I'm really not doing business

Chapter 695 Your Majesty, Wait for the People of Ming Dynasty

Yan Shixuan, relying on the prestige of the Ninth Battalion, issued an order to take compulsory measures against all the owners of brothels, arresting and exiling them, beheading those who were notorious and had caused casualties, and confiscating all brothels and using the proceeds to build cotton spinning workshops. All the pimps in brothels were sent to the mines, and all the thugs were exiled.

The second decree was also aimed at recruiting the people. If the members of the Cao Gang stopped committing crimes from now on, they would be forgiven for their past crimes. If they continued to commit crimes knowingly, they would be severely punished.

The third decree also focused on both suppression and appeasement, suppressing the Cao Gang on the one hand and appeasing them on the other.

Yan Shixuan wanted to solve the stubborn problem of the Cao Gang, and he did not think he was being too hasty.

"Governor Shen, you know we have to do this. This is the best opportunity. The Ninth Battalion beheaded the human trafficker in the street for revenge. If we don't take advantage of the remaining power, this will never be accomplished. Banning the brothel is like a sharp knife stuck in the aorta of the Cao Gang. Only by cutting off their financial resources can the scale of the Cao Gang be curbed and it will be possible to completely eliminate them." Yan Shixuan still made a few cunning excuses.

"No need to say, I'll do it too." Shen Shixing waved his hand.

Yan Shixuan still did this in Hangzhou Prefecture, and Shen Shixing simply ordered the whole Zhejiang Province to do so. Under normal circumstances, the decree to ban brothels could not be implemented because of very strong resistance. The nine battalions entering the city to wipe out the bandits was a rare opportunity, and Shen Shixing found it difficult to resist taking action.

Yan Shixuan and Shen Shixing were both doing this in order to resolve the deep-rooted Cao Gang.

In the words of the head of the Cao Gang: The Cao Gang is older than Shen Shixing's great grandfather, and it is deeply rooted. It is extremely difficult to wipe out the Cao Gang with its numerous connections. When the suppression was carried out, the Cao Gang broke up into small pieces and all of them were good people. As soon as the officers and soldiers left, they gathered together and rebelled again.

The reason why they were able to be broken up into smaller pieces was because these Cao Gangs had a close relationship with the local gentry and powerful people. Without anyone to protect them, it would be very easy to just shoot the evil gang members with cannons, but that was where the difficulty lay. A breakthrough was needed.

The mutiny of the Ninth Battalion was the best breakthrough point, and Shen Shixing couldn't help but take action.

"It doesn't matter if His Majesty is not coming. Just exile these troublemakers directly to Java. The Governor of Old Port, Marquis Yingyang, is in desperate need of manpower." Yan Shixuan sighed. Gang fighting was not a very tricky issue. The tricky part was that the emperor was coming.

"It's embarrassing so it is embarrassing, and he is a fifth-rank official so it is! Yan Shixuan, you take the 3,000 people of Luomu Camp and go there in person to deal with it. This is a good excuse to reach out! You must do it well, otherwise I will be laughed at for nothing." Shen Shixing thought about it and decided not to cover it up. This matter could not be covered up at all, unless he did not want to thoroughly deal with the problem of the Cao Gang.

The fighting at this time was actually intended by the powerful to test Shen Shixing's political determination and see what he would choose between solving the problem and pleasing the emperor.

Shen Shixing decided to solve the problem and do his job. Even if he had to face the emperor's wrath, he would do it. If it really didn't work, Shen Shixing could go to Zhang Juzheng and cry, asking him to save him.

This is the difference between heavenly beings and ordinary mortals. Shen Shixing still has a place to cry, but if Yan Shixuan makes a wrong step, it will be like falling into a bottomless abyss, with no place to cry.

Yan Shixuan whispered, "Governor Shen, in fact, the root of the Cao Gang is not the Cao Gang, but the Hangzhou-Ningbo Canal. If this canal is built, these Cao Gangs will naturally disband. The correct solution is for these Cao Gang members to band together and find a way to make a living. Using the Hangzhou-Ningbo Canal, they can absorb these idle people."

"I'll find a way to make this happen." Shen Shixing took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.

