Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"Miss Xu, one's life should not be wasted on such love affairs. This is not the meaning of life."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Xu Miaojin steadily: "If you want to know what the essence of human beings is and what the meaning of human life is, then come with me. Maybe you will figure out something and make your life better. It’s different than before.”

Xu Miaojin agreed without any hesitation.

Jiang Xinghuo brought her to a tombstone in the wasteland of the mansion. There were only five words engraved on the tombstone.

——"The Tomb of Jiang Xinghuo"!

Xu Miaojin looked at the tombstone in surprise. Surrounding it was a field of thriving leeks.

"Is this the tomb you want to leave for yourself in the future?"

Jiang Xinghuo's answer obviously exceeded her expectations.

"No, it's me who's buried here."

Jiang Xinghuo's gaze fell on the tombstone, as if through time and space.

Then, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up a shovel from the vegetable field, and started working shovel by shovel.

Xu Miaojin was silent. She had never imagined that the first time she was alone with Jiang Xinghuo would be watching him dig a grave.

Jiang Xinghuo said while digging the soil: "I know something must have happened to you. Maybe the queen said something to make you change your attitude. I remember last time you still wanted to go to Jiangnan to see the results of the reform."

Xu Miaojin wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Jiang Xinghuo raising his hand. Jiang Xinghuo put his boots on the shovel, temporarily stopped what he was doing, and looked back at Xu Miaojin's face.

"Don't tell me, I can guess."

"After the incident with the Flying Eagle Guard, the emperor became a little wary of me, and the queen also became concerned when she saw this, so she persuaded you, right?"

Xu Miaojin nodded with some relief.

Jiang Xinghuo continued digging the grave without any accidents.

As the reform process progresses, the relationship between the leaders of the reform and the imperial power is like two magnets that change from attracting each other to repelling each other. They will become more and more in opposite directions and drift apart. This is not something that humans can decide. Shang Yang, Wang Anshi, and Zhang Juzheng were all like this.

And Jiang Xinghuo also knew that Queen Xu had done nothing wrong. The greatest value of a top-class aristocratic lady of marriageable age to the family lay in the benefits that marriage could bring.

The emperor may have needed him to have a weakness before.

After all, people with weaknesses are easy to control.

But Xu Miaojin knew, and Jiang Xinghuo himself knew, that what he needed was not a beauty who could become his weakness, but a warrior who could walk on the same road and give up everything.

As for Xu Miaojin's words at the door, Jiang Xinghuo also knew that the other person could express his "like" to the maximum extent.

It's not illegal to like someone, but it's just like them.

Soon, the soil had been dug several feet deep, revealing the coffin hidden under the dark soil.

Jiang Xinghuo opened the coffin lid and found the body of a middle-aged man lying in the coffin.

"Everyone knows that I am a banished immortal, and this is who I was two hundred and sixty years ago."

The weather was very hot. Just when Jiang Xinghuo wanted to raise his arm, Xu Miaojin took out a handkerchief, turned his back to the coffin, and wiped his sweat with trembling fingers.

Xu Miaojin looked up at him: "I dare not look."

Jiang Xinghuo didn't comfort her, but grabbed her shoulders with both hands and forced her away.

"If you are walking on the plain and suddenly encounter a wall, infinitely high upward, infinitely deep downward, infinitely far to the left, infinitely far to the right, what is it?"

"die."

"Yeah, death."

Jiang Xinghuo asked again: "If a person can live forever after experiencing nine death reincarnations, is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

Xu Miaojin looked at the corpse in the tomb and fell into short thoughts.

Death is the greatest fear of human beings. From ancient times to the present, many emperors and generals, even historical heroes like Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han, who were famous during their lifetimes, were still full of fear of death and always longed for immortality. , and placed their hopes on illusory means such as seeking immortality and asking questions.

But is immortality really a good thing?

When there is only one person in the world and he finds out alone that he can break through that wall, what will he become?

Jiang Xinghuo patted Xu Miaojin's shoulder, walked a few steps and leaned over to take out a small box from the tomb. In the small box was a diary wrapped in oilcloth. Jiang Xinghuo handed it to Xu Miaojin.

"Let's go and sit over there for a while."

