I'm really not doing business

Chapter 835: Even now, the waves of Qionghai are washing away the sands, and the sound of the blue sky is still heard

Everything about the Wanli Reform was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Liu Ji heard that the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works jointly reported the improvement of artillery.

The artillery before the Ming Dynasty was a bit weak compared with the current artillery. The five improvements to artillery were all led by the Academy of Gewu.

Artillery improvements have been going on for fourteen years and will continue for the foreseeable future.

Due to poor metallurgy, the cannons before the Ming Dynasty were too heavy, weighing tens of thousands of pounds. These cannons weighing tens of thousands of pounds were simply fatal for field marches. Not only field marches, but also city defense deployments had to be transported to the city.

But in recent years, with the large-scale expansion of iron smelting plants, Ming Dynasty's steelmaking technology has become increasingly powerful, making the weight of firearms lower and lower.

Secondly, there is no fixed ratio for gunpowder, which leads to unstable trajectory and low hit rate, and also adds weight to the artillery. The quality of gunpowder varies. Good quality gunpowder is powerful, while poor quality gunpowder misfires. Without sufficient redundancy, it is easy for the barrel to explode, which results in the artillery increasing in weight.

Now the ratio of gunpowder has been completely determined as one pound of saltpeter, two ounces of sulfur and three ounces of charcoal, and then water, wine, sugar, sweet potato starch, etc. are added to granulate it. The granulation of black powder finally stabilizes the gunpowder.

The original powdered gunpowder was actually very inconvenient to transport, because during transportation, saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal would separate into layers. In addition to the stratification, the powdered gunpowder's water absorption was too strong, so the gunpowder had to be dried in slightly humid places.

These problems were overcome one by one during more than ten years of research, making gunpowder a truly reliable weapon.

In addition to metallurgy and gunpowder, research on the chamber pressure of artillery allowed the Ming Dynasty artillery to further reduce its weight. The chamber pressure curve and the gun barrel curve were almost completely consistent. The lightweight gun barrel made the artillery more maneuverable.

It's fun to talk about. The chamber pressure is calculated by drilling holes on the gun barrel and filling them with round arrows. When the cannon is fired, the gun body is wrapped with thick wood and a curve is drawn based on the depth of penetration into the wood. After hundreds of tests, the chamber pressure curve is drawn. The thickness increases where the chamber pressure is high and the weight decreases where the chamber pressure is low.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty used to call the cannons made after the ninth year of Wanli "big-bellied cannons".

The second is the progress in mathematics. The Ming Dynasty is studying the relationship between the impact point of artillery and the stability of the shells. One method is to add rifling rotation stability, and the other is to use steel tail feathers. Of these two methods, the steel tail feathers derived from bows and arrows have not been eliminated because they can be used by some special artillery.

For example, the Divine Fire Flying Crow has a wooden shell like a crow, and its belly is filled with gunpowder and caltrops. There is a wooden delay fuse at the tail of the crow, which is adjusted according to the range. There are two "fire starters" hanging at the bottom of the flying crow, which are the thrusters providing power.

The latest model of the Divine Fire Flying Crow has a maximum range of two hundred and fifty feet. After landing, the gunpowder in its belly explodes, but its accuracy is extremely poor. The Institute of Gewu recommends releasing them in units of tens of thousands to form a saturation bombing, and then the ground troops advance. This is an extremely extravagant approach.

However, the Ming Emperor was always generous in military affairs and would rather starve than not win. When the Ming army was fighting, the Emperor would eat a Guangbing every day to show that he shared the joys and sorrows with the army.

This led people to misunderstand that the emperor was tightening his belt to fight the war, but the Ming court was not so poor that the emperor had to tighten his belt to fight the war.

The Ming Emperor approved one million silver coins to build wind tunnels and water tunnels. The improvement of the glider was full of difficulties, but the range of the Divine Fire Flying Crow was getting longer and longer, and its power was getting stronger and stronger.

In addition, the Ming Dynasty began to consciously and purposefully train professional artillery and artillery battalions, and then formed full firearms combat of cavalry battalions, infantry battalions, and artillery battalions.

Artillery training requires soldiers to have a basic foundation in mathematics.

Metallurgy, gunpowder, chamber pressure, mathematics and artillery training are the five major improvements made by the Ming Dynasty to artillery, making artillery a real nemesis of mountain cities, barracks and fortresses.

The weight of the artillery gun was finally reduced from 9,000 jin to 2,000 jin, and could be pulled by three horses. With the addition of three horses pulling various gunpowder and shells, the maneuverability was greatly increased.

