Chapter 404: Wang Qian, Indeed a Spoiled Heir!

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the letter in his hand; the Queen's handwritten message had been translated into Latin, thanks to the flourishing development of the Great Ming Maritime Academy, and Zhu Zhu Yijun was highly proficient in Latin, even expanding upon it—the Maritime Academy had completed the Latin alphabet, as Latin is a phonetic script where long and short vowels carry distinct meanings, which Great Ming had standardized.

Zhu Zhu Yijun's Latin was excellent; he did not need to study foreign languages.

The promotion of Latin and the Grand Tour movement represented cultural convergence in the West; after cultural convergence, political and military convergence inevitably followed—this was the manifestation of Western centripetal force; yet four different translations appeared before Zhu Zhu Yijun, indicating local dialects' resistance to and divergence from Latin—the manifestation of Western centrifugal force.

At this time, the West was caught in a back-and-forth struggle between unification and autonomous independence; Latin was widely used yet widely opposed, revealing its contradictions.

The West had no Qin Shi Huang.

Philip II's cherished solution to Western feudalism required one great precondition: using overwhelming military force to bind everyone together before shaping the system; without this precondition, discussing political institutions was largely futile, and such overwhelming force meant not merely naval dominance but also sweeping control over land.

Philip could not achieve it; he had schemed for Portugal for twenty years, with four possible invasion routes, yet abandoned them all due to excessive cost—he always hoped to expand territory at minimal cost, such as through marriage alliances.

The letter from the English Queen in Zhu Zhu Yijun's hand held another immense significance: the competition of the Age of Exploration had officially begun.

The feudal conservative powers led by Portugal and Spain, and the emerging bourgeois landowners, workshop owners, and slaveholders led by England, Falanxi, and the Netherlands (Holland), began fierce competition on the seas; the cascading sparks from their clash of spear and shield were the gains—these political, economic, cultural, and military gains forged the West's future maritime hegemony.

The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets remained in Europe until before the Second World War.

After reading "The Queen of England's Imperial Letter to the Emperor of Great Ming," Zhu Zhu Yijun found the Queen had greeted the Great Ming Emperor, calling him: "the great, mighty, and invincible Son of Heaven of the Celestial Court," then explained the purpose of her envoy: to open a shipping route to the Thames, as England possessed sufficient goods for exchange.

The English Queen complained in her letter of the bandits and tyrant Philip, who controlled the free cities and shipping lanes of Spain, acting with extreme brutality by ruthlessly extorting English merchant ships; England's ships were forced to retaliate, while villains whispered lies in the Emperor's ear, painting the English as pirates.

She hoped the Great Ming side could confirm the list of goods with the envoy; George Wythens had brought many samples: fine woolen cloth, exquisite silverware, and distilled whiskey.

Zhu Zhu Yijun had no interest in these goods, yet he enthusiastically finalized the trade list with George.

The Age of Exploration was an era of bloodshed, plunder, and tragedy; its glory was built upon the bones and blood of slaves; compared to the Red Barbarians, the Golden Barbarians' colonial rule was even more inhumane—the Red Barbarians at least recognized in doctrine that the natives of the New World were also children of God, and in governorates like Peru and Brazil, original natives were legally persons; but the Golden Barbarians often acted more decisively, aiming for national annihilation and ethnic extermination.

The Indians were slaughtered to extinction; the chronic trade deficit between the Tartar Qing and Great Britain left Britain desperate, leading it to resolve the crisis by dumping opium.

After George departed, Zhu Zhu Yijun turned to Zhang Zhang Juzheng and said enthusiastically: "Master, I've thought of a plan."

The court ministers all shuddered; whenever His Majesty had an idea, it meant someone was about to suffer terribly! —like the Tax Inspection Bureau, or forcing wealthy families to populate the capital region, or the inclusion of arithmetic and paradox theory in official examinations.

Now, after meeting the English envoy, His Majesty had another idea!

