I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1075 A Treacherous Minister in the Court Plots to Harm the Emperor
Zhu Yijun's serious illness terrified the entire Ming Dynasty.

Beginning in early October of the twenty-second year, memorials from various regions began to arrive in the capital, all containing the same message: urging His Majesty to neglect state affairs.

Such a request was extremely rare. For nearly a hundred years, the entire Ming Dynasty bureaucracy had been asking the emperor to be diligent in his duties. This memorial requesting the emperor to neglect his duties was as rare as the sun rising in the west.

Zhu Yijun naturally assumed it was just polite talk. After all, the emperor had just recovered from a serious illness and had only managed to escape a calamity thanks to decades of consistent efforts. It was perfectly reasonable for him to offer some words of blessing.

But soon, this sentiment spread more and more widely throughout the court and beyond, and the emperor realized that his officials were serious and genuinely asking him to relax his vigilance a little.

Before the Wanli Reforms, the country was in turmoil and nearly collapsed, riddled with internal contradictions, and conflicts between officials, soldiers and civilians became increasingly intense. However, as the Wanli Reforms continued for twenty-two years, the country became stable.

People gradually got used to the emperor's style of doing things; His Majesty was not benevolent, but he was reasonable.

It's not easy to have a reasonable emperor. People from all walks of life feel that it's not easy. Now that the country is stable, His Majesty has been made to look like this by the long journey.

"These officials are always finding excuses for me, saying that I suffered this misfortune because I didn't follow the doctor's orders. So many memorials, yet not one of them mentions this point. Even upright and honest officials like Shen Li, Xu Chengchu, and Fan Yuanshan avoid the topic." Zhu Yijun was slightly dissatisfied with the integrity of the Ming Dynasty officials, feeling that they were not tough enough.

“Your Majesty, on the surface it appears to be a case of not following medical advice, but in reality it is indeed due to long-term overwork. I believe that what the officials have said is not wrong.” Zhang Hong expressed his opinion tactfully. The court officials did not focus on the secondary issue of not following medical advice, but rather on the primary issue of overwork.

Your Majesty's illness is ultimately caused by overwork.

“That’s true.” Zhu Yijun thought about it and realized that Zhang Hong was right. With his desperate attitude, this calamity was bound to come sooner or later.

Even some powerful figures, local gentry, and wealthy merchants began to express their opinions through various means. They asked the emperor to rest for a while and come again. They said that since His Majesty was alright, they would probably have to leave first.

"This Prefect of Songjiang, Hu Junde, is making a fool of himself!" Zhu Yijun severely criticized Hu Junde's actions and issued an imperial edict ordering Hu Junde to release a large number of powerful and influential figures in Songjiang.

This time, when the emperor fell seriously ill, even Sun Kehong, who had already retired, was arrested.

When news of His Majesty's serious illness reached Songjiang Prefecture, a rumor spread that the followers of the Blissful Sect, in collusion with evil spirits, performed a ritual to summon the Emperor's soul before his passing.

Songjiang Prefecture immediately launched a comprehensive investigation, which uncovered nearly a thousand members of the Blissful Cult and the evil spirits that call back souls.

As the emperor's condition worsened, Hu Junde's investigation became increasingly thorough. Anyone with even the slightest connection was arrested. A maid in Sun Kehong's household was found to be a member of the Blissful Cult, and Sun Kehong's entire family was imprisoned without exception.

Not only Sun Kehong, but almost all the well-known powerful and influential figures in Songjiang were arrested and imprisoned.

If the emperor were to actually pass away, what would become of this large group of powerful and influential figures? They would likely be forced to commit suicide alongside the emperor.

This kind of thing didn't just happen in Songjiang Prefecture; it also happened in Yangzhou, Hangzhou, and Yingtian. The wealthier a place is, the less it lacks material things. Some maids and servants who don't lack food and clothing are easily bewitched by these evil spirits.

It's not exactly nonsense.

In the Ming Dynasty as a whole, it was a social consensus to hold people accountable for what happened and for someone to take responsibility.

So, if a wise and powerful emperor, a restorer of the dynasty, suddenly passes away, someone has to be held responsible. It makes perfect sense that powerful figures, dissatisfied with the court's policies and harboring resentment, would hire someone to commit a curse and kill him.

If it wasn't the powerful and influential right-wingers who did it, could it have been the officials?
Zhu Yijun immediately drafted an edict to release all the wealthy households who had suffered unjustly. Of course, two or three of these households were not entirely innocent; they had deep connections with these evil spirits and were even the financial backers of these evil spirits.

