That self-sufficient ancient civilization, Tian Fang Kingdom, had too many similarities with Ming Destiny, so much so that Zhu Houzhao always unconsciously treated it as his own kingdom. His emotional scale naturally fell on the side of Tian Fang Kingdom.
When he heard that this big country was gradually falling behind the western countries, when the western countries were reviving the Renaissance, developing technology, astronomy, physics, and chemistry by leaps and bounds, they were already sharpening their knives to touch the sky, but Tian Fang Kingdom was still blindly arrogant and constantly declining, he was so angry that his face turned red. He angrily slammed the table and scolded, "This emperor is really stupid, I'm so angry!"
When he heard that the devils of the eight countries relied on strong ships and cannons to break into the capital of Tian Fang Kingdom with just a few thousand people and burned down a magnificent building that was built with the power of the whole country, even Gu Daeyong was so angry that veins popped up on his face. He screamed, "The emperor of that country is really too muddle-headed, his army of hundreds of thousands couldn't do anything to a mere few thousand people. Pitiful and hateful!"
Yang Ling sighed, "Compared to Tian Fang Kingdom, those countries are as poor as beggars, but they are not arrogant and value communication very much. This country invented fast ships, and another country immediately learned it. That country invented cannons that can shoot farther and more powerful than General Cannons, and this country immediately sent people to learn it, and then invented cannons that are even more powerful than them. They are constantly developing, but that big country is secluding itself, thinking that its father is the number one in the world, how can it not be defeated? "
Zhu Houzhao slammed the table and said, "Is that three-masted, multi-masted small ships of those pirates so amazing? I think it's because Tian Fang Kingdom is incompetent, if they encounter our dynasty's huge ships, humph humph! "
He asked Gu Daeyong, "Great use, where are the blueprints of our Yongle Dynasty's treasure ships for sailing to the west? Show it to me, and let Yang see how it compares to those small ships from the west. "
Gu Daeyong bent his waist, his chubby face carrying a respectful and submissive smile, he said: "Replying to Crown Prince, Zheng Gonggong's nautical charts and treasure ship maps were originally placed in the Nanjing Ministry of Works, but Emperor Yingzong transferred them to the Ministry of War in the capital. At that time, he wanted to use them when he went to the Western Ocean again.
But when Assistant Minister Liu Daxia heard about this, he felt that the western expedition was a waste of manpower and money, and was not beneficial at all. This sea map was actually a seedling that would bring disaster to the country, so he hid it. Your servant reckons that it is still in the Ministry of War's Grand Treasury. "
Yang Ling's body shook when he heard this, and he blurted out, "What? Didn't they burn the chart? "
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, and he couldn't help but feel extremely regretful. Although he remembered that the history books said that the chart was burned by the righteous but short-sighted Liu Daxia, he couldn't remember when it happened. If it hadn't happened by now, wouldn't it arouse suspicion?
Gu Daeyong glanced at him with a smile, thinking to himself, "This Yang Ling is indeed a member of the Imperial Bodyguard. Their hands are really wide, they even know this secret. Heh heh, it's a pity that his knowledge is not as detailed as mine."
Gu Daeyong deliberately showed off and said with a complacent smile, "Yang might not know, that matter is just a misrepresentation. At that time, Liu Daxia was only a small Assistant Minister. Although he didn't want the Emperor to see this sea map, he didn't have the guts to burn it. There were no less than five big boxes of it. If he burned it, how could he hide it from other people's eyes and ears? Did he not want his head anymore?
