Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 302 Emperor Zhaoming, peace and tranquility in the sea and rivers!
Ming Dynasty, Jiajing 41st year, December, Mount Tai.

Zhu Houcong led hundreds of civil and military officials, as well as entourage and ceremonial guards. As the empress was pregnant and could not attend the ceremony, Imperial Noble Consort Xiao Muxue led the ladies of the court and the imperial court. The carriage for the Fengshan ceremony stretched for hundreds of miles. Also accompanying them were envoys from twelve unconquered countries and countries such as Portugal, who gathered at the foot of Mount Tai.

People were sent to build a round altar four miles south of the mountain, decorated with five-colored soil, and named it the "Fengsi Altar."

An altar was built on the top of the mountain, which was five zhang wide and nine chi high, with steps on all four sides. It was called the "Dengfeng Altar."

An octagonal altar was built on Sheshou Mountain, named "Jiangchan Altar".

Zhu Houcong first offered sacrifices to the heavens at the "Fengsi Altar" at the foot of the mountain; on the next day he climbed to the top of Mount Tai and sealed the jade tablet at the "Dengfeng Altar"; on the third day he went to the "Jiangchan Altar" on Sheshou Mountain to offer sacrifices to the earth god. After the emperor performed the first offering ceremony, the imperial concubine ascended the altar to offer the second offering.

After the Fengshan ceremony, he accepted congratulations from his ministers at the Chaojin Altar and issued an edict to erect three steles, namely "Dengfeng", "Jiangchan" and "Chaojin". He called the Fengsi Altar "Wuhetai", the Dengfeng Altar "Wansuitai" and the Jiangchan Altar "Jingyuntai".

The God of Mount Tai was named "Ruyi King" and his rank was raised to the first rank of the Three Dukes. Zhu Houcong personally wrote "Inscription on Mount Tai" and engraved it on the Daguan Peak on the top of Mount Tai. He also ordered the Chief Minister of the Cabinet Gao Gong to write "Ode to the Altar of Enshrinement", the Second Minister of the Cabinet Hu Zongxian to write "Ode to the Altar of the Community", and the Minister of Rites Hai Rui to write "Ode to the Altar of Audience", all of which were engraved on stone to commemorate his virtues.

In the Mingtang.

In addition to the tablet of the Taishan God Ruyi King, there is another tablet with "Emperor Zhaoming of the South China Sea" written in bright red regular script.

In addition to the four titles of "Lingxiao Shangqing Tonglei Yuanyang Miao Yifei Zhenjun", "Jiutian Hongjiao Puji All Living Beings Master of Yin and Yang Merits and Demerits Zi Ji Xianweng Yi Yang Zhenren Yuanxu Yuanying Kaihua Fumo Zhongxiao Emperor", "Taishang Daluo Tianxian Zi Ji Changsheng Shengzhi Zhaoling Tongyuan Zhengying Yuxu Zongzhang Wulei Dazhenren Yuandujing Wanshou Emperor", and "Qingxu Yuanmiao Zhenjun", the ministers also gave Zhu Houcong a new title!
Precious incense, brocade banners, silver boxes, paper money and other items were presented. Huang Jin, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the chief eunuch of the Eastern Depot, bowed and stood at the side, shouting loudly: "Play the music of the gods! Respectfully welcome the Emperor Zhaoming of the South Sea!"

Suddenly, bells and drums rang outside the hall, and celestial music was heard!

Zhu Houcong walked into the Mingtang and went straight to the altar. He bowed three times towards the cauldron of incense held by King Ruyi, and then bowed towards his own cauldron of incense.

Three bows are completed.

The fifth god number in the system turned from dim to bright, obviously it had been activated.

Zhu Houcong sat cross-legged on a cushion below the altar. A clear and spiritual aura arose spontaneously, and the heaven and earth became brighter. Hundreds of millions of subjects in the two capitals and fourteen provinces of the entire Ming Dynasty suddenly felt their bodies lighten, and their long-standing hidden illnesses and chronic diseases showed signs of improvement.