"What is Your Majesty's plan?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng probed.

Zhu Zhu Yijun chuckled: "Gao Qi and Xu Pan once went to London; now Xu Pan has returned for a second visit. From the information gathered in both trips, England is extremely vulnerable."

"Just one five-masted ocean-going ship loaded with fine and coarse woolen cloth and cotton fabric arriving in London would completely crush England's fragile local workshops. Another five-masted ship carrying short and long weapons, bows and arrows, muskets, and gunpowder could thoroughly stir up England's waters."

"For example, sell them to Scotland, sell them to Ireland."

This was a traditional tactic—sowing discord and inciting division; Zhu Zhu Yijun had used it several times already.

Destroy the opponent's pillar industry, plunge them into economic depression, then fan the flames everywhere, arming the centrifugal forces, greatly strengthening disunity and leaving them in chaos.

"This is too difficult; we are too far from England," Zhang Zhang Juzheng said, not finding the plan bad—he had used far harsher methods against Annam.

The main problem was distance.

Great Ming lacked the capacity to project power across the West.

Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered briefly, then nodded: "Indeed, we are separated from England by thousands of mountains and rivers, but Philip, King Henry of Falanxi, and Queen Mother Catherine are close to England; England already has minor conflicts with all of them. Entrust this to Li Li Yashi—have him write it into his travelogue and send it to Philip."

England was called the West's "stirrer of shit"—they loved those four words: sowing discord and inciting division.

Now it was England's turn to experience this treatment.

At present, the West's economic and political development was still immature; this combination of destroying another's pillar industry, entering with cheap purchases, supporting opposition forces, inciting public outrage, and triggering social unrest had yet to take root.

"Your Majesty is wise," Zhang Zhang Juzheng choked, choosing to praise; Great Ming's scholar-officials prized their reputations deeply, cultivating virtue and morality—no one would dare propose such a self-destructive, malicious scheme so unreservedly, and Great Ming's foreign policy was primarily one of gentle persuasion.

Thus, Zhu Zhu Yijun's tactic of sowing discord and inciting division was not beyond the scholar-officials' or eminent ministers' understanding—they simply could not bring themselves to voice it; it was utterly disgraceful!

The Falanxi envoy was a handsome man who spoke like a woman; Zhu Zhu Yijun recalled Xu Pan's memorial describing how King Henry of Falanxi was obsessed with men and ruled by his favorites, and involuntarily shuddered—he spoke barely a few words before dismissing the Falanxi envoy and ordering him to leave Great Ming immediately.

Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici was the subject of many bad rumors, widely circulated in the West, called the "Snake Queen," even rumored to have had an affair with her son Henry III; but Zhu Zhu Yijun did not fully accept these claims.

Xu Pan's thick memorial stated that Falanxi romance was brought to Paris by Catherine: perfume, gloves, high heels, forks, ice cream, knight's undergarments, noblewomen's corsets, diamond cutting, mathematics, painting, and sculpture—Queen Catherine had high artistic achievements; Michelangelo had sculpted the Medici family tomb, and Catherine was one of its witnesses and assistants.

The Bourbon family had long sought the Falanxi throne, aiming to establish a Bourbon Falanxi, and was nearly successful; Catherine struggled to hold on, but Xu Pan believed she was growing increasingly unable to sustain it.

No one could help; internal contradictions required Catherine to resolve them herself.

Solving internal contradictions through external means—war—was a viable option, but Catherine's husband, Henry II, had already tried it: he gained nothing but massive war debts and an empty treasury; this solution must succeed, or it would only intensify internal contradictions.

After the four envoys departed, Zhu Zhu Yijun deliberated long with his ministers; due to Antonio's involvement, Great Ming might soon break relations with Spain—but this rupture required one precondition: the Manila Galleon trade must not be severed, for this was Great Ming's demand—Great Ming needed silver inflow—and it was also Philip II's demand; Philip abandoning the galleon trade would only enrich Antonio.

