The reason why these twenty-one extremely wealthy families in the country are so great is not because of the amount of money and assets they possess, but because of the breadth of their currency circulation.
How could courtiers who only study the Confucian and Mencian doctrines of agriculture as the foundation and commerce as the devaluation understand this? And how could the current emperor, who wants to eradicate the theory of the Five Absolutes, possibly adopt it?
Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what you should be wary of now is not the Five Masters, but that old scoundrel who is about to wipe out the world!
Thinking of this, he was extremely anxious and ran towards Qianqing Gate as fast as he could.
"Today, the Emperor will not see anyone."
"Please ask Eunuch Fu to send another message."
"Don't make things difficult for us, Lord Ji. The Emperor is already annoyed."
"Annoyed?" He grasped the key point. "Is something happening in the inner court?"
"Yes, that's right. The eldest prince is sick and needs his mother, but the emperor won't allow Consort Liu to visit him. Right now, the consort is kneeling outside the Qianqing Palace, begging the emperor to allow her and her son to see each other."
It's truly pitiful. This concubine was a beauty the Emperor brought back from his southern journey to Jiangdu over two years ago. Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but more importantly, she bore him a son. Although some say that Consort Liu had been married in Jiangnan and that His Majesty was raising someone else's son, the eunuchs who had traveled to Jiangnan all said that the eldest prince was born in the thirteenth month after Consort Liu began serving the Emperor. If he wasn't a reincarnation of Nezha, then he was undoubtedly the Emperor's own son.
Just over six months ago, for reasons unknown, Consort Liu offended the Emperor. Not only did she lose his favor, but she was also stripped of her right to breastfeed her own child.
"Speaking of which, Lord Ji also accompanied the Emperor to Jiangdu, didn't he?" Seeing Ji Junze nod in silence, Eunuch Fu rolled his eyes, looking like he was eager to hear gossip. "Does Your Excellency know anything about the details?"
He was the one who facilitated Consort Liu's entry into the palace; how could he not know that?
He originally intended to place a pawn in the harem, but this move backfired and harmed him.
The Emperor's favor and estrangement stemmed from the same reason—the Yu family precepts and a secret martial arts treasure. Consort Liu had always remained silent about this. At first, he thought it was a tactic Consort Liu used to secure the Emperor's favor, but later he realized she might not even know it.
The Emperor thought this woman surnamed Yu might be an imposter, so he secretly ordered him to investigate. Unexpectedly, Consort Liu's past was impeccable; either someone had deliberately embellished it, or she was indeed a woman surnamed Yu. He reported back helplessly, only to find that the Emperor's suspicions had shifted to him.
This was only the first step in creating discord between the ruler and his ministers. What truly led to the current situation was his advice on flood control.
Your Majesty, I request that Your Majesty allow the disaster victims to enter Zhili and build disaster victim wards outside the city. In this way, other places will follow the example of the capital, and the disaster victims will not only not become turbulent refugees, but will also be grateful for Your Majesty's boundless grace.
Your suggestion seems to have precedent.
Before the emperor could even speak, Chief Minister Zheng interrupted with ill intent.
Your Majesty, this is the policy of Crown Prince Minhuai.
This one sentence brought about the rise of the imperial clan to its peak and also accelerated the fall from favor of the upright officials.
Zheng Ming had spent decades in mediocre officialdom, and even his rise to the position of Grand Secretary wasn't due to his own abilities, but rather because he happened to be in a period of conflict between the Emperor and Ji Junze. Originally, he had great confidence in this mediocre Grand Secretary, but how did this man suddenly gain insight and see through the Emperor's inner turmoil?
He became wary and, testing the waters, recommended Xu Youtu, the nephew of Grand Secretary Zheng, as the new Supervisor of the Grand Canal. On the surface, it seemed like he was actively trying to curry favor, but in reality, he intended to use the peasant uprising to eliminate Grand Secretary Zheng's power within the Ministry of Revenue. However, to his surprise, the Emperor not only did not punish Xu Youtu, but also imprisoned the former Minister of Revenue. Grand Secretary Zheng, seizing the opportunity, returned the favor by pushing Sun Wei, the leader of the reformist faction, into a precarious position, and then adding fuel to the fire.
