kid, still want to hide in leisure?" Zhu Yijun saw Zhu Yiliu's frustrated face and said happily: "The grounding is over. Listening to politics at the imperial gate, inspecting military horses, and lectures are starting again. On the twenty-ninth of every month, there will be an examination. If you don't pass, it's twenty laps on the drill ground, every day."

"Imperial Brother! Your servant has one thing unclear! Why, the nephew is already born! And he is seven jin and six liang, so what does it have to do with your servant?" Zhu Yiliu took a step back, bowed and paid respects, and asked quite solemnly.

"I knew it, you did it on purpose!" Zhu Yijun remembered the reason for Empress Dowager Li's grounding. Zhu Yiliu didn't mess around early, didn't mess around late, but just happened to mess around when the eldest imperial son was born.

"Imperial Brother, no need, right? Whether your servant becomes a talent or not, what's the use?" Zhu Yiliu didn't refute, nor did he argue, giving everyone a step down. You be your millstone donkey, I be my pleasure-seeking prince, and the well water doesn't offend the river water. He was twelve years old this year. Continuing to accept imperial education and continuing to cultivate it had no meaning. Whether he became a talent or not, for a vassal king, what was the difference?

The Great Ming's vassal prohibitions were just raising pigs. Zhu Yiliu had already prepared to be a pleasure-seeking person for a lifetime.

"General Qi found a way out for you. If you don't become a talent, in the future, if you go overseas, you will either be killed by rebellious ministers and thieves, or the city will be broken by local natives, and your head will be twisted off and kicked as a ball. So, you have to continue to suffer. Watch well, learn well, listen well, for the sake of your own life." Zhu Yijun helped Zhu Yiliu tidy up his clothes.

"Ah? No, this, I don't want to become a talent!" Zhu Yiliu was stunned. He finally witnessed what is called the sinister nature of human hearts!

Your struggle in the court, why do you have to bring a twelve-year-old child? He is only twelve years old; is this something he should bear?

Zhu Yijun actually didn't worry about Zhu Yiliu. This child was very smart and also very persevering. Twelve years old was actually already able to do some bad things, but in the Prince of Lu's mansion, all the women were perfect virgins. Zhu Yiliu was obviously a persevering person, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to persist, and would have caused trouble long ago.

People who can quit smoking are all extremely ruthless to themselves, let alone resisting the impact of hormones on reason?

To see if a person can become a talent, Zhang Juzheng taught Zhu Yijun, just look at two words: "Hong Yi" (broad and persevering).

"Hong" (broad), whether one cares about the world; "Yi" (persevering), whether one gives up halfway. Zhu Yiliu took the initiative to retreat and had no ambition for the throne. It was his caring for the world, not wanting the world to fall into crisis because of the internal struggle for imperial power, which was "Hong"; and resisting inner desires, not acting recklessly because he was a natural noble, was "Yi."

Therefore, Zhu Yiliu, the future is promising.

"Let's go!" Zhu Yijun got on the carriage and signaled his younger brother to get on.

"Does the promise of the beauties of ten thousand countries still count?!" Zhu Yiliu stood under the carriage, clenching his fists and asking loudly. This was His Majesty's only promise. The grounding, not listening to politics at the imperial gate, and not having lectures were all Empress Dowager Li's decisions, not His Majesty's promise.

"Double. Before marriage, six beauties every year; after marriage, at least twelve beauties every year." Zhu Yijun gave Zhu Yiliu the promise of changing brides every month.

"Brother keeps his word! If brother says go east, I will never go west! Let's go." Zhu Yiliu immediately jumped onto the carriage and happily followed the Emperor.

"Strange, why are you so obsessed with the beauties of ten thousand countries?"

"The style of ten thousand countries, brother doesn't like it, doesn't mean others don't like it."

"The Imperial Uncle doesn't like it either. I gave so many beauties of ten thousand countries, but he just spent all day in the Royal Institute of Things."

"I am very sure that it is not that I am abnormal."

"Bold, pointing at the imperial carriage!"

