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

The next morning, outside the Fengtian Hall in the Forbidden City, all officials dressed in court robes lined up according to their ranks, waiting. The sky was gloomy, drizzling, and the air was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

The officials of the Huaixi Party were whispering to each other, with anxiety and fierceness in their eyes, while the officials who supported "Zhu Ji Trading Company" were calm and waited quietly for the court meeting to begin.

The morning court began with the sharp voice of the eunuch in charge of ceremonies, "If you have something to report, please report it early. If you have nothing to report, please leave the court." Sun Wenhuan, the secretary of the Honglu Temple, was the first to step out and kneel on the ground. His voice was trembling but a little excited: "Your Majesty, the emperor! I have a report! Since the emperor established the "Zhuji Commercial Firm", the whole world has been talking about it.

The Siamese envoy questioned the emptiness of the Ming Dynasty's treasury in his letter. This is a shame for our dynasty! The emperor's closeness to businessmen is unbecoming. I hope Your Majesty will advise the emperor not to destroy the dignity of the Ming Dynasty because of a momentary whim! "

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar.

Officials supporting Zhu Ji Commercial Firm refuted the argument one after another, and the two sides were in a deadlock.

At this time, Li Shanchang walked out of the train slowly, leaning on a crutch.

His old voice echoed in the hall: "Your Majesty, when the Emperor Retired established the country, he set a policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. This is the foundation for stabilizing the country. Now the Emperor Retired is personally engaged in business and competing with merchants for profits. If this continues, agriculture will be abandoned, the people's hearts will be unstable, and the foundation of our ancestors may be shaken!"

The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were cast on the emperor sitting on the dragon throne and the retired emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sitting beside him. The emperor frowned slightly, his expression solemn, as if he was weighing the pros and cons; while Zhu Yuanzhang had a calm expression, but there was a hint of anger in his eyes.

Seeing this, Ouyang Lun stepped out of the line slowly, saluted to the emperor and the emperor, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, the emperor! What Li Taishi said is wrong. The emperor emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce because it was necessary at the time. Now that our Ming Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, we are promoting the investment promotion system and establishing the "Zhu Ji Commercial House" to open up financial resources and benefit the people. The "Zhu Ji Commercial House" promised to increase the wages of salt workers and boat workers to help them get rid of their hardships. This is a good deed. If we stick to the so-called "ancestral system" and stick to it, we will truly fail the country established by Emperor Taizu!"

"Your Highness, this is a far-fetched argument!" Li Shanchang was so angry that he was shaking all over. "Merchants are after profits. Zhu's Company has interfered with the salt and iron transport and disrupted the order of the court. It will surely become a big problem in the future!"

Ouyang Lun sneered, "Grandmaster Li keeps talking about the order of the court. Then may I ask, Grandmaster, why is there no trace of the 300,000 dan of grain stolen from the Tongzhou granary? Taxes in various places have not increased but decreased. Isn't it someone who is secretly manipulating it? Zhuji Commercial Company bids according to the regulations, pays taxes, and accepts supervision from the people. What's wrong with that? Some people are using the banner of ancestral rules to pursue their own interests!"

These words were like a sharp blade, piercing the vital points of the Huaixi Party.

The Huaixi Party officials blushed, but were speechless. The atmosphere in the court was tense and ready to explode.

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the imperial desk, causing the sandalwood ash in the gilded incense burner to fall. He slowly stood up, the dragon pattern on his bright yellow robe glowing coldly under the candlelight, and the dragon carving on the jade belt buckle on his waist almost poked Li Shanchang's eyebrows: "Li Shanchang! When you were keeping accounts for me in Chuzhou City, did you ever think that one day you would dare to use the "ancestral system" to shut me up?"

