Chapter 418: If Not the Knife and Chopping Board, Then the Fish and Meat

Generally speaking, if an empire has passed the dangerous time of a young master and a suspicious country, then the meritorious officials who maintained the stability of the country and the society should retire gracefully. If they don't retire, they die. It has always been like this throughout history.

But the monarch and minister relationship between Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng is different from those of past dynasties, mainly because the general trend is different. At present, the Great Ming is transforming from a land power to a major power that attaches equal importance to sea and land. Zhu Yijun needs Zhang Juzheng's continued assistance, and the Great Ming also needs Zhang Juzheng.

Zhu Yijun knows his goal very clearly and explicitly. Before realizing the Great Ming's greatness again, Zhu Yijun will not allow anything to happen to Zhang Juzheng.

Zhu Yijun sent out Luo Sigong. This guy has only done one thing for so many years, and that is that whatever the Emperor says is what it is. It has even formed a kind of obsession. When Zhu Yijun sent Luo Sigong to protect Zhang Juzheng, it meant that the imperial edicts covered with the Great Ming Emperor's treasure seal would all become invalid, unless Zhu Yijun himself gave the order.

Zhu Yijun said "everyone," which included himself.

Luo Sigong selected twenty Embroidered Uniform Guards. After arriving at the Quanchu Guild Hall, he immediately went to the Beijing Garrison. Qi Jiguang allocated one hundred and eighty elite soldiers to form the Iron Forest Army of the Yicheng Earl's Mansion. These one hundred and eighty elite soldiers needed to go through procedures. The mobilization of more than one hundred people required the Ministry of War, the Regional Commander of the Beijing Garrison, and His Majesty's vermilion approval to complete the mobilization. This procedure only took half a day, and these elite soldiers arrived at the Quanchu Guild Hall.

Zhang Juzheng was sitting in the Wenyuange, pasting his "floating tickets" on all the memorials sent today. Before he went home, he saw Luo Sigong waiting in front of the Wenyuange.

"Greetings to the Grand Secretary." Luo Sigong bowed and said: "His Majesty sent me to protect the teacher's safety."

"Thousand-Household Luo, you are too polite." Zhang Juzheng looked at Luo Sigong and was confused for a moment. He knew Luo Sigong's character very well. He had always thought that His Majesty specially trained Luo Sigong to protect the Emperor's own safety.

But now, Luo Sigong was standing in front of him.

Zhang Juzheng understood Zhu Yijun too well. This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Clearly, the Emperor's respect on weekdays was not imperial heart-art. With Luo Sigong by Zhang Juzheng's side, even means like faking imperial edicts would become invalid, because Luo Sigong didn't recognize imperial edicts, only His Majesty.

"You should go back to protect His Majesty." Zhang Juzheng felt that this shadow-like figure should stay by His Majesty's side so that His Majesty would be safer. Even if he were gone, as long as His Majesty was there, the Great Ming's new policies would still be there.

Luo Sigong said very stubbornly: "His Majesty said to let me come to protect the teacher. Whatever His Majesty says is what it is."

Zhang Juzheng gave up persuading him. This person was stubborn and couldn't be fooled by his smooth tongue.

Luo Sigong's protection was very professional, far stronger than the retainers of the Quanchu Guild Hall. Arranging travel, personnel screening, hidden danger investigation, food inspection, etc. —in the hands of the professional Luo Sigong, these were all arranged extremely properly. Taking hidden danger investigation as an example, the place where Zhang Juzheng stayed the most was the Wenchang Pavilion, but this study had no lightning protection. The Embroidered Uniform Guards brought people to install it. Also, some fire hazards in the mansion were all eliminated one by one.

Luo Sigong even found several spies among the retainers. These spies mainly inquired about the news of the Quanchu Guild Hall, but at critical moments, they might become sharp blades for assassination.

Luo Sigong's method of investigation was very simple: His Majesty's method of mutual reporting and exposure. In those days, there was no eye staring at the boxes to see who was reporting, but as long as they provided clues, they could get rewards. Under this kind of reporting and exposure, who had feelings for whom among the servants and maids was all known to the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

After Luo Sigong arrived at the Quanchu Guild Hall, the security of the Quanchu Guild Hall rose to the same level as the Tonghe Palace.

And Zhu Yijun was looking at a memorial submitted by the new Minister of Rites Wan Shihe. The content of this memorial was about the "obstruction" of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission.

