The rise of the poor

Chapter 2164 Just a joke

"Haha, you are worthy of being Lord Zhu. You were just joking just now." Wang Zhi said with a smile, his face as bright as spring breeze.

"Of course, what I said just now about carrying a pocket musket with me was also a joke." Zhu Ping'an laughed.

"Oh?" Wang Zhi sat up straight.

"Actually, I brought two," Zhu Ping'an replied with a simple face, as innocent as the village dog.

Wang Zhi sat back down, and he could hardly maintain the smile on his face.

"You're kidding. I didn't bring any. I invited Chief Wang to dinner to discuss important matters. Why would I bring a pocket musket?"

Zhu Ping'an waved his hand and said with a smile, looking very honest.

Haha, do you think I believe it or not?

Wang Zhi pulled the corner of his mouth.

"Captain Wang, please have some tea. This is the tribute tea bestowed by the emperor. I am not a good person, so I was only given a can. I usually can't bear to drink it, but today, thanks to Chief Wang, I can drink it to my heart's content." Zhu Ping'an held the teapot and poured tea for Wang Zhi.

"Thank you, Lord Zhu. This is imperial tea. I must taste it carefully." When Wang Zhi heard that it was imperial tea, he couldn't help but get excited. He had never drunk imperial tea before and was a little flattered.

Imperial tea is the tea that the emperor drinks. I never thought that I could drink the same tea as the emperor.

Zhu Ping'an treats me very well.

Wang Zhi's favorability towards Zhu Ping'an increased by 10086 again. The joke just now also made Wang Zhi appreciate Zhu Ping'an even more.

Smart guy!

I like dealing with smart people. Smart people are reliable and won’t do stupid things. Working together will make you get twice the result with half the effort.

I don't know if it's a psychological effect.

Wang Zhi took a sip of the tea and immediately felt the fragrance on his lips and teeth. The rich tea aroma almost broke through his head. This tea was worthy of being called imperial tea. Compared with this tea, the tea he drank in the past few decades was simply pig feed!

Close your eyes and savor the aftertaste. Vaguely, you seem to be in the blue sky, with the breeze gently blowing your temples.

Good tea, I have never tasted such delicious tea in my life!

It’s worthy of being called Imperial Tea!

Wang Zhi took a sip of the tea, and it seemed as if a century had passed in his heart. The aftertaste was endless and he praised it highly.

At this time, Liu Dadao, who was sitting at a table outside the main table, came up to Liu Daqiang and asked in a puzzled whisper, "Isn't that tea you took from the warehouse? When did it become imperial tea? How much did you pay for that tea?"

"I bought the tea leaves from an old man's tea stall in the market. I only spent ten taels of silver for a sack."

Liu Daqiang replied in a whisper that no one else could hear.

"How did it become the imperial tea? Could it be that the old man's tea is the imperial tea for the emperor? Is it just a coincidence?"

Liu Dadao asked in surprise.

"Forget it. The tea that old man sells is just ordinary tea. If his tea was the imperial tea for the emperor to drink, would he set up a stall on the street? Their family would have been rich long ago." Liu Daqiang shook his head.

"Then how did it become imperial tea?" Liu Dadao was puzzled.

"Young Master said it is imperial tea, so it is imperial tea. Why do you care so much?" Liu Daqiang shrugged.

"You are right. The young master said it is imperial tea, so it is imperial tea." Liu Dadao suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.

Fortunately, they knew the seriousness of the matter, so they spoke in whispers that were not audible to others. The people around them, especially Wang Zhi, could only see them whispering, but could never hear what they were whispering about.

Looking at Wang Zhi taking a sip of the "Imperial Tea" and savoring it for a long time, they both couldn't help but lower their heads and hold back their laughter, their shoulders shaking.

"It's worthy of being called Imperial Tea. This sip is so delicious that it leaves you with an endless aftertaste." Wang Zhi praised the Imperial Tea highly.

