Chapter 16 Meeting

[The seal took my spear: You said that Xiaori has dug up a big silver mine? Isn't that a mine that will be mined five years later? 】

[Mu Xiaoqi: Mostly good.] 】

[Mu Xiaoqi: When I first traveled through time, I had been paying attention to the news about the silver mines in Japan. According to subsequent historical records, the output of this super-large silver mine even had a strong impact on the entire pattern of overseas trade between China and the West, so of course it had to be controlled. But I waited for a few years but got no news, until yesterday when I suddenly realized that Japan has always been a country with many turtles in a shallow pond, local separatist forces are very strong, and history is a mess. It is possible that silver was already being mined locally, but the shogunate was not aware of it yet and there was no record of it in history books. 】

[Mu Xiaoqi: This can explain the sudden wealth of the Japanese envoys and the subtle attitude of the Koreans. The old Taoist priest was very annoyed with the Japanese. He was usually unwilling to deal with these people and his tribute and rewards were just perfunctory. Most of these Japanese paid large sums of money to bribe the Goryeo nobles so that they could blend into the diplomatic delegation and go to the capital together, and have channels for negotiations with each other. 】

[The seal took my spear: Damn, I can actually bribe the Koreans. Do I have so much money...]

[Mu Xiaoqi: It’s not that much, probably only twice the silver mined in the Central Plains now; the rest of the gold and copper mines are also quite considerable - I have collected some information before to guard against Japanese pirates. 】

[The seal took my spear: ...Wait, what does this have to do with the Japanese pirates? 】

[Mu Xiaoqi: Gold and silver can neither be eaten nor worn. With the Japanese people's poor productivity, they can only satisfy their consumption desire in the Central Plains. But the problem is that twenty years ago, Japanese envoys caused trouble along the coast and were severely punished by the old Taoist priest. As a result, the standards of tribute trade were greatly reduced and very few things could be imported. Faced with such trade sanctions, of course we can only ask for leniency from our superior country. However, you also know how Xiaoshi behaves. If his plea is not granted, you can imagine the despicable means that will follow. 】

[The seal took my spear: ...Smuggling? 】

[Mu Xiaoqi: I’m afraid so.] 】

After hastily typing out these two key words, Mu Qi couldn't help but sigh secretly. According to historical records, the Japanese pirate rebellion ten years later was caused by smuggling, but the direct cause has always been confusing. But looking at it now, this sudden outbreak of Japanese pirates is probably closely related to the mining of silver mines in Japan. The profits from silver were so huge that it was enough to make pirates and smugglers obsessed and crazy.

He had been struggling for three or four years since he traveled through time. Apart from working hard for Lao Deng, most of his energy was spent on guarding against future Japanese pirates, even pretending to be crazy and stupid for this purpose. The clues of the current crisis were vaguely revealed, which of course made him feel uneasy.

Liu Li obviously knew what he was thinking:

[Shit, does this mean that the critical point of the war against the Japanese pirates is approaching? Lao Qi, are you ready? I remember that you specially protected a few literati for this purpose. What were their names, the 'Seven Admonitions'? 】

This is really a case of bringing up something that is not relevant to the topic, and Mu Qi's mouth twitched because of this. When Yan's party besieged the "Seven Remonstrances of Wu Zhong" at the beginning, although their momentum was fierce, it actually had nothing to do with him; but Yan's party was like a mad dog hitting a snake with a stick, and they actually wanted to eliminate the seven people's followers. This immediately touched Mu Qi's reverse scale - these seven people didn't matter, but among the students they had taught, there was one with the surname Qi!

For the sake of the overall anti-Japanese situation, Mu Qi had no choice but to throw away his pride and roll around in public, trying his best to divert the court's attention. He had already made up his mind that if Yan Fenyi was stubborn and insisted on pursuing the matter, he would pounce on him and kick him out of his heart, lungs and intestines, and use the Mu Guogong Mansion's golden medal of immunity from death to make an extreme one-for-one exchange with Yan's party.

Although it didn't come to that in the end, his reputation was ruined and everyone looked at him with dismay. Even though Prince Mu didn't care about fame or fortune, he still felt so embarrassed that he gritted his teeth and dug his toes into the ground when he thought about it - if Lao Deng wasn't so inhuman, would he have to tear his own face like this?