Before the above improvements were completed, every missing item would double the time it took the Ming Dynasty to demolish the mountain city. This also caused the Ming army to rely entirely on artillery to demolish the mountain city, and the demolition was not as fast as others could repair it.

This is actually the reason why the Japanese, knowing that the Ming Dynasty's firearms were extremely powerful, still brazenly attacked Korea. They underestimated the power of the Ming Dynasty's artillery.

The heavy infantry need to be covered by artillery before they can enter the battlefield. These heavy infantry are the first to charge into the enemy's formation. Each one is very precious. If they enter the battlefield directly, the loss will be totally unacceptable to the court and Your Majesty.

If the Battle of Malacca took place in the 16th year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Yuanxun would have only needed three months to completely demolish the red-haired foreigners' castle, instead of taking two and a half years of persuasion and finally conquering it.

Shen Yikuan brought good news from Shaanxi. The Ming Dynasty rebuilt the Hami City, a camp with a circumference of ten miles, built official roads and post roads, swept away the horse bandits along the way, cleared all obstacles to the Western Regions, and finally found the legendary Salt Lake (Lop Nur). However, to develop Jingjue salt, they still needed to continue westward for about 1,400 miles to reach the salt lake.

The reopening of the Western Regions was proceeding in an orderly manner. The next target of the Ming Dynasty was the Turpan Khanate and Luntai City, which was the Luntai City (today's Urumqi) mentioned in the poem "Song of Luntai to Farewell Doctor Feng on His Western Expedition" by the Tang Dynasty poet Cen Shen.

Shen Yikuan promised that within three to five years, he would rebuild Luntai City and build military camps and official roads to the Western Regions. This was what Shen Yikuan was determined to do in Gansu.

The Ming Dynasty reopened the Western Regions, and none of the Western tribes were able to match it, mainly because the Ming army was equipped with a large number of firearms. It only took 20 people to completely control a city stronghold, and only 300 people to defend a major transportation route.

Compared with the Tang Dynasty's efforts to open up the border, it was much cheaper for the Ming Dynasty to reopen the Western Regions.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty specially recruited tens of thousands of warriors for the Long March to develop the Western Regions. The total force exceeded 300,000. This also gave rebels such as An Lushan and Shi Siming an opportunity. While the Tang warriors were away, the rebels took advantage of the emptiness of the Central Plains and rushed in.

Ling Yunyi's rule as the king of Korea was going very smoothly. He recently recruited many Koreans to become archers of the Inspection Office, and they go around hunting tigers, tigers in the biological sense.

This was also the first time that the Ming Dynasty learned about the extent of the tiger infestation in Korea. During the period when Ling Yunyi arrived in Korea alone, 27 cases of tiger infestation were reported from various places. There was even a tiger den in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. At the end of the 15th year of Wanli, a tiger attacked a village, resulting in the deaths of 140 people.

Originally, Korea had a tiger-hunting team, which was staffed by the Korean Guard. However, Lee Sun's perverse actions caused a large number of low-level soldiers to escape, and the suppressed tiger problem began to rage again. Coupled with the attack of Japanese pirates, the tiger problem worsened again.

Ling Yunyi formed a patrol inspection team with archers. In addition to fighting tigers, they also conducted patrols. The security of North Korea was greatly enhanced.

North Korea is recovering rapidly from the shadow of war, which has greatly enhanced its cohesiveness. The Seoul Shipyard has been completed and will start producing ships this summer. The planning of Busan Port has been approved by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Households, and the progress is being accelerated.

The official post road in Laos has been completed.

As for this matter, the Kingdom of Annan, which was in the midst of internal strife, had no power to interfere. According to the Minister of Rites Shen Li, as goods from the Ming Dynasty continued to pour in and the bilateral economy began to flourish, more and more people in Laos would use Chinese, because only by learning Chinese could there be a way out, and within a few years, the two countries would be inseparable.

The Ming Dynasty's expansion was not entirely through military force, just like Deng Zilong was willing to trade his imperial sword to the Kulin people, but the Kulin people ultimately betrayed this goodwill.

Shen Li has a famous saying about development: If the Han people do not multiply, even if we have thousands of vast territories, they will still be a wilderness with fences.

The general idea is: Without the Han people becoming the majority of the population, no matter how large the territory is, it is just a sphere of influence rather than actual counties. This is the general principle of the Ming Dynasty's development.

After the court meeting ended, Liu Ji stood in front of Chengtian Gate of the imperial palace, feeling deeply moved.

