Chapter 9: Guiding the Nation

Zhong Jinwei immediately responded, saying, "No problem, Your Majesty, please go ahead with your tasks. I will report the results to you as soon as I have them." Emperor Chongzhen nodded and then instructed Wang Cheng'en, "Da Ban, summon Hanlin Shidu Shuxue Scholar Wen Tiren to come here immediately for an explanation." Wang Cheng'en quickly conveyed the order.

Zhong Jinwei finished speaking and turned to write in large characters on the blank space of the blackboard: "Civil officials love money, military generals cherish their lives"

Zhong Jinwei looked at the map and recalled something, so he said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, these two maps are rare treasures in this world, especially that world map. However, it is marked with simplified characters from later generations, making it inconvenient for people today to read. Moreover, some place names are different. Would you consider having a few copies redrawn according to this map?"

Aqi was a bit shy and said softly: "It's all fine. I grew up at home and have never been outside. I was selected to enter the palace at the age of twelve and have never left the palace since. I have never seen the outside world."

Wen Tiren spoke: "Even if there are, there are only two people. Human effort is sometimes limited; how can we resolve this?" After saying this, he looked intently at Zhong Jinwei, as if trying to discern the answer in Zhong Jinwei's heart.

Zhong Jinwei glanced at Wen Tiren and found that Wen Tiren was also looking at him

Wen Tiren was taken aback and speechless. What he had mentioned earlier were merely superficial issues; the problem he was most concerned about remained unspoken in his heart, as addressing it would offend all his colleagues. Before reaching a certain level of status, it was not worth mentioning this, yet he did not expect Zhong Jinwei to articulate it directly.

Zhong Jinwei, feeling quite pleased with himself in front of Light Beauty, said: "Indeed, when it comes to understanding this world, no one knows more than I do." The underdog began to show off.

Wen Tiren was also observing Zhong Jinwei. During their journey, Wang Cheng'en had already detailed the events of the past two days to Wen Tiren. Although Wen Tiren found it hard to believe, the person was standing right in front of him, and it was evident at a glance that this individual was out of place among those around him. Not to mention his hairstyle, just his posture and demeanor conveyed a sense of calmness towards others, neither servile nor flattering, and an air of composure that made him stand out.

Zhong Jinwei nodded with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, our Ming Dynasty may seem vast, but in the context of the world, it is not enough to be noticed. The gold within our Ming territory must be concentrated, and there is likely a considerable amount, not to mention the vast world outside."

After Emperor Chongzhen finished laughing, he pondered for a moment and said to Zhong Jinwei: "Given the current situation, I will send my teacher to explain things to you, while Wang Cheng'en will attend as a listener and provide supplementary information. I have many matters to attend to, so I will handle those first. When you have some thoughts, I will come back to listen, is that acceptable?"

Emperor Chongzhen was very pleased and said, "I knew you were a person of action. If you had just spoken without substance, I would have worried that you were merely engaging in empty rhetoric and grandstanding." Upon hearing this, Zhong Jinwei couldn't help but smile along with Emperor Chongzhen.

Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen felt that he was about to drool, so he quickly composed himself and confirmed with surprise: "Is it true?"

It is possible

Upon hearing this, Aqi happily went to pour water for Zhong Jinwei

Wang Cheng'en felt a bit annoyed beside him; such bluntness left no room for Emperor Chongzhen's dignity. However, Wang Cheng'en also admired Zhong Jinwei for his pointed remarks.

Wen Tiren and Wang Cheng'en both looked at Zhong Jinwei with a hint of confusion

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes lit up with excitement, entire ships filled with gold

Zhong Jinwei noticed that Emperor Chongzhen seemed to be indifferent, so he emphasized: "Your Majesty, do not underestimate this map. In the future, as Your Majesty competes for supremacy in the world, it is akin to traveling during the day; the road is winding and uneven, yet the direction is clear in one's mind. Without this map, it is like navigating in the dark; not only does one move extremely slowly, but one is also prone to stumbling"

When Wang Cheng'en came over again, he brought with him a civil official. He was around sixty years old, with a thin chin and a long mustache, looking quite spirited.

