There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 494 Meeting
Two days later, Xu Mingyu led the Japanese delegation to change ships at Taicang Port, and did not stop again along the way.

On the way back to the capital, Matsudaira Nobuaki took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Xu Mingyu, inquiring about the Emperor of the Celestial Empire's attitude toward the Shogunate's decree to open up maritime trade.

Xu Mingyu was also unsure about this, and could only say ambiguously, "Your Majesty is benevolent. As long as Japan is willing to fully open its seas, Your Majesty should not interfere in Japan's internal affairs. However, in my personal opinion, the shogunate's restrictions on maritime trade will probably only end up shooting itself in the foot."

Matsudaira Nobuaki nodded helplessly: "I just hope nothing serious happens!"

The restrictions on maritime trade are nothing more than self-comfort.

If the Han Dynasty were to fully open its seas, and the Shogunate were to follow suit and open multiple coastal ports, it would only restrict the volume of maritime trade. As for those merchants, it would be completely impossible to control them.

After all, once the news of the opening of trade between China and Japan is announced, countless Han Chinese merchants will surely flock to Japan with their goods to trade.

Japan has long been closed off from the world, and even had no official exchanges with the Qing Dynasty. The only place where it could conduct trade was Nagasaki Port, and the trade was limited and subject to strict bilateral restrictions.

For maritime merchants from various countries, including the Han Dynasty, Japan was a huge market waiting to be developed, where shipping goods there would guarantee a steady profit.

If the shogunate were to impose restrictions on maritime trade, it would be going against all maritime merchants.

Merchants from various countries brought their goods to Japan. They couldn't just take the extra goods back along the same route because of the shogunate's restrictions on maritime trade; that would have cost them a lot of money.

The outcome is predictable: the maritime trade restrictions imposed by the United States will quickly become worthless, and coastal ports will inevitably be rife with smuggling activities.

Once smuggling happens once, it will happen countless times. Local magistrates and maritime merchants from all over the world will never think they have too much money.

Japan was able to curb coastal smuggling not because of its own isolationism and restrictions on maritime trade, but because Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty actively cooperated with the isolationist policy.

With the most powerful empire in the East closing its borders and restricting maritime trade, the shogunate was finally able to basically solve the problem of smuggling by coastal daimyo and merchants.

It's only a basic solution, because Satsuma is still using Ryukyu to smuggle goods secretly.

A portion of the money earned from smuggling was given to the shogunate as protection money.

A day later, Xu Mingyu arrived in Nanjing with the Japanese delegation.

Looking at the magnificent city before them, all members of the Japanese delegation, including their chief envoy Nobuaki Matsudaira, were deeply awestruck.

Japan and China have not conducted any official diplomatic activities for 150 years, and even official correspondence is rare. Moreover, most of the communication was initiated by the Qing Dynasty, while Japan remained indifferent.

Therefore, even the ruling class in Japan, such as the shogunate, had very limited understanding of China. Many written records were only the remaining works of former Ming officials who fled to Japan.

Now, seeing the real Nanjing megacity, Matsudaira Nobuaki realized that the Great Castle Keep (Japan's tallest building) and Edo-cho were insignificant compared to the Celestial Empire's Nanjing.

After the winter solstice, I saw the bustling Nanjing dock area, with a constant stream of merchant ships coming and going, and many dockworkers eating their meals.

They even ate rice and noodles. In Japan, rice was something that only nobles and samurai could afford; ordinary people could hardly afford rice.

Noodles, needless to say, are also a high-end luxury item.

During the Edo period, the samurai class in Japan were not allowed to eat meat; at most, they could eat some fish, shrimp, and seafood. Noodles became almost the most nutritious and relatively delicious food besides rice.

There's even a theory that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was able to unify Japan so quickly because his samurai ate noodles, while the other regional samurai ate rice and dried radish.

Because noodles are made with various vegetables, they are more nutritious than rice and dried radish alone, which makes Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army more powerful.

