The rise of the poor

"Luo Longwen, let me ask you this: Wasn't this Prince Hui's Seal of the Prince of Hui from Henan mortgaged to your master? He's asking your master for the seal back. What will your master do then? Also, your master gave this Prince Hui's Seal of the Prince of Hui as a gift to my king. What will happen to the Prince of Hui from Henan now that he doesn't have the seal?"

As soon as Luo Longwen finished speaking, a Japanese pirate raised a question. If this question could not be answered well, then the authenticity of the Prince Hui's seal would still be in doubt.

The Prince of Hui in Henan merely pledged his imperial seal to your master. He'll surely redeem it once he's received enough money. How will your master explain giving this imperial seal to my king?! Furthermore, what will the Prince of Hui in Henan do without his seal?!

So, can your master give my king the real King Hui's Seal? Is the seal your master gave my king fake?
Luo Longwen replied calmly and matter-of-factly, "Would he dare ask my master for the Prince Hui's Seal?! Once it's in my master's hands, no one can take it back! Even if he had the audacity to ask my master for it, whenever such a thing happens, my master always just says, 'It's lost,' and that's it. No one dares to bother him anymore. They rely on my master's connections and power, so how could they dare to break ties with him? As for what to do if he doesn't have the Prince Hui's Seal, it's simple: report it lost to the Imperial Clan Court and have a new one made."

He can't find it. He's making excuses and being unreasonable. He's not being reasonable at all. If you don't break off relations, there's really nothing you can do about him. Even if you do break off relations, there's still nothing you can do about him. His father is the most powerful man in the Ming Dynasty, the Grand Secretary, the most important person after the Emperor. With him backing him up, what can you do to him?

Therefore, when Yan Shifan started acting like a rogue, those who wanted his help had no choice but to endure it. If they offended him, not only would the gifts they had given him be wasted, but they would also offend him and be retaliated against.

Nobody would do a business that loses so much money it'll ruin them.

"He reported the loss to the Imperial Clan Court, and they just made him another one? Do you own the Imperial Clan Court?"

Some Japanese pirates raised questions.

Luo Longwen said proudly, "Although the Imperial Clan Court wasn't run by my master, it's practically the same. The head of the Imperial Clan Court was placed there by my master. If my master tells him to go east, he wouldn't dare go west; if he tells him to chase a dog, he wouldn't dare catch a chicken. If my master tells him to recarve a new seal for the Prince of Hui, he'll do it without hesitation. In fact, before I arrived, the Imperial Clan Court had already recarved a new seal for the Prince of Hui in Henan on my master's orders, just waiting for him to come and offer gifts."

"Well, your master really is a coward," the surrounding Japanese pirates mocked.

Luo Longwen wanted to protect Yan Shifan's reputation, but he also knew the current situation, so he held back after saying only one word.

"Well, alright, even if your Prince Hui's seal is genuine, your master's gift is still passable."

Mao Haifeng and other Japanese pirates already believed that the seal of the Prince of Hui presented by Luo Longwen was genuine.

Wang Zhi fiddled with the Prince Hui's seal for a moment, then casually placed it aside and looked at Luo Longwen. "Luo Longwen, tell me, what big deal did your master send you here to discuss with me?"

The Japanese pirates below the hall speculated and asked Luo Longwen, "Did One-Eyed Dragon receive a batch of stolen money that he couldn't sell and wanted to give to my king?"

Luo Longwen shook his head. "My master is happy to receive as many gifts as possible. Why would he need to consider selling stolen goods?"

"Is the One-Eyed Dragon trying to smuggle a ship out of my king's territory?" another Japanese pirate asked.

"Hmm, not bad. Countless high-ranking officials and nobles have cooperated with our king. Does One-Eyed Dragon also want to get involved?"

"Loubo" is the same as smuggling. In ancient times, smuggling was called "Loubo". In those days, apart from the Japanese pirates, Loubo was the most profitable. In Jiangnan, countless gentry, nobles and officials secretly cooperated with them.

These gentry, powerful families, and high-ranking officials secretly provided financial assistance and shared profits according to their investment. Others directly provided manpower and ships, becoming part of the Japanese pirates. Still others traded with them, selling them supplies and weapons at high prices. There were many ways to cooperate.

This is almost an unspoken understanding.

The Japanese pirates thought that Yan Song and his son might be envious of the wealthy and powerful officials in Jiangnan who were making a fortune by cooperating with them, and wanted to get involved.

Luo Longwen shook his head. "I don't rule out this cooperation, but the big business my master sent me to discuss is not something as trivial as this."

"This is a small matter, what a big mouth you have. Then tell me, what kind of big deal does your master want to discuss with my king?"

A group of Japanese pirates stepped forward, looking menacing.

Luo Longwen took a step back, but quickly stepped forward again, pointing at the Prince Hui's seal that Wang Zhi had placed aside, and said loudly, "Does Your Majesty want the Prince Hui's seal in your hands to be truly worthy of the title?!"

Truly deserving of the name?!
What do you mean? Are you implying that I, this self-proclaimed Prince of Hui, can truly live up to my title?! Become the real Prince of Hui, appointed by the imperial court?!
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked intently at Luo Longwen, leaned forward, and asked with a turbulent expression, "Luo Longwen, what do you mean by that?"

"That is exactly what Your Majesty thinks," Luo Longwen said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Wang Zhi gave Luo Longwen a dissatisfied look. "Don't try to fool me. Speak frankly and clearly."

"That's right, trying to beat around the bush with our king, you little brat, are you looking for death?" the group of Japanese pirates clamored.

Luo Longwen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and bowed, saying, "Yes, yes, Your Majesty is right. What I mean is that my master can make Your Majesty a legitimate and true Prince Hui."

"Hehe, don't try to fool us. Luo Longwen, are you taking advantage of our ignorance of history? Back then, after Zhu Yuanzhang, the Beggar King, became emperor, he issued an edict that no one outside the Zhu family could be granted the title of king, leaving behind the ancestral rule that no one outside the Zhu family could be granted the title of king!"

Mao Haifeng chuckled, stepped forward, grabbed Luo Longwen by the collar, and sprayed him with spit.

Upon hearing Mao Haifeng's words, Wang Zhi's excitement vanished. Yes, concern clouded his judgment; he had almost forgotten that it was he who had told Mao Haifeng the Ming Dynasty's ancestral precept that no one other than a member of the Zhu imperial family could be granted the title of king, nor could any king of a different surname be granted.

"Alright, you coward surnamed Luo, you've got some nerve, daring to try and trick my king on our turf! You're asking for death!"

A group of Japanese pirates drew their swords and approached Luo Longwen with murderous intent.

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, heroes and generals, please listen to my excuses, no, please listen to my explanation."

Luo Longwen was so scared he almost peed his pants.

"Arguing?! You let it slip, Your Majesty. This fellow doesn't utter a single word of truth. Drag him out and boil him to feed the dogs."

A group of Japanese pirates, filled with murderous intent, surrounded Luo Longwen and reached out to grab him, threatening to tear him to pieces in an instant.

"Alright, spare his life for now and let's hear his explanation. If he can't explain it well, we can take him away and cook him later."

At the crucial moment, it was Wang Zhi who saved Luo Longwen's life again. (End of Chapter)