I'm really not doing business

Chapter 987 All things under heaven are subject to endless reincarnation.

Zhu Yijun never regretted embarking on this tortuous path of reform, and even if he died on this path, he would not regret it, because he never lacked companions along the way.

To revitalize the nation, Wang Guoguang betrayed the Jin Party and the scholar-official class, even abandoning the Confucian classics he had studied his entire life, and embarked on a journey of learning other subjects in the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Guoguang was a microcosm of a large group of people who were willing to risk their lives for the revival of the Ming Dynasty.

The merits of the Ming Dynasty's revival were not limited to high-ranking officials in the court, but also included countless soldiers who paid the ultimate price. They stand silently in the Loyalty Shrine in Beidaying and in shrines of loyalty throughout the country, quietly watching over the Ming Dynasty and protecting this land.

Life is a never-ending cycle.

Zhu Yijun conducted a comprehensive review of his work over the past month. "I examine myself three times a day" is a compulsory course for Zhu Yijun in self-cultivation, reflecting on whether there are any fatal flaws in his decisions.

Over the past month, two things have been most important: the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance and the shareholding reform and establishment of the Xishan Coal Bureau's Workers' Alliance.

The establishment of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance was both largely accidental and inevitable.

It was by chance that Felipe was old and senile, and refused to listen to any advice. Even though Pedro gave his life, he still could not awaken Felipe, who refused to face defeat. The defeat of the Invincible Armada gave these governors the courage to curry favor with the Ming Dynasty.

This was undoubtedly because the Ming Dynasty's opening of the seas was an unstoppable trend. Even without Felipe's senility in his old age, the westward setting and the eastward rising would have been an inevitable outcome after some time.

The shareholding reform of Xishan Coal Bureau and the establishment of the labor alliance represent the establishment of the prototype of a collective ownership economy, which greatly enhances the resilience of official factories. Extending the shareholding system and labor alliance to all official factories in the Ming Dynasty is the process from the germination of seeds to the blossoming and bearing of fruit.

This process was lengthy. After the establishment of the government-run factory labor alliance, it was then promoted to the general public. Only when the labor alliance was widely established could it become an important tool for regulating labor-management conflicts.

Zhu Yijun carefully considered many issues related to these two key systems before opening his eyes and saying to Feng Bao, "After the morning court session tomorrow, summon Mr. Feng and Shen Shixing to Tonghe Palace for an audience."

The Ming emperor needed to address the shortcomings of these two policies, so he had to have an open discussion with the Grand Secretary and Shen Shixing, mainly about the distribution of credit.

The morning court session the following day was no different from usual. After a heated debate, a certain consensus was reached. The biggest struggle for interests in the court recently was the competition for the position of general director of the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance. The Ming Dynasty had absolute say in this matter. As long as the debate in the Wenhua Hall reached a conclusion, the candidate could basically be determined.

The position of General Director of the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance not only brought him substantial wealth and immense power, but also gave him control over the distribution of goods to a certain extent. As a result, the competition for the position was extremely fierce, with the Workers' Party, the Zhang Party, and the Zhejiang Party arguing endlessly. It was only because the Imperial Enforcement Officer was present that this highest hall of power in the Ming Dynasty would have long since turned into a full-blown brawl.

Zhu Yijun merely watched the spectacle without making a decision, because Gao Qiyu, the primary contributor to the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance, had not provided a recommended candidate.

Gao Qiyu had some reservations. If he made a hasty recommendation, he might be being tactless. Mr. Zhang had already shown leniency towards him for his "unauthorized" appropriation of the merits of the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Business Alliance and had not held it against him. Recommending him as a director would seem like pushing his luck.

What I mean is, if the emperor issues an edict, can't you, Gao Qiyu, refuse? Even if you can't refuse, why don't you even make a gesture? What are your intentions?
What if the emperor wants it but doesn't want to disappoint the minister who has worked so hard? That's why he issues an edict asking you to decline. If you don't decline, wouldn't that put everyone in a difficult position?

After concluding the court discussion, Zhu Yijun summoned Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing to his study in Tonghe Palace.

"This is a toy made by Zhi'er, and I'm giving it to you two as a gift." After the two men exchanged greetings, Zhu Yijun presented them with a special gift: a three-leaf wooden fan assembled by Zhu Changzhi.

