King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

Inside the palace.

The prince instantly became extremely embarrassed.

Yes!

Anyone who can be chosen as an envoy and represent the Ming Dynasty to visit other countries is not a truly smart person and does not have a quick mind.

Such a group of people were unable to find any unusual situations in the vassal states around the Ming Dynasty, nor were they able to find that other small countries were as rich as those of a country. So how could such a small country have wealth as rich as that of Japan?
As for saying that those envoys were bribed, that is obviously an insult to people's intelligence.

O envoy on a diplomatic mission!

How could it be so easy to be bribed? Those individuals must have been carefully selected and strictly examined to be qualified for that position.

Moreover.

Among those envoys, there has never been any wave of people who have not been planted with the Jinyiwei, and each of the Jinyiwei who has been planted is equipped with a carrier pigeon to deliver messages, as if all of them could be bribed.

In other words, to say that the envoys of various small countries could be bribed would be to underestimate the power of the Ming Dynasty court to control its subjects.

to this end.

Summarizing the above explanations, one point can be drawn.

That is just as what Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu said, if the Japanese pirates had huge silver mines and such huge wealth like in their homeland, it would obviously be something that could be encountered but not sought, or it could be said that it was simply a blind cat catching a dead mouse, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

And they just happened to come across this opportunity, and pocketed all the profits, which is why he was able to have such an idea.

otherwise.

Even if you beat them to death, they would never have such thoughts.

As it has been in the past, war will certainly continue to be a waste of money and manpower. It is definitely not a trend for a country's long-term development, nor is it the idea that a qualified monarch should have.

As long as you talk about fighting, there will definitely be a lot of people who will advise you against it.

There was a brief silence for a moment. The prince came back to his senses from his daze, frowned slightly, tilted his head to look at Zhu Gaoxu beside him, and said faintly:

"Second brother..."

"Not to mention that Japan itself has such rich wealth, what would we gain if we attacked other small countries besides the cash gains?"

"So are there any benefits hidden in the dark?"

After hearing this.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but fall into silence, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer this question.

Are there any other benefits hidden in the darkness?

That's what I said.

How could it not be?

Invade other lands and colonize them!
The people of those individual countries can become the labor force to strengthen their own countries!

And the benefits produced by those colonized people.

Among these various benefits, which one is not hidden in the dark?
But is this kind of income really acceptable to those sour and corrupt Confucian scholars in the Ming Dynasty court?
In other words, if they knew this was the case, could those sour and corrupt scholars really accept the profits gained through exploitation?
Instead of raising objections?

Zhu Gaoxu really had no confidence on this issue.

Of course, not to mention the colonization and enslavement of people of other small countries, but just the land of those small countries.

Especially along the borders of the Ming Dynasty and in the surrounding small countries, the land there is quite fertile.

Compared with the entire Ming Dynasty territory, the land in many places is much better.

There are even some places, due to different geographical locations, some small countries, although the land is only the size of a bullet, but the grain-growing land is enough to grow two seasons.

Don’t underestimate the territory of the Ming Dynasty; it is indeed large enough.

However, it is extremely rare to find a place where the same grain species can be grown for two seasons in the same year.

This is why, even though the Ming Dynasty had a large territory, the people of the entire Ming Dynasty could easily suffer from disasters if they were not careful, and this was the real reason why the people could not have enough food.

If crops in many places throughout the Ming Dynasty could be planted twice a year, then the Ming Dynasty would naturally not have encountered so many difficult times.

to this end.

When the Crown Prince asked this question, Zhu Gaoxu fell into silence, not knowing how to answer the Crown Prince's question.

Seeing this, the prince could naturally feel that Zhu Gaoxu must have a different answer to his question.

For this reason, Zhu Gaochi calmed down and was able to guess a general idea in his mind.

If nothing unexpected happens, Zhu Gaoxu must have some unspeakable secret.

In other words, it is definitely not in line with the current statements and ideas of the Ming Dynasty government.

Although he knew it was inappropriate, Zhu Gaochi still found it difficult to suppress his urge to learn.

Then, he simply sorted out his thoughts, gave her a look that said "I understand", and continued:

"Second brother..."

"If you have any different ideas, just say it directly."

"This matter is known only to the two of us brothers. We are not asking you to say everything in front of us."

"Let's discuss it first. If it's possible, we can discuss it with the ministers. If it's not possible, then we won't tell anyone."

"You must be clear about my character."

"It's definitely impossible to sell you."

"So why don't you just stop playing hard to get or hesitant to speak here?"

"If I don't tell you about your attitude, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well for several days."

"I will have to pester you by then to tell you all these and what's in my heart. Only then can I feel at ease and at ease."

"You'll probably be extremely annoyed by then, so we won't bother you or waste our time with you."

"We two brothers, can we stop being so pretentious?"

That's what I said.

It's true, given Zhu Gaoxu's understanding of the Crown Prince, it is indeed something he can do.

At the same time, Zhu Gaoxu also knew that with the two brothers having been together for so many years, some things did not need to be said directly, and some problems could be seen from each other's faces.

to this end.

Since he knew he couldn't hide it, Zhu Gaoxu simply didn't want to hide it. He turned his head and glanced over, with a slightly raised corner of his mouth revealing an intriguing sneer, and asked:

"Boss..."

"What do you think is the most valuable thing in our Ming Dynasty?"

"What have kings fought for throughout the dynasties?"

This statement made Zhu Gaochi stunned, and he could not help but frowned and fell into deep thought.

