Are you trying to cheat me out of my money again?!

The old emperor was about to leave Shanhaiguan tomorrow.

At this time, the prime minister sent a petition to him, asking for instructions on how to approve it.

"Japan requests that the tribute route back to the country this time be through Dengzhou, Shandong, instead of Ningbo? And with the tribute envoys from Goryeo?"

It seems no problem?

After thinking about it, the old emperor waved his pen -

OK!

Looking down, it was a letter written by the Japanese envoy himself, using Chinese characters.

The old emperor raised his eyebrows lazily and read it slowly.

The content of the letter was about 3,000 words describing how vast China was, how well he governed Daxia, how the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and how much he respected him as an emperor. Then he used

another 3,000 words to describe how poor and cold Japan was, saying that they couldn't even get meat to eat. Even their shogunate only had a bowl of rice, a bowl of soybean paste soup, and a piece of pickled radish for a meal.

Finally, he used 500 words to make a heartfelt request, asking Daxia to allow them to pay tribute more often.

The old emperor looked strange.

Most countries now pay tribute once a year.

But some countries, such as Goryeo, pay tribute three or four times a year, and sometimes five or six times a year. They pay tribute once on the emperor's birthday, once on the crown prince's birthday, once during the New Year, and also when there is something important in the Xia Dynasty. Sometimes they want to pay tribute even when there is nothing important.

Japan... wants to learn from Goryeo?

"Come here, call the Minister of Rites."

As soon as the Minister of Rites arrived, the old emperor asked him for the list of gifts from Japan.

"Your Majesty, it's probably some swords, armor, agate, crystal, and some gold-sprinkled and gold-painted furniture. Um... there are also cowhide and horses."

The Minister of Rites knew the emperor very well. After a little thought, he added: "The swords and swords are usually 100 each, one set of armor, 20 pieces of agate of normal size, crystal beads, and the number of furniture... at least one, at most two or three pieces, a few pieces of cowhide, and about three or four horses."

It's not just not much, it can be said that the gift is too little.

But this is also Daxia's active request. The [Heavenly] [Emperor] country is not greedy for the little money of the four barbarians. It's enough to let them pay some local specialties every year.

The old emperor tapped his fingers on his knees several times, muttering to himself: "It seems that we are really poor."

The Minister of Rites continued to report: "The gifts from the court are usually 10 to 20 pieces of silk and satin, and a full set of clothes, boots and socks for the king and envoys. The king gives 100 to 200 taels of silver, and the envoys give a total of 10,000 copper coins."

The old emperor nodded slightly: "It's not too much. If it comes one or two more times, the treasury can afford it."

He then wrote on the memorial: "Approved." The birthday banquets for the emperor and the crown prince, and the New Year's Day, three times a year, are enough.

The Minister of Rites was curious: "Why did your majesty suddenly..."

Just after reviewing a pound or two of official documents, the prime minister's memorial was the last one. The old emperor waved his hand, and the eunuch accompanying him brought a folded hot towel and applied it to the emperor's eyes.

"The Japanese country asks for more tributes."

- that is, fighting the autumn wind.

Da Xiazi closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, and said unhurriedly: "Da Xia and Japan are separated by a strip of water. I am the lord of all the countries. How can I not save them? First, I don't have to manage their internal affairs, and second, I don't have to make them rich. It's just more gold and silver rewards."

There is another layer that the emperor did not say, but the Minister of Rites also knew it.

Those small countries relied on tribute to survive, not only money, but also the support of big countries. If an enemy country wants to attack you, it must reconsider who its master is.

Therefore, if those small countries dare to be disrespectful one day, just refuse to pay tribute.

—— Sometimes paying tribute is also a way to control small neighboring countries.

The old emperor sighed again: "Moreover, the Japanese are so poor. I heard that they can't even eat meat."

The Minister of Rites was a little surprised: "Are they so poor? No wonder they are not tall."

"Yes, I heard that their king doesn't allow them to fish. They can only eat food made from soybeans... Even the generals only eat rice, soybean soup and pickled radishes."

After listening to the old emperor, the Minister of Rites was full of sympathy: "In this case, I will instruct the Ministry of Rites to give more care to the Japanese envoys in the future." The

envoys to Daxia may be the rare time for these envoys to eat meat throughout the year.