Matsudaira Nobuaki couldn't help but exclaim, "In the country of the Celestial Emperor, even laborers can afford rice and noodles. To be a citizen of the Celestial Emperor must truly be the happiest thing!"

Although Matsudaira Nobuaki's praise was genuine, Xu Mingyu felt a sense of sarcasm coming from him, especially with his broken Chinese.

Xu Mingyu shook his head and said, "It's just rice and noodles. If ordinary people can't even afford this, then what's the difference between my Great Han Dynasty and the Manchu barbarians?"

These words had a completely different meaning to Matsudaira Nobuaki.

The Celestial Han Dynasty truly deserves its reputation as a powerful nation, and its emperor is indeed a benevolent ruler, even willing to bestow precious rice and noodles upon the common people.

Matsudaira Nobuaki's admiration for the Emperor of the Celestial Empire reached a new level, making his own Shogun seem full of flaws in comparison.

A ruler who indulges in pleasure, refuses to listen to honest advice, practices nepotism, and lacks responsibility in the face of major events... all these flaws combined make him a heavy burden on the shogunate.

Matsudaira Nobuaki knew this, but there was nothing he could do. He was a minister of the shogunate and a retainer of the Tokugawa family, so he could only do his duty to be loyal to the shogunate and the shogun.

If the general trusts him, then he can offer some loyal advice and remonstrance.

If the general gets tired of it, then he gets tired of it.

For example, right now, the dignified Grand Elder of the Shogunate (the head of the Rojō, equivalent to the Prime Minister of the Cabinet) has actually condescended to serve as a foreign envoy.

In fact, this guy's ending is much better than in history; at least he can now represent the Tokugawa Shogunate on diplomatic missions to China.

Historically, he was disliked by Tokugawa Ienari for directly advising him against over-relying on his uncles and relatives, as this would endanger the rule of the country. Soon after, he was forced to resign and retire to his hometown.

Xu Mingyu led the Japanese delegation to Beijing. After arriving in Beijing, Xu Mingyu returned to the Court of State Ceremonial to report on his duties, while the Japanese delegation was first accommodated in the newly built Foreign Affairs Residence of the Court of State Ceremonial.

Following the guidance of officials from the Kofuji Temple, Matsudaira Nobuaki presented a letter of state from Japan, jointly signed by the shogunate and the emperor (whose official title had been changed to king).

What followed was a period that, while not long, was extremely agonizing as they waited to be summoned.

During the wait, Matsudaira Nobuaki also met the Ryukyu king who lived next door, as well as the Annamite envoy who was preparing to leave for his country in a few days.

Needless to say, the King of Ryukyu was just a little child, and even his royal robes didn't fit him very well.

Moreover, he doesn't seem to be of noble birth; rather, he seems more like a commoner who has never experienced the life of the powerful and wealthy.

Matsudaira Nobuaki recalled that when he passed through Ryukyu Kingdom before, Xu Mingyu had intentionally or unintentionally struck up a conversation with him about how Ryukyu Kingdom had been officially recognized by the Ming Dynasty since the Ming Dynasty, and how the false king of Ryukyu was of impure blood and had even deceived the emperor to seize the throne of Ryukyu.

Two groups of envoys from Annam arrived, representing the northern and southern factions of Annam respectively, and neither of them received investiture from the Celestial Han Dynasty.

Neither of the two groups of Annamese envoys were friendly; they were filled with worry as they carried the tributary documents approved by the Han emperor and prepared to return home.

After waiting for about five days, Matsudaira Nobuaki and the delegation from Sokyu were finally summoned by the emperor.

Nanjing Imperial Palace.

Nie Yu prioritized receiving the Ryukyu delegation. There wasn't much to see, really; the Ryukyu delegation's visit was arranged by the Han Dynasty. The purpose was to have the new Ryukyu king formally recognized by the Han emperor, and then, after two years, have them cede territory and become a vassal state.

