I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1073 Junior Minister, I Have Some Doubts

Thanks to Luzon's long-standing use of paper money, Southeast Asia has widely accepted paper money as a general equivalent to measure the value of goods; at least paper money is much more valuable than seashells or stones.

His Majesty's credibility is so great that even rebels give him a thumbs up, not to mention the foreigners of Southeast Asia.

The ship throughput of Dianbai Port in Guangzhou Prefecture was no less than that of Songjiang Prefecture. As long as it was not a typhoon day, the sails of ships that covered the sky were busy day and night in the port, all year round.

“Songjiang Prefecture is going too far. It used to be six million strings of cash a year, but Songjiang Prefecture wanted to take two million strings, Shuntian Prefecture kept one million and five hundred thousand strings, Yingtian Prefecture kept one million strings, Zhejiang took one million strings, and Fuzhou and Guangzhou shared the remaining five hundred thousand strings.”

"What can 500,000 strings of cash do? It's not even enough to fill a tooth gap!" Hou Yuzhao said, talking about the circulation of gold and paper money. Songjiang Prefecture, relying on its economic status, didn't leave anyone else a single bite; it all went to Songjiang Prefecture.

The capital only had 150 million strings of cash, while Songjiang Prefecture alone had 200 million strings. That's how money is; it always flows to places that don't lack money.

After the land was returned to its original state, Zhejiang's economy was very vibrant, but the inflow of silver was insufficient, so the Ministry of Revenue had to give Zhejiang 100 million strings of cash.

Guangzhou Prefecture has been thirsty for far too long; this specially allocated 600 million guan is simply not enough.

"Moreover, Your Majesty, recently Songjiang Prefecture has even swallowed up most of the 600 million strings of cash from Luzon. Wang Qian used to rely on his father being the second-in-command to do whatever he wanted, pressuring the Ministry of Revenue to give the cash to Songjiang Prefecture. Now Songjiang Prefecture has gotten used to it, and has even swallowed 600 million strings of the 400 million strings from Luzon." Hou Yu Zhao then complained to the Songjiang Prefecture again.

Despite the fact that the local officials of Songjiang Prefecture acted like quails in front of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, letting His Majesty do as he pleased and obeying his every word, this incident has shown Songjiang Prefecture how to play the game.

They have one face in front of His Majesty, but a completely different face in front of the ministers.

In the eyes of the ministers, the local officials of Songjiang Prefecture were exceptionally arrogant.

The reason why Songjiang Prefecture was able to absorb so much paper money was entirely because Wang Qian relied on Wang Chonggu's position in the court to seek his own political achievements. In addition, Songjiang Prefecture really needed paper money, and Zhang Xueyan had no choice but to agree in the end.

Now things are really bad. Wang Qian has been sent to Luzon as governor. His father has passed away, and now it's his turn to suffer!
Of the 600 million strings of cash, only 200 million flowed into Luzon. Wang Qian was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't even bring back the precious paper money. What use was a governor to Luzon?

Boomerangs were everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Yijun never expected that Wang Qian could be hit by his own boomerang in such a way.

"Your Majesty, the Songjiang Prefecture is behaving terribly, allocating too little paper money to the Guangzhou Prefecture. The Guangzhou Prefecture had no choice but to issue official notes, along with private notes, just to maintain normal operations. If this continues, the Guangzhou Prefecture may have to issue its own gold notes." Hou Yu Zhao reminded His Majesty that the 600 million strings of cash must be issued.

The Guangzhou government was already issuing currency, and the proliferation of sugar coupons was a result of this. This was a helpless measure based on reality, not an act of rebellion.

But as time goes on, things become uncertain. Although the South Sea Fleet is stationed there, the capital is 6,000 miles away from Guangzhou. With the local government having complete control over the finances, it's unimaginable what might happen.

The people of Guangdong and Guangxi recognized the paper money, smugglers recognized the paper money, and even foreigners overseas recognized the paper money. When everyone could buy enough goods by waving the paper money in their hands, it had nothing to do with gold.

Hou Yuzhao, in his capacity as Minister of Finance and Junior Minister of Education, then discussed the issue of the three collapses of the Felipekin bonds.

Gold bonds are not based entirely on how much gold Felipe possesses, but rather exist as a form of currency.

