Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1057 Born Outside
It has to be said that Charles II had this idea for a long time. Especially when he encountered obstacles everywhere along the way and could not make any progress, the idea of ​​going to Ming Dynasty to study became even stronger.

Charles II was very clear-headed. It was definitely not a whim. Temporarily leaving Europe and going to Ming Dynasty could not only avoid the whirlpool of Europe and improve his situation, but also learn advanced knowledge in Ming Dynasty. He would come back in a few years. Maybe the situation in Britain would change by then. As long as Cromwell was getting older and his health was getting worse, then Charles II would have the possibility to return to Britain.

After all, he was still the King of England in name only, and the succession to the throne of European countries had a tradition. Even though Charles II was expelled from the country and went into exile, his crown was still there. This was something that all European royal families, even Cromwell who called himself the Lord Protector, had to admit.

By that time, he would have a chance, so Charles II had figured it out. Instead of struggling inefficiently in Europe, it would be better to go to Ming. In Ming, he could not only learn the knowledge he wanted to learn, but also recruit a mercenary army from Ming to serve him, so as to prepare for his return to Europe in the future.

On the way with the delegation, Charles II had discovered that there were many regular soldiers in the delegation. These soldiers were very strong in combat, and even the famous German mercenaries in Europe were slightly inferior in ferocity. Moreover, these soldiers were equipped with new muskets that were not available in European countries. These muskets were not only powerful, but also capable of continuous firing. Charles II had sought permission from Wang Fuzhi and Zheng Hongkui to personally try out this type of musket. After the trial, he was surprised to find that the level of advancement of such muskets was not comparable to the current European muskets. If he could have a mercenary army of several hundred people, all equipped with such muskets, then he could fully guarantee that he would have enough possibilities to return to Britain in the future and truly ascend the throne, and use this force as a basis to promote political system reforms, thereby consolidating the royal power.

Facing Wang Fuzhi, Charles II did not hide much and basically told the truth, telling the other party what he was thinking.

Charles II knew very well that both Wang Fuzhi and Zheng Hongkui were not the useless nobles in Europe who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. Wang Fuzhi was a famous scholar and official in the Ming Dynasty. His knowledge and learning were beyond the reach of even the famous scholars in Europe. As for Zheng Hongkui, it goes without saying that this earl was not only a nobleman, but also an admiral of the Ming Empire. He had rich experience in war and command, and he also had a deep understanding of politics. It was no good to be petty in front of these two people. Since you need help from others, why not tell them frankly? Impress the other party with sincerity, and at the same time promise the other party that as long as you ascend the British throne in the future, then Britain will inevitably become the ally and partner of the Ming Dynasty in Europe, which is of great benefit to both parties.

After Charles II finished speaking, Wang Fuzhi could not help but fall into deep thought. With Wang Fuzhi's wisdom, he could naturally judge whether what Charles II said was true or false. Even if Charles II did not say 100% of his true feelings, he at least said more than 80%, which was enough.

Wang Fuzhi did not expect that the real reason why Charles II wanted to go to Ming Dynasty was this. He was also prepared to inspect and learn about Ming Dynasty's political structure, including the imperial examination system, etc. It was surprising that a Western barbarian had such a mind and judgment. He could not help but sigh that heroes in the world should not be underestimated. Charles II was really not simple!

Suddenly, a sentence flashed through Wang Fuzhi's mind, which was "Zhong'er was born outside, and Shensheng died inside."

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a civil strife in Jin. After Duke Xian died, Di Nu wanted to murder the crown prince Shensheng and the prince Chong'er left behind by Duke Xian, and supported her son to become the ruler of Jin. Under such circumstances, Chong'er decisively fled Jin and went into exile in a foreign country. During his decades of exile in a foreign country, he secretly accumulated strength and recruited wise officials. Not only did he save his life, but he also had the opportunity to return to Jin and become Duke Wen of Jin. In his hands, Jin became unprecedentedly powerful and became the strongest vassal state in the world.

On the contrary, the crown prince Shensheng was unwilling to leave the country because he insisted on filial piety, and was eventually forced to commit suicide. This is the story of Chong'er being born outside and Shensheng dying inside.

Although this story is somewhat different from Charles II's, Chong'er's experience is very similar to Charles II's. They were both exiled abroad because of civil unrest in their countries. Although they had the title, they could not return to their country, let alone inherit the throne. Moreover, in exile, they suffered a lot and endured many hardships. However, Chong'er was always accompanied by loyal ministers and received support from many other countries. On the contrary, Charles II was alone and was coldly treated by many countries. However, the essence was the same.

Thinking of this story and considering what the emperor and he had said before the mission, Wang Fuzhi was inclined to agree to Charles II's request.

