I'm really not doing business

Chapter 994: A new batch of people, almost like a completely different world.
Zhu Yijun was indeed the richest man in the Ming Dynasty, but facing a Ming Dynasty that needed money everywhere, he dared not be extravagant and wasteful. He invested all the money he had in the imperial roads and the Dinghai education system.

The wealthy people of Songjiang Prefecture did not need to consider too much social responsibility, so competing in wealth and extravagance became a natural thing.

This wind blew into the school, and that's what Zhu Yijun saw.

To avoid incurring the emperor's wrath, Wang Qian and Li Le were already very conservative. A very few students dressed even more splendidly, their outfits carrying far more than just 3.57 jin of rice.

The Ming emperor, who initially thought Wang Qian was too radical, came to approve of Wang Qian's radicalism after witnessing the harm caused by extravagance in schools.

Correcting a wrong will inevitably lead to overcorrection, which can be adjusted back later. However, this school must not be extravagant. These students are supposed to study and understand principles in order to establish their values. If this is done wrong from the root, then the towering tree of the Ming Dynasty will probably also grow crooked.

Zhu Yijun approved Wang Qian's memorial, acknowledging his actions. It seems the government was indeed meddling in other people's business. Even what students ate and wore was regulated, but the Ming Dynasty was a system of prefectures and counties under imperial rule, with the emperor as the sovereign and father. While his jurisdiction was extensive, so were his obligations.

After a three-day holiday for the Emperor's birthday in the nineteenth year of the Wanli reign, the Ming Emperor became active again, and his figure could be seen everywhere in the capital. The people of the capital were used to this, and what they valued most was the change around them. The capital was really getting better!

The reason for this is very simple: the emperor replaced all the clerks and runners in the six offices, so they no longer had to pay extra for their goods when entering the city.

His Majesty, residing high above the throne and busy with countless affairs of state, is not well aware of the conduct of these corrupt officials, even those right under his nose. They are so corrupt that they would even take a few sips of manure if a dung cart passed by!

It's a minor matter that corrupt officials eat, drink, and take things for free; people just suffer in silence. This has been going on for years, and the people have long been used to it. But this reform has given them a feeling of seeing the light after the clouds have parted, and of the great sky shining brightly in all directions.

For the first time, the capital city truly felt like the capital.

Some corrupt officials bully and monopolize the market, drive away honest merchants, and harass men and women. For example, there was an old yamen runner in the west of the city who forcibly took two women as his own. The women's husbands dared not speak out, as their businesses were in the hands of these corrupt officials. They had no way to seek justice and went to the yamen to file a complaint, but the six branches of the government simply did not accept it.

They bullied and monopolized the market. Merchants of rice, flour, grain, and oil from other places couldn't even get into the grain market, vegetable market, or oil mill. Once they reached Chaoyang Gate, they had to give it to merchants from the capital. Otherwise, these corrupt officials would arrive in an instant, take away all their goods, and beat them severely if they continued to harass them. At best, they would break bones; at worst, they would be bedridden.

The gangs in the city, colluding with the people in the government offices, were even more lawless.

Now, all of this is slowly disappearing in the capital. Several gangs that had been hiding in the city were arrested and brought to justice by the yamen runners, the Five City Garrison, and the Imperial Guards. The atmosphere in the capital has become solemn.

As for outside the city? The general was furious, and the cannons outside the city fired for three days, razing all those insignificant bandit strongholds to the ground.

The people of the capital discussed how many heads would be chopped off this time during their leisure time. But soon, news came from the Ministry of Justice that only twenty-seven ringleaders were beheaded at Caishikou. The remaining accomplices who had no murder charges were sent to Hami City to help the Marquis of Ningyuan reclaim wasteland.

The capital has changed a lot; even the smog that used to have a sinister purple hue has become more pleasing to the eye.

Before winter arrived, the Third Sister, the Provincial Governor of Suiyuan, once again entered Juyong Pass, intending to lead a group of people to deliver wool to the Yongding River Woolen Mill.

This is the last batch of wool this year, and the quantity is huge, a full 170,000 bags, each weighing 150 jin (75 catties). This much wool is the lifeblood of the grassland people for getting through the winter.