As for the risk of breaking with Spain, Great Ming could improve relations with England; at most, just send greetings—whether trade occurred would depend on Great Ming's exploration results.

From the accounts of the English envoy George and the Falanxi envoy, it was clear that in the West, Spain and Portugal held a monopoly over navigation technology; these two envoys could not leave their cabins, their compasses confiscated, unable to obtain charts or see the stars; this monopoly made the Golden Barbarians' exploration extremely painful, yet some progress remained.

Elizabeth I had gifted Great Ming a nautical chart; this chart did not overlap with those of Spain or Portugal, primarily exploring northeastern North America, such as Hudson Strait (today's northeastern Canada), navigable only in late summer and early autumn; Great Ming acquired partial intelligence on Hudson Strait: perpetual fog, and natives who ate raw meat and used dog sleds.

This was a new route with meager profit, seemingly merely expressing England's spirit of exploration; the explorer of this chart was none other than the envoy himself, George Wythens.

"Your Majesty, Yang Yang Deren has been captured," Zhao Meng rushed into the imperial study, bowing to report.

The Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could report directly to the throne, avoiding the Northern Capital Security Bureau's subordination to the Eastern Depot—this was the balance of the imperial retreat.

Yang Yang Deren, the grandson of Yang Yang Tinghe and one of the chief managers of the second branch, was the mastermind behind Yang Yang Youren's forced suicide; upon learning from the Grand General's mansion that it was not the Grand General targeting his family but the Emperor himself, Yang Yang Deren immediately fled—he did not even settle his Yang family's properties in the capital, took only portable valuables, and ran away.

To avoid capture by Great Ming's Embroidered Uniform Guards, Yang Yang Deren did not head to Tianjin Tanggu in Tianjin to board a pleasure boat southward; instead, he disguised himself as a merchant on the Grand Canal, shipping a cargo of straw for lamps south to Hangzhou, planning to sail from Ningbo's Maritime Customs Office to Lu Song's Manila.

Xu Xu Jie was dead, but Xu Pan was alive—this gave Yang Yang Deren hope of survival.

Yang Yang Deren nearly escaped, but was captured by the Southern Command's Chief Luo Luo Bingliang; he remains a suspect, detained for investigation into Yang Yang Youren's death.

All crimes shall be punished by law—at least those presented before the Emperor.

After Yang Yang Deren was arrested and thrown into the Celestial Prison, he was not subjected to the Five Tortures, nor sent to the Dissection Institute for intimidation; once seated on the Confession Chair, he confessed everything: Yang Yang Youren's death was indeed his doing; Yang Yang Deren had guessed that the Penglai Huang clan was likely the Emperor's alias—that Yang Yang Youren had offended not the Grand General but the Emperor himself, hence the pressure for him to die with dignity.

This matter had already passed, but the Weighing Scale Case erupted; Yang Yang Deren then fully confessed all the Yang family's misdeeds in Sichuan.

Among Yang Yang Tinghe's grandsons was one named Yang Yang Chengren, a cart driver who entered Sichuan; when his donkey stopped at his door, the old driver hurriedly cleaned up—but Yang Yang Chengren forced the old man to eat the donkey dung before letting him go; the old man carried two young grandsons, who soon starved to death in Xindu.

Yang Yang Deren had a cousin named Huang Huang Xiuli, who terrorized his village, monopolizing water; anyone who failed to pay his dues could not use water; the situation escalated until daughters from nearby villages had to be sent to his house for amusement before marriage; Huang Huang Xiuli taught them proper conduct before they could wed; a man named An Sanwan, unable to bear the humiliation, drew his knife and slashed Huang Huang Xiuli in the street.

After that, Huang Huang Xiuli continued his tyranny but dared not force anyone further; of course, An Sanwan was beaten to death, and no one cared.

Such incidents were countless; merely reading the case files made Zhu Zhu Yijun's blood pressure soar!

