My father is Jiajing

Under the cover of night after Luo Longwen was captured, the two teams, one in the light and one in the dark, quietly left Seoul.

The group in the open, led by Zhao Er, marched ostentatiously along the official road, while the group in the shadows, led by Deng Zilong, escorted Luo Longwen in a small boat, meandering along the coastline.

Three days later, neither Zhao Er's main force that took the official road nor Deng Zilong's secret squad encountered any trouble or accidents and arrived safely at the Dongyang Navy's base on Jeju Island.

It is clear that Deng Zilong's caution seemed somewhat superfluous to the North Koreans.

However, it's always good to be cautious.

If someone really does act desperately, and Deng Zilong is completely unprepared, then he will suffer a huge loss.

Upon arriving at the Dongyang Navy's base on Jeju Island, Deng Zilong did not delay at all. He immediately took Luo Longwen and his gang of followers to the temporary office of Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang stood on the steps of the naval headquarters, looking at Luo Longwen who was being escorted there, his face expressionless.

If it were based on Qi Jiguang's character during battles, such fugitives would be dealt with almost without hesitation, and he would never let them live a single day.

However, the situation is slightly different now, and Luo Longwen is involved in a case, which is not a small one.

Although that case was already considered closed in the Ming Dynasty.

But the effects are still there.

Therefore, it must be said that Luo Longwen was very lucky to survive.

This allowed him to live a little longer by sheer luck.

"General, this is Luo Longwen!"

Deng Zilong clasped his hands in a gesture of respect with delight, looking at Qi Jiguang with excitement, his desire to claim credit impossible to hide.

Qi Jiguang glanced at Luo Longwen, then looked at Deng Zilong and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work. Lock him up in the water dungeon first, and wait for Eunuch Yu to interrogate him when he has time."

Deng Zilong looked slightly surprised: "Won't the Commander-in-Chief interrogate him personally?"

Qi Jiguang smiled and said, "According to the rules, I am only in charge of military affairs. It would be more appropriate to leave this matter to Eunuch Yu."

Upon hearing this, Deng Zilong realized that it made perfect sense.

Now, after the military reforms, although some of the former supervising eunuchs are still in the army, it is much better than before when they would seize power from the army at any time.

So after a brief moment of surprise, Deng Zilong returned to normal. Their focus now was not on capturing Luo Longwen, but on establishing a foothold on Jeju Island to monitor the actions of Japan to the east.

To prevent Japan from making peace with the Japanese barbarians from the southwest, thus creating a potential threat to the Ming Dynasty's maritime borders.

That night, not a single moment was wasted.

After receiving the message from Qi Jiguang, Yu Huatian immediately went to Qi Jiguang's place to prepare for the interrogation of Luo Longwen.

When Yu Huatian arrived, Qi Jiguang did not presume to be arrogant and personally came out to greet him.

"Eunuch Yu, it's so late, and I feel really bad for troubling you to come all this way."

Yu Huatian smiled slightly and replied in a warm voice, "General Qi, you are too kind. We are all working for His Majesty and for the Ming Dynasty. There is no need for such trouble."

Qi Jiguang chuckled, looking quite relaxed.

Yu Huatian then asked, "Where is he?"

Qi Jiguang said, "He's in the water dungeon. Considering his journey, he's been starving for two days, so now is the perfect time for interrogation."

Yu Huatian laughed and said, "Commander Qi is really thoughtful. I admire him."

Qi Jiguang also smiled and said, "Please, sir. I will disturb you by interrogating the important criminal."

Yu Huatian didn't stand on ceremony and bid farewell to Qi Jiguang before heading towards the water prison.

At this moment, Luo Longwen was in a terrible state in the water dungeon. Although Deng Zilong did not mistreat him, Qi Jiguang did not add any extra torture instruments to him.

However, in the dark and damp water dungeon, especially in late autumn, it was a difficult time for Luo Longwen to endure.

Just as Luo Longwen was enduring the bitter cold, he heard a commotion outside, and hope instantly shone in his eyes.

All I wanted was to finish the interrogation as soon as possible and get him a better cell so he wouldn't have to suffer in this water dungeon.

After entering the water prison, Yu Huatian instantly felt like he was home, and his mood improved considerably.

This inevitably reminded him of his time as an officer in the Eastern Depot's prison.

At that time, he was like a fish in water in the Eastern Depot prison. No criminal who passed through his hands was unruly.

Now that he was in this dark and damp prison environment again, Yu Huatian felt excited.

