At the end, Cui Dong snorted coldly and said: "You can't make the decision on this matter yet, take me to see Yuan Jie."

Two months later, the Cui family sold their Jinping property and the money was given to Yuan Jie, who praised Cui Can's courage.

After appeasing the Cui family, Yuan Jie called Yuan Zhiyuan and praised him for doing a good job in this matter.

Yuan Zhiyuan was a little frightened and said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the news can't be suppressed."

Yuan Jie sighed slightly and said, "You can hide it as long as you can."

Yuan Zhiyuan responded and retreated.

There was news that he had known for a long time, but he didn't tell Cui Dong, so he felt a little guilty.

Soon, he suppressed the guilt and thought of Sister A's death that year, and didn't think he had any reason to remind Cui Dong.

"It's settled." Yuan Zhiyuan murmured.

Just ten days after the Jinping property was sold, news that shocked the Cui family reached Shou'an County.

When she learned the news, Cui Can was teaching the children in the clan who took the lead in breaking up the family, and she didn't hear clearly at first.

"What?"

"It is false to say that the fleet returned home..."

"Heh." Cui Chu said, "I have heard these rumors many times."

"An insider leaked that there was no ship back that year. The crew members were all acted out by others, the gold and gems were all moved from other places, and even the prisoner was played by a Kunlun slave."

"I'm afraid this insider is a liar." Cui Can said, "Can I trust him? The court doesn't recognize this matter, and it's useless no matter what others say."

"Alang, look at this."

What was handed over was a newspaper, which was Dongdu's "Xinsi Daily". Although this newspaper was run by the private sector, it always sought truth from facts, and the things reported were always carefully verified. Even Cui Can was quite fond of it.

Believe it.

The newspaper devoted a large space to discussing the doubts about the return of the voyage fleet, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Yao Runeng, personally wrote the article.

Yao Runeng somehow found an official document from a long time ago, which was Yan Zhenqing's duet about the voyage. It mentioned that the purpose of the emperor's expedition was to high-yield grains called "corn" and "potatoes", and that the voyage fleet returned

Since then, the world has not seen these two things.

Seeing this, Cui Can still didn't believe it, thinking that the emperor might have made a mistake.

He continued to look down. Yao Runeng had been looking for boatmen who had returned from the ocean over the years. However, although various rumors about the ocean had been emerging one after another, Yao Runeng had never seen a real boatman who had gone to the New World.

Writing such an article, Yao Runeng would not gain anything, but hindering the emperor's ocean-going plan might lead to a serious crime. After Cui Can read it, she was 80% convinced, and her face gradually faded.

"I played like an eagle all my life, but in the end I was pecked in the eye by an eagle."

"Uncle." Cui Dong saw how decadent Cui Can was and couldn't help but comforted him: "It's impossible for the court to lie to us about such a big matter. In my opinion, Yao Runeng must believe in 'the sky is round and the earth is round' and doesn't believe that the sky is round.

Just make it up."

"Don't you understand the emperor's temperament today? What he wants to do must be done no matter what. The first two fleets cannot come back, the court is overwhelmed, and the officials are opposed. He is unwilling to give up, so he sets up a trap

Trick us, as for those overseas anecdotes, he can write "Journey to the West", what can't he compile?"

After Cui Chu said it, her throat felt sweet and she spurted out a mouthful of blood.

"Uncle!"

Cui Dong hurriedly stepped forward to help him, but his face was sprayed with blood. When he looked at Cui Can again, his face was as golden as paper and his anger was as thin as a thread.

A few days later, Cui Wei passed away.

Since then, the Bolingcui clan in Shou'an County has gradually begun to disperse. The clan members are all splitting up, and many people have sold their shares in the Maritime Affairs Department at a low price.

As the person who took care of this matter for the Cui family, Cui Dong suffered tremendous pain for a long time afterwards.

His uncles and brothers turned against him, and the clansmen who were supposed to support each other scolded him and hated him.

In order to appease the public anger, he sold all his private property, house, farm, and collection. When he even sold his books, calligraphy, and paintings, he borrowed money from his friends to compensate for the investment of his clansmen in the voyage.

All he got was the increasingly worthless Hai Zheng Yamen coupon book.

"If you read a book, you will be fooled. If people say, 'The world is round,' you will believe it."

When the last sum of money was handed over, a tribesman threw the coupon book in Cui Dong's face and mocked him.

Cui Dong didn't say anything. He leaned over and picked up the coupon book that fell on the ground. He thought about it and opened his palms.