It's really miserable.

The old emperor nodded slightly to show his agreement.

- Since Daxia is the suzerain state, I will help them if I can.

＊

The old emperor decided to inspect Liaodong Dusi, so he went out of Shanhaiguan and headed northeast, inspecting along the way.

About a month and a half later, when he arrived near Fuzhouwei, he happened to meet the Japanese delegation returning.

The old emperor thought of their previous misfortune and specially called the delegation to inquire about the situation.

The chief and deputy envoys of Japan were both Zen monks, but they were not ordinary monks, but monks who could intervene in secular power and served as advisors to the shogunate's internal affairs.

Therefore, when they saw the emperor, they did not follow Buddhist etiquette but secular etiquette, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty."

The old emperor asked them affectionately, "Are you living well in the Central Plains?"

The chief envoy, a Zen monk, replied, "Very well. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."

The old emperor then asked about food and accommodation, and the chief and deputy envoys replied that they were all good. The other Japanese in the delegation were even more excited, saying that there was so much meat here, and pork and chicken were especially delicious. They had never eaten horse meat before.

One after another, they expressed: "Thank you, Emperor Tongzhi of the Great Xia for your generosity!" The

old emperor was so proud... "Huh? Your Majesty is so generous that he uses the treasury to reward the Japanese delegation?"

Xu Yanmiao was shocked: "A delegation of two hundred people, each person was rewarded with two geese, eight fish, a red gauze quilt, eight pieces of gauze, and one hundred copper coins?" The clerk of the Ministry of War added: "There are also sixty catties of furnace stone and three hundred catties of brass. I heard from the Japanese that they were short of brass and materials for smelting brass, so Your Majesty rewarded them." Xu Yanmiao was even more shocked: "Your Majesty is not... ahem, Your Majesty has always been very frugal, why..." He not only said it, but also repeated it in his heart.

The old emperor immediately asked someone to call him over. In a voice that the Japanese delegation could not hear, he said earnestly: "Xu Yanmiao, some money should be saved, and some money cannot be saved. A suzerain state should have the bearing of a suzerain state. If the neighbors are so poor that they can't even afford meat, they should still help them more or less. You don't know that the hot pot you ate a few days ago, the sliced ​​pork and chicken, they can only eat them when they come to pay tribute throughout the year. Usually they either eat tofu soup or pickled radishes. It's not because they are poor, but because the whole Japanese country is poor, even the generals are very poor. It’s hard to eat meat.”

Xu Yanmiao hesitated: “…Is that so?”

The old emperor patted his shoulder: “Of course.”

The old emperor called the Japanese delegation again: “I heard that you have some…meat ban?”

The envoy said with a bitter face: “Yes. The emperor believes in Buddhism, so he doesn’t allow us to eat meat…” The

Minister of Rites, who was close by, was a very sympathetic person. Hearing this, he had quietly tucked his eyes with his fingers: “I lie in the yamen and listen to the rustling of bamboo, I suspect it is the sound of people’s suffering…”

[Oh!] Xu Yanmiao suddenly realized: [The old emperor was cheated of money!]

The sadness on the old emperor’s face suddenly froze on his face.

The Minister of Rites almost poked his finger into his eyeball, but it also poked the corner of his eye, and he hissed in pain.

The other officials were all confused.

Was the envoy of that small country trying to trick them?!

【Found it! I said I had seen this decree. It clearly states that from early April to late September every year, you cannot eat cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens. As for wild boars, deer, bears, etc., as long as you can hunt them, you can eat them.】

The Japanese envoy naturally could not hear his inner voice, and did not know that he was almost stripped of his underwear.

He was already in tears when he talked about the so-called "Meat Ban Order": "However, even without this "Meat Ban Order", Japan is so poor that it is difficult to eat meat. Even the shoguns can only eat tofu, polished rice, and pickled radishes."

【Yes, yes, but I didn't say that this shogun just liked to be frugal. As for other daimyo and generals, they enjoyed eating salt-pickled swans and wild goose pots. The

Japanese envoy wiped his tears and looked at the old emperor gratefully: "Emperor Tiantong of the Great Heaven! Thank you for your generosity! We Japanese have never eaten geese, but now, thanks to your majesty..."

