The eighth year of Zhengxing is the year of Dingwei Sheep.
The biggest event in the court after the beginning of the new year was that Yuan Jie, the envoy of the Changping Division of Jiangnan East Road, issued a memorial, pleading to send another fleet to the ocean.
Yuan Jie is the earliest party member of today's emperor and one of the five sons of Chunwei. In the years after the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, he did not participate too much in the struggle for power. Instead, he went out to important places such as Hedong and Jiangnan one after another. He was a minister of the practical group.
.
The reason why he has not yet become prime minister is because his personal friendship with the emperor is too close and he does not want to make people criticize the emperor for nepotism. He has accumulated enough experience and qualifications over the years, and he will definitely join the central government once he returns to Beijing.
However, as a confidant of the emperor, he stayed in Jiangnan East Road, but he actually shouldered a huge mission. He decided to accomplish a major event that would have a profound impact on the Tang Dynasty, that is, the ocean.
Xue Bai started preparing for this matter long before he ascended the throne. In the past ten years, the court has invested countless financial and manpower in this matter, but it has never been able to see the results. More and more people began to doubt
Did the emperor make a mistake in this matter?
Yuan Jie's memorial was delivered to Zhengshitang, but it was met with opposition.
This time, Xue Bai was not too tough. After expressing his support for Yuan Jie, he left it to the prime minister to discuss with the ministers.
He is already a consummate emperor, has more means to achieve his goals, and will no longer confront his subordinates head-on.
And the ministers now respect him very much and will no longer oppose him for other purposes as before, but will consider him realistically.
After all, this kind of continuous huge investment without seeing results is also a heavy burden for the people.
In such an atmosphere, a very secret news quietly spread among the important ministers.
On the third day of March, Huangfu Ran, the censor Zhongcheng who was sent to Jiangnan East Road, returned to Chang'an.
Huangfu Ran was also a confidant of the emperor, one of the five sons of Chunwei, and a close friend of Yuan Jie.
After returning to the court, he wrote a memorial to support Yuan Jie's proposal, and firmly believed that going overseas would definitely bring huge rewards. He used the words "a fortune of one hundred thousand profits", but he did not mention the reason at all in the memorial.
There was already a lot of discussion about this matter. Although Huangfu Ran's memorial once again caused an uproar, some censors even accused him of being a sycophant in order to cater to the holy will and disregard the burden of the people.
For this reason, Cui Youfu met with Huangfu Ran in private.
"You have been in the officialdom for a long time, how can you make such a mistake? With your personal relationship with Yuan Jie, it is unfair to support him regardless of the reason, not to mention you are still the chief official of Yushitai."
"There is a reason." Huangfuran said, "But it is not convenient to disclose it for the time being."
Cui Youfu asked: "Why can't even the prime minister know about it?"
"Your Majesty will naturally inform the right minister."
Hearing this, Cui Youfu raised his eyebrows and felt that this matter was unusual.
If there is something secret that Li Mi knows, it should not be hidden from him, unless it is a particularly important matter.
"Maozheng, you and I have known each other for so many years, can't you trust my character?"
"It's not that I can't trust Brother Cui, it's just..."
Huangfuran looked very embarrassed.
He had studied in the Longmen area of Luoyang before, and had received favors from the Cui family. They had a real friendship and mutual trust.
After much thought, he finally spoke.
"Actually, not mentioning this matter is not to keep it secret, but because we haven't investigated it clearly yet."
"What do you mean?" Cui Youfu became more and more curious.
Huangfu Ran said: "When I returned to Beijing this time, I gave Concubine Huangfu a gift, which was a string of jewelry made of emerald green gemstones. Concubine Huangfu thought it was too valuable and refused to accept it, but it is not valuable."
"Why?"
"Brother Cui, if you go to Youzangku, you will know it at a glance."
Cui Youfu still didn't understand what Huangfu Ran's words meant, so a few days later, he found a way to go to Youzangku in person.
He had been here before, but this time he found that a warehouse in the back was locked. After all, he was the prime minister. He found the envoy to open the heavy door and was stunned.
The scene inside is both rich and noble, yet frugal.
The first thing that caught the eye was a mountain of gold ore, with dirt still on it, like broken stones dug out of the ground and thrown there casually.
Turning around, there were huge emeralds. The jewelry Huangfu Ran mentioned must have been made by knocking a few pieces off from them.
As he glanced over, he saw red agate, white ivory, coral taller than a human, more than ten complete rhinoceros skins... The silver nuggets and copper stones spread all over the floor became the most worthless things here.
Cui Youfu looked at them and stood blankly for a long time. After leaving, he immediately went to find Li Mi.
