The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 170 The Palace of Flowers
"Use force to intimidate, and persuade with benefits."

Li Xianmu declared with conviction: "Japan has had close exchanges with the Central Plains Celestial Empire since the Sui Dynasty, which has lasted for eight hundred years. It has been deeply influenced by the Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism of the Central Plains, and is not like those uncultured barbarians beyond the Great Wall."

"Zheng Zhangyin's arrival with hundreds of treasure ships and 20,000 troops across the sea, knocking on Japan's door, will surely shock the Japanese court. That's why I left some room for maneuver in my words."

“Our Great Ming Dynasty is invincible, and the small nation of Japan should be terrified.”

Li Xianmu said in a deep voice, "The matter of silver is of great importance. I request permission to travel to Japan."

"No!"

Zhu Di frowned and replied, "If something unforeseen happens to me on my way to Japan under these circumstances, how can I explain it to your mother?"

The other cabinet ministers were also quite shocked by Li Xianmu's idea.

Li Xianmu bowed deeply: "Your Majesty's kindness and care are deeply appreciated by me."

But I am not acting impulsively. Japan is an aristocratic era that values ​​bloodline above all else. They do not value ability, but rather bloodline.

"As the emperor's nephew and the princess's son, I will naturally be treated with more respect in Japan. They might dare to slight Zheng Zhangyin, but they would never slight me. Moreover, no one in the Ming Dynasty understands Japan better than me. This matter cannot be left to me."

Li Xianmu spoke with heartfelt sincerity: "I was born into a position of great favor from my maternal grandfather and Your Majesty. At a young age, I have already been placed in the central government and am highly regarded by the court and the public."

My father once said that heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Although I have some talent, it is thanks to Your Majesty's care and appreciation that I have been able to fully display it.

If I remain forever under Your Majesty's wing, when will I ever become a pillar protecting the nation? I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to travel to Japan.

Li Xianmu had given this trip to Japan a lot of thought. The Prince of Han had been defeated, the Crown Prince was secure, the governor of Jiangnan had just finished his inspection tour, the court had no plans for a northern tour, the emperor still had fifteen years to live, and there was nothing wrong in the country. Therefore, the matter of silver was of paramount importance, and this trip was a must.

He was different from the other ministers. Most of the others did not want to leave the central government, fearing that they would never be able to return. But he was different. He had powerful connections and could return at any time. Since he had such good resources, he should dedicate himself to making contributions.

Otherwise, what difference would there be between them and those useless privileged children?
Zhu Di sensed the resolve in Li Xianmu's words. He rose and paced slowly, finally letting out a deep sigh and saying, "You..."

"I grant your permission. You shall travel to Japan the following day to represent me in negotiations with the King of Japan."

Afterwards, the group discussed specific matters such as the bottom line of the Ming Dynasty in the negotiations.

……

The Muromachi Palace in Kyoto, Japan, also known as the "Hana no Gosho" (Flower Palace), was the place where the Muromachi Shogunate ruled Japan. Kyoto, formerly known as Heian-kyo, is also called Rakuyang or Kyo-raku, which is the same "Raku" that Japanese samurai would "go to Kyoto with their swords drawn and plead their case."

"You mean Li Jun, the nephew of the Ming Emperor, has come to Japan in person?" Minamoto no Yoshichi almost dropped the tea in his hand.

"Yes, General. Li Jun is not only the emperor's nephew, but his father-in-law is the highest-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty. His father was the most powerful minister in the Ming Dynasty during his lifetime. He is a true nobleman of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor must attach great importance to this matter by sending him here."

Minamoto no Yoshichi certainly understood that the higher the envoy's status, the more important it was. He had previously directly rejected the Ming envoy because Zheng He was just a eunuch, but now things were different.

Where is Li Jun now?

"They just disembarked at the port yesterday and are leading a delegation to Kyoto today to pay homage to the King of Japan. According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, General, you are a king second only to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Minamoto no Yoshimochi paced back and forth. He was willing to trade with the Ming Dynasty, after all, it would be profitable. However, those daimyo who were dissatisfied with submitting to the Ming Dynasty were the foundation of the shogunate. If he offended them, his position as shogun might be in jeopardy.

“It’s difficult, really difficult.” Minamoto no Yoshimochi sighed a few times. “Go and prepare the welcoming ceremony. After the Ming Dynasty envoy arrives, bring him to the Muromachi Palace.”

After the servants left, Minamoto no Yoshichi looked at the clear blue sky outside the palace and felt that a storm was brewing. Being the Shogun was not an easy job.

Zheng He was the one who went to the port to greet Li Xianmu. He looked quite ashamed. "Your Majesty has placed high hopes on me, but I have accomplished nothing. After returning to the capital, I will apologize to Your Majesty."

"General Manager Zheng, there's no need for that. His Majesty won't blame you. Now that you've explained the situation in Japan, General Manager Zheng, you should tell us everything you know."

Zheng He cleared his throat, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "The situation in Japan is far more complex than what we in the Ming Dynasty know."

What Li Zhongwen said is true; Japan does indeed have an emperor named Tenno, a title passed down from ancient mythology, who is said to be a direct descendant of Amaterasu, the supreme goddess of Japan. Therefore, the Japanese emperor is a god and does not have a mortal surname.

Li Xianmu said speechlessly, "Isn't this plagiarizing the Zhou Dynasty's 'no clan' system from the pre-Qin period? My father said that Japan was originally a primitive slave tribe, and it was only after coming into contact with Sui and Tang culture that it suddenly became an imperial system. He was right."

