1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3815

Serving as a diplomatic envoy representing the Ming Dynasty in Hangzhou can actually be considered a lucrative job compared to other positions in the Ministry of Rites.

After all, this is a window for the Ming Dynasty to display its national strength to the outside world, and it cannot be too shabby. Therefore, even if the Ming Dynasty’s own financial situation is not ideal, the budget provided to the embassy is still sufficient, even far exceeding the Jinyiwei, the so-called "Emperor's personal army."

That is why when Yue Shizong questioned Huo Jingxing's motives for causing trouble for him, he asked whether it was because someone in the country was coveting the position of ambassador.

One thousand taels of silver was not a small sum, but with Yue Shizong's authority, it was not too difficult to embezzle some money from the embassy's account to fill this hole. What's more, the other party was the notorious Jinyiwei. When the accounts were reported back to the Ministry of Rites, who would dare to check the real whereabouts of the account?

The only problem was that Yue Shizong was not sure how big Huo Jingxing's appetite was, and whether the bribe of one thousand taels of silver could eliminate the current trouble.

Huo Jingxing just smiled and said, "I'm on a business trip to Hangzhou with dozens of brothers following me. Every day, we have a lot of expenses for food, clothing, housing and transportation. Lord Yue took out 1,000 taels of silver, but only a few dozen taels were distributed to each person. Do you want the Jinyiwei to do your job for you with such a small amount of money?"

Yue Shizong calmly asked back, "What does Lord Huo mean?"

"Ten thousand taels!"

Huo Jingxing stretched out his hand without hesitation and waved it in front of Yue Shizong's eyes, saying: "As long as Lord Yue takes out 10,000 taels of silver, whether it is your family or the family of your old friend, they can go wherever they want, and I will not stop them."

Yue Shizong was shocked by the high price and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Ten thousand taels is too outrageous! I can't afford so much money, please do as you please!"

Yue Shizong originally wanted to take some money out of the embassy's budget, at most he could hold fewer banquets and lower the level of gifts during the New Year holidays, and save the 1,000 taels of silver. But Huo Jingxing actually asked for 10,000 taels, so it would not be so easy to use the embassy's public expenses.

Huo Jingxing did not intend to give in, and said with a hint of sarcasm: "Master Yue's official position, future, and the safety of his family, are these not worth even 10,000 taels of silver?"

Yue Shizong said, "Is ten thousand taels a small sum that can be easily taken out? You are a government official, ask yourself how much money the court gave you to hide in Hangzhou?"

Huo Jingxing said: "It is precisely because the funds allocated by the court are not enough that we need to ask you for some!"

Yue Shizong heard something in these words and couldn't help asking, "It seems that the person you are asking for money from is not just me, the official?"

Huo Jingxing said with a smile: "Master Yue, don't think that you are the only smart person in the world. There are many people in the Ming Dynasty who are doing this trick secretly. There are also many people who are willing to pay money to buy peace after the incident!"

Huo Jingxing obviously did not shy away from using this kind of extortion, and Yue Shizong was probably not his first target.

Yue Shizong was not angry but laughed. Although he had long known that the process of Ming officials surrendering to Hai Han required some shady means, he had never expected that the Jinyiwei would be involved. The Jinyiwei, who were supposed to perform their duties to investigate and arrest defecting officials, turned this job into a way to make money and actually engaged in such despicable activities in Hangzhou.

But Yue Shizong had to admit that Huo Jingxing had some vision in choosing this path. Because of their special identities, most of their targets did not dare to show off after being blackmailed. Firstly, they were afraid that their connection with the Jinyiwei would be exposed and they would lose the trust of Hai Han. Secondly, they were worried that the Jinyiwei would really do something to themselves or their families.

And these people often carried a large amount of valuables when they left the Ming Dynasty. With a little bloodshed, they might be able to deal with Huo Jingxing, so naturally they didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Although Yue Shizong had no intention of committing treason, he brought his family from China to Hai Han. In Huo Jingxing's view, this behavior made him the same as other traitors.

Moreover, Yue Shizong himself was a diplomat, and was familiar with the high-ranking figures of Hai Han. If he wanted to defect, he didn't even need anyone to help him. He could pave the way himself. As long as his family arrived in Hangzhou, wouldn't it be a matter of time for him to defect?

In this case, if not now, when will this blackmail be launched? If they really wait until Yue Shizong publicly changes his allegiance, it will be too late to take action then. If Yue Shizong becomes an official of Hai Han, this blackmail may cause Huo Jingxing to get into trouble, and may even bring revenge from Hai Han.

The two bargained for a while, but could not reach an agreement.

Huo Jingxing believed that Yue Shizong would eventually betray his country, and that 10,000 taels of silver was not a high price to save his family's lives. However, Yue Shizong believed that his goal was only to allow his family to settle down in Haihan, and that it did not involve the treasonous behavior Huo Jingxing mentioned, so he was unwilling to accept this blackmail.

Of course, the more important reason is that he really can't come up with 12,000 taels of silver to get rid of Huo Jingxing.

It was the end of the year and the embassy's funds were running low. According to the Ming calendar, the embassy's funds for the next year would not be sent from China until after the Lantern Festival.

Even if they cleaned out the embassy inside and out, they would not be able to raise the 10,000 taels of silver that Huo Jingxing demanded.

Of course, Yue Shizong did not take his own small treasury into account, but from beginning to end, he never thought of using his own money to settle this matter.

Huo Jingxing was a member of the Imperial Guards. Why should he pay for the trouble with his own money? In Yue Shizong's opinion, it was reasonable to use public funds to solve the problem.

Being inside the embassy, ​​Huo Jingxing did not dare to take any action after all. In the end, he could only make a harsh statement. He gave three days to raise funds. Before getting the money, Yue Shizong's family had better not step out of the embassy, ​​otherwise they would bear the consequences.

After Huo Jingxing left, Yue Shizong immediately summoned the embassy’s guards, claiming that he had received a notice from Hai Han that gangs of bandits had been active in and around Hangzhou recently, and the embassy needed to step up its guard. All personnel had to carry weapons while on duty and be ready to be called at any time.

Yue Shizong's move was also to guard against the Jinyiwei who would resort to any means to break into the embassy and cause trouble. However, Yue Shizong was not even half sure whether his guards could defeat the Jinyiwei, so he could only take it as a little psychological comfort.

But this method can only prevent temporary, not permanent, and his family members cannot be kept under house arrest in this embassy forever, so he still has to find another way to solve this problem. And he only has three days left.