Li Mi heard his hurried footsteps, raised his head and said, "It seems you already know."
"What's going on? The overseas treasure your Majesty mentioned has been found."
"There is no shortage of treasures at sea. What matters is whether they are worth the trouble to find."
"Don't let it slip." Cui Youfu said, "This is a fleet coming back? Why don't you tell the world?"
Li Mi looked thoughtful and did not answer immediately.
Cui Youfu strode forward and looked at his desk, only to see a large map on it.
The map was very shabby, the patterns and writing on it were very messy, and the ink colors were different shades. It must have been drawn bit by bit over several months to several years.
"Is this the map drawn by the fleet?"
"good."
Cui Youfu squinted his eyes, looked westward from the Tang Dynasty, pointed his finger, and said: "This is Dashi."
Of course he knew about Dashi, and he also knew that Dashi was now at its peak.
Because the imperial court had vindicated Gao Xianzhi's unjust case, and Gao Xianzhi had always been brooding over the defeat of the Talas War, he collected a large amount of intelligence and sent it back to Chang'an.
"The territory is really vast."
Cui Youfu's gaze continued to the west, and he saw another city marked with large characters like "Baghdad", named "Constantinople". He was slightly surprised, but did not pay too much attention.
Further west, two huge pieces of land were simply outlined on the map, with nothing written on them except "New World".
Finally, Cui Youfu frowned and said, "What's going on?"
"Round."
Li Mi spit out two words, picked up the map on the table, and rolled it together end to end, so that the lines overlapped.
He murmured: "The sky and the earth where we are are round, but my 'round sky and place' is wrong."
This was not the first time they had heard of this concept. Xue Bai had already tried to instill it into some people.
But in the past, Li Mi, Cui Youfu and others disapproved of this, thinking it was just the emperor's whim.
Until this time, the returning fleet confirmed it.
Li Mi's voice was very low, because he now felt like everything had collapsed, and everything he believed in in the past might be wrong.
"Impossible." Cui Youfu said, "How can the earth be round?"
He lowered his head and saw that the ground beneath his feet was so flat.
Li Mi took out a ball and said: "For an ant, this ball is pretty average. Just imagine, if the ball was bigger, it would be as big as you can see, and it would be tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of miles in circumference." So what?”
Cui Youfu is also a very smart person, so he can understand it naturally, but he soon discovered something was wrong.
"If this is the case, how can the people below not fall?"
"We always feel like things fall 'downward'."
"Isn't it?"
Li Mi casually picked up an apple from the table, and when he let go, the apple fell to the floor tiles.
He asked: "Look, did he fall downwards?"
Cui Youfu said: "Yes, it fell down."
"Where did it fall?"
"Fall to the ground."
"Yeah, it fell to the ground."
Li Mi took out two more magnets, put one under his palm, held the other in his other hand, and approached it little by little from above.
There was a soft sound, and the magnet on the palm was instantly attracted upwards.
Cui Youfu was stunned for a moment and then understood. He slowly stretched out his hand, picked up the ball, and said, "You mean, this ball absorbs everything."
"Your Majesty said that this is called 'gravity'." Li Bi said, "I always thought he was just joking. If it is true, then..."
For him, if these were true, it would be terrible.
Cui Youfu could not digest such subversive knowledge for a while, so he shook his head and brought his thoughts back.
"Is this why the imperial court did not announce the news that the fleet has returned?"
"This is part of the reason." Li Mi nodded slowly and said, "The court is not ready to tell the world about this, but there are other reasons."
Cui Youfu thought for a while and asked: "Are you worried that people will go overseas without permission in order to make money and cause unnecessary trouble?"
"When the fleet left, there were 160 ships and more than 15,000 people. When it returned, there were less than 30 ships and more than 1,000 people. In addition to the strong wind and waves on the sea, it is easy to lose the direction. Food and drinking water
The shortcomings were the hostility of the local indigenous people and the plague. Therefore, a large number of boatmen died of malaria, and the risks of going to sea were huge. Even if the court wanted to organize a fleet to go there again, it would have to make more adequate preparations and not let the people know about it.
Therefore, there is no rush to make this matter public."
~~
In the blink of an eye, summer has arrived again, and there are still officials in the DPRK and China who are opposed to shipbuilding and going overseas, believing that the national treasury can no longer afford it, but some changes are quietly taking place.
Luoyang, Shouan County.
The Cui family's Jinping villa business was a little more depressed than before, but the Cui family, as the first family to support the emperor's reform, was finally preserved.
On this day, Cui Dong was summoned by the head of the family, Cui Can.
