Huang Guan, in fact, Zhu Ying has seen him many times.

After all, he was a third-rank official and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

But we have never talked alone.

Thirty-five-year-old Huang Guan looks very young, as if he is in his twenties.

He is fair-skinned, handsome and has a tall figure.

He has a well-groomed goatee, and his eyes are clear and bright, giving people a very clean and comfortable feeling.

It was the first time that Zhu Ying looked at Huang Guan seriously.

In the past, I basically saw him in the Golden Palace. After all, he was more than ten meters away, and I had never looked at him carefully.

Those who can become the top scholar will never have bad looks.

After all, appearance is also an assessment item in the palace examination.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Huang Guan, is here to pay his respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." There was some confusion in Huang Guan's eyes. He didn't know why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly summoned him today. After all, the Crown Prince had never had any opinion about the Ministry of Rites before, and had never even been to the Ministry of Rites.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Rites has the least say now. The position of Shangshu was vacant for three years before, and after the Crown Prince came to the throne, he never cared about the Ministry of Rites.

Huang Guan certainly would not have thought that Zhu Ying summoned him just because he had won six prizes in a row.

In Huang Guan's view, shouldn't everyone know that he had won six prizes in a row, a historic event?

However, before today, Zhu Ying didn't even know there was such a person as Huang Guan.

"No need to formality, please take a seat." Zhu Ying ordered.

Guo Zhong, who was standing next to him, immediately moved the prepared chair over.

When Liu He came earlier, Guo Zhong saw it clearly from the side. The Crown Prince must have attached great importance to Huang Guan.

"Thank you, Your Highness." After bowing, Huang Guan sat down halfway to show his respect for the Crown Prince, which is also the etiquette of a subject.

At the same time, Huang Guan felt much more at ease. Being given a seat in a high position usually represents a favorable outcome.

Zhu Ying did not hide his feelings. As the grandson of the emperor, he had nothing to worry about. He said frankly, "I heard that Minister Huang has been a child prodigy since he was young. He won six first prizes in the provincial examinations and the palace examinations. He is the best person in the eight hundred years since the establishment of the imperial examination system."

"I admire scholars the most. I wonder what secrets Huang Shilang has in studying."

Huang Guan really didn't expect that the Crown Prince didn't know that he had won six prizes in a row. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he could already guess it.

"Your Highness, I have had an excellent memory since I was young. I can easily remember an article after reading it once or twice."

Zhu Ying paused for a moment and asked, "Photographic memory?"

Huang Guan said bluntly: "It's not yet at this level, but it's not far off."

Wow, there is a bit of modesty in this statement, but it has been explained that this is basically confirmed.

He has a photographic memory, a god-level talent.

Especially when it comes to reading.

This means that in terms of reading, especially the Four Books and Five Classics, one has a huge advantage.

Of course, the imperial examination is not just about memory, flexible application is also an important direction.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Zhu Ying asked, "Let me test you. There are pheasants and rabbits in a cage. There are thirty-five heads on top and ninety-four legs on the bottom. How many pheasants and rabbits are there?"

Huang Guan did not even think about it and replied directly: "Your Highness, this question comes from the Sun Tzu Mathematical Classic. I have taken advantage of it. I have seen this question before. I can use the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art to calculate the 'surplus and deficiency' method. I get 23 pheasants and 12 rabbits."

Zhu Ying did not want to ask about the meaning of the classics. The current imperial examination focused more on the meaning of the classics. To be able to win six first places in a row, one's talent in this area must be unmatched.

So he casually asked a math question. After all, arithmetic was not tested in the imperial examination, and there was no arithmetic in the Ministry of Rites where Huang Guan worked.

The story of chickens and rabbits in the same cage became very famous in later generations because people in later generations paid attention to arithmetic. But in the Ming Dynasty at that time, not many officials had read the arithmetic classics. It took a lifetime to understand the Four Books and Five Classics, so how could they have the energy to study other things?

From this question alone, it is obvious that Huang Guan was very knowledgeable about the Arithmetic Sutra.

What? Why would I think of testing him?

Zhu Ying reacted immediately.

Because he really couldn't think of any other topic.

The simple ones seem to be of low level, and the complex ones seem to have never been explored.

After all, there is no need to take any exams to become the crown prince.

As for the topic of previous life.

Well, he is a college student, and college students will understand everything they know.

There is no need to worry about the assessment.

Zhu Ying asked directly: "I think Mr. Huang Aiqing should have heard about the matter of the weeping tree."

Huang Guandian nodded: "I have heard that."

Zhu Ying continued, "What do you think of my offering such a huge reward, Mr. Huang?"

Huang Guan felt somewhat happy when he heard this.

Calling him "my dear" twice shows that the Crown Prince has already recognized me very much.