In the back garden of the mansion, you can see two trees, one is a jujube tree, and the other is also a jujube tree.

There was a swing between two jujube trees. Jiang Xinghuo sat on it, while Xu Miaojin sat next to it and read through old diaries.

As she flipped through the pages of the diary, Xu Miaojin's expression gradually changed from shock to solemnity.

"What does death feel like?"

"Death is the end of life for everyone, but not for me. Death is reincarnation, rebirth, and the joy and pain of suddenly rising up and gasping for air after being indulged in the deep water of endless darkness."

Jiang Xinghuo leaned his back on the swing and looked at the blue sky and marshmallow-like clouds.

"Ms. Xu, I am a passer-by. To me, all my feelings are scars left over the endless years. I will always feel pain in a certain year and place when things have changed."

"You like me because there are so many things about me that are different from ordinary men, but for me, these are all the scars and calluses I have accumulated over time."

"The reason why I avoid or even reject you is not because you are not beautiful enough or smart enough. In another time and space, we might be a good match. It's just that what I want to do now cannot allow myself to be bound by feelings. This is a path for millions of people. The lonely road I am going."

Xu Miaojin closed the diary, put her hands on it, and looked down at the yellowed cover.

"Did Mr. Jiang have anyone he liked in the past?"

"have."

Jiang Xinghuo was silent for a moment: "It was just that I was in a hurry, so I forgot to tell her."

"What kind of person is she?"

"She is a person who takes her ideals as big as the sky."

"Ideal." Xu Miaojin chewed on this unfamiliar word.

"Everyone has different ideals, but our ideals are like this."

"A person's life should be spent in this way. When looking back on the past, he will not regret for wasting his years, nor be ashamed of being inactive. Only then when he is dying can he say: My life and all my experiences All dedicated to the most magnificent cause in the world - fighting for the happiness of more people."

"So did you succeed?"

"It will always work out."

Jiang Xinghuo stood up, and the light seemed to cast mist on him.

Ideals may fail, but idealists will not. The body will eventually perish, but the will will be immortal.

"I understand Mr. Jiang's ideal." Xu Miaojin smiled and said bitterly, "But I'm afraid I can't be like her."

Jiang Xinghuo turned his head and looked at her seriously.

"You are yourself, Xu Miaojin."

"The meaning of life is to do things that are meaningful to you, so that you won't regret it when death comes."

Xu Miaojin's white fingers were wrapped around the silk ribbon of her clothes. She also looked at Jiang Xinghuo.

"But I don't know what things are meaningful. Ever since I was a child, I have been arranged by my family."

"Then try to live for yourself once." Jiang Xinghuo said softly.

Jiang Xinghuo stood by the grave, watching Xu Miaojin go away. He didn't know if the next time he saw her would be after a long time, or if the beauty would grow old in a blink of an eye, or if it would be a lonely grave thousands of miles away, with nowhere to talk about the desolation.

"It's not good to listen to the wall, boy."

Jiang Xinghuo picked up Yu Qian from behind the corner wall.

"Master, how do you know?" Yu Qian was surprised. He felt that he had hidden enough.

"The agent's memory is temporarily revived."

"Did you also say what you just said to me?"

"You can understand that."

"Then I seem to understand the meaning of life again."

The two people came all the way to the dining room.

There was one more person in the dining room at this time, Cao Afu, the steward of Cao Guogong's mansion.

Looking at the chubby Cao Afu, Jiang Xinghuo had already nodded and bowed before Jiang Xinghuo opened his mouth, and then handed over a handwritten invitation from Li Jinglong.

"Master Imperial Master, my Grand Duke invites you to take a sightseeing tour of Mochou Lake after dinner. The same boat is parked at the dock of the Qinhuai River."

Li Jinglong didn't say what it was, but it was obvious that if there was nothing important, he wouldn't be looking for him at this time. How could he have so much time to travel around.

"Okay, tell Mr. Cao Guo that I will go."

——————

In the evening, on the Qinhuai River.

The setting sun dyed the river red like blood. In the sparkling water, the boat sailed slowly on it. The smokey willows lingered in the distance, and the lanterns on the shore exuded a soft and warm light.