Looking back now, it seems that either Prime Minister Zheng had a second stroke of genius, or someone was directing things behind the scenes.
But who is this person, and why would they come up with such a terrible idea as to exploit a billionaire?
Thinking of this, Ji Jun's eyes sharpened, and he turned and walked towards the Meridian Gate.
Rain at night tends to continue into the day, while winds during the day tend to blow into the night.
It was already past midnight. In the past, the Prime Minister's house would have been closed long ago, but tonight was different. Not only was the main gate still open, but the Prime Minister himself was also seeing the guests off.
Ji Jun sat quietly in the sedan chair and watched. He saw that the distinguished guest was dressed in a blue robe, tall but not thin, and his every move had a free and unrestrained style that was not seen in contemporary literati.
He had never seen such a temperament before, and he would never mistake it for anything else.
He squinted and saw the man bid farewell to the Grand Secretary and was about to get into his sedan chair when he suddenly turned his head to look at him. In the instant their eyes met, he saw a playful look in the man's eyes, and then he walked towards him with a half-smile.
"It really was you," Ji Junze said angrily.
Standing where light and shadow met, the man chuckled. "What, Lord Ji, you guessed it?"
"Of the twenty-one extremely wealthy families in the country, eight had previously traded in Sichuan. The others were all included in this raid, but the Shangguan family in Nanjing was confiscated." He had already guessed three-tenths of the reason upon seeing the imperial edict.
“Lord Ji, you are mistaken.” Shangguan Yi’s lips curled up slightly. “The fact that the Shangguan family is no longer subject to confiscation is not due to speculation, but because I took the advice of a friend and withdrew the business in Sichuan more than a year ago.”
"If that's the case, why did you go and seek refuge with Zheng Ming?"
"Seek refuge? Lord Ji, don't put yourself in others' shoes. I, Shangguan Yi, am not that pathetic." He looked down at him with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
"You!" Ji Jun nodded angrily, "Do you really intend to aid and abet evil?"
"Who is the King of Shang, and who is the King of Zhou? Was it righteous for you to kidnap Ah Kuang and extort money from the Shangguan government? Or was it virtuous to burn down your sect to gain the favor of the late emperor? What about the world and the people? Ji Junze, open your eyes and see yourself clearly. You have walked this path for too long and have long forgotten your true nature."
His dark eyes glanced at him indifferently, revealing a chilling understanding. "It seems Lord Ji is not convinced. Very well, speak your mind; I am all ears."
He had something to say, but the phrase "forgotten one's true nature" hit the bullseye like a red arrow, leaving him speechless. In the end, he could only utter one sentence: "Ah Kuang, I'm sorry to him."
A mocking smile curved his lips. "Too late," Shangguan sneered.
Ji Jun raised his eyes, the guilt in them vanishing instantly. "Do you truly intend to oppose me?"
"It also depends on whether you have the ability." Looking at him, Shangguan raised his eyebrows lazily and arrogantly, his voice as cold as freezing ice. "I, Shangguan Yi, always act according to my heart. If I dislike someone, I will do everything in my power to kill them. Lord Ji, you were originally very lucky. I have been in a good mood these past few years and was planning to let you enjoy your life for a while longer. But you were restless and caused her to refuse to go to Jinling with me, so..."
His dark, unyielding eyes held no light, but a slow, smirking smile played on his lips, a smile that seemed to bloom like spring in the frosty autumn night. "I've decided to take you down first."
"This is utterly absurd!" Ji Jun exclaimed, then slammed down the sedan curtain. "Back to the manor!"
Kill him? Just because he's Prime Minister Zheng, does he dare to make such a boast about killing him?
Shangguan Yi, you're being far too naive.
Ji Jun, inside the sedan chair, chuckled coldly, unaware that Shangguan would later walk slowly across the street and address the beardless man who had been waiting for him for a long time: "Eunuch Fu."