"despair."

The coupon book fell to the ground again.

He picked it up again and let it go. After doing this several times, he carefully dusted off the coupon book and turned around to leave.

Cui Dong went to Huating County again.

He broke into the Hai Zheng Yamen and saw Yuan Zhiyuan chatting with others about the harvest from the ocean, so he stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Zhiyuan's collar.

"Cui Lang? The third fleet has already set sail..."

"Damn."

Cui Dong cursed and punched Yuan Zhiyuan in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"The Cui family saved you and raised you, and let you pursue your future. It's okay if you don't want to repay you, but you've harmed me in turn!"

"The fleet will be back."

Yuan Zhiyuan did not fight back. He hugged Cui Dong's legs, took the blow with his back, and shouted: "This time even Lin Ji went, he will definitely come back."

"Idiot." Cui Dong was still scolding.

But he knew who Lin Ji was. Lin Ji passed the child examination together with Yuan Zhiyuan, studied together in Shou'an County, and was the number one scholar in the seventh year of Zhengxing.

Because they were both from Shou'an County, the Cui family was very concerned about this number one scholar. They even sent people to investigate and found out that Lin Ji had a background in the Jimin Society. He was a person who the emperor began to train in Yanshi County. He could be said to be a direct descendant of the emperor.

"Lin Ji won the first prize at a young age, attracted the attention of thousands of people, and had unlimited glory. How could he go on a long voyage if he didn't have full confidence?"

As Yuan Zhiyuan spoke, his eyes gradually turned red when he thought of the determined figure on the deck when the fleet set sail.

As a lifelong friend, he once tried his best to persuade Lin Ji not to board the ship, but at that time Lin Ji was so determined that even nine cows could not be pulled back.

——"I want to go. I believe everything your Majesty said. There is a vast world at the end of the world. Now that the world doesn't believe it, I will prove it to the world for your majesty!"

Cui Dong shook his head and murmured: "His life cannot be the compensation for everything I have paid."

"Then let him bring back a ship full of gold, so that you will know that all your efforts are worth it."

"Oh."

Cui Dong sneered and thought, otherwise what else could he do?

He let go of Yuan Zhiyuan, turned around and walked out.

From that day on, Cui Dong changed.

He settled in Huating County, stopped writing poems, stopped talking, and changed many of the habits of young men from aristocratic families. He studied the theory of the round earth, read the remarks of the emperor of the day, changed his previous attitude, and began to believe in all this.

Gradually, he became today's most devout supporter, firmly believing and preaching that the voyage would be successful.

His former friends were very disappointed with him, thinking that Cui Dong, a highly educated and elegant man, had disappeared and had become a blind and vulgar person. After getting together, they would always shake their heads and make comments.

"He's crazy."

In this way, a few years later, Cui Dong has become a strange man who lives in isolation.

In these years, the short-distance fleets heading to the Western Ocean for trade have also brought considerable gains, and few people in the world talk about those long-distance fleets anymore.

~~

In the 16th year of Zhengxing's reign, Yuan Jie returned to Chang'an to report on his duties. Xue Bai summoned him in the Xuanzheng Hall and screened him away.

The two hadn't seen each other for many years. Xue Bai looked at Yuan Jie's white hair on his temples and sighed, "Brother Cishan is getting old too."

"Although my body is old, my heart is never old."

"I owe you the position of prime minister."

Yuan Jie said: "I cannot arrange the voyage for your majesty, so I have no shame in returning to the court."

"Do you still believe me?"

From their conversation, it can be seen that the return of the fleet in the eighth year of Zhengxing was indeed a fake image created by them.

Over the years, the lies were gradually exposed, but Xue Bai didn't take it to heart because he knew that sooner or later there would be results.

The most uncomfortable person is Yuan Jie, who always has to wander between belief and doubt.

"Xin." Yuan Jie said, "Your Majesty, you can rest assured that maritime trade has gradually increased in recent years, and the imperial court's investment in maritime affairs will soon be recovered."

Xue Bai smiled and said: "What you and I seek are not this little benefit, but great achievements."

Having said this, Xue Bai changed the topic and mentioned several children from aristocratic families.

"I heard that Cui Dong is still supporting the maritime affairs?"

"Yes." Yuan Jie said: "But Cui Dong is like this, so he has no choice."

Xue Bai said: "He made the right choice. Since he believes in me, he will have huge gains in a short time."
To be continued...