"Where is Wang Qian now?" Zhu Zhu Yijun closed the file, coldly asking; Feng Bao and Zhang Hong dared not breathe; when His Majesty was angry, he would slam tables, curse, and rage—but when he was furiously angry, he became eerily calm, and at such moments, someone was often sent to the Dissection Institute.

"By pace, he should be nearing Chengdu Prefecture," Zhao Meng replied, bowing.

Along the way, Wang Qian caused chaos everywhere; wherever he went, he stirred up panic.

At every stop, he visited brothels, repeatedly staging jealous quarrels, revealing his arrogance; he even extorted bribes everywhere—if hospitality was lacking, Wang Qian flew into a rage, leaving local officials in bitter complaints; memorials impeaching Wang Qian were already rushing toward the capital.

Such behavior of a spoiled noble heir perfectly matched Wang Qian's reputation: a dissolute scion, extravagant, constantly loitering in brothels, uneducated; as the only son of the Deputy Grand Secretary, his arrogance was unsurprising—it would be strange if he were not arrogant.

Wang Qian was like a wild beast unleashed, determined to fully release the suppressed instincts he had endured in the capital; he even personally led raids against bandits—yet Wang Qian couldn't even catch a weasel that stole an old hen, yet dared to lead Jiaofei expeditions; the accompanying Military Inspectorate Company Commander did not stop him, joining in the mischief.

By the time he reached the Land of Abundance, Wang Qian's arrogance became lawless; he paraded openly, ensuring everyone knew he had arrived.

Wang Qian and his men caused a ruckus at the Zhao Wenchang Temple, then urinated in Yu Xue Tao's Well.

Yu Xue Tao's Well water was crystal clear, surrounded by stone railings, with a pavilion above it, built by the Shu Prince's mansion; this well supplied sweet water to the Shu Prince's household and was used for producing Shu tribute paper—so precious that water was scarce, now utterly ruined by Wang Qian's urine.

After this outrageous behavior, Wang Qian, satisfied, entered the city through the East Gate, passed Daci Temple, and took up residence in the Metropolitan Mansion.

Wang Qian lounged back in his chair, asking the accompanying Military Inspectorate Company Commander: "Commander Zhao, how should I behave to seem more like a spoiled noble heir, so the Sichuan aristocrats will believe I am truly one?"

Commander Zhao pondered: "If Wang Censor would just tone it down, he'd look convincing."

Wang Qian visited brothels with his own silver; he brought two full carts of silver to Sichuan—about 100,000 taels—and these two carts were growing emptier.

Charged with imperial orders to investigate local customs, Wang Qian's standard was: the more beautiful the brothel girls, the more impoverished the people; the uglier the girls, the better the people's livelihood; if they were so ugly as to be inedible, the local magistrate was undoubtedly a living god.

Wang Qian's standard was strange, yet perfectly logical; the two Embroidered Uniform Guard Company Commanders independently investigated and reached the same conclusion.

Wang Qian didn't truly understand good governance and harmony, but he understood brothels deeply: few girls and poor quality meant the people didn't need to sell children to survive; the number of wealthy patrons in any region was limited; if competition was weak, ugliness could persist.

As for jealous quarrels, Wang Qian deliberately staged them—to construct his persona and to test how deeply local magnates had infiltrated the bureaucracy.

If the local authorities dared not even inquire upon hearing a noble's son was involved, then the region was not ruled by imperial officials but by magnates—there must be a "half-county family" present, and that was on the purge list.

Wang Qian's bribery extortion was his standard Beijing tactic; called "fishing," it was actually hunting corrupt officials; any bribe offered, Wang Qian would submit a memorial; the more bribes paid, the more corruption existed—once investigated, the truth was always confirmed.

Everyone marveled at Hai Rui's skill in uncovering corruption, yet few knew Wang Qian had been quietly working all along; he didn't merely buy influence, visit brothels, or investigate concubines—he could fish too.

