The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 736 A Group of Idiots

"Of course there is," the official from the Ministry of Revenue said immediately, "Mr. Xue, as the inspector of Jiangnan, should know the impact of the maritime ban on ordinary people, and should also see the benefits of lifting the maritime ban to the country and the people. I hope Mr. Xue will submit a detailed report to Your Majesty and explain the pros and cons."

He then said, "Master Xue, don't worry. After the memorial is finished, we can deliver it on your behalf."

Xue Shao still looked worried and remained silent.

The official paused and whispered, "Give us the memorial, and Lord Xue can leave the capital. First, His Majesty still remembers the old friendship. You made a big mistake this time, and the war in Jiangnan is getting worse and worse. You were only imprisoned for a few days.
Secondly, you have already been punished for this matter, and there will be no second judgment, but your reputation is still there, and with your achievements and honors, it is legitimate for you to discuss state affairs;

Third, I heard that you had a close relationship with the people of Wulin League when you went to sea last time. Perhaps you can contact them and go overseas?"

Xue Shao raised his eyebrows.

The official lowered his voice and said, "There is chaos in Jiangnan and the coastal areas right now. When the incident of Yinshan was reported, many people fled to the sea privately, including some from the underworld. I heard that even soldiers in the navy fled to the sea privately. If you go to the sea, you can not only temporarily avoid the turmoil in the court, but also take care of Yinshan for Your Majesty, which will be a great achievement in the future."

Xue Shao seemed to be thinking about something, and only said: "Shao will consider your suggestion, sir."

He obediently wrote a letter to the other party.

The official took the letter and left, saying, "If you have any trouble, just come to me."

Xue Shao smiled and sent the person out.

Xi Jin was furious when he heard this and said in fear, "Master, you didn't really listen to him about going out to sea, did you? What meritorious service? That's all fake. You reported your going out to sea in advance. You are an official, so you can be said to be serving the country by going out to sea on a ship. Now that you have been dismissed from office, if you go out to sea privately again, it will be a crime!"

Xue Shao tapped his forehead and said with a smile: "You know all this, how could I not know?"

Xi Jin let out a long sigh: "So you won't go out to sea, right?"

Xue Shao smiled and said, "We'll just play it by ear, but we're not so sure."

Xi Jin: ...

Xue Shao said: "We don't need to care about other people's goals. We just need to focus on our own goals. When our goals are the same, why not use their strengths when we cooperate?"

In addition to the officials in the court who advocated lifting the maritime ban, other people who advocated the maritime ban, such as nobles and royal family members, also sent people to contact Xue Shao.

They thought that in exchange for Xue Shao's guarantee, they asked him to draw a picture of the specific location and scope of the silver mountain. Some people even wanted to cooperate with Pan Yun through him.

Xue Shao dealt with them one by one, and after sending them away, he asked Xi Jin to pack his luggage: "Leave this dangerous place early tomorrow morning."

Xijin has already packed up, and if it weren't dark now, they could leave now.

"Those few smugglers are fine, but why do those who don't even have a boat think that Master and Taoist Pan will cooperate with them just because they say so?" Xi Jin felt more and more aggrieved as he thought about it: "Are they just because they are arrogant or stupid?"

Xue Shao burst into laughter and said happily: "Xi Jin, you have been with Pan Yun and the others for a long time, and even talk like them. You were not so unforgiving before."

Xi Jin muttered.

Xue Shao shook his head and smiled, his face slightly serious, and said sadly: "It's probably because they have been in high positions for too long and are too proud. They don't know the suffering of the people, so naturally they don't know that they are just so-so."

Xi Jin suddenly felt a little scared: "Master, you must not become such a person in the future."

Xue Shao smiled and nodded, and replied: "Okay."

Xi Jin exhaled and asked with a smile: "Where are we going tomorrow? Are we going back home? Jiangnan is in chaos, we'd better not join in the fun. Let the eunuchs, civil officials, nobles and royal family members make trouble on their own."

Xue Shao shook his head and said, "Pan Yun and Lord Yu have done so much for me, how can I just walk away? We will head south tomorrow."

Xi Jin: ...

Xue Shao: "Hurry up and take a rest. You go rent a car tomorrow and I'll go out and buy some dry food."

The next day, Xue Shao went to buy dry food, but he first went to the roadside to block Yin Song who was about to go to court.

Yin Song was not surprised to see him. He squatted with him on the roadside with egg soup in one hand and steamed buns in the other. "I was woken up by the sound of birds singing today. I knew I should go out early today. Sure enough, I met good news when I went out."

Xue Shao smiled at him.

Yin Song asked, "When will you leave Beijing?"

Xue Shao: "Your Majesty has ordered me to leave the capital within three days."

Yin Song said: "Have a safe journey, and give Pan Yun a message for me."

Xue Shao listened attentively.