Zhu Yijun brought Zhu Yiliu to the Wenhua Hall. Empress Dowager Li, Empress Dowager Chen, and Empress Wang held the full-month-old eldest imperial son Zhu Changzhi and arrived at the Wenhua Hall together. A palace maid held the full-month-old Zhu Changzhi and walked around in front of the court ministers, which was considered a meeting.

The Great Ming's ritual education was strict. According to reason,

The child was healthy and strong, smiling at everyone he saw, and even tried to reach out and grab Zhang Juzheng's beard. The air in the Wenhua Hall was filled with joy.

The eldest imperial son had no congenital deficiencies, and since His Majesty had already cautiously moved to the detached palace, it was very intriguing that Prince Lu, Zhu Yiliu, continued to follow the Emperor to listen to government affairs at the imperial gate. The court officials who could climb to the status of the Wenhua Hall were all quick-witted people; with a little association, they could taste the deep meaning within.

Where Prince Lu's fief would be in the future was now clear as day.

The Great Ming Emperor's imperial decree caused a great uproar in the court, and at the same time, it stirred up a thousand waves among the common people. The concerns and thoughts of the wealthy households were completely different from those of others. The first thing the wealthy households thought was that they were finished—finished in the sense of being doomed.

Because of the Great Ming Emperor's continuous investment in opening the seas, the inner treasury should be so poor that it would have to pawn its trousers. The Emperor, driven mad by poverty, had already begun to openly sell offices and titles. Following the previous path dependency, the Emperor would definitely look for a few fat ones to fill the inner treasury!

All the wealthy households went into hiding and told the literary circles and writers under their banners not to talk nonsense, for fear that the Emperor's gaze would turn toward them.

Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang, the Director of the Tax Inspection Institute, Commander of the Southern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and Nanjing Commander of the Guards, discovered that this year's tax inspection work was really easy to do. Taxes that previously needed to be urged did not need to be urged at all; the wealthy households had long since prepared the tax receipts and even sent rubbings to the Tax Inspection Institute to prevent any misunderstandings.

Inspector Luo Bingliang Bingliang thought about it and felt slightly helpless. It seemed difficult to complete this year's targets. It was all Zhang Juzheng's fault for creating the theory of contradictions. Look at these wealthy households; now they are all as shrewd as ghosts and extremely cautious.

Sun Kehong, the merchant leader of the Songjiang Ocean Trading Company, was pushed by a maid to the trading company. He could recite the imperial decree on opening the seas by heart, but he still held the copied decree and looked at it repeatedly.

Opening the seas was a tide, and Sun Kehong was a wave-rider. He walked at the very front. As the merchant leader of the Songjiang Ocean Trading Company, he smelled a completely different scent. This was a heaven-sent opportunity. If he could grasp it, hereditary succession would by no means be an unreachable dream. This was not selling offices and titles; it was an extremely important step in the Emperor's opening of the seas.

This was the Emperor's promise and grace to those who pioneered. Encouraging the opening of the seas was not only for the Emperor to consolidate imperial power but also for the great plan of the world.

Selling offices and titles? Was the Emperor short of that little money? Others might think so, but Sun Kehong definitely would not. As the merchant leader of the Ocean Trading Company, he knew too well that the Emperor was truly powerful and would only become wealthier.

"The Land of a Qiandao—the Yuanxu Archipelago," Sun Kehong muttered to himself while looking at the sea chart in front of him.

In the Land of a Qiandao, east of Borneo and south of Luzon's Mindanao, there was a vast sea area. There were thousands of islands here. A ship lost its way in the equatorial doldrums and then broke into the Land of a Qiandao. In the continuous exploration, a huge island was discovered. This island was boundless and shaped like a turtle, hence the name Yuanxu.

The Land of a Qiandao had no other advantages; it was just suitable for farming.

(Scope of the Land of a Qiandao—Yuanxu Archipelago)

During the Jiajing New Policies, why didn't the Daoist Emperor strengthen the military? In fact, it was because there was no money. Since the great filial piety of the Xiaozong reign, the Great Ming's taxed farmland had only been 4 million-plus *qing*, and there was another item of hidden and falsely registered farmland, which was that the poll tax could not be collected either. Seeking monthly votes, Awoo!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter)