Chapter 821

The exchange between the Emperor and the Grand Secretary actually contained an answer.

The Ming Imperial family, despite earning a fortune during Zheng He's seven voyages—by the twenty-second year of Yongle, the private treasury had 12 million taels of silver and 720,000 taels of gold—later lacked the motivation to invest more energy into maritime affairs.

Aside from the obstruction of court officials, the Emperor himself was not very enthusiastic about it.

Expansion in the maritime domain was destined to lead to a dispersal of power, because the Emperor's imperial power would be challenged.

The Emperor and imperial power have a natural tendency toward centralization. This natural tendency leads imperial power to use institutionalized violence to eliminate the growth space of any force that might threaten its rule.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's understanding of politics was entirely based on the monarch-subject relations of the past thousand years, which is why he worried that Gao Zhu Qiyu would use his status as an envoy to unite with the Nagasaki Governor-General's Office and become a king in Japan.

But Zhu Zhu Yijun was not worried at all. If Gao Zhu Qiyu wanted to abandon his status as a Ming official to become a five-star Emperor in Japan, Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't care. As he said, what mattered was the silver.

Regardless of who was in charge in Japan, the Great Ming's thirst for silver would not change.

"This is against all decorum; it must not be allowed." Zhang Zhang Juzheng was helpless and bowed to accept the order. The Emperor's attitude toward such matters seemed unusually magnanimous—not just regarding Gao Zhu Qiyu, but also the six major Governor-General's Offices.

His Majesty truly treated these overseas Governor-Generals as feudal lords.

The Emperor treated these overseas governors as feudal lords.

"Alright, since the matter has been handed to him, let him work with peace of mind at the front. The court does not fully understand the situation in Japan, so there is no need for excessive interference." Zhu Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and stopped the discussion. It was useless to say more; he would wait and see what results Gao Zhu Qiyu could negotiate.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Zhang Zhang Juzheng was helpless and bowed to accept the order.

Shen Li stepped out of the ranks and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, the Northern Secret Service transferred several oracle bones and tortoise shells. Your subjects in the Ministry of Rites have studied them and have gained some insights."

"Oh?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with great interest, "What are the results?"

"Your Majesty, it can be confirmed that the tortoise shells and oracle bones obtained are all used for divination and sacrifice to Heaven in the Yin-Shang era. The characters on them are also Yin-Shang characters, about 3,000 years old." Shen Li said with a grave expression, "The 'Book of Documents: Many Officers' says: 'You know, the ancestors of Yin had books and records, and Yin replaced the Zi Xia mandate.'"

"It is generally believed that books and records only began in the Yin-Shang era, but the long passage of time has caused them all to be lost, making them very hard to find. The discovery of these tortoise shells and oracle bones used for sacrifice fills in some of the blanks."

"From what has been discovered so far, Your Majesty, the Yin-Shang did not sacrifice to ghosts and spirits, but to their ancestors."

Shen Li was very interested in the carvings on these tortoise shells and oracle bones, so he studied them. The result was that he was shocked by what he found. The Yin-Shang, this dynasty before the Zhou, seemed completely different from what he had imagined.

Because of the Confucian criticism of the Yin-Shang, throughout the dynasties, there had never been a dynasty that used "Shang" as its name.

Because in traditional concepts, the Yin-Shang used human sacrifice to ghosts and spirits, and this behavior of not asking the common people but asking ghosts and spirits was somewhat incompatible with this land.

But Shen Li discovered that the Yin-Shang depicted on these tortoise shells and oracle bones was completely different from the Yin-Shang shaped by Confucianism.

The discovery of these tortoise shells and oracle bones was due to a fake medicine case. The Dissection Institute purchased a batch of "dragon bones" to verify if they could be used as medicine, but they bought fake medicine. The Dissection Institute handed the fake medicine to the Northern Secret Service to investigate the case, and the Northern Secret Service discovered that this batch of fake medicine was engraved with all kinds of characters.

Characters engraved on turtle shells! The agents of the Northern Secret Service did not dare to be careless and immediately reported it to the Emperor.

"The River produced the Map, the Luo produced the Book, and the Sages followed them." This sentence refers to the Great Yu encountering a divine turtle on the banks of the Luo River while controlling the floods. The turtle carried the Luo Book on its back and offered it to the Great Yu, which led to the success of flood control and the division of the world into nine provinces.

