I'm really not doing business

Chapter 983 Loyalty Test

Gao Qiyu was very confident that the Ming Dynasty would ultimately win, because in his view, with the implementation of the Wanli Reforms, the Ming Dynasty had ushered in a brand new era, an era that would make the Ming Dynasty great again.

Before the Xia Dynasty, tribes ate raw meat and drank blood; during the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties, feudal lords were enfeoffed; during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the land was opened up and the well-field system was abolished; during the Three Kingdoms, Wei, and Jin Dynasties, the Nine-Rank System was implemented by powerful clans; during the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties, powerful clans were eliminated and officials were selected through the imperial examination system; during the Song and Ming Dynasties, local gentry and clans distributed power through the imperial examination system; and the Wanli Reforms were accelerating class mobility and the downward extension of power.

The establishment of the education system in the Dinghai era was a great achievement. The nationwide reading system represented a further extension of power downwards. Although it was still a long way from a utopian world where everyone could participate in and discuss politics, once we reached this point, the Ming Dynasty would become more resilient than ever before.

It has yielded fruitful results in many fields, including military, political, economic, and cultural fields.

Therefore, Gao Qiyu firmly believed that the Ming Dynasty would inevitably win the final victory, and his belief was even stronger than that of His Majesty the Emperor.

Because the Dinghai Education System was led and promoted by Gao Qiyu, he could see the various changes it brought to the Ming Dynasty. These changes penetrated every corner of the Ming Dynasty, subtly influencing and nourishing all aspects of the Ming Dynasty.

Education is the foundation of everything, and promoting culture is not wrong, but promoting culture while indulging in military force is wrong.

After leaving the Siyiguan, Gao Qiyu returned home under the stars and moon. Instead of resting, he turned on the lime torch and placed a large pile of official documents in front of him. These were the reports he had obtained by sending documents to various government offices under the guise of his position as Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan.

He was informed of the information gathered by the two capitals, fifteen provinces, and the four governor-general offices.

His Majesty has shown him immense kindness, and he naturally wants to repay that kindness. It is only right that he reorganizes the Hanlin Academy and signs the "Trade Regulations." He wants to present His Majesty with a new memorial so that His Majesty can control everything.

For the emperor, the most important thing was the state and its people. The state was the land and the people were the foundation of the country.

The two most important ledgers for the emperor to exercise imperial power were the Fish Scale Book and the Yellow Book.

The fish-scale register could be resolved through a land survey every ten years, and the game involved was very complex. The yellow register was equally troublesome. The Ming Dynasty had a large number of hidden persons who were not included in the Ming Dynasty's statistics. It was not that the local officials were not working hard; it was that they really could not be counted.

First, there were the Tusi (chieftains) scattered throughout Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Guizhou. The Ming Dynasty had relatively weak control over these areas. For example, Lin Fucheng found a remnant of the Yongxiebu tribe who was trying to restore the glory of the Yuan Dynasty. Although their behavior was laughable, the 13,000 people in the tribe had no household registration, so it was impossible to accurately count the population; they could only estimate it.

Secondly, the Ming Dynasty has many mountains and rivers. Sometimes, when people fleeing war go into the mountains and valleys, they can't find any people at all. They can only make a rough estimate based on the amount of salt consumed.

Even in the heart of the Ming Dynasty, statistics were inaccurate. There were countless instances of fraudulent distribution, deception, and embezzlement. This was due to the petty motives of local gentry and officials. With a large population, the labor burden was heavy, so they reported a number similar to previous years, preferring to avoid trouble.

This phenomenon of soldiers hiding their positions was not unique to the Ming Dynasty. Han Feizi's "The Deceptive Envoy" chapter specifically discussed this phenomenon: "Tens of thousands of soldiers deserted and went into hiding, attaching themselves to powerful officials to avoid taxes, but the emperor could not catch them."

This phenomenon became even more bizarre during the Ming Dynasty. When Wan Shihe was still alive, he pointed out the problem incisively: "After the Taizu Emperor was ravaged by war, the population was extremely prosperous. However, after a long period of peace, it declined."

When Emperor Taizu Gao pacified the country, he issued the Household Registration System in the third year of Hongwu's reign, stipulating that anyone who concealed a household would be executed. He also dispatched garrison troops to count and verify households. The population of the Ming Dynasty reached its peak. Later, after a long period of peace, it was not as high as it was during the Hongwu era. Isn't this ridiculous?

