I'm really not doing business

Chapter 984 The Emperor’s New Clothes

Zhu Yijun had considered the possible sources of resistance to the signing of this charter, and he envisioned many possibilities.

The conservatives still exist and wield considerable power. Obstructing the signing of the charter is tantamount to hindering the Wanli Reforms. The conservatives dislike change, and the opening of the seas has already altered too many aspects of the Ming Dynasty.
Even the emerging bourgeoisie among the maritime merchants in the coastal areas had agents in the court. In order to prevent the court from intervening and taking a larger share of the profits after the signing of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance, they blocked the signing of the charter.

Shen Shixing harbored resentment and acted out of personal grudges to retaliate against Gao Qiyu, which is why he caused all this trouble. If that's the case, then Zhu Yijun will definitely not let him off the hook!

National affairs come first. Fighting is one thing, but Zhu Yijun will never allow dogfighting to delay national affairs or treat national affairs as a joke. Zhu Yijun will make Shen Shixing regret such a decision for all eternity.
In retaliation, Zhang Juzheng created some minor difficulties to prevent Gao Qiyu from becoming arrogant and complacent. Appropriate suppression was only natural.

Zhu Yijun believed that this possibility was very small, and that Zhang Juzheng was not so free to make such an arrangement to target Gao Qiyu.

Since Gao Qiyu was promoted from Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, Zhang Juzheng's suppression of Gao Qiyu was mostly verbal rather than physical, and he maintained a stance of disapproval.

If Zhang Juzheng were truly going to take action, the scene would not be like this at all.

Zhu Yijun witnessed Zhang Juzheng's handling of the Jin Party firsthand. It was swift and decisive, with one move after another, relentless and relentless. Whenever he took action, he aimed to kill them. Zhang Juzheng's approach to Gao Gong was no exception.

Zhang Juzheng's consistent style was to kill without hesitation, showing no mercy whatsoever.

But after Feng Bao led the Eastern Depot and the Northern Garrison to investigate for a long time, Zhu Yijun realized that he had guessed completely wrong.

"So it was just a test?" Zhu Yijun was quite surprised. The three interpreters from the Ministry of Rites who did this were not from the conservative faction, nor from the maritime merchants, nor from Shen Shixing. They had no one behind them.

All three interpreters were radicals.

Wan Shihe had told the emperor more than once that the failure of several reform movements in history was mainly due to the radical faction's increasingly extreme policies during the reform process, which ultimately led to their own destruction. This was the main reason for the failure of the reforms, rather than the opposition from the conservatives.

When reform is needed and reform policies can be promoted, it means that the trend is inevitable and it has reached a point where it is necessary to reform and eliminate long-standing problems. Conservatives are not the majority; reform is the majority.

The Wanli Reforms aimed to prevent conservatism, but primarily to prevent excessive radicalism that could lead to extremism. Zhang Juzheng is now the biggest conservative leader; he disagrees with many radical policies and even rejected the Single Whip Law.

The minor incident at the Court of State Ceremonial was a test by the three radical factions to gauge the bottom line of what the Governor-General of the Eastern Barbarians could accept, and as it turned out, they succeeded.

The governors' offices in the East Pacific were very satisfied with the new regulations, and they could actually continue to use coercion and inducement to gain even more benefits.

"The Junior Minister said it was a trivial matter, and begs Your Majesty to show leniency." Feng Bao told Gao Qiyu his attitude. Gao Qiyu did not care about this trivial matter; he valued the impact of the signing of the charter on the Ming Dynasty more.

Gao Qiyu chose to stop when things were at their worst. Whether it was exploiting the three officials of the Eastern Tai Governor's Office or the Court of State Ceremonial, he always stopped when things were at their worst. Going to extremes would have meant that the conflict had escalated to the point of no return. Clearly, testing the waters was not a sign that the conflict was irreconcilable.

The court officials of the Ming Dynasty had all read the "Struggle Scroll" and each had their own understanding of the scope of the struggle.

The signing of the charter marks a new stage in the Ming Dynasty's opening of the seas. No matter how many twists and turns there are, we don't need to worry about them. As long as the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance is established, it will be a victory.

