I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1086 Give it a try, don't let it slip away!
Zhu Yijun's overseas policies were completely devoid of any benevolence, which was actually a very strange situation, because according to the correct Confucian doctrine, it should have been to spread virtue and pacify distant peoples. This correct doctrine was actually established in the Northern Song Dynasty.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi's reforms were in full swing. Emperor Shenzong, who supported Wang Anshi's reforms, died, and Emperor Zhezong, who succeeded him, was only ten years old. The Empress Dowager ruled as regent. With the emperor young and the country in turmoil, Wang Anshi still insisted on reforms, and the Empress Dowager appointed Sima Guang.

Upon returning to the court, Sima Guang immediately abolished the Baojia system, the Fangtian Equal Taxation system, the Shiyi system, the Baoma system, the Exemption from Service system, the Green Sprouts system, and the General Officer system. He even returned the land recovered during the Yuanyou Northern Expedition to the Western Xia intact.

He was willing to give up land in order to engage in political infighting, which was a typical case of fighting for the sake of fighting. After returning the land, Sima Guang breathed his last.

Since then, the idea of ​​"Xuande transforming and pacifying distant peoples" has become a correct one. This correctness disappeared completely after the Battle of Yamen, and it was not until the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Ming during the Tianshun era that it became correct again.

After Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirats, the Ming Dynasty defeated Esen and retrieved Zhu Qizhen from the Oirats. Zhu Qizhen lived in the Southern Palace for seven years and launched the Coup of the Gate in the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, thus regaining the throne.

At this point, Zhu Qizhen urgently needed a suitable explanation for the Tumu Crisis; otherwise, his restoration would lack sufficient legitimacy.

However, failing to promote virtue and culture and to appease distant peoples was a mistake. It is said that in the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, Esen sent envoys to pay tribute, but Wang Zhen gave the delegation less than one-fifth of the usual amount of money, which angered the Oirat people and led them south, resulting in the Tumu Crisis.

This explanation is untenable even during the Tianshun era.

Li Xian, a Grand Secretary and survivor of the Tumu Fortress incident, wrote in his memorial to the throne in a sarcastic tone about the fact that Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo, Duke Zhu Yong of Chengguo, Minister of War Kuang Ye, and Director of the Imperial Observatory Peng Deqing had obstructed the emperor's personal expedition.

The Dukes who were fighting, the Ministry of War who was in charge of military affairs, and even the Imperial Observatory all used the excuse of celestial interaction to obstruct Emperor Yingzong of Ming, all for the same reason:

The Emperor is the master of the ancestral temples and the state, and must therefore be very careful. The safety of the ancestral temples and the state rests on the Emperor's shoulders, so he cannot be taken lightly. If there is any negligence, the Emperor may be plunged into obscurity.

Zhu Qizhen wanted to blame the Tumu Crisis on insufficient "benefit," but Li Xian, as Zhu Qizhen's chief minister and Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, did not believe that the problem was insufficient "benefit," but rather that Zhu Qizhen had ignored the advice and obstruction of his ministers.

War is not child's play; it is a very serious matter of national importance that requires utmost care. If we directly reveal our innermost thoughts to the enemy, how can our soldiers fight?

Of course, it's not that you can't reveal your innermost thoughts to your opponent. For example, Emperor Chengzu personally led five expeditions. As soon as he went beyond the Great Wall, the grassland people immediately fled thousands of miles away. If you had the martial prowess of Emperor Chengzu, which could shake the world, doing so would be no problem. Before the battle even started, the opponent would be so frightened that their morale would be completely shattered, and you would naturally be invincible.

But were you, Zhu Qizhen, a horse-riding emperor like Emperor Wen?
Esen wasn't strong either. The Oirats suffered heavy losses in the capital. Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu was able to win, but you, Zhu Qizhen, couldn't. Instead of asking yourself why, you blame it on not giving enough "favors," which led to the invasion of distant peoples?

This kind of talk is so ridiculous that even ghosts would curse it as nonsense!

Li Xian did not directly curse Zhu Qizhen, but instead cursed Wang Zhen, the eunuch in charge of Zhu Qizhen. In the Ming Dynasty, cursing a eunuch was actually cursing the emperor.

Li Xian was able to stop it for a while, but the court needed to explain the legitimacy of Zhu Qizhen's restoration. In the end, not enough "benefit" was given, which became the political correctness. Finally, the policy of pacifying distant peoples reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong.

