Chapter 55: Revisiting the Opening of the Seas

Lü Ben’s expression darkened.

First, he glanced at the Emperor, and then his gloomy gaze shifted to Yan Shifan.

"That is not what this official meant!"

"In my opinion, that is precisely what you meant!"

Yan Shifan refused to yield an inch, countering in a deep, stern voice.

Flustered, Lü Ben found himself unable to best Yan Shifan in a war of words; unable to best the son, he turned to confront the father, Yan Song.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jie intercepted him with a pull on his sleeve, then flashed a warm smile at Yan Shifan.

Under the watchful eyes of all present, Xu Jie leisurely and calmly began to speak.

"The Junior Preceptor must have misunderstood my previous words."

"When I spoke earlier of the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture, it was not to make His Majesty break faith with the realm, nor did I mean that the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture should be abandoned."

Faced with Xu Jie’s amiable demeanor, Yan Shifan suddenly lost the fiery impulse to berate him further.

He muttered sullenly, "Are you saying that is not Minister Xu’s meaning?"

Before the crowd, Xu Jie looked toward the Emperor with a calm, serene smile and shook his head repeatedly.

"Our discussion today regarding the opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture was never meant to dictate a rigid course of action."

"Now that trouble has arisen in Laizhou Prefecture, as officials serving at court, we are all subjects of His Majesty, and the various ministries and offices can certainly devise solutions."

"Did we not just resolve to use the stored grain from the granaries near Jiaozhou to provide disaster relief and comfort the soldiers and people?"

Within Wuyi Hall, only the calm and measured voice of Xu Jie echoed.

Up above, Zhu Zaiji listened with a rather peculiar expression on his face.

This style of answering was truly all too familiar.

Yan Shifan, too, was somewhat bewildered and said in a deep voice, "Minister Xu, we are currently discussing the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture!"

Xu Jie raised his head, a smile returning to his face. "As for the opening of the seas, none of us ever said it should be halted; it is simply that the current situation in Laizhou..."

At this point, Xu Jie turned to face the Emperor upon the throne.

He bowed with clasped fists and cupped hands.

"The trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture is not to be abandoned now."

"Rather, it should be approached slowly and with deliberate caution."

"First, we must deal with the incursions of the maritime raiders, reorganize and resettle Lingshan Guard and Fushan Front Garrison, and only when all preparations are thoroughly complete should we proceed with opening the seas."

Standing before the throne, Zhu Zaiji almost failed to suppress a laugh.

Xu Jie’s words had a most distinctive flavor to them.

It sounded as though he had said everything, yet at the same time, he had said nothing at all.

Crucially, however, he had clearly and distinctly stated his attitude and viewpoint: the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture must be handled slowly and with deliberation.

Yan Shifan stared in sheer bewilderment, only realizing belatedly that he had been played by Xu Jie, which left him with no choice but to let out a resentful, cold huff.

He even cast a glance at his own elderly father, who was the only person other than the Emperor seated within Wuyi Hall.

He had already fought on behalf of the Yan family against the Emperor and this southern faction for so long, doing everything that needed to be done.

Yan Song merely cast a faint, backward glance at his son.

Then, he sluggishly turned his gaze toward the Crown Prince standing before the throne.

At that exact moment, Zhu Zaiji’s eyes met Yan Song’s, and the two exchanged a direct look.

Zhu Zaiji was the first to speak with a smile, "Grand Tutor Yan."

Yan Song immediately wore a smile as well, nodding slightly. "Your Imperial Highness."

As Zhu Zaiji spoke out, Lü Ben, Xu Jie, and the others felt their eyebrows twitch, their gazes subconsciously shifting from the Crown Prince to the Emperor.

Could it be that the Emperor had once again instructed the Crown Prince to step forward?

What a truly calculated move!

Yet Zhu Zaiji continued unperturbed, "Grand Tutor Yan, residing as I do within the inner court, I am truly somewhat unclear about the affairs of the court and the localities. The matter of the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture, which my Imperial Father and all of you decided upon a few days ago—must it also be executed by the local government offices?"

The smile on Yan Song’s face deepened somewhat.

This Crown Prince was exceedingly clever.

He immediately smiled and shook his head, saying, "Replying to Your Highness, the matter of the trial opening of the seas naturally requires no action from the local government offices."

Zhu Zaiji quickly pursued the matter, "You mean Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng and their like?"

