The surroundings of Sforza Castle are beautiful, but the rooms are gloomy and too low in height, and there is an oppressive feeling to live in them.

It rained again at night, and Yongheng didn't sleep well at night, and woke up again before dawn.

There are no electric lights in Europe, they don't even have electricity, and a few torches are lit under the eaves of the courtyard, illuminating the wet courtyard.

Seeing Yongheng get up, the maids greeted her and wanted to wait for her to dress.

Yongheng waved his hand and asked them to boil water and make a cup of coffee for themselves, and nestled in his pajamas in the comfortable sofa at the window.

On this summer night in a foreign land, she thought of the happy life she had lived in the palace as a child. thought of the mother concubine who was going to be strong for a lifetime, and calculated for a lifetime, but lost to fate.

From the beginning of his sensibility, his father has always created a transcendent and equal environment for all their children.

Transcendence is relative to others, as the children of their fathers and emperors, the princes and princesses of the empire, they are more noble beings than anyone else.

Equality is between children, no matter whether the mother concubine is the queen or an ordinary concubine, the father and the emperor treat them equally and only treat them as their own children.

However, even so, they have known since childhood that class and hierarchy will always exist.

The queen, the children of the noble concubine, will always have a higher status than others. Even if there is a conflict between sisters and brothers, and the mother concubine has a low status, she must always apologize first.

Her mother concubine is the first of the eight concubines in the harem, second only to the queen and the four concubines. In addition, her mother is strong and helps Her Majesty manage the foreign beauties in the harem, so she has not suffered too many grievances since she was a child.

But she still envied several of the sisters, they were not the children born to the queen and Hu Guifei, but several sisters under the names of Ma Guifei and Lan Guifei.

Ma Guifei's family is rich, and every adult prince, when the government is divided, the Ma family will have a lot of manpower and material support. And when each princess gets married, she will also share a huge amount of family property.

Although the father has greatly improved the treatment of the prince and their princesses, and everyone can get a property that can not be spent in a lifetime when they get married, the Ma family's generosity can still make everyone envious.

And Concubine Lan, she is an existence in the harem that even the queen envies. She is beyond the others, although she is a noble concubine, she has a high reputation in the entire Ming Dynasty.

The queen regarded her as a great enemy all her life, but she never seemed to take the queen in her eyes, and she never coveted that unique position in love.

Even Concubine Lan's children are divided into remote places, and their daughters are married to ordinary nobles.

When they grew up, stopped teaching privately, and began to study at the university, at this time, they could feel more how great the Blue Concubine, who was the Holy Mother of Shinrikyo, was.

She is no longer human, and her contributions are greater than those of God.

If she can be her child, no matter where she goes, the eyes she faces will be the kind of love and respect for the house.

Lan Guifei is the reincarnation of Doumu Niangniang, no one doubts this. If it weren't for the reincarnation of Doumu Niangniang, how could she have made countless inventions in just a few decades and become the leader of many industries?

Every word she says is taken as a guideline, and in some professional fields, her words are even more credible than those of her father.

And in life, in the face of their younger generations, her gentleness also makes everyone like it.

When she was a child, she was more than once annoyed why she was not Lan Guifei's daughter.

Every time Lan Guifei talked to her, even if it was something inconsequential, it could make her happy for a long time.

She clearly remembered that before following Yang Zhihe to Gibraltar, her father and her mother met with the couple and saw them off, and then that day Lan Guifei actually came.

She also took the initiative to mention three names, asking Yang Zhihe to come to Europe with her to pay attention, and if she met them, she would try to bring them back to Daming.

These three names are Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael.

Yongheng didn't know why Lan Guifei didn't look for these three people through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of General Administration at first, but his father explained the reason for Lan Guifei.

Because these three people are from Doumu Niangniang's reminder, but whether it is Lan Guifei or the father, it is not clear how old these three people are.

They only know that Michelangelo was an architect and painter, and Leonardo da Vinci was a miscellaneous scholar who was proficient in music, painting, architecture, and other aspects.

And that Raphael, like them, was as proficient in painting and sculpture as they were.

Although it was the three names proposed by Lan Guifei, she didn't seem to know these three people.

The Emperor seems to know more than Lan Guifei, who not only knew Leonardo's name Leonardo, but also knew that he had a close relationship with both the Grandduke of Florence and Milan.

It's just that more clues are gone.

Yongheng heard that the Secretary of General Affairs wanted to use exquisite jewelry to make Duan Qi popular with European ladies, and he heard that they were in Milan, so he was tempted to come to Milan.

