"You've aged a lot."

The next day, when Zhu Ying saw Yao Guangxiao, he couldn't help but sigh.

Seven years ago, Zhu Ying had just arrived in the capital. After his identity change, it was normal for Zhu Di to treat him differently, but he was much more wary of Yao Guangxiao.

The title of the black-robed prime minister in history naturally made him admired by later generations.

In comparison, when Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive, Zhu Di was not worth mentioning.

As a father, Zhu Yuanzhang's suppression of the princes was unmatched.

As the crown prince, Zhu Ying was favored by Zhu Yuanzhang and did not need to be bound by the historical Emperor Yongle.

The most troublesome one is Yao Guangxiao, this guy loves to cause trouble the most.

Zhu Ying could even guess that Yao Guangxiao played a major role in forcing him to come to the capital from Peking.

But then again, if it weren't for Yao Guangxiao, he might not be able to inherit the throne now.

After exiling Yao Guangxiao to Goryeo to cause trouble, Zhu Ying felt much more relaxed in the capital.

Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble Yao Guangxiao will cause. This guy must be doing something secretly, and it will be difficult to control.

Even if Zhu Ying is confident, it will be troublesome if there are too many things to do.

It would be much easier if we threw it to Goryeo.

Seven years. How many seven years are there in a lifetime? Especially for Yao Guangxiao, who was already 57 years old at that time.

But Zhu Ying didn't treat him badly.

He controlled Goryeo, fought against Japan, and competed with Lee Seong-gye.

This allowed Yao Guangxiao to display his talents and ambitions, and also allowed him to leave a deep mark in history.

However, the hard work and running around over the years have made the aging Yao Guangxiao even older.

"Your Highness is more mature than before."

Yao Guangxiao was also sighing at this moment, looking at the short mustache on Zhu Ying's face.

Zhu Ying was eighteen years old back then, and is only twenty-six now. How young he is.

Seven years was a period of time, neither long nor short, but the Ming Dynasty had undergone earth-shaking changes.

The capital had undergone the greatest changes, but what Yao Guangxiao had seen on his journey from Goryeo was that the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, commerce was thriving, and most people no longer had pale faces, and they could still eat meat even during non-festival times.

The official road became wider and flatter, and there were fewer bumps along the way.

Refugees are almost nowhere to be seen, and even beggars, who were once everywhere, are now rare.

Zhu Ying, who caused all this, is only 26 years old this year.

The princes of many dynasties were still studying how to fight for power. Even Crown Prince Zhu Biao was patrolling the entire Ming Dynasty, studying, and helping to handle government affairs.

In just seven years, the Ming Dynasty had become something he no longer recognized.

So what will happen in ten or twenty years?

At this moment, Yao Guangxiao really wanted to stay in the capital and witness the increasingly prosperous Ming Dynasty in the last years of his life.

Zhu Ying didn't expect that after not seeing him for seven years, the ruthless Yao Guangxiao actually became sentimental.

He then started to talk about his ideas about his own mythology system.

This is just a reiteration.

As Zhu Ying spoke, Yao Guangxiao, who had been a little absent-minded, became serious.

The back, which was originally leaning backward, also tilted slightly forward.

When Zhu Ying talked about the integration of the world mythology system, there was already some dazzling brilliance in Yao Guangxiao's eyes.

When it comes to religious beliefs, there is no doubt that Yao Guangxiao must be a great expert.

To say that he has any personal beliefs is probably nonsense.

Sometimes, the more knowledgeable a person is, the more he or she understands the twists and turns involved.

What was the original purpose of establishing religious beliefs? It was to enable rulers to better rule the people and to make the people behave themselves.

For example, Buddhism emphasizes the afterlife, and the sufferings here are for a better next life.

Such people will be less irritable and obey the rulers' rule.

What surprised Yao Guangxiao the most was that Zhu Ying proposed another possibility for religious belief: assimilation.

All the myths in the world are incorporated into a large system and then ranked.

This is a spiritual weapon.

"I have no more wishes in this life. I hope that after my death, the Crown Prince will take the throne and make me a god."

Yao Guangxiao looked at Zhu Ying with sharp eyes and spoke in a very serious tone.

Zhu Ying didn't expect Yao Guangxiao to have such a request.

I think maybe this can be considered another way of being remembered forever.

If the future Ming Dynasty occupies half of the world, then the world mythology system will surely spread throughout the world and be firmly believed by people.

By then, the story of Yao Guangxiao will also be passed down through the ages.

"Can."

When talking to smart people, you don’t need to waste time talking, and the meaning will be understood.

