Chapter 430: Flying Clouds Rise and Fall, The Great Peng Moves with the Wind

Wang Wang Chonggu did not have the stubborn integrity of a martyr. Facing Imperial power, his choice was not to shout, "What does it matter if you kill my ten clans!"

After all, in the writings of Great Ming scholars, Fang Fang Xiaoru's stubborn integrity when facing the Emperor Chengzu Emperor Wen entering Nanjing, that roar of anger, was a moral model shaped by scholars. The tyrant image of the Emperor Chengzu Emperor Wen also appeared vividly on the paper, and Fang Fang Xiaoru's experience also became a story that made people sigh and regret.

Of course, the reality is that Fang Fang Xiaoru was not killed to the ten clans. As early as after the Renzong Emperor ascended the throne, the family members of Fang Fang Xiaoru, who had been reduced to slaves in the official register, were all released as commoners and had their land returned to them.

In the early years of the Emperor Wanli reign, there were still people making noise, wanting the court to praise and compile the loyal ministers of the Jianwen reign, and to build a shrine to show their loyalty and bravery. Among the list of those praised, Xu Xu Hui Zu was at the head, followed by Fang Fang Xiaoru.

Zhu Zhu Yijun's comment on this was: "If you want to be loyal to the Jianwen monarch, go ahead and be buried with him."

The meaning of this was that if there was any more noise of this kind, he would physically send them down to be loyal. After that, no one mentioned this matter again.

Xu Xu Hui Zu was tricked by the pig-teammate Zhu Zhu Yunwen, and this Fang Fang Xiaoru's "Loyal minister expresses anger, blood and tears flow, what else is there to seek by being loyal to the monarch," Wan Wan Shihe told Zhu Zhu Yijun very clearly, was also fake.

When the Emperor Chengzu Emperor Wen entered the capital, the Imperial Palace was on fire. At that time, there were quite a few people in Nanjing who hanged themselves to be buried with the Jianwen monarch. This Fang Fang Xiaoru escaped from Nanjing and was caught and brought back.

Interestingly, the loyal minister image that Great Ming scholars tried their best to shape was illusory, because the rumor of killing ten clans originated from Zhu Zhishan's "Zhishan Wild Records," which mainly told of Fang Fang Xiaoru's descendants turning into snake demons to take revenge.

But when the illusory shone into reality, scholars began to fear.

In the 44th year of Emperor Jiajing, Hai Rui carried a coffin to remonstrate: "Emperor Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing, every family is clean."

This act of Hai Rui was a typical example of the illusory shining into reality. When reality really appeared, when the model of a loyal minister expressing anger appeared, scholars found that they didn't want this hero after all. Hai Rui cleared up Xu Xu Jie's corruption and annexation, and finally ended up being promoted and resigning.

When heroes did not appear, Great Ming scholars looked forward to their appearance, even sparing no effort to shape a fake hero. But when heroes appeared, they feared them, slandered them, and harmed them.

Great Ming scholars were always so contradictory.

Wang Wang Chonggu certainly wouldn't shout, "What does it matter if you kill my ten clans!" because he knew the Emperor Chengzu Emperor Wen wouldn't kill ten clans, but the Emperor really would execute his whole family. So Wang Wang Chonggu had been conducting internal investigations, and he did it more strictly and thoroughly than the court.

These 20,000 catties of saltpeter from the Bai family of Yangcheng were found by Wang Qian. Not only in Zez

In the end, the fuss became too great, and the Emperor Wanli Emperor shaved the braids of the palace maids, which counted as a symbolic beheading.

This farce happened at the end of the eleventh month, but it erupted at the beginning of the twelfth month. When Empress Dowager Li found out, she was furious. She took the Emperor Wanli Emperor to the Taimiao. Empress Dowager Li cried, and the Emperor Wanli Emperor also cried. Subsequently, Empress Dowager Li issued an imperial decree, ordering the Cabinet to draft a "Self-Reflection Note" for the Emperor Wanli Emperor to read at the Taimiao.

