Zhu Zhanzhen has been thinking about the reason why Zhu Gaochi changed his temper and allowed him to go to Japan, but he just couldn't figure it out.

Back at the house, Zhu Zhanzhen ordered Xiaosheng to start preparing his luggage. He was going to Japan but he was not going to take them there with him. It would be most reassuring to stay in the Prince's Palace of Zhujiang County.

"Your Highness, I'm not worried about you going to Japan alone. I'll accompany you." Chen Xinyue originally thought that Zhu Zhanzhen was going to stay in Shuntian Mansion, but she didn't expect that he was going to Japan. She was worried in a foreign country.

"Xiaosheng and Chu'er will go with me. Don't worry, someone will take care of me. I'm not going to have fun. I have to take care of you when you are here." Zhu Zhanzhen refused. He did not dare to bring anyone with him to Japan.

"Your Highness, let Aliya accompany you. She is very skilled in martial arts and ordinary people are no match for her, so she can protect you."

Black Snake Ji is indeed a good female bodyguard. The reason why Chen Xinyue insisted on arranging for one person to come over was also because she was afraid that Zhu Zhanzhen would bring a new one back later.

Zhu Zhanchen nodded, so let's decide. Alia will go to Japan with me, and the others will return to Guangzhou. During my absence, everything will be decided by Xinyue.

After Zhu Zhanzhen made arrangements, he walked away. Chen Xinyue said to Aliya earnestly: "Alia, His Highness is not going to Japan to lead an army. You have to protect His Highness. Your Highness's safety is the first priority in everything."

"Sister Xinyue, I understand." Aliya replied obediently. She was still fierce outside, but a little cat at home. Although she was a head taller than everyone else, she was very respectful.

She is older than Chen Xinyue (older), but because Chen Xinyue is the royal concubine, others call her Sister Xinyue. In fact, she should be called empress, but it is obviously more cordial to refer to sisters.

Chen Xinyue looked at Aliya, hesitated for a while, and then reminded her: "Aliya, Your Highness went to Japan to do business. You must not be as unrestrained as usual, lest Your Highness lose the energy to do other things."

Alia's cheeks turned red. Chen Xinyue knew a little about what she was doing in the northwest. She couldn't delay Zhu Zhanzhen from doing his business, so even though it was embarrassing to talk about it, she still had to talk about it.

"Sister Xinyue, I understand, then I can do it once a day at most."

"ah???"

"Twice in three days?" Alya carefully asked for advice. She didn't know what to consider as reasonable or unreasonable.

Chen Xinyue's face darkened slightly: "Zara, how did you treat His Highness like this when you were in the northwest?"

Zara lowered her head and said embarrassedly. Aliya didn't seem to notice the problem yet: "Sometimes Zara and I are together."

Do you hear what others say?

Chen Xinyue's face was completely darkened. Zhu Zhanzhen was young and physically strong, but he couldn't withstand your torment like this.

"Nonsense! We can only go to Japan once every two days at most, not every three days. It's settled. If you have any objections, don't go."

Aliya bent her knees slightly: "I understand."

…

This year's New Year's banquet was particularly lively. Almost all the tributary countries sent people to the Ming Dynasty to congratulate the Ming Emperor.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, whose territory spanned ancient times and the present, and whose achievements were unrivaled, has just recovered from a serious illness.

He stood outside the Fengtian Palace and looked at the busy people in the palace. He felt filled with emotion and said to Xia Yuanji beside him: "Weizhe, tell me, did I commit the wrath of God?

Why are you so sick?"

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven and has the blessing of Heaven. Heaven is about to entrust you with great responsibilities. You must work hard first. There will surely be a greater future waiting for Your Majesty."

Zhu Di smiled slightly and waved his hand: "No, no, at my age, I have no willpower anymore."

"Your Majesty, why don't you go to the south after the New Year? The weather in the north is cold and cool, and Guangzhou is much warmer. Moreover, Guangzhou has changed greatly in recent years. When I went there two years ago, I was almost surprised and said no at Xiangjiang Port.

Say something." Xia Yuanji praised him without hesitation.

"I heard that this boy Zhan Yu built a huge statue of the Heavenly Concubine in Wanggang, Zhujiang County, waiting for Zheng He's return." Zhu Di asked as he felt at ease today.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it was almost completed when I went there. It should be completed now. It is more than 40 meters high and is very majestic."

