The current time is already May of the thirteenth year of Hongxing's reign in the Ming Dynasty. According to the Western calendar, it is June of 1660. Time flies so fast, in the blink of an eye, Zhu Cixiang is already an uncle in his thirties, and his father, Emperor Chongzhen, is already fifty years old.
Fifty years old is a big birthday. As the most filial son of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Cixiang naturally had to take good care of Emperor Chongzhen. Therefore, in mid-April of the thirteenth year, he temporarily suspended his seemingly endless personal expedition, led the imperial court down the Yangtze River, and did not return to Laoshan Palace until the beginning of May.
On this day, he was drinking milk tea in the newly built Renshou Palace of Laoshan Palace, drinking milk tea with Chongzhen who had just returned from Laoshan hunting ground after hunting, when a memorial from Japan was delivered.
Because Japan's memorial is related to Emperor Zhu's filial piety - the elixir of immortality prepared for Emperor Chongzhen's fiftieth birthday! Therefore, Zhu Cihong gave an oral instruction that as soon as the memorial from Japan arrived, it should be sent to him immediately.
Therefore, after receiving the Japanese memorial from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Huang Xiaobao, the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department, immediately sent it to Zhu Cihong.
Emperor Zhu took the memorial and started reading it. After reading it, he just sighed lightly.
Emperor Chongzhen, who was sitting opposite him, was drinking milk tea while talking with Mary Mancini about which Western clocks were better - Mancini liked clocks from Milan, and Emperor Chongzhen liked clocks from Amsterdam. But when Emperor Chongzhen was talking about clocks and watches, he was also paying attention to his filial son Zhu Cihong. When he saw him sighing, he asked curiously: "Your Majesty, is there something going on in Japan?"
Zhu Cihong handed the memorial back to Huang Dabao, and then said: "Father, what I sent today is the memorial of the Queen of Japan."
"Queen of Japan?" Chongzhen was stunned. "Wasn't the previous Japanese king a man? Why did he become a woman?"
"It's not that I became a woman, how can I change this?" Zhu Cixiang shook his head, "It's that he changed into a woman... This woman had also been a Japanese king earlier, ascended the throne at the age of 7, and became the Supreme Emperor at the age of 19. "
"Being a prince at the age of 19?" Chongzhen thought: It's worse than me! I asked my traitor to take away the throne. What happened to her? At the age of 19, there is a traitor who can seize the throne?
Zhu Cixiang added: "I have been the Supreme Being for 17 years since I was 19 years old, and then I was reinstated again at the age of 36... How unpredictable things are!"
What? Can it still be reset? Chongzhen's eyes lit up, he had been a master for 13 years...will there be a chance in another 4 years?
"How did she reset?" Chongzhen asked tentatively.
Zhu Cixiang glanced at Chongzhen and said angrily: "She was restored to power by sleeping with the traitor Tokugawa Mitsukuni!"
Oh, sleeping with a loyal minister and a filial son... Chongzhen frowned, he couldn't learn this! He is willing to go to bed, but he doesn't know who the traitor is!
Zhu Cixiang added: "Tokugawa Mitsukuni is ready to marry the Queen of Japan. From now on, the Japanese shogunate and the imperial court will be united!"
Chongzhen nodded, "Your Majesty, was this what you were sighing about just now?"
"Of course not," Zhu Cihong said, "As long as the Japanese Empire can become the Kingdom of Japan...I don't care what the surname of the Japanese king is? Besides, I have already arranged a stumbling block for Tokugawa Mitsukuni. There will be times when he has a headache in the future!”
The serious memorials of Tokugawa Taka and Hosuka came a few days earlier than the memorials of Queen Mingzheng, so Zhu Cixiang already knew that Hoshina Masayuki was preparing to become Xu Zhengzhi - from now on, Kyushu will be an independent kingdom within Japan!
Zhu Cixiang planned that every future emperor of the Ming Dynasty should have a concubine from the Xu family of Kyushu. Through this relationship, the Xu family of Kyushu was firmly tied to the chariot of the Ming Empire.
"The Queen of Japan admitted in the memorial that she is a descendant of Xu Fu... She also said that her ancestor Xu Fu did not find the overseas fairy island, so he did not get the elixir of life."
Chongzhen said in his heart: You are a traitor and you still want to live forever? Aren’t you afraid of being overthrown by unfilial descendants if you live too long?