Therefore, in the Great Ming, characters engraved on turtle shells were a very, very important matter. The Emperor transferred all the tortoise shells and oracle bones to the Ministry of Rites, asking them to study what was written on them. That was why Shen Li reported the results of this matter at the court discussion.

Shen Li said with a grave expression: "Your Majesty, your subject discovered that when the kings of the Shang dynasty were alive, they were called 'Wang' (King), and after death, they were called 'Di' (Emperor). For example, King Zhou of Shang was called Di Xin, his father was called Di Yi, and King Zhou's grandfather was called Wenwu Di."

"And among these oracle bones, the most honorable person among the gods sacrificed to is called Shangjia. Your subject speculates that it should be the founder of the Shang dynasty, Cheng Tang, and his ancestor."

Cheng Tang defeated Xu Jie and established the Shang dynasty, and Cheng Tang had an ancestor named Shangjia Wei.

This name, Shangjia, seems quite ordinary now, but in fact, if translated, it means "Heavenly Venerable."

"Jia" is the first of the ten Heavenly Stems and is very honorable.

Shen Li discovered that the character "Shang" is a very, very honorable word in oracle bone script, almost equivalent to Heaven.

The gods sacrificed to on the tortoise shells and oracle bones were divided into upper gods and lower gods—that is, heavenly gods and earthly gods. And the heavenly gods sacrificed to the most were, without exception, all the ancestors of the Shang dynasty, such as this Shangjia Heavenly Venerable.

This corrects a wrong perception of the past: the ghosts and spirits sacrificed to by the Shang dynasty were actually ancestor worship. After all, the "God" of the Shang dynasty was the ancestor of the Shang dynasty.

"Shang" and "Di" are very easy to identify. "Shang" is two horizontal lines; "Di" is almost exactly the same as the "Di" in small seal script and clerical script.

"Your Majesty, your subject believes that the theory of the Shang dynasty sacrificing to ghosts and spirits is also valid. Judging from the oracle bone script, the Shang dynasty sacrificing to ghosts and spirits can also be said: the human monarch is the master of the human world, and after death, he ascends to become an Emperor, and then replaces the heavenly gods, sacrificing to the god that is his own ancestor." Shen Li thought seriously and compromised.

He couldn't completely deny the past perception of the Yin-Shang, nor could he deny these real objects from 3,000 years ago. By compromising, everyone could explain it.

It was indeed sacrificing to ghosts and spirits—sacrificing to the god that the ancestors became after ascending.

"So that's how it is." Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with a smile, "Then what other interesting things did the Grand Secretary decipher?"

"Your Majesty, your subject discovered that the human sacrifices used in the Shang dynasty were mostly Bi Qiang people. 'Capturing Bi Qiang,' 'Attacking Bi Qiang,' 'Using Bi Qiang,' 'Taking Bi Qiang,' etc., appeared frequently. At that time, the Bi Qiang people were like the Xiongnu in the Han dynasty—they were mortal enemies." Shen Li explained his discovery in detail.

The human sacrifices in the Yin-Shang were mainly prisoners of war, and the feudal lords in all four directions had to offer a certain number of Bi Qiang people every year. They even served as a kind of currency. Some feudal lords who didn't have Bi Qiang people nearby had to buy them from other feudal lords to offer to the Shang King for sacrifice.

He also deciphered many other characters.

For example, the character "Fa" (attack) is a stick stuck in the ground, with a person's head removed and hung on a crossbeam—that is "Fa." The "Fa" character on the tortoise shells and oracle bones looks almost exactly the same as the "Fa" character in small seal script.

For example, the character "Lao" (prison/pen) appeared much earlier than imagined. On the tortoise shells and oracle bones, this character is a cow being raised in a pen.

When the Yin-Shang sacrificed, they would take the livestock raised in pens out for sacrifice, proving that at that time, the ancestors had already begun fixed animal husbandry, rather than complete free-range grazing.

Shen Li bowed and said: "Your subject believes that we should immediately send agents to the production sites to excavate these tortoise shells and oracle bones and send them to the capital for research and judgment."

"Exegesis is to study the text; textual research is to trace the sources; collation is to collect ancient books. All three are methods of Han Confucianism for studying the classics, which later generations followed to form their studies."

"Follow the Minister's suggestion. Send agents to excavate and send them back to the capital for research. Those Confucian scholars are idle all day, wagging their tongues and drumming their lips; let's find them some work to do." Zhu Zhu Yijun approved Shen Li's suggestion.

Shen Li's meaning was that doing scholarship requires three points: exegesis, textual research, and collation.