The emperor: : )

Hehe.

The eyes he looked at the Japanese were already cold as ice. How

dare you cheat me of my money...

The old emperor asked again: "Is it really difficult for your warriors, generals, and daimyo to eat meat?"

The Japanese envoy said again: "Respected Emperor Tiantong of the Great Heaven, you may not know that before the meat ban was issued, most of us here ate cherry thorns, cherry pots, red leaves, peonies, and cypress. Meat was really rare." The

minister who had been on a diplomatic mission to Japan came up and whispered to the old emperor: "Your Majesty, it is true. The delegation rarely saw any meat shops there."

The old emperor's face slowed down.

If this is the case, then it is not wrong to say that they are very poor.

【Puff——】

【The old emperor won’t believe it, will he? Hahahaha! 】

The old emperor: “…”

The minister who was sent to Japan broke out in a cold sweat.

Xu Yanmiao, don’t talk nonsense!

I have never lied to your majesty!

【Eating cherry thorns and cherry pot, that’s true, in order to evade the meat ban, the Japanese call horse meat cherry, cherry thorns and cherry pot are horse meat sashimi and horse meat pot! 】

The minister who was sent to Japan breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it was the Japanese who lied to your majesty, not me.

【Oh, and there is red leaves, which is venison! Hahaha! Peony is wild boar! Cypress is chicken! 】

The old emperor looked at the Japanese with a colder and colder gaze.

Very good, so it’s like this. It’s rare to see a meat shop.

——The name has been changed, of course it’s not a "meat" shop.

Glancing at his own envoy with a cold gleam in the corner of his eye, the minister who had been on a diplomatic mission to Japan almost wanted to kneel down and explain immediately - if Xu Yanmiao had not been by his side.

He did go on a diplomatic mission to Japan, but he was led all the way to the emperor by the Japanese who came to greet him, and he could not move around during the period. Just like when the Japanese came to Daxia, they were also escorted all the way by officials from the Ministry of Rites and arranged in the Huitong Hall. Their freedom of movement was restricted. They were released once every five days, and were not allowed to enter or leave without permission at other times.

In this situation, coupled with the fact that there were no tasks assigned in advance, it was really difficult to find out the various ins and outs of Japan, let alone find out whether they could eat meat .

The old emperor sneered.

"The matter of tribute..."

[Ah! That's right! There is also tribute! ]

The old emperor's expression was blank for a moment.

He suddenly wanted to knock Xu Yanmiao out.

As for what he was cheated of, he really, really didn’t want to know it so clearly!

Xu Yanmiao, don’t you know the saying that a man who is neither stupid nor deaf can’t be a patriarch?

[Wuhu, Goryeo offered gold and silver as tribute, but the old emperor refused it. He said that Goryeo was remote and that all the gold and silver were purchased from other places, which was too expensive and unnecessary.]

[He had the same attitude towards other vassal states. The old emperor was quite kind.]

The old emperor was stunned for a moment.

... Being praised?

How rare!!!

In an instant, the old emperor’s mood improved again, and he was not so disgusted with the Japanese who dared to cheat him.

[It’s a pity that he ran into the Japanese who were taking advantage of him.]

“…”

The mood dropped again.

[Tsk tsk, Japan has discovered Iwami Silver Mine in recent years, but there is not a single drop of silver in the tribute they gave to Daxia.]

[Then the Japanese told the old emperor that the silver they used for trading was purchased from other places, and they used it to exchange for Daxia's copper coins...t]

Xu Yanmiao paused for a moment, and then there was a series of somewhat chaotic data calculations. Before the Daxia monarch and his ministers could react, Xu Yanmiao had already come to a conclusion directly -

[Fuck! If we use the annual output of Iwami Silver Mine of more than 5 million taels...]

How much? !

The eyes of the rulers and ministers of Daxia were already red.

More than five million taels of silver a year?!

"Fuck your ancestors!" Marquis Yongchang couldn't help but curse.

Such a huge silver mountain was within their reach, and they didn't even know about it!

[In less than 30 years, Daxia will be short of copper, and it is estimated that it will have to turn to importing foreign copper from Japan.]

[Local products~]

[It is better to have cheap goods and rich feelings than to have rich goods and cheap feelings~]

The rulers and ministers of Daxia: "..."