"As you say, Junior Minister of Rites." Zhu Yijun nodded and asked, "What is Shen Shixing busy with?"

After careful investigation, Feng Bao discovered that Shen Shixing had no idea that he was going to handle the task of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance, and Zhang Juzheng had never mentioned it to Shen Shixing either.

Even if Shen Shixing knew, he wouldn't care. No matter how capable or meritorious Gao Qiyu was, the position of Grand Secretary still belonged to Shen Shixing.

With Zhang Juzheng leaving his position as Grand Secretary, His Majesty, to ensure that the tragedy of the regime collapsing with the death of its leader is not avoided, will choose a member of Zhang's faction to come to power and safeguard the achievements of the reform. Gao Qiyu was expelled from his school, and the outcome of this struggle was already predetermined.

In this situation, Shen Shixing only needs to do his job well to win.

Shen Shixing was busy with the shareholding system reform and had no interest in taking credit for Gao Qiyu's work.

The Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance included the five major maritime trade offices of the Ming Dynasty, Ryukyu, Danshui Town and Xinglongzhuang on Keelung Island, Miyan Port in Luzon, Manila Port and Davao Port, Yehai City of the Old Port Governor's Office, Chijunshan Port in the Yuanxu Islands, Jinchi Governor's Office, Chile, Peru, Mexico, and the newly opened Jinshan City.

One ship certificate is all that's needed for navigation.

One very important transit port is missing here: Edo Castle in Japan, which later became Tokyo.

If this port were included, navigation would be much more convenient for all ships belonging to the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance, but Edo Castle would not be included.

This was done intentionally by the Ming Dynasty.

Not including Japan in the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance serves two purposes: firstly, to guard against Japan, preventing it from taking advantage of this opportunity to rise again, to prevent the risk of its cult spreading outwards, and to prevent its wandering samurai from forming more pirates; secondly, to maintain the continued stability of the small triangular trade.

The small triangular trade between Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Ming Dynasty was extremely important to the Ming Dynasty. This was a sphere of interest exclusively belonging to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty would naturally not use this interest to win over the Governor-General's Office of the Eastern Pacific. Even if the court were generous, it would be difficult for Ming merchants to agree. Moreover, neither the emperor nor the court wanted to be generous.

Japan contributed silver, Japanese slaves, and women from Southeast Asia. These slaves and women went to Southeast Asia to work as laborers, producing enough raw materials to be processed into goods in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty and supplied to the Ming Dynasty, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

The four governorates of the Ming Dynasty—Nagasaki, Luzon, Palembang, and Kinchi—were all built on this small triangular trade, making it one of the core interests of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance fails, the Ming Dynasty can retreat and find another solution, but if coastal trade collapses, opening up the seas will suffer the biggest setback in history.

This setback was no less significant than the suspension of official ships' voyages to the Western Ocean in the past.

In fact, the Japanese paid a heavy price for the Wokou raids of that time. Whether it was the defeat in Korea or the trade with Japanese slaves, the Japanese had paid a bloody price for the Wokou raids that intensified from the 20th year of the Jiajing reign. It seems that this is enough.

Generally speaking, if the punishment had reached this point, scholars and officials should have stood up and loudly protested that it was against the natural order.

However, because of the political correctness of eliminating the Japanese, no one is willing to be the first to speak up. The risk of speaking up for the Japanese is too great. His Majesty will personally take action and kill them in the street.

So the Japanese will have to suffer.

Feng Bao had a newly made geomantic map brought in, covered with a red silk cloth. This map showed the proportion of those who had volunteered to serve, as reported from various places over the past few days.

"Does Your Majesty wish to open it and take a look?" Feng Bao asked in a low voice, the outcome of which might be somewhat cruel to His Majesty.

"Gao Qiyu is such a wicked person, actually coming up with such a terrible idea!" Feng Bao was furious. Gao Qiyu was indeed capable, but he was also truly a ruthless person.

"Open..." Before Zhu Yijun could finish speaking, a eunuch hurriedly walked in.

The young eunuch bowed hastily and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary are outside the Imperial Study, requesting an audience."

