In order to create a relatively relaxed atmosphere and be less conventional, Zhu Houzhao changed the place to meet the minister from the Fengtian Temple to the pavilion by the lake.

He sat in the main seat, and the cabinet and the heads of various ministries in Beijing were on the left and right.

There is also a brown square table in each person's hand, on which tea is placed, and occasionally a cool breeze blows slowly, which is very comfortable on the face.

The ancients also seemed to like this kind of environment and method, and the literati-like style contained in it sometimes made even Zhu Houzhao feel comfortable.

"It has been ten years since I ascended the throne. In the past ten years, thanks to the encouragement and assistance of all Aiqing, there is such a scene as today's Daming. I sometimes lose my temper and get stubborn, but you don't care too much, just like the people's house, you have to live a noisy and noisy life, right? ”

The Son of Heaven spoke warmly, and Wang Wei, Yang Tinghe and others felt like a bubbling warm current in their hearts.

"The emperor is wise, diligent and loves the people, everything is the emperor's work, how dare the ministers live without permission?" Wang Wei and others are old and decrepit, but the emperor sitting on the throne is upright at the waist, only a faint layer of beard on his mouth, and there is still no wrinkle on his face, physical strength and energy are not comparable to their people, it is said that walking in the palace, often walking like flying, in turn the eunuchs and palace maids are too slow. Only his age makes him often sad and helpless.

"Alright." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, "If you are called here today to sing the praises of virtue again, it will be a timeless and meaningless move." In the past few days, I have come across a copy of "Western Geography", which I have read in my spare time, and I have heard Ping Haibo and others mention various things in the South and Western Oceans, but they are all fragments of information, and I have never linked them to see them. Because I think it's a good book, I asked the chamberlain to distribute it everywhere, and you all read it, right? ”

"Looked." Everyone nodded one after another, "Although the time is urgent, but the emperor has an order, even if it is to pick up the lamp, he has read it." ”

"It's good to read, it's good to read. I want to discuss the content of this book with you today, the ancients tasted wine and talked about heroes, and our monarchs and ministers today tasted tea and talked about the world, which is a pleasure. I'll start first. ”

"Listen to the Hadith!"

Zhu Houzhao took a sip of tea, and then put it down, "Let's talk about the old things first, I have read history books all over the world, and the sages in ancient times also recorded some situations outside the Central Plains." You are all well-educated people, so you naturally know it, for example, in "The Biography of Mu Tianzi", "The Son of Heaven marched westward, and he traveled to Yangxi", and "Historical Records: The Biography of Dawan Lie" also has "Zhang Qian returned from Daxia, and said that he saw Shu cloth and Qiong bamboo cane in Daxia...... From the southeast of the poisonous country, thousands of miles, Shujia City', these all show that outside the Ming Dynasty, there is still a vast area. Back then, the champion Hou Qianli drove the Huns, sealed the wolf Juxu, drank Ma Hanhai, and Le Shi Yanran, this is already a very western place, but what about a more western place? What's there? ”

Yang Tinghe sighed, "Even if you are as brave as the champion Hou, you must have never been to such a far place." ”

"But this "Western Geography" has painted a picture for us, I have asked, the author of the book has not been to the far west, nor has he been to the sea, all the information is either read or asked, there are inevitably errors and omissions, but these errors and omissions just reflect that my Ming understanding of various regions is not enough. I know that some people will say that overseas barbarians are not as rich as my land in China, so why bother with him? ”

His gaze swept over everyone's faces, "Someone should think so, right?" Today, I will only discuss matters with you, and I will not sin anyone, and I will say whatever I think. ”

Sure enough, He Jian and Wang Hua gave up their hands one after another, "What Your Majesty said is exactly what the minister is worried about." Since ancient times, the world has been governed by a great deal of success, so that the monarch and the people can change the beginning, so that the people can be in time, if the heart of the great revival of the war, the people's strength in foreign places, the world will wither everywhere, and the people will also suffer greatly. ”

"I knew it was so. I will also wonder, you say that you are the emperor behind closed doors, is it the same as the frog at the bottom of the well? ”

Wang Wei's old hand shook, "Your Majesty, this can't be generalized, I am orthodox in the world, even if I sit in a well and watch the sky, this is also a well that encompasses the essence of the world." ”

Zhu Houzhao smiled with a smile in his eyes, "How does Elder Ge know that my Da Ming is the central government?" ”

"The sky is round and the land has always been like this."

"Even if this is the case, on such a side of heaven and earth, is my Ming Dynasty's territory the largest? It shouldn't be likely, Nanyang merchants come to pay tribute, and some countries have to take half a year to arrive by boat, how big is this place? If other countries are bigger than us, then how can we be the center of the Ming Dynasty in the four squares you said? ”

"Your Majesty, my Han people have been a state of etiquette since ancient times, the Hulu barbarians are uneducated, they act like livestock, and it is useless just because the place is big, there must be a holy lord like the emperor, the emperor is the son of heaven, the son of heaven!"