Emphasizing empirical evidence and rigor to ensure truth.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was very interested in these oracle bone scripts, mainly because he wanted to find some work for those old-fashioned scholars, and on the other hand, these carvings on turtle shells hid the code of the Central Plains civilization.

What is interesting is that the carvings on these oracle bone scripts that Shen Li has deciphered so far can generally match the "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Yin" written by Tan Sima Qian. King Zhou, King Zhou's father, King Zhou's grandfather, King Zhou's ancestor, the founding monarch of the Shang dynasty, Cheng Tang, and Cheng Tang's ancestor, Shangjia Wei, can all be corresponded one by one.

When Tan Sima Qian wrote the "Records of the Grand Historian," more than 1,600 years had passed since the era of Shangjia Wei. More than 1,600 years after the "Records of the Grand Historian" was completed, the Great Ming found real evidence of the existence of Shangjia Wei. This is a response that spans the long river of history.

"Your Majesty, your subject impeaches Shen Shen Shixing for disrupting the law with literature and stealing power with Confucianism. I request that he be stripped of his official status and academic honors." Zhang Zhang Juzheng, seeing that Shen Li had finished the official business, took out a memorial, handed it to Feng Bao, and bowed.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Wenhuadian fell into a dead silence.

Shen Shen Shixing was Zhang Zhang Juzheng's proud disciple. After taking office in Songjiang Prefecture, he made two mistakes and was demoted three ranks twice, becoming a fifth-rank Director. But neither of these times was Shen Shen Shixing's fault; he had done a very good job in Songjiang Prefecture.

Shen Shen Shixing entering the Cabinet to become the Grand Secretary had basically become a universal consensus. As a result, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet was now directly impeaching Shen Shen Shixing for "disrupting the law with literature and stealing power with Confucianism." Such a severe accusation from the Grand Secretary against his own disciple clearly meant that Shen Shen Shixing had committed a major mistake again.

Zhu Zhu Yijun opened the memorial and read it twice. Zhang Zhang Juzheng had communicated with the Emperor about the content inside, and the Emperor had clearly expressed his disagreement, but Zhang Zhang Juzheng still insisted on going through the impeachment process.

Shen Shen Shixing was indeed a fifth-rank official, a Director of the Ministry of Revenue, but as a local official, his appointment and removal needed to go through the court discussion and recommendation process. It wasn't that Zhang Zhang Juzheng could dismiss him just by saying so.

Zhu Zhu Yijun furrowed his brows and said, "Teacher, I think his memorial doesn't have any problems. There is no need to label him with such a big crime, and it doesn't reach the point of stripping him of his official status and academic honors."

Zhang Zhang Juzheng bowed again and said, "What Shen Shen Shixing said shakes the foundation of the nation. I request Your Majesty to investigate the reality of the treacherous minister harming the country, and rectify the laws early to stabilize the nation."

"Alright, pass the memorial down and let the court officials discuss it." Zhu Zhu Yijun, seeing that he couldn't persuade Zhang Zhang Juzheng, took out a previous memorial and passed it down.

After the court officials read it one by one, they realized why Zhang Zhang Juzheng had made such a big fuss and launched an impeachment against Shen Shen Shixing.

Shen Shen Shixing was truly bold to the extreme!

Shen Shen Shixing's memorial could be summarized in one sentence: if the New Policies continued like this, the Great Ming would perish. He directly blamed the Emperor Wanli New Policies for the Great Ming's impending doom. In the future, when discussing the Spring and Autumn period, scholar-officials would inevitably mutter a few words about how the Ming actually perished in the Emperor Wanli era.

And Shen Shen Shixing's argument was actually extremely reasonable.

Cursing the Zhu family's empire to perish—this was no longer an ordinary treacherous minister. In the past, encountering such a treacherous minister, exterminating three clans was too violent, but exterminating nine clans would be just right.

The Wenhuadian was very quiet. The ministers all began to play dumb, and no one expressed their stance. This was a disagreement between the Emperor and the Grand Secretary. Participating in it lightly might lead to unexpected disasters.

Even Wang Wang Chonggu looked like he was about to fall asleep, and even Li Li Changchun, the Vice Minister of Rites who usually loved to join in the fun, could see that the atmosphere was extremely grave.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng stood up straight and said, "Your Majesty is too indulgent toward him."

