In the afternoon, incense curled in the Yuxi Palace.
After reading the secret report from the Eastern Depot, Jiajing couldn't help but chuckle, "Good... This Zhu Mo has brought in nearly a million for the court again... He's not afraid of Yan Song's retaliation, is he afraid of the world cursing him behind his back..."
Lu Fang also smiled, "Your Majesty, he is not an official of the court. To be honest, he is still just a nominal disaster relief envoy, without rank or position. The world will not blame him..."
"Look at your smugness! You think you understand, don't you? You think he's making such a fuss just to make money? Humph..."
Reminded by Lu Fang, a thoughtful expression crossed his face—
Indeed,
What was he up to?
Thinking of this person's always elusive actions,
He couldn't help but feel a deep sense of doubt.
Jiajing snorted again and said, "He probably has other intentions... Let's wait and see, perhaps a report will come before nightfall..."
As if on cue,
Huang Jin from the Directorate of Ceremonial, carrying the Grand Secretariat's memorial, arrived.
"Your Majesty, Zhu Mo, the Jiangnan disaster relief envoy, along with Wang Gao, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, have jointly submitted a memorial to the court, the 'Memorial on Business Operations and Anti-Unfair Competition.' The Grand Secretariat has already drafted a response. We, the undersigned, dare not make a decision on our own and request Your Majesty's imperial decree."
What?
Jiajing and Lu Fang exchanged stunned glances.
Lu Fang, not understanding, felt a hint of annoyance. He snatched the memorial, muttering, "What is this 'fan zheng dang'... What is he up to?"
Upon closer inspection, however, he was filled with mixed emotions—
What was this?
Merchants needed rules for competing for business?
How could such rules be established?
As he carefully read each point, he couldn't help but secretly admire—
Setting aside new terms like business reputation, credit, and infringement, just those few points about not spreading rumors to defame competitors, not artificially inflating or deflating prices to snatch business, and not using others' business names or logos—the more he thought about it, the more sensible it seemed.
Jiajing was also very curious, but he patiently waited for Lu Fang to finish reading before taking it and perusing it word by word. Then, he casually tossed it aside and said,
"Patents? What patents? Lu Fang, Huang Jin, have you understood any of it? Have Xu Jie and Yan Shifan in the Grand Secretariat understood it?"
Huang Jin also looked bewildered and replied, "Everyone is still trying to understand... that's why we've presented it to Your Majesty, Duke Lu..."
Jiajing, with his superior intellect, stood up, paced, and pondered, grasping some of the underlying logic—
This boy wasn't entirely wrong. Merchants had been acting wildly these past years, some committing murder and robbery, others colluding with officials to persecute rivals, and impersonating other businesses for fraud. Spreading rumors and making accusations was even a common tactic... It was not wrong to regulate them.
However, the concept of patents was unprecedented.
According to his explanation, did his sea salt also require a patent? The memorial mentioned "process invention"—did it refer to his method of salt evaporation, which others could not use? If so, it could be allowed, but not all the wealth in the world should be earned by him alone...
No,
He had to ask him about this in person.
If he spoke rashly and made a mistake, he might be ridiculed by Yan Shifan and the others...
With this thought,
Jiajing feigned nonchalance, waved his hand, and said, "I think it has some merit... Tell everyone to stop guessing wildly... Let's hold onto it for now! Perhaps we can have the Dali Temple officials take a look at it one day..."
...
At the same time,
In the Prince Yu's mansion,
Lady Li was constantly wiping the sweat from Prince Yu, who was lying in bed.
Prince Yu had a high fever and was groaning, his mind in a daze. In his semi-conscious state, he dreamt of being brutally beaten by Jiajing, and he cried out in his sleep. He suddenly opened his eyes,
"My dear consort, is there any news?"
Lady Li shook her head. Seeing his pathetic state, she felt indignant—
This man was too pathetic!
He was so distraught after reading Zhu Mo's memorial from the Ministry of Revenue that he was beside himself...
What was written in it?
Even Xu Jie and Gao Gong couldn't understand it,
Why were you so upset?
She didn't know that Prince Yu, upon seeing Zhu Mo stir up new trouble with terms like business reputation, trademarks, and patents, found it overwhelmingly taxing and immediately felt his vision darken!
He knew all too well that this peculiar young man always came up with ideas that particularly pleased the Emperor. Just one look at this memorial made him realize it was fascinating, and for some reason, the Emperor had been indulging in all sorts of reckless behavior for the past year...
Furthermore,
His audience with the Emperor yesterday had been very unfavorable, causing him to become agitated and faint.
Upon waking, he couldn't help but inquire about the Emperor's attitude.
Seeing Lady Li shake her head, he just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard hurried footsteps. Feng Bao, the eunuch of the Prince's mansion, entered—
"Greetings to His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Consort!"
Prince Yu anxiously asked, "How was it? Did you hear everything?"
Feng Bao had just inquired from a eunuch on duty in the palace and replied, "Yes! The Emperor said it will be held for now, and they will consult with some Dali Temple officials..."
Oh...
Prince Yu asked again, "What about the Emperor's own attitude?"
"Uh, the Emperor said... he said it has some merit..."
Ah?~~
Prince Yu's vision darkened again, and he felt Zhu Mo's presence, his smiling face, weighing down on him like a mountain. Even with all his might, he was no match for him...
And based on various rumors, this person was very likely the heir of some feudal lord. Since he was opposing Yan Shifan, perhaps the Yan family could find out his background...?
A surge of anger rose within him, and he suddenly shouted, "Feng Bao! You, go find Yan Shifan!"
...
The next morning,
Zhu Mo, accompanied by Xiaoxiao Sheng and a hired accountant, spent the morning balancing accounts at Jinling Ji. They collected deposits for twenty thousand jin of salt, totaling over ten thousand taels of silver.
Although it was only 10,000 taels, it was money he had earned himself, a hard-earned sum obtained by defeating rivals through market tactics and overcoming numerous obstacles.
Looking at the account book, Zhu Mo was filled with mixed emotions—
This was already a considerable sum in the Great Ming...
How many common people never even saw a hundred taels of silver in their entire lives?
And I, at my first step, earned this initial capital...
Shouldn't I reward myself handsomely?
He deposited the money in the bank, withdrew five hundred taels in advance, and spent the afternoon leisurely, watching plays, listening to stories, sipping tea, and admiring fish...
At noon, he returned home carrying two perch.
As soon as he reached his doorstep,
A plump, round-faced man greeted him with a smile. It was Wu Feng, whom he had met on the street before, a good friend of Master Li San from the Feixuan Palace.
Wu Feng smiled and said, "Young master, Master Li San instructed me to inform you that your residence has been tidied up. I'm here to escort you to see it. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, we'll fix it... Later, Master Li San and the Taoist priest will come to congratulate you on your housewarming..."
Oh?
Zhu Mo liked the man's round, smiling face and said, "Good, where is it?"
Wu Feng beckoned, and a carriage had already arrived outside the alley.
The two of them took many turns,
And half an hour later, they arrived at a quiet spot in the bustling West City.
Getting out of the carriage,
Zhu Mo beheld an elegant residence before his eyes. It was a small courtyard, one entrance, with blue tiles and white walls, exuding an aura of elegance. It didn't look like the home of the wealthy, but more like the retreat of a scholar.
Above the door was a plaque, inscribed with—
A Commoner Minister!