Pan Yun indeed leaned more toward Ningbo.
But Ningbo was not far from Hangzhou. As long as it lay within Zhejiang, it would count as an achievement for the Provincial Administration Commission and a good thing for Zhejiang's officials and common people alike.
The terms could be negotiated the same way.
It was only that she was the Imperial Preceptor, and her status made it unsuitable.
Before long, the Emperor's official document arrived at the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission.
The Emperor's document echoed Pan Yun's earlier conversation with them. Sun Yuanzhen pressed the document down and muttered, "Is she truly held in His Majesty's heart, or has His Majesty's heart simply tilted toward her?"
Yang Zan lowered his eyes. "Whichever it is, if it benefits the people, we may make use of it."
Sun Yuanzhen came back to himself and nodded. "Reasonable."
With the imperial will behind him, Sun Yuanzhen had far more confidence in his work.
Just as Pan Yun searched everywhere for capable Daoists without ordination certificates, Sun Yuanzhen and Yang Zan gathered Zhejiang's gentry, landlords, and wealthy merchants from all eleven prefectures to discuss Zhejiang's bid to open a port.
"From the winter month through the end of February this year, the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office collected nearly two hundred thousand taels of silver in tariffs."
Seeing that they were tempted yet hesitant, Sun Yuanzhen continued, "Opening the maritime ban was strongly advocated by the Imperial Preceptor. Even the Omori village silver mine was presented to the Imperial Court by her. This shows how highly she values overseas trade. Because Quanzhou Prefecture has a seaport and the Maritime Trade Office, the Imperial Preceptor visits it several times a year. Since winter, Quanzhou's Prefect, Lu Mingzhe, has been frequently mentioned by His Majesty and has won repeated merits.