Because His Majesty the Emperor personally sat in charge, the spring of the second year of the Qianyuan Dynasty ended, and the marking work officially began on February 18. All passing papers are transferred from the receiving office to the sealing office, then to the transcription office, and finally to the palm paper office for the examiners to review.

Master Pardon didn't participate in this process, and he slapped his ass and left. In the words of the old man, he will not cause trouble to others, and he is very self-aware. It's just that when he was leaving, he deliberately dragged Huhu Qian and told him not to forget to pick a few good scholars for him, his old son is still waiting for the class to start.

But even after returning to the Earl's Court and closing the door, the movement outside continued to come in. Whose house did Jinyiwei raid today, who did Ming'er dismiss today, and who committed suicide in fear of crime in the future...... Every time he heard such news, the old man sighed.

Thanks to the master, he started quickly, and he fished Lian'er out of Jinyiwei in advance, otherwise after such a time, I don't know how many people I have offended. If it were him, he wouldn't be afraid of offending people, and there would be Huhu standing behind him on the left and right. But Lian'er is different, in the future, when he and Huhu are always absent, if Lian'er makes the whole dynasty full of enemies, I am afraid that it will be ......

After the examination, there was the palace examination, and at the end of April, Yu Wenhu appointed three Jinshi. After that, it was a cross-horse parade on the street, a feast in Qionglin, and a Shujishi court, but there were not many people who paid attention.

Because, the ocean-going fleet that went to sea last year is coming back.

Since going to sea in May last year, after nearly a year, the ocean-going fleet has finally received news that it will arrive at Ningbo Port in the near future. All ships will be unloaded in Ningbo and rested for a few days before heading north to Tianjin.

Although the eldest master already knew the general harvest of the fleet, he was still so anxious that he couldn't sit still like a nail on his ass. If it weren't for the emperor's majesty watching closely, I am afraid that he would have to put on his wings and fly to the south of the Yangtze River. Not being able to see the return of the ocean-going fleet at first sight will become the first regret in his life!

Just when the lord was restless and looking forward to it, and he was about to pick a picker and run away, a person from outside the earl's palace rode alone. When the old man heard the report, he immediately laughed so much that his mouth was behind his ears, and he didn't care that he was still barefoot, so he ran out.

The person who came was a young man with a black and red face, and he smelled of the sea all over his body. After the eldest lord saw the person, he didn't dislike it at all, so he hugged the person, laughed, and shouted, "It's back, it's back, it's ...... back." That looks like he's closer than other people's fathers.

The man's father, Zhou Qi, the chief steward, was pushed aside by his grandfather and didn't say anything, and was trampled on hard, grinning helplessly. I don't know if it hurts too much to be stepped on, or if I dislike his grandfather for getting in the way.

This young man is Zhou Qi's eldest son, named Zhou Kunlun, who is just twenty-one years old this year. When the fleet was about to go to sea last year, this kid was desperate to follow. The eldest lord didn't agree, after all, due to the limitations of today's ships, the danger of going to sea was too great, and it was the first time for the fleet to go long, so he didn't worry about letting himself be a nephew to take risks.

But Kunlun himself made a lot of trouble, and Zhou Qi couldn't resist him agreeing, so the eldest master had to nod his head. It's just that before leaving, I will train this kid well, and strive to make him live like that person even if he wanders on an isolated island, and still live a nourishing life.

Now that this kid has come back safely, although he is tanned black and red on the sea, he is safe and sound, and the lord is happy! In the excitement, he squeezed out the position of his father.

"Tell me how the voyage went, and how our manpower and ships were? What is the situation on the other side of Oceania, and can the ships on the Western side have passed? Can the gold mines in Africa be asked, and what about the sparkling diamonds? Do Westerners still love silk and porcelain, and their gold and silver can be easily earned? I asked for all the things I asked for, but I found ......."

When he returned to the study, Master Yu poured tea for Kunlun with his own hands, and he couldn't wait to ask. This question is one after another, Kunlun has already dried two pots of tea, and he is still asking endlessly.

Zhou Qi wanted to laugh from the side, but he didn't stop his grandfather. He knew that this was the return of the people of the fleet, and his heart was happy; The second also saw his son, and the lord's hanging heart was put down. As soon as this breath was relaxed, it was a little tense. When his son went, he was not at ease, although he didn't always mention it this year, but Zhou Qi knew that his son had been worried about his son's safety.

"The fleet is still resting in Ningbo, and as soon as I got ashore, I hurried back." It was easy to wait for the eldest lord to catch his breath, Kunlun hurriedly said: "I estimate that in another month and a half, the fleet will be able to rush to Tianjin, and then the master will be able to see it with his own eyes." ”

"On this trip, I didn't encounter any strong winds and waves, and the losses on the ships and people were not large. This time, there were 121 of our own ships, only one of which ran aground due to a rock, and the others, although some were damaged, came back anyway. The losses at the hands of the people were not large, except for a dozen or so who were sick, and more than 80 died in the battle with the locals. ”

When it came to the loss of personnel, Kunlun's expression and voice were lonely, and even the old man sighed silently when he heard it. This kind of opening up the sea is indispensable for sacrifice, and now such a loss is a fluke. But even if he was mentally prepared, Master Pardon was still a little uncomfortable, and opened his mouth for a while to ask, "Do I know anyone?" ”

