If You Can't Plunder the People, You Must Plunder the Merchants: Shen Yishi's Fate

But in front of Jiajing, everyone was as obedient as a pet. Although they would act recklessly when their master was not around, they were all trembling with fear whenever their master was around.

All of this was predicated on the fact that Jiajing was smarter than all his ministers. Although a monarch doesn't necessarily have to be superior to his ministers in every aspect, in reality, all monarchs hope to be smarter than their ministers, because only in this way can they consolidate their power as much as possible and realize their ambitions.

This knowledge will become public knowledge a year from now, once Chen Qi finishes filming the series. At that time, these ministers and officials will learn it gradually on their own. What they need to do is seize this year and try their best to learn from Emperor Jiajing and find ways to consolidate their power.

For example, in the scene before these emperors, Yan Shifan was severely reprimanded by Jiajing, who also made it clear that since Jiajing himself did not want to bear the infamy, then Yan Song and Yan Shifan had to bear it.

Yan Shifan readily agreed, but he was indignant. Yan Song was equally angry, but he was even more furious that his daughter's haphazard arrangement of people had led to such a consequence.

He knew that Yan Faction was heading into an abyss, but his daughter was completely unaware of this, even saying that she was "protecting him from the storm."

This remark completely enraged Yan Song, played by the Rat King. In the pouring rain, the man who always doted on his daughter, for the first time, knocked over the umbrella his daughter had been holding for him, and roared at Yan Shifan, played by Lin Yuxia:

"Let me tell you, in the Great Yan Dynasty, only one person can truly control the weather, and that is the Emperor!"

"Only one person can shelter me from the wind and rain, and that's me! Not you!"

"Neither you nor any of the people you employ can shield me from the storm! They're all just inviting trouble!"

"I have shielded you from the storms the Emperor has summoned for twenty years... but no one can shield you from the storms you have brought upon yourselves!"

"Even in foreign countries, such heinous crimes would only result in the execution of the entire family! Only in our Great Yan can ten generations be exterminated!"

"He's afraid." Looking at Yan Song's expression in the drama, Theresia quickly analyzed his emotions, realizing they were more of a mixture of panic and fear. Having understood this, Theresia continued:

"He's afraid his daughter's actions will lead to a crime he can't bear even if he dies, and he's so panicked because his daughter hasn't grasped the situation."

"--To be honest, Yan Shifan still hasn't figured it out at all." Theresis nodded and immediately responded to her sister, saying:

"Yan Shifan always believed that Jiajing and the Great Yan Dynasty couldn't do without their Yan Faction, simply because they could make money; in reality, Yan Song had seen it all very clearly. Their Yan Faction had always existed only because Jiajing needed them to make money, balance the Purists, and take the blame."

"The emperor treated Yan Faction as a tool, yet made those tools feel that their master couldn't live without them... Is that a tragedy?"

However, this tactic seems to be applicable to the Royal Court? Theresis narrowed her eyes as she watched this scene, a new idea forming in her mind.

Today, the power of the Royal Court and its princes is indeed an indispensable force for Kazdel. For Theresis, the Royal Court is more important than the Yan Faction; they hold the vast majority of Kazdel's fighting force, the last bloodline that will be at the forefront of future restoration.

However, the power of the Royal Court became a major threat after Kazdel's restoration. The power held by the kings of the Royal Court was simply too great, and they now obeyed him only because his decisions could allow the Sarkaz to regain their dignity.

With Kazdel's restoration now in full swing, the kings of the Royal Court have clearly sensed this and are beginning to show their own "weight," finding various reasons to reject and evade the many proposals and post-restoration strategies put forward by Theresis.

"I just didn't expect that the one who ultimately chose to stand firmly with us would be the Bloodborne Archon, whom I initially thought was the most stubborn..."

Thinking about this, Theresis felt that fate was playing tricks on her. The Bloodborne Archon was willing to come to Londinium because he was a staunch advocate of Sarkaz supremacy and a representative of the old guard, and he came to supervise Theresis and the others' progress in Londinium. However, by a twist of fate, the Bloodborne Archon actually became one of the Royal Court that supported Theresis.

No, rather, he chose to support Theresis in order to safeguard the status and power of his own Royal Court. Although the Bloodborne Archon remained conservative, this gave Theresis a completely new perspective.

