I'm really not doing business

Chapter 626: The Grand Alliance of the Opposition to the Wanli Reform

The reason why Zhu Yijun did not send Xu Zhaode to heaven at the last moment was not entirely because of Wang Chonggu's advice, but because he was a little impatient and eager for equal revenge, and overlooked one thing.

The story behind Li Sanhu's explosive assassination of the current prime minister is more complicated than it seems.

Xu Zhaode confessed his guilt so quickly and the entire case was solved so smoothly. Everything was just right and so natural.

Zhu Yijun, the ten-year-old emperor, has been walking on thin ice since he ascended the throne. Nothing he has done has been smooth. It is too smooth, as if everything was planned.

Perhaps it can be said that Xu Zhaode confessed his crime and was executed because the imperial guards arrived too quickly and the evidence was so strong that Xu Zhaode could not deny it.

Perhaps it can be said that the Tiqi’s methods of investigating the case were too violent, which led to the truth of the case coming to light so quickly;

Perhaps it can be said that the Xu family lost the golden goose of Meishikou, and in anger they took a risky move by raising Li Sanhu, a death warrior;
It can also be said that Xu Zhaode bought up Suiyuan tickets for huge economic benefits to make up for the loss of Meishikou; it can also be said that Xu Zhaode was lucky, Li Sanhu used gunpowder to attack, Li Sanhu would definitely not survive, and there would be no evidence;

It all makes sense.

But when Zhu Yijun saw Wang Chonggu himself, he suddenly thought of something, which might make all this an excuse to cover up the truth.

Before the explosion and killing, there was a wave of impeachments against Wang Chonggu. It was an internal conflict within the Jin Party, attacking Wang Chonggu for being a corrupt and aggressor.

This was a complete combination of punches, starting with stirring up public opinion, first labeling Wang Chonggu as a treacherous villain, and then deploying a plan around the coal market. Xu Zhaode's desperate move was a natural consequence, and in order to vent his anger, the emperor would definitely choose to kill people regardless of the consequences.

With Xu Zhaode's death, everything was over.

There were two problems in the whole set of combined punches. The first problem was that Li Sanhu killed the wrong person.

Zhu Yijun thought about this issue from the perspective of class. Even if the Wang family did not have the Tiqi, it would not be so easy to assassinate them.

For example, in the bomb attack this time, Li Sanhu did not figure out who Wang Chonggu was. He only identified Wang Chonggu's car and rushed over, ending up killing Wang Chongyi.

The second accident was that Wang Chonggu came forward to stop and persuade him. Even though Li Sanhu's accident happened, things were still proceeding according to the plan. In order to safeguard the collective interests of the meat-eaters, the emperor and ministers chose to let the emperor act recklessly and send the Xu family and Xu Zhaode to heaven together.

Even Hai Rui did not step forward to stop it, because Hai Rui was also a wise man and had a family. Hai Rui had offended more people than Zhang Juzheng. If he was not severely punished as a deterrent, he would be the next victim.

But Wang Chonggu stepped forward to stop it, his reason being justice. He did not want to take revenge in the form of lynching, but wanted Xu Zhaode to be brought to justice and dealt with according to the national law. Wang Chonggu was the Minister of Justice, and it was his duty.

The scene had been arranged. Xu Zhaode and his family were taken to the Beizhenfusi prison. However, Zhu Yijun was slow to give orders and looked at the Xu family's house, as if he was thinking about something.

"Ci Fu, you are right to remind me that there is someone behind Xu Zhaode." Zhu Yijun told Wang Chonggu what he was thinking about.

Wang Chonggu was stunned, then his face changed. He was old, not confused. After His Majesty said this, Wang Chonggu immediately understood what the emperor meant.

"Your Majesty, this group of people are still plotting to take over the government-owned factory! Damn it! They think that if they kill me, the government-owned factory will be theirs! Dream on!" Wang Chonggu's face changed several times, and he became even more angry. Not only were his family members affected, but also his hard work was being taken away. He immediately understood the starting motive of everything: the government-owned factory.

