Chapter 600

The Great Ming's primary interest in Japan was silver, and the means to ensure the inflow of silver included: treasure notes, the sale of military equipment, and the profits brought by commodity advantages. These three were the most important means for the Great Ming to plunder Japanese silver.

There was a debate in the Great Ming court that needed to be verified in Japan: the debate between "more currency" and "more goods."

Treasure notes were "more currency," which greatly alleviated Japan's currency famine, making commodity exchange in Japan much more frequent. However, limited by Japan's low productivity and population, people naturally became a commodity to exchange for more currency. Previously, one tael of silver was one tael of silver currency, but now, one could exchange for one tael of silver currency with only seven mace of silver; currency became abundant.

Meanwhile, the merchant ships from the Great Ming to Japan carried a large quantity of goods, filling the shortage of goods in Japan. In this way, the Japanese economy was improving rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Thus, a conclusion could be drawn: currency and goods were never completely opposed. These two propositions were not incompatible as fire and water, but rather a unity of opposites—a unity that existed in opposition, complemented each other, and balanced yin and yang.

Since the emergence of the "Theory of Contradiction," its content had been repeatedly verified for its universality, time and time again.

The most critical aspect of the Theory of Contradiction was that it never provided an ideal state similar to the "Great Unity" of the world. The Hundred Schools of Thought and every faction constructed ideal states, much like the "other shore" in religion. The Theory of Contradiction would not deceive scholars, would not deceive followers, and would not tell those who studied it that there existed some fascinating "other shore" world. It was simply a methodology, telling you how to perceive the world.

The world always operated according to the principle of the unity of opposites in the Theory of Contradiction. This was also the most overbearing aspect of the theory—its inclusiveness, like the ocean that accepts all rivers.

The enemy of the Theory of Contradiction was the extreme opposition proposition, the kind that was strictly black or white.

So, what was the price of Japan's prosperity? It was that the nine million people were reduced to eight million through war, plague, and trade; it was that more commoners were displaced, forced to sell their land, children, and themselves to exchange for meager labor wages; it was that more women had to resort to prostitution to fill their stomachs.

Japan was visibly becoming deformed.

Xu Wei glanced out the window. Because of the ocean currents, spring in Nagasaki arrived earlier. Today, there was no fog, and visibility was extremely high. The blue of the sky and the blue of the sea merged into one, indistinguishable from each other. Sea and sky met in a line; seagulls flew over the pier, landing on the masts to preen their feathers—quiet and peaceful.

Xu Wei said with deep emotion: "According to the Theory of Contradiction, now that Japan has developed to this state, there should appear a court that stands above all classes in Japan to regulate the contradictions in all aspects, so that the various classes in Japan would not destroy themselves under intense contradictory conflicts. The Azuchi Shogunate of Oda Nobunaga should fulfill this duty."

"But it is a pity that he cannot do it. It is not because the existence of the Nagasaki Governor's Office makes Oda Nobunaga feel like he has a bone stuck in his throat; it is because Oda Nobunaga cannot eliminate the local separatist warlords, such as Mōri Terumoto."

The Mōri family controlled the largest silver mine in Japan, the Iwami Ginzan Bai Yin Mine. After the Great Ming's cupellation method and the Western mercury amalgamation method were introduced to Japan, the silver production of the Iwami Ginzan Bai Yin Mine increased year by year. The sufficient silver production allowed the Mōri family to possess more war capital, which was also the fundamental reason why Mōri Terumoto could fight repeatedly despite repeated defeats.

Oda Nobunaga could not eliminate Mōri Terumoto. Even if he were given another ten or twenty years, he still couldn't do it.

Oda Nobunaga was already a rare talent in Japan in hundreds of years. If even he could not eliminate the separatist regimes and complete the great unification to establish a court that stood above all classes, then the contradictions could not be regulated, and the poor commoners would forever be trapped in the purgatory of exploitation.

This was determined by the relations of production, not by the vicious curse of hatred.

The greatest consensus formed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of the pre-Qin era in the Central Plains was the great unification—the elimination of separatist forces to build a court that stood above all classes. Because the Northern Song failed to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, it could only claim legitimacy alongside the Liao and Jin dynasties.

