The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 298 Xiao is the King
The fleet sailed all the way and returned to Jeju Island again.

This time, the Ming Dynasty returned with a great victory, so the entire Jeju Island was caught in a wave of cheers.

Both the local indigenous herders and the Ming soldiers were excited about this.

Because the Ming Dynasty completely conquered Japan, it meant that from now on they would no longer have to be troubled by Japanese pirates. More importantly, the overseas trade that Zhongshan Hou had been planning for a long time could now begin!

Wang Dabao was so excited that he immediately found Tang Hao and reported something to him.

That is, I learned from Cui Dam that the domestic situation in North Korea is not peaceful at the moment.

In the first year of the Zhengde period, officials including Park Won-jong, Sung Hee-yeon, and Ryu Sun-jeong launched a coup, deposed Lee and enthroned Lee Eok.

From then on, Park Won-jong, Sung Hee-yeon, and Ryu Sun-jung took charge of the government and were honored as the Three Ministers, while Lee Gye was just a puppet in their hands.

In order to consolidate their own power, these three ministers welcomed Lee Gye to the throne and forced Lee Gye to start conferring titles on meritorious officials. They named Park Won-jong, Sung Hee-yeon, and Ryu Sun-jung as first-class meritorious officials for stabilizing the country. Together with those who were subsequently conferred the titles of second, third, and fourth-class meritorious officials for stabilizing the country, there were hundreds of people in total. These people were all the confidants of the three ministers and were called the old meritorious service.

The three ministers even forced Lee Gye to depose his wife, Shin, and drove her out of the palace, and took into the palace the daughter of Yun Yeo-pil, a hero in the restoration of the country and the niece of Park Won-jong, and made her the queen the following year. In addition, the three ministers took advantage of the fact that some members of the Joseon royal family, including Lee Kyuk, were dissatisfied with the rewards and punishments after the restoration and plotted a rebellion, and forced Lee Gye to purge some of the royal family members, including Lee Gye's half-brother, Jeonseong-gun Lee Don.

In other words, the conflict between Li Yi and the three ministers and other old noble forces has intensified to the point where it is almost irreconcilable.

During this period, Park Won-jong, Ryu Sun-jung, and Sung Hee-yeon died one after another, and the power of the nobility declined, but it was still the first faction holding power in Joseon.

Previously, Tang Hao used the general situation to force Korea to surrender Jeju Island. In order to consolidate their own power, the three ministers, and Li Yi, in order to obtain the edict of enthronement as the suzerain of Ming Dynasty, all chose to obey tacitly and cede Jeju Horse Farm to Ming Dynasty.

However, this year, after the last of the three ministers, Cheng Xiyan, passed away, Li Yi immediately launched a counterattack and purge against the old noble forces.

First, Sillin officials Park Sang, the governor of Damyang Prefecture, and Kim Jeong, the governor of Sunchang County, submitted a memorial to impeach Park Wonjong, Sung Hee-yeon, and Ryu Sunjeong for deposing the innocent Shin, and requested that Shin's status as queen be restored.

Lee Gye took advantage of this incident as an excuse to order an investigation into the crimes committed by the three ministers during their tenure, and boldly appointed the leader of the Sillin faction, Cho Gwang-jo, as the chief censor of the Sijianyuan (similar to the deputy of the Censorate of the Ming Dynasty). The two of them worked together to put the blame of the cession of Jeju Horse Farm directly on the three ministers!
Lee Gye accused the three ministers who had supported him to the throne of ceding the Jeju Racecourse to the Ming Dynasty for their own power, which was a crime of treason. In addition, Cho Gwang-jo secretly directed the Sillim faction to seize the opportunity to throw dirty water on the old nobles, causing the Korean people to hate this faction to the extreme.

After all, the common people are simple and honest, and their information channels are limited, so they have no idea about the intrigues involved, and have become tools for the Shilin faction to attack the old noble forces.

Amid the public's criticism, Cho Gwang-jo used his power to first dismiss the officials of the Censorate who were members of the old nobles' faction, allowing the Silhak faction to enter the Censorate in large numbers. Cho Gwang-jo was then appointed Grand Censor (Chief Censor of the Censorate). The Silhak faction used the Three Departments of Speech (the Censorate, the Censorate, and the Hongmungwan) as its base to expand its influence, compete with the old nobles' faction centered on the Uijeongbu, control Joseon public opinion, and strive to promote its ideal "Taoist politics."

Most of these new scholars were in supervisory positions. They were not experienced in the world and often criticized the current situation without knowing the seriousness of the situation. The scholars were dissatisfied with the long-standing political problems and the call for reform was very high. The demand for political reform conflicted with the vested interests of the meritorious officials, and the contradiction between the scholars and the old meritorious officials also increased day by day.

