Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 113 Imperial Decree on Business Strategy, Sea Emperor Reveals His Might

I don’t know how much time has passed.

It may be just a moment, or it may be half a lifetime.

In this deathly silence, the sound of the wind whistling past the pillars outside the hall, and the pounding of one's own heart, which was still pounding as if it were about to burst out of one's chest, seemed to be far away and inaudible.

The only thing Zheng Zhilong could perceive was the dull, frantic roar as all the blood in his body rushed wildly to his eardrums.

He stood motionless, like a stone statue struck by lightning in a storm but not yet collapsed.

His head was slightly lowered, his gaze fixed on the gilded floor tile three feet in front of his boots. The emotions contained in his eyes, which had witnessed countless blood-red sunrises and raging storms over the East Sea, were more complex than ever before.

There was surprise, horror, and confusion, but what overwhelmed all of this and surged from the depths of the soul was an almost insatiable desire!
Behind the imperial desk in front of him, the young emperor had already sat back down.

Zhu Youjian picked up the cup of tea that had already cooled slightly. The crisp "ding" sound of the lid hitting the bowl was particularly clear in the extreme silence, like a cold pebble precisely thrown into Zheng Zhilong's heart, which was already churning with turbulent waves.

"sit."

Zhu Youjian's voice was very calm, so calm that it was as if he were not the same person who had previously pointed out the flaws in the country and whose words could shake the very foundation of the nation.

But to Zheng Zhilong, that one word was nothing short of a boundless grace from heaven.

He took a deep breath and used all his strength to calm his heart, which was still pounding like a mad bull, and then bowed respectfully.

"Your subject... dares not."

This is not a compliment.

After that brief but earth-shattering conversation, the pride and arrogance he felt as a maritime overlord who roamed thousands of miles and was treated with respect even by the lord of the Satsuma Domain had shattered like ice being struck by a giant hammer, leaving not a trace.

At this moment, he had already placed himself in the right position in his heart.

Zhu Youjian glanced at him, then pointed gently to the round stool next to him that was covered with bright yellow brocade.

A very simple action, yet it contains an invisible but heavy pressure.

A fine bead of sweat instantly appeared on Zheng Zhilong's forehead.

He stiffly bowed deeply again, then carefully shuffled over to the brocade stool, only sitting on half of his buttocks.

His back was ramrod straight, like a soldier ready to receive orders at any moment. He still dared not meet the emperor's gaze, but stared intently at the ground.

Zhu Youjian took all of this in view, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, which he quickly suppressed.

He knew the time was right.

Intimidation alone can only bring fear, but what he needs is more than just fear.

What he needed was to completely transform this unruly maritime tyrant, who was capable of carving out his own territory at sea, from the inside out, from his spirit to his body, into an extension of his will, into the sharpest knife he could extend into the depths of the ocean!

"Minister Zheng, you have been at sea for a long time, and you must know a great deal about the affairs of Japan. Why don't you share your thoughts first?" Zhu Youjian began, his tone like a teacher in an academy testing his student.

If this question had been asked half an hour earlier, Zheng Zhilong would have certainly launched into a long, detailed account of his decades of experience at sea, his assessment of the various domains, and his knowledge of the Japanese market, all in an effort to demonstrate his value and gain greater leverage.

But now, he simply lowered his head even more respectfully, his voice carrying a dryness and tremor that he himself was unaware of: "Your Majesty, I am... dull-witted. Before Your Majesty, what I know and see is but a frog at the bottom of a well seeing only a part of the leopard, and I dare not make a fool of myself."

This is the truth from his heart.

In the past, he viewed Japan as a business arena, a place where dealings required the use of cannons and money.

What he saw was the port of Nagasaki, the trading post in Hirado, the Japanese merchants who, like him, risked their lives on the edge, and the complex trade relations and conflicts of interest between his fleet and the lords of the Matsuura and Satsuma domains.

But just now, His Majesty's few words, which were casual yet went straight to the heart of the matter, showed him a landscape he had never seen before.

Behind that scenery lies a nation, politics, the economic lifeline hidden beneath the body of a country, the blood and marrow that drive this massive body.

This was completely beyond the comprehension of a maritime merchant or pirate king.

Zhu Youjian seemed unsurprised by his answer. He put down his teacup with a soft "tap," a sound that felt like a slap on Zheng Zhilong's heart.

"You don't need to belittle yourself. What you know is the wind and waves on the sea, the visible ships and cargo, and the struggles between people."

