Gao Hanwen cleared his throat and said:
"Your student believes that the recent floods in the nine counties of Jiangnan have submerged most of the fertile land, leaving the disaster victims in dire straits. Furthermore, the mulberry leaves produced by the mulberry fields are far from sufficient for the needs of the Weaving Bureau, and the silk business is likely to fail. If this continues, our finances will become increasingly precarious, making it even harder to suppress the Wokou..."
When he mentioned the floods in the nine counties, everyone present suddenly held their breath. They all tried their best to appear genuinely convinced, and no one dared to look at Yan Song and his son. Yan Shifan, in particular, looked full of worry, completely forgetting that he was the one responsible for the incident...
"Ahem... Therefore, your student previously submitted the 'Change Paddy to Mulberry' strategy. The wealthy households would buy the disaster-stricken land from the victims and switch to planting mulberry saplings. By August this year, mulberry leaves would be produced, allowing the Weaving Bureau to weave silk. And with the money, the disaster victims would naturally be able to survive the catastrophe. At the same time, they could rent the mulberry fields purchased by the wealthy households, thus securing a livelihood for themselves in the future."
"Your student has calculated that the mulberry leaves produced per mu of mulberry field, converted into silver, yield two to three percent more income than paddy fields... The common people have not suffered any losses... This is what your student calls changing paddy to mulberry, and resolving the dilemma... Fellow colleagues, what are your thoughts on my strategy? Please speak your minds freely!"
Having said that, Gao Hanwen looked quite pleased with himself.
...
No guts, no glory.
If you don't have the capacity, don't take on such a heavy burden!
Zhu Mo's mind suddenly produced this sentence. Looking at Yan Shifan's smug smile at that moment, he knew for sure: this matter was indeed a trap set by them, luring a righteous Hanlin scholar into the game, precisely to cover up the destruction of the dikes and flooding of the fields. This would allow them to operate behind the scenes, engage in corruption and embezzlement, and in the end, the Yan family would be satisfied, while he would be framed. And this scholar remained completely oblivious!
Moreover, how many common people were displaced by Gao Hanwen's strategy? Many commoners were ruined and became hereditary slaves!
However, Gao Hanwen's words, at least on the surface, sounded quite reasonable. Therefore, many scholars showed admiration. Especially seeing Yan Shifan nod repeatedly, they all began to praise him—
"Brother Mo Qing, your insights are truly profound!"
"How could it not be profound when pointed out by the Junior Grand Secretary?"
"Your student agrees!"
"Seconded!"
"..."
The scholars praised him unanimously, and not a single one raised any objections.
Zhu Mo, standing at the very back, also noticed that Yan Shifan was intentionally or unintentionally stealing glances at him, and then occasionally whispering to Yan Song.
"Heh, it seems these father and son want to trick me?"
"I'm not that foolish!"
"If I go to Jiangnan, it will be full of your father and son's people. Even if I had nine lives, I'd lose them all... Besides, Hai Rui down there is already causing trouble. Why should I go? Without a powerful backer, whoever goes will die. In fact, even with a backer, I shouldn't go. It might turn into a showdown..."
He recalled the fate of Wang Shizhen and his son whom he had met yesterday, and deeply felt that disaster comes from speaking carelessly. After a moment of thought, he decided to remain silent for now and let the situation unfold.
Furthermore, with the system now integrating information from this era, his understanding of the situation in Jiangnan surpassed his previous knowledge. He knew that the region was a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, even more dangerous than he had initially imagined. If he had a military system, he could rely on brute force to fight his way out. But this Destiny Dynasty system was essentially an intelligence think tank for governance. What use could it possibly be?
Moreover, his current assessment of Gao Hanwen's strategy was also extraordinary, displaying:
[Candidate Process: Reduce labor and land costs for primary processing industries]
[Feasibility 40%, Risk Index 80%;]
[Consequence Assessment: Catastrophic;]
[Recommendation: Eliminate]
Zhu Mo couldn't help but shake his head: even the system didn't consider it disaster relief, so why bother with the fuss? This was clearly land grabbing. If you truly saved the disaster victims, where would they find tenant laborers?
Yan Shifan listened to the other scholars babbling and kept his eyes on Zhu Mo. Half an hour passed in a flash, but this young man remained as silent as a clay figurine...
"This fellow... he's not foolish after all..."
