The Sea

Characteristics of the Central Plains ethnicity bound it as one that didn’t favor wanton expansion. This Dynasty was no exception; after its territory stabilized, national policies went from offensive to defensive, and there was no more dauntless courage to brave forwards from the nation’s founding. In its place were rulers of experience and staidness that watched over their ancestors’ works. Over time, the tendency of the government to emphasize the civil and de-emphasize the military had grown more and more obvious, with even border generals needing to be Palace Honorates before they could convince anyone.

The Shaoxing turmoil caused a great shock, but subsequent discussions on reactive policies did not go smoothly. The mainstream voice of the Court at large believed that the trade treaty was really not necessary, and since it couldn’t bring the Court much profit yet attracted pirates to harangue and invade, it would be better to just abolish trade and completely shut off the link between the Celestial Empire and the outside world. Only that policy would put everything at peace, done once and for all.

Despite those voices occupying the majority, they were not without dissenting opinions. One amongst them was a chief faction headed by Tang Fan and company.

Tang Fan believed that the grand Celestial Empire, though not war-thirsty, should not be war-shy, as there was no room for someone else’s snores on one’s own side of the bed. To be frank, now that someone had dropped by to harass them, what justification was there to be a turtle shrinking in its head? On top of that, there were various vassals like Annam and dependents like Joseon — if the Great Ming drew back upon encountering difficulties, how would these subsidiaries view them? Where would be the Great Ming’s national might?

The Great Ancestor had regained the Han lands, Yongle had moved the capital so that Emperors would watch the nation’s gates. How much time had passed since the Great Ming annihilated armies, having the valor to drive the Mongol Yuan out back to the prairies?

Closing off the country’s borders now could provide temporary consolation, but if the pirate epidemic later worsened, would they just shrink into their shell and never come out? Even if they weren’t going to bother right now, shouldn’t they be thinking of future generations? Sea trade in Song’s time had spread to all countries and brought immense profits to its government; why was our Great Ming now so much stronger than Song, yet its courage and ambition so much lesser? Had the hundred-ish-year Mongol Yuan rule weakened the courage of our Central Plainsmen?

Even though those remarks were emotive, they had no lack of detractors. Many were used to living comfortable lives and felt that adding another event to it was inferior to not doing so. Snorting at the ambition Tang Fan mention, they also believed that the Celestial Empire had expanded plenty; why take the dangerous ocean method to fight with tiny nations over crumbs?

On top of that, shipbuilding expenses were huge. The Eunuch of Three Treasures’s seven voyages West were proof enough of everything; they had brought no sort of benefit to the Great Ming, instead costing it a lot of money, to the point that some believed that the steadily-shrinking national treasury following the Yongle period had greatly been due to the Emperor’s insistence upon heading out West.

Also, if they spent manpower and resources on fighting the pirates, they wouldn’t get that much face if they one, while losing would be an immense loss of face. The best method was none other than to close the borders without any second thought, just as the Great Ancestor had ruled: No planks were allowed to hit the sea. This was the only surefire policy; the laws their predecessors had made were always the correct ones.

Some even had no fear in speculating, with maximum malevolence, that Tang Fan’s warmongering was greatly connected to him currently heading the Ministry of War, because once fighting broke out, his Ministry could fish profits from it. It netting more funding aside, its status could thereby be greatly increased.

Tang Fan disputed each and every one of those points.

Firstly, fights needed to be paid for. Without payment, there would be no gains — one couldn’t expect meat bing to just fall out of the sky. Big countries that loved to wage war would perish, but if the land was at peace, forgetting how to fight would lead to peril.

The Great Ming was not taking the initiative to go out and fight a brutal war. On the contrary, someone else had come knocking on its door, kidnapped its citizens, and stolen its money. If it didn’t fight back, it would be seen only as a persimmon soft enough to squish, such things coming to happen more frequently in the future. Once the borders shut, everyone would believe this to peace and forget what danger was, inevitably forgetting how to even fight as time went on. When the time came, they would still get pushed around. Furthermore, many citizens had been abducted by the pirates out at sea; were they all to be ignored?

Secondly, instead of completely shutting off the trade agreement, it ought to be broadened. In light of the enormous money Song sea trading had brought, the much more mighty Great Ming was absolutely able to do the same.