"Could I... also attempt to divide the Royal Court in two, allowing the various princes to check and balance each other, and let them fight amongst themselves?"

"Perhaps it's difficult to turn all the princes of the Royal Court into my supporters in a short time, but we can take it step by step, first dividing them among ourselves. After all, the princes of the Royal Court are not of one mind to begin with."

"--We must not shake the kings too quickly; now is not the time to think about internal strife." Theresia heard her brother mutter to himself. Now, in everyone's eyes, his "recovery" was quite good; she could now stay conscious for about a third of the day.

"But even if we don't want internal strife, we must be prepared to avoid our power being usurped." Theresia slowly added that last sentence, and Theresis smiled quietly, immediately replying:

"It seems we'll have to have the Bloodborne Archon probe the attitudes of the other Royal Court for us..."

Returning to the drama, Yan Faction's faction has now confirmed that the purchase of land from disaster victims by the Weaving Bureau in Zhe City was not orchestrated by someone else, but rather the work of Zheng and He themselves. Everything they did was to accelerate the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields, hoping to "cover up a hundred uglinesses with one good deed."

However, they didn't expect that the emperor wanted money, but he wanted face even more. Their presumptuous act of slander would certainly not be tolerated.

"If anyone tries to buy land under the guise of the Weaving Bureau, arrest them all."

"Also, we can't buy all the land from the disaster victims; we should also buy land from counties that weren't affected by the disaster. The land price can't be too low, or it could easily incite a popular uprising."

Now that things have come to this point, Yan Song understands that they must abandon their plan to profit from the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields. Money can be made, but money that could lead to execution is absolutely out of the question.

So, after all that back and forth, everyone ended up following Hu Zongxian's proposal, which was supposed to be people-oriented from the beginning. If they had just considered the people's needs from the start, the people of Zhe City wouldn't have had to suffer so much unnecessary disaster.

"What if those big land buyers aren't willing to pay this high price?"

"Then let the government intervene and suppress it."

At this moment, Yan Song finally revealed his shrewdness and ability to make crucial choices. He was afraid of inciting the people to revolt, but he was never afraid of inciting the merchants to revolt.

"Historically, it's always the farmers who rebel; I've never heard of merchants causing such a ruckus."

However, all of this was just as Yan Song had predicted. In Zhe City, Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, finally faced off against Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor. Hai Rui was determined to take down Shen Yishi, who was using the name of the Weaving Bureau to buy land. He absolutely could not allow these people to tarnish the reputation of the court and the Emperor, nor could he allow them to lower prices and buy up the land of disaster victims.

Faced with Shen Yishi, who was wearing a sixth-rank official robe but not the robe, instead dressed in luxurious silk, Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, used the clothing alone to leave Shen Yishi speechless.

"The ancestral precepts of the Great Yan stipulate that merchants are forbidden from wearing Dalbergia cochinchinensis silk."

"If you're a proper official, change into your official robes immediately. If you're a businessman, change into plain clothes immediately."

"You're using the banner of the Weaving Bureau and the palace to sell off the land of disaster victims at rock-bottom prices. You're slandering the court in an attempt to incite a popular uprising! If you don official robes, I'll submit a memorial impeaching the Weaving Bureau; if you change into common clothes, then you're using commerce to disrupt politics! I'll have you arrested immediately!"

However, to Hai Rui's and everyone's surprise, just as Hai Rui was arguing his case and trying to end this drama of smearing the court, he saw the Emperor smile contemptuously and then say:

"So that's what it was about... Someone, please put down the notice under the lantern."

As the Emperor finished speaking, suddenly, under the lantern bearing the words "Weaving Bureau," two invitations slowly descended, bearing the four large characters. "By Imperial Decree, Disaster Relief!"

In an instant, everyone was dumbfounded. No one could have imagined that the scene of the imperial court selling off disaster-stricken land at a low price would suddenly turn into the imperial court providing disaster relief. And the grain used to buy the land would also become the grain used for disaster relief.

Now, the attempt to smear the emperor has completely disappeared; instead, it has become an act of glorifying the emperor.

In the drama, Hai Rui, played by Chen Huijie, was stunned for the first time. The high-ranking officials from various countries who witnessed this scene were also stunned. They never expected that such a settled matter could be reversed, and in such an unexpected way.