Yan Song had the same thought. Since the fish wasn't biting, they would wait a little longer. Thus, he spoke:
"It can be seen that the scholars have put in effort... This matter is also a difficult problem for us in the Grand Secretariat. It's not important if you can't come up with an idea, but it's crucial to think... Elder Xu, in my humble opinion, shall we adjourn today? Everyone should go back and think, and tomorrow we will still be here. Everyone must present their own strategies and not just blindly praise..."
He was usually authoritative, and his words were decisive. Under his accumulated prestige, who among these Hanlin scholars would dare to disobey? They immediately lowered their heads and said:
"Yes. Your student understands..."
...
The next day,
Some scholars did present their strategies. Wang Yong, with whom he had a good relationship, proposed a "work-relief" method, suggesting that the disaster victims help repair dikes and dredge rivers, which would also earn them some compensation and prevent them from selling their land to survive this year.
This method was quite good, and the system gave it a much higher score than "change paddy to mulberry." However, Yan Song and Yan Shifan paid no attention and continued to pressure Zhu Mo.
As for Zhu Mo, he still smiled and remained silent, appearing incredibly composed.
Yan Shifan impatiently said, "Zhu Mo, you are a great talent appreciated by Elder Xu. Why are you not thinking of contributing to the court? By hiding and being evasive, are you perhaps waiting for a spectacular debut?"
Xu Jie was startled by this remark and then coughed dryly, thinking: This person's origins are unknown. Who knows what kind of person he is? In such a situation, speaking up will only lead to trouble...
He, who was always adept at discreet survival, smiled slightly but remained silent.
Yan Song shook his head and had no choice but to pause the discussion again.
...
Today's meeting ended in the afternoon.
The weather was clear and crisp, but Zhu Mo's mood was quite bad. Just as he was about to go for a walk in the suburbs to relax, he unexpectedly encountered Wu Feng, who was like an invisible person, suddenly appearing before him in the crowd.
"Young master, the Daoist master from before misses you dearly. I wonder if you could spare some time for a chat?" https:/
Oh?
Zhu Mo remembered that day's conversation was very enjoyable, and he had also grown tired of listening to the scholars' strategies these past two days. He immediately returned to the Feixuan Palace.
The old Daoist was still sitting under the purple bamboo, but in a different position, while Li San was preparing tea.
"Oh, young master Zhu is here..."
Li San quickly greeted him with a smile and led Zhu Mo to sit on a stone stool to the old Daoist's right.
The old Daoist's eyes also held unconcealed concern and joy. He smiled and said, "It's rare, it's rare for young master Zhu to come and accompany us two old fellows..."
Zhu Mo noticed at this time: the very unique sense of desolation on the old Daoist's face had faded considerably, but the sense of沧桑 (cāngsāng - vicissitudes of life) had become much more profound. However, his spirit was still good, and his smiles were very sincere...
He had no friends in this stern and cold late Ming dynasty, and he felt that these two elders treated him very well. A warmth suddenly surged in his heart, and he blurted out a smile: "Old Daoist, Master Li San, it's also rare that you still remember me..."
...
The three were reunited, having become much more familiar with each other, and the atmosphere was even warmer, allowing for more casual conversation. But after a short chat, Zhu Mo remembered Wang Shizhen's affairs and couldn't help but ask:
"Something strange happened in the capital yesterday. Have you heard about it? There was a person named Wang Shizhen, who escorted a coffin out of the capital, singing loudly, weeping bitterly, and shouting injustice to the heavens. The common people were terrified..."
The old Daoist and Li San had already received secret reports from the Imperial Guards and were naturally well aware of the situation.
The secret report stated that Wang Yu had died violently in the Ministry of Justice prison. Wang Shizhen had slandered the court because of this, and Yan Shifan had already proposed to arrest him. Xu Jie and others had blocked it. That night, Xu Jie personally went to Wang Shizhen's residence and advised him to leave the capital to observe mourning, and they talked until late into the night.
Such incidents had occurred many times in recent years.
The old Daoist merely felt a bit of pity for Wang Shizhen, as he was the most renowned literary scholar of this dynasty, yet met such an end. Therefore, he ordered the Imperial Guards to protect him secretly. It was precisely because of this that Wang Shizhen, who had wailed publicly yesterday and caused a stir, was not arrested by Yan Shifan...