Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 254 The Yellow River Soars to Heaven, Heads Fall to the Ground

October 11, Xuzhou, Yunlong Mountain.

The mountain is divided into nine sections, undulating and winding, with its head raised to the northeast and its tail trailing to the southwest, resembling a divine dragon, hence the name Yunlong (Cloud Dragon).

The so-called resonance with the immortals may be the reason why Yunlong Mountain attracted a true dragon to linger, which is Xinghua Temple on Yunlong Mountain.

Of course, this is what the local people say.

After all, the reason given by the emperor's temporary residence (where he stayed during his imperial tours) was that the emperor was benevolent and did not want to disturb the people in the city or linger in the government offices and affect the work of the officials. This reason was too high-sounding and not as popular as the saying that dragons were drawn to each other.

Regardless, Xinghua Temple, which covers nearly 100 acres and has more than 100 rooms, has been occupied by the emperor's family for several days.

Those who sincerely worship Buddha do so, those who enjoy hiking go hiking, and those who have nothing to do find a stream to fish for a while.

At the northern foot of Yunlong Mountain, a stream flows gently downstream.

There is a large, square rock protruding from the shore, resembling a stone bed.

A figure was lying on the stone bed.

Just past 9 AM, sunlight streamed through the dense forest, revealing the figure in plain clothes—the Wanli Emperor's Idle Man.

Zhu Yijun rested one hand on the back of his head and held a book in the other. Every now and then, he would scoop up the fishing rod hanging to the side and untangle the dead branches and leaves that were tangled around the bait.

Although they gained nothing, they seemed quite relaxed and content.

Unfortunately, the Wanli Emperor, despite his supposed leisurely lifestyle, was not truly idle. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Zhu Yijun knew that his time for solitary contemplation was over.

"I heard early this morning that His Majesty had finished inspecting the Xuzhou Water Warehouse. When I asked Eunuch Wei about it, he insisted that His Majesty hadn't returned. Apparently, he was hiding here fishing."

A woman's voice broke the tranquility of the mountain stream.

Zhu Yijun, holding the book, shifted from lying down to lying on his side without turning around: "Just arrived, just arrived."

The fisherman says he just arrived, just like a corrupt official says he just started taking bribes—it's all meaningless.

Consort Li walked gracefully closer and sat down on the reclining stone, massaging the emperor's shoulders: "Why is Your Majesty in such a bad mood? Did you discover anything wrong during your inspection of the Yongfu and Guangyun granaries?"

The emperor had long ago spread the word that he wanted to inspect the Shuicang granary.

It was quite strange that the actual inspection ended so abruptly.

With his back to Consort Li, Zhu Yijun spoke with a hint of sarcasm: "What problems could arise from an inspection that has been given advance notice? Naturally, the granaries will be full and the government will be efficient and the people harmonious."

A "water granary" is a grain warehouse built on the side of water or a dock, which can be used for both storage and transshipment of grain.

It is precisely because of this characteristic that stored grain is difficult to verify. The stored grain we see today may actually be the grain that should be transported away tomorrow—if it weren't for this convenience, it would have caught fire.

To confirm whether the grain storage situation in Xuzhou Shuici Warehouse is truly as Zhang Zhan described, we need to seize a suitable opportunity.

Seeing that the emperor was unwilling to say more, Consort Li knew she couldn't ask too many questions, so she changed the subject: "In that case, it's probably the book in Your Majesty's hands that's causing you to be in a bad mood."

Zhu Yijun smiled, knowing that the concubines were just using this as an excuse to amuse him.

However, he wasn't disappointed and wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "That Lu Shen is truly a scoundrel."

As he spoke, he turned around and handed the "Diary of the Emperor's Southern Tour," which recorded Emperor Shizong's experiences during his southern tour, to Consort Li.

Consort Li sat down next to the emperor and curiously took the book: "Emperor Shizong praised Lu Wenyu back then for his excellent learning and quick wit. How could a diary entry have angered our current emperor?"

A diary is a daily journal, one entry per day. It doesn't require much skill; even a young child can write one.

Lu Shen is hailed as the literary luminary of Shanghai County in Songjiang Prefecture. His foundation in scholarship is solid and his understanding of current affairs is sound. There is no reason for him to be so incompetent.

