Chapter 58: Sorry, You Really Don't Have Any Face in Front of the Emperor

"Biao'er, these things might be hard for you to understand and accept all at once. I can understand that. It's my fault for not thinking things through properly before, letting those old scholars like Song Lian tutor you too early, instilling too much of that Confucian dogma in you, and talking endlessly about the governance of the Three Dynasties and the sage-kings of antiquity. It's only natural that when you hear what I'm saying now, your instinct is to think it's wrong."

Hearing this, Zhu Biao quickly reined in his thoughts, preparing to say something.

Zhu Yuanzhang, however, smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Never mind. The days you and I have ahead together are still long, and we will experience more and more things. One day, you will come to understand your old man. Even if you can't reach my level, you won't truly become one of those sage-emperors of the 'governing by inaction' that the Confucians talk about."

Zhu Biao nodded to his imperial father and said nothing more. His gaze shifted into the distance, toward the many commoners coming and going. He watched for a long, long time...

It was not until Eunuch Wang came to report that the Marquis of Nanan, Commander Yu, and Commander Liao had arrived to pay their respects that he snapped out of it. Together with his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, he descended the watchtower to meet Yu Tongyuan and the others...

...

"This subject pays respects to Your Majesty, wishing you eternal peace."

"We pay respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Upon seeing Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, Yu Tongyuan, Yu Tongyuan's brother Yu Tongyuan, and Liao Dingguo immediately bowed, displaying the utmost reverence. The three of them had been sweating anxiously in their hearts about this audience with Zhu Yuanzhang. Seeing that the Crown Prince was also present, a large portion of that tension instantly dissipated.

"I am doing well. Rise."

Granted permission by Zhu Yuanzhang, the three men stood up.

"You did well this time; the few of you didn't let me down. The Chaohu Navy is still that same daring and combative Chaohu Navy!" Zhu Yuanzhang said, looking at the three of them with a satisfied expression.

Overwhelmed by this unexpected favor, the three quickly declared that this was only their duty, and that the Chaohu Navy would always be the Chaohu Navy—the Great Ming's Chaohu Navy. In truth, their clothes were nearly soaked through with sweat. It was mostly lingering fear.

If the Crown Prince had not sent a letter in advance to set their minds at ease, and if the King of Ming had come to lure them astray, and they had truly cooperated with the King of Ming to move against His Majesty—or even if they hadn't agreed, but simply stood by with cold detachment, watching how easily His Majesty shattered the conspiracies of the Cult of Light—they would have known how miserably tragic their fate would have been!

When they first captured the King of Ming, they had thought it a stroke of pure coincidence. Not long after receiving the Crown Prince's letter, the King of Ming had delivered himself right to their doorstep, handing them an opportunity to earn merit on a silver platter. But looking at it now, was this any coincidence? It was abundantly clear that His Majesty had long since seen through the plans of the King of Ming and the others, and was giving them a chance—a test. Fortunately, they had not been foolish enough to fail it!

"The matter of private salt smuggling will cease to be investigated, in accordance with the timeline the Crown Prince previously discussed with you. This matter ends here and is completely turned over. But remember, do not do it again in the future; otherwise, I will not spare you!"

The three of them nodded repeatedly, expressing their understanding and offering kowtows of gratitude. While letting out a long sigh of relief, a sense of lingering melancholy arose in their hearts. The Chaohu Navy was a massive establishment, and how many of their brothers had fallen in battle over the years? Their wives, children, and elderly dependents all needed care. Although His Majesty provided compensation for this, it was impossible to take care of everything comprehensively relying on that alone.

If they wanted to live well, the bulk of the responsibility still fell on them, the leaders of the Chaohu Navy, to figure something out. Previously, the profits Second Brother Liao gained from leading the navy brothers in smuggling private salt were used in large part to support the families of those in the Chaohu Navy who had died in battle. Now, Second Brother Liao had lost his life because of it, and His Majesty had explicitly spoken those words to their faces. They truly dared not touch private salt trafficking ever again. Yet they knew no other trades or livelihoods. Now that the wars across the realm were essentially over, leaving only the Southwest and the Northern Yuan court, naval forces would not be needed for future military campaigns. The decline in the status of the Chaohu Navy was entirely foreseeable. It would not be easy for the men beneath them to continue living with dignity and looking like proper human beings...

Yet, things had reached this point, and they had no other choice.

"Do you feel that you are going to live hard days from now on? Do you feel that you have lost your usefulness?"

At that moment, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice rang out. Yu Tongyuan was so startled that he gave a violent shudder, hurriedly pulling himself together. He felt as though he were standing stark naked before the emperor, thoroughly exposed from the inside out, with no secrets whatsoever!

"No, no, how could this subject dare to think such a thing?" he blurted out in frantic denial.

"You needn't panic. It's normal to have such thoughts; doesn't the saying go, 'When the birds are gone, the good bows are hidden'?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's words nearly scared Yu Tongyuan and the others out of their wits. They hastily moved to drop to their knees and plead for mercy, only to be supported upright by Zhu Yuanzhang, who had stood up.

