Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The first wooden box was opened. After careful inspection, there were no mechanisms, poisons or explosives.

But as the men carefully inspected, the contents of other boxes were turned out one by one.

Looking at those things, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's old face turned darker and darker.

"idiot!"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's eyes were sharp and he turned back like a furious wolf.

As the hawk watched and the wolf watched, the surrounding samurai and ninjas remained silent.

"General of the Ming Dynasty, how dare you insult me ​​like this?!"

His roar echoed throughout the Deer Garden, echoing endlessly.

It turned out that those large wooden boxes contained popular Ming Dynasty women's clothing, including horse-face pleated skirts, as well as exquisite silk fabrics and more than ten pieces of fine Sichuan brocade.

How could Ashikaga Yoshimitsu not be so angry?

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu pulled out the samurai sword from his waist and slashed it down. The blade was directly stuck by the fine solid wood box.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was even more angry and gritted his teeth.

"Master, please calm down..."

Seeing his frantic appearance, the warriors quickly tried to persuade him, but to no avail.

Finally, Gu Jian Miao Kuai said bravely: "Sir, please don't get excited. I think there must be a special reason for this. Otherwise, with the magnanimity of the Ming Dynasty general, he would never do such a villainous thing." thing!"

Gu Jian Miaokuai's tone of voice was very slow when he spoke, which made people feel very comfortable.

Moreover, the words spoken by this eminent monk are often well-founded, which is also an important reason why he is highly respected by everyone.

The most important thing is that as a confidant of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, he has won the trust of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

"Oh? Master, please go back to the room and continue talking..."

Sure enough, after hearing these words, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu became much calmer and his eyes became clear again.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Koken Myo quickly returned to the room. The sliding door was closed, and they were the only two left in the room.

"Your Excellency, I don't think the great general of the Ming Dynasty would give you such a ridiculous gift for no reason." Gu Jian Miao Kuai said calmly.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu suddenly said: "Is it possible that they were sent by mistake? Perhaps these gifts should be sent to the Odaisha?"

Gu Jian Miao Kuai frowned slightly when he heard this. He thought that with the habits of people in the Ming Dynasty, such careless mistakes should not occur, but in fact, there is indeed a slight possibility of such a thing.

"Then I'll send someone to ask?"

"Go ahead."

After a while, the news from the imperial office came back.

The great general of the Ming Dynasty did send a gift to the Imperial Palace. Hino simply said that she liked it very much. As for what it was, the owner of Luyuan Garden did not bother about it.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was frustrated again in front of his old wife, basically ruled out the possibility of sending it by mistake.

First of all, according to Gu Jian Miao Kuai's description, Ming Dynasty General Li Jinglong was a man full of aristocratic majesty, knowledgeable and rigorous. It is difficult to believe that such a person would give the wrong gift.

Secondly, it is because given such an expensive and extremely personal gift, with Hino's character, if she doesn't like it, she will never lie.

Then there is only one conclusion. Li Jinglong, the general of the Ming Dynasty, deliberately sent several boxes of women's clothing and silk to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japan's former general who conquered the barbarians and now the de facto ruler of Japan!

At this time, the time for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's rage had passed. He did not continue to be angry, but continued to ask questions about his soul.

"Why?"

"Is this Ming general tired of living?"

"Don't he know whose territory this is?"

Gu Jian Miao Kuai said: "Ming Dynasty General Li Jinglong is not a reckless or deliberately humiliating Japan. On the contrary, unlike most Ming Dynasty people, he has a considerable understanding of Japan."

"What do you mean?" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked with a frown.

"Not only did he know a lot about Japan's customs and customs, but what surprised me most during the conversation was that this Ming general also talked about our topography, history, and the spiritual characteristics of our Japanese people based on these two points. It’s clear and logical.”

"Mental traits?"

"Yes." Gu Jian Miaokuai explained, "Li Jinglong believes that it is precisely because of Japan's special terrain that we Japanese have spiritual traits such as self-improvement, collective focus, and indifference to life and death."

Well, as an outstanding student of Jiang Xinghuo, Li Jinglong is now learning and selling.

As Koken Myokai relayed it, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu became very serious, especially when talking about the "view of shame".

"So he knows Japan very well and has no prejudice?"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked himself in confusion: "Then what is his purpose for doing this?"

"Li Jinglong must have guessed your hobbies." After a pause, Gu Jianmiao quickly analyzed: "So, he must have had his intentions when he prepared such a gift that is completely inconsistent with your wishes."

"Well, it is well-founded and well-spoken. It is in line with the habit of senior officials of the Ming Dynasty who always like to use hints to express their temple views."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu nodded.

He naturally knew that in the Ming Dynasty, all exchanges of temple interests were conducted under the table.

This exchange of interests is full of compromises, concessions, betrayals, etc.

But in any case, when senior officials of the Ming Dynasty expressed their temple views, they were always accustomed to using allusions, things and other things that seemed to have nothing to do with the matter to give hints.