The emperor paused for a moment, giving Zheng Zhilong time to process the information.

"And what I want you to see is the ocean current that drives these waves."

Ocean currents?

Zheng Zhilong felt a chill run down his spine; he understood the metaphor.

No matter how big the wind and waves are, they are just the surface. What truly determines the course and everything else is the invisible and intangible deep ocean current, which has infinite power!
"For the past few months," Zhu Youjian's voice was unhurried yet carried a chilling penetrating force, "I have ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to cooperate with the Eastern Depot, and secretly joined forces with several merchants with long-standing ties to Japan, to meticulously examine all the tally and trade records stored in the archives since the reign of Emperor Chengzu. Even..."

He then changed the subject, saying, "I personally interrogated the entourage of the envoy from Nagasaki a few months ago."

Zheng Zhilong's heart skipped a beat, as if it had been squeezed tightly!
The Embroidered Uniform Guard! The Eastern Depot!

These two terrifying institutions, representing the darkest and sharpest side of imperial power, were actually used in this kind of place?

Shouldn't they be used to monitor officials, suppress lawlessness, or gather intelligence on the battlefield?
When did they start doing the work of merchants and spies?
Furthermore, personally interrogating the envoy's entourage? This is unheard of! Diplomatic matters are so prestigious that it would take an emperor to condescend to piece together a picture of a foreign land from the mouths of insignificant people.

This is completely inconsistent with the decorum and logic of a monarch!

Shouldn't an emperor simply sit on the throne and listen to the reports of his ministers?

Zhu Youjian ignored the fleeting shock on his face and continued, "I gathered all their testimonies, observations, and account books, from the profit and loss of a ship of goods to the price of a bowl of tea, and verified them against each other to distinguish truth from falsehood. Finally, I pieced together the picture I wanted in my mind."

He extended two long, slender fingers and tapped lightly on the smooth imperial desk, tap, tap.

“The Japanese, or rather their upper class, desperately need three things from our Great Ming.”

"Firstly, raw silk."

Zheng Zhilong perked up; this was his old profession, and he knew it perfectly well.

Zhu Youjian's voice continued, unhurried yet piercingly incisive:

"The silk from the lakes of Jiangnan is called 'white silk' by them. They regard it as a treasure and are willing to pay a lot of money for it. But do you know what this 'white silk' really means to them?"

"Your Majesty," Zheng Zhilong replied hastily, not daring to be negligent. This was basic common sense, "Japanese nobles and daimyo use this material to make magnificent clothes to show off their status."

"That's right, but it's not just that." Zhu Youjian's voice suddenly turned cold.
"More importantly, raw silk is essential for the braiding of their warrior class armor and the wrapping of their sword hilts! A good and sturdy 'worldly armor' requires a lot of tough silk threads to braid the plates together."

The hilt of a katana must be tightly bound with the finest silk thread to ensure it doesn't slip during intense battle. Without our silk, their samurai can't even muster a decent suit of armor!

The emperor's gaze sharpened like a knife, piercing straight into Zheng Zhilong's heart.

"Therefore, Minister Zheng, you must remember this well: what we sold them was not just fine silks and satins, not just luxury goods, but also..."

"Strategic materials!"

Strategic materials!

Zheng Zhilong was terrified. He had been doing business for decades, selling countless ships of raw silk to Japan from the East to the South Seas, earning a huge amount of silver.

But he has never, ever thought about the problem from this perspective!

In his view, this was just an incredibly profitable business, simply a matter of buying in with one hand and selling out with the other to make a profit from the price difference.

But in the emperor's eyes, this was actually a strategic export of a country's military equipment!

In an instant, he felt that there was an insurmountable chasm between him and the young emperor before him.

A world of difference in perspective and vision!
"Secondly, porcelain." Zhu Youjian's voice did not pause, seemingly not giving Zheng Zhilong much time to be shocked. "They like Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain, but it is not their favorite. In recent years, the Japanese, especially their tea ceremony masters and noble daimyo, have been obsessed with a so-called 'wabi-sabi' style."

He glanced at Zheng Zhilong, who looked somewhat bewildered, and explained in a simpler way: "Simply put, they think that a rough pottery bowl, or even an old bowl with cracks, is more valuable than our most exquisite blue and white porcelain plate with dragon and cloud patterns, as long as it has been used for a long time and has the so-called marks of time. It's a kind of... very distorted and slightly perverse aesthetic, but one that I can use."

