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Chapter 1106 Guilt
Send a navy or army general, and they will find excuses to expand their territory every few days. But the problem is that Africa is too big, and when will the war end? The larger the area of ​​occupied land, the heavier the burden on the empire, and there will be no time to deepen assimilation.

If a large area of ​​land included dozens or even hundreds of ethnic groups, it would be a mess, and it would give outsiders the opportunity to intervene and take advantage of it. Therefore, Zhang Yongling's character and qualities made him the safest and most reliable governor, no doubt about it.

First of all, he is old, over 50, no longer in his prime, and no longer has so many ambitions. He is more conservative and willing to follow the rules. Secondly, he is incompetent, but he still knows this, which is commendable. There are many smart people in the world, but few of them know how much they can eat.

In the end, he is an old eunuch who has been trained in the East Factory. He has seen the warmth and coldness of the world and knows what is most precious. He will not be easily bewitched and has fewer concerns than normal people.

"...I understand. His Majesty has not told us to do anything. No one can disobey him, unless they have to step over me!" At this point, Zhang Yongling finally understood.

But he did not think that the emperor's low opinion of him was an insult, but rather made him feel more at ease. This is the best way, do whatever you are told to do, and don't do it if you are not told to do it! Not only do you not do it, but you also don't allow others to do it!
"Your Majesty, can he do it?"

The emperor's time was precious, and it was a gift for him to listen to his chatter. Zhang Yongling did not dare to delay any longer. After thanking him profusely, he followed the flat-headed brother to the Silijian to handle many formalities and official documents. At this time, Wang Chengen came up and took the opportunity to light a cigar to quietly express his concern.

"Not only can he do it, but you can do it too. Do you want to be a governor? Or wait until the navy builds the Hawaii base, and then you can go over there and try it out?"

Will it work? Hong Tao thought it was generally okay. In order to give him an extra layer of insurance, he also deliberately changed the garrison troops from the Marine Corps to the Army. On the surface, this was the result of a compromise among the court officials, but in fact it was his own instruction to Yuan Yingtai, with only one purpose, to prevent one party from dominating.

Zhang Yongling didn't need to start anything in the past, he could just do things the way they were. When he encountered an emergency and didn't know how to deal with it, the army commander was in charge of the military, and Yan Bushi, who was familiar with the local situation, assisted in the civil affairs. As long as he didn't act too stubbornly, there was nothing to worry about.

And whether this step is successful or not, it has to be taken. In the future, many governors of overseas territories will be appointed one after another, and Zhang Yongling is the stone for asking for directions. From his performance, we can summarize various shortcomings, and there is still time to make up for them.

"I don't have that ability. I can only serve His Majesty in my life. Being an official is too tiring. Not only do you have to complete the orders from above, but you also have to protect the interests of those below. If you don't do it well, you will be in trouble. My life is much simpler. I just need to serve His Majesty well, and no one else can interfere...except the queen.

Oh, yes, there is something else I want to tell His Majesty. The queen has not been in good health these days. She often wakes up in the middle of the night with a cough, sweats easily, and is always angry. The imperial physician has seen her many times and said that she is suffering from a deficiency of vital energy. He prescribed some herbal medicine, but she has not improved after taking it. Should we go to the Taoist temple and ask the doctor to come to the palace for treatment?"

Wang Chengen was still as unenvious as ever. He was one of the few people who knew how to eat a few bowls of dry rice. He had never been keen on power over the years. It was not that he could tolerate it, but that he really was not envious.

For him, happiness comes when the emperor doesn't worry, the Cuju team doesn't cause trouble, the court officials don't bother him too much, the eunuchs and palace maids don't make too many mistakes, he's healthy and can eat, drink, run and play.

Oh yes, it would be best if the emperor could leave the palace less often, not lead the army in person so often, and not go out to sea by ship. Then the second half of his life would be complete.

As we were talking, the trouble came. The Queen's health has not been good for the past two years, and it is getting worse. The imperial doctors have tried various methods but there is no improvement. I heard that the doctors in the Taoist temple are quite amazing and have cured many stubborn diseases, so I want to remind the emperor to find a few reliable doctors to come to the palace to try. "It's not surprising that she is old, and it's hard to cure heart disease... Let's go and sit by the Taiye Lake. Bring a fishing rod, those fish are a bit too presumptuous, and dare to fiddle around near my nest!"

Speaking of this topic, Hong Tao's expression and demeanor immediately became more depressed, or he felt guilty. The queen was a good woman, and she had been stuck in the harem for so many years without any extravagant thoughts.

But I owe her too much. For a woman to have no offspring is an invisible pressure, not to mention in ancient times, even in later generations. What's more troublesome is that I age very slowly. I look the same as I did ten years ago. However, the queen and concubines are not like that. They are gradually aging, which is another invisible pressure.

I have had a cough for many years, and it occurs seasonally. I have consulted several doctors, and based on my pulse and symptoms, it is definitely not tuberculosis, but perhaps tracheitis or allergies.

It is normal to have night sweats and lose temper. The queen is fifty years old and is in menopause. Most women at this stage will have menopausal syndrome, which is an endocrine disorder and there is no cure.

To relieve my annoyance, I decided to go fishing by the lake. I had dug that fishing hole for more than 30 years, and a dedicated person was in charge of it every day. But I went fishing less and less often. The fish in Taiye Lake have been here since my grandfather's generation, and some of the big carps have grown to more than one meter long. It would be a waste of resources if I didn't fish for them.

"Go and fetch my gun. These flat-haired beasts deserve to die!"

The weather was good, with the sun shining brightly in the sky; the wind was just the right speed, neither too strong nor too weak, so I didn't feel stuffy sitting by the lake. However, Hong Tao became anxious less than half an hour after putting down the fishing rod.

The catch was good, with two carps and grass carps weighing 7-8 catties already in the kennel. But a few water birds and swans came over to join in the fun, swimming around the nest, and some even tried to stand on the fishing rods, which seriously disrupted the rhythm of fishing.

"Your Majesty, you can't do this. Let me row the boat to drive them away!" But Wang Chengen obviously disagreed with the emperor's approach and pleaded for the water birds seriously.

"Why not? There were no water birds here except wild ducks before. Who let them in without permission?" Hong Tao became even more annoyed. He was the emperor of the Ming Empire, and he was not usually good at killing ministers. How could he not even be allowed to kill water birds?

"Your Majesty, you don't know that these birds were tributes from various places and are deeply loved by the Queen. Two years ago, Your Majesty also ordered the construction of a birdhouse on the west bank of Taiye Lake, and no one was allowed to harm their lives."

Wang Chengen was no longer surprised by the emperor's forgetfulness of certain things, so he recounted the origin of the water bird from the beginning, hoping to jog the emperor's memory.

(End of this chapter)