Mu Qi gritted his teeth and changed the subject:

[Is the deposed emperor playing mahjong?] Didn’t she say that she would visit the Zong Mansion today and try to show us a photo of Mr. Zong? 】

[The seal took my spear: Zhao Fei? I heard that she got into some trouble again, so it might be a while. 】

·

Although he tried his best to prepare for the war against the Japanese pirates, Mu Qi really didn't want to be involved in the war. Of course Japan is disgusting; but given the current weak and disorganized coastal defense, it would be extremely dangerous to suddenly provoke a war. If we can really paralyze the enemy through trade and buy time, it is actually not something that is out of the question.

However, the important matter of enfeoffment and tribute was not something that a small prince could influence; the Ministry of Rites was conservative and perhaps only an imperial edict could reverse the situation. As far as Da'an's current productivity is concerned, maritime trade certainly has countless benefits. However, considering Lao Bi Deng's somewhat human temperament, Mu Qi really has no confidence in convincing him. He can only take one step at a time and do his best.

The next day they met with the envoys as usual, but on the way they ran into a eunuch who was going to the post station to convey an imperial edict. Huang Shanggang, the chief secretary of the Imperial Household Department, specially ordered someone to stop the carriage, greeted the two men with a smile, and congratulated them earnestly:

"You have done a very good job in the Ministry of Rites. His Majesty is very happy and said he would reward you generously!"

The two of them said they didn't dare, but they looked at each other unconsciously. It would be fine if it was a eunuch from another faction who delivered the order, but the identity of Eunuch Huang Shanggang was extremely delicate. Eunuch Huang was a personal servant who had served the emperor since childhood and a close confidant brought from his home in Hubei. He was in charge of all important matters such as weaving and trading and running the imperial store to make money for the emperor, and was nicknamed "Eunuch Debao". How could a steward who was in charge of the small treasury care about the affairs of the Ministry of Rites for no reason?

Does he know which way the door of the Ministry of Rites opens?

After a moment of confusion, the young minister reacted quickly. He briefly reported to Eunuch Huang the progress of yesterday's talks, and emphasized the details he observed after the negotiations: these envoys pretended to be incorruptible and upright during the meeting, saying things like "Since their mission, they have not stained any silk and have only drunk one glass of water"; but after the meeting, they went out in groups of three or five to spend money everywhere, and sold out all the tribute tea and silk on consignment in the post station.

They had seen this kind of two-faced person many times in Qingliu, so it was not surprising at all. But Eunuch Huang keenly grasped the point that the young minister wanted to emphasize:

“Did they buy Gongcha?”

"To reply to your question, sir, that's right."

Eunuch Huang was slightly stunned, then he smiled - although the tribute tea of ​​the post station was named "tribute", it was actually just second-rate stuff that no one was interested in after Feixuan Zhenjun and other eunuchs had carefully selected it; because it was monopolized by the royal family, the selling price was more than three or four times more expensive than the same good tea. What kind of wicked person would be willing to take a blow like this?

Of course, although the Ministry of Rites was responsible for selling tribute, the great scholars had never been involved in the business and had never known much about the detailed accounts, so they just allowed the petty officials to manipulate the accounts. That is to say, it was only after the young cabinet minister took over and worked diligently to sort things out that he discovered the trick from the accounts.

There is no way to not work hard. The young cabinet minister is still looking forward to getting a share from the tribute. How can he make money if he doesn't figure out the accounts?

Talking to smart people is effortless. After only one question and answer, Eunuch Huang immediately understood the true meaning that the young elder was trying to convey, and he immediately smiled and said:

——These foreign guys are really stupid and have a lot of money. What are you waiting for?

Of course, Eunuch Huang's smile only lasted for a moment and then disappeared. After all, Master Feixuan and Emperor Qingmiao only have eight sets of uniforms for the four seasons. How could slaves like them be too materialistic? Not only that, he also had to solemnly remind the two of them:

"Please remember, we are here only to show God's grace, and it has nothing to do with money. The Lord's decree is only to appease the foreign vassal, and it has nothing to do with money. The Ministry of Rites's responsibility is to coordinate the upper and lower levels, and it has nothing to do with money - do you understand?"

·

Eunuch Huang went to the post station to convey the imperial edict mainly for the sake of the Koreans. After all, they were foreign vassal states whose names were bestowed upon them by Emperor Gaozu himself, so their descendants had to give them this respect. He read out the imperial edict drafted by the Hanlin academician in a rhythmic manner, and ordered people to deliver the rewards prepared by the emperor: a box of golden elixir for each person.

"I heard that you all like the imperial poem. His Majesty is very pleased to hear it." He smiled and explained to the dazed envoys in a gentle voice: "This is the elixir that His Majesty made according to the "Essence of External Alchemy". It is extremely precious and is specially given to the king of your country for his enjoyment."