"Could our Nagasaki Governor's Office become this force? Could we replace the Shogunate and become the actual court of Japan?" Luo Yinghe asked with some curiosity. He wanted to know if Xu Wei had any ideas about building a state overseas.

The great pirate of the Emperor Jiajing era, the King of Hui, Wang Zhi, was actually very similar to the current Nagasaki Governor's Office. Wang Zhi's lair was on Hirado Island outside Nagasaki. Wang Zhi controlled part of the territory of Kyushu and thirty-six islands overseas, usurped the title of the Song Dynasty, called himself the King of Hui, and deployed officials.

"This depends on His Majesty's will," Xu Wei answered this question very cleverly.

At that time, in order to obtain the recognition of the Great Ming, Wang Zhi really came when called and went when waved away, like a gentleman offering everything to a courtesan, including his life, just to obtain the recognition of the court. It wasn't that Wang Zhi was so loyal to the Great Ming, the court, or the Emperor, but that his "Song State" could only survive by relying on the Great Ming.

Japan, however, had fierce natives. The Japanese pirates had been notorious sea pirates since the end of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Oda Nobunaga didn't even need to unite the various daimyo; he could lead his troops to attack and eliminate the Nagasaki Governor's Office. But if he did that, he would have to deal with the Great Ming's thunderous rage.

Was that just the Nagasaki Governor's Office? That was the face of the Great Ming Emperor!

Li Ya-shi had lived in the Great Ming for twelve years. He understood the Great Ming too well, to the point that his Latin was no longer fluent. Learning a foreign language was mainly about the environment; without a language environment, one's mother tongue would degenerate. This was even with Li Ya-shi long engaged in translating Western documents as an interpreter. Li Ya-shi had summarized the two greatest shortcomings of the Great Ming in opening the seas, that is, the process of globalization.

One was the "high moral disadvantage." When seizing colonies, the high moral disadvantage would make the pace of expansion extremely slow. That the local natives of Manila could occupy 10% of the industries was something Li Ya-shi couldn't understand. Was this colonial expansion, or was this foreign aid?

The second was "being too concerned with face." The Great Ming was truly too concerned with face. As long as face was given, they could even abandon some substance, which was truly laughable.

Clearly, Oda Nobunaga also understood very well that the Great Ming was too concerned with face. Therefore, resolutely not slapping the face of the Great Ming Emperor and not letting the "friendly nations be shocked" was Oda Nobunaga's main strategy toward the Great Ming. As long as enough face was given, the Great Ming would not easily bare its fangs.

The current Great Ming Emperor was a very violent person, which might be related to his childhood growth experience.

"His Majesty is more inclined toward destroying Japan rather than ruling here." Luo Yinghe spread his hands. His Majesty didn't care about the life or death of the Japanese. Even the monkeys in Luzon could receive His Majesty's pity. For example, there was an old prospector in Luzon named Harry, and His Majesty was quite sympathetic to old Harry's experience, and instructed old Harry not to help his son-in-law, because as long as he helped a little, it would be hatred.

But the Great Ming Emperor's attitude toward the Japanese had always been indifference.

The Governor's Office meeting ended quickly, and the old steward and chief manager of the Songjiang Sun family, Sun Sun Hongming, began to actively prepare for the Japanese trade fair. This annual trade fair could determine the business for the whole year, as important as spring sowing.

This time, the old Sun family brought a magical commodity: tooth-grinding stones.

Tooth-grinding stones were divided into three types. One was natural tooth-grinding stone, a type of volcanic stone, mined directly near extinct volcanoes and processed into the required shapes. This type of tooth-grinding stone was mid-priced, and its disadvantage was that it had a strange smell of volcanic ash when grinding teeth.

The second type of tooth-grinding stone was made by pulverizing volcanic stone, adding white clay, alkaline noodles, and other substances for washing, and then firing it. Compared to natural tooth-grinding stones, this type was more than twice as expensive, costing one tael of silver per piece, and could be used for a year. This type of tooth-grinding stone was whiter than natural tooth-grinding stones and had no strange smell.