Unless there was an urgent matter, Zhang Juzheng and Ling Yunyi would wait in the West Flower Hall, since they didn't know if His Majesty was busy. Obviously, there was an urgent matter, which is why the two of them arrived at the door of the Imperial Study.

"Summon him." Zhu Yijun did not have the eunuch open the red silk cloth again. Feng Bao's behavior had already given Zhu Yijun a good idea of ​​what was going to happen. Otherwise, Feng Bao would not have been shouting for the execution of the upright officials.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects." Zhang Juzheng and Ling Yunyi hurriedly entered and bowed in greeting.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "No need for formalities."

"Your Majesty, your subject and the Vice Minister are puzzled. Why has Your Majesty issued an edict to all levels of government to register those who voluntarily volunteer for military service?" Zhang Juzheng's expression was very anxious, especially when he saw the geomantic map covered with red silk cloth. His face changed drastically, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty, is it time for war?"

"Even if we were to go to war, there would be no need to register the conscripts; the Beijing Garrison and the navy would be more than enough."

If we disregard the consequences, the Ming Dynasty's current military strength is enough to defeat the Mongol Empire.

"Didn't you already guess?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile, looking at the unopened geomantic map.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, people's hearts cannot withstand the test. Those who submit such memorials that bewitch the emperor's mind and test people's hearts should be executed."

Gao Qiyu's memorial was kept by the emperor and not sent to the cabinet. Although Zhang Juzheng had not read the memorial, he knew who had submitted it.

Your Majesty is different from the late Emperor and Daoist. Your Majesty rarely keeps memorials unissued. It is immediately clear which memorials have not been issued.

"I was truly too soft-hearted for a moment; this scoundrel deserves to be executed." Zhang Juzheng finally identified his target: Gao Qiyu had actually submitted such a scathing memorial.

Once the calamity of destroying one's heart is unleashed, it will never end.

In the Ming Dynasty, actions were often judged rather than intentions, because no one is perfect in terms of intentions. The emperor was the most suspicious person in the world, and once this thing, which was almost equivalent to a loyalty test, came out, the world could hardly be at peace.

"Sir, please have a seat." Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "Master Feng, let's take a look together. Let's open it."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Ling Yunyi, having finally understood what was going on, immediately stepped forward, pressed down on the red silk cloth, and shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty, it is too difficult to overcome this challenge."

When the emperor is in his prime, he won't pay much attention to what he knows, and he might even reflect on whether he has done something wrong. But as his body weakens and he can no longer fully control it, he will become suspicious and doubt everything he can.

It's okay to see it now, but I'm afraid of seeing it when I'm old.

Ling Yunyi is old and doesn't have many years left to live. The calamity of his passing will not befall him, but it will fall upon the Ming Dynasty.

What happened to Emperor Wu of Han? In his old age, he no longer trusted even his own sons!

This is not the situation Ling Yunyi wanted to see; it would be a disaster for the Ming Dynasty.

Registering those who volunteer for conscription would be nothing unusual under other systems—it would simply be a matter of counting the number of soldiers available for conscription. However, under the Ming Dynasty's imperial system, where power was highly centralized in the hands of the emperor, this was not an option.

People change; a wise ruler can become a foolish one. Once you see someone like that, it might become an unresolved knot in your heart, a deep-seated resentment, even in old age.

A wise and virtuous ruler can sometimes become an obstacle to reform, as is the case now.

“It won’t matter if I take a look.” Zhu Yijun gestured for Ling Yunyi to sit down and then said with a smile, “Our Great Ming has the Grand Secretariat and the Censorate officials to correct errors. If I take a look, it’s just a glance, nothing will happen.”

Ling Yunyi sat down nervously, glanced at Zhang Juzheng, and asked the Imperial Tutor to think of a solution!
My mind is made up, and no one dares to object anymore. What use are the cabinet and the censors?

If Your Majesty has made up your mind to do something, but the Cabinet disagrees, conflicts will arise, leading to a clash between imperial and ministerial power. If Your Majesty wishes to maintain decorum, you can establish an agency such as the Privy Council, the Right Study Office, or the Military Affairs Office under the pretext of military affairs. The Cabinet can continue to do its work, and Your Majesty can continue to do what you want to do.