During this period, the Ryukyu king would stay in Nanjing temporarily, citing his young age and unsuitability to handle state affairs, while the affairs of state would be entrusted to the Ryukyu prefectural magistrate.

"Tang Rongji, a subject of the Ryukyu Kingdom, along with my lord Shang Shun, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!"

Tang Rongji, the prime minister of Kume Village, personally led the young King Shang Shun of Ryukyu to Nanjing to pay homage to the Emperor of Han.

Nie Yu smiled and said, "No need for formalities, please rise and have a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tang Rongji kowtowed in gratitude.

After helping the young king sit down, Tang Rongji followed suit, but he didn't dare sit on his bottom completely, only on one side, ready to stand up at any moment.

Nie Yu didn't chat with Tang Rongji any further, and simply followed the usual procedure, having the Ministry of Rites official responsible for announcing the imperial decree.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Now that the Ryukyu Kingdom has submitted to the Celestial Empire, the false king Jin, who was subservient to the Tartars, has been executed. Kumemura, a loyal minister of Ryukyu, found the orphaned son of the Shang family among the common people and bestowed upon Shang Jun the title of King of Ryukyu, granting him the royal robes and golden seal of the Ryukyu king.

Admire this! "

The imperial edict was very brief, simply stating that Ryukyu had submitted to the Celestial Empire and that the false king, the Kim clan, had been ousted.

The orphan of the Shang clan was found by the loyal Kume Village. As the suzerain state that helped Ryukyu restore order, the Great Han should rightfully appoint the orphan of the Shang clan as the new king of Ryukyu.

Whether the new king is truly of Shang clan blood is not important; as long as the Han dynasty says he is, then he is.

Anyway, he's just a tool for legal transfer. Kume Village specially brought in a little kid because they were afraid that the tool would get bored and become disobedient.

As soon as the imperial edict was issued, Tang Rongji, who had just sat down, stood up again and hurriedly pulled the young king to kneel down to receive the decree and express his gratitude: "Our humble Ryukyu Kingdom kneels to thank His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty for this investiture!"

After the official investiture ceremony concluded, according to the established procedure, Nie Yu, the emperor of the Celestial Empire, still had to engage in some casual conversation with the other party to demonstrate the benevolence of the suzerain state.

Nie Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly asked with great interest, "Your name is Tang Rongji, right?"

"Tang Rongji, a vassal of this vassal state..."

Tang Rongji stood up to kneel, but Nie Yu stopped him by raising his hand.

"You only need to kneel when you are being conferred titles before. Now I am just having a chat with you about something unrelated to politics, so there is no need to kneel. My Great Han Dynasty does not have as many of the slave rules of the Tartars."

Nie Yu waved his hand and then asked, "I remember that the ancestors of Kume Village originated from the thirty-six Han Chinese surnames from Fujian who migrated to Ryukyu during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Among these thirty-six Han Chinese surnames, was there a clan called Aragaki without the surname?"

Tang Rongji was taken aback, not understanding why the emperor suddenly asked about their surnames, but he still answered honestly: "Your Majesty is indeed very knowledgeable. Among the thirty-six surnames in my Kume Village, there is indeed a family named Aragaki. Our ancestor was Aragaki Shigeshige. In the early Ming Dynasty, he and my ancestor moved to Kume Village via Fujian. They are now the current successors of the Naha Te of Kume Village."

Naba-shou originated from the traditional Fujian Tang Shou boxing style, and the perfected version of Naba-shou is the famous Karate.

With his curiosity answered, Nie Yu didn't pursue the Xinyuan family's question further, but instead began to give Tang Rongji some instructions and warnings.

To be precise, it was a warning to the Han Chinese of Kume Village, represented by Tang Rongji.

Located overseas, and with a small land area and sparse population, the Ryukyu Islands consist of only a few scattered islands, making it impossible to colonize them on a large scale.

