jdhmnovel Chapter 687 Once again, I'm being manipulated by my mother-in-law.
Chapter 687 Once again, I'm being manipulated by my mother-in-law.
Yang Shaofeng wasn't afraid of Lao Deng at all, and even dared to provoke him.
But for some reason, Yang Shaofeng was very timid when facing Empress Ma.
Especially this time, when he was about to run away to fight the Japanese but was blocked at home by Empress Ma, Yang Shaofeng felt even more guilty.
Seeing that Yang Shaofeng had been stammering and struggling to get a straight answer, Empress Ma simply went into the room, found a chair and sat down, saying, "There's a saying among the common people: a son-in-law is like half a son. You've married two of my daughters, so by that logic, I'm practically your mother. Do you acknowledge that?"
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Empress Ma cautiously, then lowered his head and said, "I acknowledge it."
Empress Ma hummed in agreement and continued, "Since you acknowledge it, then let me ask you, is it absolutely necessary to destroy Japan?"
Yang Shaofeng gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and said, "Yes."
Empress Ma nodded slightly and asked, "Since the destruction of Japan is inevitable, I will not stop you. But first, answer me honestly: between the livelihood of the people of the Ming Dynasty and the destruction of Japan, which is more important?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "Naturally, the livelihood of the people of the Ming Dynasty is more important, but this Japan..."
Empress Ma looked at Yang Shaofeng with a half-smile.
Yang Shaofeng steeled his resolve and said, "There are three reasons why I have always been concerned about Japan."
"Firstly, Japan has gold and silver mines, which originally belonged to our Great Ming Dynasty."
"The national treasury is empty, while the gold and silver mines have been seized and mined by the Japanese invaders."
"Secondly, the Japanese are beasts. They fear power but do not cherish virtue. When they are weak, they submit humbly, but when they are strong, they become thieves and robbers."
“Since the Tang Dynasty, they have continuously sent Tang envoys to our Central Plains to learn, but afterwards they have constantly harassed our Central Plains coast. Now, Japanese pirates are rampant, and their beastly nature can be seen from this.”
"He has not yet learned to be three-tenths human, but his beastly nature is deeply ingrained."
"If we don't eliminate it sooner or later, it will surely become a scourge."
"Thirdly, the four islands stretch across the sea, serving as a bulwark against external threats, containing Korea and Liaodong internally, and balancing Ryukyu and even the Jiangnan region to the south."
"Such a strategically important place cannot be left unheld by the Ming Dynasty; I cannot rest easy."
Empress Ma nodded again.
Empress Ma thought her son-in-law's answer was nine parts true and one part false.
Or rather, all his answers were true, but there were definitely deeper reasons he didn't mention.
While these three reasons could all serve as justification for his desire to destroy Japan, they were insufficient to justify his hatred for the country.
After a moment of silence, Empress Ma finally spoke, "You've already told your father-in-law about the gold mine and silver mountain, and he's told me about them too."
“The Japanese are beasts in human form and occupy a strategic location. This is something that not only you can see, but your father-in-law, the Duke of Han, and the Duke of Wei can also see.”
"They also have the desire to attack Japan."
At this point, Empress Ma suddenly changed the subject: "However, now is not a good time to attack Japan. This is not only because of the Yuan Dynasty, but more so because of our own problems in the Ming Dynasty."
"Yes, after conquering Japan, the Ming Dynasty suddenly possessed gold mines and silver mountains, and would never lack gold and silver again."
"But let me ask you, does the Ming Dynasty need that much gold and silver right now?"
"No matter how much gold and silver you bring back, or how much territory you conquer, can you find those abducted children? Can you deal with those treacherous gentry?"
"Having stayed in Ningyang County for so long, I often hear the people talk about how the entire county of Ningyang was united in thought and action during the first and second years of the Hongwu reign."
"The same principle applies to the entire Ming Dynasty. If we don't deal with the gentry, how can we unite the people's hearts and minds? If their hearts and minds aren't united, how can they work together towards a common goal?"
"Moreover, you are an educated person, so you should know the principle that if the name is not correct, the words will not be proper, and if the words are not proper, things will not be accomplished."
"The invasion of Wenzhou by a few Japanese pirates is not enough to justify the destruction of the country."
“If we send troops without authorization, the many vassal states in Dengzhou will inevitably feel a sense of shared vulnerability, which will not be good.”
After a slight pause, Empress Ma said earnestly, "It is right to treat the various vassal states with a mixture of royal and hegemonic methods, but ultimately the royal way should come first and the hegemonic way should come second."
"You must make the people willingly follow you to destroy Japan, instead of just wanting to lead them to destroy Japan because you hate Japan."
At this point, Empress Ma sighed slightly and said, "Moreover, every mother has her own selfish motives."
“You can ignore my and your father-in-law’s nonsense about other things.”
"But there's an old saying: 'A clay pot is bound to break when it's near a well, and a general is bound to die on the battlefield.' War is dangerous and perilous. If you were to personally lead the troops to Japan, how could you expect your father-in-law, me, Jin'er, and Yu'er to feel at ease?"
Empress Ma glared at Jin'er and Yu'er, then continued, "And these two good-for-nothings, they always go along with you, but aren't they worried?"
“Just take this as a piece of advice from your mother. We’re not in a hurry to go to Japan. After we finish fighting the Hu Yuan, and find a better reason, your father-in-law can send the Duke of Wei and the Duke of E to accompany you to fight Japan.”
Present the facts, reason with them, and finally play the family card.
Yang Shaofeng was completely speechless and dejectedly bowed, replying, "Yes, I've remembered."
……
Empress Ma returned victorious.
Yang Shaofeng slumped in the recliner like a defeated rooster.
I've been manipulated by my mother-in-law again.
The plan to eliminate Japan has to be postponed again.
Seeing Yang Shaofeng's listless appearance, Jin'er first boiled a pot of water herself, then brewed a small pot of rice dumplings, and said with a smile, "Husband, don't be angry."
"My adoptive father, the Duke of Han, the Duke of Wei, the Duke of E, the Earl of Chengyi, including Councilor Hu, as well as Erhu and Xia Yu, weren't they all heroes of their time? Yet they were still completely controlled by my adoptive mother."
"And didn't my godmother say that when the time is right and she finds a better reason, she will have my husband lead troops to destroy Japan?"
Yang Shaofeng hummed in agreement, but he still felt uneasy.
The gentry of Jiangnan are really something else.
Because of you bastards, I can't even lead my troops to wipe out those short, ugly Japanese.
There are also Xu Da, Chang Heitan, and Li Wenzhong.
You led your troops to the northern desert to fight the Hu Yuan, shattering my dream of becoming a champion marquis. The key point is that you still haven't completely wiped out the Hu Yuan. You're all really letting me down.
And Zhu Biao, that black sesame dumpling, and Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen, and the others, none of them have been able to sort out the various affairs of the Ming Dynasty to this day, delaying my mission to deal with the Japanese. They must be held responsible for this!
Oh, and there's also that old man, he's the real culprit who delayed my mission to get rid of that shorty.
Let's see how things unfold!