During the Hongzhi era, the government bestowed great favors and benefits, which resulted in the power of Prince Dayan Khan growing to a terrifying level of six 10,000-household units. Even when Anda Khan reached his peak, he only had four 10,000-household units under his command, while Dayan Khan had a full six.

In the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Emperor Xiaozong died, and the fourteen-year-old Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne. Just ten days after Xiaozong's death, the Ming army suffered a defeat at the Battle of Yutailing.

Ten days later, news of Emperor Xiaozong's death still hadn't reached the grasslands, proving that whether you bestow favors more or less, it wouldn't hinder the grasslands from invading the borders.

The Battle of Yutailing was a battle that few people mentioned. Zhu Yijun knew about it because Qi Jiguang, the imperial tutor, talked about it when he was giving a military lecture. Qi Jiguang also called this battle: "Even the Tumu Crisis of Jisi was not as humiliating as this."

This marked the beginning of the failure of the policy of pacifying distant lands. The imperial court had benefited the grasslands for so many years, from the Tianshun era to the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi era, yet this was the result. Qi Jiguang bluntly stated that the little prince Dayan Khan, this wolf cub, was raised by the Ming Dynasty itself.

Since then, the correctness of the Rouyuan people has begun to decline.

However, after the Battle of Yutailing, the Ming Dynasty also went astray. This wrong path was the warrior route of Emperor Wuzong of Ming, which was the route of elite troops.

It is an artificial and deliberate creation of a warrior class detached from agricultural production. The war relies entirely on the elite warrior class, and the off-farm warrior class needs to be supported by a much larger tenant farmer class. This results in a large amount of resources needing to be allocated to the warrior class, which in turn fosters a group of arrogant soldiers.

This group of arrogant soldiers cooperated with Emperor Wuzong of Ming to win the Battle of Yingzhou, but the social burden was severely exacerbated.

Qi Jiguang believed that this line of soldiers detached from workers and peasants was a mistake mainly because the Ming Dynasty was too poor to support such arrogant soldiers. If the Ming Dynasty were wealthy enough, supporting them would be no problem at all.

On the surface, Wanli's strategy of strengthening military power was based on elite soldiers, represented by the Beijing garrison, but in reality, it followed the total war strategy of the Qin and Han dynasties.

The elite soldiers of the Beijing Garrison and the naval forces had to shoulder certain social responsibilities and were not completely detached from workers and peasants. After their retirement, they were also required to join engineering regiments and battalions to organize engineers for construction and production, and to go to local areas to maintain stability.

For example, the Zhejiang Nine Battalions went on patrol, the navy regularly went on patrol to quell pirates and sea bandits, and the Beijing garrison regularly sent out to quell horse bandits and mountain bandits. Li Chengliang was impatient with the endless chatter of the civil officials in the court, but he could not retaliate. So he led his cavalry and infantry battalions to the grasslands and repelled the southward advance of the seven tribes of Outer Khalkha.

This system of planning and construction is designed to ensure that soldiers come from the people and give back to the people.

Only by truly coming from the people and going back to the people can we thoroughly complete the construction of the military spirit of "reporting to the emperor and saving the common people".

Zhu Yijun was not particularly talented in military affairs. He simply followed Qi Jiguang's plans without offering any better solutions. As a result, the military administration of the Ming Dynasty was healthier than ever before.

This is also why Zhu Yijun was so domineering towards foreign powers. The Ming army's military might was awe-inspiring. He was generous to foreign powers, so the soldiers thought that if they received these benefits from the emperor, they could take back everything the emperor wanted, and take it back twice as much!

Before leaving the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace, Wang Jiaping encountered Gao Qiyu, who had come to pay his respects.

"Greetings, Grand Minister of Justice. I hope you have been well. I know that the Western Merchant Alliance has been established." Gao Qiyu said with a smile, "Unlike the silver of the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance, the Western Merchant Alliance has two treasures: paper money and foreign slaves."

Gao Qiyu paid close attention to Wang Jiaping. The Western Merchant Alliance, led by Wang Jiaping, and the East Pacific Merchant Alliance were actually in a contradictory relationship of competition and cooperation.

"Young Master Gao is full of vigor. I am merely following in your footsteps. It is nothing to mention, nothing to mention." When Wang Jiaping heard Gao Qiyu mention the Western Merchant Alliance, he waved his hand repeatedly and said, "The Ming army is powerful and capable of conquering Da Nang, which is why the Western Merchant Alliance can operate so smoothly."

"The Junior Minister also knew that these barbarian envoys were asking for exorbitant prices, but after the Ming Dynasty conquered Annam, everyone became as obedient as quails and immediately became reasonable."