The third type was gypsum, not fired volcanic stone, but pulverized ordinary stones. This type was the cheapest, but while the effect was not good, it was also difficult to use and would grind the flesh of the mouth.

The reason the old Sun family developed this strange commodity was entirely because of the pleasure boat business managed by Sun Sun Kehong, which needed to grind the teeth of the women serving people on the boats. The reason they had to grind their teeth was to avoid scratching the guests' sensitive parts while serving them.

The second commodity was orthodontic braces, which were made of steel.

If the teeth were not neat, grinding them would grind the flesh of the mouth, and grinding once would be excruciatingly painful. Orthodontic braces were also a product born out of the pleasure boat business, divided into different models according to height for powerful correction.

Since the Sun family first developed the pleasure boat track, they had always maintained their monopoly position and naturally had their own unique skills.

Tooth-grinding stones and braces were mainly supplied to the People's Livelihood Pharmacy affiliated with the Dissection Institute and the Imperial Hospital.

The Imperial Hospital had a dental department, and knocking out wisdom teeth was the exclusive specialty of the People's Livelihood Pharmacy.

It was said that the Great Ming Emperor was communicating with the Imperial Physician Chen Chen Shigong about knocking out his newly grown wisdom teeth.

The Great Ming had a scholar with a promising future named Fan Fan Yingqi, who, because of a toothache, began using opium and eventually shut himself in the Dissection Institute.

Wisdom teeth were called "standing-in-the-world teeth" in the Great Ming, implying growing up, and would only grow out after the age of twenty. Unfortunately, the Great Ming Emperor's wisdom teeth had also grown crooked. If they were not knocked out, in a few years, it would become serious enough to cause difficulty in opening the mouth.

This matter had already reached the Nagasaki Governor's Office.

Tooth-grinding stones and braces were relatively scarce and expensive commodities, but Sun Sun Hongming brought a full 30,000 sets. There were no cheap lime tooth-grinding stones or natural tooth-grinding stones; they were all the most expensive fired tooth-grinding stones. The reason he brought so many was because they could really be sold.

Nagasaki, the seat of the Nagasaki Governor's Office, had a famous pleasure district known throughout the world, nicknamed "Flower Capital," a well-deserved place where money was spent, with over 100,000 practitioners. 30,000 sets were just a small amount.

This was also the biggest characteristic of commodities going to Japan—it had nothing to do with the poor commoners.

Actually, because Japan lacked coal and iron mountains, it was very short of ironware and even more short of farm tools. But the Great Ming only sold weapons used for war and did not sell farm tools. The shortage of farm tools in Japan made Japan's agricultural production far lower than that of the Great Ming, which practiced intensive cultivation. Because there were many mountains, land output was even more scarce. If the Great Ming were willing to sell concentrated water fertilizer and grain seeds, it could benefit the commoners of Japan.

This was caused by the invisible hand, because there was no profit in these. The main customers of Great Ming sea merchants were the daimyo of various domains and the court officials who did not engage in production.

If the Nagasaki Governor's Office were willing to preside over the land survey, returning land to the tillers, and equalizing the labor service—the decrees the Great Ming was exploring—then Japan would certainly become a dazzling pearl on the Pacific. After all, the ocean currents made rainfall quite sufficient. But the Nagasaki Governor's Office had no intention of doing so.

Under the leadership of the State Surname Zheng Mao, the Luzon Governor's Office was conducting land confirmation, and even the local natives were in the sequence of confirmation. But the Nagasaki Governor's Office had no such plan.

"We still underestimated the popularity of iron pots." Sun Sun Hongming responded to the Japanese merchants who came to inquire, and during a busy gap, he said sincerely to the clerk beside him.

Iron pots were an unexpectedly popular commodity. Even though the Great Ming repeatedly increased the production of iron pots, it still could not satisfy the huge overseas demand. Iron pots became a bulk commodity for the Great Ming, second only to silk and cotton cloth in profit and scale.

The busy trade fair lasted for nearly ten days. The Great Ming merchants returned fully loaded, their ships filled with Japanese women, Japanese slaves, silver, and sulfur. The Japanese merchants also returned fully loaded, with various goods from the Great Ming satisfying the Japanese daimyo's pursuit of a better life.

