I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1048: Solving historical problems while building on past achievements and moving forward.

In the first month of the twenty-second year of the Wanli reign, the spring breeze did not arrive, and the cold wind remained.

In the study of the Tonghe Palace, Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty saw the memorials of Wang Jiaping and Wan Wenqing. Wang Jiaping presented a complete plan to build a Western trade alliance with black gold as the core commodity.

Generally speaking, it involves three steps.

The first step was to increase trade with the West, collect hydrological and geographical data, and complete the mapping of the entire West.

The geomantic maps of the Ming Dynasty clearly depicted the outline of the Pacific Ocean, but the mapping of the Western Ocean remained very blurry.

This is thanks to the rewards offered by the first governors of Songjiang, Wang Daokun, and Yingtian, Song Yangshan, for nautical charts. The rewards for nautical charts, needle charts, and star charts for crossing oceans have been offered for seventeen years since the fifth year of the Wanli reign.

Each nautical chart will earn a reward ranging from one hundred to ten thousand silver coins, and each marked island or reef will earn a reward ranging from ten thousand to one hundred thousand silver coins. If the island or reef has fresh water, the reward will be increased by thirty thousand silver coins.

In addition, with the establishment of the main government offices, bell and drum towers for timekeeping, and astronomical observatories for observing celestial phenomena, the Ming Dynasty's mapping of the Pacific Ocean was already very precise.

However, the Ming Dynasty's mapping of the Western Ocean was still mainly based on the nautical charts, compass charts, and star charts drawn by Zheng He in the past. These charts were already seriously outdated and not precise enough to be used for navigation.

Because of the lack of silver, Ming Dynasty merchants rarely ventured to the West to explore new markets.

Offering rewards for information on nautical charts, establishing official offices, bell towers, and observatories in various governor-general's offices and foreign states, determining latitude and longitude, and improving the Ming Dynasty's understanding of the hydrology and geography of the Western Ocean.

Only in this way can stable, safe, and valuable shipping routes be determined.

The second step was to re-establish the old Yongle system, including the Hormuz Imperial Shipyard, Mashiji Imperial Shipyard, Guli Imperial Shipyard, Rongdi Thousand-Household Garrison, Adanhai Guard, Dong'an, Xi'an, and Zhong'an Three Guards, and to send the Nanyang Fleet to be stationed there to protect the safety, freedom of navigation, and free trade of Ming Dynasty merchant ships.

Hormuz is located in the Persian Gulf and is an important strait controlling access to and from the Persian Gulf. Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, and on the fourth, fifth, and seventh voyages, he reached Hormuz and established an official shipyard there. From Hormuz, he dispatched fleets to the Red Sea and East Africa.

For example, the Rongdi Qianhu Office was located on the Red Sea, in the port of Belnis in Mishil (Egypt), directly opposite the city of Tianfang. Until the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Ming court appointed and dismissed Rongdi Qianhu. The official records also contain details that in the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, the court hosted the Rongdi Niruhan Governor who had come from afar.

For example, the Goa Imperial Factory was located not far from the Goa Governor's Office in Goa City. It was gradually abandoned after the Ming Dynasty stopped its voyages to the Western Ocean and was eventually replaced by the Portuguese.

These official factories, thousand-household garrisons, and naval outposts were all strategically located to project the Ming Dynasty's naval power, expand its influence, and ensure that these overseas vassal states and governor-general's offices would not harbor any disloyal intentions.

This entire system was almost a direct copy of the old system established during the Yongle reign.

On his third voyage to the Western Ocean, Zheng He reported to Emperor Zhu Di: "Those who are far away have not yet submitted."

The barbarians in distant places still have not submitted to the Ming Dynasty willingly, so these official factories, thousand-household offices, and coastal guard posts are established to make these barbarians submit.

The third step was to establish governor-general offices directly under the Ming Dynasty, such as the Jifu Governor-General Office and the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Ceylon had already submitted to the Goa Governor's Office. Around the second year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the King of Ceylon, who had been waiting for the Ming Dynasty to return to the West, launched a final attack, marching on Colombo to try to drive out the Portuguese. He ultimately failed, the King was captured, and Ceylon converted to Catholicism.

The Ming Dynasty ultimately aimed to establish a complete sphere of influence in the Western Ocean, directly under its jurisdiction, and to continuously expand its influence, ensuring freedom of navigation and free trade.