Yin Song looked up at the sky, and after a long while he sighed and said, "Time and fate are the same. Sometimes, being too persistent in making changes will bring karma upon oneself. People like us who practice Taoism should stop when we reach the limit, and should not get too involved in folk affairs."

"Nothing?" Xue Shao thought thoughtfully: "Lord Yin is an official appointed by the court. If he foresaw that the world would be in trouble and the court had made mistakes, wouldn't he make efforts to change it?"

Yin Song smiled and said, "Do you know that what you foresee will definitely happen? If you stop it once, won't it lead to more and stronger disasters?"

He said: "I have fulfilled my responsibilities. The rest should be left to the will of heaven and nature. When misfortune reaches a certain level, it will turn from failure to prosperity. When prosperity reaches a certain level, it will turn from prosperity to failure."

Xue Shao agreed with his point of view, but he didn't think that what he and Pan Yun were doing now would bring about greater disaster.

“Aren’t we solving visible problems?”

Yin Song smiled gently: "Then please ask my junior sister, is she doing these things to solve her own problems or to solve the problems of the Ming Dynasty?"

Xue Shao was puzzled, but still wrote it down.

Yin Song finished the bun in his hand, drank the soup in one gulp, returned the bowl to the stall owner, waved his hand and said, "He's going to court, I won't see you off."

Xue Shao stood up, watched him walk away, turned back and said to the shopkeeper: "Please make twenty steamed buns for me."

The store owner readily agreed.

Xue Shao went to buy some sesame cakes and took them back to the post station. The master and servant immediately picked up their luggage, got on the rented car and left the city.

The carriage was equipped with a driver and they had dry food. They kept heading south and soon arrived in Nanzhili.

Nanzhili had already recovered a lot. Once the disaster relief from the imperial court arrived, the local people gained confidence, and all localities began to carry out disaster relief on their own.

The two people mentioned most in the teahouse were Mr. Chen from an unknown place, who donated a large amount of money and grain to Nanzhili and Fujian;

Second, Pan Yun from Sanqing Mountain also donated a large amount of money and grain for disaster relief.

"Let's not talk about the unknown Mr. Chen, let's just talk about Taoist Pan Yun from Sanqing Mountain. Guess where a Taoist like her gets so much money and food?" The storyteller tapped the table lightly and paused.

The guests who were listening with great interest immediately urged: "Tell me where it came from?"

The storyteller stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.

Some people have already speculated: "Is it stealing? Robbing the rich to give to the poor?"

"Doing business? But I haven't heard of any famous businesses in Sanqing Mountain."

The storyteller said, "It is half right to say that she robs the rich to give to the poor, but she robs the bandits to give to the poor."

He slapped the table and said, "It is rumored that two months ago, Taoist Master Pan Yun followed the knights of the Wulin League and the Tianshi Mansion to go out to sea to suppress bandits. She chased the bandit leader all the way to Japan. Guess what happened?"

Everyone was worried: "What's going on?"

"She saw a silver mountain in the vast ocean. When she went ashore, she found out it was a silver mountain!" Xue Shao choked, quickly put down his teacup, and couldn't help laughing.

A scholar-looking man sat down next to him and whispered, "Brother, you also think it's fake, right?"

Xue Shao turned his head to look at him and asked in a low voice: "Fake?"

"If it's not fake, then what is it? Who said the silver mountain is silver? The Japanese are not fools. If the silver mountain is so obvious, how could they not have discovered it and wait for our Ming people to dig it up?" He whispered, "I have observed carefully. This storyteller was paid to spread rumors on purpose."

Xue Shao raised his eyebrows: "What's the benefit of spreading this rumor?"

"I suspect they want to cheat people, either for money or for people," the scholar said. "If they want to cheat for money, then it's fine, they will only lose a little money, but if they want to cheat people..."

Xue Shao moved closer and asked, "Brother, why are you telling me this?"

"Brother, you look like a scholar. I want to cooperate with you." The scholar held Xue Shao's hand and whispered, "We scholars study to be loyal to the emperor and the country, right? Why don't we take them down and serve the country with loyalty."

Xue Shao: “…”

He tilted his head, looked at him carefully, and said hesitantly: "Pledge of allegiance?"

The scholar grinned and said, "Yes, brother, what do you think of my idea?"

"Nothing special," Xue Shao said, "This storyteller is obviously a man of the underworld, and most of the people he is connected with are also from the underworld. I am just a scholar who is powerless."

"But they want to harm people. As scholars, how can we remain indifferent when we see injustice?" The scholar was a little angry: "If you have no compassion for the people, how can you be an official in the future?"

"Just report it to the authorities," Xue Shao said with a puzzled look on his face. "If you encounter something illegal, isn't reporting it to the government the fastest and easiest way?"

The scholar frowned and said seriously: "No, what if they collude with the government..."

"Brother," Xue Shao interrupted him and said with a smile, "You are going to be an official in the future, how can you be so distrustful of the government?"