Huang Guan actually still has great ambitions in his heart. He is a minister himself, and the crown prince is also the legitimate heir to the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, when Zhu Ying first appeared, Huang Guan analyzed whether Zhu Ying was the real eldest grandson of the emperor. Although the result was a bit strange, he was sure of it.

Especially in recent years, after Zhu Ying took control of the imperial power, the reforms and changes that took place in the Ming Dynasty had long made Huang Guan submit in his heart.

Regarding the Crown Prince's questions, Huang Guan felt that this was probably a test of himself.

So after organizing his words in his mind, he replied, "The weeping tree must be very important to the Ming Dynasty. A few days ago, I heard that the Crown Prince issued an order to the army to gather 50,000 people for a ten-year expedition. This shows that the Crown Prince already knows the location of the tree."

"Ten years means this place must be quite far away."

"Your Highness has sent out 50,000 troops, all of which are mainly infantry, not the Ming navy. This shows that the place where the weeping tree is located can be reached on foot. Your Highness also offered a reward of 10 million treasure notes and the hereditary title of Wanhu Hou, and even pointed out that it can be converted into silver."

"This means that Your Highness believes that those foreign merchants may have a very low chance of finding this tree. Although the chance is slim, Your Highness does not want to give up."

"When I was young, I liked to read miscellaneous books and had some knowledge of the world. In the 27th year of Hongwu, I had the honor of viewing the Great Ming Unified Map. In addition to recording the geography of the Great Ming, the map also included the South Seas, the West and other places."

"The tree your Highness is looking for must not be in the South Seas, the West Sea, the Western Regions, Tibet, or even in East Asia, but must be in an undiscovered place."

"If this is not the case, with the strength of our Ming Dynasty today and the abundance of our treasury, we can send a large army there, and there will be no reason for the country to refuse to comply."

"The name of the weeping tree reminds me of the description in the Dongshan Sutra in the Shanhaijing. I think that the army Your Highness needs requires a lot of auxiliary troops, and it will take ten years to borrow them. Only the place described in the Dongshan Sutra can do this."

"Therefore, I infer that this place should be at the edge of the East China Sea, and if you go north and east to the end, there should be a road that can cross the East China Sea and reach the place where the weeping tree is."

After hearing this, Zhu Ying already felt what a highly intelligent person was.

In other words, through the information currently obtained, Huang Guan has deduced the existence of the American continent, and has also deduced that the Bering Strait in the northeast direction has crossed the entire East China Sea.

The East China Sea mentioned today refers to the Pacific Ocean.

This method of finding clues is very similar to the reasoning of later generations, and is also the learning direction of the current experts in solving cases in the Ministry of Justice.

Huang Guan was in the Ministry of Rites, and he was not often exposed to case analysis and reasoning.

If Huang Guan had participated in solving cases in the Ministry of Justice before, he would definitely be famous. Zhu Ying had previously sent Di Yusen to the Zhan family's mansion and had learned about some of the Ministry of Justice's experts in solving cases, but Huang Guan's name was not among them.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites is a third-rank official. Whenever he is involved in solving a case, it will definitely cause a great response.

This means that the reason for this inference is entirely due to Huang Guan’s profound knowledge and clear thinking.

This is a seriously underestimated talent.

"Very good, your inference is very correct. When I was in the Western Regions, the wandering merchant I met did talk about that beautiful and rich land."

"It is a vast expanse of land, even wider than our Great Ming, with abundant resources and no shortage of food all year round. It is located at the edge of the East China Sea."

At this point, Zhu Ying instructed Guo Zhong beside him, "Ask Yueqing to bring the map she made."

After a brief pause, Zhu Ying stood up and added, "No need."

He turned to Huang Guan and said, "Come with me to the study."

Huang Guan stood up and bowed to accept the order.

In the study, Ye Yueqing was still changing the map.

"Your Highness Huang Guan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, pays his respects to the Crown Princess." Huang Guan bowed respectfully.

Seeing Huang Guan coming over, Ye Yueqing stood up and said, "No need to be polite."

Then he looked at Zhu Ying: "Your Highness has a new idea."

Zhu Ying replied: "Mr. Huang is a rare talent. I asked him to come here this time to help with the expeditionary force."

Ye Yueqing naturally understood what Zhu Ying meant, and after bowing, she left the study.

Although she was the Crown Prince's Consort, His Majesty had already issued an edict prohibiting women in the palace from participating in state affairs.

Of course, the grandfather and grandson did not take this seriously. Ye Yueqing left because he did not want to show it in front of his ministers.

After Ye Yueqing left, Zhu Ying called Huang Guan to the desk to look at the pictures together.

"This is a rough map I drew based on what the wandering merchant in the Western Regions said. I asked the Donghai Jurchens about the northernmost part of the Ming Dynasty, and they found that it was almost the same as described there."

Zhu Ying pointed at the Bering Strait and said, "This is the place that the wandering merchant said he would cross the East China Sea. The two places are very close together, less than a hundred miles."