This is similar to how the Ming Dynasty established the Jinshan Kingdom in Jinshan City to intimidate the three governorates of Dongtai and make them submit to the will of the Ming Dynasty.

That's how barbarians are; they don't understand human language. They can only be quiet for a while after being beaten, and then they'll be beaten again after a while.

Wang Jiaping's plan is quite comprehensive, proving that Guangdong has been planning for many years and it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Even without the success of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance, they would still have done this.

Guangzhou Ocean Shipping Company is in no way inferior to Songjiang Ocean Shipping Company, and the Guangzhou government also needs an opportunity to prove itself.

Zhu Yijun approved this memorial in his imperial edict. If it could be implemented, it would undoubtedly be the icing on the cake for the Ming Dynasty and another shining achievement of the Wanli Reforms.

The Ming Dynasty had previously expanded its navy, increasing the size of the Nanyang Fleet, which had more than 60,000 soldiers. Maintaining such a large navy required a very good reason: to protect the security of the sea frontier. This reason was sufficient, but protecting the freedom of navigation and trade of Ming Dynasty merchant ships, with its tangible profits, could persuade more people.

Of course, Wang Jiaping's plans also included the rather awkward historical legacy of Annam.

Annam was nominally a territory of the Ming Dynasty, but its disloyal intentions were obvious. The Ming Dynasty had not had enough motivation to deal with it before, but now that the Western Merchant Alliance was about to be established, it could not be allowed to stay.

Over the years, Zhang Juzheng's benevolent policies, such as exempting imported grain from taxes and not questioning the origins of foreign tribes, have led to significant internal pressure in Annam.

However, contrary to the court's expectations, the desperate people of Annam did not rise up to overthrow the rule of the four major families, but instead eked out a living.

This is the Ming Dynasty court judging others by its own standards.

These four powerful families had been exploiting the people and their grain reserves to supply the Ming Dynasty's merchant ships, which had already angered both heaven and man and reached the point of utter depravity. Yet, the rebellions in Annam remained sporadic and did not pose a substantial threat to the rule of these four families.

The collective consensus on punishing the wicked is not easy to establish; it took thousands of years for the Central Plains to finally reach such a consensus.

As a secondary civilization of China, Annam did not establish such a consensus. Its political struggles remained within the scope of aristocratic struggles, with each family being related by marriage and taking turns ruling the country.

The people of Annam possessed a level of endurance that exceeded the Ming Dynasty's understanding. Despite being exploited to such an extent, the people of Annam actually offered their necks for slaughter and obediently awaited their deaths.

Having learned about the situation in Annam, Wang Jiaping's plan was simple: to subdue the disobedient.

Last time, the Guangzhou government collected all the IOUs from the people and demanded repayment from the four major families of Annam. The four families were very dissatisfied, but in the end they still managed to raise the money, leaving the Guangzhou government with no reason to lash out.

This time, Liu Jiwen, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Wan Wenqing, the prefect of Guangzhou, ordered the four major families to come to Guangzhou for a joint inspection.

This is a very reasonable request. Since the nineteenth year of the Jiajing reign, Annam has been downgraded from a vassal state to the Annam Military Governor's Office. It is a nominal territory with thirteen Pacification Offices and official positions such as Pacification Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Vice Commissioner, but it is under the administration of the Annam Military Governor.

Whether the leaders of the four powers of Annam—Southern Mo, Later Le, Champa, and Long Binh—and the Mo, Le, Trinh, and Nguyen clans, dare to come to Guangzhou Prefecture for a joint investigation depends on their courage.

The reasons given by the Ming Dynasty were very valid.

The Ming Dynasty expressed serious concern about the chaos and escalating situation in the four directions. As the suzerain state, it was mindful of Heaven's will and the virtue of cherishing life. It was guided by the Emperor's will and knew the essence of benevolence and forgiveness. It strongly opposed the further escalation of the conflict, convened the leaders of all parties, mediated the contradictions among them, promoted the restoration of stability and peace in the region, and jointly built a stable Southeast Asia.

It is of great principle for the suzerain state to mediate the conflicts and disputes between its vassal states and territories; otherwise, it would be a dereliction of duty on the part of the suzerain state.

If the four major families refuse to come, then we should treat the Bozhou incident as an example and quell their rebellion. If they do come, but still refuse to give the Ming Dynasty face and insist on continuing the fight after the negotiations, then the Ming Dynasty will have ample reason to intervene forcefully.