"You still have a good relationship with Huangfu Ran, right?"
"yes."
Previously, Huangfu Ran went to the south of the Yangtze River for inspection, and Cui Dong also went to see him off and wrote a poem called "Send Huangfu Ran off to Baitian". The poem said, "The sun is full by the river and the pheasants are flying. When will you return to Baitian?"
"
Cui Can pondered, tapping her fingers lightly on her knees, and then said, "Did you know that not long ago, Huangfu Ran sent another letter suggesting that merchants be allowed to participate in shipbuilding and ocean-going voyages?"
"I don't know." Cui Dong replied, he was not interested in these.
Cui Can took out a newspaper, threw it to Cui Dong, and said, "Read it yourself."
"The world is round?! This is impossible..."
Cui Dong first looked at the front page and immediately shook his head to refute this idea that subverted his understanding.
However, Cui Can didn't care whether the sky and the earth were round or square, and said: "Look at the next page."
Cui Dong flipped through the newspaper and saw on the back page that it was said that the Jiangnan East Coast Coast Guard had raised 10 million yuan from business travelers. It could also be the equivalent of manpower, goods, or even experience and skills, and the wealth brought by the fleet would be
"Dividends" are distributed according to the proportion of investment.
"This is?"
"What do you think?"
Cui Dong said: "How could anyone be willing to do such a stupid thing?"
"We do."
"Uncle?" Cui Dong was surprised and confused.
Cui Can didn't seem to be joking, her eyes were deep, and she said slowly: "I got a confidential information. This matter is indeed a huge profit. Therefore, I want you to go find Huangfu Ran and find out..."
Although he did not say where he got the news, a large family with such a profound background naturally has various old stories in the court, and they are the most knowledgeable people.
A month later, Cui Dong went to Jiangnan East Road under the arrangement of Huangfu Ran.
After traveling and traveling to Huating County, he was surprised to find that there were many aristocratic families and wealthy businessmen who came. Although some famous families did not send their children, they also sent their family members who were in charge of business.
Cui Dong talked with these people and learned that they all had connections with important officials of the imperial court. No wonder they could get such confidential information.
…
After staying in Huating County for seven days, Cui Dong rushed back to Shouan and reported what he saw and heard to Cui Can.
"It was true that a gold mine was discovered, not long after the fleet landed. But they were also attacked by locals, coupled with malaria, resulting in heavy casualties."
Finally, Cui Dong said: "The Cui family has inherited etiquette, so there is no need to participate in such profit-seeking things. The risk is too great. I don't know how many people will die in just one trip."
But Cui Can's answer was very straightforward.
"What are the deaths of some people? If you want to do great things, death is the most basic sacrifice. What we are least afraid of is the death of some people."
"But the Cui family..."
"It's nothing to be proud of. Since you can easily find gold mines, it's worth taking some risks." Cui Cu sighed: "Since the implementation of the new law, the number of acres and tenants in the family has dropped sharply. If this continues, the family will inevitably weaken. We must have courage. Only by giving it a try can we continue the blessings left by our ancestors."
"yes."
Although Cui Dong still believed that the Cui family should not let down their dignity and engage in a lowly business of business and travel, he knew that he could not stop it, so he said no more.
"Go find Huangfuran again." Cui Can personally took out a box and said, "Just take the money with you."
He is quite courageous in doing things. When he said that he supported Xue Bai, he would give up his interests and express his support. Now, once such a big thing is decided, he will immediately put up the money.
Cui Dong took it and was about to leave when he turned around and walked several steps.
"Wait a minute."
Cui Chu suddenly called him and asked him another question.
"Is there really a fleet back?"
Although Cui Dong objected to this matter, he had never considered this issue and asked in surprise: "Why does my uncle ask that?"
Cui Can took in his surprise and said slowly: "If you don't predict anything, you won't succeed. If you want to accomplish something, you must first consider all possibilities. For example, if this matter is a scam."
Without decades of life experience, one would not be able to be so cautious. Cui Dong, for example, has no such awareness of preventing fraud.
But when Cui Dong thought about it carefully, he realized that Cui Can was overly worried.
"My uncle is worried that Yuan Jie will deceive the emperor? Don't worry, there is no way this matter is false."
"Why not?"
"I have seen gold and rare treasures with my own eyes. I have also seen malaria-infected ships. They also brought back some prisoners. They were dressed strangely and spoke strange words. They were different from the barbarians I had seen in the past. No one could tell There are so many things in such a big drama that even an editor can't make up."
Cui Xu nodded after hearing this and said: "I am worrying too much, go ahead."