Setting up a separate office to bypass the cabinet was a very respectable practice.

During the Yongle era, many ministers disagreed with the Northern Expedition. Emperor Chengzu even used a substitution technique. Your Majesty used the same method to deal with the Hanlin Academy, the Censorate, and the Imperial Academy, which were full of lowly scholars.
If the Censorate were to fail again, the Anti-Corruption Bureau would expand its functions and take its place.

The censors of the Censorate are so obedient now, aren't they just afraid that His Majesty will get angry and replace them all?

If His Majesty is unwilling to be dignified, he can simply expel the cabinet and replace it with a new one. In the sixth year of the Longqing reign, Gao Gong was replaced in this way.

Even a fragmented Spain, with its autonomous ruler Felipe able to dissolve the Council of State and act arbitrarily, would have been even more able to do whatever it wanted in a county-level imperial system like the Ming Dynasty, where power was highly centralized in the hands of the emperor.

“Actually, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look,” Zhang Juzheng said quite frankly. “It’s good to take a look. Since this matter has already been done, not looking will only make us more curious.”

This is the terrifying aspect of attacking someone's heart. Once it starts, it's impossible to stop. If you don't let the emperor see it, he will always be thinking about it. It's better to make it a regular practice. Once he sees it often, he will get used to it.

Ling Yunyi glanced at Zhang Juzheng, both of them looking helpless. Now, they had no choice but to trust His Majesty.

Gao Qiyu was not unaware of the consequences; his faith in His Majesty was unwavering. Gao Qiyu believed that His Majesty would surely be able to remain steadfast and clear-headed, and he believed in His Majesty's unwavering resolve for nineteen years even more than Zhang Juzheng!
Feng Bao stepped forward and pulled back the red silk cloth.

"What's going on with Shuntian Prefecture! So few?!" Zhang Juzheng's first sight was of the shocking number 'one in a hundred' in Shuntian Prefecture! He even felt a little dizzy!
The color changes every 1%. The higher the percentage of the already colored area, the darker the color. Xuzhou Prefecture is vermilion.

Shuntian Prefecture was the lowest, almost white.

Yingtian Prefecture had 200%, Songjiang Prefecture had 300%, while the surrounding areas of Shuntian Prefecture, including Datong Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, Yongping Prefecture (Tangshan, Shanhaiguan), and Hejian Prefecture (Tianjin), all had 400%.

The 1100 from Shuntian Prefecture is too glaring.

“No, this…” Ling Yunyi was extremely surprised. Even Pyongyang Prefecture in North Korea had 130, and Seoul Prefecture had as many as 140. This represented Ling Yunyi’s great success in ruling North Korea.

The Liaoning Prefecture in Liaodong, which has already been filled in with color, also has as many as 140.

Before the red silk cloth was pulled back, Zhang Juzheng and Ling Yunyi were very worried and anxious. But after it was pulled back, they were no longer worried at all. Apart from places like the Governor's Mansion, no place could be lower than Shuntian Prefecture.

The traitors are right under our feet!

This geomantic map isn't fully colored yet, but it already has statistical significance. Zhu Yijun looked at the map and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The dragon throne had truly become a golden toilet. Zhu Yijun was going to sit in the capital and, as long as he lived, he had to deter the rebels.

“Actually, that’s normal.” Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said, “During the conflict with Anda Khan, by the second year of the Longqing reign, the population of Shuntian Prefecture, including children, was only 72. The population only began to recover slowly after the second year of the Longqing reign. Most of them were refugees who fled to the capital. They had no sense of belonging to the capital.”

"Living at Beijing Normal University is not easy, so naturally there will be some resentment in one's heart. When it came time to register as an applicant, the thought was naturally: Why me?"

Zhu Yijun had gradually accepted that Shuntian Prefecture was the worst-case scenario, and that a 1% result was already quite generous.

"What do you mean, 'under the emperor's feet' or 'the most virtuous place'?!" Zhang Juzheng's expression turned extremely ugly.

Your Majesty's words make sense, but are not sufficient.