"Three cups of wine for the world, a pot of tea for the eternal hegemony." Zhu Ping'an filled Wang Zhi's cup of tea again.

"Master Zhu is indeed the top scholar. This poem is absolutely amazing. Unlike me, I can't even describe how good it is after taking a sip."

Wang Zhi couldn't help but praise it highly.

"Thank you for your compliment, Chief Wang. Please enjoy your meal." Zhu Ping'an said politely and picked up the teapot to refill Wang Zhi's cup of tea.

"Thank you, Lord Zhu." Wang Zhi clasped his fists to express his gratitude.

"This imperial tea is indeed delicious, but Lord Zhu didn't invite me here just to drink tea, right?" Wang Zhi took another sip of tea, savored it for a moment, and put down the teacup. "We should get back to the point and discuss important matters, right?"

"Of course." Zhu Pingan nodded.

"Haifeng told me that Lord Zhu also wants to lift the maritime ban? Is that true?" Wang Zhi asked bluntly, looking at Zhu Ping'an with burning eyes.

"Of course." Zhu Ping'an nodded without hesitation. "Under the current situation, the maritime ban is no longer appropriate. For the Ming Dynasty, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Since the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, of course it is better to lift the maritime ban."

Wang Zhi had a blank expression on his face and remained calm. He further asked, "I wonder if Lord Zhu said that the maritime ban is inappropriate and has more disadvantages than advantages. Can you explore in depth what the disadvantages of the maritime ban are?"

"The first to bear the brunt are the Japanese invasion caused by you, Chief Wang." Zhu Ping'an pointed out bluntly.

"Oh, Lord Zhu, are you saying that the Japanese invasion was caused by the maritime ban? But, doesn't Lord Zhu know that the reason why the Ming Dynasty imposed a maritime ban was because of the Japanese invasion, and the maritime ban was also to prevent and control the Japanese invasion?"

Wang Zhi shook his head and retorted.

"The two are different. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Fang Guozhen and the remaining rebels of Zhang Shicheng were good at shipbuilding and navigation. At that time, Wenzhou, Taizhou and Chuzhou were Fang Guozhen's territories, and Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Suzhou, Songjiang, Tongzhou and Taizhou were Zhang Shicheng's territories. After Fang Guozhen and Zhang Shicheng were defeated by our Ming Taizu, the remaining rebels still insisted on opposing the Ming Dynasty. They entrenched themselves on the coastal islands, colluded with barbarian pirates, especially Japanese pirates, and launched terrorist attacks on the coast of our Ming Dynasty from time to time. At that time, our Ming Dynasty was just established, with insufficient national strength, people's livelihood was in decline, and materials were scarce. We were unable to go out to sea to clear out Fang and Zhang's remaining rebels, and could only implement a maritime ban to prevent the outflow of population and materials. However, by the Yongle period, Fang and Zhang's remaining rebels had long been eliminated. Zheng He sailed to the West, and our Ming Dynasty navy was so powerful and majestic that there was no threat of Japanese pirates."

"Today, the maritime ban has led to rampant smuggling. Smugglers have colluded with Japanese pirates. The maritime ban has prevented people along the coast from getting close to the sea. Some ordinary people have nowhere else to go and have colluded with the Japanese. Today, Japan is divided into pieces, and heroes have risen up and are constantly conquering. The defeated have lost their land, become ronin, and become Japanese pirates. The victors also need money and food, and they also act like Japanese pirates, looting money and food from our Ming Dynasty to replenish their blood. This has led to the rampant Japanese pirates."

“So, the two are different and should not be confused.”

Zhu Pingan said slowly.

"What Lord Zhu said is not without reason. If the market is open, then we can turn from Japanese to Japanese merchants; if the sea is closed, then we can turn from Japanese merchants to Japanese merchants. Wang is a typical example. In fact, if Wang has any other way, he will never want to be a Japanese pirate. All he wants is to trade."

Wang Zhi nodded slightly. (End of this chapter)