The palace has received news that Fang Zhengyi will soon bring people into the palace for an audience.
It was already past the usual time for court to end, but the court had not yet been dispersed, and everyone was waiting in the hall.
Waiting for Zheng Hui to come to the palace for an audience.
All the ministers looked joyful.
After all, the imperial court has spent a huge amount of money exploring the West for three years, and the scale of the fleet is unprecedented in the history of Dajing.
I wonder what kind of surprises they will bring to the court!
The ancient West that Fang Zheng described was truly colorful and not inferior to the Great Western World at all. I wonder what the situation is like now?
Emperor Jing had already ordered people to serve tea and snacks to his ministers, and was waiting for Fang Zhengyi to return.
The ministers ate tea and snacks and had a heated discussion.
After all, curiosity is something that everyone has!
When Fang Zheng ran into the hall excitedly, a sweaty young eunuch followed behind him, as if trying to stop him. Everyone stopped and their eyes were focused on one place.
Fang Zhengyi turned his head to look at Emperor Jing and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Zheng Hui is waiting outside the palace for an audience!"
Emperor Jing was overjoyed, his eyes lit up, "Call Zheng Qing to see me!"
.......
Since Fang Zhengyi arrived at the port that day, Zheng Hui was allowed to return to Beijing early to prepare to enter the palace.
Zheng Hui also returned to his home in the capital as soon as possible and went to the palace to meet the emperor today.
After more than three years of drifting overseas, he had long felt unfamiliar with the streets of Beijing.
People's dressing styles have changed, and many people on the streets are enthusiastically discussing the latest news.
Now that he was in the imperial city, Zheng Hui finally found the familiar feeling.
Things among the people were changing too fast; only the imperial palace seemed to have not changed much.
But...it has been more than three years since he last came here. He has seen so many things in these three years. The originally majestic and magnificent palace seems to be much smaller than he remembered.
The universe is so vast that only after going out to sea did I see its true appearance.
Zheng Hui was standing outside the hall with an indescribable feeling in his heart, while Lai Gouer beside him seemed extremely nervous.
He tugged at Zheng Hui's sleeve and said, "Brother Zheng, I will see His Majesty later. What should I do and say?"
Zheng Hui said: "You are already a member of the navy, so just call yourself a humble official. Go in and follow me to pay respects. You don't need to say anything else. Just answer whatever His Majesty asks you."
Lai Gouer swallowed his saliva and nodded.
To be honest, he had never been afraid during his long time at sea, but now he was afraid when it came to meeting the emperor.
While the two were waiting, Guo Tianyang trotted out of the hall.
Seeing this, a hint of admiration flashed in Zheng Hui's eyes.
He still had some impression of this man. He had been to the palace twice when he was selected to join the navy. At that time, he seemed to be very strong and looked quite heroic.
But now he has changed. Although he is still strong, his face is full of vicissitudes. It seems that he has aged ten years in three years.
It can be seen that this harsh environment has an impact on people.
"General Zheng, you have worked hard on the journey. His Majesty invites you into the palace to meet him... Who is the person next to you?" Guo Tianyang looked at Lai Gou'er and asked.
Zheng Hui said: "Thank you, Eunuch Guo. He is my deputy. Many things along the way depend on him to record, so I would like to ask Your Majesty all the questions. It would be better to bring him along. I wonder if Eunuch Guo can..."
Before he finished speaking, Guo Tianyang waved his hand and said, "Let's go in together. Your Majesty can't wait any longer."
"Thank you, eunuch." Zheng Hui thanked him and led Lai Gou'er into the hall.
When Zheng Hui's figure appeared in the hall, the hall became completely quiet.
There was only the sound of Zheng Hui's footsteps on the gold bricks, and everyone's eyes followed Zheng Hui's footsteps slowly.
Emperor Jing couldn't help but lean forward slightly.
Only when Zheng Hui reached the right seat did he stop and bow, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Zheng Hui, greet you. Long live the emperor!"
"I am Lai Gou'er, your humble servant, and I am here to pay my respects to Your Majesty." Lai Gou'er crouched down and looked around quietly.
But no one cared about him at this moment, all attention was on Zheng Hui.
Emperor Jing raised his hand and said, "Stand up, and take a seat!"
The two sat down, and Emperor Jing said thoughtfully: "Zheng Qing, it's been three years. You have worked hard in these three years."
All the ministers nodded.
It's really bitter, it's written all over my face.
Zheng Hui said: "It's only been three years. The soldiers who guarded the border for Dajing can serve for a longer time. My contribution is nothing. It's all thanks to Your Majesty's Hongfu Fleet that we can return safely."
Emperor Jing shook his head and sighed, "Three years, how many three years are there in a lifetime? Going out to sea by boat is a life-threatening situation, how can guarding the border be compared to that?"
"On the vast ocean, the wind and rain are unpredictable. I have already heard Fang Qing say this. You don't have to be modest."
Zheng Hui's eyes were filled with tears, but his tone remained calm as he said, "I have done my duty as a minister. I have no regrets in dying to receive your majesty's praise today!"
Emperor Jing smiled and said: "You are truly a loyal minister to the country! The person next to you is..."
"This is my deputy who accompanied me to the sea. His name is Lai Gou'er. He has made many contributions along the way. He is also fluent in Spanish and has solved many problems for me." Zheng Hui explained, "I want to present the sea map today, and it would be best if he could explain it. That's why I took the liberty of bringing him to the palace. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
"No problem, no problem, you are also a pillar of the country! Then please present the sea chart first."
Zheng Hui nodded solemnly, took out the long box he carried with him and opened it.
Just as Guo Tianyang was about to go down to receive it, he heard Emperor Jing say, "You two come up and tell me in person."
This is an unprecedented trust!
Zheng Hui was moved and pulled Lai Gou'er to the imperial desk, took out the map and unfolded it.
This is a newly made map that was made in a hurry. It was redrawn according to the original parchment map and enlarged in proportion, and a lot of information was added to it.
The scroll unfolded and just covered the entire imperial desk.
Above is the information of Western countries, starting from the coastline of Dajing and extending westward, from familiar to unfamiliar.
Emperor Jing's fingers followed the coastline, passing through new and unheard-of countries.
Finally, it ends at Feka, and behind it is a large area marked as unknown.
"Three years. I see that the distance along the coastline doesn't seem to take three years. Why does it take so long?"
Zheng Hui gave Lai Gouer a hint.
Lai Gou'er immediately explained in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Dajing sailed out to the sea from Jiangling Port to the west. We had to stop at every country we passed along the way to establish diplomatic relations. Dajing's ships are far superior to those of ordinary small countries. Seeing that Dajing is strong, they often put on a grand ceremony to welcome us in person. While we borrow ships for supplies, we also have to trade with them."
"Please look here." Lai Gou'er pointed to a place on the map, "This country is called Jianan, it is rich in minerals and has developed commerce, but from peddlers to princes and nobles, none of them have ever seen our products. When we showed them silk, porcelain and other items, they all rushed to buy them, and even the same weight of silk could often be exchanged for the same weight of gold."
.....
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