"--He's putting himself in a do-or-die situation; he's trying to avoid disaster by spending money."

At that moment, after a brief moment of confusion, Theresis immediately understood Shen Yishi's intention in the play, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised by the shrewdness of this small businessman in the play.

"As expected, Director Chen Qi was right... There isn't a single fool in this drama." Theresia smiled upon hearing this, her eyes fixed on the screen, before continuing after a long pause:

"Everyone here is doing their best to survive. We should thank him for showing us the cruelest side of politics, so we can be mentally prepared for the future."

What kind of mental preparation? It's the preparation that after Kazdel is restored, they will have to compete for power with the kings of the Royal Court, and everyone will be prepared to use every means to prevent their power from being usurped.

Neither Theresia nor Theresis intended to lose. Their initial split had divided the kings into two factions, and now there were still two factions, but this time the brother and sister had joined forces to deal with everyone in the Royal Court.

PS: Chapter 3 today! (I woke up and it was almost 8:30, sob sob sob, so sleepy, but I have to start writing right after waking up... collapses)

Volume 1: Chapter 306: If they cannot plunder the people, they will plunder the merchants; the fate of Shen Yishi.

"To lose money and avoid disaster, that's a good idea... It's just a pity that if it were the prosperous Great Yan, he might have escaped this calamity, but since the national treasury is empty, his crime of being a merchant who interferes in politics is likely to be firmly established."

However, Theresis and her group were always a step behind Chen Qi in terms of their situation. They thought that Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor, could escape death using this method, but in the current scene being filmed by Chen Qi, Shen Yishi was already doomed.

The reason is just as Wei Yenwu said. He has just finished a play in which the Emperor Jiajing was told that Shen Yishi was furious.

The reason is simple: so many civil and military officials of the Great Yan Dynasty were actually tricked by a merchant, and among those tricked was even Jiajing himself. For a merchant at the very bottom of society to dare to trick the emperor, he was truly courting death.

More importantly, Shen Yishi has now used the grain originally intended for buying disaster-stricken fields for disaster relief, which means that the imperial court's policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields is temporarily unable to be implemented. At present, the national treasury needs money to support Hu Zongxian's encirclement and suppression of the Church of the Deep in the Higashi and the Seaborn, which is naturally urgent.

On this point, Jiajing and Yan Song were in complete agreement. "If we cannot plunder from the people, we must plunder from the merchants." The national treasury desperately needed money to support the front lines, and the disaster victims had been temporarily appeased; therefore, the only option was to target wealthy merchants.

So who is the first choice? It's Shen Yishi, of course. Who can blame him for possessing the conditions to "use business to disrupt politics"?

In the drama, Jiajing immediately convened a meeting with everyone in the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial. After reprimanding Prince Yu, Yan Song, and Lü Fang one by one, Lü Fang, played by Lee, was the first to react and immediately made a statement:

"Anyone who uses the imperial court's name to engage in business for personal gain is interfering with politics through commerce, and has nothing to do with the Weaving Bureau!"

"The Grand Secretariat should investigate this person and arrest him immediately! This year, even if it means death, we must produce 500,000 bolts of silk to sell to Western countries to raise funds for the army and supply the front lines in a timely manner. If this delays Hu Zongxian's campaign against Gouwu and Seaborn, the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat will be held jointly accountable!"

Alright, Jiajing received a satisfactory answer and left contentedly. While Jiajing returned to his hermitage to continue his cultivation, Yan Song, played by the Rat King, immediately made a decision:

"Immediately send a 600-li express courier service to Zhe City, confiscate the property of that Shen Yishi! Procure grain and recruit soldiers for Hu Zongxian!"

At this point, confiscating Shen Yishi's property and using it as military funds was a done deal. And the next scene would be the final scene for Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor.

"So, Your the Emperor, are you ready? This is your final scene, so you'd better give it your best." Chen Qi was also preparing for the Emperor's final scene. As the first important character to die in the entire series, Shen Yishi's influence extended to the whole plot even after his death, so he naturally had to make a grand entrance.

"Ready? It's just dying, isn't it? It's not like it's my first time dying." The Emperor's voice came immediately. After receiving the response, Chen Qi checked the condition of each of the main actors again before starting the filming of what was arguably the most complex scene in the entire series.