“…… In the Jia family in Jinling, there is an uncle, who is gone. Kunlun was silent for a while, and then he said in a hesitant voice: "He, I mentioned you on the ship, saying that you gave a very large settlement fee, and it was worth it when you died." ”

Kunlun's words were meant to comfort the eldest master, but it was even more unpleasant to him, and he was stunned for a long time before he heard and said, "So, I personally sent him on the ship...... Is there anyone else in his house, do you know how to place it? ”

"Yes, and a son." When Kunlun saw the old man's appearance, he was glared at by his father again, and he didn't know that he had said the wrong thing. At this time, I didn't dare to say more, so I continued to pour water after answering.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi continued to ask: "Didn't you ask those words, why don't you hurry up and go back one by one." "This stupid son is more honest, which pot is not opened, what is the reason for telling the master.

"Oh, I'll just say that. The fleet first went all the way south, and sure enough, they found what the master said, Oceania, which is surrounded by the sea on all sides. The people there are still like savages, and they dare to walk around with animal skins on their bodies, and even women show their arms and legs, and some of them even hold their milk. What about the sub. When a young man of this age mentions a woman, his tone unconsciously rises and his eyes brighten up a lot.

"They still use stone stuff, nothing good to use. However, the accompanying merchants said that there were a lot of valuable timber over there, such as small-leaved red sandalwood, huanghuali and so on, so we exchanged them with cloth and porcelain for logging. There were also a lot of pearls and other jewelry, and we also changed them. But ......"

Speaking of this, Kunlun paused for a moment, stole a glance at the face of the old man, and then said: "But there are also some unfriendly people there, I heard that they are still eating people, and they are trying to trouble us and want to rob things, but we have all killed them." He had just seen that the eldest master was so sentimental, so he was a little worried that such a thing would disgust him, so he looked at his face before saying it.

Master Pardon was listening attentively, looking at him intently, naturally seeing this kid's small movements, and after thinking about it, he understood what was going on. When he scolded him with a smile, he said angrily: "Stinky boy, I am not a bodhisattva who does not kill, but I am distressed and only feel sorry for my own people." Indigenous barbarians like those who do not obey discipline can be taught how they should be taught. It's just that don't kill indiscriminately. "Alas, the master is still soft-hearted, and finally he still admonished.

"Whoa!" Kunlun was happy when he heard this, and agreed loudly before continuing: "Because Oceania is really not small, we have spent a lot of effort just to circle it, otherwise we can come back earlier." Then, according to the sketch you gave, the fleet really found the Cape of Good Hope. There's more good stuff over there. ”

"Not to mention the good wood, there are all kinds of spices, and by the way, what kind of rubber tree you specially mentioned, I have found it. Master, there are really gold mines over there, and in some places the gold is exposed at all, so you don't have to dig it. We just used to write ordinary things, and exchanged them for old gold. ”

Like women, men are excited when they mention gold. Kunlun opened the burden he had brought back, took out a yellow, orange and orange object like a treasure, and handed it to the old man with both hands.

Before the thing was in his hand, the lord recognized it, and it was a piece of dog's head gold. Seeing this, the eldest man also smiled, and took it with both hands. He knew that this thing was not light, but he didn't expect it to be heavier, and as soon as he took it, his arm sank, and he immediately exclaimed, "Good guy!" ”

"That's not the heaviest thing, this one was found on the African side. There was a piece that was brought back in Oceania, and it weighed two or three hundred pounds, and a young man of any size could not lift it. And ah......" Kunlun counted the gains of the fleet one by one, and the excitement and joy in his expression were very infectious.

Speaking of halfway, as if remembering something again, he took out a purse from his baggage and handed it to the old man, "Lord, look, is this the diamond you said?" This thing is very hard, and the knife and axe don't leave a trace. Also, they're very bright, shining brightly in the sun, much like the one you said. ”

"Oh? Bring it to me. "Master Forgiveness has been making some delicate things lately, and there is a shortage of diamonds for cutting, so I'm sleepy and waiting for a pillow. took the purse and poured it out to see, sure enough, it was not polished with diamonds, and the old man couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Yes, now the daughter's dowry is here!

Next, Kunlun's burden was like a treasure chest, pulling things out in the same way. However, for the sake of portability, the rest are seeds and the like. For this thing, the lord pardoned was also dumbfounded, let him recognize the fruit and he was good at it, but recognizing the seed was not his profession. had to hand them all over to Zhou Qi and ask him to arrange for someone to take back the Zhuangzi seeds.

The eldest lord scarred good things, and then asked the question that he was most concerned about, "What about the Westerners?" They must also have a lot of ships blazing the oceans, but if you encounter them, have you encountered any trouble? ”

Under his flickering, Huhu intends to set more eyes on the ocean. And those Westerners will be their competitors. The world is so big, and it is natural that there will be conflicts of interest in the idea of the ocean, and in this case, it is too important to know oneself and the other. What's more, if those Westerners are weakened now, it can also leave less calamity for future generations.

This is a matter of merit in the present and benefit in the future!

Famous in history or something, even if the pardon lord is not extravagant, but if there are conditions, the lord will not refuse!

Think about it, in the history books in the future, Huhu's emperor will be recorded in the book, and his famous ministers will be recorded in the biographies...... What a good story!