Zhu Yijun nuzzled his head against Consort Li, shifted his position, and explained, "It's not that the writing is improper, it's just that the words are too refined and elegant, which is annoying to read."

After all, he's been dead for decades, so I'm not going to bother with any kind of comments.

Consort Li glanced through a few pages, her expression quite puzzled: "Qinggui?"

Why didn't she read it?

Zhu Yijun scoffed: "This fellow, as the vanguard of the southern tour, was supposed to inspect the local customs and explore the people's sentiments, but the whole thing is just 'a feeling of homesickness,' 'the peaks are very beautiful,' and 'climbing the high pavilion to view the portrait of Emperor Taizu of Song,' it's utterly nonsensical."

What's the difference between this and a publicly funded trip?
This is not as simple as Emperor Shizong traveling alone for three hundred miles a day.

Consort Li sat beside the emperor, watching with great interest, and reassured him, "Lu Wenyu is already considered a simple and honest elder."

“Look, Your Majesty, on the fifteenth of February, we ate only one meal; on the seventeenth, we were extremely tired and rested in a civilian’s house; on the twentieth, we burned firewood to keep warm and only drank hot soup; on the twenty-seventh, the residents of the city provided us with soup noodles; on the third of March, we ate bean rice, which was hard to swallow.”

Zhu Yijun pursed his lips.

If Xiao Li knew which "Lu" in Lujiazui referred to, he would never have said such a thing.

Of course, for Lu Shen himself, it was not extravagant at all. Even someone like Xu Xiake, who did not hold an official position, could get the local government to provide porters based on his reputation, let alone Lu Hanlin.

This treatment, if applied to the scholar-officials, would be considered nothing short of living in the open.

He paused, then finally said what was annoying about Lu Shen: "I'm annoyed by his disregard for the people. His so-called investigation into the people's conditions, which was thousands of words long, only contained nine words!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Li carefully examined the documents and finally found a record about the people's conditions in a small gap.

On the day of Xin Si in the third month, I set off at dawn and passed Yaodian at noon. Along the way, I saw starving people kneeling and crying out in succession.

It's indeed just a short line, not very evocative.

But this cannot be considered a crime by Lu Shen. The daily records and anthologies all say so. In fact, when the emperor’s comments were spread, it was the emperor who was harsh.

However, as his bedmate, Li Baiyang actually knew more about the emperor than he did about the court officials.

She closed the diary and spoke privately: "His Majesty is not annoyed by Lu Wenyu, but is clearly troubled by what he saw and heard on the southern tour."

When the emperor returned to the imperial palace the night before last, his expression was already off; it was clear that Lu Shen was being targeted because of this.

Zhu Yijun's expression froze for a moment, then he sighed.

He casually leaned back on Consort Li's lap: "Half and half, the refined and aloof manner of the literati is quite annoying anyway."

Collective consciousness has power, and only by seeing the aloof behavior of these scholar-officials can one realize how rare it is to serve the people as "correct"—at least when criticizing the scholar-officials for being detached from the people, one will not retort that the emperor is harsh.

As for their partner, they have a lot of worries.

Zhu Yijun sighed repeatedly: "When I just stay in the Forbidden City and read the memorials, I feel that everything is thriving and wonderful. But when I go out, I find that this is not good and that is not right."

“Don’t be fooled by the few words ‘starving people kneel and cry out in succession’. I happened to see them and couldn’t eat for a whole day.”

"The clerks along the way did nothing right. They set up roadblocks and levied taxes, and were extremely arrogant. Even when Li Rusong, the inspector of the advance troops, was in front of them, some people still dared to come up and extort money from him."

"Also, when I passed through Linqu County before, I heard about the Feng family of Linqu, a family that has been farming and studying for generations. Have you heard of them, sister?"

The emperor nestled in the arms of his concubines, rambling on about what he had seen along the way.

Consort Li, while arranging the emperor's hair, recalled for a moment and replied, "The Feng family of Feng Caixing, the former Marquis of Ten Thousand Households of the Yuan Dynasty? I heard that he once wandered to Jiangnan, and only returned to Linqu after Feng Yu passed the imperial examination and established his family's reputation."

