Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Ouyang Lun brushed off his clothes, sat down by the pond again, and picked up the broken fishing rod. Looking at the ripples on the water, he said to Zhou Bao beside him calmly: "From tomorrow on, all the petitions submitted by these people will be suppressed. If they have the ability, let them go to the emperor and His Majesty to make trouble."

Zhou Bao looked at the officials who were gradually disappearing in the twilight in the distance, and couldn't help but whispered, "Master, will we let them suffer a loss like this?"

"They are just a group of vested interests." Ouyang Lun gently swung the fishing line, and the hook cut through the water. "What we should really worry about is whether they will do something desperate."

"Master, do you want to send someone to keep an eye on Li Shanchang's house and report any movement immediately?" Zhou Bao asked.

"Why are you staring at me? Do you really think I'm a powerful official of the Ming Dynasty? As long as this old man doesn't bother me, I'll be happy. If he wants to die, that's his business." Ouyang Lun said unhappily.

"Yes, yes." Zhou Bao nodded repeatedly and said hesitantly: "Master, you just said you wanted to report to the Emperor."

"Do you think I really want to impeach you?" Ouyang Lun took the document and ran his fingertips over the words "Draft Articles of Association of Zhu's Company". "The old man hates secret manipulation the most in his life. I just handed him a knife." He looked at the fiery clouds in the sky and suddenly chuckled. "Starting tomorrow, I'm afraid that the capital will be even more lively."

Li Shanchang's jujube wood cane made a heavy sound on the bluestone slabs of the Korean Duke's Mansion. In the twilight, the copper bells under the eaves of the door were jingling in the wind. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he saw several dark figures turning out from behind the screen wall. The leader was Niu Dali, the commander of the Tongzhou Guard. His hands, which were calloused from the iron bow, tightly grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist. The copper bubbles on his armor shone coldly under the lantern: "The Grand Master is finally back! I have been waiting here for three hours!"

"How disgraceful!" Li Shanchang frowned and brushed away the wine pot handed to him by the other party, but suddenly stopped when he caught a glimpse of the crowd of people gathered at the second gate - salt merchants wearing lake blue tribute satin, leaders of the grain transport gangs wearing green silk waistcoats, and editors of the Hanlin Academy wearing five-beam crowns. Dozens of people were crowded under the corridor, and the lanterns cast shadows on the pink wall, like a group of ghosts with bared fangs and claws.

"Grandmaster, save me!" Wang Bo'an, the leader of the Yangzhou salt merchants, rushed forward, his knees slamming heavily on the stone slab, and the jewel-studded jade belt around his waist hurt. His fat cheeks trembled like a ball of lard, and he took out a yellowed account book from his sleeve, the ink was blurred by cold sweat: "'Zhu Ji Shanghao' said that it would sell salt at a fair price, but we haven't sold the Huaibei official salt we have stored! Look at this account book, the interest alone is enough to make me breathless."

"That's right!" Jiangnan cloth merchant Shen Mingli knelt down, his brocade jacket rubbed with moss, "They said they want to import fine cotton cloth from the West, the price is 30% cheaper than our Songjiang cloth! This small shop has been in business for three generations, if it continues like this..." His throat rolled, and he suddenly reached out to grab Li Shanchang's sleeve, "Please ask the Grand Tutor to talk to the Emperor, and let Zhu's Shop give us a way out!"

There were sobs in the crowd. Zhao Kang, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue, squeezed to the front row. The second button of his official uniform had already fallen off, revealing his gray inner garment. "Grand Master, Ouyang Lun was talking nonsense by the Koi Pond today, saying that he would thoroughly investigate the taxes and silver in various places! Last year..." He suddenly stopped talking, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, "We Huaixi people followed Your Majesty to conquer the world, how could we let a prince consort ride on our heads and do whatever he wants?"

"Bullshit!" The gravel crunched under the soles of Niu Dali's boots. "When I was living a life of poverty in Tongzhou Wei, that Ouyang guy was still studying sage books in the Hanlin Academy! Now you dare to check the granary? Do you really think that there is no one left in our Huaixi party?" The sword at his waist was unsheathed three inches, and the cold light made everyone's faces pale.

Li Shanchang was escorted by the crowd to the flower hall. The painting "Visiting the Sages by the Wei River" on the rosewood screen was distorted in the flickering candlelight. As soon as he sat down in the main seat, a maid brought him some ginseng tea, but he swept it away with a wave of his sleeve. The celadon bowl broke on the gold bricks, and the scalding tea splashed on the trouser legs embroidered with lotus flowers: "Shut up, all of you! How disgraceful!"

The hall suddenly became quiet, with only the copper bells on the eaves still ringing in the wind. Sun Wenhuan, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, shook the egret patch on his sleeve and took out a copy of the Siamese envoy's letter from his arms. The cinnabar annotations on the yellow silk made people's eyes hurt: "Look, Grand Master, the Siamese actually asked me in the letter whether the Ming treasury is empty, and offered to send 100,000 taels of silver to help the emperor do business. This is treating the Celestial Empire as a beggar!"