Zhu Zhu Yijun immediately said, "Teacher, you are being too harsh. What he said makes sense, so why not let him say it? Teacher, if he were talking nonsense, I would have the Commander of the Southern Southern Yamen, Luo Luo Bingliang, slap him a few times. What he said is correct; if I punish him, wouldn't that be equivalent to me slapping myself a few times?"

"Teacher, tell me, isn't that the logic?"

"Your Majesty..." Zhang Zhang Juzheng was helpless. His Majesty was using twisted logic!

The premise of this statement was wrong. Can the Emperor and the minister be mentioned in the same breath?

Whether a minister is right or wrong, you can slap him twice. Whether the Emperor is right or wrong, no one can slap the Emperor twice. "Those who discuss the Imperial carriage shall be strangled"—this is the basic framework of monarch and subject that has existed for thousands of years.

But if you jump out of this framework, His Majesty's words were very simple and plain, and made a lot of sense.

Shen Shen Shixing's memorial started from the commodity economy.

In the current Songjiang Prefecture, especially Shanghai County, because it is a thoroughfare of nine provinces, it has completed the transformation of the commodity economy, turning Songjiang Prefecture into a place of wind and moon even more brilliant than the world of smoke and flowers.

In the commodity-based world, profit possesses astonishing power, pushing everyone toward every place where there is profit to be made.

The theory of contradictions tells Shen Shen Shixing that everything has two sides. The highly commoditized economy has brought infinite vitality to Songjiang Prefecture, but it has also created countless bizarre phenomena. The immense power of profit allows anything to become a commodity, as long as there is profit to be made.

People themselves, human flesh and blood, sex, knowledge, political activities, power, law, morality, etc., are all commodities under the commodity economy.

For the Great Ming, this is truly too terrifying.

Shen Shen Shixing explained this phenomenon from two aspects. The first is that Songjiang Prefecture has become a place where thousands of prostitutes gather, with beauties from all over the world, Yangzhou "thin horses," Datong wives, Taishan nuns, West Lake boat girls, pleasure boats, book apartments, etc., attracting high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants from all directions.

Shen Shen Shixing has repeatedly banned it, but cannot stop the decadent trend.

Besides this, people themselves are also a kind of commodity. Selling labor is not the first time Shen Shen Shixing has discussed it, but this time, Shen Shen Shixing did not repeat the same old tune, but talked about the poor people and laborers in Songjiang Prefecture who sell blood for a living.

The Great Ming Dissection Institute has discovered blood types and blood transfusion. In order to cure diseases and save lives, medical officers in various places prepare blood of various types, which is used for postpartum hemorrhage, trauma, etc. But soon, various medical centers also began to buy blood, and some poor people and laborers, having no means of support, could only sell blood for a living.

This is something Shen Shen Shixing absolutely cannot allow to happen. Even if we don't talk about the filial piety of "the body, hair, and skin are given by parents," the act of selling a part of one's body to fill one's stomach because of life's hardships is, in Shen Shen Shixing's view, also rebellious.

This is undoubtedly the fault of the nation, making people sell a part of their body to fill their stomachs—this is the dereliction of duty of the court.

Besides this, even morality can be a kind of commodity. That Zhao Zhao Nanxing returned to the Southern Southern Yamen and clamored that he had been beaten by the Marquis of Marquis Ningyuan, and he was quite sought after wherever he went.

The old order is collapsing, and a new order is being established.

The high development of the commodity economy has led to the coexistence of two rules in Songjiang Prefecture today, and a world with a dual structure has been born.

One is the monarch-official rule of the Ming court, and the other is the rule under the commodity economy.

The rules of the commodity economy are slipping out of the court's control, becoming self-consistent in logic, self-sufficient in economy, and self-organized gates responsible for various specific affairs. Compared with the clans of the past, these workshops, firms, merchant groups, and merchant alliances are more rigorous and do not rely on bloodlines to expand.

The rules of the commodity economy, which have slipped out of control and established their own gates, are becoming more and more powerful, and even have the possibility of replacing and further growing.

If the Great Ming as a whole transforms from a small-scale peasant economy to a commodity economy, these self-established rules of the commodity economy will completely replace the old order.

Where should the Ming court go? And how should the supreme Emperor conduct himself? If, for the sake of his own authority, he acts against the trend, will it lead to widespread opposition?

Shen Shen Shixing's memorial said just this: the day when the Emperor Wanli Reform completely transforms from a small-scale peasant economy to a commodity economy will be the day the Ming dynasty actually perishes.

