Chapter 413

Zhu Yijun's centralized pig-raising method was not only to concentrate the vassal princes of the Great Ming but also to select some people from among them for key cultivation and then enfeoff them overseas.

Zhu Zaiyu was an example of Zhu Yijun's practice. The Great Ming's pigs were not all rice buckets waiting to die. If used in the right place, they were also useful.

Enfeoffment overseas was the best method Zhu Yijun could think of based on the current situation. Overseas colonies needed a spiritual totem, or rather, a backbone, a center. Even if this center did nothing, as long as the prince's mansion was there, it was already enough.

Centripetal force inevitably required a center.

Wang Qian stirred up a bloody storm in the Huayang Academy in the Shu region. Liu Xian and Wang Tingzhan uprooted the gang forces in Chengdu Prefecture, which was pinching the head. After the dragon had no head, it was easy to deal with. This was the most convenient method when contradictions could not be reconciled.

And the centripetal force of the colonies could only be enfeoffment. This was an effective political order practiced in the early Ming.

"Call the girl, let's go to the teacher's house for a free meal!" Zhu Yijun again took a long tail and ran to Zhang Juzheng's Quanchu Quanchu Quanchu Huiguan for a free meal.

This was to show imperial favor, and it was also a private communication between the Emperor and the Chief Grand Secretary. The contradiction between imperial power and ministerial power, which had existed since ancient times, became less intense under such unconventional methods. This was the art of power Zhang Juzheng taught the little Emperor: if there is a gap, it must be clarified, so that villains cannot take the opportunity to sow discord.

Zhang Juzheng liked to talk about the Great Way the most, but he was not ignorant of the art of power. Half a volume of the art of power was enough. The Way is upright, the technique is strange; the upright and the strange generate each other, assist each other, and complete each other.

Zhang Juzheng was a pragmatic official. To achieve his goal, he would stop at nothing. No matter what means were used, completing the goal was what a pragmatic official valued most.

Zhu Yijun's carriage passed the imperial road full of snow and traveled to the front of the Quanchu Quanchu Quanchu Huiguan before he got off the jade carriage.

Zhang Juzheng led Xiong Tingbi and others, bowed his head, and paid respects: "See Your Majesty, long live, see the Empress, thousand years."

"Teacher, exempt from etiquette, exempt from etiquette." Zhu Yijun was in an extremely good mood. He got off the carriage and helped up Zhang Juzheng, who was bowing. As the Emperor's teacher and Grand Tutor, Zhang Juzheng could be exempted from the grand etiquette, but Xiong Tingbi and other disciples of the Quanchu Quanchu Quanchu Huiguan could not be exempted from the kneeling etiquette. This was part of the ritual law.

When Xiong Tingbi climbed to Zhang Juzheng's status, he would have the treatment of not kneeling when seeing the Emperor.

Wang Yaozhuo was sent into the palace by Zhang Juzheng. At that time, Wang Yaozhuo was only nine years old, and her family was broken and dead. The Lu family of Shaanxi was too oppressive. Wang Yaozhuo followed her foster father, the County Commandant, to the capital. This was the representative figure selected by Zhang Juzheng, representing the suffering of the people.

The reason Empress Dowager Li wanted to see Wang Yaozhuo, and even finally decided on Wang Yaozhuo as the Empress, besides Wang Yaozhuo being beautiful, easy to bear children, and obedient, was also based on Mr. Zhang's face.

When the monarch is young and the state is suspicious, everyone has to give Mr. Zhang face.

"Xiong Da, how is your schoolwork?" Zhu Yijun asked about Xiong Tingbi's schoolwork while walking. In terms of martial arts, Zhu Yijun could see it every day, but cultural lessons could not be left behind.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this student plans to participate in the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination the year after next. The teacher does not allow it, but this student feels he can pass!" Xiong Tingbi said with full confidence.

"It is right to accumulate a little. It is true that you are intelligent. Fang Zhongyong could write a four-line poem at the age of five, and he could write a poem immediately upon pointing at an object. His literary logic was all worth watching. However, he was not allowed to study. Seven years later, he became an ordinary person. This is 'Injuring Zhongyong.' Zhongyong's intelligence was given by heaven. He was far better than talented people, but he ended up as an ordinary person." Zhang Juzheng explained the reason.

This was Zhang Juzheng's educational concept. It is true that you, Xiong Tingbi, are a genius, but you still need to keep in mind that no matter how high your talent is, you cannot be arrogant and complacent and stop studying; otherwise, you will become an ordinary person. Talent and intelligence are given by heaven, but you cannot be arrogant and complacent. You should be studious, humble, and seek higher achievements.

