Letting Dai Fan go to Zhangzhou Prefecture is actually a very risky thing.
As Zhu Huixuan had just thought, Zhu Qiyu had to bear a lot of pressure to make this decision.
The reason why he chose Zhu Shiyi as the acting king was, firstly, because he had the desire to transfer the title, and secondly, because the acting king really made a great contribution in the process of organizing the army.
These two are the reasons why Zhu Qiyu chose him, but the more important point is that King Dai himself is cowardly enough to make the future situation easier to deal with.
With the experience of mutual trading, it can be seen that this kind of trade between countries will inevitably bring huge benefits.
This kind of benefit is very dangerous when placed on the feudal king.
Of course, the sea is not as good as the border. Even if the power really develops, it will be difficult to threaten the imperial court. However, even if it does not pose a threat to the imperial court, it is already unacceptable to just occupy one side and become a country within a country.
As an emperor, Zhu Qiyu naturally has to be vigilant about this. Now, for various reasons, the court cannot come forward, and Zhu Qiyu himself cannot come forward to promote this matter, so the vassal king is needed to do it.
Zhu Qiyu didn't mind that in this process, the king benefited from this, but at least one thing he had to ensure was that when the time came and the court needed to take over, he could not become an obstacle.
Therefore, this is the reason why Zhu Qiyu has been testing Zhu Shixi from the beginning. It is a matter of great importance. He must determine whether the acting prince is really cowardly and incompetent, or whether he deliberately shows such an image in order to gain
Live peacefully.
To put it bluntly, he just needs a vassal king to come to Zhangzhou Mansion to take charge. As for who it is, it depends on who better meets his requirements.
For example, someone like King Min is obviously not suitable. His mind is too clever. Although it will be very useful in the early stage after arriving in Zhangzhou Prefecture, there will be uncontrollable risks.
As for the acting king...
At present, it seems appropriate. Although the words are not pleasant, Zhu Qiyu must tell the truth. At present, it seems that his uncle Wang is not only timid and cowardly, but also unwise. Just like King Min, he was obviously
It can be seen that he gave Dai Wang a salary of ten thousand stones to induce him, but Dai Wang himself did not see it.
When we were in the Wenhua Palace, the King of Zhou, King of Lu and others repeatedly refused to agree to a mere imperial villa, just for fear of arousing the jealousy of the court.
However, Zhu Qiyu persuaded him a few words, and the king was tempted by building a fleet, which was also something that might be taboo.
It can be seen from this that he really has not had much contact with the political affairs of the court, and he is not good at resourcefulness.
Since this is the case, it is even more reassuring...
Seeing the hesitant look on behalf of the king below, Zhu Qiyu followed the trend and said.
"The words of the uncle of King Min are quite reasonable. The sea is unstable, and Japanese pirates appear from time to time. It is difficult for a fleet of three to five hundred people to go to sea. It is indeed difficult to be effective."
"In that case, I have another way. Uncle Wang can give it a try."
Listening to the first half of the sentence, Zhu Shixi thought that the emperor had finally given up the idea of sending people to sea. After all, apart from the reward given to him by the emperor, the reason why the acting prince was unwilling to accept this mission was because he felt that he had no
necessary.
The imperial court has not sent anyone to sea for many years. Going back to the Yongle period, Zheng He made so many voyages to the West, but he only brought back some rare and exotic treasures, which had no practical significance for the government and the country.
Now the emperor wants to send people to sea again, just to satisfy his curiosity and to find out whether this map that is not true or false is credible. This is really...
To put it bluntly, Prince Dai felt that he was just messing around!
Fortunately, the emperor himself knew that this was a fool's errand, so he did not plan to waste time and money on building another fleet like Zheng He's to go to sea.
But he didn't want the imperial court to waste money and people, so this job fell on him. Oh my god, he just didn't want to stay in Datong anymore. Why was it so difficult...
Looking up at the emperor's "gentle" eyes, Dai Wang wanted to say not to bother, but in the end, he still didn't have the courage and could only say obediently.
"I am all ears."
"Under heavy rewards, there must be brave men."
Zhu Qiyu glanced at the two people below and said half-heartedly.
"If Uncle Wang himself feels that he is not sure about building a fleet, he may choose willing people from local merchants, wealthy fishermen, and order them to go to sea. Anyone who can improve the map will be given a large sum of money depending on their situation. Naturally, a large number of people will flock to them.
Come out and go test the water for Uncle Wang."
This was said casually, but when King Dai heard this, he almost sweatdropped. He cupped his hands tremblingly and said.
