Liu Daxia, Ma Wensheng, and Wang Shu, Ministers of the Ministry of War, are known as the Three Gentlemen of Hongzhi. Liu Daxia is even more famous in the government and the public. He is not a high-profile person and is quite steady in his work. However, later generations have quite different opinions on this person, saying that he is mature, prudent and capable. In other words, it can be said that he is trying to gain fame and reputation, and so on.
But the most bragging thing in his life was indeed a bit unethical, that is, burning Zheng He's nautical chart and the blueprint of the lucky ship. As for whether it was for selfish desires or selfless and for the imperial court, it's hard to say.
However, some people say that what Liu Daxia burned was not the important nautical charts and the drawings of the lucky ships, but some insignificant things to disguise the real ones. After all, those drawings were valuable. Who knows if the emperor suddenly remembered it, he would not accept it. Get up.
Guesses are always guesses. History is written by latecomers anyway. Who can tell what is true and what is false? But Zhu Houzhao was different. He knew that the sea charts and the drawings of the lucky ships were in Liu Daxia's hands and had not been burned. If someone else goes to pick it up, Liu Daxia might be able to prevaricate and refuse to give it to him. But if Liu Jin goes to pick it up and he doesn't want to give it to him, Liu Jin will torture him out and hand it over to him.
Sometimes, bad people are far more useful than some good people. For example, at this time, Liu Jin did the bad things anyway. If something happens, Liu Jin will be pulled out and killed to calm the anger of the ministers. Look how nice it is.
Liu Jin led the palace staff and a pair of forbidden troops to the gate of the Ministry of War and ordered: "Remember what we said, if Liu Daxia will be wise and hand over the nautical chart and the blueprint of the lucky ship later, that's all. If not, Just capture him for our family, send him to prison, and then immediately lock up his family and relatives. We must get the blueprints and charts for our family before sunset, otherwise we will be careful about your dog's life. Do you hear me clearly? ?”
"Don't worry, father-in-law, the children will definitely do a good job for you."
Liu Jin swaggered into the Ministry of War with the imperial edict and shouted: "When the imperial edict arrives, everyone in the Ministry of War still doesn't kneel down to listen to the edict."
"I am the Minister of the Ministry of War, Liu Daxia, Ma Wensheng, long live our emperor."
"By God's blessing, the emperor issued an edict that the Ming Dynasty's sea ban was originally to prevent Japanese pirates along the coast. However, since the sea ban, the troubles in the southeast have become more and more serious. The people are in dire straits, and the talk of the sea has changed. There are also merchants smuggling overseas, poisoning our coastal villages and towns. I have heard that I am very distressed about this. Is there anything in the world that is not a royal land? I want peace in the world. Maritime affairs must not be abandoned. When I become an ancestor, guests from all over the world will obey me. People from all directions come to court. I yearn for it. Maritime affairs cannot be abolished. Forbidden sea is like abandoning the sea. , Abandoning the sea is like abandoning the country, it is really a bad government, and there will be constant troubles. I succeeded to the great position, and I felt the might and virtue of my ancestors. I couldn't sleep at night, and I didn't know how to eat. I felt ashamed of my ancestors. Fortunately, I woke up and ordered the Minister of War, Liu Daxia, to present Zheng Hehai. This is the picture of the lucky ship."
Liu Jin closed the imperial edict and handed it to Liu Daxia in person. With a gloomy smile on his lips, he said, "Master Liu, you still don't accept the edict?"
Liu Daxia knelt straight and refused to accept the order. He held his neck and looked straight ahead. When the order began with the ban on sea, he knew what Liu Jin was here for. Anyway, he didn't want a sea map.
"Master Liu, you still don't accept the order?" Liu Jin spoke for the second time.
There was still no movement from Liu Daxia. Ma Wensheng and others already felt that something was wrong. Liu Daxia had always kept the graphic and text materials left by Eunuch Zheng. Why didn't Liu Daxia accept the order?
The third time Liu Jin spoke, he was no longer polite, but scolded: "Does Mr. Liu want to resist the decree?"
Ma Wensheng pushed Liu Daxia next to him and said anxiously for him: "Master Liu, Master Liu, hurry up and accept the order."
Liu Daxia snorted coldly, rubbed his neck, and cupped his hands and said, "The sea charts and the drawings of the lucky ships have been burned, I, I can't hand them over."
