Chapter 266: Tricking Ming to Go Sailing

In the early morning, under the reflection of the sun, the palace complex of the Forbidden City appears even more solemn and majestic, and every brick and tile reveals the royal dignity and authority.

Cheng Long sat in the sedan chair and admired it for a while, then he couldn't help but release his powerful spiritual sense.

In an instant, the people and objects in the palace unfolded in his mind like a scroll, and the picture was extremely clear.

Inside the palace, palace maids dressed in colorful clothes were moving busily and orderly between the corridors. The silk in their hands fluttered gently, accompanied by their whispered conversations, as if injecting vitality into the palace that was about to wake up.

Emperor Jiajing, who had been worried for two nights, sat uncomfortably on the dragon throne, waiting for the arrival of the magic doctor.

Beside him stood two old eunuchs with long, deep breaths. Their faces were expressionless, but their eyes revealed meticulous loyalty.

In the imperial kitchen, the chefs were busy preparing breakfast. The fragrant dishes looked particularly tempting under the light of the fire. Every detail was carefully planned to ensure that the emperor could enjoy the most delicious breakfast.

Throughout the palace, everyone was performing their work diligently and responsibly. Although their actions were different, they all revealed a solemn and sacred atmosphere.

"The strength of these two old eunuchs is far better than Cao Shaoqin of the East Factory, and their strength is not inferior to Miss Dongfang. Aning can only deal with one at most. The foundation of the palace is indeed unmatched by the outside world..."

Through observation, Cheng Long confirmed his previous guess. Although the East Factory headed by Cao Shaoqin was somewhat ambitious and there was a risk of it getting out of control, if the emperor really wanted to close the East Factory, Cao Shaoqin would not be able to cause any big waves.

The plot of New Dragon Inn is a bit exaggerated...

The eunuchs' monopoly of power in the Ming Dynasty had actually been curbed by the Jiajing period.

The Minister of War Yang Yuxuan was killed. It might be that Cao Shaoqin acted on his own initiative, or he might have done something to displease Emperor Jiajing. It is impossible to analyze the details. Anyway, through the contact last night, Cheng Long felt that Yang Yuxuan was not an ambitious person.

After getting off the sedan at Donghua Gate and heading toward the Yangxin Palace, the two noticed that the number of guards along the way had obviously increased.

It is not difficult to guess that Emperor Jiajing was on guard against the evil doctor.

But then I thought that more than 1,500 people from the Eastern Depot were killed at the same time, and the number of guards increased several times or even dozens of times, which would be of no help at all.

If a conflict really happens, everyone will die the way they are supposed to die, and no one will be an exception.

After waiting for a while at the palace gate, the two were invited into the Hall of Mental Cultivation by the eunuchs. There were only two old eunuchs accompanying Emperor Jiajing, but hundreds of archers were crowded in the back of the hall.

Yang Yuxuan bowed respectfully and said, "Your humble servant Yang Yuxuan pays homage to His Majesty!"

Cheng Long said casually: "I am Cheng Long, the commoner, meeting the emperor."

"I love you, no courtesy."

Emperor Jiajing waved his hand and turned to look at Cheng Long, "Young Master Cheng, do you admit your guilt?"

"Uh~~What crime have I committed?" Cheng Long was stunned.

"More than 1,500 people from the East Factory were killed by you sucking their blood with the magic beads?"

Although Emperor Jiajing was questioning Cheng Long, his tone was very casual and he had no intention of holding him accountable at all.

Not wanting, but not dare.

More than 1,500 people from the East Factory were killed, which shocked the entire Central Plains. This incident could be considered an attempt at treason at any time.

But he didn't even dare to say the word "treason"!

"Yes, it's me." Cheng Long nodded.

Yang Yuxuan interrupted very perceptively, "Your Majesty, Young Master Cheng destroyed the East Factory to eliminate harm for the people. Cao Shaoqin of the East Factory is ambitious. Not only did he privately raise the Black Cavalry Team, he also sheltered thieves and murderers with the intention of treason. He deserves death..."

"Well, Lord Cao has indeed been a little too reckless in recent years. This disaster is his retribution."

Emperor Jiajing took advantage of the situation and naturally changed the subject: "Young Master Cheng, it is said that you can cure all diseases and regenerate broken limbs. I wonder if this is true or not?"

"good."

"Can we give it a try?"

Emperor Jiajing's eyes lit up.

"sure……"

Cheng Long agreed very readily. It was obvious that Emperor Jiajing came to see him not to question him, but to test his abilities.

During the reign of Emperor Jiajing, he actually did a lot of good things. In order to ease social conflicts, he carried out many reforms, ordered the return of some occupied land from the people, and eliminated more than 10 military school craftsmen. This was known in history as the "Jiajing New Deal", and was supported by both the government and the people.

