After appeasing the two daughters and his son, the emperor returned to the palace. It was already late at night.
Early in the morning, Huang Zongxi and Zheng Sen came to the palace, waiting to perform their duties.
Unexpectedly, at Chen time, the eunuch informed: "Your Majesty was very tired yesterday. You two will stay for a while. There are some refreshments here. Please enjoy them as you like——"
In shock, the two of them had to sit down and have tea and snacks.
Being a layman has this advantage: you can enjoy the food of the palace at will and have some free time.
I don't know how long it took, but it wasn't until lunch was served that the eunuch spoke and the emperor got up.
Zheng Sen had no choice but to write: I worked hard yesterday, and it is about to rise at noon...
When the two of them saw the emperor, they no longer looked like the red robes they had yesterday. Instead, they wore a cloak outside and a single coat inside, looking very chic and unrestrained.
Quietly waiting for the emperor to finish eating, he followed closely. If not for his clothes, he would be exactly the same as an ordinary eunuch.
Emperor Zhu was enjoying his after-dinner snacks in a carefree manner, but when he saw the two people arriving, he restrained himself a little.
"Let's go, let's go play outside the city today -"
After saying that, he changed into regular clothes, and the two of them had no choice but to follow.
"This trip has something to do with your Zheng family."
At the emperor's request, the three of them got into the carriage together.
Although they were incognito, the total number of men and horses exceeded a thousand, and they headed out of the city in a mighty manner. The emperor looked at Zheng and Huang with nervous expressions on their faces, and couldn't help but say.
"Minister?" Zheng Sen was stunned and quickly bowed his head.
"When you leave the palace, don't be too polite."
Zhu Yixi waved her hand, making the two of them relax slightly.
When Huang Zongxi saw the emperor being so gentle, he opened his mouth but stopped talking.
Zheng Sen on the side saw this and suddenly realized.
Before they could speak, Emperor Zhu himself said: "Don't say anything about the world's heavy burdens, preciousness, etc. I have told the cabinet about this trip, and I won't be afraid of being mentioned in the annals of history when I bring you out."
With that said, he continued the topic: "This time we are going to the shipbuilding yard."
Shipyard?
The two of them were confused. They didn't know what was good about shipbuilding, but they didn't dare to ask and could only keep it in their hearts.
I don't know how long it took for the carriage to stop.
The three people got out of the car and saw two large ships.
One of them is roughly the shape of a fortune ship, a pot-bellied man, about 2,000 tons (700 tons), and is very large. The sails are of a Western style, and two cannons are added to each wing. It is a combination of Chinese and Western.
The other one is smaller, only 1,500 tons (500 tons), which is almost the same as the Spanish Galen ship. It is a large three-masted sailing ship with two decks.
It has five guns on each wing, a ram on the bow, and one gun on the stern.
"Western ship?"
Zheng Sen was stunned and blurted out uncontrollably.
"That's right."
The emperor said with excitement: "Since last year, I have asked the craftsmen to renovate the Fu Ship and install some cannons. Then I asked the craftsmen to build the ship together with the shipbuilders hired from Macao."
Zhu Yixi pointed to the Chinese and Western Shanfu boat on the left and said:
"This is a cargo ship. It is roughly in the shape of a Fu ship, but it uses the sails, artillery and other advantages of the Franji people. It has a scale of two thousand materials and is enough to serve as a sea-going tanker."
"The other one is a frigate, which can also be called a battleship. It is completely imitated by the Franji people. It is made of 1,500 materials."
"With these two kinds of ships, why worry about the lack of prosperity in shipping?"
Speaking of this, Zhu Yixi suddenly asked: "Zheng Sen, you should be familiar with shipping. How many Western ships does your family have?"
Zheng Sen was stunned and said: "Your Majesty, my family is mostly used for business. Each of these Western-style ships costs tens of thousands of taels, which is equivalent to ten Ming Dynasty ships. Therefore, my family only has two or three captured."
"And this kind of ship requires a large number of artillery, as well as skilled sailors. Whether it is artillery or sailors, my family is always in short supply..."
Zhu Yixi shook his head slightly and said nothing.
Ultimately, it's still a matter of cost.
Just like the firearms in the Ming army, no matter how good the Dulumi gun is, it can't stand up to the cheapness of bird guns, so it can only be installed on a large scale.
The same is true at sea. Zheng Zhilong relies on the large-scale lucky ships to kill the elephants due to the ants. At present, the Galen ship is not enough to overturn the numerical advantage.
But in the 18th and 19th centuries, this method no longer worked. A single salvo of hundreds of artillery pieces was enough to kill an entire nest of ants.
For Zhu Yixi, it doesn't matter if it can be solved with money.
The two-thousand-material fortune ship only cost about two to three thousand taels to build. The labor was cheap, but the wood was expensive. It could deliver two thousand shi of grain in one trip. If the wood were not hard to find, he really wanted to build a hundred or so ships, and he could complete it in just a few trips.
The water transport mission is over.
"Damen should be rich in wood, right?"
Suddenly, Zheng Sen was caught off guard and heard the emperor's question again. He couldn't help but said: "The senior officials have a lot of wood——"
"That's good."
The emperor nodded: "Let the Ministry of Industry take over the matter with your family!"
Huang Zongxi was a little confused. Who was the senior official? How could he ask Zheng Sen? Did the Zheng family have one that was not in the imperial court?
After a careful inspection, Zhu Yixi was quite satisfied. When he was about to leave, there was suddenly a burst of rapid footsteps.
Soon, there was a burst of inquiries.
"Your Majesty, there is news from the Ministry of Industry that Mr. Wang fell down..."
Tian Ren came over in small steps and whispered.
"Huh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows and said in disbelief: "Why did it fall suddenly?"
He said, hurriedly: "Quick, go to Mr. Wang's house -"
When the carriage buzzed, wind blew under the eunuch's feet. Zheng Sen and Huang Zongxi also chased after him quickly, but their faces were covered with dust.
"Brother Zheng?" Huang Zongxi was covered in circles, his mouth full of dust.
"Why are you standing there in a daze? Chase after--"
Zheng Sen ran away, waving the pen and paper in his hand and chasing after him desperately.
Huang Zongxi chased him with his big beard and wide robe, and it was miserable.
After a while, two cavalrymen returned and took the two of them directly onto the road. Apparently the emperor thought of them.
When we arrived at Wangfu, the carriage came to a slow stop.
Because of his contribution to the instrument, Wang Xi was also granted the title of Baron by the emperor. He was named after his hometown of Jingyang and was named Jingyang Nan.
Therefore, it is not just a house but a mansion.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Zhu Yixi jumped up suddenly and ran into the house amid a burst of concerns such as "ancestor" and "grandpa".
As soon as I was admitted to the hospital, I smelled a strong herbal smell again.
"His Majesty--"
When everyone in the palace saw the emperor, they immediately knelt down and cried.
His adopted son even knelt beside the bed and called: "Dad, Dad, Your Majesty is here——"
"Your Majesty?" Wang Wei woke up faintly, his slightly parted lips were completely opened, some saliva flowed out, and the emperor's face appeared in front of his eyes.
"Kui Xin Gong, I'm here!" Zhu Yixi held his hand tightly, her words trembling.
"I was born in the fifth year of Longqing (1571) and grew up in the Wanli period. I witnessed with my own eyes the prosperity and decline of the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about it. It was only in the second year of Tianqi that I became a Jinshi and believed in Nestorianism..."
Wang Xi slowly opened his lips and muttered almost word for word.