Heh heh, at that time he convinced the Minister of War, Xiang Zhong, Xiang Daren. Xiang Daren thought that what he said was reasonable, so he acquiesced and allowed him to hide it. He only lied to Emperor Yingzong that there were too many documents from Nanjing and he couldn't find its whereabouts. If Emperor Yingzong was forced into a corner, he would take it out and present it to him. But when Emperor Yingzong was fooled, he only had this thought. When he heard that the documents were lost, he didn't really care, so this matter was concealed. "
Yang Ling half believed and half doubted, "Is what Gu gonggong said true? This sea map … is actually still there? "
Zhu Houzhao chuckled and said, "Gu Daeyong is knowledgeable and has a good memory. This is his strong point. He doesn't read much but his memory is very good. If he says it's still there, it's definitely still there. He used to work in Dongchang. Those fellows in Dongchang have better noses than my Big Black. "
It turned out that during the eighth year of Hongzhi, the Emperor once trusted a senior eunuch, Li Guang. For a time, he worshipped Buddhism and Taoism, concocted pills and medicine, causing the court to be filled with filth. At that time, this Gu Daeyong listened to Li Guang, Yang Peng and a few other favoured and treacherous eunuchs. Later on, Li Guang saw that Liu Daxia and a group of loyal officials who were still favoured by Hongzhi kept submitting petitions, accusing them of colluding with one another and deceiving the Emperor. Thus, he sent Gu Daeyong to mobilize troops from Dongchang to collect information on these people, wanting to bring them down.
Therefore, Gu Daeyong knew all the things that Liu Daxia had done in the past. It was just that he was unlucky. Just as the materials were gathered, Li Guang died of illness. Immediately after that, the stubborn Emperor of Hongzhi sent people to his house to search for the Heavenly Book. In the end, the Heavenly Book was not found, but a large amount of gold and silver was found. Only then did he believe the officials who said that Li Guang was a traitor and accepted bribes. With this, Li Guang's party completely collapsed. This group of trusted aides lost the Emperor's favor. Gu Daeyong was chased out of Dongchang by the new Factory Supervisor, Wang Yue, Eunuch Wang. After so many years, he finally managed to sneak into the Crown Prince's service.
Hearing Zhu Houzhao's praise, Gu Daeyong smiled and bowed. He lowered his eyelids and said, "Thank you for your compliment, Crown Prince. But so many years have passed. The Old Slave is worried that the papers were not well kept. If they get wet or get eaten by rats, they can no longer be used."
Yang Ling was pleasantly surprised as he said to Zhu Houzhao, "Crown Prince, in the past, when we were developing these ship blueprints, who knows how many skilled craftsmen's efforts were expended. Even though we might not be able to recreate those giant warships, we can still use them as a reference to build a fine little boat. What's even rarer are those nautical charts. The sea is vast, and it cannot be compared to land. Those nautical charts all cost a lot of money."
Zhu Houzhao did not know why he was so excited. He looked at him strangely and said, "Hmm … Liu Daxia? That stubborn old man is now the Minister of War. If we want to get something from him, I'm afraid … "
"Why? Even the Crown Prince can't get the item out of his hands? "Yang Ling was greatly disappointed. Zhu Houzhao was provoked by him. He immediately puffed out his chest and said, "Although Liu Daxia is Imperial Father's most favored official, and I don't think he would dare to offend me, but... he is, after all, a first-rank official. The people I sent over, if he wants to beat around the bush, won't he return empty-handed?"
Yang Ling's eyes turned and he said, "If that's the case, what if the Crown Prince personally went?"
Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "If I personally went to ask for something, I don't think he would dare to refuse me, but …" He said miserably with a bitter face, "If I want to go out of the palace, it is more difficult than ascending to heaven. In a year, only Imperial Father takes me out a few times. The capital examination is about to begin in a few days. My teachers are busy with the selection of scholars and have no time to teach me. Imperial Father is afraid that I will neglect my studies, so he arranged a lot of things for me to write. He also ordered the left and right sons of the concubines to take turns to supervise me. It is really difficult to take a step."
The Spring Square was a yamen subordinate to the Crown Prince's palace. The left son of the concubine of the Left Spring Square and the right son of the Right Spring Square were responsible for the Crown Prince's studies. These officials who appointed the concubine of the concubine were all upright and outspoken, even somewhat stupid Hanlin scholars. They had always been impartial and did not recognize family. With their supervision, it was even more frightening than the Grand Secretary personally teaching. Zhu Houzhao felt a headache just thinking about it.
