Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 390 Temptation
Although I don't quite understand the series of official names that the other party uttered, one thing is certain that the other party is the legendary ambassador of the Tang Dynasty. Seeing that his wife was a little flustered, she bent her knees at the same time, made a nondescript salute, and then each sit down.

"Are these things in line with Madam's wishes?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "If you don't like them, there are still some high-quality goods in the hold. They were originally intended to be given to the king of your country. You can take them out for Madam to choose from!"

"Thank you, the ones here are already very good!" Mrs. Ji Jian stammered.

"That's good, that's good!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I just heard from the people below that Ling Fu is an important minister of your country, so I came to have a look. In fact, I met many envoys of your country when I was in Chang'an. , everyone recited poems and made tea together, and got along very happily, so this time the emperor sent an envoy to visit your country, and I asked the emperor for this errand! Take a look at the scenery of your country by the way, hahahaha!"

"Hehe!" Mrs. Ji Jian laughed dryly, and asked cautiously: "Dare you ask if your official made good friends with those people in the country when you were in Chang'an?"

"There are quite a few of them! For example, Chan Master Dinghui, whose Chinese poems and official script are good; and Ijilian Bode, who is also very good at archery and is well-known in Chang'an; and..." Wang Wenzuo continued He mentioned seven or eight names, and also mentioned their specialties and hobbies one by one. Obviously, he seemed very close to these people. When he said this, he suddenly laughed and said: "I should fight, but I haven't asked your husband's name yet. Sorry, forgive me." !"

"The little girl's husband's name is Jijian Chizhu!"

"I saw Chi Yu, a good name, a good name!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "I think your husband and my friends also know each other?"

Seeing that Madam's face suddenly became stiff, it turned out that although the Wa Kingdom had begun to imitate its bureaucratic system to the Sui and Tang Dynasties and other Central Plains dynasties, so far it has only learned superficially. Generally speaking, the officials of the Wa Kingdom also seem to have selection criteria , There are grades, there are promotion routes, and there are powers corresponding to each level, but in fact they are still struggling.Those who were able to go to the Tang Dynasty like Dinghui and Yiji Lianbode usually selected outstanding personnel from young nobles (they also had the status of seeking scholars, and their learning ability would decline as they got older), and they had Probably equal to the official position of the fifth rank in the Tang Dynasty.

The full name of Jijian Akatsuki is Jijian Akatsuki Sheren. The so-called Sheren refers to the officials and personal guards of the Japanese royal family or the family of the nobles at that time. In a civil war, he shot and killed the opponent's chief general, so he was sent to Izumo to manage the local territory of Prince Shotoku. By the time he arrived, he was already the third generation.Although after hard work, I saw more and more manors in the territory of Izumo, and even managed the local mines for the royal family, and I could get more and more money in the process, but because my father was not strong enough, he was in the capital. He is still just a servant, if he can win the favor of the royal family he serves, he may be recommended and bestowed on a lowly official.The children of nobles like Dinghui and Yijilianbode are people from two worlds. If we must talk about the relationship between the two parties, when Dinghui and Ijirenbode discussed political affairs with the royal ministers in the hall, they saw It is estimated that Chi Yu is also serving as a guard with a bow in His Highness's hands.

For a moment, self-esteem almost made Mrs. Jijian nod in agreement, but in the next second, reason prevailed. It is probably true that this nobleman of the Tang Dynasty said that he had a close relationship with the children of such nobles as Zen Master Dinghui and Yiji Lianbode. How did the Tang people know the names of these envoys?It's an honor for me to nod and agree here today, but in the future, what should this Tang nobleman and Ding Hui do to advance this matter?Those few nobles don't even need to take the initiative to punish them. Just mention today's matter in the high-level social circle casually, and the struggle of three generations can be wiped out. She sighed in her heart and forced a smile:
"My husband is just a sacrificial person, a person who holds a bow and opens the way. His status is humble, how can I get to know Zunyou!"

"Oh?" Wang Wenzuo was taken aback for a moment. He didn't expect the woman in front of him to be so honest. He didn't know how to continue the conversation for a while, so he had to laugh twice: "So that's the case, but a certain family made a slip of the tongue!"

