King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

In the imperial study room.

The atmosphere was strange and turbulent.

Jin Shan, who was in a daze, came to his senses and looked at Xia Yuanji with an expression of disbelief. He looked furious as if he had a blood feud with him and was madly attacking him.

It can be said that Jin Shan was completely at a loss as to what to do. He didn't understand at all that he didn't seem to have offended this old guy?
Why is this guy challenging me to a duel?

Jin Shan was a little embarrassed, and couldn't help but ask subconsciously:
"no."

"Master Xia, what do you mean?"

Xia Yuanji had no intention of giving him face. He half-closed his eyes and glared at him, then replied:

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't this obvious enough?"

"I strongly support the suggestions made by Prince Han and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"As for your so-called great power style and the so-called majesty of the Celestial Empire, if you insist on being conservative and too pedantic."

"If you are so capable and powerful."

"Don't look for it in the future. Our Ministry of Revenue is begging for money right in front of us."

"From now on, if you need the silver, you can find it yourself."

"certainly."

"If you are not satisfied with our proposal, or if you think it is not feasible, that's fine too."

"You can directly write to His Majesty and ask me to resign this annoying position of Minister of Revenue and let you take it and give it a try."

"If you feel embarrassed or dare not report this to His Majesty, I am happy to report this to His Majesty and exchange duties with you gentlemen."

"I wonder if you, from the perspective of the Ministry of Revenue, can still speak with such righteousness as you do now."

"Don't like to talk big behind people's backs, want to live a comfortable life, and want the Ministry of Revenue to be happy every time you take money."

"Always want to take advantage, but also want to maintain an image."

"There is no such good thing in this world."

"Don't even think about it."

This statement.

Xia Yuanji could be said to have satirized all the ministers in the hall, both openly and secretly.

He didn't give anyone any face at all.

As a result, all the ministers in the hall unconsciously showed a trace of embarrassment on their faces, and their old faces turned red.

Everyone chose to shut their mouths and ignored Xia Yuanji's words.

At this moment, all the ministers finally understood why Xia Yuanji took the initiative to stand up and help Prince Han and Jin Shan in the fight.

The reason was not what they had just thought.

What Xia Yuanji sided with Zhu Gaoxu.

But they all overlooked one problem. Xia Yuanji was the person who was in charge of the entire Ming Dynasty's purse. He could also be said to be the person who worried the most in the entire Ming Dynasty. The reason was needless to say. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the entire Ming Dynasty's treasury had never been full and prosperous.

Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, was either raising money or on his way to raise money, or paying them silver one by one or explaining to them when the silver would arrive.

nowadays.

In a rare unanimous agreement, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han jointly and firmly announced that Japan had a huge amount of silver mines, and they tried to test the waters by offering a compensation of 10 million taels of silver.

Such a huge amount of silver.

For Xia Yuanji, a man who regards money as his life and spends all day running around for silver.

How great is the temptation.

You can figure it out with your toes.

Just now, Jin Shan took the lead in speaking out to stop it. In such a matter, let alone Xia Yuanji, even those of them who were just sitting on the sidelines and watching, put themselves in his shoes. If they were in Xia Yuanji's shoes, their mood and emotions would probably be even more violent than his.

It is very likely that he will criticize even more harshly than Xia Yuanji.

After all, depriving someone of their money is like killing their parents.

For a moment, everyone looked at the Minister of Rites Jin Shan with some sympathy.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Jin Shan felt like sitting on pins and needles at this moment. He was filled with shame and embarrassment. He wanted to open his mouth to refute or to retort to Xia Yuanji several times.

but
But in the end, I couldn't utter a single word.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to say it, but he really doesn’t dare to say it!
After all, from Xia Yuanji's angry scolding, Jin Shan is not a fool. How could he not feel that he was on the verge of anger?

Of course, the most important point is that this old fellow Xia Yuanji shouted in front of everyone that he wanted revenge, and would take the opportunity to strangle them in the future to transfer money. What's more, he even said that he would take the initiative to report to Zhu Di, and either resign from the post of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, or swap positions with those under their jurisdiction.