~~
Only two months later, Jiangnan Dongdao Haizheng Yamen received donations from many aristocratic families, and once again started preparations for a vigorous voyage.
The huge burden on the treasury was transferred to Gongqing Shizhou.
This was something that the courtiers could not have imagined. After the reform, the emperor and the ministers had already become incompatible, but this time the ministers vigorously implemented the emperor's will.
Of course, some people can figure out the joints, and secretly think that as long as it is for profit, it is true that money can make the world go round.
But I have to admit that after all, these officials and ministers are well-informed and have a long-term vision.
Gradually, the discovery of a large number of gold mines in the ocean could no longer be concealed, and some details were revealed little by little over time.
The time soon came three years later.
The eleventh year of Zhengxing is the year of Gengxu Dog.
Cui Dong set off for Huating County again. This time, he felt that he had been neglected and perfunctory.
After drinking the third pot of tea at Hai Zheng Yamen, he finally angrily slapped the case and started scolding.
"Let the person in charge come out and see me!"
After a while, a pair of official boots finally crossed the threshold, and an official in green robe came over slowly.
Cui Dong turned his head, and the moment he saw the visitor, the displeasure on his face froze.
"Inkstone?"
"Yuan Zhiyuan, Chief Registrar of the Maritime Affairs Department of Jiangnan East Road, Mr. Lao Cui has been waiting for a long time."
Cui Dong had heard about this scholar and knew that he had passed the Jinshi examination a few years ago. Of course, the imperial court had continued to increase the number of candidates in these years, and Jinshi had become increasingly unbearable in Cui Dong's eyes.
Correspondingly, the proportion of Menyin officials in the court has also been decreasing.
"I think you are deliberately avoiding me."
Cui Dong did not exchange much greetings with Yuan Zhiyuan and said in a business-like manner: "Do you know how much money the Cui family has sent here in the past three years? What is the result? The fleet sent two batches, why has no one returned yet?!"
"Cui Langjun, calm down, a long voyage is not something that happens overnight."
Yuan Zhiyuan tried his best to maintain a neither humble nor arrogant demeanor, but when he spoke, he still shrugged slightly unconsciously, betraying the nervousness in his heart.
He asked Cui Dong to sit down again and said: "The sea is very rough, but it does not mean that as long as one fleet returns safely, all other fleets will be able to go smoothly."
"Then has all the money from the Cui family been wasted?!"
"Of course not, we plan to send another fleet to sea."
As he spoke, Yuan Zhiyuan took out a file and said: "The shipyard now has new shipbuilding technology. It will replace the old wood with iron decks to make the ship more resistant to wind and waves. However, more manpower and material resources need to be invested. …”
"Revote?" Cui Dong angrily interrupted Yuan Zhiyuan and said, "Stop talking, I won't listen!"
"Lang Jun, I will not harm the Cui family."
Yuan Zhiyuan began to calculate for Cui Dong again that once a fleet returns, the Cui family will receive generous returns, which can completely cover the previous investment.
Cui Dong was very impatient when he said the same content in different ways every time, and he also didn't trust Yuan Zhiyuan.
But when Cui Dong wanted to say, "The Cui family quits," he couldn't make up his mind.
The Cui family has paid too much for the voyage.
At first, Cui Can did not expect that the investment in this matter would be so huge. As manpower and material resources were added again and again, the Cui family had sold off a large amount of land, and many of the family members were clamoring to separate their families.
The fleet that went to sea three years ago is likely not to come back. If we no longer send a group of fleets to sail, the investment that year may be in vain.
"Mr. Lang, think about those gold mines."
At the end, Cui Dong snorted coldly and said: "You can't make the decision on this matter yet, take me to see Yuan Jie."
Two months later, the Cui family sold their Jinping property and the money was given to Yuan Jie, who praised Cui Can's courage.
After appeasing the Cui family, Yuan Jie called Yuan Zhiyuan and praised him for doing a good job in this matter.
Yuan Zhiyuan was a little frightened and said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the news can't be suppressed."
Yuan Jie sighed slightly and said, "You can hide it as long as you can."
Yuan Zhiyuan responded and retreated.
There was news that he had known for a long time, but he didn't tell Cui Dong, so he felt a little guilty.
Soon, he suppressed the guilt and thought of Sister A's death that year, and didn't think he had any reason to remind Cui Dong.
"It's settled." Yuan Zhiyuan murmured.
Just ten days after the Jinping property was sold, news that shocked the Cui family reached Shou'an County.
When she learned the news, Cui Can was teaching the children in the clan who took the lead in breaking up the family, and she didn't hear clearly at first.