With such high pressure from the imperial court, it's impossible that there are still nearly a thousand evil spirits in Songjiang Prefecture without anyone supporting them.

This was also the fundamental basis for Hu Junde to expand the case, and even the Censorate could not find any problems with Hu Junde.

The reason given by the powerful and influential officials for requesting His Majesty to take care of his health left Zhu Yijun somewhat dumbfounded.

It wasn't that they particularly respected the emperor; they dared to speak, but Zhu Yijun (Emperor Yijun) dared not listen. The powerful and influential families were mainly worried about the paper money. With His Majesty gone, the Crown Prince was only thirteen years old. How could he have the credibility to continue issuing paper money?

When the paper money was discontinued, the Ming Dynasty immediately faced a money shortage, which was the sum of a lack of currency and a lack of currency circulation.

During the nearly one month that the emperor was seriously ill, the value of gold in the Ming Dynasty depreciated rapidly, and the price of silver soared three times a day. It wasn't until the emperor swaggered in front of all his ministers that the prices of gold and silver stabilized.

The powerful and influential truly implore Your Majesty to take care of your health. Preserving your health is to protect the country and its people. Please don't push yourself so hard. It's not like the difficult situation in the early years of the Wanli Emperor's reign. Enjoy some leisure time.

"Indeed." Zhu Yijun finally approved these memorials in his imperial seal, issued an imperial edict, and announced that he had begun to 'neglect his duties'!

However, this imperial edict on neglecting his duties was merely to appease the people; he granted himself leave, taking one day off every six days.

Craftsmen typically worked twelve days and rested one day. This reform changed it to six days and one day off. However, the emperor had almost no rest during his twenty-two years of service. Even during the New Year holiday, he was constantly on the go, meeting with officials, elders, and common people, and handling memorials from the Imperial Gate.

Zhu Yijun only noticed the hard work of the craftsmen after seeing the ministers, court officials, officials from all over the country, and powerful and influential people submitting memorials. Only then did Zhu Yijun realize that he himself seemed to be working too hard.

The one-day-out-of-six-days-a-week break was already a compromise by Zhu Yijun; any more rest would likely have disrupted the smooth flow of government affairs.

"Your Majesty, the chief physician has given instructions that Your Majesty should review the troops every five days for the next three months. Once Your Majesty has recovered, you can resume your normal routine." Zhang Hong reminded His Majesty to follow the physician's orders.

These thirty pounds of weight loss aren't just about losing flesh; they're about losing your spirit, your life.

Three months of recuperation is only possible if His Majesty is in good health; otherwise, it would take even longer.

"This time I will certainly follow the doctor's advice. Even if I go to the capital garrison, it will only be to take a look, and I will absolutely not conduct a military inspection." Zhu Yijun agreed. Conducting a military inspection every five days and having a three-month recovery period, the doctor's advice was very reasonable.

On October 14th, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty convened another grand court assembly. This time, he walked from Chengtian Gate into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, mainly to let all the officials in the capital see that he had really recovered well, and to save them from panic.

In addition, he announced the victory in Annam.

Luo Shangzhi attacked Thang Long City, fighting seventeen battles of varying sizes along the way. When he arrived at Thang Long City, 70,000 Southwest Han troops led by Liu Ting, Qi Jimei, and others marched south from Lang Son and arrived at the city.

With attacks launched by both land and sea, Zheng Song was completely disoriented. Before the internal strife in the city had even subsided, the Ming army arrived at the city walls.

Meanwhile, commander-in-chief Chen Lin led his troops south, heading straight for Da Nang.

To Chen Lin's surprise, the Annamese Southern Army was much weaker than the Northern Army. With just two volleys of fire from four fast sailing ships, each thirty-three feet long, the lord of Da Nang surrendered, and the Ming army successfully took over Da Nang.

Annam, like a heavy carrying pole at both ends, was cut in half.

Once the Ming Dynasty's first-stage strategic objective is achieved—the capture of Thang Long City—it can be declared complete.

After the grand court assembly concluded, Zhu Yijun convened a special court meeting to discuss the military campaign against Annam. Military affairs were of paramount importance to the dynasty, and Zhu Yijun would always convene such meetings to hear the advice of his civil and military officials whenever military matters were involved.

“Your Majesty, the Mingxiang Society, people from the North.” Grand Secretary Shen Shixing stepped forward, his expression quite complicated, and said, “Zheng Song has somewhat trapped himself.”