It would be beneficial for Ming Dynasty to help Charles II at this time. Moreover, as long as the situation was explained to Charles II and he was allowed to hide in the delegation when leaving Europe, the news would not be leaked out, and it would be impossible for Britain to get the news so quickly.

Even if he knew that Charles II had gone to Ming, Cromwell probably would not have been angry at Ming because of this, and it would not have had much impact on Ming's diplomacy in Europe. Wang Fuzhi judged that if he were Cromwell, as long as Ming did not clearly express its support for Charles II and only took him away from Europe, Cromwell would not only not stop it, but would even be secretly delighted.

After all, although Cromwell controls the current British regime and calls himself the Lord Protector, he is not the real King of England. When a person stays in such a position for a long time, his mentality will gradually change. Even if he initially promised that he did not want to become the King of England, it does not mean that his idea will not change in the future. Power can blind people's hearts. Cromwell is also a human being. How could he not have any selfish thoughts?

In this way, Cromwell might hope that Charles II would never return to England, or even stay away from Europe. If something unexpected happened on the way to the Ming Dynasty and Charles II died, Cromwell would be even happier. Of course, this is just Wang Fuzhi's guess and does not represent Cromwell's true thoughts, but the possibility of this guess is very high. However, to be on the safe side, Wang Fuzhi still planned to temporarily conceal Charles II's whereabouts after agreeing to his request until he left Europe.

When Charles II officially heard from Wang Fuzhi that he was allowed to go to the Ming Dynasty, he was extremely happy and expressed his deep gratitude.

However, Wang Fuzhi also explained to him that in order to avoid trouble, when leaving Sweden, he hoped that Charles II would conceal his identity and not show up in public until he was safely away from Europe. This would be good for the delegation and for him.

"Thank you, sir. I will do as you wish. To be on the safe side, I will have someone impersonate me and return to Portugal via another route." Charles II understood as soon as he heard it and expressed no objection. He also took the initiative to propose a plan to conceal his whereabouts and divert the target.

"It seems that Your Highness has already considered it. That's great." It's easy to talk to smart people. Wang Fuzhi smiled and nodded.

However, when Wang Fuzhi asked Charles II how he could get someone to impersonate his whereabouts and return to Portugal from another route, Charles II told him that he would let an attendant of similar size and age to him do it, and in order to ensure safety, except for him who would leave Europe with the delegation, no one else would be brought along, and these people would take a ship directly from Sweden to Portugal, so that the news would not be leaked.

"Where is Her Royal Highness the Princess? Aren't you going to take her with you to Ming Dynasty?" Wang Fuzhi was a little surprised.

Charles II nodded and said, "You don't need to worry about Her Royal Highness. After all, there are certain risks in going to Ming Dynasty. For her safety, I think it is better to let her return to Portugal first."

He took a deep look at Charles II. Although Charles II was very sincere when he said this and his words seemed to be for the sake of his wife, Wang Fuzhi knew that the real situation might not be that simple. Charles II did not really care about Princess Catalina, but just used this excuse to send her back to Portugal. Moreover, it was still risky to rely on one follower to pretend to be himself and deceive others. But with Princess Catalina as a cover, the situation would be completely different. With Princess Catalina as a cover, the chances would be even greater.

"This guy is not simple. He even uses his wife as an object of use." Wang Fuzhi sighed in his heart, but he did not have any objection to Charles II because of this. After all, as a king, knowing how to make choices and not being emotional are necessary qualities. If he does not have these qualities, then Wang Fuzhi has no intention of investing in Charles II.

What Charles II did proved that if he could really ascend the throne in the future, he would be able to become a qualified king. As for family affection, it was nothing compared to status and power. Isn't there an old saying in China? There is no family affection in the royal family. Isn't it the same for emperors?

But for other reasons, Wang Fuzhi still felt that Charles II should be stopped from doing so. After all, Portugal and Ming had already cooperated, and as the chief envoy of the Ming Dynasty, he helped Charles II to plot against John IV and his daughter, which was not in line with Wang Fuzhi's character.

Furthermore, keeping Princess Catalina with Charles II would allow them to cooperate with the Portuguese in the Far East through Princess Catalina's identity when they arrived in Ming Dynasty. This would be beneficial to Ming Dynasty, and there was no need to accommodate Charles II's personal ideas.

Finally, under Wang Fuzhi's insistence, Charles II gave up the idea of ​​letting Princess Catalina and the person who pretended to be him return to Portugal, changed his original plan, and went to Ming Dynasty with his wife. In this way, the two sides reached an agreement, and Charles II was relieved and showed a sincere smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)