The emerging bourgeoisie widely supports opening the seas now, but at the same time, they will blow the horn of the Ming Empire's destruction.

Fifty years might not be enough, but in a hundred years, this force will be strong enough.

(Full text of "Double Mirror Memorial on Reform and the Erosion of Bai Yin," available on mobile.)

"I actually think Governor Shen is a bit optimistic. It will take ten thousand men with one heart to reach that day in a hundred years. Only if the direction of policy does not change significantly is it possible. History always repeats itself. Governor Shen is still thinking too simply." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng and said very definitely.

What is there to be afraid of! He, the Emperor of the old Zhu family, wasn't afraid, yet Zhang Zhang Juzheng was afraid!

Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't think it was terrifying at all; instead, he felt Shen Shen Shixing was overly worried.

Under the commodity economy, profit can indeed replace imperial power, but it is impossible for profit to completely replace imperial power.

The commodity economy is dominated by profit. The power of profit can indeed pose a fundamental threat to imperial power. This is also the core content of the fourth volume that has not yet been published—the inevitable fate of the collapse of the feudal imperial system.

It is not that Zhu Zhu Yijun doesn't believe in the immense power of profit; he simply doesn't believe that the Great Ming can reach that day. The Great Ming is truly too conservative.

Whenever a minister shows a tendency to be a rebel, the Emperor always reminds this rebel who is the number one rebel in the world!

"Teacher, look at this 'equalization of fields.' Qin gained the world through military merit and the system of naming fields, but later, land annexation returned to the aristocratic families;"

"Sui and Tang established the world with the Fubing system. By the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Fubing system was corrupted and abolished, and the land of the world returned to the gentry;"

"By the time the founding Emperor asked for the world, the land returned to the military colonies and guards. Today, the land of the world has returned to the homes of the gentry and the powerful."

"The world is trapped by annexation. The Emperor Wanli Reform has been mighty, but from the sixteenth year until now, the land return memorials have only been for five maritime customs offices, and Zhejiang is actually implementing it."

"This history seems to always repeat itself. I think Governor Shen thinks too highly of me. In my lifetime, if I can figure out this land return matter and implement the Dinghai academic system and the official selection law, it will be the protection of the ancestors."

"He is thinking quite beautifully." Zhu Zhu Yijun said in a very relaxed tone.

Shen Shen Shixing was fascinated by the mighty scene of the Emperor Wanli Reform and was overly optimistic. In the situation of repetition, it might not even be finished in two hundred years.

Zhu Zhu Yijun continued: "The self-reform of the meat-eaters has limitations. Once the urgent matters are resolved, they will slacken. 'The meat-eaters are despicable'—this sentence has not faded for thousands of years, and it is just so. Teacher, what do you think?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun added another critical blow. In his view, the Emperor Wanli Reform was still a self-reform of the meat-eaters and could not change the world at all.

"Your Majesty is sagacious." Zhang Zhang Juzheng bowed and withdrew the impeachment of Shen Shen Shixing.

He didn't know how to answer the question raised by the Emperor.

To say it could definitely be achieved would be deceiving the Emperor. The three big tile-roofed houses the Emperor spoke of—the Great Ming commoners all having enough to eat; the children of the poor having schools to attend, and being caught by the government if they didn't go; the talent selection mechanism being very perfect, and talents never being buried; the thoroughfares being accessible in all directions, people's travel costs being extremely low, and being able to move and migrate freely—

this is the Great Harmony world, an ideal country that is like the horizon, forever sought but never attained.

To say it definitely couldn't be achieved, then what were the efforts of the monarch and ministers in the Emperor Wanli Reform?

"Your Majesty, your subject thinks that Shen Shen Shixing's memorial has some merits. Indeed, it looks like the whole memorial is rebellious." Shen Li held the memorial, stepped out of the ranks, and bowed: "The merit lies in this rebelliousness."

"The meaning of Governor Shen's memorial is actually very simple."

"In the small-scale peasant economy, the family business was small, and the court couldn't manage everything in detail. Now that the commodity economy has arrived, the business is big, and the court should conduct itself accordingly? It is even harder to manage."

"In the face of this mighty trend, the court must understand how to manage the world more efficiently. This worry will resolve itself."

Shen Li stood out, intending to try to be this peacemaker.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was stunned and asked with some curiosity: "What insights does the Grand Secretary have?"