The eighteen-year-old Emperor Wanli Emperor was very dissatisfied and immediately issued a decree saying: "I have repented. Sun Hai was used by me, and in everything, he tempted me to do whatever I pleased. Now he is demoted to a minor fire-tender and settled in Nanjing. You, the Directorate of Ceremonial, having received the grace of the court's support, should have remonstrated strongly when you saw me occasionally confused. Instead, you sought my momentary pleasure and followed me without speaking. Thanks to the kind teachings of the Holy Mother, I have now corrected my mistakes and immediately expelled the treacherous and evil. Henceforth, if there are such petty people, you shall report their names together."

Being dragged to the Taimiao by Empress Dowager Li to be lectured was a matter within the family; the "Self-Reflection Note" absolutely could not be read. What it means for an Emperor to issue a "Self-Reflection Edict" goes without saying. Empress Dowager Li lived deep in the inner palace and was unclear about it, but the Emperor Wanli Emperor still understood.

Empress Dowager Li was even more dissatisfied. After conducting an in-depth investigation into the case, she demanded the execution of the eunuch Sun Hai, who had tempted the Emperor into absurdity, and issued an imperial order to the Cabinet, asking Zhang Zhang Juzheng to lead the officials in remonstrating to have Sun Hai and other eunuchs executed on the spot.

The Empress Dowager wanted to kill Sun Hai and these few eunuchs, while the Emperor Wanli Emperor wanted to demote them to minor fire-tenders (wood-choppers) and send them to Nanjing.

On one side was the Empress Dowager, and on the other was the Emperor. Zhang Zhang Juzheng's Cabinet was caught in a dilemma. In the end, they remonstrated: "Send Sun Hai and other eunuchs to the miasmic lands for exile." This was a way of smoothing things over, a compromise that increased the punishment somewhat but did not kill anyone, so that everyone could save face.

The Emperor Wanli Emperor was very satisfied with Zhang Zhang Juzheng's attitude, so he wrote a calligraphy scroll and bestowed it upon Zhang Zhang Juzheng, also saying that the Grand Secretary should advise him more, and should carefully handle state affairs instead of neglecting his studies.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng replied very cautiously: "We officials are separated in the outer court and dare not lightly believe rumors, and since there are no deficiencies in the court's administrative affairs, I dare not speak recklessly."

The meaning of Zhang Zhang Juzheng's words was very clear: as long as there are no deficiencies in the court's administrative affairs regarding this small problem of the night banquet, he would not interfere much.

Empress Dowager Li remained dissatisfied. After conducting an in-depth investigation into the case, she listed the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Sun Dexiu and Wen Gong, and the eunuch of the Directorate of Weapons, Zhou Hai, as accomplices, and demanded that Zhang Zhang Juzheng lead the Cabinet officials to remonstrate again to have them beheaded in public as a warning to others.

By this point, Zhang Zhang Juzheng, this master who played dumb, was still playing dumb. From beginning to end, he never presented the crucial "Self-Reflection Note" to the palace.

The Emperor Wanli Emperor, Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Zhang Juzheng, and Feng Bao never cared about the lives of these eunuchs like Sun Hai, Sun Dexiu, Wen Gong, and Zhou Hai. Instead, they revolved around the "Self-Reflection Note." If the "Self-Reflection Note" entered the palace, Empress Dowager Li would win; if the "Self-Reflection Note" did not enter the palace, the Emperor Wanli Emperor would win.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng kept playing dumb and refused to kill, only willing to exile. His attitude was very clear. Zhang Zhang Juzheng refused to write the "Self-Reflection Note," only willing to use the "Holy Mother's earnest teachings and the Emperor's sudden repentance and wise decision" to stall and fool them.

The rebellious Emperor Wanli Emperor became increasingly rebellious, and the things he did became increasingly absurd. The night banquets soon became the norm. Empress Dowager Li could not restrain him and finally thought of deposing the Emperor. A copy of the "Biography of Huo Guang" was sent to the Cabinet.

Huo Guang, the Grand Marshal and Grand General of the Western Han, once did one thing: he deposed the licentious and unbridled Emperor, the Marquis of Haihun, Liu He, and replaced him with Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun.

