On the third day of May, the atmosphere in the Forbidden City was a little tense.
In Qingning Palace, everyone was praying anxiously for Concubine Xian, hoping that she would give birth smoothly.
It has been half a year since His Majesty's wedding, and the Queen is not yet pregnant, so all the pressure on the Prince is borne by the Concubine.
Zhu Houcong has been waiting in the Palace of Qianqing. If he goes to Chang'an Palace, it will only add to the pressure on the people there.
What's more, at this time, the urgent military situation in Guangdong was also delivered to Beijing. The Portuguese in Malacca gathered a fleet of seventeen ships. Fortunately, the fleet of the Maritime Trade Company happened to encounter them on the South China Sea.
At this moment, he didn't know whether the war in Guangdong had already started.
Wu Tingju and Wang Xian had already arranged the mobilization and transfer of food and salary, and Zhu Houcong, who was far away in the capital, could only wait for the results.
We have to wait for the results in Qingning Palace and Guangdong.
Zhu Houcong did not remember that another incident would happen in Zhejiang this year. This incident became a trigger for the Japanese pirate problem he was familiar with to become more serious.
Over in Zhejiang, the banquet held by the prefect of Ningbo, together with the city's shipping minister Tiju and other officials to welcome the Japanese envoys was finally about to be held, and envoys from the Ouchi clan and the Hosokawa clan met.
Zongshe Qiandao met with Yuezhu Yongcheng and heard some very bad news from him.
"You said that their ship has to be unloaded and inspected at the port before us?"
Yuezhu Yongcheng was indignant: "Nearly three hundred of us are crowded into a small temple, but there are more than a hundred of them living in the best Dongshou Temple and Tianning Temple in Ningbo."
Sosheki Kendo had a sullen face: Compared with the reception arrangements, it would be a worse signal to allow the Hosokawa delegation, which arrived later, to inspect the goods at the port first.
Since the two missions arrived at almost the same time, and some of them would definitely go to the capital to congratulate the emperor, how could they be divided into two missions?
All the Ming court wanted was an official mission from Japan, and they had the so-called congratulatory form in their hands - it must have been written by the Hosokawa clan, taking advantage of being closer to Kyoto, to force Ashikaga General to write it down, and it was stamped with the Ming Dynasty The silver medal given by the emperor.
At the welcome banquet, Ming officials only received the envoys, deputy envoys and attachés of the two missions. The accompanying personnel of other missions, businessmen, crew, etc. were not included in the reception.
At the entrance of the hall, Zongshe Kendao met the envoy Luangang Zuozuo and deputy envoy Song Suqing of the Hosokawa mission.
"I really didn't expect that you would dare to come here pretending to be envoys when you are not worthy." Zong Sheqiandao first looked at Luangang Ruizuo, and then stared at Song Suqing with his sharp eyes, "Especially you, haven't you been warned not to do this? Will you serve as an envoy again?"
"The real envoys should be sent by the shogunate on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. Dr. Ouchi Sakyo is the one who sent the so-called envoys in the name of the king without permission, right?"
Zong Sheqiandao was very angry.
The Ouchi clan is located in the Kyushu Island area in the northwest and southwest. The territory of the Hosokawa clan is not more fertile than the Kansai area. Those who have been working for the Ouchi clan have always admired strength.
For many years, the Ouchi family's ability to control transactions with the Ming Dynasty was the result of strength.
Now, Mr. Hosokawa has come to play this superficial and false game, and even humiliates them with such meaningless words.
"Only Qianhe can prove the authenticity of the identity." Zong Sheqiandao snorted coldly, "No matter what tricks you play, it will be useless in the end."
Seeing him striding in with his people, Luangang Ruizuo was a little worried and quietly asked Song Suqing: "Is it okay?"
Song Suqing smiled and said, "Don't worry, Luangang Sang."
The Ouchi clan is a group of barbarians with little education and no etiquette. How should the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty be played? What do they know? I think having kanhe is everything, but I don’t know why qianhe comes about. During this journey, they were destined to just transport tributes for the Hosokawa clan.
Sure enough, as soon as they entered the door, they heard Zong Sheqiandao say angrily: "Masters, the envoy cannot accept this arrangement! I am an official envoy, how can I sit in the second seat?"