The army's smooth advance was undoubtedly due to the overwhelming power and prestige of the Ming army, as well as the influence of the Mingxiang Society.

On the Ming side, it was believed that the Mingxiang Society was the trump card that Zheng Song and the other five leaders and seventy-two surnames used to manipulate the Ming Dynasty, but Shen Shixing's assessment was that they had made a trap for themselves.

The Mingxiang Society was a system concocted by the Annamite court to systematically oppress the so-called northern people. Ironically, this oppression united the Ming people of Annam.

When the Ming army arrived, the Ming army didn't even need to worry about food supplies. The Mingxiang Society provided manpower, food, and carts, and directly surrendered to the Ming army with their provisions and supplies.

The 70,000 Southwestern Han Chinese troops and 30,000 naval troops reached the walls of Thang Long, where their numbers increased from 100,000 to 200,000. These Mingxiang people and Northern Chinese actively participated in the war, providing the Ming army with a great deal of intelligence, making the campaign one-way transparent.

No movement of the Annamite army could be kept secret from the Ming army, and the battle was going very smoothly.

“Once they leave the Ming Dynasty, they love the Ming Dynasty.” Shen Shixing also pointed out an objective fact: these people from the Mingxiang Society may have left the Ming Dynasty with strong resentment, but once they arrived overseas, they became reasonable. Overseas, no one would indulge them.

Moreover, the Mingxiang Society system solved a terrible problem: the issue of unity among Ming people who went overseas.

People from the Ming Dynasty who went to sea were not very united, but the Mingxiang Society's system of oppression actually made these people from the Ming Dynasty highly organized.

"Isn't this the same as the five rulers and seventy-two clans establishing a large number of Han towns in Annam?" Zhu Yijun suddenly understood what Shen Shixing meant; the biggest problem with Annam's system had arrived.

You want to unite the people of the Ming Dynasty and still expect to have a good life?
In his book "On China", Li Yashi discussed the only way to defeat China, which was not to put too much pressure on China, or rather the Ming Dynasty, and to keep the Ming Dynasty trapped in the internal conflicts of interest between its various factions.

If sufficient external pressure is applied to the Ming Dynasty, it may actually help the people of the Ming Dynasty escape the quagmire of internal strife.

When Zhang Juzheng first met Li Yashi, he realized a problem: the emergence of the title "Empire on which the sun never sets" had brought a great impact to the Ming Dynasty.

China is a typical example of performance-based success. It hasn't even achieved the goal of "the sun never sets," so how can it call itself a superior nation?
Ultimately, the Ming Dynasty achieved a pseudo-global prosperity by bestowing the title of King of Portugal upon Antonio and completed the establishment of its legal system. However, this was not a true victory. A true victory is a genuine victory. A pseudo-global prosperity is ultimately a pseudo-global prosperity, and the opening of the seas quickly became a consensus in the court.

This is what Li Yashi meant when he said not to put any external pressure on the Ming Dynasty, otherwise it would unite as one, and the only way to achieve this is to divide it.

The biggest problem with the Mingxiang Society is that the five rulers and seventy-two clans of Annam have put enough pressure on the Ming people who went to sea. Even if the Ming army does not arrive, over time, the Ming people of the Mingxiang Society will have the ability to fight back against them.

The people of the Ming Dynasty were not docile. When the Ming court collected land taxes, armed resistance against taxes was common.

“Your Majesty is wise. I was initially worried about the Northerners of the Mingxiang Society, who would be difficult to deal with. But now I am not worried at all. The more fierce the Ming army’s attack, the safer they will be,” Shen Shixing said sincerely.

Zhu Yijun clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "I really didn't expect this. I was still struggling with how to deal with it. I was thinking that since the five chieftains and seventy-two clans dared to attack the Han people of the Mingxiang Society, I could only kill them all to avenge them."

“Your Majesty, these Mingxiang tribes are natural military garrisons and outposts. With a little improvement, they will become the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty’s rule over Annam.” Li Rusong stepped forward, bowed his head and said, “Your Majesty, I humbly request that you issue an edict to pacify the northern peoples of the Mingxiang tribes.”

Li Rusong's idea of ​​requesting an imperial decree to pacify the Mingxiang Society officially began court discussions.

Soon, his proposal was approved by almost everyone. Only Liang Menglong felt that the reform process must involve breaking up and reorganizing the people into households, and at the same time conscripting enough Han Chinese from Guangdong and Guangxi into the military garrisons, in order to be considered a successful reform.

