Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Your Majesty, those silvers and golds have all been moved into the palace by the Jinyiwei under the command of Lord Fang, and they should all be outside the hall now," Zheng Hui added.

The Jing Emperor came back to his senses, looked at the reactions below, and said with a smile, "It is truly a miracle. Would you all like to accompany me to see the gains of my Great Jing navy?"

Everyone naturally agreed.

Sixteen million taels were right outside! They had to go take a look!

When everyone arrived outside the hall, they felt another wave of dizziness.

At this moment, outside the Fengtian Hall square, countless wooden boxes were piled up.

Each large box was half-open, and the gold and silver bricks inside shone brightly in the sunlight, dazzlingly.

A considerable number of boxes contained rare treasures that were rarely seen in Great Jing.

Even the well-trained palace guards couldn't help but glance at their sides from time to time.

After all, so many shiny gold, silver, and treasures were hard not to be tempted by.

The Jing Emperor exclaimed, "The fleet has indeed given me an unexpected surprise. In the future, relying on this alone, my Great Jing can usher in a great era of prosperity."

"The soldiers of this fleet deserve the first credit for their voyage, and their hard work is highly commendable. I will reward them handsomely!"

Zheng Hui said modestly, "Your Majesty overpraises me. This is my duty."

"No, everyone who participated in this voyage must be heavily rewarded! However, for now, we still need to sort things out in detail. You should first order your sailors to return to their homes, and then someone will convey the imperial decree."

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

......

Inside the Imperial Study, the Jing Emperor looked at the detailed accounts presented to him with great satisfaction.

He啧啧 praised in his mouth, seemingly still immersed in the scene of gold and silver all over the square, unable to extricate himself.

After all, a portion of this would definitely be allocated to the Imperial Treasury.

Such a windfall, even the emperor couldn't resist.

After reading the accounts, the Jing Emperor said, "Zheng Yi, how do you think the navy soldiers who returned this time should be rewarded?"

Fang Zheng Yi pondered slightly and said hesitantly, "I think, since there are more than sixteen million five hundred thousand taels, then we should remove the odd amount and reward the sailors."

"More than five hundred thousand taels... Isn't that a bit too much?"

"I'm talking about six million five hundred thousand taels."

"......"

The Jing Emperor was silent, never expecting Fang Zheng Yi to open his mouth so wide.

He really didn't feel bad about spending money that wasn't his!

"What are you thinking?"

Fang Zheng Yi said, "Your Majesty, the first batch of navies to explore the West are all pioneers in history. In other words, these brave men had already accepted their fate of nine deaths and one life before they set off."

"Based on this alone, coupled with today's great achievement, the imperial court has a responsibility to ensure that they and their families will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. There are also many fallen soldiers, and their families need money to comfort their spirits, so this money must not be saved."

"In addition, this can also be regarded as buying horse bones with a thousand gold to set an example for others and encourage others to go to sea. Trade with the West seems to be very profitable, but the imperial court cannot eat up all the profits. It is better to give this part to the people and encourage the people to go west, while the imperial court can profit from selling ships."

The Jing Emperor nodded slightly, "What you said makes sense, but I still think six million five hundred thousand taels is too much. Since the founding of my Great Jing, I have never heard of such a reward?"

Saying 'since the founding of the country' was just being stingy and reluctant to spend money.

Fang Zheng Yi secretly despised his stingy father-in-law in his heart, and said, "Your Majesty, this is just the beginning. We will earn a lot of money later? There is no need to worry about this small amount of money."

"Big money?" The Jing Emperor smiled, "That's right, it is indeed big money. What you said is also right, but the Ministry of Revenue will definitely have objections."

"I think Your Majesty should directly order the Ministry of Revenue that this money cannot be saved, otherwise, it will chill the hearts of the people."

"Hmm..." The Jing Emperor pondered and suddenly said, "Let's not talk about this. I have other important matters to discuss with you. Zheng Hui said earlier that they offended the Taifu Sect of the West. You have always been concerned about these matters. What do you think of this?"

Fang Zheng Yi pondered, "Your Majesty, this is not a difficult matter. Although we don't know how big the power of the Taifu Sect is, its essence is not much different from other sects. The lower-level believers are pure and enthusiastic, and the upper-level are corrupt and greedy."

"Just like the monks who caused trouble in the past, they would roll their eyes when you strangled their necks, and brag as soon as you let go."

The Jing Emperor smiled dumbly, "You are too dismissive. I have never heard of any sect that can control several countries. There must be something extraordinary about it."

Fang Zheng Yi smiled, "That's right, I'm just strategically despising the enemy, but it's not like there's no solution."

"Zheng Hui brought back a group of missionaries from the Taifu Sect. I think we can continue to operate many things through them. If we do it well, we might be able to convert these missionaries into our people. At least, if we encounter something and we are on the side of justice, they will be biased towards us."

The Jing Emperor raised an eyebrow, "They brought back a group of missionaries? Well, since you have a solution, then you can handle it entirely."

"Your Majesty, I actually have a request," Fang Zheng Yi said.

"Speak."

"The envoys from the twenty-three countries are now gathered in the Honglu Temple. These people don't speak the same language and need special learning and reception. I think the old methods and the tribute system are no longer suitable for these people. Why not hand them over to me to handle?"

"Then how do you plan to handle it?" The Jing Emperor asked curiously.

Fang Zheng Yi said, "I just want to let them see the rich products of my Great Jing and walk around in various places. It's best to attract them to actively trade with Great Jing. After all, if we let them come voluntarily, we can save more silver. Why should we take on everything ourselves? In addition, I also want to prepare to recruit talents for the Dongjiao University in the future."

"Dongjiao University, is it necessary to recruit so many foreigners?" The Jing Emperor frowned slightly, "You should know that Dongjiao University has made many important inventions. If people steal them..."

"Your Majesty, don't worry about this. I will strictly keep the technical aspects confidential," Fang Zheng Yi explained, "The reason why I want to do this is also a last resort. Dongjiao University studies science. A genius is better than ten thousand mediocre people. For example, inventions like penicillin are all led by one or two people. Because my Great Jing has a deep foundation, very few truly smart people are willing to come to Dongjiao University, but if we recruit foreign students, they must have undergone a round of screening in their own country. The best of the best can come to my Great Jing, and they can be absorbed into my Great Jing in the future, which is a win-win situation."

What Fang Zheng Yi said made sense, but after all, they were alien races.

The Jing Emperor was hesitant, not knowing whether it was good or bad.

Fang Zheng Yi said, "Your Majesty, we are talking about these things too early. Why don't I try it? If foreign students really enter Dongjiao University in the future, the initiative is still in our hands. First, we can control the number, and second, we can transfer them at will. This is not a big deal."

The Jing Emperor took a deep breath and made up his mind, "Alright, no one in the court knows more about Western affairs than you. You can consider this matter yourself."