Unexpectedly, Zheng Shoujie, the deputy commander over there, just said lightly: "I have already revealed your identity. Mr. Xu, do you want me to go to your hometown and ask the elders to identify you? Your Majesty accepts Japan's tribute. Zheng envoys should naturally be Japanese envoys appointed by the King of Japan."
Zong Sheqiandao immediately turned his head and looked at Song Suqing.
No wonder he was only a deputy envoy.
"Is the Kanhe in the hands of the foreign envoy fake? Speaking of which, I was about to ask for advice on what Kanhe is holding in the hands of the so-called envoy Luangang. Have you checked it out, sir?"
Zheng Shoujie said in a nonchalant manner: "How could there be such omissions in the affairs of the Celestial Empire? The Chinese calligraphy, Kanhe, and congratulatory notes in the hands of the envoy Luangang are all authentic. The envoy Luangang was born in Japan and grew up in Japan. .Now that you are all here on behalf of the King of Japan, in my opinion, it is better to join one group. The envoy Luangang is the chief, and the deputy envoy Yuezhu is the deputy. Since you two are descendants of the Ming Dynasty living overseas, It is true to help get things done. If we really use you as envoys to go to the palace, wouldn't we be guilty of deceiving the emperor?"
Zong Sheqiandao didn't expect that they would make a fuss about their identity. A deputy envoy wanted to replace him as a principal envoy?
"The foreign envoys came with three ships of Kanhe, and the three ships were full of various tributes. How can they be the deputy?" Zong Sheqiandao shook his head repeatedly, "Zheng Tiju, it is true that you said that the Kanhe they have on their hands is true, but the foreign envoys are Do not believe!"
Zheng Shoujie's face darkened: "The surname is Xu..."
"Sir, please be careful with your words. Foreign envoys are state guests!" Zong Sheqiandao stood there without taking a seat, as if to identify himself.
Zheng Shoujie choked at his words and was about to get angry when he saw Song Suqing replying with a smile: "Zong Shesang, although the kanhe we have is from the Hongzhi Dynasty, it is undoubtedly a real qianhe."
Zong Sheqian said Zhengzhou couldn't find any reason. Hearing this, he immediately roared at the heads of Lai En, Xie Changjie and others: "After His Majesty Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty issued the new Kanhe, isn't the Kanhe issued by His Majesty Hongzhi no longer usable? We are all foreign envoys and state guests. I wonder why the officials of the Celestial Dynasty behave so unfairly. Is there some inside story involved? Zheng Tiju?"
He asked Zheng Shoujie the last question. Seeing his eyes, Zheng Shoujie remembered what he said that day, "I understand the rules."
Could this guy be hinting to everyone that they might have received money from Song Suqing without a reasonable explanation?
But aren't you guys just guessing without any evidence?
Song Suqing sighed regretfully: "My dear officials, the foreign envoys think that no matter which dynasty your Majesty's message is worthy of, as long as it is true, then the foreign envoys and others will lead people thousands of miles across the sea and water to come, loaded with tributes to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty. Congratulations, this is the place of etiquette and the heart of the fist. What Zong Shesang said seems to have the hidden intention of one emperor and one courtier. It is unavoidable that it has the intention of harming the reconciliation between the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese monarchs and ministers for eternity."
Finally, he saluted gracefully: "Envoys must not be ignorant of etiquette, and all your superiors will know this."
After what he said, Ryan, Zheng Shoujie and Ningbo Magistrate nodded their heads, and Xie Changjie also looked at Song Suqing with interest.
Zongshe Qiandao was able to become a monk in Japan, and his words were good.
But now he discovered that although catching him was a point that the envoy could not take lightly, and although the suitability in his hands was real, the people he had dealt with in the past were still Japanese ronin, ordinary civilians and people in the territory of the Ouchi clan. Nobles.
Zong Sheqiandao understood why they were making a fuss about their status as descendants of the Ming Dynasty.
But he didn't understand: Why did they think they would accept this arrangement?
So he laughed a few times: "Aren't foreign envoys ignorant of etiquette and rules? It's just that the high officials of the heaven humiliated the foreign envoys, but the foreign envoys cannot remain indifferent! Now that they have come to pay tribute to the new king, the foreign envoys have been humiliated. , then we have no choice but to return without success. If the two countries are at war again, it will not be the fault of the foreign envoys!"