Not every government-owned factory was extremely profitable. For example, the engineering corps and the construction of the highway were purely loss-making businesses. They were for the smooth arrival of coal in Xuanfu and the realization of coal-silver convection. For example, the coal yards in Jianghuai were in operational difficulties. Due to the influence of factors such as labor prices and the market, the profits were extremely meager, and some were even unable to make ends meet.

Wang Chonggu already knew why he became a target, because the two woolen factories and the Xishan Coal Bureau were the main sources of profit for the imperial government's official factories, on par with the shipyard and slightly inferior to the plantations. This was also the basis for the imperial government's official factories to withstand resistance and prosper.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Xishan Coal Bureau of the Woolen Factory can be what it is today entirely because of Wang Chonggu's good management.

If Wang Chonggu died, would the Woolen Cloth Factory and Xishan Coal Bureau definitely fall into operational difficulties? Not necessarily, but as long as Wang Chonggu was still alive, the Woolen Cloth Factory and Xishan Coal Bureau would definitely not fall into operational difficulties. Without Wang Chonggu, it was extremely important for those who sought to obtain the official factories.

Or they were just eyeing the pile of scrap metal produced by the emperor. The louder they cursed and the more violent their tactics were, the more it showed that they were coveting the huge profits made by the government-owned factories.

"Light it." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling Zhao Mengyou to light the fire and send the Xu family's house to heaven. The person behind the scenes will be discussed later, but the first thing to do is to send the Xu family to heaven.

The rumbling sound of explosions rang out continuously, and the prosperous Xu family collapsed amid the endless explosions. The craftsmanship of the Tiqi was very exquisite, and it did not even affect any of the surrounding buildings. This was a ruin, a scar, and even more a warning.

Zhu Yijun returned to the palace. He gave Zhao Mengyou a detailed briefing and outlined several key areas of investigation. He asked Zhao Mengyou to investigate and make sure to clarify the emperor's doubts.

Zhao Mengyou was a good case-handler, but it took time to get to the bottom of things. It was not until Zhu Yijun received foreign envoys in the Wenhua Hall that Zhao Mengyou finally investigated everything the emperor wanted to know in mid-June.

"Xu Youren began to transfer assets overseas in the seventh year of the Wanli reign. In the sixth year of the Wanli reign, the new government selection and relocation of wealthy families began, and the Xu family began to move overseas at that time. Before the decree on capital gains tax was issued, all the family property was sold and moved to Luzon."

"After communicating with the Luzon Governor's Office, we found out that Xu Youren did not buy property in Luzon, but went to the Yuanxu Islands."

"There is not just one person behind Xu Youren, but a group of people. Your Majesty really sees through it." Zhao Mengyou was sincere. This was not a simple case of revenge, but a political case.

"Political activities have always been complicated. Many times, it is just tacit understanding. Even the people who do this thing don't know their accomplices, and even the parties involved can't explain clearly what happened." Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of the book that Lin Fucheng, a local liberal, brought back from the grassland, a book full of scandals between the emperor and the third wife.

Political activities are extremely complicated. Sometimes, even people involved do not know the truth, and political activities never seem to need the truth.

"Xu Youren moved to Beijing in the eighth year of the Wanli reign, but the Xu family moved an empty shell to Beijing. Xu Youren was the head of the Xu family and he couldn't escape, but Xu Zhaode was not Xu Youren's biological son, but his adopted son. There were 26 other families who moved to an empty shell like the Xu family."

"This is the first force behind Xu Youren, the powerful and influential people who defected overseas." Zhao Mengyou first told His Majesty that the powerful and influential people who would rather defect to the Ming Dynasty than live under the emperor's nose are not just the Xu family, but as many as twenty-six families.

The Ming Dynasty had a strong concept of being rooted to the land, but in the eyes of these people, the Ming emperor's move of relocating wealthy families to enrich the capital was aimed at exterminating the entire family. Since they had large and deep roots in the local area and could not be dealt with, they were brought to the capital.

According to Zhao Mengyou's investigation, these 26 families were maritime merchants for generations. They had roots overseas, and their migration overseas was not a sudden decision but was well prepared. When the sea was not yet opened in the second year of Longqing, these 26 families were already smugglers.

The sky is high enough for birds to fly, and the sea is wide enough for fish to leap.

Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and then said, "If you want to reap the huge profits of opening the sea, you must bear the cost of opening the sea. These people are a force that is united around extreme freedom."

After a large amount of silver flowed in and the worship of money flourished, such a trend of thought naturally emerged and gained supporters. They never thought that they accumulated such wealth because they lived in the relatively stable environment of the Ming Dynasty, but only felt that it was all due to their own efforts.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhao Mengyou said sincerely. His Majesty's judgment was extremely accurate. These twenty-six families were all supporters of extreme liberalism. They advocated extreme freedom and migrated out of the Ming Dynasty, so they acted unscrupulously.

"The second force is a group of parasites who want to leave but don't want to. They set up poetry societies and miscellaneous newspapers. They are reluctant to leave and unwilling to stay. They are unwilling to accept the court's orders. These people are Shen Zibin, Luo Yuren and fourteen others who fabricated the evil book case and stirred up public opinion." Zhao Mengyou talked about the power of Luo Yuren who fabricated the evil book case when His Majesty was seriously ill.

Why did they want to leave but not want to? Because they had no roots. Not everyone was a sea merchant or a smuggler for generations. They could not leave the Ming Dynasty and knew nothing about overseas. However, they were against the emperor's excessive control and against the relocation of wealthy families to enrich the capital. However, as long as they were in the Ming Dynasty, they were under the emperor's power and could only endure it while looking for opportunities.

The emperor is seriously ill, so the opportunity comes. The bet is that the emperor will not be able to recover.

"They are all traitors who intend to overthrow the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Yijun characterized this group of people. They have no regard for the Ming Dynasty or the common people in their hearts. They only care about the little harvest of their own small piece of land. Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "If the extreme liberals are man-eating tigers, then these parasites who want to leave but refuse to leave are the accomplices of the tigers and the flanks of the extreme liberals' banner."

"There are also some people, mainly a group of local elites and gentry who are mainly opposed to returning the land. These local elites and gentry seem to have done nothing, but I still discovered their activities during the investigation. The large number of so-called retail investors who bought out the Suiyuan Chidao this time are them. They are victims of the new policy, and the abolition of slavery is a thorn in their side." Zhao Mengyou added the last shortcoming of the investigation.

To clearly oppose the Ming Dynasty’s new policies, one must have financial sponsors, scholar-officials willing to fight in the front, and a large number of supporters who will cooperate with the action.

"A grand alliance of opponents of the Wanli Reform." Zhu Yijun laughed instead. After figuring out who the enemy was, the problem became clear.

This big alliance has no entity. If it exists, it is the 26 companies in the Founding Fathers Islands. The others are like fish hiding under the water, invisible and intangible, but they do exist.

The traitors have already jumped out! The extreme liberals are one, the hesitant ghosts are one, and the local gentry who pretend to obey the imperial decrees but secretly disobey them are another.

Zhu Yijun wrote down the three forces on a piece of paper and looked at them for a long time before saying, "Send Xu Zhaode to the Jiekuyuan to be Zhang Siwei's neighbor."

"A bunch of clowns."

In Zhao Mengyou's investigation, liberals such as Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi were expelled from the liberal club and were considered to be worshippers of authoritarianism.

Because Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi had completely violated the basic principles of freedom.

Lin Fucheng, Li Zhi and others once successfully stirred up public opinion, which eventually led to the implementation of the decree to abolish slavery, freeing people from the production relations of forced personal dependence and slavery. Isn't that freedom?
In the eyes of extreme liberals, this is not freedom, there is no freedom to be a slave.

Zhu Yijun found that when a concept is separated from the people and the majority of people, it will become strange. The imperial guards arrested a man named Zhao Zining. This arrest was completely accidental. Zhao Zining was a person with a lot of opinions. When he was arrested, he was cursing the emperor, and he cursed very fiercely. Criticizing the emperor was still a taboo topic, but Zhao Zining dared to criticize publicly in miscellaneous newspapers.

The content of the insults was nothing more than the three old things: being too violent, interfering too much, and being autocratic. The imperial guards thought that this man was an accomplice of Xu Zhaode, because he and Xu Zhaode were from the same hometown and classmate, and he also insulted the emperor and created public opinion. Isn't this what an accomplice is?
After he was arrested, after careful investigation, it was discovered that Zhao Zining had no direct or indirect economic dealings with Xu Zhaode or the Xu family, and had no connection at all.

