In Wang Zhen's study, the sound of murmurings kept ringing.

"Zhen'er, if you had known that you were so polite, I wouldn't ask Da Yu'er for your father. You said that woman, who had promised her to accept her as her adopted daughter, and she turned around and stabbed the third brother. This Mongolian is...tsk, if you are not my race, your heart will be different. Oh, what do you think you should do now?"

Wang Zhen finally came back to his senses from his thoughts and said to Wang Kang who was sitting beside him sighing: "If it were me, I would tell my third brother immediately, and it would be troublesome if I hide it."

"Oh Zhen'er, what should you do as a father? What should you do? You can make an idea at least."

"Father, the child said, you don't have to worry, it's okay."

"How come it's okay? You didn't see Wang Lao San being so fierce that day..."

Wang Zhen was distracted for a while and said, "Father, please think carefully about what your third brother said, what did he say?"

"I forgot."

"He said that the business of selling black slaves was dirty, and the ministers in the court would object, which would harm their face. I asked if you are forming a clique for personal gain, right?"

Wang Kang nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes."

Wang Zhen said again: "But can he punish his father or He Wan in the past two days? Can he close foreign trade businesses or remove his father? Can he take back the dividends?"

Wang Kang was stunned, confused, and said, "That's not."

"That's it, what's the father worried about?" Wang Zhen sighed: "The third brother didn't say he wanted to break off the father-son relationship with you, father."

"He dares?! He has turned against him."

Wang Kang exclaimed, thought for a while and asked, "Can he still do such unfilial things for some savages thousands of miles away?"

"The child is just an example. My father only knows that the third brother doesn't mean to pursue this matter."

Wang Kang asked again: "Really? He really won't pursue it? But someone impeached me."

"My third brother has always been concerned about efficiency in his work. If he really wants to pursue it, he will punish him directly, and no one will impeach you."

Wang Kang hesitated for a moment and asked again: "Then... this business? What does the third brother mean?"

Wang Zhen thought for a while and said, "I didn't understand...but my third brother said don't do it, my father should stop doing it for the time being."

"Why? Even you, a scholar, are not as kind as him."

"Are you kind-hearted?" Wang Zhen said, "How many people did he kill in the position of King Jin? In the peaceful season, even Yao Wenhua and Fan Wencheng who can be killed or not can be killed without hesitation. Isn't this matter as simple as being kind-hearted?"

"I think he is becoming more and more fake and righteous. Last time the troublemakers hit our family, he didn't pursue it..."

"Father." Wang Zhen shook his head, and was a little unhappy inexplicably, saying, "Why didn't the third brother kill those civilians at that time? Because the powerful incited them to riot, they wanted to let the third brother kill them, and use this to criticize and weaken the third brother's prestige.

But in my father's eyes, not killing those civilians is abusing the good intentions. If we only show off our pleasure, what is the difference between us and the warlords in the four towns of Jiangbei? What country will we govern?

My father is almost sixty years old. If the problem is still so simple, he thinks that killing everyone is a decisive decision. Not killing some people is just a false benevolence and righteousness, which is too unprofitable. The third brother is not Huaiyuan Marquis, Duke Guo, and King Jing'an. He is not even King Jin, but he is the Lord of the World, and he wants to govern the country. You are his father. Sometimes I think about things, can you stand in his position and think about it?"

Wang Kang was quite unhappy and said, "Why didn't I think about it? If I hadn't thought about it for him, why did I do this unconscience-free business? Is it not good to buy some land and collect rent?"

Wang Zhen sighed and said, "Don't my father understand? You must have a mind to govern the world, and tolerate the world, and only the world can tolerate you. Can you not just focus on that little money?"

"I don't understand, who is on who you are on?!"

"It's not that simple." Wang Zhen said: "Just like this is the matter of selling black slaves. I see the few words my third brother said that day, not just sympathizing with black slaves."

"Then why can't we sell the merchants?"