In the 16th year of Wanli, everything in the Ming Dynasty is so prosperous.

During this court meeting, Liu Ji felt that one of His Majesty's words was inaccurate. His Majesty said: Others are not under my control, so it is in vain to persist.

But Liu Ji knew very clearly that with just one word from His Majesty, more than 300,000 people would fight for His Majesty. His Majesty felt that he could only do his best, but in fact, the people who were doing the actual work, such as Liu Ji, knew very well that a king like His Majesty was actually very rare.

His Majesty personally took charge of all matters. The four major cases were all bloody and infamous, but His Majesty did it. The royal family of Joseon, including King Yi Sun, was difficult to deal with, but His Majesty did not let them fall into the water. Instead, he directly ordered Yi Sun-sin to kill people, and Yi Sun-sin acted according to orders.

In addition to stable jobs that could be inherited if no mistakes were made, the navy, the Beijing garrison, and the government factories also received annual wages, interest, and reward money.

It is very prestigious to work in the navy, the Beijing camp, or the government factories. The social status of soldiers and craftsmen has been greatly improved under Your Majesty. Even students of the Polytechnic Institute who are craftsmen can gain fame and can be compared with the students of the Imperial Academy.

Even if it is difficult to find a wife, His Majesty will still find ways to find a wife.

Liu Ji firmly believed that the narrative of gratitude that Zhang Juzheng had been trying to construct was valid.

Liu Ji would not sympathize with any barbarians, nor would he stop pursuing overseas interests because of sympathy, nor would he be grateful to the barbarians' subordinates. He was just a captain working for Your Majesty.

Didn't he know where the silver, gold, sugar and other goods on his ship came from? He would not think about these things, he would only bring endless wealth back to Ming.

This is the new narrative that gradually emerged during the Wanli period: gratitude and loyalty!

Liu Ji believed that His Majesty had completely underestimated his terrible influence.

In Liu Ji's view, the reason why the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty fell into the wrong hands was that the Ming court and the emperor had no power to compete with the scholar-bureaucratic class in the political collective, which led to the court's increasingly weak control over the local areas and the inability to even complete basic tax collection.

Now the peasants, workers and soldiers, three levels of power, make up for this, which is one of the reasons why the Wanli Reform was successful.

After Liu Ji hurried back to the capital to meet the emperor, he rushed to Songjiang Prefecture to wait for the ship to be inspected, cargo to be loaded and unloaded, and soldiers to be rotated before going out to sea again.

After reviewing the troops in Wuying Tower, Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty returned to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace to deal with memorials.

A memorial from Songjiang Prefecture.

Shen Shixing reported to Your Majesty that all the duties of the Governor of Zhejiang were transferred to Hou Yuzhao. Hou Yuzhao had just arrived in Hangzhou Prefecture when an accident occurred. Hou Yuzhao, who had ridden a horse in Liaodong for fifteen years without any accident, fell off his horse!

The fall was not serious, he just fell down. Hou Yuzhao fell off his horse, and after a smooth roll to relieve the force, he was not injured. The imperial guards who followed Hou Yuzhao to Hangzhou Prefecture investigated for a long time as if they did not believe it, and found that it was indeed an accident.

Either someone wanted to intimidate Hou Yuzhao by taking advantage of the horseshoes, food and roads, or it was simply because of the spring rain that made the roads slippery.

"No, is this Yan Shixuan so weird? If you say the road is slippery, Hou Yuzhao followed Ningyuan Hou to Chaganpao. It was icy and snowy all the way, but he didn't fall like this." Zhu Yijun looked at this memorial and had a better understanding of Yan Shixuan's character.

Yan Shixuan is a bit weird.

Shen Shixing was unlucky, Wu Shanyan lost his life, Shen Shixing was unlucky again, and now it was Hou Yuzhao's turn to be unlucky. Hou Yuzhao's horsemanship was taught by Li Chengliang. The two of them led nearly a thousand people and ran to Chagan Lake without falling once. But as soon as they arrived in Hangzhou, they fell.

"It feels like a simple accident. After all, the slippery water in Liaodong is very different from that in Jiangnan." Feng Bao said with some uncertainty: "We can wait and see."

Hou Yuzhao's land return work in Zhejiang has been progressing smoothly. At present, the four prefectures of Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo and Taizhou have completed the land return. The wealthy families with more than 100 hectares of land have handed over the land deeds to the government office, and the government has divided the land according to the fish scale book and the yellow book.