Ma Wensheng was startled and shocked. Is what Liu Daxia said true? This is no joke! Based on his understanding of Liu Daxia, if he thought Liu Daxia would not lie, then it might be true? But why would he do this? Now the Ministry of War is finished.
Liu Jin's face suddenly turned ferocious, and he shouted angrily, "Liu Daxia, you are so brave, you actually resisted the decree. Aren't you afraid of His Majesty's punishment for the sake of clearing your name? If so, you can't blame our family. Come on, Take it and hand it over to prison for interrogation."
The imperial guard behind him immediately stepped forward to arrest Liu Daxia. Ma Wensheng and others were horrified and hurriedly stopped him and said, "Although Master Liu is guilty, you are not yours to take him. His Majesty has his own decree. I will go to the palace to report him."
The guards brought by Liu Jin did not retreat at all, and the eunuchs under him didn't even care. They pushed Ma Wensheng away and said coldly: "If you want to enter the palace, just go. The slaves and the like have the imperial edict, who dares to stop them?" I will be sent to prison together as soon as possible. If you are hurt by that time, no wonder I am so rude."
"The sea ban cannot be lifted, Mr. Ma. Mr. Liu has issued an edict that prison matters are minor. Please invite Mr. Liu Lixie to come to the court to see Your Majesty. We must stop this matter. Thank you very much, Mr. Liu." Liu Daxia himself was facing a big disaster, but he still It was really eye-opening for Liu Jin and others to protect his identity as a straight minister and a gentleman.
If it were them, of course the most important thing was to save their lives, and any reputation and reputation would be bullshit.
Liu Jin sneered and said to Liu Daxia, "Lord Liu really has some backbone. I wonder if Jinyiwei's imprisonment reminds you of anything, or that you can risk the lives of your family for the sake of your reputation. I wonder what it means. Is it a good deal?”
Hearing this, Liu Daxia immediately struggled and cursed loudly, "How dare you, eunuch, Liu is worthy of the imperial court. Why did he suffer such misfortune and unjust imprisonment? It's all because of you and other eunuchs who deceived the Holy One. Liu Jin, you eunuch, you have brought disaster to the country and the people, aren't you?" I hear Wang Zhenhu, the next one is you, eunuch, eunuch."
He was forcibly dragged away. The Liubu Yamen was not far away. Seeing everything that happened here, Ma Wensheng and others had no choice but to rush into the palace to see him. If they arrived too late, would Master Liu survive? I no longer know.
But when Ma Wensheng asked for an audience, he found that His Majesty had gone to the Queen Mother's residence and was not there. Foreign ministers were not allowed to enter the inner palace at will unless His Majesty came out, and those damn eunuchs refused to help convey the message no matter how he invited him to see him. By the way, the Queen Mother and Her Majesty are having a meal, please wait if you need anything.
Ma Wensheng understood instantly. This must be His Majesty's intention. Liu Daxia was in danger and there was no other way. He was an honest man and could not ignore death, so he had to go and transfer to the cabinet. When he came, Liu and Li thanked the three adults. , had been summoned into the inner palace early, given a royal banquet table, and dined with the three elders.
Your Majesty just wants the sea charts and the blueprints of the lucky ships. He will not give up until he gets them. Sea bans have been opened and closed for hundreds of years. Why did Liu Daxia do this? How could it be so easy for Your Majesty to stop it.
In the inner palace, the three pavilion elders seemed to have reached an agreement with Zhu Houzhao, because Zhu Houzhao's proposal moved them. There was actually a grain yield of 20 shi per acre overseas. This was terrible, if not for it. If His Majesty said it himself, they would never believe it, at least not yet. Although they doubt it, they are willing to give it a try. If they really find that kind of crop, no one will go hungry in the Ming Dynasty in the future. Yes, that is a great achievement that will last forever.
When they reach their status, what they care about is not money, nor high official salary, but a clear name after death. After death, they will be given a posthumous title, Wenzheng. That is the highest honor of a scholar. Just two words can represent you. of merit and glory.
"You three nobles, this is a divine gift from the Ming Dynasty. With potatoes, the millions of people in the Ming Dynasty will no longer starve to death, and the prosperous age of the Ming Dynasty will truly come." Zhu Houzhao himself became more and more excited as he talked.