Ultimately, Li Rusong and Liang Menglong's proposals to pacify the Mingxiang Society and reform its structure were unanimously approved by the court officials.

"Then let's proceed according to General Li and the Grand Marshal's plan." Zhu Yijun affixed his vermilion seal to the imperial edict of pacification drafted by the cabinet.

"Your Majesty issued an edict the day before yesterday, decreeing that there be one day off every six days. Your Majesty, I beg you to take care of your health," Shen Shixing said, bowing his head again. The impact of the Emperor's serious illness this time was far greater than the Emperor and the court had anticipated. After His Majesty recovered, almost all the temples and Taoist monasteries in the capital were overflowing with people, as powerful and wealthy people went to fulfill their vows.

On the one hand, His Majesty really released those powerful and influential people who had suffered undeserved calamities, which is a rare instance of His Majesty showing favoritism towards them in recent years.

The law is a tool of rule; to obtain justice is to obtain favor and divine favor. The powerful and wealthy understand all too well how rare justice is.

On the other hand, His Majesty is in good health, and the Yanxinglou Trading House and the Gold and Silver Market have reopened. The opening has been met with a surge in prices across the board, which means that the economy of the Ming Dynasty has more certainty. In addition, His Majesty was seriously ill and made a wish, so fulfilling that wish is inevitable.

"Your Majesty, there are also unusual movements in the capital garrison, and people are in a state of panic," Li Rusong reminded the emperor.

During the emperor's serious illness, a very terrible rumor spread in the capital garrison: there were treacherous officials in the court who wanted to assassinate His Majesty, and that His Majesty had raised an army of six thousand for the day!

This treacherous official specifically named Shen Shixing.

Because the emperor passed away, Shen Shixing was the biggest beneficiary. With the crown prince being young and the old emperor gone and the new emperor ascending the throne, Shen Shixing became the chief advisor and imperial tutor, holding the same position as Zhang Juzheng.

Li Rusong was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control the situation. He had only been a general for less than a year and lacked prestige, so he had to go to the General's Mansion and invite Qi Jiguang to the Beijing Garrison to guard it, which prevented any trouble from happening.

"No?! What do you mean? I'm plotting to assassinate His Majesty?!" Upon hearing this rumor, Shen Shixing's eyes widened. He looked at Li Rusong, who was trembling, and his voice had risen to the point where the Imperial Censor was about to intervene. He pointed at himself and shouted, "Me?"

Shen Shixing seemed genuinely on the verge of a breakdown. Leaving aside whether he wanted to or dared to, he certainly didn't have the ability!

"So, once the bad news gets out, the capital garrison will enter the city and kill me?" Shen Shixing quickly calmed down, a layer of cold sweat rising on his back. He really was going to die, and die as a treacherous official. This was simply too terrifying.

In the future, Shen Shixing will probably be sitting at the same table as Sima Yi.

"Hmm." After hesitating for a long time, Li Rusong still gave Shen Shixing a positive answer. At that time, the capital garrison was stationed at the nine gates. Once the bad news came, Shen Shixing would be the first. Li Rusong shook his head and said, "The elite troops will not accept that something has happened to His Majesty."

The rumors really do kill people.

Emperors could die in countless ways. For example, Emperor Ai of Jin, Sima Pi, and Emperor Wu of Zhou, Yuwen Yong, died from drug overdose; Emperor Wuzong of Ming died of tuberculosis after falling into the water; Emperor Cheng of Han, Liu Ao, died on a woman's belly; and Emperor Jingzong of Tang died of fright while on a boat.

But these seemingly bizarre ways of dying are, in the eyes of the elite soldiers, not valid for His Majesty.

Your Majesty sees this every day. Your Majesty can draw the Tiger Strength Bow and hit the target ten times out of ten. Even among the 100,000 elite soldiers of the capital garrison, only a hundred or so can do that.

With such a robust physique, how could the elite soldiers of the capital garrison possibly accept the claim that the emperor died of a cold? Thus, it became perfectly reasonable for Shen Shixing to assassinate the emperor.

The rumor was so detailed and convincing that it immediately aroused the enemy's hostility towards Shen Shixing. Even though His Majesty had recovered from his serious illness, this hostility did not diminish in the slightest.

The reason the rumor is true is that the Crown Prince was concealing something during the Shenshi hour (3-5 PM).

