How could he stop foolish rulers and treacherous ministers of later generations from exploiting the national policies he left behind?
Zhu Yuanzhang thought it over carefully and concluded that it would be difficult.
Previously, he had believed that if he left behind ancestral instructions, his descendants would surely obey them out of respect for his prestige as the Founding Emperor and the legacy he had bestowed upon them.
But ever since learning through the Rebel Army Group that his fourth son had usurped the throne after his death, he no longer thought that way-Zhu Di was his own son, yet he had dared to seize his nephew's throne after Zhu Yuanzhang died. What would later emperors of Great Ming, who had never even met him, be afraid to do?
The fact that Great Ming's Guard Posts system had eventually existed almost in name only, while the maritime prohibition had instead been exploited by officials and gentry in the southeast, was proof enough.
Coming back to himself, he replied to Liu Bang.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: This is far too difficult-Emperor Gao of Han, you surely understand that a man can hardly control people and events after his death.]
[Liu Bang: Old Zhu, you misunderstood me. How could I not know the reasoning you just gave? What I meant was that while you're on the throne, you shouldn't set certain national policies in stone.]
[Take the maritime prohibition, for example. Don't insist on it forever. After enforcing it for a dozen or so years, you could lift it when the time is right and promote maritime trade. Then could future treacherous ministers still claim that the maritime prohibition is an unchangeable ancestral instruction?]
[And while we're on the subject, I should offer you another word of advice-you said earlier that one purpose of the maritime prohibition was to reserve all profits from maritime trade for the court. Unless I'm mistaken, what belongs to the Great Ming court isn't much different from what belongs to you, is it?]
[If you do that, what will the meritorious nobles who fought alongside you to win the realm think? What will the officials, gentry, and powerful families who enjoy the geographical advantages of the Southeastern Coast think? If you hog the whole feast, those people will surely do everything they can to undermine the national policies you leave behind once you're dead!]
Reading those messages, Zhu Yuanzhang instinctively wanted to say that he would distribute some of the profits from maritime trade as rewards to the founding meritorious nobles and others who had rendered service to Great Ming. He would not be keeping the entire feast to himself.
But before the words left his mouth, he swallowed them.
He understood that, in other people's eyes, all those maritime trade profits would be going into the pockets of the emperor of Great Ming.
Besides, to those people, how could receiving rewards from him compare to earning the money themselves?
At that thought, something stirred in his mind.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: Emperor Gao of Han, do you mean I should share the profits from maritime trade with certain people?]
[Liu Bang: Exactly-only when those profits belong not to you alone, but to a large group of people, will there be enough successors to help uphold the relevant national policies after your death.]
[Of course, all of this depends on maritime trade being as profitable as you claim.]
Clearly, Liu Bang, who lived at the end of Qin and the beginning of Han, found the enormous profits of maritime trade somewhat difficult to believe.
Zhu Yuanzhang was just about to say something when he saw the Administrator's message.
[Administrator: This group chat has concluded. Please look forward to the next session. As Zhu Yuanzhang answered two questions correctly during this session, he is awarded two Spacetime Letters.]
Barely two breaths after that message appeared, the Rebel Army Group closed.
Two translucent sheets of letter paper appeared before Zhu Yuanzhang. Seeing that they were no different from the one he had received before, he put them away with a thought.
Then he began sorting through what he had gained from this group chat.
Allicin... I can leave this to the renowned physicians of the Medical Academy to study. If Xiongying, my wife, or Biao'er falls gravely ill as they did in the original course of history, this substance might improve their chances of recovery a little.
The Microscope... According to the instructions for making it, once completed, it can reveal tiny things invisible to the naked eye. I don't know how it will help develop medicine, but I still need to have skilled craftsmen make it as soon as possible.
Apart from those things, the greatest gain from this group chat was learning that our Great Ming's maritime prohibition has serious drawbacks, and that even the Guard Posts system has problems.
Thinking of Great Ming's current maritime prohibition and Guard Posts system, Zhu Yuanzhang knitted his brows tightly in contemplation.
Yet before he had thought for long, his mind inexplicably wandered to crickets-back when he had been a wandering monk, he had seen idle loafers in the cities fighting crickets. Remembering it now, he felt as though a cat were scratching at his heart.
Damn it! That cricket-fighting negative status must have taken effect!
Zhu Yuanzhang's expression darkened. He could not help getting up and pacing around the side hall.
When that Giving Up negative status affected me before, I worked out a method: indulge myself thoroughly first, ease the urge to give up, then squeeze out a little time for proper business.
Could I use a similar method to deal with this urge to fight crickets?
Deciding it was worth a try, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately called out, "Yunqi, go summon Mao Xiang!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yunqi answered from outside the hall and left. Before long, Mao Xiang arrived.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Rise."
Once the formalities were over, Zhu Yuanzhang said directly, "Send two reliable men out among the common people to find me two... no, four or five crickets."
Mao Xiang looked utterly astonished.
He had assumed Zhu Yuanzhang had another minister's private secrets for him to investigate. He had never expected to be told to find crickets-could these crickets somehow be part of the arrangements for some important matter?
