Mixed with salted fish in Hongwudang

In fact, the changes that the Ming Dynasty brought to the Western Regions were not only in exams, but also in many aspects of life.

For example, the design of tap water and sewers, as well as official uniforms customized according to official rank, etc.

All of this, while bringing convenience to Kangju officials and people, also silently changes their thinking and cognition.

In order to break the monopoly of religion in the region, Zhu Yunxi also moderately relaxed the popularization of scientific knowledge to let local young people know what the solar system is and what the earth is.

At the same time, every scientific and technological progress and geographical discovery of the Ming Dynasty will also appear on the front page of the Kangju Newspaper, allowing them to participate in the cheers of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

A Ming was kicked out of the examination room and found that he was not the only one outside the examination room, but there were also a dozen poor children who had forgotten to bring their admission tickets.

But compared to their chest-beating and foot-beating, A Ming acted much calmer.Not only did he not feel depressed, but he also had time to observe the expressions of the Jin Yiwei around him.

A Ming saw the relaxed expressions of these Jin Yiwei, and there was no sharpness in their eyes, so he sensitively guessed that Zhu Yunxi might not have arrived yet.

Not long after, a high-pitched sound of "His Majesty the Emperor has arrived" confirmed his guess.

Zhu Yunxi did come late and missed the start of the exam.This was not because he was in a hurry, but because he received a warning from Zhang Zongjun that Timur was making a plan to assassinate him, so he temporarily changed his itinerary.

However, Zhu Yunxi doesn't like this kind of thing. He prefers to wipe out the killer organization in one fell swoop instead of being careful everywhere.

When Zhu Yunxi entered the examination room, all the candidates stood up and knelt down and shouted long live.

This is also the rule that Ming Dynasty brought to this land.

Zhu Yunxi came to the position of taking the exam under the spotlight and waited quietly for the candidates from Kangju area to hand in their papers.

According to regulations, the test papers of the first ten candidates must be reviewed by him personally.

Not long after Zhu Yunxi sat down, some candidates handed in their papers.

The exam content in the Kangju area is very simple, but all the questions are in Ming Dynasty characters. If the candidates are not familiar with Ming Dynasty culture, they will not be able to understand the questions, let alone answer the questions.

But as long as you can understand the question, answering it is easy.

Fill in the blanks on the first page of the Analects, interpret the Analects on the second page, and write an article of no less than [-] words on the third page.

If this kind of question were asked in the Ming Dynasty, almost any child would be able to answer it with full marks.

But placed in the uncivilized Kangju, it is enough to stump a large number of candidates.

The candidates who dare to submit the paper at this time must be the children of merchants who have studied Ming culture since childhood.

Like the merchants of the Ming Dynasty, the merchants of the Western Regions also wanted to squeeze into officialdom.

Therefore, when they saw that the Ming Dynasty did not prohibit merchants from participating in the imperial examination, they were all excited and immediately hired Ming Dynasty teachers for their children. Even if they were children, they could offer a high price of 100 taels of silver a year.If you are a serious scholar, you will earn at least 1000 taels a year.

Zhu Yunxi reviewed several test papers and found that the answers were all good. One of them actually got full marks, and he couldn't help but praise him.

"Yes, your calligraphy of the Ming Dynasty is very beautiful, and your mastery of the Analects of Confucius is very solid, but have you lived in the Ming Dynasty?"

"Reporting to His Majesty the Emperor, the student has been doing business with his father since he was a child. When he passed by the Ming Dynasty, his father was moved by the teachings of the Ming Dynasty and immediately decided to let the student stay in the Ming Dynasty to study."

"Therefore, students have lived in Ming Dynasty since childhood and attended private schools with teachers in the town."

Zhu Yunxi smiled meaningfully after hearing this.

This is an examinee who took advantage of a loophole. It stands to reason that he should stay in Ming Dynasty to take the imperial examination.

"Okay, okay, your father is very discerning and knows how to train you in advance..."

"You must study hard in the future and never let down your father's expectations of you."

"Student thanks His Majesty the Emperor for the compliment!"

Zhu Yunxi encouraged the other students a few words, and then entered the inner hall to eat.

Lunch is prepared early and placed in an insulated food box in advance.

As soon as Zhu Yunxi sat down, a group of eunuchs filed in and placed various dishes on the table.

Zhu Yunxi only took a few random bites of each batch of dishes, then removed them and replaced them with another batch.

Although this is wasteful, it eliminates the possibility of poisoning by others to the greatest extent.

Every time at this moment, Zhu Yunxi couldn't help but sigh, being an emperor is so boring, and he can't even eat a hot meal.

But there was nothing he could do about it, because he was burdened with too many things.

A group of nobles need to rely on him, the emerging maritime colonial governors need to rely on him, and the emerging workshop owners of the Ming Dynasty also rely on him.

As long as he dies, not only will the Ming Dynasty's blazing maritime career be aborted, but the ever-progressing cause of unifying the Western Regions will also be cut in half.

Therefore, he cannot die, even if something unexpected happens.

After Zhu Yunxi had lunch, the previous exam was over, and most of the test papers had been marked.