And she didn't expect that on the first day she came to Milan, she found this twelve-year-old Leonardo da Vinci.

Now only twelve years old Da Vinci did not show the talent of a painter except for his moving singing voice, but just because he was Lorenzo's companion and now had a close relationship with Rudovico of the Grand Duke of Milan, Yongheng deeply suspected that this Da Vinci was the father and the blue concubine mentioned that Da Vinci.

Yongheng would not guess where Lan Guifei and his father knew about these three people, because mortals should never guess about gods.

She was just curious why her father and Concubine Lan looked at these three people differently.

According to their father and the Blue Princess, what these three men have in common is that they are all painters, and then Raphael can also sculpt, and Michelangelo is also an architect.

She could also feel that her father attached the most importance to this miscellaneous scholar Leonardo da Vinci, and it was obvious that his miscellaneous studies were the most important to his father.

But all this still can't be figured out, the father and Lan Guifei have always paid little attention to skills other than science, Confucian students, painters, musicians, etc., in their hearts, are insignificant and do not have much effect on the world.

Why mention these three people?

In the past few years, he has been able to feel the impetuosity of Europe, a place shrouded in religious shadows, and now he has begun to chase the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that, due to the strict technical blockade, there is still a long way between them and Daming.

However, some of the technologies shown by the Ming Dynasty have attracted countless Europeans to study them.

Their shipyards are learning to make big ships, and many people are studying electric lights, generators, bearings, rubber, and so on......

Thinking of a Lan Guifei and a Ma Di's changes to this world, Yongheng was wondering, did the three of them also belong to such talents?

Yongheng really wanted to confirm this, because it was related to her subsequent actions.

As the princess of Daming, she enjoys the most extreme glory and wealth in the world, and she also has the responsibility to contribute to the development of Daming.

But her energy is limited, and she is not willing to put in the effort in vain, but there is no gain.

And if you want to confirm this, you have to get confirmation from your father or Lan Guifei.

When it was dawn, the maids began to get busy, waiting for her to wash up and put on makeup. When she was done, several children came to greet her in turn, all of which stunned the other women who were paying attention to her.

Take the children's daily morning and dusk as an example, this is a ritual that has never appeared in Europe, oriental filial piety, this kind of gratitude to parents, has a deep touch on many people.

Zhang Han's eyes were bloodshot, and he found his little cousin Meng Zheng. "I thought about it all night, although I would love to help these Europeans get rid of their ignorance and become truly civilized people. But I didn't know much about the people here, and I wanted to help them, but I didn't know how to help them.

Your words yesterday reminded me that freeing them from the constraints of religion is indeed a good way to enter civilization. But before that, what I need is to get to know them, and only by getting to know them better can I help them. ”

Meng Zheng's mouth opened wide in surprise, and it took a while before asking, "Do you know what you're talking about?" Help them get rid of the restrictions of religion, which will make you the public enemy of Europe! ”

Seeing Zhang Han's unchanged expression, Meng Zheng felt that he had done something wrong, and he shouldn't have opened his mouth indiscriminately without understanding the temperament of this "nephew".

Now, if he is allowed to mess around in Europe, it will definitely affect the plans of his own people.

However, Zhang Han is the grandson of his aunt and the grandson of His Majesty. His status is noble, and it is not what he wants to directly deny his ideas.

However, such a bomb will never work to stay by his side.

He was brewing words, but Zhang Han had already mentioned them. "Second cousin, can I spend some time with you in Milan?"

Meng Zheng didn't directly refuse, and asked, "Don't you still want to send a few sisters back to Daming?" ”

Zhang Han said with a smile: "There are a lot of cargo ships between Europe and Daming, and I will let people arrange for them to go back to Daming." ”

Hearing him say this, Meng Zheng sighed, a little speechless at this nephew who was older than himself. The eldest husband has a daughter, but his mind is constantly changing, and he has no perseverance at all.

Since he had promised his elders that he would send a few younger sisters back to Daming, now he changed his mind casually, and the safety of his sisters was not concerned.

Even if it can't be said that he is cold-hearted, at least he is not serious.

"I have no opinion on my side, but those are your own sisters, cousins, so you can rest assured that others will take care of them? Broad, do things from the beginning to the end, you can't ruin your commitment because of your own ideas, this is the ...... of being a human being"

Meng Zheng didn't say the last sentence, because Zhang Han's face was already a little unsightly.

Returning to his room with some displeasure, Zhang Han didn't want to pay attention to anyone, just wanted to be quiet for a while.

Zhang Han has been a real pride of heaven since he was a child, his grandfather and grandmother, and his parents have doted on him more than his more stable brother Zhang Hai.