Therefore, when the Ryukyu prefect arrived in Ryukyu, he could only rely on the Han Chinese of Kume Village to govern the country.

It's impossible to expect the magistrate of Ryukyu Prefecture to appoint a local Ryukyu person; at least for the next two or three generations, it's unlikely that a local person will be appointed.

This would give the Kume Han Chinese an opportunity, and Nie Yu could tolerate their growing strength in Ryukyu. If the Han Chinese couldn't grow stronger and gain a certain advantage in Ryukyu, then the Han Dynasty would find it difficult to control Ryukyu, this "bridge between nations."

However, while they may grow stronger, they must do so within the limits permitted by the Han Dynasty. They cannot allow the Kume Han people to become truly unrestrained.

Otherwise, if the Han Chinese of Kume don't treat the Ryukyu people as human beings, they will incite the Ryukyu people to revolt every few days.

For the Han Dynasty, the costs of ruling and suppressing were disproportionate.

The emperor himself had spoken out to warn Tang Rongji, who immediately nodded repeatedly, assuring the Kume Han people that they would behave themselves and serve the Celestial Empire.

Nie Yu gave Tang Rongji a few brief instructions and then dismissed Tang Rongji and the King of Ryukyu.

Next came the Japanese delegation's audience. Matsudaira Nobuaki, as if on a pilgrimage, was led by officials from the Ministry of Rites to the main hall of the imperial palace.

He had already learned from the officials of the Ministry of Rites that the Heavenly Emperor's temporary palace was converted from an official residence. The Heavenly Emperor was considerate of the people and could not bear to waste public funds and manpower on building luxurious buildings, so even the imperial palace could not be renovated in time, and he could only live in a very small official residence for the time being.

Moreover, having lived there for almost two years, the emperor of the Celestial Empire, who so admired a frugal lifestyle, almost made Matsudaira Nobuaki think that he was seeing the ancestor of the Tokugawa family (Tokugawa Ieyasu).

No, that's not right. The ancestors of the Tokugawa family were all subjects of the Chinese emperor.

By comparing the emperor of the Celestial Empire with the ancestors of the Lord's family, he not only insulted the emperor of the Celestial Empire but also showed contempt and disrespect for the name of the Lord's family.

Thinking of this, Matsudaira Nobuaki couldn't help but kneel down as soon as he entered the main hall of the palace.

The official from the Ministry of Rites who was leading the way looked ashen-faced. He had taught him the etiquette for the audience for several days, but he had forgotten it as soon as he entered the hall.

The official from the Ministry of Rites quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this Japanese envoy has not yet seen the Emperor's face and his behavior was inappropriate. Please forgive him!"

Nie Yu smiled and said, "It's alright, please don't stand on ceremony!"

Matsudaira Nobuaki, who understood Chinese, hurriedly stood up, only to realize his rudeness. Blushing, he could only follow the etiquette the Ministry of Rites officials had taught him over the past few days, saying, "Thank you... thank you, Your Majesty!"

Nie Yu took the lead in opening the conversation, saying, "The reason I sent envoys to Japan is to hope that Japan can fully open its seas and restore trade between China, Korea, and Japan."

"Your Majesty's intentions are clear, and the Shogunate will fully support them. Opening the seas and restoring trade among the three countries will benefit Japan, Korea, and the Celestial Empire," Matsudaira Nobuaki quickly replied.

It is indeed advantageous, but it will be very difficult for the shogunate. If the local daimyo become powerful, it will be harder for the shogunate to control them.

Nie Yu then said, "My envoys also reported that they saw the Satsuma Domain arbitrarily occupying Ryukyu territory and interfering in Ryukyu's internal affairs, while Ryukyu is a vassal state of China. Therefore, they fought a war with the Satsuma Domain, recovered the territory occupied by the Satsuma Domain for Ryukyu, and expelled the Satsuma Domain. Is the Shogunate aware of this matter?"

(End of this chapter)