Chapter 5, Chapter 85: After Ascending the Throne (4)
Zhou She guessed that he was referring to the new ship, and after his initial surprise, asked, "Has it been tested?"
This ship was unlike anything seen before. As the vessel used by the mission, it was an unprecedented 11-mast ship with a large sail, equipped with a variety of new weapons and new ammunition developed by the Ziyun Temple. It was practically a maritime overlord.
Of course, the Ning Dynasty's principle is to love peace, and they will not attempt to "persuade others with reason" unless absolutely necessary.
Gao Zhengyang said happily, "The test voyage has already been completed, and everything went smoothly."
Zhou She couldn't sit still any longer: "I'll go and take a look."
Gao Zhengyang was prepared, and the group rushed to the anchorage.
Zhou She originally thought that since he had seen large ships from later generations, he wouldn't be so surprised by ancient ships, but he soon realized that he was wrong.
The colossal structure stood before us, its sails billowing, its visual impact still incredibly powerful.
Gao Zhengyang invited Zhou She onto the boat, and the two stood on the deck facing the wind. The boat moved slowly down the river, and the wind made their hair flutter.
Gao Zhengyang dared not take the emperor too far. He only took the boat for a short while, letting Zhou She experience it briefly, before mooring it again. He then boasted, "Your Majesty, this boat is extremely stable, and it can accommodate more people than before."
Zhou She noticed it too and asked with a smile, "Have you improved your craftsmanship again?"
Gao Zhengyang didn't hide anything: "We used a craftsman's blueprints, so the rudder is different. The material of the sails has also been changed; this one is stiffer than the previous one."
Worried that Zhou She might not understand, he carefully explained it to him.
Zhou She listened attentively, and finally asked, "Where is that craftsman now?"
As one of the members building the large ship, Zhao Fu was at the back of the team.
He suddenly heard a sound ahead, and before he knew what had happened, the crowd turned around as if searching for something.
Zhao Fu turned his head as well, but his sleeve was grabbed and a voice that was both amused and exasperated rang out: "We were looking for you, what are you looking back for? Hurry up and go up!"
Zhao Fu was shocked to find himself in the person they were looking for, and his heart nearly stopped. He walked forward stiffly, his mind racing as he recalled what he had done.
What happened? He wondered anxiously, could there be a problem with the rudder?
A tiny gap appeared in the crowd before him. Zhao Fu struggled forward through this gap, completely oblivious to the envious glances of his colleagues.
The crowd gradually dispersed, revealing the figures of the two people at the front.
Zhao Fu had met Gao Zhengyang, the Minister of Works, once. After the design drawings for the ship's rudder were completed, Gao Zhengyang took the initiative to ask to meet him, saying that he wanted to apply this technology to large ships.
Zhao Fu's gaze swept to the side, his heart pounding even harder. His eyes caught sight of a bright yellow hem of clothing, and he dared not look any longer, abruptly lowering his head.
Gao Zhengyang spoke first: "Your Majesty, he was the one who improved the technology of the ship's rudder."
Zhao Fu was on the verge of tears, his legs trembling.
Even the emperor was blown out! What on earth happened? Could it be that the voyage was going badly?
However, the male voice that rang out was very gentle, with a hint of amusement: "You are Zhao Fu?"
Zhao Fu nodded nervously, his tense mood somewhat calmed by the voice.
"Yes, I am a commoner."
"Don't be nervous." The emperor's voice became even gentler. "Your rudder modification is excellent. If you dare to submit the blueprints, you can do even better. Although it is a small modification, the manpower and resources saved to the court are immeasurable."
Many people, in important situations, only think about protecting themselves and avoiding mistakes. Zhou She wouldn't blame them, but Zhao Fu was the one he wanted.
Zhao Fu's face suddenly turned red, but his voice was still excited: "This humble subject has been drawing this blueprint for a long time. It was only because Lord Gao said he needed it that it could be placed on this giant ship."
He also took the opportunity to flatter Gao Zhengyang.
Zhou She turned around and glanced at Gao Zhengyang, noticing his reserved smile.
"You need not refuse; you will be rewarded for your merits. First, I will reward you with one hundred taels of gold. Second, I will specially promote you to the position of Master Craftsman of the Ministry of Works. In the future, you can focus on your studies and come up with some good ideas for me."