If the four major families go to investigate and accept the mediation results, the Ming Dynasty will demand that Da Nang be an important port for the Western Merchant Alliance to ensure the stability of the alliance's operation.

To expand into the Western Ocean, Annam was a problem that had to be solved, just as the Ming Dynasty had to deal with the Philippine Governor-General's Office when it expanded into Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

"I can't say whether the officials in Guangzhou want to establish this Western merchant alliance or resolve the historical burden of Annam." Zhu Yijun handed the memorial he had approved to Li Yougong, somewhat unsure of the intentions of Wang Jiaping, Liu Jiwen, and Wan Wenqing.

Is the Western merchant alliance the real culprit, or Annam?

"They probably want it all," Li Yougong offered his opinion. If they could resolve the Annam issue through this meal with the Western Merchants Alliance, Wang Jiaping's entry into the cabinet would be a done deal, and no one could stop him.

This historical problem was like a thorn stuck in the throat of the Ming Dynasty, a constant source of frustration. If it wasn't resolved, it's hard to say that the Wanli Reforms truly brought about a revival.

After all, it was accomplished under such difficult conditions during the Yongle era, but it could not be done during the Wanli Reforms when the country was at its peak. This makes the Wanli Reforms regrettable and flawed.

"Summon him to the West Study tomorrow." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment, then decided to ask him directly.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Li Yougong bowed his head and accepted the order.

Tomorrow is the eighth day of the first lunar month. The holiday lasts for eight days, until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, when the holiday officially ends. It seems His Majesty is once again working overtime on his own initiative.

The next morning, Wang Jiaping brought Wan Wenqing to the West Study. Wan Wenqing was visibly nervous, while Wang Jiaping remained calm and collected, seemingly lost in thought. He was contemplating how to answer the emperor's questions during the audience so that the emperor would be at ease and support his actions.

Wang Jiaping wanted to enter the cabinet. There were only 172 prefects in the Ming Dynasty, and there weren't many officials above that. Once you reached the level of prefect, all you could ask for was power and a place in history. Having already climbed to this point, Wang Jiaping was truly unwilling to stop there.

"Wang Jiaping, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Wan Wenqing, Prefect of Guangzhou, are here to pay their respects." A pair of eunuchs arrived at the West Flower Hall and read out the imperial edict.

Wang Jiaping opened his eyes, stood up, and after the imperial guards checked that he was not carrying any dangerous items, the two went to the imperial study to pay their respects.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years and be in good health." The two ministers bowed in greeting.

"No need for formalities, please sit." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Jiaping with a smile and said, "Has Vice Minister Wang recently visited Fan Wuqi?"

"I have never been there." Although Wang Jiaping did not know why His Majesty asked this question, he still answered the question truthfully.

Fan Wuqi, also known as Fan Yingqi, was a prominent figure in the Jin Party at the time. He was dismissed for opium addiction and for protecting the Baoding Prefecture's encroachment on official land. If it weren't for the opium, Fan Yingqi would have been reinstated.

When Wang Jiaping was serving as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, he did not avoid suspicion after returning to Beijing and visited Fan Yingqi at the Jiekuan Academy. After that, he never saw him again.

“He remarried the year before last, to the junior sister who saved him,” Zhu Yijun continued. “Recently, he invented a torture device.”

Zhu Yijun did not have the actual torture instruments brought out, but instead gave Wang Jiaping a set of drawings. After looking at them, Wang Jiaping said with a very complicated expression, "How did he become like this?"

Fan Wuqi channeled all his frustrations and resentments into a sincere pursuit of medicine, designing a terrifying torture device known as the Iron Lady.

A two-panel, human-shaped iron frame was used to bind the prisoner. The two panels were closed, and then iron nails were inserted one by one, piercing through the prisoner's body. The iron frame was designed with a total of 360 nail holes. According to the study of the specimen, the nail holes did not cause any fatal injuries.

He suffered 360 knife wounds, all of which were minor.

This torture device, known as the Iron Lady, also has a very ingenious mechanism that can be adjusted up, down, left, and right according to the height and weight of the person, ensuring wide applicability and guaranteeing the safety of the perpetrator.

This thing was translated into a very romantic name by Li Yashi: Fatal Embrace.

