Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 851 Suspicious
Although the three little guys pretending to be servants were younger than each other, they all showed an expression of sudden enlightenment after hearing Zhang Shou's words. After all, they were all half students of Zhang Shou. Even if they might not have learned much in mathematics, they were more thoughtful than their peers in terms of miscellaneous knowledge.
At least, they know a little bit about geography. The north is cold and the south is hot. If you go from the south to the north towards Shanhaiwei, most places along the way are not frozen and you can go ashore. Why do you have to go all the way to Shanhaiwei?
Sure enough, after asking this question, the Fourth Prince, who was staring at the six people, noticed that five of them still looked somewhat bewildered, but the one who had just spoken in anger moved his mouth slightly. Then, he lowered his head and whispered something in embarrassment and shame.
"I am the ship supervisor assigned by the chief envoy of the diplomatic mission. Although I can barely read, I know nothing about astronomy and astrology... Therefore, I am not an experienced sailor and cannot tell north from south when I am at sea."
Faced with such an answer, the Fourth Prince almost sneered, but when Zhang Shou heard the words "ship supervisor", he smiled gently and asked everyone to sit down again. Then, he asked Xiao Huasheng to get a pot of wine and a wine glass, and he poured a glass himself, then raised the small and exquisite wine glass with a smile.
"We have traveled all the way on the sea, and on horseback in the cold weather to reach the capital. Although for various reasons, we will have to wait for a few days until your rear team arrives before the Ministry of Rites can properly entertain you, but now, I still want to thank you for your hard work. Come, everyone, please drink this cup."
Seeing that Zhang Shou did not say anything else, but was very eager to persuade them to drink, the six people looked at each other, and after the middle-aged man raised his glass and drank without thinking, the others also hurriedly drank it all.
After drinking this glass of wine, the atmosphere seemed to be much more relaxed than before. Zhang Shou smiled and asked if the food was to his liking, as if it was just a casual greeting. However, at this time, the middle-aged man who had just spoken coughed cautiously and showed an embarrassed expression.
"The food in the Celestial Empire is really delicious. We almost swallowed our tongues while eating it just now. However, we really dare not eat anything we have never eaten before. Please forgive our impoliteness, sir."
Zhang Shou looked unconcerned, but pointed at the food in front of him and said with a smile: "Oh, so these are things you have never eaten before, so you dare not touch them? Including the rice and vegetables... What about these meatballs?"
“Meatballs?” The middle-aged man seemed to be slightly stunned, and then his voice became even softer. “Because they looked like meatballs and fish balls, we tried one or two, and they tasted very good. But it is said that it is a rule passed down from King Taizu that many foods look bright and delicious, but are actually poisonous, so we dare not try them.”
Glancing at the grinning expression on the Fourth Prince's face, Zhang Shou knew that if he let this boy who was a little bit unable to pretend to be here any longer, he might be exposed. Therefore, he winked at Xiao Huasheng, and seeing that this usually too smart boy understood, he pulled the Fourth Prince out, leaving the usually honest Xiao Cheng behind, and then he continued to chat with others leisurely.
Of course, he also clearly saw that he was the only one chatting, while the other six people were obviously very nervous and restrained. The middle-aged man who spoke first took the initiative to take on most of the answers, and the others couldn't grab it at all. Of course, it was also obvious that they were not very willing to speak.
Therefore, after talking about this and that for a long time, he finally stood up and asked very abruptly: "By the way, do you know who I am?"
When this question was asked, he saw five people looking at each other, and the middle-aged man who had been trying to grab all the topics, tried his best to make the same gesture as the others, but unfortunately... this guy's acting skills were not particularly strong, and it was obvious that he was out of tune with the five people.
In the end, the six people shook their heads one after another, but Zhang Shou knew that some people knew and some really didn't. Although he didn't want to expose the truth on the first day when the emperor attached great importance to this matter, when he walked out of the door, he ignored the fourth prince who was arguing with Xiao Huasheng and called him "A Liu" directly.
The next moment, the young man quietly appeared in front of him, without saying a word. After hearing Zhang Shou move his lips and whisper a few words, he took a few steps back and disappeared again, coming and going without a trace.