The Crown Prince hesitated on whether to pursue the debts owed throughout the land. In order to be thorough, Shen Shixing submitted a memorial saying that he would ask the Crown Prince to report to the Emperor for a decision. This cover-up and protection confirmed the close relationship between Shen Shixing and the Crown Prince.

He always strives for perfection, but if others can achieve perfection, Shen Shixing cannot.

Shen Shixing was stunned for a long time, then hurriedly knelt on the ground, bowed five times and kowtowed three times, and said obsequiously, "Your Majesty, I beg for your mercy. I request to retire and return to my hometown."

He means it.

He sought glory, but was killed by the elite soldiers of the capital garrison. All he received was humiliation. Even if official history records how great, virtuous, and righteous he was, people will still believe that he murdered the sage emperor who restored the dynasty.

Just like the "shadow of the candle and the sound of the axe" incident during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song, this event never actually happened.

The story of "The Shadow of the Candle and the Sound of the Axe" is an unofficial history compiled by a monk named Wenying in "Xiangshan Yelu Xulu" during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song.

Later, during the transition between the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, Emperor Gaozong of Song had no heir. At that time, the general public believed that the throne should be returned to the line of Zhao Kuangyin, rather than being passed down to the line of Zhao Er.

This unofficial history became widely known, and it was eventually confirmed that Emperor Gaozong's adopted son, Emperor Xiaozong, was indeed a descendant of Zhao Kuangyin.

Shen Shixing was more than willing to die for the country and the people. What the literati pursued was an ultimate ending, but he could not accept this kind of death.

"You flatter me, Grand Secretary Shen. Tomorrow, Grand Secretary Shen will accompany me to inspect the troops. Your presence with me will naturally dispel the soldiers' doubts." Zhu Yijun was well aware of this matter.

"Go to the capital garrison?" Shen Shixing stared blankly at His Majesty. The guerrillas' hostility towards him had not diminished, but had even intensified. The guerrillas would keep a close eye on Shen Shixing, and if he made the slightest overstepping of his bounds, the army would probably carry out a campaign to punish the traitor.

"I told you to come along, so just come along. There's nothing to worry about. The elite soldiers are all reasonable people, so there's no need to be afraid," Zhu Yijun said again with certainty. If he hid, this matter would never be resolved. Going there once would clear up the misunderstanding.

"Your Majesty obeys." Shen Shixing bowed again. Of course, His Majesty could protect him. As long as he went, the matter would be resolved.

Shen Shixing was a wise minister. He had the courage to face contradictions head-on, which is not something everyone possesses. Moreover, Shen Shixing's journey involved facing the great terror of life and death.

The next day, the emperor appeared at the capital garrison with Shen Shixing, walked around in a large circle, and appeared in front of the soldiers.

Shen Shixing's legs were trembling at first, but as he walked, he noticed that the soldiers' gazes toward him had turned from suspicion to hostility, and Shen Shixing finally calmed down.

As long as His Majesty is still alive, the elite soldiers of the Beijing Garrison are truly reasonable. But if His Majesty is gone, whether the elite soldiers will still be reasonable or not, no one knows.

"Grand Secretary Shen, as you have seen, this is why I implemented the Yiwei Military System." Zhu Yijun rested for a while in Wuying Tower and explained to Shen Shixing the reasons for implementing the Yiwei Military System, a necessary step to prevent the Beijing Garrison from becoming arrogant and losing control of violence.

People cannot be relied upon; only by establishing a sound system and implementing it can the Beijing Garrison be truly reliable.

"I have heard that the General has made great sacrifices for this," Shen Shixing said sincerely.

This was the effect Zhu Yijun wanted. Qi Jiguang wasn't seeing things; he was acting for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, disregarding his own honor and safety. Even Shen Shixing thought so, rather than believing that Qi Jiguang had any ambition.

"What's your opinion on the case in Songjiang Prefecture?" Zhu Yijun asked Shen Shixing, the former governor of Songjiang.

After careful consideration, Shen Shixing said, "Hu Junde did the right thing. The powerful and influential are not afraid of the court; they are only afraid of His Majesty."

Shen Shixing's answer was to protect Hu Junde. Hu Junde's expansion of the investigation scope was already somewhat excessive. If it were really calculated by double, Hu Junde would be stripped of his official position even if he wasn't beheaded. Hu Junde knew this, but he still did it.

The reason why this behemoth of monopoly capital is still submerged rather than surfaced is because His Majesty is still here, His Majesty's capital garrison is still here, and the tangible military boots are still stepping on the invisible giant hand.

