Chapter 513: The rise and fall of the Imperial Kingdom depends on this one move

Lin Fu's viewpoint was very novel. The Great Ming would surely perish in the "chaos of the four valves." This viewpoint, even in the era of information explosion in later generations, was quite distinct. When the way the Great Ming would perish became a topic that could be discussed, things would become different. The more it was discussed, the more such things would be avoided.

This was extending its life. For any discussion that could extend the life of the Great Ming, Zhu Yijun held a supportive attitude.

And the four-valve problem discussed by Lin Fu was being solved little by little by the Great Ming. Perhaps this was also the reason why Lin Fu could discuss it. If it were in the first year of Wanli, when Lin Fu had just thrown out his viewpoint, he would have been silenced, and it was very likely he would have been completely shut up. Whether it was the Jin Party of that time or the *zuoshi* (mentors) spread throughout every aspect of the Great Ming, they would have tried every possible way to block Lin Fu's clamoring mouth.

This person was very annoying. Everyone else was saying the Great Ming was moving toward order, but only he was going against everyone else.

In this theory of Lin Fu's that the Great Ming was too free, he detailed the harm of the "chaos of the four valves."

The Great Ming's guest-soldier system would inevitably cause the fact of regional separatism, because guest soldiers required a lot of input, whether it was military equipment, grain and pay, or maintenance costs, all of which were astronomical figures. This was also the reason why the military soldiers in various places only had three thousand people.

And mastering strong troops in various places would inevitably cause a substantial decrease in tax revenue. With financial losses and tax revenue decreasing again, the imperial court would only become poorer and poorer. The generals leading guest soldiers in various places would have to "seek their own grain and pay." Yin Zhengmao and Ling Yunyi both allowed the powerful, wealthy, local gentry, and scholar-officials to donate to varying degrees.

If this cycle continued, the Viceroys in various places would become the *fanzhen* (regional military governors) of the Great Ming, and the *fanzhen* problem would appear.

Therefore, Qi Jiguang repeatedly emphasized that one must absolutely not see the corruption of the military colony and guard station system and abolish it.

In these ten years, on the military valve problem, the Great Ming combined kindness and severity, solved the Jin Party, and also prevented Li Chengliang from sliding into a military valve. It began to pay the border troops in full, even if it was only in kind, but the cohesion of people's hearts was priceless.

On the gate valve problem, the Kong family of Yanzhou, the Yang family of Xindu, the Xu family of Songjiang, and the Zhang family of Puzhou, whether they were old nobles spanning a thousand years or new nobles of the Great Ming, were successively executed by clan, which had effectively deterred the gate valves in various places and effectively curbed their continued annexation of land, which led to the chaos of the people's livelihood.

For the Great Ming, Lin Fu instead felt that the harm of the gate valves was minimal. The late Tang was full of changes. Back then, Huang Chao fought across ten thousand miles and physically eliminated the gate valves. The later gate valves had already learned sufficient lessons from history. Once the world was in disorder, they were wealthy but lacked powerful military force and the protection of order, making them meat on the chopping block.

Longitudinally, there were historical lessons; laterally, there was the Great Ming imperial court's punishment to warn others, which made the gate valves begin to gradually restrain themselves.

And the financial valves that parasitized the imperial court, such as the powerful, wealthy, rich merchants, and local gentry, were also changing. Although the struggle between the Great Ming imperial court and them was still continuing, and this contradiction would last for a very, very long time, the imperial court's decrees were curbing and adjusting the contradictions.

Excessive freedom, the annexation by these financial valves, was taking money from the imperial court's pockets and from His Majesty's pockets! Or rather, it was using public funds for private gain.

This contradiction is a contradiction of human nature and a long-term contradiction. It has existed since ancient times and will continue to exist for a long time. Before material abundance, there is no way to completely solve it.

