"Your Majesty, is there any good news from Governor Hu?"
Seeing that Jiajing was in a good mood, Lu Fang immediately stepped forward and asked.
"Yeah, see for yourself!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, he handed the memorial in his hand to Lu Fang and said slowly.
Lu Fang took the memorial respectfully. After he finished browsing the contents, a smile appeared on his face and he quickly said respectfully.
"My slave, congratulations to Your Majesty. This will speed up the progress of the imperial court's attack on Japan."
When Jiajing heard this, he held his chin and fell into thinking. After a long time, Jiajing came back to his senses and gave instructions to Lu Fang.
"Bring me a pen and paper, I want to write a letter to Hu Zongxian myself!"
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Lu Fang moved very quickly and quickly ordered his eunuchs to prepare all the papers and pens.
Afterwards, Jiajing came to the desk, spread out his pen and paper, and began to write a letter.
"Hu Aiqing, I am already aware of what you said in your letter. Regarding the dispatch of officials from the Maritime Trade Department to manage the port, I have made a decision in my mind and will be able to formally implement it soon."
"Those Japanese pirates must be strictly monitored and cannot be taken lightly to prevent them from affecting the stability of the southeastern coastal area. When the time comes, whether it is a lack of money or a lack of people, just tell me and I will give you strong support."
"In addition, I plan to temporarily set up an agency specifically to manage this group of Japanese pirates, and let these Japanese pirates work for me, the Ming Dynasty, to collect intelligence. I plan to leave this matter to you."
"Don't worry, I will send Jin Yiwei to assist you. As for those Japanese pirates who are unwilling to work for the Ming Dynasty, just follow the past practice and kill them!"
When the last word fell, Jiajing breathed a sigh of relief. After the ink on the paper dried, he immediately called Lu Fang and gave instructions.
"Give this letter to Hu Zongxian!"
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Lu Fang bowed slightly and responded.
…
On the other side, Gao Gong dragged his tired body back home after his shift. Just when he was about to have a good sleep, the housekeeper opened the door and entered, respectfully reporting.
"Master, here is a letter sent specifically to you!"
An impatient look appeared on Gao Gong's face, he waved his hand and said so.
"Take it, take it. There are so many people writing to me every day. Do I have to read every one?"
Seeing this situation, a look of hesitation appeared on the steward's face, and soon he summoned up the courage to continue.
"But sir, this is a letter sent to you by the person you promoted earlier, Quanzhou Magistrate Yang Zongtai!"
After hearing this, Gao Gong thought about it for a long time, and then he remembered Yang Zongtai. Then he took the envelope and gave instructions.
"Well, I understand, you go down first."
"Yes, sir."
The steward heard this and immediately responded.
As for why the housekeeper is so dedicated, the reason is simple. Who would have trouble with Yinzi?
After the housekeeper left, Gao Gong came to sit down at the desk, opened the envelope, and began to read the contents carefully, only to see what was written above.
"Mr. Gao Ge, I am serving Yang Zongtai, the magistrate of Quanzhou. I have the temerity to make trouble this time. I hope that Mr. Ge will not blame you!"
"Since the official opening of Quanzhou Port, the number of ships coming and going in the port every day has increased, and local people have also found work. The local situation in Quanzhou has also gotten better day by day!"
"However, as trade becomes more and more prosperous, problems are gradually exposed, that is, the disputes between the trading parties are getting more and more serious!"
"The previous notice issued by the imperial court was to put Xiaguan in charge of the maritime trade affairs for the time being. However, Xianguan is really incapable of taking care of all the matters at the same time. Therefore, I sincerely ask Mr. Gao Ge to dispatch special officials to handle matters arising from maritime trade. disputes."
"In this way, it will not only be conducive to the development of maritime trade, but also effectively protect the interests of our Ming merchants!"
After Gao Gong read the contents of the letter word for word, all the resentment in his heart about being disturbed had dissipated, and he began to think about the feasibility of it.
"This Yang Zongtai is a useful talent!"
"At that time, officials from the Maritime Trade Department will be dispatched to the ports that have been opened to handle corresponding matters."
"And sea trade is something that His Majesty attaches great importance to. In this way, the power in my hands will also be greatly increased!"
"It's better to wait until the next cabinet meeting to formally mention it to His Majesty."
Gao Gong thought so, put the letter in his hand aside, immediately spread out the pen and paper, and began to write a reply.
"I have received the letter and will discuss this matter at the cabinet meeting. There will be a result soon!"
"in addition……"
…
Late at night, Yan Mansion.
At this moment, the waiting room of Yan Mansion was already crowded with officials of all sizes, and they were all waiting for Yan Song to come out and give them an explanation.
Yan Maoqing, Luo Longwen, and Zhang Runde were also among them. The expressions on their faces were the same as those of many officials present, and they were all frightened and uneasy.
In the waiting room, officials in twos and threes gathered together to exchange the news they had received, but judging from the expressions on their faces and the content of their conversations, the situation was not optimistic.
Seeing this situation, Yan Maoqing sighed helplessly, with a sad look on his face.
"Oh, what will we do if this continues!"
Zhang Runde on the side glanced at Yan Maoqing and said rather disdainfully.
"What are you afraid of? There are still so many of us. With Yan Ge always here, everything will be fine!"
Just when Luo Longwen was about to interrupt, he saw Yan Shifan supporting Yan Song and entering the waiting room.
Seeing this situation, many officials in the waiting room fell silent.
Silently watching the eighty-one-year-old man, he hunched his body and sat tremblingly at the top.
"Old Yan Ge!"
Many officials present seemed to have found a backbone and immediately spoke in unison.
Yan Song didn't respond at all to this. After looking around, he slowly said.
"I know why you came here so late. It's just to see if I, an old man, can hold on!"
"Before this, some of you must have secretly contacted Qingliu, right?"
After Yan Song finished speaking, his eyes immediately fell on the officials in the corner. The meaning of his words was self-evident.
Seeing this, the officials suddenly turned pale, and their bodies began to tremble slightly due to too much fear. Then they suddenly fell to their knees on the ground, begging Yan Song for forgiveness.
"Mr. Yan Ge, we have no choice but to do it. It was Qingliu and his group who took the initiative to find..."
But before they could explain the cause of the matter clearly, the anger of many officials at the scene could no longer be suppressed.
After noticing the anger of many former colleagues at the scene, the officials panicked and explained loudly.
"Whatever you want to do, we can't force you to..."
"Damn, traitor!"
Before they could finish their words, Zhang Runde, the Minister of Punishment, shouted and threw one of the officials to the ground. After controlling him tightly, he immediately started punching and kicking him to vent his anger.
The official who was pushed to the ground by Zhang Runde was not to be outdone and resisted crazily. Seeing this, Luo Longwen on the side immediately rolled up his sleeves and joined in. For a while, screams could not be heard.
The remaining officials were frightened when they saw this, and just stayed there, not daring to make any move.
Yan Song, who was sitting at the top, saw that the fire was almost done and immediately ordered.
"Okay, let's stop here!"
(End of chapter)