With His Majesty absent, Hu Junde had no choice but to kill all these powerful figures, eliminating the main body of monopolistic capital, and buying the Crown Prince a few years to grow up.

Shen Shixing made no attempt to conceal anything and fully explained why the prefects of Jiangnan, including Hu Junde, Songjiang, Yingtian, Yangzhou, and Hangzhou, were using the pretext of "soul-calling evil spirits" and the "Pure Land Religion" to launch a large-scale investigation into powerful and influential people.

Even Sun Kehong was not spared. He had even written his will. According to the Ming Dynasty's law of exterminating entire clans, he had four children under the age of sixteen who would not be exterminated along with his clan. Sun Kehong explained to his children why this undeserved disaster had occurred.

Sun Kehong feared the emergence of monopoly capital even more than the imperial court. He used four words to describe its harm: "the calamity of collapse."

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. If this monopoly capital truly emerges, even Sun Kehong's grandsons will suffer. No one can guarantee that their descendants will be virtuous for generations to come, able to preserve their family business and ensure their lineage never ends.

The relationship between public and private is very clear: it is better to be a dog in a prosperous era than a human in a chaotic one. In a chaotic era, no one can live like a human being. When the environment is bad, individual efforts seem particularly futile in the face of the general trend. When the environment is good, even if one is not talented or even stupid and lazy, one can still live like a human being.

"Hu Junde has gone too far. He should be fined half a year's salary as a punishment, and also given a demerit. He can't act so recklessly." Zhu Yijun ultimately decided to impose a light punishment. Hu Junde's overreaction was a bit disrespectful to order.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "We can consider appointing Hu Junde as the next governor of Songjiang."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Shen Shixing said, bowing his head once more.

Sometimes, punishment isn't real punishment. Being stamped with the emperor's mark of a lowly scholar or reprimanded by a cabinet minister may seem like no loss, but it can essentially end one's career. That's real punishment.

While ostensibly he was fined half a year's salary, secretly he was listed as a candidate for governor of Songjiang, which suggests he was being secretly rewarded.

Hu Junde did something wrong, but he wasn't wrong either. Just like when the two eunuchs Zhang Jin and Zhang Cheng levied taxes on the large sailing ships from the West at Yuegang, although the court hadn't made a clear decision, they were wrong in doing so, but the taxation itself was not wrong.

After returning to Tonghe Palace from Wuying Tower, Zhu Yijun summoned Gao Qiyu, the attendant of the Western Study, mainly to discuss issues related to the General Council of the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance.

"These barbarians from the West actually dared to set their sights on the Ming Dynasty! A bunch of wolves in sheep's clothing! Do they think they can just sit at the table and eat just because they're directors of the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance?"

"They've actually set their sights on the technology of the Iron Horse. It's not that I underestimate them, but even if I gave them the technology, would they be able to use it effectively? They're not as clear-headed as Li Yashi!"

"It's not like we're separated by the Pacific Ocean. I'll send 100,000 troops to wipe them out one by one! They're really pushing their luck!" Zhu Yijun slapped a memorial in front of him and said sternly.

The Mexican governor-general Peto actually demanded that the Ming Dynasty transfer some of its technology to him, including silver mining techniques such as blown ash, roads, iron horses, and shipbuilding.

It's not that Zhu Yijun underestimated them; to achieve these things, the Ming Dynasty built eighteen universities. The West simply didn't have enough talent to handle these technologies.

Gao Qiyu quickly whispered, "It's payment, not robbery."

"Paid? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Zhu Yijun flipped through the memorial, his brows furrowed, and said, "This memorial doesn't mention anything about payment."

"Gathering wealth to promote profit and dispersing virtue, one should be ashamed to talk about profit." Gao Qiyu explained why the memorial was written this way.

Yao Guangqi and Yan Shixuan were both traditional scholar-officials. In this memorial, they wrote so clearly about how much money was involved, which was a bit too materialistic. This will be recorded in history later.

Therefore, the memorials to the emperor were full of talk about cooperation, win-win results, and creating a better future together, while the benefits were explained in private letters.

"How much?" Zhu Yijun asked softly.

Gao Qiyu said in a low voice, "I will pay 500,000 taels of silver upfront. 50% of the annual profits thereafter will be managed by an official appointed by the Ming Dynasty. Governor Peto does not have the talent for this."

"Governor Peto still has some sense of deference; it's no wonder I specially approved the war loan for him." Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun nodded repeatedly, affirming Governor Peto's deference.

(End of this chapter)