Jingming

Chapter 375: Are Cochin people so gambling?

"Why offer another daughter?"

Spring was almost over, and Zhu Houcong looked at Fei Hong, Xia Yan, Yang Shen, and Yan Song strangely.

The great victory in Yunnan had already been reported in early March, and the people in the capital were not very interested in this great victory.The front line had done a great job of killing Bodie. This time, although the fight was completed in less than a month, this was how they thought it would be to fight the monkey-like savages from outside Yunnan.

Only Yang Shen's face darkened when he saw the military resources consumed in less than a month, which meant that they would continue to be replenished later.

Now two months have passed. Today, Yang Shen saw the new news that Wu Wending submitted to Beijing, and his face finally looked better.

Now seeing that the emperor had just finished listening to the report, the first sentence was this. Yang Shen said with a straight face: "Your Majesty, the crown prince has been newly established, and the harem has been receiving constant good news for more than two years. Your Majesty should sternly denounce such invitations. ! Duoyan's three tribes, your majesty first took away his official position, and then he had to sacrifice his daughter to show his closeness. All the foreign ministers in Yunnan are ministers of the Ming Dynasty, how can they be compared? Moreover, what is currently being discussed is the arrears of tribute, food and salary Things to do in the collection, border markets of the two prefectures, diplomatic envoys from various departments, and [-] Dadians!"

"Yong Xiu's words are wrong!" Yan Song retorted, "Outer Dian has always refused to obey discipline! This battle has been accomplished in ten months. The power of the Ming Dynasty has spread far and wide, and its trust is strong. It still needs kindness! From now on, it is time to spread its virtues widely. , Show kindness and establish trust! To eliminate Mengmi and cut down Meng to support the Mu state, this is to establish prestige; to help Burma restore its orthodoxy, this is to establish trust. How can they not complain about the accumulated tribute and payment of food and wages? The benefits of border markets and the establishment of diplomatic relations As for his intentions, they have little knowledge and must be uneasy. At this time, Babai Dadian wants to ask for help from the higher country to accept his royal sister and help him to take power and defend the land. Now that God's grace has arrived, all the foreign ministers in Yunnan will naturally Gradually we all return to our hearts!"

Yang Shen frowned: "If the situation in Babai Dadian is true as Wu Dutai said, it is complicated. Your Majesty, I thought that even though Babai Dadian took the initiative to report, the Ming Dynasty had already used troops to destroy Meng Mi in the southwest. Don't be aggressive and meddle in the internal affairs of his clan. The dispute between Ayutthaya and Babai Dadian was started because Babai Dadian took the lead in invading the south! This time Babai Dadian asked the envoy to lead [-] guards , on the one hand, it violated the regulations of the diplomatic embassy, ​​and on the other hand, it was afraid that Babai Dadian would cause trouble by relying on its power. Once the Ming Dynasty intervened, Babai Dadian still suffered a defeat. For the sake of Ming Dynasty's face, should we go on another expedition? "

Zhu Houcong raised his hand to tell them both to shut up.

He had stern words to admonish Yang Shen for PTSD, and Yang Shen also used militarism against him for PTSD.

"First of all, let me explain that the Ming Dynasty is in the southwest. The next step is to manage the west and manage the east. I will not send troops to help [-] Dadian attack Ayutthaya."

Yang Shen breathed a sigh of relief at Zhu Houcong's statement.

"On the other hand, Phi Yag Sedara was the King of Lanna who was persecuted by his powerful ministers. This matter needs to be made a fuss about. That Mang Rui body is rarely brave, flexible and flexible, and may become a serious problem in the future, but I still want to help him recover. Kingdom, precisely to continuously emphasize the rights and obligations of the Ming Dynasty as the suzerain state in the southwest." Zhu Houcong looked at Xia Yan, "Gong Jin, what do you think about the matter of [-] Dadian?"

"I think it's enough to accept his sister-in-law and make diplomatic envoys as per the established rules."

Xia Yan chuckled and said, "The king's sister is serving His Majesty in the capital, and the diplomatic envoy recognizes Phyag Setara as the master of eight hundred Dadian. How can this be compared to three hundred elite soldiers? Even if his grandmother is not here, , that Phyag Sethara still can't suppress the powerful officials, it's just a repeat of what happened this year. With the precedent of meritorious chieftains getting their land, next time something happens, there will be no need for the king to take action, presumably Taungyu , Che, and Laos are all happy to send troops."