"Let him go. There are so many people scolding me, and I am so petty. I can't live like this anymore." Zhu Yijun was too lazy to deal with Zhao Zining because his remarks were basically in line with the facts and not false accusations. He was indeed violent, his control was very lenient, and he was indeed arbitrary and domineering.

"I obey your order." Zhao Mengyou knew the emperor's purpose and did not exaggerate it.

The first thing in a struggle is to figure out who is the enemy, who is a passerby, and who is a friend. Obviously, Zhao Zining does not belong to the enemy category.

The struggle with extreme liberals is a long-term one, because they were nurtured by the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor and the Junior Tutor are waiting outside the Imperial Study, requesting an audience." A eunuch hurriedly said when he saw that His Majesty had finished the work at hand.

"Xuan."

Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan came together, obviously they had something important to say. After the two of them exchanged greetings, they did not talk nonsense and presented a memorial to the emperor. This was the loophole opened by Zhang Juzheng when he presented the Five Things Memorial. The memorials of the court officials could bypass the cabinet and be presented directly in person. Meeting the assistant ministers, court officials and foreign ministers meant that the presentation of memorials in person became possible.

Zhang Juzheng only hopes that Your Majesty will become a wise ruler and prevent the Ming Dynasty from sliding into the abyss.

When Zhu Yijun opened the memorial, he immediately knew why Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan wanted to bypass the cabinet.

Sichuan and Guangdong and Guangxi started fighting.

The Governor of Sichuan, Wang Tingzhan, was from Huguang, a disciple of Zhang Juzheng, and a direct descendant of the Chu Party. The Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was Wang Jiaping, a disciple of Ge Shouli, and a direct descendant of the Jin Party. Sichuan and Guangdong were quarreling, so naturally the memorial had to bypass the cabinet, otherwise Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu would have to fight first.

It's not that Sichuan and Guangdong and Guangxi rebelled and went to war, but Wang Tingzhan banned the export of Sichuan silkworm seeds, and Sichuan brocade and satin, the most luxurious of luxury goods, were high-end luxury goods with taxes increased to 50%.

The more luxurious something is, the more tax will be imposed. The more tax is imposed, the more it proves one's wealth. Zhu Yijun previously imposed taxes on the mansions in Baiwang Mountain, and the 'Bainiao Chaofeng Mansion' even had a luxury tax of up to 100%!

Such a high tax not only failed to deter the enthusiasm of the powerful and wealthy, but made the sales of Baiwangshan mansions even more popular. As soon as the decree was issued, they were sold out in less than a day.

Certified by the Emperor, a truly top-notch luxury mansion!
Zhu Yijun could only curse these people for having too much money to burn, but the taxes still had to be collected.

Shu brocade and Sichuan satin are luxury goods, and the Shu silkworm species are the key. No one stipulates that Shu brocade and Sichuan satin must be woven in Sichuan.

Wang Tingzhan banned the outflow of silkworm seeds in order to protect the local economy. In order to enforce this ban, Wang Tingzhan even mobilized the archers of the Inspection Office to conduct strict inspections. One of the main places where the silkworm seeds from Shu went was the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Wang Jiaping was not a good person. This business was going well, but you, Wang Tingzhan, said that you were not allowed to do it? With Wang Jiaping's tacit approval, the local powerful people in Guangdong and Guangxi began to smuggle silkworm seeds from Sichuan in exchange for high kickbacks and escorted by foreign soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi.

As they kept arguing, they got really angry. Wang Tingzhan arrested 160 foreign soldiers who were smuggling silkworm seeds in Guangdong and Guangxi. Wang Jiaping failed to get them back, so he reported the case to the court, accusing Wang Tingzhan of arresting Ming soldiers on false charges. Foreign soldiers were also soldiers and were paid by the emperor. Wasn't it nonsense for Wang Tingzhan to arrest foreign soldiers?
Wang Tingzhan also sued Wang Jiaping, and his reasons were very sufficient. Wang Jiaping had crossed the border, and the foreign soldiers from Guangzhou fled to Sichuan. People knew they were the official troops of the Ming Dynasty, but they thought they were your servants, Wang Jiaping.