"Then Feng Yu, Feng Weizhong, Feng Weine, and Feng Zilu, four members of the same family became Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and the family line continued unbroken."

"It lasted through two dynasties without falling, and was once sung about by the most prominent families in the land."

As a woman from a distinguished family, she spoke of these things with great familiarity.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but chuckle. Two dynasties? You underestimate them.

With over a dozen Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from one family, their lineage was well-established, ensuring their survival even after the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

In the later Qing Dynasty, Feng Pu continued to serve as a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall. During the Tongzhi era, he astutely transformed his position, appointing Feng Guizeng as the Zhenwei General, a powerful military commander. Had it not been for a warning from Heaven, he might have continued in power for even longer.

Zhu Yijun's view was blocked, and he could not see Consort Li's face. He asked in return, "Does Sister know how the common people sing Feng's folk songs?"

Without waiting for Consort Li's response.

Zhu Yijun answered his own question, softly reciting: "I only know that there is a capital in Linqu, but I did not know that there is an emperor in Beijing."

"Tsk, if Zhang Fuzhi hadn't specifically mentioned the Feng family, allowing me to personally witness their power in Linqu, I would never have known they were so arrogant, practically treating government officials like dogs and horses."

The balance of power among different social strata is difficult to perceive through memorials to the throne.

They might talk about prestigious families, but nothing beats seeing it for yourself.

Zhu Yijun tilted his head back from his thighs to meet Consort Li's gaze: "Speaking of this, monks and Taoists always maintain a sense of awe and never forget to consider my face."

"Sister, do you still remember the three rules I made with the monks and Taoists six years ago to curb usury?"

Six years ago, during his inspection tour of Beizhili, he took the opportunity to bring usury under the supervision of the Ministry of Revenue.

There weren't many restrictions; they only required registration with the Ministry of Revenue, set an interest rate cap, and prohibited compounding of interest.

Consort Li naturally remembered this matter and nodded: "Your Majesty, I remember that the Ministry of Revenue argued with the former Daoist Shen and Master Hongfa for a long time, and finally agreed that the interest rate ceiling was 40% per annum."

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, anyone who privately lends money shall not charge more than three percent interest per month, which translates to an annual interest rate of 36%.

At first glance, it seems that the loan sharking interest rate has increased after all the procedures, but in reality, it is the result of mutual concessions between the two parties.

It should be noted that the Ming Dynasty's legal code was largely a mere formality in practice. In the private sector, the annual interest rate for loans based on the "nine out, thirteen back" system could reach over 300%.

Now that the emperor forbids both the taking of houses and cattle and the compounding of interest, the income of monks and Taoists from lending money has decreased, while bad debts have increased. Asking for a few more percent interest is to make up for this loss—otherwise, people's desires would be insatiable, and widespread illegality would be impossible for the court to suppress.

Zhu Yijun clicked his tongue: "That's just Beizhili!"

Meeting Consort Li's questioning gaze, Zhu Yijun patted his belly and explained, "I asked at a temple in Jinan, and the abbot said that 40% is the maximum allowable amount in Beizhili."

"Once we get to Shandong, we can only give the emperor eight-tenths of the face, and the maximum interest rate is 48%."

"Yesterday I inquired about the market situation in Xuzhou again. It has risen to 51%. That big monk said that if it goes any lower, it would be better to risk being killed by axe and continue to lend money at compound interest."

After saying this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but laugh.

How could the local officials not know about this? This was already a result of giving face to the emperor, but unfortunately, the further away from the capital, the less valuable the emperor's face becomes.

Words become law; it's just talk.

Consort Li showed no emotional fluctuation upon hearing this, and gently comforted him, saying, "His Majesty's divine might extends to all places, how can you belittle yourself?"

"Perhaps the further south we go, the more prosperous the trade becomes, the more abundant the population grows, and the higher the demand rises. The local people have no choice but to adapt to local conditions and take the initiative to share the burden for Your Majesty."

Xiao Li is quite good at comforting people.

Zhu Yijun was helpless.

He propped himself up and sat up halfway: "My wife praises me because she loves me. If I hadn't only found out the other day that the local officials colluded to withhold memorials and obstruct the flow of information between the emperor and the people, I probably would have believed my sister's words and truly thought that the emperor's authority was far-reaching."

