Therefore, Wang Henian has always been very careful in serving the emperor, for fear that somewhere would say the wrong thing or do something wrong to make the emperor angry.

As a commander of the Jinyiwei, it would be a terrible thing to lose the Holy Pass.

Having a way is to accompany the king as if he is a tiger.

Although today, Zi is wise and powerful, he is recognized as a wise ruler.

But a wise monarch is also an emperor, and a wise monarch can kill people.

Even if Wang Henian doesn’t think about himself, he has to think about his family and descendants.

Blind self-confidence is not a good thing.

"Your Majesty believes that there are many Japanese pirates in Zhejiang, and I would like to hear about it."

Wang Henian acted like he was listening to the Hadith, which was also considered as a conspiracy to Zhu Youlang's words.

Zhu Youlang didn't care about these things, and he talked with his hands on his back.

He knew very well that Wang Henian was actually quite sensitive, so he didn't want to put too much pressure on Wang Henian.

As an emperor, sometimes a single action will make the ministers think more.

"I know that Zhejiang and Nanzhili, that is, Jiangnan is the richest place among the two capitals and 13 provinces. There are countless wealthy merchants and tycoons in these places. The places they live in are carved beams, painted buildings, rows of houses, and decorated with magnificent decorations. Some people even say that they are more exquisite than the imperial palace."

After saying that, Zhu Youlang paused and continued: "But how many people know why there are so many wealthy merchants in Jiangnan? Is there any other reason besides the fact that there are indeed a rich and elites here?"

When the emperor seemed to have something in his words, Wang Henian did not dare to answer, so he had to lower his head and listen respectfully.

"Actually, the fundamental reason I know is that the geographical conditions in Jiangnan are more superior."

Zhu Youlang pointed to the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou: "Let's talk about the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou. Since the excavation during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou was even more prosperous. It connects the capital and Hangzhou, but in terms of the benefits, Hangzhou still gets more affordable. Hangzhou is the center of Zhejiang and can also be regarded as the center of Jiangnan. With this canal, many merchants became rich and laid the foundation."

These kings also heard about the New Year, but they didn't know why the emperor suddenly mentioned it.

Could it be that the emperor is dissatisfied with these merchants and wants to compete with the people for profit and get a share of the pie?

Of course, Wang Henian would never dare to say these words.

"The Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou is very important. Many merchants in Jiangnan have made their fortunes. But that was within a hundred years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. After that, due to the increase in silt and sand, neglecting dredging and excessive tax cards, many merchants were reluctant to leave. If they don't go to the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou, would they take the land? Not only will the transportation cost be high, but the consumption will be greater. Of course, this is not the only option, so they developed the maritime trade."

Zhu Youlang was like he was opening the perspective of God and congratulating the New Year to the King.

Of course, Wang Henian didn't know the source of Zhu Youlang's information, and he was fascinated by the moment he heard it.

"This dynasty adheres to the ancestral system, and the ancestral system was decided by Emperor Taizu, that was that the ancestral board was not allowed to go into the sea. Later, although Zheng He, the Emperor Yongle, went to the West, was only at the court level, and it was still difficult for the people to obtain permission. Later, when we arrived in the Longqing Dynasty, several small harbors in Yuegang, Fujian were opened and the sea was not fully opened. Then these merchants could only smuggle if they wanted to trade in sea. What was smuggling? Smuggling was to conduct sea trade without permission from the court. They had to bear great risks for this, both the risk of being discovered and punished by the court and the risk of encountering pirates."

Zhu Youlang paused, swallowed and spitted. Seeing that Wang Henian was fascinated by hearing this, he continued: "In order to prevent the court from being discovered and punished, they spent a lot of money to bribe the government. As long as the local government turned a blind eye, there would be basically no problem. If they want to prevent being robbed by pirates, they have two choices. One is to respect the pirates, and the other is to become pirates themselves."

Wang Henian was very surprised when he heard this.

"Your Majesty is saying that many of the merchants in Jiangnan are pirates?"

"certainly."

Zhu Youlang knew this history very well, and he didn't mind introducing it to Wang Henian.

"The so-called pirates are maritime armed forces. They may not make a living by robbing their families. That is just one of them. Another is to protect these wealthy businessmen. In fact, many of the Japanese pirates rampant in the Jiajing Dynasty were maritime merchants raised by these wealthy businessmen. There were very few real Japanese people, and they were basically fake Japanese."

This is completely a blind spot in Wang Henian’s knowledge.

This further increased his worship of His Majesty the Emperor.

Although His Majesty the Emperor is high and resident in the palace, he is not blinded. He can still understand the people's sentiments and know everything about the people.

As the commander of the Jinyiwei, Wang Henian was not even aware of some things.

This made him feel very guilty.

"Your Majesty, will these so-called fake Japanese attacks also harass the people?"

"Some do, some don't. After all, although they were established by local wealthy merchants at the beginning to protect maritime trade, once people become greedy, many things will not develop in the original direction."

Zhu Youlang rarely talked to his ministers so much, and then continued: "For example, some of the pirates are not satisfied with just escorting the wealthy merchants, and they will take the opportunity to strengthen their own strength. In the end, it is not impossible to lose their independent portals at the end."

When Zhu Youlang said this, he felt dry mouth, so he rushed to Han Miao next to him and said, "Parent Han, I am a little thirsty, I serve tea."

Han Miao immediately took a cup of West Lake Longjing, His Majesty’s favorite drink, and came forward respectfully.

The emperor likes to drink green tea the most, followed by white tea, and his least favorite is black tea.

Therefore, the palace stores the most green tea, including Longjing, West Lake, followed by Maofeng, Huangshan.

The emperor seemed to have a unique complex for West Lake, otherwise he would not insist on personally expeditioning this time, nor would he set his first stop in Hangzhou.

Zhu Youlang took the teacup and took a sip and moistened his throat, and suddenly felt very comfortable.

"Actually, these things are tacit. You can understand that you don't understand, because you are not from Jiangnan."

Zhu Youlang smiled bitterly and said, "The big families in Jiangnan basically know this situation. Everyone pretends not to know. No one wants to break the window paper. Anyway, they just need to deceive the court."

"I am guilty."

Hearing this, Wang Henian finally couldn't stand it anymore.

He knelt down on the ground and apologized in great fear: "As the commander of the Jinyiwei, I cannot collect useful information for Your Majesty, and cannot share your Majesty's worries. It is my great crime."

Zhu Youlang was a little amused when he saw this. He had just said this to Wang Henian for a long time. Did he say that he was scared Wang Henian?
Chapter completed!