The envoys were stunned for a moment, and could only bow and express their gratitude. Yan Donglou was standing by and could not help but feel admiration when he heard this: the emperor's eyes and ears were indeed always keeping an eye on the Ministry of Rites, and he received the flattery of the Prince of Mu without any error; and this kind of silent and unrelated flattery method was the best in the world, wasn't it easier than the way they father and son tried to take the golden elixir?

Huang Shanggang had finished giving out rewards and was about to turn around when the Japanese envoy Kusunoki Nishinin, who was standing behind the crowd, suddenly stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Huang Shanggang, and began to speak at length. Mu Qi stood aside and frowned after listening to a few sentences - although the Chinese of this Kusunoki Nishinin was mixed up and had a lot of accents, it was generally fluent; how could he be completely clueless and had to rely on an interpreter to translate the message as before?

It turned out to be the disgusting trick that the Japanese often used, and they were used in front of him!

The Japanese envoys were obviously very familiar with the power structure of the Central Plains court. They knew that as long as they flattered the emperor's personal eunuchs and made them happy, the officials below would have no choice but to stare at them when such a person with the power to rule by heaven said something. These people have been pretending to be fools for the past few days since they came to Beijing, just to launch a surprise attack today, so they have been spouting flattering words that are endless and eloquent.

Eunuchs love flattery the most, especially when the flattery comes from a rare foreigner? Huang Shanggang was so happy that his eyes narrowed, and he felt a little elated for a moment. But despite this, when he heard the envoy tentatively ask: "Our country has been submissive to the superior country for a long time, can you open the door to tribute?" he still quickly woke up.

He didn't know whether they paid tribute or not, but he heard clearly what the emperor did yesterday when he moved the abacus beads for a long time after he transferred the Japanese archives. Who dares to interfere in matters that the emperor has already moved the abacus beads on? ——Didn’t you see that when the emperor was calculating to the end, even his eyes turned red?

Besides, the affairs of tribute are now managed by the junior ministers and the nobles. Everything else is fine, but the Prince of Mu is a well-known and difficult-to-deal-with madman in the capital. Why would he want to provoke such a madman?

Eunuch Huang spoke decisively: "These matters are under the jurisdiction of the officials, and we cannot reply to your Excellency."

The Imperial Household Department had already expressed its position, and Mu Qi, who had been watching coldly, immediately took over. He smiled at the envoy:

"Your Excellency is actually quite eloquent!"

Kusunoha Nishi was stunned: "What?"

"I am just praising the envoy's knowledge of Chinese studies." Mu Qi remained calm and said, "The envoy is determined to expand the tribute. I wonder why?"

Kusunoha Nishi said: "Our country is loyal to China and is as sincere as Goryeo and Ryukyu. Why is the superior country lenient to them, but nitpicking about our country?"

Mu Qi rolled his eyes silently in his heart. He had countless opinions about Lao Deng, and he couldn't finish complaining even if he spent three days and three nights complaining about him, but he only admired Lao Deng's attitude towards the Japanese:

"Your Excellency said that Japan has its eyes on China, but so far, most of the pirates that have plagued the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas are Japanese pirates, and have nothing to do with Goryeo and Ryukyu."

Although Goryeo used tribute to extort money from the emperor every year and occasionally had to offend the imperial court by badmouthing Emperor Jianwen, it could still hold its head high and proudly call itself a filial son of the superior country in the face of the disgusting face of Japan. Even the old Taoist priest couldn't say anything more. To a certain extent, Goryeo's "submissive" impression was even brought out by the Japanese. Even if the imperial court was dissatisfied with Goryeo, it would often just let it go as long as it looked to the east at another vassal state separated by a narrow strip of water.

This accusation was extremely sharp, but the envoy was obviously prepared and responded with a convincing argument: "Among the people of my country, some are good and some are evil. My country cannot control them one by one, and it is inevitable that there will be times when we fail to supervise them. Is it possible that there are no thieves and rebels in your country? Punishing them without teaching them is a betrayal of the teachings of the saints."

If the great scholars from the Ministry of Rites were working on the spot, they would probably become alert, immediately prepare their speeches, and concentrate on debating the teachings of the sage with the envoys. But Prince Mu was not so kind-hearted. He had a blank expression on his face and directly retorted:

"From what the envoy said, the officials of Japan can't even control thieves? If they are so weak and incompetent, then the frequent exchanges after the tribute will not greatly harm the maritime merchants in the Central Plains! Don't enter a dangerous country, don't live in a chaotic country. Your Majesty governs the world with benevolence and filial piety, how can you let the people travel to the lawless barbarians?"

