Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 708 Who is this formidable person?

Naraoan Guiwu thought that since Zhu Houzhao had agreed on the spot, he would have no choice but to bite the bullet and fall into his trap, even if it was just to save face.

He could also sense that this provocation seemed to have gone a little too smoothly.

None of the key ministers pointed out the problem or offered the emperor a way out, nor did they try to gloss over the matter.

As for whether other mid-ranking officials would cause trouble, Ryoan Keigo was not worried at all.

On such a grand occasion as today, anyone with a modicum of sense would not jump out and make a fool of themselves unless the big shots spoke up.

Just didn't expect it.

Just when it seemed that An Guiwu's scheme was about to succeed, and could even add a wonderful chapter to his diplomatic career, the devilish Pei Yuan arrived and bluntly exposed his calculations.

Moreover, Pei Yuan, through his honesty and candor, turned the emperor's joke into a joke among the court officials in just a few words.

Can the emperor make mistakes?

Will do.

Everyone makes mistakes, and it's not a big deal for an emperor to make a mistake.

This seemingly unsolvable predicament that has Zhu Houzhao cornered actually has a very simple solution: to make Zhu Houzhao swallow back what he said with dignity.

This way.

If an emperor bravely admits his mistakes in front of everyone, faces an embarrassing situation, and magnanimously accepts advice, then that is a remarkable thing.

However, the more the emperor appeared to be magnanimous and willing to accept advice, the more those ministers who had previously remained silent seemed either foolish or wicked.

It can be said that Zhu Houzhao, by suffering a mere loss of fur, directly put those ministers who wanted to take the opportunity to suppress him in a very difficult position.

Many officials from the Six Ministries and the Censors of the Censorate sensed that the tide was turning against them.

How dare a mere Jinyiwei officer trick everyone and even steal their job of offering advice? This is outrageous!

Enraged, the crowd wanted to take action.

But when their gazes habitually swept over their respective bosses, they found that the bosses all had their eyes downcast and looked as if they were about to fall asleep.

Minister of Works Li Sui went even further, sitting on his mat and swaying as he dozed off.

The censors and imperial secretaries paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

In such an awkward situation, you should definitely try to minimize your presence!

Such a major event occurred at the very beginning of the eighth year of Zhengde's reign, involving even foreign envoys. Today's events will likely be recorded in history.

Even if it's not written down in great detail, it will certainly leave a deep impression on the emperor.

If someone jumps out at this point and says even a few words, whether they are right or wrong, they will definitely be recorded in history.

It might even detail the causes and consequences.

But as long as you keep quiet for now and don't leave too deep an impression on others, this matter has nothing to do with you.

If something isn't proven, once it's over, who will know they were there?

Where's the evidence?!

The censors and officials who had figured this out secretly marveled at how insightful and enlightened their superiors were.

Thinking about it this way, they dared not say anything.

Today is a grand court ceremony, and all the Hanlin scholars are hiding in the corners.

What if, in the future, when these scoundrels compile history, after writing about this incident, they add a line like, "So-and-so censor impeached Pei Yuan," and so on.

Doesn't that mean that he watched the barbarian envoy trick the king without saying a word, Pei Yuan came out and did his job, and then he jumped out at this time?
And the one being impeached was actually Pei Yuan?

Those who don't know better might think I'm in cahoots with that old Japanese monk. Wouldn't that make me look like a traitor to the world?
"hiss--"

Having figured out the pros and cons, the censors and officials looked at Pei Yuan again. They never expected that this lowly commander would not only help the emperor shift the blame, but also preemptively block his own escape route!
When the Japanese envoy, An Keigo, saw Pei Yuan cause such a scene in court, the entire hall fell silent, and he was somewhat incredulous.

Then recall what I had heard that day: Pei Yuan had beaten the emperor's brother-in-law in front of the emperor's father-in-law, and the emperor's father-in-law, Xia Ru, could only swallow his anger and drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Liao'an Guiwu was somewhat confused but impressed, so he took the initiative to say, "This old monk truly has no such intention, Commander, please do not overthink it. This old monk believes..."

Before An Guiwu could finish speaking, Pei Yuan smeared oil on his face and said, "I don't care what you think, I care what I think!"

Liao'an Guiwu wiped his face and angrily raised his voice, "Could it be that Commander Pei is afraid to fight General Xu, so he is deliberately making excuses?"

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Xu Tai.

Although Xu Tai is a universally disliked person with low emotional intelligence, he is not stupid.

The emperor himself admitted to being involved in the deliberate provocation by the Japanese monk, so why would he be used as a pawn? He immediately snorted coldly and returned to his seat without paying any attention.

Upon hearing An Guiwu's words, Pei Yuan laughed loudly and said, "You don't need to say such things. I heard you want to meet the heroes of the Ming Dynasty?"