Religion. People deceive themselves in order to temporarily escape from the painful reality and pursue the illusory other shore. If you want to eliminate religion, you must remove people from the environment that needs religion.

This is the same principle as how to deal with the Cao Gang. Why was the Cao Gang able to gather so many poor people and laborers? It was because these people had nowhere else to go and had no means of living, so they had no choice but to join the gang. If they wanted to live an upright life, who would be willing to kneel down and be a dog for others?

This is what Yan Shixuan meant. To completely solve the problem of the Cao Gang, which has a large scale and deep roots, the best way is not to eliminate the Cao Gang itself, but to eliminate the soil in which the Cao Gang grows.

In the past, before he became an official, Yan Shixuan believed that the bandits outside the city and the gangs in the city were all desperate poor laborers who had nowhere else to go and spontaneously came together to resist exploitation.

When Yan Shixuan learned that the real masters of these desperadoes were powerful and wealthy people, local gentry, Yan Shixuan realized that these desperadoes were just tools for exploiting the lower classes, one of the tools of rule.

Yan Shixuan led Luo Muying of the Ninth Battalion of Zhejiang to the intersection of the Grand Canal and Qiantang River, which was the stronghold of the Cao Gang.

The mobilization of troops showed that the Ming court had completely lost the patience to take advantage of the internal conflicts between the Zhejiang East Gang and the Hakka Gang, to solve the Cao Gang problem smoothly with both suppression and appeasement, and instead used violent means to settle the accounts once and for all.

We’ll deal with the aftermath later. Let’s first physically eliminate those guys who dared to take advantage of us.

It took Shen Shixing a long time to write a memorial in detail about what had happened in Zhejiang. He was very clear that he would still be a joke if this memorial was presented to the emperor, but he was even more unwilling to compromise with the local powerful and wealthy people in Zhejiang.

"These Cao Gang members are so arrogant that they can force Shen Shixing, a master of keeping things balanced, to the point of falling out!" Zhu Yijun felt insulted when he received the memorial from Zhejiang.

This insult did not come from local officials such as Shen Shixing and Yan Shixuan, but from the lawlessness of the Zhejiang Cao Gang.

The Ming Emperor led the Beijing troops on a southern tour. Instead of lying dormant, he forced Shen Shixing to choose between flattering the emperor and solving local problems.

Shen Shixing chose to solve the problem. In the eyes of the Ming Emperor, Shen Shixing chose loyalty, loyalty that cannot be expressed in words. Shen Shixing did not choose the loyalty that would lead to collusion with the local authorities.

"If you want to treat me like a knife, you must be prepared to be chopped to death by it! Feng Bao, send a letter to Hangzhou Prefecture and tell Shen Shixing and Yan Shixuan that solving local problems is the best gift! Thoroughly investigate the Cao Gang and the powerful and influential people behind them, and eradicate them completely!"

"If Shen Shixing doesn't have enough troops, I will lead the Ming army and arrive soon!"

"Next, General Chen Lin, commander-in-chief of the navy, and Duke Xu Bangrui of Wei will lead the navy ahead!" Zhu Yijun once again gave a clear deployment. Not only did he not blame Shen Shixing for his idea, he even provided military support.

"I obey the order." Feng Bao obeyed the leader's order.

Zhang Juzheng said solemnly: "Your Majesty, these matters should have been resolved before Your Majesty's southern tour, instead of giving them power and asking Your Majesty to clean up this mess for them."

Zhang Juzheng felt that he could not let Shen Shixing off so easily. The court had given him such great power, and if he failed to do his job well, he was incompetent and must not be let off so easily.

"Sir," Zhu Yijun said with a serious face, "There are big and small things. The Cao Gang is deeply rooted. It couldn't be solved when people were in turmoil before. This is not a problem of personal ability, but the world situation."

Is this Shen Shixing's incompetence? Zhu Yijun was very satisfied with the way things were handled. If someone else had been in charge, it might not have been possible to smoothly implement the Nine Battalion Mutiny. When people's minds were in turmoil, stability was the priority. The Cao Gang's failure to properly resolve the situation was not incompetence.