In addition to these four prefectures, there are eight prefectures in Zhejiang that need to return land. It will take Hou Yuzhao about three to five years to complete the return of land in these eight prefectures.

"Suzhou Prefecture also plans to return the land." Feng Bao delivered the memorial from the Suzhou prefect to His Majesty. As the capital of Jiangyou, Suzhou Prefecture intends to take the lead in returning the land.

For the local governments, it is a matter of life and death if they stick their heads out. Everyone knows the character of His Majesty. He is extremely magnanimous, cares about the world, and is persistent. He corrects his mistakes and continues to implement them. He never admits his mistakes for the sake of His Majesty's face, which makes things even more troublesome.

The Suzhou government assessed Suzhou's economic situation and decided to return the land.

Feng Bao said cheerfully, "The prefect of Suzhou has made it very clear. After the restoration of farmland in Suzhou and Hangzhou, agricultural output will increase significantly, which means Hangzhou can support more craftsmen. The effect may not be seen in one or two years, but in three to five years, all the merchants in Suzhou will have to go to Hangzhou to build workshops. After all, there are more craftsmen in Hangzhou, and changes will occur later."

There are only so many pieces of pie in the world. If Hangzhou eats one more piece, its direct competitor Suzhou may have half a piece less.

All the talented men and beautiful women in Suzhou Prefecture have fled to Hangzhou Prefecture. How can Suzhou develop, and how can he, the governor of Suzhou, get promoted? If he gets a bad review in the performance evaluation system, his career in this life will be ruined, and he will be ridiculed as incompetent.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and approved the memorial, saying, "Let Suzhou Prefecture give it a try. If it doesn't work, let Yingtian Governor Li Le and Songjiang Governor Shen Shixing help. They can provide manpower, material resources, and financial resources."

"Returning the land to the fields is not that easy."

After Zhu Yijun reviewed a memorial, he looked at Feng Bao and said with a smile, "You can also find a chair to sit next to me."

"I am not tired and can still serve Your Majesty." Feng Bao shuddered and replied hastily. If Your Majesty didn't dislike kneeling, he would have knelt by now. From a positive perspective, His Majesty's words mean that he cares about his hard work in the imperial court. From a side view, it is clear that His Majesty feels that he no longer has the energy to continue serving as a eunuch in the imperial court.

In this short moment, Feng Bao thought about everything he could think of to make sure that he had not made any mistakes.

"Look at you, you're overthinking it. I just see that you're working hard." Zhu Yijun was a little helpless. As soon as he saw Feng Bao's expression, he knew that he was overthinking it.

"This one, this one will do." Feng Bao thought for a while, moved a square stool over, sat down next to His Majesty, and sorted out the memorials that His Majesty had approved and were about to approve. Zhu Yijun originally wanted him to change the chair as the square stool was uncomfortable to sit on, but he didn't say it in the end.

As an emperor, his authority grew stronger and stronger, and every word he said could make people think about things, but he really didn't mean that much.

Zhu Yijun held a memorial and said with a smile, "There is also good news in Suiyuan. Doctor of Agronomy Ke Yanchang has successfully cultivated the purple root grass sent by the Russian envoy last year. This is a good thing."

Purple root grass is cold-resistant and resistant to adversity. It has low soil requirements and can survive with a little water. It was tributed by the Russian Empire and is a kind of high-quality forage grass.

Doctor of Agronomy Ke Yanchang is the top doctor of agronomy in the field of Ming Dynasty forage. He is considered a fellow student of the Ming Emperor. He studied under the Grand Minister of Agriculture Xu Zhenming. Ke Yanchang led his people to plant green on the desert land in Yulin, making Yulin covered with green grass.

It can be said that without Ke Yanchang, the forage grass found by Daming would probably be difficult to plant on a large scale; without Ke Yanchang, there would be no current Dingmu and animal husbandry. Ke Yanchang was also a veterinarian and was deeply loved by local herders.

The success of the Wanli Reform was not the result of the efforts of Zhu Yijun alone, but the result of the unity and concerted efforts of all people in the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, General Hai is about to retire." Feng Bao placed a memorial in front of His Majesty.

The Ming Dynasty was originally a countryman, and Hai Rui was strong and powerful. As he grew old, his heart and strength were exhausted, and his muscles and bones were weak. At the age of 74, Hai Rui was no longer able to continue to preside over the affairs of the Censorate.

Li Youzi retired in the 15th year of the Wanli reign. If Hai Rui had not been looking for a suitable candidate, he should have retired last year.