Gao Qiyu said with a touch of emotion, "Treating barbarians the way barbarians are treated is the approach set by Duke Wengong, and it has indeed proven very effective."

When Wan Shihe, a sycophant, died, the emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title of Wengong. At that time, everyone said that it was too high a title, and there were many dissenting voices in the court. Many people felt that the Ministry of Rites was simply trying to elevate their former superior by giving him such a high-ranking posthumous title.

Despite the opposition, the emperor still bestowed such a high posthumous title upon this sycophantic official who blindly served the emperor.

What Wan Shihe did boiled down to one thing: treating barbarians like barbarians.

This established the style of the Ministry of Rites during the Wanli reign, from which later generations benefited greatly. Similarly, Gao Qiyu was even more in favor of the posthumous title "Wengong".

"Grand Minister of Justice, there's something I need your help with." Gao Qiyu began to form cliques in front of the eunuchs, and the eunuchs' gazes towards him changed.

Those who form cliques and factions, prioritizing their own interests and the interests of their ruler, are usurpers.

Gao Qiyu's request for Wang Jiaping's help makes it seem like he's usurping power.

“That’s not right. This is Tonghe Palace.” Wang Jiaping’s expression hardened. Gao Qiyu was never reckless. Why would he say such things in Tonghe Palace?
"State affairs," Gao Qiyu said calmly. "How can I discuss private matters in public? The main thing is that I want the Grand Minister of Justice to help persuade His Majesty that the Dinghai school system will cost money again."

“This…” Wang Jiaping said with a furrowed brow, “This year, the Ministry of Revenue’s expenditure on the Dinghai education system has reached a staggering 25 million taels of silver, and they still want to add more?”

“His Majesty refuses to see me now.” Gao Qiyu said helplessly, “In the Yiwei military system, the Ming Dynasty was to build twenty-seven border camps, which is a good thing. However, the capital camp has a military academy and its own three-level school. This border camp should at least have a three-level school.”

"How much do you need?" Wang Jiaping was certain that the Emperor would not object to the construction, so the disagreement stemmed from the specific funding, and a significant one at that, which was why the Emperor refused to agree.

"Ten million taels of silver," Gao Qiyu said in a low voice.

"Go by yourself." Upon hearing the amount, Wang Jiaping turned and left without even giving Gao Qiyu a chance to speak.

Ten million taels of silver? Gao Qiyu really has the nerve to ask for that!
"Grand Minister of Justice, wait! Wait!" Gao Qiyu hurriedly chased after him. In the past half month, he had sought out all the cabinet ministers and even went to the Marquis of Yicheng's residence to find Zhang Juzheng. At first, Zhang Juzheng thought that Gao Qiyu had encountered some insurmountable obstacle and asked the gatekeeper to inquire what was wrong. Upon hearing that it was ten million taels of silver, he did not even let him in.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiaping immediately hurried away, saying as he went, "I am not the Grand Minister of Justice, you can find someone else."

Wang Jiaping was a few years older than Gao Qiyu, and after a 15-minute struggle, Wang Jiaping had no choice but to return with Gao Qiyu to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace to pay homage to His Majesty.

When Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty saw Wang Jiaping return, and then looked at Gao Qiyu, he slammed his fist on the table, stood up, pointed at Gao Qiyu's nose, and cursed: "Gao Qiyu, you really dare to ask for ten million taels of silver? Let me tell you, I have no money, but I have your life! Why don't you take my life instead!"

"My money has all been allocated to gold reserves and the Dinghai education system, and you still want it? I'd rather give you my life!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Calm down! Anger is bad for your health, very bad for your health." Wang Jiaping knew from this situation that His Majesty was truly out of money.

His Majesty is frugal, and the silver saved over the years has almost all been poured into the Dinghai education system. Gao Qiyu is greedy and insatiable, pushing his luck by demanding ten million taels of silver. No wonder the Emperor is angry.

Wang Jiaping agreed to come with Gao Qiyu because he thought His Majesty was rich and powerful, and although ten million taels of silver was a lot, he could still afford it. But Wang Jiaping soon realized that he had been thinking too much.

Once gold is stockpiled, it cannot be moved without authorization; otherwise, it would lead to a crisis of confidence in the gold and paper currency.

His Majesty is indeed out of money.

