"Thank you, Emperor!"
Zheng He stood up and looked at the four Zhu brothers who were standing together. He walked forward unhurriedly and bowed.
"Greetings, King Zhao, King Han, King Qin, and Crown Prince!”
"Ma Bao (Zheng He's original name), after the court session, come to my place and have a good drink. We brothers haven't seen each other for a long time.”
"Not bad. We have to get together. We won't go home until we're drunk tonight.”
Second Brother and Third Brother were all smiles as they patted Zheng He's shoulders affectionately, appearing very familiar and close.
The old fatty's face was also filled with smiles. He sized Zheng He up and said gently,""It's good that you're back safely."
His words were plain and simple, but they were filled with the most sincere blessings.
Beside him, Zhu Gaojin nodded slightly." Let's talk after we're done!”
"Good!"
Zheng He smiled and nodded at the three of them in response. This made the three of them curious.
If he remembered correctly, the two of them did not seem to have any interactions in the past.
When did their relationship become so good?
Among the Zhu brothers, the eldest brother was undoubtedly the closest to Zheng He. The two of them were of similar age and had similar interests.
Zheng He had watched Second Brother and Third Brother grow up. In the past, he often brought them along to play, so they were very close.
As for Zhu Gaojin, he had privately discussed many matters with Zheng Tan regarding navigation, shipbuilding, geography, and so on.
Their friendship was established just like that.
Above, Zhu Di watched the few of them talk with interest and did not interrupt.
The imperial court of the Ming Dynasty was considered the most relaxed and open of all the feudal dynasties in China. The relationship between the monarch and his subjects was relatively harmonious.
It was normal to quarrel. Sometimes, when officials disagreed, they would even fight.
He was definitely a weirdo!
In addition, the appearance of the Ming cabinet was actually the bud of a 'constitutionalist monarchy', which greatly relieved the pressure on the emperor.
In the later stages, there was even a strange incident where the emperor only went to court three times in a few decades!!
……
"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed.”
Seeing that the few of them had stopped talking, Zhu Di slowly opened his mouth. With a trace of recollection, a rare smile appeared on his face.
"I still remember that Ma Bao, you followed me since you were in your teens. After that, you accompanied me to the south and fought north. You made countless contributions and also made great contributions in the Battle of Jingnan.”
"Able to fight wars, be good at diplomacy, be good at management. In the Great Ming Dynasty, Ma Bao can definitely be considered a rare all-rounder in both civil and military affairs.”
"This is the fortune of my Great Ming!"
Zhu Di's evaluation of Zheng He was not low.
However, none of the officials in the court were unconvinced.
All these years, everyone had witnessed Zheng He's achievements and abilities. No one was unimpressed or unconvinced.
In addition, since Zhu Di ascended the throne, Ming Dynasty had indeed fallen into an awkward situation of lack of talent.
The civil officials were still alright, there were three Yang to support them.
However, among the generals, only Zhu Di, Second Brother, and Third Brother could fight. There was also Zhang Fu who had yet to rise completely (assuming that the Battle of Annan had not yet happened).
In the past, Zhu Di and his family had fought together in every battle.
It had to be said that this was also a very helpless thing.
Because of this, Zheng He, who was skilled in literature and martial arts, was extremely valuable and could be called the pillar of the country.
"Your Majesty praises me too much, this subject does not deserve it.”
Zheng He bowed, his expression unmoved. His tone was neither servile nor overbearing, appearing extremely humble.
The boring days of sailing on the sea had greatly tempered his mental state.
"If Zhen says you deserve it, then you deserve it!”
Zhu Di said lightly, showing his imperial dominance. Then, he changed the topic." Alright, let's talk about the situation of the voyage treasure fleet!”
"And the harvest this time."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials instantly perked up. They knew that this court meeting had finally entered the main topic.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zheng He's expression turned solemn. After a moment of contemplation, he opened his mouth and said,""This subject has received the emperor's favor and was appointed as the eunuch in charge of the inner palace, the director of the shipping department, and the commander of the voyage treasure fleet.”
" On this expedition to the West, I, along with Deputy Emissaries Wang Jinghong and Hou Xian, led 48 treasure ships with a total of more than 27,000 people and set sail from Taicang Liujiagang…"
"Along the way, I went to Champa, Bin Tong Long, Zhenla, Siam, Jailimartin, Java…"
The hall was silent. Everyone pricked up their ears and listened attentively to Zheng He's narration.
Hearing the names of the foreign countries, the officials all looked proud and honored.
The Ming Dynasty occupied the Central Plains and was famous all over the world.
As officials of the Great Ming Dynasty, they all had a kind of superior confidence and heroism in their hearts.
It had to be said that Zheng He's memory was indeed very good. He could remember the names of all the countries he had visited.
After reciting it in one breath, he smiled and cupped his hands at Zhu Di. He said in a clear voice,
"Emperor, these countries admire the prosperity of our Great Ming, so they all sent envoys to pay tribute.”
"At this moment, they are already outside the palace, waiting for the emperor to receive them.”
Hearing this, everyone was curious and wanted to see what those envoys looked like.
Even Zhu Di, although his expression was still calm, his eyes became serious.
"Since they're here to pay tribute, let them in!”
Zhu Di's calm voice rang out, and Little Snot announced loudly,"
"Summon the emissaries of the various countries!"
……
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]