"I will strictly follow the teacher's teachings." Xiong Tingbi immediately said very respectfully. Xiong Tingbi respected Zhang Juzheng very much and was extremely grateful to His Majesty. He was not the kind of ungrateful person, and he would not hold resentment just because Zhang Juzheng taught him a lesson.

Rebellion is something that requires a material basis.

It is extremely difficult to study in the Great Ming. No matter how studious you are, without a material basis, you can't even borrow books, and it is even difficult to recognize characters. Xiong Tingbi came from a poor background. That he could be cultivated by His Majesty and the teacher today was because His Majesty and the teacher valued the achievements he might have in the future.

Throw a peach, report with a plum.

Zhu Yijun also nodded and said: "The teacher said it well. Do not participate in the provincial examination the year after next. By the next provincial examination, Xiong Da will be sixteen, which is just the right age to be an adult."

"Xiong Da, have you heard about the excitement of the Japanese Prince's Mansion and the Ryukyu Prince's Mansion recently?"

"I have heard." Xiong Tingbi showed an unbearable expression and said with a strange face: "The dignified Prince's Mansion actually made such a joke. These barbarians are indeed as the Grand Minister of Rites said, wolf-faced and beast-hearted, not looking at etiquette."

After the Japanese Prince's Mansion and the Ryukyu Prince's Mansion threw feces at each other, they made another joke. It was said that there was a top courtesan from Japan at the Taibai Building, who was beautiful and knowledgeable. Shang Jiu heard this and went to invite the courtesan to serve him. As soon as she served him, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was immediately unhappy and immediately recruited the courtesan into the mansion to serve him.

This Ashikaga Yoshiaki asked: "Between me and Shang Jiu, who is stronger?" The courtesan naturally said it was Shang Jiu.

Later, the courtesan took this as a joke and told it to people at the Taibai Building. This could be considered an interesting story. The courtesan was well-informed and felt that neither of them was very strong.

The Japanese Prince's Mansion and the Ryukyu Prince's Mansion had a big fight because of this little thing, taking turns inviting the courtesan to their mansions, each time with a bigger scene than the last. Comparing scenes, comparing scales, comparing duration, and even comparing size, the joke became big. The Emperor heard this and issued an edict that they were not allowed to compete in wealth. Only then did the curtain fall.

Zhu Yijun asked about a few things that happened recently, such as the weighing scale case, the Yang family of the New Capital, Wang Rulong reopening the Kaiping Guard, the heavy snow this year, San Niangzi and Buyan seeking help from the Great Ming imperial court, and so on. Xiong Tingbi answered fluently and had his own insights, not just following what others said.

Zhu Yijun was very satisfied. Xiong Tingbi did not ignore the world outside the window when reading and would not become a person like Yang Youren.

For example, regarding Wang Rulong reopening the Kaiping Guard, in Xiong Tingbi's view, it was a manifestation of the recovery of the combat effectiveness of the Great Ming border army, and it was also proof that the resistance will of Altan Khan had completely collapsed. It was also the result of the Great Ming's border trade. Xiong Tingbi expounded his insights from an economic perspective, especially combining the process of Spain's rise, emphasizing the importance of the wool business.

Spain was a kingdom on the back of sheep, starting from the Kingdom of Castile, and Merino sheep were Castile's banknote printing machine, making Spain the only empire on which the sun never sets at present. The contradiction between Spain and England also had a great relationship with the wool business.

The wool business would become a sharp weapon for the Great Ming to control the outside of the Great Wall. The Great Ming could choose not to wear wool, but the Northern Tatars could not choose not to raise sheep. If the Great Ming did not want the Northern Tatars' wool, it would inevitably trigger violent conflicts in the Northern Tatars' internal contradictions, and so on.

"Xiong Da, do you also read the Overseas Barbarian States Records and the Travels of Li Yashi?" Zhu Yijun sat down in the Wenchang Pavilion and nodded constantly, highly approving of Xiong Tingbi's learning progress.

"The teacher's Wenchang Pavilion has all kinds of collections." Xiong Tingbi wanted to say something but stopped, and finally did not say more.

In fact, in his view, if the Great Ming no longer opened the sea and handed over the ocean to the West, under the premise of colonial plunder, the West's development speed would far exceed that of the Great Ming, fearing it would become an enemy of Chinese civilization.

