Chapter 742: Persuasion

Pan Yun: "You needn't be so formal with me. Cao my lord summoned me here—speak plainly. As you yourself said, whether people or goods, leaving the coast requires passage through the Maritime Customs Office. Even if I don't need it now, my senior disciple will need it later. I have no wish to sour relations with you, Cao my lord, but neither am I Pan Yun to be trifled with."

She sized up Cao Jixiang and said, "Fortunately, I've met you before and know your character. In virtue, you far surpass Wang Zhen—that's why I came here with my sect's people to speak with you."

Cao Jixiang paused, then said, "I hear your three ships are about to sail for Wa Country. How many men will the Naval Command and the Prefect's office send along?"

Pan Yun smiled faintly. "So you want me to take your men along?"

Cao Jixiang said gravely, "The Maritime Customs Office cannot yet secure enough ships. Pan Daochang, it's still undecided whether the silver mountain in Wa Country will be mined by the Naval Command, the Maritime Customs Office, or a new department entirely. Isn't it too soon to pick sides now?"

"I don't care about that," Pan Yun said. "The silver mountain is open to all. Any subject of the Great Ming—whether from the imperial court, the martial world, the gentry, merchants, or even pirates—may take it if they have the ability."

Cao Jixiang stared, stunned. "You! Didn't you already present the silver mountain to the imperial court?"

"Yes, I already presented it," Pan Yun spread her hands. "So now you must send your own men to guard it. Cao my lord, I am but one person. I've already given you the silver mountain—now you want me to guard it too? That's excessive."

Cao Jixiang opened his mouth but could not speak.

Pan Yun smiled sweetly. "How many men do you want me to send? I just counted carefully—due to the crowds, there are still sixty spots left. More than that, my ships won't hold."

Cao Jixiang lowered his gaze and thought. "Then please, Pan Daochang, take fifty men for me."

"Of course, of course," Pan Yun laughed. "No passage fees. They pay for their own food and water."

Cao Jixiang nodded, turned, and summoned his disciple to bring up the men he had already selected.

Most of those he chose were from the Northern Capital Security Bureau's Embroidered Uniform Guard; five were eunuchs; five were officials and artisans selected from the Ministry of Works.

Forty Embroidered Uniform Guards would protect them and, on behalf of the Emperor, guard the silver mountain and compete for territory.

Seeing Cao Jixiang's worried expression, Pan Yun comforted him: "Cao my lord, worry less. Most people in this world come for profit and leave for profit. Even the Emperor cannot unify the hearts of all his subjects in the Great Ming—how much less so in Wa Country, across the sea?"

She said, "As long as silver ore is brought back, profit is profit. Why must you claim it all? Mutual gain is still gain."

Cao Jixiang snorted. "All under heaven is the Emperor's land; Wa Country is a vassal state of the Great Ming. All within the four seas are the Emperor's subjects—how much more so these men who have gone out?"

Pan Yun: "They are all the Emperor's subjects. The parents have eaten the meat—surely leave some broth for the children."

Cao Jixiang looked at her with a strange expression. "I recall last time we met, Pan Daochang did not think this way."

"Ah, but that's different," Pan Yun said. "The profits of the Great Ming belong to all its people. Let them fight over it—if they take it all, the common folk get nothing. But the silver mountain in Wa Country is meat dropped from the heavens—it's for those with strength to seize it. Those who bring it back let even the powerless common folk taste a bit of meat."

Cao Jixiang shook his head. "You've claimed all the good and bad arguments."

Pan Yun: "My lord, if you wish the common folk to eat more meat broth, lifting the maritime ban is the most direct way. The Emperor has reopened the Quanzhou Maritime Customs Office—shouldn't the maritime ban be abolished?" This was confidential. Cao Jixiang fell silent.

Seeing this, Pan Yun sighed. "Does the Emperor hesitate to lift the maritime ban because he doesn't want to lose the continuous tribute flowing in from the sea?"

"Impudent!" Cao Jixiang leapt to his feet. "Pan Yun, don't presume on your merits to make reckless guesses. The Emperor possesses the four corners of the world—how could he care about such petty gains?"

Xue Shao nodded. "Logically, that's true. The Emperor's private treasury is rich—this is known to every official in court. Not to mention others, after the Empress Dowager's death, the Ministry of Works received orders to repair the imperial tombs and palaces, costing enormous sums. I heard seven-tenths came from the state treasury, three-tenths from the Emperor's private treasury. Yet the state treasury's seven-tenths remain unpaid, due to the treasury's emptiness after the Luchuan War—but the Emperor's three-tenths were paid promptly."

Cao Jixiang's face turned black. How had he forgotten? Xue Shao had once served close to the Emperor—he might have examined these accounts himself.

He defended the Emperor: "The Emperor himself lives frugally. Otherwise, why would he constantly complain of empty treasuries? Moreover, the Great Ming has long suffered from a silver shortage…"

Pan Yun interrupted him: "Then lifting the maritime ban is even more necessary."

Pan Yun rose and walked to the door, pointing toward the street. "Cao my lord, go outside and look. Just the rumor of lifting the maritime ban has drawn so many merchants to Quanzhou. Do you know how much tax the Maritime Customs Office could collect annually if it were truly opened?"

Cao Jixiang: "The Maritime Customs Office has been closed for so long—I don't know how much tax it could collect. But checking past records, it was negligible."

"That's because the court controlled the maritime ban," Pan Yun said. "Even during the reign of Emperor Taizong, when maritime trade was most prosperous, eight out of ten ships were imperial vessels, and only two out of ten were private. These imperial ships were controlled by the imperial clan and powerful nobles—entering and leaving without paying tax. The Maritime Customs Office became a sham—of course it lost money."

"But if the maritime ban is lifted, whether private or imperial ships, all must pay tax according to law. I believe the Maritime Customs Office will thrive!"

Cao Jixiang stared. "Are you saying you'll tax the Emperor's own ships?"

Pan Yun: "It's merely moving money from left hand to right hand—from the private treasury to the state treasury. The whole world belongs to the Emperor. Wouldn't it be easier and faster for him to set a good example than for local Maritime Customs Offices to laboriously promote tax compliance?"

"Besides, no matter how it's paid, the Emperor's private treasury still profits."

Cao Jixiang murmured darkly: "You are bold."

"The Emperor is far away—I'm doing this to prevent people from stealing taxes under the guise of tribute," Pan Yun winked at him. "You must be very familiar with such things, Cao my lord. The Emperor has long wanted to reform the military's garrison farming system—wasn't it because…"

Cao Jixiang shuddered, nearly covering her mouth. "Shut up! Don't speak recklessly just because we're in Quanzhou—half the people in this house are Embroidered Uniform Guards!"

Pan Yun lifted her head, stood tall. "This Daoist speaks openly and honestly. Let the officials of the Northern Capital Security Bureau report these words truthfully to the Emperor."

Cao Jixiang: …

He wanted to hit her.

She was a commoner—the Emperor wouldn't dare punish her publicly, or it would make him look petty.

But he wasn't one either~~

He was still a eunuch—the Emperor could crush him with a flick of his finger. Couldn't he at least consider him? (End of chapter)