The reason is actually quite simple. In the early days of the dynasty, land was granted to those who concealed their own population and abandoned the benefits of receiving land and houses. Later generations did not grant land to those who were forced to work and were taxed (poll tax, corvée labor, etc.). They were so poor that they had no place to stand and no land to cultivate, yet they could not be exempted from corvée labor and had to pay taxes for having no land. Who would not want to become a fugitive?
In the early days of the dynasty, people could obtain land and were naturally willing to settle down. Later, when land was no longer granted, people naturally had to try their best to hide themselves and not be discovered by the court. Without a place to stand or land, the people naturally became fugitives.

Hidden population and hidden land were the two most intractable problems for the Ming Dynasty. Gao Qiyu was not capable of solving them. What he needed to solve was to let His Majesty know the number of people he could control so that he could formulate policies.

The emperor kept two sets of accounts, the Fish Scale Register and the Yellow Register. As long as he controlled one of them, it became easy to estimate the population by land area and the land area by population.

Some people, even if they are on the official register, do not belong to the emperor or the court, because these people belong to local gentry and commoners rather than the court. Only when Your Majesty has a clear understanding of the people under your control can you be more adept at managing the situation.

The number of people one can control is equivalent to the size of one's base of influence.

In addition, due to the rampant spread of the Blissful Religion, His Majesty lost control of Japan, and the Ming Dynasty could not even estimate the population of Japan.

The Ming Dynasty also encountered this difficulty when it expanded overseas. The Ming pioneers were new to the place and did not know the local people or the geography and water. They were unable to estimate the size of the other side and therefore could not formulate policies.

Gao Qiyu, in his capacity as Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan, submitted a memorial to the two capitals and fifteen provinces in order to clarify this issue and provide His Majesty with an indicator. This indicator reflects the number of people the court can control, which in turn reflects the court's control over the region.

Before doing this, Gao Qiyu thought it would be very simple, but after doing it, he found that it was extremely difficult!
The problem of hidden laborers has existed since the pre-Qin period. To solve this problem, it seems necessary to start with the administration of officials. But how many officials would it take to identify all these hidden laborers? Could the court really afford to support such an overabundance of officials?

Gao Qiyu quickly gave up on the idea of ​​completely figuring out Yin Ding, since the Ming Dynasty couldn't do that at the moment. He changed his approach and soon found some clues.

Today, after meeting Peto, the clues that had been shrouded in mystery finally became clear.

Gao Qiyu began to write furiously. The next day, he presented the memorial to His Majesty. Unsure whether his ideas were correct, Gao Qiyu did not hold a court discussion on the memorial in the Wenhua Hall. It was better to let His Majesty see it first, then let the Grand Secretariat see it, and finally let the Ministry of Revenue see it before holding a court discussion.

In the Imperial Study of Tonghe Palace, Zhu Yijun looked at the official chart in front of him. The official chart was a visual diagram of personnel relationships created by Zhang Juzheng in the first year of the Wanli reign, so that the young emperor could understand the personnel affairs of the Ming Dynasty more quickly.

The cabinet, the five military governorates, the six ministries, the Hanlin Academy, the Censorate, the Court of Imperial Stud, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of State Ceremonies, and other government offices, as well as local governors-general, governors, provincial governors, councilors, provincial judges, and military commanders, are all listed on this official title screen.

The official positions are divided into different factions based on personnel relationships, and are distinguished by different colors. Currently, about half of the important positions in the Ming Dynasty are controlled by the Zhang faction. Some of these positions are marked with a gold line, indicating that the person is a member of the Emperor's faction.

It can be said that this official document screen was Zhu Yijun's magic weapon for quickly taking control of the personnel of the Ming Dynasty. With such a magic weapon in hand, it was as if the world was in his hands.

Now, Gao Qiyu has created a magical artifact for the emperor that is no less impressive than the official writing screen.

"Mobilize all the people in the land to register for military service." Zhu Yijun stared blankly at Gao Qiyu's memorial for a long time. The problem that had troubled him for eighteen years suddenly felt like the clouds had parted and the sun was shining.

The military system of the Ming Dynasty consisted of the Beijing Garrison and the Navy, which were directly under the control of the imperial court, as well as the soldiers of the Nine Border Garrisons and the provincial military garrisons, and the archers and yamen runners of the patrol offices.