Just as the Great Ming Emperor didn't care about the life or death of the Japanese commoners, the Japanese daimyo didn't care either.

After repeated weighing, Oda Nobunaga still let Kanda Shinichi leave the court and stay idle at home. Oda Nobunaga had to consider the will of the Great Ming regarding the requirements of the Nagasaki Governor's Office.

Zhu Zhu Yijun received the memorial from Nagasaki and was extremely surprised. What surprised him was Oda Nobunaga's attitude.

"This Nobunaga, he is protecting Kanda Shinichi. If Kanda Shinichi's obstruction of the circulation of treasure notes in Japan succeeds, the credit will be Nobunaga's. But if it fails, the blame will be Kanda Shinichi's. Nobunaga could have completely used Kanda Shinichi as a chess piece to play against the Great Ming, but he didn't. He chose to let Kanda Shinichi step down and took the infamy upon himself." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial with tightly knit brows.

"Issue a decree to the Ministry of Rites, transmit it to the Nagasaki Governor's Office, and have this Kanda Shinichi come to the Great Ming as Oda's envoy." Zhu Zhu Yijun discovered that this Kanda Shinichi had some ability. Since he had some ability, he couldn't let him continue to stay in Japan.

"Your servant obeys the decree." Feng Bao bowed his head to receive the order, had the small eunuchs draft the imperial decree, and after His Majesty read it and applied the seal, issued the decree.

Oda Nobunaga had recently experienced four assassination attempts. The most serious one was when gunpowder exploded under his carriage, almost sending Oda Nobunaga to ascend on the spot. But Oda Nobunaga still tenaciously survived the frequent assassinations, and was pushing forward his decrees bit by bit, very stubbornly making Japan a little better.

"Is the Imperial Physician Chen Chen Shigong still making a fuss about resigning?" Zhu Zhu Yijun felt a bit helpless about this "Grand Academician of the Qi Sage." As the Great Ming's number one knife in surgery, Chen Chen Shigong didn't even dare to perform a wisdom tooth surgery!

Clearly, he had already performed over seven hundred wisdom tooth extraction surgeries himself, but Chen Chen Shigong was afraid. The main reason was that the patient was a bit special.

This time, the patient was just the Great Ming Emperor.

Wisdom teeth would lead to occlusal obstruction. Zhu Zhu Yijun had already started biting his cheeks, and he couldn't even eat properly. If it developed further, it would really become an opening obstruction. When that time came, he wouldn't even be able to speak clearly, so how could he normally convene court meetings and grand court assemblies?

Zhu Zhu Yijun had four wisdom teeth, and only one had grown crooked, making him a bit irritable.

"Yes, the Imperial Physician prescribed a formula for conservative treatment, using opium," Feng Bao said in a low voice.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was directly angered into laughter. He shook his head and said, "He really dares to prescribe this formula, and I don't dare to use it. If the Master finds out, I'm afraid he'll even have the thought of killing Chen Chen Shigong! Isn't the lesson of Fan Fan Yingqi enough?"

"Hasn't Chen Chen Shigong performed this surgery many times? He is only thirty years old; could it be that he can no longer hold the scalpel steadily?"

"That depends on who it is. When performing it on others, his hands are naturally very steady. When performing it on His Majesty, he is afraid," Feng Bao said helplessly. Empress Dowager Chen said His Majesty was a True Dragon. Pulling teeth in the mouth of a True Dragon—was that something an ordinary person could do?

Now they were in a stalemate. The Emperor wanted to pull his wisdom teeth, but Chen Chen Shigong refused to do it. He even threw a tantrum directly, saying that if he were made to pull the teeth, he would resign.

"What about that female Court Judge Wu Jin Lian?" Zhu Zhu Yijun said with tightly knit brows. "Let Wu Jin Lian do it. Wu Jin Lian dares to perform surgery on the Empress; she is bold."

Feng Bao said helplessly, "Your Majesty, Wu Jin Lian is in gynecology."