Although the Great Ancestor had a law that planks were not to hit the sea, that only aimed at civilian vessels. It was after that that the Eunuch of Three Treasures had gone on his voyages, and government trading hadn’t ceased at all. The ancestral law had a lot of wiggle room, and, strictly speaking, there was no total ban about it.

Also, even with government currently banning trade amongst civilians, there were still many civilian vessels secretly going out to sea and nabbing profits themselves. It was precisely due to the maritime ban that the government did not get a mite of that civilian income, making it an immense loss. Damming this was inferior to letting it flow; rather than allowing these illegal trades to continue, it would be better for the government to set up a system, streamline them, and get them taxed. That would solve two things in one, in the long term.

Tang Fan was not fighting alone. Many opposed him, and many also supported him.

Those people included Presider Yang Yiqing of Nanjing’s Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Presider Li Dongyang of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Xie Qian, a graduated scholar and imperial tutor, and so on.

If it was said that Xie Qian was purely supporting a friend, then Yang Yiqing, Li Dongyang, and the others were doing it out of practical, strategic importance.

Their viewpoints were generally the same as Tang Fan’s. They believed that guarding was worse than attacking, and even though the shipbuilding and navy-establishment costs would be big, the later stages of earnings would earn it back fully. Were the scope of Song’s sea trade to reappear, the Court would not need to worry about annual allocations from the national treasury from then on, nor would the Emperor need to worry about his funds in the inner treasury not being enough.

While their posts were not powerful and they didn’t have a Cabinet member amongst them, but, without exception, they were young and strong officials that had the current Emperor’s confidence. With no incident, after a few years when this batch of old subjects in the Cabinet retired, the Great Ming’s Pivot would be ruled by them.

The arguing between the two factions was exceptionally intense, lasting from the third year to the fourth year of Hongzhi. The beginning was about whether to send troops to suppress the pirates and whether to cease the trade agreements, and later became debates on how the troops should be dispatched, how they should fight, and to what degree the seafaring ban should be opened — the situation was gradually unfolding.

That was, until the end of the Hongzhi’s fourth year, the pirates, having sampled sweetness, saw that Ming was doing nothing, and swept in for a second round, coming ashore and looting. That compelled the Emperor to finally come to a decision: Wang Zhi would be appointed as Governor of Ningbo, and set up a navy.

Generally speaking, Hongzhi was a relatively cautious and reserved person. His childhood experiences caused him to never make rash decisions, especially not major ones. If the people beside him were as cautious and reserved as he was, then this would be a cautious Court; it would complete the task of defense beautifully, but could never be as dauntless in forging ahead as the founding Court.

That was normal. Any Dynasty that developed to a certain stage, given that there were no external forces, would only go down a path of reservation until its end.

But here, history was taking a turn.

Tang Fan’s group naturally had no idea that in the third year of Hongzhi, at a different end more than ten-thousand li away from the Great Ming, a Portuguese mariner named Dias had discovered Africa’s Cape of Good Hope; nor that a whole continent collectively called Europe, an area that Genghis Khan had once led the Mongolian cavalry over to, was currently engulfed in a wave that later generations would call the Renaissance; nor that a tiny country across from that continent, partitioned by sea, was on the verge of preparing for its Reformation.

The Great Ming knew not a thing of these events. Even Tang Fan didn’t know that what he was fighting for was going to bring about some sort of change for the nation.

The day Wang Zhi had been dreaming of finally came. After returning from Datong, he had believed that his political career was already done for.

For any other eunuch, his achievements might be glowing, but he himself was none too happy. He innately loved the feeling of commanding armies to head onto the battlefield, and the Heavens seemed to have bestowed him that talent — the several-year garrison of Datong and the victory of the Tartar army had been enough to explain that.

Yet that good life had not lasted long. The Court at the time, seeing that things were good, had retracted, unwilling to annihilate the Tartars. For the sake of not having others say that he was being a despot and thus disregarding the merits he held, with Tang Fan’s added persuasion, Wang Zhi had been obliged to withdraw his troops and return to the Court. He had never been back to the frontlines since.