Liao'an Guiwu said sullenly, "That's true, but Commander Pei, you've misunderstood this old monk's meaning."

Pei Yuan laughed and said, "You want to see the heroes of my Great Ming Dynasty, surely you don't want my Great Ming generals to fight in front of you just to broaden your horizons?"

Ryoan Keigo naturally dared not respond to this, and could only go along with it, saying, "It is also to let the people of distant countries know what kind of magnanimity the people of the Celestial Empire possess."

Seeing that An Guiwu had fallen into his trap, Pei Yuan immediately laughed and said, "But this commander has a question. Even if you have witnessed my contest with Commander Xu, the Japanese from afar neither know me nor Commander Xu, so how do they know what kind of skills we possess?"

Liao'an Guiwu was taken aback, unable to respond to Pei Yuan's words for a moment, "This, this..."

Pei Yuan laughed and said, "This commander has a good idea."

Ryoan Keigo had a vague sense of unease, but he could only bite the bullet and ask, "May I ask what good ideas the commander has?"

Pei Yuan said, “I heard that you came to pay tribute this time with a large group of warriors. Why don’t you let me, the commander, spar with them? That way, you can compare yourselves with people you know and you will know my abilities.”

Upon hearing this, Ryoan Keigo breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It turned out to be the case.

He already knew that today's events had backfired and that he was likely to offend everyone in the Ming Dynasty, so he was eager to find a way to back down as soon as possible.

He immediately replied, "That's a good idea."

"The two local officials who accompanied the old monk this time are Hosokawa Katsuyasu and Ōuchi Sōsetsu, both of whom are highly skilled swordsmen in our country."

"If the commanders are interested, they can have a contest with them, so that our distant country can witness the heroic figures of the Ming Dynasty."

After speaking, Ryoan Keigo looked at Zhu Houzhao again, "I wonder if Your Majesty would grant permission?"

Zhu Houzhao was overjoyed to hear that there was more excitement to be had.

But remembering what had just happened, he glanced at Yang Tinghe, who was pretending to eat, with a smile, then looked away from the other cabinet ministers and asked Yang Yiqing, "What does the Minister of Heaven think?"

Yang Yiqing cautiously replied, "I have never met Commander Pei before and am unaware of the implications. Your Majesty may inquire with the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "No need to ask. I think it's fine. I trust Minister Pei."

After saying that, he turned to An Guiwu and Pei Yuan and said, "Then let's have a fight."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan began to ponder.

He had originally planned to use his strength and power to thoroughly humiliate his opponent.

But what the hell is this about having superb knife skills?

I've been worrying about the country and its people these days, I haven't had time to practice martial arts.

Moreover, even if he wanted to use force to overcome skill, if he fought too badly against Hosokawa Katsuyasu or Ōuchi Sōsetsu, he would lose his original intention of intimidating the Japanese.

Pei Yuan's mind raced, and he quickly came up with an idea.

So he asked An Guiwu, "Then, old monk, who do you intend to have make the move?"

Ryoan Keigo asked, "What about Hosokawa Katsuyasu?"

Pei Yuan inquired, "So, Hosokawa Katsuyasu is the best swordsman among your group? What about Ōuchi Muneshige?"

Liao'an Guiwu did not hide anything and admitted to the previous matter first.

He said, "Hosokawa Katsuyasu is indeed the best martial artist in the delegation, with Ōuchi Munesetsu being about the same, and slightly inferior."

Pei Yuan laughed upon hearing this, "Could it be that if I defeat Hosokawa Katsuyasu, Ōuchi Muneshige will be dissatisfied; and if I defeat Ōuchi Muneshige, Hosokawa Katsuyasu will be dissatisfied?"

Upon hearing this, Ryoan Keigo immediately denied it, saying, "Absolutely not."

Pei Yuan ignored him and continued, "Even if I beat these two, there might be other Tom, Dick, or Harry who would be dissatisfied..."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he seemed to ponder for a moment, then looked at An Guiwu and said, "In that case, call everyone over and let them come one by one."

"I will take them down one by one, then I will take down Ōuchi Muneshige first, and then Hosokawa Katsuyasu. I will make you all submit and know that the Great Ming Dynasty is inviolable."

Ryoan Keigo was speechless with astonishment and couldn't help but ask in shock, "What?!"

Pei Yuan stared at An Keigo and repeated, "I, the commander, said that you should call all the samurai in the delegation here. I will beat them one by one, including your so-called Ōuchi Muneshige and Hosokawa Katsuyasu."

Liao'an Guiwu angrily retorted, "As an envoy of Japan, how dare you mock me?"

Pei Yuan's words can be seen as treating the samurai of the Japanese delegation as nothing.