Zheng Zhilong nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

He had indeed heard that some Japanese daimyo were willing to pay a great price to buy a teacup that looked tattered. He had always thought those people were crazy, but he never expected that the emperor would be so knowledgeable about such exotic customs.

"So we can cater to their tastes. If they want clumsiness, we'll give them clumsiness. If they want cripples, we'll give them cripples. Whatever they like, we'll give them!" A mocking smile curled at the corner of the emperor's lips.

"Thirdly, there are medicinal herbs, books, sugar, and all sorts of other things that can signify one's status...groceries."

Zhu Youjian recounted the story in detail, as if reciting a familiar tale.

The emperor's analysis was so detailed that it terrified Zheng Zhilong.

He even pointed out which ginseng and musk sold best in which vassal states; he mentioned which famous figures were frantically collecting Ming Dynasty books and paintings, even spending exorbitant sums to buy handwritten copies; he also knew that the finest icing sugar was incredibly valuable among the nobles and officials in the capital.

Zheng Zhilong was stunned. Cold sweat on his forehead had turned from strands to patches, soaking the hair at his temples.

Is this...is this really an emperor who is not even twenty years old and has grown up within the high walls of the palace since childhood?

Just as Zheng Zhilong was in turmoil, feeling as if he were in a nightmare, Zhu Youjian suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming extremely sinister.

"The goods are good, but there is a major obstacle to selling them at the price we want and making this ocean current flow according to our will."

He looked at Zheng Zhilong and said, word by word:

"The Tokugawa Shogunate established a system called... 'Silk Cutting Symbol'!"

"boom!"

A thunderclap rang in Zheng Zhilong's mind again, blasting him awake from his daze!

Silk Cutting Symbol!
Of course he knows this system! He knows more than just knows it!
This is the most hated and resented, yet helpless, shackle for all the maritime merchants doing business in Nagasaki!
The so-called "silk-cutting talisman" was an organization called "silk-cutting talisman nakama," composed of merchant leaders from the five major cities of Sakai, Kyoto, Edo, Nagasaki, and Osaka, designated by the shogunate. They united to conduct unified valuation and purchase of all raw silk transported from Ming Dynasty China to Nagasaki.

They banded together and joined forces to drive down prices. No matter how much good stuff you brought in, no matter how high the purchase price was in Jiangnan, once it reached Nagasaki, you were at their mercy.

They say it's worth a certain amount, and that's what it's worth!
If you sell, you have to accept their outrageously low prices.

If you don't sell, your goods will just rot in Nagasaki's port, and you'll lose everything.

This constraint caused Ming Dynasty merchants to lose astronomical profits every year, leading to the bankruptcy of countless merchants and the loss of countless hard-earned gains.

Zheng Zhilong had also considered countless ways to fight back.

He might join forces with other major sea merchants to boycott supplies, trying to starve them; or he might try to bribe the Nagasaki magistrate with a large sum of money, hoping to create an opening from within.

But all his efforts were defeated by the powerful state apparatus of the Tokugawa shogunate.

He gnawed at this bone, which was as hard as iron, for over a decade, until his teeth were almost broken, but he still couldn't make a single inch of it.

But now, even His Majesty the Emperor knows about the "Silk Cutting Talisman"!
Moreover, judging from his expression, it seems...

An idea that Zheng Zhilong dared not even imagine suddenly popped into his head.

“If this system is not broken, we will be like chickens with their throats choked, at the mercy of others, with greatly reduced profits, let alone control of the market and use the art of trade to disrupt the foundation of the country.” Zhu Youjian’s voice was as cold as ice. “Therefore, Minister Zheng, you must remember our first objective on this trip.”

He stood up, walked up to Zheng Zhilong, and looked down at him.

"We're not just going there to sell goods, we're going there to... dismantle this 'silk-cutting symbol'!"

Zheng Zhilong's breathing stopped completely at that moment.

Remove the "Silk Cutting Symbol"?
An intense, thrilling sensation instantly coursed through his body.

Zhu Youjian smiled as he looked at Zheng Zhilong's face, which was slightly flushed with excitement.

"To wage war, you need weapons. Our weapons..."

He walked back to the imperial desk.

"What is our greatest advantage? At present, it is not our strong ships and powerful cannons, but the name 'Great Ming'! It is me, the Emperor of Great Ming! So what we need to do is..."

He held up one finger and uttered two words with unwavering certainty.

"monopoly!"

"Monopoly?" Zheng Zhilong repeated subconsciously.

He vaguely understood the term; it meant a unique transaction. But when the emperor said it, it carried a completely different weight.

