I'm sure of the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong!

Chapter 208 Hao Jing is Hao Jing
Chen Zhangjin's salt affairs will take at least a long time to resolve, and then be put into trial implementation. After the results are achieved, they will need to be fully promoted. I'm afraid it won't be realized until next year.

This is also within the scope of Zhu Yijiong's plan. Next year, a large-scale famine will break out in the Jiangnan region. The price of salt will be brought down, and the people will have more money to buy food to satisfy their hunger.

At the same time, it can also give Mingting and Emperor Zhu a reputation for caring for the people. Although they are all false names, they are of great use.

Almost two or three days after the imperial meeting, Zhu Yijiong was reviewing memorials and handling government affairs on a daily basis.

"Your Majesty! Mr. Xue Yingcheng, the minister of Honglu Temple, wants to see you." The secretary on duty reported.

Honglu Temple?
Zhu Yijiong was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Xuan him to come in."

"Yes."

After a while, Xue Yingcheng, the minister of Honglu Temple, who was only about thirty years old, walked quickly into the imperial study.

"Wei Chen greets His Majesty, long live His Majesty!"

"Flat body."

Zhu Yijiong raised his hand and said, "Xue Qing came here today. What is the important matter?"

However, Xue Yingcheng took out a memorial and said excitedly: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this is the document requesting tribute from the envoy of Fo Langji. I would like to ask Your Majesty to read it."

Hearing this, Zhu Yijiong's face suddenly straightened.

Is the tribute document real or fake?
Zhu Yijiong quickly took the document and opened it, only to realize that it was just a nice way of saying it.

The content of the document is obviously a translated text, and the words used in it are quite polite.However, no matter how polite it is, it only means that the envoys from the so-called Kingdom of Portugal are requesting an audience with His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Between the lines, not a single word mentioned "tribute".

However, although it is not a tribute to a vassal state, it is still not a trivial matter.

After all, this was the first contact with foreign foreigners since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

This not only represents the exchange between the Ming Dynasty and the foreign foreigners, but also represents the first time that the political status of the Ming Dynasty has been recognized, even if the other party is just a group of Flemish people from overseas.

Zhu Yijiong closed the memorial and asked, "Where is this Portuguese envoy now?"

These Portuguese envoys must have arrived in Nanjing, otherwise they would not be requesting an audience.

Xue Yingcheng, who had been prepared for a long time, said quickly: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Guest Envoy has been placed in the guest house. Your Majesty can issue an order at any time."

"Well, in that case, it's still early, so let them come over!"

Zhu Yijiong nodded slightly and said: "Also, since you are not a foreign vassal who comes to pay tribute, don't always use declarations."

"..."

Xue Yingcheng looked a little embarrassed when he heard this.

He had just been smooth-talking out of habit, but he had forgotten that His Majesty disliked such unpragmatic officials the most.Fortunately, His Majesty only made a few remarks and did not really blame him.

The official office and guest house of Honglu Temple were rebuilt from the original Chengen Temple, and are very close to the palace.

Within half an hour, Xue Yingcheng brought officials from Honglu Temple and the Fo Langji envoy to the side hall of the palace.

It is said to be an envoy, but in fact there are only four people in total.

Come to the side hall.

Xue Yingcheng reminded him from the side, and the four Portuguese envoys immediately bowed to Zhu Yijiong.

"Guest, the envoy of the Kingdom of Portugal, Hao Jing, led an envoy to meet His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Long live His Majesty!" The foreigner in charge spoke fluent Chinese, even with a hint of Cantonese accent.

It is nonsense to say that foreigners come to China and do not kneel to the emperor.

The only people who really do not kneel to the Chinese Emperor are the British who arrived in China last.

Previously, Spain, Portugal and other countries all knelt down when they should, without any psychological pressure.

Zhu Yijiong raised his hand and said: "No courtesy. Are you from Haojing?" The name of Haojing was written in "History of the Ming Dynasty".Five or six miles from east to west and half from north to south, there are two bays, north and south, where boats can be parked.It may also be called the North and South Bays, which are as round as a mirror, so they are called Haojing.