These words almost hit Jin Shan directly in the heart.

Jin Shan is not afraid of revenge or the threat of money being blocked. After all, it is just a matter of delaying time.

What really frightened and scared Jin Shan was that the old man Xia Yuanji actually shouted that he wanted to swap positions with them.

This move really made him lose confidence and he really didn't dare to take it!
At the same time, Jin Shan was also clear in his heart that with Xia Yuanji's character, if he could shout it out, he would definitely be able to do it.

What is the situation of the Ming Dynasty’s treasury?

Anyone who is not a fool can see that it is a huge pit, a sinkhole.

Who dares to take the challenge?

Even if you accept the challenge, who can guarantee that you can handle it?
Give me a break.

Almost impossible.

Didn’t you see why Emperor Yongle was so tolerant of Xia Yuanji and his attitude towards him was completely different from that of his ministers?
In the court, Xia Yuanji was the only one, besides Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu, who dared not give face to Zhu Di, and even the only one who dared to sing against Zhu Di in front of everyone.

From this
The importance of Xia Yuanji.

"hey hey"

Knowing the reason, Jin Shan was a smart man. He adjusted his mood in an instant and stopped confronting Xia Yuanji. The anger on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a slightly flattering smile. He shook his head like a rattle and waved his hands quickly, saying:
"Don't, don't, don't"

"Master Xia, the Crown Prince. Master Han."

"This matter, this matter is indeed something that I, the old minister, did not consider carefully."

"It's my fault, it's my fault."

"Hahaha"

"Non-my family, its heart must be different."

"A tiny country like Japan is originally a vassal state of our Ming Dynasty. It is necessary to pay compensation and tribute, and we have a legitimate reason to do so."

"You can do it. You can do it."

"I, your humble servant, stand with my hands and feet raised. I have absolutely no objection."

Say it.

Jin Shan bowed slightly to the three people to show his apology.

The sudden turn and change made the ministers in the venue look sideways. They were all stunned and caught off guard.

What the hell?
Do you admit defeat and surrender?

No, no, weren’t you extremely tough before?
Why did this happen suddenly?
What about the face?

Feeling everyone's gazes on him, Jin Shan's old face did not change at all. He looked back with disdain at those colleagues who were laughing at him.

The general meaning is to let those capable colleagues do it themselves.

Facing the teasing and provocation in Jin Shan's eyes, the ministers who were originally looking at him could not help but feel their faces getting hot and retracted their gazes.

It was as if nothing had happened.

The two brothers Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi, standing on the high platform, took in the expressions of all the ministers below the stage, and then they could not help but look at each other, with a hint of intriguing meaning in their eyes.

At the same time, the two of them cast glances of gratitude and encouragement towards Xia Yuanji.

After a while.

Zhu Gaoxu calmed down and was the first to speak, breaking the strange and silent atmosphere in the hall, and said in a deep voice:

"Well"

"Good."

"Master Jin has come to the right path and returned to the right path. That is really good."

"Regarding the proposal made by the Crown Prince just now, do you have any objections?"

"If there is no objection, would you please go with us two brothers to meet the Japanese envoy?"

After hearing this.

The ministers in the hall looked at each other, shook their heads honestly, and replied in unison:
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Your Majesty the Prince of Han"

"We have no objection. Everything is up to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Han."

Get a definite answer.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi nodded in satisfaction and shouted to the outside of the door:

"Here comes someone."

"Hurry to the envoy post and summon the Japanese envoy to the audience."

In the imperial study room.

Not long after.

At my summons, the second Japanese delegation arrived.

Last time, Zhu Gaoxu used thunder-like means to kill or cripple the Japanese envoys who were sent to Yingtian Prefecture, leaving only one person who returned to Japan to report the news and brought the urn back. This move made Japan have a clear understanding of the iron-blooded means of the Ming court.

As a result, the Japanese envoys who came to Ming Dynasty for the second time had learned their lesson and put away their arrogance and emotions.

Along the way, he was extremely honest in the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

There is no arrogance at all, and he treats everyone politely.