The air in the hall froze instantly, and Li Shanchang's jujube wood cane fell to the ground with a clang. Zhu Yuanzhang stepped down from the red steps in two steps, and his dragon boots rolled over the gold bricks, making a sound that made people's teeth ache. His finger almost poked Li Shanchang's nose: "Focus on agriculture and suppress commerce? Tell me, who opened the warehouse to release grain when Yangzhou suffered a severe drought last year? It was 'Zhu Ji Shang Hao'! This year, when the canal transportation was blocked, who paid out of their own pocket to dredge the river? It was 'Zhu Ji Shang Hao'! Is the 'ancestral system' you mentioned comparable to the rice in the pot and the clothes on the body of the common people?"

"Ancestor's rule? We are the ancestral rule!"

"You are seeking death by using my words against me!!"

Li Shanchang fell to his knees, his forehead touching the ground and not daring to raise it. Zhu Yuanzhang did not give him a chance to breathe, and suddenly turned around and pointed at Niu Dali: "You soldier! Three hundred thousand shi of grain was stolen from the Tongzhou granary, do you think I don't know? The salt quota was resold to private merchants by you, and how much dirty money did you collect from the grain transport dispatch? Ah?" His voice was like a bell, shaking the copper bells in the corners of the hall, "Have you forgotten that Yang Xian was torn into pieces by five oxen? Have you forgotten that Hu Weiyong executed his entire clan?"

Sun Wenhuan, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, was shaking all over, and the memorial in his hand was shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly approached him, and his hawk-like eyes swept over his trembling egret patch: "The Siamese dared to laugh at us in the official letter, just because you sour scholars can only talk nonsense! Zhuji Commercial Firm earns money from them, but you say it is unbecoming? Is respectability earned by talking? It is earned by real money!"

Suddenly, a muffled thunder rolled outside the hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed the "Taizu Shilu" on the table and threw it heavily to the ground. The yellow silk cover raised dust. "Which one of the ancestral rules we wrote said that the common people cannot have enough food? Which one said that Ming merchant ships cannot sail to the West? Ah? You people, holding a pile of old papers as a sword of imperial power, are actually afraid that the "Zhu's Trading Company" will cut off your way of corruption!"

Ouyang Lun quietly took a half step back, his eyes sweeping over the Huaixi party who were as silent as a cicada. Li Shanchang's white beard was covered with dust, like a bunch of messy grass sticking to his old face; Niu Dali's armor was soaked with cold sweat, and the copper bubble was pale in the morning light; Wang Bo'an's fat face was pale, and the jade belt inlaid with gems around his waist was crooked into a ridiculous arc.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." The emperor finally spoke, his voice full of trepidation. Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand violently, the celadon bowl on the imperial desk was smashed to pieces by the celadon sleeve of his dragon robe. "What do you mean by calm down? Let's make this clear today - the rules of Zhuji Commercial House are the new ancestral rules! If anyone dares to bring up the idea of ​​'promoting agriculture and suppressing commerce', we will use the old method of the Hu Weiyong case to deal with him!"

The palace was as silent as a grave. Someone's imperial beads suddenly broke, and the jade beads rolled onto the gold bricks, making a crisp sound. Chen Bangyan's hand holding the "Book of Zhou" was throbbing with veins, but he dared not utter a word; Wu Yingqi's Xiezhi patch rubbed against Li Shanchang's crane pattern, and the two knelt like two clay sculptures. "Listen up!" Zhu Yuanzhang sat back on the dragon chair, knocking his knuckles on the imperial desk. "Starting tomorrow, whoever dares to secretly make trouble for the salt and iron transport business of "Zhu Ji Commercial Firm" will be skinned and stuffed with straw! Whoever dares to impeach us jointly will have his property confiscated and his clan exterminated just like Hu Weiyong! Although I am old, I will kill people without blinking an eye!"

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies held up the gold-painted imperial edict box with trembling hands. Zhu Yuanzhang pulled over a blank yellow silk cloth, dipped a brush in cinnabar and wrote the four huge characters "Emphasis on Commerce and Prosperity of the Nation" with great force. The last stroke left a three-foot-long blood mark. "This matter is settled! Court dismissed!"