Macau is a name that only came into being in modern times.

Gerst stood up and said: "Your Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, we are indeed from the Portuguese Kingdom of Haojing."

After hearing this, Zhu Yijiong's originally pleasant expression suddenly darkened, and he scolded: "Hao Jing is Hao Jing. It is our territory of China. When did it become yours and the Portuguese country?"

Xue Yingcheng was so frightened that he knelt down and shouted: "Your Majesty, calm down."

Also kneeling down were a group of Honglu Temple officials.

Gerst was a little at a loss as to why this meeting had just begun and asked: "Dear Majesty the Emperor of China, is there any misunderstanding in this?"

From the Ming Dynasty to China, this Guest still has some research on the Chinese language art. No wonder he came as an envoy.

Zhu Yijiong ignored it and said directly: "There is no misunderstanding in my eyes. Hao Jing is Hao Jing. If you are unwilling to admit it, then there is no need to continue talking."

Zhu Yijiong said, getting up and walking away.

Xue Yingcheng was a little confused. The meeting with the foreigners ended so quickly?

Not only was he confused, but Gerster was also anxious. He came to Nanjing to meet the Ming Emperor with a mission.

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, you are right. Haojing is Haojing. It is Chinese territory, but it is also a place legally leased by us Portuguese."

This is obviously deliberately ambiguous, first saying that he is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and then saying that Haojing is Chinese territory.

But it doesn't matter. Zhu Yijiong deliberately forced the Portuguese to admit that Haojing was Chinese territory.

This is very important, and the secretary has been recording it at all times.

Haojing is located in Guangzhou Prefecture, which is too far away from the Ming army. Zhu Yijiong does not plan to use large-scale troops against Guangdong at least this year.

So we can only fight for the nominal rights first.

"What are the reasons why envoys from foreign vassals came to our country this time?" Zhu Yijiong got straight to the point. He didn't like to beat around the bush, and there was no need to beat around the bush with these robbers from the Age of Discovery.

Guest said: "I would also like to ask His Majesty the Emperor of China to issue an imperial edict and order His Royal Highness Lin Jun, King of Yue in Guangdong, to stop attacking Haojing and use Haojing as a protective place."

To be honest, Gust did not want to come to meet the Ming Emperor. Although he was Portuguese, he was a native Portuguese in Macau and had a deep understanding of Chinese culture.

According to their understanding, this so-called Ming Dynasty is actually a group of rebels. They are just powerful for a while and will probably be wiped out by the emperor of the Qing Dynasty at some point.

But he couldn't come, because the "King of Yue" who launched a rebellion in Guangdong seemed to be interested in their Portuguese Macau.

The whole of Portugal, including the army or the entire Portuguese population, was not as large as the army under the "King of Yue".

And this rebel "King of Yue" was a vassal of the rebel emperor, so the Portuguese in Macau sent a mission to Nanjing to ask for help.

I hope that I can use the hand of this rebel emperor to intervene.

After all, if they really want to fight, the Portuguese will definitely not be able to defeat them. Since the [-]th century, Portugal has lost almost all its colonies in East Asia.

There are only a few places left, such as Goa, Diu, Timor, and Macau. Even if Macau is really occupied, Portugal itself may not be able to send troops to reinforce it.

In fact, Portugal's decline began as early as the seventeenth century. Until the eighteenth century, the rise of Britain, the Lisbon earthquake and other factors made Portugal even worse.

Portugal had to wait until the Pombal reforms 30 years later to successfully defeat Portugal.

But it was just a wave of milking and just lingering.

After hearing Gerst's words, Zhu Yijiong realized that the Portuguese co-author from Macau had come to ask for help from him.

Lin Jun's daring King of Dayue was interested in Hao Jing, or in other words, he was interested in Hao Jing's Portuguese money and artillery factory.

(End of this chapter)