And the *zuoshi* system was the academic valve. In this magnificent article by Lin Fu, the harm of the academic valve born from the *zuoshi* system was far greater than the other three valves. Lin Fu called the academic valve the head of the four valves.

Because its destruction of administrative power was extremely fatal, and it was also fatal for the imperial court's talent selection. In other words, its destruction of order was the most serious.

"When will Lin Dashi stop just talking about problems and come up with some solutions?" Zhu Yijun carefully collected this issue of *Carefree Anecdotes*.

In this *Carefree Anecdotes*, the harm of excessive freedom.

"If Lin Dashi had a way, would he still be a *bizheng* among the people?" Feng Bao said happily.

Lin Dashi had no solutions for these things; he only knew how to talk big. This was his positioning, and he would not overstep his bounds and easily point fingers at the court's decrees. He knew how much weight he had.

There was a degree here. If he crossed that line, someone would come to trouble him. That line was involving specific government affairs. A proposition is a proposition, and a decree is a decree. Providing any solution was crossing the line.

"Lin Fu is actually very suitable for the position of Censor, but unfortunately, he has no background." Zhu Yijun did not intend to break this rule. Giving him the title of Five Classics Doctor was already an extra favor. He wasn't even a *juren* (provincial graduate), so the special bestowal of the imperial examination *jinshi* title had nothing to do with Lin Fu.

The Xia family of Renhe, in the end, could not escape the fate of the Dissection Institute, and Fan Yingqi's encounter also made the court officials vigilant, increasingly tightening the management of opioid-based strong hallucinogenic and analgesic drugs.

The twelfth month of the tenth year of Wanli arrived. The sky finally cleared up. The Great Ming capital was immersed in the joy of the New Year, and everything was harmonious.

Zhang Juzheng, taking the Minister of Rites Wan Shihe, held a memorial and began to pull at the entrance of the Tonghe Palace. Wan Shihe refused to go, but Zhang Juzheng insisted on dragging him along to present the memorial to His Majesty.

"The Junior Grand Secretary is the Emperor's teacher. You should also consider His Majesty a little. His Majesty's diligence and frugality are second only to the Taizu Gao Emperor. If you submit a memorial now saying these things, and His Majesty approves, that is adding a burden. If His Majesty does not approve, that is a dim-witted ruler. It is better not to talk about this matter. The current system of the Great Ming is already very good." Wan Shihe waved his hands repeatedly, just refusing to walk forward with Zhang Juzheng.

"It was clearly agreed upon! How can you suddenly retreat when the matter is at hand!" Zhang Juzheng still wanted to move forward.

Upon hearing this, Wan Shihe immediately said, "I am a flattering minister. Isn't it natural for me to retreat when the matter is at hand? You are an upright minister. We were never on the same path. Do not mention this matter again, do not mention it again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng was also extremely annoyed and immediately said, "Then don't blame me for reaching my hand into the Ministry of Rites!"

"Reach, you just reach. If I resist, I am not a flattering minister!" Wan Shihe laughed immediately upon hearing this. Among all the civil and military officials in the court, who didn't know that Wan Shihe had the most flexible posture? Zhang Juzheng could reach his hand as much as he wanted. The Ministry of Rites would not resist. Wan Shihe's ritual law focused on flexibility.

Zhang Juzheng said with a complex expression, "Everyone says you, Wan Shihe, are flattering, yet you are not ashamed, but instead proud."

"The Ministry of Rites is just like this. Is it possible that the Ministry of Rites needs to find someone to go against His Majesty every day? Then how many heads would the Minister of Rites have to lose?" Wan Shihe's reasons were also very sufficient.

"The two of you, His Majesty summons you." Zhang Hong walked out of the five gates of the Tonghe Palace and directly summoned them.

They were arguing all the way to the Tonghe Palace. His Majesty was in the Imperial Study; how could he not know? In Zhu Yijun's view, the acting of these two was somewhat poor.