Consort Li finally showed a look of surprise.

She reached out and helped the emperor sit up, frowning as she asked, "Who is so audacious as to withhold the memorials?!"

It's no wonder that the emperor became increasingly depressed the more he toured the south.

Every three steps there's a pit, it's tiring for anyone to walk like that.

Zhu Yijun sighed again: "And that's not all."

The hidden dangers of the Yellow River dikes, the empty records of grain and soldiers transporting grain, and the collusion among officials to harm their colleagues are also subtly emerging.

However, Zhu Yijun did not want to discuss the specifics with the women in the harem.

Li Baiyang glanced at the emperor and saw that the emperor was becoming more and more agitated as they talked, with no sign of improvement.

She suddenly puffed out her cheeks, grabbed the emperor's waist, and started scratching him wildly.

Caught off guard, Zhu Yijun was subjected to the tickling torture. He quickly clamped his arms together and tried to dodge away, exclaiming, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how dare you harass a respectable family like this! What kind of behavior is this!"

Li Baiyang narrowed her eyes and seized the opportunity to change the subject: "Speaking of which, this morning I bought a cat by the roadside. It hasn't been named yet. I wonder if Your Majesty has the time?"

As she was speaking, she beckoned to the female official beside her.

Zhu Yijun turned around following Li Baiyang's gaze.

He then noticed that there was a tiny black cat, no bigger than a palm, lying in the lady's hood.

Zhu Yijun got up and walked behind the female official, poked his hand into his hood, and complained softly, "Didn't you say we'd look for someone else once we got to Nanjing? Look at this family here."

Li Baiyang also stood up and took the sleeping raccoon cat from inside the hood into his hands.

The lady-in-waiting then took out an old scroll from her bosom and explained on behalf of the Imperial Concubine: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has discerning eyes. She immediately recognized that the cloth wrapped around this cat was a famous painting, and took advantage of the merchant's ignorance to buy it for seven qian of silver."

Zhu Yijun glanced at Consort Li in surprise.

Li Baiyang remained expressionless, only his slightly raised chin revealing a hint of smugness.

Zhu Yijun felt a sense of unease, reached out and took the scroll, then unfurled it against the sun.

In the painting, a black cat is depicted with bold strokes, crouching on all fours, its neck tucked in and head tilted back, gazing up at a butterfly rendered in ink wash, its colorful petals fluttering gracefully.

In the upper right corner, there is a poem that reads: "Spring's end, the butterfly's dream cannot be fulfilled; the warm cat walks with a full meal. The rats run rampant, uncared for; yet they idly contend with the butterfly."

The inscription on the left is by Xueju Hong.

Li Baiyang leaned closer, his tone filled with undisguised joy: "Your Majesty, this is 'The Painting of the Elderly' by Sun Kehong of the Wu School of painting, written in his early years."

"With Sun Kehong's current qualifications in painting, he would be worth at least fifty taels today."

It's not really about the monetary value; the cat and butterfly painting itself carries the auspicious meaning of wishing someone to reach a long and healthy life.

The next stop on her southern tour was Yangzhou, which she presented to her grandfather, Li Chunfang, during her visit home.

This can be described as an auspicious sign that comes at the right time.

Zhu Yijun silently closed the scroll, his face showing a reluctance to disappoint her: "So that my sister may know that this 'Old Age Picture' is a forgery, and that she has been fooled."

"what?"

Li Baiyang was stunned for a moment, then snatched the scroll back and examined it from head to toe.

After a moment, she looked at the emperor with some doubt: "Your Majesty understands painting?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head frankly: "I don't understand."

Li Baiyang was about to say something.

Zhu Yijun preemptively cut off the conversation: "Last year, when Xu Jie turned eighty, Sun Kehong specially asked someone to send the 'Old Age Picture' to Xu's residence to celebrate Xu Jie's birthday. I even saw it at Xu Jie's residence."

He spread his hands and finally concluded, "Therefore, Xu Jie's painting is the original, while yours must be a forgery."

It's an old trick in the underworld; they just use fakes to fool those self-proclaimed experts with a keen eye, and the cat is just an extra.