"It's a waste of time and money. When Yao Guangxiao was here, he told me that Zhan Ming, the kid, doesn't believe in gods and Buddhas the most, but he spent so much money to build such a big statue of the concubine. Do you think he still believes it or not?"

Xia Yuanji did not answer his question.

Zhu Di thought of himself and said: "And what you said about Zheng He is true. He really left after hearing a word from Zhan Zhen. It must have been six years since he left. There has been no news. I don't know whether he is alive or dead."

die."

"He actually believed Zhan Zhen's words that the world is round. Do you think it's funny or not?"

"His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhujiang County is indeed an extraordinary person."

Zhu Di smiled happily: "Zhan Yu's ideas are beyond the reach of human beings. I don't know whether they are good or bad. He also said that the earth is round and that humans evolved from monkeys. If I hadn't been born in the royal family, I would have seen such things as steam engines with my own eyes.

I'm afraid I've already treated him as a lunatic."

"Hey, it's just that many of his actions have to be taken seriously. I have already allowed books such as Origins to be published, and I have also allowed him to implement three years of compulsory education. I have been thinking about whether this is right or wrong in the past two days.

"

Xia Yuanji continued this sentence: "Your Majesty's achievements are unparalleled in the world, and there is no need to discuss his merits. As for the wonderful ideas of His Highness the Prince of Pearl River, if Zheng He can come back, the imperial court will seal them off, I'm afraid.

If the torrent is irreversible, it will be irreversible."

Zhu Di nodded: "Yes, if Zheng He can come back, no one can argue with the facts. It's just Zheng He... when can he come back."

After chatting for a while, Zhu Di finally asked Xia Yuanji seriously: "Weizhe, among my sons, who do you think is the most suitable to be emperor?"

Xia Yuanji didn't dare to speak either.

"If you speak out boldly, I won't blame you."

The emperor said this, but you can't just believe it.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is benevolent and virtuous. He has overseen the country without making any mistakes for many years. Everyone in the government and the public is submissive. He respects heaven and loves the people, and is courteous and courteous."

"Your rhetoric is the same as everyone else's. Although Gao Chi does a good job, he is always steady, gentle and kind, but he is addicted to pleasure. Look at my children and grandchildren, except for him, none of them are walking like a dragon or a tiger.

Only Gao Chi has been in poor health all year round."

This is what Zhu Di is most worried about. Zhu Gaochi is not in good health, especially after winter. He has to be carefully taken care of. If the emperor's burden is on him, he doesn't know how long he can last. If the throne changes positions multiple times in a short period of time, the variables will be

Very big.

"Your Majesty, what a great saint."

The idea of ​​"good saintly grandson" appears again. This is the most common idea used by Zhu Di when he was hesitant about Zhu Gaochi's ability to assume the position of emperor.

"Good sage, are you talking about Zhan Ji, Zhan Yu, or Zhan Yi?" Zhu Di smiled slightly.

"They are all good saints." Zhu Zhanquan's experience in using soldiers like a god made people admire him with admiration. Although he was violent, he seemed to have a good talent in fighting.

Zhu Di sighed: "The Ming Dynasty's territory is huge."

"How far is it from the fishing sea in the north to Jiaozhi in the south? How far is it from the coast of the East China Sea to the Timurid Empire in the west? This vast territory cannot be defended unless it is conquered by those who are good at fighting. Gao Chi has a kind character.

, but he can tolerate it. According to his character, wars in distant places may occur in the future or it may be difficult to suppress them. These places are far away from the Central Plains, difficult to manage, and have little tax and food. In addition, with the advice of the Manchu civil servants, he may be unable to stop himself in the future.

I don't think he has the temperament I have."

Xia Yuanji was silent. From a civil servant's point of view, those deserts, Gobi, and wasteland grasslands were a burden to the Ming Dynasty. They could not contribute taxes, taxes, and had to send people to manage them. They also had to face foreign aggression from time to time.

Nuisance, Zhu Di clearly understood the work style of these civil servants.

Seeing that Xia Yuanji didn't speak, Zhu Di talked about things in Zhoushan.