"What?"
"It is false to say that the fleet returned home..."
"Heh." Cui Chu said, "I have heard these rumors many times."
"An insider leaked that there was no ship back that year. The crew members were all acted out by others, the gold and gems were all moved from other places, and even the prisoner was played by a Kunlun slave."
"I'm afraid this insider is a liar." Cui Can said, "Can I trust him? The court doesn't recognize this matter, and it's useless no matter what others say."
"Alang, look at this."
What was handed over was a newspaper, which was Dongdu's "Xinsi Daily". Although this newspaper was run by the private sector, it always sought truth from facts, and the things reported were always carefully verified. Even Cui Can was quite fond of it.
Believe it.
The newspaper devoted a large space to discussing the doubts about the return of the voyage fleet, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Yao Runeng, personally wrote the article.
Yao Runeng somehow found an official document from a long time ago, which was Yan Zhenqing's duet about the voyage. It mentioned that the purpose of the emperor's expedition was to high-yield grains called "corn" and "potatoes", and that the voyage fleet returned
Since then, the world has not seen these two things.
Seeing this, Cui Can still didn't believe it, thinking that the emperor might have made a mistake.
He continued to look down. Yao Runeng had been looking for boatmen who had returned from the ocean over the years. However, although various rumors about the ocean had been emerging one after another, Yao Runeng had never seen a real boatman who had gone to the New World.
Writing such an article, Yao Runeng would not gain anything, but hindering the emperor's ocean-going plan might lead to a serious crime. After Cui Can read it, she was 80% convinced, and her face gradually faded.
"I played like an eagle all my life, but in the end I was pecked in the eye by an eagle."
"Uncle." Cui Dong saw how decadent Cui Can was and couldn't help but comforted him: "It's impossible for the court to lie to us about such a big matter. In my opinion, Yao Runeng must believe in 'the sky is round and the earth is round' and doesn't believe that the sky is round.
Just make it up."
"Don't you understand the emperor's temperament today? What he wants to do must be done no matter what. The first two fleets cannot come back, the court is overwhelmed, and the officials are opposed. He is unwilling to give up, so he sets up a trap
Trick us, as for those overseas anecdotes, he can write "Journey to the West", what can't he compile?"
After Cui Chu said it, her throat felt sweet and she spurted out a mouthful of blood.
"Uncle!"
Cui Dong hurriedly stepped forward to help him, but his face was sprayed with blood. When he looked at Cui Can again, his face was as golden as paper and his anger was as thin as a thread.
A few days later, Cui Wei passed away.
Since then, the Bolingcui clan in Shou'an County has gradually begun to disperse. The clan members are all splitting up, and many people have sold their shares in the Maritime Affairs Department at a low price.
As the person who took care of this matter for the Cui family, Cui Dong suffered tremendous pain for a long time afterwards.
His uncles and brothers turned against him, and the clansmen who were supposed to support each other scolded him and hated him.
In order to appease the public anger, he sold all his private property, house, farm, and collection. When he even sold his books, calligraphy, and paintings, he borrowed money from his friends to compensate for the investment of his clansmen in the voyage.
All he got was the increasingly worthless Hai Zheng Yamen coupon book.
"If you read a book, you will be fooled. If people say, 'The world is round,' you will believe it."
When the last sum of money was handed over, a tribesman threw the coupon book in Cui Dong's face and mocked him.
Cui Dong didn't say anything. He leaned over and picked up the coupon book that fell on the ground. He thought about it and opened his palms.
"despair."
The coupon book fell to the ground again.
He picked it up again and let it go. After doing this several times, he carefully dusted off the coupon book and turned around to leave.
Cui Dong went to Huating County again.
He broke into the Hai Zheng Yamen and saw Yuan Zhiyuan chatting with others about the harvest from the ocean, so he stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Zhiyuan's collar.
"Cui Lang? The third fleet has already set sail..."
"Damn."
Cui Dong cursed and punched Yuan Zhiyuan in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"The Cui family saved you and raised you, and let you pursue your future. It's okay if you don't want to repay you, but you've harmed me in turn!"
"The fleet will be back."
Yuan Zhiyuan did not fight back. He hugged Cui Dong's legs, took the blow with his back, and shouted: "This time even Lin Ji went, he will definitely come back."
"Idiot." Cui Dong was still scolding.
But he knew who Lin Ji was. Lin Ji passed the child examination together with Yuan Zhiyuan, studied together in Shou'an County, and was the number one scholar in the seventh year of Zhengxing.