"Your Majesty, I would never dare to do this!"
"Emperor Taizu has already banned merchants from going to the sea. This is an ancestral system, and I don't dare to offend..."
King Min on the side also changed his expression. However, compared to King Dai, he was obviously more calm. He did not directly deny it, but said.
"Your Majesty, this matter is indeed inappropriate. Please think again."
The Ming Dynasty's maritime ban policy has been around for a long time. However, it is not a total ban. As King Dai said, the ban is on private trade. The ships of the imperial court can still sail to the sea normally. Otherwise, Zheng He would not have sailed to the West.
Things.
Therefore, although Zhu Qiyu had just been proposing to send a fleet to sea to improve the map, they all subconsciously thought that it was the imperial court sending ships to sea. No matter how bad it was, even the fleet of the Dai Wangfu could not do anything as long as there was the emperor's will.
Serious problem.
However, if private merchant ships were allowed to go to sea, it would be a complete violation of Taizu's prohibition. No wonder Dai Wang had such a big reaction.
However, Zhu Qiyu came here for this reason, and naturally he could not give up so easily. Seeing the frightened look on Dai Wang's face, he couldn't help but frown, and for the first time since entering the palace, his face darkened, and he said with displeasure.
"Uncle Wang, do you mean that I am messing around and changing the system?"
Ah this...
The power of the emperor is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even the ministers who are always in the court will be trembling with fear when they see such an emperor, let alone the vassal prince who is already weak in character and rarely enters the court.
In the past, the emperor always showed his friendly attitude to others. Now that he was angry with him, the air around him suddenly felt a little cold.
At that moment, he didn't care about his status as a vassal king, and immediately knelt down and said.
"Your Majesty has learned clearly that I would never dare to have such an intention."
There was silence in the palace, and there was no reaction from the superiors. However, King Dai did not dare to raise his head to look. In just a short moment, he felt as if a long time had passed.
When the emperor's voice sounded again, he had returned to calm and gentleness.
"Uncle Wang, what are you doing? We are just gossiping among family members. You are the elder, why do you need to give me such a big gift and get better soon?"
Dai Wang stood up carefully, only to find that the suffocating atmosphere he had just felt had disappeared, as if it had never appeared.
For a moment, he thought it was an illusion. However, looking at King Min's hand hanging down next to him, he clearly realized that it was not an illusion just now.
Your kindness is like the sea, your power is like a prison, it is true!
Immediately afterwards, the emperor spoke again, with a sincere attitude and said.
"The sea ban is an ancestral system. Naturally, I will not change it at will. Otherwise, the civil and military officials of the imperial court will not agree to it."
"It's just that what Taizu banned was for the sea people to liaise with other countries and go out to sea without permission to trade with foreign countries. Now I just want to offer rewards for the sea people to explore the countries and improve the map for me. This has nothing to do with the policy of sea ban.
Contradictions.”
"What do you think, Uncle Dai Wang?"
This...can you still say that?
Zhu Shiyi was in a daze for a moment and didn't know how to react.
As the folk saying goes, the Ming Dynasty's sea cannot be summed up in one sentence, and no piece of wood is allowed to enter the sea.
But in fact, this statement is too absolute.
The maritime prohibition policy of the Ming Dynasty mainly came from the provisions of the Ming Dynasty Law and several prohibitions from the Taizu period.
The first is the law of the Ming Dynasty, in which the military law stipulates that anyone who takes cattle, horses, military supplies, iron goods, copper coins, satin, silk, silk cotton out of the country to sell or put into the sea will be punished by a hundred sticks; if he takes people, weapons
Those who leave the country or enter the sea will be hanged.
The second is the ban issued by Taizu. In the fourth year of Hongwu, there was an order prohibiting people living near the sea from going to sea privately.
However, this article is mainly aimed at the troops who were originally attached to Fang Guozhen's department to prevent them from escaping under the guise of seafarers.
Then in the 14th year of Hongwu, people near the sea were prohibited from communicating with overseas countries. In the 27th year of Hongwu, the use of incense and goods was banned. In the 30th year of Hongwu, the ban was applied again, and people were not allowed to go to the sea to trade without authorization.
These are the basis of the maritime ban. On top of this, bans were also issued during the Yongle and Xuande years, but they basically reaffirmed the old system.
At the same time, there were changes in the methods. In the second year of Yongle Emperor Taizong directly issued an order banning private sea-going ships, and all the original sea-going ships were converted into flat-headed ships.
So in fact, the Ming Dynasty's maritime ban had three characteristics.