Pei Yuan said confidently, "I never speak lightly before His Majesty. Even if I were to tease you, I would never dare to make such a boast before him."

At this moment, all the officials and civil servants finally realized that Pei Yuan was not just spouting nonsense, and they couldn't help but burst into a clamor.

How arrogant Pei Yuan was! He actually dared to say that he would beat up all the samurai brought by the Japanese delegation.

Many of the more renowned military officers were stopped by those around them and questioned about the possibility of such a thing happening.

Even Xu Tai was asked by Li Cong, who was standing next to him, "Are you capable?"

Xu Tai looked at Li Cong with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot, and couldn't help but mutter, "A war of attrition, huh?"

Zhu Houzhao also sensed that things were getting serious, and he hurriedly asked in the hall, "Pei Yuan, do you know how many people are in the Japanese delegation? How dare you make such a reckless statement?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan respectfully replied, "Your subject understands."

Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished.

The Ministry of Rites' Department of Receptions is usually in charge of receiving foreign envoys, so how did Pei Yuan know about this? Could it be that the bed-listening masters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the Hongwu era have reappeared?
But Pei Yuan said, "In the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign, after Minamoto no Yoshitaka's envoy committed murder in Jining, local officials requested that the thief be punished. The late emperor only limited the number of tribute missions to fifty people entering the capital, and then did not ask any other questions."

"Therefore, I know that only fifty people were in the Japanese delegation that entered Beijing from Ningbo."

Just moments ago, Ryoan Keigo was silently calculating how many people he could send when he heard this, and he was taken aback.

He brought two or three hundred people with him to the capital this time. If the number exceeds fifty, wouldn't that give them a pretext for criticism?

Liao'an Guiwu quickly calculated that if they counted fifty people, and subtracted himself as the chief envoy, as well as the deputy envoy Guangyao, the seated Yunwei, and the interpreter Shen Yun, they could still come up with forty-six more people.

After calculating, Ryoan Keigo realized that his idea was ridiculous. If it really came down to a series of battles, most people probably couldn't even withstand six of them.

However, Zhu Houzhao sensed something else in Pei Yuan's previous exchange, and his expression turned somewhat grim as he repeated, "No other questions? What happened?"

Pei Yuan replied in a deep voice, "That's right. After the Japanese envoy committed murder, the late emperor only limited the number of people going to the capital to avoid causing trouble along the way, and asked no other questions."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he paused and continued, "After that, such situations became more and more rampant and countless. These Japanese people were ostensibly envoys who came to trade, but in secret they delayed and took the opportunity to engage in smuggling salt and trafficking in people."

"When local officials saw that the imperial court was not taking any action, they also became timid and hesitant, unwilling to get involved."

“Whenever I think of this, my heart aches. I never imagined that the late emperor’s tolerance would give rise to such corruption among officials, causing servants to cower and the people to become disheartened.”

As soon as Pei Yuan finished speaking, the courtiers all exclaimed "Wow!" again.

Many court officials who had previously underestimated this minor commander began to inquire about him.

Who is this amazing guy?

Although Pei Yuan spoke respectfully, everyone could understand what he really meant.

This clearly implies that it was the complacency of the late Emperor Hongzhi that fostered the complacency of local officials, ultimately allowing the Japanese envoy to run rampant in the Ming Dynasty.

Even the censors and imperial secretaries wouldn't dare say such a thing.

Zhu Houzhao's face flushed red and then turned pale again.

He was about to get angry, but deep down he also agreed.

When the Korean envoy deliberately tried to take advantage of the Ming Dynasty through writing, Zhu Houzhao immediately retaliated by having the Korean envoy dress up as a barbarian and perform archery at a banquet.

How could such an emperor not feel indignant after hearing about the atrocities committed by the Japanese?

Ultimately, in this matter, he was probably the one in the entire court who could empathize with Pei Yuan the most.

Pei Yuan was thinking of the common people who were bullied by outsiders and had no way to seek redress. Zhu Houzhao, on the other hand, was thinking of the dignity of the Ming Dynasty that had been trampled on.

Zhu Houzhao was feeling frustrated and impatient, and said to Pei Yuan, "Alright, alright, you talk too much."

Then, turning his gaze to Zhang Zilin, the Minister of Justice, and ignoring the Japanese envoy right in front of him, he ordered expressionlessly, "Issue the decree that any foreign envoys who run rampant in the Ming Dynasty shall be investigated and punished severely."

“If even a commander of a thousand men feels ashamed of this kind of thing, don’t you in the Ministry of Justice feel embarrassed?”

Zhang Zilin silently weighed the pros and cons of taking the blame for the late emperor versus arguing with that powerful man.

I made the decisive decision to take the blame.

He immediately left his seat, calmly bowed, and said, "The Ministry of Justice accepts the decree."

(End of this chapter)