After comforting the two daughters and his son, the emperor returned to the palace. It was already late at night.
Early in the morning, Huang Zongxi and Zheng Sen came to the palace, waiting to perform their duties.
Unexpectedly, at Chen time, the eunuch informed: "Your Majesty was very tired yesterday. You two will stay for a while. There are some refreshments here. Please enjoy them as you like——"
In shock, the two of them had to sit down and have tea and snacks.
As a living man, you have this advantage. You can enjoy the food of the palace at will and have some leisure time.
I don't know how long it took, but it wasn't until lunch was served that the eunuch spoke and the emperor got up.
Zheng Sen had no choice but to write: I worked hard yesterday, and it will rise at noon...
When the two of them saw the emperor, they no longer looked like yesterday in red robes. Instead, they wore a cloak on the outside and a single coat on the inside, looking very chic.
Quietly waiting for the emperor to finish eating, he followed closely. If not for his clothes, he would be exactly the same as an ordinary eunuch.
Emperor Zhu ate his snacks carefree and relaxed, but when he saw the two people coming, he restrained himself a little.
"Let's go and play outside the city today -"
After saying that, he changed into regular clothes, and the two of them had no choice but to follow.
"This trip has something to do with your Zheng family."
At the emperor's request, the three of them got into the carriage together.
Although they were incognito, the total number of people and horses exceeded a thousand, and they headed out of the city in a mighty manner. The emperor looked at the nervous expressions on Zheng and Huang's faces and couldn't help but say.
"Minister?" Zheng Sen was stunned and quickly bowed his head.
"When you leave the palace, don't be too polite."
Zhu Yixi waved her hand, making the two of them relax slightly.
Huang Zongxi opened his mouth when he saw the emperor being so gentle, but stopped talking.
Zheng Sen on the side suddenly realized when he saw it.
Before they could speak, Emperor Zhu himself said: "Don't say anything about being a heavy burden in the world, precious, etc. I have told the cabinet about this trip, and I won't be afraid of being mentioned in the annals of history when I bring you out."
With that said, he continued the topic: "This time we are going to the shipbuilding yard."
Shipyard?
The two of them were confused. They didn't know what was good about shipbuilding, but they didn't dare to ask and could only keep it in their hearts.
I don't know how long it took for the carriage to stop.
The three people got out of the car and saw two large ships.
One of them is roughly the shape of a lucky ship, with a pot-bellied shape, about 2,000 tons (700 tons), and is very large. The sails are of a Western style, and two cannons are added to each wing. It is a combination of Chinese and Western.
The other one is smaller, only 1,500 tons (500 tons), which is almost the same as the Spanish Galen ship. It is a large three-masted sailing ship with two decks.
It has five guns on each wing, a ram on the bow, and one gun on the stern.
"Western ship?"
Zheng Sen was stunned and blurted out uncontrollably.
"That's right."
The emperor said with excitement: "Since last year, I have asked the craftsmen to renovate the Fu Ship and install some cannons. Then I asked the craftsmen to build the ship together with the shipbuilders hired from Macau."
Zhu Yixi pointed to the Chinese and Western boat on the left and said:
"This is a cargo ship. It is roughly in the shape of a Fu ship, but it uses the advantages of the Franji people's sails and cannons. It has a scale of two thousand materials and is enough to serve as a sea vessel."
"The other is a frigate, which can also be called a battleship. It is completely imitated by the Franji. It is made of 1,500 materials."
"With these two kinds of ships, why worry about the lack of prosperity in shipping?"
Speaking of this, Zhu Yixi suddenly asked: "Zheng Sen, you should be familiar with shipping. How many Western ships does your family have?"
Zheng Sen was stunned and said: "Your Majesty, my family is mainly used for business. Each of these Western ships costs tens of thousands of taels, which is equivalent to ten Ming Dynasty ships. Therefore, my family only captured two or three ships."
"And this kind of ship requires a large number of artillery, as well as skilled sailors. Whether it is artillery or sailors, my family is always in short supply..."
Zhu Yixi shook her head slightly and said nothing.
In the final analysis, it is still a matter of cost.
Just like the firearms in the Ming army, no matter how good the Dulumi gun is, it can't stand up to the cheapness of bird guns, so it can only be installed on a large scale.
The same is true at sea. Zheng Zhilong relied on the large-scale Fu Ship to kill the elephant due to the ants. At present, the Galen Ship is not enough to overturn the numerical advantage.
But in the 18th and 19th centuries, this method no longer worked. A salvo of hundreds of artillery pieces at once was enough to kill an entire nest of ants.
For Zhu Yixi, anything that can be solved with money doesn't matter.
A fortune ship made of two thousand materials cost only about two to three thousand taels. The labor was cheap, but the wood was expensive. It could deliver two thousand stones of food in one trip. If the wood was not hard to find, he really wanted to build a hundred or so ships, and it could be completed in a few trips. The water transport mission is over.
"Damen should be rich in wood, right?"
Suddenly, Zheng Sen was caught off guard and heard the emperor's question again, and couldn't help but said: "The senior officials have a lot of wood——"
"That's good."
The emperor nodded: "Let the Ministry of Industry take over the matter from your family!"
Huang Zongxi was a little confused. Who is the senior official? How to ask Zheng Sen, does the Zheng family have something that the imperial court does not have?
After a careful inspection, Zhu Yixi was quite satisfied. When he was about to leave, there was a sudden rush of footsteps.
Soon, there was a burst of inquiries.
"Your Majesty, there is news from the Ministry of Industry that Mr. Wang fell down..."
Tian Ren came in small steps and whispered.
"Huh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows and said in disbelief: "Why did it fall suddenly?"
He said, hurriedly: "Quick, go to Mr. Wang's house -"
When the carriage was heard, there was wind at the feet of the eunuch, and Zheng Sen and Huang Zongxi quickly chased after him, but their faces were covered with dust.
"Brother Zheng?" Huang Zongxi was covered in circles, his mouth full of dust.
"Why are you standing there, chasing after-"
Zheng Sen ran away, waving the pen and paper in his hand, chasing after him desperately.
Huang Zongxi chased him with his big beard and wide robe, and it was miserable.
After a while, two cavalrymen returned and took the two of them directly onto the road. Apparently the emperor thought of them.
When we arrived at Wangfu, the carriage stopped slowly.
Because of his contribution to equipment, Wang Xi was also granted the title of Baron by the emperor. He was named after his hometown of Jingyang and was named Jingyang Man.
Therefore, it is not just a house but a mansion.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Zhu Yixi jumped up suddenly and ran into the house amid a burst of concerns such as "ancestor" and "grandpa".
As soon as I was admitted to the hospital, I smelled a strong herbal smell again.
"His Majesty--"
When everyone in the mansion saw the emperor, they immediately knelt down and cried.
His adopted son even knelt beside the bed and called: "Dad, Dad, Your Majesty is here——"
"Your Majesty?" Wang Wei woke up quietly, his slightly parted lips completely opened, and some saliva flowed out, and the emperor's face appeared in front of his eyes.
"Kui Xingong, I'm here!" Zhu Yixi held his hand tightly, her words trembling.
"I was born in the fifth year of Longqing (1571) and grew up in the Wanli period. I witnessed with my own eyes the prosperity and decline of the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about it. It was only in the second year of Tianqi that I became a Jinshi and believed in Nestorianism..."
Wang Xi slowly opened his lips and muttered almost word for word.
7017k
