Zheng Chenggong had his own ambitions. He had been heavily relied upon during the Longwu Era, naturally, he did not want to go to the Great Ming only to be sidelined.
It was just that the Great Ming of today could already be considered full of talented people, he knew very clearly that given his age, he might not be as highly favored as he had been before.
He could only gamble on the fact that the Emperor was young and also liked to promote newcomers.
Of course, he didn't surrender blindly; rather, he had deduced from the Emperor sending an Imperial Physician that the Emperor must value him to some extent.
The final result was not bad; although he no longer held a title and no longer spoke of receiving an imperial surname, at least he was given an opportunity, allowing him to go on a campaign alongside Zhang Huangyan.
After Zheng Chenggong left, Zhu Ci turned to Fu and asked, "Where did we leave off?"
He and Fu had been discussing the Dongfeng Bronze Cannon, but after several discussions, they both felt that improving it now would not be easy.
Zhu Ci was quite stubborn, insisting that he must find a direction.
Fu did not answer, but instead said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the flowers in the Imperial Garden are all in bloom and the spring weather is lovely; perhaps Your Majesty should take more walks in the gardens."
The Little Emperor spent all day either in Wuying Hall or the Imperial Study, without even a moment to play.
Even the most diligent emperors in history had personal hobbies, whether it was calligraphy, painting, or something else, but Zhu Ci seemed to have no other hobbies; every day he opened his eyes to handle state affairs, when the time came, he went to sleep.
The daily schedule was extremely tight; as long as no emergencies arose, every day followed the same routine.
At least a few days ago, he would still sneak out of the palace to fire guns, but since the fall of Xuzhou, he hasn't even mentioned that anymore.
Fu could deeply empathize with Zhu Ci's pressure; he felt some pressure himself, not only because of the fall of Xuzhou, but also due to the worry that the Tartars might once again advance southward to wreak havoc.
However, he couldn't let the Little Emperor work himself to death; he was still so young, yet he lived such a rigid life every single day.
Zhu Ci couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. In history books, ministers always advised the Emperor to work diligently and not lose his ambitions to pleasure, but here, Grand Secretary Fu was actually advising him to go out and have fun.
Zhu Ci looked out the window; just as Grand Secretary Fu had said, it was the fourth lunar month, the grass was growing, birds were flying. The weather was already quite warm, making it a wonderful day.
He thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go, we'll talk in the Imperial Garden."
Fu..
He wanted to let the Little Emperor relax, not give him a different place to work.
But.. never mind, it looks like the Little Emperor is enjoying himself, so he will just keep him company.
Although there was plenty of sunlight outside, the palace had no shortage of things to provide shade.
Zhu Ci and Fu strolled slowly through the Imperial Garden together, only at this moment did he realize what Fu meant when he said the flowers were in full bloom.
In the Imperial Garden, flowers of different colors and various kinds were blooming in competition, crowding together in clusters all across the garden.
Compared to winter, the Imperial Garden is now not just full of vitality, but so lively that it feels somewhat noisy.
Zhu Ci narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, a faint fragrance lingering around his nose, remarked with emotion, "Looking at this, I feel that the mortal world is still a very good place."
Fu was extremely perceptive and asked cautiously, "Does His Majesty also have times when he feels the world is not a good place?"
"Yes." Zhu Ci sat down, leaning lazily on the stone table with one arm, looking quite unrefined.
However, Fu did not remind him, as there was no use in doing so, the Little Emperor knew his limits; whenever an outsider was present, the Little Emperor's conduct was always impeccable.
As for him.. well, he could perhaps only be considered half an outsider.
“What has caused His Majesty such worry? I wonder if I might help relieve His Majesty's burden?” Fu was very attentive to Zhu Ci's mental state.
To prevent Zhu Ci or anyone else from noticing anything, he tried his best to maintain a calm tone, fortunately, his sunglasses concealed the concern in his eyes.
Zhu Ci shook his head to loosen his neck and said, "Sigh, it's nothing. A lifespan of a hundred years is but a blink, yet one carries the worries of a thousand years."
There are actually many things that make him feel that the mortal world is not worth it, especially when he encounters those selfish ministers who completely disregard the interests of the state; in such moments, he feels utterly disheartened.
He was neither a saint nor an immortal, so he naturally had emotions, but these emotions generally came and went quickly; there were bad people and good people in this world.
If someone is unsuitable, one can simply demote or kick him out; after all, there will always be those who walk the same path as him.
Nowadays, if one were to discuss which civil and military officials in the imperial court were most in tune with him, it would be none other than the Grand Secretary.
It was just that Zhu Ci was somewhat curious; he himself could not bear to see the common people displaced or witness another massacre of a city, but what was Fu's motivation?
Fu does not lack money, as for power.. he has no family, nor does he have any followers; just as he said himself, he insists on being a pure official.
If it were anyone else, Zhu Ci would think this person possessed great compassion and did everything for the sake of the world and the nation.
But Fu.. if he wasn't mistaken, Fu probably wasn't very satisfied with this world.
Although he appeared to be a cold and indifferent person in both appearance and mannerisms, Zhu Ci felt that he likely buried all his emotions very deep.
Of course, Zhu Ci also understood Fu's dissatisfaction with this world.
Such a person, acting as the Grand Secretary so diligently now, truly feels strange.
Not knowing if it was because Zhu Ci's gaze was too strange, Fu couldn't help but ask, "Does His Majesty have something he wishes to ask?"
