Zhou Shuren touched his face and said, "Sir, why are you looking at me like this? Have I become younger?"
Li Zhao pulled Zhou Shuren's sleeve and said, "Come, come closer, let's have a good talk."
Zhou Shuren, "... No, I have to go back to the Ministry of Revenue to prepare the silver."
Why does Lord Li like to touch things so much, especially like to tear off his official uniform!
Li Zhao didn't let go, and lowered his voice and said, "At the end of the previous dynasty, the country was incompetent and had always blocked the coastline. We didn't even have any ships, let alone a navy. We don't have any experience in naval warfare."
Zhou Shuren was speechless, "Sir, you don't need to tell me, I know everything."
The previous dynasty was a historical turning point, it deviated from history. The founding emperor was very powerful and developed maritime trade. Unfortunately, it was only the founding emperor who was powerful, and then it went downhill all the time. Not to mention the navy, even the army became a ragtag group. Only those controlled by some aristocratic families could be considered combat-effective, the others were just a joke.
Li Zhao continued, "We have a pretty good relationship, but I can't have my birthday party."
Zhou Shuren felt happy when he heard this, finally he no longer felt the pain.
Li Zhao continued, "In my eyes, you are a man of great ability. Look at what you just reminded me of. You see, my birthday won't be celebrated, and I don't want expensive gifts. Just say a few more words if you know anything?"
Zhou Shuren thought, I know a lot, his history is amazing, pirates, colonization, but I can't talk about it. It's normal to remind him just now. If he really says too much, the emperor will be afraid of him. He doesn't want the emperor to die and take him with him to be the monarch and minister. People should not know everything, especially in front of the emperor. "Sir, you think too much. What can I know? I know a little about maritime trade after I became the prefect of Jinzhou. I was just confused just now. I am cautious by nature."
Li Zhao stared at Zhou Shuren. No, this feeling was wrong. The Zhou Shuren he knew was definitely not simple. Then he thought that what Zhou Shuren said was right. Zhou Shuren was indeed cautious by nature. It was normal for him to be suspicious. He was confused and sighed, "Your words reminded me. I originally thought that pirates were nothing, but now I need to be cautious. Once we lose, the coastline will not be peaceful, and the merchant ships going out to sea will not be guaranteed."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself that he reminded him because he knew that. His son hasn't come back yet. If the situation continues to be unrest, it will not only affect maritime trade, but also the people living on the coast. China's coastline is too vast.
There is no war in the inland now, and the two major foreign tribes have been scared. The next ten years will be the coastline. Fortunately, the emperor decided to build ships and train the navy last year, otherwise, haha!
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard. The emperor must have considered this, so it was the emperor who made preparations for a rainy day. Anyway, he didn't think much about it at the time.
Seeing that Zhou Shuren had nothing to say, Li Zhao loosened his sleeves and said, "Although I won't hold my birthday anymore, I still have to accept the gift. Lord Zhou, you and I have known each other for more than a year. It's up to you to decide on the first birthday gift."
Zhou Shuren, "... ... I have something to say to you, sir, but I don't know how to tell you."
Li Zhao, "Hmm?"
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "I'd better not say anything."
Because it’s an insult!
Li Zhao snorted, "You have received many rewards, including the unique calligraphy and paintings given by the emperor. I am very envious of them."
As he said this, he patted Zhou Shuren's shoulder. He was really envious. Although he was a military general, he was also well-read. During the war, he took the opportunity to collect a lot of things. But when he went north, he was very envious of those who went south of the Yangtze River. He really didn't collect many good things.
Zhou Shuren coughed. Li Zhao was really not polite to him. Bah, who has a good relationship with Li Zhao? It was obvious that Li Zhao was bullying him by relying on his higher official position and the power he held, waiting for him to get promoted!
As the two were about to leave the palace, the eunuch caught up with them and said, "Master Li, the emperor has summoned you."
Zhou Shuren laughed in his heart. He knew that people must keep their mouths shut. He would control his mouth even more in the future.
Zhou Shuren returned to the Ministry of Revenue and met with the Minister of State Affairs. "The Emperor ordered to prepare silver for the Ministry of War."
Xiao Qing's leisurely expression disappeared, "The Emperor wants to use pirates to train the navy!"
Zhou Shuren hummed, "Pirates are not simple, this silver will cost a lot."
Xiao Qing's eyes became more serious. "The emperor didn't say the exact number?"
Zhou Shuren shook his head, "No, the Ministry of War will send us the amount after counting."
This is the advantage of his small changes, he won’t ask for tens of thousands of taels directly!
Xiao Qing sighed, "It's already troublesome, and now there's one more thing."
In the palace, in the Zheng Hall, the emperor waited for Li Zhao to leave, took the new map of the Haihan Line and examined it carefully, and said dimly: "The map is still incomplete. It would be better if there were maps of all countries."
Even if people were sent to follow the merchants out to sea to draw the map, it would take a while to complete the map.
The emperor looked at himself in the mirror and touched his face. If he were younger, he could give the navy a few more years. The nearby island countries sighed, now he is powerless.
The Emperor handed the map to the Prince, "You will be needed to complete it in the future."
The prince was excited. He took the map and touched it. After the excitement, he calmed down. It was a dream for the newly established navy to dominate the world. It was uncertain whether they could win this time. Thinking of this, Zhou Shuren was really careful. If he didn't remind him, it would be easy to underestimate the enemy.
At the Zhou family, Zhulan chatted with her eldest daughter and watched her granddaughter carefully wipe the books.
My granddaughter has changed a lot after living in the capital for half a year. When she first arrived in the capital, she still felt a little restrained even in the Zhou Mansion.
Jiang Miao used to have a scholarly temperament, and it was even more obvious now. The other girls in the family, Yu Shuang and Yu Lu, were more interested in calligraphy, painting, musical instruments, etc., and were not very keen on reading. But Jiang Miao was different. She really liked reading. After arriving in the capital and having a teacher to teach her, the girl became even more absorbed in reading.
On the contrary, he has no talent for playing musical instruments and the sound of his piano is very chaotic. However, he is good at calligraphy and painting, and also good at handicrafts.
The little girl has been good-looking since she was young. She has not grown out of shape even when she grew up, and she has become better at dressing herself up. The little girl is very likable.
But now Jiang Miao is unhappy.
It rained last night and stopped only when it was dawn. There was water everywhere on the ground, and Jiang Miao's book fell to the ground and got dirty.
Zhulan looked at her granddaughter's tears, she felt really sad, "Grandma will buy you a new one."
Jiang Miao shook his head, "Grandma, no need. I will rewrite the blurred parts of this book."
Zhulan was amused. "You just bought the book, and you haven't read it yet, so how can you write it down?"
In the past, when her grandchildren were living in her hometown, she would send New Year gifts back and bring some New Year's money to the children. Her daughter would take all the money, and her grandchildren would not get any.
After arriving in Beijing this year, she gave out New Year's money. Su Xuan herself was also generous, and all the children in the family received gold peanuts or silver peanuts.