A breeze blew over and lifted the gauze curtain.

Jiang Xinghuo was sitting on a soft couch, with several plates of exquisite pastries placed in front of him, along with tea and fine wine.

The window of the boat was pushed open slightly, letting in the slightly drunken night breeze.

"National Division……"

At this time, the little maid came in with a tea tray and said with a smile on her face: "This slave has just made scented tea."

Jiang Xinghuo turned around and saw that the maid had beautiful features and a slender figure. She placed the tea tray on the table, then rolled up her sleeves to reveal her white arms, and took a fan to fan Jiang Xinghuo.

"No need, where is Mr. Cao Guo?"

Jiang Xinghuo didn't drink tea and glanced around.

"Duke Cao Guo has been delayed due to some matters. Please ask the Imperial Master to wait a moment." The little maid said softly.

Hearing this, Jiang Xinghuo nodded, kept silent, and continued to look outside through the window.

Not long after, Li Jinglong hurried over.

"Why, I heard that you are obsessed with carrying guns again? Did you just come back from the mountains today?"

Li Jinglong now not only plays with the handgun given to him by Jiang Xinghuo, but also got a portable gun from the War Bureau, which is the thing used by the Flying Eagle Guard in air combat. It is six feet long, rifled, accurate and powerful. , it was easy to kill tigers and leopards with one shot, and it soon became Li Jinglong's favorite.

When the generals get together, they just drink and eat meat, or go hunting. Others use bows. Li Jinglong directly lifts the musket and holds it in place to point where to hit. It is much easier and lighter to move than a bed crossbow. It is indeed It was a great sight.

"How can I still be in that mood?"

Li Jinglong smiled bitterly and said, "We are in trouble."

"This is strange. Cao Guogong, the leader of the hundred officials, still has trouble in front of him?"

Faced with Jiang Xinghuo's teasing, Li Jinglong told the truth.

"I have a friend."

Well, Li Jinglong is really not a friend out of thin air. His friend Jiang Xinghuo has also heard of Japan's "King of Kyushu" Imagawa Ryotoshi, a good diplomat and a rare "knowledge sect".

Imagawa Ryotoshi did run into some trouble.

"You said that the goods brought by the Japanese merchants who followed the Japanese mission are not approved by the Ministry of Rites because they have no tributary relationship, so these goods are illegal and the merchants in Nanjing cannot accept them?"

"right."

Li Jinglong nodded and said: "In the Ministry of Rites, Zhuo Jing is now the minister, and Song Li is the right minister. Can you think of a way to accommodate them?"

"You mean that Wang Jing, the left servant, was the one who interfered with this matter."

Jiang Xinghuo took a sip of scented tea, thoughtfully.

"I don't know why he is so crazy. I had no grudges with him in the past and have no grudges recently. Why do you need to pinch me on this kind of thing? It's a pity that it's not easy for me to interfere in the affairs of civil servants." Li Jinglong sighed.

Jiang Xinghuo said, "You came for me."

"Huh?" Li Jinglong was slightly startled.

Seeing Li Jinglong like this, Jiang Xinghuo asked instead:

"You really don't know or you don't know?"

"really do not know."

Seeing that Li Jinglong was indeed unaware, Jiang Xinghuo told him about the relationship he had formed with Wang Jing during the "Champa Mission Injury Case".

Li Jinglong was shocked when he heard that Jiang Xinghuo had refuted Wang Jing's reputation, and Wang Jing's protégé Honglu Temple Shaoqing Xun Zhan had also been demoted to the Imperial College as a clerk. He felt helpless for a while.

But Li Jinglong couldn't say anything. After all, Jiang Xinghuo helped him too much. He could return to the core decision-making level of the Ming Empire without Jiang Xinghuo's help. It was impossible for him to blame Jiang Xinghuo for such a trivial matter. .

Moreover, when he was sent to Japan, no one spoke for him at that time, so now he has no other choice but to side with the reformists.

This small storm is not a huge wave, so Li Jinglong thinks it can be easily dealt with.

"But to put it this way, things are indeed not that simple. Wang Jing is not a fool. Since he dared to make trouble, he would not have thought that Zhuo Jing, as the Minister of Rites, has the power to go beyond his approval."