The scholar lowered his eyes and said in a low voice: "Brother, you don't know that the county magistrate here is a corrupt official. The people are very angry, but they are threatened and dare not disclose it..."

Xue Shao suddenly raised his hand and shouted towards the second floor: "Brother Dai, there is a traitor here."

The scholar's body stiffened, and he quickly glanced upwards, only to meet the gaze of a man who was looking down.

Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

Xue Shao raised his foot to kick his butt, but he dodged by twisting his body and ran towards the window.

Xue Shao grabbed the chopsticks in the bamboo tube and threw them away. The scholar seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He swung his sleeves back and put all the chopsticks in his sleeves. He pounced and was about to fly out of the window...

As a result, just as he jumped into the air, he was kicked back in the chest and fell at Xue Shao's feet with a bang.

Xue Shao stepped on his chest.

At this time, Dai Rong recovered from his shock and hurried downstairs: "Brother Xue, aren't you in prison?"

Xue Shao smiled and said, "Your news is delayed. I have been dismissed from office and released."

Dai Rong had a complicated expression: "You... weren't you exiled?"

Xue Shao smiled and said, "Have you ever seen an exile who can visit a teahouse?"

As long as you have enough money and power, what is impossible?
However, Xue Shao does not belong to either of these two categories.

Dai Rong breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly, "It's good that you can get out. Wait for a few years until the court forgets about it, and then find a chance to reinstate it."

Xue Shao didn't care about these, he shook his head and said with a smile: "Just follow fate."

He looked down at the people being suppressed at his feet and asked, "Is this the rebel's man?"

Dai Rong gnashed his teeth and said angrily, "The matter of the Japanese silver mountain is rampant. Those rebels can't take Quanzhou, so they want to bypass Quanzhou and go north to take our Kunshan, and then go to the sea from this area."

"Fujian is very far away from here. How could they think of sailing to the sea from here?"

Dai Rong: "The coastal areas of Southern Zhili have been severely damaged this time. They are deliberately stirring up the people's dissatisfaction with the government, and want to start an uprising like in Fujian and Jiangxi. They can seize this place without the need for a large rebel army to come. Moreover... Suzhou has several seagoing ships. If they capture Kunshan and Suzhou, they will even have seagoing ships ready."

Speaking of ships, Xue Shao's heart moved, and he quickly asked: "Do the rebels really want ships?"

"Of course. To go to Japan, a sea vessel is a must."

Xue Shao pondered for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "Brother Dai, I have something urgent to do, so I won't stay any longer. Goodbye."

"Hey, you're leaving now? At least stay for a night and rest. Let me entertain you..."

Xue Shao immediately picked up his bag and said goodbye: "Change the route and go to Longhu Mountain."

The driver was stunned and asked quickly: "Are we still going to Quanzhou?"

Xue Shao thought for a moment and said, "Just send us to Longhu Mountain."

"This is the itinerary you changed. I won't refund the money we agreed on."

Xue Shao smiled and agreed: "Okay, just send us to Longhu Mountain."

This was not Xue Shao's first time to Mount Longhu, but it was his first time to walk to the gate of the academy.

This was the place that the grandfather of his clan had always wanted him to come to. Xue Shao looked at it curiously.

Pan Yun, who had just gone through a three-court trial and reached an agreement on cooperation with a group of teachers and superiors, came out swaying in a loose Taoist robe. He was still looking up at the plaque of "Da Shangqing Palace".

Pan Jun walked out of the door, stood beside him and looked up: "I heard that it was left by the first generation of Zhang Tianshi. Does it look good?"

Xue Shao turned his head to look at her: "With three ships in hand, I thought you would be in trouble."

Pan Yun smiled at him and said, "I have already discussed it with the Navy Office, the Quanzhou prefect, and Alliance Leader Lin."

"The rebels are raging, and the prefect of Quanzhou can't protect himself now. The court sent Cao Jixiang and Chen Gong to the south to set up the Quanzhou Maritime Customs. The voice of the Navy Office has been weakened. He can't give you protection, right?"

Pan Jun sighed: "You are so smart. As soon as I returned to Longhu Mountain, Master Zhang came to talk to me."

"Have you reached an agreement with the Tianshi Mansion?"

Pan Yun nodded: "It's settled."

Xue Shao was silent for a moment before asking, "Has anything unusual happened recently?"

Pan Jun raised his eyebrows: "You mean the assassin?"

Xue Shao opened his mouth wide: "The rebels sent assassins?"

Pan Yun shrugged and said, "Who knows what they are going to do? They are dressed in black and sneaked close to the academy. Naturally, the academy treated them as assassins."

She spread her hands and said, "I sympathize with them, but can I go along with them? The Tianshi Mansion at the foot of the mountain is not just for show."

The Tianshi Mansion is an official organization appointed by the emperor and the court, okay?

Could she associate with the rebels in front of the Tianshi Mansion?
What a bunch of idiots, they don't even know a good place or a good time to look for her.

(End of this chapter)