When people could use gold bonds to buy enough goods in Seville, the trading house of the new world, the gold bonds were anchored by multiple factors: Felipe's personal credit, the supreme status of the Spanish British Empire, and the endless supply of goods.

The collapse of the gold bonds was a result of the English stirring up the entire Atlantic trade mess.

People discovered that gold bonds could not buy enough goods, so the anchor of the gold bonds returned from multiple anchors to the gold in Felipe's hands, which was clearly insufficient.

These views were already clearly discussed in Wang Wending and Wang Guoguang's "Memorial on the Anchoring of Precious Papers," a memorial submitted in the ninth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

"Then issue it." Zhu Yijun was finally persuaded. He sighed and said, "I have thought about what you said carefully. The ministers have their considerations, and I have mine. I have always been unwilling to issue more than the required amount because of the lessons learned from the Hongwu Treasure Notes. I have to be extremely cautious."

"If the nation loses its credibility, the world will begin to doubt it. I do not possess the prestige of the founding emperor. If the currency collapses again due to over-issuance, how will I face the people of the world?"

As emperor and the source of the precious paper money, he was responsible to the people. His adherence to the conservative monetary policy was to prevent the past from repeating itself. This was his duty as the emperor, who was responsible for the nation and its people. Supported by hundreds of millions of people, he had to shoulder this responsibility.

Hou Yuzhao suddenly stood up, raised his hand high, clenched his fist, and shouted: "If it collapses, so be it! If it collapses, just say it's a private printing company! If it collapses, just shut down the company, confiscate their property, and cash out! If it collapses, just reprint it!"

?

Zhu Yijun looked at Hou Yuzhao with great surprise. He thought that Hou Yuzhao, Zhang Xueyan, and Wang Guoguang were all conservatives. He did not expect that Hou Yuzhao was actually an extreme radical!

What do you mean by "the paper money collapsed"? Hou Yu Zhao has some nerve!
Hou Yuzhao's excited appearance almost provoked a reaction from the official in charge of etiquette. Seeing that Hou Yuzhao was not trying to provoke His Majesty, the official in charge of etiquette put away his sword.

Your Majesty's imposing physique is enough to defeat ten marquises in Zhao.

"Your Majesty, let's take Felipe's gold bonds as an example. So what if they collapse? As long as Felipe remains the supreme ruler of the world, his gold bonds can collapse a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, and he can still continue to issue them! Because there are countless heads of foreign barbarians supporting his gold bonds!"

"As long as the Ming Dynasty maintains its commodity advantage, the Gold Notes can be reprinted and updated indefinitely! What if it's over-issued? The barbarians will naturally bear the consequences!" Hou Yuzhao explained again that the Gold Notes could continue to collapse indefinitely.

Too many people could bear the blame for these crimes.

For example, if treacherous officials are in power, drag the Grand Minister and the Junior Minister out and behead them together; if extravagant households disregard the overall situation and privately print paper money, confiscate their property and use the land redemption and equal distribution of land to redeem the gold and paper money; if that still doesn't work, then use Western methods, use the heads of barbarians, to restore credibility!
There are solutions. The biggest problem with the Gold Treasure Note is that the actual owners of the Gold Treasure Note are unwilling to issue it.

Hou Yuzhao could fully understand His Majesty's concerns, but he hoped that His Majesty could be a little more radical. For more than 20 years, His Majesty had always been very wary of the issuance of paper money.

"Your Majesty, orderly price increases are beneficial to people's livelihoods, while a money shortage is entirely detrimental to them." Hou Yuzhao was very agitated, but he still sat down and tried to persuade His Majesty from the perspective of the Ministry of Revenue.

An orderly rise in prices can stimulate the emergence of workshops, as wealthy and powerful people prefer to invest their money in industries rather than save it up, and everyone can make money. On the other hand, a money shortage leading to stable or even declining prices means that no one can make money. It may seem stable, but it also means missing opportunities.

Zhu Yijun said with a solemn expression, "Young Minister, debt will spiral upwards; any debt will increase faster and faster."

"It took twelve years for Felipekin bonds to go from being over-issued by one to three times, but only five years to go from three times to seven times. And it only took one year to go from seven times to the collapse of fourteen times over-issued. Gold notes are essentially debts, debts owed by the Emperor and the court to all the people."

