Time flies, autumn goes to winter, and spring returns to the earth. Zhu Di, the Ming Emperor who decided to move the capital, dismissed some officials who were still stubborn and opposed to moving the capital, and finally officially handed down the holy decree in February of the first year of Yongle (1403), changing Beiping to Beijing, named Shuntianfu, and changing the name of Jingshi Yingtian to Nanjing, and moving the rich people from all over the country to Beijing, calling Beijing as the line. The Ministry of Industry was responsible for the construction of the Beijing city wall, and the Marquis Chen Gui supervised the construction of the imperial palace. Chen Xuan, the governor of the Yangtze River Naval Division, was the chief military officer, responsible for the governor's shipping, transporting grain and rice from the south to the north, so as to meet the needs of the population of Beiping and the garrison of Liaodong.

After the morning of this day, Zhu Di wandered in the Wenyuan Pavilion, seeing the bookshelves lined up neatly and neatly, and the books were not messy, he turned his head and asked a civil official who followed behind him with interest: "Xie Jin, the Wenyuan Pavilion has a collection of books, is the subset of scriptures and history complete?" It turned out that this person who followed behind Zhu Di was with Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi, Huang Huai and others who entered the cabinet together, and was awarded the title of Hanlin Bachelor and Youchunfang University Scholar by Zhu Di's decree, and was later ordered by the president to compile the "Ming Taizu Record" and "The Biography of the Daughters" Xie Jin.

Xie Jin bowed slightly and said: "The history is still rough, and the subset is still missing. ”

Zhu Di bowed slightly, and strolled forward silently.

Following Zhu Di, Zheng He, the head of the imperial study behind Xie Jin, looked at the books in Wenyuan Pavilion with great interest, and suddenly couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Dare to ask Lord Xie, Wenyuan Pavilion has many books, and there are books that record navigation?" It turned out that Zheng He's ancestors served as Pingzhang in Yunnan Province in the Yuan Dynasty, and his grandfather and father, as devout believers, traveled thousands of miles to the holy land of Mecca. When Zheng He was a child, he heard his father tell him about going to sea, so he always had an indescribable yearning for the holy land of Mecca. ”“

Xie Jin was stunned when he heard this, frowned and thought for a moment before replying: "The books in the Wenyuan Pavilion are all subsets of scriptures and histories that record the knowledge of the sages. ”

Zhu Di listened to Zheng He's words and Xie Jin's conversation, turned his head to see the disappointment on Zheng He's face, and couldn't help but feel a little funny in his heart, and secretly wondered: The businessmen have always been despised by scholars, how can the books they leave behind get into the eyes of Jin? Walking slowly between the rows of bookshelves, he suddenly felt a little emotion in his heart, and sighed in his heart: Although the collection of books in Wenyuan Pavilion is numerous, compared to the countless books in the world, I am afraid that it is only a drop in the ocean.

In the corner of Wenyuan Pavilion, Zhu Di, who was sitting on the chair, stretched out his hand and patted his somewhat sour thighs, and said with a smile: "Xie Jin, I think that my Ming Dynasty is known as the state of etiquette, and ordinary people have a little extra money, and they also buy books to pass on to future generations, not to mention the royal collection?" I see that there are still too few books in this Wenyuan Pavilion. ”

Xie Jin, who was sitting on the side, hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand when he heard this, got up and replied: "Your Majesty means to collect the world's classics into the Tibetan Wenyuan Pavilion?" ”

Zhu Di stood up and pointed to the rows of bookshelves in the distance, and said proudly: "I mean to collect books from all over the world, gather them with the books in the Wenyuan Pavilion, compile a brilliant canon, and pass it on to future generations, so that future generations will know that my brilliant culture and governance of the Ming Dynasty are not inferior to those of the Tang and Song dynasties." ”

Xie Jinwen heard that Zhu Di had entrusted him with a heavy task and let himself be responsible for repairing the book, and he couldn't help but feel like a confidant in his heart, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty is interested in this, which is a blessing for me to be a great master and a blessing for all the people who read all over the world." In his heart, there is only one thing that can surpass the title of the gold list, which is to repair the book and pass it on to future generations and leave a name in history.

In the Forbidden City, Zhu Di walked on the royal road, recalling the look of gratitude and uncontrollable expression when he had promised to compile books, and he couldn't help but be full of pride in his heart, and secretly thought: Since I am ruthless to a cadre of Jianwen and loyal ministers, and hurt the hearts of all scholars all over the world, then I will compile a vast canon, so that those corrupt Confucians will all be convinced by my cultural governance.