During his studies, he was praised by his teachers for being smart and clever, and he always looked down on others.

It is precisely because of such a character that after being emotionally hit, he will leave Daming and live in exile in the family territory for two years.

But although he is smart, he is not calm, and although he is highly educated, he is not good at communicating. And thinking too much and doing less, many ideas are a little unreliable in the eyes of the elders.

Zhang Han himself didn't know this, the biggest setback in his life was emotional problems, he fell in love with an elder, and he couldn't ask for it.

Other than that, he can be described as smooth sailing and will only do things according to his own ideas.

This time I met this cousin who was a few years younger than himself in Europe, and he actually looked down on this businessman's son.

But his little cousin was proud of the spring breeze in Europe, and his friends were all famous nobles. He, the grandson of the Duke's Palace, how many people here recognize him?

He thought that he was willing to follow him to see the European customs to give the other party, but he didn't expect to be taught a lesson by this cousin, who was three years younger than him.

With a knot, he didn't want to be close to Meng Zheng anymore, and as for staying in Milan, he no longer considered it.

However, Meng Zheng's words also reminded him that he really shouldn't be anticlimactic in doing things, since he promised his elders that he wanted to send them back to Daming, he should have a beginning and an end, and send them to Daming to consider his own problems.

But he was really unwilling to leave Europe for a few months and delay for a few months.

What Zhang Han didn't know was that his every move was in the eyes of the housekeeper and the secretary of general affairs, and when he hesitated in the room, his future had already been arranged.

"These are some of the essays of the second young master in the past few years, and in terms of writing and thoughts, the second young master is definitely outstanding. However, in a sentence that His Majesty often says, that is, the second young master is too idealistic.

Our Zhang family has no shortage of the second young master, but we don't want him to cause a big disaster. As for his arrangement, the family has not yet had a definite plan.

All of you are psychological experts in this area, but you can help us come up with an idea to guide the second young master to develop well. ”

Hou Tai, the left senator of the General Administration Department, took some of the manuscripts handed over by Steward Zhang, and couldn't help but smile when he saw it: "Yo, these experiences are amazing, and they are directly based on the formation of social systems in the East and the West." ”

Steward Zhang said proudly: "The second young master is very smart, but he is too smart, so Grandpa Guo doesn't know how to use him." He is too young, otherwise it would be okay to be a cabinet for His Majesty in Yingtianfu. ”

Hou Tai roughly flipped through Zhang Han's manuscript, his original smile faded, and his face became serious.

It took him a while to hand the manuscripts to a few of his subordinates. "You can all take a look, these theoretical studies of Zhang Guangbo are similar to the reform of the social system that His Majesty once mentioned!"

One of them, Mao Tianrong, read a manuscript and said: "The distribution of power and interests in the social system is the root of the whole society's agenda, and this argument is still very accurate. However, he is still young after all, and he only understands the root cause, but he has not yet put into his own theory and solution. ”

Another principal handed him a manuscript and said: "Look at this, "On the Balance of Distributed Power", Zhang Guangbo is not without something in his stomach! ”

Steward Zhang is the housekeeper of the Guogong Mansion, although his tone is modest, but he does not really pay attention to the few officials in front of him.

Although it is impossible for him to rely on the power of the Guogong Mansion to make a fortune, the Wenchen class will not take the noble family seriously.

As two opposing ends of the power spectrum, they both cooperate with each other and often tear each other down.

He is begging the other party now, so his attitude is very low. "This is only part of the second young master's manuscript, and when it comes to being smart, he is definitely the best among the younger generation."

Hou Tai shook his head and said with a smile: "Steward Zhang may have been in Dongzhou for too long over the years. In the 30 years or so of the imperial court's orthodoxy, topics and discussions about the social system emerged one after another, and His Majesty often encouraged hundreds of officials to debate in the imperial newspaper, so the theoretical knowledge of this aspect was not advanced in the aristocratic circle.

If it weren't for the fact that His Majesty did not allow casual discussion in the newspapers, and only allowed mature theories to be published, there would have been more topics on this subject now.

When I read these manuscripts, I felt a little bit at the bottom of my heart. The second young master of your family is living a too comfortable life and has not suffered, so there will be unrealistic idealism.

If you want to cure his problem, you can't block it, you can only slack it, and induce him to develop in the direction we set, so that he won't cause a big disaster. ”

When it comes to theory, Steward Zhang is of course inferior to these officials, and can't help but ask: "Then according to your opinion......

"A few adults are here! Hello Steward Zhang! At this time, Meng Zheng knocked on the door and walked in.