These examiners who marked the papers were all experts transferred from the Ming Dynasty by Zhu Yunxi. Not to mention their fill-in-the-blank questions, they could also mark the eight-legged essay of the Ming Dynasty in one glance and ten lines.

When Zhu Yunxi drank a pot of tea, all the examination papers were reviewed and the top ten candidates were selected.

As usual, Zhu Yunxi had to interview these ten candidates in person. Sure enough, half of these candidates were the same as the first group to submit their papers.

It can be seen that there are not only merchants but also many people sneaking into Kangdu University.

"I am very happy to see you. You are all the pillars of Ming Dynasty. The future development of Ming Dynasty depends on you..."

"Each person will be rewarded with a set of royal pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and a set of autumn clothes..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"You haven't eaten yet, come and use some with me!"

Zhu Yunxi accompanied them to dinner again, frequently urging them on the food at the table, which moved the candidates to tears.

"Your Majesty, please use more..."

"No, I have official duties to attend to soon, so I can't stay here for long. After entertaining you for dinner, I will have to go somewhere else."

"Your Majesty works so hard every day and doesn't even have time to eat. It really makes me heartbroken..."

"Your Majesty, you must take care of your dragon body not only for yourself but also for the sake of the people in the world..."

"Okay, okay, I will eat more tonight."

"You guys should eat first, and I'll leave first."

"The students are waiting to send you off to Your Majesty..."

Zhu Yunxi left the examination room and felt his heart skip a beat as soon as he got on the carriage.When the carriage drove more than ten feet away, the horse driving it suddenly neighed in fear, and then ran like crazy.

Jin Yiwei, who was driving the carriage, tightened the reins desperately, trying to control the horse, but found that the horse was not under control at all.

During a sudden sharp turn, a thick crossbow arrow was shot from high altitude and shot straight into the carriage Zhu Yunxi was riding.

"His Majesty!"

The Jin Yiwei who were chasing the carriage on horseback panicked on the spot when they saw this scene. They hurriedly beat the horses wildly without caring about the life and death of the horses. Several Jin Yiwei who ran fast ran to the front and drew their swords on the crazy horses, killing all the horses. Hacked to death.

After the last horse fell to the ground, the carriage finally stopped firmly at the end of the bridge.

A group of royal guards hurriedly opened the curtains and were petrified on the spot when they saw the scene in the carriage...

Forbidden City in Nanjing, Ming Dynasty.

An urgent telegram from Kangju City instantly turned the entire Forbidden City into chaos.

Erhu rushed out of the Forbidden City immediately and sent the telegram to Lao Zhu's private residence on the edge of the Forbidden City.

"Your Majesty, something is wrong!"

"what's up?"

"You're so panicked, why don't you let us take a nap?"

"Your Majesty, take a look..."

When Lao Zhu opened the telegram and took a look, he almost went into shock with fright.

"His Majesty the Emperor was attacked, and his life or death is currently uncertain..."

Fortunately, Erhu was already prepared, and when he saw Lao Zhu's figure swaying, he quickly caught him. "Your Majesty, you can't fall now. The two capitals and 17 provinces of Ming Dynasty are counting on you to take charge of the overall situation!"

When Lao Zhu heard this, he quickly cheered up.

"exactly!"

"We can't fall, we have to persevere..."

"This Nisun, we have already told you not to let him go. He has to go to Kangju City in Laoshizi!"

"We, Ming, are not that far behind, so why should he take that risk? Wuwuwu..."

Lao Zhu cursed a few words and immediately told the people around him.

"Block the news!"

"Everyone who knows this news, please take control!"

"promise!"

As early as possible, Erhu controlled the relevant personnel in the palace who were involved in telegram translation.

"Your Majesty, you don't have to worry about the news. The humble position has been dealt with long ago. Now you can quickly give the order and we should do something..."

"doing what?"

Lao Zhu asked in reply, and then said with a firm expression.

"We don't have to do anything now, we just need to continue to implement the policies formulated by our eldest grandson!"

"what?"

"Oh oh oh... I understand, I understand!"

Lao Zhu said he didn't need to do anything, but he still entered the palace as soon as possible and handled the government affairs together with other officials of the cabinet.

Lao Zhu didn't know if he didn't do it, but he was shocked when he did it.

The Ming Dynasty now has more than two capitals and 17 provinces. If it is subdivided, there will be several more provinces.

For example, on the Golden Continent, at least five or six provinces can be planned.And on the Egyptian side, a Suez province can also be planned.

Although Suez is not a big place, it has extremely important strategic value, guarding the throat of the two oceans.

Once the Grand Canal is opened to navigation, it will become a link and bridge between the Ming Dynasty and the Western world.

Moreover, Lao Zhu also discovered a secret, that is, when the Ming Dynasty cabinet handled government affairs, it had already referred to Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Ryukyu and other countries as "provinces".

Lao Zhu looked at the full article about Japan, and couldn't help but lament in his heart that his eldest grandson was so obsessed with the land.

Do you want such a useless place?

