The news spread, and Yan Mansion was filled with joy. They had not experienced such merriment since their defeat in Huating.
The officials all believed the Yan family had overcome their slump. The Emperor's reinstatement of Yan Song as Grand Secretary indicated his dissatisfaction with the current stalemate in Lihai.
Gathered in Yan Shifan's study, everyone was in a frenzy.
Yan Maoqing was particularly delighted, exclaiming loudly:
"Little Grand Secretary, that Xu Jie has no troops or horses, he's completely incapable of being Grand Secretary! Look at him, he's barely warmed his seat and he's about to be cooled off! Haha, the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming still has to be the Elder..."
"Precisely, precisely.
"Who can the Great Ming do without, but not the Elder!"
"The Emperor also dislikes the stalemate. That Wu Shi writes such excellent articles!"
"When the Elder returns as Grand Secretary, the first order of business should be to indict Yu Dayou for his crime! For dithering and fearing the enemy!"
"Yes, yes, that's how it should be. Replace everyone in the Fujian-Zhejiang navy, and that firearm camp, too, replace them with our people!"
"Indeed, it's time to set things right!"
"..."
The crowd chattered incessantly.
Yan Shifan also expressed his emotions, saying:
"This Zhu Mo is still too young... He thinks winning on the battlefield is the end of it? Who truly wins the war is ultimately decided by the court. The Great Ming is not that simple! He still wants to reward merit? I tell you, the battles of the Great Ming are not even half won on the battlefield!"
"Yes, yes,
"Precisely, precisely!"
Luo Longwen chimed in, adding:
"If Zhu Mo was afraid of provoking the Franks, then he shouldn't have fought them! Since he did, he should have fought them to the death and captured all the Franks! Now, when it comes down to it, he shrinks back, and it's no wonder the officials call him someone who breeds enemies for his own benefit."
"Indeed!
"Precisely, precisely!"
The more they spoke, the more elated they became, feeling that after being dormant for half a year and repeatedly pressured by Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng, they had finally turned the tide.
Just then,
Someone suddenly asked:
"Where is the Elder? We still need to congratulate him..."
Yan Shifan smiled and said, "No need, no need. We are all family, why congratulate? From now on, tell them to use their brains more, don't believe everything they hear... and don't spread rumors."
Before he finished speaking,
Suddenly, someone from outside shouted, "Little Grand Secretary! There's news!"
With a flourish,
The person who entered was Liu Boyue, the Vice Minister of Works. He bowed to everyone and then leaned in to whisper in Yan Shifan's ear:
"Little Grand Secretary, that great leader of the Wokou, Otomo Sorin, is dead..."
"Ah?"
With a clatter,
Yan Shifan's ivory chopsticks fell to the ground, and he blurted out:
"Dead? How did he die?"
Liu Boyue glanced around, saw no outsiders, and replied:
"Reporting to the Little Grand Secretary, I manage procurement and know a major merchant. This merchant has friends who resell silk in Japan. He returned to the capital yesterday and said that Otomo Sorin's Saga Castle was attacked by Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province on the night of the sixteenth of the fourth month. Sorin, enraged, raised an army, but was ambushed in a canyon. His main forces were annihilated, and his country was destroyed by Oda. Little Grand Secretary, the news is confirmed!"
"Wow!"
The study was immediately filled with panic.
Luo Longwen asked, "Does the court know?"
Liu Boyue replied, "Not yet. Japan is in chaos, and there haven't been any envoys in the capital for over a decade."
Yan Shifan patted his head, worried:
"That's why I felt something was a bit off these past few days..."
Luo Longwen, with his quick mind, immediately thought of something and blurted out, "Little Grand Secretary, Zhu Mo's decision to surround but not attack, did he already know that Otomo Sorin was finished? Were they colluding from the beginning?"
As soon as these words were spoken,
Everyone became solemn—
It seemed that the stalemate in Lihai had many unknown stories behind it...
Yan Shifan's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Go investigate! Old Liu, you manage procurement, say you're procuring fir wood and send more people to Japan to investigate, preferably to find concrete evidence."
...
At the same time,
Hangzhou,
Ci Ren Ancestral Hall.
Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng were unconcerned by the shameless resurgence of the Yan family. These past few days, they had thoroughly investigated the matter of porcelain and were about to focus on porcelain exports.
The official kilns of the Great Ming were mainly in two places: Jingdezhen and Longquan in Quzhou. The difference between civilian and official kilns lay primarily in that official kilns fired "ritual vessels" with strict standards for form, pattern, and so on, with severe hierarchies. Exceeding these was a great crime. Civilian kilns fired daily-use porcelain.
In terms of craftsmanship, official kilns were naturally superior, but their practicality was not very strong. Foreign merchants liked to buy porcelain, but only the practical items fired by official kilns; ritual vessels could not be privately traded. Of course, this was only in name; in reality, there were transactions, but in small quantities, and customs officials would often extort a sum during clearance.
The current problem was that to develop porcelain into another industry, production needed to be increased. The two official kilns could only fire about 150,000 pieces annually, most of which were ritual vessels. There were not many practical or decorative items available for trade.
To sell to foreign merchants, improvements in craftsmanship and artistic value were needed, and more practical and decorative items had to be fired. The quantity would need to be over 100,000 pieces, otherwise, the endeavor would be meaningless.
After discussing for a long time, Zhang Juzheng could not think of a good solution and sighed:
"Zi Xuan, this is a path to wealth. I've personally heard foreign merchants talk about porcelain, complaining about the insufficient quantity... But civilian kilns only fire those jars and pots, which foreign merchants are unwilling to buy..."
Zhu Mo was also pondering. Porcelain was a high-class item, and he hadn't really understood it before. After looking at the information provided by Zhang Siwei and others, he thought for a while and said:
"In my opinion, civilian kilns can also be used for firing! The official kilns are limited, and even if they want to fire more, they can't fire too much. If civilian kilns are not brought in, it will be difficult... We should take a two-pronged approach. Official kilns can continue to expand, and the good ones among civilian kilns can also fire a portion. What do you think?"
Zhang Juzheng's thinking was always meticulous. He felt that while this method sounded good at first glance, its actual execution seemed a bit problematic. He replied:
"Can civilian kilns reach this level? That remains to be seen... The official kilns need to expand, I think that's feasible, by establishing more in Jingdezhen... Also, since it's the Great Ming's official porcelain industry, the ritual vessels must be separated... Zi Xuan, this matter is very troublesome, we must be careful. When the civilian kilns and artisans are brought in, tell them to be aware of these things..."
"Precisely, precisely,
Zhu Mo naturally understood: once the Yan family seized on any loophole and claimed civilian kilns had transgressed ritualistic norms, it would be an unforgivable capital offense. Since civilian kilns were to be involved, they needed to be clearly informed of these dangers. Otherwise, they would be accused of being tricked later.
As the two were discussing, a gatekeeper suddenly rushed in and whispered in Zhu Mo's ear:
"Grand Scholar Zhu, a merchant named Wang Ruxian is here to visit..."