Yao Guangxiao thought carefully and said, "Buddhism is more widely spread than Taoism. The theory of the four continents is more convincing. I have not yet fully understood the key point. I will inevitably talk to Your Highness about it when the time comes."

Zhu Ying nodded: "This matter is of great importance. I can only provide a general idea. The specific settings will have to be left to the Master."

At this point, Zhu Ying paused and asked, "Master, do you know that I have offered a reward for finding the Weeping Tree?"

Yao Guangxiao didn't know why the grandson suddenly came here, so he could only reply: "I heard something on my way to the capital."

You can't help but listen. Now that the news has spread, every post station is telling the story, a hereditary marquis.

Even if he didn't ask specifically, Yao Guangxiao already knew the specific details.

But he didn't care much about this matter.

Zhu Ying did not continue speaking, but instead instructed Guo Zhong, who was serving beside him, "Bring me the map I had earlier."

Guo Zhong hurried to the study and brought the map to the main hall.

Zhu Ying walked down the steps of the main hall and placed the map on the table next to Yao Guangxiao and unfolded it.

"Master, please look."

This is a rough world map drawn by Zhu Ying based on his memories from his previous life.

The reason why it is an approximation is because of the proportion, but the general idea of ​​the land is correct.

"Where is this?"

Yao Guangxiao took a careful look and quickly discovered the difference.

He has some knowledge of geography.

The Ming Dynasty, grasslands, and even Africa and Europe marked on the map have all been heard of.

After the Great Ming Unified Map was completed, he also watched it with Prince Yan.

But on the other side of the East China Sea, there was a large area of ​​land, which was obviously not in Yao Guangxiao's memory.

Zhu Ying also wanted to use this world map to shock Yao Guangxiao.

I never thought that Yao Guangxiao was actually very familiar with geography.

He forgot one thing, that Yao Guangxiao once worked as a monk in Tianjie Temple.

Tianjie Temple was the place where the Ming Dynasty received foreign envoys.

Therefore, Yao Guangxiao was exposed to the concept of the world at an early age. Even though no envoys had ever visited Europe and Africa, he could hear about the existence of Europe and Africa from envoys from other countries.

It is normal for most of the known civilized countries to have some knowledge of this.

Moreover, Yao Guangxiao was proficient in Buddhism, and many Buddhist scriptures were written in Sanskrit and Persian.

If Yao Guangxiao didn't understand these, how could he have mastered them?

Although he is not as exaggerated as Huang Guan who has a photographic memory and knows dozens of foreign languages, he is also a top talent.

"This is the place where the weeping tree is that I'm looking for." Zhu Ying said in a deep voice.

Yao Guangxiao showed obvious surprise on his face, and subconsciously said: "The place described in the Dongshan Sutra actually exists."

After listening to this, Zhu Ying fell silent.

He found that everyone seemed to be really into reading.

The old man was like this, Huang Guan was like this, and now Yao Guangxiao is like this too.

Can you act so recklessly just because you read a lot?

In fact, this is the difference between later generations and the present, because there are really not many books in the Ming Dynasty compared to later generations, especially ancient books like Shan Hai Jing which are about gods, ghosts and strange stories, which are extracurricular reading materials for most scholars.

I want to see other ones, but there are none.

Novels and stories of the Ming Dynasty were very popular, but the Ming Dynasty had just begun, so there were not so many stories.

After Shi Nai'an's Water Margin and Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms were published in the Ming Dynasty, they became extremely popular and spread all over the country. Even illiterate people would choose to go to teahouses to listen to the stories.

Huang Guan and Yao Guangxiao were all top talents. Zhu Yuanzhang never stopped studying them even after he became emperor, so he was naturally familiar with them.

Zhu Ying continued, "Master, please look at the map. It has been said since ancient times that the Eastern Land of Tang is the Southern Continent, this Kunlun Continent can be the Western Continent, and that Oubalo is the Northern Continent."

"Today, all civilized countries in the world can communicate with each other freely. Even if they are far away, they are aware of each other's existence. Only this Dongsheng Shenzhou is unknown to anyone."

"If we apply the theory of the four continents to the world today, there will be wise people who will point out that there is no lack of the Dongsheng Divine Continent."

"What if Dongsheng Shenzhou is suddenly discovered amidst these doubts?"

There was a faint smile on Zhu Ying's lips.

Yao Guangxiao naturally understood.

When the world mythology system is proposed, it will certainly be criticized by many people because it involves the religious beliefs of many countries.

In some places where religious beliefs are strong, dissatisfaction is inevitable.

They are all gods, why is your god more noble than mine?