Even those who were on the verge of death were forcibly pulled back for a moment, to have a final burst of light.

The sounds of bells, drums and chanting of mantras are loud!

Zhu Houcong closed his eyes slightly, and the familiar feeling of becoming an immortal and a god reappeared.

In a trance, he seemed to have become a fish under the deep sea, but his body was thousands of miles large. With a breath, the sea was stirred up by turbulent waves. When he migrated, even the sky changed color, and the storm caused huge waves.

Kun fish swims in the sea, the sea is calm and the river is clear.

Zhu Houcong understood that this was the power of the divine name. All the waters of the Ming Dynasty, whether seas, rivers or lakes, became clear because of it. Whether it was turbulent or calm, it all depended on his mood.

All the territories of the Ming Dynasty that border the ocean and the straits that it controls, extending outward to twelve nautical miles, he can create huge waves with a thought and disperse the wind and waves with a thought.

In other words, the twelve nautical miles of waters close to the land of the Ming Dynasty will be absolutely safe waters in the future.

Zhu Houcong saw that the twelve nautical miles of water in the Ming Dynasty's coastal provinces, the peninsula, most of the Japanese islands, the southeastern part of Indochina, the Strait of Malacca, and the two ports of Diu and Goa in India had all turned red.

The restoration movement of Champa Kingdom on the Indochina Peninsula was basically successful thanks to the efforts of his fourth son, King Jing Zhu Zaizhen. In the southeastern part of the Southeast Peninsula, from Hengshan Pass in the north to Panlang and Panli in the south, the capital was established in Linyi, following the old site of Champa Kingdom.

Zhu Houcong nodded silently. Although his third son's achievements in Indochina were insignificant compared to the current Ming Dynasty, and even these achievements were inseparable from the strength of the Ming Dynasty, it was undeniable that Zhu Zaizhen really worked hard.

Through the Fourth Divine Number, which had the ability to see the entire map, Zhu Houcong "watched" Zhu Zaizhen without stopping, leading the remaining 800-odd soldiers taken away from the Ming Dynasty and the indigenous army raised in Champa, and took all his efforts to heart.

Finally, there was the faint bright spot in the Arabian Sea. Zhu Houcong knew what was going on without having to guess or even want to look.

His third son was Zhu Zaihou, the deposed Prince Yu of the Ming Dynasty.

After spending hundreds of nights with a very beautiful European woman, Zhu Zaihou finally spent all the gift from Jinyiwei Commander Lu Bing and became a pauper.

The top-notch woman originally approached Zhu Zaihou for his money, but when she realized that Zhu Zaihou's wealth might be different from what she had imagined, her expression gradually changed.

If Zhu Zaihou had not been a prince of the Ming Dynasty and had not had some royal aura remaining on his body that was enough to intimidate people, that top-notch woman would probably have left Zhu Zaihou long ago.

But Zhu Zaihou knew that truth would come to light eventually and his true nature as a pauper would be exposed one day. However, he had been weak since he was a child and could not make money in Europe, so he thought he could just hide it for a day.

However, the top-notch woman became pregnant and gave the joyful Zhu Zaihou an ultimatum that if she didn't get any more money, she would not leave Zhu Zaihou and the baby in her belly.

Zhu Zaihou had no choice but to lie that he was going back to his country to get money, and then he boarded a broken ship heading east and headed back.

However, Zhu Zaihou had not forgotten the fact that he was expelled from his country, so the destination of his trip was not the Ming Dynasty, but the Indochina Peninsula, to "borrow money" from his fellow brother Zhu Zaizhen.

Borrowing money without paying it back.

Zhu Houcong didn't know how to evaluate his second son, and his half-brother Lu Bing, who had always regarded Zhu Zaihou and Zhu Zaizhen as his own children, probably didn't know how to evaluate his nephew either.