Yan Song nodded. "Just as Your Highness has said, the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture was always intended to be carried out by Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng alone. It has never had anything to do with the officials of Laizhou Prefecture; even if we were to change the location, it would remain the same. The local government offices, and even the various ministries and offices at court, need only assist the two of them in their work."

Looking as though he had only just understood, Zhu Zaiji nodded repeatedly, humming in acknowledgment.

Then, as if digesting this piece of information fully, he immediately turned his gaze toward Lü Ben, Xu Jie, and the others.

"Grand Tutor Lü, Minister Xu, since the officials of Laizhou Prefecture do not need to undertake the opening of the seas—that being the task of Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng—then when maritime raiders invade Laizhou, it is naturally up to the local government to handle the aftermath, provide relief, and comfort the people. But the opening of the seas does not require their divided attention or worry."

Having said this, Zhu Zaiji looked up toward the old Daoist master on the throne. "Imperial Father, if the opening of the seas were meant to be done by the local government offices, would that mean the court ought never to have dispatched Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng in the first place?"

Jiajing secretly glared at this slippery young fellow.

His gaze then quietly swept across Zhang Zhi, who had remained silent throughout the day.

"Your Highness, according to the state’s system, the hundreds of officials each have their own duties. The local governments have always shouldered the responsibility of guarding the land and pacifying the people, while Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng are imperial commissioners specifically appointed to handle the opening of the seas. There was nothing improper about dispatching them."

The crowd immediately shifted their focus.

Sure enough.

It was the Crown Prince’s tutor and Grand Secretariat minister, Zhang Zhi, who was speaking.

After answering on behalf of the Emperor, Zhang Zhi looked toward those assembled in the hall.

"The debate among you gentlemen today concerns whether the raiders' invasion of Laizhou should affect the continued trial opening of the seas. In this official's view, it is still necessary to reiterate the duties of the hundred officials at court: those in a given position must attend to the politics of that position. The officials of Laizhou Prefecture, and indeed of the various offices in Shandong, are not stationed in the positions responsible for the trial opening of the seas. How can one now lump together the raid on Laizhou and the trial opening of the seas and discuss them as one?"

Lü Ben instantly grew anxious in his heart, casting a cold glare at Zhang Zhi. "Grand Tutor Zhang, the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture is managed by Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng, and they have already left the capital long ago, likely nearing the borders of Laizhou Prefecture. But can a major undertaking like opening the seas be accomplished relying solely on the two of them?"

Perhaps because ever since the Crown Prince underwent the capping ceremony and began attending studies in the East Palace, Zhang Zhi had poured his heart and soul entirely into the East Palace—a fact that had allowed a long-suppressed fire of resentment to build within Lü Ben—he let it all erupt at once today.

He said in a deep voice, "Grand Tutor Zhang has also served at court for many years; does he not know that the central and local offices of the hundred officials have always cooperated with concerted effort to accomplish things? No matter how talented Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng may be, can the two of them combined manage to build harbors and shipyards out of nothing?"

"Will it not still require the Jiaozhou Magistrate's Office, the Laizhou Prefectural Office, and the Three Offices of Shandong to work with one heart and concerted effort—for the local government to conscript corvée labor, dispatch laborers, allocate grain supplies, deploy garrison troops, and reorganize and drill the garrisons for opening the seas?"

"With all these myriad matters, if divorced from the government offices on the soil of Shandong, can Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng possibly handle them all by themselves?"

This had escalated from a debate over the trial opening of the seas in Laizhou Prefecture into a direct attack on Zhang Zhi’s own administrative competence.

Xu Jie followed closely behind, chiming in, "Grand Tutor Zhang, local administration has always relied on funds, grain, and human labor. Although these matters seem simple, once they are spread out and become intertwined, they turn into the most agonizing headaches under heaven. Not to mention that Jiaozhou has just suffered from the harassment of maritime raiders, and the localities must already comfort the soldiers and people, rebuild the prefectural and military preparation granaries, and re-muster the Fushan Front Garrison and reorganize Lingshan Guard."

At this, Xu Jie let out a long sigh.

"With all these myriad matters falling upon the localities to be carried out simultaneously—"

"On top of having to raise grain and dispatch labor for the opening-of-the-seas undertaking led by Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng—how can chaos possibly be avoided?"

"By then, I fear neither of the two tasks will be handled well."

"It will only cause the local officials to wail to the heavens, making the execution of affairs as difficult as ascending to the sky."