The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

She knew that her second brother had been exhausted over the years, not physically, but mentally.

There's no way to relieve this kind of fatigue; it just keeps piling up.

Upon meeting Wang Yangming today, Zhou Chu knew from their previous conversation that while Master Yangming's understanding might not be as profound as his own, his character and temperament were far superior.

And after drinking, they started talking more and more.

"In that case, today I will drink with Hengqi until we're both drunk."

Wang Yangming rarely encountered someone as insightful as Zhou Chu, and for a time he became somewhat unrestrained.

"The problems in the court are deeply entrenched and difficult to reverse. Back then, Emperor Taizu executed more than 30,000 officials in one day and was condemned by countless people. But they forgot that in the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the court officials were all left over from the Yuan Dynasty. What the officials of the Yuan Dynasty were like, Mr. Yangming should know."

After Zhou Chu finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Wang Yangming nodded upon hearing this.

"If Emperor Taizu had not executed the former Yuan officials, our Great Ming Dynasty would probably have suffered from countless problems, just like the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It wouldn't have been long before the people were living in misery. Correcting a wrong must be done properly. There may be many innocent people among them, but serious illnesses naturally require strong medicine."

After saying that, he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"When Emperor Taizu was alive, these people did not dare to show their faces and hid themselves away, shrinking their henchmen. But after Emperor Taizu passed away, these people couldn't wait to jump out and make Emperor Jianwen bloodily reduce the power of the princes. Emperor Jianwen was also a fool, an utter fool."

Zhou Chu was already somewhat drunk at this point, and he couldn't care less about what he was saying.

"While the enfeoffment of princes certainly has many drawbacks and can sow the seeds of disaster, it also has many advantages. If the princes in various regions could still command troops, military power would not have fallen into other hands, and the officials would not be in such a state as they are today."

Wang Yangming echoed this sentiment.

He did not view the issue of vassal kings as a complete disaster simply because of the Prince of Ning's rebellion.

Wang Yangming always viewed problems from two sides.

"Later, Emperor Taizong launched the Jingnan Campaign, once again purging the world, which led to the enlightened reign of Emperor Yongle. But these people would not give up and kept following the old path. When Emperor Hongwu was in power, he bewitched his grandson Zhu Yunwen. When Emperor Taizong was in power, he bewitched his crown prince Zhu Gaochi. After Emperor Renzong ascended the throne, he actually withdrew the garrison of Nurgan Regional Military Commission and abandoned thousands of miles of empire. How ridiculous."

"After Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, he became increasingly absurd. It became common for governors to lead troops, which directly disrupted the plans of Nanyue and allowed Luchuan to establish its own regime."

"From then on, power fell into the wrong hands, and the situation became so dire that it was difficult to reverse the decline. The late emperor and the Chenghua emperor were both killed by the same imperial physician. How ridiculous!"

Zhou Chu smiled helplessly as he finished speaking.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yangming was at a loss for words, so he could only pick up his wine cup and drink it all in one gulp.

"Can weighing instruments be used as a strategy for governing a country?"

After finishing his drink, Wang Yangming couldn't help but ask.

"Of course there is."

Zhou Chu said this with a smug look on his face.

"Oh? Tell me quickly."

Wang Yangming asked somewhat anxiously.

“Since ancient times, serious illnesses have required strong medicines, otherwise old problems are difficult to cure.”

"Putting aside other things, just take the maritime ban as an example. The reason why Emperor Hongwu banned the sea was entirely because of the Japanese pirates. Later, Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean raised a lot of military funds for Emperor Taizong's wars. Everyone knows the benefits of going to sea; there is gold everywhere there."

"But why do officials resolutely oppose the court's repeated attempts to lift the sea ban? It's simply because it threatens their interests."

“Throughout the Jiangnan region, everyone is involved in smuggling. Every year, smuggling ships are seized, but what is seized is only a drop in the ocean.”

"If the emperor wants to lift the sea ban, he will probably be blocked by them. If he insists on lifting the sea ban, they would not mind replacing the emperor."

"Mr. Yangming, do you know how to break this deadlock?"