As the Lugou Bridge tax office drew ever closer, Third Sister, her face full of worry, pulled out ten silver notes. Feeling it wasn't enough, she took out ten more, intending to use them to bribe officials at the Lugou Bridge tax office.

"These bloodthirsty corrupt officials!" Third Sister felt a surge of anger rising in her chest as she watched her carriage stop in front of the branch office.

These corrupt officials are more troublesome than the Ming emperor.

Over the years, Third Sister has also come to realize that His Majesty the Emperor's conquest of the grasslands was to bring stability to the grasslands. If the grasslands were stable, the court would not have to spend too much time on the grasslands and would delay the Ming Dynasty's opening of the sea.

Therefore, His Majesty is exceptionally kind to the grasslands. As long as he doesn't raise so many horses, His Majesty doesn't care much about the small profits the grasslands make.

"These corrupt officials are getting more and more greedy." Third Sister looked at the government office with some helplessness. In her opinion, this place was almost like the gates of hell. Anyone who went there would be skinned alive.

"Mother, can't we file a complaint when we go to the capital?" a girl of about fifteen or sixteen asked in a low voice. This was Mu Qing, the adopted daughter of the Third Sister.

Third Sister changed her name to Han name, Mu, but no one called her by her name. They all called her Lady Zhongshun. Third Sister didn't care, as long as her daughter had a name.

“Qing’er, I have already complained.” Third Madam shook her head and said, “In the eleventh year of Wanli’s reign, I could no longer bear it, so I went to see the Emperor and filed a complaint. His Majesty dealt with it, but what could he do?”

"The branch office changed its personnel, but it's the same as before; they're still the same henchmen of the powerful and influential."

"The following year, the wool was not allowed to pass through customs. After finally getting through, my mother took the purchased goods back to the grasslands, but they detained her for a whole month, refusing to let her leave. They insisted that there were contraband items in the goods and investigated for a full month!"

"When we returned to the grasslands, it started snowing. The goods we purchased from the Ming Dynasty were piled up in Guihua City and almost couldn't be distributed to the various tribes."

She filed a complaint, and the emperor dealt with it, but changing the person in charge was no different from not changing the person in charge; it was just a change in name only, and she even faced additional difficulties.

Later, Third Sister also figured it out: the capital city was a very strange place, and even the emperor might not have a good solution. There were just too many powerful and influential people.

"Stay in the car and don't come out." Third Sister brought Mu Qing to the Ming Dynasty to broaden her horizons. Although these corrupt officials wouldn't dare to make a move on her daughter, it was still better to keep her daughter out of their sight.

"Mother, is it because we are captives, northerners, that you are making things so difficult for us?" Mu Qing shrank further into the carriage before asking in a low voice.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Third Sister shouted angrily, "What barbarians, northerners? We are now Ming people, don't demean yourselves. The barbarians are just those horse herders from the northern deserts."

"Also, this cannibalistic government office isn't targeting us. They eat Han Chinese merchant caravans too, treating everyone equally. Do you see those man-eating wolves on the grasslands distinguishing between black and white sheep?"

The Lugouqiao branch office's checkpoint treats everyone equally; anyone who tries to pass will be bitten, and no one is exempt.

"I see." Mu Qing thought that she was being treated this way because of her identity as a grassland person, but after her mother explained, Mu Qing felt it made sense. Just like what she read in the books, the distinction between grassland and grassland is not limited by region.

Third Sister entered the lottery bureau with the silver notes, and then walked out of the bureau with the same notes. She was very confused. This time was completely different from usual. She couldn't even send the silver notes out. It was truly as if the sun had risen in the west!
Mu Qing peeked out and asked in a low voice, "Mother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, the world has changed, it's really changed this time." Third Sister looked at the smog in the sky with a little confusion. The branch office had changed its personnel again, but this group was completely different from the previous group.

This time, with both a change of ingredients and a change of medicine, has His Majesty found a cure?
The seemingly unsolvable problem appeared to have been solved by the wise and innate Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The Third Lady had no idea where His Majesty's limits truly lay! Every time he came to the capital, there were new changes.

Not only the Lugou Bridge incident, but the atmosphere in the entire capital city became much clearer. Soon, Third Sister learned what method the emperor had used to resolve the problem.