Empress Dowager Li's meaning was very clear: if you do not submit the "Self-Reflection Note," and the absurd Emperor Wanli Emperor cannot guard the ancestral foundation, then establish the Prince of Lu, Zhu Zhu Yiliu, as Emperor.

By this time, Zhang Zhang Juzheng finally could no longer play dumb. Only then, on the grounds that "the Holy Will is inclined, slightly different from before," did he submit the "Self-Reflection Note" to the palace. The final result was that several eunuchs were demoted to minor fire-tenders and settled in Nanjing, and the Emperor Wanli Emperor went to the Taimiao to read the "Self-Reflection Note" and promised not to offend again.

The matter seemed to have come to an end here, but the Emperor Wanli Emperor was extremely dissatisfied with Zhang Zhang Juzheng's final compromise. He did not even reply to the remonstrance memorial written by Zhang Zhang Juzheng, but instead had Feng Bao hand it directly to Empress Dowager Li, and Empress Dowager Li readily granted the request, bringing it to an end.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng clearly knew that he did not have much time left. He hurriedly pushed for the Single Whip Law, but the two important prerequisites for the Single Whip Law to be implemented—sufficient silver and the merging of miscellaneous taxes into the land tax—were not achieved. In the end, the Single Whip Law could not be accomplished.

But now, Zhang Zhang Juzheng finally had sufficient time to plan slowly, making the New Policies more secure and capable of stable operation.

During the turmoil of deposing the Emperor, Empress Dowager Li's main worry was that the Emperor Wanli Emperor was not promising and could not guard the ancestral foundation. Therefore, she was very angry at any absurd behavior by the Emperor Wanli Emperor and punished him strictly.

Empress Dowager Li's worry was not wrong; the Emperor Wanli Emperor was indeed not promising and did not guard the ancestral foundation.

"Your Majesty, last time the Empress Dowager issued an imperial order to the Cabinet, saying that she wanted to complete the Nine Concubines and ordered the Ministry of Rites to select more beauties to enter the palace. Your Majesty said last time that it was not needed for the time being. Can this matter be submitted to the Ministry of Rites for processing now?" Zhang Zhang Juzheng brought up an old matter.

For the sake of the happy life of her two sisters, Empress Wang said that they would add people after Consort Li and Consort Liu became pregnant. Zhu Zhu Yijun agreed. After that time, Consort Li and Consort Liu always served in bed together. They were as open as they had been conservative before.

"Ah, I forgot about this. Let's talk about this after the army returns in triumph." Under Zhang Zhang Juzheng's reminder, Zhu Zhu Yijun finally remembered this matter.

Empress Wang was pregnant, Consort Ran and Consort Zhou were recovering after childbirth, and Consort Liu and Consort Li still had no pregnancy. Zhu Zhu Yijun had not thought of it.

Now, Empress Dowager Li was not worried at all that Zhu Zhu Yijun was not promising and could not guard the ancestral empire. Instead, she felt that the Emperor valued state affairs too much and neglected the inner palace, wishing that Zhu Zhu Yijun could hold night banquets in the palace and be a bit more absurd.

Last time Empress Dowager Li issued a decree to fill the inner palace, Zhu Zhu Yijun had not had time to handle it until now. He had truly forgotten.

"The army returning in triumph and taking concubines into the palace are not contradictory." Wan Wan Shihe raised his own doubts. The Ministry of Rites was all prepared and had communicated with the Flower and Bird Envoy Feng Bao. The Emperor had been blocking it and not handling it, and now the reason was actually the army going out to fight.

"In the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan, the Military Governor of Youzhou, Zhang Shougui, fought against the Xi tribe. He lost the battle but lied about the military situation. Gao Shi wrote a poem 'Yan Ge Xing' to satirize it, saying: 'Soldiers at the front are half-dead, while beauties sing and dance under the tent.'" Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "The soldiers at the front are already suffering from the bitter cold. As the Son of Heaven, looked up to by millions, I should abstain from banquets to value my rest, focus my spirit to expand the succession, economize on rewards to save on floating expenses, play with things to settle my mind, and handle the myriad affairs to clarify administrative affairs, and study diligently to aid in governance."