"Father, don't be anxious!" Emperor Zhu comforted Chongzhen at this time and said, "The Queen of Japan mentioned in the memorial that her ancestor Xu Fu left many clues about overseas fairy mountains... This overseas fairy mountain is in Japan. In the center of the Pacific Ocean, which is thousands of miles southeast of the country, I will organize an expedition ship to search for it as soon as possible, so my father still has hope of taking the elixir of immortality."
The "overseas fairy island" in the center of the Pacific Ocean, 10,000 miles southeast of Japan, is of course Hawaii!
Because Hawaii is not on the ocean currents and routes, Zhu Cixiang plans to send an expedition ship to look for it. If he can find it, he will capture it as soon as possible.
To carry out such a large exploration project, there must be an excuse, otherwise the Navy Department, which is about to be separated from the Ministry of War, will not be able to budget easily!
Chongzhen smiled and said: "Your Majesty, don't have too high hopes... Immortality is too fantasy and is not something you should believe in."
Zhu Cixiang nodded: "My father taught me a lesson, but my sons and ministers are filial. How can I bear to see my father old and frail, and his body is gradually declining?"
"What are you talking about?" Chongzhen got angry after hearing this, "Where is my father old? Where is his frailty? My father is in good health. It won't be a problem to live for another 50 years! But you...don't be too You have been working hard on national affairs, so take good care of yourself, so that you can live longer. If you feel that national affairs cannot be left alone, you might as well let the local rich have more experience. This boy is very smart, very similar to you when you were a child!"
Zhu Cixiang smiled: "The local tycoon is the king of the United States. He will die sooner or later. He should have some experience earlier, but it is still early. We will wait until he finishes studying in Nanjing University... In fact, he is in middle school and university. It is also a kind of experience, which is better than being bored in the palace. After he finishes studying in the university, let him serve as a soldier for two years, and then go to the Royal Chamber of Commerce to practice for a few years. He should be able to become a point weapon. The prince will also have such experience in the future. "
"Is this true of the Crown Prince?" Emperor Chongzhen was stunned. "Your Majesty, governing a country, doing business, and joining the army are not the same thing... To understand the art of an emperor, you must be able to control your subordinates!"
Zhu Cixiang shook his head: "To be an emperor, you must have at least above-average talents and knowledge. You must know some ways of the world and the sufferings of the people. You must also have practical experience in management. It is best to be able to manage both a business and a local government." As an official, I have to spend several years of experience in both the Cabinet Office and the Generalissimo's Office, so that I can handle it with ease."
Emperor Zhu certainly knew how to cultivate a famous emperor - there are too many experiences in this area for future generations to refer to.
He glanced at Chongzhen: "With more experience...at least you can not be a fool!"
Later generations said that by the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was so rotten to the core... But Zhu Cixiang couldn't think of any country in later generations that was not rotten at all that could give a person who had no work experience, no social experience, and no serious schooling. A 16 or 17-year-old otaku who has never even left the house takes full power over life and death!
Even the United States and the Rakshasa Kingdom cannot hand over the nuclear button to such a person—it might even bring about the end of the world!
Emperor Chongzhen knew that this traitor was once again using him as a negative example. He snorted and stopped drinking milk tea. He stood up and said, "I am tired from hunting in Laoshan today. I need to rest early. You can come back too!"
Zhu Cixi also knew that he and Chongzhen had reached the point where they could not agree with each other for more than a sentence, so he stood up and saluted Emperor Chongzhen, "Father, I will leave."
Mary Mancini, who came with him, also curtsied, and then the two of them left Renshou Palace together and went to Pang's Garden (Mancini's residence).
However, the two of them just walked to Yanshan Palace, Zhu Cihong's residence. Huang Xiaobao handed Emperor Zhu another memorial. Zhu Cihong took it and looked at it. It was an invitation to the emperor. The person invited to see him was Zhu Cixi's eldest son Zhu Hehao.
Zhu Hehao is now a fourth-year student at Laoshan Middle School and will be admitted to college in a few months. Although he is a prince and can rely on the emperor's recommendation letter to get in through the back door, Zhu Cixiang still hopes that his son can get in based on his ability!
So he had already told Zhu Hehao to take the exam under a false name. If he failed the exam, he would use his privileges to go through the back door...