Zhang Juzheng and the reluctant Wan Shihe walked into the Imperial Study. After paying their respects, Zhang Juzheng presented the memorial.

"Let me see what the teacher is doing, that the Grand Minister of Rites is so reluctant." Zhu Yijun opened the memorial and looked at it for a moment. His brows furrowed, and he said, "Teacher, are you not crazy?"

"Feng, go quickly and invite the imperial physician."

Feng Bao was confused. He said blankly, "Do you really want to invite the imperial physician?"

"Then, Feng, you tell me, the teacher says he wants to abolish the Wenyuan Pavilion. You tell me, for this matter, do we have to invite the imperial physician to diagnose whether there is evil entering the body?" Zhu Yijun flipped through the memorial in his hand, full of doubt.

"Abolish the Cabinet?" Feng Bao was even more confused than before. He said blankly, "I will go and invite Li Shizhen and Chen Shigong over."

"Go quickly, go quickly!" Zhu Yijun said with great certainty.

"Your Majesty, I am not sick." Zhang Juzheng was directly angered by this pair of monarch and minister who were singing in harmony, causing his head to ache. Indeed, the suggestion he proposed seemed to be a bit of a serious illness, but he had also thought about it repeatedly before submitting this memorial.

Zhu Yijun said with a complex expression, "If you are not sick, why abolish the Cabinet when it is fine? If you abolish it, what will I use to handle government affairs?"

"Your Majesty, the Cabinet is the source of the disaster of the *zuoshi* system." Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "Re-establish the regular court audience."

Zhang Juzheng systematically explained his vision. The Cabinet should be completely abolished, with the Six Ministries acting as Prime Ministers, still conducting court discussions, and opening the Huangji Hall for daily regular court audiences. In this way, the court officials, from the Ministers of the Six Ministries down to the small clerks in the capital, could present everything to His Majesty face-to-face. In this way, government would flow like water, and the soil for the survival of the *zuoshi* system would completely disappear.

"Teacher, this ancestral law of yours traces back to the Taizu Gao Emperor. I know what you mean." Zhu Yijun finally understood Zhang Juzheng's idea.

It was to change the current tripartite pattern of the Emperor, the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Wenyuan Pavilion back to the Hongwu era's complete imperial autocracy, concentrating all the power that could be concentrated in his own hands. It was the unitary pattern of the Hongwu era.

After abolishing the Cabinet, the Emperor would move a small stool, sit in front of the Huangji Hall, hold the memorials one by one, and summon whoever he needed to ask directly. If the morning court time was not enough, he would open the afternoon court. If the afternoon court was not enough, he would open the evening court. In any case, he would be able to finish handling everything.

The Hongwu era probably had 184 types of matters reported. With this way of playing, Zhu Yijun wouldn't have to do anything at all; he would be a heartless machine for holding court.

"Teacher, look at me, look at me." Zhu Yijun pointed at himself and said, "What virtue and ability do I have?"

"Your Majesty is an unparalleled wise ruler." Zhang Juzheng felt that this set was feasible, because the unitary pattern of the Hongwu era was built on the foundation of a wise and holy ruler. His Majesty was extremely diligent and could fully support the implementation of this system.

"Teacher, the Taizu Gao Emperor started from humble beginnings, with the merit of opening up the country through hardship. I was born in the deep palace and grew up in the hands of women. Teacher, that set of the Taizu Gao Emperor, I really cannot do it." Zhu Yijun rarely admitted that he couldn't do something, but that set of Zhu Yuanzhang's, Zhu Yijun really couldn't do.

How many people in this world can do it?

Zhu Yuanzhang started from a bowl, truly starting from humble beginnings, a horse-riding emperor who killed his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Zhu Yuanzhang naturally had the qualifications and ability to do something like unitary autocracy, because before the court officials could even stick out their butts, Zhu Yuanzhang knew what their purpose was.