"This is the way for a monarch to cultivate himself. The army's expedition costs millions, and the soldiers are suffering from the bitter cold outside. If they hear that I am widely taking concubines in the capital, they will naturally be dissatisfied. It is better to wait until the army returns in triumph."

"Your Majesty's holy virtue is brilliant!" Wan Wan Shihe only felt a headache!

He had learned it; His Majesty had truly learned it. His Majesty had learned the classic ultimate move of the Confucian scholars: chanting scriptures!

He could spout a bunch of reasonable nonsense. This logic was not a problem; the key was that Empress Dowager Li would only urge the Ministry of Rites, and it was their Ministry of Rites that was in a difficult position!

But Wan Wan Shihe, this sycophant, could not say words like "His Majesty taking concubines in the rear will not make the soldiers at the front dissatisfied." That would be advising the Emperor to be a muddled ruler.

Standing from Zhu Zhu Yijun's perspective, taking concubines now was inappropriate. It was a bit like: "Brothers, fight well at the front; I have found two sisters-in-law for you in the capital!"

Isn't this nonsense?

But the Great Ming soldiers actually didn't care much about this. The Great Ming Emperor didn't deduct their expedition rations to take concubines. "I do my job, and the Emperor fulfills his pre-war promises. Why should I care what you, the old Emperor, are actually doing?"

Wan Wan Shihe really had no way to offer slander, because His Majesty ate a piece of hardtack every day, which was considered a sign of his firm will to strengthen the martial arts and share joys and sorrows with the soldiers.

Empress Dowager Li was very dissatisfied with Consort Li and Consort Liu, because these two had been in the palace for a long time, and Wang Wang Yaozhuo was already pregnant with her second child, while Consort Li and Consort Liu had occupied the Emperor for several months without any movement. Withered seedlings that didn't bear fruit naturally had to be shoveled away. Empress Dowager Li had been urging the Ministry of Rites to bring in beauties quickly.

Wan Wan Shihe was also in a difficult position. Empress Dowager Li was urging him urgently, and His Majesty was not in a hurry at all. As a subject, he could only endure the pressure from both sides.

"Your Majesty, the special envoy from the West asked a few questions about the Great Ming's expedition, and one of them was quite interesting." Seeing that the main business was finished, Wan Wan Shihe spoke of an interesting story he had heard recently.

"What question?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked curiously.

Wan Wan Shihe opened his mouth and said: "That is, does the gunpowder, lead bullets, and other items wasted by the Great Ming soldiers during the expedition need to be compensated?"

"What do you mean? Compensation? What compensation?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment. What kind of hellish question was this? Was he too stupid to understand the question?

Wan Wan Shihe explained more clearly: "It's not that every shot fired from a firelock will hit the enemy. Gunpowder is so expensive, artillery firing without achieving results, and the damage and abandonment of the side-box chariots by the roadside—these are all military equipment prepared by the court. So who should bear this loss? This is the question from Li Li Yashi."

"Ah, this..." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the Minister of War, Zeng Ceng Shengwu, and then at the Grand Minister of Finance, Wang Wang Guoguang, and the Junior Minister of Finance, Zhang Zhang Xueyan, and said with a blank face: "I have always prided myself on being stingy, but this question has left me full of doubts. The soldiers are fighting for the Great Ming and dying for the country, and I still have to demand compensation from them?"

"It seems I am not stingy enough. No, that's not right. This is not a question of being stingy or not."

Wan Wan Shihe looked left and right and said with a wry smile: "The Minister of the Court of Ceremonial, Chen Chen Xuehui, asked: 'Not to mention anything else, how can you demand compensation if the soldiers died on the battlefield? The people are already dead.' Li Li Yashi said: 'He still has family.'"

Inside the West Flower Hall of the Tonghe Palace in the Great Ming, it was quiet, so quiet that the sound of the wind blowing through the curtains could be clearly heard.