"Obstruction": blockage. Obstruction meant that the Great Ming was gradually losing control over the Nurgan Regional Military Commission.

This memorial was quite professional. Wan Shihe started from the tenth year of Jiajing.

In the tenth year of Jiajing, the Jiajing Emperor issued an edict: "During the Yongle period, the recruitment of places such as Wula and Nurgan, as well as the promotion of officials and flags, are still allowed to be inherited. After the first year of Hongxi, they will all be reduced and abolished."

The various Regional Military Commissioners, Vice Regional Military Commissioners, and officials and flags of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission recruited during the Yongle period were still allowed to inherit, but the barbarian chieftains recruited after the first year of Hongxi were all deprived of the right to inherit.

The reason why the Jiajing Emperor made such a decision was that after the Ming Renzong Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, the Nurgan Regional Military Commission began to be obstructed.

What exactly happened? Because of the lack of sufficient historical materials, Wan Shihe could only infer from contents such as the "Record of Yongning Temple," the "Record of Rebuilding Yongning Temple Stele," the Veritable Records of the Taizong, and the Veritable Records of the Xuanzong.

Wan Shihe inferred that after the death of the Chengzu Wen Emperor Zhu Di, a rebellion of a certain scale occurred in Liaodong, which led to the Great Ming losing control over the Nurgan Regional Military Commission. The rebel army even broke through Yongning Temple, which led to the rebuilding of Yongning Temple. And the one that triggered the rebellion was: the tribute of the "Gyrfalcon."

During the Yongle period, the Great Ming imperial court needed twenty Gyrfalcons every year, and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission's tribes had to capture at least fifty Gyrfalcons to prevent them from dying on the road and failing to complete the tribute. This Gyrfalcon was really hard to catch. It flew fast and was a kind of raptor. It had the reputation of being the "God of Ten Thousand Eagles." This bird, the Gyrfalcon, also had the symbol of a divine bird in Liaodong and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, and was the messenger of the Mother of Heavenly Gods.

When Zhu Di was still alive, forced by Zhu Di's military force, they didn't dare to act rashly. After the news of Zhu Di's death reached the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, those who were dissatisfied in the local area immediately used the Gyrfalcon belief and the hardship of the labor of capturing Gyrfalcons to incite the people and launched a rebellion.

This was not Wan Shihe shooting without a target. Wan Shihe also cited the old events of the Jin Dynasty's rise and the destruction of the Liao Dynasty, when Wanyan Aguda gathered the Jurchen tribes, captured the Liao Dynasty's eagle-blocking officials, and raised an army to destroy the Liao. It is said: "The Liao and Jin conflict started with the Gyrfalcon; the tribute of the jade-clawed famous eagle has long stopped."

The labor of capturing Gyrfalcons was extremely hard. Even in the Qing Dynasty, the wild Jurchens still had to constantly capture Gyrfalcons and send them to the imperial palace, and even caused rebellions.

The purpose of Wan Shihe submitting this memorial was mainly for one thing, and that was to tell His Majesty that the north of Liaodong had not been submissive to the Great Ming's "civilizing" for 170 years since the first year of Hongxi. It had been a long time. The Haixi Jurchens, Jianzhou Jurchens, and wild Jurchens were all wild and difficult to tame. The policy of appeasement was just raising tigers to cause trouble. The Great Ming should take back with its own hands how it lost the Nurgan Regional Military Commission.

This memorial was extremely professional. The cited content was extremely extensive and detailed. The arguments were clear, and the evidence was supported by stele inscriptions and credible history. The logic was rigorous and reasonable. It systematically discussed the Great Ming's decision-making errors in the process of losing the Nurgan Regional Military Commission and the various errors in the process of "civilizing." Simple military Jimi could not form effective rule and stable border security.

And this memorial by Wan Shihe was submitted in the name of the Minister of Rites. It was not his own achievement, but a common understanding of many officials in the Ministry of Rites who studied ritual law.

The Great Ming had completely lost interest in tributary states and vassal states, and even had very clear doubts about the functions of simple Jimi pacification commissions.

Jimi was useless!

Only actual land counties—that is, stationing troops, collecting taxes, registering households, and having the same tracks for vehicles and the same writing for books—could be considered Great Ming territory.

In the process of constantly opening the sea, the Great Ming was also becoming more conservative. The Great Ming had completely lost the little bit of trust it had in the barbarians. Tributary states and vassal states were just enemies with different names, and they played no practical role in the security of the Great Ming's sea frontiers and borders. The diplomatic thought of "cultivating literature and virtue to soothe distant people" was being abandoned. Only the benefits that were truly eaten into the stomach could satisfy hunger.