The purpose of this torture device is to completely break down the criminal's psychological defenses, so that they will confess everything without hesitation, fearing that they will be tortured again after they have confessed. "He figured that after the ninth year of Wanli's reign, people of the Ming Dynasty were no longer allowed to enter the torture chamber. So many years have passed, and some people have forgotten the fear. This thing is a deterrent wherever it is placed." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "He has been making this thing for three years and has never used it once. As soon as he sees it, he basically abandons it."

"This is another book he wrote, 'Muscle Illustrated'," Zhu Yijun said, taking out another thick medical classic.

Fan Wuqi wasn't just tinkering with these torturous things; he also made contributions to medicine. Naturally, he also engaged in anatomy at the Dissection Institute. With Galileo's help, the two co-authored detailed rules of anatomy, "Illustrated Treatise on Muscles."

Galileo studied medicine and was passionate about it. After arriving in the Ming Dynasty, although he also studied astronomy and made outstanding contributions, he still loved medicine at heart.

This detailed explanation of muscles, accompanied by exquisite illustrations, can correct some past military training practices and improve the physical and military training of the Ming army.

Qi Jiguang praised it after reading it, and even revised it into a new version of swordsmanship, spearmanship, and staff techniques, making the force exerted faster and more powerful.

To make it easier for His Majesty to see, the chief physicians created an illustrated guide to help him learn about one muscle per day.

For example, when His Majesty was ten years old, his shoulders would hurt whenever he trained. At the time, everyone thought it was because Luo Sigong was not respectful and was not gentle enough when sparring. It took the Jieku Academy twenty years to solve the mystery.

At the age of ten, His Majesty was in poor physical condition. In addition to being overweight, he also had rounded shoulders and a hunchback, which resulted in a small subacromial space. This restricted the movement of the supraspinatus muscle, tendons, and other tissues, causing pain due to friction during movement. In severe cases, it could even lead to a rotator cuff tear.

At that time, the military commander Zhu Xixiao taught His Majesty martial arts, and his method of solving the problem was very crude; he simply opened the shoulders.

The chief physician Chen Shigong could not bear to look at that scene every time he thought about it. He didn't know whether to say that Zhu Xixiao was too bold or that His Majesty the Emperor was too stubborn. Forcing the shoulders open was extremely painful, comparable to opening the hips.

At that time, His Majesty opened his hips and shoulders, and even asked Zhu Xixiao if he had eaten.

Now, with just a few movements, you can improve rounded shoulders and hunchback, adjust your posture, and before exercise, a few stretching movements can release space under the shoulders, complete physical training, and train your shoulders at the same time.

Doing those few movements over a long period of time can completely improve one's posture, rather than forcing it directly. These are the research results of the Exorcism Institute. His Majesty did suffer a lot back then.

Zhu Yijun didn't care; these were all his own choices, and all the paths he had taken.

"Throughout his life, he may find solace in his own thoughts and contemplate within the confines of his room; or he may find solace in the world and roam freely beyond the constraints of his physical form. He has, in a way, found his own path." Wang Jiaping sighed with emotion. Back then, the two of them had both studied under Ge Shouli, but as time went by, Fan Wuqi and his companions drifted apart.

"I summoned you here because of the Western Merchant Alliance you mentioned." After reminiscing, Zhu Yijun began to discuss state affairs. The Western Merchant Alliance was related to the pace and rhythm of the Ming Dynasty's opening of the seas, a matter of great importance that required careful consideration.

Wang Jiaping spoke eloquently, sharing his innermost thoughts with His Majesty and explaining his three-step strategy in detail.

Like Wang Chonggu's New Sun Canal, Wang Jiaping believed that opening a canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea could completely save time traveling to the West, allowing the West's silver to be plundered into the Ming Dynasty more quickly, and restoring the Rongdi Qianhu garrison. This was Wang Jiaping's purpose.

However, this is a three-step process, and it's unclear when it will be completed.

Just as Li Yougong had said, Wang Jiaping's idea was to have it all: to resolve historical issues while also building on the past and moving forward.

The Ming Dynasty was a celestial empire; if it didn't want everything, wouldn't that be a waste of the national strength enhanced by the Wanli Reforms?

"I heard that recently, Minister Wan has even stopped going to his favorite brothels?" After asking about the policies, Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Wenqing and said jokingly. When Wan Wenqing went to Guangzhou Prefecture to serve as an official, he did so to admire the beauties of the world. Zhu Yijun knew about this little hobby of his.

