Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Warm applause rang out in the hall again, and many people showed looks of admiration on their faces.

The symposium lasted for an entire afternoon. Many problems that have long troubled the people and merchants were mentioned one by one. Zhu Biao and Zhu Han took detailed notes and expressed on the spot that they would take immediate measures.

When the meeting ended, the afterglow of the setting sun shone on everyone, and a long-lost sense of hope filled the hall.

A merchant from Tongzhou walked up to Zhu Biao and said gratefully, "Your Highness, your words today have enlightened me. If the reform policy can really benefit the whole country, the people will remember your kindness."

Zhu Biao smiled slightly, his voice gentle but full of power: "Although the road to reform is long, this palace and the emperor's uncle will definitely persevere. As long as the people live and work in peace and contentment, all efforts are worth it."

Zhu Han stood aside, looking into the distance with deep eyes, and said softly: "Biao'er, today's event is just the beginning. The road ahead still requires you and I to work together."

Zhu Biao nodded, his eyes firm, "Don't worry, uncle, I will live up to your expectations."

As night fell and the Chamber of Commerce symposium ended, Zhu Han and Zhu Biao left side by side, slowly walking across the bluestone slabs of the streets in Gyeonggi Province.

The streets are bustling with people, the teahouses in the distance are brightly lit, and the laughter of merchants and common people mixed with the rumble of horse-drawn carriages, sketching out a peaceful picture of the market.

Zhu Biao sighed softly, "Uncle, although we have gained a lot from today's symposium, I still have some doubts in my heart. The reform of commercial taxes in the capital has begun to show results, but the external government is complicated and the interests are intertwined. It may not be easy to implement the reform."

Zhu Han looked calm, as if he was thinking. He spoke slowly, "Biao'er, governance is like sailing against the current. Reforms will seem strange if there is no resistance. Although today's discussion showed the people's support, have you noticed that no one mentioned some issues?"

Zhu Biao hesitated for a moment, frowned and asked, "What does the emperor's uncle mean?"

Zhu Han raised a meaningful smile and whispered, "Although the Chamber of Commerce gathers public opinion, the gentry class avoids mentioning it. Those who truly hold local power have not shown up. Their silence is not unintentional, but a cold-eyed observation."

Zhu Biao understood immediately, and his heart sank: "I understand. The gentry are not only the leaders of the people, but also the actual controllers of the local areas. If they secretly oppose, how can the reform go smoothly?"

Zhu Han nodded: "So, next, the key is how to bring them into the game and make them understand that the new policy is not only beneficial to the people, but also important to them."

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, and a firm look gradually emerged in his eyes: "Uncle, most gentry value their own interests. If we can use the support and rewards of the court to guide them and let them understand that only by complying with the reform can they benefit in the long run, it may be a feasible strategy."

Zhu Han nodded slightly, a look of relief on his face: "Yes, explaining the reason and appealing to their interests is the first step. But remember, the struggle for power will ultimately be won by strength. There is no shortage of opponents among the gentry, and when necessary, the majesty of the court is indispensable."

The night was deep, candlelight flickered in the quiet East Palace, and Zhu Biao was sitting at his desk, reading the memorials submitted by the Gyeonggi Chamber of Commerce. He was focused, his eyes were like torches, and he occasionally annotated a few words with a brush. Suddenly, the guard came to report: "Your Highness, the Fourth Prince wants to see you."

Zhu Biao put down his pen and frowned slightly. Zhu Di had always been at loggerheads with him, and now that he was visiting him late at night, he was afraid that he had bad intentions. He said in a deep voice, "Please come in, fourth brother."

After a while, Zhu Di walked in, wearing a dark blue robe, with a sword at his waist, looking very heroic. With a faint smile on his face, he bowed and said, "Brother, please don't blame me for disturbing you so late at night."

Zhu Biao smiled calmly, stood up and said, "Fourth brother, you came to visit me so late at night, there must be something important. Why not speak directly? Why beat around the bush?"

Zhu Di smiled slightly, his eyes swept across the memorials on Zhu Biao's desk, and he slowly said, "Brother, you have worked hard for the Jingji Chamber of Commerce, which is really admirable. However, the government affairs of the court are complicated, and it is probably difficult to solve the problems of the whole country with the policy of one county alone. Fourth brother specially came to remind you, don't rush."

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Di, a trace of vigilance flashing in his eyes. He said slowly: "Fourth brother, you are too serious. Father has his own decisions on all matters of the court. Since fourth brother cares about the government, why don't you report this directly to father?"

