I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 540 Releasing Military Power with a Cup of Wine

Chapter 540 Releasing Military Power with a Cup of Wine

Because Wang Wenzhou had gotten the better deal, he finally agreed to write a letter to the babies, asking them to stop their actions.

As for the three unfortunate men who discovered Wang Wenzhou's affair, two of the eunuchs were beaten to death, and the pretty palace maid was given to Zhu Taining by Wang Wenzhou.

Zhu Taining has suffered a lot these days, but he has persevered. He did not dare to admit that he had long been under Wang Wenzhou's command. Because of this, Wang Wenzhou thought that Zhu was quite loyal and tried to win him over.

Three days later, the soldiers received a letter from Wang Wenzhou informing them that he was safe and sound, so they withdrew their troops and returned to Hanshan. Wang Qiang also received the news. He hadn't seen Wang Wenzhou for a long time, so he sent He Renlong back to Shaanxi with his troops while he continued on to the capital.

Although the situation within the Ming Dynasty had calmed down, the Donglin Party refused to let Wang Wenzhou go. Filled with righteous indignation, they vowed to kill him. In the Donglin Party's view, Wang Wenzhou's power was so great that he was becoming uncontrollable; if they didn't kill him now, they would be even less able to do so in the future.

Moreover, the people of the capital suffered heavy casualties from the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Lin Qing and his associates. They vented their resentment on Wang Wenzhou, kneeling before the palace gates to petition and vow to kill him.

Faced with this situation, Zhu Youjian was both amused and exasperated. Even if he wanted to kill Wang Wenzhou, he wouldn't do so now.

The study room.

Zhu Youjian hosted a banquet for Wang Wenzhou to discuss how to handle the aftermath, with Empress Zhou and Liu Rushi in attendance.

Wang Wenzhou took a sip of wine from Liu Rushi's mouth and complained, "Brother Zhu, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but it's all your fault that things have turned out this way!"

Zhu Youjian shook his head with a wry smile. "Boxin, as a subject, you colluded with Dorgon to attack the Ming Dynasty and even helped him smuggle grain. Can't I have some complaints?"

Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and then said, "Boxin, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you a little. In order to quell the grievances of the people, I plan to have the three judicial departments conduct a public trial of your case."

Wang Wenzhou understood Zhu Youjian's meaning: it was actually a performance for the people, an opportunity to clear his name during the trial.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Since Brother Zhu has already come up with a solution, I will definitely cooperate. However, I have so many enemies, so the presiding judge must speak up for me. Otherwise, it will become a pit that I can't climb out of!"

Zhu Youjian asked, "Boxin, who do you want to be the presiding judge?"

Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and suddenly remembered Chen Qianfu, the man who was looked down upon and isolated by the court officials because he married two sisters. Chen Qianfu had helped Wang Wenzhou avenge Xiao Lanlan last time, and since then he had been associated with Wang Wenzhou. This time when Wang Wenzhou was imprisoned, Chen Qianfu had also written a letter to plead for Wang Wenzhou's release.

"Let's choose Chen Qianfu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review," Wang Wenzhou suggested.

Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "Since Boxin is fond of this person, I will grant your request."

"Huh?" Liu Rushi suddenly frowned, because she vaguely felt that her nemesis's hand under the table seemed to be on Empress Zhou's leg. What was going on? Liu Rushi was completely confused.

Zhu Youjian raised his wine cup and said, "Boxin, I toast you."

Wang Wenzhou quickly took a sip of wine from Liu Rushi's mouth.

Zhu Youjian said, "Boxin, Hanshan is just a prefecture. Although it has a larger population, there is no need for so many troops."

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly. It seemed that Zhu Youjian wanted to reduce the power of the princes. Thinking about it, it made sense. No emperor would allow a subject to have a large army loyal to him.

“Brother Zhu is right. I also think that Hanshan is not on the front line and there is no war, so there is no need to maintain so many soldiers. How about we keep only 30,000 troops in Hanshan Guard? Is that alright?” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

Zhu Youjian nodded. It seemed that Boxin was sensible enough to know where his bottom line was.

Zhu Youjian continued, "The supermarkets, banks, and express delivery companies in Hanshan have all been nationalized. I intend to give some bonuses to your former subordinates so that they can retire in Hanshan. After all, they have contributed to the country, and we cannot let them work so hard anymore."

Wang Wenzhou and Zhu Youjian had reached an agreement, with Wang Wenzhou handing over the three major industries of the Hanshan Group entirely to Zhu Youjian. Zhu Youjian was genuinely afraid; the strike in these three industries had caused widespread fear among the people of the Ming Dynasty. During the days Wang Wenzhou was unconscious, many people couldn't even buy necessities like vegetables, meat, and grain. It was only because Wang Wenzhou woke up in time that the starving people might have revolted.

Wang Wenzhou nodded and said with a smile, "Brother Zhu is really kind. We'll do as Brother Zhu says."

Zhu Youjian raised his wine cup and solemnly said, "Boxin, I still stand by what I said: if you do not betray me, I will not betray you. As long as you remain loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to me, I will ensure you a life of wealth and honor."

Wang Wenzhou curled his lip. If I weren't too lazy to bother with that, and if I didn't want the Ming Dynasty to perish, I would have rebelled long ago and become emperor myself.

"Thank you, Brother Zhu!" Wang Wenzhou quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Cheers!" Zhu Youjian drank it all in one gulp.

Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and then said, "Boxin, shouldn't your fleet also be nationalized?"

Wang Wenzhou quickly waved his hand and laughed, "Brother Zhu, have some shame, okay? You're eyeing just twenty dilapidated ships? That's not a fleet; that fleet is for my maritime trade!"

Zhu Youjian rolled his eyes at Wang Wenzhou. "Boxin, you're lying through your teeth. You say twenty broken ships aren't a fleet? Even if all the naval forces of the Ming Dynasty were combined, they probably couldn't defeat your fleet."

"Boxin..." Zhu Youjian, taking advantage of the situation, also wanted Wang Wenzhou's fleet.

Wang Wenzhou quickly said, "Brother Zhu, that's just a fleet. No matter how powerful it is, it can't threaten the Ming Dynasty. I trust you to guarantee me a life of wealth and honor. But please don't take offense, if you were to pass away one day, would your successor still guarantee my safety?"

Zhu Youjian frowned. Wang Wenzhou was right. Hanshan was now Wang Wenzhou's territory, and the Ming court had no influence over it. Although he and Wang Wenzhou were wary of each other, they also trusted each other. He was confident that as long as he was alive, Wang Wenzhou would not rebel. But if he died, his successor would probably make arrangements to eliminate Wang Wenzhou immediately.

Wang Wenzhou said with a wry smile, "This fleet is my last resort, Brother Zhu, please don't worry about it. If the court needs it, I guarantee the fleet will respond to the court's call immediately."

Zhu Youjian thought for a moment, then decided to leave it at that. He figured if he continued, Wang Wenzhou might turn hostile, since he had already dealt with most of the hidden strength Wang Wenzhou had revealed. After this incident, Wang Wenzhou would never again pose such a significant threat to the Ming Dynasty.

After a meal of wine, Zhu Youjian, much like Zhao Kuangyin, used the wine to relieve Wang Wenzhou of his military power, minimizing Wang's influence in the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Wenzhou admired Zhu Youjian's political acumen. Although it seemed that Zhu Youjian was forced into not daring to kill him, in reality, Zhu Youjian weighed the pros and cons and was unwilling to kill him. Although he was alive, everything he had worked for over the years, except for Hanshan, had become Zhu Youjian's.