One is to ban the people but not the officials. Otherwise, Zheng He would not have made his voyages to the West.
The second is that mutual trade is prohibited but tribute is not prohibited. Foreign tribute ships arriving in the Ming Dynasty are still allowed to disembark.
The third is that long-distance voyages and fishing and hunting are prohibited. This is particularly obvious in Emperor Taizong's ban. The biggest disadvantage of flat-top boats is that they cannot withstand too much wind and waves and cannot carry out ocean voyages. However, it is still possible for private citizens to go to sea for fishing and hunting.
of.
To put it bluntly, these bans actually have two cores, which are in line with Taizu's consistent thoughts on governing the country. The first is to emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce. If it is fishing and hunting production, there are no taboos. However, if it is trade, it should be banned. The second is to safeguard the Ming Dynasty.
Diplomatic relations with overseas countries include mutual trade and tribute.
So in fact, the sea ban policy itself is part of cooperating with national affairs. It is indeed an exaggeration to say that no one is allowed to enter the sea.
However, if you don't count the fishermen, this is indeed the case for the people.
Seeing the emperor pretending to be ignorant, Zhu Shixi hesitated for a moment and then spoke carefully.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that our sea ban does not prohibit the exploration of sea charts. However, most private merchants are cunning people. When the sea ban is strict, there are still seafarers pretending to be envoys, pirates, and officials to go to sea for smuggling. If they are allowed to do so,
When they go out to sea to explore the sea charts, these people will definitely become more rampant and engage in private smuggling openly. If this is the case, it is the fault of the minister."
When he asked this question, Zhu Huixuan was speechless for a while.
The emperor's words are all about this, and he still asks questions. How can the emperor not understand such a simple truth?
Do I need you to remind me?
Sure enough, the next moment, the emperor's slightly dull voice sounded, saying.
"The mission I gave Uncle Dai Wang is to find ways to explore the countries and improve the map. It is not to control the civil affairs of one country and let these folk sea people go to sea. For this reason, Uncle Dai Wang only needs to select people who are good at water and know the waterways.
, just leave it to them.”
"As for whether these people are selling goods underground and violating the imperial maritime ban, that is a matter for the local government. If someone really violates the ban, the local officials will investigate and deal with it in accordance with the law. Why should Uncle Wang worry?"
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, which made Zhu Shixi's expression change, and he arrived immediately.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I have no intention of interfering in local civil affairs."
The way to control people is to use both kindness and power. After a small knock, Zhu Qiyu did not continue to struggle with this matter and said directly.
"In this case, everyone is doing their own errands, and what needs to be said has been said. If Uncle Wang is unwilling to transfer the title, I will not force it, and just choose someone else."
The implication is that if you don't go on behalf of the king, Zhu Qiyu will find someone else to go. Anyway, anyone can handle the errands. However, if you don't go, don't think about the transfer of the title again. Oh, by the way,
There is also the matter of increasing salary, which is naturally out of the question.
After saying these words, Zhu Shixi's expression suddenly became extremely tangled.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Huixuan looked worried. He hesitated for a moment and then stepped forward.
"On behalf of the King, what your Majesty said is true. After all, the matter of transferring the title is of great importance. If you transfer the title rashly without any reason, wouldn't it be just to expose Your Majesty to criticism from the government and the public?"
"Moreover, this complete map of the Universe of All Nations is well drawn. You and I have received your majesty's favor to see this map. This is your majesty's trust, and we must not let it down!"
Seeing Zhu Huixuan winking at him across the way, Zhu Shixi was immediately startled, because he suddenly realized something, that is, the complete map of the Kunyu of All Nations was obviously a secret treasure in the palace. At least before that, it must have been
Never shown to anyone.
The emperor is showing it to them now because he wants them to explore whether the map is true. This matter involves maritime prohibitions. Once the court knows about it, it will definitely cause an uproar. Now that the matter has come to this, it is not his place to answer the question on behalf of the king.
It was a matter of promise, but he had to promise.
If he agrees, then he is working for the emperor. Even if the court officials impeach him in the future, the emperor will naturally protect him. However, if he does not agree, what if there is some inexplicable news in the capital after he leaves the palace, such as
The emperor wanted to let the sea people go to sea out of mere curiosity, but he simply ignored the lives of the people for the sake of a map that he didn't know was true or false.
So, who will be blamed for the turmoil caused by this?
To put it bluntly, they are the only ones who have seen this map. Whenever something like this happens, the emperor will definitely suspect them.
At that time, it will not be a problem that the vassal generation cannot move...