Zhao Fu was stunned. Gao Zhengyang quickly gave him a gentle nudge: "Aren't you going to thank me?"
Turning his head, he added, "Your Majesty, he's gone mad with joy!"
Zhou She waved for Zhao Fu to stand up, then raised his voice slightly, addressing all the craftsmen present: "I know what you are thinking. If you can come up with a method that benefits the country, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."
*
In early February of the first year of the Jinghua era, the imperial examination proceeded smoothly.
At the court meeting, Zhou She began to discuss the arrangements for the westward journey with his ministers.
He did have a few candidates in mind for the mission.
In addition, there are many other preparatory matters that need to be finalized.
The current Minister of Revenue, Lu Chen, was personally promoted by him. This man came from an ordinary background and had been navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom for many years. He still had a fiercely stubborn temper and had offended countless people. He could drive a man mad with anger with just a few words.
Lu Chenka was scrambling to meet the budget, which was incredibly frustrating, but what he said made perfect sense, and he wouldn't let it go: "Your Majesty, the national treasury is insufficient, and there is also the matter of post-disaster reconstruction in Chuzhou. I believe that some expenses for the westward journey are completely unnecessary and should not be publicized too much."
Zhou She initially valued his frugality, but he never expected that Zhou She would end up cutting off his budget.
In the later years of the Hong'an Dynasty, Zhou She took over the Ministry of Revenue and had a fairly clear understanding of the national economic situation. He stared at Lu Chen, secretly doing some calculations in his mind, and really wanted to ask him: Do you think I'm stupid? When did we become this poor?
Lu Chen stood firm and refused to back down: "The Ministry of Works has already exceeded its budget for shipbuilding."
Upon hearing this, Gao Zhengyang realized he also had his own business to attend to, so he quickly stepped forward and shifted the blame far away: "I was acting under orders, and all expenditures were submitted in accordance with proper procedures and were approved by Minister Lu!"
Lu Chen, without looking to the side, said: "I approved it, but that doesn't mean you didn't exceed the budget, Lord Gao. The initial proposal you submitted specified far more funds than what was actually approved!"
Zhou Xuyan, the Minister of Rites, was the chief examiner for the special imperial examination and was currently supervising the exam. The Vice Minister of Rites spoke on his behalf: "Lord Lu, the delegation represents the face of our Great Ning Dynasty. How can we treat them so lightly?"
Lu Chen: "I know a thing or two about what constitutes necessary expenditure and what constitutes extravagant spending. I also know the people you want to include! How many people should the delegation have, and how many do you want to include?"
The Vice Minister of Rites immediately retreated, and Gao Zhengyang silently took a step back, pretending that he had not said anything.
Finally, facing Lu Chen's righteous and imposing face, Zhou She felt helpless: "First, present me with the expenses for this period of time."
You can't embarrass a minister you've chosen in public.
Seeing that he had the upper hand, Lu Chen took a step back.
Zhou She had reviewed the expenses for the past few months.
It was indeed more expensive than he had imagined, but it was still far from being unaffordable.
Lu Chen responded, "In my opinion, if everything is judged by 'dignity' and ostentation is the primary standard, the national treasury cannot withstand such turmoil."
After he finished speaking, he tilted his head slightly up to look at the lower half of the emperor's face.
Zhou She was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "My dear minister, you have thought this through very deeply. In that case, send me the calculated budget first. But in any case, you must remember that this involves the national system of our dynasty, and being too frugal is not a good thing."
Lu Chen already had a plan in mind, so he immediately agreed.
After speaking, he hesitated for a moment and added, "His Majesty recently instructed people from Ziyun Temple to assist the Ministry of War in refining gunpowder. Does this indicate an intention to launch a northern expedition?"
This is also a huge expense, and every approval for the fund transfer has to go through Lu Chen's hands, so he certainly knows that.
But what he was more worried about was whether the emperor would resort to force.
Zhou She understood his meaning and said quietly, "There's no rush. Ning Dynasty isn't ready yet. Let's focus on the present matters first."
After saying that, he chuckled and added, "I should be able to live for another ten years or so without any problem. During that time, it would be good if I could deal with the Northern Barbarians."