"Your Majesty, rules are rules." Zhang Juzheng sighed. Shen Shixing was Zhang Juzheng's most promising disciple, and he was unwilling to pursue the matter if he could smooth things over. But if he didn't pursue the matter, the leader of the Labor Party, Wang Chonggu, would still be eyeing him covetously.

The rule that Zhang Juzheng mentioned was actually a tacit understanding. This tacit understanding was very common. In the month before the New Year, most memorials would not mention difficult matters. Instead, all difficult matters would be left until after the New Year so that Your Majesty could have a good year.

When His Majesty was on his southern tour, everything seemed harmonious and peaceful on the surface. People from all walks of life worked together to whitewash the situation and prepare for the inspection with peace of mind. This was a similar tacit understanding.

"It's not Shen Shixing who is taking advantage of others. Governor Shen has already prepared to let Yan Shixuan take leave to go home in order to welcome the emperor." Zhu Yijun still didn't want to punish him.

"Your Majesty, I think we still need to uphold the royal dignity. This southern tour is to demonstrate power and gather people's hearts. If we don't do a good job, it will be a mistake." Wang Chonggu gave his opinion.

"What do you think, Wang Ci Fu, should be done?" Zhu Yijun sighed. Both party leaders felt that appropriate punishment should be given, and Zhu Yijun also had to consider the opinions of the ministers.

Shen Shixing can only bear the consequences, and the Zhejiang rich and powerful will have to bear the blame.

"I think that we should revoke the decision to reinstate the officials. If the punishment is too heavy, it will hurt the ministers' willingness to work hard. If the punishment is too light, it will not be appropriate. Anyway, Shen Shixing has been a fifth-rank official and governor for so long." Wang Chonggu did not think of expanding the results of the war.

That's enough. If Zhang Juzheng is really pushed into a corner, there's no telling what price the Labor Party will have to pay. Retracting the resolution to reinstate the official is undoubtedly a punishment that everyone can accept.

"I second the motion." Zhang Juzheng also felt that it was just right. If he did not punish the criminal, he would be suspected of shielding the criminal.

"Doesn't that mean that Governor Shen will continue to inspect the two places as a fifth-rank official?" Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment and asked blankly.

The joke about the fifth-rank governor will have to follow Shen Shixing for another half a year, and will continue to follow him until the end of the year before the major plan.

"This is the only way." Zhang Juzheng didn't want to make his disciple a joke, but things had come to this point.

"Why not transfer Yan Shixuan away from Hangzhou?" Wang Chonggu said in a low voice. Wang Chonggu, who had won a small victory, did not pursue. This was a hard-earned victory after so many years.

"Yan Shixuan is already famous, and no one would want him no matter where he is transferred to." Zhu Yijun spread his hands. This hot potato could only rot in Shen Shixing's hands.

Although Confucius once said that he did not speak of strange and supernatural things, Yan Shixuan looked a bit creepy and would still arouse people's general vigilance, and even the emperor found him difficult to deal with.

Yan Shixuan was first and foremost an honest official, an honest official who could get things done. A good horse is rare, and Zhu Yijun knew this very well, so every honest official should be cherished.

The collective will is the combined force formed by specific individuals. Only with more obedient officials can the Ming Dynasty's new policies move forward steadily.

"Then let's maintain the status quo." Wang Chonggu said with a bit of gloating. Yan Shixuan was involved in the Cao Gang, and Shen Shixing was also involved. There was no commotion in Zhejiang Province. After all, the court had very direct violence. Only the Cao Gang in Hangzhou Prefecture was in turmoil.

Yan Shixuan is still making efforts.

"Is it necessary to build a canal from Ningbo to Hangzhou?" Zhu Yijun looked at the Minister of Works Wang Daokun and asked about the results of the demonstration of the East Zhejiang Canal.

"It is necessary to build it. It is not very difficult and there is a demand for it." Wang Daokun thought for a while and said, "But it is not so necessary or urgent. We have to build it now."

It would be better if it is built, but you can continue to make do without it. It is not an absolute necessity.

If it is not an urgent need, it means that the start of construction will cause controversy, such as large-scale construction, which will cause disputes over the people's livelihood and wealth. Once disputes arise, it is no longer a problem with the project itself.

What the lowly Confucians are best at is turning an engineering problem into a political issue in the struggle, and then fighting for the sake of fighting. As for the project itself, it becomes unimportant.