"Promote him to the position of Junior Tutor, grant him a crown and belt with a python pattern, grant him 500 taels of silver, 10 pieces of silk, 30,000 strings of banknotes, 30 urns of imperial cellar, and grant the Qingqin Garden built in Beidaying to General Hai." Zhu Yijun rewarded Hai Rui. With a complicated expression and some hesitation, he said, "Also, grant General Hai the favor of appointing his adopted son Hai Zhongshi as the Minister of the Imperial Treasure Department."

Hai Rui had three sons who died young. He had an adopted son, Hai Zhongshi. This adopted son was not studious and was not good at studying, but he was considered to have inherited Hai Rui's glory.

The reason why the emperor hesitated was because Hai Rui had a bad relationship with his son. Hai Rui was extremely honest throughout his life, but Hai Zhongshi was obsessed with money. He relied on Hai Rui's reputation and showed off everywhere. He was also an adopted son, so as a result, the relationship between father and son became very strained.

Zhu Yijun picked up the pen, thought for a while and wrote: "The iron-faced dragon is made of cloth, the Qiongya cypress casts the spirit; the stele forest casts three thousand words of evil, the white clothes recover the stolen goods worth millions of pounds. Three parts of the southern court are clean, and the solitary flag faces north to sweep away the scales of corruption."

"Even now, the waves of the Qionghai Sea wash away the sands, and I can still hear the sound of the blue sky beating the case."

The Iron-faced Dragon Picture refers to Bao Zheng, both of whom are the people's father and mother official; the Forest of Steles refers to the Happy Forest of Steles established by Hai Rui outside Chaoyang Gate; the Plain Clothes refers to the Plain Clothes Censorate established by Hai Rui; the Three-Division Southern Yamen refers to Hai Rui's achievements when he accompanied the emperor on his southern tour in the 13th year of Wanli; and Sweeping Away Corruption refers to Hai Rui's fight against corruption as the Divine Sword of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun gave Hai Rui a poem, telling Hai Rui that the Ming Dynasty would never forget his contributions.

"Let's change the name of Happy Stele Forest to Awakening Forest." Zhu Yijun changed the name of the Happy Stele Forest established by Hai Rui to a new one. It was not a redundant move, but because Hai Rui was about to leave the court. Zhu Yijun hoped that after Hai Rui left the court, this stele forest could still serve to warn the world.

The emperor's imperial edict with red ink was sent to the cabinet, and then Xu Jue rushed to Hai Rui's residence with the emperor's imperial edict. The house where Hai Rui lived now was also a house bestowed by the emperor. Xu Jue had been here several times. Hai Rui was a truly upright person, and there was no luxury in his home.

Xu Jue and others went to the main hall, but only Hai Rui arrived to receive the order. Hai Rui's wife, second wife, and concubines had all died of illness one after another, his three daughters had already married, and his adopted son Hai Zhongshi seemed not to be at home.

"Hai Rui, the Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, accept the decree." Xu Jue swung his whisk, and two eunuchs opened the imperial edict. Xu Jue shouted loudly: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees:"

"I have inherited the great cause and have worked diligently day and night. I rely on upright ministers to support me. Reading your heartfelt report, my heart is broken."

"For sixteen years, you have upheld the principles of the Ming Dynasty with your sturdy bones. You have swept thousands of miles of mountains and rivers with your divine sword, clearing away all the corruption and muddy currents. Now that I hear of your illness, it is like breaking my arm and leg. However, thinking of your loyalty, how can I bear to let the personal relationship between the monarch and his subjects affect your health?"

"In the past, Bao Zheng knew Kaifeng and hung his sword in the sky. Now, I will let you retire and leave your sword behind. Ji An still wears a silver medal while lying in bed. I will let you stay with your parents and add a red sash."

"There are few iron-faced people under the Nine-Layered Palace, and there are many monuments in the history of thousands of years. I ordered the imperial edict to make a plaque with the words "Feng Xian Chuixun" and give it to him, and hang it in Qingqin Garden."

"The dynasty became a constitution after a long period of time, it was a good deed and a favor, and the edict was issued to the world, and the envoys heard about it."

"Appreciate this."

"I bow to thank Your Majesty for your grace." Hai Rui bowed again and took the imperial edict.

After Xu Jue handed the imperial edict to Hai Rui, he took out a letter written by His Majesty from his sleeve and handed it to Hai Rui, saying with a smile: "In addition to the imperial edict, Your Majesty also wrote a poem to give to General Hai. It will be engraved on a stone and sent to Qingqin Garden."