In the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, after Altan Khan invaded the capital region, the population loss in Shuntian Prefecture was indeed very serious. What Your Majesty said is true. However, the population loss in Xuanfu and Datong was even greater. Yet, both Xuanfu and Datong Prefectures had a population loss of 140,000.

The reasons given for the 110,000 people in the capital are: the overbearing power of the Beijing garrison, the long-standing peace and prosperity of the capital, the population loss of the capital consisting of displaced people, and the resentment of wealthy migrants. These reasons are all valid, but not sufficient. No matter how you look at it, the 110,000 people cannot be accounted for.

The moment the answer was revealed, there was no need to worry about the emperor's folly or the difficulty of overthrowing the emperor. The place where the Beijing garrison was stationed was already the most disloyal place.

Zhu Yijun found the geomantic map amusing; the closer one was to the imperial road and the canal, the higher the proportion of applicants.
The emperor's efforts over the years have not been in vain.

"Actually, this geomantic map reminded me," Zhu Yijun said with great emotion. "In the thirteenth year of the Wanli reign, Lin Fucheng said, 'Wanli, Wanli, all families will perish.' I kicked him to Southeast Asia, but looking at this geomantic map today, it is indeed true."

“3% in Songjiang Prefecture is actually not much, sir. Songjiang Prefecture is the only one in the Ming Dynasty to have completed the transformation into a commodity economy. Only 3% is really very little.”

The poor laborers in Songjiang Prefecture lived a very hard life, earning only thirty or fifty coins a day. Even so, their lives were a stable existence that rural farmers would envy and yearn for.

Logically speaking, the number of conscripts and the proportion of the total population, that is, the mobilization rate, should be positively correlated with productivity. There is no doubt that Songjiang Prefecture has extremely strong productivity and organizational capabilities. Songjiang Prefecture's 3% and Shuntian Prefecture's 1% are not considered high.

In later industrial eras, mobilization rates could reach 10% or even higher. Songjiang Prefecture's 3% was lower than the 4% of the Ming Dynasty's agricultural society, which speaks volumes.

People harbor resentment. Lin Fucheng wasn't lying; he could only say that the distribution system implemented in recent years had alleviated some of the distribution problems, but it was far from solving them.

At this point, we had no choice but to take out the allocation scroll and continue chanting the scriptures.

The situations in Songjiang Prefecture and Shuntian Prefecture were very similar. Shuntian Prefecture had almost completed the transformation into a commercial economy. The reason for the 1% and 3% difference was that Songjiang Prefecture fully benefited from the opening of the fishing season, while Shuntian Prefecture did not.

When a vigorous and capable monarch saw this geomantic map, which was almost a loyalty test, his first thought was whether he had done a good job, especially whether his poor allocation had led to this result.

But what would an aging and frail monarch think when he sees this geomantic map?
"When I turn sixty, that is, in the fiftieth year of the Wanli reign, I will remove this geomantic map." Zhu Yijun had formulated a whole set of systems to prevent the calamity of his death, and whether it could be implemented at that time would be dealt with later.

Zhu Yijun never believed that a person could remain rational forever, not even himself.

"Alright, this is just for reference. As long as I have a general idea, that's enough." Zhu Yijun gestured to Feng Bao to cover it with a red silk cloth. This thing shouldn't be looked at too much, or it will disturb my mind.

"The mission with the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance has been handled very well. The Junior Minister sold ships to Mexico for three million taels of silver, and there will be even more profit from gunpowder later." Zhu Yijun told Zhang Juzheng some good news, but the profit was not high, only a mere two million seven hundred thousand taels.

That's how the arms business works. What you're selling is never the weapons themselves, but security. Security is never cheap, and it's a long-term business.

A 36% annual interest rate would force Governor Peto to work himself to the bone, because if he paid interest for the full ten years, the interest alone would amount to nine million taels of silver.

“Spain has not sent any envoys to the Ming Dynasty this year, and they only have three large sailing ships,” Zhang Juzheng said with some concern. “King Antonio of Portugal fought two battles with Felipe.”

Since Felipe was enraged by Portugal's sale of gold bonds two years ago and sent assassins to kill Antonio and the swordsman Marcus, relations between the two countries have deteriorated rapidly, even showing signs of war.