Even projects that are not strictly necessary must be launched. The most typical example is the Ming Dynasty court. You should go slower and wait for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

"We can build it or not, so let's build it." Zhu Yijun thought about it and decided to build it, because the Ming Dynasty court was generally conservative, and its predictions about the development trends of everything would also be conservative.

This conservatism was also reflected in the Wanli Reform. Zhang Juzheng seriously underestimated the impact and results of the new policy.

The development of the Ming Dynasty is really too fast. If we don't get things done in advance, the decisions we make today because we are afraid of large-scale construction and want to wait for the people of the Ming Dynasty to influence public opinion will become obstacles to Zhejiang's development tomorrow.

"We obey your order." Wang Chonggu, Wang Daokun and other officials bowed their heads and accepted the order, and began to promote the specific process of building the East Zhejiang Canal.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make." Wang Guoguang said as he stepped out of the class and bowed his head. Everyone already knew what he was going to say, because it had been discussed since Chen Chengyi, the general manager of Tongxiang Town, arrived.

The memorial to Your Majesty now is the result of the discussion. "Present it." Zhu Yijun signaled Feng Bao to bring the memorial over and read the entire memorial.

The content of the memorial only contained one thing, which was that the flow and spread of tobacco could no longer be stopped.

This is not Wang Guoguang announcing that the Ming Dynasty’s anti-drug war has failed.

Because of its large scale and output, tobacco was not a target of inspection from the beginning; opium was.

The Ming Dynasty court had limited energy. It had already put all its efforts into strictly inspecting opium and had no energy left to prevent the rampant spread of tobacco.

"Things that can refresh the mind are so magical that they will become widely spread no matter what, such as tea, coffee, and tobacco." Zhu Yijun reviewed Wang Guoguang's memorial. Yin Zhengmao and other officials of the imperial court believed that the scale should be controlled by government-run enterprises.

In the vast Nanyang, there are countless tobacco plantations. Each strong laborer can take care of 3000 to 4500 tobacco plants, and each plant can be picked 5 to 7 times a year. The income of each plant is 9 cents for the tobacco farmer. Just by growing tobacco for a year, a strong laborer can earn between 13 and silver coins.

This is just about growing tobacco. If you build your own hut and work in groups of three or five to build an earthen kiln to dry the tobacco, a strong laborer can earn 15 to 20 silver coins a year.

If the black foreigners and Japanese slaves were used, the cost would be even lower and the profit would be even greater. Because of the Ming Dynasty's open sea policy, maritime trade prospered unprecedentedly. Tobacco had been widely used in Southeast Asia and spread uncontrollably to the heartland of the Ming Dynasty.

This is why Yin Zhengmao cannot ban tobacco planting, and according to the research of the chief medical officer, the harm of tobacco is far less than that of opium. For various reasons, Chen Chengyi, the general manager of Tongxiang Town, returned to the heartland of the Ming Dynasty to meet the emperor. He also had a mission, which was to lobby for government-run tobacco planting.

"The Marquis of Sishui is also an open-minded person. He does not hide his purpose. This money can be earned by the powerful and wealthy who go to sea, and the court can also make it." Zhu Yijun said with a complicated expression as he looked at the memorial.

The first reason why Yin Zhengmao clamored for the government-run tobacco business was to make money. Since the scale had become so large that it was no longer controllable and the existence of tobacco had to be tolerated, the court also had to make money from it.

Yin Zhengmao tried, tried to strictly control it, but tobacco is easy to grow, simple to make, and the demand is extremely high, so it could not be stopped despite repeated bans. Yin Zhengmao could only put opium in the most important position.

Just as religion is widely spread in the West, tobacco is also widely spread in Southeast Asia.

Life on the plantation was really hard, and being whipped really hurt, but the brief smoke of tobacco provided an escape from the painful reality, which was why there was such a widespread demand.

The smoke of flue-cured tobacco is strong and can suppress what’s on your mind.

The reason why Yin Zhengmao reported this to the court was that the situation had come to a point where he had to make two choices: either open up tobacco or completely ignore it. State-run tobacco was the only solution Yin Zhengmao could think of.

