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

Chapter 282: Plan Before Acting

The sweltering heat of Nanjing in June is like an invisible furnace, steaming wisps of white vapor from the bluestone pavement.

The trees and cicadas chirping along the official road were filled with restlessness.

However, Zheng Zhilong's heart was even hotter than the sweltering summer weather.

He sat upright in the carriage prepared in the palace, his fingers unconsciously stroking his brand-new official robes.

The crimson robe was made of the finest brocade, smooth to the touch and slightly cool to the touch. The "Yunyan" embroidered badge on the chest shimmered with gold threads in the swaying sunlight, dazzling the eyes.

Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official.

From a fugitive at sea to a guerrilla general in Fujian, and now a high-ranking official in the imperial court, this deep-seated sense of satisfaction is far more intoxicating to him than any amount of gold.

The carriages rumbled through the palace gates.

The towering vermilion palace walls isolated the outside world from the noise.

Upon thinking of the emperor, Zheng Zhilong's intoxicating pride quickly cooled, transforming into a complex mix of awe and ecstasy.

This ecstasy stemmed from the unprecedented power he now held.

Just a month ago, a highly respected uncle in his clan, relying on his seniority, still colluded with several salt merchants in Fuzhou Prefecture to privately resell government salt, which attracted the attention of the Fujian Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.

In the past, this would have been a trivial matter; a little money and some connections could have easily smoothed things over.

This time, however, before the memorial from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was even submitted, the Embroidered Uniform Guards from the Fujian Garrison Command had already come to their door for tea.

The uncle, who was usually quite arrogant in front of him, was so frightened that he sent someone on horseback to Quanzhou overnight to humbly beg to become Zheng Zhilong's disciple.

Zheng Zhilong sat upright in the hall and simply replied, "I know."

He did not use any old connections to smooth things over with the local authorities, as his uncle had suggested.

He knew all too well that in the face of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the emperor's sword, any local network of connections was nothing but a worthless wretch.

Zheng Zhilong dared not delay in the slightest, nor dared to conceal anything. That very night, he personally wrote a letter detailing his uncle's crimes and, in his capacity as "Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue," sent it directly to the Emperor in Nanjing via a secret memorial delivered by express courier.

At the end of his memorial, he prostrated himself and wrote earnestly: "I have failed in managing my family and subordinates, resulting in my clansmen disregarding the law. The fault lies with me. I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider this first offense and spare me some face, and to punish me leniently. I hereby swear that if there is any recurrence, I will personally bind them and hand them over to the authorities for severe punishment, to uphold the law!"

The emperor's imperial edict returned to Quanzhou in just six days.

There was no lengthy reprimand, only a few words, yet they carried the weight of Mount Tai: "The law is merciless, but considering your past service, this is a small punishment to serve as a warning, and it will not be repeated. This matter is entrusted to Minister Zheng for full handling, and it is imperative that the clan members know what the law is."

A few days later, the uncle who had been temporarily detained was released, but what followed was the emperor's punishment—a fine of ten times the value of his illegal gains, which was to be confiscated and deposited into the Maritime Trade Office.

After the matter was settled, Zheng Zhilong once again summoned all the prominent figures in the Zheng clan.

This time, the council chamber was completely silent.

Those clan elders who used to outwardly obey him but inwardly defied him because of their seniority and past merits are now all sitting upright, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Zheng Zhilong did not speak harshly, but simply placed the copy of the secret memorial with the emperor's vermilion annotations gently in the center of the table.

“All my uncles and brothers have seen it,” his voice was calm yet penetrating, “His Majesty’s grace will only come once.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the terrified faces of everyone present.

"Next time, if anyone dares to defy the new laws and violate the court's rules, this memorial will not be a plea for forgiveness, but a request for execution. At that time, I, Zheng Zhilong, will be the first to carry out the execution myself!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Immediately, led by that uncle, all the clansmen rose from their seats, bowed deeply to Zheng Zhilong, and said in unison, "We will obey the orders of the clan head!"

From that day on, no one in the clan dared to raise any objections.

Zheng Zhilong sat high in his seat, looking at his once unruly clansmen now bowing and scraping before him, and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

The official position the emperor bestowed upon him was far more than just an empty title!
It is a true imperial sword, a symbol of the emperor's authorization.

