In the flower hall of the governor's office.

Zhao Hao had just picked up a Fuzhou fish ball and put it into his mouth when he heard Lin Run's earth-shattering words.

There are some things that everyone knows tacitly, but they are done but not said. If they are revealed, how can we have fun together?

No matter how serious the smuggling of the gentry is, it cannot be officially acknowledged and they can only rely on the study of the mind to make a living. If they do not acknowledge the existence of smuggling, then smuggling does not exist.

Behind the practical application of psychology lies a deep sense of helplessness.

Once officials admit the existence of smuggling, they have no choice but to declare war on the smuggling gangs.

Over the past few decades, we have witnessed the tragic end of these brave men.

Not to mention the officials below, just looking at the governors and governors-general, from Zhu Wan, Zhang Jing, Li Tianchong, to later Zhou Yan, Yang Yi and even Hu Zongxian, none of them had a good end.

Now, Lin Run once again brought up the taboo word smuggling.

This made Zhao Hao hold the fish ball in his mouth for a moment, not knowing whether to swallow it or spit it out.

"Is this probably the goal of your Jiangnan Company?" Lin Zhongcheng asked with a smile, "Otherwise, how can you digest so much silk?"

"Good question." Young Master Zhao swallowed the fish ball with great difficulty, pounded his chest, and sighed softly, "Yes, only maritime trade can digest so much silk."

"But the iron rule of Jiangnan Company is 'Don't break the law, don't do evil'!" He changed the subject and said seriously:

"Based on this, Jiangnan Company has never been involved in smuggling, will not be involved in it now, and will never be involved in it in the future!"

Seeing Zhao Hao's firm words, Lin Run was stunned for a moment, and then he said quietly:

"I believe you think so, but what about the other shareholders? I'm afraid that may not be the case. As far as we know, the president of your company is the granddaughter of the Wufeng ship owner, and several major shareholders have also been deeply involved in the smuggling business."

"Wang Zhi is Wang Zhi, and Xue Ying is Xue Ying. With the wisdom and intelligence of the Minister of Justice, he would never label an innocent girl a pirate just because of a grandfather he has never met!"

Zhao Hao's expression became serious, and he stared at him with a sharp gaze that Lin Run had never seen before, and said word by word: "What's more, Wang Zhi was deceived to come ashore in order to lift the sea ban and open up trade. He certainly deserves to be put to death, but the court's actions are equally stupid!"

"Haha..." Lin Run couldn't help but laugh and said, "This court didn't say that President Jiang is a pirate, so don't be angry with me. I'm talking about the other shareholders."

"First of all, I can guarantee that they have never done anything illegal in Jiangnan Company." Zhao Hao continued righteously, "As for their activities outside Jiangnan Company, I really don't know. Since Zhongcheng advocates this statement, please provide evidence to explain it."

"I told you not to worry." Seeing Zhao Hao's tense face, Lin Run comforted him, "This is just a casual chat between you and me at the table, not in court. What we said counts. There's no need to provide evidence, right?"

"You are the governor, and you have the king's order in your hand. How can I not be anxious if so many people fall to the ground with just one order?" Zhao Hao thought to himself, I was almost scared to death by you. He wanted to smile, but he felt his face tightening.

"If the royal flag was so useful, we wouldn't have lost so many governors and governors-general in Jiangnan." Lin Run said with a self-deprecating smile, "What I mean by saying you don't have to be nervous is that there are so many people involved in smuggling in Jiangnan, can I kill them all?"

"We can only investigate the main culprit like we did this time when we put down the Suzhou Rebellion, and leave the rest alone." Lin Run sighed:

"Besides, this court also believes that the maritime ban is wrong. People are taking risks to make a living, and local officials should not stick to the law and be inflexible."