Zhu Ci simply leaned over the stone table, his dark, bright eyes looking up at Fu as he asked, "What is it that Huaizhang wants?"
Fu paused, tilting his head slightly to look shamelessly at the Little Emperor, using his sunglasses as cover.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: The fact that the people under his command have no desires or demands makes me a little nervous; I always feel like they are plotting something big. Catty rubs its face in distress. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 188
Fu did not answer the Little Emperor's question immediately for the first time.
He could not voice what he desired, for it would have been nothing less than high treason.
In fact, he himself did not even know when he had started having such thoughts.
Perhaps it was due to their long-term companionship, the Little Emperor's undisguised favoritism, or perhaps it was because things had already become different back when he decided to ascend the throne before the Little Emperor's spirit.
After all, no matter how much it was whitewashed on the outside, he had truly raised an army to rebel back then.
Even if the Fangshi by his side calculated that there was and could only be one Ziwei Imperial Star, even for the man before him, the thought of establishing himself as a king had never faded.
Later, he was no longer certain why he was willing to give up, only knowing that when he made this decision, he felt no resentment.
Thinking back on it later, the fact that there was no sense of regret was strange in itself.
Even Li Zicheng hesitated for several days before surrendering, even though he had already fallen into such a destitute state back then.
It was just that Fu did not realize these things back then; by the time he did, he no longer wanted to pull himself away.
Perhaps even if he had realized it back then, he still wouldn't have wanted to pull himself away.
In all the world, only this person before him would not mind his appearance; the gaze he directed at him was always filled with admiration, not that kind of forced composure and indifference.
Only this person would care more than he did about making sure he wasn't scorched by the sun.
Setting aside everything else, Fu already had several pairs of sunglasses sent by the Little Emperor.
Each one had a different decoration, each one was one he had worn for so long that the Little Emperor could no longer stand it and had forced him to change into a new pair.
He had also carefully preserved those that were changed before.
How should one put this? If he were to say it aloud, the palace pass in his hand that allowed him free entry and exit through the palace gates would likely be confiscated.
Fu did not answer, Zhu Ci did not mind, merely saying with a smile, "It seems Huaizhang himself does not know what he wants."
Fu pursed his lips and said softly, "Your Majesty's wish is my wish."
“Eh?" Zhu Ci blinked, feeling as if something was slightly off. He thought for a moment and said, "What if my wish was to unify the world?"
Unify the world, unify weights and measures, unify the written language, no need to learn foreign languages!
Fu said indulgently, "Then my wish is also to unify the world."
Zhu Ci immediately laughed and said, "Then future generations will certainly record us as a pair of monarchs and ministers who wasted resources on endless warfare."
Unifying the world would certainly involve many wars, many times it might even require taking the initiative to strike; he was already able to imagine how future generations would criticize him.
Fu's ears twitched at the phrase "a pair," and he said with an irrepressible hint of amusement in his voice, "That is also very good."
The sunlight was beautiful, the spring scenery was beautiful as well. Zhu Ci lay prone on the stone table; with no one reminding him to mind his manners, he squinted his eyes and felt so languid that he was almost falling asleep.
At this moment, his consciousness was already somewhat blurred, his mind began to wander: "First.. we'll take Da Mao and Er Mao. Da Mao has mines, Er Mao has black soil. Mmm, there's Australia, which has all the various minerals we lack most, the oil from the Middle East.. it will all be ours."
Fu hesitated for a moment but did not wake Zhu Ci, instead having someone drape a cloak over him.
The Little Emperor has been too tired lately; it is good that he can rest a bit longer.
It was just that Zhu Ci slept very deeply, did not wake up until the sun had begun to set in the west.
Fu thought for a moment and made a hand gesture to have the imperial carriage brought over. After he helped the person into the carriage, he escorted him all the way back to Qianqing Palace.
When Zhu Ci woke up the next day, he felt somewhat dazed for a moment.
He vaguely remembered dreaming that he was traveling across the ocean by boat, then he beat up all those foreigners who spoke like birds and forced them to speak Chinese.
Not only must they speak Chinese, but they must also learn dialects—Cantonese, Minnan, Hakka, all of them must be learned!
Then it was about mining and drilling for oil, when he finally woke up, he happened to hear a report from below that a Billion-level Oil Field had been discovered.
This dream was so comfortable that when Zhu Ci woke up, he still felt a sense of lingering satisfaction.
Then he remembered that he had lost consciousness while speaking with Fu in the Imperial Garden yesterday.
After Master Fu saw His Majesty back to his sleeping quarters, he left.
Zhu Ci smacked his lips, recalling what he had said to Fu yesterday, suddenly realized that something was a bit off.
What did he mean, that my wish is his wish?
He seemed to have only encountered such words in literary works, the people who said them were typically characters who were either death squads or were adopted from childhood and then brainwashed to be absolutely loyal to their masters.
Fu is not one of those people; what on earth was he thinking when he said that?
If it were anyone else, Zhu Ci would definitely feel that the person was merely flattering him.
However, Fu had no need for that. Flattery is usually done when one has an ulterior motive, but he had already directly asked Fu what he wanted; there was no need for the other party to resort to flattery at this moment.
Moreover, Fu's tone at that time was incredibly sincere, as natural as if it were only right and proper.
Although it was worth being happy that his ideals were recognized, especially since the one recognizing them was the Grand Secretary he held in high regard, he still felt somewhat uneasy.
However, Zhu Ci was interrupted before he could think deeply about it.