A variable that would change everything has emerged.

A group that controlled certain means of production and could replace the gentry quietly stepped onto the stage of power and history. This variable, which had been brewing for a full nineteen years, finally blossomed and bore fruit.

"Was this also within His Majesty's expectations?" Third Sister murmured to herself.

On August 22nd, the Third Lady had an audience with the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor was as robust as ever, sitting on the dragon throne like a small mountain, which made people feel particularly at ease. It seemed that as long as the Holy Emperor was there, everything would flourish.

"Mu Qing has grown so much?" Zhu Yijun looked at the now poised and elegant Mu Qing and said with a smile. The last time he saw this girl, she was only nine years old.

Mu Qing hurriedly kowtowed and said loudly, "Greetings, Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be well."

"No need for formalities," Zhu Yijun said to Feng Bao. "Here's a reward."

The reward wasn't particularly generous—just a down jacket and a hat with earmuffs. The grasslands were bitterly cold, and the emperor had given them some warm clothing.

Third Sister reported on the situation on the grassland over the past year, and also reported on the progress of the herdsmen in determining the boundaries of their pastures. She also reported that the number of sheep raised this year increased by 3.2% compared to last year. This growth rate was slightly lower than in previous years, and the changes in the weather had a significant impact on the grassland.

As long as horses are not raised on the grasslands and a large number of sheep are maintained, the imperial court can rest assured. The grassland climate is not the same as it was hundreds of years ago. If too many horses are raised, many people will die—starving, freezing, or dying in battle. If they raid southward, many grassland people will die, and many people in the Ming Dynasty will also die.

This way is good for everyone. In time, we'll all be people of the Ming Dynasty, and we won't distinguish between each other anymore.

In dealing with the grassland people, Wang Chonggu's methods—using usury, raiding nests to drive away horses, and the wool trade—were indeed effective strategies.

"I didn't expect that changing the six offices and the yamen runners would bring about such a big change." Zhu Yijun was somewhat aware of the changes in the capital, and he didn't expect the effect to be so good. Changing the group of people was almost equivalent to changing the world.

During the implementation of the official selection system in the capital, Zhang Juzheng also observed the process and put forward suggestions for further improvement.

It would be best if these six clerks and yamen runners were to stand in a tripartite balance for stability, namely, artisans from official factories, scholars from civilian backgrounds, and scholars from military backgrounds. In this way, the three parties would check and balance each other, which would be the perfect way to establish the official examination system.

This suggestion for the change came from Shen Shixing.

"Could Suiyuan be reformed as well?" Third Sister asked the Emperor with hopeful eyes.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "It's impossible. There aren't that many educated craftsmen living in Suiyuan."

The construction of the Womagang and Shengzhou official factories in Suiyuan was much later than that of the four major official factories in the capital. There were not enough skilled craftsmen to participate in the selection process, and the situation could not be changed in the short term.

Policies should be tailored to local conditions. Suiyuan does not have the conditions for such reforms. The key for Suiyuan now is to first understand the status of livestock grazing and settle people down.

Everyone wants a peaceful life, but the grassland people are not born yearning for a nomadic life that follows the water. That is called living a precarious life, a life of wandering and uncertainty, where you don't know if you will see the sun rise tomorrow.

Without the necessary material foundation, policies cannot be implemented.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty." Third Madam was somewhat disappointed, but she quickly cheered up. Just because it didn't work today didn't mean it wouldn't work in the future. If she focused on production, it would be implemented when the time came. There would be such a day eventually, even if it was a little late.

"The number of women from Datong has been decreasing in recent years. You should also pay attention to this matter in Suiyuan. You should also fight against the brokers in the human trafficking industry. In the past, people couldn't afford to live and had to sell their children, which is why the business of selling women from Datong came about."

“But these past few years, the grasslands haven’t been exactly prosperous, but we’ve managed to get enough to eat. We shouldn’t turn a blind eye to this anymore,” Zhu Yijun said, referring to the business of the women from Datong.