"Call Chen Chen Shigong, the Master, and General Qi here." Zhu Zhu Yijun moved his mouth very uncomfortably. Those who don't have a toothache might think, "Isn't it just a toothache?" But Zhu Zhu Yijun was really very uncomfortable. He had to bite his cheeks three times for one meal, and the cheek flesh was almost bitten to pieces.

"Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live." Chen Chen Shigong performed the grand ceremony, while Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Qi Qi Jiguang bowed to pay respects.

"Exempt from the ceremony. Master, three days later, I must have this tooth pulled. If I am truly unfortunate, may the Prince of Lu inherit the throne, and the Prince of De, Zhu Zhu Zaiyu, act as regent. Master, you handle the government." Zhu Zhu Yijun took out a long scroll of imperial decree he had written and had Feng Bao hand it to Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

Performing surgery naturally had risks, so Zhu Zhu Yijun had also prepared his will.

Chen Chen Shigong knelt on the ground and didn't get up at all. His Majesty's words were like a heavy hammer striking his heart. He trembled violently. He should have resigned earlier! The palace was full of ruthless people! His Majesty could remain as steady as Mount Tai when facing assassination attempts, and could sleep soundly when facing a palace fire!

Zhu Zhu Yijun explained, "The Prince of Lu looks absurd, but Master, you have also seen that although he messes around with beauties from all over the world, all his offspring were born to the Princess and secondary wives. The Imperial Uncle doesn't manage affairs, so acting as regent just means letting the Grid Institute continue to be transcendent."

"If I truly collapse, I will rely on you, Master, and General Qi to maintain the stability of the state."

Not letting the Crown Prince inherit the throne was because Zhu Zhu Changzhi was too young. By then, Zhang Zhang Juzheng would have no choice but to usurp the throne even if he didn't want to, so he could only let the Prince of Lu ascend the throne.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng said with a serious face, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Physicians say that opium can be used for pain relief."

"Master, I am the Son of Heaven. Even in death, I cannot become a monster or a demon," Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head and said. "I have witnessed the harm of opium with my own eyes at the Dissection Institute. Even in death, I cannot become like that."

"How about waiting three to five years until the Crown Prince is a bit older before making a decision?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng used the "delay tactic."

"My wisdom tooth has grown crooked. It lies on the tooth bed, and while growing, it arches against my lower teeth. This whole row of teeth is aching, and my cheeks are bitten to pieces. I cannot wait," Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head, informing Zhang Zhang Juzheng of his situation again. He said helplessly, "A toothache is not a disease, but when it hurts, it can kill."

"Speaking of which, it's quite funny. I suddenly woke up from my sleep yesterday, aching so much that I wanted to pull the tooth out, but I didn't know which one to pull because they were all aching. If this wisdom tooth is not pulled, I can only use opium."

Either take opium for pain relief or pull the tooth—there was no other choice. Zhu Zhu Yijun chose to seek life in the face of death.

"Your Majesty, your servant cannot do it," Chen Chen Shigong kowtowed again and said loudly.

"You Imperial Physician, I am not afraid, so what are you afraid of? If I am cured to death by you, it's just one life for one life. According to the hierarchy, you, this Imperial Physician, exchanging your life for mine, this Emperor's, is not a loss!" Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a laugh, "Get up and answer. If you talk while kneeling, I can't hear what you're babbling about."

"Your Majesty, your servant is not afraid of death," Chen Chen Shigong climbed up from the ground. Looking at the Emperor who had already made up his mind, he said with pain on his face, "Your Majesty shoulders the sun and moon, is the master of the state, and the sage monarch longed for by all the people. The New Policies are all tied to Your Majesty's person. If your servant cannot do this well, it is not as simple as being a mediocre doctor, but being a sinner in history."

The idea of being responsible to history was a matter of course for the people of the Great Ming. Chen Chen Shigong couldn't imagine that if he really cured the "Restoration Monarch" to death, he would probably have to stand shoulder to shoulder with Qin Gui in the future. Perhaps in the sequence of treacherous officials, he would be even one step ahead of Qin Gui.

If the Emperor were a muddled monarch, then curing him to death would be considered eliminating harm for the people.