"More than just Siam!" Hanlin Academy editor Chen Bangyan's beard trembled with excitement, and the bamboo slips of "Zhou Li" in his hand almost poked Li Shanchang's nose. "Yesterday at the imperial lecture, the students of the Imperial Academy actually questioned in public whether the emperor's closeness to business was against the teachings of the saints. The students were saying that Emperor Taizu's integrity was not preserved in his later years."

"Shut up!" Li Shanchang slammed the table and stood up, making the celadon bottles on the antique shelf buzz. "Your Majesty is the founding monarch, how can you guys comment on that!" He suddenly started coughing violently. The housekeeper hurriedly handed him a gold-embroidered handkerchief, but saw a faint stain of blood on the corner of the handkerchief.

"Grand Master, calm down." Wu Yingqi, a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward to hold the old man's trembling shoulders. The Xiezhi patch on his official uniform brushed against Li Shanchang's crane pattern. "That guy Ouyang Lun mentioned the Lan Yu case today. Back then, our Huaixi people defended the country for Your Majesty, but now he is using them as pawns." He lowered his voice, "I heard that he has secretly sent his confidants to Suzhou to check the account books of Shen Wansan's former subordinates."

"Shen Wansan?" Wang Bo'an's fat face turned pale instantly, and the account book in his hand fell to the ground with a "clack". "That was the richest man whose property was confiscated back then! Could it be that Ouyang Lun wanted to..."

"Rehabilitate Shen Wansan?!"

"What does he want to do?" Niu Dali slammed the table, causing the remaining tea in the cup to splash. "It's obvious that he sees that our Huaixi Party is weak, and wants to use the hand of the emperor to deal with us! Have you forgotten last Mid-Autumn Festival? He said in front of His Majesty in the Imperial Garden that our Huaixi people are 'conceited'!"

"There is also a business invitation system!" Shen Mingli suddenly remembered something and took out a wrinkled document from his arms. "When this system was first implemented, Ouyang Lun rejected all objections and said, 'It is better to share profits with the people than to compete with them.' Now it seems that it is clearly paving the way for the emperor to do business!" He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his fat fingers pointed out the window. "Now 'Zhu Ji Commercial Firm' wants to intervene in the salt and iron transport. These are our foundation!"

Li Shanchang stared at the broken tea bowl on the ground, the candlelight flickering in his cloudy pupils, as if he was back to that bloody night thirty years ago - at that time he was still a sour scholar waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang at the gate of Chuzhou City. Looking at the leader of the Red Turban Army with a head in front of him, he never imagined that one day he would be in trouble in his own flower hall for the interests of merchants.

"Grandmaster, you have to make a decision!" Zhao Kang suddenly knelt on the ground, his forehead knocking against the gold brick with a dull sound, "At the morning court tomorrow, our Huaixi Party must jointly impeach Zhu's Company, otherwise when Ouyang Lun's people get the evidence..."

"Impeachment?" Li Shanchang suddenly sneered, and stabbed Wang Boan's account book with his cane. "Do you think His Majesty is a fool? In the Hu Weiyong case, His Majesty could even kill the prime minister. Would he protect you merchants who hoard salt for profit?"

The air in the hall froze instantly. Chen Jiugong, the leader of the Cao Gang, swallowed his saliva, and his scarred palm reached for the short knife at his waist: "Are we just going to watch Zhu's Trading Company shit on our necks?" "Of course not." Li Shanchang slowly sat back in the armchair, knocking on the table with his old knuckles, "We won't argue with the emperor, but we want to let the world see whether Zhu's Trading Company is benefiting the country and the people, or disrupting the government." He glanced at everyone, "At the morning court tomorrow, let a few censors from humble backgrounds take the lead and say that 'the emperor's closeness to business is against the ancestral system', and then let the old scholars of the Imperial College jointly write a letter..."

"But Ouyang Lun said today that he wanted to impeach the emperor." Niu Dali frowned, "If he really submitted an impeachment letter, Your Majesty might go along with it."

"How dare he!" Li Shanchang clenched his cane fiercely. "That kid is very smart. He knows that Your Majesty hates others talking about the emperor the most. He said he wanted to take ginseng, but it was just for us to see." He suddenly started to cough violently. The housekeeper hurriedly brought ginseng soup, but he pushed it away. "Remember, we are not against the emperor, but the rules of Zhuji Commercial Firm. Starting tomorrow, all merchants who bid for business with Zhuji Commercial Firm will secretly trip me up - but remember, don't leave any handle."

"To make a mistake?" Wang Boan blinked his eyes. "The Grand Master is saying..."

"Salt quota, grain transport dispatch, and labor employment," Li Shanchang said word by word, his old voice full of ruthlessness, "We can't control Zhu's Trading Company, but how can we control the government offices under it? Let them know that the trade routes of the Ming Dynasty are not for everyone to travel on."

Suddenly, there was a muffled thunder outside the window, and the spring breeze blew raindrops onto the carved window lattice. Niu Dali suddenly stood up, his armor gleaming coldly under the candlelight: "I will go to Tongzhou Guard to make arrangements. All cargo ships of Zhuji Trading Company will be strictly inspected and delayed for ten days or half a month!"

