Wang Changfeng and the other three strolled by the Qinhuai River for another long time. When they returned to the inn, it was almost Haishi.

As soon as he entered the inn, Wang Changfeng found Zheng He sitting there, drinking tea alone.

When Zheng He saw the three of them, he smiled and said, "You are finally back. You have already drank three pots of tea."

Wang Changfeng quickly raised his hands and said, "I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting for so long, senior brother. If you have anything to do, ask one of my men to come over and let me know. We'll go visit you at home early tomorrow morning."

Zheng He shook his head and said: "There is no need to go to the house tomorrow. Get some rest early tonight and follow me into the palace early tomorrow morning. The emperor knows that you have arrived and wants to see you. Please prepare your response carefully and don't be careless."

Wang Changfeng said: "Thank you, Senior Brother, for your advice. I have written it all down."

Zheng He said no more and left.

Just as Yu Zhen'er was about to speak, Wang Changfeng pulled her sleeve and said softly: "Go back to the room and say it's not convenient here."

There was nothing to say all night, except that Wang Changfeng tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep, and did not fall asleep until late at night.

After getting up early in the morning and washing up, before I had time to eat, I saw Zheng He coming upstairs.

Wang Changfeng knew it was too late to eat, so he quickly followed Zheng He out. The carriage had stopped at the door of the inn.

After getting on the carriage, Wang Changfeng asked: "Why did you enter the palace so early? Doesn't the emperor need to go to court?"

Zheng He said: "There is no formal court meeting today, but ministers will come to the palace later to ask for instructions. Let's go early to avoid the crowd."

Wang Changfeng smiled and said: "It turns out that the emperor doesn't have to go to court early every day, so he has more leisure time."

Zheng He said sternly: "Don't talk casually. Today's emperor is diligent in governing the country. He gets up early to meet with ministers when there is no big court meeting. He is busier than usual. You will know when you enter the palace soon."

Wang Changfeng stuck out his tongue, knowing that Zheng He was a popular figure around the current emperor, so he naturally knew everything about the situation in the palace. As long as he acted according to his wishes after entering the palace, there would be no major mistakes.

The two chatted all the way, but within two or three moments, the carriage had arrived on Tianjie outside the imperial city. Zheng He took Wang Changfeng out of the carriage, walked all the way to the palace gate, handed over his waist badge, and briefly said to Wang Changfeng

After checking that there were no prohibited items, he was released.

After walking into two doors studded with copper nails, Wang Changfeng truly stepped into the palace.

After passing through a not-so-long corridor, our eyes suddenly opened up, and a wide square appeared in front of us, with enough space for thousands of people to stand. Zheng He said: "Across from it is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is where the emperor's court meeting you mentioned is held.

, there is no one here today. Behind us are the Zhonghe Hall and the Baohe Hall, which you will see in a moment. The Emperor met us in the Imperial Study Room today, not among the first three halls."

Wang Changfeng nodded in agreement, looking around at the scenery of the palace, and slowly followed Zheng He into the palace.

After bypassing the three main halls, we came to the gate of the harem.

Zheng He whispered: "From now on, you must pay attention to your words and deeds. Don't look or move around, let alone talk. There are many rules in the palace, so you can get used to it."

Wang Changfeng smiled bitterly and said, "Listen to Senior Brother in everything."

When the imperial guards guarding the palace gate saw that it was Zheng He, they let him in without asking any questions. Zheng He asked, "Are any other ministers going in?"

The guard smiled and said: "You are always the first, and there is no one earlier than you."

Zheng He nodded and took Wang Changfeng into the harem.

I saw that the number of palaces suddenly increased, with winding circles and deep palaces, and it seemed that there was no end in sight.

Wang Changfeng thought to himself, this is what people often call the deep palace. He used his natural induction power slightly, and could vaguely feel that there were many people moving behind the palace walls, but their footsteps were light, and even their voices were barely audible.

Not audible.

Zheng He took Wang Changfeng through the palace and went straight to the royal study. The little maids and eunuchs they met along the way all avoided Zheng He and did not dare to express their anger.

Wang Changfeng thought to himself, I heard that the eldest brother is the chief eunuch in the palace, and he is powerful and well-deserved. It's just that the eldest brother is usually very easy-going and has no airs at all.

After a while, the two came to a palace, and the royal study room arrived.

When the little eunuch guarding the door saw Zheng He coming, he pointed inside and whispered: "We are having breakfast."

Zheng He nodded and said nothing.

After a while, a voice came from the imperial study: "Is it Zheng He? Come in."

When Zheng He heard this, he quickly opened the door and walked in. Wang Changfeng straightened his clothes and followed closely behind.

After entering the palace gate, I saw the emperor sitting on a soft couch, with a small table in front of him, with five or six side dishes on it. The emperor was holding a small bowl of rice porridge in his hand, chewing it slowly.

Zheng He knelt down first: "See your Majesty."

Wang Changfeng followed suit: "See the Emperor."

The emperor continued to drink porridge and said: "Get up and find a stool to sit on."

Immediately, a young eunuch brought two small brocade-noodle stools and placed them in front of the two of them.

After sitting down, the imperial study returned to calm, with only the sound of the emperor eating alone.

After taking a few bites, the emperor asked: "Have you eaten?"

Zheng He bowed and replied: "I took a few bites before going out, so I have eaten."

The emperor asked again: "What about you?"

Wang Changfeng was nervous. When he heard that he was asking himself, he quickly replied: "I went out in a hurry and didn't have time to eat."

Zheng He was quite helpless, but he didn't expect the emperor to smile. He pointed at the two of them with his left hand and said, "Give each of them a bowl of porridge."

