Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 635 It's just a matter of a few moves
After satisfying his vanity of being part of a superior nation, Zhu Houzhao felt that Pei Yuan hadn't made this special trip just to complain about these things with him.

So he asked directly, "Did you come here just to tell me this, Minister Pei?"

Pei Yuan quickly replied, “Of course not. I recently came across a book written by Wang Dayuan of the Yuan Dynasty. He traveled between the two oceans in his early twenties, passing through various islands, and recorded the mountains, rivers, customs, products, food, preferences, and traded goods along the way. It was called ‘Island Barbarian Records’.”

Zhu Houzhao became interested. "Where is this book?"

Pei Yuan quickly replied, "I will present it shortly."

Zhu Houzhao nodded upon hearing this, knowing that Pei Yuan would surely have more to say, so he was not in a hurry to ask about the book.

Pei Yuan said, "In this person's account, a place called Beiliu was mentioned. When the ship was heading to the Western Ocean, it passed by Sinhalese. Because of the fast current and the headwind, it drifted to this place. It wasn't until the following summer when the southeast wind came that the ship drifted north, hence the name Beiliu."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but smile. "Interesting."

Pei Yuan continued, "Wang Dayuan said that this place is rich in seashells, which are found all over the beach. Merchants here load up their ships with seashells and take them to places like Ude, Pengkala, Fangbai, Siam, Luohu, and Zhenlu to sell and trade."

"That country of Udie is the land of the old Galil. Rice is harvested three times a year there. Wang Dayuan mentioned in his notes that he once bought 1.6 dou of rice for 250 sea shells."

"Your Majesty can use this ratio to determine the value of cowrie shells."

Zhu Houzhao thought for a moment.

One shi of rice is ten dou, and one dou of rice is ten sheng. Currently, the price of rice in the capital is roughly one tael of silver for two shi of rice.

Based on this conversion, one tael of silver is roughly equivalent to about three thousand two hundred seashells.

If we calculate based on the exchange rate of one tael of silver to seven hundred coins, wouldn't it be that about five seashells could be exchanged for one coin?
If you think about it that way, these aren't just seashells scattered all over the beach, they're copper coins scattered all over the beach!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao immediately became interested.

Pei Yuan continued, "When I saw this place, I was very interested. So I inquired with foreign monks and barbarians from various places and confirmed that such a place really existed. On that barbarian island, there are seashells everywhere, piled up like mountains. Western merchants often come here to collect seashells, and then leave with their full loads to exchange for goods in Southeast Asia and Western countries."

"And often the further away from the north, the more expensive the seashells are."

Zhu Houzhao pressed further, "You mean to say that these seashells, which are used as currency in Southeast Asia and the West, are actually everywhere on this island? And that they can be exchanged for goods elsewhere?"

Pei Yuan said, "Absolutely true."

Zhu Houzhao, a quick-thinking and intelligent man, immediately realized the meaning behind Pei Yuan's visit.

"So, if we send a fleet to that island to dig up all the seashells, and then bring back goods from the West and Southeast Asia, wouldn't we make a fortune?"

Pei Yuan said, "That is exactly what I meant."

Zhu Houzhao's interest grew even stronger.

This is free stuff!
Who doesn't like getting something for free?
He quickly asked, "Have you figured out exactly where Beiliu is?"

The account in "The Records of the Island Barbarians" is vague and unclear, but how could Pei Yuan, a person of later generations, not understand it?

That Beiliu is the Maldives, which is a little below India.

The so-called U-Thailand is Burma. Bengkala is Bengal. Fangbai is the modern-day Mumbai. Siam and Luohu are located in present-day Thailand, while the needle-like path leads to Annam (Vietnam).

Basically, it can be said that this type of seashell from the Maldives is now widely used in major countries along the route from Southeast Asia to the West.

But the place where these seashells truly demonstrate their value is in West Africa.

This stuff would be much more expensive to ship to West Africa.

In a few more years, the Maldives will be discovered by Europeans.

Then they began frantically digging for seashells to exchange for gold and slaves in West Africa.

They did this for almost three hundred years, until they completely destroyed the marine economic zone in the Indian Ocean region.

When Zhu Houzhao asked, Pei Yuan immediately replied, "This humble servant has already figured out where Beiliu is and has obtained a rough map from the foreign monks and merchants. I am willing to map it for Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao immediately instructed Pei Yuan to draw a sea chart for him on the imperial desk.

Pei Yuan stared longingly at the dragon throne and imperial desk, silently imagining what was happening, but ultimately dared not overstep his bounds.

Seeing Pei Yuan's firm refusal, Zhu Houzhao realized that he had acted rashly.

He asked someone to fetch paper, and then went to the table to get pen and ink himself.

