Zheng Zhilong was ranked as the third duke, Zheng Sen entered the cabinet and went out of charge of the Ministry of Works, Zheng Jing was appointed as the envoy of the Dongning Military Festival, Zheng Cong (Zheng Sen's second son) was awarded the title of Duke of Sulu, Zheng Du (Zheng Zhilong's third son) was appointed to Quanzhou Mansion, and Zheng En (Zheng Zhilong's fourth son) was appointed to Ryukyu Mansion (belonging to the Dongning Army), and other six personnel appointments related to the Zheng family were issued on the same day on February 25 of the 20th year of Hongxing.

For the Anping Zheng family, it can really be described as six joys!

In addition, 11 young ladies of the Zheng family entered the top 100 of the preliminary examination of Jinling Women's University, which greatly increased the probability that the crown princess was from the Zheng family.

The Zheng family is now in the limelight, overshadowing the maiden family of Queen Wu Sanmei in one fell swoop, and has become the first noble of the Ming Dynasty today!

However, it is still an extraordinary period, and Empress Wu Sanmei's elder brother Wu Sangui is still besieged by Li Dingguo in Lüyang, and his life and death are uncertain.

Therefore, the Zheng family, which is about to come to the door of six joys, must be low-key, so as not to give people the impression that the villain is powerful. Therefore, the Zheng family did not hold a banquet to celebrate, and closed the door to thank guests, and even the southerners of the party with them could not enter the Zheng family's mansion in Donghu Town.

However, not being able to enter the house does not mean that you cannot meet in private. Donghu Town is built on the waterfront, and all the high-gate mansions built in Donghu Town are all built by the water, with private docks, and you can go boating on the lake in your spare time......

A very simply decorated, somewhat old looking painting boat, on the evening of the 25th, sailed silently on the lake near the Quanguo Mansion, and finally sailed into a secluded harbor, and then stopped. There was also curling smoke from the stern chimney, apparently someone was having dinner on the boat.

And the owner of this low-key painting boat is the Taibao, Zheng Zhilong, the prince of the Quanguo Kingdom.

"Your old man is really frugal, this painting boat is old like this, and you are reluctant to buy a new one? It's all six happy to come to the door, and I am reluctant to invite the big guy to eat some delicacies from the mountains and seas, so I will catch some fish and shrimp in the East Lake to entertain guests? ”

Looking at a table of bland fresh fruits and vegetables with a wine glass and joking is the Grand Duke of Shang Shuluo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the last champion of the Ming Dynasty, who is already in his fifties this year, and has also reached the age of maintaining his body in order to live a long life.

"It's called low-key!" Ji Kun, the Qing of Dali Temple, said lightly, "Your Majesty's plan has always been to control the south from the north, but among the eight books today, the southerners occupy five seats, and only the officials, rites, and soldiers are in the hands of the northerners." Now even the position of the first noble is occupied by the southerners. ”

"You can't say that," Shen Tingyang, who had just taken office as the head of the household department, shook his head and said, "Among Ying Tianxun's nobles, most of them are from the north, at least seven-tenths, and they are all military families, and they are very strong!"

Unlike our southerners, most of them are businessmen and doctors, and even if they have military merits, they are also military merits of the navy, and they are not as good as the army. ”

What he said was not that he looked down on the navy, but that it was difficult for the navy to play a decisive role in the political life of the Great Ming Dynasty!

The Ming Dynasty is a country with a large army, and the number of troops is close to 1 million. The number of the navy is fifty or sixty thousand, and they are all stationed outside, and there are few navies in Yingtianfu and Wuhan.

"But the southerners are rich!" Ma Shiying's son, Wuhan prefect Ma Luan, said with a smile, "The wealth of the world gathers in the southeast, and the rich businessmen and giants of the ordinary southeast are often worth the number of a northern province." With money, we can run schools and cultivate talents...... In recent years, the three major Taixue schools of Yingtian, Wuhan and Tianjin, as well as the students of Nanjing University, Nanyang University and Beiyang University, are all southerners, accounting for more than eighty percent. There is only a school in the military department, which is dominated by northerners. ”

As he spoke, he glanced at Zheng Zhilong again, "Now Your Majesty wants to use the method of examination to choose concubines for the crown prince and the princes...... I'm afraid that this princess is most likely a talented girl from the south! ”