Wang Cheng'en murmured, "Where can one find such civil and military officials nowadays?"

Wen Tiren, upon reaching this point, glanced at Zhong Jinwei, who appeared indifferent to what he had heard, and continued, "In the southwest of the court, there are also local chieftains who rebelled during the Tianqi era, and the situation has yet to be completely quelled, leading to devastation across multiple provinces including Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan"

Seeing the expression on Zhong Jinwei's face, Aqi knew he was lost in his thoughts again, but she did not mind. She said to Zhong Jinwei, "Young Master, could you please tell me more about the outside world?"

After finishing, Zhong Jinwei turned to Wen Tiren and said, "Sir Wen, is it like this?"

"Good," Zhong Jinwei added, "Your Majesty, the scale of this map must not be misrepresented. Furthermore, those small dots on the sea must not be overlooked. Each small dot actually represents a very large island."

Zhong Jinwei looked at Aqi busily with satisfaction, thinking that this life is quite good

Emperor Chongzhen began to envision a near future where the dispatched fleet would return triumphantly, with the holds of the ships filled with gold, and even the decks piled high, shimmering with golden light, until finally the ships themselves transformed into a golden hue, how splendid it would be

Zhong Jinwei turned to look at the blackboard and began to ponder. These are the difficulties that must be overcome to save the Ming Dynasty. The problems are laid out here; how can they be resolved

Zhong Jinwei took the cloth and wiped off everything that had been drawn on the blackboard earlier, then redrew a rough map of China, marking the situations mentioned by Wen Tiren one by one

Thus, he smiled at Wen Tiren and said, "The civil officials are far away in the sky, yet close at hand." Wen Tiren and Wang Cheng'en were both taken aback, exchanging glances, and then Wen Tiren humbly replied, "I do not dare to accept such praise."

Zhong Jinwei smiled faintly and said: "The officials in the capital and local governments have become corrupt. To borrow the words of Yue Fei from the Southern Song Dynasty, we have essentially reached a point where civil officials love money and military generals fear death."

Zhong Jinwei smiled and said: "There is nothing to be embarrassed about; history has taught me. The representative of military generals is Lu Xiangsheng, who fought valiantly as a soldier in every battle, unstoppable in courage. In the end, he was harmed by treacherous officials and died on the battlefield." Wang Cheng'en listened and thought to himself: This is the second time Mr. Zhong has mentioned this; it seems it must be taken seriously. The content of today's conversation must be reported to His Majesty word for word.

Zhong Jinwei was taken aback for a moment and said, "Ah, I see. That's fine, I will explain it to you. I will share with you things that very few people in this world know, ensuring you broaden your horizons. However, could you please pour me a glass of water first?"

Zhong Jinwei then stood up, walked to the front of the blackboard, and turned back to ask Aqi: "Aqi, do you have a cloth?"

At this point, Zhong Jinwei realized something and couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. He struck his own head and said, "Why didn't I just buy a map of China's mineral resources and a map of the world's mineral resources? What a pity! Otherwise, instead of thinking of ways to make money, I could just find a gold mine and start mining it directly."

Zhong Jinwei felt that this metaphor was not very vivid and lacked allure, so he continued: "Your Majesty, in many places now, look here, here, there are still indigenous people living. Above them lie gold, silver, copper, iron, and all kinds of resources. The soil is fertile, and rice can be harvested three times a year. Now, Westerners have begun to explore this world, and they are using large ships to transport whole loads of gold and silver back to their countries. Our Ming Dynasty cannot fall behind!"

Although Zhong Jinwei's handwriting is lacking in form and difficult to read, Wen Tiren is still able to decipher it, feeling that the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty is clear at a glance

Wen Tiren remained silent, stroking his long beard, and slightly nodded his head. He was thinking to himself, is this not enough?

When Wen Tiren was speaking, Wang Cheng'en kept giving him sidelong glances, implying that he should not speak too harshly and should leave some face.

Wang Cheng'en's words were inadvertently overheard by Zhong Jinwei, who smiled and said, "Oh, what a coincidence, I happen to know someone like that."

Zhong Jinwei is truly insatiable; ordinary people would not go to the extent of purchasing mineral resource maps, and there are hardly any vendors foolish enough to sell such maps.