Lu Bing arrived in Europe very early and was in England. It was impossible for him not to know about Zhu Zaihou's situation. But facing this nephew who spent his salary of several decades in just one year, he probably had some dirty words to say.

Although the uncle and nephew never met, Lu Bing must have given Zhu Zaihou some help, otherwise, Zhu Zaihou would not even have the money for the boat trip to the East.

Lu Bing would definitely make arrangements regarding that excellent woman and the fetus in her belly, but Zhu Zaihou, as a father Zhu Houcong, was completely fed up with it.

Near the ship that Zhu Zaihou was on, a huge wave arose without wind, and the already dilapidated ship was instantly shattered.

Just as Zhu Zaihou was about to open his eyes, he noticed a flickering light near the Mediterranean Sea. After sensing it, he couldn't help but smile.

The countless wealth that the Jinyiwei had made through tulips was being transported under the banner of Portugal, escorted by tens of thousands of Portuguese navy, across the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, through the Red Sea and into the Arabian Sea, in the shortest distance and fastest time to the Ming Dynasty's port of Diu in India, and then escorted back to the Ming Dynasty by the navy there.

The construction of the treasure ship fleet went much more smoothly than expected. Zhu Houcong personally witnessed the sea trial of the first treasure ship in Tianjin. But at that time, the shipyard was already simultaneously building servant ships, some of which had even taken shape.

The elite part of the navy formed by cabinet elder Wang Chonggu in Jiangnan arrived in Tianjin not long ago.

The navy and treasure ships are all there. Yesterday, the first treasure ship fleet completed its first voyage perfectly.

The imperial court should take over most of the wealth of the European continent.

Zhu Houcong opened his eyes and said, "Issue an order that the treasure ship fleet immediately head to the West to welcome the great victory of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." This was a sudden order.

Countless accompanying civil and military officials were stunned, and the words the emperor used, "great victory", shocked and stunned the officials even more.

Such praise was not given even by the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition Army, which won the victory and eliminated the northern barbarians forever, the Beiyuan Construction Corps, which seized the peninsula from Li Chengliang's rebels without a single soldier, and the Ming Dynasty Navy, which defeated the Portuguese Navy, known as the overlord of the sea, in three battles.

Jinyiwei, why?
……

The port of Lisbon.

The newly-appointed Duke of Portugal, Vice-President of the Senate, and Cardinal of the Church, the Duke of Golden Flower smiled as he watched the ships slowly departing with their loads of wealth.

Nominally, these ships were carrying Portugal's ransom in exchange for more than 15,000 Portuguese naval soldiers captured in the Eastern Front.

It can be said that the whole of Europe knew that there were so much money on these ships that countless people could not earn or spend in their lifetime, but no one dared to rob them.

The reputation of the Portuguese Navy only collapsed in the East, but in the Western waters, no one dared to challenge it except the Spanish Invincible Armada.

As long as Spain was not prepared to go to war with Portugal, it would not dare to plunder Portugal for gold and silver in order to redeem captured soldiers.

In short, the key link in the Tulip Plan, which was to plunder the wealth of Europe and transport it back to the Ming Dynasty, turned out to be very safe and smooth.

This was something that the Jinyiwei had never thought of.

Portugal's 10,000 escort navy were equivalent to working for the Ming Dynasty for free. In the end, Portugal had to thank the Duke of Golden Flower.

Moreover, the loan of 300 million silver coins was written in a contract document and signed personally by King Celestiao I of Portugal, so there was no way to not pay it back.

Three hundred million silver coins are not a lot of money for the Portuguese royal family now, but when the tulips bloom next spring, the Portuguese royal family will not be able to pay it back even if they sell all their belongings.

Little Alfonso stood beside the Duke of Gold Flower, looking at the deep-draft ship, lost in thought.

A ransom of three hundred million silver coins, is it necessary to use thousands of large ships to transport it?