This feeling was far more intoxicating to him than any victory in a naval battle.

That sense of awe stemmed from his profound understanding of the emperor's unfathomable strategic plans.

For example, the strategy to deal with the challenge of the Japanese "silk cutting token" was personally devised by the emperor when he secretly summoned him several months earlier.

As it turned out, the emperor's foresight far exceeded his imagination.

In just two months, those so-called "silk cutting partners" in Japan went from privileged merchants who monopolized prices to just one of many buyers overnight.

The price of raw silk in Nagasaki has skyrocketed by 50%, and wealthy merchants who have relied on this method for generations are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Ultimately, they had no choice but to send envoys with generous gifts, practically begging the Ming Dynasty's Maritime Trade Office to grant them a stable quota of raw silk.

Whenever he thought of this, Zheng Zhilong felt a sense of awe and fear towards the young emperor on the throne, almost as if he were looking up to him.

……

The carriage slowly came to a stop outside Dong'an Gate.

"Lord Zheng, we have arrived at the palace gate. Please alight from the carriage and walk inside." The high-pitched voice of the eunuch rang out from outside the carriage, his attitude respectful.

Zheng Zhilong alighted from the carriage, where another eunuch immediately came forward to guide him.

His mind was filled with all sorts of speculations.

The customs reform has begun to show results, with tax revenue from several Maritime Trade Offices increasing steadily, far exceeding expectations.

Why has His Majesty suddenly summoned me at this moment?
As they passed through the palace gates, the surroundings grew increasingly quiet. The guards' armor gleamed coldly in the morning sun, and the palace servants walked briskly with their heads down, not daring to make a sound.

The imposing atmosphere of the imperial city constantly reminded him that wherever the emperor went, that was the center of power, and no mistakes were allowed.

With a complex mix of honor and awe, Zheng Zhilong finally arrived at the Wenhua Hall. He straightened his clothes once more, bowed deeply towards the hall's entrance, and then stepped into the hall that symbolized the central hub of the Ming Empire.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, it was unusually quiet.

The Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, dressed in casual clothes, stood with his hands behind his back before the map. His gaze was fixed intently on the vast blue ocean and the numerous islands scattered across the map, his expression focused, as if the entire world had been absorbed into his deep eyes.

"Your subject, Zheng Zhilong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

Zheng Zhilong dared not be negligent in the slightest. He quickly stepped forward, and upon reaching the hall, he was about to bow down.

"Minister Zheng, you may rise." The emperor's voice came from the front, gentle and calm. He turned around, a faint smile on his face. "Take a seat."

A young eunuch immediately brought over a brocade stool.

After expressing his gratitude, Zheng Zhilong only dared to sit sideways, with half of his buttocks on the ground, his back ramrod straight.

The emperor walked slowly to him, looked him up and down, and said with a gentle gaze: "My dear minister, you have come all the way from Quanzhou and you look tired. Your health is the foundation of success, and you must take heed."

These words were like a warm current flowing through Zheng Zhilong's body, making him feel flattered and overwhelmed. He quickly rose and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! Even if I were to be shattered to pieces, I could not repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

"Sit down and talk," the emperor waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.

After Zheng Zhilong sat down again, the emperor asked, "Tell me, how has the work of the Maritime Trade Office been going these past few months?"

When it came to serious matters, Zheng Zhilong immediately perked up.

He cleared his throat, took out a pre-prepared account book from his sleeve, and respectfully presented it, while reporting loudly: "Your Majesty! Thanks to Your Majesty's divine might, the customs reform has been remarkably effective! Since the implementation of the new law, in May alone, the three maritime trade offices in Songjiang, Ningbo, and Quanzhou, after deducting all official salaries and port maintenance expenses, actually collected a total of 123,724 taels of customs duties!"

"Based on this trend, my colleagues and I have carefully calculated that once the large number of merchant ships return in the autumn, tax revenue will surge even further. I dare to guarantee that the tax revenue from these three places alone will definitely exceed 1.5 million taels this year! If we include Guangzhou Prefecture, 2 million taels will not be difficult to achieve!"