"Can't you just treat me as a muddled monarch?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was angered into laughter. With this laugh, his expression changed immediately. The smile pulled at his cheek, which was about to be bitten to pieces, and it hurt to the core.

Chen Chen Shigong bowed his head again and said, "Your Majesty, your servant has been in the capital for twenty-seven years. Before, outside the nine gates, there were only a few houses, not even a few Company Commander. Now, the houses outside the nine gates stretch for miles without end. The world is too big, and your servant cannot see it, but your servant can see the capital."

"You all deal with specimens at the Dissection Institute every day. Isn't there someone who is fearless who can pull this wisdom tooth for me? It's not a major surgery." Zhu Zhu Yijun patted the table, not out of anger, but because of the toothache.

Chen Chen Shigong bowed his head again and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Physicians of the Dissection Institute are very bold, but this is not a matter of courage. The Dissection Institute does not have people who are disloyal and unfilial."

"Whether you do it or not, you must do it. Three days later, I will go to the Dissection Institute," Zhu Zhu Yijun waved his hand impatiently and said, "Go and prepare."

Zhu Zhu Yijun originally planned that if he really died at the hands of the Imperial Physician, he would have the Imperial Physician of the Dissection Institute dissect him and turn him into a specimen. In this way, the Emperor would be no different from ordinary people, which would provide theoretical support and save him from being dug up and burned to ashes.

"Your servant obeys the decree." Chen Chen Shigong received the imperial order with difficulty and left.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Qi Qi Jiguang still wanted to persuade him, but everyone knew the Emperor's character very well. Once he made a decision, he would never look back.

"Chen Chen Shigong and the others have performed thousands of experiments on monkeys, and there have been at least eight thousand wisdom tooth surgeries. What is there to be afraid of in performing a simple minor surgery on me?" Zhu Zhu Yijun seemed to be complaining about Chen Chen Shigong's cowardice, but in fact, he was telling Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Qi Qi Jiguang that this was a very mature surgery with a success rate of over 98%.

"Your servants obey the decree." Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Qi Qi Jiguang could only receive the decree. Even if the Cabinet rejected it, it would be of no use if His Majesty insisted.

Three days later, Zhu Zhu Yijun arrived at the Dissection Institute as scheduled. Qi Qi Jiguang mobilized an infantry battalion from the Beijing Camp to surround the Dissection Institute layer by layer, while inside the Dissection Institute, it was completely under the responsibility of the Embroidered Uniform Guards for security, with guards every three steps and sentries every ten steps.

The most important person in the Great Ming, His Majesty who shouldered the sun and moon and carried the state, was about to undergo surgery at the Dissection Institute.

The surgery, which was expected to take one day, unexpectedly encountered an accident.

After Zhu Zhu Yijun had his wisdom tooth pulled in the morning, the Imperial Physician was supposed to accompany him. It wasn't a major surgery, but during the surgery, something happened that no one wanted to see. After having his tooth pulled, the Emperor developed symptoms of a cold, starting to run a fever and feeling weak in his limbs.

Inside and outside the Dissection Institute, it was like facing a great enemy. Everyone felt as if the sky was about to collapse. If His Majesty really passed away at the Dissection Institute, those bastards would say "it serves him right." After all, the Dissection Institute was established by His Majesty. If the ruler rises because of this, he will perish because of this.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm still alive. Don't cry, don't cry." Zhu Zhu Yijun held Wang Wang Yaozhuo's hand. Wang Wang Yaozhuo had already cried until she was a tear-stained mess.

"If I am truly taken away by Heaven, and the Prince of Lu is absurd and treats my offspring and concubines harshly, you go find the Empress Dowager. Don't look at how absurd the Prince of Lu is; he is most afraid of his mother. You go find his mother, and she will make the decision for you. In the future, when Zhi'er is enfeoffed, you just follow him to the Prince's Mansion."

"Go call the Master and General Qi."

Zhu Zhu Yijun felt a bit dizzy, and his vision was a bit blurry, mainly due to the fever. He didn't know what caused the fever. If it were poisoning by the Imperial Physician, he should have died long ago.

"Master." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng. Between life and death, he could still see the outline of his Master.