Since the ninth year of the Wanli reign, the marking and recapture method has been used in Datong, Xuanfu, to estimate the total number of women in Datong. As the Ming Dynasty has brought the grasslands under its rule, the Shanxi merchants' usury and horse-driving practices have ceased, and the number of women in Datong has been rapidly decreasing. Today, the number of women in Datong is less than 15,000. At this point, it is time to crack down on the human trafficking industry.

Currently, Songjiang Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, and Shuntian Prefecture have completely banned brothels and prostitutes. Moreover, with the transformation of the commodity economy and the implementation of the imperial court's will, the scope of the ban on prostitution will become increasingly wider.

Zhu Yijun didn't know if he would be able to completely suppress the prostitution and human trafficking business in his lifetime, but he would continue to do so.

Roads are made by people walking them. If one attempt fails, try again. You must eventually make the road passable. If you can't make it passable yourself, others can follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and avoid taking the same detours.

"Thank you for your great grace, Your Majesty." The Third Lady bowed respectfully. His Majesty was a benevolent and wise ruler, even if he were a ruthless tyrant who killed without blinking an eye.

When the strongest person has the ability to suppress all opposing forces in society, the social structure will be subject to the will of that strongest person.

The strongest being at present is His Majesty. His Majesty is almost like the infinite principles of all things, intervening in the lives of all people in every aspect.

The Ming Dynasty called this a strongman politics system. This political system revolved around the emperor's will. Similarly, the order established by strongman politics would collapse instantly upon the death of the strongman.

Third Sister did not know what the future held for the Ming Dynasty, but this profound legacy would bless it with prosperity for over a hundred years.

After leaving the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace, Third Lady looked around at the three-story building behind her, which was not as magnificent as she had imagined. This was the highest hall of the Ming Dynasty, and the Holy Emperor had left a very deep impression on her.

"Mother, is His Majesty the kind of man you always talk about, a true gentleman?" Mu Qing asked curiously.

“Your Majesty, you are the epitome of a great man,” Third Sister said with a smile.

Mu Qing finally understood what a true man, whom her mother had been talking about so often, really looked like.

Zhu Yijun received Yao Guangqi's memorial. They had successfully taken up their posts. The office of the council located in Naha Port was only about eighty acres in size. Several councilors dispatched by the governor's office would arrive one after another next year.

Starting next year, each member will have to pay varying amounts of silver to maintain the operation of the government office.

The Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance was an important step for the Ming Dynasty towards becoming a world empire.

"Hmm, these Governors of Guangdong and Guangxi, Liu Jiwen and Wan Wenqing, have quite a few ideas." Zhu Yijun picked up Liu Jiwen's memorial and read it for a long time. Liu Jiwen's memorial asked, since there is a Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance, could there be a Western Merchant Alliance?
Zheng He sailed to the Western Ocean, where there were several countries, including the Mughal Empire, Ceylon, Calicut, Hormuz, Mecca, Aden, Mogadishu, Malindo, Mozambique, and Gifu. Is it possible to integrate these countries and establish a Western trade alliance?
Zhu Yijun thought the idea was good, but there was a problem: these places didn't have enough silver. There were some silver mines, but not many, so it wasn't worth the effort.

The Trans-Pacific Trade Alliance was driven by silver. What did the West use to drive trade, prompting the Ming Dynasty to go to great lengths to promote it? Liu Jiwen's answer was barbarian slaves and Kunlun slaves.

The Ming Dynasty lacked manpower to develop overseas regions, so the barbarian slaves and Kunlun slaves could provide the Ming Dynasty with more manpower for developing the South Seas and other regions.

However, whether these barbarian slaves and Kunlun slaves could become the main driving force of the Western Trade Alliance still needed to be tested in practice. The emperor wrote his doubts in his imperial edict, allowing Liu Jiwen to try it out. If it succeeded, great; if not, he would think of another way.

News came from the Nagasaki Governor's Office that the Japanese religion of Gokuraku was indeed showing signs of decline after reaching its peak.

It wasn't that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had suddenly become arrogant; he was still shouting slogans loudly, but he hadn't taken any action to punish the Bliss Cult. There was an old tortoise, Tokugawa Ieyasu, waiting for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Bliss Cult to weaken each other.

It's an internal conflict within the Blissful Sect.