“Excellent, a monopoly!” Zhu Youjian’s voice was filled with unquestionable decisiveness. “From now on, I will have the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot’s secret police personally stationed in the Jiangnan Textile Bureau to integrate the best craftsmen and the finest silkworms from Suzhou and Hangzhou to produce a special kind of silk.”

He paused, each word seemingly cast in molten iron, imprinted on Zheng Zhilong's mind.

"This silk, from its weaving method and dyeing to the final product, must be of the highest standard ever seen. But most importantly, each piece of silk must be woven with gold thread with the emblems I have decreed—either a 'sun, moon, mountains and rivers' pattern, or a variant of the dragon pattern representing the imperial family. I bestow upon this item the name: 'Imperial Silk'!"

"The moment this silk is produced, it becomes a symbol of the imperial power of our Great Ming Dynasty! It is a gift from the Son of Heaven! There is only one of its kind; there are no other branches! In Japan, it will no longer be an ordinary commodity, but a symbol of status, honor, and an unparalleled token proving its connection with the Great Ming Dynasty! As for its price..."

Zhu Youjian smiled, a smile that conveyed absolute confidence and control.

"My word is law!"

Zheng Zhilong's mouth opened slightly, and he made a "ho ho" sound in his throat. He could almost see the frenzied pursuit that would occur when this "Imperial Silk," which carried the majestic power of the emperor and was like an imperial edict, appeared in the Japanese market!

What price would those lords and nobles be willing to pay to obtain a piece of silk that they could flaunt to other lords and demonstrate their "favor" from the Ming emperor!
This isn't doing business! This is practically creating a god out of thin air! It's a blatant scheme to turn lead into gold!
"The same applies to porcelain." Zhu Youjian's thinking was frighteningly clear. "I will issue an edict to have the Jingdezhen imperial kilns set up a production line specifically for the Japanese market. We will fire the so-called 'wabi-sabi' style that they like. Let them see what true 'beauty in imperfection' really is! On the bottom of every tea ware, I will stamp the inscription 'Made by Imperial Order of the Great Ming Dynasty' in relief!"

"We can even provide 'exclusive customization' for the Tokugawa Shogunate and other powerful daimyo. They can discuss what style they want and whose family crest they want engraved on it. And the price is naturally set by us!"

Zheng Zhilong has become completely numb.

He felt as if his mind was a lump of dough being repeatedly kneaded, pounded, and then roasted over a raging fire. His old understanding was being torn apart time and again, only to be reshaped by a completely new and far more terrifying logic.

Using the emperor's name and the prestige of the Ming Dynasty to vouch for a piece of silk and a teacup, they transformed ordinary goods into unique treasures!
Then use these rare treasures to leverage a country's market, divide its nobility, and empty its coffers!

What a masterpiece! What a grand vision!
Just then, Zheng Zhilong heard the Emperor's voice, which sounded like a final judgment. The voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry the rusty smell of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Every word weighed more than a thousand pounds.

"In short, silk, porcelain, icing sugar, copper and iron... all trades that can be traded overseas and generate huge profits will henceforth belong to my imperial treasury and be under my personal control!"

This decree, like a black lightning bolt, shattered the silence of the entire hall!

Zheng Zhilong was completely stunned.

To the imperial treasury? Or under the emperor's direct control?

This is to take over all the most profitable overseas trade in the world!

This is no longer about competing with the gentry and merchants in this business for profits; it's about taking away their livelihoods and uprooting them!

"I will establish a special department for this purpose, separate from the Six Ministries of the Outer Court, and directly responsible to me!"

Zhu Youjian paused, his gaze falling on Zheng Zhilong with an intense, fiery intensity.

"This agency is called the 'Imperial Treasury Maritime Trade Administration,' and it is under my direct control! And you, Zheng Zhilong..."

The emperor's voice trailed off, each word like a boulder crashing into Zheng Zhilong's heart.

"...He was the first Admiral of this 'Maritime Trade Commissioner'! He was in charge of all maritime trade affairs in the East and South Seas on my behalf!"

"boom--!"

Zheng Zhilong felt dizzy and saw stars before his eyes.

Admiral of the Maritime Trade Office!

Oversee all maritime trade affairs in the East and South Seas!
What an immense power this is!
This practically handed over half of the Ming Dynasty's wealth and the entire maritime territory to him!