As he spoke, his face flushed with excitement, his voice rose a few decibels, and he couldn't help but add an amusing anecdote:
"Your Majesty, you did not see the envoys of those Japanese daimyo. How arrogant they were in the past, but now they are queuing outside my Maritime Trade Office, holding gold and silver, just to get a quota of one hundred more dan of raw silk than others."

The lord of the Hirado Domain even sent his eldest son, who waited outside my residence for three days, just to see me. His words were earnest, almost pleading. Such a triumphant scene is truly a grand occasion never before seen in our Great Ming!"

Zheng Zhilong was convinced that the huge amount of tax revenue, enough to fill the national treasury, and the interesting story about Japan that greatly boosted national prestige, would surely please His Majesty.

However, to his surprise, the emperor's face did not show much emotion after hearing the report.

He simply took the ledger, casually flipped through a couple of pages, a faint smile appearing on his lips, and nodded, saying, "Hmm, not bad. A good start."

That's it.

The tone was so calm, as if he were talking about something trivial.

That enormous wealth seemed insignificant to him.

The atmosphere inside the hall changed subtly in an instant.

Zheng Zhilong's sense of satisfaction from reporting his military achievements was doused with cold water by the emperor's indifferent reaction and gradually froze.

He looked at the emperor somewhat bewildered, not understanding what he had said wrong.

The emperor casually placed the account book on a side table and then strolled back to the huge map.

He gazed at the azure expanse on the map, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke softly.

"We need money. The national treasury is empty, and we need money everywhere. The new army needs pay, the navy needs ships, the river works need repair, and the people need relief... Without money, we can't move an inch."

His voice paused, then his tone abruptly changed, and an invisible pressure instantly spread out.

“However, money alone is not enough. I also want to… expand our territory.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong abruptly raised his head.

This was the true purpose for the emperor's summons.

The true intentions are revealed!
Zheng Zhilong remained frozen in his seat, not daring to move an inch, as if even his breathing had stopped.

Expanding territory?
The emperor ignored the turmoil in Zheng Zhilong's heart.

His gaze remained firmly fixed on the "Complete Map of the World".

His finger slowly traced across the rooster-shaped map of the Ming Dynasty, across the winding coastline of the southeast, and finally landed heavily on a huge island shaped like a sweet potato off the coast of Fujian.

Regarding Zheng Zhilong, the emperor only ordered him to reorganize the customs and crack down on smuggling, but did not issue any military orders directly related to Dongfan.

Zheng Zhilong once thought that the emperor's grand ambition might not be realized for several years, until new warships were everywhere and new cannons were ubiquitous.

He thought that for a long time, his task would simply be to safeguard the emperor's purse strings.

But today, he understands.

Preparations on land have begun; now it's time for the sea.

While Zheng Zhilong was still in a state of shock and unable to calm down, the emperor slowly turned around again.

All his ambitions and grand plans were now contained within his unfathomable eyes. He stared at Zheng Zhilong with a gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce his soul and see through all his calculations and considerations.

After a long silence, the emperor spoke.

“Minister Zheng, when undertaking important tasks, careful planning is essential. Preparations made months or even years in advance are necessary.”

The emperor's voice was calm and steady, as if he were stating a very simple truth.

"My dragon flag will ultimately depend on your fleet to be planted on the walls of Fort Zeelandia. No matter how strong my warships are or how powerful my cannons are, without a seasoned general like you who is familiar with the seas and has been through many battles, they are just a pile of scrap metal floating on the water."

"So, I ask you today," the emperor's gaze suddenly became incredibly majestic and imposing, "from this moment on, do you, and your fleet, have the confidence... to remove this poisonous thorn for me, and for my Great Ming?"

This is no longer a distant strategic concept, but a clear, imminent directive.

The pressure of making a choice, coupled with the irresistible allure of achieving great things, materialized in that instant, weighing heavily on Zheng Zhilong's shoulders.

The entire hall was so quiet that one could hear his own frantic heartbeat.

Outside the window, the cicadas continued to sing.

But the sharp cry, when it entered his ears at this moment, transformed into another sound—the roar of towering waves and the booming of naval cannons firing in unison.

(End of this chapter)