The officials of the Shilin community were full of vigor and passion, and they also hated evil. In the process of commenting on current affairs, they gradually formed a unique set of standards for judging right and wrong.

They believed that these old meritorious officials headed by the three ministers, relying on their privileged class status, were constantly engaging in shameless activities that were detrimental to the country and the people. For example, when faced with the sudden attack of the Ming Dynasty to occupy Jeju Racecourse, the three ministers actually chose to agree, and it became Korea that voluntarily offered the Jeju Racecourse.

This trend of pursuing personal gain without regard for the country quickly undermined the rules and regulations of the court, created countless conflicts of interest, discouraged loyal people, and made those who neglected their duties emboldened and intensified their persecution of the scholars and common people... In a nutshell, the old meritorious officials were the culprits of the country's decline and fall, and everyone had the right to kill them.

The Confucian scholars who united around Cho Gwang-jo with this policy created a lot of public opinion against the meritorious officials in the court and the country. They were like the scorching sun and autumn frost, and they were persistent in reporting official matters, and even pulled Lee Gye's clothes until Lee Gye agreed to what they reported.

Because of this, Li Yi both loves and hates these Confucian scholars. He finds that the passionate Confucian scholars are gradually difficult to control. If these people replace the old noble forces to take charge of the court, they may even threaten his royal power. Moreover, they are more radical and more unscrupulous than the old noble forces!
However, Zhao Guangzu and others were still very politically savvy. In response to the various problems caused by the expansion of the power of the old heroes and meritorious officials, the Sillin faction was eager to start with personnel to eradicate the political power that had long been deeply rooted in the heroes. So they proposed some solutions to Li Bai: First, they advocated abolishing the title of "Meritorious Officials of the Patriotic Movement" for the heroes; secondly, they advocated adding a "Worthy Category" to admit talented people in order to expand the political foundation of the Sillin faction, and so on.

As a result, Yi Gye was somewhat tempted and agreed to set up the Virtuous and Good Class, approved Jeong Mong-ju to be enshrined in the Confucian Temple, and reluctantly agreed to abolish the Sogyeoksa after years of requests from the Sillin faction. However, the plan to abolish the false honors was strongly opposed by the old-timers.

Seeing the growing strength of the Shilin faction, the Jiuxun faction could no longer sit still. At this time, Nan Gun, the leader of the Jiuxun faction, came up with a shady trick. He used honey to write the four words "Zou Xiao Wei Wang" on the leaves to lure insects to eat them, and let the leaves flow into the imperial ditch.

Originally, Li Yi was extremely upset by the constant disturbances caused by the Confucian scholars in the literati circle, so he immediately retreated to the harem as soon as he retired from court.

However, the harem was also full of rumors about Zhao Guangzu that day. Concubine Hong took out a few leaves picked up from the royal garden, and the fine pores on the leaves showed four words that did not form a sentence - Zou Xiaowei Wang.

The Xiao is Zhao.

These leaves were scattered on the ground in the imperial garden. The palace maids who picked up the leaves spread rumors to each other: "Jo Gwang-jo has evil intentions and secretly sent people to write words on the leaves with honey so that insects would bite them to form words." - Once such an interpretation spread, Jo Gwang-jo would inevitably be in a situation where he would be unable to defend himself.

After all, Korean Confucianism is more extreme than that of the Ming Dynasty at the moment, and etiquette and laws are more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

The likes of the Xiao family are as treacherous as (Wang) Mang and (Dong) Zhuo!
Li Yi still understood this principle.

At this time, Li Yi was confused. He was a superstitious person. He was shocked when he saw the insect-eaten patterns on the leaves, and his trust in Zhao Guangzu began to waver.

At the same time, he could not stand the repeated requests of Zhao Guangzu and other censors, believing that "recently, the government is not in the hands of ministers but in the cabinet," which led to "extremism becoming a habit" and threatened his royal power.

Therefore, the original firm determination to eradicate the old forces began to waver, and even slowly leaned towards the old forces.

An undercurrent unique to North Korea is surging wildly and is about to swallow up the dynasty's destiny.

Then, at this critical juncture, Wang Dabao found Cui Tan and wanted to discuss with him to officially open the Jeju maritime trade between Ming Dynasty and Korea.

As expected, Cui Tan didn't dare to say a word.

How could he speak?
Cui Dam's airport is under the control of the old Xun forces!

Not to mention that the Jeju Racecourse incident has become a stain on the old elite forces!
Although Cui Dam, the person involved, knew better than anyone how the Jeju Racecourse disappeared and how it was forcibly occupied by the Ming Dynasty, the problem was that those damn Confucian scholars deliberately took this opportunity to throw dirty water on the old noble forces!