Since Yang Ling knew that the blueprint of the huge warship and the map of the route to the south and west were still in the world, how could he be willing to destroy them? He felt an itch in his heart. Seeing that the Crown Prince was in a difficult position, he hurriedly asked, "What situation do I have to make the officials of the Spring Square not supervise the Crown Prince's studies?"
Gu Daeyong said, "Yang, the Crown Prince can only stop studying if he is not feeling well."
Yang Ling said happily, "That's good. Can't the Crown Prince just pretend to be sick?"
Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes and said, "Easier said than done. If I say that I am not feeling well, a large group of people from the Imperial Hospital will immediately charge into the Eastern Palace. At that time, when the matter is exposed, Father will definitely blame me. "
It could be seen that Zhu Houzhao had a very good relationship with his father. He respected and feared him, and was very unwilling to make him angry. Yang Ling smiled and said, "What's so difficult about that? The Crown Prince only said that one side has a headache. Even if his medical skills are divine, he can only tell the Crown Prince to rest well. There is absolutely no one who would dare to say that the Crown Prince is not sick. "
Zhu Houzhao half believed and half doubted, and said, "Is that really so? The Imperial Hospital has quite a few national medicine masters. "
Yang Ling was very confident. With a calm and unperturbed appearance, he said, "Crown Prince, do not worry. As long as we use this plan, we will definitely be able to fool the eyes and ears of the Imperial Doctors."
The human brain was the most complicated organ in the human body. Even with the development of modern medicine, it was still impossible to completely diagnose the disease of the brain. When he was doing compensation work for an insurance company, if the person he met was his classmate or relative, he would give this idea to them. As long as they went to the hospital and said that they had a headache, even if they were healthy and alive, there was absolutely no equipment that could prove that they were lying.
He did not believe that an ancient divine doctor would dare to say that a person was not sick by taking a pulse, unless that person was a quack who only knew how to show off. But the person in front of him was the current Crown Prince. Even a quack who had the heart to show off would not dare to guarantee that he was not sick. If he really was sick and delayed, then it would be a crime of beheading.
Hearing this, Zhu Houzhao was overjoyed. He jumped up and laughed. "Hahaha, this is very good. The day after tomorrow is the Spring Examinations. Tomorrow, after noon, I will start to have a headache!"
He pointed majestically at Gu Daeyong and said, "Of great use. Call Liu Jin, Ma Yongcheng, Gao Feng, Luo Xiang, Wei Bin, Qiu Ju, and Zhang Yong over. You bunch of smelly cobblers, come up with a plan for me to sneak out of the palace. Hahahaha …"
Yang Ling listened to Little Houzhao, who was about to skip class, mention a few familiar crooked melons and dates. He could not help but secretly laugh bitterly in his heart. It seemed that today, the eight tigers of the capital would gather in the East Palace. But if he wanted Zhengde to follow the path he had planned, for the time being, he really had to rely on these eight people.
Because although Yang Ling did not want to create an "absurd Emperor," he also did not want to create a "King Yao and Shun" in the eyes of those moral scholars and scholars. The rulers of China had been numbed by the lie that the sky was round and the earth was square, and that China was in the middle for too long. They had been stuck in their old ways for too long, and what they most lacked was ambition. Those scholars studied hard and blindly followed the teachings of their ancestors, and did not learn from the past. What they most lacked was vision.
As long as this pool of stagnant water was introduced into a spring, then the future would be a completely different situation. But at the same time, he was also playing with fire. If he did not guide Zhengde carefully, it would be difficult for him to achieve great things. If he had ambition but no talent, he would become a warmongering tyrant. If that was the case, it would be better for him to be a dissolute prince among a bunch of women.
"Will I fail on the verge of success? If I fail, a hundred years later, how will the later generations evaluate me …? "
A strange, bitter smile floated on the corner of Yang Ling's mouth. It was as if he had heard the impassioned voice-over at the beginning of a certain martial arts movie: During the years of Zhengde, the traitor Yang Ling colluded with the eight tigers and framed loyal and good people. This caused the imperial court to be in chaos, and the people had no way of making a living. The chivalrous people of Jianghu rebelled, and scenes of songs and songs played out …
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