After saying that, he said to Yuezhu Yongcheng: "Yuezhu Sang, let's go. Sir, please also reload the tributes carried by the foreign envoys and others on the ship in full, so that we can set off and return them as soon as possible."
Ryan and the others watched helplessly as he led the people away resolutely, their faces extremely gloomy.
Who can't see his reliance? It's just retreat as advancement.
The Japanese mission entered Hong Kong with great fanfare, but returned before paying tribute. What should the court do if they want to accuse it?
Luangang Ruizuo and Song Suqing were only allowed to go to the capital with a boatload of tribute gifts to congratulate them. What should the court do if it felt that Japan was neglecting them?
A good welcome banquet, Ryan did not expect that Zong Shiqiandao, who had been waiting quietly in the guest hall before, was so strong, and he was obviously not an easy person to deal with.
"Xie Qiandu, look at this..." Ryan looked at Xie Qiandu, hoping he would give some advice.
After all, no one here knows the emperor better than he does.
Xie Changjie thought about his mission and said calmly: "Four ships of tribute must be presented."
The larger the amount of this tribute trade, the more tempted the wealthy businessmen from the southeast will be. Xie Changjie only understands this.
Ryan was in a dilemma: But Zong Sheqiandao was determined to be the envoy and refused to give up the initiative.
He couldn't help but look at Luangang Ruizuo and Song Suqing: "This time, the new dynasty must be compatible, so why don't you take a step back. If you can offer congratulations, Hongzhi can be compatible, and the new dynasty is compatible, your two families But one family gets half.”
Song Suqing shook her head decisively: "Eunuch Lai, there are only a hundred of us. How can we be spared on the way back to the country? Eunuch Lai doesn't know that Dr. Sakyo, the great minister, has always recruited pirates. Now, most of their envoys are They are pirates. My lords, the foreign envoy has received a letter from a friend. Wasn't there a traitor who colluded with the Japanese pirates the year before last?"
The officials in the hall couldn't help but change their expressions, and looked at Song Suqing unexpectedly.
The implication of this guy's words is already very clear: Although the envoy of Dr. Ouchi Sakyo has more than 300 people, this is Ningbo, the Ming Dynasty. If all the pirates pretending to be emissaries were caught, wouldn't the problem be solved?
But after all, the other party holds the real value.
The news of the Japanese mission's entry into Hong Kong has already spread throughout Zhejiang. Although they can be treated as Japanese pirates now, the news will eventually spread back to Japan. What if Dr. Ouchi Sakyo is angry and raises an army?
Ryan shook his head repeatedly: "It can't be like this."
Song Suqing then said: "Now that all the envoys have been disarmed, this matter can be done by foreign envoys. The foreign envoys were ordered by the King of Japan to lead four ships of tribute to the Ming Dynasty. On the way, three ships were hijacked by pirates. Unexpectedly, the thieves actually If you dare to act arrogantly and pretend to be an envoy to pay tribute, and the envoys and others take advantage of it and annihilate it, then it has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty."
"...Song Suqing, you are too brave!" Ryan stared at him, "The weapons of your mission have also been put away. Could it be that you want the Shipping Department and Ningzhou Prefecture to open a door for you?"
Song Suqing sighed: "The foreign envoy has no choice. Although he has a congratulatory form, he has no choice but to present it to His Majesty. All superior officials need to be aware that the foreign envoy really came under the king's order, and the great doctor Zakyo is separatist. , is really a disloyal person. The tributes paid in the past few years are worthy of being plundered from the official mission."
Song Suqing was telling the truth, but Ryan and others still refused to do such a thing.
Until Song Suqing said again: "Most of the Japanese pirates along the coast of the Ming Dynasty used the Ouchi clan as their home base. In the past, Shogun Ashikaga wiped out the Tsushima and other island pirates, but it was only after the Ouchi clan separated the areas that they gradually became unable to restrain them. The year before last, the rebels were in The remaining party of the colluded Japanese pirates may also be hiding under the shelter of the Ouchi clan."
Everyone's eyes were fixed.
(End of chapter)