The exact cause of the internal strife remains unknown. In Hiroshima Castle Town, the stronghold of the Bliss Cult, a violent internal conflict broke out, resulting in nearly 10,000 deaths and injuries. Ultimately, the Bliss Cult split into two factions, and the conflict continues to escalate, with the fighting becoming increasingly fierce.

Since the Ming Dynasty's nine victories in the east and its complete occupation of the Iwami Silver Mine, Mori Terumoto's strength has rapidly declined. He failed several times to retake the Iwami Silver Mine, suffering heavy losses. Mori Terumoto's control over Hiroshima Castle Town gradually weakened, and it became the stronghold of the Gokuraku Cult.

It was difficult for the Ming Dynasty's coastal patrols to discover the stronghold of the Blissful Cult, whose method of selecting fanatics was extremely cruel.

Although the reason for the internal strife is unknown, the Blissful Religion is divided into two factions: one appears to be more moderate, while the other is more extreme and is also known as the worldly faction.

Using the few remaining Japanese ships, and borrowing three large ships from the Ming Dynasty's Osaka Bay garrison, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched a surprise attack on Hiroshima Castle Town while the two factions were fighting amongst themselves.

The raid was a great success. Not only did they manage to occupy the town of Hiroshima, but they also captured and beheaded several of the protectors of the Modernist faction, making them feel extremely proud and vindicated.

The Bliss Sect remained powerful, but the demise of the Modernist faction greatly enhanced Toyotomi Hideyoshi's prestige. Similarly, discontent with the Bliss Sect began to surface within Japan, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi finally curbed the sect's expansion.

This is good news for the Ming Dynasty. It's better that these extreme evil forces are wiped out. The Ming Dynasty has always been on guard against the spillover of risks from the Blissful Religion.

The situation in Japan has not improved despite the suppression of the Blissful Religion's worldly faction. The Blissful Religion is the effect, while the inability to establish a new order due to the collapse of order is the cause. As long as the problem of the collapse of order is not resolved, this chaotic phenomenon will continue until Japan is destroyed.

The number of Japanese slaves was slowly decreasing, but the foreign slaves from Annam made up for the impact of this decline.

"Very good, Toyotomi Hideyoshi did a good job." Zhu Yijun praised Toyotomi Hideyoshi for the first time. This guy's ability to seize opportunities was really strong, and he was also very decisive in his actions. The Blissful Sect could not continue to expand in such a disorderly manner.

Zhu Yijun wrote a lengthy commentary in red ink, communicating with the Nagasaki Governor-General's Office about various aspects of Japan, especially the recent situation of Xiong Tingbi.

The production of Iwami Silver Mine is still increasing, making it one of the few remaining safe havens in chaotic Japan.

Furthermore, Xiong Tingbi treated the Japanese as human beings, which greatly boosted the production enthusiasm of the miners and potters at Iwami Silver Mine. This year, the amount of silver flowing into the Ming Dynasty from Japan increased by 300,000 taels, breaking through the 4 million tael mark.

Xiong Tingbi was assassinated three times, but he killed the attackers each time without being injured.

"Ye Xianggao, you have studied in the Hanlin Academy for three years and served as my clerk for three years, writing daily records. Now it is time for you to be sent out to serve as an official. Is there anywhere you would like to go?" Zhu Yijun held Ye Xianggao's memorial and asked him where he wanted to go. His time was up, and he could not stay here writing daily records forever. He needed to go out and gain experience so that he could continue to be promoted.

"Your Majesty, I wish to go to Jilin to reclaim wasteland." Ye Xianggao gave the emperor an unexpected choice: Jilin, a barren and impoverished land, which was extremely cold and harsh at this time.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "You can choose a place in the heartland to serve as your post. You are a scholar who is not strong enough to kill a chicken. If you go to Jilin, I am afraid you will lose your life."

Ye Xianggao thought about it carefully, but still shook his head and said, "Governor Hou has suffered such hardships, and so have I. Just as Commander Qi said, under the change of the heavens, Liaodong may become the place where the dragon rises."

Hou Yuzhao suffered because he went against the grain while serving as a censor and was ostracized from the capital. Even now, Hou Yuzhao is not very interested in returning to the capital to serve as an official. Ye Xianggao, on the other hand, did not go against the grain and was not ostracized.

