I, Am a Living Yama; Empress Advises Me to Stay Calm

Along the shores of the southern riverbank, under a bright midday sun, a fleet of massive ships cleaved steadily through the water, their hulls heavy, the decks riding low as they plowed forward. Towering waves broke against their sides, throwing up shimmering sprays of white foam that sparkled in the sunlight.
Crowds lined the docks, their breaths caught as the lead vessel—broad and imposing—glided toward shore and slowed to a steady halt. The Great Zhou army had already cleared a wide perimeter, keeping the curious at bay with orderly precision. Officers in court robes began issuing commands, their voices sharp above the murmur of the masses.
With a heavy creak, the cabin of the foremost silver-mining ship swung open.
From within, soldiers moved swiftly, working in pairs to haul out large crates that had clearly been packed and secured in advance. Box after box emerged from the dark hold—each brimming with solid silver ingots. Under the noon sun, the gleam of polished silver caught every eye. The light bounced off the surface, blinding and brilliant, reflecting in sheets of shimmering white.
A collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd.
Buzzing with shock, the spectators pushed forward, craning for a better look. Mouths fell open, and an audible hiss of breath swept through the masses.
“It really is silver! And so much of it!”
Box after box was loaded onto reinforced wagons, lined up and waiting, their wheels groaning under the growing weight. Soldiers stood at attention, guarding each cart as it was escorted away.
“This silver’s quality is exceptional. Just look at the grain of the cuts—it all came from the same mine. Great Zhou really did discover a silver vein,” one merchant exclaimed.
“Gods… how many catties must this be?”
“And there’s more coming. Just look behind!”
“So the
wasn’t exaggerating…”
The onlookers were stunned speechless. Not in their wildest imaginings had they thought Great Zhou would reveal such an overwhelming quantity of silver. And the spectacle itself far exceeded even the boldest rumors. As the first ship pulled away, the next one docked, and then the next.
The offloading continued without pause. Every soldier moved with disciplined urgency—they knew what was at stake.
The wagons groaned. The wooden wheels gave strained creaks beneath the weight of the silver, the ingots trembling slightly atop them. Light refracted off the metal, flashing enticingly.
Many among the watching crowd swallowed hard, their eyes wide with longing. Who wouldn’t be tempted, standing so close to piles of gleaming, unguarded fortune?
Still, the soldiers kept perfect order. Nothing was allowed to spiral out of control.
“
… so much silver. The Zhou Dynasty’s going to rise after this.”
“With this much silver flooding the market, the price’s going to collapse.”
“I hear the Tang, Han, and Ming states are still buying silver. Maybe we should sell ours to the Ming while we still can.”
“
… look at how many mining ships they’ve brought. Who dares say Great Zhou’s silver mines are fake now?”
The people murmured among themselves, both stunned and excited. The unloading didn’t stop. From morning until the sun dipped past the western ridge, silver continued to pour out from the hulls of those enormous ships.
By the time the final vessel emptied its last crate, night had already fallen.
…
The next morning, in the imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty…
“Father! Father!” Zhu Biao’s panicked voice echoed through the marble columns of the Hall of Heavenly Purity as he ran inside, his robes rustling with haste.
Zhu Yuanzhang, seated upon his throne, felt a sudden jolt of unease ripple through him. His eyelid twitched. Something was wrong.
“What is it?” he demanded.
Zhu Biao stood before him, pale and breathless, sweat beading at his temples.
“Father… the Great Zhou’s ships really did return laden with silver. Fifty of them. Each one fully packed. Altogether, it must be hundreds of thousands of catties.”
Zhu Yuanzhang stumbled from his seat. Zhu Di caught him quickly, steadying his father with a hand beneath his elbow. His brows were furrowed in silent dread.
“Father…”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s weathered face turned ashen. Shock rippled through his fierce, hawk-like eyes.
“How is this possible? Where did they get that much silver? Why does the Zhou still have so much? Could it be… they really
have silver mines?”
Around the hall, ministers and nobles exchanged alarmed glances. Doubt had plagued them for weeks, but now… they could no longer deny it. This wasn’t a trick, nor propaganda. No one could fake that much silver.
Zhu Biao’s eyes were bloodshot from sleepless nights. He took a deep breath, his voice trembling.
“Father. What do we do now? With this flood of silver, the price will surely crash. And if it crashes… all the silver we purchased—”
Zhu Yuanzhang shuddered. “Quickly. Send word to the Ministry of Revenue. Stop all silver acquisitions immediately!”
There was no time to hesitate. The damage was already severe.
Normally, a new silver vein wouldn’t shift the markets. But Great Zhou had just unveiled thirty silver mines, all producing in tandem. That would be catastrophic for silver prices.
And now, the Ming treasury—once the pride of the realm—was packed with silver that had cost gold and copper to acquire. Its value was about to be halved.
He could feel the blood draining from his face. It felt like being robbed in broad daylight.
Zhu Biao rushed to pass the order, then turned back to face his father, voice heavy.
“Father. Yang Yi must’ve known about these mines long ago. He baited us, step by step. Let us fall right into his trap. This loss… it’s devastating for the Ming.
“What now? Do we still ban their paper currency, the Zhou notes?”
Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent. Bitterness welled up in his chest like bile. His scarred and weathered face creased deeper as the weight of the dilemma bore down on him.
If he hadn’t seized the opportunity to stir trouble for the Great Zhou, the Ming Dynasty wouldn’t have suffered such losses. The collapse of silver prices had hit hard. Now, it was clear—the Great Zhou had played them. Yang Yi had been too cunning, laying a trap that the Ming court had walked into step by step.
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his temples, wearied not just by the weight of governance but by the sting of realization. He was no fool. Only now, with the pieces aligned before him, did he see the full scope of the scheme.
“With those silver-mining ships, the Great Zhou has turned public opinion in its favor,” he muttered, his voice low and bitter. “As long as they continue to send ships overseas, the price of silver will keep falling.”
He raised his head, voice suddenly firmer. “We, the Ming Dynasty, must move quickly. Follow the Great Zhou’s example and issue our own Ming banknotes. Otherwise, the impact on us will only deepen.”
His gaze swept over the assembled officials. “Furthermore, declare at once that Great Zhou’s banknotes may be exchanged for currency within our borders.”
The hall fell into stunned silence.
Eyes widened. Even the seasoned generals and ministers looked at one another in disbelief. Zhu Di took a step forward, visibly agitated.
“Father, we’ve already lost a fortune to the Zhou. Now you want to help them? You want to let their currency into our territory?”
Xu Da, Tang He, Li Wenzhong—all pillars of the court—frowned in confusion, unsure of their emperor’s sudden shift. Even Crown Prince Zhu Biao, standing quietly beside the throne, looked bewildered, not understanding why his father’s stance had changed so quickly.
Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression darkened. He shot Zhu Di a glare, the kind that brooked no dissent.
“Fool. This is not helping them. It’s helping the Ming.”
The confusion in the hall deepened. Eyes turned toward the emperor once more. Zhu Biao finally found his voice, though it wavered slightly.
“Father… what do you mean?”
Zhu Yuanzhang exhaled, slowly. His tiger-like eyes glinted with quiet calculation, the gaze of a man who had seen through more than just the fog of war.
“In the past, one tael of silver could be exchanged for eighteen hundred Great Zhou coins. But now, with their overseas mines confirmed as real, the value of silver will only plummet further.”