Registering for military service represents a voluntary assumption of more responsibility. Soldiers in provincial military commands and garrisons took on many non-military responsibilities.

For example, the Ninth Battalion of Zhejiang would conduct regular patrols, each lasting nine months, for tasks such as dredging ditches and carrying out disaster relief.
For example, the Han soldiers in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Guizhou would regularly suppress bandits, quell local chieftains, and participate in the war against Toungoo.
For example, the soldiers in Liaodong simply combined farming and fighting. It was very difficult to build up the ponds in Liaodong. The Shandong Regional Military Command and the Beizhili Regional Military Command regularly sent soldiers to go there.
To some extent, the number of soldiers willing to take on more responsibility represents the number of people willing to respond to the imperial court's call.

According to Gao Qiyu's summary of various places, the conscription rate of the chieftains in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Guizhou and the four governor-general's offices was less than one in a hundred. If the conscription rate could reach 1%, then it was past the safety line. If it was below this line, it was very dangerous and the chieftains had to be prevented from rebelling.

The conscription rate in the heartland of the Ming Dynasty was less than 40%. In the heartland of the Ming Dynasty's actual prefectures and counties, the conscription rate should be around 4%. In some places, such as Shanxi, Beizhili, and Shandong, the conscription rate can exceed 5%, while in some places, such as Jiangzuo, Jiangyou, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, the conscription rate is only about 3%.

This thing could even be called loyalty.

"Let's find a few pilot projects first," Zhu Yijun said, intending to give it a try before making any decisions.

The loyal Shuntian Prefecture, excluding the Beidaying camp, has a population of 4.5 million. The reason for excluding the Beidaying camp is that it was the emperor's stronghold, and including the Beidaying camp would distort the data. Averages are the most unreliable and easiest to deceive people.

The emperor issued an edict to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, ordering them to conduct registration. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, unaware of the emperor's intentions, issued the edict to their respective departments for implementation.

The phrase "orders were issued in the morning and implemented by evening" is a historical assessment of the performance evaluation system. This is certainly an exaggeration, but the capital city of Shuntian Prefecture was indeed able to achieve this, and the emperor's orders were quickly carried out.

Zhu Yijun even specifically selected Daming Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, and Xuzhou Prefecture for comparison, and gave a very brief explanation: register and record, and summon them when there is an imperial edict.

It didn't specify what to do.

At the end of June, His Majesty the Emperor received a report from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War that only 6 people were willing to register for conscription. Considering the feudal government's imposition of royal orders, the accuracy of this number would be even lower.

"Only a mere 60,000 people, at least 10,000 more, were forced to comply because of the levies imposed by the government!" Zhu Yijun was filled with disbelief when he received the report from the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhu Yijun admitted that he was a little overwhelmed.

In his expectations, Zhu Yijun would be satisfied with at least 5% of the loyal Shuntian Prefecture, if not 10%. But the final result was only 1%, a figure that Zhu Yijun found hard to accept.

Having operated for eighteen years, Shuntian Prefecture appeared to be extremely loyal, but in reality, it was not as loyal as it seemed.

Zhu Yijun did not emphasize the importance of the matter in the next chapter, and all levels of government treated it as ordinary official business. The less it was emphasized, the more accurate the figures were.

"Your Majesty, it must be that the various government departments didn't take it seriously because there was no 'urgent' label. Your Majesty, I'll go to the Ministry of Revenue and urge them." Feng Bao forced out a reason. In fact, he knew very well that under the performance evaluation system, this work was done very quickly, but there was no pressure from above or a heavy burden imposed on the lower levels.

"No need to go. Just register." Zhu Yijun accepted this fact and looked at Feng Bao, asking, "Has the memorial from Song Qichang, the governor of Shandong, arrived?"

"The memorials from Daming Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, and Xuzhou Prefecture have all arrived," Feng Bao said, forcing a smile.

Feng Bao said in a low voice, "Daming Prefecture is 140, Jinan Prefecture is 150, and Xuzhou Prefecture is 170."

"So only Shuntian Prefecture is less than one in a hundred! Only Shuntian Prefecture!" Zhu Yijun sat up straight, finished reading the memorials from the prefects of Daming, Jinan, and Xuzhou, and slumped back on the dragon throne.