"I know that there are quite a few wealthy merchants in Jiangnan who make their living this way." Zhu Youjian changed the subject, but his authority was not diminished. Instead, it was imbued with an unfathomable meaning. "I created this General Administration not to exterminate them."

He looked at Zheng Zhilong and said slowly:
"What I want is integration! It's consolidation! When you go to Jiangnan, you can convey my message. All merchants who have engaged in maritime trade in the past, with fleets, connections, and reputation, as long as they are willing to come under the command of my 'Maritime Trade Commissioner,' act according to the Commissioner's rules, and accept the Commissioner's orders, their ships can still go to sea; their goods can still be sold. Not only that, I will also grant them the title of 'Royal Charter,' allowing them to earn money more securely and respectably than before."

Zheng Zhilong's heart started pounding again!

He understood!

The emperor's goal was not only to monopolize the supply of goods, but also to recruit all the people who ran ships!
This is to unite the entire maritime trade power of Jiangnan, from top to bottom, from goods to people, into one rope, a rope that only obeys his orders!

“Of course,” Zhu Youjian’s tone suddenly turned icy, his gaze seemingly extending beyond the person before him to the prosperous and vibrant Jiangnan region a thousand miles away.

"There are always some people who think they have grown up and become independent, unwilling to follow my rules, and still want to go to sea on their own as before, or even... smuggle goods to Japan to make huge profits."

His voice became very soft, yet it carried an overwhelming killing intent!
"If there are such stubborn people, they had better pray day and night that their family has been clean for three generations and can withstand the scrutiny of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, one case at a time!"

Jinyiwei!
Zheng Zhilong shuddered violently!
He understood instantly!

This is the true method of an emperor!

Those who are willing to submit will be granted the honor of a "royal charter," leading you to wealth and prosperity, and making you rich beyond measure.

Those who refuse to submit, or even those who want to stab you in the back, are not just business rivals, but enemies of imperial power!
When dealing with enemies, this emperor won't listen to any code of honor or business rules.

Zheng Zhilong himself worked his way up from the bottom, so he knows it all too well!
Which of those wealthy gentry and merchants from Jiangnan, whose ancestors didn't have a bloody past?

Which company's ledger doesn't contain filthy tales of tax evasion, land grabbing, and collusion between officials and merchants?
Which powerful family doesn't have a few unclear and complicated murder cases on its hands?
Normally, these matters are perfectly concealed by the enormous wealth and intricate network of power, and no one dares to ask or investigate.

But what is the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Those were the emperor's personal guards, the henchmen of imperial power!
They're not here to investigate a case; they're here on orders to find guilty people!

Once these hungry wolves, drawn by the scent of blood, are released, they will comb through the entire history of those powerful clans, generation after generation, like a comb!
At that time, there will be no need for any charge of treason.

A long-standing murder case, a falsified ledger, a record of bribing an official... any small matter could be enough to destroy a century-old family and bring them to ruin!

Zheng Zhilong almost laughed.

The emperor wasn't breaking the rules; he was using the rules!
These days, he has also heard some officials hope that this 'tyrannical' new emperor will pay attention to ancestral rules, procedures, and legal principles!

Well, now, the emperor has turned the laws of the Ming Dynasty into the sharpest and most terrifying butcher's knife in his hand!

Using the most "legal" means to do the most ruthless things!

He suddenly recalled his past decades.

At sea, with a sharper knife, a sturdier ship, and more fearless brothers than others, he carved out his own territory from a small-time pirate.

He set rules and collected protection fees from all passing merchant ships. He even fantasized that if he could monopolize the entire East and South Seas shipping routes, that would be the ultimate goal in life.

But now he understands that what he considered the ultimate?
That's nothing more than banditry, where people occupy mountains and rob others on the way!

And what was the emperor doing?
The emperor was telling him not to rob pedestrians on the road, but to make the road itself his own!
Not only that, you also need to open a unique inn by the roadside, so that all travelers will not only obediently pay the toll, but also willingly and excitedly spend all the money they have to stay at your inn!
Anyone who dares to open another shop next door will have their shop burned down and their people killed in the name of "legality"!

This is the true... art of emperors!
"Thump!" A muffled sound.

Zheng Zhilong slid down from the brocade stool and knelt heavily on the cold floor tiles, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, his whole body trembling violently with excitement and fear.

He could no longer control the turmoil within him, and in a hoarse, trembling voice filled with boundless fervor, he shouted:

"Your subject... Zheng Zhilong! Is willing to be Your Majesty's sharpest blade!"

"I will go through fire and water, and die!"

　I'm completely drained!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)