"But do you know who has been obstructing the lifting of the maritime ban?" He looked at Zhao Hao with a sharp gaze and asked himself:

"It's not the imperial court, but those powerful families involved in smuggling! Last year, the imperial court had planned to open markets in Hangzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou at the same time, but they lobbied desperately and obstructed it. In the end, the three provinces became one, and only a small opening was made in Yuegang."

Zhao Hao was naturally shocked and asked, "Why are they doing this? Isn't it beneficial for everyone to lift the maritime ban?"

"You underestimated people's greed, shamelessness and meanness." Lin Run showed an angry expression and pounded the table, saying, "When the maritime ban was in place, they were the only ones who had the ability to bypass it, so they could naturally monopolize all trade. In addition to enjoying huge profits, they could also use this to control every aspect of Jiangnan."

"Once the maritime ban is lifted, merchants can trade directly with sea merchants, without having to go through them. They can no longer rely on maritime trade, nor can they call the shots and decide other people's lives and deaths like before. Of course, they will strongly oppose it."

"Is that so?" Zhao Hao picked up the freshly squeezed sugarcane juice on the table, took a sip and said, "That's really damn right."

"That's right!" Lin Run nodded heavily and said, "Lifting the sea ban and promoting trade will benefit both the country and the people. This is a matter of public opinion. Since Jiangnan Company is also inclined to this, I will not elaborate on it. But if we want to accomplish this great thing, we have to first overthrow those selfish and powerful families!"

"This is also in the interests of Jiangnan Company. I am willing to persuade the company to lend a helping hand to Zhongcheng." There was no need for Zhao Hao to be shy about making such a statement.

"I need your company to lend me a helping hand!" Lin Run said generously, "My lifelong wish is to suppress the tyrants in Jiangnan. If we don't beat them up, make them obedient and honest, we can't accomplish anything in this Ming Dynasty!"

"But there are too many powerful people. What should we do if we can't defeat them all? My strategy is to fight whoever takes the lead! The Yan family in the past, the Lu family later, and the Xu family now, if we defeat them all, Jiangnan's influence and control over the court will be reduced to the lowest point!"

"Oh..." Zhao Hao's eyes suddenly opened up, and he finally grasped the hidden thread hidden beneath the surface of history.

The twenty years of history before and after the second year of Longqing suddenly looked different in his eyes.

It turns out that all the major events did not exist in isolation, but were strung together by a main line of struggle, together forming a difficult war that spanned the four dynasties of Zheng, Gia, Long and Wan, and lasted for nearly a hundred years!

On one side of the war were the reformists who were concerned about the country and wanted to prolong the life of the Ming Dynasty.

The other side is the conservatives representing the powerful forces in the southeast and Shanxi.

The two sides had been fighting to the death since the Jiajing period, or even earlier during the Zhengde period.

Most of the time, idealistic reformers are no match for the collusive conservatives.

But as the struggle continued, the reactionary faces of the conservatives were finally exposed.

In particular, Emperor Longqing always clearly supported the reformists, and finally, after two famous prime ministers, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, came to power, he completely defeated the conservatives.

However, the conservatives only restrained themselves temporarily. They licked their wounds in secret, accumulated strength, and looked for opportunities. They waited patiently until Zhang Juzheng's death. Then they took advantage of the idiot Wanli and let the imperial power liquidate the most hardcore royalists!

When Zhang Juzheng, who had extended the life of the Ming Dynasty for a century, was opened and whipped, his eldest son hanged himself, and more than a dozen members of his family starved to death, the banner of reform was completely abandoned and trampled into the mud.

From then on, there was no more Zhang Juzheng in the world, and the court was left with only those plasterers who tried to smooth things over and shameless villains with inflated desires.

The southeastern tyrants who were celebrating with joy lived a life of luxury and extravagance without any worries until the moment of their country's demise, when they suddenly repented and began to fight back with all their might, contributing manpower and money.

But it only added another layer of shocking blood to the already collapsed building...

ps. This is the third update. I will write one more. Please give me your monthly votes!