When Zheng He heard this, he was greatly moved. He had not enjoyed the honor of being given porridge by the emperor for many years. Could it be that he had benefited from this boy Wang Changfeng? He thought to himself and said quickly: "I thank the emperor for your kindness.

"

Wang Changfeng also reacted and continued: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

While they were talking, the young eunuch brought over two small bowls of rice porridge, which were steaming slightly. There were two spoons beside them, which was quite delicate.

Zheng He and Wang Changfeng each took a bowl of porridge and ate it with a spoon.

Wang Changfeng was a little hungry at first, but he glanced at Zheng He and saw that he was drinking slowly. He didn't dare to gobble it up, so he had to be patient and drink it slowly, spoon by spoon. But the small bowl was not big after all.

After a dozen mouthfuls, I could already see the bottom of the bowl.

The emperor had also finished his breakfast at this time, and a eunuch had already come to serve him. Mouthwash and towels were all provided. Finally, a cup of warm tea was served and placed on the small table.

When Zheng He and Zheng He saw that the emperor had finished eating, they quickly put down their bowls and spoons, and a young eunuch came up to take them away.

The emperor then glanced at Wang Changfeng and said, "Are you Wang Changfeng?"

When Wang Changfeng heard this, he quickly stood up and said, "It's just a grassroots man."

The emperor pointed his finger, motioning for him to sit down and talk, and then said: "At such a young age, he can attack Japanese pirates in the dark night and fog. His courage is commendable."

Wang Changfeng said sternly: "Japanese pirates are ferocious and cunning. They must be surprised and hit with one hit to win."

The emperor was somewhat approving and said: "I fought three times in Beijing and my reputation spread far and wide."

Wang Changfeng and Zheng He looked at each other, thinking that luckily they had met each other before coming here, but they were afraid that the emperor would know about it. Now it turns out that they were right.

Wang Changfeng hurriedly raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty is wise. The grassroots have just arrived. How dare you take the initiative to cause trouble? We are really forced to do so. I just accidentally injured an official yesterday, and I asked the emperor to punish him." These were all previously planned countermeasures. Jin Yiwei is an official after all.

, the laws of the Ming Dynasty severely punished harming officials, so once the emperor interfered with the matter, he had to take the initiative to plead guilty and give the emperor a chance to step down.

Sure enough, the emperor smiled and said: "Minmin was just fooling around. He just carried the Jin Yiwei out. He even took Liu Banshui's old dog with him, but in the end he didn't end up in trouble."

Wang Changfeng smiled horribly: "The meeting between Cao Min and Princess Min was purely by chance. I'm afraid there may be some misunderstanding between them. Cao Min will explain it to Princess Min again when we meet her again someday. As for Eunuch Liu, he is indeed a master in the imperial family, Cao Min feels inferior to him."

The emperor waved his hand: "It's just a child's game, there's nothing to explain. Tell me what you think this time."

As soon as the emperor started to talk about business, both of them immediately became nervous. Zheng He said after careful consideration: "In my opinion, this matter should be done sooner rather than later. If it is delayed, things will change. For the current plan, one is manpower, and the other is ships.

In terms of manpower, the leader is already there, but the followers still need to be prepared. Currently, Xunlongwei only has an organizational structure and no manpower yet. Even the location of the Yamen and the supply of materials must be prepared immediately. In terms of ships, the Jiangnan Navy has ready-made

The warship can be slightly modified, or if it is rebuilt, it should be in time."

The emperor nodded, seemed quite satisfied, and said: "Wang Changfeng listens to the order."

Upon hearing this, Wang Changfeng quickly stood up, stepped forward and knelt on the ground.

The emperor said: "I have appointed you as the commander of the Dragon-seeking Guard. From the fourth rank, you are under the control of the chief eunuch. In case of emergency, you have the authority to play the secret box. You must find the trace of the person you are looking for and take those two things.

return."

Wang Changfeng responded: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I will fulfill my duties and live up to your Majesty's trust."

The emperor said: "Get back together. You must have guessed who that person is. He is the person you guessed, my nephew. At this moment, he may be on the sea. I don't ask him to come back. It's just that there is something different about him.

One thing is a jade seal handed down from the country, and the other is an ambergris jade. They are both royal and ancestral items, and they cannot be left out for a long time. The first thing on your trip is to check the whereabouts, and the second thing is to find these two things. Please bear this in mind.

.”

Only at this moment did Wang Changfeng truly understand the emperor's purpose for letting him come here. It turned out that searching for Emperor Jianwen was just one of the things, not even the most important thing, and getting back those two things was what the emperor really wanted. But the vast sea

, only by finding Emperor Jianwen can we know the whereabouts of those two things.

Wang Changfeng cupped his hands and responded: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will do my best to handle this matter."

The emperor added: "There is no need to be too anxious about this matter. It is better to be safe, make preparations, and strive for success. When it involves manpower, money and materials, Zheng He will be responsible for the coordination and preparation. Do you have any other requirements?"

Zheng He said: "I will try my best to help Mr. Wang prepare everything to see if Mr. Wang has any other requirements."

Wang Changfeng thought for a while and said: "There is only one thing, I hope the emperor will give me permission. When I left the island this time, I found that the cannons on the Japanese pirate ships were fierce and extremely difficult to deal with at sea. If I could put forty soldiers on the ship going out to sea this time,

A fine copper cannon will give you much greater confidence."

Zheng He didn't expect that he would make such a request. Just as he was about to open his mouth to smooth things over, the emperor laughed: "It seems that you are coveting the equipment of the Japanese pirates. You have a big appetite. You asked for forty of them. I have a total of them in my hand."
To be continued...