“If we only consider paper money as a tool of governance, then the current targeted issuance would not be six million strings of cash, but twenty million strings of cash.”

"The more carefree you are when you borrow money, the more miserable you are when you have to pay it back. The larger the debt, the greater the pain of repayment."

Paper money is not a precious metal currency like gold, silver, or copper. Paper money represents debt. The more paper money issued, the more money is borrowed. With more money borrowed, everything seems to be thriving and prosperous. It seems that the Ming Dynasty is about to break free from the curse of dynastic cycles and continue to prosper for generations to come.

When it's time to repay the debt, industrial relocation orders will be issued, leaving people without a livelihood and jobs. Wages will drop rapidly, and this disparity will quickly increase social discontent. In addition, the lives of ordinary people will become extremely difficult.

This is the first reason why Zhu Yijun was so conservative in his monetary policy: debt would exacerbate the fluctuations in the development cycle, and the greater the debt, the greater the fluctuations, and the greater the impact on the people.

Zhu Yijun continued, "Only a few coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty have completed the transformation into a commodity economy. The underlying economy is still a small-scale peasant economy. A small-scale peasant economy cannot withstand any risks. Moreover, the court overestimated the driving effect of the rapid development of the coastal areas on the hinterland."

"The fact is that this kind of driving force is not obvious, or even has a negative effect. The negative effect is easy to understand: the population and labor force in the hinterland are being lost, the land is being abandoned, people are abandoning their homes and businesses and leaving their homeland to go to the coastal areas. The population is not only laborers, but also educated talents, powerful and influential people, and local gentry."

"For example, there are a lot of Shanxi merchants in Yangzhou. These Shanxi merchants bought property and settled down in Yangzhou. They had acquired wealth in Shanxi, but brought that wealth to Yangzhou."

"This carriage isn't as powerful as I thought."

This is the second reason why Zhu Yijun is so conservative: regional development is unbalanced. The rapid development of coastal areas has not effectively radiated to the hinterland, and has even drained the hinterland of its resources.

Increasing the issuance of paper money and increasing investment in coastal areas exacerbated this imbalance.

"I have another concern, Junior Minister, please calm down and let me finish." Zhu Yijun could see that Hou Yuzhao was indeed a little anxious, so he reassured him before saying, "There is another issue that I must consider."

"Making money by printing money is too fast. Once the imperial court gets used to making money by printing money, it will deviate from the real economy and turn from industry to finance. All it needs to do is issue money to enjoy endless glory. When faced with any problem, the first thing it will think of is issuing money."

"It seems that as long as the money is issued, all the problems will be solved."

"But goods never grow out of the shelves."

The third reason for the conservative monetary policy is that printing money is too profitable! The shift away from the real economy and towards the financial sector becomes inevitable. When people can make money from finance, will the whole society, from the government to the common people, still want to do real business to make money?
Zhu Yijun believes that monetary policy should be inherently conservative.

"So, since you've just returned to court, you don't really know me. I don't really care about my reputation. Whether you call me tyrannical or cruel, those powerful and influential people don't even have the courage to have their mouthpieces criticize me anymore. I don't care about my reputation, but can you answer these three questions of mine, Young Master?" Zhu Yijun looked at Hou Yuzhao calmly.

Hou Yuzhao sighed. More than twenty years ago, he had heard that the emperor's repeated "I have doubts" had left the genius Zhang Juzheng dizzy. Even during court discussions, Zhang Juzheng would ponder the emperor's doubts and lose his mind several times.

Now, it is Hou Yu Zhao's turn to face His Majesty's three questions.

I can't stand it, I can't stand it at all.

"I cannot answer any of them." Hou Yu Zhao was an honest man. He frankly admitted that he was not capable enough to answer His Majesty's questions. Not to mention him, no one in the world could answer these three questions.

In fact, Hou Yu Zhao was not only unable to persuade His Majesty, but was also somewhat persuaded by His Majesty, as the massive over-issuance of currency was an irresponsible act.

The massive over-issuance of currency is a form of lazy governance. With this kind of lazy governance that spirals upwards while stepping on its own two feet, His Majesty can play around for at least twenty or thirty years, which is more than enough to create a Wanli era of prosperity that is unparalleled in history.