Tang Fan had urged him to set his gaze a bit further away, not just stare at the prairies. The Great Ming laso had the vast ocean, and its equally unsteady Southwest.

When he had said so, maybe even he himself hadn’t anticipated that those purely-comforting words would later turn into reality.

The person Wang Zhi most admired was the Eunuch of Three Treasures. Now that he could do something similar to what he had done, how could he not be stoked?

As for the Court, he was indeed a great candidate.

There were still many voices of opposition in Court. The Emperor’s had the support of Tang Fan’s group, yet it also encountered opposition, including the Cabinet’s Head Vizier Liu Ji. Even so, no matter how loud the voices were, under Tang Fan’s methods and efforts, the Cabinet’s opposing voice was not very firm. The Court finally agreed to organize a navy for a small-scale attack against the pirates, under the precondition that funds were tightly restricted, and could not go over budget.

In circumstances like these, whether civil officials or military generals were sent out, it would be easy for them to be denounced. Wang Zhi had no such concern, though.

First of all, he was a eunuch, making what once was a shortcoming instead turn into an advantage. There was a long precedent of eunuchs taking command of armies.

Second of all, he had military merits on him. No one could ignore the achievements he had gained in Datong.

When the current Emperor had been the Crown Prince, Wang Zhi had secretly thrown his lot in with him, and put in a lot of effort for him to ascend. Now was the time for him to reap his rewards, at last. Someone like Hongzhi would repay any kindness shown to him twofold; therefore, when Wang Zhi had asked to take the lead, he had agreed without hesitation, even setting aside some extra money from the internal treasury to show his supportive stance and attitude.

Wang Zhi truly was the most suited candidate. He felt smug, fully enthusiastic about what great deeds he was about to accomplish.

However, there were yet more layers of difficulties up ahead of him.

Hoist the Sails

“If there are any sort of problems for your expedition, there’s no harm in telling me of them. If my abilities allow, I can help resolve them together with you, and save you the time waste of having to go through a Cabinet discussion.”

Tang Fan had the confidence to say that now not only because he overlooked the Ministry of Justice, but also the Ministry of War. While areas that needed extra funds would need to go through the Ministry of Revenue, and large-scale transfers of troops would need to first go through the Cabinet, but small-scope troops transfers were thing she could still make executive decisions on.

Wang Zhi had no politeness with him, holding up two fingers. “Problem one: No ships I can use. Problem two: No money. I’m not sure if the funds your Cabinet allocated are even enough to build two ships! Am I going to take only two of them out to fight the pirates? All they’ll do is die of laughter!”

Adding things up carefully, it had been more than ten years since the two had met in the fourteenth year of Chenghua. Tang Fan was now in his thirties, and Wang Zhi was no longer that baby-faced Depot Director, yet the years had not left too many marks on them. Sober, they wielded worldly power; drunk, they laid on the laps of beauties — when power was added on, a man’s charms would only increase, and these two were no exception.

However, Tang Fan’s prestige mixed with finesse, giving him an increasingly moderate gentility and apparently weightlessness. Wang Zhi, meanwhile, had curbed his formerly-exposed impulsiveness, replacing it with a staidness that looked identical to Tang Fan’s, but that staidness really was just a look. As his status ebbed and flowed with the tide, and that was added with the growth that came with age, it was an overall bad idea to consider everyone beneath him like he had before, else he would be welcomed with a huge pile of denouncements. Only those close to him knew that Eunuch Wang’s arrogance was no different from before.

Hence was why people like him were doomed to be ill-fitted for muddling about the capital. He could compromise with others to achieve some goals, but that still did nothing to change the reality that he was a sharp-edged blade. Blades always had the biggest use turning their talents outside, why was the cause of Tang Fan strongly supporting him going out to pacify the pirates. When it came to impudent enemies, only letting someone even more vicious go would they be constrained.

Hearing that, Tang Fan could only smile bitterly. “You’re a real greedy lion… those two problems couldn’t be fixed even if the entire Cabinet approves of it, let alone me. After the Court carried out the maritime ban, those warships from before have long gone into disrepair. That’s not even mentioning the loss of that skillset, since those artisans are long passed. Even if you had the money, you wouldn’t be able to find any craftsmen or handymen that can make those huge ships.”