"As for the dispute with Ayutthaya, it is their responsibility to defend the territory. It is not possible for the Ming Dynasty to send troops. Now that the border market is open, if the price is right, some of the swords, guns and armor that have been replaced can be sold to them."

Yang Shen liked to hear this: "Firearms cannot be sold! Iron weapons cannot be sold cheaply!"

Fei Hong looked at the emperor with a smile on his face and Yan Song, who was also nodding. He felt that the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty were increasingly competing with each other. There was no longer the complacency in the past when he heard about professing a minister, offering a daughter, and getting married, and he had to make a loss-making deal just to save some face. "The majesty of the kingdom".

"This is the appropriate way to deal with it. Since they want to use my name to suppress the powerful officials in the clan and feuding foreign clans, they have to prepare some dowry." The emperor actually said this, "Let's discuss other matters first. This is the prefect of Mengmi Mansion. Waiting for officials, two border cities to promote, and various departments to announce the candidates for diplomatic envoys, because they involve border affairs, you will first recommend some people, and then hand them over to the Ministry of Personnel to take charge of the selection."

……

In the capital, Ruan Wentai, the envoy sent by Mo Dengyong, has been staying in Ming Dynasty for almost a year.

In the beginning, he could still see Liu Long often.

But now, the most he can see on a daily basis is a sixth-rank director of the Ming Dynasty Rites Department.

For Nguyen Van Thai, the Ming Dynasty did not restrict him to stay in the Huitong Hall. He only had to be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Rites when he went out.

At first, Nguyen Van Thai was shocked by the expansion of the outer city of the Ming Dynasty.In addition to the outer city wall and the main road with railway tracks that have already been built, he also noticed the progress of the "straight road" that people in the capital began to talk about. He heard that South Zhili has been built and reached Hebei.

This type of road and the new outer city wall all use that kind of cement.Nowadays, I heard that cement and glass companies have found more places to set up factories in the Ming Dynasty provinces, making large-scale production.Although I heard that cement roads are prone to cracking, they are much better than dirt roads.If sand is added, it will be more convenient to travel between various places in the Ming Dynasty.

There are many other new things... Ruan Wentai feels that this is no longer the Ming Dynasty he knew.To be sent by Mo Dengyong to undertake an important mission, Ruan Wentai is naturally very familiar with the Ming Dynasty.

Now he doesn't quite understand. During this period, he even posted messages to visit some officials, trying to bribe them to help intercede, but he was always rejected.

Fortunately, there was finally some progress today. When he waited for the chief to come over to see how he was doing, he smiled and asked, "Mr. Wang, are you busy with business today?"

"Many!" Wang Xueyi replied without hesitation.

As a Jinshi in the eighth year of Jiajing reign, Wang Xueyi caught the last train and was awarded the sixth rank at the beginning.But now that there are new regulations, he will try his best to find a county magistrate after this year's inspection.

If you don’t include counties and prefectures, you won’t be able to plan towers and pavilions!Starting from next year, I am afraid that except for the first grade, the rest of the Jinshi can only be awarded seventh grade, and at most six grades.

So Wang Xueyi is indeed very busy.

"Hey." Ruan Wentai sighed, "I heard that there are horse racing and a football match between Shandong Taishan Society and Beijing Yanyun Society in today's big stadium. The foreign minister has already reserved a good seat. I thought Please ask Master Wang to take the foreign ministers to open their eyes."

"...Brother Ruan." Wang Xueyi looked at him with complex eyes, "I know that you have been running around for so many days. I have been rejected many times. Could it be that you don't know that you are in the police department now? The envoy has a request, so naturally the Ministry of Rites You should also accompany me, I will..."

After saying that, he was going to arrange for a seventh-grade or even eighth-grade person to accompany him, but Ruan Wentai interrupted and said, "The foreign minister also made an appointment with Mr. Yan."

Wang Xueyi's expression froze: "Who?"

"Yan Shifan, Mr. Yan." Ruan Wentai smiled slightly.

Wang Xueyi looked at him quietly after hearing this, his expression unchanged, but he was muttering in his heart: When did this guy know Yan Shifan?
The son of the boss of his family's etiquette department... I have to say that Wang Xueyi felt controlled by him.

"...I will report to the office right now. There are many and mixed people in the competition venue. In order to prevent anything from going wrong, I will personally accompany the foreign envoy there."

I believe he doesn’t dare to deceive himself, otherwise he will reap the benefits?
If after that big stadium, the excitement is high when watching the game, and Mr. Yan can give him a few words of praise in front of his father, then the county magistrate will have hope!

