Chapter 71: The Honest Official Zhang Bohai

  Hand over Zhang Yuanlong to you? Yin Zhen's face sank instantly, Zhang Yuanlong was not just the father of Zhang Mengjiao, he also managed the cotton export quota of Jianghai Customs and affected the construction speed of the ocean-going trade fleet. Moreover, it directly related to Yin Zhen's reputation in Shanghai. So far, Zhang Yuanlong was the only one who had fully surrendered as a merchant. If he fell into such a situation, wouldn't rumors spread all over the sky? How many people would be waiting to see him make a fool of himself and kick him while he was down? Who would dare to surrender to Yin Zhen in the future? Who would still believe in Yin Zhen? What a joke!

  Thinking of this, Zhang Bohan was also a rare honest official, Yin Zhen did not want to be at odds with him, so he said lightly: "I'm sure Mr. Zhang is clear that I am stationed in Shanghai to build an ocean-going fleet, but why build an ocean-going fleet, Mr. Zhang may not be clear." After a slight pause, he continued, "Mr. Zhang is a scholar from the Imperial Academy, and has been serving as a local official for many years, familiar with Jiangnan, should know about the invasion of the pirates during the Ming dynasty along the coast of Jiangnan, the purpose of building an ocean-going fleet is to protect the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong from invasion."

  Zhang Bohang secretly sneered in his heart, having seen those who could talk big, but never one who dared to speak so recklessly. Such a far-fetched thing you also dare to say out loud, but due to Yin Zhen's identity, he didn't dare to be presumptuous. He spoke in a low voice: "This is one time, that was another time. Our great Qing dynasty is now strong and prosperous, with all hearts returning to us. Japan is just a small country, barely able to protect itself, how would it dare to invade our borders again? Fourteenth brother, why speak such alarming words?"

  "Governor Zhang is indeed narrow-minded, deceiving himself and others." Yin Zhen sneered: "If our military is strong, why do pirates still roam freely along the coast? Have you not seen the warships of Western countries? One warship can carry hundreds of cannons and thousands of soldiers. Can our Qing dynasty's waterborne warships, which are only a few hundred tons, withstand them? Can they keep the enemy out of our country?"

  Xian Xin's face turned red with rage, Zhang Bojing's temper also flared up, and he immediately shot back, "I've only heard that Western warships have 30 or 40 guns, and there are no more than 300 soldiers, what's the meaning of such exaggerated words?"

  He Lianbi said with disdain, "What you've heard is about old warships from 30 or 50 years ago. They have long been eliminated and most of them have been converted into armed merchant ships. I'm talking about the new Western-style warships. Do you have any friends in Guangzhou? Write a letter to ask them and you'll know."

  Zhang Boxing asked somewhat irritably, "Even so, what does it have to do with Zhang Yuanlong?"

  Yu Zhen picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea, "This Yuan Long has a large shipyard under his name, do you know that? The ships built there are all mine."

  Zhang Bohang was shocked and blurted out, "Zhang Yuanlong also bribed you."

  "A joke." Yi Zhen said disdainfully, "A family fortune of 15 million taels, all spent on building a far-ocean fleet. You think I'd be swayed by that little bit of money?"

  Zhang Bohang suddenly felt a little dizzy, the rumor was actually true, the 14th prince Yin Zhen was indeed rich and powerful enough to rival a country, and his solo investment in building a fleet was also true. What kind of person is this? What does he want?

  "Let's put it this way, Zhang Yuanlong is not only related to my reputation as a merchant in Jiangnan, but also directly affects the progress of the ocean-going fleet. None of you should have any ideas about him."

  Upon hearing this, Zhang Bohai felt deeply disappointed. "Is the 14th prince going to just sit back and watch as Gali, a greedy, arrogant, sinister and cunning hypocrite, brings disaster upon Jiangnan? I would rather resign from my position than be associated with such a person who is a beast in human skin."

  Seeing him so stubborn, Yin Zhen couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart. With such a stinky temper, how did he climb to such a high position? It's hard to be an honest official, and it can't let him fall like this. Besides, if he really wants to go all out, Zhang Yuanlong will definitely be doomed. How can we persuade him? As an honest official, he naturally values his reputation, so we can only start with that. Only then is there a possibility of him changing his mind, otherwise it's likely to end in an unpleasant situation.