Because they were both from Shou'an County, the Cui family was very concerned about this number one scholar. They even sent people to investigate and found out that Lin Ji had a background in the Jimin Society. He was a person who the emperor began to train in Yanshi County. He could be said to be a direct descendant of the emperor.
"Lin Ji won the first prize at a young age, attracted the attention of thousands of people, and had unlimited glory. How could he go on a long voyage if he didn't have full confidence?"
As Yuan Zhiyuan spoke, his eyes gradually turned red when he thought of the determined figure on the deck when the fleet set sail.
As a lifelong friend, he once tried his best to persuade Lin Ji not to board the ship, but at that time Lin Ji was so determined that even nine cows could not be pulled back.
——"I want to go. I believe everything your Majesty said. There is a vast world at the end of the world. Now that the world doesn't believe it, I will prove it to the world for your majesty!"
Cui Dong shook his head and murmured: "His life cannot be the compensation for everything I have paid."
"Then let him bring back a ship full of gold, so that you will know that all your efforts are worth it."
"Oh."
Cui Dong sneered and thought, otherwise what else could he do?
He let go of Yuan Zhiyuan, turned around and walked out.
From that day on, Cui Dong changed.
He settled in Huating County, stopped writing poems, stopped talking, and changed many of the habits of young men from aristocratic families. He studied the theory of the round earth, read the remarks of the emperor of the day, changed his previous attitude, and began to believe in all this.
Gradually, he became today's most devout supporter, firmly believing and preaching that the voyage would be successful.
His former friends were very disappointed with him, thinking that Cui Dong, a highly educated and elegant man, had disappeared and had become a blind and vulgar person. After getting together, they would always shake their heads and make comments.
"He's crazy."
In this way, a few years later, Cui Dong has become a strange man who lives in isolation.
In these years, the short-distance fleets heading to the Western Ocean for trade have also brought considerable gains, and few people in the world talk about those long-distance fleets anymore.
~~
In the 16th year of Zhengxing's reign, Yuan Jie returned to Chang'an to report on his duties. Xue Bai summoned him in the Xuanzheng Hall and screened him away.
The two hadn't seen each other for many years. Xue Bai looked at Yuan Jie's white hair on his temples and sighed, "Brother Cishan is getting old too."
"Although my body is old, my heart is never old."
"I owe you the position of prime minister."
Yuan Jie said: "I cannot arrange the voyage for your majesty, so I have no shame in returning to the court."
"Do you still believe me?"
From their conversation, it can be seen that the return of the fleet in the eighth year of Zhengxing was indeed a fake image created by them.
Over the years, the lies were gradually exposed, but Xue Bai didn't take it to heart because he knew that sooner or later there would be results.
The most uncomfortable person is Yuan Jie, who always has to wander between belief and doubt.
"Xin." Yuan Jie said, "Your Majesty, you can rest assured that maritime trade has gradually increased in recent years, and the imperial court's investment in maritime affairs will soon be recovered."
Xue Bai smiled and said: "What you and I seek are not this little benefit, but great achievements."
Having said this, Xue Bai changed the topic and mentioned several children from aristocratic families.
"I heard that Cui Dong is still supporting the maritime affairs?"
"Yes." Yuan Jie said: "But Cui Dong is like this, so he has no choice."
Xue Bai said: "He made the right choice. Since he believes in me, he will have huge gains in a short time."
Yuan Jie didn't know what the emperor was thinking. Thinking of the new law that had been used to suppress the aristocratic family, Yuan Jie muttered: "It actually gave him an advantage..."
"Let him get it, no problem." Xue Bai said: "Let him start, let the nobles of the aristocratic families take their eyes away from the land and look at the wider ocean."
This is the biggest reason for Xue Bai's layout.
His method of dealing with the noble families was not only to suppress them, but also to guide them. Using benefits to guide them from annexing land to exploring the ocean was the only way to solve the long-standing shortcomings and open up a way out for the future.
What the imperial court lacks is not just the financial and material resources for long voyages, but change.
At this time, the first group of aristocratic family members like Cui Dong were still in the depression of losing their inherently superior life, and had no idea what kind of great wealth they would usher in.
~~
On the ninth day of the lunar month of winter this year, before Yuan Jie returned to Jiangnan East Road, some fishermen on the beach saw a large ship slowly approaching in the sky.
"Another merchant ship is back!"
People shouted a few words and rushed to the port. They carried various dishes, fruits, vegetables, and cakes and put them on the roadside to sell, preparing to make a lot of money from the boatmen.
At first, people took it for granted and thought it was a ship returning from the West.
Until someone suddenly shouted.
"Lin Ji? Is that you?!"