"This is just a sign of anger." Zhu Yijun was stunned when he read the memorial. He didn't expect that a small silkworm seed could cause such a problem.

Wang Guoguang said helplessly: "Isn't this all about money? Wang Tingzhan is right, and Wang Jiaping is also right."

"Oh? Wang Tingzhan and Wang Jiaping are both right, then who is wrong?" Zhu Yijun was stunned. He thought he was going to be the judge, but he didn't expect that Wang Guoguang, who had taken out the memorial, would try to smooth things over.

This is trying to smooth things over, the process is wrong.

If they really wanted to smooth things over, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu should have sat down together, discussed a result, and sent it to the palace in the form of a floating ticket. However, there was no floating ticket on the memorial, proving that Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu did not want to smooth things over. They both insisted that the other party was wrong, so they brought the matter to the emperor and let him deal with it.

"It's the court's fault." Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan looked at each other, and Wang Guoguang revealed the answer.

"They just had a fight among the localities, so how can it be the fault of the court?" Zhu Yijun spread his hands and asked with some confusion. How did the Ministry of Revenue conclude that the court was at fault based on the local fights? If the court was at fault, then doesn't that mean that Emperor Zhu Yijun was at fault?
"Let's talk about two things. Your Majesty, let's talk about Sichuan first." Zhang Xueyan said after careful consideration: "Your Majesty, Sichuan brocade and Sichuan satin are not taxed in Sichuan, and these taxes are paid in Songjiang Prefecture. The Ming Dynasty law clearly stipulates that no tax is collected for traveling merchants, and only one in thirty is collected for sedentary merchants."

No tax was collected from traveling merchants, only sedentary merchants who sold goods were taxed. Therefore, Sichuan brocade and Sichuan satin were produced in Shuzhong, but Shuzhong did not have the ability to consume these luxurious items, so they were all transported to the wealthy area of ​​Nan Ya, which is now Songjiang Prefecture. The entire Xiafei Street was filled with luxurious items. It was impossible for Songjiang Prefecture to give even one cent of silver from the taxes collected to Sichuan.

In addition to Nan Ya, the second largest outflow destination of Shu brocade and Sichuan satin was Guangdong and Guangxi, or more precisely, Guangzhou.

"Wang Tingzhan did not ask for these taxes, but prohibited the outflow of silkworm seeds from Shu in order to protect Sichuan silkworm farmers. If Shu brocade and Sichuan satin were available in other places, Sichuan silkworm farmers would probably have no way to make a living. Wang Tingzhan has been very polite. It is only for the survival of Sichuan silkworm farmers, so Wang Tingzhan is not wrong." Zhang Xueyan explained clearly why Wang Tingzhan was right to formulate such a local protection decree.

It is true that the whole country is like a chessboard, but as a local official, Wang Tingzhan still has to work for the benefit of the local people.

"Let's talk about Guangdong and Guangxi." Wang Guoguang said, "Wang Jiaping is right. The silkworm seed business in Sichuan has been around for at least 300 years, if not 500 years. It has become an extremely stable industry. Many places in Guangzhou are waiting for silkworm seeds, just like a skilled housewife waiting for rice to be cooked. If there was a way, Wang Jiaping would not have let the foreign soldiers escort the transportation."

Since the Northern Song Dynasty, Sangyuanwei was established in Nanhai County. Xiqiao, Jiujiang, Shatou and other places were all large silkworm breeding areas. The silk produced in these places would be transported to Foshan and processed into silk and satin. Guangzhou Foshan was also one of the largest silk weaving industry centers in the Ming Dynasty, second only to Nan Ya.

The silkworm seeds were all on a large piece of paper and could be transported in a roll. No silkworm seeds were kept in Guangzhou.

Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are called tangerines, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are called tangerines. Their leaves are similar, but their tastes are different.

Just like oranges, there is also the problem of Huainan and Huaibei. The silkworm seeds from Sichuan are kept in Guangzhou, but the quality of the silk produced by the later generations is often far inferior to that of the Sichuan silkworm seeds, so Guangzhou uses Sichuan silkworm seeds.

