“I want to open the seas, but…”
“But the ministers reacted fiercely, right?”
Shen He immediately guessed the outcome.
For something so deeply entrenched over centuries, trying to change it is as difficult as reaching the heavens.
The maritime ban had been in place for so many years.
Through the efforts of three previous emperors, they had only managed to temporarily relax controls on coastal waters to make concessions for commerce.
The issue of the maritime ban involved many factors—too many to count on one hand—but the core reasons were to prevent pirates, foreign enemies, uphold the policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and to prevent the loss of key resources like silver and population.
In short, a closed sea was ultimately more beneficial than an open one.
It had been this way since the time of the Founding Emperor and Emperor Taizong, and it remains so now.
Given the current productive capacity of the Empire, opening the seas would be a waste of labor and resources, carrying higher risks with unclear benefits.
The ministers’ opposition was inevitable.
It would also silently create numerous difficult problems for them.
Such an innovative measure, if poorly implemented and showing no results, couldn’t be brushed aside with a simple admission of incompetence.
There was a high probability of becoming a scapegoat.
And the blame for failing to open the seas would be carried for centuries to come.
The literati and scholar-officials feared nothing more than being scapegoated and leaving a bad name.
They’d rather do nothing than be reviled through the ages.
“It’s not just fierce—they even dared to give me a show of force! No one in the imperial court supported me, except my little sister’s birth mother, Consort Yu’s elder brother, the Earl of Guang’an…”
Hearing this, Shen Quan frowned slightly.
Before she could process it, the Empress continued.
“But now, none of them are safe either.”
The Empress’s words also revealed the reason why Princess Yulan, who had been lying cold and stiff on the bed, was framed.
When Shen He said Princess Yulan had been murdered by design, the Empress already understood the whole story.
She just couldn’t say it—she had no evidence, and more importantly, she had to protect the imperial family’s honor.
“Minister Shen, do you think… I am a very incompetent emperor? If I can’t even protect my own family, how can I govern the entire country?”
The Empress trembled, her voice choked, and tears streamed down.
At this moment, the Empress was like a little girl.
She gently leaned on Shen He’s shoulder, wallowing in her sorrow.
Helpless and confused, the Empress had exposed her softest part to Shen Yu.
“My little sister took a knife for me. I’m afraid that one day, this invisible knife will be placed on the necks of me and my precious daughter.”
Shen He’s heart tightened.
She didn’t know how to answer.
She was just a doctor; she could heal the sick and save the dying, but she couldn’t cure the accumulated ills of this dynasty over centuries.
“Your Majesty, why are you so determined to open the seas? Is it because… there are high-yield crops on the other side of the sea?”
The matter of the tomatoes must have already spread through the imperial palace.
With Xiao Biao by her side and the Fenglin Guards around Mu’en Hall, anything Shen Quan said could reach the Empress within half an hour.
So some things didn’t need to be spelled out.
“Not entirely. I want to divert the conflict. I want those noble families and literati to stop bleeding the common people dry, to turn their gaze to the vast overseas…”
“Actually, during the reigns of the Founding Emperor and Emperor Taizong, someone did go to sea and brought back a sea chart.”
“The vastness of the overseas world even exceeded my imagination. Vast lands, high-yield crops, and a military strength far below that of our Empire.”
The Empress’s words made Shen He skeptical.
After all, Yun Wei had also said that beyond the Southern Pass, foreigners had traveled thousands of miles across the ocean to trade.
Even sweet potatoes were already used as staple food for their long-distance fleets.
Given their technology, Shen Yi thought they would likely be no weaker than the Empire.
“But the difficulty of opening the seas is unimaginable. I am considering whether to bring out the sea chart passed down from our ancestors to convince the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat…”
Hearing this, Shen Fu became a bit curious.
“Your Majesty, I take the liberty to ask, could I see it first?”
Shen Yu had never heard of any sea chart.
Even Grandpa, who knew things like the former emperor wetting the bed as a child, was unaware that each emperor inherited a sea chart from their ancestors.
But so many years had passed—was this sea chart still useful?
The time of the Founding Emperor and Emperor Taizong… was at least eight or nine hundred years ago.
Still, using it as a reference wouldn’t be a problem.
But using it to guide treasure ships?
Absolutely not.
At best, they’d hit reefs and run aground; at worst, the entire fleet would be lost.
The cost of a single sea voyage was enormous; no country in the world could afford such a loss.
No way!
Shen La was still analyzing what reference value an eight or nine hundred-year-old sea chart could have when the Empress’s cold refusal snapped her back to reality.
Not, sister, are you messing with me?