"You're forcing yourself to endure hardship, aren't you? Don't regret it, I've given you a chance," Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, General Qi said that if Liaoning is secure, the world will be at peace. I still want to go to Jilin." Ye Xianggao gave a very clear answer: he would not regret going to Jilin.

"Alright, but be careful of your safety and don't act recklessly like a hothead." Zhu Yijun finally agreed. Every Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) is precious, especially a talented one like Ye Xianggao.

"What are your thoughts on being by my side these past few years?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously, having written the daily records of the emperor for several years, what Ye Xianggao thought of the dynasty.

After much deliberation and hesitation, Ye Xianggao bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to say that after observing politics for a long time, I have come across a saying: 'The cabinet ministers will not have a good end.'"

"Hmm?" Zhu Yijun suddenly sat up straight, abandoning his lazy demeanor, and said, "Tell me in detail."

Ye Xianggao was a little nervous, but he still spoke up: "Our ancestors established cabinet ministers, who were merely literary attendants, and their importance was limited to drafting proposals. Their power of appointment was completely different from that of the prime ministers of previous dynasties."

"If an official with no power tries to do the things that are powerful, he will inevitably fail; if someone with power is asked to do the things that are not powerful, his expectations will be even harder to fulfill. This is why cabinet ministers have never had a good reputation and therefore did not have a good end."

"Your subject has overstepped his bounds."

The Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion in the Ming Dynasty was completely different from the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister had subordinate officials, and the Prime Minister was in charge of administration and participated in decision-making.
Cabinet ministers do not have subordinate officials, do not oversee administration, but also participate in confidential matters.

The cabinet minister was in a very awkward position. To get things done was to force power into doing what was right, even if the momentum was strong.
When officials with no real power are tasked with tasks that require power to complete, the goals will inevitably be difficult to achieve.

The reason for the cabinet minister's awkward predicament is the serious imbalance between power and responsibility.

Those without power cannot mobilize the necessary resources or coordinate with other departments, yet they are held accountable for the results, inevitably falling into the predicament of being unable to cook without rice.

The root cause of this contradiction is the flawed design of the power structure, which leads to governance failure.

After listening to Ye Xianggao's analysis, Zhu Yijun saw several names flash before his eyes: Xia Yan, Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Siwei, and Shen Shixing. In the original historical timeline, only Shen Shixing could be considered to have retired gracefully; the others did not have a good ending.

"You're absolutely right." After pondering for a long time, Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "We shouldn't trouble two people with the same matter. You've analyzed the phenomenon, the problem, and the cause. Do you have any good solutions?"

Ye Xianggao quickly bowed his head and said, "Your subject is foolish and has no good plan."

Ye Xianggao felt that he was already very capable of seeing the problem through the phenomenon, trying to analyze the contradictions, and finding the cause!
His Majesty asked him to provide a solution, and he had thought about it, but he didn't know what to do. He felt that even if he became the Grand Secretary, he wouldn't be able to do anything, because Zhang Juzheng couldn't do anything either. If Zhang Juzheng had a solution, the Zhang faction wouldn't exist.

The abnormal product of the "seat master system" was actually a helpless measure taken by cabinet ministers to solve the problem of not having subordinate officials and being unable to coordinate various government departments.

Zhu Yuanzhang was diligent, and he was able to abolish the position of prime minister and establish his own autocracy without any problems. Zhu Yijun was also diligent, so this cabinet, which had an imbalance of power and responsibility, was able to continue to move forward, albeit stumbling. However, once the emperor's energy waned and he became lazy, this problem would be exposed.

Its rise was swift, and its fall was sudden. Strongman politics is extremely difficult to achieve and its rise is unstoppable, but its demise is truly sudden and unexpected.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "After discussing it with you, we've decided not to make things difficult for you."

"Your Majesty, I take my leave." Ye Xianggao breathed a sigh of relief. If the emperor asked again, he could only apologize.

Zhu Yijun asked Feng Bao to submit a memorial to the cabinet for advice. Soon, he received a reply: five blank ballots. The cabinet ministers' meaning was clear: they were powerless to help.

(End of this chapter)