Antonio chose to back down, but this backing down did not earn him any leniency.

Because Felipe suddenly realized that Antonio was an easy target, much easier to bully than the English, friction began to escalate from sea to land.

Last September, Antonio broke with tradition and announced his intention to avenge Marcus, which quickly escalated the friction between the two into a conflict.

This time, Felipe mobilized ten large square formations, totaling more than 30,000 men, to attack Portugal. Antonio dispatched 25,000 members of the Church of the Great Light to meet the attack.

At first, Felipe's army moved quickly and attacked rapidly, reaching Santarém, a city only 120 miles from Lisbon, in just three months.

Santarém was on the west bank of the Tagus River, while the ten Spanish phalanxes were on the east bank. The Spanish army, with its morale soaring as it conquered territory, boasted that it would take Lisbon within seven days.

By the time they got to this point, everyone knew that Antonio's earlier strategy of backing down was the right one.

Portugal's strategic depth is too shallow. Once Spain, the dominant power in the West, gets serious and is willing to pay a sufficient price, Portugal will be no match for Spain.

The Battle of Santarém began. The Papacy of the Great Light, which was supposed to be defending, not only failed to defend but also crossed the river under cover of night and suddenly appeared to the northeast of the Spanish army. This disrupted the entire deployment of the phalanx, and a fierce and bloody battle ensued.

King Antonio led from the front, and the royal flag flew high on the battlefield. Soon, the Papal Army suffered nearly half its casualties and repelled the Spanish attack. After the battle, instead of resting, Antonio pressed his advantage and pursued the enemy.

In the Valley of the Moon, Antonio led his exhausted troops and utterly defeated the Spanish army. Of the ten Spanish phalanxes, only one escaped back to Spain; the remaining 27,000 were either killed or captured and remained in Portugal forever.

A total of seven phalanx commanders, twelve sergeant majors, and twenty-four chief priests were captured, and Antonio became famous in one battle.

After the war, Antonio released all the noble prisoners and sent envoys to Spain to sue for peace. It was indeed a sue for peace, not a negotiation, because if the fighting continued, Portugal would undoubtedly lose.

Moreover, the battles of Santa Ren and Moonlight Valley were not due to Antonio's great skill, but rather the legacy of the late swordsman Marcus. Marcus had devised a plan long ago, and every step was a risky move, with one wrong step leading to utter defeat.

Luring the enemy deep into their territory, launching a night attack, engaging in close combat, with the king leading the charge, and pursuing them—these were the only chances of victory that Marcus had envisioned before his death, and executing this plan required Antonio to have sufficient courage.

If they were discovered while crossing the river, or if they were defeated after crossing, everyone would die. If Antonio did not have the courage to fight to the death, the Battle of Santarém would have been a lost cause.

Antonio didn't really have the courage. Since becoming king, Antonio had become somewhat complacent and lazy. State affairs were managed by the Han Chinese, and military affairs were managed by the swordsman Marcus. He lived a life of extravagance and debauchery as king.

But with Marcus dead, Antonio's river crossing and sneak attack was a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.

“Antonio won the Battle of Santarém and the Battle of Moonlight Valley, but his suing for peace gave Felipe a lot of face. So, did Antonio win or Felipe win?” Zhu Yijun had doubts about this battle.

On the battlefield, Antonio won; off the battlefield, Felipe won.

Antonio dispatched a large delegation to sue for peace, making a grand show of force and adopting a humble posture. He did his best to praise the bravery of the Spanish, and the prisoners were treated like heroes. With the cooperation of some court secretaries, Madrid was filled with praise and adulation.

A performance that could be described as 'The Emperor's New Clothes' has begun, with all of Madrid, including the Portuguese, trying to please Felipe like a child.

To the uninitiated, it would seem as if the Spanish square had stormed into Lisbon and captured Antonio!

“Felipe won; what he wanted was for the Spanish people to believe he could win again,” Zhang Juzheng said after careful consideration.

For Felipe, the outcome of the battle was not important; what mattered was that he could announce a victory internally and convince people of it.

Antonio was not blinded by his brief victory, but instead chose to play along.

(End of this chapter)