After Wang Tingzhan's ban, all silkworm-raising areas in Guangzhou were cut off from food.

So Wang Jiaping was not wrong.

The local authorities were not at fault; the one that was wrong was the imperial court.

"Doesn't that mean Suiyuan and Shanxi also have similar problems? Coal is also flowing south." Zhu Yijun immediately realized that this was not an individual problem between Sichuan and Guangzhou, but a problem for the Ming Dynasty as a whole.

Wang Tingzhan's regional protection also included the regional protection of Suiyuan, Shanxi and Liaodong in the future.

"Yes." Wang Guoguang said worriedly, "Your Majesty, from the perspective of goods or commodities, it is indeed the North that is sucking the blood of the South, but from the perspective of raw materials, it is the South that is sucking the blood of the North, or in other words, the wealthy southeast coastal areas are sucking the blood of the poor northwest areas."

"Coal from Suiyuan and Shanxi, cotton from Shandong, silkworm eggs and timber from Sichuan are all raw materials."

The North is poor, the South is rich, and the North sucks the blood of the South. This is also the mainstream view. But in fact, if we analyze it from a tax perspective, we will find that this is a process of exchange of raw materials and commodities, and there is no question of who sucks the blood of whom.

"Your Majesty, there is another problem here, and that is population migration. Take silkworm seeds as an example. Merchants from Shu who made money by selling silkworm seeds would settle down in Nanya, Zhejiang, Guangzhou and other places. For example, many Shanxi merchants gathered in Yangzhou and settled down there." Zhang Xueyan reminded His Majesty that this was not simply a tax issue.

"The poor become poorer, and the rich become richer." Zhu Yijun immediately understood what Zhang Xueyan meant. This was also a kind of annexation, the annexation of poor places by rich places.

The population is leaving and silver is disappearing. These merchants will not take the money they make back home, but will leave it in the south. The key reason for the convection of coal and silver is that it keeps silver in the north through commodity trading, promoting local development, rather than making money in the south and spending it in the south, and then wanting to take it home.

"In terms of taxation, taxes should be distributed to Sichuan and other places." Wang Guoguang proposed a solution that the court would be responsible for mediation and pay taxes collected from wealthy places to poor places. This seemed to be robbing the rich to help the poor.

"There is a huge problem here. Poor areas cannot do without goods from rich areas, but rich areas can get rid of raw materials from poor areas." Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "Take Songjiang Prefecture, Ningbo, Zhejiang, and Guangzhou, Guangdong as examples. These can completely rely on the inflow of raw materials from overseas."

The exchange of raw materials and commodities was originally the bond between the wealthy southeast coastal areas and the poor northwest areas, but now this balance has been broken by the decree to open the sea.

The wealthy coastal areas will find that there are more abundant raw materials and cheaper labor overseas. The more they develop navigation technology, the stronger the centrifugal force of the southeastern coastal areas will be.

Zhu Yijun's fingers kept tapping on the table, his face showing a thoughtful look. The birth of the extreme liberal opposition force was essentially centrifugal force, and the soil for its growth was the opening of the sea, which was created and fostered by Zhu Yijun himself. The more prosperous the opening of the sea was, the weaker the exchange of raw materials and commodities between the inland and coastal areas would be, the stronger the centrifugal force would be, and the more powerful the opposition force would be.

The simplest way is to close the country to the outside world. The Qing Dynasty has demonstrated that closing the country to the outside world is a lazy policy that can neither effectively solve problems nor cause terrible consequences.

It is difficult to make everyone rich together, but it is indeed easier to make everyone poor together.

"So the key issue is still production. If these raw materials can be produced in their place of origin, the problem can be greatly alleviated. But all assets do not come out of thin air. They need accumulation, investment, and construction." Zhu Yijun stopped tapping his fingers. From the quarrels between Sichuan and Guangdong, and from Wang Tingzhan's local protection decrees, Zhu Yijun saw the key to the problem: production.

This is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Making the Ming Dynasty great again is a long and arduous journey. When one problem is solved, two problems will arise.

(End of this chapter)