He couldn't help but want to immediately give Luo Wenlong a good dressing down before slowly interrogating him.

Just as Yu Huatian was about to reach the water dungeon where Luo Longwen was imprisoned, Luo Longwen couldn't help but howl.

"I'll tell you everything, whatever you ask me, I'll tell you!"

Yu Huatian was slightly taken aback when he heard the shout. He looked at the water dungeon supervisor who had led the way and asked, "You tortured him?"

The water dungeon supervisor was also extremely puzzled and hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, no one has paid any attention to him since he was brought in."

Yu Huatian couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, then bring him here for questioning. Let me see if he's a human or a ghost!"

The manager of the water dungeon immediately sent someone to bring Luo Longwen out of the dungeon.

After Luo Longwen was taken to the interrogation room where Yu Huatian was, he unconsciously wanted to get closer to the brazier in the interrogation room.

It's clear that he was truly freezing in the water dungeon.

After the fire, Yu Huatian quietly looked at the disheveled Luo Longwen and said in a calm voice, "Luo Longwen, is that right?"

When Luo Longwen heard Yu Huatian's voice, he couldn't help but be startled. Although the voice of a eunuch was no different from that of an ordinary person, there were still some differences in the details.

Moreover, Luo Longwen had spent his early years working alongside Yan Shifan and had gained considerable experience, so he naturally knew what the tone and manner of the eunuchs meant.

Luo Longwen knelt on the ground in a panic, "I am guilty."

Yu Huatian chuckled, "Who do you think you are? Stop trying to make yourself look good. Our time is very precious, so you'd better behave yourself."

Luo Longwen quickly replied, "I dare not hide it from you, sir. Before I fled, I had donated money to obtain a minor official position in the Ministry of Works."

Yu Huatian couldn't help but laugh again, "Then you can be considered a talent. Since you have an official title, our family will examine you according to the rules."

"Someone, bring Luo Longwen a stool. It's improper for him to kneel on the ground like this."

Luo Longwen quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Your Honor, I dare not accept such a thing."

Yu Huatian retorted, “It’s not a question of whether you dare or not, but that we must abide by the rules of the imperial court. Otherwise, if word gets out that we made an official kneel during the trial, it won’t look good for us.”

Luo Longwen thanked her profusely again, and finally sat down carefully and nervously on a dirty, rickety bench.

Sitting on the bench, Luo Longwen struggled to keep his balance. It felt even worse than kneeling on the ground; it was like being forced into a horse stance, a perilous and arduous task. Luo Longwen suddenly realized that this "gift" of being forced to sit was clearly a form of punishment.

Luo Longwen steadied himself with difficulty and anxiously asked Yu Huatian, who had not yet begun a proper interrogation, "What does Your Excellency want to know? This criminal will tell you everything!"

Yu Huatian hummed in agreement and said directly, "Then go ahead and say it."

Yu Huatian's method of not asking specific questions left Luo Longwen speechless.

But he had no choice but to say it.

Luo Longwen quickly organized his memories in his mind and began to give a self-narrative account.

Luo Longwen began by recounting how he joined forces with Yan Shifan, continuing until Yan Shifan instructed him to befriend Prince Jing, and then went on to talk about how he fled overseas and continued to work for Yan Shifan at sea.

Later, the conversation turned to his smuggling dealings with Japanese pirates at sea, but to be honest, these issues left Yu Huatian with little interest, as he found them uninteresting.

Because Yan Shifan had already confessed to almost all of these issues before his execution.

The things Luo Longwen is repeating now are almost just a reiteration of Yan Shifan's crimes.

Moreover, Yan Shifan is already dead, so no matter how great his crimes were, they can't be attributed to him.

Therefore, Yu Huatian naturally has little patience left.

But it was at this moment that Luo Longwen mentioned that he had earned three million taels of silver by smuggling for Yan Shifan at sea.

When Yu Huatian heard that there were three hundred taels of silver, he immediately became excited.

That's no small amount.

In earlier years, the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty was only six or seven million taels of silver. These three hundred taels of silver were almost equivalent to half of the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue.

Upon hearing such an astronomical figure, Yu Huatian immediately perked up.

"Three million taels? What else is there besides these three million taels?"

This was the first time Yu Huatian had asked a question on his own initiative.

Luo Longwen quickly added, "Besides these three million taels, I also know some secrets about Japan. If you can spare my life, I will tell you all these secrets in detail."