"My mentor repeatedly warned me not to go, so I never went again," Wan Wenqing hurriedly replied. Who hasn't been young? Wu Weizhong, who shared the same interests and went south to Guangzhou with him back then, is now imprisoned.

Resources and beauty may be the most fervent pursuits when one has just achieved upward social mobility and become an official, but as time goes on, and as one's official rank rises from the bottom to the top of the officialdom, becoming a true ruling class, one's pursuits change.

In this life, one should leave something behind to make their existence worthwhile.

"Very good." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, and Li Yougong immediately understood. He brought out the reward that His Majesty had prepared in advance. Since it was a holiday and he was working overtime, there should naturally be some extra rewards.

"Your Majesty, we thank you for your great favor." Wang Jiaping and Wan Wenqing rose to express their gratitude and then took their leave. His Majesty then presented the gifts, signifying the end of the audience.

Wan Wenqing didn't speak until he had walked out of Tonghe Palace. He said in a low voice, "Teacher, isn't His Majesty supposed to be easy to get along with? How come there are rumors that he's capricious?"

Before his audience, he was somewhat apprehensive, but upon meeting His Majesty, he found that His Majesty was as gentle as ever, not even uttering a harsh word, always listening attentively, and asking questions whenever he encountered something he didn't understand.

“Of course, if you are a loyal and virtuous official, His Majesty will naturally be easy to get along with. If you were a treacherous minister, you would try again. Didn’t you see what happened to Wu Weizhong?” Wang Jiaping thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Becoming His Majesty’s enemy is a sad thing. Just focus on your work.”

"What did His Majesty bestow upon you?" Wan Wenqing looked at the Emperor's gifts: a bottle of national treasure, fifty silver coins, some tonic herbs, and powerful medicines from the Jiekuiyuan (a traditional Chinese medicine clinic), such as quinine and old brine. There was only one small jar that he didn't quite recognize.

"Black goji berries, for making tea." Wang Jiaping opened the package, looked at it, and said with a smile, "Good stuff, sent from Qinghai."

The tribute that Li Chengliang sent to the capital was supposedly from a longevity village where people could live to be a hundred years old and eat wild black goji berries. Li Chengliang was skeptical about this, but at his age, he had no taboos. He soaked the berries in water and drank them. After drinking them, he felt good and sent them to the capital as tribute.

This item has been a tribute item since the Tang Dynasty, and it is a top-grade medicinal food. However, after the Tianshun era, the Ming Dynasty completely lost the Seven Guards of Guanzhong, and this tribute item was discontinued. Now, Li Chengliang has found it again.

The court's day off did not mean the emperor's day off. Zhu Yijun had only rested for an extra hour these past few days, and the rest of the time he still had to deal with official documents and inspect the troops.

Just before the Lunar New Year, a shocking case occurred in the capital.

The wealthy Liu family, who had moved to the capital, bought a house in the western part of the city. During the renovation, they broke through the wall and discovered a hidden room inside, which contained 5,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels of silver.

In a panic, Liu went to the Shuntian Prefecture government office to report the incident. The Shuntian Prefecture government office followed the clues and found the owner of the house.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau immediately followed the clues and launched an anti-corruption operation. However, this case was an old case from years ago and did not happen during the Wanli era.

This residence originally belonged to Lu Fengyi. It was under Xu Jie's instruction that Lu Fengyi impeached Hu Zongxian on ten charges, leading to Hu Zongxian's death in prison.

Two years after the Wanli Emperor's reign, with Hu Zongxian being exonerated, Lu Fengyi could no longer withstand the gossip in the court and chose to retire. The Ming Emperor, seeing that he was willing to retire with dignity, approved his memorial to retire.

In the seventh year of the Wanli reign, Lu Fengyi had her family dispose of their property in the capital. This house was sold to a wealthy family who had moved to the capital. The wealthy family did not demolish any walls during the renovation, so the secret room was not discovered.

In the 21st year of the Wanli reign, the house was put up for sale again, and the secret room was discovered.

Liu's motive for reporting the matter to the authorities was very simple: with so much gold and silver, spending it would surely attract the attention of the tax authorities.

The tax inspectors of the tax bureau kept many henchmen who kept a close eye on these wealthy households. Once someone suddenly spent money that was disproportionate to their assets, it would trigger the tax bureau's tax inspection process.

After so many years of development, the tax bureau has made it a subconscious practice for all money to be taxed.