Jiang Xinghuo followed up with analysis:

"If you approve it, someone will definitely be caught. Wang Jing is waiting for us to ask Zhuo Jing to approve it. If Zhuo Jing can be pulled down, Wang Jing can be promoted to the Minister of Rites. This is probably his purpose. "

Li Jinglong muttered: "Why don't I go and meet him directly without letting Zhuo Jing show up."

"Don't worry, let's have a cup of tea first."

Jiang Xinghuo stopped him and said, "And since he is here to target me, he will naturally have a way to target me. In fact, I am not worried about Wang Jing."

"you mean?"

Li Jinglong seemed to have thought of something, a look of surprise flashed between his brows, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Jiang Xinghuo dipped his hands in tea and wrote a few words on Li Jinglong's palm with his fingers.

"What the Eagle Guard did was still a taboo."

"It's normal. I feel stabbed in my heart. I can't sleep well. I'm afraid that some people parachuting from the sky will assassinate me in the middle of the night, or that a fire tank will drop down on me."

"So Wang Jing is so confident?"

"It's not necessarily true, it's just a guess."

"Then tell me if you can."

"No, it's just checks and balances, beatings, whatever happens. There are at most twists and turns in the process. Otherwise, if one party becomes more and more powerful, won't the arbiter become unsteady? Let's just wait and see what happens."

Li Jinglong hesitated and said, "Is this good?"

Jiang Xinghuo said "Hey" and felt a little boring for a moment. However, he was not a child. He naturally understood that every peck and every drink had cause and effect. Since he had done it, no matter what the motivation was, he would have to bear the consequences. s consequence.

"Of course it's not good, it's just a coward."

"No, I'm afraid that he will take his anger out on you. After all, you caused the trouble because of your meritorious service for me." Li Jinglong said seriously.

Jiang Xinghuo rolled his eyes and said, "Don't worry, I promise there will be no problem."

Li Jinglong shook his head and wanted to persuade him again, but he heard movement outside and then a middle-aged man walked in.

This middle-aged man was wearing a samurai uniform and a long and short sword on his waist. He was handsome and elegant, but his expression was gloomy. One arm was bandaged with white cloth. He was none other than Ryotoshi Imakawa.

Imagawa Ryojun handed the samurai sword to the family general Cao Ada who was guarding the door, and then bowed respectfully to Jiang Xinghuo.

"I have met the Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty."

"Imakawa-kun, I have long admired you."

Jiang Xinghuo still admired Ryojun Imagawa who was willing to take the initiative to lead the way and be the comprador just to return to the throne of "King of Kyushu".

"There is an old saying in China that he who knows the current affairs is a hero. In my opinion, Imagawa-kun is such a hero."

“I can’t take it seriously, I’m ashamed!”

"Ada, let's sail the boat."

Imakawa Ryotoshi said a few words of humility, then changed the topic and talked about the goods carried by the Japanese businessmen who came with the mission.

Of course Imagawa Ryotoshi was under a lot of pressure, because in Japan, the status of businessmen was completely different from that in the Ming Dynasty. They were independent of the powerful class. Japan's guardian daimyo and even the shogunate did not have enough money, whether it was for war or daily expenses. They have to borrow money from merchants, and they are mortgaged loans. The interest rate spread is not low. Japanese merchants are very powerful and have their own armed forces. Many Japanese pirate groups are big merchants from various vassal states in Shikoku Island, especially the large merchants in Japan. The people behind him were members of Japan's upper class like the monks, and they were the kind of people who had a knife handle in one hand and a money bag in the other.

Therefore, these Japanese businessmen came from afar and brought goods that they could not sell. The loss of profits was not a big deal. The most important thing was that it would shake their confidence in the free trade between Ming Dynasty and Japan.

At this time, confidence is more precious than the gold in Sado's golden mountain.

In fact, this matter is by no means just a matter of "some goods".

There is no trivial matter that can be used to make a fuss about the affairs in the temple. A trivial matter as big as a sesame seed is still a big deal when viewed under a microscope, not to mention that this matter is already very big.