Shen Li thought seriously before clarifying his thoughts: "As Governor Shen said in the memorial, it is a world of dual tracks: the ropes of the temple and the laws of copper smell run together; the official documents of the government and the contracts of merchants fly together. The way of profit has already formed its own circle. Its principles are self-consistent like yin and yang, and its momentum is intertwined like roots and vines."

"In your subject's view, this is a good thing. The principles of commodity and profit can manage and be consistent with themselves, operating and managing themselves, which is equivalent to cutting the nation into countless blocks."

"The Great Ming is familiar with this. Isn't this just the contradiction between 'strips' and 'blocks'?"

"Strips and blocks" are the basic political ecology of the Great Ming.

One government office is a block, and countless government offices are blocks; related government offices are a strip. The Ministry of Justice has the capital's Ministry of Justice office, in Henan there is the Henan Surveillance Commission, in the prefecture there is the Judge, and in the county there is the Household Department in charge of criminal justice; the six ministries and the six local departments are strips.

Throughout the dynasties, the officialdom has never been able to bypass the contradictions between strips and blocks. The Great Ming is too familiar with this, and the experience is truly too rich.

The lessons of history regarding politics are actually the experience of summarizing the games of human nature.

"Eh?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng was stunned, looked at Shen Li, leaned forward, and said: "Grand Secretary, tell me in detail."

Shen Li carefully weighed his words before saying: "The rise of merchants and the prosperity of profit have caused the governance of the nation to form a situation where the two rituals stand together. This is inevitable. Under the commodity economy, profit possesses extremely powerful strength. This strength is certainly something to be feared, but if guided well, it might not be unable to give the Great Ming wings like a tiger."

"The people form alliances with merchant groups, governing themselves, and all industries flourish. The prosperity of all industries is responsible for various specific affairs. The court should also oversee the essentials, without having to do everything itself. If you try to manage everything, you manage nothing well. Being able to manage these merchant groups well will instead improve efficiency."

"The business is big, and the more people in the city, the harder it is to manage. The Prefect of Shuntian, Wang Wang Xiyuan, is so busy his hair has turned white."

"Under the Emperor Wanli Reform, if the government offices are trapped in trivial matters, they will inevitably be sluggish and slow. If they are freed from the cumbersome, they can move a thousand catties with four taels. However, simplifying administration is not neglecting administration; it is still necessary to supervise all industries. Like a boat sailing on the vast sea, it must both shed its heavy burden and hoist its sails, while also holding a compass to set its course."

Shen Li felt he still hadn't explained things clearly and thoroughly, and bowed again: "Your Majesty, your subject sees one point from Shen Shen Shixing's memorial: this commodity economy is definitely not a panacea that works the moment you take it."

"The essence of this commoditization lies in the word 'degree.' It must never be allowed for anything to become a commodity, as that would inevitably lead to the destruction of the world."

"For example, people themselves are not commodities. Treating people as commodities is alienation. Once it exceeds that degree, the court must intervene forcefully to correct it. The people are the foundation of the nation; when the foundation is solid, the nation is peaceful."

"The Grand Secretary's words are reasonable." Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered repeatedly and agreed deeply.

Shen Shen Shixing was definitely not fear-mongering. If the commodity economy were allowed to grow without any regulation, the price of rice in Songjiang Prefecture would sooner or later be the same as in Japan today!

The price of rice in Songjiang Prefecture is now four wen per catty, which has already exceeded the time when Zhejiang was in the midst of war. This trend cannot be allowed to continue.

"Grand Secretary, you are truly well-read and learned. I admire you. Looking at it this way, it is indeed just a problem of strips and blocks, nothing to worry about." Zhang Zhang Juzheng bowed to Shen Li and said solemnly: "I humbly accept your teaching."

The disagreement between Zhang Zhang Juzheng and the Emperor was very, very dangerous.

This impeachment was not because Zhang Zhang Juzheng was dissatisfied with Shen Shen Shixing as a person, but because Zhang Zhang Juzheng saw the terrifying power of profit. If the people of the world put profit first and morality was completely corrupted, the country would not be a country.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng wanted to punish Shen Shen Shixing, which was to personally reverse the car and prepare to personally settle scores with the Emperor Wanli Reform. He felt that it was enough here, and the Great Ming was strong enough.

But the Emperor believed that there was no need to give up eating for fear of choking. He was sitting in the driver's seat. If the car crashed, he, the Emperor, and imperial power would be the first to die! Full speed ahead.

This was a disagreement on the line, a very terrifying disagreement. The court officials didn't dare to express their stance one by one.