However, in the later period, people were superstitious about alchemists and wasted people's energy, which not only prevented the "New Deal" from being fully implemented, but also caused the country to decline and a deep political and economic crisis occurred.

Now is the awkward moment...

"Bring someone up here."

As soon as Emperor Jiajing finished speaking, the eunuch who was guarding outside the palace started shouting.

After a while, several disabled guards entered the Yangxin Palace with excitement.

One had his entire arm broken, one had a broken leg, and two of them had lost several fingers. It wouldn't take much blood and energy to treat them.

Cheng Long planned to treat them all at once.

Although the blood energy stored in the bloodthirsty bead was completely sucked away by him the night before, the originally enchanting black and red bloodthirsty bead has turned into a white and red "crystal bead".

But in addition to the energy of essence and blood, his magic power also has the effect of curing all kinds of diseases and regenerating severed limbs.

However, he planned to use his magical powers to mediate fate.

This would make him appear more decent so as not to scare Emperor Jiajing, Yang Yuxuan and others.

Cheng Long gently raised one hand with his palm facing up, and a soft light burst out. It was like the first ray of sunshine in the morning, warm and full of power.

The light spread rapidly, and instantly enveloped the bodies of the four guards. Under the light, their broken limbs began to tear apart, and distinct blood vessels and nerves extended out, and then flesh, bones, and skin grew out at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Everything was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. The guards showed an expression of disbelief on their faces. They felt that the miracle of life was happening to them.

When the last ray of light disappeared into the night sky, Cheng Long slowly withdrew his hand.

His expression was nonchalant, as if he had done something insignificant. The four guards who had been treated waved their intact limbs in a daze, with disbelief in their eyes.

The miracle of life happens again.

Yang Yuxuan, Emperor Jiajing, and two unknown old eunuchs witnessed this scene with their own eyes. They were all dumbfounded and could hardly believe their eyes.

It is said that what you hear is not as good as what you see.

Even though they had heard of this incident many times before, when this magical scene really happened before their eyes, their mind and body would still be frightened.

For a moment, there was complete silence in the Yangxin Palace until several dozen breaths later.

After recovering from his shock, Emperor Jiajing suddenly stood up and said excitedly, "Mr. Cheng is truly a great doctor! Inviting you to the palace today is the best thing I have ever done. It's time for breakfast, Mr. Cheng, why don't you follow me to the imperial kitchen to eat something and chat while we eat?"

"That's fine. Lord Yang and I came here in a hurry and haven't eaten yet..."

The group hurried to the imperial kitchen to enjoy breakfast prepared by the imperial chefs. Cheng Long, who had learned cooking from Tang Niu, had only one thought in his mind after tasting the emperor's breakfast.

It’s so damn good to be an emperor!
The imperial chefs of the Ming Dynasty are all a group of very high-level chefs. The food they cook is not only rare but also very delicious. Each dish uses simple seasonings to bring out the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves.

Although Cheng Long can do this, he is limited by the food ingredients. Most of the time he just eats simply. Only when he wants to have a big meal occasionally will he go fishing in the sea or go hunting in the mountains to eat game.

The emperor can enjoy delicacies from land and sea anytime and anywhere.

Judging from the attitude of Emperor Jiajing who just took a few bites and then put down his bowl and chopsticks, he was obviously tired of many things.

……

Half an hour later.

When they returned to the Yangxin Palace, Emperor Jiajing could not wait to ask, "Master Cheng, can you help people achieve immortality?"

"No~~" Cheng Long shook his head decisively.

He himself has not yet achieved true immortality, so how can he be qualified to help others achieve immortality?
His current youthful appearance was the result of his increased cultivation and strengthened physical body. Just like the Asgardians, he could live relatively long and age very slowly.

"..." Emperor Jiajing was stunned and frowned, "Master Cheng, you can even help people grow back their broken limbs, so why can't you help people live longer?"

"Your Majesty, the most I can do is delay aging and extend a person's lifespan by five years."

Cheng Long would not seek trouble for no reason. There would be too many variables in creating an emperor who could live for hundreds or thousands of years, so he only dared to extend Emperor Jiajing's life by five years.

"Only five years?"

Emperor Jiajing was obviously not satisfied with this answer.

But what can he do if he is not satisfied?
Imprisoning the witch doctor?

Forced into slavery?

Don't be ridiculous. A mysterious doctor who can regenerate severed limbs and destroy the East Factory in an instant is not someone they are qualified to offend.

"Your Majesty, everyone in the world wants to live forever, but who can truly be immortal? Even I only have a few billion more years of life than others! It is so difficult to achieve immortality. Instead of thinking about these idle thoughts, it is better to do something practical for the people."

Say it.

Cheng Long took out a wooden box out of thin air, and from it he found a globe, as well as the shooting principle and finished product of a percussion rifle. The matchlock and flintlock rifles were relatively backward technologies and could be completely skipped.