How could Zhu Yijun have such great ability? Let alone him, even the Taizong Wen Emperor, after becoming emperor, immediately organized the Cabinet to assist him, and was so annoyed by the court officials that he directly went on a personal expedition to the north.

Abolishing the Zhang Yuanfu and unitary autocracy—I received the mandate from heaven. That was a court pattern that Zhu Yuanzhang enjoyed alone. Among later generations, one by one, which emperor could play this set?

"Your Majesty can do it." Zhang Juzheng said with great certainty.

"Teacher thinks too highly of me." Zhu Yijun rubbed his brows. Zhang Juzheng really thought too highly of him.

Lin Fu talked about academic valves and the *zuoshi* system. Zhang Juzheng talked about indulgence and nepotism. Zhang Juzheng said that the root of the *zuoshi* system originated in the Zhengtong era.

Because the Great Ming court audience was abolished by the Ming Yingzong. At that time, Zhu Qizhen was young and could not handle government affairs. The morning court presented eight things, and every thing had already been decided. The Emperor only needed to hold the Cabinet's draft and read it accordingly.

The morning court system existed in name only. By the Jiajing era, the morning court system had completely ceased to exist in reality.

Officials of the Outer Court cannot see the Emperor; everyone who wants to say something to the Emperor must go through the Grand Secretariat. This is the source of the ills of the master-disciple system. In Zhang Juzheng's view, completely abolishing the Grand Secretariat and centralizing power into one authority is the panacea.

As the new policies went on, Zhang Juzheng finally swung his knife at himself.

This was actually a sign. From the first year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng had let the Emperor see foreign officials, county lieutenants, village elders, and people who came to cry out for justice. He also stipulated that a major court audience must be held on the third day of the month to see all the officials. After that, it was the five-matter memorial of the imperial gate audience, and until the recent secret memorials, Zhang Juzheng had always been supportive.

Zhang Juzheng had always hoped to completely solve the malady of indulgence and nepotism in officialdom through institutional design.

Unitary autocracy can raise the upper limit in the case of a wise and holy ruler, while the collective decision-making of tripartite checks and balances can hold the lower limit.

Zhang Juzheng had indeed prescribed a miraculous medicine, and the medicine cured the disease. It was just that for this medicine, Zhu Yijun had self-knowledge. Without the Cabinet, the court could barely operate.

"I was also persuaded by the Junior Grand Secretary at first, thinking this method was wonderful, but after thinking about it, I felt it was inappropriate. The Junior Grand Secretary insisted on dragging me here. I don't have this idea." Wan Shihe hung out a disclaimer, hoping His Majesty wouldn't think that he, Wan Shihe, was disloyal.

"Teacher, why not look at the *Kaocheng* (Performance Evaluation) Law? I actually think the *Kaocheng* Law is good enough." Zhu Yijun still resolutely admitted that compared to Zhu Yuanzhang, he was a waste, and this was not something shameful.

"Why not compromise? In the future, if foreign officials have important matters, after reporting them, if I feel it is necessary, I will summon them personally." Zhu Yijun still brought out a compromise method. If it was really important, it must be reported face-to-face, and after finishing the process, he would summon them.

Zhang Juzheng actually wanted to persuade His Majesty, but seeing His Majesty's firm attitude, he had to bow and say, "I obey the decree."

"Since the teacher is here, the Nagasaki Viceroyalty has sent a memorial." Zhu Yijun talked about the matter of the Japanese state.

Oda Nobunaga, who should have died in the Honno-ji Incident in the sixth month of the tenth year of Wanli, was still alive. It was not that Oda Nobunaga's trusted subordinate Akechi Mitsuhide was loyal and didn't take action, but because of the Great Ming's interference, the situation in the Japanese state had changed. Oda Nobunaga postponed his attack plan, which led to Akechi Mitsuhide never getting the chance.

"Oda Nobunaga, who calls himself the 'Man of the World,' has decided to abandon his practice of spreading martial arts throughout the world." Zhu Yijun said with great emotion, "He wants to return the government to the Emperor."