Li Baiyang gradually understood and blushed like a quail.

She lowered her raised chin silently and murmured, "Your Majesty, I will have Eunuch Wei go and get a refund from him."

"Do you think others will stay put and wait for you to come knocking on their door?" Zhu Yijun said with a smile, pulling her back. Anyone who has ever witnessed how the lowest of the low use art to set up schemes knows that whether a painting is a forgery or not is not up to the artist himself to decide.

We can't just abuse state power for such a trivial matter.

Zhu Yijun patted Li Baiyang's head, offering some words of comfort: "Just consider this cat quite valuable."

Just then, the fishing rod moved.

Zhu Yijun quickly grabbed the fishing rod with both hands, fearing that he would be dragged into the stream by the giant creature.

A beautiful parabola.

A small fish, about the size of two fingers, appeared on the stone bed, turning over and over.

Zhu Yijun rolled his eyes, reached out and picked up the kitten from Li Baiyang's arms, then bent down and placed it in front of Xiaoyu.

Li Baiyang squatted down, pouting, and asked, "Has Your Majesty decided on a name?"

Seeing that the kitten didn't seem to eat raw food, Zhu Yijun casually tossed the small fish back into the stream: "Let's call it Mipa."

Li Baiyang was taken aback.

Emperor Shizong named his cats Qing Shuang (Clear Frost) or Bai Xue (White Snow), which were very elegant names.

Why does it fall so low when it comes to literary masters?
She hesitated, "Your Majesty, perhaps... you should reconsider?"

Zhu Yijun chuckled and wiped the water stains from his hands onto Li Baiyang's face: "Names are just for people to call you."

"If we name her that, my sister will keep making 'mi-pa-mi-pa' noises all day long, and I'll listen..."

Zhu Yijun paused, then pinched Li Baiyang's cheek: "Cute."

Baby fat always feels nice to the touch.

Li Baiyang blushed.

She hesitated for a moment before pushing the emperor's hand away, and said reproachfully, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how dare you be so disrespectful to a respectable family?"

The two squatted by the stream, whispering to each other, and for a while they started touching each other roughly.

"Cough cough."

An untimely cough came from behind me.

The two of them stood up abruptly.

Consort Li kicked the cat back into her arms, and Zhu Yijun turned around as if nothing had happened.

In the shade of the trees not far away, a row of courtiers were waiting, their backs turned to them, eyes downcast and seemingly lost in thought.

Wei Chao braced himself and stepped forward, reporting in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Pan Jixun, the Director of the Waterways, Hu Zhili, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Chen Wude, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, Wan Gong, the Vice Minister of Works, Deng Yizan, the Governor of Henan, Sun Jigao, the Acting Secretary of the Secretariat, and Gu Xiancheng, the Acting Secretary of the Secretariat, request an audience with Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun glanced into the woods, surprised to find so many people waiting in such a short time.

He waved his hand: "There's not enough room for so many people here. Let's go back to the main hall to talk."

There's really no room here.

……

Pan Jixun and Hu Zhili traveled from Huai'an via the Grand Canal and arrived last night; Deng Yizan was summoned from Henan, which is a bit further away, and only arrived this morning.

None of the three knew what was going on, and they seemed quite uneasy.

Gu Xiancheng, on the orders of He Luowen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, came from Nanjing to give a report.

It was no secret in the central government that He Luowen had gone to Nanjing ahead of time to record the Rokke elements.

Therefore, on the way back to the Buddhist hall, the emperor signaled to the officials to listen in, and first called out Gu Xiancheng's name.

"Gu Qing has only been in Sichuan for six years, but judging from his appearance, he looks more than ten years older. Is he really not used to the climate?"

The emperor walked first on the bluestone slope, and graciously allowed Gu Xiancheng to walk alongside him.

Gu Xiancheng spent six years honing his skills at the grassroots level, rising from county magistrate and assistant magistrate under Hai Rui to councilor of the provincial administration. He became much more grounded after that.

When we first met in the capital, he was a refined and magnanimous figure, with an unparalleled and otherworldly demeanor.

Now in his early thirties, his brows are furrowed and his lips are weathered, giving him the appearance of someone who has been battered by the world and fallen back to earth.