When the Japanese envoys saw Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi standing on the high platform, they knelt down respectfully without any hesitation and saluted to the two of them:
"Greetings to His Royal Highness, Prince Han."

This person is no one else.

The person who came at this moment was Ashikaga Yoshimochi, the son of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was extremely powerful in Japan and had the entire Japanese royal family in his hands. He was also the fourth shogun after Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in Japanese history.

This person is also a well-known ambitious and heroic figure in the history of Japan.

After his own father Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was assassinated by the royal family, he stood out and still controlled the entire Japanese royal family. He was the person who suppressed the entire Japanese royal family and also massacred many people with thundering means.

A man who avenged his father Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

The situation was considered stable, but the sudden death of his father brought about family turmoil, which made the entire Ashikaga family still prosperous in Japan and the people who controlled the Japanese government.

Seeing Ashikaga Yoshimochi paying his respects.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but look sideways slightly.

To be honest, he never dreamed that the leader of the second Japanese delegation would be this person, which really made him a little stunned.

At the same time, one couldn't help but become curious about the purpose of the Japanese delegation's second proactive visit to the Ming Dynasty.

If nothing unexpected happens.

I'm afraid that this time, Japan should have big plans.

He must have come here with some ulterior motive. After all, Ashikaga Yoshimochi is the leader of the Ashikaga family, so I don't think Ashikaga Yoshimitsu would be willing to let him take such a risk.

to this end.

This made Zhu Gaoxu a little curious.

What kind of thing, or what kind of benefit, could make the two foxes Ashikaga Iemitsu, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Ashikaga Yoshimochi take such a risk.

"No gift!"

Then, he half-squinted his eyes and glanced at the people below the stage with interest, and suddenly changed the subject and said in a deep voice:
"Listen to the report from the people below."

"You have delivered a letter to the king, wishing to see the king and the prince urgently."

"I don't know why you came here this time?"

Hearing this, Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who had been kneeling on the ground to pay his respects, stood up, reached out and gently patted his brocade robe, and simply adjusted his sleeves, looking like a modest gentleman.

After a brief pause, Ashikaga Yoshimochi bowed slightly and said:

"Return to the King of Han"

"I'll wait for this time."

"One is that our delegation's previous arrogance and domineering behavior in the Celestial Empire seriously hurt the relationship between the Celestial Empire and our country, and we express our deepest apologies."

"The second reason is that I heard that the Celestial Empire is rich in resources and has many talented people. We can turn poisonous salt into snow-white refined salt with an excellent taste, without any bitter or unpleasant taste, and the output is also huge. For this reason, we want to make a mutually beneficial deal with the Celestial Empire."

This statement came out.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi, who were standing on the high platform, had no chance to speak.

The six ministers sitting on both sides were the first to get angry. They stood up from their chairs with angry expressions, staring at Ashikaga Yoshimochi who was standing not far away with their sharp eyes, and shouted angrily:
"presumptuous."

"Asshole."

"The salt-refining technique is a top secret of the Celestial Empire."

"How can a tiny country like you dare to get involved or covet it!"

"."

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Gaoxu waved his hands at the angry ministers and shouted:

"Shut up, everyone!"

"It's not your turn to interrupt at this moment."

After hearing this.

The ministers were slightly startled, and subconsciously looked at Zhu Gaoxu who was sitting on the high platform, as if they were about to say something.

However, after meeting Zhu Gaoxu's cold eyes, the indignant ministers of the six ministries reluctantly swallowed back the words that were about to come out of their mouths, shut up awkwardly, and said nothing more.

After scolding the ministers, Zhu Gaoxu's angry expression instantly disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile. He stared at Ashikaga Yoshimochi in the audience with interest, and asked with curiosity in his words:
"Oh?"

"mutually beneficial?"

"I wonder what kind of mutually beneficial solution this is?"

"You know, the refined salt extraction technology is a golden goose that can lay eggs."

"I think you all know how much it is worth."

"It is no exaggeration to say that it is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and the most important national treasure."

"What do you think? Tell me."

"Let us weigh the pros and cons and see if it's worth it."

(End of this chapter)