After all, Alfonso the Younger was the son of the "Caesar of the East". Even though he had little exposure to military affairs, he knew that these thousands of fully loaded ships contained all kinds of tricks.

Duke Jinhua seemed to sense something, turned his head and looked at him, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Who are you?" Alfonso Jr. asked bluntly.

Little Alfonso was very curious about the Duke of Jinhua and the power he represented.

So, what little Alfonso is asking is not just who you are, but you all.

"In what capacity?"

"The Governor of Portugal of the Ming Dynasty."

One question and one answer.

Revealing the wisdom of both of them.

Since he is one of us, there is no need to hide his identity and background. At least, a governor appointed by the Holy Word is qualified to know.

"My name is Dayong. I was once a criminal general in the army. Later I was selected by the Jinyiwei and changed my name to Dayun. Now we are here." Duke Jinhua, no, Dayong said with a smile.

He was the lieutenant general of the Liaodong Army who stayed in Pyongyang and peacefully surrendered his military power when Li Chengliang's rebel army invaded the peninsula.

After failing to persuade Li Chengliang's rebels to surrender, he was selected by the Jinyiwei and became a Jinyiwei and was sent to Portugal.

Dayong's ancestor Kenaya was a native of Hami Uighur City. He and his brothers Hanada and Hanaya went to Beijing to pay tribute in the early years of Hongwu. During the reign of Emperor Chengzu Wen, he was granted the rank of a hundred households and stationed in Liangzhou Wei, Gansu with a salary, and thus settled down as a citizen of Liangzhou Wei.

Kenaya had a son named Darimadasi, who inherited his father's position. Darimadasi followed his father's style and learned the culture of the Central Plains. His relationship with the people of Liangzhou and the Central Plains became increasingly harmonious, and their living customs were no different. Therefore, he decided to use the first character "Da" as his own and all his family's surnames and became Hui people.

Dayong is the seventh-generation grandson of Darima Dasi. Thanks to his foreign ancestor, Dayong's appearance is naturally different from that of ordinary Han people. His heterochromatic eyes make him a perfect match for pretending to be a mixed-race person.

There is no doubt that Dayong is the person with the highest status among the many secret envoys of the Jinyiwei in Europe.

Dayong, Jinyiwei.

You and us.

When Alfonso the Younger was on a diplomatic mission to the capital as Portugal's ambassador plenipotentiary, he heard about the Jinyiwei in the Siyi Pavilion. Both the officials and translators in the Siyi Pavilion and the envoys from the unconquered countries were very secretive about the Jinyiwei.

Especially the Japanese envoy Hosokawa Fujitaka.

Little Alfonso had a conversation with him once. He still remembers the look of fear, anger and longing in Hosokawa Fujitaka's eyes when he talked about the Jinyiwei.

At this time, little Alfonso still didn't quite understand what the Jinyiwei were, but he nodded silently and he would understand it slowly.

"Then you...how did you make friends with the royal family, the parliament and the church?" Alfonso Jr. continued to ask.

The Royal Guards, Tulip, the Duke of Golden Flower, organizations, affairs, and people all appeared on the European continent at the same time. Little Alfonso didn't know how they were connected, but he knew there must be a connection.

In Europe, many kinds of flowers have been popular, such as roses, chrysanthemums, etc., but none has caused such a big storm as tulips.

Young Alfonso knew that it would not be possible to accomplish this with just an external organization like the Royal Guards. The royal families, parliamentary nobles, and church clergy of various countries in Europe would definitely be among the participants.

Little Alfonso was very curious about how an external organization like the Royal Guards could convince the upper class of Europe to join in this fanatical drama.

"It's very simple."

As the wealth of the European continent was shipped to the East, the Tulip Project was largely successful. Dayon looked towards the East, full of admiration and respect, and said, "When you catch the 'handle' of these people, their will and brains will be at your disposal, especially the priests!"

(End of this chapter)