Nanye Xiren was about to explain, but Mu Qi said in one breath, "It is better for the barbarians to have no king than for the Chinese to have no king! The Japanese cannot even restrain a thief. It is because of the strong barbarian nature and the lack of royal rule that they are so fond of chaos and rejoice in misfortunes, and transgress the law. Let me ask the envoy, is there a crazy monk Zhou Feng in Japan who claims that the country of the rising sun is a divine country, and takes the title of king conferred by our dynasty, and does not obey the legitimate rule of the current emperor? I can't bear to say any more of the so-called "Eastern Emperor, Western Emperor", "China and Japan are respected" and other treasonous words! If this is not the nature of the barbarians and their cunning hearts, then what is it?"

Kusunobu Nishi was stunned, sweating profusely in an instant, and could hardly control his expression - there was indeed a trend of self-esteem and arrogance in Japan, and the idea of ​​competing with Da'an was secretly surging; but so far, it was only spread secretly among the upper class and had little impact. How could such a secret and unspeakable rumor cross the ocean and spread here?

Monk Zhou Feng was indeed an advisor to the shogunate and a well-known monk. But how could the officials of the upper country know so much about what I said privately to my disciples? !

The more Nanye Nishinin thought about it, the more scared he became, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He had done his homework before his visit, knowing that the Prince of Duke Mu was a well-known playboy in the capital, known as an unreasonable madman, so the focus of his careful preparations had been on Yan Donglou, the son of Lord Yan. But now, just a few words are like a cold shower on my head, which is beyond words. The other party has such a deep and detailed understanding, he is definitely not shallow and ignorant!

Is it that the Prince of Duke Mu is playing the pig and eating the tiger, or is the intelligence of the upper country so powerful that even a dandy young man can find out the details of Japan?

Kusunoha Nishi forced himself to look away and look at the other officials in charge of reception. However, the young cabinet minister and Eunuch Huang looked at each other with their eyes fixed on each other, their expressions were both indifferent and calm. Who here is not a smart person? Just by looking at the Japanese envoy's expression, as if he had seen a living ghost, you can tell that what the prince said is true. It would be fine if they discussed it in private, but now facing the treasonous remarks made by the crazy Japanese monk openly, how could they not be indignant as the king and father, and express a righteous and stern attitude that would not allow for negotiation?

Of course, although Eunuch Huang looked calm, he was overjoyed in his heart and felt that the trip was worthwhile. Yesterday afternoon, His Majesty Feixuan Zhenjun Qingmiao Emperor ordered him to review the tribute affairs. His words were ambiguous and he was sarcastic as usual, but as a close follower of the emperor brought from his hometown, Eunuch Huang immediately understood his master's hint:

He might want to deal with the Japanese in the future, and he would need the eunuchs to take action and secretly find a reason to cause trouble.

Eunuch Huang was also in charge of the East Factory, so it was his duty-bound responsibility. But this is also difficult to do. They were very good at dealing with officials, and as long as they were not living saints, their spies could collect any black evidence they wanted (of course, it would be beyond Eunuch Huang's expectation that they would hit a wall with Hai Gangfeng in the future); but now the Japanese envoys had just arrived, and few of the Dongchang foreigners could understand Japanese, so it was really difficult to get any black evidence.

Do we have to ask the eunuchs to take the interpreters to find the servants of the Japanese envoys and tell them that Marseille and the Wadasi East Factory spies must be killed, and if you don't confess the truth, you will all die?

Just when I was at a loss, such a pie fell from the sky. Listen, listen, what "China and Japan are equally respected" and "Eastern Emperor and Western Emperor"? Are these words that a human being can say? If we report these words, wouldn't that be a huge handle?

Of course, although the East Factory is ruthless in its work, it often requires evidence. Now, it seems that it is not enough to convict him based on the sharp tongue of the Prince of Mu and the expression of the Japanese envoy; we need to send someone to investigate further. But Eunuch Huang hesitated for a moment, and finally could not bear the pressure of Party A's construction period, so he decided to report it immediately without bothering to verify it.

——But it didn't matter. Even if he really got the facts wrong, he had a way to deal with it. Eunuch Huang had someone check the records long ago and knew that the customs in Japan were peculiar. Even if he made a huge mistake, he could get away with it by bowing in public. Eunuch Huang was quick to follow the advice and decided to adapt to the local customs. Even if he had wronged the Japanese, the worst that could happen was that he would just practice Japanese for a few days, bow in front of them to apologize, and say a few words like "Red bean paste, die of your mother's stuff"!

This is an apology from the chief eunuch of the Eastern Depot. I suggest that the Japanese should not be ungrateful.