The chain reaction in the previous dozen or so episodes mobilized almost all the prominent figures in Zhe City. However, each link was interconnected, and most people had no idea what was happening. But in this episode, a conversation between Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor, and Yang Jinshui, played by Mr. Nothing, helped everyone clarify the ins and outs of everything that happened in Zhe City.

Mr. Nothing plays Yang Jinshui, questions Shen Yishi about why he and Zheng He had kept secret the fact that Shen Yishi had conspired to commit so many treasonous acts, including using a honey trap, colluding with Seaborn, and officially buying land. At this moment, Shen Yishi, who plays the Emperor, finally reveals his true feelings.

"So that we can get out unscathed."

At this moment, Yang Jinshui and everyone watching on screen realized that Shen Yishi had already guessed the chaotic situation within the court. Gao Hanwen, as Yan Shifan's man, should have encouraged them to buy the disaster-stricken land at a low price, but instead, he sided with Prince Yu.

Having lost their only support, Zheng and He conspired with him to use a honey trap and collude with the Church of the Deep in order to protect themselves. They pushed all three people recommended by the Junior Grand Secretary and Prince Yu to the forefront of the incident, and even dragged the Weaving Bureau into it.

"That way, they can hide in the back, and even if the sky falls one day, it won't hit them."

"Now that you've already dealt with Gao Hanwen, why is the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields still not going through?" Yang Jinshui, played by Mr. Nothing, gradually understood the current situation. He was surprised to find that he didn't even have the same level of understanding of the situation as a businessman, and his hostility lessened somewhat.

Faced with the question of Mr. Nothing, the Emperor couldn't help but sigh and say, "Because the people on Prince Yu's side are even more powerful."

"I don't know where they got this Hai Rui from, but he came out all fired up. In court, he suddenly started defending Gao Hanwen and even brought up the matter of destroying the dike and flooding the fields. He was so ruthless that Zheng Michang and He Maocai were at a loss."

"--So, that's why they orchestrated this whole conspiracy with the Church of the Deep, and even forced Hai Rui to take the lead? And then they let you use the Weaving Bureau's name to buy land, forcing the Weaving Bureau to take the lead as well?"

Now, Yang Jinshui, played by Mr. Nothing, and everyone else have finally understood why things have escalated so much. Ultimately, in order to protect themselves, Zheng and He have no choice but to drag the matter into the palace and the emperor.

After all, the court and the emperor would never accept the stigma of the government leading the exploitation of the people. Even Hai Rui and his two associates knew that the court could not be tainted by this stigma. Therefore, only by involving the court and creating a situation where no one dared to oppose it could they protect themselves in a "business as usual" manner.

As for why he concealed the fact that the grain intended for buying land was being used for disaster relief from Yang Jinshui, Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor, replied, "I did this so that the court would know that everything they did was done behind Lord Yang's back."

"Think about it carefully. In order to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields, they first destroyed dikes and flooded the fields, and then they fabricated a major case involving collusion with the Church of the Deep. Things have escalated to this point; sooner or later, the two factions in the court will have to fight to the death."

"By then, the more you understand, the more indebted you will be."

As for Yang Jinshui himself, he had previously submitted a memorial to the emperor regarding Shen Yishi's use of the Weaving Bureau's name to buy land. Now that the grain intended for the land purchase had been converted into disaster relief, Yang Jinshui's memorial sent the emperor the wrong message.

While the false information might earn Yang Jinshui a few reprimands, it would only further prove his ignorance of the whole affair. If he remained unaware, the Emperor would see no possibility that Yang Jinshui had been involved in so many troublesome matters.

The character Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor, explained all his actions, all the behaviors that everyone didn't understand and thought were strange, and now everything became clear.

"Unexpectedly... a businessman actually has the most insightful understanding of the situation?" Talulah, who was sitting with everyone, was completely dumbfounded. Although she had read the script and participated in the entire filming process, she was still completely confused about why so many things had happened.

Talulah's feelings at this moment were also the first reaction of many people in the crew. In their view, they had no idea why things were getting out of hand. They only saw the two characters played by Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu constantly plotting and scheming to persecute Gao Hanwen, Hai Rui and others, as if getting rid of them would make everything easier.