The uproar at Zhao Wenchang Temple was simple: the fine Confucian temple had become a den of filth, with brokers and middlemen living inside; Wang Qian, already cultivating a reckless persona, immediately flew into a rage and smashed the temple inside and out.

Wang Qian naturally also visited the Zhuge Shrine at Princess Qingyang Palace (in Ming times, Zhuge Shrine and Wu Hou Shrine were separate); this was one of the Emperor's imperial orders; if the Wu Hou Shrine had also become like Zhao Wenchang Temple, the Emperor could send troops—investigate? Suppress rebellion!

"Tone it down? I can't tone it down." Wang Qian waved a finger. "The local aristocrats are deeply entrenched; if I don't act like a useless wastrel, how can I deceive them?"

"Are you certain you're pretending?" Commander Zhao frowned; throughout the journey, Wang Qian never seemed to be pretending—he thoroughly enjoyed brothels, clearly acting from his true nature.

"You slander me! I'll impeach you!" Wang Qian crossed his legs, bluntly retorting—he was indeed a dissolute heir, never denied it; after leaving the capital, he stopped pretending, laid it all bare: Wang Qian was a wicked man.

Wang Qian had grown close to the two Embroidered Uniform Guard Company Commanders; such men valued life above all; during bandit raids, the guards protected him well, letting him witness the entire process; this Sichuan journey was no easy task—Wang Qian's cordial relationship with the guards stemmed from his life being in their hands.

"The Provincial Governor has arrived," a Wang family retainer entered and reported.

Wang Qian immediately stood, straightened his attire, and his reckless demeanor instantly transformed into that of a noble scion; he hurriedly said: "Show him in, quickly!"

Wang Qian needed cooperation from local authorities to properly complete his imperial mission; thus, he became courteous toward provincial governors and frontier commanders, showing no trace of villainy.

The Sichuan Provincial Governor Wang Wang Tingzhan and the Sichuan Regional Commander Liu Zhang Xian arrived together.

Wang Qian exchanged pleasantries with both, calling them "teacher" repeatedly, showing no sign of dissolute behavior; one moment praising Liu Zhang Xian's achievements against Japanese pirates, the next admiring Wang Wang Tingzhan for not shielding fellow students for official gain.

"The Left and Right Provincial Administrators, the Surveillance Commissioner, and the Censor have not come," Wang Qian asked Wang Wang Tingzhan, his expression grave.

Wang Wang Tingzhan sighed: "Yes, none came, Wang Censor. Last year, Sichuan's land survey recorded only 140,000 hectares—do you understand now? The Land of Abundance has so little farmland?"

"I understand!" Wang Qian said seriously.

Sichuan's problems were grave—far worse than imagined.

Liu Zhang Xian thought a moment: "I can mobilize only 3,500 troops; the two Company Commanders brought 500 Embroidered Uniform Guards—that's 4,000 men total. That's all I can deploy."

"General Qi wrote that a tiger has no dog offspring; Wang Censor is not the wastrel he appears to be, and instructed me to fully cooperate; the Grand Secretary said the same."

Before arriving, Wang Wang Tingzhan and Liu Zhang Xian had held no expectations; rumors claimed Wang Qian was utterly incapable—a dissolute heir could do nothing.

But with Qi Qi Jiguang and Zhang Zhang Juzheng's guarantees, they came—and upon meeting him, realized Wang Qian was not the useless wastrel described.

"Did General Qi and the Grand Secretary really say that? Oh my, I'm truly honored!" Wang Qian had never expected to be seen as anything but a failure by Qi Qi Jiguang and Zhang Zhang Juzheng—it completely exceeded his expectations.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's letter had subtly revealed that Wang Qian had personally invested 120,000 taels in the Emperor's ocean-opening initiative, under his own name; this single sentence proved Wang Qian was firmly in the Emperor's inner circle.