“If it was so easy to resolve, why would I ask you to do it?” Wang Zhi asked, unperturbed. “It would have to be hard to do, wouldn’ it? If you could do it, wouldn’t that be enough to prove that you’re the most capable Cabinet member in the Great Ming?”

What are you going on about? Why would I want to prove that I’m the most competent whatever?

Sir Tang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Stop doing that crap. I can’t fix those two issues of yours, but I do have some ideas. You may as well listen to them, and if they make sense to you, you can go from there.”

Wang Zhi crossed one leg over the other, his face a tiny bit punchable. “I want to hear the details.”

It was thanks to Mister Tang’s good self-cultivation — and him having become familiar with the other’s personality after knowing him for so many years — that he didn’t feel like bothering with him. “After you get to Ningbo, don’t be preoccupied with shipbuilding and recruitment. The most important thing will be getting money.”

“Are you talking just to talk?”

“…Are you going to listen to all of it, or what?”

Seeing that he was right about to throw everything down and stop caring, Wang Zhi quickly said, “Go on, go on.”

Tang Fan sent him another big eyeroll. “First, you need to get a feel for the layout of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang military forces, as well as the power of each individual area. he Commanding Envoy of the Zhejiang Metropolitan Office, Zhuo Haosi, is slippery old fox. The Court would have him give you invalids, as he would definitely never hand any strong troops over to you. Tricks, like making diversions as a cover, are a part of his toolset. You will need to fight him in a battle of wits and courage, but he’s someone of high moral character that is capable in his acts. It would be best for you to not completely fall out with him. You must have a bottom line in all things, because only then will you be able to act more easily in the future. If he gets replaced, his successor might not be any better. Every individual having their own calculations is inevitable; as long as he has some use, you can strive for cooperation.”

After listening to all that, Wang Zhi figured that the other was afraid that he would go and be hostile with local officials. “Is this Wang that I am someone who lacks all tolerance, in your mind?”

The other knew what he was thinking with one look. “Don’t take it the wrong way, it’s not you I’m worried about. Think about it; the pirates are not the same race as us, so why did they know our terrain like the back of their hands, and could invade Shaoxing City? Clearly, someone familiar with the terrain had led the way, and there’s definitely more than one. I heard that because of the ban, pirates and merchants have a long history of colluding in the Southeast for mutual profits. You going to oust the pirates will certainly affect their interests, so you need to be very cautious. Before the circumstances become known, people that can be won over, like Zhuo Haosi, should not be rashly impinged upon.”

Wang Zhi nodded lightly. He was not someone who wouldn’t listen to others’ opinions. Even though he said nothing to Tang Fan, he was convinced on the inside. “So, I need to attack those people first?”

“Yes, the traitors within need to be rooted out first. Just keep one thing in mind; the Southeast is affluent and has a bunch of traveling merchants, among which are no lack of wealthy ones that are entrenched deep into the government. About ninety-percent of those big families have seafaring businesses, and of those that do, about ninety-percent have connections to the Japanese pirates, though each have their differences — some are forced to put on an act, some are stuck too deep into the muck. If you can gain their support, you should, without beating them all to death. You’ll find it difficult to make headway in the Southeast, otherwise.

Wang Zhi raised a brow. “Split them up, then rope them in?”

Tang Fan smiled. “That’s the idea. You can also sow dissent between them, but you don’t need me to say that, because you, Eunuch Wang, know how to do that much better than I do.”

“Piss off! Are you done explaining things? This guy’s saying goodbye!”

Who the heck called themselves ‘this guy’ as a guest in the house? Solon Tang was a bit exasperated. Under this sky, no one would be able to find someone more wild than Eunuch Wang.

Still, wild people also had wild capital. Even if he didn’t go to Ningbo, Wang Zhi could be described as he prime figure amongst the Twelve Supervisories.

The current Emperor was one to remember grace and forget grudges, especially when it came to those that had given him great assistance while he had still been humble. He hadn’t forgotten a single one, including Empress Wu (the Late Emperor’s first Empress, later deposed due to clashing with Consort Wan), who had helped with hiding his location; following his ascension, he had brought her out of the palace of exile, and cared for her according to how an Empress Dowager should be. There was also Huai En, who had protected him, that he had recalled from Nanjing and treated as an elder. Sadly, Huai En had been up there in age and passed from the world soon afterwards, so the Emperor had a shrine erected for him, a rare honor amongst eunuchs.

