Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

Just as Zhu Gang was about to respond to the guard, he heard a loud commotion outside the Greenhouse Palace, the sound was like a pot exploding.

Immediately afterwards, the Prince's eunuch Li Heng rushed into the hall in a panic, as if his butt was on fire.

He fell to his knees with a plop, and was so anxious that even his voice changed.

Li Heng shouted at the top of his voice: "Your Highnesses, something terrible has happened!
No one knew where they came from, but a group of ministers suddenly gathered outside the palace.

I heard that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin was going to the palace to ask for the lifting of the maritime ban, but they refused to agree, and now they are clamoring to see you!"

When everyone heard this, their hearts skipped a beat, as if they had been hit by a heavy hammer.

Chang Qingyun's beautiful eyebrows were instantly knitted together, and her eyes were full of worry.

She quickly approached Zhu Gang, and although her voice was not loud, it was calm and steady.

"Third brother, this matter is extremely sinister, there must be someone behind this.

You have always acted in an upright manner, but the court is a place where the waters are murky.

People have different hearts and there are all kinds of people, so you have to be careful.

This maritime ban involves the interests of so many coastal forces. How can those who rely on the maritime ban to maintain their own interests easily let you ruin their good deeds? "

Zhu Gang's face darkened when he heard this, and he thought to himself, "This news spread so quickly, there must be someone behind this, trying to intimidate me."

But he quickly regained his composure, his eyes showing determination.

Zhu Gang took a deep breath and said, "Now that we are here, let's make the best of it.

I want to see what kind of nonsense they can come up with.

Li Heng, go and calm them down first, and tell them that I will be here shortly."

When Li Xian, who was standing not far away, heard this, his brows furrowed like a knot.

He lowered his head and thought for a while, then lowered his voice and said to Zhu Gang: "Your Highness, the ministers are coming with such force this time, I'm afraid it's not just a simple opposition to the maritime ban, there are probably a lot of conflicts of interest involved behind it.

The wealthy families along the coast have long controlled the limited maritime trade and made a fortune.

Relaxing the maritime ban would break their monopoly.

In addition, once the maritime ban is lifted, the investment in and management of coastal defense will have to change drastically, which poses a considerable risk.

We must be careful and not act rashly."

Zhu Gang turned her head to look at Chang Qingyun and Li Xian. She frowned slightly, with some helplessness in her tone.

“Sister-in-law, Li Xian.

It seems that the road to relaxing maritime ban has been difficult from the beginning.

But this matter concerns the livelihood of the people along the coast of our Ming Dynasty and the fortune of the country.

No matter what, I cannot back down.

Sister-in-law, I'd like to trouble you to keep an eye on things in the palace for me.

Li Xian, you should quickly sort out what we just discussed and be prepared to deal with the ministers' difficulties.

Especially in terms of coastal defense and trade management, they will definitely hold on to it.”

Chang Qingyun nodded slightly, her eyes full of concern and expectation.

"Third brother, I have lived in Jiangnan for a while since I was a child. I know too well how much impact the maritime ban has on the lives of coastal people. I also know that relaxing the maritime ban is the general trend.

But there will definitely be many difficulties along the way, so you must be careful.

My sister-in-law has some connections in the palace, and she will definitely help you keep an eye on the movements of all parties.

Once the maritime ban is lifted, pirates and Japanese pirates along the coast might take the opportunity to cause chaos.

You must have a comprehensive plan when dealing with the ministers."

At this time, Li Xian cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to go with you and give you some advice.

These ministers are all very shrewd and good at speaking. Your Highness must be careful when dealing with them. Not only must you convince them with reason, but you must also be on guard against these old foxes setting traps for you.

Especially in the details of coastal defense deployment and trade supervision, we need to think of countermeasures in advance, otherwise they will easily catch us.”

Zhu Gang nodded, then strode out of the hall.

Chang Qingyun and Li Xian looked at each other and hurried to catch up.

When Zhu Gang walked out of the hall, he saw a group of ministers arguing with their faces red and necks thick.

The scene was like a quarrel in the vegetable market.

The Minister of Personnel, Hong Yi, who was in the lead, had always been conservative. When he saw Zhu Gang coming out, he immediately bowed and saluted.

But the words he said were not polite at all.

"Your Highness, the maritime ban is a rule set by His Majesty, how can it be changed casually?

If we relax the policy rashly now, it will probably cause a lot of trouble and disrupt the stability of our Ming Dynasty!

In addition, pirates and Japanese pirates are already rampant along the coast. If the maritime ban is lifted, won’t they become even more unscrupulous?

Moreover, the wealthy families along the coast have already adapted to the existing trade model.

This change will inevitably lead to many unstable factors.”

Zhu Gang looked calm, took a step forward, and said loudly with a sincere look: "Minister Hong, we must abide by our father's rules, but times have changed!
Nowadays, the people living along the coast of the Ming Dynasty are living a miserable life.

If maritime trade can be restarted, it will not only make the people richer, but also increase revenue for the national treasury. This is a good thing for both the country and the people.

As for pirates and Japanese pirates, I have plans to deal with them.

While increasing the navy's strength, the Ministry of Works was also building new warships.

All we need to do is strengthen patrols along the coast and establish trade agreements with the vassal states to divide their power.

Furthermore, although the reform will affect the interests of some people, it is beneficial to the development of the Ming Dynasty in the long run, and we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I hope Minister Hong can consider the overall situation and reconsider the matter."

At this moment, Guo Huan, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also stood up.

His brows were furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly, and he said with a worried look on his face, "Your Highness, what you said is true.

But once the maritime ban was lifted, how could the threat of Japanese pirates be resolved? How could the coastal defense be strengthened?

If anything goes wrong, the common people will suffer!

Moreover, with the resumption of maritime trade and the increase in trade volume, the management difficulty of relevant departments will also increase exponentially.

How to ensure accurate tax collection and prevent official corruption are big issues.”

Zhu Gang smiled slightly and responded calmly: "Minister Guo, don't worry.

As for coastal defense, I have already made comprehensive plans in my mind.

In addition to the measures mentioned above, a strict supervision mechanism will be established in customs management to select honest and upright officials.

At the same time, introduce supervision from the business community to allow them to check and balance each other.

Besides, after restarting maritime trade, we will sign some trade agreements with various countries.

Everyone shares what they have, and Japan can also benefit from it.

I think there will be less trouble from the Japanese pirates."

Someone in the crowd shouted again: "Your Highness, once the maritime trade is restarted, those merchants will only know how to make money.
By then, smuggling is bound to occur. How should this problem be regulated?
In addition, the influx of a large number of overseas goods may impact some traditional industries of our Ming Dynasty.

This will lead to a large number of workers losing their jobs and cause social unrest. How can this be resolved?"

Zhu Gang looked at the official firmly and said in a serious tone: "This matter is easy to handle. We can set up a special Maritime Customs Office.

Select some honest and upright people to take charge of the matter, and then make some strict laws to severely punish smugglers. (End of this chapter)