As usual, Zhu Gaoxu was the first to leave the dining room. He was really not interested in the topic between the women.

When he came out, night had completely fallen. A group of palace maids carrying lanterns walked towards this side, but Zhu Gaoxu suddenly stood still by the wooden railing in the corridor. So those followers also stayed where they were.

The night is seductive. The firelight from the lampstands and lanterns on the roadside is not too bright, and only reflects the outline and general color of the building; But the scenery is more pure. There are no irregular flaws around, only the elegant and hazy courtyard, which makes the night scene of the palace like a painting.

The weather was also nice, with a light breeze in the clear night sky. Zhu Gaoxu looked up at the sky and could see the stars all over the sky.

At this moment, Zhu Gaoxu felt that someone was approaching, so he put away his looking up gaze, turned his head to look, and saw Duan Xue Hate coming over. Duan Xue Hate was also looking up at the sky, and under the faint light, her face looked very beautiful and fair.

"Do you feel uncomfortable when you can't speak at meetings?" Zhu Gaoxu asked casually.

"Yes, but it's bearable." Duan Xue also turned his head. Her expression did not fluctuate, as if she was just stating something that had nothing to do with her, "I felt as if I had been accustomed to going out of the day and night, and occasionally being exposed to broad daylight." ”

Zhu Gaoxu nodded.

He said again: "I think the imperial concubine is very good to you, you should be very close." ”

Duan Xue was silent for a while, and whispered: "Because she doesn't know the inside story and has anything to do with Mu Bin." ”

Zhu Gaoxu frowned and said, "I don't blame you for that incident." Duan Yang also said before he died that she framed you. ”

Duan Xue hated to look at Zhu Gaoxu and said, "If it weren't for Mu Bin and an irrelevant person, the concubine wouldn't have cared a long time ago." ”

Zhu Gaoxu nodded and said, "I understand." ”

The feelings in people's hearts are sometimes really unreasonable. Duan Xue has always been reluctant to change his surname back, perhaps because of the knot that he can't completely let go. She may still be a little confused about who it is.

The truth that should be said has been said, and she should understand it. If Zhu Gaoxu persuaded him more, it would have no effect.

He said: "I think that even if everyone is courteous to each other or intimate with each other, their hearts are not necessarily smooth and sincere. You're not alone. ”

Duan Xue hated to hear this, and the light reflected in her eyes seemed to soften a lot.

At this time, at the door of the hall, Mu Zhen and, as well as several palace maids, walked out. Zhu Gaoxu and Duan Xue stopped talking.

People curtsied to Zhu Gaoxu, and Mu Zhen said, "The Holy One is still here." ”

Zhu Gaoxu smiled: "I'm waiting for the imperial concubine to return to the palace together." ”

Mu Zhen showed a look of joy, and her beautiful big eyes also became crooked. Her smile is clean and beautiful, making people feel as if the world has become a lot easier.

She turned her head to look at Duan Xue Hatred, her eyes quickly looked Duan Xue Hatred up and down, and said briskly: "Xu Niangzi will be handed over to Concubine De to take care of." ”

Duan Xue hated and nodded in agreement.

Xu Niangzi was a little embarrassed and said, "How dare you let the imperial concubine worry about it herself?" ”

Mu Zhen said with a smile: "Then we'll meet tomorrow." ”

"Congratulations to the Holy Lord, the Imperial Concubine." Xu Niangzi said, she and Duan Xue hated standing in place and saluting.

Surrounded by the palace maids carrying lanterns, Zhu Gaoxu walked with Mu Zhen and walked along the corridor to the dormitory. After they turned in a direction, Mu Zhen approached and gently held Zhu Gaoxu's arm.

She whispered: "Concubine De's figure is really good, I used to think that I was older and could be like her, but I didn't, hey." ”

Zhu Gaoxu smiled: "Each has its own good, why bother to compare with others?" ”

Mu Zhen didn't believe it, and whispered in his ear, "Does the Holy Lord prefer to stand up?" ”

Zhu Gaoxu found that the palace maid who was leading the way with a light in front of him seemed to have red ears, so he deliberately diverted the topic. The two of them talked about a light topic without a word, and soon came to the end of the corridor.

The light inside the carved wooden door was even brighter, as if waiting for them. The night in early summer was slightly cool, the air was as comfortable as water, and the quiet and beautiful night made Zhu Gaoxu look forward to it......

The good night was short, but before dawn, Zhu Gaoxu got up.

After the morning rituals, he left the Imperial Gate and went to the nearest Rouyi Hall, where he began to read the music and meet with all sorts of people in order to find out what was going on inside and outside the court.

The eunuch should have communicated with the minister in private, and the recital of Hou Hai, the left envoy of the imperial secretary, soon appeared on the imperial case. The content of the recital is no different from Liu Ming's previous rhetoric, and it is the idea of the Fa-changing faction.

Zhu Gaoxu asked the eunuch to send it to the cabinet, first go to the minister's side to go through the process, and then prepare for the court to make decisions. According to the rules of the court at this time, when a major event comes to the court, the emperor's opinion is the decisive result.

Such a result, the military department Shangshu Qitai obviously also expected. Before the matter was decided, Qi Tai came to the Rouyi Hall to meet and presented a complete set of strategies.

