I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1098 A scholar must have truly read books.
"Mr. Sun, you have a good method and a good plan, but I will accept it." Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, realized why Sun Kehong did this, and understood his intention. The emperor did not feel that the silver was too hot to handle.

"It's just a little trick, it can't fool His Majesty's discerning eyes," Sun Kehong quickly said.

Zhang Hong stood to the side, looking completely bewildered. Where exactly were the schemes and tricks? Zhang Hong genuinely couldn't figure it out.

If Li Yougong or Feng Bao were here, they would know Sun Kehong's purpose before even reporting it to the Emperor.

Chen Jingyi's interference with judicial fairness and procedures led to a terrifying problem: Sun Kehong's relatives and friends' businesses and workshops all lost the emperor's favor.

Sun Kehong is known in the business world as an official-businessman, and there's a reason for that. His network of connections consists entirely of similar people. Once the officials and businessmen around Sun Kehong lose the emperor's favor, they lose their biggest protector, and the situation has already deteriorated to the point where they scatter like monkeys when the tree falls.

Judging from the emperor's special decree to dismiss Chen Jingyi, the Ming Dynasty's judicial system and court were solemn and did not tolerate any challenge.

Sun Kehong spent money to smooth things over and went to the palace to donate more than 10 million taels of silver. His purpose was not only to make a name for himself in history, but also to gain the emperor's favor.

Even a fierce tiger fears a pack of wolves. No matter how powerful Chen Jingyi is, he can't fight against a pack of wolves. If they attack together, the Sun family's grandeur will crumble, and the silver will eventually fall into the hands of others.

However, Sun Kehong was truly willing to sacrifice. He entrusted all his struggles and efforts over the years to His Majesty the Emperor in exchange for the Emperor's forgiveness of Chen Jingyi.

Given Chen Jingyi's position, he had no choice but to protect him; otherwise, he would have no place to stand. The dilemma of being both loyal to the country and filial to the people was unsolvable.

All of this happened because Sun Kehong took his second son to the yamen. Chen Jingyi had already covered up the matter. If Sun Kehong hadn't taken his second son to the yamen, would none of this have happened?
Sun Kehong is almost seventy years old. He is very clear-headed. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. His second son caused a death, which is a handle against him. Once others make a big deal out of this, that will be the time for the Sun family to disappear completely.

In the end, His Majesty will be furious and Chen Jingyi's life will be in danger. Rather than giving others an opportunity to take advantage of him, it's better to prick the abscess yourself and suffer less loss.

Having been in business for so many years, Sun Kehong's business philosophy is very simple: he doesn't seek to make big profits, but only to minimize losses.

Zhang Hong didn't understand, but Zhu Yijun could fully understand Sun Kehong's plan. By donating all his silver to the emperor, he would be safer because he had too much silver—eleven million taels of silver, a figure equivalent to the Ming Dynasty's annual revenue for two years before the Wanli Reforms.

Sun Kehong had a lot of silver. Of course, before the Wanli Reforms, the Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue was really too low.

Sun Kehong is old and retired. He has lost the protection of his official position. He has been a businessman-official for half his life. Without his official position, his vast wealth is a tempting target for many people.

While he is still alive, his influence remains, and ambitious people dare not make a move. But if he dies, and his sons are incompetent, how will they protect this enormous fortune?
His younger brother, Sun Keyi, had a great influence overseas, but that was overseas. In the Ming Dynasty, in Songjiang Prefecture, his brother was just someone who went to sea to risk his life. In those days, going to sea was mostly a choice made when one had no other options.

If the son is useless, the family fortune will only bring disaster.

“These ill-gotten gains, my children couldn’t hold onto them. I’m starting to lose my senses too. While I’m still sensible, I’m doing what needs to be done.” Sun Kehong sighed and said with some emotion, shaking his head, “Your Majesty, the only person I’ve ever wronged in my life is Chen Jingyi.”

Zhu Yijun understood Sun Kehong's meaning and nodded, saying, "Mr. Sun, you're overthinking it. Fifty strokes of the cane, even a tough man would need a hundred days to get up after that. He'd be half dead. This matter is over."