Moreover, the Sillin faction also controlled public opinion. Now the Korean people firmly believed that it was the three ministers who abandoned the interests of Korea and sold out their country for personal gain. At this juncture, Cui Dam naturally would not mention the matter of Jeju Racecourse in his memorial. He even wished he could hide here for the rest of his life. It would be best if everyone in Korea would forget about him!

Tang Hao was unhappy when he heard this. It seemed that I had gone through untold hardships to build the East China Sea trade route, and finally defeated Japan and solved the last hidden danger of Japanese pirates. But when I was just about to achieve the finishing touch, you, North Korea, started to fail, right?
North Korea is a key link in the East China Sea trade. After all, there are only a few countries in the East China Sea. Japan needs no introduction, followed by North Korea. People like Ryukyu are still waiting for the Ming Dynasty to help them out of poverty, so it would be good if they could come up with some local specialties!
Therefore, trade with North Korea must proceed and cannot be interrupted because of the internal situation in North Korea!
Besides, isn’t that what’s going on with North Korea’s internal strife now?
Just like the Ming Dynasty at this moment, the royal family forces and the civil officials and gentry are fighting openly and secretly. To put it bluntly, it is the emperor who is behind the scenes.

Li Yi was dissatisfied with the old meritorious forces in control of the government, and Zhu Houzhao was dissatisfied with the civil officials and gentry controlling the government, so one supported the Shilin faction and the other introduced the power of the royal family. These were just means for the emperor to check and balance the power in the court. There is nothing much to say.

But Li Yi is not as good as Zhu Houzhao. Although Zhu Houzhao is a little ridiculous, he is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty after all, so the imperial demeanor is not comparable to Li Yi.

For example, if Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao used this despicable method on Yang Tinghe, Zhu Houzhao would just laugh it off and then mock Zhu Chenhao with Tang Hao. In the final analysis, it is because the situations of Ming Dynasty and Korea are different.

Since the development of the Ming Dynasty, the rule of the royal family has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Coupled with the constraints of Confucianism and etiquette, anyone who dares to rebel will become a target of public criticism.

What North Korea lacks in this regard is legitimacy. After all, Lee Seong-gye himself established the Joseon Dynasty by rebelling and replaced Goryeo.

In addition, there were big problems with Li Yi's ascension to the throne. The powerful ministers deposed and enthroned the emperor, which is itself a controversial matter.

Therefore, under this premise, Li Yi would be even more sensitive and suspicious than Zhu Houzhao. Not to mention that he was previously controlled by the three ministers as a puppet, and had been a frustrated grandson for several years after he ascended the throne. Now that he has finally taken power, how could he be willing to support another powerful minister, Zhao Guangzu, and end up nurturing a tiger to harm himself?
Therefore, there is a high probability that Zhao Guangzu is going to be in trouble.

Tang Hao vaguely remembered that not long after the "Zou Xiao Wei Wang" incident, Li Yi issued a secret decree, ordering the meritorious officials Namgun, Shen Zhen, and Hong Jingzhou to send troops to arrest the literati headed by Zhao Guangzu, involving more than 200 literati. Later, the leader of the literati, Zhao Guangzu, was sentenced to death in exile. Zhao Guangzu faced the direction of the capital, kowtowed four times to King Jungjong, to whom he was loyal, and then drank poisoned wine and bled to death.

This incident was called "Jimao Scholar's Disaster"!
But this has nothing to do with Tang Hao.

Anyway, the more foolish Li Yi is, the better it is for the Ming Dynasty. Let him do whatever he wants!

So Tang Hao immediately summoned Cui Tan who was hiding in Jeju Racecourse.

The remnants of the old noble forces, who had been in a state of constant fear, looked even more miserable when they saw the Marquis of Zhongshan of the Ming Dynasty.

"Lord Tang, you really can't bring this up at this time!"

Cui Tan was a smart man, so he understood what the old man wanted to say without Tang Hao saying anything.

"Once it is mentioned, it will give the Shilin faction an excuse and reason to continue attacking the Old Honor Party!"

"Then I, Cui Dam, will become the target of public criticism!"

You said that the three ministers ceded the Jeju Horse Farm not for profit?

Now the Ming Dynasty has come to us and wants to use Jeju Island as a base to trade with North Korea. If this is not for profit, what is it?
In other words, if this matter were brought up at this moment, the old nobles would never be able to get rid of the blame, and it would undoubtedly intensify the contradictions and conflicts between the Shilin faction and the old nobles, until finally... one side would be bloodbathed!
Tang Hao waved his hands impatiently.

"I don't want to bother with your little North Korean affairs!"