Qi Tai made suggestions, mainly deploying the third trip to the West.

During the Yongle period, the huge naval fleet of the Ming Dynasty went to the Western Ocean for the first time; However, when the fleet returned, it encountered civil unrest, and the outbreak of the "war of crime" was inevitable. The matter of going to the West was thus put on hold.

After the end of the civil war and Zhu Gaoxu's accession to the throne, the imperial court organized a second voyage to the Western Ocean, and the fleet sailed to the coast of Persia and the Red Sea region before returning home. Then the navy was mainly used for the exploration war around the Ming Dynasty, and the matter of going to the West was once again put on hold until now.

Qi Tai suggested that the "third voyage to the West" should be used as an opportunity to solve the problems of the south. For the time being, the fleet no longer had to sail to Persia and other places, but should stop in the Strait of Malacca. In this way, it is possible to carry less trade goods in order to transport more arms, baggage, and army divisions.

When the Ming fleet arrived at Saigon Port, there was no need to consult with the Chenla royal family. When officers and soldiers find a place with fresh water, they can build fortifications, forts, and docks. Then lay out the sea road post road from Songtaiwei (Bai Teng River Estuary) to Da Nang and Da Nang to Saigon; In the early stage, the Ming army transported grain and straw from the Champa State to ensure the supply of Saigon Fort by sea.

For the Ayutthaya dynasty of Siam, there is no need to pay attention. It is because the sea route from the south of the Ming Dynasty to Malacca does not need to pass through the coast of Siam.

After leaving Saigon, the naval fleet went straight to Manchu (the Sultanate of Malacca); Attack the city of Manchu and conquer it and awe them. After the war, a port with fresh water was selected to build a fort and a governor's palace was established to administer all the states outside the southeastern peninsula.

Qi Tai's strategy, Zhu Gaoxu almost all agreed. Therefore, it is very much in line with Zhu Gaoxu's first step, that is, to control the entire sea surface of Shenzhou (Asia, originally written as Shengzhou, and later many people made mistakes and evolved into Shenzhou), and formulated the maritime trade order.

The imperial court first cracked down on the rising birds who rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and maintained a military presence on the southern coast, so that the royal families could return to the negotiating table.

However, Zhu Gaoxu still had hidden worries about the decision of this expedition.

The limitations of navigation technology greatly restricted the projection of the Ming army's ocean-going troops, increased the cost of using troops and the consumption along the way; And in doing so, it again made the expedition more reliant on technology. Because there are not many troops to be delivered, they can only rely on technological leadership.

Then Zhu Gaoxu summoned Qian Xun of the Southern Department of the Imperial Palace, and Baihu Mao Kaishan of the Southern Department Iron Works.

When Zhu Gaoxu inquired about the affairs of the Southern Administration, his tone was obviously a little dissatisfied. Because almost all of the things he asked the Imperial Department to develop were ineffective.

The predecessor of the main firearm of the Ming army, the "Spring Cold Gun", was called the "Kaishan Gong". Mao Kaishan was originally a military craftsman, and he made great contributions to the technical improvement of the arquebus ignition and wooden support. But this person has always been only a craftsman, as if he has exerted his extreme talents, and he has achieved nothing over the years.

Zhu Gaoxu also set up a fake institute and allocated a large amount of money and food to the Shouyu Sinan Department to support their reform; But technology is still stagnant. And Zhu Gaoxu's own talent and knowledge in this area are very limited, and he probably can't handle it himself.

Mao Kaishan trembled and presented the picture of the flint mechanism, bowed down and said: "The biggest problem of the ministers making the new firecracker is that it cannot be fired stably, and most of the firecrackers made cannot be fired. ”

Zhu Gaoxu patiently looked at the things on the picture, hoping to find out what was wrong.

There is a grotesquely shaped casting on it, as well as folded reeds. Zhu Gaoxu looked at it for a long time and almost understood the principle of construction.

After jumping upwards on one side of the reed, it passes through the iron casting and changes the direction of the elastic force; The iron castings also appear to have taken on the function of a lever, allowing the hammer to go downwards and strike the flint inside, creating a spark that ignites the ignition of the gunpowder.

"What's wrong with that?" Zhu Gaoxu asked in confusion.

Mao Kaishan said: "When you return to the saint, it may be that the structure of the organ is not good, and the strength is often insufficient. Cast iron mechanisms and reeds are not the same when made. The reeds are forged into steel, and the reeds forged by each craftsman are different, and the reeds forged by the same craftsman twice are not the same.

There are also differences in this casting mechanism, and the size must be polished after casting, but it is difficult to be exactly the same. A small mistake can add to the difference in the direction and force of the hammer. The ministers are trying to find ways to improve. ”

Zhu Gaoxu pondered that the main reason may be that there is a problem with the structure of this lever. But these techniques were beyond his knowledge, and he was not good at commanding, so he didn't say anything.

Qi Tai on the side was silent, and he had no opinion on this, after all, ministers generally don't care about specific details. Even many senior officials in the DPRK and China still feel that if they do not speak at a deep and grand level, it will greatly affect their wisdom.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't care so much. He had just inquired about the specific mechanical structure, and at this time he was walking around the big case, obviously very concerned about these small things. But there seemed to be nothing he could do.