Zhu Di was not in a hurry, and his smile became even wider: "Brother, your words are too polite. Fourth brother is just worried that you are too focused on one thing and ignore other things. I heard that there are some bad rumors circulating in the capital recently. Some people say that the court pays too much attention to merchants and neglects the people."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly and asked, "How come I have never heard of this? Where did you get this information, my fourth brother?"

Zhu Di spread out his hands and said casually: "Don't blame me, big brother. I was just listening to people's gossip. Although the capital is rich, the suffering of the people is more important than the merchants. If you wholeheartedly support the Chamber of Commerce but neglect the people, it will inevitably cause discussion." After he finished speaking, he looked directly at Zhu Biao with a hint of temptation in his eyes.

Zhu Biao said calmly, "Fourth brother, thank you for your reminder. But I don't think I have neglected the people. The Gyeonggi Chamber of Commerce is just established and needs to be improved. It is inevitable that some people will feel resentful. As long as we govern with our heart, time will prove everything."

Zhu Di's mouth curled up slightly, and his smile was more meaningful: "Big brother is indeed broad-minded. In this case, I won't say much. I just want to remind you that people's hearts are hard to predict. It's always good to be more careful in everything."

Zhu Biao looked calm as usual, and said with a folded hand: "Thank you for reminding me. It's late, please go back."

Zhu Di heard this and stood up to say goodbye. When he left, he glanced at the memorial on Zhu Biao's desk, as if thinking about something. When his back disappeared into the night, Zhu Biao felt a little uneasy.

The next morning, Zhu Biao specially summoned Zhu Han and told him everything that happened last night. Zhu Han's face remained calm, but his eyes were deep as water. He said softly: "Biao'er, Zhu Di is a man of deep scheming. He is definitely not making a fuss. The rumors he mentioned are probably spread deliberately by someone."

Zhu Biao frowned and asked, "Uncle, do you mean that these rumors may be related to my fourth brother?"

Zhu Han smiled slightly, and said calmly: "We can't rule out this possibility. He is always good at using someone else's strength to defeat him. If he is the one who started the trouble, we can't just sit there and wait for death."

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and whispered, "Uncle, how should we deal with this?"

Zhu Han's eyes flashed, and he said slowly: "Since he is in the dark, we will lure him out of his hole. Since the rumors are targeting the Chamber of Commerce, you should take this opportunity to hold a public event in the city to let the people and merchants talk face to face. This can not only break the rumors, but also calm people's hearts."

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly: "Uncle, you are right! I will start to arrange it right away." Zhu Biao personally presided over a public opinion meeting called "Voice of the People", inviting the people of the capital, merchants and local officials to gather together. The meeting was held on the square of the south gate of the capital, and hundreds of people gathered early in the morning. It was crowded and lively.

Zhu Biao stood on the high platform, his eyes swept over the crowd below, and he said loudly: "My fellow countrymen, the Gyeonggi Chamber of Commerce has just been established, and many people have doubts. Today, I will discuss with you all. Anything related to people's livelihood can be spoken frankly. I promise here that I will never hide anything and will never avoid anything."

As soon as these words came out, the audience immediately started to talk. An elderly farmer was the first to stand up, his voice hoarse but powerful: "Your Highness, I am a farmer in the southern suburbs. Although the price of grain has stabilized in the past two years, cloth and salt are getting more and more expensive. We farmers still have a hard life!"

Zhu Biao nodded after hearing this and said, "Old man, I have noted your difficulties. The purpose of the Chamber of Commerce is to make the flow of goods smoother and reduce the price increase in the middle. I will personally urge the Chamber of Commerce to discuss this matter with merchants from all over the country and come up with a plan as soon as possible."

Another young blacksmith stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I heard that some merchants are hoarding goods and driving up prices. How can we deal with these people?"

Zhu Biao said in a deep voice: "If this is true, it is a violation of the court's laws. I have ordered the Commercial Taxation Bureau to strengthen inspections. Anyone who hoards goods will be severely punished once they are found to be guilty."

The people in the audience applauded when they heard this. However, a merchant dressed in fancy clothes stood up and said with a slightly dissatisfied tone: "Your Highness, the circulation of goods does need to be clean, but merchants also have their own difficulties. If the court keeps suppressing us, I'm afraid our days will be difficult."

Zhu Biao looked at him, his expression unchanged, but his tone was majestic: "I have never suppressed merchants. The Chamber of Commerce exists to fight for your interests. If you really have difficulties, you can report it through the Chamber of Commerce. But I also want to remind you that merchants must act with conscience. If you only care about your own selfish interests and harm the people, don't blame the court for being merciless."

