Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Zhu Xianyi directly picked up the phone and dialed Zheng Shijie:

"Hey, Your Majesty, what's the matter?"

"Don't submit any more notes to the cabinet about this kind of thing. If you make a deal, I'll have to approve it. If Marquis Jingnan takes turns handing it over to you later - do you two want to jam the central nervous system to the point of cerebral obstruction?"

"Ah, but I think this is very important. Your Majesty, have you read it?"

"I've read it." The letter was very short, and it only said one thing:

Discuss whether Siam should belong to the "Kinei market". This is very important. Obviously, trade between provinces does not need to pay taxes to each other. For example, there cannot be a "tax customs" between Huguang and Guangxi. Materials and personnel on both sides circulate freely.

But Lanfang is not outside the customs. Lanfang is not a country in nature. Lanfang's full name is "Lanfang Administrative Services Co., Ltd.". The Nanyang trade represented by Lanfang is not considered a tribute.

"So, my Majesty the Holy Emperor, it is obvious that Siam is not at the customs customs, right?"

"As I said, they came in from Jingnanhou, who has the same trade concession as you - I asked you, why do you always like to challenge these existing rules? Jingnanhou is not a vegetarian. Yes, you are not the first to discover this rule. If you want to challenge the equilibrium now, you have to bear the price of breaking the equilibrium."

"Ah, His Majesty the Holy Emperor, you don't agree, right?"

"I didn't say I disagreed. I said this matter still needs to be discussed."

"Can you stamp it? Just say you want to discuss it."

"." Zhu Xianfen was silent for a while, "Is it a bit difficult for you there?"

"No, no, no, everything is normal here. Brother Ye, don't worry."

"Alas" Zhu Xianxen sighed, "This kind of thing is not non-negotiable. I also know that you have invested a lot of money in things outside the company. Next time, don't beat around the bush, just say it directly—— You should understand that this channel is the communication between the emperor and the princes, and my approval is all based on daily life. You can do whatever you want me to do with these things."

"Then I'll do it next time."

"If you really need it, I can go on a patrol in Nanyang."

"No, no, no! You don't have to come! You still need a training palace when you come. You really don't have that much spare money."

"Tsk, that's true. Things like palaces are the same as clothes. They can only be worn once, so don't waste the money. Okay, let me keep this discount for now. I will seriously consider it later. After all, Siam is always a special case. There is always something inappropriate here - but, you know, but. After I help you solve other things, you know what you have to do, right? "

"I understand. I will take care of the Lingbao matter as soon as possible. When Shangluo comes, I will ask him to bring it back to you. I will definitely do it."

Chapter 687 Big Plan

"But let Shangluo come and get that thing, right? Have you already decided to get that 'Ling Bao'?"

Although he agreed immediately, Zheng Shijie still confirmed it.

"Yeah. It's been decided, and the time has come. Let him get the dragon balls."

“I think we can actually wait a little longer.”

"When Rome comes to pay New Year greetings this year, it's not just here to send New Year's goods." Zhu Xianfen said to the other end of the phone, "They have reported important news. Come back before this Friday. You must also be present during the meeting. When you leave, Take Shangluo with you. He will escort you along the way. I wouldn’t worry if it were anyone else."

"Then I'll be back tomorrow? I brought Zhu Ling her favorite jackfruit."

"I won't have time to receive you tomorrow."

"Aren't you going to be free every day? Why, is there something special tomorrow?"

"I will invigilate the exam tomorrow."

"Ah, I almost forgot, you still have a teaching position. But where are you doing your business?"

"On one side is work, on the other side is life. One is a family inheritance, and the other is earned by my own skills - although the emperor's visit to the Imperial Academy 'Piyong' is essentially a lecture, but it is ceremonial. I am serious I will lead classes there. You can push other things aside, but you can’t push back student matters. After all, I get the Imperial Academy’s stipend.”

"You are really weird. Do you feel guilty about sitting in a position passed down by your family? I am different. I sit in the position of Marquis of Yanping with peace of mind and do the same thing as my father. I don't feel any pressure at all. .”

"You are you, and I am me. Some people think that apples and bagged rice grow on the shelves, and they can be bought and eaten with peace of mind as long as they spend money."

"I have grown durian."

"Give me 10 names of other fruits and vegetables that grow on trees."

"Eggplant? Oh no. Pineapples always grow on trees, right?"

"If you don't work hard, you can't distinguish between grains. If you plant pineapples in front of your home, you don't even know that pineapples grow on the ground. Tsk, you said you grew durians, but you just went to the durian plantation for a walk."

"I really"

"Ah." Zhu Xianfen understood, "We have a personal farming ceremony, but you have planted durians yourself, right? Tsk, don't talk about it like this, it's like I just met you today. We are friends, we are monarchs and ministers, and above all that - you and I are both upright sons and daughters of the Han family. Ten thousand years ago, we were also a family. I can't forgive anyone, and I won't forgive you, just like I can't I'm sorry for everyone in the world. Even if you are a person who believes that pineapples grow on trees, I am still willing to call you a friend."