"This." Zhang Juzheng opened the memorial of the Nagasaki Viceroyalty and looked at it for a long time.

Oda Nobunaga's previous surrender to the Great Ming had very generous conditions: bowing and calling himself a subject, only asking the Great Ming to withdraw the magical power of the precious banknotes. The situation in the Japanese state was already bad enough. The Great Ming's stirring had made the water in the Japanese state completely muddy.

The Great Ming did not accept the surrender, and Oda Nobunaga chose to return the government to the Emperor!

It truly was: The rise and fall of the Imperial Kingdom depends on this one move! Honoring the King and expelling the barbarians is today!

After Zhu Yijun finished reading the report from the Nagasaki Viceroyalty, he couldn't help but say that Oda Nobunaga was truly a hero and a fierce man for the Japanese. In order to keep the Japanese state from being persecuted by the Great Ming's economic means, Oda Nobunaga intended to return the government to the Japanese Emperor.

The military strength Oda Nobunaga mastered, even if he really returned the government to the Emperor, he was still the "Man of the World," only the government decrees were no longer issued through his shogunate, but from the Emperor's hands.

Oda Nobunaga wanted to print his own banknotes to deal with the aggressive Great Ming precious banknotes, turning the contradiction between imported money and privately cast money into a contradiction between imported money and local currency.

"He won't succeed." Zhang Juzheng also admired Oda Nobunaga quite a bit; this person could really toss things around.

But Zhang Juzheng judged that Oda Nobunaga's vision was very good, but he couldn't do it. It wasn't that Oda Nobunaga's ability was lacking, but that the Japanese state didn't have the conditions.

Oda Nobunaga was nothing more than wanting to issue the Japanese state's inferior currency through the Emperor's edict to hedge against the Great Ming's precious banknotes. If necessary, he would grant the major *daimyo* the power to print privately, and then let the Japanese people realize that the precious banknotes were worse than toilet paper. If everyone didn't use them, then the precious banknotes' stripping means would naturally fail. This could also be considered a typical means of "bad money driving out good money."

This response means was already very brilliant, because the Japanese state had many silver mines. As long as the impact of the Great Ming's precious banknotes was offset, they could continue to use silver as currency.

"Teacher, what do you think the Nagasaki Viceroyalty should do?" Zhu Yijun asked, his fingers tapping on the table.

Zhang Juzheng asked with some curiosity, "What does Your Majesty think should be done?"

"Do nothing." Zhu Yijun stopped his fingers and answered Zhang Juzheng's question, "Let Oda Nobunaga toss as much as he wants. The Nagasaki Viceroyalty should do nothing to respond. After watching the Japanese state's precious banknotes rot, the Great Ming's precious banknotes will instead be more easily recognized by everyone."

"Watching him build a high building, watching him feast guests, watching his building collapse."

Zhu Yijun thought about it and felt that sometimes, doing nothing was also a kind of wisdom.

Oda Nobunaga's plan was to issue the Japanese state's inferior currency to promote the massive flooding of the Great Ming's precious banknotes, so that the corruption of the banknote law would be completed at the fastest speed, burning both jade and stone together.

"Your Majesty, I still think abolishing the Cabinet is feasible." Zhang Juzheng immediately talked about his previous suggestion. Unitary autocracy, isn't that a wise and holy ruler? Isn't this ready-made? Look at how clear-headed His Majesty is! How could he not be a wise and holy ruler!

"Teacher!" Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Do not mention this matter again."

"Returning the government to the Emperor, this matter, Oda Nobunaga cannot do it." Zhang Juzheng said with great certainty, "He cherishes his reputation and refuses to print precious banknotes in his own name. Could it be that the Japanese Emperor, who has not handled government affairs for a long time, doesn't cherish his reputation either? The Japanese Emperor only has his reputation left."

"In the end, I guess he will still use his own reputation to print banknotes."

