As a heavy snow fell, the first year of Chongzhen finally reached the last day. Although the snowflakes are flying outside, but from the palace to the outside of the palace on the main traffic arteries, are lit with glass inlaid small lanterns, this boxy shape of glass brass lamps, now the most favorite lighting thing of the people in the capital, and they are called the air death lantern.

Inside the Qi Death Wind Lamp outside the palace is a relatively cheap mutton fat candle, which will emit a smell of mutton when lit, but compared to the light it brings, the people of the capital can still tolerate this unpleasant smell.

But even these cheap mutton fat candles can only illuminate the sixteen main streets of the capital, and those alleys can only be lit by oil-paper lanterns hanging in front of each house. The gas dead wind lamp made of glass and brass also costs 3 or 5 yuan, except for a very small number of large households, no one will hang it in front of the door so luxuriously to illuminate others.

Even the street lamps hanging on the streets of the capital were stolen a lot at the beginning, and the city hall of the capital had no choice but to send people to keep vigil and punish the thieves who were caught; On one side, a two-person high street lamp pole was erected, and the air dead wind lamp was hung on the pole, trying to make it difficult for those who wanted to take the sheep away.

Although this policy has not been implemented for a long time, the city hall is not sure whether it can prevent the theft of lamps, but after hanging the air dead wind lamps high, they found that this hanging method can make the scope of the light envelop larger, and the lamps that were originally expected to be hung on a road can be saved by at least one-third, which is a complete surprise.

Obviously, it is not possible to erect the same poles inside the palace as outside the palace, so the original stone lanterns can only be slightly modified so that the air death wind lanterns can be fixed to these stone lanterns.

But even so, the lamps and lanterns placed along the corridors, because they are lit with fine whale fat candles, emit a bright and soft white light, which still makes the corridors in the palace look beautiful.

According to the practice of keeping the New Year on this day, the common people naturally eat dumplings to celebrate the New Year, and the palace generally invites His Majesty's close relatives to eat wine and enjoy juggling songs and dances, bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and wait for the arrival of the new year.

However, because he was still in the mourning of the Apocalypse, Chongzhen, who had just ascended the throne, ordered all the New Year's celebrations in the palace to be simple, in order to express his mourning for his deceased brother, so it was relatively simple to spend the Chinese New Year's Eve of the seventh year of the Apocalypse.

However, today is not only the first Chinese New Year's Eve after Chongzhen ascended the throne, but also the mourning period of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, so several eunuch leaders in the palace wanted to make the emperor lively, and specially began to prepare a month in advance.

Although Chongzhen didn't like the songs and dances of this era very much, he always felt that these songs and dances lacked a bit of vitality, either magnificent or too soft.

However, in this happy season, he was embarrassed to sweep everyone's interest, after all, these activities are not only for him, the emperor, but also for the ministers and palace ladies who have worked hard for a year, and they should also take advantage of today's excitement.

But on the list of invited guests, Zhu Youzhen explained a group of special guests to Wang Chengen. When Wang Chengen heard Chongzhen's order just now, he was also surprised, but he also complied with it.

When the invited royal families entered the court, they were seated opposite them by representatives of a group of merchants, which made them feel quite unhappy at once.

The family members of these honorable relatives entered the harem to accompany the queen and the nobles to keep the New Year, and also saw a group of uninvited guests in their eyes, about 7 or 80 martyrs and orphans aged 7-15 appeared at the banquet where the queen entertained them, and became the guests who accompanied several nobles in the harem to keep the New Year.

However, in the past year, Xun's old nobles have been snubbed by the emperor and deprived of a lot of land, so they also know how to bow down and be small in front of Chongzhen.

Although some British officials came forward to intercede for the nobles, they wanted the emperor to share some military exploits with everyone, so as to reassure the nobles. More importantly, let them return to their former position.

However, the emperor asked them to go to the army and navy military academy for short-term training, and these noble relatives of the honored family used the excuse that they were too old to withstand the military discipline in the military academy, so they were only willing to let some young children go to the military academy to study.

As a result, the emperor, who had a somewhat loose attitude, suddenly lost his voice again. And the British duke, who was entangled by these nobles to speak, was a little embarrassed to see this situation. For the invitation to the palace New Year's dinner, he simply excused himself from coming under the pretext that he was not in good health.

Chongzhen was not too surprised by the British public's style. According to the report given to him by the Imperial Hospital, the British Duke had been in poor health since the beginning of winter, and this time he refused his invitation, partly because he did not agree to the plea of the British Duke to rearrange them to official positions; The other half is indeed because the body is unable to hold on.

With the current physical condition of the British duke, even if he has any opinion of him, there is nothing he can do now. And without his banner, the nobles of the capital will not be able to make any sound.