The three elders, Liu, Li and Xie, who were deceived by him into agreeing to build ships and go to sea, were also deceived and became dizzy. As if the prosperous times were just around the corner, they agreed to follow Zhu Houzhao to build ships and go to sea, but when they left Outside the palace gate, Ma Wensheng looked at them eagerly. A cold wind blew over them. They were waking up and were confused. What am I doing? Who am I?
When Ma Wensheng eagerly explained the purpose of his visit, the three pavilion elders were about to turn around. The time for palace confinement had arrived, and the two heavy palace doors rumblingly closed. Infinite resentment arose in the hearts of Liu Jian and Xie Qian. Your Majesty had planned everything. Yeah! Don't give them the slightest chance.
Li Dongyang had no choice but to smile bitterly and said: "Liu Daxia asked for his name, and he brought it upon himself, but he has harmed his family. Looking at it today, His Majesty has even plotted against us. The opening of the sea is a foregone conclusion. We'd better cooperate with Your Majesty, Liu Daxia I can’t die for the time being, let’s talk about it after a while.”
Ma Wensheng responded helplessly; "What Mr. Li said makes sense, but there is no way in or out of the imperial prison."
Xie Qian looked frustrated and laughed at himself: "Your Majesty has unpredictable thoughts, and he even counted three of me. Haha, think about the time of the late emperor, alas, forget it, go back!"
Liu Jian looked at the closed palace door and could imagine that behind the palace door, His Majesty was proud of his masterpiece. Isn't that what he did before? A sad look on his face.
"Mr. Liu, Mr. Xie, don't worry. Your Majesty just wants to get the nautical chart and the blueprint of the lucky ship. As long as we persuade Mr. Liu to hand it over, your Majesty will finally have a step down and will definitely not embarrass Mr. Liu. As for those I think that as long as Mr. Liu is not stupid, they should still be there and hidden by him. Instead of begging His Majesty for mercy, we might as well beg Mu Bin, what do you think?"
Li Dongyang is Li Dongyang, and the solution to the problem is to be found at his fingertips. Li Gong is good at making plans, Liu Gong is decisive in situations, and Xie Qian is upright. Each of the three men has their own characteristics. They are speechless when they encounter the rogue methods of His Majesty the Emperor.
Liu Jin came back to life a long time ago. He didn't use any harsh methods, and he didn't force a confession. Anyway, he got the information from Liu Daxia and came back to life happily.
As for Liu Daxia, he wasn't as tough as he thought. He thought he could handle it more. When Liu Jin despicably brought his family members in front of him one by one, holding a red-hot iron and dangled it in front of his youngest son, The cry of his youngest son made Liu Daxia collapse. He was not afraid of the Jin Yiwei, nor was he afraid of the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. Even Fan Ting of Dongchang could not make him afraid. Only Liu Jin made him afraid. This dead eunuch had absolutely nothing. The bottom line of being a human being.
In order to please the prince, he did not hesitate to take the blame for the prince, and was beaten half to death by the late Emperor Hongzhi. If the prince had not interceded, this guy would have been beaten to death. However, since that time, the prince also regarded Liu Jin as a confidant, and this person became more domineering. The prince's favor was simply lawless, and he would retaliate for his evil deeds. Others might be wary of doing some evil things, but he would not, because he knew Liu Jin's character well, so Liu Daxia confessed everything without reservation.
He knew that His Majesty would never reuse him again, and there was no need to think about reinstating him. He was lucky to survive. Besides, he had offended Liu Jin to death and became a thorn in his side. Even if His Majesty spared him, Liu Jin would not let him go. It doesn't matter to him if he dies, but what about his family...
Zhu Houzhao stepped forward impatiently, and Liu Jin handed over a large amount of information. What moved him most was the drawing of the Fuzhou ship. It was the largest ship in the world at that time. Even if a hundred years have passed, if it were built now, it would still be the world's largest ship. First, it will be several decades before the Spanish three-masted sailing ship appears. The Fuchuan is a huge nine-masted ship. The hull alone is nearly 100 meters long, 13 feet high, and has a full load displacement of nearly 3,000 tons. , even if the Spanish warship is built, it will not be on the same level as the Fuchuan.
The drawing was opened, and when he really saw the panoramic view of the Fuchuan, he truly realized what real technology was and how terrifying the wisdom of ancient craftsmen was. Zhu Houzhao took a breath: "Hiss, this, this, this, this is Fortune ship?"
