Chapter 640: No Solution
Zhu Cunji bounded up the stairs to the second floor of the tavern.
He clearly knew that Li Daoxuan, Wu Shen, and Shi Kefa were drinking here, even knowing which private room they occupied. Entering the tavern, he didn't hesitate for a moment, walking directly to their private room and lightly knocking on the door.
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Please come in, Your Highness."
The door opened, and Zhu Cunji walked in, his face etched with displeasure.
Three people sat at the square table, and one side was conveniently empty. Zhu Cunji plopped down, poured himself a cup of wine, tossed it back, then glared at the three of them.
The four people present were actually divided into three factions.
The Prince of Qin's household and the scholar-official faction were sworn enemies.
Everyone knew this, but no one mentioned it aloud.
After several seconds, Zhu Cunji finally spoke, a disgruntled expression on his face. "Why?"
Zhu Cunji retorted, "Don't play coy. You know what I'm asking."
Wu Shen countered, "Your household maintains numerous personal guards and controls the Eastern Guard, one of Xi'an's four garrisons. You have plenty of manpower at your disposal. Can it be that you still haven't figured out why?"
Zhu Cunji snorted and spoke with considerable displeasure. "I did! And it's precisely because I found out that I'm so unhappy. That steward has been with me since childhood, an old family retainer who watched me grow up. I treated him like an elder uncle. Why would he do this to me?"
This question left Wu Shen momentarily speechless, unable to respond for a long time.
Zhu Cunji turned to Li Daoxuan. "Mr. Li, when you withdrew your people, you must have anticipated something like this would happen. That's why you pulled out so decisively, all to teach me this lesson, wasn't it?"
Li Daoxuan smiled but said nothing. The terrifying expression of the silicone figure as it smiled sent shivers down Zhu Cunji's spine.
After several seconds, Li Daoxuan relaxed his lips into a neutral line. "I only knew there would be a problem, but not at what stage it would arise. It was only after it happened that I realized the steward had betrayed you. So, I didn't plan it out in advance; I'm merely a strategist after the fact."
Hearing this, Zhu Cunji felt a strange sensation and suddenly grasped the crux of the matter. "You mean, besides the steward betraying me, my coal mine has many other ways it could run into trouble?"
"Exactly!" Li Daoxuan grinned. "The possibilities are endless. Even if the steward had been fiercely loyal and hadn't betrayed you this time, you would still encounter countless problems down the line, ultimately leading to the same outcome of reduced production."
Zhu Cunji prompted, "Such as?"
Li Daoxuan explained, "For example, my rail carts would be upgraded. I'd develop rail carts that are more efficient, convenient, and faster. And yours wouldn't be able to keep up."
Zhu Cunji countered, "I'd just have my blacksmiths copy yours, wouldn't I?"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Think about it more carefully."
Zhu Cunji fell silent.
Right, on closer inspection, Zhu Cunji seemed to grasp something. Gao Family Village's technology was truly outlandish. All those pulleys, those lever arms – it was incredibly complex. Even maintaining the current versions was difficult for his artisans. If Gao Family Village developed even newer rail carts in the future, his blacksmiths wouldn't be able to replicate them at all.
Zhu Cunji demanded, "Can't I simply train skilled blacksmiths?"
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Your blacksmiths, without hope, cannot become excellent."
Zhu Cunji argued, "I could also restore their commoner status to the blacksmiths, giving them hope."
Li Daoxuan clapped. "Very good, very good. But then you would be violating the ancestral laws left by the Grand Ancestor. Wouldn't the Grand Ancestor leap from his grave to strike you?"
Zhu Cunji was startled. The system established by the Grand Ancestor.
While the Ming Grand Ancestor, Zhu Yuanzhang, was a man of great vision and undeniable genius, he also made one incredibly foolish mistake. He codified many institutions as "dead laws," forbidding his descendants from altering them.
He believed his abilities were unrivaled, that the systems he established were the best in the world, and that if his descendants recklessly changed them, the realm would surely fall into disarray. Thus, his successors had to forever follow his prescribed institutions, and the Great Ming Dynasty would forever prosper and grow strong.
Yet, the world changes...
Cold sweat beaded on Zhu Cunji's brow.
The two scholar-officials also broke into a cold sweat.
Li Daoxuan grinned. "In a world where one person makes all the rules, many problems inevitably arise, especially when that person has long since passed away."
This was an outrageous assertion!
Zhu Cunji felt he couldn't continue this conversation. He abruptly stood up. "I've already had that steward beaten to death. I'm giving the coal mine back to you. Have your people take it over again; anyway, I can't manage it properly. Hmph! I'll just take my share of the profits."
Having said that, he turned and exited the tavern, making a swift escape.
Li Daoxuan shrugged and turned to the two scholar-officials.
The two scholar-officials were also a little awkward; they dared not casually involve themselves in such outrageous assertions. However, they had previously been swayed by Li Daoxuan's "drive the tiger to swallow the wolf" scheme, which subtly encouraged them to contend with the emperor for power and profit. So, they could now endure it.
In fact, they deeply agreed... though they kept silent.
That's right, the emperor's power was too vast, and their own power as scholar-officials too meager. They ought to reclaim some of the emperor's authority.
Just as they thought this.
Li Daoxuan suddenly turned to them both again. "Do you two not feel that this steward from the Prince of Qin's household bears a resemblance to the Minister of Works?"
The two scholar-officials snapped to attention and thought carefully: it really did seem somewhat similar.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "If the Minister of Works wields too much power, the things he does might not be very different from what this steward did."
The two scholar-officials' eyes widened in alarm.
Li Daoxuan said with a mocking tone, "Oh dear, oh dear, whatever shall we do? The emperor can't manage things well alone, and the scholar-officials can't manage them well even by helping the emperor. Whatever shall we do?"
Wu Shen and Shi Kefa were drenched in sweat.
They both had no idea how to answer this question.
After a long while, Wu Shen finally spoke, a touch of embarrassment in his voice. "The Minister of Works holds such a high position. What status and standing, what profound learning and cultivation does he possess? He wouldn't act recklessly like a mere steward. It couldn't be, it couldn't be."
"Couldn't be?" Li Daoxuan burst into laughter. "Was Zhao Gao's position not high? Was Qin Hui's position not high? And Yan Song's position? Were their learning and cultivation not profound?"
Wu Shen fell silent.
Shi Kefa fell silent.
Wu Shen's face turned grim. "Mr. Li, what do you believe is the solution to this matter?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled mischievously. "Your learning and cultivation surpass mine a hundredfold; perhaps you two distinguished gentlemen should ponder it yourselves."
In truth, Li Daoxuan didn't have a perfect solution for this kind of problem either. At least, as of the year 2023 CE, the entire world still hadn't discovered a flawless answer.
An imperfect solution, however, Li Daoxuan did possess a tiny bit of now.
One step at a time!
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