These two fans are teaching aids, produced by the Gewu Academy, made to help His Highness Crown Prince Zhu Changzhi understand the mechanical principles related to gears.

Behind the wooden head of the fan is a crank, which drives the three-bladed wooden fan to rotate through gear transmission.

These two items are valuable because they are made entirely of wood and are not particularly expensive, but they are also not valuable because they were made by the Crown Prince himself and bestowed upon him by the Emperor.

This represents the emperor's affirmation of the teacher-student pair Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing.

This affirmation signifies the emperor's expectations for Shen Shixing: do a good job, and the position of Grand Secretary will not fall into other hands. The contributions of the government-owned factory shareholding system and the establishment of the Workers' Alliance are by no means inferior to the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Merchants Alliance. One is internal and the other is external, and their importance is self-evident.

The fan's full name is Sandalwood Inlaid Jade Three-Legged Three-Blade Fan.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing bowed again and accepted the reward.

"The Songjiang Prefecture has reported that the construction of this office has been completed, but the selection of the chief administrator has been delayed. Who do you think would be suitable to send there, sir?" Zhu Yijun first bestowed the honor before explaining his purpose.

“Your Majesty, I believe that the recommendation of the Junior Minister of State is more appropriate. I am not familiar with the Huan Tai Shang Alliance.” Shen Shixing glanced at Zhang Juzheng before standing up and bowing his head to speak.

The master and disciple knew perfectly well why the emperor had summoned them and how to respond. They had already prepared their answers, and even without the three-leaf fan assembled by the crown prince himself, Shen Shixing would have given the same reply.

"Then I will have the Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan recommend him," Zhu Yijun said with a smile upon hearing Shen Shixing's reply.

"That's only right." Shen Shixing replied before sitting down. The emperor had already been very considerate of him and his teacher's feelings, and one should never push one's luck when communicating with the emperor.

Zhu Yijun and Shen Shixing talked for a long time about the Workers' Union. Shen Shixing talked about the difficulties of the Workers' Union. If it is handled well, it can be a regulator of the conflict between the government and factories. If it is handled poorly, it can be a breeding ground for the artisan movement.

A craftsman movement is necessary, otherwise it will be difficult to promote changes in production relations. However, an overly intense craftsman movement, where craftsmen frequently leave the mountains, is too extreme. It is actually very difficult to grasp the right balance.

Zhu Yijun offered his opinion, believing that it was good that the resolutions of the Craftsmen's Alliance Conference were submitted to the Emperor for review each time. Even if Zhu Yijun was old and senile, as long as the resolutions could still be submitted to the Emperor, there was at least hope for solving the problem.

Zhang Juzheng thought this was unreasonable, arguing that the emperor was a living, breathing human being.

Currently, there are only thirty-one official factories. The General Assembly of the Workers' Union has decided to submit the resolution to Your Majesty for review, and Your Majesty is able to manage. However, in five years, the number of official factories will increase to eighty-one, and in ten years, when the number increases to one hundred and fifty, or even more than two hundred, Your Majesty will be even busier in June and December.

A resolution is not something that can be resolved simply by the emperor reading it; the emperor also needs to understand all the circumstances involved. For the emperor, this means having a thorough understanding of the details of so many official factories, and he also needs to inquire about the outcome of the resolution afterward.

The emperor's energy is limited, with a limit of about four hundred memorials a day. The extra effort required is simply not worth it.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng discussed the matter in detail and finally decided that all documents would still be submitted to the Emperor for review. However, the Ministry of Works, the Grand Secretariat, and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would also play a major role and each select the matters they deemed difficult and urgent.

The Ministry of Works, the Grand Secretariat, and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs selected the most urgent matters as the most urgent, two of them selected them as urgent, and one of them selected them as urgent matters.

The follow-up handling of the three different levels of urgent matters must be reported to the emperor, but the time limits for evaluation are completely different.

If something major happens and the Ministry of Works, the Cabinet, and the Directorate of Ceremonial all fail to select it, wouldn't that mean the emperor is completely deceived? Wouldn't the traditional drama of "The Emperor's New Clothes" be staged again?

If there is a truly important matter, and the Ministry of Works, the Grand Secretariat, and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs do not select it, it means that the entire operating mechanism of the Ming Dynasty has completely failed and is utterly rotten. It also means that the Ming Dynasty has come to an end, and the emperor can go to Wansui Mountain and pick an old crooked tree that suits his taste.