The fourth prince, who had just pricked up his ears but heard nothing, suddenly became anxious. But when he saw Zhang Shou walking towards the school hall without looking back, he looked back at the small dining room where there was no movement, and then thought about the scene when he was just pulled out by Xiao Huasheng, and finally he ran after him. With his short legs, he finally intercepted Zhang Shou at the door.
"teacher……"
Before anyone could finish the second half of his sentence, Zhang Shou said unhappily, "Although their identities are unknown, a mere servant can certainly look down on them, but you have to think that whether it's contempt or disdain, it doesn't matter if you keep it in your heart, but if you show it on your face and let others see it, it will show your difference. Look at Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng, which of them would show such emotions on their faces?"
The fourth prince hung his head and dared not speak, until Zhang Shou turned around and went into the house, then he hurriedly followed him in. But before he could rack his brains to think about how he should sincerely admit his mistake and actively redeem the impact of his impulsiveness, Zhang Shou said something that shocked him: "Okay, you go back to the palace."
“Teacher, please don’t chase me away!” If possible, the Fourth Prince wanted to rush over and hug Zhang Shou’s thighs. He was so frightened. “I can change everything. Since you said so, I will definitely change everything!”
"Stop, stop, I didn't say I was sending you back!" Zhang Shou stopped the Fourth Prince with one word. Seeing that he had finally shown an extremely obedient and honest expression, he said unhappily, "I asked you to go back and report to the Emperor on my behalf. Although there is no definite evidence, from my point of view, at least five of the six people here are not from the so-called Haidong Hua Kingdom."
"Well, if I guess correctly, they are either from Japan or Goryeo." Seeing that the Fourth Prince almost popped his eyes out because of what he said, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "Didn't you and Xiaohuasheng Xiaocheng just think of it? Since they came from the north to the south, and have the same skin color and accent as the people of the Ming Dynasty, who else could it be but Goryeo and Japan?"
After the initial extreme shock, the Fourth Prince was immediately furious: "How can this be! How can they be so bold! Aren't the rulers of these two countries afraid of our punishment?"
"Do you think the rulers of Goryeo and Japan are like our Ming Dynasty, where the emperor's words are final and no one dares to disobey?" Zhang Shou laughed dumbly and casually popularized the political systems of Korea and Japan to the fourth prince. Yangban and the royal family, the shogunate and the royal family... Although he was not an expert in Korean and Japanese history, he was at least better than the Ming people of that time.
Because in this era, the so-called historians absolutely did not study foreign history... Would the historians of the Celestial Empire, with nothing better to do, study those barbaric foreign countries?
So, the fourth prince listened with great interest to Zhang Shou's talk about Goryeo, which was somewhat similar to the Ming Dynasty, and the Japanese shogun system, as well as the messy history of various retired emperors and legal emperors. His little face suddenly became very exciting. It must be said that these stories are still very interesting to listen to as legends.
Fortunately, he still knew what was going on. He took a deep breath and finally realized that when Zhang Shou had just told him to return to the palace, he had left a very obvious clue: "Teacher, you said that at least five people are not from the so-called Haidong Hua Kingdom. Is there anyone else who is not from Haidong Hua Kingdom? Let me guess, is it the one who rushed to speak?"
"That guy is really suspicious because he keeps talking about something else." Zhang Shou sneered and then said lightly, "But at least, this person is likely to know something about Haidong Continent. Lao Xianyu once said that Haidong Continent is not like here, where there are many kinds of green leafy vegetables. Unless you bring enough rice seeds and have farming experts, it is impossible to grow rice in Haidong Continent."
"So those people didn't eat the rice just now, saying they didn't know it and didn't dare to eat it, which means that some of them have indeed been to that continent and know that rice is not produced there. However, we must know that Emperor Taizu's group of people sailed across the ocean from Ming Dynasty. Even if they were stranded there for various reasons and couldn't come back, since they can let their descendants remember that there is Taizu's hometown across the sea..."
"How could I not tell them that the people in my hometown, the Ming Dynasty, eat snow-white rice, the officials and nobles wear silk as smooth as skin, use porcelain as delicate as jade, and drink tea that is refreshing and soothing to the throat?"