Because the Tax Bureau truly possessed its own independent armed force, and was a product of the struggle between those who paid taxes and those who did not, the evils of this government office were countless.

Liu dared not waste a single penny of silver, and immediately reported the matter to the authorities, thus getting rid of the hot potato.

Lu Fengyi was arrested last winter and handed over to the Northern Garrison Command on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The Northern Garrison Command interrogated him continuously throughout the New Year period before they finally understood the cause and effect.

This money did not belong to Lu Fengyi, nor to his master Xu Jie, but to the Ming Dynasty court.

The taxes of Songjiang Prefecture were first paid locally to Xu's residence, and then an empty document was sent to the capital to collect the money from the Prime Minister's residence before being deposited into the treasury.

Back then, Xu Jie was very powerful. The taxes from Songjiang Prefecture were not given to the imperial court, but to Xu Jie. Of course, Xu Jie would not conduct the business of collecting gold in his own residence. He would at least keep the lights off.

The tax revenue of Songjiang Prefecture was transferred to a residence in the western part of the city, which was Lu Fengyi's home.

The five thousand taels of gold and two hundred thousand taels of silver in the secret room were the remaining portion of the funds that had been circulating but not yet deposited into the treasury.

Lu Fengyi confessed that he had taken 50,000 taels of silver and 5,000 taels of gold and used them to lobby in the capital. Like Dai Fengxiang, he bribed several censors to jointly impeach Hai Rui and settle the case for Xu Jie.

"Why didn't Lu Fengyi take the silver?" Zhu Yijun asked, somewhat puzzled.

Li Yougong looked at the case file and shook his head, saying, "The silver belongs to Xu Jie. As long as Xu Jie is alive, Lu Fengyi wouldn't dare to touch it; now that Xu Jie is dead, Lu Fengyi would be even less likely to touch it."

If Xu Jie doesn't die, and Lu Fengyi has taken his mentor's money, he probably won't see the sun rise the next day.

Xu Jie was killed by the emperor, and His Majesty did not cover up this fact. If Lu Fengyi were to take more silver and it were exposed, it would be a death sentence. Therefore, this silver could only be piled up in a secret room.

Generally speaking, if someone discovers a secret room, they won't report it to the police. Instead, they'll keep it in their possession. Over time, the silver will find a new owner and will no longer be related to Lu Fengyi. In this way, Lu Fengyi can be considered to have escaped unscathed.

To everyone's surprise, the person who discovered the secret room chose to report it to the police.

Every sip and every bite is preordained. Lu Fengyi, who had been released by the imperial court and was preparing to enjoy his retirement, ultimately fell victim to money.

This case involves another of Xu Jie's protégés, Wang Yi'e, who still holds an important position in the court as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Wang Yi'e is a member of the Western Study, a candidate for cabinet minister, and a senior official.

According to Lu Fengyi's confession, at least 100,000 taels of silver belonged to Wang Yi'e.

"Just honestly confess your own problems, why are you making baseless accusations!" Zhu Yijun slammed his hand on the table as he looked at the last part of the case file. With Lu Fengyi making these accusations, Wang Yi'e would have no choice but to go to the Northern Garrison Command.

This was a huge blow to Wang Yi'e's reputation. Regardless of whether he had done it or not, the court officials and censors would certainly assume that he had done it. It would be extremely difficult for Wang Yi'e to get promoted again.

Zhu Yijun slammed his hand on the table again and said, "How can this be considered Wang Yi'e's money? Xu Jie opened a dish and asked Wang Yi'e to collect the money. Wang Yi'e refused to go and collect it because he refused to cooperate. Does that mean it's Wang Yi'e's money?"

After a face-to-face confrontation between Wang Yi'e and Lu Fengyi, it was made clear that the 100,000 taels of silver were given by Xu Jie, and Wang Yi'e never accepted them from beginning to end.

Several years have passed, and Wang Yi'e has completely forgotten about it.

The most troublesome part of this matter is why Xu Jie gave Wang Yi'e such a large sum of money. Wang Yi'e insisted that he couldn't remember and refused to say. Lu Fengyi was an innocent treacherous official who really didn't know. He only knew that he asked Wang Yi'e to collect the money, but Wang Yi'e didn't come.

"Prepare the carriage, I will go and ask him myself!" Zhu Yijun decided to ask Wang Yi'e personally what was going on, as he refused to say no matter what.

(End of this chapter)