"The king's chief minister is going to marry me, and the foreign ministers are very grateful!"

When Wang Xueyi heard what Ruan Wentai said, he could only smile meaningfully and point his finger at him.

We have been dealing with each other for such a long time, and we are no longer unfamiliar with each other.

And Ruan Wentai really understood it. The reason why he is always rejected now is because he is in Dacha.

You know, there are so many supervisory censors in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, patrolling censors, etc., and their grades are just right enough to be transferred to prefectures and counties to take charge of government!
Furthermore, could it be that His Majesty somehow kept the messenger from the Mo clan in Cochin here for so long?
Nguyen Van Thai understands this and is now taking another path.Isn't it best to let an official from the Ministry of Rites accompany him for a while on official business, and the person he walks around with is the son of the Minister of Rites?
At least we can get a little more information about the emperor's true attitude, right?

Wang Xueyi left the city together with Ruan Wentai and his two important missions, heading to the big stadium in the east of the city.

At first it was called the Grand Campus, but now it is only held in the second half of the year because of the competition between military teams. In the first half of the year, some Marseilles and other events are held to promote the martial arts.Although this football game is a game format introduced by the Ministry of War, it has many differences from the Cuju of the previous dynasty.Now, without the beauty of dance-like skills, it becomes even more wild.The gossip in the officialdom was also taken out from the imperial study room.

Marseille is not unusual, but I heard that His Majesty also arranged for a group of livestock supervisors to borrow the financial resources of some powerful families in the hope of obtaining more types of stallions.Either they can sprint very fast, or they can have extremely strong endurance. If there are excellent horses and riders, they will be useful to the country.

In short, the people in the capital spent some money to watch the excitement, and the court also had a purpose.

Of course, there was also a handicap. Who was to run this handicap, but later it was handed over to several feudal princes who formed a partnership - leaving the feudal prince himself in the capital and taking away their land and the old palace, in order to give them some Things to do.

When they arrived at the competition venue, Ruan Wentai kept praising the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, while Wang Xueyi just reservedly and humbly praised the game.

When we entered the private room No. 12 that Ruan Wentai booked through the Tongyi Bureau that manages the hotel, we didn't see Yan Shifan. This is normal.Naturally, they arrived first, waiting for Yan Shifan to arrive.

However, Yan Shifan was not seen until the horse racing started. Now Wang Xueyi's face turned ugly and he stared at Ruan Wentai.

"Mr. Wang, don't be impatient. Mr. Yan will take the martial arts exam next year and he still has homework every day. There is a classmate of Mr. Yan at Huangming University in Yanyun Club. He is here specifically to watch the football match."

Wang Xueyi could only wait slowly. Later, he heard Yan Shifan's voice coming from behind, but it was in the corridor outside the back door, and he had already passed No. 12 and went to No. 11 next door.

At this time, Ruan Wentai stood up: "Master Wang, Mr. Yan is here. Since we met here by chance, I should pay my respects, right?"

Wang Xueyi's eyes turned cold: You'd better not say it was a chance encounter.

But Ruan Wentai could only salute with a wry smile: "The foreign ministers encountered obstacles everywhere, and that's why he came up with this strategy. In any case, isn't Mr. Yan here? The king also used this official business to make friends with Mr. Yan. One or two, right?”

Wang Xueyi said in a cold voice: "Did you know that the eldest uncle is going to enter the State Palace this year. There are so many people in this big competition, do you think you can ask Mr. Yan to intercede for you?"

"How dare a small foreign minister do this? He just wants to make acquaintance with the famous people in the Kingdom of Heaven. Since we met here by chance today, it's a courtesy to meet him. When the foreign minister goes with the king, he must only use his first name, and he will never speak nonsense without authorization! "

"...Seriously?" Wang Xueyi thought to himself, it would be nothing.

It was indeed because this guy wanted to come here to broaden his horizons and he came here on official business.Hearing Yan Shifan's voice, he went over to meet and say hello, as was the courtesy.

As long as this guy doesn't embarrass Uncle Da Zong because of the Jiaozhi matter.

After receiving Ruan Wentai's reassurance, Wang Xueyi tidied up his clothes and left the box at the front.

Those who come here wearing official uniforms, in addition to the officials from the Ministry of War who usually come to take charge of the overall situation, are mostly officials from the Ministry of Rites who sometimes accompany princes or foreign envoys for some ceremonial needs.