It was hard for Zhu Zhu Yijun to imagine that scene: after the soldiers fought at the front, the Physician of the Qingli Department of the Great Ming Ministry of Revenue sent a bill to the soldier's family: 【Your son has died for the country, and I inform you with deep sorrow. Before your son died, he used side-box chariots, firelocks, long and short weapons, armor, etc., prepared and manufactured by the court, totaling a value of xx taels of silver. This is the bill. After deducting the pension, there is still a remaining part that will be calculated at xx interest. If overdue, a penalty interest of xx will be charged. Please pay as soon as possible. Thank you and your family for your contribution to the Imperial Dynasty.】

"This cannot be summarized by simple cultural differences. Is this documentary literature of Venetian merchants?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment and finally asked his own doubts.

If he really did this, Zhu Zhu Yijun felt that he might as well twist his own head off and give it to the soldiers to kick as a ball, saving the intermediate steps. The Great Ming not paying full salaries before was already outrageous enough, but demanding compensation for war losses from soldiers...

Wan Wan Shihe suppressed his laughter and said: "I don't know. Chen Chen Xuehui could only express shock and incomprehension at this."

"Haha." Zhu Zhu Yijun and the officials all laughed, and the West Flower Hall was filled with a happy atmosphere.

Even in the West, Spanish soldiers would not be required to compensate for equipment lost at the front during a war. Only Venetian merchants in the entire West would do this, which was somewhat similar to the Great Ming's long-standing contempt for merchants; the West also disliked Venetian merchants.

Burying the bones, offering sacrifices and mourning, building shrines and temples, giving funeral expenses, sending envoys to express condolences, exempting from taxes and labor, bestowing titles on descendants, and giving preferential treatment to survivors—these were all clearly stipulated pension regulations of the Great Ming. For example: soldiers who died in battle or from illness were given one shi of funeral expenses and exempted from taxes for five years; those who died of illness in camp were given half; soldiers wounded in battle were removed from the register and exempted from taxes for three years; if a general died in battle, his son would inherit the title and be promoted by one rank, etc.

"Exhausting one's loyalty to the country, having virtue among the people, establishing shrines and bestowing plaques, building shrines and temples to offer sacrifices"—this was a sentence that every Shrine of Loyalty and Bravery would have, written by the Emperor himself, and it had been so throughout the dynasties.

In many places, the Shrines of Loyalty and Bravery were used as Chenghuang Temples and Earth God Temples, and the people spontaneously offered sacrifices.

On the twelfth day of the fifth month of the ninth year of Emperor Wanli, the drizzle on the Heavenly Street was as moist as butter, and the Great Ming had gradually entered the rainy season. The rainy season on the grasslands came a bit later than in the Central Plains. While the Great Ming army's expedition was still continuing, a special fleet arrived at the Shipping Commissioner's Office of the Great Ming's Songjiang Prefecture.

The Great Ming exploration fleet led by Xu Xu Jiugao and Liu Ji finally returned to Songjiang Prefecture after a full year of sailing, completing the circumnavigation of the globe.

Songjiang Prefecture's Xingang was the busiest port in the Great Ming, without exception. Songjiang Governor Shen Shen Shixing could not order the port to be closed to welcome the return of the exploration fleet, but Shen Shen Shixing still cleared a section of the shipping lane, allowing the five five-masted ocean-crossing ships and one star-observing ship to successfully sail into the berths.

Outside the Xingang, the waiting barges finally saw the lookout posts on top of the ocean-crossing ships. The seabirds were not afraid of people and landed on the masts. The sails of the large sailing ships gradually appeared in everyone's field of vision. The Big Dipper flag kept rolling in the sea breeze. As they approached the port, the five large sailing ships gradually lowered their sails, and the barges threw ropes to the large ships.

The barges towed the five large sailing ships to gradually dock. Seeing this scene, Shen Shen Shixing also walked down from the Guanchao Tower and came to the end of the pier at the port berth, waiting for the returning warriors.