This is all made up by you, it can't be true.

You mentioned four continents, but why is there one missing?

When Dongsheng Shenzhou is suddenly discovered at this time, the situation will be reversed.

It turns out that the stories in myths are all true!

Of course, those who raise questions and doubts must be knowledgeable people.

But the knowledgeable people have already believed it, so why shouldn't others believe it?

Yao Guangxiao had no doubt about the existence of Dongsheng Shenzhou, or America.

The Crown Prince has already offered a reward of tens of millions of strings of cash, and there is also a hereditary marquisate. He is just kidding you.

Moreover, the existence of the expeditionary force was not concealed. Although it was not published in the official gazette, anyone with a way could know about it. Even if Yao Guangxiao only came back for one day, he would have heard some rumors.

“Integrating myths from other countries will inevitably make them more realistic. Although I am well versed in Buddhism and Taoism, I am unfamiliar with most of the countries in this world and still need some help.” Yao Guangxiao said seriously.

Since it is a world mythology system, all gods must be included.

This is not something that can be imagined or made up at random. It can only be accomplished by finding talented people who are well versed in religion in each place and working together with them.

Only in this way can the effect of assimilation be achieved.

"Don't worry, I have already issued an order to Duke Cao, and he will collect talents in this field and bring them back to Ming Dynasty. The Jinyiwei has also been preparing for a long time."

Ever since he had this idea, Zhu Ying had already been making preparations.

Li Jinglong was going to the West, so of course he had to seize such a good opportunity.

For now, the myths of the Central Plains and its surrounding areas, including Buddhism, are enough for Yao Guangxiao to write about for a long time, and he can continue to add to them when Li Jinglong returns.

The Honghuang mythology system is based on the Central Plains mythology, and then spreads out from the periphery. Once the core is determined, it becomes much easier to compile.

Yao Guangxiao nodded.

He already had an idea in his mind. The dispute between Buddhism and Taoism that the prince had mentioned earlier was the mainstream of the prehistoric mythology system.

Written in vernacular Chinese in the form of a story book, it is easier to spread.

With the endorsement of the court, it can be published in the official gazette after completion and occupy a large space.

If you can't put it down in one go, you can also read it in serial form.

The Imperial Gazette was sold overseas, so there was no need to worry about it being spread externally.

"Don't rush to start. The wizard just came back. You can rest for a few days first."

"In order to facilitate the Master, I will issue an imperial decree to confer the title of Junior Master of the Master's Mansion on the Master, so that the Master can travel more easily, consult books, and transfer relevant personnel."

Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Actually, he wanted to make a joke about old James, but he felt that it was a bit offensive.

Compiling the ancient mythology system was also a very important matter for the Ming Dynasty. In addition, Yao Guangxiao's trip to Goryeo made great contributions whether it was to fight against Japan or to compete with Lee Seong-gye.

When conquering Japan, Goryeo did indeed take up a lot of Japan's energy, otherwise it would have been difficult for the Ming Dynasty to have smooth sailing.

Goryeo had been harassing the Ming border frequently, so Yao Guangxiao stabilized the Ming border in Goryeo, so he naturally made great contributions.

Yao Guangxiao was a little dazed.

When he was in Tianjie Temple, he was determined to become an official, but in the end he got nothing.

Unwilling to accept this, he had no choice but to take a radical approach and follow King Yan.

Now, after returning to the capital, he has reached the rank of fourth grade.

It's really unpredictable.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness. I will definitely do my best to compile a mythology system and not let Your Highness down."

When Yao Guangxiao was promoted to the fourth-rank official position, he was not as excited as he had imagined. Instead, he was perhaps more filled with regret.

Whether he was following the Prince of Yan or serving as the imperial teacher in Goryeo, his power had already surpassed this level.

At least from now on, with the crown prince personally appointing him as such, he has become a minister of the Ming Dynasty and has been included in the official register.

Zhu Ying was very satisfied when he saw Yao Guangxiao, who used to look a little old but now had renewed his energy.

Using your talents in the right way is the best contribution to the Ming Dynasty.

After dealing with the matters concerning the mythology system, Zhu Ying had no time to sit idle.

After all, it is already February and the beginning of spring. It is time to teach Timur a lesson for his invasion of Tibet in the Ming Dynasty.

The troops were led by Xu Huizu, and the deployment of troops had been arranged long before.

Of course it is impossible to mobilize all 300,000 troops from the capital, otherwise who will protect the safety of the capital?

Including Xu Huizu, there were only a few thousand people from the capital who set out.

Before leaving, Zhu Ying naturally had to make some arrangements.