Yu Huatian glanced at Luo Longwen with displeasure and said indifferently, "Whether I can save your life or not is not up to us, but up to the Emperor! If your secret is enough to make the Emperor think you are useful, then you can live. If not, our guarantee to you is useless."

Luo Longwen listened to Yu Huatian's words and understood that Yu Huatian was telling the truth.

So he compromised and said, "Sir, could you please move this prisoner to a better cell?"

Yu Huatian nodded and said, "That's acceptable."

Then Luo Longwen didn't hesitate and immediately revealed all the secrets he had discovered in Japan.

Yu Huatian was instantly shocked after hearing this!

He immediately sent someone to bring Luo Longwen to his side, intending to imprison him in his presence.

Qi Jiguang, who was arranging the naval operation, saw Yu Huatian rushing over and couldn't help but smile and ask, "What's wrong, Grandfather?"

Yu Huatian took a deep breath: "Commander Qi, prepare the speedboat immediately. I will personally escort Luo Longwen back to the capital."

"So urgent?"

Qi Jiguang was extremely surprised, "Did the investigation uncover some important case?"

Seeing Qi Jiguang's expression, Yu Huatian didn't hide anything. He said in a low voice, "Luo Longwen confessed that there is a super silver mine in the Iwami region of Japan. According to another confession, the silver mine there is easy to dig. Compared with that, the three million taels he absconded with is just a drop in the ocean!"

"It's just that the Japanese don't understand metallurgy and don't have that much demand for silver, so those super silver mines are still in a semi-abandoned state."

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang couldn't help but gasp: "Is this really true?"

Yu Huatian's eyes gleamed with excitement as he said, "After fleeing years ago, Luo Longwen worked under Yan Shifan, managing overseas trade and making numerous trips to Japan. He dared not return after Yan Shifan's downfall and ended up in Korea. Now he's revealing his experiences in Japan, showing he also wants to survive."
"We can't afford to waste any more time now. We must immediately report this matter to His Majesty for a decision! I request that Commander Qi arrange for a fast boat."

Such a big matter could not be delayed in the slightest, and he immediately arranged a fast boat for Yu Huatian.

After seeing off Yu Huatian and the imprisoned criminal Luo Longwen, Qi Jiguang was in high spirits.

If the story of the Japanese rich silver is true, then Qi Jiguang couldn't even imagine what would happen next; it was just too exciting!
Several days later, in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Yu Huatian rushed back, covered in dust, and went straight to the Wenhua Hall without even changing his clothes.

At this moment, Zhu Zaiji was also reviewing today's briefing and the issues of differing opinions between the cabinet and the six ministries.

When Zhu Zaiji saw Yu Huatian enter, he put down his vermilion brush, looked up at Yu Huatian, and asked, "When did you get back?"

Yu Huatian exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, this is great news!"

Then Yu Huatian excitedly kowtowed and said, "According to Luo Longwen's confession, a super silver mine has been discovered in the Iwami region of Japan, which may be worth hundreds of millions of taels!"

Zhu Zaiji feigned surprise and said, "Bring it here quickly!"

Yu Huatian immediately presented Luo Longwen's confession.

After reading it once, Zhu Zaiji chuckled.

"Truly, Heaven blesses the Great Ming!"

"Good, good, good! This is excellent!"

After laughing, Zhu Zaiji gave a mysterious smile and said to Yu Huatian, "Huatian, I have a task for you."

Yu Huatian immediately bowed excitedly: "Please give your instructions, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Zaiji stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the main gate in front of the palace. Looking at the spacious square, he said in a calm voice, "I order you to spread the news of this silver mine. It would be best if the whole city knew about it within a day!"

Yu Huatian stared in astonishment at Zhu Zaiji's retreating figure in disbelief. "Your Majesty? Such a secret?"

"Just do as instructed."

Zhu Zaiji waved his hand and continued, "Remember, spread the word as widely as possible. Southeastern maritime merchants, court officials, and even Japanese envoys should all know."

Although Yu Huatian was full of doubts, he dared not ask any more questions: "This servant obeys the order."

Then, thanks to Yu Huatian's deliberate spreading of the word, within a day, the capital was abuzz with talk about Japan's rich silver.

Even more remarkably, there are rumors that a mythical island filled with treasures and wonders was discovered in Japan. These islands are said to be made of gold and silver and are unclaimed!

Such exciting news not only excited the common people, but also made the court officials restless. They too became excited despite their initial skepticism.

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