jdhmnovel Chapter 832 Prime Minister Li is getting old; we can't let him see this.
Chapter 832 Prime Minister Li is getting old; we can't let him see this.
Anyone who has owned a dog knows that dogs aren't always obedient; they'll always try to test their owner's limits.
For example, some dogs are forbidden by their owners from going on the sofa, so they might try to put two legs on the sofa. As long as they don't get punished, sooner or later they will have all four legs on the sofa.
Therefore, no matter how well-behaved and cute a dog is, it still needs to be disciplined from time to time. Only in this way will it become obedient.
Similarly, the merchants from the vassal states at the border markets also needed to be warned from time to time to behave themselves, otherwise they would start testing the limits of the Ming Dynasty.
For example, Choi Myung-ho from South Korea has been staying at the clubhouse in the border town lately, trying to learn how to open and operate a clubhouse. He probably wants to open a similar one back in South Korea.
There was also a Siamese merchant who, although he was learning how to open a high-class club like Heaven on Earth, was constantly trying to sell ivory in secret.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
If we can forgive the Korean guy named Choi Myung-ho, then the Siamese merchant is simply asking for death.
Because if he dares to sell ivory in secret today, he might dare to sell grain in secret tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow he might even dare to march into the capital and seize the throne from Lao Deng.
Of course, the reason why these merchants dared to do such outrageous things was also related to Yang Shaofeng's deliberate leniency.
Those who frequently train dogs know that sometimes dogs can be very well-behaved and rarely make mistakes.
At this point, if you want to discipline a dog, you must first induce it to make a mistake, and then punish it so that it will remember the lesson.
While this kind of entrapment tactic isn't very sophisticated, it's effective and the results are easy to see.
Sure enough, after Yang Shaofeng had only been away from the border markets for a few months, some merchants had already jumped out to speak out.
After reprimanding the Korean envoy Park Sung-hyun and the Siamese envoy Polonmoroja, Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "By the way, the apology gifts sent to me by Japan have recently arrived. I plan to have someone deal with those Japanese pirates later. Don't forget to go and see for yourselves."
Park Sung-sung's heart tightened, and he quickly bowed and kowtowed, replying, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely go and see it, and I will also invite all the merchants of Goryeo to go and watch."
Polonmoroja also bowed and replied, "This foreign minister will also invite the merchants of Siam to watch the event."
With Park Sung-heon and Polong Moroja taking the lead, a whole host of other envoys from various vassal states chimed in with their agreement.
Yang Shaofeng then smiled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "In that case, I will not keep you any longer."
……
Although Park Sung-hee and other vassal envoys had anticipated that the Japanese pirates sent by Japan would suffer a terrible death, no one expected that the pirates would die in such a gruesome manner.
Let me state in advance that Yang Shaofeng, as the imperial son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty, concurrently serving as the prefect of Dengzhou, the magistrate of Ningyang, the vice minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and the de facto head of the border markets, has always been a magnanimous person.
Even these short, scrawny men who had once harassed the borders of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Shaofeng did not order anything to be done to them.
As the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Biao always presented himself as gentle and refined, so he did not call for violence against the short and ugly men.
Zhu Biao and Yang Shaofeng simply handed these Japanese pirates over to the Japanese envoys for disposal.
Then, the Japanese envoy Kikuchi Yoshimasa personally ordered all the Japanese pirates who had been sent there to be boiled alive in public.
Simply put, they threw all the Japanese pirates into a pot and boiled them.
"Fortunately, fortunately my brother-in-law stopped me from going to see the fate of these Japanese pirates."
"That's fucking disgusting!"
"vomit!"
Zhu Biao spat out a mouthful of sour water, then suppressed the urge to vomit and said, "Damn it, these shorty bastards are so ruthless to their own people. We have to be more careful in the future."
Yang Shaofeng's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Your Highness, don't you think the short, ugly guy is a good dog?"
Zhu Biao glanced at Yang Shaofeng and said, "No matter how good the dog is, it won't work. These things don't understand human nature, and they might turn on their owners one day."
Yang Shaofeng did not refute Zhu Biao's words, but he was thinking about how to make use of the short and ugly people.
Even considering the ruthlessness of these short, ugly men, simply using them as laborers would be a waste.
The most appropriate use of them would be to have them form several auxiliary armies.
If we lose, the short and ugly guys are just expendable resources.
If they win, the short and ugly guys can take over all the dirty work.
As a celestial empire, the Ming Dynasty, even if it didn't wear silk gloves like a noble queen, at least had to maintain the image of a refined gentleman.
We must never be like Zheng He, doing all sorts of messy, dirty, and tiring work.
Having made up his mind, Yang Shaofeng turned to Chang Xiaojiu, the commander of the Imperial Guards of the Prince Consort's Mansion, and instructed him: "Have someone summon Kikuchi Yoshimasa. I have something to tell him to do."
Chang Xiaojiu bowed in agreement and was about to arrange for someone to summon Kikuchi Yoshimasa when he heard Li Shanchang, who had rushed over, say, "Your Highness and the Prince Consort are truly in high spirits."
After speaking, Li Shanchang bowed to Zhu Biao and said, "Your subject, Li Shanchang, greets Your Highness."
Zhu Biao quickly returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, replying, "Prime Minister Li."
Li Shanchang straightened up, first smilingly looking at Zhu Biao and asking, "What are Your Highness and the Prince Consort looking at?" Then, with a dark face, he looked at Yang Shaofeng and said with a forced smile, "How have you been, Prince Consort?"
Yang Shaofeng, looking completely bewildered, bowed to Li Shanchang and asked, "Has someone offended the Duke of Han?"
Li Shanchang gave a slight snort and said, "How could anyone offend me? After all, I'm just an official from the countryside."
Ok?
From the countryside?
Hey!
Yang Shaofeng's face immediately darkened.
Needless to say, it must have been that old scoundrel Li Shanchang who secretly went to the homes of ordinary people for a private visit, and then some big mouth of his made a fuss about how he looked like a country bumpkin, which was overheard by that old scoundrel!
The key question is, what does this have to do with me?
I only taught them the four words "poor to the point of losing their bottoms," but I never taught them the four words from the countryside.
Even if you, Li Shanchang, are unhappy, then go find whoever said it. Why are you causing trouble for me?
Yang Shaofeng was displeased, but suddenly said with a smile, "Countryside or not, we can leave that for later. Doesn't the Duke of Han want to know what Your Highness and I are looking at?"
Zhu Biao tugged at Yang Shaofeng's sleeve and whispered, "Prime Minister Li is getting old; we can't let him see this."