This editorial by Wan Shihe had a pivotal significance. The content was extremely detailed, but there were not many people who could read it from beginning to end, because he wrote it too professionally.

Zhu Yijun was quite in agreement with this change. After thinking about it, he wrote eight characters on this memorial: "If not the knife and chopping board, then the fish and meat."

The Great Ming Emperor accurately refined what Wan Shihe said and made a concise summary. This was a basic principle of international competition obtained in the Great Ming's current great debate. This was completely contrary to the view in traditional Confucian ritual law that "if there is ritual, there is everything," and it was more like promoting a kind of "survival of the fittest" theory of violence.

"Your Majesty's summary can be said to be penetrating, hitting the nail on the head, and hitting the point!" Feng Bao had read this memorial by Wan Shihe. He felt dizzy because the word count was too many. The Emperor only used eight characters to summarize it.

If you want not to be exploited, you must become a meat-eater.

"You are good at flattering." Zhu Yijun sneered and continued to read the memorials.

On the fourteenth day of the first month of the ninth year of Wanli, the day before the Lantern Festival, Zhu Yijun again took Wang Yaozhuo and secretly hid in the Zhaoxing Tower to watch the Aoshan lantern performance. If Zhu Yijun appeared at the Aoshan lantern performance, he would need to reward money according to ancestral laws.

"Husband, I chatted with Consort Liu and Consort Li. Their heart disease is actually easy to solve. Having a child is enough. Mother said she wants to select two more concubines to enter the palace. Why don't we wait until Consort Liu and Consort Li are pregnant before talking?" Wang Yaozhuo looked at the Emperor's sneaky appearance and felt it was fun. His Majesty was really a very interesting person. He wanted to watch but wouldn't give money.

Zhu Yijun stared at the telescope and said: "Wife, just arrange it. Good fellow, this iron flower beating is amazing!"

The performance site had a flower shed, which was laid out in an eight-trigram shape. The performers carried a gourd ladle, took out molten iron from the melting furnace with a top stick, ran to the flower shed, and hit the top stick hard with a bottom stick. The red-hot iron flowers burst suddenly in the performer's hands. A total of twenty-four people participated in the performance, one stick after another, one person following another, coming and going between the melting furnace and the flower shed. One stick of iron flowers shot into the sky, and another stick followed closely. Stick after stick, connected in an endless stream.

And the dragon lanterns of the Dragon Lantern Association shuttled constantly under the iron flowers. This was called "Dragon Piercing Flowers," or rather, dragon dancing. It was extremely lively.

Fire trees and silver flowers in a night without night, the sky full of molten iron decorating colorful smoke.

"Wife, come and take a look too." Zhu Yijun signaled Wang Yaozhuo to watch the iron flower beating together. It only happened once a year.

Wang Yaozhuo and Zhu Yijun watched the entire Aoshan lantern performance. It was wonderful. Wang Yaozhuo wanted to help her sisters, but the only solution to this unsolvable knot was a child. With a child, Consort Liu and Consort Li might treat His Majesty as family, and then they would be able to let go. Right now, just knowing each other well was probably not enough.

The liveliness of the Lantern Festival finally came to an end. Wang Yaozhuo followed Zhu Yijun and got on the carriage back to the Tonghe Palace, following the small railway. Wang Yaozhuo touched her belly and looked out the window. Such a lively day had nothing to do with Consort Liu and Consort Li. They were waiting in the palace, frightened.

In the enclosed space, Zhu Yijun's hands were somewhat restless. Wang Yaozhuo leaned in the Emperor's arms, her face turning camel-red. She said with a little panting: "Husband, I cannot serve you in bed today."

"What's wrong? Are you pregnant again?" Zhu Yijun asked with slight surprise.

"Yes." Wang Yaozhuo was also a bit annoyed. She had tasted the marrow and knew the taste. Now that she was pregnant, she couldn't serve him for at least a year and a half. Giving birth took ten months, and postpartum recovery took another six months. Such a long time, and she was in the prime of her youth, guarding the boudoir alone, which felt a bit bitter.