"My only worry is that if tobacco is liberalized, opium will grow wildly like weeds." Zhu Yijun held the memorial, still unsure.

The reason for his hesitation was simple: he was worried that the government-run tobacco business would soon expand to include highly addictive hallucinogenic substances such as opioids.

"Your Majesty, sometimes, a complete ban is equivalent to no ban at all." Zhang Juzheng certainly understood the emperor's concerns, but he still felt that Yin Zhengmao's approach was correct.

Trying to control everything means you can't control anything. The way to make choices is to give up in order to gain. If you want everything, you can't get anything. The more you pursue perfection, the more you lose things.

This is true for governing a country and for being a human being.

"What you said makes sense, sir." Zhu Yijun nodded and handed the memorial to Feng Bao. The Ming Dynasty's state-run tobacco business was about to begin.

Zhu Yijun didn't even need to think about it, the imperial court would definitely be criticized to pieces. In order to make money, they really didn't care about their reputation at all. With so many treacherous officials in the court, the country would never have peace.

These are the challenges the imperial court faced after opening the sea, but it also faced such challenges after banning the sea.

During the Chongzhen period, Emperor Chongzhen issued two decrees strictly prohibiting smoking. Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty also issued decrees to ban smoking, but it was still rampant.

"Are there no more objections to the splitting of the Southern Court?" Zhu Yijun asked about the struggle over the splitting of the Southern Court. In the emperor's opinion, it was somewhat anticlimactic.

The means of burning the warehouse with fire dragons had already been used, but the struggle came to an abrupt end. Zhu Yijun's last resort, leading troops to quell the rebellion, was not used, which made Zhu Yijun feel a little regretful.

"Your Majesty has already tortured him, and his attitude couldn't be clearer. It's good for the head to be on the neck." Wan Shihe explained the reason. This level of punishment was already an effective deterrent. It would be impolite to jump out again.

The emperor was not satisfied yet, but the powerful and wealthy people in the Southern Court had already enjoyed themselves, a little too much. It was really very exciting, so exciting that they lost their heads.

"Well then." Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said, "Now that we have settled the matter here, let's continue our southern tour."

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty went on a southern tour to the Southern Court. In order to resolve various conflicts, he has been staying in the Nanhu Villa for more than a month. Except for the three days when he paid homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has been strengthening the officials, powerful people and wealthy people in the Southern Court.

When the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict to leave the Southern Court and continue his southern tour, the entire Southern Court was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. In order to celebrate the emperor's departure, every household prepared fireworks, and the fireworks and firecrackers in the Southern Court were sold out. Even the brothels along the Qinhuai River decided to offer big rewards to stimulate sluggish consumption.

When the emperor's procession slowly left the Southern Yamen, the entire Southern Yamen turned into a sea of ​​joy, with more fireworks than during the Chinese New Year.

The Ming Emperor, this killer, is finally gone!

But soon, the powerful and wealthy people in the Southern Court discovered something that made them uneasy: the emperor was gone, but Hai Rui was still in the Southern Court!
This was terrible news. Hai Rui's methods were no worse than the emperor's. In addition, the previous struggles had shown that Hai Rui should not be provoked, not even the emperor! Because if the emperor was provoked, he would listen to the request and ask the reason. If Hai Rui was provoked, the emperor would not listen to any request at all.

Dai Fengxiang, who was an enemy of Hai Rui, was sent to the Execution House, and Shu Hua was executed in an expedited manner and beheaded in public.

Provoking Hai Rui would only bring the emperor's wrath.

Hai Rui soon issued a strange order that all the extravagant households in the Southern Courtyard had to pay a donation ranging from one thousand to fifty thousand silver coins each year. The reason for the donation was to dredge the waterways.

This is just the superficial reason. Everyone knows the real reason. All the extravagant households who celebrate the emperor's departure will be punished.

The entire Southern Court was filled with wailing.

All the fines went into the Emperor's Southern Treasury, and even the Minister of Revenue did not ask for a half share, just like when His Royal Highness Prince Lu was fined, the Ministry of Revenue did not ask for a share of the money.