After hearing this, the merchant nodded repeatedly and dared not say anything more.

The meeting lasted a whole day. Zhu Biao patiently listened to the demands of every citizen, personally recorded the key points, and promised to solve them one by one. When the crowd dispersed and it was almost dusk, Zhu Biao and Zhu Han stood in the empty square, watching the sunset gradually set.

Zhu Biao said softly: "Uncle, although the rumor has been broken today, I still feel that my fourth brother will not give up."

Zhu Han looked deep in his eyes and said slowly, "He won't give up, but you don't have to be afraid of him. As long as you are down-to-earth and take steady steps, that will be the best response to him. Remember, the real winner never wins by conspiracy, but by the people's hearts."

Zhu Di stood quietly by the window, playing with an exquisite jade pendant in his hand, looking out the window with deep eyes.

He had heard about Zhu Biao's "Voice of the People" event in the square. On the surface, this event won the support of the people, but in Zhu Di's view, it was a deliberate display of authority.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has really put a lot of effort into this," Zhu Di whispered to himself, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "But if he walks too fast, he will be exposed."

"Your Highness, do you need to take some action?" the aide beside him asked tentatively.

Zhu Di waved his hand and sneered, "Why rush? The more he stands out, the more likely he will be hated. What I want to do is to push him higher, and when he can't bear it anymore, I will defeat him in one fell swoop."

The aide nodded in agreement and asked in a low voice, "Then where will Your Highness start?"

Zhu Di's eyes turned, and his tone was slow and firm: "From the Chamber of Commerce. Since he is determined to support this organization, I will let it become a stumbling block for him."

A few days later, a rumor suddenly spread in the capital: "The Chamber of Commerce is just a tool of the prince. On the surface, it is for the benefit of the people, but in fact it is secretly collecting money and lining its own pockets." The rumor spread quickly and caused a lot of discussion. Many people in the market began to doubt the original intention of the Chamber of Commerce.

Zhu Biao soon learned the news. He called an emergency meeting of the main members of the Chamber of Commerce to try to find the source of the rumors. A Chamber of Commerce leader stood up, looking terrified: "Your Highness, these rumors are strange, we have no idea who is behind them!"

Zhu Biao's face was heavy, and he asked in a deep voice, "Has there been any mistakes or disputes within the Chamber of Commerce recently?"

Another person in charge quickly replied: "No. We follow all the rules and regulations and have never made any mistakes."

Zhu Han sat quietly by the side, not saying a word. He waited until everyone fell silent before he slowly spoke: "Biao'er, this is not the fault of the Chamber of Commerce. Someone did it deliberately. His target is not the Chamber of Commerce, but you."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, do you mean that it was my fourth brother who did it?"

Zhu Han nodded, his tone calm but full of meaning: "Who else would use such a method except Zhu Di? You have to remember that what he is best at is making others doubt you. Now that the Chamber of Commerce has just established itself, he is stirring up trouble just to make you fall into the quagmire and have no energy to deal with other matters."

Zhu Biao clenched his fists, and a flash of anger flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He whispered, "Uncle, how should we deal with this?"

Zhu Han glanced at him, his eyes showing a hint of relief. "No need to confront him forcefully. If he uses rumors to stir up trouble, you should fight back with facts. Let the Chamber of Commerce take the initiative to disclose its accounts, invite the people to check, and dispel doubts with actions."

Zhu Biao nodded and said in a deep voice: "Uncle, you are right. This time, I want to let my fourth brother know that rumors cannot shake my foundation."

An old man trembled and walked forward. After flipping through a few bills, he looked up and asked, "Your Highness, these numbers are clearly written, but how can we, who are illiterate, understand them?"

Zhu Biao smiled slightly, called an attendant, and asked him to explain one by one to the old man. After the explanation, the old man suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: "Your Highness really cares about the people, this Chamber of Commerce is indeed innocent!"

Seeing this, the people at the scene also came up to ask questions. For a time, the rumor was broken, and the Chamber of Commerce won more support.

Zhu Di stood outside the crowd and watched coldly. His staff whispered, "Your Highness, the prince's response was perfect. Not only did the rumors fail to hurt the Chamber of Commerce, but they helped him win more people's hearts."

Zhu Di had no expression on his face and said coldly: "Don't worry, this is just the beginning. He wants to play fair and square, so I will play with him to the end." (End of this chapter)