When the paper arrived, it was spread on the floor of the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Houzhao sat cross-legged to one side, watching Pei Yuan mark the sea chart for him.

Pei Yuan picked up his brush and saw it was cinnabar.

Seeing Pei Yuan staring at him expectantly, his expression seemed troubled, yet his refusal didn't seem particularly firm.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Let's just make do with it."

Pei Yuan hesitated and said, "This... isn't that a bad idea?"

Zhu Houzhao dismissed it, saying, "It's just a matter of a few strokes."

Pei Yuan: "..."

I know I'm overstepping my bounds, but don't talk nonsense.

Pei Yuan picked up the vermilion brush and roughly drew a topographical map of Southeast Asia on the paper.

Since it was just a rough sketch, and it wasn't appropriate to provide too much detail for the sake of rationality, Pei Yuan simply outlined the terrain of the Indian Ocean region.

Then he forcefully tapped the sea to mark the location of the Maldives.

When I finished writing, it seemed...

It really only takes a few seconds.

Pei Yuanxian selected some places that Zhu Houzhao knew and filled in the gaps in his knowledge: where was Annam, where was Burma, where was Java, and where was India.

After mentioning the names of several key locations, Zhu Houzhao pointed to a place near Java and said, "This location is the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office, isn't it?"

Pei Yuan then realized that the emperor before him was different from those emperors who were raised by civil officials and eunuchs.

Zhu Houzhao held the title of Emperor Sultan Suleiman Khan of the Ming Dynasty, so how could he be unfamiliar with the Maritime Silk Road, which was frequently used by Arabs?

Pei Yuan quickly replied, "That's true."

Zhu Houzhao looked at the map again and asked, "The Wudie and Pengjiaci you mentioned earlier should be near the Dimasa Pacification Commission, right?"

The Dimasa Pacification Commission is now the Assam region of southern Tibet.

When the Ming Dynasty was at its peak, Zheng He's fleet was invincible in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, causing local kings to submit to its rule.

However, with the interruption of the Age of Exploration in later generations, the invincible elder brother disappeared, and many small countries experienced rebellions and annexation, and things gradually changed.

Pei Yuan replied again, "Yes."

Zhu Houzhao looked at the red dot Pei Yuan had marked and exclaimed, "So this Beiliu is really close." During the Ming Dynasty's heyday of maritime exploration, it once had several shipyards operating in Southeast Asia.

In June of the ninth year of the Xuande reign, since Zheng He had already passed away, the court ordered his deputy, Wang Jinghong, to lead a fleet to various countries in Southeast Asia. They first went to Sumatra and then to Java.

In addition, Eunuch Wang was also on a secret mission to prepare for the restart of the shipyard of the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office, in preparation for the Ming Empire's eighth sea voyage and armed trade.

To ensure everything went smoothly, the eunuch also brought Hanijahan, the younger brother of the King of Sumatra, who lived next to the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office, to Beijing to pay tribute.

The legitimacy and value of the king's brother's claim are something only those in the know understand.

Unfortunately, by the time Eunuch Wang returned home, the emperor was gone.

Then, the version was updated.

—The Three Yangs take the stage as regents.

In February of the first year of the Zhengtong reign, the Three Yangs Cabinet, in the name of the young Emperor Yingzong of Ming, ordered Wang Jinghong to stop purchasing and constructing foreign goods and cease all foreign investment.

So when Zhu Houzhao looked at the map and said softly with a sense of melancholy, "It's not far from the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office," Pei Yuan also felt a little wistful.

He only showed this map to Zhu Houzhao to whet his appetite; given the current infighting and divisions within the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible for him to organize the invincible fleet of yesteryear.

If Zhu Houzhao had led his army to Nanjing after the great victory at Yingzhou, Pei Yuan could still call him a hero.

As a result, this guy fished and pondered the whole way.

After arriving in Nanjing, someone threw a dead pig's head in front of him, then hung a wall full of human heads in his room, and then said, "Never mind, never mind."

You might think you can just give up, but others might not trust you...

Therefore, Brother Zhao can only watch as the Maldives windfall comes into his own hands.

If he were to actually take it, that would be in the next version, in Pei Ayuan's time.

Zhu Houzhao had obviously also thought of the interruption of the Age of Exploration. He looked at it with some frustration, and then said to Pei Yuan with a self-deprecating smile, "What a pity, what a pity, distant water can't quench immediate thirst."

He then lamented, "This wealth is clearly recorded in the notes of the Yuan people. It's a pity that even Emperor Taizong, who was so powerful back then, missed out on such benefits. Now, I, his unworthy descendant, can only sigh and regret in the face of such enormous wealth."