Sun Kehong dragged his second son to the government office, causing Chen Jingyi to lose his position as head of the business empire and to be flogged fifty times. This eleven million taels of silver bought the emperor's forgiveness and favor, which will make Chen Jingyi's future path smooth.

At least some ambitious individuals would have to be wary of the emperor's watchful eye before taking any action. As long as Sun Kehong leaves Yanqing Palace safely and promotes the establishment of the Qisheng Award, then this imperial favor will truly fall into Chen Jingyi's hands.

After Sun Kehong left, Zhu Yijun instructed Zhang Hong to investigate the internal strife within Sun Kehong's family. Zhang Hong was not good at these matters, so Zhu Yijun emphasized that he should investigate whether there were any external forces involved in the internal strife within the Sun family, especially Chen Jingyi, and what role he played in it.

The power that the emperor could mobilize was far beyond what Sun Kehong could match; the imperial favor bought with silver had immediate results.

The special police, who specialize in handling major, important, and mysterious cases, uncovered the truth of the matter in less than three days.

The situation was both exactly as the emperor had predicted and different from what he had expected. The infighting within the Sun family was indeed instigated by someone, and it was indeed a hunt for Sun Kehong, which had started five years ago. This was exactly in line with the emperor's judgment.

However, Chen Jingyi thought differently from the emperor. Instead of stirring up trouble, Chen Jingyi kept preventing the situation from deteriorating and the conflict from escalating.

Because of his interference with the judiciary, Zhu Yijun's opinion of Chen Jingyi became very negative. He even felt that Chen Jingyi was the mastermind behind it all, and that he had acted so well that he had even fooled the old fox Sun Kehong.

The emperor was completely wrong. Chen Jingyi was indeed a filial disciple who did everything he could.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Zhu Yijun finished reading the case file and was so angry that his teeth ached. He pointed at the case file on the table and said, "If there had been even one capable person, would my father have had to give up the whole family business? They really are a bunch of good-for-nothings."

If even one member of the Sun family had been capable, they wouldn't have fallen so low.

The most terrifying thing is that there are more than a dozen forces involved in the hunt. Among them are the owners of Songjiang Ocean Merchants, local powerful figures in Songjiang, and even wealthy merchants from Shanxi and Guangdong. Their goal is surprisingly consistent: to get the most valuable cotton textiles in Sun Kehong's hands.

Sun Kehong sensed the danger and felt as if countless venomous snakes were flicking their tongues. In the end, he chose to hand over the silver to the emperor, to the Ming Dynasty, and to the health workers who tirelessly traveled through the countryside and counties, spreading the knowledge of hygiene.

Since you want them all, then go ask the emperor for them!

Sun Kehong gave the silver to His Majesty, but not to this pack of wolves and tigers. If he had given it to His Majesty, His Majesty would have only given the silver to five large brick houses, and at least Sun Kehong would have left a good reputation. But if he had given it to these guys, he would have gotten nothing but their slander.

Zhu Yijun looked at the long list. The third brother was the traitor within the entire family and the source of all evil.

Because of the various forces, the first person they came into contact with was the ambitious third brother.

The third son realized early on that his father had no intention of passing on the position of head of the business to the family, because his father treated Chen Liuzi too well. When going out to trade, socializing, or making friends with officials, his father always took Chen Liuzi with him instead of his four sons.

Zhu Yijun discovered that the infighting within this wealthy family was truly ruthless. The third son had set a trap for the second son, intending to kill him without leaving any room for maneuver. Even if the second son hadn't strangled the Chen family girl to death, he had made subsequent arrangements, but they were never used.

The second son was the most impulsive and extremely cruel. This was not the first time he had personally killed someone. As early as the ninth year of the Wanli reign, he threw two disobedient courtesans into the sea from his family's pleasure boat, where they drowned.

If it weren't for the intervention of the Imperial Guards, very few people would have known about this case, and no one would have pursued it. It would have been perfectly normal for a few Japanese courtesans to die on a pleasure boat.