But these words were too alarmist. Even the Western hegemon Spain had to look at the Great Ming's face when attacking Portugal in the West.

This was a very contradictory feeling. The Great Ming was clearly so powerful and invincible, so why would the West become the Great Ming's enemy? But the West's plunder efficiency and scale of colonies far exceeded that of the Great Ming. With such contradictory thoughts, Xiong Tingbi thought about it again and again and still did not say it out loud.

Zhu Yijun just didn't know Xiong Tingbi's thoughts; otherwise, he would definitely say, "Deserving of being a genius."

"Your Majesty, this household department audit included the audit of the income of many plantations in Nanyang. At present, the Great Ming has 127 plantations in Nanyang. Except for 63 official plantations, there are as many as 64 private plantations. This is the first time the number of private plantations has exceeded that of the imperial court. Among them, the Yuanxu Islands have the most. The official and private sectors have reclaimed 360,000 qing of wasteland." Zhang Juzheng chatted with Zhu Yijun about state affairs, and Xiong Tingbi stood on the other side and stopped talking.

Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial in his hand with a heavy expression and said: "This is a good thing. The scale of the Great Ming's official plantations in Nanyang far exceeds that of private plantations. Of the 360,000 qing of land, more than 250,000 qing belong to official plantations. The Great Ming's official land still occupies a dominant position, but in terms of pioneering and flexibility, official plantations are not as good as private plantations. Although the Yuanxu Islands are all very small pieces of land, the speed will soon exceed that of the Great Ming's official plantations. It won't take five years."

"Regarding slave catching, the official army cannot compare to this group of merchants."

Slave catching was a method Great Ming merchants learned from the West. They caught men, castrated them, threw them into plantations, and turned women into a commodity. The wealthy families of the Great Ming who went to sea had no moral pressure at all when doing this kind of thing. Great Ming merchants took desperate people and acted unscrupulously on the sea.

Sun Kehong was as obedient as a quail in the Great Ming, but once he reached the sea, he completely let himself go. After dozens of three-masted ships arrived at the Yuanxu Islands, they scattered.

A three-masted ship with three or four hundred people, although without cannons, had plenty of swords, spears, bows, and crossbows. When encountering an island during navigation, they would circle the island, find a suitable place, and go ashore under the cover of night, raising butcher knives against the indigenous people on the island, burning, killing, and looting, which could be described as doing all kinds of evil, occupying everything on the island for themselves.

Calling them plantations, they were actually pirate dens. But because the Great Ming navy was powerful, they didn't dare to rob the Great Ming, so they had to get some servants who whipped them, directed the local slaves, planted some economic crops and agricultural crops, and maintained the appearance of plantations.

The Great Ming's pioneering in the Yuanxu Islands had initially formed a stable class: the high-and-mighty prominent families, the desperate people hired by the prominent families to become retainers and thugs, while looting everywhere, whipping, driving slaves, and enjoying the women in the local area who hadn't had time to be sold.

And all the goods produced by the plantations—spices, sugarcane, rock sugar, rubber, palm oil, rosewood, dyes, gold, silver, copper, rice, etc. —were completely eaten by the Songjiang Ocean Trading Company and transported to the Great Ming in exchange for more ships, brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, porcelain, silk, cotton cloth, medicines, etc.

Great Ming merchants could do it, but the imperial court could not. The imperial court was a weather vane of etiquette. Once the imperial court publicly did this, it would inevitably lead to the collapse of the Great Ming's already fragile etiquette and music, and it also involved the loss of control of violence, that is, the terrible consequence of the army completely losing discipline and then losing control.

Therefore, overseas, the Great Ming could only rely on force to maintain basic order. As for suffering, everyone could only choose to turn a blind eye.

"It's too far. My imperial edict has also become dispensable with the increase in distance." Zhu Yijun had no good way to deal with this phenomenon. He still had to release more man-eating prominent families to continue to go overseas to eat people to satisfy the appetites of the prominent families.

Zhu Yijun was only the Emperor of the Great Ming and could not restrain the merchants who went to sea. These wealthy families dared to fight the Emperor in the Great Ming. Once they went to sea, how much restraint did the Emperor's political orders have left? If the navy of the Luzon Governor-General's Office wasn't on the side, these guys might have caused even bigger trouble.

"The method used by the West is religion, but in terms of actual effect, it has no effect." Zhang Juzheng had naturally thought about the matter of Buddhism and Daoism going overseas. In order to counter the religious districts, Zhang Juzheng asked for permission to allow Buddhism and Daoism to go overseas.