Zhu Houzhao felt annoyed for a while, then folded up the paper with the nautical chart drawn on it. He forced himself to cheer up Pei Yuan and said, "I am certainly not as good as Emperor Taizong, but Eunuch Zheng is not as good as you. The future is still uncertain."

Pei Yuan was a little confused when he heard this.

My lord, you can't make comparisons like that.

Zhu Houzhao assumed that Pei Yuan had come for this very reason, so he carefully put away the nautical chart and then signaled to the eunuch beside him to clean up the things Pei Yuan had brought.

With his naturally optimistic nature, he could understand why his ancestors had missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Pei Yuan and sighed, "Who would have thought that even in this day and age, there are still foreigners who regard seashells as wealth? No wonder our Great Ming has overlooked this matter during several long voyages."

Pei Yuan said calmly, "It is only natural that things are valued for their rarity. As the saying goes, one cannot talk about the sea with a frog in a well, one cannot talk about ice with a summer insect, and one cannot talk about the Way with a narrow-minded person."

"The world is vast and full of wonders. For example, the north has little rain, while the south has plenty. If they cannot sail a thousand miles away, how can they know that what they cherish is plentiful elsewhere?"

"In the future, we can naturally take a large ship to dig up those countless seashells, and then in the South China Sea and the Western Ocean, we can freely exchange them for grain, cloth, gold, gems, ivory, coral, pepper and other good things. We can even buy a large number of foreign slaves and re-establish the Pacification Commission in the South China Sea."

Upon hearing Pei Yuan's description of the scene, Zhu Houzhao burst into laughter. He said with some delight, "If that's the case, then when I see Emperor Taizong in the future, I can face him without shame."

Pei Yuan chimed in with a sarcastic remark, "Those barbarians must be overjoyed to have so many seashells. They might destroy farmland and plant pepper and cloves everywhere. They'll exhaust their manpower to dig for gems and corals. They'll hunt elephants and chase peacocks, hoping to exchange them for seashells that they can store."

“If this continues, the rich will become insatiably greedy, and the poor will be exhausted.”

"But these seashells are useless if we can't eat them when we're hungry or wear them when we're cold. What good would it do them if they got millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions? They're just things we can take at will."

Zhu Houzhao burst into laughter again.

But then Pei Yuan suddenly said, "What I am worried about... is only one thing."

While Zhu Houzhao was in a state of heightened excitement, he quickly asked, "What are you worried about?"

Pei Yuan slowly said, "Does Your Majesty not know? I have vaguely heard that the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission of our Great Ming also uses seashells for trade."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he silently counted in his mind.

one two three.

Zhu Houzhao's smile came to an abrupt halt, his eyes widened suddenly, and his face was filled with a look of utter disbelief born of fear.

"what?!"

He shouted in fury, "How is this possible?!"

He was just basking in the excitement of using seashells to plunder other countries.

Surprisingly, even in Yunnan, which he governed, seashells were used for trade!
Zhu Houzhao could still smile happily when he was getting something for nothing from others.

But then I thought about the possibility that someone else might dig up large quantities of seashells from that North Island and exchange them for grain, minerals, ivory, kingfisher feathers, and the like from Yunnan.

Zhu Houzhao's heart was breaking.

He likes getting things for free, but he doesn't like being taken advantage of!
Zhu Houzhao's earlier joy vanished instantly. He glared at Pei Yuan in fury and demanded, "How could this be?!"

The palace fell silent instantly.

The eunuchs serving nearby were all adept at reading people's expressions, and at this moment their hearts were in their throats, and they even held their breath.

Pei Yuan was not seeking credit; he needed corroborating evidence, so he said, "I am not quite sure either. I have heard that Zhang Yu, the supervising censor of Yunnan, has returned to the capital. Your Majesty might as well summon him and ask him."

"He visited Yunnan and knew the details well. Liu Ji, the tyrannical official of the Yunnan Provincial Surveillance Commission, was impeached and dismissed by Zhang Yu."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao immediately ordered angrily, "Someone, go to the Censorate and bring Zhang Yu here!"

One of the more astute eunuchs immediately scurried out in a panic. The other eunuchs, who were slower to realize what was happening, could only continue to serve the emperor with trepidation.

Pei Yuan, as if he had caused trouble, knelt obediently below the steps, not daring to utter a sound.

He mentioned that his surveillance of Zhang Yu was obviously purposeful.

Besides the fact that Zhang Yu had just returned from Yunnan, it was also because Zhang Yu had previously submitted a memorial impeaching someone for a very important matter.

If Zhang Yu could bring up this matter, Pei Yuan's chances would be secure.

He can also achieve his goals silently and without making a sound.

If Zhang Yu hadn't brought that up...

Pei Yuan clicked his tongue. Then he would have no choice but to risk revealing his intentions and take the plunge himself.

(End of this chapter)