As for the fourth brother, he was the weakest in character, but that didn't mean he was a good person. Although he was weak, he was the most cunning. He was the first to discover the third brother's contact with various forces and immediately understood the third brother's plan, so he began to help him openly or secretly.

Without the help of the fourth brother, the third brother's scheme would never have succeeded.

The third brother, knowing the fourth brother's weak character, cheated on him. The Imperial Guard investigated this matter very thoroughly. The fourth brother's mistress was secretly bribed by the third brother, and they soon got together. The mistress had two children, a boy and a girl. As for who the father was, the Imperial Guard couldn't find out. It was a mess.

Of Sun Kehong's four sons, only the eldest, the one who impulsively spoke rudely and threatened to beat the sixth son, was clean-cut except for having a mistress thirteen years his senior. The imperial guards had investigated his situation over the past few years very thoroughly.

The mistress, who was thirteen years older than him, was a renowned talented woman in Suzhou. Later, her family fell into decline, so she went to Songjiang Prefecture for help. Unfortunately, she met the wrong man and suffered a life of hardship. About twenty-five years ago, she met the eldest son, Sun Chengzhi.

Sun Chengzhi especially loved poetry, books, etiquette, and music, so he got together with this talented woman, and they stayed together for twenty-five years.

Sun Chengzhi neither smoked opium nor went to gambling dens. He only loved poetry, books, etiquette, and music. He thought that the talented woman who was his respectful and harmonious partner had actually been bought off by the Zhang family of Suzhou twelve years ago. The reason why Sun Chengzhi spoke so arrogantly was the result of this talented woman's subtle influence and whispering in his ear.

The Sun family rose to prominence through their connections with both officials and merchants. In the case of Xu Jie, they became staunch allies of this faction. Once the Sun family lost the emperor's favor and their official positions, their demise would be imminent.

Sun Kehong couldn't persuade him, so he could only try to persuade his son.

The brothers Sun Kehong and Sun Keyi experienced the Japanese pirate raids, and their entire family was wiped out by the pirates. Only the two brothers survived, and Sun Kehong even had his leg broken by Xu Jie.

The court's suppression of the Japanese pirates and His Majesty's handling of Xu Jie were acts of revenge for the brothers Sun Kehong and Sun Keyi. They were worldly-wise and devoted to the court.

This is also why Sun Kehong ultimately gave the silver to the emperor. This silver was originally earned through his position as an official merchant, so it was better to return it to His Majesty.

Sun Chengzhi had been subtly influenced for so many years and was finally completely alienated, but he was still of good character and did not do anything illegal or disorderly.

"This is a talented woman? She's a vicious snake! She's not even as good as Liu Qiniang. No, to compare her to Liu Qiniang is an insult to Liu Qiniang." Zhu Yijun looked at the case file and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Liu Qiniang was the top courtesan at Yanxing Tower. When the emperor was still young, he went to Yanxing Tower to see Jiao Hong under the guise of Young Master Huang. Liu Qiniang saw that the emperor, who was traveling incognito, had handsome features and decided to take him to have some fun.

Feng Bao arranged for Liu Qiniang to work as a weaver at Yongsheng Woolen Mill, where she remained for over twenty years.

Later, when the emperor visited the official wool factory, he met Liu Qiniang several times. Although she had never married, she had adopted a child and had repeatedly reported some problems of the factory to the emperor.

This so-called talented woman from Suzhou is currently planning to introduce Sun Chengzhi to a lucrative business: selling opium.

"Fu Shou Gao" is a euphemism for opium. This stuff is extremely profitable. If Sun Chengzhi agrees, this talented woman will introduce him to opium dealers, using the Sun family's special position in the ocean trading company to smuggle some goods into the country.

Coastal patrols and anti-smuggling and anti-drug operations also rely on intelligence. The Sun family are officials and businessmen, so unless there is clear intelligence support, they will not conduct overly strict searches. This is the opportunity.

"They really are heartless scorpions." Zhang Hong shook his head repeatedly. What kind of people are these? Is this a business to make money? This is a business to lose your head!

