The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 52 I, Hu Weiyong, can also curry favor with Zhu Yao!

"Don't forget, I am now the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, wielding immense power and enjoying His Majesty's deep trust. When it comes to ingratiating myself with people and reading their expressions, if I, Hu Weiyong, claim to be second, no one dares to claim to be first!"

"If you can curry favor with Young Master Zhu Yao, so can I. Who knows, Young Master Zhu Yao might even be on my side someday. Then, let's see how arrogant you'll be in front of me!"

Liu Bowen was stunned by Hu Weiyong's shameless words. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. Finally, he managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth, his tone full of contempt: "Shameless!"

Hu Weiyong paid no attention to Liu Bowen's mockery. Instead, he laughed even more triumphantly, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave the hall quickly. He had already devised a plan to curry favor with Zhu Yao.

At this moment, in the backyard of the Liu residence, the sun was shining brightly. Zhu Yao was reclining on a deck chair with his eyes closed, looking completely at ease. A beautiful maid in a blue dress was gently massaging his shoulders with skillful technique, while another maid in a pink dress was carefully feeding him fresh grapes from a fruit platter.

Just then, Hu Weiyong strode over, his face full of fawning smiles, his tone respectful and enthusiastic: "Young Master Zhu Yao, what a pleasant life! Such a heavenly enjoyment is truly enviable."

"However, young master, in my opinion, this kind of enjoyment is still a bit lacking. Right now, there are people massaging your shoulders and feeding you fruit. If we added a few more beautiful women who can sing and play instruments, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"I happen to have a few maids in my household who are skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and their singing is exceptional. I would like to offer them to you, young master, to help you pass the time and relieve your boredom."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao's eyes lit up instantly. He opened them abruptly, his face beaming with joy, and nodded repeatedly, "Great! You can sing? That's wonderful!"

He paused, then frowned, his tone tinged with doubt: "However, such a fine maid must be extremely expensive, right? Manager Gu, this gift of yours is far too valuable."

Hu Weiyong quickly waved his hand, his face still bearing a fawning smile: "Young master is joking. They are just a few maids, not worth much money, let alone anything valuable. This is just a small token of my appreciation, given to you for free, without asking for anything in return."

Looking at Hu Weiyong's fawning expression, Zhu Yao smiled knowingly and said casually, "Manager Gu, that's not entirely honest. There's no such thing as a free lunch. You're being so ingratiating because you must want something from me, right?"

Hu Weiyong's thoughts were exposed by Zhu Yao's words, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face. He quickly rubbed his hands and said with a forced smile, "Young Master is indeed wise. Nothing can be hidden from you. I... I do have a few things I would like to ask you. I hope you will not hesitate to enlighten me."

"I am deeply impressed by the Single Whip Method that you mentioned earlier. If it can be implemented, it will surely alleviate the malpractices of the imperial court and benefit the people of the world. However, after much thought, I feel that this method is quite difficult to put into practice, and I have many doubts in my mind."

"Firstly, this law requires the merging of taxes and corvée labor and the collection of money based on the acreage. However, most people in the country make a living by farming and do not have much spare money. Forcibly collecting money may increase the burden on the people and cause public resentment."

"Secondly, many local officials are corrupt, and during the implementation process, they will inevitably take the opportunity to impose additional exorbitant taxes and levies, distorting the original intent of this law."

"Thirdly, many officials of the Huaixi Party are dependent on land, and this law will affect their interests, so it will inevitably be strongly obstructed and difficult to implement."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao slowly sat up, the ease on his face fading slightly, and answered each question seriously: "The three questions you raised are indeed key obstacles to the implementation of the Single Whip Law."

"As for the people who have no silver to pay, they can be allowed to exchange grain, cloth and other goods for money, which will be exchanged by the government to avoid the people being exploited when exchanging money."

"Secondly, special supervisory officials could be appointed to rigorously investigate corruption among local officials. Anyone found using the system to amass wealth should be severely punished. Simultaneously, a performance evaluation system should be implemented, linking the effectiveness of the Single Whip Law to official performance assessments to ensure its effective implementation."

"Thirdly, we can first pilot the reform in places like Suzhou to accumulate experience, and then gradually promote it nationwide. At the same time, we should strive for Zhu's support, suppress the Huaixi Party forces, and steadily advance the reform."

Hu Weiyong stood to the side, listening intently. With each sentence Zhu Yao spoke, he nodded slightly, his confusion gradually dissipating. When Zhu Yao finished speaking, he felt a sudden enlightenment, his face showing a look of profound understanding. He repeatedly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, young master! Your words are truly insightful and have enlightened me instantly. I am deeply grateful!"

He paused, the smile fading from his face, his tone tinged with trepidation and urgency as he cautiously asked, "Young Master, I have another question. You mentioned earlier that the current Prime Minister will be executed by His Majesty in the future. Is this... is it truly beyond redemption? Are there any other solutions that could allow Prime Minister Hu to save his life?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. After a moment, he slowly spoke, saying in a calm tone, "There is a way, but it depends on whether he can do it."

"Firstly, curb your ambitions, voluntarily relinquish power, stop acting arbitrarily, report all matters to His Majesty, never make decisions on your own, abandon forming cliques for personal gain, keep your distance from the Huaixi Party, and no longer favor your faction."

"Secondly, he voluntarily resigned from his position as prime minister, retired to his hometown, stopped concerning himself with court affairs, spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, and enjoyed his old age in peace, never associating with any officials in the court."

"Thirdly, if one is unwilling to resign, one should voluntarily request to guard the frontier, far from the power center of Jinling, to protect a region for the court, demonstrate one's value, and put His Majesty at ease."

"If he does these three things, he might be able to save his life by sheer luck. But if he continues to do as he pleases, covets power and position, and forms cliques for personal gain, then his fate will be just as I said before: disgrace and ruin, and execution of his entire family."

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong immediately bowed deeply to Zhu Yao, his tone respectful and grateful: "Thank you for your guidance, young master!"

Zhu Yao waved his hand, a playful smile on his face, and teased, "Manager Gu, there's no need to be so polite. You really made a worthwhile deal."

"This is all paid content that's worth its weight in gold; you've really hit the jackpot."

Hu Weiyong quickly put on a smiling face and said repeatedly, "Young master is too kind. It is my honor to receive your guidance. I would be willing to do anything, no matter how much I have to give, let alone a few maids."

The maids beside him had already stopped what they were doing, stood with their heads bowed, not daring to say a word. In the courtyard, the sunlight was still warm, but in Hu Weiyong's heart, a storm was brewing. He was secretly glad that he had found the right way, and he also secretly made up his mind to follow Zhu Yao's instructions to save his life.