  Thinking of this, Yunzheng's words took a turn. "Zhang sir, you are an honest official, and I have always admired you for it. As the head of a county, you can bring fortune to the entire county; as the head of a prefecture, you can extend kindness to the entire prefecture; as the head of a province, you can bestow blessings on the entire province. If you were to resign, wouldn't that be abandoning your duty to govern and care for the people? How would you face the common folk who rely on you?" Yunzheng paused for a moment before continuing slowly: "A gentleman is moved by righteousness, while a petty person is swayed by personal gain. Laozi values life, Buddhists fear death, heroes sacrifice themselves for fame - all are driven by self-interest. Isn't this what you said? I don't know whether cherishing one's reputation and disregarding the welfare of the people is the behavior of a gentleman or a petty person."

  At this last question, Zhang Bohang suddenly felt a chill run down his back. If this got out, his lifelong reputation would be ruined. The emperor's expectations, the people's admiration, and the officials' respect all flashed before his eyes.

  Seeing Zhang Bohang's forehead sweating, Yin Zhen continued to say, "What is meant by being clean is that one cleans oneself, and what is meant by being turbid is that one makes oneself turbid. Why must you, Lord Zhang, be so stubborn? It is difficult for the court to cultivate a single honest official. You must not betray the emperor's kindness above, nor disappoint the common people below. Moreover, it is said that those who are too rigid are easily broken, while those who are gentle and soft are not defeated. In fact, the key to resolving conflicts between officials and the imperial court lies in the two words 'compromise'. I hope you will carefully consider this, Lord Zhang."

  By this time, Zhang Bohai had completely woken up. He stood up, adjusted his clothes and hat, then bowed deeply, "Your subordinate has learned a lesson, but it's easy to change one's ways, yet hard to alter one's nature. Your subordinate has been against evil all his life, and it's not possible to change completely in an instant."

  He couldn't help but smile wryly to himself, was this really the kind of person he was? Forget it, let him be. If they continued talking, things would only escalate and become hostile. At worst, he could think of another way to protect Zhang Yuanlong. Having made up his mind, he smiled lightly and said: "Director Zhang, I don't want to interfere with local government affairs, but neither do I hope that you'll obstruct my mission. For now, people can't move around, we'll talk about the future later."

  As he walked out of Liu Chun Garden, Zhang Bohang couldn't help but touch his back, secretly sighing in admiration. Indeed, the prince's words were truly insightful - knowing when to compromise and when not to, that was the way of being an official. Unfortunately, his own temperament was impossible to change.

  But this trip is not in vain, Zhang Yuanlong can't move, but the last sentence of Yin Zhen has already hinted that it's clear enough. He can first offer a memorial to impeach, and naturally, someone will be sent down to investigate. At that time, everything will be clear to everyone. This 14th prince is really not simple, at such a young age, he already has this kind of mind and vision, it's really embarrassing, I don't know how the other princes compare?

  After Zhang Bohang left, Yin Zhen thought for a moment before entering the backyard and telling Zhang Mengjiao about it in detail. Zhang Mengjiao's face suddenly turned pale, she had been worried that someone would find fault with her father as a breakthrough to attack him, but she didn't expect this day to come so suddenly and quickly, especially when the Zhang family was still reeling from the recent blow. Telling Father about this news now was like adding insult to injury.

  Seeing her looking worried, Yi Zhen comforted her: "This matter can't be hidden, it's better to come late than never, don't worry too much, have you forgotten what I told you before? This matter, I'll take responsibility for it."

  "But...," Zhang Mengjiao hesitated and said, "This matter may bring trouble to Master in the future."

  "What trouble? Won't there be no trouble if we don't take care of this?" Yíng Zhēn said softly, "Alright, don't think too much about it. Tell your father that I'm here and let him set his mind at ease. If even the Zhang family can't be protected, I, Yíng Zhēn, will have no face to stay in Shanghai. Take my original words back to your father."