“It’s spread over five years, which is only two million taels of silver per year.” Gao Qiyu said firmly, “Your Majesty, this is absolutely worth it! Your Majesty, we have to spend this ten million taels of silver, otherwise the army here will become the local elites instead of the imperial army! Since we are going to implement the Yiwei military system, then the Dinghai education system must follow suit!”

"Your Majesty, no matter what, these border soldiers must know whose food they eat, whose clothes they wear, and to whom they are to be loyal!"

Gao Qiyu's attitude was unprecedentedly tough, which was not the attitude that a minister should have. Gao Qiyu insisted on bringing Wang Jiaping here to serve as a witness that even if His Majesty killed him today, it was for the sake of the country and the Ming Dynasty, not for the sake of disobeying!
"Guards! Remove his official robes and send him to the Northern Garrison Command! He'll be sober after undergoing the Five Poisons Torture!" Zhu Yijun slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

Zhao Mengyou and his men immediately pinned Gao Qiyu down, removed his official robes, and set them aside. However, Zhao Mengyou did not take him away immediately, indicating that the argument was not over yet.

Over the years, only Mr. Zhang had ever argued with His Majesty like this; even Shen Shixing didn't dare, but Gao Qiyu was truly audacious. "Gao Qiyu, I ask you, where did the money come from! I don't have any, the Ministry of Revenue's expenditures are all done, and the silver in the accounts has a place to go. Tell me, where did the silver come from?" Zhu Yijun finally sat down, saying with a helpless expression, "I've already explained it so clearly to you, why are you still bothering me?"

"For the sake of the Ming Dynasty!" Gao Qiyu struggled for a moment, but was forced to the ground. He still stubbornly said, "Where does the silver come from? Just confiscate their property!"

“You…” Zhu Yijun pointed at Gao Qiyu, almost uttering a curse.

Zhu Yijun thought about it carefully, and sure enough, it really was a viable approach.

“Some powerful and influential people have no sense of respect whatsoever. His Majesty has traveled long distances and endured hardships for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, shuttling between Songjiang Prefecture and Shuntian Prefecture. Yet some powerful and influential people have actually colluded with those evil spirits, cursing and killing the Holy Emperor. Confiscating their property and exterminating their entire clan would be too lenient!” Gao Qiyu struggled a bit more and said loudly.

Wang Jiaping then realized that this was all aimed at him! The emperor and the Junior Minister of Rites had put on this show specifically for him!
Ultimately, any government decree boils down to one question: who will implement it?

The border camp's three-tiered school should be built; education is an extremely expensive investment with the longest payback period; ten million taels of silver is simply not enough, and it may need to be increased over the next five years; His Majesty's private treasury is empty, and the national treasury has already found a way to spend the money; the Emperor and the Junior Minister of Rites had such a violent conflict that they shouted the words "confiscate their property," and they had already found a reason.

They were just waiting for Wang Jiaping to step in and smooth things over, to persuade His Majesty to calm down, and to take on the task himself.

He's the Minister of Justice; this is the most suitable job for him.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study of Tonghe Palace became somewhat awkward due to Wang Jiaping's silence.

"Get up! You've been spouting nonsense all day long! Commander, put his official robes on him. How can he be so disheveled?" Zhu Yijun waved his hand and released Gao Qiyu.

He wasn't acting with Gao Qiyu, nor was he targeting Wang Jiaping. He never delegated his wrath to others. In the Southern Court's selection of tribute officials case, he personally oversaw the execution of 620 households. For an emperor who was overseeing executions at the Meridian Gate the day before his wedding, the title of tyrant didn't matter to him.

Sometimes, when conflicts escalate to a certain point, they can't be resolved without killing someone.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to confiscate their property. The Northwest needs 180 million taels of silver for tree planting, and the Sun family in Songjiang Prefecture alone contributed 80 taels. This can be resolved by issuing special national bonds.” Wang Jiaping saw that the emperor was really interested in confiscating property to get some money, so he quickly advised him to be lenient.

So what if they're short 1000 million taels of silver? It's no big deal! Why make such a fuss as to confiscate their property? They're determined to take the lives of the powerful and wealthy.

"Will anyone be willing to participate? This is for the third-level schools in the border camps, not for the Suiyuan Highway." Zhu Yijun had only issued special national bonds once before, but the Ministry of Revenue refused to do so, which made him lose some flexibility.

Gao Qiyu thought about it carefully and said, "It's faster to confiscate their property. In ten years, the borrowed money will be repaid in precious paper money, and these powerful people will start spouting nonsense again."

“That makes sense,” Zhu Yijun agreed wholeheartedly.