Yes, the divine right of the monarch, since it is the son of heaven, then it is naturally the most central and good place for you.

If not, will the divine authority of kings also be broken?

Many things are not that our ancestors did not think, or were stupid, modern people are always too harsh, in fact, they are not able to think within a box at all, just like at this moment, there are some things that dare not go down when they break through to this point.

If the emperor is not the son of heaven, then where does the legitimacy of imperial power come from?

Why did your Zhu family become emperors?

It's a pity that Zhu Houzhao must take this road, and he must enlarge the vision of the Han nation to the whole world, and he was not surnamed Zhu originally.

Is it necessary for everyone to kneel down and kowtow to the emperor in the 21st century?

He only wanted to create a brilliant and powerful country while he was alive, and when he died, future generations would find their own way, and they couldn't all point to the pile of soil he turned into for hundreds of thousands of years, right? I have to do something myself.

"Let's not talk about the gods today, nor about the holy monarchs. Let's talk about things, and what I want to say is very simple, you, including me, don't know much about Western countries. It's like I don't know you Yang Tinghe, but I don't say that you Yang Tinghe is a barbarian, isn't this very arrogant and ignorant? Do you know the country of the Franco? If you don't understand, why make a conclusion?

Then again, it doesn't matter if you don't know, just find a way to know. It's not that I'm born curious, but the situation is like this, I have to be, the Ming Dynasty has opened the sea ban, since the sea ban has been opened, I have to communicate with all countries, I, the emperor, am not afraid, is there anyone still afraid to meet foreigners? ”

Yang Tinghe said worriedly: "The emperor's golden light protects his body, and it is naturally fine, but if the foolish people in the frontier believe in foreign heresies and do not abide by my traditional etiquette, causing turmoil in the hearts of the people, this will be a great disaster." ”

"Then what should I do, close the country, no matter how the outside changes, we still sing and dance by ourselves, obviously we don't know anything, but when we mention it, we say that others are barbarian countries? It's not stubbornness, it's ridiculous. ”

"Eh......" Wang Hua couldn't listen anymore, "Your Majesty, but what Elder Yang Ge said is also reasonable, in case it causes civil unrest, today's actions will be very reckless." ”

"Or ...... Right? ”

The Son of Heaven began to think whimsically again, and the ministers also became worried.

"The Ming Dynasty has always only sent merchant ships, and has not yet sent an official team on behalf of the imperial court, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered Zhang Qian to send an envoy to the Western Regions, I now follow the example of my ancestors, and also send a team to the Western Ocean, the so-called seeing is believing, let's send people out to see what it looks like outside."

Wang Hua said again: "Your Majesty can't." In that year, the Marquis of Bowang sent an envoy to the Western Regions in order to unite the countries of the Western Regions to defeat the Xiongnu. Now that I have been pacified in all directions, I have sent an envoy to the West, and I don't know what happened? ”

"In order to open up trade routes and spread the voice of peace." Zhu Houzhao already had a draft in his heart, "The prosperity of maritime trade is of great benefit to me in the Ming Dynasty, you all know this, right?" In this way, the Ming Dynasty is still more clever than the Han Dynasty, and I am not trying to fight the war with the army. ”

"Back then, Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong sent Zheng He to the West before and after, but due to the loss of national strength, he finally gave up.

Zhu Houzhao still insisted, "Taizong Xuanzong sent envoys to the West to proclaim his prestige overseas, and increased the contacts between Daming and various places, which is a great contribution to the society." Although the surface of our mission to the West is the same, there is an essential difference in reality, and I want to establish commercial ties with other countries and expand the scale of maritime trade, which is to enhance national strength.

Not only that, after continuous development, the Francophone has reached the periphery of Daming, in other words, our monarchs and ministers are hiding here and don't go out, but people have already come to the door! Can you continue to hide? ”

The ministers continued, "What can it do if the Ming Dynasty does not associate with him? ”

"That was before, and now you need to trade with people, and don't you have dealings with him?"

It was difficult for these old men to convince, and only then did they stop, after all, maritime trade needs to communicate, this is a fact, if there is no interest here, it is estimated that it is impossible to shut them up.

Zhu Houzhao said firmly: "I have already made a step, that is, I will send an envoy to go first, and then make plans after I understand clearly." I want to open my eyes to the world, and I don't want to shrink at home to be a complacent emperor, this heart has been decided, and I also advise you Aiqing, don't rest on your laurels, stubbornly guarding that arrogance is harmful to the people. ”

Today's words of Zhu Houzhao and his courtiers are to release the turn of the imperial court's policy, which coincides with his ordering Jing Yang to hold that conference, in fact, the two complement each other.

is still the most simple sentence, the top is good, the bottom must be very bad, when the emperor begins to understand overseas, then there will be a lot of people.

But on the whole, the matter of sending envoys should have little impact at the moment, and the Ming Dynasty itself has had a lot of contacts with overseas, and now in the name of doing business, there is nothing wrong with officially sending official envoys.

It's just who to send, and this one is exquisite.

(End of chapter)