"For Japanese businessmen, this directly reflects the official attitude of the Ming Dynasty towards free trade. If free trade cannot be carried out normally between the Ming Dynasty and Japan, I am afraid the consequences will be serious. Sir, you know what I am referring to. "

Imagawa Ryojun was not exaggerating. The failure of the deal between him and Jiang Xinghuo regarding the exclusive rights to sell Songjiang cotton textiles was another matter. The more direct consequence was the proliferation of Japanese pirates again.

The history of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life has fully proved that whether it is the current Ming Dynasty or the future "we Qing Dynasty", the more closed the country is, the more rampant smuggling and piracy will be, and they will be banned repeatedly. Even famous generals and ministers like Qi Jiguang and Lin Zexu will It cannot be completely stopped, and it is extremely easy to rebound.

Since the Hongwu Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has relied on setting up coastal guard stations to combat Japanese pirates. Was it effective? Not that the entire coastline has been repeatedly raided.

In fact, the main force of the Japanese pirates are not Japanese at all, but the people along the coast of the Ming Dynasty. They rely on the mountains and the sea to eat. If they are not allowed to eat the sea, fish and trade, they will not be able to survive. This is the problem. The problem lies.

"For you, Japan, this is the case, but for us, the trouble is far more than that."

Jiang Xinghuo and Li Jinglong looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Tomorrow's unarmed free trade zone on Tsushima and Iki islands is a test site for Ming Dynasty's new foreign trade model. This test is actually to pave the way for subsequent countries such as North Korea and Annan to copy the same model, directly It is related to the positive cycle of the entire foreign strategy formulated by Jiang Xinghuo for Ming Dynasty.

The people who followed Imagawa Ryotoshi to Ming Dynasty were all big Japanese businessmen who supported free trade.

If these Japanese businessmen were not allowed to sell their goods, and they would lose money when they came to Ming Dynasty for the first time, what would be the consequences?

Daming has no business reputation at all.

Even if the subsequent unarmed free trade area is established tomorrow, I am afraid that the results will be much slower than expected. This is a matter of seizing the day. How can Jiang Xinghuo have so much time to delay?

So Wang Jing took advantage of this crucial little thing and set up a plan that killed two birds with one stone.

If Jiang Xinghuo intervenes and allows Zhuo Jing to use his authority to force his way through, then Zhuo Jing will easily be attacked and Wang Jing may rise to become the Minister of Rites; if Jiang Xinghuo does not intervene, then the Yongle Dynasty will have its first special meeting tomorrow. Even if formal trade is in ruins, it will be extremely difficult for Jiang Xinghuo to build an unarmed free trade zone.

As for whether Zhuo Jing can be avoided and Song Li can handle this matter?

No, firstly, Song Li is the right minister, his position is lower than that of Wang Jing, the left minister, and his qualifications and connections are much worse. Moreover, he is not in charge of this matter, so he is objectively incapable of handling it; secondly, Song Li may not be able to handle it either. Although Song Li was willing to wade into this muddy water, although he established a good friendship with Jiang Xinghuo during his trip to Jiangnan, his original purpose of joining the reform faction was to get promoted, and he could not risk losing his official position to do this.

Wang Jing, a senior minister who has been in the temple for many years, guessed Emperor Yongle's intentions now and thought that Emperor Yongle planned to give Jiang Xinghuo a beating to make Jiang Xinghuo correct his position and not touch things he shouldn't touch, so Only then did he take the initiative to be used as a hammer, and by the way, he let out the anger that he had been holding in for a while.

Li Jinglong said: "It's easy to pretend to be dead, but the consequences may be difficult to accept. Do you want to fight back? If so, how to fight back?"

Li Jinglong was also not sure. If Emperor Yongle did have this intention, then Emperor Yongle would raise a hand at the last moment and directly let Japanese merchants trade. But in fact, Emperor Yongle had his own reasons for not doing so. The whole incident The results will be disastrous.

Seeing that Jiang Xinghuo didn't speak, Li Jinglong took a sip of tea and said:

"And there's another question. If we fight back and succeed, will there be more serious consequences?"