Aqi went to the side hall and took out a cloth, asking Zhong Jinwei, "Young Master, is this acceptable?" It was a piece of silk

Piracy is rampant along the southeastern coast, forcing the court to implement maritime prohibitions. Although Zheng Zhilong's faction has been pacified for the time being, their loyalty remains uncertain, and banditry is on the rise, making it difficult to achieve peace across the seas

Zhong Jinwei pondered for a moment and added two negations to the phrase "the civil officials love money, and the military generals cherish their lives." He then turned to Wen Tiren and Wang Cheng'en and said: "This is the problem we need to help His Majesty resolve. Once this problem is solved, everything else will not be an issue, and the world will be at peace!"

Wen Tiren paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then said: "The greatest calamity facing our dynasty at present is the Northeast Jurchen, who are seizing cities and territories, and we have essentially lost Liaodong. The Jurchen have established a false Jin dynasty, with a false capital in Shenyang, and their front line stretches from Ningyuan to Jinzhou. Korea is their vassal, and several Mongolian tribes serve as their minions; their power is difficult to resist"

Upon realizing that the focus had shifted to him, Aqi couldn't help but feel a bit flustered and hurriedly said, "Young Master, please wait a moment"

Zhong Jinwei pondered for a moment and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I have only recently arrived in this world and am not very familiar with the current situation. I would like to first understand the present circumstances, and then, based on the experiences of later generations, provide you with appropriate advice. What do you think?"

Emperor Chongzhen also felt quite regretful, but there was nothing that could be done about it. He responded to Zhong Jinwei: "I will arrange this matter immediately"

To be honest, Emperor Chongzhen did not pay much attention to these two maps, as he was overwhelmed with pressing matters. However, upon hearing Zhong Jinwei's remarks, he felt it necessary to express his stance: "Alright, I will order someone to take care of it https://m.hetushu.com.com"

Although Emperor Chongzhen still wanted to hear more from Zhong Jinwei, he had a multitude of matters to attend to and, being a hands-on person by nature, he had no choice but to pause here for the time being and attend to his duties

Wen Tiren stroked his beard with his hand and said, "Since I am fulfilling the Emperor's decree, I shall naturally speak the truth."

Wang Cheng'en asked: "Who?"

Zhong Jinwei asked: "What do you want to know about the outside world?"

Zhong Jinwei smiled and said, "Lord Wen probably has something he hasn't mentioned yet, right?"

Zhong Jinwei listened attentively, reflecting on his own understanding. Noticing that Wen Tiren had fallen silent, he inquired, "Is that all?"

After Emperor Chongzhen departed, Aqi, standing nearby, looked at Zhong Jinwei with admiration and said, "Young Master, how do you know so much?"

Zhong Jinwei thought to himself: "This is Wen Tiren, a figure who has been labeled a traitor by the Manchu Qing dynasty. I wonder if the information I found online is accurate."

Wen Tiren was taken aback: "What else is there to say?"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, allowing Wang Cheng'en to carefully pack away two sets of maps and go out to arrange for people to make copies.

Wen Tiren had been observing Zhong Jinwei and, noticing that he showed no signs of surprise, continued to divulge: "Within the Ming territory, particularly in the northern regions, the weather is extraordinarily cold, and natural disasters are incessant. Shaanxi and Shanxi have suffered from prolonged drought, leaving the land barren for thousands of miles, with occasional earthquakes causing the populace to resort to cannibalism. The capital also experienced an earthquake in the ninth month of the previous year. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, particularly in Haining and Xiaoshan, there have been severe storms, leading to flooding that has drowned both people and livestock, with countless crops destroyed. Banditry has surged in various regions, especially in Shaanxi."

Wen Tiren nodded: "That is roughly the case"

After Wang Cheng'en introduced the two parties, they took their seats. Zhong Jinwei spoke first, saying: "Lord Wen, could you please discuss the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, speaking candidly and based on facts"

Wen Tiren turned a blind eye and deliberately spoke in exaggerated terms, recounting events from last year as if they had all occurred simultaneously, simply to see whether this person had the capability to resolve the difficulties faced by the court