However, when Lao Zhu saw the gold and silver that the Japanese Province handed over to the Ming Dynasty every year, he immediately overturned his previous thoughts.

This place is a must!

Japan will always be an integral part of Ming Dynasty!

Soon, Lao Zhu also discovered bright spots in Vietnam Province.It turns out that this place produces copper. No wonder Nisun took this place so seriously.

There are also many miscellaneous "provinces" that either have mineral resources or are rich in spices, which can create very high profits for the Ming Dynasty through sea trade.

After Lao Zhu understood this, his resentment towards his eldest grandson suddenly became much smaller.

No wonder this grandson has always ignored those uncles. It turns out that his eyes are really on the sea, and he has never taken the output of the Ming Dynasty seriously.

The Ming Dynasty's trade in spices alone can bring Ming Dynasty hundreds of millions of taels of silver income every year.

As for trade in silk, porcelain, tea, etc., the profits are even more astonishing!

After checking up on Da Sun's family background, Lao Zhu couldn't help but lament.

This Nisun is really worrying!
Lao Zhu's uncharacteristic behavior had already made several old foxes in the cabinet realize that something was wrong.

As soon as they saw Lao Zhu entering the palace, they knew something big had happened in Ming Dynasty.In addition, they had handled hundreds of official duties today, but there was not a single instruction from His Majesty the Emperor. They had a vague guess in their minds, could it be that something happened to His Majesty the Emperor?
Just when Gao Ming, Yang Xinluo and others were thinking this, Lao Zhu's sudden words verified their guesses.

"Qin Deshun, bring our great-grandson over here..."

"promise!"

Not long after, Zhu Wengui was brought over together with his biological mother Mu Yao.

Zhu Wengui is now babbling and learning the language and can get to know some people.When he saw Lao Zhu, he immediately shouted "steamed" happily.

When Lao Zhu heard this, the sadness on his face disappeared, he hugged him with a smile, and imitated Zhu Wengui's tone of voice.

"Come on, come on, our little grandson, let steam hug him!"

When Mu Yao saw that Lao Zhu liked Zhu Wengui so much, a happy smile appeared on her face.Just thinking about Zhu Yunxi's long absence from Beijing, she couldn't help but complain in her heart.

"Grandpa Huang, when will His Majesty come back? Wen Gui misses him so much that he pesters us every day to ask when Father will come back..."

When Lao Zhu heard this, he couldn't help but glance at Mu Yao.

What a good girl. She clearly misses her dearly, but she still wants to express it through her children.

"Don't worry, Nisun will be back soon..."

Mu Yao was so happy when she heard this.

"is it?"

"This is great. I'm really afraid that it will be too long and Wen Gui won't even recognize his father..."

Lao Zhu looked at his little great-grandson who kept scratching his beard with his little hands, and thought sadly that there is a high probability that this child will not know his grandson now...

But we can’t blame our great-great-grandson, because our rebellious grandson doesn’t make people worry!

From this day on, Lao Zhu went to the palace on time every day to handle government affairs, and returned to the small courtyard outside the palace to rest as soon as it got dark.

At the same time, I have to take a look at my great-grandson every day. Sometimes I hold my great-grandson in my arms to review memorials, and sometimes I teach my great-grandson how to recite poems and read.

The changes in the Forbidden City soon aroused the suspicion of some interested people, who speculated that a major change had occurred in the court.

The old emperor had clearly ignored the government affairs a long time ago, and now he stays in the palace to take care of affairs every day?
Zhu Gui was also officially released from the Jinyi Guards by Lao Zhu, and was also responsible for guarding the defense of the entire capital.

Every time Zhu Ping saw Zhu Gui riding a tall horse and patrolling the streets with a group of soldiers, he couldn't help but beat a drum in his heart.

Is this going to change?
"Old Thirteen, do you have time to have a drink with my second brother?"

"No time!"

Seeing that Zhu Gui refused as he expected, Zhu Fang became more confident in his guess.

Something big must have happened to the court!
Zhu Fang watched Zhu Gui drift away, thinking about possible major events in the court.

It must be a very big deal for my father to be so prepared.

Could it be said that the Ming Navy was defeated?
impossible!
Looking at the world, except for the Ming Dynasty, which has a navy, other countries do not even have a few sea ships. They are not the opponents of the Ming Dynasty at all.

Since it is not the Navy, it can only be a matter of the Western Expeditionary Army.

It is said that the Western Expeditionary Army has 60 people. Once it suffers a big defeat, it will definitely be a big event that shakes the world!
Just when Zhu Xi fell into self-excitement, his newly conquered counselor Liang Han arrived.

"Proprietor, the personnel are all ready and the ships are ready. We can set sail to the Golden Continent at any time!"

"what?"

Zhu Xi was suddenly startled when he heard this, then shook his head and said.

"Wait, there's no rush to leave now..."

"Master, the monsoon waits for no one. If we miss this monsoon, we will have to wait another year..."

Zhu Ping was still unmoved after hearing this.

"Wait a minute then. I feel like something big is going to happen. If I miss this big event, I will regret it for the rest of my life!"