Yuan Zhiyuan, who was then the Coast Guard envoy and a rebel official, saw a familiar figure, suddenly threw away the documents in his hand, and strode towards that direction.
Someone turned his head and revealed a dark face, which looked nothing like the young champion who became famous back then.
Yuan Zhiyuan was stunned and a little disappointed for a moment.
But when he took another closer look, a look of ecstasy suddenly appeared on his face. Before the ship had stopped, he climbed up on the rope ladder and rushed over to hug Lin Ji.
Then, a stench from Lin Ji's body entered his nose, and Yuan Zhiyuan almost vomited.
"Hahaha."
The two of them laughed endlessly, and they had never been so crazy when they were awarded Jinshi one after another.
"Come." Lin Ji patted Yuan Zhiyuan's shoulder, "I'll show you."
"I have long seen that your ship has a deep draft."
The two of them walked quickly, kicking and kicking down the bilge. Yuan Zhiyuan walked too fast in the middle, tripped on the rope and fell, and scratched his skin on a big stone.
He stood up and discovered that there was a large pile of copper ore thrown on the ground like debris.
Looking into the cargo hold, I saw that it was filled with gold and silver.
Lin Ji ignored all this and took him forward until a hatch was opened.
"This is?"
Yuan Zhiyuan was stunned, and unexpectedly found that there was sunlight shining down from above the cabin.
He looked down at the dark things on the ground and said, "Is this soil?"
"Don't move."
When Lin Ji saw Yuan Zhiyuan reaching out to dig the soil on the ground, he quickly stopped him and said, "I planted crops."
"Crop?" Yuan Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows.
"Follow me again."
Lin Ji excitedly opened the door of another cabin, and there were sacks piled one after another inside.
He untied a sack, took out something from it and stuffed it directly into Yuan Zhiyuan's mouth.
"eat."
"This is?"
"I don't know either," Lin Jidao, "but maybe it's the high-yielding crop Your Majesty mentioned."
"Then let me try it."
Yuan Zhiyuan also had a big heart. When he heard this, he opened his mouth and bit him.
"ah!"
Not long after, Yuan Zhiyuan shouted loudly.
"Hiss... it hurts so much, hiss... my lips are burning... hiss..."
~~
The beginning of spring, the southern suburbs of Chang'an, Shaoyuan Mausoleum.
"This is called 'potato', this is called 'corn', this is called 'peanut', this is called 'sweet potato', and this one is just a persimmon."
Du Wulang held a small shovel and dug soil in the vegetable garden, and then he and his family identified the novel crops that had just been delivered.
Xue Yunniang couldn't help but be surprised and asked: "Why did Wu Lang recognize them all? Have you seen them before?"
"I've seen it before." Du Wulang stroked his long beard and said slowly: "Your Majesty has painted it for me before."
As he said that, he glanced at the children behind him and said to Xue Yunniang: "In the future, our grandchildren will use these crops as nicknames. It will be easy to support them."
"Grandpa, I don't want to get married yet. Sister isn't married yet?"
"Where's the Aju people?"
"His Royal Highness also wants to see my grandfather planting potatoes, and my sister has gone to meet him."
"Then I've missed the mark."
Du Wulang sighed casually, but what he was thinking in his heart was, "What's so good about growing potatoes? The prince of a country doesn't do business, but just wanders around."
After a while, Du Jing came over with Li Zuo.
Both of them are adults, one is slim and tall, the other is tall and handsome, walking side by side, like a couple.
When Xue Yunniang saw it, she couldn't help but smile confidently on her face.
Du Wulang frowned and asked his youngest son Du Kui to squeeze in between the two people to separate them.
In fact, he and the emperor had already restored their old friendship, but the fear of power struggle had penetrated deeply into his heart, making him unwilling to let his daughter have too much contact with the East Palace.
A few days ago, he wrote a painting and hung it in the study.
The content is "Be cautious and walk on thin ice."
Seeing that Li Zuo was still talking to Du Jing across Du Kui, Du Wulang stepped forward and said, "Your Highness."
"uncle."
Li Zuo bowed politely.
He would come to Shaolingyuan several times every year, and he was familiar with Du Wulang. Du Wulang didn't know how to behave like a monarch and his ministers, so he said: "You are the godson of the second sister, just call me uncle."
Li Zuo was very anxious and responded: "If my uncle is willing to join the court as an official, he will not lose the courtesy of an uncle."
Du Wulang was just showing off in front of the younger generation, but in fact he didn't dare to do such a thing to bring trouble. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I'm just joking with you."
"yes."
Li Zuo only responded with one word, but he was able to show through his demeanor that he wanted Du Wulang to be his father-in-law.