Seeing that his wife told the truth, he lost all scruples and said with a smile: "I'm not afraid of the nobleman's jokes. My husband is a countryman. He doesn't know anything about the Chinese poems or calligraphy you just said. It's La Bow archery has been familiar since childhood!"

"That's why!" Wang Wenzuo laughed, "Since your husband doesn't understand Chinese poetry and calligraphy, why does my wife buy so many Tang products?"

"They are all gifts for the new emperor!"

"A gift for the new emperor?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "That's a lot of money, isn't it? Your husband is just a housewife, so why prepare such an expensive gift?"

"There is no way!" Madam Ji Jian sighed: "If you can't present a rich enough gift to the new emperor, the property of Ji Jian's family will be taken away, and it will be very difficult to survive!"

"Oh? If you don't present a gift, you will be deprived of your property?"

"Ok!"

Probably because the previous conversation narrowed the distance between the two parties, Mrs. Ji Jian did not avoid talking about it.It turns out that the land in Japan at that time was theoretically owned by the state, and all land, minerals, rivers, and lakes theoretically belonged to the state, in other words, the emperor owned it.At the beginning, the Jijian family went to Ishijian country to manage the territory for him as the son of Prince Shotoku, but as time went by, the Jijian family established their own local land by various means such as reclamation, annexation, and occupation. The manor has great wealth.In order to prevent his family's manor from being embezzled by local officials and other tyrants, the Jijian family sent their property under the name of the master's family.In other words, the Jijian family’s own property and the royal family’s property they manage on their behalf are integrated. Generally, after the new emperor ascends the throne, he will give his cronies the trusteeship of various royal family properties as a reward. For a gift that satisfies the new emperor, the existing property of the Jijian family is likely to be taken away by the new emperor's cronies.

"So that's what's going on, I understand!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Madam, please wait a moment!" Wang Wenzuo raised his right hand and attracted Sancho to whisper a few words in his ear. Sancho nodded and left. When I came back, I had a tray in my hand, covered with a green cloth, I don't know what was underneath.

"Madam, although the gifts you have chosen are good, they may not be able to impress the new king's heart!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "Look at this, can it catch your eyes?" It is a silver censer with a five-ring silver censer with a gilded swan goose pattern, a door seat, and a five-ring silver incense burner. Its furnace plate is open, with flat folded edges, obliquely retracted belly wall, and flat bottom.Along the outer five curves, the abdominal wall has five vertical ribs from the mouth along the curved mouth, which divides the abdominal wall into five petals. In the center of the outer wall of each petal, there is a head with animal face, and the mouth holds the ears.Symmetrical honeysuckle patterns are chiseled on both sides of the vertical rib.The raspberry-shaped hearth has a circle of covered lotus petals. There are five hollow pot doors on the abdominal wall. A lotus bud protrudes from each of the lower parts. A swan goose is carved between each pot door.

"50 Two ministers, Li Yuanxiang, enter!" Wang Wenzuo pointed to a line of gold-plated text on the outer wall of the bottom of the plate and read: "Li Yuanxiang is the uncle of the current emperor, and he dedicated this incense burner to the emperor. The emperor gave this incense burner to His Royal Highness When I was in Chang'an, I worked for the prince, and the prince gave me this incense burner. I want to present this as a gift to the new king of your country, and it should be able to keep your family's property!"

"This, this—" Mrs. Ji Jian was already stunned by the exquisite gilt swan goose pattern pot with five rings and silver incense burner, not to mention her own eyes, even in her dreams, she never thought that there would be such an exquisite treasure.

"You, are you willing to betray this to me?"

"Not bad!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Although this treasure is good, it is just an incense burner here, but it can keep the family business in your house. Naturally, it is better to sell it to you!"

Mrs. Jijian certainly wouldn't think that she could exchange for such a treasure just by taking out the little things, so she asked cautiously: "Then, how much do you need in exchange?"

"Four hundred silver cakes!" Wang Wenzuo stretched out four fingers: "Bring another four hundred silver cakes, this incense burner is yours!"

"It's a deal!" Mrs. Ji Jian replied very decisively: "Please wait for a few days, my husband will send the needed silver as soon as possible!"

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"Master, are you really going to sell the censer to that woman?" Sancho asked in a low voice.

