Song Hongshen was not surprised by the prince's reaction. The prince did not even consider the impact of this matter on the court and the people. He just subconsciously wanted to suppress him.
Whenever he thought about the prince ascending the throne in the future, Song Hongshen felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Meeting such a king, he was afraid that the pile of bones in the border town would eventually become a tragic joke.
He was a military commander, and it was his duty to protect the territory and the people. Even if he died on the battlefield, it would be a worthy death for him.
He was only afraid that his lord was incompetent, resulting in unnecessary sacrifices of his soldiers.
So as soon as the prince finished speaking, Song Hongshen took a few steps forward and looked at the prince with a cold gaze.
"May I ask Your Highness, what is the duty of our soldiers?"
The prince proudly replied, "Of course, it's to protect the territory and the people of the Great Zhou."
Song Hongshen asked again, "Are the merchants doing the shipping business citizens of the Great Zhou?"
"They pay taxes, provide disaster relief, and contribute every penny they should."
The Crown Prince said disdainfully, "So what? What does the Loyal and Brave King want to say? Paying taxes for disaster relief is their duty, but it's not a reason to order my Great Zhou navy around."
Song Hongshen laughed in anger and continued, "I would like to ask Your Highness, as the navy of the Great Zhou, is it their duty to eliminate pirates at sea?"
The prince nodded and said, "Of course."
Song Hong said in a deep voice, "Since it is their responsibility to eliminate the pirates at sea, then the matter is resolved. As long as the court can eliminate those pirates, merchants engaged in shipping business will be willing to share the cost of shipbuilding with the court."
The prince was stunned, feeling that he had been fooled by Song Hongshen.
He quickly said, "These are two different things. Suppressing bandits is the duty of our Great Zhou navy. But once we accept money from merchants, the nature of our duties changes."
He then solemnly said to Emperor Xuande: "Father, I think these are two different things and should not be confused."
Song Hongshen had a puzzled look on his face, and before Emperor Xuande could open his mouth, he spoke first.
"I would like to ask Your Highness one more question. If our navy encounters bandits robbing merchants during training, should we step forward to drive them away?"
The prince nodded, "Of course I should. It's my duty."
Song Hongshen continued, "I understand. Your Highness the Crown Prince means that we must do what needs to be done, but you are not allowed to accept this money, right?"
"Even if the treasury is empty, the Japanese pirates will continue to invade next year if we don't build warships. Even if the merchants are willing to share the burden with the court, we still have to maintain our dignity and can't take this money, right?"
Then, Song Hongshen laughed sarcastically.
He took two steps closer, staring at the prince with a cold gaze.
"I have one last question. In your opinion, Your Highness, which is more important, the safety of the people of Southeast Asia or suppressing the Song family?"
Song Hongshen's tone was as subdued as possible as he finished the last sentence. His gaze, filled with oppression, was fixed on the prince's face.
The prince subconsciously saw through it, "There is no business without fraud. The merchant gave out this money, isn't it to reduce losses?"
"Lord Zhongyong, please don't put the blame on me. I'm not trying to suppress the Song family."
But under Song Hongshen's strong pressure, this sentence sounded guilty no matter how you listened to it.
Emperor Xuande watched the two men confronting each other, and suddenly realized that his thought a few days ago that the prince had become a successful person was just an illusion.
If the prince was really a talented person, why did he lose his momentum under the pressure of Song Hongshen?
At this moment, the two of them stood together, and Song Hongshen had the attitude and demeanor of a superior.
On the other hand, the prince found it difficult to even compete and was directly at a disadvantage.
The prince is not looking for a whetstone, he is looking for a sharp knife for himself, which will stab him if he is not careful.
Emperor Xuande suddenly looked around the hall, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the civil and military officials.
These people can bring peace to the world with their pens and decide the fate of the world with their martial arts.
When he was in power, the hall was filled with harmonious scenes of wise rulers and virtuous ministers.
I am afraid that if he is gone, the prince's virtue and ability will not be able to control these people, and if this continues, disaster will surely occur.
Emperor Xuande sighed inwardly. If there were one or two families that were dissatisfied, he could just clear the way for the prince before he ascended the throne.
But the prince is not capable now. Can he still kill all the civil and military officials?
He had been thinking about deposing the crown prince before, and this idea was particularly strong at this moment.
But every time this thought came to his mind, he would remember what Master Jingru said before his death: When the eldest prince ascends the throne, the Great Zhou will usher in a new era and achieve unprecedented prosperity.
Venerable Monk Jingru was the master of Master Ci'en of Huguo Temple. Three days after Emperor Xuande ascended the throne, he asked him to read his fortune. The next day after that reading, Venerable Monk Jingru passed away.
Also because of Master Jingru's words, he had high hopes for the child in the late queen's womb, but he didn't expect that both mother and child would die in the sea of fire.
Only children born safely would be ranked in the order of generation. Therefore, the child born to the virtuous concubine was the eldest son of the emperor.
Emperor Xuande, who had always believed in Master Jingru, began to doubt his words.
While Emperor Xuande was stunned, Song Hongshen spoke again.
"There is no business without fraud? Then, Your Highness, do you know that 30% of the Great Zhou's taxes are contributed by the so-called fraudulent merchants you mentioned?"
"Moreover, the issue of maritime transport will not only affect the interests of those merchants. In the long run, it will also boost the national strength of the Great Zhou."
In the past, merchants brought back firearms by sea that were far superior to those of the Great Zhou. Therefore, trade was not only for making money, but also for learning from others' strengths.
As soon as Song Hongshen spoke, Emperor Xuande came back to his senses.
Seeing that the Crown Prince was still trying to argue, Emperor Xuande said, "There is no need to discuss it further. Just do as the King of Loyalty and Bravery says."
The prince's face turned grim upon hearing this, but he didn't dare to say anything more. He could only comfort himself and let Song Hongshen go today.
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