Chapter 639: Master Jiang Qingzhi
Tribute is actually a form of trade.
However, because of the guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood, as well as the huge rate of return, the vassal states all felt that this was a reward.
As long as the Ming Dynasty survives, the rewards will not stop.
The vassal states hoped that the Ming Dynasty would last forever even more than the Ming Dynasty's literati.
"Doctor Fang, Doctor Fang!"
A clerk entered the duty room with a pale face, "Master Zhou, please inform the envoys of various countries that from now on, tribute will become trade."
"what?"
The Ministry of Rites meant that there would be no generous gifts in return this year, but it did not say that there would be no generous gifts from now on.
Those messengers are probably going to explode... Damn it Zhou Xia, are you going to drag me down with you before you die! ?
Thinking of Zhou Xia's calm expression at that time, Fang Sheng felt that this must be the case.
Since you are going to die, then drag the culprit to hell with you!
That guy is so determined?
Fang Sheng regretted it. If he had known Zhou Xia was so determined, he swore that he would rather lose the opportunity to please Lord Xu than arrange for Zhou Xia to do this.
"Doctor Fang, what should we do now?"
"This official..." Fang Sheng stood up and then sat down again.
In the officialdom, a lot of the time it comes down to a stance. The firmer your stance, the more rewards you will get. Of course, if you are unlucky, you will be even more unlucky.
But if you stand firm, even if you lose, you will still be praised by your opponents. If you have a chance to turn things around, you will soar to the sky.
However, those who sit on the fence are often not given important positions.
Fang Sheng, who had seen many such examples, gritted his teeth and said, "Wait!"
"You won't report this to Lord Xu?"
"No need!"
Since you have to take sides, do it thoroughly.
Maximizing profits is the only way forward.
Even if it means taking risks.
The lobby was in an uproar at this moment.
"Paying tribute is our sincerity, but now it's gone? If there's no tribute, then why did we come to Ming?"
"We are loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Before we set out, the king repeatedly asked us to tell His Majesty about our loyalty. But His Majesty hasn't even seen it yet, and we're gone?"
"Are you going to cut off contact?"
"If that's the case, let's go back now!"
"I won't come here from now on."
The envoys were furious, and some even questioned whether the Emperor was unaware of this matter.
"Your Majesty, please be merciful. Someone down there must be causing trouble!"
The Taoist priest was unaware of this.
He was listening to Lu Bing's report at the moment.
"…Altan did not encounter any natural disasters last year, and his strength has recovered a lot. However, many of his tribesmen have complaints, most of which blame Altan for losing his ambition. It was not until Altan decided to go south this year that these criticisms stopped."
Lu Bing stood with his hands behind his back. Emperor Jiajing pondered for a long time, stroking the jade awl and asked, "Is Altan preparing for war?"
"Yes. Altan's tribe has drills every day. The tribes gather from time to time and are reviewed by Altan's generals..."
"This is a pre-war drill." Emperor Jiajing said, "Without this, the war will be in chaos. It seems that Altan is determined to go south this year. Well, I can't wait to see how the Beijing Guards will turn out after the reconstruction."
"In addition, our caravan is now restricted to peripheral trade and is not allowed to go deep into the Altan tribe." Lu Bing said: "I think this is probably Altan's intention to cover up the eyes and ears of the Ming Dynasty."
"Tell Long Wilbur about this. He is in charge of this matter. Let him take action."
"Yes." Lu Bing lowered his head, his eyes becoming more gloomy. "Also... I heard earlier that the Ministry of Rites has summoned envoys from various countries, saying that from now on, tribute will be transformed into trade."
"I..." Emperor Jiajing was startled, then calmed down. "I understand."
"I'll take my leave." As brothers who grew up together, although Emperor Jiajing had concealed it quickly at first, Lu Bing still saw the clues.
Emperor Jiajing was unaware of this!
Jiang Qingzhi's eldest disciple caused a big incident in the Ministry of Rites!
interesting!