Gu Xiancheng gave a wry smile: "Your Majesty's concern makes me feel apprehensive. It's not that I'm unaccustomed to the local climate, but rather that governing is difficult and I'm powerless to do so."

Zhu Yijun patted Gu Xiancheng on the shoulder with satisfaction.

A green robe stained with frost, a leather belt binding one from the dust of the world—it's better than empty talk of benevolence and morality.

Speaking of which, the junior scholars of the second year of the Wanli reign were among the first unfortunate ones to be sent to local areas.

Sun Jigao, who was being tested for his abilities, and Gu Xiancheng, who was being tempered in his character, both turned out quite well. Yu Menglin had good writing skills, but his talent was still lacking. He was promoted to the position of prefect of Huizhou and was still being tested and tempered in the local area.

Li Sancai, who is advocating for a firm stance, and Li Kun, who is experimenting with rural governance models, have not yet submitted their work, and it is unknown how effective they will be.

Zhu Yijun shook his head, banishing his brief reverie, and returned to the matter at hand: "How is the situation at the Nanjing Ministry?"

There are countless things to do, and we cannot afford to be negligent in any of them.

He hadn't forgotten that the highlight of his southern tour was still in Jiangnan.

Unlike before, Gu Xiancheng no longer liked to show off. He reported succinctly: "After Vice Minister He took over the Nanjing Office of Transmission, the confrontation between the literati and the public opinion shifted to the underground."

"The focus is still on issues such as unfair taxation between the North and South, unfair quotas for the imperial examinations, and the land survey and household relocation that was like blood transfusions from the South to the North..."

“Officials in the ministries and departments stood by indifferently, while their subordinates and clerks fueled the flames. Merchants and landlords were incited, and workers and students frequently gathered to demonstrate.”

"It is said that Governor Wang Jiaping was greatly affected, and the new policies were being implemented with great difficulty."

"At present, the situation is under control on the surface, but the undercurrents are becoming increasingly turbulent."

Zhu Yijun listened quietly, his face showing little expression.

Only the constant rubbing of the tiger's mouth revealed that his heart was not at peace.

Gu Xiancheng took out two volumes of case files from his sleeve and continued, "These are official documents that Minister He ordered me to present to His Majesty."

"One volume is a list of officials within the Nanjing Ministry who have a tendency towards Rouke."

"The other volume cross-references the list of those who resisted the land survey as confessed by Zhang Fuzhi, and lists the overlapping officials separately."

"Your Majesty, what should be done?"

Zhu Yijun reached out and took the two volumes of case files, glancing at them briefly.

Officials with a tendency towards gentleness and those who have already committed the mistake of gentleness should be treated differently.

He thought for a moment, but did not immediately make any radical instructions. He only instructed: "Keep your official position as before, and stay away from the new policy work for now. We will talk about it after the Wugong Mountain meeting."

Gu Xiancheng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and quickly agreed.

After saying this, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again: "Your Majesty, Vice Minister He is quite concerned about the rumors that are inciting the people. He has discussed this with me, and we both believe that simply sealing off the newspaper office and dismissing officials with a tendency to be lenient would only be a stopgap measure."

You Ming's control over large-scale industries is very limited, let alone high-end industries rooted in Shilin.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun didn't mince words and asked directly, "Minister Gu, you are from Wuxi, may I offer you some guidance?"

Although the Donglin Party generally liked to talk about morality and went astray, it is undeniable that some of its members genuinely had a sense of national responsibility and patriotism.

Therefore, Gu Xiancheng's modified perspective is of great reference value.

Gu Xiancheng was flattered by the emperor's politeness and hurriedly replied, "Your humble servant is of meager talent and learning, and I am ashamed to accept such praise."

"My humble opinion is that there will always be gossip among scholars. If we do not speak out, we will inevitably be swayed by rumors from outsiders."

"Rather than letting them stir up trouble everywhere, we should rise up and raise our voices to set things right!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but smile.

As expected of the leader of the Donglin Party, his sensitivity to public opinion is beyond doubt.

He nodded: "Go on."

Gu Xiancheng took a breath and began to explain: "In my opinion, we should trace the origins of the conflict between the North and the South."