"Not necessarily!" Master Zheng Jiangong shook his head, and his brows furrowed, "Princess Kunxing said that the two girls of the Wu family are stunning, not only beautiful, but also charming, and they can be ranked in the top two among all the women who take the exam!" ”

Under the impetus of Zhu Cihong, Princess Kunxing and Princess Zhaoren have also received a new education, and their studies are very good. Therefore, the two of them and Zhu Cihong's concubines Xu Erlin and Jin Dongzhu, as well as the eldest daughter born to Zhu Cihong and Wu Sanmei, and Zhu Tianfeng, who had been engaged to Luo Xiushen's son Luo Kedi, were also arrested by Zhu Cihong and participated in the enrollment of Jinling Women's University. If they can master the teaching materials of the women's university under the guidance of Zhu Cixi, then they will also become teachers of the women's university and become the first generation of professional women in China......

The two girls sent by the Wu family to Wuhan to take the exam, although they are not outstanding academically, their appearance is stunning.

"Don't be afraid," Ma Luan shook his head and said, "Wu Ake is useless even if she is as beautiful as a fairy, she is the cousin of the crown prince, and His Majesty has already said that she can't be married." ”

"But Wu Ake is not the most beautiful," Zheng Jiangong said, "Wu Ahuan is the most outstanding among all the women who take the exam...... The cousin marriage that His Majesty refers to is that blood relatives are not considered righteous sons. So this Wu Ahuan can be the crown princess! ”

The Ming Dynasty already had a rule that no marriage was allowed, but it was not strictly enforced, and there were many loopholes - because this rule was not based on biology but on ethics. In order to prevent the future emperor and the pro-vassal monarch from giving birth to a brain-dead heir due to the marriage of close relatives, Emperor Zhu stipulated that the decision on whether to marry on the basis of blood relationship was determined.

So Wu Ake can't run for the crown princess, but Wu Ahuan can!

"Isn't Wu Ahuan ranked outside the top 200?" Dagong Luo asked, "She shouldn't be able to get into the women's university, right?" ”

One of the daughters of Grand Duke Luo also passed the preliminary examination and ranked fifth! Proper scholars! So he also cares about who can be the crown princess...... Naturally, I also know the ranking of Wu Ahuan.

"The first test only has a literary competition and no martial arts competition, while the second examination has a martial arts competition." Zheng Jiangong said, "This Wu Ahuan is not only beautiful, but has practiced martial arts since he was a child, riding horses, shooting, shooting, fencing, and spears, all of which are perfect. And also proficient in military science! She Wenbi is ranked 255, Wubi should be ranked first, and there is no problem in being admitted by the female university. ”

Hearing him say this, several people present understood. Wu Ahuan of the Wu family was "customized" for Zhu Hexing according to Zhu Cihong's requirements.

"Master Horse," Dagong Luo asked, "do you know what the re-examination will be?" ”

"It's not decided yet," Zheng Jiangong said, "but martial arts and military science must be examined...... Because the crown princess and the princesses and wives of the pro-vassal will have the opportunity to regent and supervise the country, it is not okay to not understand military affairs.

In addition, financial management must also be tested! With money and soldiers, the emperor's throne can be secured. If the king does not have the ability to control the army and manage the finances, he will have to let the concubine assist him. ”

Zhu Cihong's approach is unconventional, that is, he can do it with a Zhongxing hero. But when you think about it, it's quite reasonable. Because the range of choices for the prince and the prince is not large, and they can't be selected by examination!

But their wives can be carefully chosen, and of course they must choose women who can help their husbands and sons govern the country. In fact, in the past, the draft conditions of the Ming Dynasty were also very strict, but the standards were not right, and they did not consider Wen Taowu's strategic financial strategy, but selected a bunch of "female Durban", and they needed to help the little emperor or the lazy emperor when they were in power, so they could only be controlled by civil officials and ministers.

What's worse is that because the emperor, empress, and queen mother don't understand, they can't tell who is loyal and who is traitorous in the court, who is a capable minister, and who is a braggart maniac.

Because they were determined to test military strategy and martial arts, several important ministers of the southerners present felt that they were bottomless, and everyone turned their attention to Zheng Zhilong.

Zheng Zhilong glanced at everyone and said slowly: "The key now is not what to test, but how to produce the crown princess?" Excluding the prince's surname and cousins, is the princess the one with the highest test score? It's not final! ”