The Great Ming had a hereditary Celestial Master, Zhang Guoxiang. Sending Daoism overseas might not have much effect.

Since Zhuanxu cut off the communication between heaven and earth, human affairs have been managed by humans. Relying on the power of ghosts and gods is ultimately not a long-term way. Cutting off the communication between heaven and earth means Zhuanxu ordered Chong and Li to cut off the descent of heavenly gods to the human world. Since then, heaven and earth have each found their place, and humans have established fixed order and discipline in the human world.

In Zhang Juzheng's eyes, religious sects like Buddhism, Daoism, Hui, and Jing were all heresies. He looked down on them, but Zhang Juzheng still let Buddhism and Daoism go overseas. As for whether they could make something of themselves, it depended on them.

Zhang Guoxiang's legitimate wife was the daughter of the Imperial Son-in-Law Xie Zhao, which was the daughter of Princess Yongchun, and could be considered a relative of the imperial family. Xie Zhao ran around asking for the title of Celestial Master for Zhang Guoxiang, but the Emperor didn't approve, so Zhang Guoxiang just recognized it like that.

The Celestial Master of Long Hu Mountain had a bit of "if I get it, it's my luck; if I lose it, it's my fate" in this matter.

Although Laozi once said, "Only by not contending can the world not contend with it," Zhang Guoxiang's refusal to even strive for a title was indeed a bit too desireless. The Daoist sect might not be suitable for things like overseas pioneering. Overseas is now plunder and contention.

In the Great Ming's land survey, the amount of land hidden by the Buddhist sect was far greater than that hidden by the Daoist sect.

Just the Shangqing Temple on Long Hu Mountain hid a total of 2,000 qing of land, not even as much as ordinary temples in Fujian and Guangdong.

"Teacher, the orthodox Daoist sect may indeed not contend or snatch and just practice Daoism in peace, but the heretical paths that falsely claim to be the Daoist sect are not like this. They contend and snatch very fiercely. Letting them out might have unexpected gains." Zhu Yijun's thoughts on this matter were not completely consistent with Zhang Juzheng's. The orthodox Daoist sect was indeed governing by non-action and not contending, but the heretical paths didn't care about that.

"What Your Majesty says is true." Zhang Juzheng pondered for a while, and it was indeed the truth. These heretical paths didn't have a deep understanding of Daoist methods, but they were very proficient in how to seek wealth and kill lives.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng chatted for a long time, talking about whatever came to mind, without any theme, just like the old men under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, talking about whatever came to mind, mainly some doubts about state affairs.

When Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng were chatting and the sun was setting, the Great Ming's exploration fleet was welcoming the morning sun.

When setting sail from Songjiang Prefecture, five five-masted ocean-crossing ships, one star-observing ship, and twenty-seven horse ships arrived in Natal. Natal is Portuguese, meaning "City of Christmas." This was also the second largest port of the Brazil Governor-General's Office. The largest port was Rio de Janeiro, the City of God.

The reason why the City of Christmas, Natal, was important was because this was the first stop for Western ships arriving in the New World.

Starting from here, it only took forty-two days to reach the Western City of Freedom.

Starting from Songjiang Prefecture, after arriving at Naha Port in Ryukyu, the large ships began to follow the already recorded route and began the Great Ming's exploration journey. The route of the Pacific warm current had long been determined. The Great Ming ships arrived at the new Governor-General's district, the Mexico Governor-General's district, for the first time.

And during this exploration journey across the Pacific Ocean, a total of thirteen Great Ming ships were lost in the ocean. Of the fifty horse ships that accompanied them, only twenty-seven chose to continue the adventure. The remaining ships conducted trade in Mexico City and chose to return to Luzon with the Spanish galleons.

It took a total of four months to arrive at the Brazil Governor-General's district from the Mexico Governor-General's district, then to the Peru Governor-General's district. This speed was very slow because they stopped at every port along the way to observe the stars, record star charts, and complete needle charts. This was something that must be done for route opening.

Xu Jiugao, a native of Yu Yao, Zhejiang, studied at the Weiyang Academy and became a Jinshi in the forty-first year of Jiajing. Later, he served as the Magistrate of Changshan, Magistrate of Nanjing, Salt Inspection Censor, Military Consultant for the Songjiang Town Navy, and acting agent for the shipyard. After opening the sea, he studied at the Songjiang Maritime Academy and became a sailor after three years. Starting from the sixth year of Wanli, he led the navy to sea. In the seventh year of Wanli, Xu Jiugao, as a special envoy of the Great Ming, followed the special envoy of the Mughal Empire, Shah Mamaiti, across the Strait of Malacca, arrived in Colombo, and reached Surat of the Mughal Empire.