However, after three rounds of wine and the New Year was approaching, Chongzhen decided to give these nobles a way out, so as not to be called mean and meritorious when they came, and finally let them fall to those Jiangnan gentry.

Zhu Youzhen stretched out his hand and pressed it weakly, and the cheerful silk and bamboo singing and dancing in the hall quickly stopped, and then he turned his head to look at Xun Jiu's position and said: "I have received a lot of advice before, saying that the noble relatives of the Xun family are a little tired of staying at home and want to come out to do something for the imperial court.

Some time ago, when the British Duke came to see me, he also mentioned this matter. I thought about it for a long time, and felt that after all, all the lords of the family were ministers who retired with the country, and my ancestors were also the heroes and generals of my Ming Dynasty.

Although I am a great tomorrow, it is not good to chill your heart to serve the country. However, I feel that although the courage is commendable, the battlefield is not a child's play, and I will not let you lead the troops to the battlefield without passing the military academy assessment.

I am not only responsible for Daming, but also for your families, and I can't joke with your lives. Besides, serving the imperial court is not just a way to go to the battlefield. For example, Suning Hou devoted himself to agriculture and cultivated good varieties for my Ming Dynasty, which is also a contribution to the Ming Dynasty.

Don't keep your eyes on the military position. The important thing is, what you want to do, what you can do..."

Chongzhen's words first made a group of old people very happy, but soon it was half cold. They naturally knew what Wei Liangqing had done this year, and because of this, they became the talk of the conversation after tea and dinner in Xun Lao.

Now that Chongzhen is letting them learn from Wei Liangqing, wouldn't they also become a laughing stock in other people's mouths. Besides, the cultivation of good seeds is a matter that can neither see the benefits nor be painful. Let them follow Wei Liangqing and run to the field to step on two feet of mud, which is really too difficult for these nobles who have been clothed and fed since childhood.

Chongzhen talked for a long time, and found that these old men all bowed their heads and avoided their sight, and none of them were willing to stand up and respond to him. He suddenly felt a little unhappy in his heart, in order to find a way out for these nobles, he had racked his brains these days, but no one was willing to echo him, it was really a pile of mud that couldn't paste the wall.

Zhu Youzhen's face suddenly elongated a little, he paused for a while, and then continued a little stiffly: "Since you are not willing to learn from Suning Hou to serve the crops, then I will give you another way out."

Now that my Ming Dynasty has opened the sea ban, the ties with the overseas vassal states will naturally become closer. However, in the future, the Ming Dynasty did not intend to continue the unilateral tributary policy of the past.

I plan to send people to the vassal states as envoys of the Ming Dynasty, first, to understand the internal affairs of the vassal countries, and secondly, to serve as representatives of our Ming court to protect the Ming people and merchants who go to trade in other countries.

There are many overseas vassal states, some near and some far, some as far as tens of thousands of miles, and those who are near are thousands of miles. Therefore, the selection of envoys is naturally to choose people who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and do not fall into the prestige of the Ming Dynasty in their dealings with the vassal state.

All the nobles are ministers who have retired with the country, and they are deeply immersed in the education of my Ming etiquette, so they should be able to serve as the messengers of our Ming Dynasty and go to various countries. I wonder who of you would like to accept such a heavy responsibility? ”

Listening to Chongzhen's words, Zheng Zhilong, Yang Tiansheng and other maritime merchants looked at the nobles opposite with envy. Sending overseas countries in the name of the Ming Dynasty is obviously a good errand. In addition to being able to carry goods to the vassal kingdom for trading, gifts from the vassal kings are also a good income.

But unlike these wealthy merchants who travel to and from the sea all year round, the farthest place that these nobles of the capital have been to in their lives is about Nanjing. If they want to go to sea to a vassal country thousands of miles away, the thought of this distance already makes their hearts feel cold.

If you run so far away, can you still return to the Central Plains in your lifetime? For these nobles, any area outside the two capitals is considered a countryside, and the area outside the Ming Dynasty is simply a reckless land.

Except for a few countries such as Korea and Japan, what is the difference between the so-called feudal states and savages? Keeping them in the Savage Kingdom for a year or years is terrifying to think about.

However, these noble pushes and obstacles finally angered Chongzhen, and he said quite dissatisfiedly: "Before you waited, I found someone to intercede every day, saying that I would contribute to the country and serve me." As a result, today I gave you the opportunity to learn from Suning Hou, and you were silent. Let you go to the vassal country on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, but you are unwilling. What do you want to do? ”

Chongzhen's anger finally made several nobles have to come forward to beg for mercy, expressing their willingness to obey the emperor's orders to go to the vassal country.

Although they said so, the look of embarrassment on their faces could be smelled even by the blind.

Zhu Youzhen no longer persuaded him, but just made a gesture to make the silk and bamboo song and dance in the hall play again. However, the sound of music sounded again, but it did not eliminate the slightly awkward atmosphere in the hall.