Wang Jiaping paused for a moment, then Li Ya said that His Majesty would show no mercy to the poor and working class, and that such favoritism would cause big problems. Obviously, this concern was not unfounded, as His Majesty did not even issue special national bonds, directly assuming that the powerful and wealthy would not pay donations.

Give it a try, don't let it slip away!
It's not surprising that His Majesty thinks this way. During the Jiajing era, the annual tax revenue was only five or six million taels of silver, which was not enough to make money for anything.

With the implementation of policies such as land surveys, opening up the seas, establishing state-owned factories, and consolidating local taxes into the central government's revenue during the Wanli era, the annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign exceeded 63 million taels of silver, and it was still increasing rapidly.

Why is the Tax Inspection Institute, this notorious and notorious tax inspection agency, still expanding? It's because the powerful and wealthy refused to pay taxes before; they wouldn't even pay taxes unless threatened with a knife!

"Let's try sending it out, Your Majesty. To punish someone without warning is cruel." Wang Jiaping made a final effort. Anyone would be disgusted by Hu Junde's discovery that the powerful figures in Songjiang had colluded with the Blissful Sect and used evil spirits to curse and kill the emperor. His Majesty had really been very restrained.

Tyrants are normal, but to kill them without warning is still bad; it's unjust and cruel, not just tyranny, but abuse.

But it is also reasonable for His Majesty to confiscate their property.

During the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was a Liu Song dynasty in the Southern Dynasties. Liu Yu established the Liu Song dynasty. After his death, he passed the throne to Liu Yilong, who became Emperor Wen of Song.

Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong, had a crown prince named Liu Shao, who was made crown prince at the age of six.

In his later years, Liu Yilong wanted to depose the crown prince. However, the crown prince, who was impatient, conspired with his sister, Princess Dongyang, to have the sorceress Yan Daoyu curse Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong, to death.

It was impossible to kill him with a curse, but after this matter was exposed, Liu Yilong planned to depose the crown prince.

Crown Prince Liu Shao naturally would not surrender without a fight, and directly raised an army in rebellion. He stormed into the palace through Yunlong Gate and Donghua Gate. Zhang Chaozhi, a general under Liu Shao, was ordered by Liu Shao to kill Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong.

Liu Shao murdered his father to seize the throne, committing extreme patricide and rebellion, which was unprecedented and aroused opposition from all over the country. He was quickly deserted by his people and was killed by Emperor Xiaowu of Song, Liu Jun, after only two months on the throne.

The reason of cursing to death is perfectly valid. His Majesty's use of this as an opportunity to launch a major purge is reasonable and justifiable, and it cannot even be considered cruel.

Wang Jiaping made a final effort; if the powerful figures themselves are blind to the situation, then His Majesty cannot be blamed.

"Then let's give it a try." Zhu Yijun finally agreed to Grand Secretary Wang Jiaping's suggestion to give it a try. If no one else would donate, he would have to let Gao Qiyu do it.

Because it is an investment in education, the interest rate on special national bonds is not high. Moreover, the issuance scale of the Ming Dynasty's paper money and the monetary policy of the Ming Dynasty are shifting from mainly using precious metal currencies such as silver to paper money that can be redeemed.

The powerful and wealthy families all know very well that if they lend money to His Majesty today, when the five-year or ten-year term is up, the court may only repay the money with paper money.

There are still some disagreements among the officials and common people of the Ming Dynasty regarding the value of the paper money.

Initially, the subscription and sale of these special treasury bonds did not go smoothly.

But on February 15th, the father of Yao Guangqi and Yao Guangming, wealthy families in Xitucheng, somehow got the news and rushed to the Shuntian Prefecture government office before dawn to buy one million taels of special national bonds. After buying them, he was overjoyed and even set off fireworks for three days.

The Yao family's actions aroused suspicion among the powerful figures. Had Yao Guangqi's father gone mad?
But soon, the powerful figures figured out the logic: His Majesty issued special national bonds because His Majesty needed money but didn't have any.

What would an emperor who controls 100,000 garrison troops and 160,000 naval troops do if he is short of money and cannot raise funds?
I dare not think about it too much; the more I think about it, the more frightened I become.

In just one day, the special national bonds issued by Shuntian Prefecture were snapped up. Even Wang Qian's family members who stayed in the capital bought a total of 1.2 million strings of cash. Shuntian Prefecture only had 4 million taels of silver, and the Wang and Yao families directly devoured more than half of it.

Songjiang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture jointly funded the sale of six million taels of silver, which was completed in just three days.