What Oda Nobunaga wanted to do was crystal clear. To put it bluntly, it was an exchange—using the Japanese Emperor's reputation to exchange for the Great Ming's precious banknote control means.

"Let's wait and see." Zhu Yijun thought about it carefully and felt that what Zhang Juzheng said made sense. In any case, just wait and see.

The Nagasaki Viceroyalty was also celebrating the New Year. Oda Nobunaga's measure of returning the government to the Emperor had failed. The news had already reached the Nagasaki Viceroyalty. Zhang Juzheng's judgment was very accurate. Oda Nobunaga wanted to return the government to the Emperor, but he couldn't do it.

This matter was ultimately Oda Nobunaga's wishful thinking. The Japanese Emperor refused to agree. He could enfeoff Oda as the Shogun, and leave the rest of the matters entirely to Oda Nobunaga. Besides the Japanese Emperor refusing to agree, Oda Nobunaga's trusted subordinates also disagreed. Returning the government was a series of political actions. Once the power was returned, it wasn't something you could take back whenever you wanted, even if the Japanese Emperor was a memorial tablet, he was still a memorial tablet that had always existed.

After the failure to return the government to the Emperor, Oda Nobunaga hardened his heart and began to print banknotes in the name of the Shogun.

"Your Majesty's instruction is to wait and see, but he also said, let the Viceroyalty judge for itself, and it is appropriate to decide according to the Viceroyalty's decision. What do you all think?" Xu Wei, the Viceroy of Nagasaki, looked at the imperial decree in his hand and asked for the opinions of the officials in Nagasaki.

"His Majesty is wise." Sun Keyi thought for a moment and said, "It is still better to do nothing. If Oda Nobunaga wants to issue precious banknotes, let him issue them."

The judgment of the Nagasaki Viceroyalty was consistent with His Majesty's. Overly cautious responses were instead unfavorable to the promotion of the Great Ming's precious banknotes, and the Nagasaki Viceroyalty had no good way to deal with it. If they really opened up the exchange of precious banknotes and fought Oda Nobunaga's precious banknotes to the death, they would instead fall into a lower position.

The Great Ming's precious banknotes, no matter what, had an anchor, which was the Great Ming's goods. The Japanese state's precious banknotes were only anchored by debt. Stepping on the left foot with the right foot, it could only lead to the collapse of heaven and earth.

The angle of the development of things was even more mysterious and strange than the judgment of Zhu Yijun and the Nagasaki Viceroyalty.

That was, no *daimyo* went to Kyoto to collect these precious banknotes at all. It was really because the precious banknotes printed by Oda Nobunaga were too rotten. The samples were sent to the hands of various *daimyo*, and all the *daimyo* felt a darkness before their eyes.

With this kind of thing, who could you fool?

The Great Ming's precious banknotes had an excellent appearance, using cotton paper and oil ink. They rattled when shaken gently, the handwriting was clear, the design was exquisite, and the anti-counterfeiting was extremely perfect. The *daimyo* issued the Great Ming's precious banknotes indeed to collect seigniorage, but the Japanese state also recognized it. After all, the Japanese state was also in a state of money shortage. The Japanese state did not lack silver, but it lacked copper.

And the precious banknotes that Oda Nobunaga's Shogun made were just waste paper. The quality was poor, and they couldn't be anti-counterfeited. The *daimyo* took this kind of rotten paper to exchange for the silver in the hands of the commoners. The commoners only felt that the *daimyo* were using fake banknotes to fool people. Even fooling ghosts wasn't this kind of fooling. It was printed like underworld money.

Comparing the two, they were both seigniorage. The choice was self-evident. Even if Oda Nobunaga made concessions again, the *daimyo* generally didn't trust Oda's precious banknotes. Being full once and being full every meal—this was a truth even a dog understood, and the Japanese *daimyo* also understood it.