Xu Xu Jiugao walked down the pier, stepped on the hardened ground, stomped his feet hard, and said sincerely: "What we are standing on is the Earth. We sailed all the way east from Songjiang Prefecture, passing through Naha in Ryukyu, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the Strait of Magellan, Rio de Janeiro, Natal, and the City of Freedom, arriving at Lisbon in the West. We set off from Lisbon again, passing through the City of Freedom, the Cape of Good Hope, the Cape of Compass, Mombasa, Malindi, Calicut, Malacca, and Manila, and returned to Songjiang Prefecture."

"The world is very big. We are back, and the Earth we are standing on is indeed a ball."

Xu Xu Jiugao, Liu Ji, and a total of 1,300 Great Ming soldiers and sailors completed the Great Ming's first circumnavigation of the globe. They all studied at the Songjiang Maritime Academy. Although they had learned many times from the "Maritime Mirror" written by the Imperial Academy of Sciences that the Earth was a ball, and a ball with an inclination angle, which caused the four seasons and cold and heat, it was not practice without going there in person.

The Great Ming finally completed its first circumnavigation of the globe, sixty full years after the West completed its first circumnavigation.

This voyage covered a total distance of over 160,000 li, equivalent to traveling back and forth between the Northern and Southern Capitals fifty times. It was divided into six major segments: the Pacific segment, the Strait of Magellan segment, the upper Atlantic segment, the lower Atlantic segment, the Western Ocean segment, and the Southern Ocean segment. It filled in a large number of blanks in the Great Ming's star charts, needle charts, and geographical maps for global navigation, and also completed the preliminary drawing of a globe. It confirmed the conjecture that the sea surrounds the land and the oceans are connected, and also determined a basic fact: that with wooden sailing ships, the Great Ming could also cross any ocean.

Likewise, this circumnavigation was also a voyage to open up the Maritime Silk Road. After the Great Ming had its own needle charts, it could truly realize long-distance ocean trade. The five-masted ocean-crossing ships were finally no longer just for show, but were worthy of the name.

Xu Xu Jiugao, Liu Ji, and the others were very excited, but not as excited as they had imagined. Along the way, they also discovered that the Great Ming's exploration of the sea had lagged behind by sixty full years. This made the Great Ming, which prided itself on being the Celestial Empire, actually very difficult to accept, although they had already clearly known this fact.

The Empire on which the sun never sets—someone in the West had already achieved it. Since the Great Ming prided itself on being the Celestial Empire, it naturally had to strive for this achievement as well.

When Antonio and Li Li Yashi first represented Philip II to pay homage to the Great Ming Emperor in the first year of Emperor Wanli and claimed to be the Empire on which the sun never sets, Zhang Zhang Juzheng had already realized the seriousness and urgency of this problem. Nine years later, the Great Ming's special envoy saw with his own eyes that it did indeed exist. Even if it was just a simple claim, it was still the Empire on which the sun never sets, and the sun would not set on the territory of the empire.

"Welcome home." Shen Shen Shixing, Songjiang Regional Commander Chen Lin, and Songjiang Garrison Commander and Eunuch Zhang Jin welcomed Xu Xu Jiugao and the other soldiers home.

Compared to the first circumnavigation explorations by Magellan and Francis Drake, which took two to three years, the Great Ming only took one year and one month.

First, it benefited from the Great Ming ships; the five-masted ocean-crossing ships were still the fastest, largest, and most seaworthy ships in the world at the time, and five were dispatched at once. Second, it benefited from the fact that before setting off, the Great Ming already possessed partially explored sea charts, needle charts, and star charts for the Eastern Ocean segment, Western Ocean segment, and part of the Pacific segment. Third, it was because the Great Ming exploration fleet clearly knew before setting off that the Earth was a ball; the purpose was clear and not unknown. Fourth, it was because of precision manufacturing; the Great Ming possessed more advanced navigation instruments, and the star-observing ship was an extremely professional observation ship responsible for navigation.

Shen Shen Shixing did not immediately hold a banquet to welcome Xu Xu Jiugao and the other soldiers. After they had a simple meal, they would immediately set off for Tianjin Wei to pay homage in the capital. Only after meeting the Emperor and reporting back would they rest. Shen Shen Shixing, Chen Lin, and others brought Xu Xu Jiugao and Liu Ji to the front of the huge shipyard.