As for decades later, when it's time to pay off the debt, future generations will naturally have the wisdom to do so.

The prosperous era was created by Your Majesty. If your descendants fail to maintain it, it is because they are unfilial.

But Wang Guoguang said it well: any debt, no matter what form it is, must be repaid. No one and nothing can be an exception.

"Old Zhao, let me tell you, I actually want to issue currency. The silver dam is concentrated in the metropolis. The people have been suffering from a shortage of money for many years and are longing for rain, just like farmers looking at their cracked earth and hoping that God will send some rain."

“In the past, the imperial court and the emperor did not have enough credibility to issue paper money. The people used money to buy paper money and used flying money. The powerful and wealthy merchants used these large and small coins, and the interest rate difference between good and bad coins, to profit. The people suffered greatly.”

"I also want to, but I can't figure out these three questions, and neither can my ministers. I can only bear it." "The current 1800 million strings of cash is almost three times the amount that has been overissued. If it weren't for the Ming Dynasty's commodity advantage and the fact that the Ming Dynasty has the most diligent people who produce enough goods to support the paper money, the paper money would have gone bankrupt for the first time by now." Zhu Yijun also looked troubled.

Hou Yu Zhao wasn't acting in his own self-interest. If he were, things would be simpler: just drag him out and behead him.

But this is a very difficult problem to solve.

"The Guangzhou government will still receive the six million strings of cash, but it has been agreed that this is a special issuance, not the usual practice. Next year, the issuance will be targeted at specific individuals, and there will only be six million strings of cash." Zhu Yijun made the final decision.

"Your Majesty is wise." Hou Yu Zhao sighed. In the end, he failed to persuade His Majesty to issue more currency, but he himself was persuaded instead.

Sometimes, conservatives don't really want to be conservative; they just have no other choice.

Hou Yuzhao left Yanqing Palace and returned to the Ministry of Revenue in Songjiang Prefecture. He sat motionless in the grand chair, quietly pondering the Emperor's three questions. If he could solve just one of them, he could persuade the Emperor to issue more money. However, he pondered for a long, long time but could not solve a single one.

"Alas, the affairs of the nation are fraught with difficulties, and we should strive forward." Hou Yuzhao could only seek solutions through development.

"Young Minister, Grand Secretary Wang from the Ministry of Justice has arrived." A clerk rushed in to report to Hou Yu Zhao that Wang Jiaping had come looking for him.

"Please come in quickly." Hou Yuzhao stood up, strode out, and came to the door to greet Wang Jiaping.

"Greetings, Grand Secretary Wang." Hou Yu Zhao bowed respectfully.

Wang Jiaping said with a smile, "You're too kind, Junior Minister. I've come here today specifically to thank you for your help. My troublesome disciple came to me asking for an additional six million strings of cash. When I heard about this, I knew His Majesty would definitely not agree, so I sternly refused him."

"I never expected that Wan Wenqing would actually come to the Junior Minister for help. I'm so grateful for your help, Junior Minister."

Wan Wenqing has connections in the court, but these connections were ineffective in this targeted share issuance, as Wang Jiaping did not intervene.

Wan Wenqing was the prefect of Guangzhou. When his teacher ignored him, he went through the proper channels and went to the Minister of Revenue to make a scene, insisting that Hou Yuzhao help him no matter what.

How could Hou Yuzhao not know that this was a hot potato? His Majesty's conservative policy towards paper money has been in place for quite some time, but Hou Yuzhao still went.

This is something that everyone always brings up: Hou Yuzhao is really different from others. Others try to avoid trouble as much as possible, but Hou Yuzhao always does what needs to be done and never shirks his responsibilities.

It seems that all these officials are here to become officials, except for Hou Yu Zhao, who has come to truly govern the country and bring peace to the world.

Wang Jiaping also had to personally visit to express his gratitude. Since his disciple had asked someone to do a favor, and the matter was successfully resolved, Wang Jiaping had to show his respect.

"It's a matter of state, Grand Secretary Wang, you're being too serious." Hou Yuzhao didn't take it seriously at all. He hadn't expected Wang Jiaping to come. As for the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Xueyan was already too old. If Hou Yuzhao didn't care, who would? He pushed it all to His Majesty to handle. Even if His Majesty were a god with three clones, he still wouldn't be able to handle it all.