"Isn't your son at home?" Xu Jue asked about Hai Zhongshi. Hai Rui had phlegm disease and could not stand for long. His condition had worsened for more than a year. Even His Majesty often sent senior doctors to treat him. Logically, Hai Zhongshi, the adopted son, should be at home taking care of Hai Rui.

But when Xu Jue came to announce the decree, he didn't even see Hai Zhongshi.

"Well, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it." Hai Rui waved his hands and said, "He has been getting a little close to the merchants from southern Fujian recently and wanted to be a traveling trader. I didn't let him do it, so he got angry and had a big argument with me and left."

"Once we know, we will report it to Your Majesty truthfully." Xu Jue only read out half of the decree. He failed to read out the reward of En Yin Hai Zhongshi as the fifth-rank Shangbao Siqing. And judging from the situation, he was afraid that he could not give it out.

In Hai Rui's case, the adopted son is like his biological son. His father was seriously ill, but the son was not around. This is unfilial. The court would never give the official position to Hai Zhongshi, even if Hai Zhongshi was his biological son. The conservatives in the Ministry of Rites would never agree to this, as unfilial piety is a sin.

According to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, the fifth-rank Shangbaosiqing, who was granted the title by imperial favor, can be inherited for three generations. Even if he does not take up official duties, His Majesty has rewarded him with a large mansion. It would be a waste if Qingqin Garden was given to Hai Zhongshi.

Hai Rui had been an official his entire life. If he intended to marry Hai Zhongshi, he would not have described it in such detail. It was obvious that Hai Rui did not want to acknowledge this son.

"Your Majesty asked Chief Censor Hai if he has any recommendations for the position of Chief Censor." Xu Jue asked about the candidate for Chief Censor of the Censorate. Hai Rui did not make any recommendation in his retirement memorial.

Hai Rui said solemnly, "There is no reliable candidate. If there is one, it is Wang Ci Fu's only son, Wang Qian."

"I will report the truth to Your Majesty after returning to the palace." Xu Jue bowed and left Hai Rui's house.

Hai Rui knew it was inappropriate and therefore did not write it in the memorial.

Wang Qian's status as a juren was problematic. Wang Chonggu cheated in the provincial examination and got Wang Qian the status of a juren. The Chief Censor of the Censorate was an extremely noble person. With this stain, even if he was forcibly appointed, he would not be recognized by his colleagues in the Censorate.

When Xu Jue returned to the palace, he did not go directly to Tonghe Palace, but went to Dongchang. He sent some men to investigate Hai Zhongshi's situation carefully before going to Tonghe Palace and reporting to His Majesty everything he had seen and heard at Hai Rui's home.

"Wang Qian is actually quite suitable. Submit a memorial to the Wenyuan Pavilion for discussion. If it doesn't work, the court will recommend him." Zhu Yijun also knew that as one of the Suyi Censors, there was no problem with Wang Qian's ability to lead the Censorate. This was all a trap set by Wang Chonggu to trick his son, and it was also the reason why their father was kind and his son was filial.

"What's going on with Hai Zhongshi?" Zhu Yijun's expression turned cold. He was not very satisfied with Hai Zhongshi in the first place. His father was seriously ill, but Hai Zhongshi was not at the bedside!
Xu Jue took out a piece of paper, handed it to His Majesty, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, those Fujian merchants who were very close to Hai Zhongshi used to smuggle white goods."

White goods mainly refer to cotton and cotton cloth, and then gradually extended to bulk commodities such as cotton, tea, and iron. The Ming Dynasty adjusted the tariff declaration process, set up customs offices in all the ports, and provided one-stop customs declaration, alleviating the rampant smuggling of white goods.

"Hai Zhongshi is such a fool! He is so stupid! These Fujian businessmen don't value him as a person. What ability does he have to be valued by others? What Fujian businessmen value is the reputation of Hai Zongxian!" Zhu Yijun's mouth twitched. He didn't care. Hai Rui's lifelong reputation would probably be ruined by this adopted son.

Xu Jue whispered, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Hai Zhongshi is not unaware of this. I think Hai Zhongshi knows exactly what the Fujian merchants want him to do. He often flaunts himself everywhere under the name of Hai Zongxian."

Xu Jue's words were already very polite. The situation that the foreign troops had heard was even worse. Hai Zhongshi once said after drinking: A good reputation is useless, it is better to exchange it for money.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Let the Hai family of Qiongzhou select another person with both moral integrity and talent to come to the capital and adopt him as the General Hai."

(End of this chapter)