Wang Zhen's eyes were filled with thoughts and said slowly: "I have thought about it these two days... maybe I have figured it out a little."

"What?"

"When I talk about 'scholars, peasants, industry and commerce' in my court, I have always despised the merchants for profit. There are many scholars in the court who study Confucius and Mencius, and I will never agree with this business."

"I know, isn't I selling this secretly?"

"If you can't hide it, once you reveal that we are doing such a business, you may be used by those who are interested to attack your third brother's reputation."

Wang Zhen said, pondering again and said, "As far as I know, those foreign countries are different. One is not very polite and righteous, and the other is that the merchants on their side have a very high status and can even dominate state affairs.

Even the people are different. Most of the people in the foreign countries are employed workers and slaves. Unlike our Great Chu, there are many farming farmers who have their own fields.

Self-cultivated farmers are self-sufficient in a few acres of land. No matter how great the interests of maritime trade are, they have nothing to do with them. In addition, our thousands of years of Confucian heritage, the people also know that benevolent rule. What they want is a "benevolent king" rather than a "tyrant".

My father said that my third brother was false benevolence and righteousness. Whether it was true or false, he needed to maintain this kind of benevolence and righteousness now..."

When Wang Zhen said this, he seemed to understand a lot and murmured: "I don't know what my third brother is thinking, but it doesn't matter how he thinks when he is sitting in that position. What's important is that as the King of Jin and the Lord of the World, he can only oppose this business... Yes, we are a country of etiquette, how can we do this kind of business..."

Wang Kang still didn't understand.

He didn't know why his eldest son, the nerd, was talking to himself again.

"Idiots, our country of etiquette does not do this business, but those barbarians are still doing it. Think about those gold mines and those fertile fields, which have been stolen!"

Wang Zhen murmured: "I know..."

Wang Kang paced back and forth a few steps and said, "I just stood in the position of the third brother... I thought so. Look at the new world, why is it someone else's? You said that the third brother is the Lord of the World, so shouldn't he bring back all the good things for our Chu Dynasty? If you don't need those savages to work, do you have to work with your own people?"

Wang Zhen said: "I know what my father said makes sense, but our great country cannot be so ugly in eating..."

"If someone eats it, do you eat it slowly? Do you eat it slowly?"

Wang Kang patted his forehead and sighed: "God, why did I give birth to two such stupid sons?!

Alas, you two have never managed the business at home, and you don’t know anything about it and have to instruct blindly. If the second child is at home, you will definitely understand the truth..."

Behind the Princess Mansion, a governor's court was built according to the previous layout in Shandong.

When Wang Xiao came over, he saw Zuo Mingjing and Tang Qianqian sitting there to verify the documents.

He squeezed between the two of them and sat down, saying, "Kong Xingxie is not smart enough and doesn't understand what I mean, so I'd just send him overseas... Mingjing helped me screen out a group of smarter officials."

"good."

Zuo Mingjing responded, making her look even more gentle.

Tang Qianqian asked, "Jiangnan has not yet been pacified, why is Xiaolang so concerned about overseas affairs now?"

"It has only been one or two years since the pacification of Jiangnan." Wang Xiao said: "The problem in Jiangnan cannot be solved by war. The more difficult thing is interests. Maritime trade is an important part of increasing treasury revenue and transferring domestic conflicts. It is also a bargaining chip to stabilize Jiangnan.

Also, if we do not participate in this wave of great voyage, two or three hundred years later, with the large depreciation of silver and the Western countries have sufficient gold reserves, it will have a huge impact on our entire economy, which will be a very serious disaster."

Tang Qianqian asked, "What does it mean?"

"Simply put, silver is the basic currency of our Chu Dynasty. From the treasury to the gentry and the people, they all like to hide silver. But now Western capital is plundering gold and silver frantically.

Among them, these silvers will flow into our Chu Dynasty sooner or later through trade, which is called a trade surplus.