Du Wulang couldn't resist the young man, shook his head and said: "Grow potatoes."
He had been living in the countryside for many years and was quite good at growing crops, fruits and vegetables. Surprisingly, Li Zuo was no stranger to these things. He talked about how to grow these crops in a very clear way, and he must have learned from Xue Bai.
After all other crops were planted, Du Jing picked up a small red fruit and asked, "What is this?"
"chili."
Just as Du Wulang was about to answer, Li Zuo had already spoken first.
"Speaking of this chili pepper, there is an interesting story. The fleet just came back. Yuan Zhiyuan, the judge of the Shipping Department, took a bite of this chili pepper. It was so spicy that smoke came out of his mouth."
After hearing this, Du Jing didn't just laugh and giggle like the little girl next to her. Instead, she turned her head and thought, "He has suffered such a small disaster, but it's worth it for you to remember his name."
Her temperament is not quite like Du Wulang and Xue Yunniang, but it is somewhat similar to Du Jin.
Li Zuo smiled knowingly, took the chili pepper from Du Jing's hand, peeled it open, and said: "Chili peppers are different from potatoes, the seeds are inside."
Of course Du Wulang knew, he snatched the seeds and planted them.
When he turned around, he saw Du Jing sniffing Li Zuo's hand.
"Oh, it's so choking. Is this really edible?"
Li Zuo said: "Uncle Du is the best at studying food. Do you know how to eat this pepper?"
"Try it."
Du Wulang wiped his hands, picked some vegetables from his vegetable shed, and led everyone to make a fire to cook.
Studying new recipes is one of the joys of his leisure life. Today, these new crops were delivered. In addition to planting some, he has already been eager to try and tinker with some new dishes.
He asked the cook to kill a chicken and wash some potatoes. Du Wulang hesitated for a moment and said, "Cut some of the peppers too."
It was his first time to cook these dishes, but he could always recall the scene of chatting with Xue Bai when he was young.
Soon, with the crackling sound, a burst of white smoke rose from the pot, choking the young man waiting outside to cough repeatedly.
Li Zuo was very happy.
Du's residence in Shaoling Yuan was the most relaxing place for him outside the prison-like life in the East Palace. Only here could he talk, laugh, and smell smoke and fire like an ordinary person.
After a while, the food will be ready.
Not long after, the dishes were ready and served, and everyone, regardless of their age, men or women, sat down around a round table to eat.
Since Xue Bai reached the pinnacle of power, some of his past habits and concepts have been retained by Du Wulang.
"Is this really edible? I won't be smoking, right?"
Du Jing looked at the fragrant plate of roasted chicken with potatoes, her eyes showing vigilance.
But she was the first one among the crowd to pick up the potatoes with her chopsticks.
After blowing twice, she put the golden potato covered in soup into her mouth and chewed it. She raised her eyebrows, showing a look of surprise.
"Is it tasty?"
Du Wulang was not in a hurry to taste it, but waited for his daughter's reaction, feeling slightly nervous.
Du Jing nodded vigorously and said with certainty: "It's delicious!"
Only then did Du Wulang smile.
He was in a good mood that day. When the others dispersed at night, Li Zuo said that he wanted to ask him some academic questions, and he agreed. He also brought out a rare bottle of wine and planned to have a few drinks with Li Zuo.
"How's your drinking capacity? Are you just like His Majesty?"
Li Zuo said: "In terms of drinking capacity, I am slightly better than my father."
His words sounded like words of modesty. After two drinks, his face turned red and he swayed slightly, and Du Wulang knew that he was telling the truth.
At this time, it was too late to stop Li Zuo from drinking anymore. Du Wulang wanted to take the wine away, but Li Zuo took the wine bottle away, drank a glass for himself, and held it in both hands to respect Du Wulang.
"Uncle, my father should have raised this matter with you, but a man...makes his own decisions about his own affairs!"
Li Zuo's words were a bit loud, but his eyes were clear and firm.
"Uncle Du please agree to betroth Sister A'an to me!"
"You're drunk."
"Not drunk." Li Zuo became more determined.
Du Wulang kept stroking his beard, secretly thinking that he really shouldn't get too close to this kid.
He was unwilling to marry a daughter to the East Palace. The Du family had already suffered two big setbacks in this regard, and they were afraid of avoiding such wealth.
I only regret that I didn't move further away.
After thinking about it, he came up with a plan, sighed, patted Li Zuo on the shoulder, and said: "I asked someone to make a calculation. The Du family can't produce a queen or concubine. If so, do you still dare to marry Ah Fu?"