What did the kings of all dynasties fight for?
What is the most valuable thing in the Ming Dynasty court?
Zhu Gaochi had never thought about the answer to this question.

I have been thinking about it, but I still don’t know what the most accurate answer is.

That's it.

After a long time, Zhu Gaochi thought about it and always felt that it was not quite reasonable, and there was no answer that really satisfied him.

Afterwards, he could not help but look for help at Zhu Gaoxu, who was staring at him with a smile on his face, and asked:
"Hey hey..."

"Okay, okay."

"Second brother, can we not play dumb at this time?"

"I'll just call this my brother's stupidity!"

"What exactly is the correct answer to this question, please?"

Zhu Gaoxu: “!!!!!!”

isn't it?
You don’t even know such a simple answer?

Is this still the prince he knows and looks at?
Or maybe he has the answer in his mind but is not sure whether it is correct, so he wants to hear it from his own mouth.

Or maybe he felt that the answer was too shocking and was unwilling to say it himself.

to this end.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the prince with interest for a long time, but could not see any clues from his face. Then he had to give up and said bluntly:
"Boss..."

"I doubt it."

"Do you really not know, or do you know but are unwilling to say it because you are afraid of the answer coming out of your mouth?"

After hearing this, the prince fell silent, not knowing how to answer this question.

If the prince says that he doesn't know what is the most valuable thing in the Ming Dynasty, he may really not be able to guess it. But if he still doesn't know what the emperors of all dynasties have been fighting for over the years, then he is not worthy of being the prince of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, the words are so clear.

But knowing is one thing, and speaking it out is another.

Therefore, after hearing Zhu Gaoxu's questioning, the prince couldn't help but flash a hint of embarrassment across his face. He looked at Zhu Gaoxu with resentment, scratched his head, and said:

"Second child"

"Sometimes I really don't know what to say to you, man."

"Call you stupid!"

“But sometimes, I am smarter than anyone else and see things more clearly than anyone else.”

"I said you were smart!"

"But sometimes, you have to say something so bluntly."

"Tell me, how should I evaluate and judge you."

These words.

Although there was no clear answer to Zhu Gaoxu's question, the hidden meaning and implications were such that anyone, unless they were a fool or had a mental problem, would be able to understand what it meant.

The implication of this was that he was just short of telling Zhu Gaoxu directly that he knew everything, but some things were difficult to say.

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu glared at him and couldn't help but sarcastically said:
"Boss"

"How dare you say that to me."

"Let's not talk about other things for now, let's just talk about this matter. Think about it carefully. Do you think your behavior is hypocritical or not?"

"It really fulfilled the extremely vulgar saying among the people: you want to be a whore and also want to be a saint."

"Boss, there are no good things like this these days. You want to be a king or a prince who enjoys great fame, and you also want to be a person who is feared by the world and praised by the small countries around you."

"How can you have the best of both worlds? How can you have your cake and eat it too?"

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

"Why have you been so obsessed for so many years, old man? Isn't it just like you who can't get over the hurdle in your heart?"

"But what was the result?"

"Can the old man's actions really erase the historians' comments about him in the history books?"

“This is what we see with our own eyes.”

"We all know that it is impossible, so why do you have to dwell on these trivial matters? What's the point of this?"

"Isn't it just making yourself uncomfortable and putting shackles on your hands and feet?"

"Instead of thinking too much, it is better to do something practical."

"As the saying goes: Only the Spring and Autumn Annals know my sins, and future generations will judge my merits and demerits."

"What do you say?"

It must be said that these words were indeed like a thunderclap exploding in the prince's mind, making him not know how to answer this question for a moment.

why?
Because what Zhu Gaoxu said were all the most true reflections of his heart and his truest thoughts deep in his heart.

It was precisely because of this that he had no words or reasons to refute. Even if he wanted to refute, he could not find a reason to stand on his feet after thinking about it. He could not find the point.

Just like that, the prince couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile on his face, as if he had thought of something, and shook his head slightly, saying:

"Second brother! Second child!"

"Do you really think I don't want to?"

"The problem is that I want to, but do you think that many things can really be done just by saying 'I want'?"

While speaking, Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but glance sideways at the ministers standing in the audience. Their expressions showed helplessness, which also told Zhu Gaoxu where the real point of restraint was.

In this regard.

Zhu Gaoxu completely sneered and didn't believe it at all.

Why?

Just like the decision to launch an expedition to Japan, at the beginning, weren't all the ministers pessimistic about it, with many people opposing it, and some even writing memorials to impeach Emperor Yongle who was on an expedition to the northern desert?
But what about the result?
With his repeated insistence, what could those ministers who once opposed him and impeached him do to him?
You must know that the current Ming Dynasty court is not the court that was controlled by civil officials after the Battle of Tumu near the end of the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, the king is still supreme. When the king possesses absolute power and decision-making power, the king is the one who can make the final decision. There is no such thing as balance.

There were not so many constraints. Even after the Ming Dynasty experienced the Battle of Tumu, when civil officials came to power and controlled the government and were powerful, didn't Emperor Chenghua still accomplish the feat of "Chenghua Plowing the Court" during the Chenghua period?
What can those civil officials and corrupt scholars do?
You're still just staring blankly, and in the end you can't even fart, right?
so.
This matter, this concern, is not as serious as the prince said. In the final analysis, it is a question of whether he wants to do it or not, and whether he cares about his reputation. If he doesn't care about his reputation and bad reputation.

In the entire Ming Dynasty, who can truly restrain him? (End of this chapter)