Wang Xueyi knocked on the door and entered the next door. Only then did he see that in addition to Yan Shifan, there were also the eldest son of King De and the son of the British Duke.

As a result, he became even more annoyed with Ruan Wentai: In this kind of scene, what can he say besides paying a courtesy visit?
Yan Shifan is already nineteen years old this year and is a little taller.

At first, he was perfunctory about Wang Xueyi's request. After hearing that the guy next to him was the envoy of Jiaozhi, he stared at Wang Xueyi with one eye, and then said coldly: "Mr. Wang, you are so brave."

Wang Xueyi's heart trembled, and he greeted all the eighteen generations of Ruan Wentai's ancestors.

"...Young Master, I, this official...I..." In panic, he found that no matter how he called himself, it was inappropriate, and his voice started to tremble a little.

Prince De and the Prince of England both looked at them with smiles, as if they were used to Yan Shifan talking like this, and they looked like they were waiting for a good show.

"Since my father always taught me not to interact with the officials of the Ministry of Rites at home, he must have told you one by one. Now I am watching the football match with the Prince of Germany and the Prince of England. Why do you bother me? If you let father know, you will inevitably be beaten when I go home. training.”

"...I was the one who was rude. Uncle Zong did warn the officials and others that official matters should be handled in the Yamen."

Seeing this, Wang Xueyi just wanted to leave early so that he could go back and scold Ruan Wentai.

Unexpectedly, Yan Shifan looked at Ruan Wentai again: "You have put a lot of thought into it. You even knew that I was going to watch the football match today and booked this box. I am curious. What excuse do you have for wanting to see me?"

Wang Xueyi's pupils shrank, and after staring at Ruan Wentai, his eyes warned him not to talk nonsense.

But now that Yan Shifan is asking the question, Ruan Wentai is not talking nonsense without authorization - he has to answer, right?

"Young Master Su Wen is talented and talented, both in civil and military affairs. When I saw him today, the rumors are indeed true." Ruan Wentai said respectfully, "The foreign minister has no other excuse. It's just that living in the capital is not easy. When the foreign minister came to the capital, he brought The expenses are almost spent."

"...You don't want to come here to borrow money, do you?" Hearing this, Yan Shifan burst into laughter with Prince De and the Prince of England.

"How dare you do this? The travel expenses brought by the foreign minister have almost been spent, but the tribute silver that the king ordered the foreign minister to bring is still there. The foreign minister has been on the mission for nearly a year and has not achieved anything. If he waits any longer, he will not be able to do anything. I’m afraid I’ll be punished by the king when I go back. If I can win some in this big arena, I’ll finally get something, so I’ve already invested all my tribute silver in Yanyun Club to win two goals.”

The laughter of Yan Shifan and the two of them stopped, and all three of them became serious, staring at Ruan Wentai.

Seeing that something was wrong with their expressions, Wang Xueyi thought of some rumors in his mind and was so horrified that his legs went weak.

Sure enough, Yan Shifan said in a calm tone: "Are all Jiaozhi people so gambling? Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"

"I lost all my money, but I also donated some money to the country. I heard that His Majesty the Emperor is kind and holy, [-]% of the lottery winnings were donated to the almshouse, and [-]% were deposited into the Ministry of Household Disaster Relief Bank. Foreign Minister This huge gamble is also a huge gamble on behalf of the King. He admires the enlightenment of the Ming Dynasty and His Majesty the Emperor knows that Jiaozhi is kind and respectful."

"Okay!" Yan Shifan clapped his hands, but there was no smile on his face, "You are good! What if you win?"

"If we win, the tribute will be more silver, which shows that Jiaozhi is even more willing to surrender."

"Young master, I understand. You are winning on both sides." Yan Shifan smiled, "Since we are here, why not meet the real chapter together here. Brother Ruan can talk about the scenery of Jiaozhi as much as possible. As the prince of De Wang and the prince of England To add to the fun.”

"Foreign ministers cannot ask for more."

When Yan Shifan's eyes glanced at him, Wang Xueyi's legs were shaking, but Ruan Wentai no longer cared about his reaction.

Over there, Ruan Wentai was already talking eloquently, but the first thing he talked about was how the Jiaozhi girl was petite but voluptuous.

Indeed, it has nothing to do with the issue of Mo's request for a seal in Jiaozhi, but only talks about Jiaozhi's customs and anecdotes.

But Wang Xueyi knew he was finished.

Can he be used, or be used by an envoy from a small barbarian country? What kind of talent does he have?
(End of this chapter)