Daming Prefecture was the garrison of Tianxiong Camp, and every year countless people would apply for conscription. This time, when they heard that the imperial court was going to register, the people of Daming Prefecture didn't ask for more details. 3.4 people registered and were waiting to be conscripted.

The population of Jinan Prefecture exceeded one million in the twelfth year of the Wanli reign and reached one million five hundred thousand in the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign. 7.5 people were registered. Jinan Prefecture even submitted a memorial inquiring whether the registration was necessary for fighting the Japanese pirates. If the fighting was for fighting the Japanese pirates, there would be even more people registering.

Xuzhou Prefecture had a population of 920,000, less than one million, and 64,000 were registered as willing to serve in the army. This number greatly surprised Zhu Yijun, as Xuzhou Prefecture was seven times more loyal than Shuntian Prefecture, or even more.

During the last major drought in Xuzhou, the choice was between protecting the grain transport and protecting the people's livelihood. Xuzhou Prefect Liu Shunzhi prioritized the people's livelihood. When the emperor passed by on his southern tour, he not only did not punish Liu Shunzhi but also erected a monument inscribed with "For the Country and the People" in his honor. Since then, Xuzhou Prefecture has indeed been very loyal.

“So, it’s not a statistical problem,” Zhu Yijun said, somewhat lost in thought.

They all received the same imperial decree, all were unaware of the emperor's intentions, and all were conscripts, yet the proportions were so drastically different. "The reason Shuntian Prefecture is like this is actually because of the presence of the Beijing Garrison," Feng Bao said in a low voice, observing the emperor's expression.

The strength of the Beijing Garrison was known throughout the land. In the event of a war, the emperor would only mobilize the Beijing Garrison, rather than conscript soldiers from the common people. Over time, the people of Shuntian Prefecture naturally relied on the Beijing Garrison for all matters of war, and their morale naturally declined.

One hundred thousand elite soldiers are worth a million—this is no exaggeration. The 100,000 troops of the capital garrison could easily sweep away the million-strong army of the nine border regions. With such elite soldiers who could fight ten against one, the people of the capital naturally had no enthusiasm for conscription.

Professional matters should naturally be left to professionals.

In Feng Bao's view, the figures from the capital city are unreliable.

For the people of the capital, since the Wanli Reforms, the capital has been almost as safe as it was during the Yongle era, when the capital had just been moved.

Zhu Yijun reluctantly accepted this reason, sat up straight, flipped through the memorials, feeling somewhat agitated. He stopped reading the memorials and went to the Beida Camp to inspect the troops.

"Proclaim this to the world, and all localities shall register and compile records. If there is an imperial edict, the registration shall be conducted once every three years as a regular practice." Zhu Yijun issued this clear order when he left the Imperial Study. Gao Qiyu's idea and the practice in the four localities were actually not problematic.

Feng Bao's reasoning was sound, but the Shuntian Prefecture was indeed not particularly loyal.

When Zhu Yijun made his southern tour in the thirteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Zhu Yiliu caused quite a scene, almost to the point of overturning the table, in order to suppress the ambitions of those who wanted to cause trouble while the emperor was away.

The loyalty shown by Shuntian Prefecture was largely due to the presence of the 100,000-strong Beijing Garrison as a double-edged sword hanging over their heads.

Zhu Yijun accepted the result and continued his habit of inspecting the troops every day without fail, a habit he had maintained for nineteen years. Now he dared not slacken his efforts even more.

In fact, it has been a tradition for the emperor to inspect military camps since ancient times. Emperor Wen of Han was the tutor of emperors for generations. He often inspected Xiliu Camp and allowed his generals and soldiers to pay homage to him without removing their armor. Moreover, Emperor Wen of Han also followed the regulations of the military camp.

"A meeting? What a load of rubbish! The trade regulations of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance, and you want His Majesty to hold a meeting with you? We are merely vassals of the Red Barbarians, how dare we make such a request!" Inside the Four Barbarians Pavilion, Gao Qiyu slammed his fist on the table, angrily rebuking the three governors for their wishful thinking and their insatiable greed.

These barbarians have no self-awareness and no sense of their own place. They actually demanded that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty attend the signing ceremony, which almost escalated to the level of an alliance meeting. These governors didn't even consider their own status, yet they dared to demand that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty attend an alliance meeting!
A pack of stray dogs running around begging for food dared to bare their teeth at the Ming Dynasty. They've really given them face!
The three governors looked at each other, completely unaware of what they had done to offend the majesty of the Ming Emperor.