It's best to be at the highest point, so you can take one last look at the entire imperial city before you die.

"The Three-Hook Method of Presenting Matters is excellent." Zhu Yijun was very positive about this mechanism.

Zhang Juzheng possessed a talent for governance far surpassing others; he was always able to increase the redundancy of the entire Ming Dynasty system through various institutional designs.

"I have a memorial to the throne." Shen Shixing flicked his sleeves and reached for the memorial.

Zhang Juzheng pressed down on Shen Shixing's hand and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Shen Shixing has not submitted a memorial."

Zhu Yijun was somewhat taken aback by this scene. They weren't going to act anymore, were they?
Zhang Juzheng, in front of the emperor, blocked channels for free speech.

"In my opinion, it is too early for him to propose this method now. It would be better to wait until he becomes the Grand Secretary." Zhang Juzheng explained why he had stopped Shen Shixing from submitting the memorial. The cause and effect involved were too great for Shen Shixing's small shoulders to bear.

He is bringing it up now merely to embellish Zhang Juzheng's brilliant achievements in the Reform Movement.

"What is it about?" Zhu Yijun asked with some curiosity.

"According to the old system of Hongwu, no private land can exceed 10,000 mu. Shen Shixing intends to restore the ancestral law and promote the return of land to the people." Zhang Juzheng simply and clearly introduced what Shen Shixing was going to do.

Going a step further on the current land policy, the excess land should be returned to the land. Although there is some compensation, it is no different from losing it for nothing.

According to ancestral laws, the land holdings of powerful and influential families had reached the point where nine generations of their relatives would be executed.

Taking the Confucius Mansion in Yanzhou as an example, the direct descendants of the Confucius Mansion in Yanzhou occupied more than 30,000 hectares of land, which is a terrifying amount of 3 million hectares.

Emperor Wanli favored Consort Zheng's son, Zhu Changxun, which sparked a fifteen-year-long struggle over the succession. Zhu Changxun was enfeoffed as the Prince of Fu and enfeoffed in Luoyang. Initially, Emperor Wanli wanted to grant him 40,000 hectares of land, but in the end, he only granted 20,000 hectares. These two million hectares of land completely exacerbated the conflict between people and land at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

One family of the Duke Yansheng of Yanzhou had a total of 30,000 hectares of land.

The powerful and influential families of the Ming Dynasty numbered over 8,000 households, and the land they owned exceeded 400,000 hectares, accounting for a staggering 5% of the total land area of ​​the Ming Dynasty!

If Zhu Yuanzhang had been emperor, all eight thousand households would have been executed along with their entire families, because the imperial estates controlled only about 50,000 hectares of official land, while the powerful and wealthy combined owned more than eight times more land than the emperor.

“Minister Shen is being a bit too radical,” Zhu Yijun said sincerely.

“Now is not the time,” Zhang Juzheng said to Shen Shixing.

"As the master said: The world is troubled by annexation! Isn't this the reason why the master left the court and then returned? Thirty-nine years have passed, and we still have to wait, how much longer do we have to wait!" Shen Shixing still stubbornly took out the memorial and threw it out like a boomerang.

In the thirty-third year of the Jiajing reign, Zhang Juzheng left the imperial court and spent three years in seclusion amidst nature. He later returned to the capital, determined to solve the problem of land annexation in the Ming Dynasty.

Thirty-nine years later, Zhang Juzheng still hadn't solved the problem; apart from the prefectures where the five major maritime trade offices were located and Zhejiang, no land had been returned to the people.

In thirty-nine years, Zhang Juzheng transformed from an extreme radical into a conservative.

Shen Shixing, a young and ambitious member of the faction, was already getting impatient. He felt that Zhang Juzheng had changed and become one of the obstacles to the reform movement. Zhang Juzheng was no longer bothered by the boomerangs; he had seen too many over the years. However, his expression was somewhat bitter. Shen Shixing, the disciple he had high hopes for, didn't quite understand his good intentions.

The worst thing about reform is that it becomes increasingly extreme in the process, leading to self-destruction.

Zhang Juzheng fully agreed with Wan Shihe's understanding. He believed that there had to be a sufficiently influential conservative in the court, otherwise the reform would get out of control and cause greater disasters than not reforming at all.