"Okay." Zheng Shijie breathed out, "Although it seems that you are blaming me, thank you very much. And after saying this, I feel much better. The Dragon Ball matter is still a big deal after all. But I still want to say it."

"What do you want to say?"

"After I give you the first Dragon Ball for my experiment, will you really promise not to use the 'Water Dragon' to blow me up?"

"No! Really not! Why should I blow you up! Besides, the dragon balls are just fuses for warheads. You are not the only one who can make them. It's just that yours is the first batch made according to the production batch. I really plan to If I blow you up with a spirit bomb, will I ask you to make a fuse?"

"I know." Zheng Shijie paused for a moment, "I just feel a little scared after realizing that we are about to master the power of creation. Although the first experiment has not started yet, the path is open. After all, we have already Knowing the existence of nuclear weapons in Zhongguo technology, we are just reproducing it in our own way."

"Then why are you nervous?"

"Because this is different. At the beginning, we just wanted to make evil spirit bombs, right? We had a rough expectation of the power of evil spirit. But after Shangluo came, we directly changed the target to spiritual evil bullets, because the spiritual energy can be extracted and marked. ——This is directly a second-generation nuclear weapon, isn't it? This is a hydrogen bomb! It may even produce more unpredictable aftereffects than a hydrogen bomb, so..."

"I know." Zhu Xianfen interrupted him, "So, we plan to demonstrate it. Although this is the first experiment, we plan to show our 'doomsday plan' to the Romans openly and honestly. On their side When the situation is out of control, I want them to know: There will be no chaos in the world. If the sky falls, there will still be tall people to hold it up. This way they can go to the underworld and the pure land with peace of mind."

"This way they can take their last breath and die with peace of mind, right?"

"Of course. No one will be willing to die when he sees that the country he founded is facing a crisis of collapse. In order to let the Romans end themselves as soon as possible, it is necessary to show them one of the trump cards. And this is not everyone. Celestial Masters who act on behalf of Heaven, you know that Celestial Masters will have their own ideas under any circumstances. Celestial Masters cannot be sent here and there by us, but bombs can. The Water Dragon will follow the predetermined trajectory and send A 500-ton Lingsha explosive device is delivered to the target's head and then wipes out everything on the ground."

"Okay. But speaking of which, have you told Shangluo that the lunar cannon is our aerospace transportation plan, because the cannon has enough transportation capacity. The Water Dragon is actually used to carry bombs?"

"I would definitely say it now. We just met each other at the time, so I didn't know the details, so I didn't say it - and I had reasons not to say it at that time. What Daozu entrusted to him was a matter from heaven, but the whole process of making the Spirit Demon Bullet was done on earth. So it doesn’t matter whether I say it or not. But now, we are on the same team, so we have to talk to him when we find an opportunity."

"Okay, then I'll hang up. I'll have someone prepare it. The 'Dragon Ball' has been prepared for a long time. If we start sealing it now, we can let the Ninghe carry it back. It's unbelievable that the doomsday weapon that will destroy the world has only a fuse. It’s so small that it can be stuffed into the cargo hold of a passenger plane. It would be great if one day it was not just the fuse but the entire bomb could be stuffed into the cargo hold.”

"That's Zhongguo's technology, and it's different from our route. We can only put a big one in - but the power should be about the same."

"By the way, have you really tried it? A small-scale experiment."

"The scale of this experiment cannot be small, because it has the same starting price as a taxi, and the starting price is at least this big. In addition, the principle of the evil spirit bomb is similar, but the principle of the spiritual evil bullet is quite different. We expect The power is at least no less powerful than a hydrogen bomb."

"Then... I'll be waiting. Waiting for a big firework."

"Oh, you're back?" Phaethon, who was reading a book on the sofa, raised his head and glanced at him, "How are you today?"

"It went very smoothly. I actually finished writing it in one minute. I went for a stroll later and brought this to you." Shangluo handed over the durian milk tea.

"." Phaethon sniffed, "This thing stinks."

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Chapter 688 Durian

"Durian."

"Oh! So this is durian. I've heard of it, but never eaten it. It has such a strange taste. So durian is liquid like coconut?"

"No, this is milk tea."

"." Phaethon looked at the cup, "Don't you think this thing is a bit strange? Strange tropical fruits, entangled with many strange ingredients. Compared to tea, it looks more like some kind of tea to me. Eight-treasure porridge. And it’s a little... smelly? I’m not knowledgeable, can this be called smelly?”

"This can be called a stink in every sense of the word."

"Then why do you like to eat smelly things?"

“Isn’t the fish sauce in Rome smelly?”

"That's different. The odor of fish sauce is fermented and can be controlled. Durian is naturally stinky. This odor comes from nature. It is simply shocking. But I seem to have seen it on a takeaway flyer. Yes, this thing is quite popular?"

