Whether Yan Zhenzhi gets agitated at this moment is not necessarily the most important thing for Zhu Yunying; all he needs to do is show his attitude.

For Yan Zhenzhi, this was indeed an unparalleled honor. That his son could marry a princess was an absolute affirmation. This was not because Yan Guodong was particularly outstanding, but simply because Yan Zhenzhi had rendered meritorious service to the country, thus earning Yan Guodong such treatment.

Looking at Yan Zhenzhi, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Tomorrow, have Guodong go to the Wu Prince's residence and let him serve under Yunhuo. In a few days, the Crown Prince and the nobles will be going out of the city to hunt, so Guodong can serve them."

"Your Majesty, isn't it not yet time for the autumn hunt?" Yan Zhenzhi frowned slightly and said softly, "My son..."

Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "My dear minister, don't overthink it. It's just that most of the imperial family members are confined to the inner palace, which isn't good. Especially the princesses who haven't yet gone on their wedding leave, they're stuck in the inner palace for so long. When Guodong goes there, our imperial aunt will also be taking the crown prince with her."

Yan Zhenzhi suddenly wanted to say something, such as that this was against etiquette. But then he thought about it again, and realized that when his own emperor, including the retired emperor in the Qianqing Palace, didn't follow etiquette, no one could stop them.

The Crown Prince's sudden request for an autumn hunt was merely a pretext. The real reason was to allow some young military officers to gain recognition in front of him, to let the young members of the imperial family go sightseeing, and even to let some young scholars and the female relatives of important officials go on outings to the suburbs.

As for the strict separation of men and women, this naturally needs to be taken into account. However, considering the presence of nobles such as the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess, there is no need to worry about the separation of men and women at all. There are many rules involved, and the fathers and brothers of the female relatives do not need to worry too much.

The young military officers and scholars, on the other hand, are probably all eager to show off their talents and abilities.

The emperor rarely goes on outings these days, so naturally the crown prince is chosen to go. However, considering the crown prince's age and the emperor's high regard for him, the emperor can actually 'see' who performs well.

The marriage of Yan Guodong and Princess Ruyang was naturally an important matter. However, Zhu Yunying had clearly not only summoned Yan Zhenzhi this time to discuss these matters.

"You need to be careful about the Longjiang Shipyard," Zhu Yunying said to Yan Zhenzhi. "The rules of the Maritime Trade Office have been set, and it is ultimately under the control of the imperial court. The fleets of the imperial family and nobles are easy to deal with; they simply follow the imperial fleets."

This was also a rule of the Maritime Trade Office. The fleet sailed in a grand procession to places like Japan and Southeast Asia. In addition to the imperial navy and fleet, the fleets of military officers and members of the imperial family also had to follow. The fleets sailed together not only to make a show of force, but mainly because it was safer and more efficient.

Yan Zhenzhi was naturally aware of this, so he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the shipyard has sufficient manpower and materials, and the court is building many ships."

"I won't hide anything from you, my dear minister." Zhu Yunying smiled and said to Yan Zhenzhi, "I know there are some rumors outside that we are going to build a large fleet, and the countries in the South Seas are indeed aware of this. However, there are still many other vassal states outside."

It seems that Emperor Ying Shi was not satisfied with the status quo. Many people thought that the Ming fleet had already sailed far enough. But Emperor Ying Shi still felt it wasn't enough. He hoped that the Ming fleet could go even further, to more distant places, and bring back more good things.

Born into a relatively wealthy family, and having spent many years in the central government, Yan Zhenzhi naturally knew more about things.

While the Southeast Asian countries seem far enough away, Yan Zhenzhi had also heard of barbarians from even more distant places, and that there were many more barbarian countries outside, though people might not know where they were at the moment.

Zhu Yunying looked at Yan Zhenzhi and continued, "As you probably know, many of those barbarians are ignorant of the ways of the king. Every time the imperial fleet sets sail, many soldiers accompany it, and there have been quite a few conflicts."

Yan Zhenzhi nodded immediately; he had also heard some things. For example, he had heard that some barbarians were arrogant and domineering, and that the Ming fleet had clashed with those barbarians, even resorting to force and killing.

Some impoverished tribesmen would sometimes submit memorials, believing that the court should persuade them with reason. However, Wu Xun disregarded this, believing that those with ill intentions should be dealt with ruthlessly, only then would those barbarians become obedient.

Looking at Zhu Yunying, Yan Zhenzhi said directly, "Your Majesty, should I ask the people from the academy to help? The court is building a large fleet, and we need more skilled craftsmen. If the court wants to go to more distant places, it will also need larger ships and better firearms."

The introduction of firearms on ships was not a new invention of Zhu Yunying. In fact, firearms existed on ships in the Ming Dynasty long before, with the only difference being that modern firearms were more powerful.

Zhu Yunying nodded and said to Yan Zhenzhi, "Don't just work behind closed doors. You should ask the navy and the sailors more questions. The ships built by the court can't just be empty shells."

Yan Zhenzhi immediately straightened his posture and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, we dare not be careless. In recent years, the academy has mostly sent people to collect information from the garrisons in various places."

This put Zhu Yunying at ease. In his view, even the most advanced equipment or technology should have a tangible effect and receive sufficient feedback.

The weapons in the hands of the troops on the front lines aren't simply those that are advanced or that the craftsmen think are good enough. Sometimes, it's necessary to gather enough feedback so that improvements can be made in a timely manner, leading to the development of weapons that are even more effective.

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