The sound of bells and drums marking the end of court was still echoing over the Forbidden City. Li Shanchang had just stepped over the steps of the Fengtian Hall when he suddenly started coughing violently.

The old body trembled violently, the sweet fishy taste in his throat made his eyes go black, the broken cane in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the whole person fell heavily on the white marble steps. Niu Dali screamed and rushed over, his armored knees knocked on the stone steps and sparks flew, but he saw that Li Shanchang's mouth was bleeding, his white beard was stuck to his chin, and his eyes were rolled up with only the whites left.

"Old Prime Minister!" The officials of the Huaixi Party were immediately in an uproar. Wang Bo'an's fat body pushed everyone aside. He didn't care about the pain from the jade belt on his waist. He trembled and reached out to feel Li Shanchang's breath: "He's still breathing! Quick, quick, call the imperial physician!" Shen Mingli's face was pale, and his brocade jacket rubbed against the moss on the steps. In a panic, he knocked over the short sword sheath on Chen Jiugong's waist: "Hurry and carry it to my carriage! I have hemostatic medicine brought back from Persia in my mansion!"

Niu Dali rudely pushed aside the other officials and directly picked up Li Shanchang by the waist. The old man was surprisingly thin, and his shoulder blades under his official uniform hurt his arms, reminding him of the time when he picked up the deputy general who was shot by an arrow on the battlefield. Chen Bangyan, an editor of the Hanlin Academy, held up the crooked five-beam crown and cried in his voice: "Don't bother! The Imperial Hospital is next to Xihua Gate, carry it over!" The crowd rushed to the palace gate, and a few gray pigeons on the eaves were startled and flew away along the way.

In the main hall of the Korean Duke's Mansion, more than 20 famous doctors gathered around the rosewood couch. Li Shanchang closed his eyes tightly, breathing muddily, and his sallow face was bloodless. Niu Dali grasped the hilt of the knife at his waist, and the copper bubble on his armor scraped across the antique shelf, making the celadon vases clink. Wang Bo'an collapsed in the armchair, his fat face squeezed into a ball: "It's been half an hour, why hasn't he woken up yet? Could it be..."

"Shut up!" Wu Yingqi, a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel, shouted sternly. The gold thread on the Xiezhi patch glowed coldly under the candlelight. "The Grand Master is blessed with great fortune. He will definitely get through this!" Having said that, his fingers could not stop stroking the dark pattern on his cuffs - that was the evil-avoiding talisman that was newly embroidered last night.

Finally, the old man on the couch moved his throat.

The first one to rush over was the butler. He held Li Shanchang's hand with trembling hands and found that the calluses on the palm were much thinner than last year: "Master? Master is awake!" Niu Dali took a big step forward, and the calluses from the iron bow rubbed against the back of Li Shanchang's hand: "Old Prime Minister! How do you feel?"

Li Shanchang slowly opened his eyes and looked at the people around the couch. Every face was filled with anxiety, yet also a bit of trepidation - he was too familiar with this look, just like the look of those old Huaixi people when they came to see him before the Hu Weiyong case.

An official from Huaixi suddenly burst into tears, his fat face shaking like a ball of lard: "Old Prime Minister! What should we do next? The words of the Emperor. Woohoo, our Huaixi Party is finished."

"Why are you crying!" Li Shanchang wanted to glare at him, but he didn't even have the strength to lift his eyelids. "Your Majesty was besieged by Chen Youliang for eighteen days in Poyang Lake, but we survived, didn't we?" Although the words were tough, his voice was hoarse like a broken bellows. Shen Mingli hurriedly handed over the ginseng soup, and the edge of the bowl touched Li Shanchang's dry lips: "But the emperor is serious this time. Not only did the Yangzhou salt soldiers jump ship, but the brothers of Tongzhou Guard were also warned."