"Don't be afraid. That's not what I meant, and you don't mean that either. What I mean is that I see the sacrifices of the Chaohu Navy, and I keep them in my heart. I will never let such a thing happen to you. Not only that, I am carving out a completely new path for you. A path where, as long as you keep walking it, the rewards will far surpass private salt smuggling, and it will come with immense glory. As long as you follow the rules, you won't have to worry about me coming after you while reaping these rewards!"

A smile returned to Zhu Yuanzhang's face, but his words left Yu Tongyuan and the others in a state of suspended shock and suspicion. Was what His Majesty said true? Why did it sound somewhat like a deception?

"What? You don't believe it?" Zhu Yuanzhang swept his gaze over them with a faint smile.

The men repeatedly professed their dare-not's, saying that being kept in His Majesty's heart and having such a path laid out for them was their utmost fortune, for which they were endlessly grateful.

Even so, they still couldn't imagine what kind of endeavor could possibly be more lucrative than private salt smuggling. Swallowing their surging anticipation, they strained to hear what this path mentioned by His Majesty could be.

"This path does not exist just yet, but it won't take too long—at most three or four years, at least one or two—I will clear it out. When that time comes, I will let your Chaohu Navy live prosperous lives. This path involves certain matters that I cannot spell out for you just yet. Doing so prematurely might invite unnecessary trouble. You only need to remember that my word is law; I will carve out this path and let your Chaohu Navy live in prosperity!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew solemn. The path he spoke of was, in truth, the abolition of the maritime ban and the re-establishment of the Maritime Trade Supervisorates to strengthen overseas trade. To engage in maritime trade, a powerful naval fleet was indispensable. The Chaohu Navy had already passed his test; having them serve as the Great Ming's first naval fleet could not be more fitting.

However, so many people had previously whispered in his ear about the maritime ban and the supervisorates—arguing that maritime trade was unimportant, generating only about ten thousand strings of cash in profit annually, and that it would be more cost-effective to disband it, enforce the maritime ban, and guard against pirates instead. They had successfully hoodwinked him into ignorance, leading him to actually do it.

From this, one could tell how deep the waters behind the scenes truly ran. There were still many pressing matters to attend to; while the issue of the supervisorate was urgent, it was not the absolute top priority. Therefore, it could be put on the back burner for a little longer.

This time, he was simply giving Yu Tongyuan and the others another dose of reassurance. Speaking to this extent was quite enough. To say any more would expose his hand and risk startling the snake in the grass.

Yu Tongyuan and the others, who had been waiting eagerly for the answer, were somewhat bewildered upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words. Why hadn't His Majesty revealed the thing they wanted to know most? Yet His Majesty spoke of this path as being of paramount importance. This left them feeling as if their hearts were being clawed at in torment. They wanted to ask, but dared not; after all, since His Majesty had already spoken to this extent, asking further would show a grave lack of discretion.

With no other choice, they suppressed their overflowing curiosity, thanked the emperor once more, and pledged their loyalty. After a few more remarks, the men prepared to take their leave.

Just as they were about to set off, Yu Tongyuan spoke up, "Your Majesty, how should the rebel leader be disposed of? The rebel said he wished... wished to ask Your Majesty to personally oversee his execution."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved a hand. "I am preparing the imperial edict of self-blame and have no time. Hand him over to the Prefect of Fengyang and arrange for him to hit the road today."

Yu Tongyuan accepted the command and departed without uttering another half-word. Bringing up the request was already pushing his limits; he could not possibly press the matter any further.

...

"Second Brother Yu, what do you suppose... what kind of path was His Majesty talking about?"

On the way back, Liao Dingguo nudged Yu Tongyuan's shoulder, asking with a mix of curiosity and excitement. He genuinely couldn't imagine what path could possibly be more profitable and glorious than private salt smuggling.

After a moment of deep thought, Yu Tongyuan gave a light cough, clearly having reached some conclusion. Yu Tongyuan's brother Yu Tongyuan and Liao Dingguo quickly pricked up their ears to listen respectfully.

"Since His Majesty said there is such a path, then there is definitely such a path. And this path will surely let us earn even more while gaining glory."

Yu Tongyuan and Liao Dingguo nodded repeatedly, agreeing that Yu Tongyuan made a lot of sense, and waited for him to continue.

After waiting for a long time, no further sound came.

"Is that... it?" Liao Dingguo probed tentatively.

"Yes, that's it." Yu Tongyuan answered with a straight face.

*Damn it!*

Yu Tongyuan and Liao Dingguo were nearly driven to distraction. What kind of peak nonsense literature masterpiece was this?!

*In my entire life, I've hated two types of people the most: those who only tell you half a sentence!* Yu Tongyuan cursed wildly in his heart.

...

"Well? Did the Emperor of Zhu agree to personally oversee my execution?"

The King of Ming, who had been waiting for a long time, could not help asking the moment Yu Tongyuan appeared before him. He asked, yet in his heart, he felt confident the matter would more or less succeed. After all, regardless of anything else, he was still the leader of the Cult of Light and the contemporary King of Ming. He still possessed status and prestige. Now that he was a defeated captive, asking the Emperor of Zhu to personally oversee his execution was a favor the Emperor of Zhu would surely grant...