So caught up in these thoughts was Mao Xiang that he forgot to answer. Only when Yunqi coughed beside him did he come to his senses and salute with clasped hands. "Your subordinate obeys!"
Zhu Yuanzhang wrote out an order and handed it to Yunqi. "Take him to withdraw one thousand strings' worth of Paper Notes from the Imperial Treasury to buy the crickets. Report back to the palace once it's done. Return any surplus, and we'll make up any shortfall-do not trouble the common people over this, and do not let officials outside the palace learn of it."
Mao Xiang's heart tightened, and he hurriedly replied, "Your subordinate understands!"
After Mao Xiang left, Zhu Yuanzhang continued pondering the problems with the maritime prohibition and the Guard Posts system, though his thoughts still drifted to cricket fighting from time to time.
Trinkets sap ambition! They really do sap ambition!
He cursed inwardly, but his heart still itched, and he could not stop thinking about it.
He endured this torment for an unknown length of time. The sky darkened, and the eunuchs lit the lamps in the side hall.
Then Zhu Biao arrived.
After paying his respects, he offered two sheets of paper. "Father, these are the treatment methods and prescriptions the renowned physicians of the Medical Academy drew up after discussing the symptoms you provided, with Director Dai making the final decision."
Zhu Yuanzhang took them and glanced through them before realizing that he knew nothing about medicine and could not understand them at all.
He was about to keep them so he could send them to Zhang Jiao later with a Spacetime Letter when he suddenly remembered something.
"Biao'er, how many of the medicinal ingredients in these prescriptions didn't exist during Later Han, and how many had different names back then?"
"Huh?" Zhu Biao was startled. He had never expected Zhu Yuanzhang to ask such a question. Then he answered honestly, "I know nothing about medicines, Father. I couldn't say."
"Then send someone to ask at the Medical Academy," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Have them write down the appearance, sources, and preparation methods of every medicinal ingredient in these prescriptions."
Although Zhu Biao did not know why Zhu Yuanzhang had made such a strange request, he still answered, "Yes," and prepared to make another trip to the Medical Academy himself-it was already dark, and if he did not go in person, those renowned physicians might not take the matter seriously or deal with it quickly.
But as he bowed to take his leave, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked, "Biao'er, do you like fighting crickets?"
"Huh?" Once again, Zhu Biao was dumbfounded.
Zhu Yuanzhang repeated, "I'm asking whether you like fighting crickets."
Zhu Biao bowed with clasped hands. "Father, I've heard of cricket fighting, but I've never seen it, so I can hardly say I like it."
Hearing that answer, Zhu Yuanzhang felt both pleased and disappointed. Torn between the two, he waved a hand. "All right. Go attend to your business."
"Yes. I take my leave, Father."
The front hall of Changle Palace.
Liu Bang, too, was sorting through what he had gained from the group chat.
Garlic? Never heard of it. From what Zhang Jiao said, it seems they called it foreign garlic during Later Han. Could it have come from the foreigners?
We have small garlic-bulb garlic, mountain garlic-now, but I don't know whether it can be used to make allicin.
As it happens, I'm preparing to negotiate peace with the Xiongnu. I'll see whether I can take the opportunity to ask them about garlic and bring some in.
If I can, then should I still get struck by an arrow in the future, or suffer some other injury, perhaps this stuff could save my life.
Then he examined the instructions for making a Microscope. Although he also found them rather complicated, with demanding requirements for the various materials, he still decided to have craftsmen attempt one-a medical instrument mentioned in the Rebel Army Group that could reveal tiny things invisible to the naked eye certainly aroused his curiosity.
While Liu Bang was studying them, Chen Ping came in to report on affairs of state.
Once Chen Ping had finished, Liu Bang instructed him to ask the Xiongnu about foreign garlic and bring it in, as well as to arrange for a Microscope to be made.
Although Chen Ping was curious about where Liu Bang had heard of foreign garlic and the Microscope, he had the good sense not to ask. He accepted the orders and prepared to withdraw.
But looking at Chen Ping, Liu Bang suddenly felt that he seemed to have neglected him quite a bit since beginning to place Lou Jing in important positions.
So he said warmly, "Chen Ping, come to think of it, we haven't had a long talk in ages. Why don't you stay in the front hall tonight? We can sleep feet to feet and talk all night."
Sleep feet to feet?
Talk all night?
The moment Chen Ping heard this, he recalled the cloying looks Liu Bang had given him and the soldiers around him for two or three days during the Breakout from Mount Baideng at the beginning of the year. Goosebumps rose all over him, and he hurriedly shook his head. "Please don't jest, Your Majesty. How could I dare spend the night in the imperial palace?"
Liu Bang considered briefly, then said, "Having you spend the night in the imperial palace would indeed be somewhat improper. How about this? I'll spend the night at your house."
Spend the night at my house?
Chen Ping wanted to cry, but no tears would come.
He wailed inwardly, Your Majesty, I'm getting on in years! I'm no longer a handsome young man!