Steward Zhang nodded and asked, "Didn't the second young master go looking for you?" ”

Meng Zheng told Zhang Han why he was looking for him just now, and then said with some regret: "I was laughing with him yesterday, but who knew that he took it seriously." Now, if he doesn't leave and follows me, it will definitely have an impact on my mission. ”

Steward Zhang wanted to open his mouth and ask Meng Zheng what his task was, but when he thought of Hou Tai's identity, he understood a little and closed his mouth.

Hou Tai said to Steward Zhang: "Steward Zhang, I already have a rough plan in my heart for this matter, I can't let Zhang Guangbo stay in Europe now, even if he stays in Europe, he can't be with us people." So, you still try your best to bring him back to Daming...... As for the specific plan, we will give you an answer after we have discussed it, how about it? ”

Steward Zhang knew that they were going to discuss, nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what to say and what not to say." ”

Hou Tai shook his head with a smile and said: "When our plan is officially implemented, we are not afraid of people talking about it, and we are not afraid that the Europeans will doubt it." Still, it's right to keep quiet......"

According to the plan formulated by Zhu Zhanji, it is impossible to make the Europeans completely unsuspicious, not to mention Monte, but to be Mengzheng. In such a situation, the best thing to do is to muddy the waters.

Therefore, in order to cover up Mengzheng, the Ming Society will launch a large number of European dark lines in the near future, and first deliberately throw out Monte and Mengzheng to confuse the other party's sight.

When this hustle and bustle settles, Meng Zheng will blur the suspicions on his body in various ways, so that those Europeans will not be able to do without him. At that time, he was able to really break into the upper class of Europe.

After Steward Zhang left, several of them talked about Zhang Han again.

Although Zhang Han has a kind of uncontrollability, because idealists are often extremists who do not respect reality.

But because of his youth, his paranoia, the General Administration Department has a way to make him use it unconsciously for himself.

Since Zhang Han wanted to influence the development of European civilization through the Reformation, this point is actually not contrary to the established national policy of our Ming Dynasty for Europe. So instead of stopping him, we should support him.

It's just that he is alone, and it is too slow for him to form an influence alone. My personal opinion is to report his affairs to the country, let the headquarters deliberately cultivate and guide him according to his strengths and advantages, and then install some people to help him develop as soon as possible, and at the same time can influence him. ”

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

Meng Zheng asked: "If this is the case, you must support him first, what if he is unwilling to go?" ”

Hou Tai smiled: "With Princess Yongheng here, does he have room for opposition?" ”

On 1 July, Maria, heir to the Duchy of Milan, married Princess Beaune of the Duchy of Savoy.

The Duchy of Milan was a powerful country south of the Alps, and although they were not as economically as good as Venice and Genoa, they were far superior to these two states in military strength.

Savoy was a powerful country in the Alps, and they later founded the Kingdom of Sardinia, expelled the Austro-Hungarian Empire, unified Italy, and established the Kingdom of Italy in the 19th century.

The union of the two large families has attracted a lot of attention on the European continent, but the most attractive thing about this wedding is not Cardinal Balbo from the Papal States, who has already been confirmed to become the new pope at the end of August.

This time, he came to the Duchy of Milan mainly to build momentum for his ascension.

But for Europeans, a pope is not unusual, and a princess from that powerful empire in the East is rare.

And Her Royal Highness the princess is so elegant and moving, her clothes, her jewelry, the perfume she uses, and even her every move, have become an example for European ladies to follow.

But at this wedding, Her Royal Highness the princess from Daming sent invitations to many European ladies and invited them to Daming as guests.

And promised that every lady who went to Daming with her was eligible to buy a car from Daming.

A car made in Daming, which is what every European dreams of. It's a pity that to this day, Daming does not export cars to Europe, and Europeans can't buy them with money.

Originally, European ladies were not very interested in leaving their husbands for more than half a year, neither they nor their husbands.

But after this condition was promised, many lords immediately asked their wives to go to Daming with gold coins.

Automobile technology is gradually maturing, and Zhu Zhanji has long intended to loosen the technical blockade of automobiles, but it is not up to par in terms of materials and processes, and Europeans can't make it if they want to imitate it.

And through the supply of oil, he can also directly turn the other party's car into scrap metal.

This kind of co-optation is a strategy determined by the General Administration Department after consulting with Princess Yongheng, the purpose is to divide the nobles of Europe, so that the countries of southern Europe cannot be separated from the control of the Ming Dynasty.

Without their support, those poor and small countries in northern Europe would not be the opponents of the Ming Dynasty.