Sun Chengzhi didn't agree, not because he didn't want to get rich, but mainly because he wasn't that foolish. He knew what he could and couldn't do, and he was also a bit timid; he wouldn't touch anything ambiguous. Moreover, according to the intelligence agency's investigation, this so-called talented woman had long since changed. She was a gambler and drug addict, who loved gambling besides opium and playing for high stakes, starting at five taels of silver per hand and losing hundreds of taels of silver in a single night. She was a regular at underground gambling dens.

When the imperial guards told Sun Chengzhi the results of their investigation, he couldn't believe it at all and kept saying, "She's different, she's different!"
After the Ming emperor announced the establishment of the Sun Kehong Qisheng Award, the covetousness of the Sun family immediately disappeared without a trace, because the Sun family was no longer profitable. Sun Chengzhi inherited less than 100,000 taels of silver in assets, and the Sun family's silver and property went into the imperial treasury.

Zhu Yijun noticed a new wave of public opinion in Songjiang Prefecture advocating a ban on crossing the sea. This wave of public opinion came somewhat suddenly, but it was not abrupt. To be precise, due to the opening of the sea and the development of overseas territories, the Ming Dynasty's interior and the overseas governor's offices in Southeast Asia were simultaneously facing a shortage of personnel.

Calls for restrictions on overseas travel are growing louder and louder.

It has become difficult for virtuous officials, powerful figures, and wealthy merchants to find henchmen and lackeys, because anyone who is idle, quarrelsome, or belligerent has been arrested by His Majesty and sent to Southeast Asia to be whipped. Southeast Asia lacks everything, even whippers.

The officials of Songjiang Prefecture engaged in a heated debate over whether to tighten the lenient policies on overseas expansion.

“Both sides have valid points.” Zhu Yijun looked at the stacks of miscellaneous newspapers in front of him. It was no secret that the emperor read miscellaneous newspapers. It was an important way for the court to broaden the channels for public opinion and to convey social conditions and sentiments. The emperor did not only read the memorials of his ministers.

This discussion about the 'crossing ban' did not escalate into a mudslinging match of labeling people. Instead, both sides were trying their best to state their own reasons, which were essentially stating the interests of their financial backers.

Regarding whether to increase restrictions on going to sea, conservatives and those advocating for openness to the sea each hold their own opinions, and neither can convince the other.

The conservatives' reasons are very valid.

With no one farming and the land lying fallow, what will the people of the Ming Dynasty eat and drink? Will they rely solely on imported grain? Imported grain can satisfy taxes, but it cannot fill the stomachs of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

The situation is not obvious yet, but as the fishing season continues, the impact will become increasingly significant, even causing poor laborers from Henan and Shanxi to try to leave.

Secondly, there was the loss of wealth. Some wealthy merchants who feared the authority of the imperial court chose to move their entire families away from the Ming Dynasty as soon as they made a little progress in Southeast Asia, inevitably causing the loss of wealth and silver.

And then there are the most terrifying outlaws who commit serious crimes in the Ming Dynasty, but because of the lenient maritime ban policy, they immediately escape from the Ming Dynasty. The overseas travel permit policy is not sound. As long as they leave the five maritime trade offices, they are free to roam the world.

Conservatives discussed the tightening of the ban on maritime trade based on factors such as the organization of production, the flow of silver, and the degree of social stability.

The Kaihai faction firmly believes that territorial expansion is the expansion of ethnic groups and the expansion of people.

In the overseas expansion of the Ming Dynasty, there were still too few Ming people and too many foreigners. The proportion of Han people was not an absolute majority, so there was a possibility of fluctuation. Even in Luzon, the proportion of Han people was still in a rather dangerous situation, less than 60%.

Such a ratio is extremely dangerous. Once a rebellion breaks out, it could spread like wildfire, just like the Three Excellencies of Jiaozhi back then.

Yongle gained it and then lost it; Wanli lost it and then regained it. Was he going to lose it again?
The fundamental reason why the Ming Dynasty lost Annam was that Emperor Chengzu Wen did not relocate people to Annam on a large scale, which gave Annam the opportunity to rebel. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, there was a large-scale migration policy of "filling Sichuan with people from Huguang", and now even Yunnan has not been lost.