The White Lotus Sect was in the north, while the Soul-Calling Sect and the Bliss Sect were in the south. However, the powerful figures in the north did not collude with the White Lotus Sect to curse and kill the emperor; at least, no evidence has been found so far.

The case that Hu Junde was in charge of was covered by witnesses, physical evidence, and irrefutable proof. Hu Junde did release those who were implicated, but he wanted the entire family of the culprits to be executed.

Being able to buy your life with money is already a blessing.

Moreover, after the upheaval of His Majesty's serious illness, there was a consensus throughout the Ming Dynasty that the Wanli Reforms truly required His Majesty's personal management, as a stable system and established practices had not yet been formed. If His Majesty were to pass away, it would likely be a catastrophe for everyone involved.

Everyone is cursing those powerful figures who colluded with evil spirits. These fools deserve to be struck by lightning. They have seriously damaged the image of the powerful figures in His Majesty's mind. As a result, since the Heavenly Change, the image of loyalty to the emperor and the country that the powerful figures and local gentry have tried their best to follow the sixty-four promises of the Heavenly Change has been destroyed in an instant.

After the silver was deposited into the treasury and Gao Qiyu's memorial was approved, Zhu Yijun smiled and said to Zhang Hong, "Most of the powerful and influential people in our Great Ming Dynasty can understand the difficulties of the court. They have gathered the money in just a few days, much faster than I expected. A few pieces of rotten meat have spoiled a whole pot of good soup!"

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Hong flattered insincerely. The emperor's face changed so quickly; once he received the silver, he immediately became amiable.

Zhang Hong was well aware that the sale of the special national bonds had not gone smoothly, and His Majesty had ordered the imperial guards to be prepared to confiscate their property.

Yao Guangqi was the general director of the East Pacific Merchants Alliance. It was only after Yao Guangqi's father received the news that the debt of ten million taels of silver was settled in just one day.

The Ming Dynasty issued national bonds only twice. In the ninth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, His Majesty needed to repair the Suiyuan Highway and was short of ten million taels of silver, so the bonds were issued once. The second time was in the twenty-third year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when the military system of the year Yiwei and the educational system of the year Dinghai clashed, and the funds were somewhat insufficient.

For powerful figures, His Majesty's frequency of borrowing money is perfectly acceptable.

This silver is not for punishing crimes; it is a sum of money that the powerful and influential group uses to appease His Majesty and pay for those few bad apples. His Majesty likes silver, and by giving him silver, he will not implicate the innocent or cause a chain reaction of punishment.

Moreover, His Majesty has an excellent credit record; he will definitely repay any debts, even if it's in paper money. Paper money can be spent like real gold and silver, so it's considered repayment.

"Your Majesty, the chief physicians Chen Shigong and Pang Xian request an audience." A young eunuch hurriedly entered.

"Xuan."

Chen Shigong and Pang Xian brought bad news: Ling Yunyi was seriously ill and unable to eat or drink. The two chief physicians came to the palace to request permission from His Majesty to use opium to relieve Ling Yunyi's pain so that he could continue to receive treatment.

"Why won't Vice Minister Ling use opium?" Zhu Yijun frowned.

Chen Shigong and Pang Xian exchanged a glance and told the inside story: Ling Yunyi was very resistant to opium and refused to use it. He felt that if he used it, he would become a monster and would no longer be himself. If this dragged on, he would probably really get seriously ill.

"I will speak to him personally." Zhu Yijun put down the memorial in his hand and immediately set off for Ling Yunyi's residence.

"Your Majesty, I am unwell and unable to perform the full ceremony. Please forgive me." Ling Yunyi was bedridden, but his spirits were still high.

“Vice Minister Ling, I have been disobeying the doctor’s orders, causing the people of the world to live in fear. How can you get better if you don’t use medicine and don’t follow the doctor’s orders?” Zhu Yijun sat down by the bed and said with great certainty, “Use what you should use; this is how you treat an illness.”

"I know my body is in bad shape. I don't have many days left to live. There's no need to go through this again." Ling Yunyi shook his head and said, "When I was young, I didn't know how to take care of my body. I didn't take my injuries seriously. Now that my old injuries have flared up, I don't want to suffer like this again."

When old injuries flare up again, coupled with declining bodily functions, the pain can be so intense that you wish you were dead.

In this situation, once opium is used, one will have to rely on it to prolong life. Ling Yunyi is a very proud person, and he does not want to rely on external things to keep himself alive. Living a half-dead life is worse than being dead.

(End of this chapter)