Zhu Mo had considered the issue of competitors earlier, but firstly, his goods were too superior, and secondly, the Da Ming salt market was basically open, with salt permits costing only ten thousand taels of silver each.
Ten thousand taels of silver might not seem like a lot, but in Da Ming at this time, who else could readily produce ten thousand taels? Thus, ordinary small merchants couldn't even afford to get involved.
The market, in his opinion, should be about competition, not struggle.
But,
Yan Shifan was truly too detestable!
It was one thing for him to spread rumors; such things were common, after all. Who doesn't assess others' goods? But the problem was that he was colluding with others to suppress him!
This,
constituted unfair competition!
And he, Zhu Mo, now possessed a system, how could he possibly swallow such an insult?
What's more,
his intention this time was to set an example, to draw a red line—
Market competition must not cross boundaries!
For this purpose,
he decided to use market means to dispel the rumors, to make Gao Hanwen and the Jiangnan salt merchants utterly convinced, and then, he would take decisive action, punish severely, set an example, and ideally, attempt to establish a legal precedent to gauge everyone's reaction to the new law.
Calculating,
he still had over 280 jin of sea salt. Liang Menglong had also been contacted, the charges had been thought out, and all that was needed was for Zhu Qi's Eastern Depot friends to produce irrefutable evidence.
...
It was precisely at this moment,
in the backyard pavilion of the Prince Yu's mansion, a cold wind was blowing.
Prince Yu and his consort sat facing each other around a brazier.
The Prince Consort Li, her face as cold as frost, glanced at Prince Yu with a smile that was not a smile, holding a piece of embroidered silk in her hand. Prince Yu, however, was flustered, oscillating between excitement and dejection, completely lost in thought.
Li Shi was inherently a "green tea" [a term for manipulative women], always looking down on this cowardly man. It was only because he was chosen by the royal family and was to be the future emperor that she stooped to this. Normally, Li Shi kept him completely in check. Whenever this coward couldn't make up his mind, he had to rely on Li Shi for a decision.
And this time,
Li Shi was furious—
This coward,
hearing that Zhu Mo had been appointed as the relief commissioner for Xuan-Da, was actually happy?
At this moment,
she cast a sidelong glance at Prince Yu sighing and said sarcastically, "Your Highness, I truly cannot understand, are you the Emperor's son, or is that Zhu Mo? Hah, I just don't get it, how can you be so partial to an outsider? That Zhu Mo, he's done so many things, and every single one of them has caused trouble! And you, Your Highness, you act like a good boy, yet you're not valued at all... Those who don't know the truth might not even know who the real son is..."
Prince Yu's face immediately fell, and a myriad of emotions surged within him—
What was wrong with the Emperor?
Why was he treating Zhu Mo better than his own son?
Whenever someone mentioned Zhu Mo, the Emperor's face would show a peculiar tenderness... a tenderness he himself had never received in forty years!
Every time he thought of such a scene, Prince Yu's heart felt as if it were being gnawed by venomous insects, waves of resentment seeping into his limbs, and an endless hatred churned within his heart...
He had always been afraid to retort to Li Shi, but after hearing her words today, he glared at her sharply.
And Li Shi, far from fearing him, instead sneered:
"Oh, Your Highness is showing some spirit... Your Highness, I am speaking for your own good. Don't you think about it, the Emperor treats him so well, and he's also surnamed Zhu, hehe... Perhaps the throne, perhaps the throne will slip through your fingers, and then we mother and child will have to return to my family's home to live... wuwuwuwu..."
Li Shi was sharp-tongued and malicious, but she always had Prince Yu firmly in her grasp. She would plant a seed, letting Prince Yu's imagination fill in the blanks, and it always worked. And with that final cry, all her words fermented, and Prince Yu's boiling anger turned into self-reproach. He sighed a few times and said:
"Alas... A woman is prone to overthinking. So what if he's surnamed Zhu? No matter how displeased Father Emperor is with me, the throne will certainly be mine. The designation has long been settled. As long as I don't cause any major disasters, my designation cannot be revoked! Besides, even if I can't be Emperor, am I not still a Prince? How could you and our child have to live dependent on others?"