At dusk, in the imperial study of Wuying Palace, Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor who had finished his meal, looked up and saw Zheng He, who poured tea for himself, with a sullen and unhappy face, recalling that he asked Xie Jin in the Wenyuan Pavilion during the day, and there were records of navigation in the collection, recalling that in the past, he and Zhu Quan, Zheng He led the army, and when he crossed the river by Chen Xuan's sailor, he once said a joke, and couldn't help but smile and asked: "Zheng He, but you are still worried about leading the sailor to sea?" ”

Zheng He hurriedly put down the teapot in his hand when he heard this, bowed down and replied: "In the past, when Emperor Taizu was in power, the small island country of Japan also sent envoys across the ocean to worship my Ming Emperor. ”

Zhu Di heard Zheng He's statement that the sailors went to sea and visited foreign lands as unprecedented, and he couldn't help but be quite moved. He knows very well that there are probably many people between the government and the opposition who still have nostalgia for the old dynasty and think that their throne is not right, in this case, he can only take advantage of the unification of the world to create a cultural and martial arts that his father did not have, so as to prove that he is worthy of a generation of promising kings.

After drinking half of the hot tea, Zhu Di suddenly said to Zheng He, who was standing not far away: "It is not an exaggeration to think that above the vast sea, the waves are dense and treacherous, and the wind and clouds are unpredictable. ”

When Zheng He heard Zhu Di's words, he immediately bowed down and replied: "If the villain can lead the sailor to the sea and promote my Chinese culture in a foreign land, even if he dies nine times, he will not spin his heel. ”

Zhu Di nodded when he heard this, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled and said: "Although Xie Jin is full of economy and talent, he is inevitably pedantic, he doesn't know which books record navigation, but I know one person, maybe I can solve your doubts and solve your doubts." Saying this, he couldn't help but secretly laugh in his heart: Xie Jin said that there may be a record of sailing to the sea in the notes of the businessmen who went to sea in the Song Dynasty, don't say that it is this Wenyuan Pavilion scholar, I am afraid that all the rotten Confucians in the world also despise the businessmen who drill camps, not to mention the books they left behind?

Zheng He couldn't help but wonder when he heard this: "I don't know which lord in the court is so admired by His Majesty?" ”

Zhu Di recalled the maverick of the resourceful teacher who was regarded by himself as the first hero of the Jingjing, and couldn't help frowning, and said in a deep voice: "It's that Yao Guangxiao, if you go to see him, you will say that you are following my instructions, so that the old monk will not pretend to be sick and not see." "His temperament has always been vigorous and resolute, and he has made up his mind to do it immediately.

In the darkness of the night, Zheng He was led out of the Forbidden City along the imperial road by the lanterns held by several Jinyi guards who were ordered to run errands.

In a temple with strong incense in Nanjing, the strange old monk Daoyan, wearing a black monk's robe, sat in the corner of the Daxiong Treasure Hall on a **, and there were bursts of chanting in his ears, closing his eyes and not speaking, but not following the recitation. Just because he knew that even if he recited Buddhist scriptures every day, none of those who died in the war would survive.

He can be said to be the most peculiar official among the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty, and he is also the most peculiar monk in the world. As the number one contributor to assisting His Majesty the current emperor to seize the throne, he wore official robes in the morning to participate in the early dynasty, but after retiring from the dynasty, he lived in the room of this temple, leaving the mansion given by Zhu Di vacant. As a monk, he worshipped a Taoist priest as a teacher, but became a monk himself. As a monk, he has not recited the scriptures in the temple several times in his life.

As the sound of small footsteps came into his ears, a teenage novice came to Dao Yan, who was sitting alone in the corner with his eyes closed, and whispered: "Master, there are adults outside the temple who ask to see you. He was young and knowledgeable, and seeing that although Zheng He spoke kindly, he was escorted by several majestic brocade guards, so he must be some great official.

Dao Yan sighed lightly when he heard this: "Haven't you confessed several times? No matter what adults come to ask, they will say that there is no Taoist monk here. As he spoke, his face was full of vicissitudes and wrinkles, and his eyes still hadn't opened. It turned out that although Daoyan's official position was not prominent, there was still no shortage of well-informed officials in the DPRK and China, and there were people who had the heart to beg this teacher of His Majesty the Emperor to come here from time to time, which made him often annoyed, so he had to avoid all of them.

Xiao Shami stretched out his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and replied cautiously: "That lord said that his name is Zheng He, yes, he came here to ask for a meeting at the behest of His Majesty the Emperor. At this point, I couldn't help but stammer.

Hearing this, Dao Yan couldn't help but sigh softly, opened his eyes, slowly stood up, and walked outside under the guidance of Xiao Shami.

Zheng He walked into the room, looked around and saw the simplicity of Daoyan's residence, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion in his heart. He followed Zhu Di, Zhu Quan participated in the battle of Jingyan for several years, and Daoyan was very familiar with it, and he naturally knew in his heart that if His Majesty the Emperor did not adopt the resourceful old monk in front of him in the past, the army attacked thousands of miles and went straight to the imperial capital's strange plan, and the two sides fell into a protracted stalemate war, but I was afraid of who would kill the deer, and it was still unknown. As I see now, this wise man, who can be said to turn his hands into clouds and turn his hands into rain, actually vacant the mansion given by His Majesty the Emperor, which can be seen in his heart, for the so-called high-ranking officials, glory and wealth, but as if they were mustard.