"Shen Shixing, are you crazy?!" Upon hearing Shen Shixing's outburst, Zhu Yijun's expression changed drastically, and he immediately reprimanded him sternly!

"Your Majesty, I deserve to die a thousand deaths." Shen Shixing was startled and hurriedly knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness. He could not withstand the emperor's thunderous wrath.

"Sir, don't pay him any mind. He's gotten a little credit and now he thinks he's someone special," Zhu Yijun said to Zhang Juzheng. "Without your guidance, protection, and support, would he be where he is today?"

"Actually, he was just a little impatient. He couldn't finish the work of returning the land to its original state. When the master passed away, his wish would probably remain unfulfilled."

"Once he sits in the master's position, he will understand the master's good intentions. Relying on the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron in the court, he wants to be fast and urgent. Once he makes that Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron, he will know the difficulties involved."

Zhang Juzheng didn't feel anything special about Shen Shixing's disobedience; it was mainly because the emperor's disciple said much harsher things when arguing with Zhang Juzheng.

Despite the arguments, everyone shares the same goal: the Wanli Reforms. This is the biggest consensus, and as long as this consensus remains, it will be the foundation upon which we all work together and share joy.

The reason for this difference in understanding of the policy is simple: Zhang Juzheng had suffered from the Single Whip Law and felt bad about going back on his word, but Shen Shixing, as the governor of Songjiang, only saw the great success of the Single Whip Law.

“Shen Shixing is right. Some wealthy prefectures in Jiangzuo and Jiangyou can start returning land to its original state,” Zhu Yijun said, offering his opinion.

In recent years, many prefectures in Jiangzuo and Jiangyou have approached Li Le and Wang Xiyuan, the governors of Yingtian, trying to get the emperor to provide them with policy support and allow them to return their land to the countryside, but Zhang Juzheng rejected all of these proposals.

The most prominent feature of these prefectures is their wealth. They have abundant silver, rich industries, low farmland output, and little social unrest caused by returning farmland to the state. The most prominent feature of these prefectures is that many powerful and influential families no longer attempt to further annex farmland.

Zhejiang's policy of returning farmland to agriculture was half-cooked, but after Zhejiang adopted it, it unleashed tremendous enthusiasm for production. In particular, grain prices stopped fluctuating, and there were few idle people on the streets of Hangzhou. Zhejiang had already taken the lead, and if the other prefectures in the south lagged behind, they would be left far behind.

"I fear that this land return decree will follow in the footsteps of the Single Whip Law," Zhang Juzheng said hesitantly. "Perhaps we should give it a try?"

Zhang Juzheng certainly wanted to immediately return all the land in the Ming Dynasty to its original state, but that was impossible. If it were possible, Shen Shixing wouldn't have had to throw a boomerang.

"Then let's give it a try. Shen Shixing, please get up and present the memorial." Zhu Yijun said to Shen Shixing after seeing that Zhang Juzheng had agreed.

Shen Shixing submitted a memorial, and Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng initially determined four prefectures to be returned to their former land: Suzhou Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, and Yingtian Prefecture.

"What does Minister Shen think about including Xuzhou Prefecture as well?" After confirming the four prefectures in Jiangnan, Zhu Yijun looked at Xuzhou Prefecture on the geomantic map. This prefecture did not have sufficient conditions for returning land to its original state. If land were to be returned to its original state, it would require strong support from the imperial court.

This was a policy bias made under the emperor's personal motives; the 7% willingness to enlist in Xuzhou Prefecture was truly remarkable.

Moreover, the Xuzhou Machinery Plant is already under construction and will be partially put into production next year, and fully put into production in three years. Once the Xuzhou Machinery Plant is completely stable, the Xuzhou government will have the foundation to return the land to the countryside, which is only three years ahead of schedule.

"I think it's a good idea." Shen Shixing knew very well that this was His Majesty the Emperor's personal request, so he immediately agreed. He would herd four sheep, and he would herd five sheep as well. Although the fifth sheep was a little thin, he, as a herdsman, took good care of it, and the fifth sheep could grow up strong.

Shen Shixing was completely unaware that the emperor had conducted a loyalty test. He only thought that His Majesty was rewarding Liu Shunzhi for his meritorious service in governing the local people. After all, the Xuzhou Machinery Factory was His Majesty's reward for Liu Shunzhi's obedience.