"I originally thought he was just trying to avoid further trouble by spending money since the situation was hopeless... I didn't expect him to actually help Yang Jinshui. But why? Was it just so Yang Jinshui could save his life in a critical moment?"

Chen Huijie was also surprised that Shen Yishi had thought so much, but her new question was quickly answered.

Shen Yishi helped Yang Jinshui not only to save his own life, but also to save another person— Yun Niang.

In the story, Yun Niang is a courtesan who was redeemed by Shen Yishi and given to Yang Jinshui as a servant. She is also the one who uses her beauty to lure Gao Hanwen into a trap.

Incidentally, the beautiful woman who plays "Yun Niang" is not part of Chen Qi's production team, nor is she even from the palace. She is a woman specially found by Zuo Xuanliao, and Zuo Le even knows her.

It's a rather cliché story, but this woman was someone Zuo Le rescued from robbers when he passed through the village. She was someone who clearly had feelings for Zuo Le, a feeling akin to the "suspension bridge effect," and Zuo Le therefore refused to consider this a romantic relationship.

Now, Zuo Xuanliao has heard about this matter from somewhere and brought the woman with him to play the important role of "Yun Niang".

In the drama, Shen Yishi wants to protect Yun Niang by having Yang Jinshui recognize her as his goddaughter. If that doesn't work, he plans to prepare a dowry and have her marry Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le.

"Yun Niang is a proud person. She felt resentful being with me." This is how Shen Yishi, played by the Emperor, explained his decision to give away the woman he bought to someone else. Clearly, he knew his time was coming to an end, and saving Yun Niang was the last thing he could do for himself.

"Alright! That take is done—now, Xi, please transport everyone into the scroll world, then set that house on fire. The Emperor, prepare your final shot!"

After this scene, Chen Qi immediately gave an order, and with Xi's movements, the Emperor was quickly teleported into the world of the painting. His official robes instantly changed into a white robe.

Behind the Emperor was a mansion engulfed in flames, and in front of him was a drum, the only drum that Shen Yishi could use to vent all his emotions at this moment.

Slowly, in front of the camera, the Emperor raised the drumstick in his hand and began to beat the drum. With each beat, everyone could hear a force as powerful as a howling storm, attempting to tear apart a pine tree.

The Emperor could understand the grief and indignation in the heart of Shen Yishi, the character he portrayed. Despite being a genius, he could only become a merchant at the mercy of officials. Even though he could see through the situation in the court, he could not escape the fate of having his family's property confiscated.

All he could do was throw himself into the flames, using the fire to prove his resistance, his last shred of conscience, and burn his body to condemn those corrupt officials who treated human life as worthless.

And what he left behind after that was a final curse on those corrupt officials, and a final poem.

"Neither a marquis nor a king, a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen return to Mount Mang. The cunning rabbit dies, the good bow is put away; after me, you are wounded again. A song of Guangling Melody, to be played again for Yun Niang."

"... This is a condemnation of those greedy officials, as well as Jiajing himself, and also a lament for his own fate as a 'cunning rabbit'."

At this moment, Wei Yenwu watched the Emperor walk towards the sea of fire. With the end of this scene, all of the Emperor's scenes came to a complete end. While sighing, Wei Yenwu couldn't help but ask Chen Qi, who was not far away:

"Kid, what do you think was the final curse Shen Yishi left behind?"

"--It's the ledger." At this moment, Chen Qi, whose scene had been completely filmed, finally revealed Shen Yishi's last trick, adding to Wei Yenwu:

"A detailed ledger documenting his wealth, all the bribes he received, and the sources of his wealth, once released, would bring utter ruin to everyone involved."

"... But, once these things fall into the hands of Zheng and He, wouldn't it be easy for them to destroy evidence that is unfavorable to themselves?" Chen Huijie, who was more or less influenced by "The Great Yan Dynasty," was used to thinking about things in the worst possible light, and she also raised her doubts.

"But what if such serious doubts arise that even burning the account books wouldn't be enough to fool Jiajing?"

However, Chen Qi's words left Wei Yenwu and the others completely bewildered. Seeing that no one could imagine what enormous suspicious points could be so concealed that even burning the account books couldn't hide them, Chen Qi slowly smiled and said:

"What if Shen Yishi, the richest man in Zhe City, actually doesn't have much wealth to offer?"