Without filling in the gaps, these overseas governor's offices would always remain just enclaves.

If there aren't enough people, then find a way to have more children. Why don't the common people, the poor and laborers, have children? Is it because they don't want to? It's because during the distribution process, some people have taken too much wealth and are stingy with the distribution to the lower classes. They can't even make a living, they don't have clothes to cover their bodies, and they don't have enough to eat. How can they have children?

Secondly, the overall morality of a society does not automatically improve with increasing wealth.

When granaries are full, people know etiquette; when food and clothing are plentiful, people know honor and shame. Material things are the foundation of morality, and material things are the prerequisite for morality. Songjiang Prefecture used to be just a beach, but it became rich after the opening of the sea. However, its morality not only did not improve, but actually declined.

The poor laborers worked for the powerful and wealthy, and the powerful and wealthy dared to renege on their wages!
Most importantly, going to sea gave poor laborers more options, which forced powerful families to distribute resources more downwards. Without this bargaining mechanism, in places like Songjiang Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture where labor-capital conflicts arose, the system of registering slaves as lowly servants, which was abolished in the ninth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, would probably have been brazenly reinstated long ago.

The pro-industrial faction refuted the conservatives' proposals based on factors such as the distribution of social wealth, the decline in social morality leading to a decrease in social stability, and the power struggles between different groups.

Conservatives and those advocating for opening up the sea each held their own views, arguing fiercely. The imperial court remained silent, allowing the public to discuss the issue, because the greater the wave of discussion, the more people would learn that there were actually more options available.

In the early years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when the seas were first opened up, the Ming Dynasty's naval forces, astronomical observation, star-crossing techniques, and shipbuilding technology were all very poor, even inferior to those of Portugal and Spain. As a result, even in coastal trade, the return rate of ships was not very high. Although going to sea was not a matter of life and death, it was extremely dangerous.

Twenty-three years after the opening of the seas, the safe return rate of the Ming Dynasty's coastal trade has exceeded 99%, which is actually very safe.

The conservatives quickly realized this and chose to keep quiet, ceasing further discussion, because they discovered that even their own maids and servants were talking about it in private, saying that going to sea was no longer as dangerous as it used to be, and that it might not be so bad to take a gamble at sea.

The conservatives chose to remain silent, but the pro-shanghai faction began to relentlessly attack them, and they seized on the conservatives' most fatal point: the abolition of the status of slaves and the establishment of the Salary and Wage Reduction Office in the ninth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

After the Ming Dynasty opened up the seas, a group of workshop owners emerged, mainly engaged in handicraft workshops. These workshop owners gradually became wealthy merchants. While they were morally corrupt, the old powerful families, mainly composed of cultural aristocrats and those who owned land and kept slaves, were even more morally corrupt.

The imperial court abolished the system of registering slaves as lowly subjects, but also openly and covertly resisted it, which eventually sparked the Jiangnan slave rebellion. The servants took up arms and demanded contracts, and the horrors of the nose-cutting class are still talked about today.

The court allocated a large amount of resources to establish the Salary and Wage Adjustment Office in order to alleviate labor-management conflicts. The newly emerging workshop owners at least received a small start-up allowance every year. Although this custom originated from the official factories and Wang Chonggu, and the allowances from private workshops were generally not much, a small allowance was still an allowance.

These conservatives who oppose relaxed policies on overseas expansion are just hoping to continue their tyrannical rule and treat people like slaves!

"It's clear that the ostensible discussion is about whether the relaxed conditions for going overseas should be tightened, but in reality, it's the emerging bourgeoisie challenging the old cultural aristocracy." Zhu Yijun keenly perceived the main contradiction behind this debate.

As the representative of the interests of the landlord class and the old cultural elites, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty made no comment on this matter, nor did he even have the slightest intention to mediate.

During the Wanli Reforms, the emperor's base of support gradually shifted from the landlord class to the military, represented by the Beijing Garrison and the Border Garrison, the industrialists, represented by the official factories, and the farmers following the land return decree and the farm system.