Peto whispered a few words to his secretary before saying, "Young Master, what we mean is to sign the charter, have an audience with His Majesty, and pay homage to His Majesty!"

There were some communication problems. Peto didn't know what the problem was, but his secretary pointed it out: the Ming Dynasty valued face, and everyone knew that the Celestial Empire valued face.

We must respect the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and also respect the order of the Ming Dynasty. As long as we do these two things, the Ming Dynasty is really easy to talk to, much easier than the monarch of the suzerain state, Felipe.

“Young Master, we have no objection to any of the articles of the charter. The Ming Dynasty needs silver, and we need goods. The charter is beneficial to both sides. Is there some misunderstanding here?” Peto and his secretary exchanged a few more words. Their request was always to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor after signing the charter, not a so-called alliance.

This is a golden opportunity to go from a stray dog ​​running around to a domesticated dog of the Ming Dynasty. It is only because all three governor-general's offices have silver, and a lot of it, that this opportunity exists. Many governor-general's offices don't even have this opportunity!
Upon hearing this, Gao Qiyu glanced at the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial before nodding and saying, "After you sign the charter and learn the etiquette at the Court of State Ceremonial, you will be arranged to have an audience with His Majesty. You will probably find it hard to feel at ease if you cannot see His Majesty."

"Let's sign first." Gao Qiyu handed three copies of the charter and treaty to the three governors. The charter was drafted by the Ming Dynasty and was written in Chinese characters, but also included some in Latin.

However, when the secretaries were examining the Latin text of the regulations, they marked several places where the meaning was completely different from that in the Chinese text.

Peto and his secretaries discussed the matter in hushed tones, but in the end, it was Peto who raised questions about the points of contention.

Gao Qiyu was fluent in Latin. After reading it, he determined that this was not the version he had translated. Someone had sabotaged it. Gao Qiyu remained calm and had a new version written on the spot. After both parties confirmed it, the signing proceeded smoothly.

After the charter was signed, officials from the Ministry of Rites began to teach the three governors the proper etiquette for audiences, emphasizing that they must not offend His Majesty or be disrespectful.

Peto requested a private meeting with Gao Qiyu to finalize contracts for loans, crew training, and ship purchases.

Gao Qiyu patiently negotiated a deal with Peto, a ship purchase contract totaling three million taels of silver, to be delivered over three years, with a loan period of ten years. The wartime annual interest rate was 36%, while the peacetime annual interest rate was only 4%. However, to convert to the peacetime interest rate, the loan would need to be extended for forty years.

These were terms agreed upon long ago. From any perspective, this was a war loan, and Peto was willing to take the gamble no matter how high the interest rate was.

Previously, they had no choice but to be exploited by Felipe. Felipe was killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The Ming Dynasty was also seeking profit, but its strategy was to make it last.

"Isn't the Ming Dynasty afraid of bad debts?" Peto checked each contract, and after confirming there were no problems, he signed them. Once the emperor approved them, the project could proceed.

Peto also inquired and learned that the governors of Peru and Chile had no right to purchase the Ming Dynasty's five-masted ocean-going warships. The Ming Dynasty sold them to Mexico because Mexico had silver, and Peru also had silver, but the governor of Peru was much less daring.

“Debts don’t die with a person, and debts don’t go away.” Gao Qiyu looked at Peto and said with great certainty, “Governor Peto unfortunately died in the process of fighting for his own rights, and this debt still has to be recorded on the Mexican Viceroyalty.”

Peto's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "You're right, that's how it should be. The debt was incurred by the Governor's Office, and it should be repaid by the Governor's Office."

"To owe the Ming Dynasty a debt, one must either defeat the Ming Dynasty's navy or refuse to do business with the Ming Dynasty, but no one can do either of these things."

Peto isn't necessarily going to die. If he loses and runs off to the Ming Dynasty to live a wealthy life, he won't be able to pay back the debts the court asks him for. But if the court asks the governor's office for the debts, then Peto won't be involved.

If they win, Peto takes all; if they lose, the Governor's House loses.