The ocean-opening investment consisted of the Emperor, the state treasury, the Jin, Chu, and Zhe factions, and Wang Qian; the only private individuals were the Emperor and Wang Qian; though only 120,000 taels, it was negligible compared to the colossal sum of 37.12 million taels.

"What does Commissioner Wang plan to do?" Wang Wang Tingzhan asked in confusion.

"A pampered aristocrat through and through! Throw a banquet, invite guests to feast!" Wang Qian's lips curled into a smile. Wang Qian was a pampered scholar who read contradictions; he believed Sichuan's problems were too severe, and the extravagant households were far too numerous—they needed to be physically eliminated in bulk.

The contradictions had become utterly irreconcilable; to return to a state of harmony, drastic pruning was required.

Wang Qian laid out his plan in detail—it was extraordinarily bold, and he feared opposition from Wang Wang Tingzhan and Liu Zhang Xian. Yet after he finished speaking, both men's eyes gleamed with keen interest.

"Do it then!" Liu Zhang Xian slammed his fist on the table, making it shake violently as he rose to his feet. "I and Governor Wang already intended to do exactly this!"

Liu Zhang Xian ran through the troops he could mobilize—mustering troops meant mustering for killing.

Wang Qian was truly a useless drunkard; he came to Sichuan merely to pad his resume, and Wang Wang Tingzhan and Liu Zhang Xian would handle the matter for him.

Liu Zhang Xian had long been known for his boldness—and widely criticized for it.

Liu Zhang Xian had cheated on the military examination, posing as a Sichuan native despite being from Jiangxi. Upon enlistment, during the suppression of the Yibin Miao rebellion, he served in the Frontline Assault Unit. Military examination graduates were not required to serve in such places, yet Liu Zhang Xian went—and carved out his future through valor, earning the rank of Deputy Battalion Commander by merit.

When dispatched beyond Sichuan to suppress Japanese pirates, he served as Assistant Regional Commander of Zhejiang's Military Command. At Pukou Gang and Captain Liu Ji Zhuang, Liu Zhang Xian, clad in a single robe, led four horsemen to lure the pirates into an ambush, annihilating them entirely. At Langshan, he stealthily boarded pirate ships to gather intelligence. In quelling the Duzhang Man rebellion, he committed massive slaughter—yet not a single Duzhang Man ever accused Liu Zhang Xian of excessive brutality.

Liu Zhang Xian was always that kind of man—reckless to the point of defying heaven. Wang Qian was a useless drunkard, yet Liu Zhang Xian would still pull off earth-shattering deeds. If worst came to worst, he could bind himself and surrender to the capital to plead guilty: one man for the peace of an entire province—he would accept it.

Wang Qian's plan, in simple summary, was to ambush five hundred axe-wielders and signal the attack by smashing a cup—a plan that aligned perfectly with Liu Zhang Xian's.

Wang Qian reviewed the plan once more: "I will host the banquet at the Huayang Academy. I beg you, Governor Wang, to issue the invitations on my behalf, summoning virtuous scholars and gentry from all corners to gather in harmony."

"Of course, of course." Wang Wang Tingzhan chose to cooperate. The land survey in Sichuan had stalled for too long; he could not resolve it himself, and the Great Examination Law's cudgel would soon strike his head. Stagnation meant the end of his career—and that was his greatest regret.

To be mocked as incompetent was utterly unacceptable to Wang Wang Tingzhan!

Being cursed was better than being laughed at!

The next morning, news spread through every alley of Chengdu: Wang Qian, relying on his father's status as Vice Minister, had delayed visiting the Provincial Governor for months. The Governor, of second-rank status, humbled himself to meet the lowly seventh-rank Censor—only to erupt in a furious quarrel and depart in anger, even breaking one door.

The man who told this swore he had seen it with his own eyes—he was the door!

Upon hearing this rumor, the prominent clans breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Qian was indeed all glitter on the outside, rotten cotton within.

(End of Chapter)