The following noon, in the bustling marketplace of Hangzhou, crowds gathered around posted notices, chattering and pointing. Many were bewildered by the talk of public bonds and astonished by Zhu Mo, the ordinary-clothed envoy for disaster relief.
This was because Suzhou and Hangzhou were centers of culture and learning, and Zhu Mo's "qingci" poems were already widely praised. In a land of literary appreciation, standards were naturally high, and the sudden appearance of the foremost talent of the Great Ming to establish and issue anti-Japanese public bonds naturally set the entire city abuzz.
From the moment the notices were posted in the morning until now, the ten or so posting points were mobbed. The banks, which merchants and pedestrians alike found so astonishing, were the subject of much laughter.
Beneath a notice board not far from the Governor-General's yamen, people continued to discuss amongst themselves.
Suddenly,
Someone in the crowd shouted:
"What's so good about this? Isn't it just fleecing the people?"
"A load of nonsense, this anti-Japanese public bond!"
"Yeah, we'd rather die than subscribe!"
"This is outright forced subscription!"
"Is there no law?"
"Why isn't Governor Hu handling this? If Lord Zheng and Lord He, our parents officials, can't manage it, the Governor-General should!"
"Indeed, where did this Young Master Zhu come from? Is he here to cause trouble in Jiangnan?"
"He pondered and wrote some 'qingci,' the Emperor was pleased, and now he wants to fleece Jiangnan for money?"
"Zhu Mo, get out of Jiangnan!"
"We ask the authorities to uphold justice. Zhu Mo is neither official nor merchant, why should the people of Jiangnan be forced to subscribe?"
"..."
Dozens of ruffians stirred up trouble from the shadows, and the scene immediately became chaotic.
At this moment,
A middle-aged scholar, passing by in a sedan chair, heard the commotion and looked utterly perplexed.
He was Tan Lun, a court official of the Prince Yu's manor, styled Zili. His visit to Jiangnan was to cooperate with Hu Zongxian in fighting the Japanese and to support Hai Rui in rectifying the prevailing atmosphere in Jiangnan.
He had recently received a secret letter from Zhang Juzheng, learning that the strategy was unanimously supported by the Qingliu faction. He had also anticipated it would be targeted by the Yan family, but he had not expected the Yan family to be so brazen as to openly incite the powerful households to resist the subscription!
Tan Lun was also a talented individual. He was now both surprised and enraged – the resistance itself was a minor issue, but to call the strategy "forced subscription" was troublesome! If word of this spread, who would dare subscribe to the anti-Japanese bonds?
With this thought, he hesitated no longer and rushed to the Governor-General's mansion. Coincidentally, Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang were discussing military operations by a map.
"Ruzhen, Yuanjing, trouble has occurred!"
"Just now, as I passed by the notice boards, someone was slandering the strategy and inciting the powerful households to resist subscription!"
Huh?
Resist subscription?
What is this all about?!
The two were also taken aback. Although Yan Shifan had always been the most arrogant and overbearing, they hadn't expected him to cause such a stir this time. To turn borrowing money into forced requisitioning and quotas…
One must understand,
Resisting subscription was no trivial matter. If it escalated, the court would normally send officials to investigate. Moreover, with the war being critical, any unrest in the rear would be impossible to account for to the court.
The three were immediately filled with anger and apprehension.
Tan Lun said, "Your Excellency, Master Zhu's strategy is a major undertaking. If necessary, perhaps we will have to deploy troops under the Governor-General's authority to suppress it…"
Qi Jiguang nodded.
Hu Zongxian, however, mused for a moment and said, "Let's not be hasty. If you suppress them, won't it confirm that it's a forced subscription? Suppressing powerful households and having it reported to the Grand Secretariat will also be difficult for us to explain…"
Tan Lun pondered for a moment and said, "Then shall I write to Elder Xu and the others, asking the Grand Secretariat to send a special envoy down?"
Hu Zongxian shook his head, "Isn't Master Zhu himself the special envoy? Why the unnecessary step? Alas, let's wait and see. Are these powerful households truly united? Besides, if something serious happens, the court will not stand by and do nothing…"
Considering the open conflict between the Yan family and the Qingliu faction, the three felt a sense of fear and fell into a brief silence.
…
At the same time,
At all twelve posting points in Hangzhou, resistance to subscription erupted at each one.