The main difficulty in firing a rifle lies in the primer. He has a complete formula for this, and the craftsmen will definitely be able to make it. The military equipment department set up by the East Factory can even design arrows with simple tracking functions. This will definitely not be a problem for the talented craftsmen in the Central Plains.

"Master Cheng, what is this?"

Emperor Jiajing's attention was soon attracted by the globe.

It contains a complete earth terrain module, as well as ocean and lake divisions, and geographical boundaries. Anyone with a little knowledge of geography can find the location of the Ming Dynasty.

“This is the model of the world we live in…”

Before Cheng Long finished speaking, Emperor Jiajing shook his head and questioned: "Impossible, how can the world be round?"

"Mr. Cheng, this is... a bit ridiculous!" Yang Yuxuan immediately questioned.

In their cognition, the sky has always been round and the earth is square. Even though Western missionaries had introduced the "spherical earth theory" to the Central Plains during this period, very few people believed it.

"But this is the fact, you can't help but believe it..."

Cheng Long pointed out the geographical location of the Central Plains while speaking, and then said: "Look, this is Kunlun, the ancestor of all mountains. Kunlun Mountain connects to the Pamir Plateau in the west and extends to Qinghai in the east. It is extremely high and steep, with many snow-capped peaks and glaciers. The highest peak is 7,719 meters..."

"This is the capital..."

"This is Bohai Sea..."

Cheng Long pointed out the familiar geographical names one by one. Even though it was difficult for the Minister of War Yang Yuxuan to deny it, he had to admit that the geographical environment and landforms of the places pointed out by Master Cheng were very similar to the sand table they made.

In other words, what Mr. Cheng said is most likely true. They really live on a sphere, and the Ming Dynasty is not the center of the world. There is an extremely vast territory outside.

The idea that the earth is a sphere is the basis of the great Western voyages. If this knowledge had been popularized among the people of the Central Plains, it would have been the descendants of Yan and Huang who discovered America. Comparing Zheng He's fleet with Columbus' fleet, we know that Columbus discovered America based on faith, not strength.

It was also because of disbelief that the Ming Dynasty banned sea voyages and missed the best era of great navigation.

It is precisely because of this regret that Cheng Long took out the earth and the shooting principle of the percussion rifle, hoping to give a push behind the scenes so that the descendants of Yan and Huang can also have a piece of the cake and participate.

Not to mention the distant landmass, there aren't many indigenous people living in the land south of Borneo, the Maori population is small, and the brown race is similar to the yellow race, so they can be completely integrated into the Ming Dynasty...

"Your Majesty, do you see this huge island? There is a lot of gold here. As long as I send people to dig, I can continuously transport gold to Ming Dynasty..."

"The most important point is that there are not many people on this super large island..."

As Cheng Long's extremely seductive words continued to ring in the ears of Emperor Jiajing, Yang Yuxuan and others, the breathing of the two people, including the old eunuch behind Emperor Jiajing, became rapid.

A vast island, about two-thirds or three-quarters of the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but with less than one million indigenous people living there.

This means that gold and arable land are within easy reach.

In addition to this super large island, Cheng Long told everyone about the spices, precious logs, and rice that matures over a year in Southeast Asia and Indochina.

The more Yang Yuxuan listened, the more he felt something was wrong. The evil doctor was trying to tempt them to expand their territory!

But he could not find a reason to refuse. The Minister of War could only play the greatest role when the army was marching to war. Usually he was responsible for defending the border and resisting the nomadic peoples in the north.

"Mr. Cheng, I need to confirm what you said. If there really is a super large island under Borneo, and there is really a gold mountain in the southeast of the island, then I will definitely incorporate this place into the territory of the Ming Dynasty..." Although Emperor Jiajing has been obsessed with alchemists and thinking about immortality in recent years, he will not turn a blind eye to the opportunity to expand the territory and transport huge amounts of gold to the national treasury.

"Your Majesty, don't forget to arrange for craftsmen to research muskets. Once this thing is mass-produced and a musket army is built, then no matter if the Tatars in the north or the Jurchens in the northeast come south, the soldiers on the border can easily kill them all."

"Master Cheng, how could I forget such a valuable tool that benefits the country and the people?"

If anyone else had spoken so much to Emperor Jiajing, he would never have been taken seriously. However, Cheng Long was different. Not only did he have real skills, he could also prolong people's lifespan and regenerate severed limbs.

Even if Emperor Jiajing didn't believe it, he would give the other party enough face.

The Central Plains dynasty during the reigns of Emperor Jiajing and Emperor Wanli can be said to be the most powerful country in modern human history. During this period, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty far surpassed that of Western countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and the United States.

Once the Ming state machine was up and running, it would surely be able to get a big piece of the pie for China during the Age of Discovery.

(End of this chapter)