In contrast, Wang Zhi was quite young, and still had enough time to enjoy his good luck from having helped the Crown Prince back then. The Emperor trusted him enough to not only hand being the Sealwielder of the Supervisory of Ceremony Management, which had belonged to Huai En, over to him, but also ask for his opinion on many things that went on within the palace. Given that no major incident popped up, as long as Hongzhi still lived, Wang Zhi would doubtlessly be able to enjoy the fullest extent of glory, a generous salary, a high position, and riches.

And yet, he had elected to volunteer himself for military service and go eradicate the pirates, not having a second thought about it — a hard, thankless job.

When the Court had decided to send troops, few in it, civil or martial, were willing to head out. In that situation, Wang Zhi going of his own choice moved the Emperor all the more, to the point where he private urged him not to. However, Wang Zhi’s mind was set, and the Emperor had no choice but to agree with him at last.

With that premise, as well as Tang Fan helping from the rear. Wang Zhi only needed to concentrate on dealing with things related to the pirates, having no need to worry about someone tripping him up behind his back.

“Guangchuan introduced me to someone named Cheng Zhou, Commanding Conductor of the Zhejiang Metropolitan Office. Long ago, Guangchuan had done him a huge favor, and he’s a decent person, so you can find him to ask about anything related to recruitment. Those you recruit will not only play a crucial role in the battle against the pirates, but will also turn into elite troops defending the Southeast after the maritime ban is opened up. They will also represent your own reputation, so you need to be prudent, and be strict with your military discipline.”

Wang Zhi hummed. “I know the drill. Relax about all that; I’m not stupid when it comes to important stuff.”

Tang Fan smiled, picking his tea cup off of the table. “With my status, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to see you off, when the time comes. I’ll use this tea in place of wine to toast you. For this farewell meal, I pray that you take care of yourself. There will be a time when the wind is long and the waves break, and you will sail swiftly across the blue sea with dropped sails!”

Wang Zhi also picked up his cup. “Thanks.”

“Keep your temper more in-check. Don’t be so impulsive, either,” Tang Fan said with a teasing wink. “Someone might just push you around you, and then you’ll lose a lot of face.”

Wang Zhi chuckled. “Then I hope, too, that when I come back, you haven’t been used and left in the dust.”

Tang Fan choked hard. “Shameless! Cheeky! Is that what you should be saying to me?!” he said, fake-angry.

Wang Zhi’s smile was skin-deep. “How about I pray for you to be able to get out of bed everyday?”

Stomach aching with anger because of him, Tang Fan waved him off like he was swatting a fly. “Get out! If you have time to annoy me, you have time to annoy those pirates to death!”

The other laughed, stepped past the threshold, and strode off.

Contrasted with the light, the other’s entire body appeared to be bathed in sunlight, its brilliance much too dazzling. Tang Fan was forced to squint as he watching Wang Zhi’s figure leave, a trace of uncertainty in his mind: Would Wang Zhi actually be able to accomplish this? As for all that he himself had done, was it right?

Following the Yongle period, many had believed that each Western voyage had not only failed to bring the Dynasty any benefits, but instead caused it to lose a lot of money in the name of rewards, due to quickly-arriving tributes coming from every nation. The Emperor would certainly gain prestige, but if things had gone on like that, the national treasury would inevitably be unable to hold up the immense cost. Many people were therefore opposed to lifting the sea prohibition, even opposing the attack against the pirates. All of them had their own reasonings; once the country’s borders were closed, nothing else would happen. Why bother with the annoyance of some small fry? If they won, they wouldn’t see too many benefits, yet would have put a lot of money into it.

Tang Fan was not clairvoyant. He acted according to his own experiences and judgements, but he couldn’t decide on the way things went. He wasn’t even absolutely sure on what results Wang Zhi’s trips would bring, whether good or bad.

History’s tides rolled forth. Only after a few decades, or even a century, passed would later generations look back and maybe make an unbiased assessment of this.