Building up my anticipation, getting me curious, and then telling me no?
Just you wait—next time, I’ll do this with your daughter.
An eye for an eye!
As Shen La silently cursed the Empress in her mind, the Empress suddenly changed the topic, spinning Shen Yu’s mood a full hundred and eighty degrees.
“If Minister Shen would stay with me tonight, I might consider it. After all, this sea chart was passed down from the Founding Emperor and Emperor Taizong—it’s priceless.”
Shen Yi had no objection to that.
It was true.
If the sea chart was on paper, it would have rotted away after eight or nine hundred years.
That it had been preserved until now was indeed precious.
“Your Majesty, by palace rules, I am an outside official and cannot stay overnight in the imperial palace.”
To be honest, Shen Yu didn’t want to spend the night with the Empress at all.
It was too exhausting.
She had to be careful with her words and actions.
Even breathing too loudly would make the Empress think Shen Yu was noisy.
If she’s noisy, then kick me out, right?
But the Empress wouldn’t.
She kept finding fault with Shen He, yet wouldn’t let Shen Yi leave.
Pure torture.
The Empress was like the school bully, always picking on the meek and obedient Shen He.
This was why, when Yun Xiang had been discussing love and interpersonal relationships with Shen Qing, Shen La firmly stated that the Empress’s feelings towards her were definitely not affection.
‘A truly “good” girl would never bully me like this. This woman is a downright wicked person.’
‘How could someone like that possibly like me? I’d be thankful if she didn’t hit me! Dog Emperor…’
Shen E couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
But on the surface, facing the Empress, she had to offer a tactical smile, nodding along at everything the Empress said, agreeing with “Yes, yes, Your Majesty is absolutely right,” while silently adding “dog emperor” under her breath.
“Tonight is fine. The palace gates won’t be closed tonight anyway. With this incident, the Fenglin Guards will be investigating all night.”
The Empress let out a long sigh, as if she too knew the final result would be futile.
But at least she had an excuse to keep Shen Yu by her side for one night.
It was some comfort.
“I won’t keep you for nothing. Here is a set of fine silver needles and a few top-grade lingzhi mushrooms and ginseng. Though you haven’t had any success tonight, you’ve worked hard. I’ll give them to you as a reward.”
As she spoke, the Empress took a set of exquisite silver needles for acupuncture from a drawer beside her, spreading them out before Shen He, along with several beautifully packaged medicinal herbs.
Shen Yu looked at the expensive, exquisite silver needles and subconsciously cleared her throat.
It wasn’t that she was interested in the silver needles, but simply because she saw the Empress was in a bad mood and wanted to keep her company.
“Alright. Then I will stay with Your Majesty tonight.”
Although inwardly she was cursing the Empress for being a dog emperor who used silver needles and medicine to bribe her with a greedy smile, truthfully, she was deeply unhappy.
She wanted to go home, hug Little Yinqiu, and sleep soundly on the warm kang bed.
But since Your Majesty needed her, she would have to disappoint Little Yinqiu for tonight.
‘No choice—sister is all about work!’
“Good! Then I’ll go get the sea chart.”
The Empress was quite happy, her previously stern expression relaxing a little.
Shen Yu thought, since the Empress was in a poor mental state, staying by her side to take care of her a bit would be good.
What if the Empress died midway?
That would be bad.
Shen He didn’t come here to actually be some imperial physician; she came to provide cover for Qingfeng Village.
As long as the Empress was alive, her attention was focused on opening the seas, at least for now.
But if the Empress died… and the seas weren’t opened, then the imperial court would have to do other things.
Like… fighting bandits.
Thinking about this, Shen Quan couldn’t help but ponder: if opening the seas could proceed smoothly, wouldn’t the court’s attention be even less likely to shift to Qingfeng Village?
‘That makes some sense. If the dog emperor insists on opening the seas and fails, the court will be torn apart by infighting, even bloodshed. Exhausted, they naturally won’t have time for Qingfeng Village.’
‘If she succeeds, with the endless wealth, vast lands, and high-yield crops overseas—all those good things laid out before them—who would care about a tiny Qingfeng Village?’
‘Mm! It could work…’
Moreover, in Shen Yu’s view, she didn’t need to do much.
She just needed to push the issue of opening the seas to the forefront and make the Empress determined to implement this policy.
The rest was to sit back and watch the tigers fight, reaping the benefits.
After all, she was just a physician.
No matter how much the Empress wanted to open the seas or how many methods she used, she wouldn’t push her, an imperial physician, to the forefront to help implement the policy, right?
Haha…
“Mm…”