"Don't mention Tongzhou Guards!" Niu Dali loosened the laces of his armor in annoyance. "Today in the court, His Majesty looked at me as if I were a dead man." He suddenly fell silent, and saw Li Shanchang's pupils suddenly shrink. Chen Jiugong's scarred palm reached for the short knife, but suddenly retracted when it touched the handle - now this knife is useless even for scaring the salt workers.

"Do you remember the year when your majesty ascended the throne?" Li Shanchang suddenly spoke, his voice as light as smoke floating on a candle flame, "We stood under the red steps and watched the plaque of 'Fengtian Chengyun' be hung up. At that time, I felt that there was nothing in the world that our Huaixi Party could not accomplish." He suddenly smiled bitterly, and blood rose in his throat again, "Now I understand that your majesty's world has never needed any party."

The hall was dead silent. Sun Wenhuan's egret patch rubbed against Chen Bangyan's bamboo slips, and they both avoided each other's eyes. Wu Yingqi looked at the blank memorial beside Li Shanchang's pillow, and remembered the cruelty of the old man when he wrote "Taizu's Last Instructions" last night. At this moment, he just felt absurd - Zhu Yuanzhang's last instructions have always been a knife in his own hand.

"Old Prime Minister, how about this?" Wang Bo'an said timidly, pinching the edge of the account book with his fat fingertips, "Let's cooperate with Zhuji Trading Company? They will double the wages for the salt workers, and we can also get a commission."

"Pah!" Li Shanchang raised his hand and slapped him in the face with all his strength. The Huaixi official covered his face in shock, and the account book fell to the ground with a "clack", revealing the salt permit approval document inside. Li Shanchang stared at his horrified eyes, and suddenly remembered Zhu Yuanzhang's words in Fengtian Hall: "skin peeled and stuffed with straw" - when Hu Weiyong was executed, this man was still selling private salt in Yangzhou, but now he wants to step on the bones of the Huaixi Party to cling to the new nobles.

"Huaixi boy." Li Shanchang closed his eyes and let the housekeeper wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You can die on the battlefield, you can die on the execution ground, but you can't die in the merchant's account book." He paused and heard the cry of returning birds coming from the window. "Starting tomorrow, all the secret agents will be withdrawn. Let the subordinates restrain themselves and stop touching the salt and iron transport."

"So we just admit defeat?" Niu Dali pounded the table unwillingly, raising a cloud of dust. Li Shanchang opened his eyes and looked at the plaque on the wall that Zhu Yuanzhang personally bestowed, "Founding the Country and Assisting the Fortune". The large golden characters faded to pale in the twilight: "Lose? When have we ever won against Your Majesty? Back then, Hu Weiyong wanted to be the prime minister, but he lost; Lan Yu wanted to be the grand tutor, but he also lost. We are still alive today, not because we won, but because Your Majesty wants us to live."

The night watchman knocked on the gong outside the palace. It was already three quarters past midnight. Li Shanchang signaled the housekeeper to help him up. Suddenly, he found that his cane had been replaced with a new one—a red sandalwood cane with a pine and crane carved on the top, but much lighter than the jujube wood cane he had used before. He walked towards the study with the cane, and heard Wang Boan muttering behind him: "Are you going to check the branch of Zhuji Commercial Firm?"

"What are you investigating?" Niu Dali finally took off his armor, revealing his sweat-stained undershirt. "Didn't you hear what the emperor said? If you investigate again, you'll have your property confiscated and your clan exterminated!" He kicked the teacup at his feet, and the celadon fragments streaked across the moonlight. "From today on, we, the Huaixi Party, should be like a tree with rotten roots. We're lucky to have a branch left to breathe."

The study door creaked shut. Li Shanchang looked at the unfinished memorial on the desk. The four words "emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce" were rustling in the night wind. He picked up the pen and wanted to add a few words of thanks, but found that when the pen tip fell, the ink turned into a turbid black on the yellow silk - just like the fate of these people in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. (End of this chapter)