I hope that in later history books, I won’t show up as a ne’er-do-well, he thus lamented.

The Stars

Following the sound of New Year’s firecrackers, it was officially the eleventh year of Hongzhi…

Those living them might not notice, but the days passed by very quickly. Winter went to spring, after New Year’s came the Lantern Festival, after the Lantern Festival came the Dragonhead Festival, and then, before anyone could realize it, branches would bud, tufted around with tender sprouts, spring would pass, and Qingming would come around again.

While the North’s cold might not yet have receded, the South would have long been a scene of flowers and leaves sprouting, grass growing, and birds flying.

Everything was beautiful along the road. The spring scenery, numerous flowers entering the eyes, could make one happy to see it, their three energies seeming to fly on upwards along with it.

Bian Wendong was no exception. Seeing the fresh greens on either shore, he let out a slow breath, as if he was spilling out all of his grudges accumulated over the years.

He had been taking exams for several years to be a Provincial Honorate, but he hadn’t passed due to poor luck, so he had simply given that idea up and switched to another plan.

The imperial exams were like a single-plank bridge, on the other side of which was a passage to the heavenly Great Dao. Every scholar in the world wanted to cross it, yet only very few could squeeze through, in the end. Even though he was one of those unfortunate souls, he didn’t wallow in self-pity like many scholars that had flunked out of the exams. After trying three times and discovering that he likely wasn’t cut out for it, he had thereby decided to no longer waste his life on the exams.

Scholars that didn’t study in this day and age had fewer options than ever; they could either go back home and farm (his family was doing well, so there was no need for him to be a farmer), or wander the world, which he felt was too lollygag-y. Thus, after thinking about it, he had prepared to go to the South, look around, and be a merchant.

A cousin that he was close with happened to be doing business there. Upon hearing that Jiangnan was prosperous and wealthy, having riches everywhere, Bian Wendong had come South, ready to go to Ningbo, meet up with his cousin, then make plans.

He had been born and raised in the North, having never been here before. This trip had gradually brought him down South, and what he was witnessing and hearing had indeed shocked him. The closer he got to Hangzhou and Ningbo, the more bustling the towns would be. Everything else aside, their manner of dress alone was prettier and more fashionable than the North, and the atmosphere was more lax.

Intellectuals that never left their homes could not know the ways of the world.

He believed himself to not be the sort of egghead that understood nothing real. Reading books aside, at the bare minimum, he would still pay attention to major world events. He thus knew that in the third year of Hongzhi, the Court had sent Wang Zhi, Governor of Ningbo, to oust Japanese pirates, and then had heard that, in the sixth year of Hongzhi, Wang Zhi had built the Great Ming’s navy, and completely expelled the pirates.

He had also heard that in the seventh year of Hongzhi, the Court had agree to Wang Zhi’s memorial requesting to expand the scope of the trade agreement, slowly opening up the civilian marine prohibition and collecting merchant taxes.

However, with this trip out of his home, he had discovered that he didn’t understand much at all, and there were many things that he had never even heard of before.

When he had been resting at some inn not far from Hangzhou, for example, he had heard someone claiming to have come back from overseas say that to the West of the Great Ming was not just the Great Ming, but many other countries.

At the time, Bian Wendong had said, I know that. Aren’t those just Jiaozhi, Tianzhu, and Siam?

But the other had just laughed at him. What year is your Yellow Calendar on? Who doesn’t know about those? I’m talking about even farther out west.

He was not too convinced. Isn’t further West just Arabia?

The other still shook his head, having an expression that said, ‘You really can’t teach a pedant.’ It’s even more West than that!

Then, Bian Wendong had decided that this guy was bullshitting him, stopped feeling like talking to him, pat his butt off, and left.

He had come from a good family. Although he was planning to get into the merchant business, he wasn’t too short on coin. Upon arriving in Hangzhou, this paradise of the human world, he had prepared to wander around and have fun. How could he have known that after spending a few days loitering about teahouses and bookstores, he would discover that the ignorant one had been him the whole time?!

What was Europe? What was Italia? What were the Americas? What was the Far West? Red-hairs? Holland? Falconets? Those were all like fantastical stories, spinning him until dizzy. He nearly believed that he had arrived at a foreign land!