Zhu Yijun had Shen Shixing leave the imperial study ahead of him to wait, leaving Zhang Juzheng alone. The emperor acted as a mediator, telling Zhang Juzheng not to blame Shen Shixing for his impatience.

Shen Shixing and Zhang Juzheng left Tonghe Palace together. Zhu Yijun watched their departing figures and sighed softly. He had gone a bit too far in cultivating Shen Shixing.

Shen Shixing is the kind of person who is always on the side of goodwill and never offends anyone; he is a seasoned and experienced practitioner of moderation.

However, in the original timeline, from the tenth year of the Wanli reign to the fifteenth year, during the surging anti-Zhang movement, Shen Shixing, who wanted to avoid offending anyone, wrote letters to dozens of people to plead for Zhang Juzheng and his descendants. At that time, Shen Shixing himself was also implicated in the Zhang Juzheng case and was being attacked by the masses.

Historically, Shen Shixing has never wronged Zhang Juzheng, either publicly or privately. This time, Shen Shixing's insolent remarks are entirely due to his transformation during his years as governor of Songjiang. He went from being a conservative and moderate person who held both sides and upheld the right path to a radical, and an extremely radical one at that.

It's a good thing that Shen Shixing has become more radical instead of always trying to smooth things over, but it's not so good if he becomes an extreme radical.

"Minister Shen actually has no complaints about you, sir. He is just afraid that you will not be able to rest in peace after your death." Zhu Yijun sat back on the dragon throne and continued to review the memorials.

Shen Shixing returned to the Quanchu Guild Hall with Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng did not intend to reprimand Shen Shixing, but instead recounted how he had gone back on his word and swallowed back the policies he had formulated under the Single Whip Law, making Shen Shixing clearly understand the importance of a gradual and progressive approach to policy.

"Yaoquan, it's not that I don't want to. If I could, I would love to personally execute all eight thousand powerful and influential families, return the land to the people, and deter these landowners from further annexing the land. However, the policies of the dynasty are so complex that a single move can affect the whole situation. It's not a complete overhaul, so we can only proceed gradually." After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he sighed heavily.

Zhang Juzheng did not want to be a conservative, but he was the stabilizing force of the sea.

"It was my ignorance that led me to say this." After hearing the story of the Single Whip Law, Shen Shixing realized Zhang Juzheng's concerns. The Return of Land to the Fields Law and the Single Whip Law were actually very similar in nature, both requiring a large amount of silver or sufficient currency to support them.

Zhang Juzheng continued, "There is one more thing you must pay attention to. Once Xuzhou and the four prefectures in Jiangnan begin to return land to the people, Beizhili, Shandong, Henan and other places will surely submit memorials to return land to the people. You must refuse them all."

"Because once you agree, the order to return land will immediately turn into chaos. Not to mention you, even I and His Majesty will have a hard time controlling it."

“These places have several prefectures, and it seems that the land has been returned to its original state, but in fact, the local powerful families are still secretly annexing land because the profits from the land are still very high.”

"What you're warning me about is that we must be wary of things going to double," Shen Shixing hurriedly said. Zhang Juzheng's warning was succinct and to the point, summed up in just two words: double.

Shen Shixing was an extremely intelligent man who understood things very quickly. Any policy he implemented would inevitably fail completely if it was overturned. The way to prevent it from being overturned was simple: make an example of those who dared to overturn it.

Killing people doesn't solve problems, but it does get rid of the people who caused them.

"Alright, you know the importance of this matter. Don't overthink it, just do your job well," Zhang Juzheng said with a smile when he heard the word "doubled".

"This student takes his leave." Shen Shixing stood up, bowed his head in a disciple's salute, and left the Quan Chu Guild Hall.

Xu Chengchu, the anti-corruption censor of the Anti-Corruption Division of the Zhenfu Division, held a completed memorial in his hand. He was somewhat embarrassed, but he still stood up. He did not go to Tonghe Palace, but went to Wenyuan Pavilion and found Lu Guangzu, who was on duty there.

After reading Xu Chengchu's memorial under the black tiles of the Wenyuan Pavilion, Lu Guangzu said, "Give this memorial to me, and I will report it to His Majesty."

The memorial was a follow-up to the corruption case involving the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway. Chen Zhixian, the chief engineer and director of the highway, embezzled 324300 taels of silver during the construction of the highway.

