Rule over Ming Dynasty

Deputy Captain Li is the second-in-command of the ship, and he even thinks he is the number one, after all, his background and talents are superior to those of the real captain.

Having studied in a private school for several years, he was different from many rough and uncouth captains in that he attached great importance to cultural cultivation and was also good friends with the 62nd generation grandson of Confucius.

Deputy Captain Li had just learned that Kong Ju had been wronged and had also accused two Inca spies of sneaking into his ship, so he rushed over with his men as soon as possible.

Behind Deputy Captain Li were four strong crew members. Originally, they were not allowed to set foot here, but now they were fortunate enough to follow Deputy Captain Li in. They immediately looked at everyone present with hostility, and finally their eyes fell on the two young men.

"You accuse the two of us of being Inca spies. Do you have any evidence?" The young man who called himself Zheng Hua looked at Kong Ju coldly and asked back.

The corner of Kong Ju's mouth rose slightly, and he pointed at Zheng Hua and was about to speak.

"Put your hand down immediately, or I will chop off your hand today!" The young man who called himself Yuanzhou saw this impolite gesture and interrupted coldly.

Kong Ju was confident that he was the 62nd generation grandson of Confucius and was not afraid of anyone, but he felt threatened by Yuanzhou's eyes and gave up as if possessed by a ghost.

Deputy Captain Li took a step back involuntarily, then suddenly realized that he was the captain and took a big step forward: "How dare you! The captain is here, and it is not your turn as a small merchant to act wildly!"

Since the Dongwang was affiliated to the American Trading Company and the Ministry of Revenue was the largest shareholder, their captain and deputy captain were both in the imperial court. Although the ninth rank was insignificant in the officialdom, their status was naturally above that of merchants.

What's more, he is the deputy captain of the East King, and is already half the owner of this place.

"Your Majesty has repeatedly stressed the importance of development, industry and commerce over bureaucracy several years ago! One is arrogant because he is the 62nd generation grandson of a saint, and the other dares to use chicken feathers as a token. It is really eye-opening!" Yuanzhou's eyes were still full of disdain and anger when facing the tough deputy captain Li.

Huh?
Merchants such as Mr. Lu looked at each other, and then looked at Yuanzhou.

The reason why they supported Emperor Hongzhi so much was not only that Emperor Hongzhi created dividends for them as merchants and allowed countless merchants to reap the benefits, but more importantly, Emperor Hongzhi determined their status politically and even protected their property.

Even wealthy businessmen are nothing more than fat sheep in the eyes of local officials and gentry. This is also the fundamental reason why the Jiangnan and Shanxi merchant groups have been training their children to pursue official careers.

Now, while the Ming Dynasty court is levying luxury taxes, it is also doing its utmost to protect their property from being embezzled by the powerful, and it is also cracking down on the behavior of officials and gentry who abuse their power to bully others.

Of course, although Emperor Hongzhi did improve the status of merchants, in real life it was inevitable that they would abuse their power to bully others.

On the Dongwang, the deputy captain Li, relying on his status and merely believing Kong Ju's one-sided statement, actually wanted to label the two young men as Inca spies.

Mr. Lu glanced at Zheng Hua, and then warned Captain Li: "Captain Li, Kong Ju can't have the final say on this matter alone. Be careful not to bring disaster upon yourself!"

"Although we merchants are humble, we are also the subjects that the emperor cares about, and we are not targets that anyone can bully!" Several merchants immediately huddled together and also put pressure on Deputy Captain Li.

Faced with everyone's support, Deputy Captain Li couldn't help but want to back down.

"Captain Li, my great-grandfather once said: A gentleman has three fears: fear of destiny, fear of elders, and fear of the words of saints, but there is no such thing as fear of villains!" Kong Ju saw what Captain Li was thinking and immediately reminded him.

Captain Li seemed to be energized, and he waved his hand and said, "I think they are Inca spies. Anyone who dares to stop them will be considered an accomplice! Come, take these two people to the confidential room, and I will interrogate them personally!"

The four tall crew members were already ready to fight, and they immediately pounced on the man like wolves and tigers.

"How dare you! I think you are not only courting your own death, but also seeking disaster for your entire clan!" Yuanzhou was so angry that his face turned blue. He immediately pointed at the crew members who were about to take action and accused them angrily.

This……

When Mr. Lu heard that Yuanzhou had put such a big accusation on him, he was shocked.

Although the current situation is still unclear, this Yuanzhou is very confident and it is unlikely that he is just an ordinary businessman. In fact, the two of them are not businessmen at all.