Jiang Xinghuo understood what Li Jinglong meant. What he meant was that if what Wang Jing did had Emperor Yongle's tacit approval, then the more beautifully he solved it, the more uncomfortable it would be for Emperor Yongle. I feel that I can solve similar problems independently without him.

But from the perspective of interests, if you do nothing, pretend not to know, and suffer a blow, the matter will be over. Maybe Emperor Yongle will raise his hand at the last moment. After all, Emperor Yongle still supports it from the perspective of fundamental interests. The reform is going on. The reform has just begun and there is no reason to change course.

In fact, although there was some intrigue, Jiang Xinghuo felt that if Emperor Yongle acquiesced, it would essentially be some kind of counterattack by Emperor Yongle, the embodiment of imperial power, after the sensitive topic of military power was touched upon.

Of course Jiang Xinghuo mobilized the Eagle Guard without orders out of good intentions, in order to prevent Emperor Yongle from being burned to death by the violent hot air balloon, but things in the temple were not calculated that way. One code equals another. Emperor Yongle was grateful to Jiang Xinghuo , want to reward him for his contribution in stopping Baozhao's conspiracy, but at the same time he will also be dissatisfied with Jiang Xinghuo's touching of military power. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable. This time it's good intentions, next time it's good intentions, what about the next time? ?

Therefore, even if Emperor Yongle really used Wang Jing to beat him, Jiang Xinghuo would understand, and he would do the same if he put himself in his shoes.

However, Jiang Xinghuo did not intend to swallow his anger.

Why?

Watching the boat entering Mochou Lake through the window, Jiang Xinghuo just leaned on the railing and sneered.

Regarding the reform, either don't hold me back, or we'll break up. I'm not your vassal, and I'm not considering your interests. I, Jiang Xinghuo, do these things for the sake of our family and country. It just happens. The interests of both parties in this period are highly overlapping.

Therefore, if it was purely Wang Jing's plan, he had to fight back.

If there was Emperor Yongle's plan in this, Jiang Xinghuo would have to defeat him.

This is not a matter of unbearable anger and lack of structure, but a fundamental issue of stance and attitude. Since we are cooperating, we must draw a clear bottom line. It is the same as military power. If something hinders the reform the first time, there may be a second time. If this time If you don't fight back, you always bring up the reform issue to get Jiang Xinghuo in trouble, and you can't survive that day?

Jiang Xinghuo asked: "Imagawa-kun, what are the categories of these goods and what is their estimated value?"

Imagawa Ryojun frowned slightly. He really didn't know this. After all, in a sense, this thing was also a trade secret. All the big businessmen hid it in the ship. They would definitely not easily tell others what they had brought. How many of each.

Li Jinglong probably guessed what Jiang Xinghuo meant. Seeing Jiang Xinghuo speak, he wanted to fight back, but he was still a little nervous and couldn't help but persuade him: "Mr. Jiang, otherwise I will take care of all these goods. Then sell it slowly. There should not be many goods that are difficult to store. In this way, the recovery time will be longer at most, and you will never lose money. In this way, the matter is solved. The Japanese businessman got the money, and no one needs to jump into Wang Jing’s trap. , do you think it’s feasible?”

Imagawa Ryojun nodded. He actually felt that this was indeed a good idea. After all, Cao Guogong's family was rich. He bought all the goods from Japanese merchants and hoarded them. No one could say anything about spending his own money, right?

As for the approval of tribute trade? Sorry, these merchants and ships are all helping Cao Guogong transport goods. We have signed the contract as early as Japan. We trust Cao Guogong's credibility, so we bring the goods here first and wait for Cao Guogong to return home to get the money before trading on the spot.

"Are you so rich?"

Jiang Xinghuo was a little surprised. He had heard that Li Jinglong donated tens of thousands of taels of silver at last year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. This was not a small number in the early Ming Dynasty. But now, in less than a year, Li Jinglong's wallet is full Are you drumming again?

What does his house do? Printing Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes?

Li Jinglong smiled shyly: "I have some financial resources."

"Okay, I know you have money, but I can't let you pay this amount."

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head, and then called Li Jinglong and Imagawa Liaojun over to whisper.

The two looked at each other in disbelief.

"Can you still play like this?"

"Is there still such an operation?"