“Young Master, I have no other intention. All the terms of the charter have been fully confirmed after a year of negotiations. Why is there a discrepancy between the Chinese and Latin texts when it was signed on short notice? Of course, I am not suspecting that you have set a trap, but I have some doubts.” Peto learned one word in the Ming Dynasty: be cautious in your words and actions.

The Ming Dynasty was a dignified and superior nation, so one could not speak casually and had to be accurate.

"Maybe it was the wrong one. Anyone can make mistakes due to accidents or negligence, that's normal," Gao Qiyu replied with a smile.

Peto couldn't help but shiver and dared not say anything more; Gao Qiyu's smile was somewhat frightening.

Peto dislikes dealing with intelligent people. Every time he does, he feels his brain isn't up to the task. He'd rather fight a bloody battle with the barbarians in the jungle than talk to someone like Gao Qiyu, who knows what kind of wicked scheme he's brewing.

Peto chose to say goodbye and leave.

Gao Qiyu picked up all the signed articles and documents himself, stood in front of the Siyiguan (Foreigners' Hall), and looked around at the accompanying officials.

Today's events are unusual. First, the foreign governor did not raise any demands for a meeting, but Gao Qiyu received information that the foreigners were rampant. Second, the Latin charter document had been replaced.

Clearly, someone is preventing the smooth signing of the Articles of Association.

Gao Qiyu glanced at the accompanying officials but did not give any instructions. Instead, he led the officials back to the Ministry of Rites. Afterward, Gao Qiyu personally took the signed documents to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace to report back.

Zhu Yijun confirmed that there were no problems with the signing of the articles of association. After giving his approval, he stamped the document with his Wanli seal, and from then on, the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance was officially established.

"Does the Junior Minister have anything to say to me?" Zhu Yijun asked Gao Qiyu after stamping the document.

Zhu Yijun was already aware of some minor troubles during the signing process at the Siyi Pavilion. There were imperial guards present, as well as interpreters trained by Zhao Mengyou himself. The imperial guards truthfully reported what the barbarians had said.

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you, Great Ming! With this treaty concluded, the opening of the sea will now extend from near to far. This is a fortunate event for our nation." Gao Qiyu chose to congratulate His Majesty, having accomplished another great feat, and the course of history had taken another small step forward.

"Why doesn't the Junior Minister of Rites tell me if he has grievances?" Zhu Yijun took out a copy of the regulations. One copy was kept in the palace, another in the Ministry of Rites, and the last copy was given to the Governor-General of the Foreign Peoples.

Gao Qiyu was pretending to be confused, but Zhu Yijun didn't really want Gao Qiyu to pretend to be confused.

"Your Majesty, I don't feel wronged at all. Perhaps I was in a hurry and took the wrong one," Gao Qiyu said after considering his words for a moment.

"They took the wrong one? The Junior Minister has certainly given them a good excuse!" Zhu Yijun exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "Fighting is fighting, but getting things done is still the priority."

Gao Qiyu bowed again and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I think so too. We are all working for the court and for Your Majesty. There is nothing to feel wronged about. Doing things well is my duty. If I do not do them well, it is naturally my incompetence."

"Yesterday I acquired a treasure, and today I bestow it upon you. Just do your job diligently. I had Xu Jue deliver a message to you: I keep my word. If you suffer any injustice, tell me, and I will stand up for you." Zhu Yijun emphasized again in person that Xu Jue's words were at Zhu Yijun's behest and were his promise.

The treasure is truly a treasure, a perfectly cut sapphire, about the size of a thumb. There are many more treasures like this in the palace.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness." Gao Qiyu bowed again and took his leave.

Gao Qiyu did not retaliate because he was now a court official and enjoyed the emperor's favor. If he retaliated over this matter, it would make him seem petty and insignificant. If it caused a real conflict between the emperor and the prime minister, Gao Qiyu would be held responsible.

Besides, the less he says, the more His Majesty knows about his grievances, and this is how he gains imperial favor.

You can never have too much imperial favor. Look at Wang Chonggu, a treacherous minister. He was valuable in life, and even in death he became the Duke Wencheng!

For court officials, temporary success or failure is never important; what matters is the emperor's favor.

"Master Feng, the Junior Minister of State is willing to suffer this injustice, but I am not willing to let him suffer. Go and investigate what happened," Zhu Yijun instructed with a furrowed brow.

(End of this chapter)