"Hehe, don't believe all the rumors outside as nonsense! Think about it, before the Emperor inherited the throne, he probably never dreamed of it, did he? He himself succeeded as a feudal prince! If this Zhu Mo is truly the heir of some feudal prince, and Your Highness is out of favor, will the Emperor, thinking of himself, not do the same?"
"You—"
Prince Yu was about to curse when he was suddenly startled—
That's right.
His father had indeed succeeded as a feudal prince!
His consort was always very intelligent, and no one had ever thought of this angle before.
Could it be,
that as Yan Shifan said, Zhu Mo was the heir of some feudal prince?
He suddenly felt a chill and said, "My dear consort, I had people investigate the family genealogy, and there is no such person... Perhaps it's a rumor fabricated by Yan Shifan and the others?"
Li Shi shook her head, her eyes gleaming with malice, and said:
"Your Highness, think about it... He appeared out of nowhere, and with a single piece of prose, he interfered in court affairs. Is that possible? Do you think this is a storyteller's tale? Immediately after, the Emperor secretly summoned people from Chaotian Temple, and the Imperial Guards moved throughout the capital... And then, he became a scholar in common clothes and minister!
Hah! A scholar in common clothes and minister? Our dynasty has no such official position; that was Liu Sanbian of the Song Dynasty. Isn't this the Emperor deliberately shaping his unique status? Following that, in Jiangnan, under the guise of disaster relief, he actually commanded even the Governor. Every action he took was related to the overall situation of Da Ming!
Is this just the Emperor's whim, deliberately indulging him for fun? Humph! Isn't it obvious? This is him testing future state policies!
Originally, I also thought the Emperor merely appreciated him greatly, coupled with the instigation of Grand Secretaries like Xu Jie, but I didn't expect him to have handled the Yan family's money! And then, the Emperor made him the relief commissioner for Xuan-Da! Others merely disburse money for disaster relief, but he's different; isn't that handing over Xuan-Da to him as well?
If this person isn't the heir of a feudal prince, and the Emperor intends to cultivate him, how could these things happen? Your Highness. We must be cautious!"
Normally,
no one dared to say such things to the Prince. Although Xu, Gao, and Zhang also discussed state affairs with him, they never considered matters so meticulously for him.
As Li Shi spoke, every word sank into Prince Yu's heart, like thunderbolts and lightning!
Yes, this veiled possibility indeed held considerable weight. Especially the Emperor's secret summoning of people from Chaotian Temple; that was absolutely unusual. Even more terrifying was a matter that even Li Shi was unaware of, which his birth mother had mentioned only once by chance—
Sixteen years ago, the Emperor's disposition changed drastically, reportedly because a woman he favored in Chu died! At that time, it was whispered about in the harem for several days. The imperial consorts were all relieved that a vixen had died... Unexpectedly, in his great rage, the Emperor once ordered the execution of thirteen palace maids who spread rumors, and two imperial consorts were confined to the cold palace.
This matter was then sealed...
And unexpectedly,
after Li Shi's words just now, Prince Yu immediately recalled it.
His mind was in turmoil, and for the first time in his life, he felt that his claim to the throne was precarious...
"My dear consort..."
Prince Yu suddenly clasped Li Shi's hands tightly, his whole body trembling, and said, "My dear consort, you must help me! That Zhu Mo, he absolutely cannot be allowed to climb any higher!"
Li Shi snorted and said, "Your Highness, you must get closer to the Emperor... The Emperor is already old and no one has ever cared for him. Only by fostering a good relationship with him can you have room to maneuver... To deal with Zhu Mo, we can only take our time, and we must not show ourselves. I think it would be best to subtly hint for Yan Shifan and the others to act..."
"Mm..."