The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

By the time Zhang Ping'an received the letter confirming their arrival, it was almost the end of the year again.

A major event occurred during this time: Zhou Ziming prepared to send Zheng Ping, a close eunuch in the palace, to travel to various countries overseas on behalf of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

And it's clear that this matter was carefully considered and fully prepared.

The fleet's sailors and guards had been fully arranged, including the chief envoy, deputy envoy, commander, administrators and clerks, fire chiefs, helmsmen, yin-yang officials, translators, doctors, craftsmen, and others, totaling more than 15,000 people.

The ships included treasure ships, horse ships, grain ships, passenger ships, warships, and water ships, totaling nearly a hundred large vessels.

It can be said to be the largest and most costly diplomatic activity since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

This incident immediately caused a huge uproar in the imperial court, even more so than when Zhang Ping'an and his group went to the Western Regions.

They not only questioned the large-scale voyage that required such national resources, but were also dissatisfied with the identity of the official envoy.

Moreover, Zhou Ziming had been planning this for so long without revealing a word, which inevitably caught the court officials off guard.

Even the man with the beady eyes was puzzled. He privately said to Zhang Ping'an, "Why is His Majesty so obsessed with going to sea? Those foreigners overseas are not easy to deal with. Even if you're going, you should send someone experienced. To be honest, sending an unknown eunuch is a bit hard to accept. Besides, this is clearly a losing proposition. The ship is carrying so much silk, porcelain, gold, silver, copper, lacquerware, ironware, and books as trade goods and gifts. I'm afraid it's like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone and never to return!"

Merchants are profit-driven, and after considering the gains and losses, the man with the beady eyes immediately felt that this deal was not worthwhile.

Moreover, foreigners are not easy to deal with. If such a large fleet of ships goes there, others will probably only feel threatened and will find it difficult to show goodwill towards this behavior.

Zhang Ping'an didn't know if this was a coincidence or Zhou Ziming's intention, but the fact that they both had the surname Zheng was too much of a coincidence.

"I estimate that His Majesty will send capable people to assist him. Judging from the planning, this matter has been in the works for at least a year or two, yet His Majesty has managed to remain completely silent, which proves that he values ​​this matter highly. Just as you said, having expended so much of the nation's resources, we certainly cannot afford to return defeated so easily."

"Who do you think will be there?" The beady-eyed man rolled his eyes, looking somewhat worried.

Scratching his head nervously, he said, "You don't think they'll send me again, do you? I don't want to go to sea again. I'm so happy with my wife, son, and warm bed!"

This is the kind of life a human being should live!

Zhang Ping'an shook his head firmly: "Don't worry, they probably won't send the two of us. Putting aside the fact that we just returned from a mission in the Western Regions, considering our current positions, His Majesty would find it more useful for us to stay in the capital than to go overseas. It certainly won't be us."

"That's true, but I'm still a little scared," the beady-eyed man said, still somewhat uneasy.

There was no other way; among all the civil and military officials in the capital, he had the most experience at sea, and Zhou Ziming had once specifically chosen him to go on a voyage.

He had already been subtly and overtly criticized by his colleagues several times during court sessions, so he couldn't help but overthink it.

I'm afraid it'll happen again this time.

He wouldn't feel at ease until the official document was issued.

But Qian Jie was even more uneasy than him.

"Father, you can't be wrong, can you? You want me to assist a eunuch on a long voyage across the ocean to travel to various countries? Are you kidding me!" Qian Jie found it unbelievable.

Although there were precedents of powerful eunuchs interfering in politics in previous dynasties, eunuchs in the current Zhou Dynasty still have a certain amount of power, and the Eastern and Western Depots still exist.

However, he was very transparent and low-key in the imperial court.

It is far less glorious than the previous dynasty.

Therefore, Qian Jie found Zhou Ziming's decision unbelievable. If he didn't still have some rationality, he probably would have cursed and said, "Is he crazy?!"

Grand Tutor Qian frowned, clearly in a bad mood. After a long while, he sighed, "Alas, I hope I guessed wrong. Otherwise, I don't understand why His Majesty arranged for you to be sent to the Ministry of Works in advance, and the rank is just right."

"I really don't understand what His Majesty is up to. Why would he suddenly decide to go on a long voyage overseas?"

Grand Tutor Qian shook his head: "I am not a mind reader of His Majesty, how would I know? But I do know one thing: His Majesty is determined to go on the long voyage. Didn't you see so many ships and sailors coming from the south? The provisions, supplies, firearms, etc., were not prepared in a short time. They were planned long ago."

"Is there no room for maneuver?" Qian Ying frowned; he also did not approve of going overseas.

Since the founding of the nation, Zhou Ziming has taken risky moves and accomplished several major feats, moving too fast.

Although things always end well in the end, no one can guarantee that things will always turn out well.

Moreover, this time it's clear that the number of opponents far exceeds the number of supporters.

“Our Emperor is the founding emperor of the nation. He is not like the little emperor of the previous dynasty who could be swayed by his ministers. His thoughts are hard to fathom. He was prepared for this matter long ago. Even if we oppose it, it will be useless. In the end, the world still belongs to the Zhou family.” Grand Tutor Qian saw things very clearly.

"So we're just going to ignore it and watch things unfold?" Qian Jie asked anxiously.

"Let's wait and see. I think we shouldn't oppose it too much. Doing something useless would only annoy His Majesty," said Grand Tutor Qian.

Qian Jie was immediately disheartened upon hearing this: "I am naturally willing to work hard for the court and share His Majesty's burdens, even at the cost of my life. But I am not willing to be a deputy to a eunuch."

"It's not even close to being settled yet. I'm just giving you a heads-up. If you're so impatient, what kind of future can you expect?" Grand Tutor Qian glared at his son.