After expressing his gratitude, Wang Jiaping frowned and said, "Young Minister, you look so gloomy. Did His Majesty reprimand you for asking for the precious paper money? My disciple is just causing you trouble."

"No, that's not it. Although His Majesty was surprised, he didn't reprimand me. The Guangdong and Guangxi regions needed money, and with the establishment of the Western Merchant Alliance, there was always money to be spent, so he approved it. It was His Majesty who asked me three questions, and I couldn't answer a single one of them. I was extremely ashamed."

"Your Majesty has shown your sincerity, yet I am unable to share Your Majesty's burdens and solve your problems." Hou Yu Zhao repeated the three doubts of His Majesty.

Wang Jiaping sat down and pondered for a long time, finding it increasingly difficult, and his face clouded with worry.

Wang Jiaping leaned back in his chair and shook his head, saying, "I can't help it either. This isn't a matter of talent. Even the Grand Secretary probably can't help it. If the Grand Secretary had talent, His Majesty wouldn't have been so puzzled until now."

The rapid growth of the debt spiral and the economic fluctuations caused by debt cycles, the unbalanced regional development, and the most dreaded issue of the shift away from the real economy towards the virtual economy—these three problems are all increasingly difficult to address.

"It's difficult. There's not much I can do to help Shao Situ. There's something I can do about the regional imbalance. Building roads can alleviate the second problem a little, but only to a certain extent." Wang Jiaping knew clearly that roads couldn't solve the fundamental problem; it was determined by geography.

Wang Jiaping served as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, but before that, there was only a governor-general. At that time, Wang Jiaping had already led troops.

One problem that every governor-general had to face was transporting provisions for war.

Of the 500 li journey, only 50% was actually completed; the rest was losses, leaving the people and horses to eat and graze.

Of the 1,000 li journey, only 25% actually took place, with the remaining 75% being losses.
If it's two thousand miles, then less than half of it will actually be there.

With 10,000 troops, they could march a thousand miles and transport 160,000 shi of grain per month, totaling 192 million shi per year.

The annual land tax of the Ming Dynasty was only about 20 million shi (a unit of dry measure). In other words, a small-scale battle with 10,000 soldiers would cost only one-tenth of the annual land tax of the Ming Dynasty.

When the Ming Dynasty entered Korea to fight against the Japanese pirates, it communicated with Korea many times about the issue of food supplies. It wasn't that the Ming Dynasty was stingy; war was just too expensive. Tens of thousands of troops could be drained of the Ming Dynasty in three to five years.

The only solution is to use river canals if possible, and sea canals if possible, which can reduce losses by more than ten times.

The logic of transporting grain and goods is the same. After the technical difficulties of sea transport are gradually overcome, the coastal areas with developed sea transport become natural economic centers. The uneven development in this one region can only be alleviated by the imperial road, not cured, nor is there a way to cure it.

After careful consideration, Wang Jiaping continued, "If the Western Merchants Alliance operates stably, and the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway opens smoothly, then His Majesty can issue an additional six million strings of cash every year."

If we break down His Majesty's doubts, we can see the main contradiction, which is the inconvenience of transportation. The imperial road can alleviate this problem. If we break it down further, we will find that in addition to the imperial road, there is also the question of whether the Western merchant alliance can operate stably.

The Beijing-Guangzhou Expressway is expected to be fully operational by the middle of next year at the latest, but whether the Western Merchants Alliance can operate becomes the key issue.

"Will the Western Merchant Alliance be able to operate as smoothly as the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance?" Hou Yu Zhao asked with great anticipation. If it could operate smoothly, it could add another fifty years to the Ming Dynasty's reign.

This is no exaggeration. The gold, silver and other raw materials from the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance have given the Ming Dynasty a much-needed breath, a breath that will sustain it for fifty years.

"The scale may be a little smaller, but it's still just as good." Wang Jiaping was quite confident about this. Although there was no silver, the other raw materials were what the Ming Dynasty needed.

The Western merchant alliance provided raw materials, the Ming Dynasty used these materials to produce sufficient goods, and the Pan-Pacific merchant alliance provided ample amounts of precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper. With the opening of the seas during the Wanli era, the Great Triangle trade was completely stabilized.