But the surplus may not be good. For example, now our silver has begun to depreciate. Moreover, as the voyage progresses, silver will continue to surge.

Western capital countries have realized this and have begun to reserve gold. When they have enough gold reserves, abolish the silver standard and turn to use the gold standard. Then, our silver will depreciate quickly and the economy will collapse. The wealth of our landlords and ordinary people who like to hide silver... is equivalent to being plundered by them.

This is the nature of capital, which will plunder the world's wealth without sleep.

Capital is using gold and silver mines mined by slaves to exchange their blood and tears for wealth, and without a colony, it is difficult for us to reverse this situation.

It is useless to close the country. It is not that we can close the country and pretend that we can't see it.

We can only face these problems, such as the black slave trade, the massacre of the Aboriginal people... It is not my personal sympathy, the Holy and Unholy Mother. To be honest, I can be too lazy to care about them.

The problem is that this wave will sooner or later hit us, because we are part of the world.

But it wouldn't work to sell slaves as sneakily as Dad and He Wan. Without the complete plan of the court, the silver they earned back like this would only accelerate our inflation.

Those capitalists are too smart. They realize the depreciation trend of silver and play the trick of buying gold and silver. Therefore, we shipped back all the silver."

Tang Qianqian lowered her head and thought for a while, digested what Wang Xiao said, and asked again: "Why don't you tell your father about these?"

"What does he know?" Wang Xiao shook his head and said, "You can't tell him more deeply. In his eyes, something is either right or wrong, and he doesn't ask the root cause. If he talks to him, he will only think that I allow him to sell slaves, but he just wants to sell it into gold, but not into silver. The old man is in the eyes of money. Then he will be afraid and make him afraid, so that he will restrain me.

Moreover, it is definitely not possible to sell slaves. Not to mention whether it is bloody or not. Our traditional Confucian feudal empire educated in Confucianism plays this trick with the capital country. This is a short attack and is destined to be unable to play with them.

Now the world overseas does not follow the rules and robs the enemy. In this environment, if we participate in the country of etiquette, we will inevitably suffer losses.

The colonies are in the hands of others, and slaves are in the hands of others. We only have goods, and we can help them sell slaves. At that time, we won’t make money, and we will make a lot of silver. We will turn around and be accused of selling black slaves, which will ruin the reputation of a great country.

No matter how you calculate it, it is a big loss. Otherwise, the black slave trade is a business they monopolized, so why do they allow He Wan to participate? Our capital is too tender than others. For example, my father, who has not completely converted into capital, does not believe that silver will depreciate, which is his lifelong obsession.

If you want to play, you cannot follow their rules that are not up to the rules; if you want to play, the rules must be determined by us."

Tang Qianqian smiled and said, "This is what you and your elder brother said, 'Performance'?"

"good."

"The Kong family, Confucian scholar, were you sent out to set the rules?"

"It's not worth it." Wang smiled and said, "They can't set the rules."

He sighed and said, "The pace of unification is too slow. When I pacify Jiangnan and can conquer Zheng Zhilong's maritime power, I can only be considered as the foundation for establishing the rules...

What the Kong family can do is to lay the groundwork first, guide overseas public opinion, win over the indigenous people and slaves to fight against Western capital, improve our influence and status, and create a great reputation for setting rules by us.

If it goes well, when our navy forces are perfect, our Chu Dynasty can dominate the world situation and distribute interests... Oh, no, it is to "preside over justice" and give democracy and freedom to the people of the world.

Well, righteousness is very important, but in the end, what really determines everything is strength.

This is a long truth. Now it’s just starting from scratch, but we have to start the layout…”

Tang Qianqian thought for a while and pondered: "But... I'm afraid that those foreign countries will not allow our Confucian scholars to guide public opinion on their territory?"

"Yes." Wang smiled and said, "but there is no chance. Last year, Britain enacted the Navigation Act. In order to protect their locality and the monopoly of the colonies, I think this bill will inevitably trigger its war with the Netherlands.
To be continued...