"Of course, why not?" Wang Wenzuo looked at the shadow of the boat going away, and replied casually: "A silver cake weighs at least five taels, four hundred is 2000 taels of silver, and the silver incense burner is only 50 taels. The processing fee is only 50 taels, and the profit of twenty times is still not sold?"

"Didn't you say it was a gift from His Royal Highness?"

"I said yes?" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "But the censer is indeed a handicraft in the palace. Unless the Japanese take this censer to Chang'an to seek proof from the East Palace, who knows if it was given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"So that's it!" Sancho let out a sigh of relief: "I really thought you sold the things His Royal Highness gave you!"

"If the price is high enough, it's not impossible!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "This is a business! Business only depends on whether you make a profit, that's all!"

Sangqiu nodded ignorantly. Although he has followed Wang Wenzuo for many years, he still often cannot figure out the other party's intentions.But he knew that as long as he kept his mouth shut, the natural master would tell him the answer—if he could know it.

"And I'm not just for the four hundred silver cakes!" Wang Wenzuo turned around with a smile on his face: "If this woman can take out four hundred silver cakes at once, it means that behind her is a big silver cake." Shan; if she can't get it—that's even better, we can get something more valuable from her mouth!"

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In Asuka, you can see the house.

"Four hundred more silver cakes?" Chi Jian gasped when he saw that, "Are you crazy, woman? You just exchanged five hundred silver cakes and three hundred buckskins for an incense burner?"

"There is more than one incense burner, and these things!" Madam pointed to the porcelain, medicines, silk, and tea leaves lying beside her: "That incense burner only costs [-] silver cakes!"

"Only four hundred—" Ji Jian Chi Yan shook his head: "You woman, you speak so lightly, do you know that? In normal times, we only need to send three hundred silver cakes to the capital a year. And you want to exchange more than one year's tribute for an incense burner, are you crazy or am I crazy?"

"That's because you didn't see the treasure with your own eyes!" Madam turned her head and said, "Ping Liu, don't you think so?"

"Yes, master, the villain has never seen such a beautiful treasure. It is impossible to imagine how the craftsmen of the Tang people made such a treasure!"

"Shut up, Ping Liu!" Ji Jian Chi Yan yelled, and he looked at his wife: "Say it? If you have any ideas, tell me and I'll listen!"

"The censer can be used as a gift to the new king, so as to keep the mission of Ji Jian's family!" The lady said with a smile, "As long as the mine can be kept, no matter how much money there is, there will be some money, right?"

"That's true!" Chi Jian nodded his head: "But the royal family is not us. Although Tang goods are rare, they have seen them. There are goods sent to Tang in the merchant ships of Silla and Baekje. A censer may not be able to touch the heart of the new king!"

"It's just a censer, of course, but what if this censer was used by the emperor and prince of the Tang Dynasty?" Madam laughed.

"Tang emperor and prince?"

"Yes!" Madam recounted what Wang Wenzuo had said before.Seeing that Chi Yan stroked the beard under his chin: "This is just a one-sided statement, and it may not be true. But since it comes from the mouth of the envoy of the Tang Dynasty, even if it is false, it is true. Well, I will go there in person tomorrow. Look at what the incense burner used by the Son of Heaven looks like!"

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It was found that Chi Qi didn't see Wang Wenzuo himself, and it was Cao Sengnu who entertained him. After seeing the incense burner, he took out the money happily. After paying the money and delivering the goods, Cao Sengnu seemed to inadvertently reveal A piece of news - Tang already has a way to get more silver from ore, and even low-grade ore that is considered to be slag can also extract silver.

"Really?" Chi Jian asked cautiously.

"Wouldn't you know if it's true or not?" Cao Sengnu laughed and said, "What's so strange? Look at this incense burner. The Tang people can make it, but the Japanese can't. Since ancient times, the Tang people have been better than the barbarians around them." Much smarter!"

"That's true!" Ji Jian Chizhu nodded calmly. As an actual operator of the mine, he certainly knows how much benefit it will bring to his family if the news is true—he can definitely bring the new The increase in production brought about by technology is stuffed into their own pockets, and the excess silver is hidden in exchange for what the family needs, whether it is horses from the Ainu people, iron from Izumo, or strong slaves, they can open up more Cultivating land can greatly enhance the strength of the family, and strength means status, at least sometimes it can represent status.

(End of this chapter)