Of course, there were also *daimyo* who responded to Oda Nobunaga's call and exchanged for some of Nobunaga's paper banknotes, but they couldn't be spent at all. They couldn't be returned, and they couldn't be fought. They could only swallow this bitter pill and never exchange them again.

Printing banknotes is not something anyone can do just because they want to.

"Things are a bit wrong." Sun Keyi put down the abacus in his hand and looked at Viceroy Xu Wei, "Our Great Ming's precious banknotes didn't make the Japanese state jump around, but instead promoted the circulation of commercial goods."

"During this period, the number of workshops and trade exchanges in the Japanese state have all increased significantly. Wherever precious banknotes are accepted, it is a scene of prosperity, and there is even a scene of all things competing to flourish."

"This is not right, very wrong. We came to the Japanese state to make trouble, not to add bricks and tiles to the Japanese state."

Sun Keyi looked at the account book in his hand. This year, the Japanese state had added many handicraft workshops, and the output of silver had increased significantly. The development trend of the entire Japanese state was much better than Sun Keyi had thought.

That is to say, the Japanese state only needed to pay a few more Japanese slaves and prostitutes to exchange for precious banknotes, which instead promoted economic development. The Great Ming's precious banknotes were not a sharp blade for stripping downward, but instead promoted the development of the Japanese state. This was very, very wrong.

Xu Wei said with a smile, "No, this is very normal, because we are restraining ourselves. The biggest problem with precious banknotes is the anchor and excessive issuance. Precious banknotes have an anchor, and now we are restraining ourselves and not issuing excessively."

"Pigs should also be fattened before being slaughtered. Once the Japanese people get used to precious banknotes, just like Fan Yingqi taking opium, they will never be able to refuse again. When that day comes, the Japanese state will be the beginning of complete collapse."

Xu Wei's smile was a bit chilling. This was a scholar; a person who had grown eyes in his heart.

The current situation in the Japanese state was deliberately created by Xu Wei. He was deliberately restraining himself, letting the Japanese state develop the habit of using precious banknotes inside and outside. When that day comes, it will be up to the Great Ming to take whatever it wants, and then start excessive issuance, waving the sickle to harvest wildly.

Harvesting leeks—if you pull out the roots directly, you can't continue to harvest.

"On the surface, it looks prosperous, but in fact, the export of Japanese slaves and prostitutes is increasing significantly. This year, the number of Japanese slaves sent to the Yuanxu Islands and the prostitutes sent to the hinterland is seven times that of last year." Xu Wei took out another account book and pointed at it, "This is the price behind the prosperity."

The price behind this kind of prosperity was extremely heavy. Japanese slaves who had their bells cut off, prostitutes sold to the hinterland who would never return to the Japanese state—the loss of population was the weakening of the Japanese state's national strength.

A little weaker, a little weaker, and they could destroy the Japanese state.

"This year, the cotton cloth business has increased significantly. A total of 800,000 bolts of Songjiang large cloth and 1.2 million bolts of Songjiang small cloth were sold. Just selling cotton earned 1.2 million silver. If you add the exchange of precious banknotes, Japanese slaves, and the prostitute business, the Nagasaki Viceroyalty's income reached as high as 2.98 million silver." Xu Wei calculated with the abacus. The Nagasaki Viceroyalty's income was frighteningly high.

All of this was built on the suffering of the Japanese people, but Xu Wei and Sun Keyi didn't care, and the Japanese people didn't seem to care much either.

The *daimyo* of the Japanese state were instead urging the Great Ming's precious banknotes to be fully opened for exchange every day, even more urgently than the Nagasaki Viceroyalty.

Xu Wei thought for a moment and said, "Now only the Luzon Viceroyalty pays taxes. Our Nagasaki Viceroyalty cannot fall behind. Prepare 1.5 million silver and transport it to the capital after the spring of next year."

Just you, Yin Zhengmao, are loyal to the monarch and patriotic?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 514 =====