With this one big breath, the Ming Dynasty secured its two-hundred-year reign.

"And let me tell you, the Marquis of Shuri, Chen Lin, Lou Hu, and Luo Shangzhi fought this battle in Annam so well that all these Western envoys were trembling with fear."

“You have no idea, Gao Zongbo complains to me every day that these barbarians have no self-awareness and are always asking for exorbitant prices.”

"Now it's all good. After the battle, everything is quiet. Even the etiquette is perfected. They no longer take advantage of their barbarian status to demand exorbitant prices, which greatly promotes the establishment of the Western Merchant Alliance."

"It's very necessary to project our influence overseas," Wang Jiaping said, sounding quite pleased with himself as he spoke of the Western Merchant Alliance.

For his contribution to the Western Merchants Alliance, Wang Jiaping was fully entitled to be buried in Jinshan Cemetery after his death. In the future, he would be one of the meritorious officials of the Wanli Reform, and his name would be remembered in history along with Zhang Juzheng, Qi Jiguang, Wang Chonggu, Tan Lun and others.

"That's good, that's good." Hou Yuzhao's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

During the Ming Dynasty, there was a convection system around the Grand Canal called the coal-silver convection. Although it is rarely mentioned, it does not mean that the coal-silver convection was not operating; in fact, it operated very smoothly.

The completion of the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway was equivalent to giving the Ming Dynasty another major artery. The Ming Dynasty planned to establish more than a hundred official factories in the north, which would allow the exchange of goods and currency to resume.

Once one thing is understood, everything will fall into place. Your Majesty has absolutely no need to resort to excessive spending with endless consequences, living beyond your means and leaving future generations with a legacy of misfortune.

Printing money is lazy governance. Your Majesty has chosen a more difficult path. The path of reform is already difficult, yet Your Majesty is unwilling to lighten your burden. There could have been a lighter approach. Of course, this is Your Majesty's sense of responsibility and one of the cornerstones of Your Majesty's credibility.

On the third day of the ninth month, the Ming emperor, like a migratory bird, boarded a ship again and left Yanqing Palace for Yangzhou Prefecture.

These days, whether you're traveling by boat or the main road back to Beijing, it's actually quite uncomfortable.

The journey was arduous, and Zhu Yijun's two trips in one year were for the peace and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. No one could find fault with the emperor in this matter.

To some extent, the entire Ming Dynasty had reached a consensus that His Majesty was indeed a wise ruler, and that replacing him with someone else would be far inferior to him, even if it were a powerful and influential figure.

Because His Majesty desires the development of the Ming Dynasty, not the death of powerful and influential figures and the replacement of those with less talent. Such individuals, driven by greed, might kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

His Majesty never does things that kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, but instead lets powerful and influential people be the goose that lays the golden eggs.

The wealthy households were quite satisfied with this responsibility. The hen that lays golden eggs has extremely high value, which means that His Majesty will not kill the hen easily, but will instead raise it well.

What people fear most is not being used, but having no value to be used at all.

Zhu Yijun returned to the capital on September 19th. After getting off the train at Chaoyangmen Station, he looked around and said somewhat bewilderedly to Feng Bao, who had come to greet him, "Feng Bao, I have stayed in Songjiang Prefecture twice without any accidents. Unlike Emperor Shizong, who was in danger even while staying in the palace, let alone making a southern tour."

"The capital is also peaceful and calm." Feng Bao's words even carried a hint of regret.

Although Feng Bao had retired, he was still a senior figure in the palace. After the emperor left the capital, he and Luo Sigong worked together to protect the crown prince's safety.

Feng Bao had already planned his end. Someone wanted to deal with the Crown Prince and undermine the Emperor's prestige. As the patriarch, Feng Bao stepped forward after His Majesty left the capital and died protecting the Crown Prince!

What an exquisite ending!
In the future, he will become a virtuous eunuch of the Ming Dynasty. I dare not say that he is on par with the eunuch Zheng He, but he will be ranked below him.

For this reason, Feng Bao personally took care of the Crown Prince's daily life, especially by preparing the dishes himself, all in order to leave a lasting legacy of loyalty to the emperor and be remembered in history.

But those cowardly, ugly, and filthy demons and monsters don't even have that much courage!
(End of this chapter)