Lu Bing walked out with a smile. Huang Jin was outside and said calmly, "Just talk about what you have to say. Why put the Ministry of Rites' matter last? Are you trying to ruin your Majesty's good mood?"
Lu Bing said calmly: "I didn't see this with my own eyes, but this is a serious matter, so I have to report it."
"The Jinyiwei really has many eyes and ears." Huang Jin said.
There is a hint of sarcasm in this remark.
Lu Bing laughed, "If you don't do bad things, ghosts won't startle you when someone knocks on your door in the middle of the night."
"Go and tell Chang Wei Bo about this!" Huang Jin said coldly.
Then the East Factory was dispatched and the news came quickly.
"It is confirmed that Zhou Xia, the head of the Ministry of Rites, is in charge of this matter. Now those envoys have returned and are gathering together for a secret discussion." Rui Jingxian felt that Zhou Xia was courting death.
Emperor Jiajing asked, "Does Qingzhi know about this?"
Rui Jingxian said: "I don't know."
“If he is unaware of this matter, how brave Zhou Xia is…” Emperor Jiajing said softly, and his voice gradually became inaudible.
"Your Majesty, this matter..."
If this gets out of hand, it will be a scandal!
Rui Jingxian felt that the Taoist should take action.
Emperor Jiajing closed his eyes, his expression indifferent, "My disciple caused trouble, where is my teacher?"
"Yes."
Rui Jingxian went to Xin'an Lane in person.
"Old Rui is a rare visitor." Jiang Qingzhi was somewhat curious about what had happened that had brought Rui Jingxian, the director of the East Factory, to visit him.
"Chang Wei Bo, your disciple in the Ministry of Rites has made a big mistake." Rui Jingxian said with a gloating mood: "He summoned envoys from various countries and said that from now on, tribute will be transformed into trade."
What the hell!
In a flash, Jiang Qingzhi thought of what Zhou Xia had mentioned to him.
That guy had it planned!
Tribute and trade.
Boy, you’ve given me a big…trouble!
"Master Wei, this is a serious matter. If not handled properly it will cause a huge uproar..." Rui Jingxian felt that this was a good time to do a favor.
"Thank you." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
Isn't this guy in a hurry?
Rui Jingxian knew that if this matter got out of hand, Jiang Qingzhi would not be able to protect his disciple Zhou Xia.
No, let alone Jiang Qingzhi, even I can’t protect Zhou Xia!
Once the matter gets out of hand, people including Wang Yiqi will secretly criticize Zhou Xia's actions.
Altan Khan was about to head south, but you created a big trouble for us behind our backs.
When the war breaks out, the vassal states will not only give spiritual support, but will even cheer for Altan from the sidelines.
"No hurry." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
Ha ha!
Let’s see if you’re anxious after we leave.
Rui Jingxian was also wicked. He deliberately repeated a funny story over and over again until his mouth became dry and his eyes turned away, implying that he had to give him a cup of tea!
Jiang Qingzhi ignored it, holding a cigarette in his mouth, "Go on, what happened to the woman behind?"
Rui Jingxian was thirsty. "That woman gave her husband a bowl of poison and then she and her lover fled overseas with all the money. I heard that she is doing quite well overseas now... Let's go. I have things to do. Let's go!"
"No delivery!"
Jiang Qingzhi watched Rui Jingxian leave with a smile, then his face darkened.
Xu Wei smiled and said, "My Lord, Zhou Xia is the one in charge after all!"
Although they are master and apprentice, there are many times in officialdom where they have different opinions and positions on certain matters.
However, Zhou Xia had caused so much trouble that Xu Wei felt it would be difficult to resolve the situation. "How about letting Zhou Xia stay out of the spotlight?"
"Let's first find out the whole story first."
Before Jiang Qingzhi could ask, Xiao Zhuo arrived.
"My Lord, this matter was ordered by Doctor Fang Shengqiang of the Ministry of Rites to order Zhou Xia..."
As Xiao Zhuo continued to talk, Xu Wei sneered, "Xu Jie couldn't have been the mastermind behind this."