Zhu Yijun stopped messing around, held Wang Yaozhuo, and started chattering. The content of the chattering was relatively messy, mainly about the affairs of the previous dynasty: the wool factory in Lanzhou, Shaanxi, finally produced worsted wool this year, and they also found a white clay mine. Heaven did not fulfill people's wishes; the white clay mine was a bit deep and not easy to dig; the casting of money in Yunnan had fallen into a bottleneck, and the production of Yunnan copper had been completely surpassed by Luzon. The court was discussing whether the scale of Yunnan copper could be smaller to recuperate; oil black gold was discovered on Java Island, which was within the Great Ming's actual control range and could be vigorously mined, and the supply of light oil in the Great Ming had been guaranteed to some extent;

Wang Yaozhuo had been following Zhu Yijun all these years and had her own views on these matters. For example, the Yunnan copper matter could not be stopped; this was the pillar of Yunnan. If it stopped, where would Yunnan's development be? For example, Java was very close to the Ma Liujia Strait. If the Ma Liujia Strait was in the hands of the Red-Haired Barbarians for one day, they couldn't be at ease. How could others be allowed to snore on the side of the couch?

The carriage stopped in front of the Tonghe Palace gate. Zhu Yijun went to the washroom to wash, while Wang Yaozhuo came to the Huaye Building. Consort Liu and Consort Li were waiting here.

"The two of you entered the palace with me three years ago. Now, Consort Zhou and Consort Ran, who entered the palace later, have heirs. You should be worried and uneasy. The more you worry, the less you will receive imperial favor, and then you will be even more worried and cautious. How can this go on? Today, I will give you a bright path. Whether you can grasp it depends on yourselves." Wang Yaozhuo put away the weakness she showed in front of the Emperor, put on the airs of the mistress of the harem, and her tone was extremely flat.

"Thank you, Empress, for your guidance!" Consort Liu and Consort Li looked at each other, performed a grand salute, and left with the eunuchs.

Zhu Yijun was soaking in the Huaqing Pool in the washroom. He was slightly distracted, thinking about the affairs in the court. Suddenly, in the hazy smoke, he saw two figures. His hand pressed on the saber hanging by the side of the pool, and he slowly drew it out.

He never expected that an assassin would appear in the washroom of the Tonghe Palace!

The saber was something Zhu Yijun often kept by his side. After the assassin Wang Jinglong's long and short sabers slashed at the dragon bed, Zhu Yijun's saber had never left him.

"Who is it?" Zhu Yijun held the saber, maintained vigilance, and even held the saber, walking out of the Huaqing Pool step by step. Looking at their figures, they were women, and they were quite plump, with two gourd-shaped figures. During the fight, their chests were too broad, which was a burden instead, and the other party had no weapons.

The threat was not great.

Zhu Yijun frowned, even a bit dissatisfied! I am the number one expert in the youth group of the empire, and they sent two unarmed palace maids to assassinate me?! This is an insult! Back then, there were more than twenty palace maids who assassinated the Daoist Emperor. Why did they only send two to me? Who are they looking down on!!

What Zhu Yijun was more worried about was that Luo Sigong had just been sent out, and the security of the Tonghe Palace had such a serious problem.

"Concubines Liu Mengshu and Li Jin pay respects to Your Majesty!" Consort Liu and Consort Li were frightened and trembling on the ground. They had thought about the Emperor's reaction, but never expected that the Emperor would actually draw his saber!

"Ah?" Zhu Yijun heard the voice and completely understood that they were not assassins.

Putting himself in their shoes, being able to walk in without a stitch of clothing was already a great determination. For the sake of imperial favor and worry about the future, plus the shyness under the current conservative education, it was normal to be shy and unable to speak.

This was clearly deliberately let in by the Flower and Bird Envoy Feng Bao. Otherwise, it would have been reported in advance. The Flower and Bird Envoy Feng Bao also knew what the Emperor liked.

Consort Liu Mengshu and Li Jin were a bit bolder. She gave it her all. If she waited for two more concubines to enter the palace, His Majesty might never see her again. She said loudly: "We are here to serve His Majesty in bathing."

"Excused from the salute." Zhu Yijun nodded. He was a bit too cautious. This was the Tonghe Palace, his old nest that he had managed for nine years.

Seeing that His Majesty did not reprimand them, Liu Mengshu and Li Jin gradually let go of their bodies. The sound of flowing water in the Huaqing Pool added some laughter.

"Who told you to come together?" Zhu Yijun felt a bit strange. The two girls didn't have the guts to do such an outrageous thing.