Following this,
The major businesses of Hangzhou, such as silk shops, money houses, and tea houses, joined forces and publicly issued an initiative the next day, demanding that the government withdraw the forced subscription strategy.
The next day, the prefectures of Hang, Jia, and Hu echoed the sentiment, and merchants also issued public statements. The number of industries involved had already reached over thirty.
By the third day, public sentiment had become tumultuous.
The powerful households knew they had the Jiangnan Provincial Governor as their backing, and behind him was the Yan family. They could neither afford to offend them nor were they without fear, so the situation escalated.
In the streets and alleys, even the common people were swayed, believing that the renowned Zhu Mo might indeed be in Jiangnan to extort money.
What's more, that evening,
Rumors were spreading through the streets and alleys: Zhu Mo had been frequenting brothels on West Lake these past few days! He was accompanied by a rather lewd-looking pimp, who spent his days causing mischief on a boat. Some even rumored that the boat girl was named Hexiang!
Thus,
Starting from the third day, a sense of indignation began to permeate all of Hangzhou. Everyone felt that Zhu Mo, having arrived in Jiangnan, was behaving like a scoundrel by visiting brothels before even accomplishing anything!
The discussions about Zhu Mo in the streets and alleys, which had been full of admiration just days before, changed overnight. Everyone wished for him to leave Jiangnan immediately!
…
And Zhu Mo?
He had indeed been boating and feasting on West Lake these past few days.
Accompanied by the great master Xiao Xiaosheng, they spent their days in leisurely conversation, living a life of ease and contentment.
The storm raging outside was something Zhu Mo was already well aware of. The system had already provided a prompt:
[Event Classification: Malicious public opinion incident, orchestrated and manipulated;]
[Level: National medium-scale, local 20-year record; Number of participants: 623,000;]
[Public Opinion Origin: Wan Yong, Heng Chang, and 8 other money houses;]
[Coercion Coefficient: 1.3;]
[Consequence Assessment: Reputation damage 40%; Likelihood of escalation 62%; Description: Overly targeted, insufficient factual detail;]
[Recommendation: Consultation presided over by highest-ranking local official]
[......]
These data were similar to his own observations.
It was difficult for public opinion to escalate because it had little to do with the common people, making it difficult to mobilize them. As for the processing recommendation, Zhu Mo felt the system was truly pedantic: Could this matter be negotiated? Hu Zongxian would absolutely not come forward…
…
That evening, the two of them disembarked and arrived outside Lingyin Temple.
As dusk approached, Zhu Qi appeared as agreed.
"Young Master Zhu, I have investigated and found that among the officials present that day, He Maocai, Li Zhen, Song Minglun, Lu Hengchang, and others all own money houses and lend money to exploit the common people throughout the year…"
Oh?
Except for He Maocai, the others were minor officials, and Zhu Mo felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped that Zheng Bichang would also have some skeletons in his closet, but now he had only caught He Maocai.
"Anything else? Is that all?"
Zhu Qi replied, "Uh… Wu Ming and Wu Liang discovered that He Maocai was frequently associated with a merchant from the South Seas. This South Sea merchant is reportedly suspicious, and his sea vessel often appears on the East Sea…"
Oh?
This is suspicious?
During wartime, appearing in enemy territories – isn't this essentially colluding with the Japanese?
Zhu Mo immediately chuckled, "Old Qi, you've been away from the Imperial Guard for too long, your brain must be addled. What's suspicious about this? This is undoubtedly colluding with the Japanese! I reckon he's selling grain… Get Wu Ming and Wu Liang to investigate, have them confirm it by tonight, within three days…"
Zhu Qi pondered for a moment and suddenly realized,
"That's right! His ship must be delivering grain to the Japanese pirates!"
…
At the same time,
The secret report, sent via express relay every three days, reached the capital.
Late at night,
Inside Yuxi Palace.
Jiajing was meditating as usual. This time it was the Bagua stance, and he had been practicing for two hours.
Lü Fang, after reading the secret report, was genuinely displeased but dared not act on his own. He could only polish the ritual implements while waiting for Jiajing.
At the third watch of the Rat hour, Jiajing finally opened his eyes and said,
"Lü Fang, you look tense. Has something happened in Jiangnan again?"
Lü Fang, fearing Jiajing's anger, dared not conceal it and presented the secret report.