Xu Jie would not take such direct action.
"Fang Sheng wants to vent Xu Jie's anger." Xiao Zhuo said Fang Sheng's thoughts: "Fang Sheng is at a critical moment in his career. If he is promoted from a doctor to an important official, he will not be able to find a chance for promotion without support. This person is Zhou Xia's superior and has made things difficult for Zhou Xia many times..."
This was an attempt to curry favor with Xu Jie by dealing with Zhou Xia.
Jiang Qingzhi said coldly: "Sabi! Aren't you afraid of having your front teeth broken?"
……
Ministry of Rites.
Zhou Xia was called to Fang Sheng's duty room.
"Who told you to say that tribute will be transformed into trade from now on?"
"I think this is the way it should be."
"Who gave you the courage?"
The roar rushed out of the duty room, and several officials outside looked at each other in confusion.
"conscience!"
"Conscience? This matter is difficult to resolve now..." Fang Sheng narrowed his eyes, "Come here, invite the envoys of all countries. I will personally apologize."
"No need." Zhou Xia said calmly: "I will handle this matter myself."
"Really?" Fang Sheng stared at him.
"Yes."
You asked for death yourself, so don't blame me for giving you a ride!
"In that case, I will... wait and see. If anything goes wrong..."
"I will bear it all by myself!"
Zhou Xia looked at Fang Sheng with a calm expression.
After an unknown amount of time, someone reported, "Doctor, envoys from various countries have arrived."
"I will leave now." Zhou Xia nodded and took his leave.
"Keep an eye on him!" Fang Sheng ordered.
Then he went to ask for a meeting with Xu Jie.
"I am so incompetent that I didn't know such a big thing happened..."
In the hall, envoys from various countries gathered.
Outside, the officials were gathering.
The Ministry of Rites, it’s Xu Jie’s Ministry of Rites!
Xiao Zhuo was a die-hard Chiang supporter and had to behave himself in the Ministry of Rites.
However, Zhou Xia was so bold that he angered the envoys from various countries.
Gee!
"This person will be kicked out of my Ministry of Rites before today!"
"The court must have known about this by now, and he had to leave in the morning!"
"Jiang Qingzhi must be very upset and angry at the loss of his most important disciple."
"The envoys of various countries are furious. Does Jiang Qingzhi dare to risk offending other countries to defend Zhou Xia?"
"Is there a commotion?"
"It's time to make a scene."
In the lobby, envoys from various countries were furious and were scolding Zhou Xia. Some even brought bags and said they would return home immediately.
"I have something to say."
Zhou Xia tapped the table with his fingers.
Wait until the messengers calm down.
Zhou Xia said: "Which one makes more money, tribute or fair trade? Tribute is paid several times a year, while trade is carried out all year round."
The envoys were stunned, thinking that of course trade would make more money, but didn’t the Ming Dynasty prohibit overseas trade?
"I heard that the Portuguese are wreaking havoc in the southeast, causing heavy losses to various countries every year?"
"Yes!"
"Could it be..."
The messengers stared at Zhou Xia.
"If the Ming Dynasty promises to expel the Portuguese from that sea area within five years..." Zhou Xia stared at the envoys.
"Then...what about Ryukyu?" The Ryukyu envoy widened his eyes.
"Japan will surely perish!" Zhou Xia uttered word by word.
If we can drive the Portuguese away, if we can destroy Japan...
These envoys were heroes because they brought the Ming Dynasty's promise back to their country.
One of the messengers asked suspiciously, "I have never heard of this before. Who can guarantee it?"
"Who can endorse your words?" an envoy asked aggressively.
Zhou Xia thought of what the teacher said.
I will destroy Japan in this life!
In addition, the Portuguese must be driven out of that sea area within five years!
If you can’t do it, teacher, I will take your wife and the whole family to the island to fish.
Zhou Xia knew that the teacher always kept his word.
"My master, the great Ming Dynasty leader Wei Bo, Jiang Qingzhi!"
(End of this chapter)