"Don't underestimate this place, it's only a hundred miles away, but it's extremely dangerous. The far north has a cold winter all year round, covered with ice and snow, and ships can't cross."

"If you want to cross this place, you have to wait for winter, when the sea freezes over, and then walk across to America."

Speaking of America, Zhu Ying casually explained: "The Buddhist scriptures talk about four continents. I think it may be the Dongsheng Shenzhou. And because the wandering merchant said it was a beautiful and rich place, I named it America."

Huang Guan didn't worry about the name. Since it was the crown prince who named it, it was fine to call it American.

After thinking for a while, Huang Guan pointed to the northeast of Asia and said, "If the distance of the East China Sea is endless, our land and America are connected as if from head to tail, and it must encompass half of the East China Sea."

"I have seen that the map drawn by Your Highness is very close to the description of the Jurchens in the East Sea and the memories of wandering merchants in the Western Regions. The proportions drawn by the Ming Dynasty are particularly close to the Hunyitu survey."

"Just now, I have combined the first chapter of the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, the square field, the fourth chapter, the small width, and the ninth chapter, the Pythagorean theorem, and deduced that the road required must be ten thousand miles long."

"The closer we get to the Far North, the colder it gets. The land is covered in ice and snow, and the population is sparse, making it difficult to supply the army. Among them, the problem of keeping warm and food is the most important issue for this expedition."

To put it simply, Huang Guan calculated the approximate straight-line distance from the northern border of the Ming Dynasty to the Bering Strait based on the size of the map, his own knowledge of topography, and the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, combined with mental calculations.

He is a top student, the strongest top student in the past 800 years, and he is so unreasonable.

Zhu Ying looked calm, as if he was not moved by it.

"That's right. The most critical issue now is the baggage. The march will take too long, and there is no supply here, so it's difficult to continue. When we reach the strait, we have to wait for it to freeze over, so it's hard to guarantee food for the soldiers."

After hearing what the crown prince said, Huang Guan looked at the map carefully and said, "I think we can take the water route, with ships escorting the expeditionary army first, heading north along the coast, and then disembarking and walking when we reach a place that cannot be entered."

"This can preserve the soldiers' strength and also transport things to keep warm. If we are closer, we might as well send more people to help transport the supplies and wait for the sea to freeze over before crossing."

Zhu Ying blinked.

It seems like the difficult problem that I have been thinking about in the past few days has been solved just like that?

It’s probably been less than an incense stick of time since I came here.

Does having a high IQ allow you to act so recklessly?

Ultimately, Zhu Ying was just being too stubborn. Because he knew that the boats could not pass through, he subconsciously ignored the possibility of taking a boat.

Furthermore, both in history and in later generations, people often talk about crossing the Bering Strait on foot. Since the Pacific Ocean is so vast, it is impossible for modern ships to cross it, so the role of the fleet is subconsciously ignored.

In fact, Zhu Ying has recently felt that he seems to have overlooked something. Perhaps in another two days, he will be able to think of using ships to transport food and fodder to solve the problem.

It’s just that Huang Guan’s performance was a bit exaggerated.

With just a few glances and some calculations in his mind, he not only deduced the distance, but also flexibly solved the food and fodder distribution plan.

Huang Guan was also very particular about his choice of words. There was no trace of arrogance or the intention of usurping the throne. He took care of Zhu Ying's face as the crown prince and acted as a think tank to solve the problem.

However, this feeling reminded Zhu Ying of the time in the examination room of his previous life, when he was racking his brains over the difficult questions on the test paper, the top student next to him finished the answer in one go, stood up and handed in the paper, and finally got full marks.

At this point, Zhu Ying finally understood why Cao Cao wanted to kill Yang Xiu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

This feeling is indeed not pleasant.

Fortunately, Zhu Ying was not a jealous person. He was mostly surprised by the emergence of a talent like Huang Guan.

As of now, Zhu Yingdu has an understanding that Comrade Huang Guan is a brick and can be moved wherever he is needed.

"Go on, tell me some additional details about the supplies." Zhu Ying had obviously mastered the usage of Huang Guan.

Huang Guan did not hide it. After a brief calculation in his mind, he began to tell the story.

How much food and fodder does an army of 50,000 need? What should be the proportion of the fleet? What rations are needed for the round trip?

Then we will discuss the response plan if the sea surface is not frozen, the training when encountering ice after the sea surface freezes, and the rescue method for soldiers who fall into the water...

Huang Guan spoke in great detail, even calculating the basic numbers, as if he had already prepared a draft in mind before coming and was just repeating it now.

This went on for about a cup of tea, and Zhu Ying naturally didn't listen much.

For these specific matters, Huang Guan could write a set of regulations afterwards and then give it to the Ministry of War for reference.

As the crown prince, he doesn't need to worry about these details.