"What is this?" Xu Xu Jiugao looked at the huge shipyard and the skeletons in front of him in shock and asked blankly.

There were two shipyards in total, with two huge keels lying inside. Hundreds of people were working around the shipyards. The place was busy with craftsmen, and all kinds of materials were constantly being loaded onto the ships. Some craftsmen held spray guns, burned rivets red, and worked hard to forge them. The scaffolding was full of craftsmen running around installing ship planks, meticulously building them.

"The 'Youlong' (Wandering Dragon)—the 'Youlong' that is as graceful as a startled swan and as elegant as a wandering dragon. The other ship is the 'Feiyun' (Flying Cloud)—'The flying cloud rises and falls, the dragon and the Great Peng ride the wind.'" Shen Shen Shixing looked at the two fast sailing ships, full of ambition.

The Emperor gave two million silver. Wang Daokun had tried his best to argue, saying that one million silver was completely enough, but the Emperor gave more, so they directly test-built two ships. Compared to the "Youlong," the hull of the "Feiyun" was narrower and longer. Just looking at the skeleton, one could see the difference.

"The 'Youlong' is a seal ship, mainly for carrying cargo, while the 'Feiyun' is a warship. It only has three masts, but its speed is faster than the 'Youlong.' It is mainly equipped with artillery, carrying a total of 112 cannons. In comparison, the 'Youlong' is more like a merchant ship or flagship and is not suitable for combat, while the 'Feiyun,' whether in speed or firepower, is more suitable as a warship." Shen Shen Shixing briefly introduced the "Feiyun." The design skeleton of the "Feiyun" had been completed, but it still had not been finalized.

The Great Ming Emperor gave too much. Two million silver was just enough to get the "Youlong" from model to reality, which was too wasteful. The "Feiyun" was also in the plan, but because it received sufficient financial support, its development was brought forward.

Shen Shen Shixing had two models brought up and said: "Within two and a half years, these two ships can be launched and sail as scheduled. Special Envoy Xu, return to the capital and help us bring two models to His Majesty. His Majesty likes these, and it can also be considered telling His Majesty what we have done."

"Easy to say." Xu Xu Jiugao did not ask for any benefits and agreed directly. He was originally a military advisor to the Songjiang navy. This time he was ordered to go to sea, and in the end, he would still return to Songjiang. Everyone was a grasshopper on the same rope of opening the sea. Helping Shen Shen Shixing was helping himself.

Shen Shen Shixing only made two models to be sent to the capital, one for His Majesty and one for the Prince of Lu. The meaning was very clear: the Governor of Songjiang, who controlled the nine provinces, could only be of the Emperor's party, not a partisan of Zhang Zhang Juzheng. His Majesty could order the Directorate of Weapons to make some to give to Zhang Zhang Juzheng, but that would be His Majesty's grace, and it had nothing to do with the Songjiang ground.

"Special Envoy Xu is in a hurry this time. Have you prepared a gift for His Majesty? I have some sea goods here." Shen Shen Shixing looked left and right and asked in a low voice.

Xu Xu Jiugao also whispered: "Prepared. More gifts are never too many. What good things do you have here?"

Returning from a voyage, if you don't offer some rare treasures to His Majesty, how can you have the nerve to say you went to sea? Every time Zheng He returned from the Western Ocean, he brought gifts. Once he even brought back two Qilin, although everyone preferred to call them giraffes.

It was clear that Xu Xu Jiugao and Shen Shen Shixing were cheating, passing off the rare treasures received in Songjiang Prefecture as having been obtained overseas. This was a long-standing malpractice of the Great Ming: politics being achieved through bribery.

"I have a twelve-jin pearl here, round and smooth, with a purple aura. It is the most suitable." Shen Shen Shixing muttered in a low voice.

Xu Xu Jiugao nodded and said: "Mine is only eight jin. Yours is better. Let's use yours."

The Shipping Commissioner's Office was known as the Emperor's Southern Treasury. This twelve-jin pearl was originally intended to be offered to the Emperor, and in the end, it would all flow into the inner treasury.

(End of chapter)