"Yes, it's quite expensive. You can only buy two drinks for 50 yuan. It's a treat for others. One drink for Apollonia and one for you."

"Well, you didn't drink it yourself?"

"It's not like I haven't had a drink before. If I don't miss this sip, you should drink it. It just so happens that you have an exam tomorrow. Can I give you a boost?"

"." Although he didn't know how to survive with a cup of stinky durian and eight-treasure porridge, he bought it and Phaethon didn't want to refuse.

She took it, inserted the straw and took a sip.

"." She still didn't speak.

"how is the taste?"

"It doesn't taste bad but I can probably guess why it's so popular."

"Oh, what about?"

"For example, if I have five best friends, I can chat with each of them for an hour after drinking a cup of milk tea: from durian materials, to my own hearing, to the process of queuing, to my own feelings about drinking durian tea, and finally Describe the reactions of others after hearing this passage one by one. It is well worth the money. Good topics are not available all the time. For the price of a cup of milk tea, you can master the conversation for 5 hours. It is more than worth it. .”

"Is there such a use?"

"Well, it's very useful. When Victoria comes later, I will also come and talk to her about this cup of durian tea. Because there are no traditional durian producing areas within the control of Rome, Victoria must have never drank it. Then she will also Let’s buy her a drink.”

"Are you sure she can drink this?"

"After drinking it, the taste should be no problem. Durian has a very natural sweetness, which is much richer than the taste of many sweeteners. She probably won't refuse. By the way, she said When are you going to do it seriously?"

"I don't know, but I should know before I come here."

Before he finished speaking, the phone rang. Shangluo answered the phone——

After 2 minutes, he hung up the phone.

"Who made the call at this point?"

"Senior brother." Shangluo put down the phone. "He said that tomorrow your exam will be divided into two halves. He will be the proctor in the first half and another teacher will be in charge of the second half. Then, he asked me to go to his place tomorrow afternoon - tomorrow The Roman embassy will arrive in the afternoon to discuss arrangements for the arrival of Victoria herself.”

"Does it have to be so grand? Is it considered an official visit?"

"No, she still came here in her alchemical body because she can't leave the palace for too long now. She has things to take care of. But even if it's an alchemical body, she still needs to inform us before coming so that we can make all the arrangements. I can handle this. Compared to this, are you confident about tomorrow's exam?"

"Don't worry. I've practiced in seclusion before, and I'm fully prepared."

noon the next day.

Shangluo was waiting at the door of Zhu Xianfen's office, holding a cup of ginger tea in his hand. This time he stayed far away from any pillars to avoid touching any building wood he shouldn't touch.

The elevator bell dinged over there, and Zhu Xianxian and several Jinyiwei walked all the way from the elevator.

"How's it going?" he asked Zhu Xianxin, "How did you do in the exam?"

"Tsk." Zhu Xianfen shook his head, "By the way, why are you sitting at the door? You go in first and sit down."

Shangluo shook his head fiercely: "I know there are some treasures in this palace, and I don't dare to touch them casually. If I touch Jianmu or something and cause a chain reaction, it will be over."

"Ah, indeed. I do have a few things in the house. I'll write you a note later." He took out the key, opened the office door himself, and motioned for Shangluo to follow him.

Sitting on both sides of the desk, Zhu Xianfen took a sip of tea first: "I proctored the exam this morning. It's just the result."

"The result is not good?"

"She may not be able to be your classmate anymore."

"Ah, she didn't do well in the exam?" Shangluo also expected this. After all, this was just a last minute thing, so she didn't do well in the exam.

“I’m going to put her straight into grad school.”

"Huh??? Why?"

"Because she has fully met the criteria for entering my own research laboratory. Ha, actually I also read your paper. I can only say that it is difficult to say that she did well in the exam, but considering that you are a celestial being, it can be seen that You haven’t put in a lot of time into your studies.”

"I only have 76 seconds! I wrote the entire composition in 3 seconds."

"That's the balance of casting a spell on you. And even if you become my graduate student, you won't have the energy to come to my laboratory. And do you really have good study habits?"

"That's true."

"But Phaethon's allocation of time is very consistent with the potential that a researcher should have: she was able to retreat and absorb all this knowledge. She was able to systematically summarize, study, and grasp all the basic knowledge of another education system. , and she has mastered it quite well. This ability of independent learning is exactly what a researcher needs. She is indeed very suitable for alchemy. So I plan to let her directly enter my research laboratory."

"Then I."

"You? Just go to the big class with the other freshmen. By the way, when you see her in the future, you have to call her senior, because she is one level higher than you."

"Call her senior?"

"She is about to start taking over the actual research work. Of course she can be considered your senior. Well, because the courses are arranged by me, I still arranged some public classes for freshmen for her to study. For example, civic education, etc., so that she can understand our social life. So there are a few courses that you should probably take with her. Of course, most of the courses are probably not accessible to you, nor to anyone outside. .”

"Alchemy?"