"Wait." Li Shanchang stopped him, "Don't be too obvious. Let your subordinates find some excuses, such as 'preventing smuggling' or 'investigating fire hazards'. Anyway, the court has a lot of rules." He looked at the increasingly heavy rain outside the window, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Didn't Ouyang Lun say that he would follow the rules? Then let's talk to him about the rules."

Everyone in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment, and suddenly someone let out a low laugh. Shen Mingli bent down to pick up the account book, and his fat face was shiny again: "Grandmaster is still wise! We don't object openly, but secretly block the connection. Let's see how long Zhu's Company can last!"

"Remember," Li Shanchang suddenly raised his voice, "Anyone who dares to cooperate with Zhuji Trading Company privately will be in trouble with the entire Huaixi Party!" He swept his eyes over the crowd and paused for a moment on the sword on Niu Dali's waist. "In the Hu Weiyong case, Your Majesty killed 15,000 people. The reason why we Huaixi Party can survive to this day is not because of swords and guns, but because of our brains."

The sound of rain gradually increased, and the raindrops fell on the bluestone slabs along the eaves, like countless small animals scratching the ground. Li Shanchang looked at the swaying lanterns outside the hall, and suddenly remembered the day when Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne. He stood under the Danchi as the chief strategist, looking at the plaque "Fengtian Chengyun" on the Jinluan Hall, and felt that the world was under his control. Now, only twenty years later, he had to plan with a group of businessmen in his own flower hall how to deal with the emperor. It was really
"Master, it's getting late." The housekeeper whispered in his ear and handed him a warm hand warmer. Li Shanchang nodded and stood up with the help of his crutches, but at this moment he heard the hurried sound of horse hooves coming from outside the courtyard.

"Report--" A servant rushed into the hall, soaking wet, with the oil-paper bag in his arms dripping with water, "Urgent news from Yangzhou!"

Wang Boan rushed over and snatched the paper package. He tore open the wax seal with his stubby fingers, and his face turned pale instantly. "'Zhu Ji Commercial Firm' has set up a branch in Yangzhou and promised to double the wages of salt workers. Thirty percent of the salt workers have already changed jobs!"

"What?" Niu Dali shouted, his sword fully unsheathed, "These lowly people! How dare you betray us?"

"Don't worry." Li Shanchang held his arm and looked at the cinnabar annotation on the paper. The handwriting was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper. It was clearly written by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, "'Any salt worker who is willing to become a reporter of Zhu will be allowed to redeem himself and start business. His past will not be punished.' What a great emperor, he actually used this trick to undermine our foundation."

"They are trying to cut off our roots!" Chen Jiugong punched the wall, shaking off half of the plaster. "Half of the boatmen of the Cao Gang have been poached by Zhuji. Now the salt workers are switching jobs. What can we do to fight them?"

Li Shanchang suddenly chuckled, making everyone's hair stand on end. He handed his cane to the butler, took out a blank memorial from his sleeve, dipped the cinnabar pen in it, and wrote eight big characters in front of everyone's shocked eyes: "Taizu's legacy: emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce."

"Tomorrow morning," he blew away the ink, a fierce look on his old face, "I'll use this as an excuse."

The night was as dark as ink, and dark clouds covered the city. After everyone in the Duke of Korea's mansion left, Li Shanchang sat alone in his study, the flickering candlelight on the desk made the wrinkles on his face even deeper. He stroked the blank memorial in his hand, and the eight cinnabar characters "Taizu's legacy: emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce" glowed in the dim light, as if evoking his memories of the past.

At the same time, in Ouyang Lun's mansion, the prince consort was leaning on the beauty couch, playing with a crystal clear jade pendant from the Western Regions, with a faint smile on his lips. Zhou Bao walked in cautiously and said in a low voice: "Master, the spy reported that after everyone in Li Shanchang's mansion dispersed, the atmosphere was solemn. Li Shanchang stayed in the study alone for a long time, and I don't know what he was planning."

"Didn't I tell you not to stare?"

"Master, I have not made any arrangements, but we cannot help but receive the news from someone! I have received at least three letters today, and the contents are almost the same." Zhou Bao said helplessly.

Ouyang Lun raised his eyes and said nonchalantly, "Let him be. What can this old man do? But is everything going well for the branch of Zhuji Commercial Firm in Yangzhou?"

"My Lord, everything went well." Zhou Bao replied quickly, "The salt workers' job-hopping, just as my Lord expected, dealt a heavy blow to the salt merchants controlled by the Huaixi Party. However, I am worried that the Huaixi Party will not give up and they will definitely stir up trouble in the court."

Ouyang Lun casually threw the jade pendant, which landed accurately on the white jade plate on the desk, making a crisp sound. "That's what I wish for. The more violent they make trouble, the more Your Majesty and the Emperor will see the true face of these people. There will be a good show to watch in the morning court tomorrow." (End of this chapter)