newbobooks Chapter 188
Chapter 188
"Reporting to Your Excellency, I have heard of this, but I have already been placed under house arrest by Mo Dengyong. That Mo Dengyong is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Since I ascended the throne, I have never been able to rule personally, and these days he has placed me under house arrest."
Li Chun dared not hide the truth and answered truthfully.
"You're quite honest. Let me ask you this: do you want to be a peaceful prince, or do you want to feed the fish in the sea?"
Yun Jin looked at Li Chun and said with a half-smile.
As she spoke, a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes, as if she would strike down Li Gonghuang with a knife if his answer displeased her even slightly.
Upon hearing this, Li Chun felt a chill run down his spine.
"With the help of the envoy and the arrangements of the great Ming Dynasty, Annam was originally part of the Ming Dynasty. I have always wanted to lead the people back to the Ming Dynasty, but I am powerless to do so."
Li Chun was clever; he did not refer to the Li Dynasty as such, but instead used the term Annam.
The Le Dynasty represented independence, while Annam represented a territory that was once part of the Ming Dynasty.
Upon hearing this, Yun Jin nodded in satisfaction.
"You are a smart man. As long as you behave yourself, my Great Ming will guarantee you a life of wealth and honor."
Yun Jin originally did not intend to kill Li Chun. With Li Chun alive, it would be perfectly legitimate for him to lead the Li Dynasty officials and people to submit to the Ming Dynasty, and no one could find fault with that.
If we kill Li Chun, it will sow countless hidden dangers in the future. The people of the Li Dynasty will think about restoring the Li Dynasty, and the people will not be of one mind.
Annam had been under the rule of the Ming Dynasty for a long period of time, and the people of Annam could even participate in the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations. The number of candidates selected for official positions in each province was fixed, with large provinces such as Jiangnan and Jiangxi having the most.
The number of candidates selected for official positions in Guangdong and Guangxi, as well as Hainan, was much smaller. In fact, Annam's quota for civil service examinations even exceeded that of Guangdong and Guangxi, which shows that the government was quite favorable to Annam.
When Zhu Di incorporated Annam into the Ming Dynasty, it remained stable, and the people of Annam identified with the Ming Dynasty and considered themselves its subjects. However, after Zhu Zhanji, the grandson of the late Emperor Xuande, ascended the throne, he re-appointed Le The as King of Annam in the early years of the Xuande reign, restoring Annam's status as a tributary state.
Once Annam became a vassal state, ambitious individuals and networks of vested interests emerged. In particular, since Annam controlled the largest outlet to the sea along the entire southeast coast, the unsavory dealings naturally increased.
If Li Chun leads the way in surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, it will be legitimate and the opposition will be greatly reduced. At that time, even if these people want to rebel, it will be illegitimate.
Having a legitimate reason for being is very important.
In Suzhou Prefecture, Zhou Chu's craftsmen, after constantly adjusting the proportions, finally formulated a better cement mix.
However, Cui Wenkui and his group did not do nothing these days. The merchants of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce dismissed all the refugees from Kunshan. Not only in Suzhou Prefecture, but even in the entire Jiangnan Province, tens of thousands of refugees suddenly appeared.
Migrants have always been a destabilizing factor in feudal dynasties, and if not handled properly, they could easily lead to rebellions.
Everyone was waiting to see Yan Song make a fool of himself. If a rebellion broke out in Suzhou Prefecture during his tenure, his time as prefect would be over, and his political career might be ruined as well.
To everyone's disappointment, Yan Song showed no panic whatsoever. He immediately ordered notices to be posted and began recruiting refugees on a large scale to build a dam. At the same time, he sent a memorial to the capital, requesting the court to allocate funds to rebuild the dam instead of reinforcing it as in previous years.
The reinforcement work doesn't require many people; a few thousand should be enough.
But rebuilding would be a huge project, and all those tens of thousands of displaced people would have work to do.
When Cui Wenkui learned of this news, he was filled with disdain.
"It's a wonder that Yan Song is over forty years old and still so naive. The dikes in Jiangnan are repaired and patched up every year. They're just made do with what they have, why would they want to rebuild them? How much money would that cost? Would the court really allocate that kind of funding?"
Xia Yan, who was standing to the side, also smiled.
“Even if the imperial court allocates funds, I wonder how much will be left in Yan Song’s hands. I want to see what Yan Song and Zhou Chu will do when they can’t even afford to feed these refugees.”
In Xia Yan's opinion, Zhou Chu was extremely capable as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he was too naive when it came to these issues. The process of allocating funds to the court was incredibly complicated, involving countless officials, and which official would not want to get involved?
"I'd like to see how Zhou Chu will be dealt with."