"We went to ask the Empress. The Empress said, 'If you don't break, you can't stand; use numbers to bully the few!' That's why we came." Li Jin bit her silver teeth, tied her hair, and dived into the water. The saber sheath was a bit unfamiliar, and only her smooth and fair back floated and sank in the water.

"Wait, wait, it's still cold, be careful of catching a cold. Come back to the bedchamber, hiss!" Zhu Yijun stopped them repeatedly, but the golden saber finally entered the two saber sheaths.

The next morning, Zhu Yijun sat up, shook his head, took a deep breath, and looked at the two pieces of snow-white skin, only then did he understand that yesterday's absurdity was truly absurd. This was clearly a violation of ritual.

"You two don't need to worry. Yesterday the Empress told me that this matter of taking in concubines is not urgent, just wait for a while." Zhu Yijun changed his clothes, intending to go to the Wenhua Hall for the court session. Before leaving, he gave the two of them a reassurance.

Zhu Yijun moved his body and got on the grand carriage. Only then did he determine that he hadn't misjudged last night—these two people were indeed assassins, or rather, they were even harder to deal with than assassins! Using this to test the Emperor—which Emperor could withstand this kind of test?!

Either they couldn't let go, or they let go too much.

At today's court session, a memorial from the Eagle-Raising Hou Zhang Yuanxun of the Jiugang Laos Laos Xuanweisi was sent to the court. In this memorial, the Great Ming's maritime patrol had captured an English fleet near Borneo last September. After heavy interrogation, the Great Ming maritime patrol confirmed that they were indeed from England and released them.

And this English fleet, in order to avoid the pursuit of the Goa Governorate, did not take the Ma Liujia Strait into the Western Ocean, but went to the Banda Sea, bypassed the Ma Liujia Strait from the south of Java, and entered the Western Ocean (Indian Ocean). And the Great Ming's maritime patrol also explored the shipping route south of Java, taking a detour, but it was indeed a shipping route that could bypass the Ma Liujia Strait.

Wan Shihe organized the notes in his hand and said: "The captain's name is Francis Drake. In the fifth year of Wanli, he followed the English Queen's order and set sail from the English port of Plymouth, starting a circumnavigation. Because the star charts and needle charts were in the hands of the Portuguese and Spanish, they explored for a longer time. In the City of Freedom, Francis grabbed a Portuguese galleon, so they became pirates and were hunted everywhere."

"It took two years for Captain Francis to reach the southernmost tip of the New World, the Strait of Magellan. It took two weeks to pass through the Strait of Magellan. When crossing the Strait of Magellan, they lost two ships, and then it took another seven months to reach Chile, almost being captured by the natives."

"In February of the eighth year of Wanli, Captain Francis, after robbing the treasure ship 'Cacafuego,' finally obtained the needle charts, star charts, and methods for traveling from the New World to Luzon. In March, they set sail. It took four months for them to reach the Yuanxu Islands. When they were captured by our maritime patrol, they only had two ships left."

Setting sail in the fifth year of Wanli, it wasn't until September of the seventh year of Wanli that they bypassed the Ma Liujia Strait and entered the Atlantic Ocean. And Western galleons could travel back and forth between the West and the Great Ming every year. This was the advantage brought by information, and this kind of exploration was very, very adventurous.

Zhu Yijun flipped through the navigation notes slightly. Zhang Yuanxun, after capturing these three English ships, pulled the ships to Manila for repairs and cleaning, and by the way, copied all their sea charts, needle charts, and star charts.

Francis Drake's order was to circumnavigate the globe.

After robbing the "Cacafuego" and obtaining the star charts and needle charts needed for navigation, he succeeded and would return smoothly in April this year.

The curtain of the struggle for overseas interests among England, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands (the Netherlands) was opened with Francis's smooth return.

Zhu Yijun had a huge blue gemstone in his hand, which was one of the spoils grabbed by Francis. After being captured by the Great Ming, Francis dedicated it to the Eagle-Raising Hou Zhang Yuanxun, and then it was sent to the Emperor's hands.

"On December 14th last year, we had a total of twenty three-masted ships arrive in Manila, Luzon. This batch completed transactions in Peru and returned via the equatorial ocean current. Our exploration fleet is still exploring the Atlantic Ocean. This return completed the shipping route to the Mexico Governorate and the Peru Governorate." Wan Shihe talked about the Great Ming's exploration achievements in the navigation notes again.