Especially since Zheng Hua is clearly a eunuch, and yet he still holds the identity of an imperial envoy, then aren't Deputy Captain Li and others digging their own graves?

Deputy Captain Li was still immersed in the idea of ​​a gentleman not fearing anything, but he smiled coldly: "Stop playing tricks here, just tell me who you are, and I'll see if you can scare a gentleman away!"

Kong Ju seemed to see through everything, and looked at Yuanzhou mockingly, as if he was enjoying a good show.

"Yuanzhou is not my name, but I was born in Yuanzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan. As for my identity, I am Yan Song, the co-governor of the Governor-General's Office of Americas, who was just granted by Your Majesty!" Yan Song no longer concealed his identity and bowed solemnly towards the west.

He was the third place in the imperial examination in the 12th year of the Hongzhi reign. As the imperial court placed emphasis on recruiting personnel from overseas, he was assigned to the Governor-General's Office of America and became an ordinary judge.

Although life overseas is indeed difficult, it is also a very training place, allowing me to fully grow in the Americas over the years.

In particular, he was highly regarded by the Governor-General of America, Zheng Yong. In addition to assisting the Governor-General in governance, he also personally led the fleet to fight foreign battles, and even annihilated the Portuguese fleet that crossed the Atlantic in one fell swoop.

It was precisely because of his various achievements and his strong military talent that he was promoted by the emperor himself to be one of the co-directors of the Governor-General's Office in America.

Since the Governor-General's Office of America was a second-rank government office, he, the Tongzhi, was actually a fourth-rank official. In just four years, this ordinary scholar became a big boss of the Ming Dynasty in America.

"Yan Song?"

"Yan Tongzhi?"

“This really seems to be Lord Yan!”

……

When Mr. Lu saw Yan Song introduce himself, he was so surprised that his mouth opened slightly.

When they went to America to do business, they were naturally subject to the constraints of the Governor-General's Office of America. If anyone could get close to the officials of the Governor-General's Office of America, it would be like having the key to wealth.

But no one expected that, apart from being an unidentified young eunuch, the ship actually had the powerful Yan Song, the co-governor of the Governor-General's Office of America.

Although everyone knows that the Governor-General of America is Zheng Yong, during the development of the American continent, the third place winner in the imperial examination named Yan Song came up with many brilliant ideas and became a very eye-catching presence in the Governor-General's Office of America.

However, Yan Song was usually not in the Ming City in America. Instead, he was sent by Zheng Yong to the east coast of the American continent to snipe at the Western European fleet, so many people had never seen Yan Song's true face.

Yan Song is a model of young success. He was already the top scholar in the imperial examination at the age of 19, and now he is only 23 years old. If he didn't look mature, they wouldn't think he was a young man. "Yan...Yan Tongzhi?"

Deputy Captain Li felt dizzy, but was unwilling to accept such a cruel fact.

Although Deputy Captain Li was a staff member of the Ming Dynasty, his rank was the lowest in the Ming Dynasty, the ninth rank, which was one level lower than the Cang Ambassador Yang Tinghe who was demoted that year.

Now, facing the high and mighty Fourth-Rank Associate Magistrate, he still dares to be so arrogant. He is simply courting death.

Kong Ju looked at Yan Song in disbelief, but shook his head repeatedly: "No... Impossible, Impossible... This must be fake! Fake, if you are really the Viceroy of the American Governor's Office, how can you return by ship?"

When Mr. Lu and others heard this, they found that there was some truth in it, but they felt that this was probably Kong Ju's last struggle.

"Do I need to report to you when I do my job? What are you doing here? Call your Captain Lin over!" Yan Song was upright and had nothing to fear. He looked at one of the crew members and gave the order.

The crew member nodded as if he had been pardoned, like a chick pecking at rice.

Just as the crew was about to call for help, a dark-skinned Shandong man came in. As he had learned that Yan Song had revealed his identity outside the door, he walked in and bowed solemnly, saying, "I, the captain of the East King, Lin Sheng, greet the Tongzhi!"

Although the captain was nominally the helmsman of the East King, if there was really an important person on the ship, then he was actually a grandson.

What's more, the American Chamber of Commerce to which the Dongwang belongs is affiliated with the Governor-General's Office of America. The person in front of him is the boss of his boss's boss. If he wants to get rid of him, he won't even blink an eye.

"It's really Tanhua Yan!" Although Mr. Lu had already guessed that Yan Song's identity was true, he couldn't help but show shock on his face when he received Captain Lin's confirmation.

No one expected that the Yuanzhou who was traveling with them was actually Yan Song, a brilliant third place winner in the entire Hongzhi dynasty.

There is no harm without comparison, but people who like to gossip often like to bring up the past.