"Back then, when Zhan Chang was in charge of the country, he went to Zhoushan to fight the Japanese pirates with Zheng He. Wasn't it the same on Zhoushan Island at that time? The Ming Dynasty's coastal defense retreated and wanted to allow Zhoushan's military households to move inward, so there was a rebellion between military households and pirates and Japanese pirates. The Central Plains

The land is full of outstanding people, and the land we don’t want, the land we think is useless, is the fat in the eyes of others, and there are many people who covet the Ming Dynasty.”

"If we take one step back, the enemies and those with different intentions will definitely take one step forward. If we take another step back, they will take ten or a hundred steps forward."

Zhu Di looked at the sky and said meaningfully: "Being an emperor is different from being a human being. You can be courteous, courteous, kind and generous. But you have to be able to suppress people, suppress the court, suppress foreigners, suppress brothers, suppress

Live with children and grandchildren.”

Zhu Di was still dissatisfied with Zhu Gaochi's character. He felt that Zhu Gaochi could not suppress Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaosui, or Zhu Zhanji. With so many capable people in the same dynasty and the royal clan, you say that the family is indeed prosperous, but there is no dispute.

Stealing is impossible.

When Zhu Di is around, these people fight overtly and covertly to maintain a standard that does not make Zhu Di angry. But when Zhu Di is not around, all the competition will come to light. Can Zhu Gaochi suppress it?

Zhu Di seemed to have foreseen a sword fight between clan brothers, and he wanted to avoid it, but even he couldn't think of a complete solution.

In the system of the Ming Dynasty, there was no prime minister, and many things had to be done by the emperor. However, how many people like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di could be there? The emperor was arbitrary and arbitrary, which was a big test for his ability and diligence.

Therefore, it is understandable that the later emperors relied heavily on the cabinet. The cabinet system has the shadow of a constitutional monarchy, but it is not a constitutional monarchy after all.

It can only be said that Zhu Di's requirements are too high. He is not choosing a successor, but choosing another himself. However, the country he has finally conquered cannot tolerate any sloppiness.

Putting aside his sons, Zhu Di set his sights on his grandchildren.

"Weizhe, what do you think of the child Zhan Chang?" Zhu Di asked Zhu Zhan Chang instead of Zhu Zhanji.

"His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhujiang County is outstanding in talent, supervises the country well, is good at finance, and has fantastic ideas in engineering. There is no one like him in China for thousands of years."

"What if he is allowed to govern in the future?"

Xia Yuanji thought deeply for a while and said: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhujiang County is the most like His Royal Highness the Crown Prince among all the emperors and grandsons. Although he has a reputation for being perverse outside, he has always been very kind. After so many years, those who have followed him have

The eunuchs and maids have never seen him punish anyone. Except for beheading the then chief envoy in Guangzhou Mansion, they have never heard of him punishing anyone. He is benevolent and loves the people, but he is also playful, and His Highness the Prince of Pearl River always has all his fantastic ideas.

Contrary to common sense, the debate about him in the court may never stop."

Xia Yuanji said it euphemistically, but speaking in plain language is inappropriate. He is a great person, but there are too many arguments.

Human cognition always has limitations, and so does the emperor.

"Alas..." Zhu Di sighed again.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Pearl River County has been very effective in assisting the government. If the grandson and His Highness the Prince of Pearl River County cooperate with each other and work together as brothers, I can guarantee that he will be as talented as your Majesty."

Zhu Di smiled: "Weizhe, your flattery must be the most comfortable thing I have heard in the past two years."

It was both flattery and bluntness. He believed that Taisun Taisun and Prince Zhujiang should be as capable as Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi when they cooperated with each other. However, there are always differences between brothers and father and son, which is easier said than done.

Zhu Di stretched out his hand, and the old eunuch hurriedly greeted him: "Prepare the dinner. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. I should also enjoy it."

…

At night, the palace was bustling with singing and dancing, people were drinking and drinking, and the lanterns were lit, making it seem like daytime.

Today, for the first time, the latest light bulbs were installed in the palace. A series of light bulbs turned on, making the night seem like day. The development of electricity is still limited by power plants and power transmission. Zhu Zhanzhen's knowledge cannot allow him to solve this problem. At this time

What to do.

Throw money.

Zhu Zhanxang spent money on people in Guangzhou to study electricity, mainly students from Nanhai University. Those who are interested in it after graduation can study it. If they are successful, they will make a lot of money. Under the heavy rewards, there will be brave men, and electricity is a rising industry.
To be continued...