For this pioneering opening of the sea, Xu Jiugao took the initiative to ask for the position of captain. He knew that if he could return successfully this time, it would be a huge merit for the Great Ming, and his future success would depend on this fight.

"This Atlantic Ocean is indeed violent. Before even going out to sea, I have already seen its brutality." Xu Jiugao looked at the Atlantic Ocean with a heavy expression. The Atlantic Ocean was completely different from the Pacific Ocean. Compared to the violence of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean was indeed the Pacific Ocean. There were storms, but they were not such monstrous waves.

"Order the twenty-seven horse ships to return. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean is really too dangerous." Xu Jiugao said to First Mate Liu Ji.

Liu Ji was a native of Mizhou, Shandong. He was originally a desperate person. After opening the sea, he was recruited by the imperial court to the Maritime Academy and could be considered one of the first people in the Great Ming to have rich navigation experience. And Liu Ji was the First Mate this time. If Xu Jiugao could not perform his duties as captain due to seasickness or other problems, Liu Ji would be the captain.

"The Great Ming's horse ships are modified based on three-masted galleons. Three-masted galleons are completely sufficient to deal with the storms of the Atlantic Ocean. Western galleons could walk at the beginning, so our ships can also walk." Liu Ji put forward his opinion. On the ship, the captain's order was everything. If he told you to jump into the sea, you had better jump; otherwise, your hamstrings would be cut and you would be thrown into the sea.

The captain could decide everyone's life and death, including First Mate Liu Ji.

Liu Ji and Xu Jiugao became familiar with each other and knew Xu Jiugao's temper. This Jinshi, official, and Military Consultant for the Navy was actually quite easy to talk to. Everyone was for the fleet, and Xu Jiugao could listen to appropriate opinions.

"The loss is too great." Xu Jiugao shook his head and explained the reason.

Crossing the Pacific Ocean lost thirteen horse ships. How many would be lost crossing the even more violent Atlantic Ocean? The five-masted ocean-crossing ships and the star-observing ship were not problems. The star-observing ship was a special ship, completely different from merchant ships like horse ships. Its resistance to wind and waves and resistance to tilting had been specially strengthened.

Liu Ji pondered for a moment and said: "Then listen to the captain."

In Liu Ji's view, Xu Jiugao was somewhat womanly. They were exploring, and this was inherently a big adventure that was very likely to have no return. There were many diseases on the ship. Arriving at a place, they would inevitably be unaccustomed to the water and soil. Storms, strange waves, indigenous people, diseases, etc., death at sea was not a common occurrence?

Last time, thirteen ships lost contact in the Pacific Ocean. Although Xu Jiugao didn't say it, he was sad for a long time, as if he counted the lives of those thirteen ships on his own head.

But sometimes Liu Ji also wondered, if Great Ming officials were all people like Xu Jiugao, would he have been reduced to the point of being a desperate person and a pirate?

Liu Ji couldn't figure out whether womanly kindness was suitable for adventure, but he knew that having a womanly superior was a kind of luck.

Liu Ji robbed a merchant ship in the Peru Governor-General's district, which was full of women. Liu Ji was a pirate by origin. He saw a big fat sheep, so his hands were itchy. Xu Jiugao didn't punish Liu Ji in the end and didn't cut his hamstrings and throw him into the sea. Xu Jiugao could do it; there were two hundred navy elites on the ship who only took orders from Xu Jiugao.

Xu Jiugao was not womanly. Which official who could constantly climb up wasn't black-hearted and even blacker-handed? The reason he didn't punish Liu Ji was that Liu Ji robbed a Western merchant ship. Great Ming law did not protect Western barbarians.

Returning the twenty-seven ships could bring back the phased results of the exploration. Even if the five five-masted ships and the star-observing ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean, it could be considered an explanation to His Majesty. The greatest charm of opening the sea lay in profit. Bringing so many goods back to the Great Ming would create a myth of wealth, subsequently bewitching more people to participate in the sea-opening affairs.

The exploration of the route could not be completed in one go. It needed several times, or even several years, to be completely perfected. This was not a one-shot deal.

Thinking about problems differently depending on the position.