Compared to the total investment of 50 million taels of silver at both ends of the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway, the 320,000 taels of corruption seems like a drop in the ocean. However, 320,000 taels of silver is roughly equivalent to half of the late emperor's mausoleum.

If this case is handled now, the construction of the latter half of the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway will be subject to further changes. These changes are unknown, and if the impact is too drastic, it could cause a major disruption to the construction of the highway. It is unclear how long the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway, which was expected to be completed in five years, will take to finish.

Xu Chengchu hesitated for this reason: the construction of the imperial road was very lucrative, and Chen Zhixian, as the chief engineer and master craftsman, sometimes had no choice but to take a cut. If he didn't take a cut, no one else could either, and if no one took a cut, it would sometimes create a vicious cycle of being honest but inefficient.

Lu Guangzu returned to the Wenyuan Pavilion with the memorial, and after discussing it with several cabinet ministers, he affixed the fringe and presented it to the emperor.

The eunuch waited outside half a room. The autumn heat of August was still very intense. The scorching sun shone on the ground, and the cicadas were chirping incessantly, making people even more irritable.

The eunuchs, however, were not anxious at all, because they had received imperial favor and were granted access to the small train from the Wenhua Hall to the Tonghe Palace.

It takes 8000 steps to walk from Wenhua Hall to Tonghe Palace, and the eunuchs have to make two round trips every day, which is 3.2 steps. In this hot weather, walking so many steps would require iron legs. After a few days, the soles of their feet would hurt so much that they could not put their feet down. The hardship is one thing, but delaying state affairs is a responsibility that no one can bear.

However, after gaining access to the little train, Xiao Huangmen saved himself the walk and became even more dedicated to his work.

This small imperial road and train are the imperial road and the imperial carriage. They, mere eunuchs, are naturally grateful that they can use the same road and train as His Majesty. At least His Majesty treats them as human beings.

Lu Guangzu's memorial was quickly delivered to the emperor.

Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in front of him and fell into hesitation. The Five Dragons Road in the capital, the Chonggu Road, the Yongji Road (from Shanhaiguan to Jilin), the Suiyuan Road, the first half of the Beijing-Guangzhou Road, the Kailong Road, and so on, were all supervised by the master craftsman Chen Zhixian.

He handled at least 150 million taels of silver, but only took 320,000 taels. Zhu Yijun was willing to call this loyalty to the emperor and the country.

But a corruption case is a corruption case. If this case isn't handled, wouldn't the Anti-Corruption Bureau be rendered useless? But how to handle the case? Even Xu Chengchu, a staunch and upright official even more outspoken than Hai Rui, was caught in a dilemma.

What made Xu Chengchu even more troubled was that Chen Zhixian was a Doctor of Natural Sciences at the Academy of Natural Sciences. This identity made Xu Chengchu somewhat hesitant to act rashly, because many technical problems in the construction of the imperial road were solved under Chen Zhixian's leadership.

Zhu Yijun stood up, found a memorial on the bookshelf, and looked at it for a long time. It was a memorial submitted by Wang Chonggu in the ninth year of the Wanli reign before the construction of the Suiyuan Highway. It was already ten years old, and the paper had hardened considerably, but the handwriting was still very clear.

"With the construction of the great project, some money had to be embezzled." Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial again, his expression becoming even more complicated. The construction of such a large project and the corruption involved were not things that could be accomplished with just perseverance and loyalty. There were many things involved, a thousand and one complex issues.

"Keep this memorial in the central government." Zhu Yijun had Feng Bao bring the secret box and wrote a secret edict to Huguang, informing Chen Zhixian that his corruption case had been exposed, but Zhu Yijun chose to suppress it.

The reason for suppressing the plan was for the sake of the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway. Zhu Yijun wanted Chen Zhixian to atone for his crimes by completing the construction of the highway. If it was completed well, everything would be fine; if it wasn't, it would be more than just a corruption case.

Zhu Yijun gave Chen Zhixian a chance to redeem himself through meritorious service and to start anew. This opportunity was something he had earned through decades of dedicated work repairing the imperial road.

Wang Chonggu's passing caused some problems for the Ming Dynasty's officialdom and the construction of imperial roads, and these problems had to be properly resolved.

Everything in the world is subject to endless cycles of reincarnation.

(End of this chapter)