"It should be noted that the North-South rivalry only gradually became a prominent field of study after the Yongjia migration south."

"But since the Three Dynasties, the mainstream of the world has been the struggle between East and West."

"After the Zhou dynasty destroyed the Shang dynasty, the area west of the Shan River was used as the boundary, and the two sides were governed separately. During the reign of King Cheng, King Zhao was the one of the Three Dukes; west of the Shan River, King Zhao was in charge of the area; and east of the Shan River, King Zhou was in charge of the area."

"Whether it was the confrontation between the pre-Qin states and the states of Shandong, or the subsequent struggle between Chu and Han, the pattern of east-west opposition continued. The Chu River and Han border perfectly embody this spirit..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun suddenly raised his hand to interrupt.

"Stop, stop, stop."

Gu Xiancheng looked up blankly, at a loss for what to do.

Zhu Yijun rubbed his temples: "You mean to trace the origins back to the Yongjia southward migration three generations ago in the newspapers?"

"To explain how regional antagonism has evolved from a geographical level to a political and cultural level, aiming to dissolve the emotional foundation of North-South antagonism and move towards a rational discussion of national governance?"

Gu Xiancheng nodded repeatedly, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

Zhu Yijun looked speechless and turned to Wei Chao, who was standing to the side: "Wei Daban, Gu Qing is babbling on and on, can you understand him?"

Wei Chao glanced at the emperor, then at Gu Xiancheng, and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "This servant is dull-witted."

Zhu Yijun then sighed to Gu Xiancheng and said earnestly, "Let me let you know that public opinion in the marketplace is not like our discussions back then, where everyone was a great scholar."

"In the public sphere, humorous and lighthearted banter is always more persuasive than lengthy and rigorous arguments."

"You know what people said when my... my advance envoy returned to Xuzhou the other day and happened to be helping an elderly person.

“The onlookers said, ‘Don’t think that just because northerners are tall, they have the right to pity southerners. You should believe in the strength of southerners.’”

“After my advance guards stood by and did nothing, some busybodies said that northerners are like that, without compassion, standing idly by, unlike southerners who are kind and sensitive.”

Zhu Yijun spread his hands: "Gu Qing, is your long-winded discourse any easier to understand than others'? Is your dry and boring quotations any more accessible to the people than others' witty remarks?"

Gu Xiancheng was stunned.

Although he didn't understand what "comprehension cost" or "entertainment value" meant, he immediately grasped the emperor's point.

"Discussing and studying a certain Confucian viewpoint with like-minded people" and "promoting a certain idea to the people on a large scale" are completely different concepts.

He was well-versed in the ways of the literati, but not necessarily in line with public opinion.

Thinking of this, Gu Xiancheng, somewhat embarrassed, bowed and accepted the instruction: "Your Majesty's teachings are truly enlightening!"

Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "The approach is correct. Go back and think of a specific method. I will report back when I arrive in Nanjing."

It is indeed necessary to occupy the high ground of public opinion, and this, along with the matter of opposing the soft and ruthless in the court, are two complementary lines.

With so many things to deal with, it was best to just throw them all at He Luowen, Gu Xiancheng, and the other advance team to study first.

Gu Xiancheng was unaware of the high hopes the emperor placed on him.

Seeing that the emperor had finished giving his instructions, he bowed and took his leave.

……

After the emperor dismissed Gu Xiancheng, everyone returned to Xinghua Temple.

Xinghua Temple has six courtyards and over a hundred halls and pavilions. Zhu Yijun randomly chose a main hall and summoned Pan Jixun, the Director of the Waterways, Hu Zhili, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Chen Wude, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, Wan Gong, the Vice Minister of Works, Deng Yizan, the Governor of Henan, and Sun Jigao, the Imperial Secretary on Duty.

As soon as everyone stood still, the emperor waved his sleeve and uttered sharp words: "I have no time for idle talk. During my inspection tour, I found that Xuzhou has serious problems. There are leaks everywhere in the officialdom, the canal transport, the grain storage, and the construction projects."

“Xuzhou is located at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Grand Canal, which is crucial to the fate of the nation. We dared not make any major moves before the situation was clear.”

"I have no choice but to summon all my ministers to share my burdens."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, a sense of unease quickly creeping onto their faces.