Hangzhou City was indeed flourishing. In addition to his fellows that had black hair and golden skin, there were quite a few foreigners with high nose bridges, deep-set eyes, yellow hair, and blue eyes, just like the Semu people of legend. It wasn’t that Bian Wendong had never read of the different races converging from all over during the former Yuan, but when he saw it with his own eyes, he still suffered a huge hit.

He heard that these people were not called Semu. They instead hailed from a place called Europe, and the locals called them Westerners. They all had come indirectly from Arabia; some had taken a sea route, but those were much too long and had wind and waves that were much too strong, often capsizing them partway through the journey.

He heard that the Far West had had a multitude of countries, and that the Great Ming’s territory was equal to that of Europe’s entire landmass.

He also heard that there were two very formidable countries on the European side. Their navies were extremely powerful, often taking to the sea. Because they had been poor, they were forced to plunder treasures from all over the place to bring back, as only then had their country gradually turned rich…

Tch. That thieving behavior goes against all of what the saints taught us! No wonder those practically uncivilized barbarians can’t compare to our Celestial Empire!

Regardless of how Bian Wendong slandered them in his heart, all of what he was seeing and hearing caused him the greatest amount of shock. Similar to everyone who had just come from the North to the South, he went from mocking, questioning, and disdaining, to gradually wavering and doubting himself, to seeing things with his own eyes, getting shaken up beyond compare, softening up on the inside, then finally half-believing it all.

How he differed from others was that his mind was more open, and his field of view more vast. It made it easier for him to accept these new, ‘preposterous and unbridled’ things.

After coming to Hangzhou, he had wanted to travel to Ningbo by land, but someone told him that he could go from here on a boat there, which was much quicker. Now that both the government and commonfolk had opened up such waterways, the toll was cheaper than taking a carriage.

Many Northerners had never tested out sea routes before, their knees going weak the second they saw the wide-open ocean — worrying about wind and waves, worrying about boats capsizing, worrying about going and not coming back. Bian Wendong, on the other hand, enthusiastically found a local merchant vessel that specialized in sea transport. Despite throwing up on the journey and his legs being weak the entire time, he did get to see the immense, extensive sea that others had described.

Expelling the pirates and lifting the sea prohibition — had that been right, or wrong?

Ever since the fourth year of Hongzhi, every level of society had argued about that issue without rest. Some had even cursed Wang Zhi as being a traitor and Tang Fan as being a eunuch’s supporter, while others had rued that merchants had a debased business. If everyone saw profitable ventures in the prohibition’s lift, even farmers would relinquish their tillable land to switch to trade, and then the realm would be in great chaos!

As time had gone on, however, those voices got even quieter and quieter, because the benefits that the lift had given the Court were clear. If nothing else, the silver taels flowing into the national treasury every year were the real deal, not a contribution that could be erased by the vilification of the many.

Bian Wendong was only a minor County Honorate. He didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes with all of this and how deep its significance was, nor how big of a role Tang Fan had played in it. What he could see was that Jiangnan was more tolerant and affluent in comparison to the North.

He heard that there were a lot of businesspeople in Ningbo City, and its citizens consequently received many tangible advantages to that. It was difficult for him to describe it more specifically, but as he saw it, this city’s prosperity was approximate to the capital’s. Ten years ago, this place had only been a slightly more bustling Jiangnan city that couldn’t even go up against Hangzhou.

His friend-cousin that came to pick him up, Gao Chang, upon hearing Bian Wendong’s ideas, smiled in quite some surprise. “You adapted really well, Brother Liangcai. As far as I know, a lot of Northerners that come here find all of this hard to accept for a time. I once saw an old man yelling about how the Great Ming was about to be taken over by barbarians, and ran off to the authorities to demand that they expel all the foreigners.”

Bian Wendong objected to that. “If foreigners enter the Central Glory and are willing to be enlightened in it, why not tolerate them? Think back to the Great Tang’s prosperity, and how Chang’an City had all sorts of foreigners in it. Are we today inferior to the ancients then? That’s much too absurd!”