"Go back and tell Li Yi immediately that if you want to take action, do it quickly and stop dithering like a woman!"

"The trade between Ming and Korea is beneficial to both countries. It is a mutually beneficial thing, so don't delay it any further."

Hearing this, Cui Tan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Lord Tang, I know this is a mutually beneficial thing, but the problem is... I want to stay alive!"

At this time, the factional struggles between the Shilin faction and the old nobles were at their most intense, and any unexpected incident would completely detonate the conflict between the two sides.

At this moment, the Sillin faction was being suspected and feared by King Yi Yee because of the "Zou Xiao Wei Wang" incident. If things went as expected, the old nobles would soon turn the tide. However, at this critical juncture, Cui Dam recklessly brought up the Jeju trade issue, giving the Sillin faction a great opportunity to fight back!
If he really did this, Cui Dam would not only become the target of public criticism, but would also offend the old forces to which he belonged. It can be said that he would offend both forces. His final fate would be just one word - death is inevitable!
No matter who wins this court struggle in the end, Cui Tan will be liquidated because of it. He is not loved by his uncle and grandmother, just like a cabbage on the roadside!

When Tang Hao heard this, he looked at Cui Tan with a smile.

"Old Cui, you still don't understand the situation!"

"Is it possible that your King Li Yi is in a state of hesitation right now?"

Cui Tan was startled when he heard this, and then asked: "What do you mean by this, Lord Tang?"

"I have to admit that Nan Gun's plan was indeed vicious. It successfully alienated Li Yi and Zhao Guangzu, making Li Yi wary and suspicious of Zhao Guangzu, and worried that this man would wear the yellow robe. But the problem is that just relying on such a small matter, you want Li Yi to change his mind and support your old meritorious forces and completely eradicate the Sillin faction. This is simply impossible!"

"Don't forget that the reason why the Sillin faction rose to power was because of Li Yi's secret support. It was because Li Yi was dissatisfied with the control of the government by the old nobles, so he supported the Sillin faction to fight against you. This is the most common mentality of the emperor. If this is the case, once Zhao Guangzu and others are purged, won't the old nobles dominate the court? Isn't Li Yi a puppet king?"

"So, Li Yi will be hesitant. Even if he is superstitious and afraid of Zhao Guangzu, he will not take action against the Sillin faction in the short term. At most, he will turn to support your old meritorious forces and give the Sillin faction a warning."

Cui Tan nodded repeatedly. He understood these basic imperial tactics. After all, he was a descendant of a famous family and not a fool without political wisdom.

"Let's get back to you. You, Cui Tan, are the descendant of the famous Joseon minister Cui Ying. Are you willing to be excluded and suppressed for the rest of your life and never be promoted?"

Cui Tan was stunned again when he heard this and looked at Tang Hao blankly.

He is indeed the descendant of the famous minister Cui Ying!

His ancestor Cui Ying was born into a noble family in Goryeo and was known as the "ancestor of prime ministers". His ancestor Cui Junyong was a founding hero of Goryeo Taizu!
Choi Young served as a general and a prime minister for Goryeo, and fought in many battles in the south and the north, making outstanding contributions. However, in the end, because Yi Seong-gye rebelled and replaced Goryeo with Joseon, our ancestor Choi Young refused to surrender and was beheaded in public. Even his body was thrown on the side of the road, and street children and women all cried!

As a result, the Cui family was expelled from the core of power, and by the generation of Cui Dam, they were even squeezed out to Jeju Island to take care of a horse farm!
Are you willing?
How can I accept this?

Cui Tan, who is nearly 60 years old, even had tears in his eyes at this moment!
"What kind of person is Nan Gun? He is not a pure member of the Old Merits Party. He has some dealings with the Sillin faction in secret. So the Old Merits faction needs a new leader at this moment. A strong leader who can lead them to kill Zhao Guangzu and other members of the Sillin faction and regain power in the court!"

"And you, Cui Dam, come from a prominent family. Although your family has fallen into decline, you still have prestige among the people. As long as you raise your arms and return to the capital to promote this matter, lead the old nobles to prioritize the interests of the Jeju transaction, and urge Li Yi to make up his mind to eradicate the Sillin faction, who can compete with you, Cui Dam, for the position of leader of the old nobles?"

"Nangun can't do it, Shen Zhen can't do it, and Hong Jingzhou can't do it either. Only you, Cui Tan, have the qualifications!"

"Because I only recognize you, and the Ming Dynasty only recognizes you. This is where your confidence comes from!"

"I think the profits from Jeju's trade are enough for you, Cui Dam, to secure your position as the leader of the old heroes!"

Cui Tan: "!!!"

(End of this chapter)