"What do you think, given the personalities of Taizu and his followers, even if they eventually died in a foreign land, should they leave behind the ancestral motto of not eating unfamiliar food, or should they warn their descendants to never forget the style of their hometown?"
The fourth prince shouted without hesitation: "Of course, we should not forget the scenery of our hometown!"
Zhang Shou smiled and nodded. "That's why I said that guy was a bit overdoing it. Besides, they just ate meat... As far as I know, Lao Xianyu once said that when he met someone in Haidong Continent, he heard that there were no large livestock such as cattle and horses there... But there were no cattle and horses, but it's hard to say about pigs and sheep, and there should be no shortage of small game..."
"In short, these are just doubts, and we need to investigate them one by one."
The fourth prince nodded, not quite understanding. Anyway, he knew nothing about the countries outside the Ming Dynasty. The only bits and pieces he knew were all heard from Zhang Shou. So, he tried to remember everything Zhang Shou said. He coughed and asked curiously, "Teacher, what did you tell Sixth Brother to do just now?"
Seeing the Fourth Prince looking at him eagerly, with an attitude that he would not leave unless he told him something, Zhang Shou certainly would not keep this curious baby hanging, and immediately said with a smile: "I will ask Ah Liu to watch these people go back to their rooms, put some aphrodisiac incense to make them all fall asleep, and then pick out a certain guy for me to interrogate separately. Well, if they were proper envoys, they would have to consider diplomatic relations, but they are not."
"Use the old method you used before and pretend to be a ghost to scare these guys."
As soon as these words came out, the Fourth Prince was immediately full of energy, and hurriedly shouted: "Teacher, please wait for me to come back after the trial! How can I be absent from such an interesting event!"
Knowing that this was a lively and active child who wanted to get involved in everything, Zhang Shou flicked his finger on the child's forehead in annoyance and said, "Okay, stop talking nonsense and get to the palace quickly. If you come back late, I won't wait for you!"
Following these words, he saw the Fourth Prince finally turn around and rush out without a second thought. He wanted to call this kid to stop him in case he went out without his entourage, but thinking that the troops of the Sharp Cavalry Battalion had not yet withdrawn, there would always be someone who knew this dignified Fourth Prince and would send him back to the palace, so he gave up the idea of calling him to stop.
Although the other people on the same ship have not been sent to Beijing yet, he is not just speculating that this ship is from Goryeo or Japan. Except for a few people on the top, the others could not possibly be from the so-called American continent. But there is a basis for his speculation.
You know, when Westerners sailed to America, they went westward. Although their original purpose was to bypass the Ottoman Empire and find the rich East, they took a long detour westward, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The climate, geography and hydrology conditions were all good. If they had set out from the east coast of China to the American continent, the journey would have been much longer and more dangerous.
Moreover, what was the premise for the later generations to propose that the Shang people crossed the sea to the east? It was a storm that was said to be recorded in history books! Otherwise, it would be strange that they could have reached the east with the ships and navigation technology of the Shang Dynasty.
Therefore, he was willing to believe that Emperor Taizu's huge fleet had arrived in America, or that it had arrived in America after encountering a shipwreck or other misfortunes. After all, Emperor Taizu had such great luck.
Moreover, as for the fact that people can establish a country locally, he thinks that with the manpower and equipment of Taizu's fleet at that time, conquering a city-state would not be a problem. But if you say that he also fought wars in the south and the north and unified multiple city-states, that is not particularly realistic.
After all, in America, even the Inca Empire, which was known as the overlord of South America at that time, only occupied a narrow strip of land on the west coast. As for the rest of the vast area, it was still the Amazon jungle, which was still known as the lungs of the earth in later generations. In such a place, no matter how good the military equipment is, if the production capacity and transportation capacity cannot keep up, what use will it be!
Compared with the Ming Dynasty, which has a huge population, and the European continent, where many countries are crammed together, America is too big and has too few people. To develop to the point where eight large ships can sail back, a very powerful unified empire is needed. Unless Taizu and his followers secretly came back later and continuously replenished the population and supplies, it would be impossible!
The fourth prince left in a hurry, and came back in a hurry as well. However, he was alone when he left, but when he came back, he had two more followers, and they were Chu Kuan and Hua Qi who came together!