Vice Censor-in-Chief Chen Wude, the most stubborn of them all, stepped forward first and continued the Emperor's words: "Your Majesty, please explain in detail what makes this problem so serious, and what makes it so leaky?"

Before the emperor could even finish speaking, Wei Chao stepped forward with a copy of Zhang Zhan's memorial and began distributing them one by one.

As the officials were reviewing the memorials, Zhu Yijun said coldly, "These are all memorials from a minor official in charge of river management."

"His words were: 'The nation has two capitals, and Huai, Xu, Lin, and De are the vital passage between the north and south. Since the transport of grain has been in operation for a long time, Lin and De still have accumulated grains, but the two granaries in Xuzhou are empty. I request that from now on, when Shandong and Henan are fully harvested, all grains from the granaries be collected.'"

The Lin and De granaries had accumulated 500,000 shi of rice, and the Xuzhou water granary was already empty. It's unclear whether this news was an open secret within the Xuzhou river transport system, given how easily Zhang Zhan revealed it.

As for why Zhu Yijun believed it so readily...

During the two hundred years of the dynasty, the amount of grain transported from Xuzhou to the capital was three million shi (a unit of dry measure). However, around the thirtieth year of the Wanli reign, the amount of grain transported was reduced to only one million three hundred thousand shi. Could there be no reason for this?
"Another memorial states that since the Jiajing era, the Xuzhou section has been repeatedly hit by floods. In order to prepare for disasters, the court reserves 54,214 shi of wheat and rice and 32,316 shi of beans in the Guangyun Granary every three years. However, when it comes to disaster relief, there is only rotten grain and rice available."

"It is also said that in the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, the quota for military garrisons and towns in Xuzhou was 2,167 shi per year, but in this dynasty, it soared to 10,217 shi. However, the number of grain transport soldiers has decreased instead of increased, and they still have to search for laborers in local towns and villages to escort the grain. I don't know how many grain transport soldiers and laborers are actually eating my salary without working!"

"It is also said that the grain stores in the Shuici warehouse are empty, and the conscripted laborers have no food and have scattered and fled. The river officials turn a blind eye and do a perfunctory job of repairing the dikes, resulting in ant holes being spread all over the nineteen dikes, including Feiyun Bridge, Jingshan, Chacheng, and Lijian, which are in danger of collapsing!"

"Oh, and I also ordered the Ministry of Works to allocate cement more than ten times. Where has it been for testing? Why haven't we received any from the Pei County section of the river?"

"..."

"What puzzles me even more is that these memorials that should have been presented to the Emperor have never been received by the Office of Transmission, and even Zhang Langzhong was unfortunately killed a few days ago."

"It is said that there is a minor battle every three days and a major battle every five days in the two rivers region. I think there is a reason for this!"

"The Central River Water Conservancy Bureau, the Xuzhou Water Granary, the Xuzhou Prefect, the Garrison Commander of the Xuzhou River Transport, the Yellow River Xuzhou Supervisor, the Inspector of River Transport, the Imperial Commissioner in charge of Grain Storage and Garrisoning, the Assistant Commander of the Canal Transport, the Assistant Magistrate of Henan River Affairs, the Xuzhou River Affairs Bureau, and along with hundreds of other river works officials—are they all blind, or are they all completely rotten?!"

"I just read the gazetteer of Xuzhou yesterday. Do you gentlemen know how it records the people of Xuzhou?"

“The people of Xu’an suffered the most from the flood. They were originally known for their prosperous population, abundant food and clothing, and peaceful life. However, when the disaster struck, countless people still died or fled. Along the riverbanks, there was one household every ten miles and ten villages every hundred miles. Even the barking of dogs was silent.”

"Death and escape are no longer a concern, even the barking of dogs is silent!"

"If things continue to deteriorate like this, the canal is one thing, but we can always go by sea. Aren't we afraid of another Yellow River flood?"

"A century of efforts to control the river will be in vain, and the people will weep blood and suffer terribly!"

The emperor's face grew increasingly grim, almost as if he were gritting his teeth: "My lords, don't blame me for making this clear beforehand."

"The Yellow River rises to the heavens, and heads fall to the ground!"

(End of this chapter)