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

Chapter 349 The Red Thread of Jiangnan
In October, the nights of late autumn were already permeated with a bone-chilling cold.

The dull, resonant sound of the clock's pendulum echoed through the empty palace gardens, its lingering rhythm seemingly carrying one's soul into the boundless darkness.

However, this chill, strong enough to freeze even the most ordinary houses, could not penetrate the door of the West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace.

Behind the imperial desk, Zhu Youjian sat quietly.

His face, still bearing the features of a young man, appeared calm and solemn in the candlelight, showing no sign of weariness.

Just now, Wang Chengen had served him a small bowl of bird's nest and lotus seed soup. The warm sweetness was still lingering on his lips and teeth, but his gaze had already been fixed on the two stacks of memorials piled up in front of him.

Zhu Youjian first reached out and took the memorial at the very top of the yellow book in his left hand.

The cover of this memorial was made of sharkskin, a tribute from the South China Sea, which was cool to the touch and tough.

On the cover, two brand-new seals were prominently displayed: one read "Guangdong Maritime Trade Commissioner's Office," and the other, even more eye-catching, read "Seal of the Imperial Customs Administration, Supervising Coastal Trade and Customs."

He slowly unfolded the paper, and on the white paper, lines of clear, tiny characters appeared like a torrent of silver rushing towards him.

"...Since the Holy Emperor lifted the maritime ban, reformed old abuses, and established the General Maritime Administration, trade has flourished across the four seas, and ships have entered into trade with all nations. From February to September alone, the three main ports of Guangzhou, Yuegang, and Songjiang collected a total of 8,073,426 taels of silver in ship taxes, cargo taxes, and import duties. In addition, the rare treasures, firearms, and blueprints presented by Western countries have all been stored in the treasury..."

Eight million taels!

This number, like a blazing flame, suddenly ignited in Zhu Youjian's eyes.

He silently calculated in his mind that the customs duties from just three ports alone already exceeded half of the national revenue in the past!
"The lifeblood of a nation lies not in grains but in money; the foundation of a government lies not in empty words but in its treasury."

A genuine smile appeared on Zhu Youjian's lips.

This is no longer the bloody silver that was scraped ounce by ounce from the bones of Shanxi merchants, nobles, and corrupt officials, as it was in the past.

This is the vibrant golden blood flowing rightfully in the burgeoning arteries of the empire!

This powerful blood is continuously flowing into the once withered body of the Ming Dynasty, making its muscles full again and its heart beat powerfully once more.

"Money! It's all my money!"

Zhu Youjian thought to himself, "With money, I have the confidence to do whatever I want!"

He gently put down the inspiring report and then took the next three copies.

These three were his true reliance, the "three driving forces" he personally laid out to leverage the entire economic landscape of Jiangnan.

The first document came from Sun Chuanting, the governor of Yingtian.

In his memorial, Sun Chuanting used his calm and detailed writing style to elaborate on the earth-shaking changes that had taken place in Yingtian Province under the new policies.

Its core lies in the tremendous success of the "work-for-relief" model.

"...The refugees from the disaster-stricken areas in the north, all able-bodied men, were organized by the government to go south. Upon entering Yingtian territory, they were registered by the 'Recruitment Bureau' and assigned according to their physique and place of origin. They were either placed in government-run arsenals or shipyards, or in textile factories or porcelain factories owned by imperial merchants. They were paid fifty cash a day and provided with two meals."

The people were grateful for the Emperor's grace, worked diligently, and none of them caused trouble.

The scenes of begging and starving corpses along the way have disappeared.

I once traveled incognito and met a large man from Shaanxi, about thirty years old, who had once been a bandit. He now worked as a blacksmith at the Baoyuan Arsenal, earning two taels a month. During his breaks, he would go to the counter of the "Da Ming Bao Chao General Bank" and send half a month's salary to his wife and children in Tianzitun, Shaanxi.

His words, “When I was a thief, I was terrified three times a day and never had enough to eat; now I am a worker, upright and honest, supporting my family with my own strength, and I know what it means to be human,” were deeply moving. “The stability of society depends on giving people a job, a home, and hope…” Zhu Youjian nodded repeatedly as he read.

Sun Chuanting not only carried out his policies, but also deeply understood the logic behind them.

This transformed a huge social burden into a powerful driving force for the industrialization of the Ming Dynasty.

The "Great Ming Treasure Notes General Bank" specifically mentioned in the memorial was a brilliant stroke of his design.

This "bank," directly funded by the royal treasury, was like a nationwide neural network. It not only controlled the issuance and circulation of currency, but also used a small bill of exchange to reconnect millions of families separated by war and famine. The value of the people united in this network far exceeded that of silver.

The second document came from Hong Chengchou, the Governor-General of Zhejiang.

Hong Chengchou's report differed from Sun Chuanting's pragmatic approach; it possessed a more ruthless edge that struck at the heart of the matter.

In addition to detailed economic data, he devoted considerable space to describing the "rectification of errors" that was taking place in Shilin, Zhejiang.

"...The Donglin ideology has been entrenched in Zhejiang for a century, and its pernicious influence is far-reaching and cannot be eradicated overnight."

By imperial decree, I hereby mandate the implementation of the new textbooks on mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geography, issued by the Academy of Sciences, in all prefectures and counties within the province. These four subjects are mandatory for all candidates taking the imperial examinations.

At the same time, any student found to be gathering in groups, engaging in empty talk about morality, or discussing politics will be immediately stripped of their academic titles and never be employed again.

Initially, there were many who opposed him, and some even called him a "criminal against Confucianism."

However, I believe that cutting the weeds is easy, but uprooting them is difficult.

As long as new learning does not flourish, old ideas will never be extinguished. Rather than debating classics, we should reform the system.

Today, the atmosphere in the province has changed dramatically. The old-fashioned "public discussions" have disappeared, replaced by discussions about the effectiveness of textile machines and debates about the merits and demerits of new warships.

A pragmatic and results-oriented spirit has already begun to emerge. I am confident that within ten years, the scholars of Zhejiang will only know the court, only know His Majesty, only know "investigating things to acquire knowledge," and will know nothing of the so-called "Donglin spirit"!

"What a brilliant Hong Hengjiu!" Zhu Youjian couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Hong Chengchou's methods may seem ruthless, but they are a fundamental solution.

Zhu Youjian was well aware of how difficult it was to change one's mindset.

Physical erasure, such as murder, is certainly easy, but fundamentally changing the mindset of a group, as Hong Chengchou said, requires a long and continuous effort.

He knew even better that these Jiangnan gentry, swept along by the wave of new learning, might talk about "investigating things to acquire knowledge" today and discuss "industrial development to revitalize the country" tomorrow. Perhaps the so-called "Donglin spirit" had really been swept away by the wind and rain, but the innate, generation-inherited merchant mentality in their bones would always remain!

They are profit-driven, scheming, and will calculate every penny invested with a self-serving mindset!
But what does it matter?

A cold, insightful look at human nature flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes.

What he wanted was never to transform these people into morally perfect individuals, much less to turn them into sages without desires.

What he wants is to tame!
He allowed them to pursue their interests, and even tacitly permitted them to use their wisdom and resources to amass enormous wealth within the rules.

However, all of this is predicated on the premise that they can never oppose the state and can never be without reverence for the emperor!
This is the bottom line!
Anyone who dares to cross this line, anyone who dares to place the interests of their family or themselves above imperial power and the law, will face consequences far beyond simply being stripped of their titles and honors.

The countless bones of Shanxi merchants are the clearest red line they drew for the world!
(End of this chapter)