The Ministry of Revenue can still clearly distinguish between the compensation for Your Majesty personally and the compensation for the entire Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun left the Southern Yamen and looked around with some regret. His regret was simple, that he had not cleaned out all the evildoers in the Southern Yamen. He knew clearly that he could not clean them up completely, but he still wanted to do more to let the people of the Southern Yamen breathe a sigh of relief.

In early June, the Ming Emperor's carriage entered the territory of Hangzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang Province. At noon, it began to rain heavily and the convoy could not move forward.

In order to prevent various accidents, the Ministry of Rites made sufficient preparations. The emperor stayed in Renhe County and prepared to continue to Hangzhou Prefecture the next day.

Renhe County had neither a temporary palace nor the Yanzi Building of the imperial estate, but there was a government office. This was a very ordinary visit by the emperor. They had experienced this several times along the way, and everyone remained sufficiently vigilant, but there was no panic.

"There's a fire in the direction of the government office." Zhu Yijun stood at the end of the corridor of the residential building, looking in the direction of the Renhe County government office, and was stunned for a long time.

What was supposed to come finally came.

It had been six months since his southern tour when a fire broke out in the palace, a traditional activity that must be done during the southern tour of the Ming emperors. Zhu Yijun had even forgotten about it, and as a result, the fire now dyed half the sky red.

"Your Majesty, I will go and ask if it is a government office." Feng Bao wiped the sweat from his forehead and sent a eunuch to check. Soon Feng Bao received a reply.

"It is true that the government office is on fire." Feng Bao's mouth twitched. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty killed so many people in the Southern Court, but the Nanhu Villa did not catch fire. Not long after entering Zhejiang, such a big gift was given to the emperor.

In other words, His Majesty the Emperor was cautious and would announce to the public where he would stay, but he would always stay somewhere else under the arrangement of Zhang Hong and Ti Shuai Zhao Mengyou.

It was to prepare for accidents, but accidents still happened.

If it weren't for this vigilance, Your Majesty would have been in danger by now.

"How dare they!" Wang Yaozhuo's face was as cold as frost. The emperor, empress, and eldest prince were all here. This fire was going to burn them all to death!
Arson is a very cruel method. After all, a fire can burn all the sins completely, making it impossible to investigate.

"This is a warning to me, telling me that in Zhejiang, they have the final say, not me." Zhu Yijun was very calm. The more it was at this time, the more they should not cause chaos.

It was an open secret that the emperor would move to another place after he had moved out of the palace. This was a show of power.

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "The fire at the Renhe County government office was definitely not an accident. Hangzhou has entered the rainy season in June. There was a heavy rain just now, and the ceremonial procession could not move forward. We stayed in the hotel in the afternoon, and the fire started in the evening. Someone must have been watching my schedule."

"And there must be a back-up plan. It is impossible for this to end so easily. A big fire can burn all the evidence. They can't suppress their eager hearts."

There was a cold light flashing in Zhu Yijun's eyes, and he was going to kill again this time.

The chaotic fire scene finally calmed down in the second half of the night. The next morning, the magistrate of Renhe County knelt on the ruins with dishevelled hair and dirty face, crying and shouting: "Your Majesty, how could it be burned like this! Your Majesty, where are you? Answer me, Your Majesty, I don't want to die yet. I have a father, a mother, and relatives. They don't want to die either."

Zhu Yijun looked at County Magistrate Ye Yongchang with a puzzled look on his face and asked in a low voice: "What is County Magistrate Ye doing?"

"No one told him that His Majesty is fine. He has been digging in the ruins since the fire broke out last night, trying to put out the fire, hoping to find His Majesty." Feng Bao said in a low voice.

Lost his manners? Ye Yongchang was already in rags, covered in dust, with tears all over his face, and the dust made him look particularly funny.

Ye Yongchang was afraid. He was afraid that the emperor would really die in his territory. If that happened, no matter who ascended the throne, his nine clans would not be able to be saved.

"Call him over." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling the eunuch to call Ye Yongchang over.

Ye Yongchang was called several times by the eunuch before he came to his senses. He looked back and when he saw the emperor, his eyes changed from confusion to suspicion and then to clarity. He jumped up from the ruins with the agility of a cheetah and rushed towards His Majesty the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, you are not dead!" Ye Yongchang's roar was deafening, with a hint of surviving a disaster.

(End of this chapter)