The military, industry, and peasantry have gradually become the emperor's new and staunch supporters. The emperor even has a new option: these emerging bourgeois groups can become one of his choices.

Zhu Yijun was a little unsure, so he took a dozen or so miscellaneous newspapers and went to find General Qi, who was fishing by the Dragon Pool, and Zhang Juzheng, who was reading a book.

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Whenever Zhu Yijun was unsure, he could consult the imperial tutor.

"Your Majesty, I am no longer in court." Zhang Juzheng put down the miscellaneous books in his hand, picked up the miscellaneous newspapers given to him by the emperor, read a few, and then became a little lazy. People are inherently lazy. When in a position of power, one should perform one's duties; when not in a position of power, Zhang Juzheng has little interest in these matters.

Qi Jiguang also read a few of them and shook his head, saying, "The situation is very clear. The pens that wrote these magazines are backed by old cultural elites, while the writers are backed by new merchants. These conservatives are not good people, and neither are these maritime pioneers. If it weren't for the Ming navy keeping an eye on Songjiang Prefecture, they would have gone even further."

Qi Jiguang's view is that the tangible military boots stepped on the invisible hand, which made these meat-eaters seem human, rather than because their morality was inherently noble. The court must have real weapons to make people afraid, that's what makes the court a court.

Without overwhelming force, there will be no obedient powerful figures.

"Your Majesty, of all these newspapers, only this one makes a very good point and is worth reading." Qi Jiguang patiently read through all the newspapers and picked out one for His Majesty to look at.

After Zhu Yijun read it, he gave it to Zhang Juzheng, and the three of them discussed the miscellaneous newspaper in detail.

The writer of this newspaper was Chen Zhun. Chen Zhun was neither an advocate of opening up the sea nor a conservative. The title of his newspaper article was "Starting from the wind power of stopping investment at the beginning of the opening up".

During the Hongwu era, serving the Ming emperor meant offering sacrifices, and the widespread practice of refusing to offer sacrifices was exemplified by the case of the Confucian scholar Xia Boqi who chopped off his finger, preferring to cut off his finger rather than serve as an official.

The winds of cessation have been blowing for two hundred years and show no sign of stopping. These people mainly advocate the benevolence of the Yuan Dynasty and wantonly fabricate and spread news that is detrimental to the dignity of the Ming Dynasty. For example, the political prophecy that Zhu Di killed ten clans of Fang Xiaoru was fabricated and spread in this way.

The reason why Zhu Zhishan, one of the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan, fabricated such news was to undermine the legitimacy and authority of the imperial court so that he could seize power.

Chen Zhun then labeled these people with a serious accusation, calling them "rebels of the Later Yuan Dynasty."

Furthermore, he gave a very precise definition of the Yuan rebels: specifically referring to the political forces that lurk in the shadows, advocating the Yuan dynasty's benevolence and the Ming dynasty's strictness, with the intention of usurping the power of the Ming dynasty.

This political force was mainly composed of the old cultural aristocracy, since at that time, the emerging bourgeoisie was still in its infancy.

"These scholars are really good at cursing. All these miscellaneous newspapers piled up together are not as fierce as these four words 'Chen Zhun,' 'traitor of the Later Yuan Dynasty.'" Qi Jiguang clicked his tongue in amazement, wondering what these scholars were thinking about all day long.

Four words that insulted someone's ancestors for eighteen generations.

The sun and moon, once dark, have been restored to light, a miracle akin to the resurrection of the dead. These "rebels of the Later Yuan" have actually undermined the legitimacy, legal system, and authority of the Ming Dynasty. It's as if Chen Zhun is pointing at these people and telling the world, "Come and see, this is what it means to forget one's ancestors!"

This truly reflects how cultural knowledge is brought into reality.

The insults were really vulgar.

“That’s right. A scholar must have truly read books. Chen Zhun has clearly read books.” Zhu Yijun nodded with certainty. He sent the next chapter of Chen Zhun’s miscellaneous report to the Ministry of Rites and forwarded it to the official gazette.

Zhu Yijun was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and he certainly would not allow the existence of such a Yuan rebel.

(End of this chapter)