Lu Chen bowed his head and said, "Long live Your Majesty."
Zhou She shook his head: "No need for flattery, go back and take care of your business."
After seeing Lu Chen off, Zhong Shuo, with an air of maturity, peeked out from outside the hall.
Zhou She didn't even look up: "What?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou She calmly interrupted him: "No."
To be honest, he had considered sending Zhong Cong and Zhong Huang in to gain some experience.
However, both children are only six years old. He just has a relatively open-minded educational philosophy, but he hasn't gone to the point of being insane.
Zhong Shuo had already guessed that he wouldn't agree, and he wasn't in a hurry: "Your Majesty, I go in and out of the palace every day, always thinking of what I can do for Your Majesty and for the Ning Dynasty..."
"What do you want to do?" Zhou She finally stopped writing and looked up at him.
“I can…” Zhong Shuo thought carefully, and after a moment said, “Boost morale!”
Zhou She almost laughed when he heard this. He glanced at Zhong Shuo and suddenly said, "I'm worried about you."
Zhong Shuo was deeply moved and solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I am already nine years old. Although there are risks involved in the voyage, please trust me."
Zhou She thought silently, how could he be at ease? The mortality rate was a major problem, not to mention... this child's belief in Taoism already worried him greatly, what if he really went to the West, wouldn't he also become a Catholic?
Moreover, his mission was not Xu Fu's fleet.
So he said, "Of course I trust you. Now I'm giving you a task. Deliver a letter to Mr. Liang in Bingzhou."
The mission is being formed, and we should also ask Liang Jichuan whether he wants to go on the voyage.
If he insists on going, Zhou She will have to make preparations in advance to avoid the position of Dean becoming vacant.
However, Liang Jichuan was already so engrossed in his pleasure that he had no desire to marry.
The medical school officially began enrolling students in February of this year, and Liang Jichuan personally oversaw the enrollment process for a period of time.
Of course, long before the preparations for the medical school were even complete, he simply bought a house in Bingzhou and opened a clinic there.
Besides seeing patients every day, I would stroll around the medical school to get a general idea of its layout.
Before the lecturer even arrived, he had already begun recruiting local impoverished people to temporarily serve as apprentices at the clinic.
As for funding... Dr. Liang has plenty of money, and besides, doesn't the medical school also have funding?
Therefore, in Liang Xiao's reply, he first expressed his acceptance of the duties of the Academy, secondly, he wanted funding, and thirdly, he hoped that the mission could bring back some books for him.
Although Zhou She was prepared for this outcome, his head still started to ache when he saw the sentence in the middle about needing funding.
"Wasn't the funding already approved?" Zhou She muttered to himself. "What did he do?"
If he didn't know Liang Xiao's personality, he would have suspected that the money had been embezzled.
He casually opened the second letter, which was written by the medical school's accountant, one of his confidants.
He reported on the use of funds during this period one by one, mainly mentioning that Liang Xiao had already started recruiting students before the enrollment period had even started. Should this be stopped?
After reading it, Zhou She felt deeply helpless. It wasn't because of Liang Xiao, but rather…
How exactly is he supposed to get money out of Lu Chen?
In April of the first year of the Jinghua era, the mission was fully formed and all preparations were complete.
Zhou She personally saw him off, instructing him on the goals of the trip: first, to demonstrate the power of the Ning Dynasty; second, to sweep away pirates along the way; third, to absorb the current technological and cultural achievements of the West; and fourth, to find new grain varieties.
The fleet anchored in the harbor, a hundred giant ships lined up in a row, led by the largest one. Flags fluttered wildly in the wind, silently listening to the emperor's final instructions.
Finally, the giant ship sailed south along the canal, anchored at Changle Port in Hengzhou, waited for favorable winds to set sail, and began its westward journey.
The giant ship's sails billowed, and in the morning sunlight, it gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.
When Zhou She returned to the palace, a palace attendant rushed over and said, "Your Majesty, someone outside the palace requests an audience."
The newcomer strode in, and morning light streamed through the window lattice. Dust motes floated in the air as the emperor and his ministers sat facing each other, their voices seemingly lightening as they spoke.
The great ship of the new era sets sail. And everything Zhou She does here is for that ship to sail even further.
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