After the two sides sat down, Dao Yan asked with a smile: "Lord Steward came by order, I don't know what His Majesty has to do with Wei Chen?" He has insight into the world's sophistication and knows that although he has made great contributions to Zhu Di in the past, since His Majesty the current emperor ascended the throne, the teacher-student relationship in the past has long been gone, and it must be replaced by the way of the monarch and the minister.

After listening to Zheng He's story, the emperor actually intended to send a fleet to overseas countries, Dao Yan was in his heart for Zhu Di to take advantage of the opportunity of the unification of the world, eager to make contributions, and the intention of the people of the world to be easy to see the fire, and couldn't help but sigh lightly: "Your Majesty is so bold today, it is really to do what the Ming monarch of the Han and Tang dynasties failed to do, and create a generation of prosperity for my Ming Dynasty." Lao Ke read a lot of books when he was a teenager in the past, and he only scratched the scales of the things recorded in some books in the Song Dynasty, and the chief manager still needs to let Lao Qu think about it carefully. ”

When Zheng He heard this, he stood up, bowed down and said, "Since this is the case, the villain will wait for the master outside. With that, he turned around and walked out of the room, gently closed the small door of the room, and walked around the temple that covered a large area.

About half an hour later, Zheng He returned to the room under the guidance of Xiao Shami, only to see Dao Yan lifting the boiling water on the charcoal fire that only left a small half pot to make tea for himself, while smiling and pointing to the paper on the table where the ink had not yet dried completely, and said with a smile: "The old man has gained after thinking for a while. It turned out that he was born in the troubled times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, well-read, and had no intention of entering the imperial examination, so he did not have the prejudice of ordinary scholars, and many of the idle books that were regarded as sideways by the Confucian children today were read in a stomach, and he had seen the records of sailing at sea in some books left by the Song people, and racked his brains after thinking hard, and finally wrote down seven or eight out of ten the impressions left in his mind in the past.

Zheng He couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard this, stretched out his hand to take what Daoyan had written, and looked carefully at the oil lamp, only to see that one of the pages of the paper began with a few big characters written in strong calligraphy, "Crossing the Ocean with Stars". Hurriedly asked: "The villain would like to hear the detailed explanation of this "Crossing the Stars and Crossing the Ocean". ”

After taking a few sips of hot tea, Dao Yan said with a smile: "Song Taizu Kaibao for four years, he successively set up city divisions in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Mingzhou, collectively known as the three divisions. There are many businessmen who covet Haili's huge profits, and go to sea from Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong. Lao Qu saw in several books left by the Song people in the past, and there were many references to this "Crossing the Ocean with Stars". Thinking about the vast sea, in all directions, as far as the eye can see, exactly the same, the wind and clouds change in an instant, it is especially important to sail on the sea, discern the direction, and know where the ship is now. This so-called "Crossing the Stars and Crossing the Ocean" is to use a total of 12 wooden planks of various sizes, threaded through them with ropes, and the name of the star-pulling board tool is called the star-pulling board tool to measure the position of the North Star, Vega, Bus, Aquarius, Big Dipper, Canopy, Lantern and many other stars, so as to understand the position of the ship on the sea. ”

Zheng He couldn't help but bow his head when he heard this: "Thinking about the vast sea, different lands can be identified by mountains and rivers, compared to the land march, the difficulty is completely different, and you still need a lot of advice from the lords of Qin Tianjian." The Qin Tianjian he said was the place where the court was currently in charge of observing the stars and celestial phenomena and calculating the calendar.

Dao Yan shook his head when he heard this, and sighed: "It is not easy to go to sea in the ocean, just to know the direction and know the location of the fleet, you must have a deep understanding of the astronomical calendar, not to mention the problem of shipbuilding. Saying this, he sighed secretly in his heart: In the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty in the past, Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen had many remnants of the sea who refused to surrender, colluding with the defeated Japanese soldiers to form Japanese invaders, and causing chaos in the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He picked up another piece of paper with the title of the book and asked, "All of these sages' books record navigation?" ”

"That's right, I'm afraid there is something missing in the old man's memory. The list of books in the Tang and Song dynasties is available, but I am afraid that it is difficult to find. If you are interested in going to sea, you should do your best to find and read it. Dao Yan said.

Zheng He saw that it was getting late, so he put all the solemn things written by Dao Yan into his arms, got up and said goodbye: "The matter of going to sea is not trivial, when the long-term plan is the first, the villain will return to the palace to hand over the decree, and dare not disturb the master Qingxiu." He bowed and went out to lead the Jinyi guard back to the palace.