The spring examination of the third year of the Hongzhi reign was the first imperial examination after Emperor Hongzhi ascended the throne. However, Liu Cunye, the top-ranking Jinshi in that examination, was considered the most unsuccessful.

After entering the Hanlin Academy, Liu Cunye, Qian Fu and Jin Gui showed that they were ambitious but incompetent, and were unable to pass the emperor's assessment. They have now disappeared from officialdom.

In contrast, the Tang Yin list of the 12th year of the Hongzhi reign was regarded as the most glorious one in the Hongzhi reign, and it became a year of talent surge that everyone talked about.

The top scholar Tang Bohu was a natural diplomat. Relying solely on his eloquent tongue, he not only persuaded the Ming Emperor to win over princesses from several countries, but also made various dynasties in the Indian Ocean pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty one after another. In just a few years, he became Wang Zhi's right-hand man.

The runner-up Wang Shouren worked hard in Southeast Asia, not only helping the Ming Dynasty to monopolize the spice trade from Southeast Asia to Western Europe, but also opening up a channel for Australia to enter the Ming Dynasty.

As for Yan Song, the third place winner in the imperial examination, he made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty's dominance over the continent in America. If it were not for the Ming Dynasty's tradition of not granting titles to civil officials as ministers, he could have been granted a title based on his military merits.

"Mr. Kong told Captain Li that I was an Inca spy. What do you think?" Yan Song looked at Captain Lin who was kneeling in front of him and said indifferently.

Captain Lin had long held a grudge against Vice Captain Li, and immediately said loudly: "I will deal with these two people now!"

"How to deal with it?" Yan Song, who had never been a good man, asked calmly.

Deputy Captain Li realized that his future was in jeopardy, and immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Sir, I am blind and blind. I just offended you at the instigation of Kong Ju. Please be magnanimous and let me go!"

Kong Ju also wanted to beg for mercy, but when he felt Yan Song's cold gaze and knew that he was indeed the culprit, he immediately fell to the ground.

Although the Kong family had an exalted status, their power was actually limited to Qufu. Once these powerful officials did not give them face, they were actually nothing.

In fact, the imperial court is becoming more and more indifferent to the Kong family. In the Chenghua Dynasty, the sacrificial officials sent were either cabinet ministers or ministers of rites, but now only ordinary rites officials are sent.

Captain Lin's eyes rolled, and he immediately proposed a plan: "Mr. Tongzhi, I think they have connections with the White Lotus Sect, so we will put them in jail and hand them over to the court in Tianjin!"

"I asked you to handle the case, not to fabricate charges! They falsely accused me and abused their power for personal gain. Just hand them over to the East China Sea Governor's Office!" Yan Song frowned slightly, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

Huh?
When Mr. Cao and others heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other.

This treatment was undoubtedly very fair. After all, Kong Ju and Deputy Captain Li did not commit any heinous crimes, but only the two crimes listed by Yan Song.

However, Deputy Captain Li’s career has ended, and Kong Ju has offended the dignified Tongzhi, so he will never be able to do business in the Americas in the future. Moreover, he will be imprisoned for several years for falsely accusing the imperial official.

However, what shocked them the most was that although the Dongwang passed through the Korea Strait, it usually did not go to the East China Sea Governor's Office, but returned directly to Tianjin Port.

Captain Lin did not feel anything wrong and immediately said solemnly: "I obey your command!"

After this farce, the tea party ended quickly.

Yan Song nodded slightly to Wu Sanlang. Seeing that Zheng Hua liked the Emperor's Tea very much, he asked Wu Sanlang to deliver the remaining tea to Zheng Hua's room later.

Wu Sanlang has been able to have smooth sailing in the Americas over the years thanks to Yan Song's care. This time he spared no expense to host a tea party, not to expand his network, but simply to repay Yan Song and please Zheng Hua.

"Yan Tongzhi is indeed a handsome man!"

"He is more than just a handsome man, he is also a pillar of our Ming Dynasty!"

"I can guarantee here that Yan Tongzhi will definitely be able to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister in the future!"

……

When they saw Yan Song leaving, the merchants present were in an uproar. They immediately started talking about it and envied Wu Sanlang for having such strong connections.

Mr. Lu's focus did not seem to be on Yan Song, but on Zheng Hua who was walking away. He asked, "Who is this person, and why did he get the personal escort of Yan Tongzhi?"

Only one day later, the Dongwang, which changed its course, arrived at the Donghai Governor's Office on Kyushu Island, and the Donghai Governor's Office personally dispatched a fleet to escort the two back to Beijing. (End of this chapter)