"No one can manage what happens after they die. I am the same. If my fate is such, then let everything be simple after my death. Just bury me with the documents sealed in pine resin that I have prepared. Keep everything simple. Do not exceed the 600,000 silver budget of the Retired Emperor." Zhu Zhu Yijun was feverish, but he wasn't muddled yet. He still remembered that the repair of the Retired Emperor's mausoleum had added 100,000 silver.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Qi Jiguang and said, "General Qi, mobilize the Beijing Camp to guard the nine gates. Do not open the city gates without an imperial decree."

"I entrust the state to you, Master, and General Qi."

"Your Majesty, everything will be fine, everything will be fine," Zhang Zhang Juzheng said tremblingly. He never expected that a small wisdom tooth surgery would lead to this point.

"Master, you told me that birth, old age, sickness, and death are common human experiences. Master, you don't need to be saddened. The Great Ming will continue to operate as usual without me," Zhu Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "I'm a bit tired. You may withdraw."

When alive, one is an Emperor; when dead, one is nothing, just a corpse. Zhu Zhu Yijun accepted this fate. If he had to do it again, he would still make the same choice. He would rather die than take opium for pain relief.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng went to the Cabinet, while Qi Qi Jiguang guarded outside the Emperor's sickroom at the Dissection Institute. Anyone entering or leaving would be carefully checked. The True Dragon, His Majesty, was at his weakest right now.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was a bit tired. He thought about a lot of things. The last time the Great Ming had a succession from brother to brother was in the thirteenth year of During Zhengtong, which later led to the "Duo Men" incident. If the Prince of Lu really ascended the throne, he would probably enfeoff Zhu Zhu Yijun's offspring as quickly as possible. If he were ruthless, none of them would survive. Emperor Xuan Sect had cooked the Prince of Han and killed his whole family.

The crisis of a young ruler and a suspicious state was greater than the succession from brother to brother. Zhu Zhu Yijun chose the Prince of Lu because he didn't want to see a young ruler and a suspicious state.

When alive, he broke his heart for the Great Ming. When near death, he was still thinking about the Great Ming.

"Feng, if I truly collapse, what will you do?" Zhu Zhu Yijun lay on the bed, drowsy, but the pain after pulling the tooth kept him awake. He looked at Feng Bao and Zhang Hong and asked about their future plans.

Feng Bao thought for a while and said, "Each emperor has his own courtiers. When the time comes, I will go to Fengyang with Zhang Hong to farm. Zhang Hong is not as good at farming as I am, but I know how to farm, so I won't starve to death."

Feng Bao originally wanted to say, "Master, I will definitely follow you," but saying that would be too fake. His Majesty liked people who told the truth, so Feng Bao told the truth.

"Hmm, very good." Zhu Zhu Yijun replied weakly.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Lu is outside asking for an audience. General Qi won't let him in, so His Highness is kneeling and refusing to get up, begging for an audience." Zhang Hong heard the noise outside, and after going out to inquire, he learned the situation.

"General Qi is also muddled. With this act of obstruction, if the Prince of Lu really ascends the throne, can General Qi have a good ending?" Zhu Zhu Yijun propped himself up and said, "Let the Prince of Lu act as regent. Why come here?"

"His Highness the Prince of Lu refuses to act as regent and came directly from the Prince of Lu's Mansion," Zhang Hong bowed his head and said.

"This brat, announce him to come in," Zhu Zhu Yijun felt as if all his strength had been drained, and said listlessly.

"Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty!" As soon as the Prince of Lu entered, he kowtowed. He looked a bit scared.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Qi Jiguang beside him. When the Prince of Lu entered, Qi Qi Jiguang insisted on following him in, just to prevent the Prince of Lu from doing anything out of line. After all, there was the old story of "candlelight and axe shadows," so he had to be on guard.

With this act of following him in, if the Prince of Lu really ascended the throne, Qi Qi Jiguang would have to suffer the consequences.

"Call me brother," Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhu Zhu Yiliu and said, leaning on the edge of the bed.

"Your Majesty, your servant will not act as regent, even if I am beaten to death, I won't," Zhu Zhu Yiliu refused to call him brother, refused to get up, and even more refused to act as regent.