“Not everyone thinks like you do. I heard that Guangzhou grew red-eyed with jealously seeing what was going on in Ningbo, so they sent a memorial to the Court. They wanted to expand the scope of the Office of Merchant Vessels for a cooperative trade agreement with Nanyang, so that Nanyang’s various cities wouldn’t come to our Ningbo.”

Bian Wendong saw that his tone was light and elegant and his clothes were tidy and comfortable; he must be living a good life. It wasn’t odd that he had taken root here, formed a family, and had never gone back to the North. “I’ve only just arrived here, so there are many things I don’t understand. I’ll have to have your guidance, Brother Xinyue.”

Gao Chang smiled. “You’re a good friend just as learned as I, as well as my cousin. There’s no need to be so polite. If there’s anything I can help with, all you need to do is ask!”

“Then I dare to ask, Brother; how does one make a living in Ningbo City?”

The two were walking from the port to the busiest part of city, as Gao Chang was bringing him to eat. The two talked while they walked, not going at a quick pace.

“You’ve asked the right person. As I see, every place in Ningbo has… ah?”

Gao Chang stopped before he finished. Bian Wendong waited a long time for the next half that didn’t come, so he followed the other’s line of sight, wanting to see what had suddenly drawn his attention.

What he saw was an entourage not too far ahead that was surrounding two men, one in dark clothes and wearing a belt of carved jade, and the other in a sapphire blue zhiduo. Even though they were both dressed normally, judging from their demeanor and outstanding looks, one could tell from a glance that they weren’t ordinary commoners — and that was saying nothing of all the followers around them.

“Are they…?” Bian Wendong believed that Gao Chang had seen an acquaintance. The other had been in Ningbo City for so long, agter all; he supposedly had a lot of contacts in the government.

“That’s the Governor of Ningbo, Eunuch Wang!” Gao Chang was a bit excied, staring without distraction.

What?! Bian Wendong quickly opened his eyes wide, fearing that he would get less of a view. This was a celebrity!

Wang Zhi driving out the pirates had already turned into a legend. With him stationed in Ningbo City, everybody felt at ease, even seeing him as its guardian deity. Apparently, some had even wanted to erect a shrine for him; he himself had been happy for it, but a letter from Tang Fan had dissuaded him.

The current Emperor had a lot of faith in this eunuch of decorated military merits, just like how the Yongle Emperor had trusted the Eunuch of Three Treasures. Mutual trust between monarch and subject was a fine tale. As the early happenings of the Western Depot faded away, what the people of now remembered was Eunuch Wang beating back the Tartars and Japanese pirates.

It wasn’t that no censors were denouncing him, but because the Emperor trusted him and Wang Zhi had worked hard to improve himself, there was nothing they could defame him with. All the denouncers could repeatedly grab onto was nothing more than his bossy nature, the bygone establishment of the Western Depot, and so forth. None of it could shake up Eunuch Wang at all.

“Who is that next to Eunuch Wang, then?” Bian Wendong wondered.

The other one was clearly not a eunuch, but his air was no lesser. He gave off elegance and glamor, yet didn’t appear to be purely a scholar. An arrogant man like Wang Zhi having a vaguely courteous manner next to him was really quite astonishing.

Gao Chang gave several looks, then answered, “I heard that Head Vizier Tang of the Cabinet recently returned to his hometown to tend his family graves and pay respects to his ancestors. That hometown is in Zhenjiang, which is not too far from Ningbo.”

“You’re saying that…?!”

Bian Wendong mulled that over for a minute, and couldn’t help but be greatly startled. Upon taking a closer look, the man’s presence and behavior were so above the norm, which was exactly right…

“I’m only guessing. I’ve seen a lot of officials, from Ningbo to Zhejiang, but I’ve never seen him. Plus, with Eunuch Wang’s status, what official in Zhejiang would he do the hard work of meeting them in person for?” Gao Chang laughed, pulling at him. “C’mon, c’mon. We shouldn’t care about what celebrities like that are doing. Let’s go to Immortal Gathering, first. I already booked a table for you to freshen up with! Immortal Gathering is unequaled in Ningbo City…”

Bian Wendong couldn’t help but glance back a few more times, only after which he followed Gao Chang’s steps, getting farther and farther away.