Xu Jiugao organized the intelligence of the City of Christmas, that is, Natal. The beach in Natal was sixteen li long, with white sand and clean water. Not far from the beach were coconut trees and rosewood forests. And Natal was first discovered by the Portuguese eighty years ago, and a stronghold was established. The Frenchman Nicolas Durand brought more than six hundred Frenchmen to defeat the Portuguese and established a city, named the Southernmost Land of Falanxi.

Frenchman Nicolas was still very capable of fighting. In the Portuguese counterattack, he persisted for ten years, and was finally broken by the Portuguese and renamed Natal, the City of Christmas.

In the Brazil Governor-General's district, the colonies of the Portuguese and the Spanish were intertwined. For rosewood, they fought to the death. There were pirates everywhere here, and it was extremely dangerous. The indigenous people were less than one in a hundred. Xu Jiugao didn't see the legendary big-footed tribe.

It was indeed dangerous here, with pirates everywhere. Fortunately, the Great Ming's exploration fleet was also pirates.

When Yu Dayou was still in Songjiang, Xu Jiugao was Chen Lin's Military Consultant, so Xu Jiugao knew military affairs extremely well. The seemingly impregnable castle was full of loopholes in Xu Jiugao's eyes. The Great Ming army here only needed 10,000 people to sweep through all the castles in the Brazil colonies in three months.

This was not because Xu Jiugao's vision was too high, but because the colonists' castles were really that simple.

As the second largest port in the Brazil Governor-General's district, Natal gathered less than 30,000 people in total, and there were tens of thousands of slaves inside. The red-haired barbarians and golden-haired barbarians were no more than a few thousand. A Great Ming county yamen was more than this number.

10,000 navy elites, six five-masted ocean-crossing ships, fifty three-masted galleons, and 108 combat ships. Three months of sweeping, and the main time was wasted on the road.

Xu Jiugao organized his navigation notes and had the clerk copy twenty-seven copies, one for each ship. Then, under his gaze, the twenty-seven horse ships chose to return. After the horse ships left, Xu Jiugao walked onto the five-masted ocean-crossing ship again.

"Set sail! Depart!"

Xu Jiugao took the remaining five five-masted ocean-crossing ships and headed to the Western City of Freedom. On the third day of departure, Xu Jiugao fell ill. The Atlantic Ocean's waves were monstrous and the storms were dense. If it weren't for Xu Jiugao hiring sailors and sailors who often traveled to the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean would probably be his burial place.

However, the violent giant waves, the bumpy ships, and the sick Xu Jiugao could never get a good rest, which led to his condition getting worse and worse.

Liu Ji became the acting captain and presided over all affairs. He was a desperate person, but he was not afraid of death. An experienced captain could bring the fleet back to the Great Ming, and he clearly felt the passing of his vitality at sea. He was already on the verge of death when he suddenly heard the talk of prying open the brain.

Startled from death, there is a solution in the Dissection Academy!

Xu Jiugao lived. He had a strong desire to survive. No matter what, he couldn't die in the West, couldn't be separated from his head, at the very least couldn't have his brain pried open!

Xu Jiugao lived in the House of Wisdom in the City of Freedom. This place was near the equator, sunny, and the number of people coming and going was not small.

Within the scope of the House of Wisdom, Xu Jiugao and others did not receive any blame. Local pirates often sought help from the House of Wisdom. Some difficult problems were all taken to the House of Wisdom for advice, which was better than praying in the church, because the House of Wisdom would respond.

Praying in the church would only be sold indulgences, but seeking help from the House of Wisdom would get some answers. After Xu Fan left, the consulting business of the House of Wisdom did not close down but became more and more prosperous, and even opened many branches. Xu Fan's retainers, these lackeys, acted as the role of wise men.

And after Xu Jiugao recovered from his illness, he took on the role of a wise man for several days, handling some of the pirates' doubts, making the House of Wisdom even more famous. The pirates all said: "The priests of the House of Wisdom can communicate with the God of Wisdom, and any doubts can be answered."

Xu Jiugao liked this role-playing game of wise men very much because he keenly realized that this might be an excellent platform for intelligence gathering. Soon, Xu Jiugao completely figured out the operating logic of the House of Wisdom.

In fact, solving puzzles was not solving puzzles at all. Xu Fan just tossed out a set of rhetoric.

Everyone sought answers from the wise men, but in fact, before everyone came to the House of Wisdom, they already had an inevitable choice in their hearts. What they needed was just support for that idea deep in their hearts.

So a set of rhetoric that guided the other party to say their true thoughts and gave affirmation appeared.

This poured a bucket of cold water on Philip II, completely calming him down.