Zheng He couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this. "That's right. The capital we're going to this time is also known as Luoyang. It was built in the Tang Dynasty in imitation of Luoyang. When I first saw it, I thought I had traveled back to the Tang Dynasty. It is said that there are many old things from the Tang Dynasty that were brought back to Japan by the envoys to Tang China."

In ancient Japan, the emperor held power, but later the court nobles took over, making the emperor a puppet. Eventually, the court nobles became too corrupt, and the lower-ranking samurai revolted, establishing the shogunate government that exists in present-day Japan. This is somewhat similar to how Cao Cao, the emperor of Wei, used his prime minister's office and the state of Wei to usurp power from the Han Dynasty.

All of Japan's military, political, and economic affairs were concentrated in the Muromachi Palace, the residence of the Shogun, and even the Emperor and court nobles received orders there. However, Japan was somewhat similar to the Spring and Autumn Period, so the Emperor still wielded considerable power and influence.

The previous King of Japan, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, wanted his youngest son to become the next Shogun, but he had already abdicated in favor of the current King, Minamoto no Yoshimochi. Therefore, he introduced his youngest son to the Emperor, hoping to gain the Emperor's support.

Li Xianmu understood that Japan was now almost the same as it had been during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Emperor (Son of Heaven) – Shogun (Hegemon) – Guardian Daimyo (Lord) – Lower-ranking samurai (Prime Ministers and Gentlemen).

The feudal lords looked down on the Zhou emperor, but since the Zhou emperor was the legitimate ruler, no one dared to attack him.

The fool Zheng shot an arrow at the Zhou emperor, and as a result, the states attacked Zheng whenever they had a reason. Qi and Jin became hegemons and even paid tribute to the Zhou emperor. Japan did the same.

The shogun ruled Japan with the help of the daimyo and samurai below him, but he could not replace the emperor, as neither the emperor, the court nobles, nor the daimyo would agree to it.

Zheng He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Scholar Li, I can sense that Minamoto no Yoshimochi is very worried and afraid of the daimyo below him. The daimyo of Japan are local feudal lords."

“Gekokujō,” Li Xianmu said in a deep voice. “My father said that the culture of gekokujō in Japan is very serious.”

Zheng He was taken aback, then exclaimed, "Li Zhongwen is truly a learned man; he has never been to Japan, yet he understands it so well. The problem of 'underclass overthrowing superiors' in Japan is far more serious than we imagined."

"Appreciate further details."

"I also heard that when the Japanese Emperor went on an inspection tour, he encountered a daimyo who was in charge of guarding the emperor. Instead of dismounting to pay homage, the daimyo went up to the emperor and pulled down the curtain of the emperor's carriage. He then beat up the court nobles around the emperor. Afterwards, the daimyo was executed by the shogunate, but this caused great dissatisfaction among other daimyo and samurai."

Zheng He found it unbelievable when he told the story. “There is a Japanese proverb: ‘If you can’t do without an emperor, carve one out of wood or cast one out of gold, and exile the living emperor to another place to avoid trouble.’ It’s simply outrageous!”

For a Han Chinese who had witnessed countless changes of the throne to utter such treasonous words, one can only imagine how outrageous Japan's overthrow of its rulers must have been. Even though Li Xianmu had heard it from his father, he still found it unbelievable.

Zheng He sighed, “Therefore, it is not enough to simply persuade King Minamoto no Yoshimochi of Japan. He can make decisions, but he cannot make all decisions. This is the problem I encountered earlier.”

Li Xianmu nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand. The result is much better than I expected."

Zheng He saw the confident look on Li Xianmu's face and became very curious, as he believed that Japan's current complex situation was almost unsolvable.

After listening, Li Xianmu was indeed much more confident. Japan's political system was because, as an island nation, Japan was basically unaffected by external politics in ancient times, thus forming a balance. The emperor, court nobles, generals, daimyo, and samurai constructed this system.

But now the Ming Dynasty has arrived!
If a political entity several times more powerful than Japan were to invest its enormous political power into this island nation, Japan's existing political balance would inevitably be disrupted!
And that was Li Xianmu's bargaining chip.

From Zheng He's account, as well as the contact between the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese King Minamoto no Yoshimochi, it is clear that he was a rather intelligent person. Talking to an intelligent person is much less strenuous.

……

Kyoto truly resembles the scenery of Luoyang during the Tang Dynasty, with almost every building modeled after the Tang style.

Such scenery is unseen even in the Central Plains. After the An Lushan Rebellion, Chang'an and Luoyang were destroyed countless times, and even after being rebuilt, they were vastly different from what they were before.

Seeing such a scene in a foreign land at this moment, Li Xianmu couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

When Li Xianmu saw Minamoto no Yoshichi's welcoming party, his regard for Minamoto no Yoshichi increased. Even after clearly rejecting the Ming Dynasty's offer, he still organized a grand welcoming ceremony, which shows he was indeed a clever man.

only……

The Japanese woman who came to welcome him had a thick layer of powder on her face, making her look a bit like a ghost, and her black teeth made him feel nauseous.

“Lord Li, I am a retainer of the king. The king is waiting to see you in the palace.”

When facing Ming Dynasty envoys, these Japanese still carefully adhered to the title of Japanese King.

Almost everyone was staring curiously at this high-ranking nobleman from the Ming Dynasty. He was as handsome as a god, and his height alone inspired awe.

"I trouble the royal messenger."

Li Xianmu followed all the rules of etiquette meticulously; a nation of etiquette should not be outdone.

The delegation of several hundred people headed towards the Muromachi Palace.

(End of this chapter)