Overall, the Great Ming was also conducting the Age of Discovery. And from the information obtained, the Great Ming's exploration fleet was the best in the world. Whether it was Magellan's circumnavigation or Francis's circumnavigation, they were all adventures mainly with three or five ships, while the Great Ming's exploration fleet was extremely generous. One move was five five-masted ships, one star-gazing ship, and seventy-two three-masted clipper ships, with more than four thousand people.

This was caused by the scale.

After Wan Shihe finished speaking, there was a long silence in the Wenhua Hall. England, the Netherlands, and France all realized the huge benefits of navigation, while the Great Ming had a rich foundation in this regard, but it seemed that it was not sensitive enough to the benefits, and although the scale was indeed the largest, the Great Ming's layout for the Age of Discovery was already a bit behind.

The court officials were silent because they were thinking about a question: if His Majesty hadn't insisted on opening the sea, under the support of the thick profits of navigation, the center of the world and the Celestial Empire would probably have shifted from the East to the West. This was something the Great Ming could not accept no matter what. On this land of the Central Plains, as long as it was a unified dynasty, it must be the center of the world.

They were all smart people. As long as they knew a little about the opening of the sea in the past two years, they could make a judgment about the eastward learning and westward spread.

The Longqing opening of the gate only opened the Yuegang Shipping Office, twisting and turning. And when did the Wanli opening of the sea begin?

In the sixth year of Longqing, Luo Gongchen, the master of the Duxiang Hall and the Maritime Defense Vice Prefect, went to the capital to lobby the ministers to support the extraction of ocean-going ships. Luo Gongchen did not receive support, but Zhang Juzheng met Luo Gongchen. In the first year of Wanli, the galleon arrived at the port, and the two eunuchs Zhang Cheng and Zhang Jin presided over the first extraction of ocean-going ships.

The stingy and greedy Great Ming Emperor and the Great Ming imperial court, which was crazy about money, embarked on the road of opening the sea, and from then on, it was out of control.

"I like gemstones, jade, and other things." Zhu Yijun held the blue gemstone in his hand, turning it around, and said to the court officials: "In the future, we should collect more. Feng, cut this blue gemstone and make it into accessories. I want to give it to my beloved concubines."

"I obey the edict." Feng Bao took the blue gemstone box.

The court officials knew very well that His Majesty was frugal and did not like extravagance and waste. On weekdays, he always wore blue clothes. His Majesty said this to use his reputation, but it was just another reason to open the sea. A greedy and stingy Emperor, an Eastern evil dragon collecting treasures.

Zhu Yijun did not cherish his reputation very much. Since he had cultivated a reputation for frugality, he naturally had to use it.

"Your Majesty, Songjiang Governor Wang Daokun is waiting outside the hall." Zhang Juzheng talked about personnel changes. After Wang Daokun returned to the capital, Minister of Industry Guo Chaobin would leave office.

"Proclaim."

"Proclaim Governor of Songjiang, Left Censor-in-Chief, and Left Vice Minister of Revenue Wang Daokun to have an audience!" Feng Bao flicked his whisk and shouted loudly.

Wang Daokun walked up the moon terrace of the Wenhua Hall step by step, stood in front of the palace gate, and looked back at what was behind him. From a scholar to the imperial center Wenhua Hall, Wang Daokun had spent almost his whole life, and finally became a Great Ming gentleman.

"I pay respects to Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live Your Majesty." Wang Daokun performed the grand salute of five bows and three kowtows.

"Excused from the salute." Zhu Yijun stretched out his hand and smiled.

"Your Majesty, I have an auspicious sign to present." Wang Daokun stood up, bowed, and said: "It was supervised and built by Minister of Industry Guo Chaobin. This boat has not yet been named, but after the deduction of the Maritime Academy and the Royal Academy of Sciences, if it is successfully built, it will only take a month and a half to get from Songjiang Prefecture's New Port to the Mexico Governorate, and it will only take 13 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean. One ship can carry 3.4 million catties of cargo."

Four small eunuchs carried a table covered with red silk to the Wenhua Hall.

This was a project completely presided over by Wang Daokun. He deliberately shared some of the credit for the auspicious sign with Guo Chaobin, because Guo Chaobin was about to retire. He, Wang Daokun, sent this credit to Guo Chaobin to facilitate his control of the Ministry of Industry.

This imperial court was not all about fighting and killing; there were also human relationships.

Give the Great Ming craftsmen a chance, and the Great Ming craftsmen would give the Great Ming Emperor countless miracles.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 419 =====