According to the custom of the Ming Dynasty, if you don't understand this hint, they will usually laugh it off on the surface, but in their hearts, they will treat you as a bumpkin who doesn't understand anything, and will adjust their attitude towards you from now on.

Li Jinglong was not just the official envoy of the Ming Dynasty mission.

At the same time, he was also the great general of the Ming Dynasty, the duke of the country who was inferior to one person and surpassed ten thousand people.

To a certain extent, when he was on an overseas mission, he fully represented the Ming Emperor's wishes.

Since Li Jinglong was able to offer such a gift and risk irritating himself, it shows his extraordinary courage.

This kind of person must not be underestimated!

Therefore, these boxes of women's clothing and Shu brocade must be hinting at something!

"I don't know much about the history of China." Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked cautiously: "Master, you have traveled to the Ming Dynasty for a long time and are very familiar with the historical allusions of China. Do you know, send Do women’s clothing and silk have any special meaning in Chinese history?”

Gu Jian Miao Kuai thought hard for a while, and just when Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was almost disappointed, he suddenly patted his bald head.

"I see!"

"What did Master understand?" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked quickly.

Gu Jian Miao quickly said: "Your Excellency, I thought about the Chinese allusions I had learned, and finally came up with an allusion that was extremely suitable for the occasion. Perhaps, this is the true intention of the Ming Dynasty general."

Gu Jian Miao Kuai didn't go around any further, and directly told all the allusions that came to his mind.

"About 1,100 years ago, China split into three countries."

"The most powerful among them, occupying the northern part of China, is called 'Wei'; the one occupying the southwest of China, the weakest is called 'Shu'; the one occupying the southeastern part of China, where the capital of the Ming Dynasty is now located, is called 'Wu' '."

"Shu is the remnant of the once unified Chinese dynasty 'Han'. It was founded by an emperor's uncle. Shu has a very great prime minister named Zhuge Liang. He is determined to unite with Wu in the southeast to fight and destroy the stolen goods from the north. The Wei forces of the ‘Han’ regime.”

"In Prime Minister Zhuge's last expedition to the north, Wei sent a powerful official named Sima Yi to lead an army to resist Shu."

"Shu's combat effectiveness is not weak, and Wei is fighting on two fronts at this time. Wei's powerful minister is cautious in character and only intends to defend and not attack."

"In order to make Wei take the initiative and make a mistake, Prime Minister Zhuge of Shu sent an envoy to give Wei's powerful minister Sima Yi some women's clothing in an attempt to anger him."

"This powerful minister of Wei, Sima Yi, is very old and a scheming man. He is secretly trying to let his family usurp the power of Wei. Therefore, he will never rashly lead to failure and let other political opponents take advantage of him."

"So after being furious, the powerful minister Sima Yi gladly accepted Prime Minister Zhuge's gift. After Prime Minister Zhuge died of illness, he returned to the court with his troops. A few years later, he launched a military coup called the 'Gaoping Ling Incident' to usurp the The country of Wei."

"Subsequently, the descendants of the powerful official Sima Yi launched a war of unification and destroyed Shu."

"And this powerful official Sima Yi is said to have sharp eyes and a ruthless manner, like an eagle. He can also look back like a wolf without moving his body."

At this point, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu became more horrified the more he listened.

A very old and powerful minister; he has a wily character; he controls the army; he secretly tries to usurp power; he is able to watch the wolves closely.

Otherwise, can you tell me my name directly?

Gujian Miaokuai added at this time: "It is worth mentioning that the Shu brocade you just saw was a specialty of Shu at that time, and it was also an important source of wealth for Prime Minister Zhuge to launch wars, and it has been continued since then. "

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu stood up suddenly.

"I finally understand General Li Jinglong's good intentions!"

Then, he bowed deeply to the ancient sword Miao Kuai.

"Thank you for your dissuasion, otherwise, I might have caused a big disaster!"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was pacing back and forth on the tatami in the Zen room, explaining his opinions to Koken Myokai.

"General Li Jinglong of the Ming Dynasty is using this allusion to hint to me that Shu Brocade, a source of wealth that can bring huge benefits, is the joint exploration trade between Japan and the Ming Dynasty!"

"And if you want to obtain the 'Shu Brocade', you must endure the insults of the other party like the powerful minister Sima Yi did."

"I think General Li Jinglong is hinting to me that the Ming Emperor's edict may be very rude, and I have to endure all this and make the Ming Emperor look good, in order to get permission to explore and trade!"

"At the same time, combined with General Li Jinglong's understanding of Japan's 'concept of shame' just now, his gift has a second meaning."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu said excitedly.

"That is, as long as I, like the powerful minister Sima Yi, endure the shame of dressing up as a woman, control my anger, and obey the Ming Dynasty submissively, then the Ming Dynasty will support or acquiesce in our Muromachi shogunate, just like the powerful minister Sima Yi replaced the Wei regime, Replace the emperor who has become a wood carving and clay sculpture!"

".Just like what Lee's Korea did."

"Even if it is not now, when my second son becomes the new emperor after my death, Ming Dynasty will also understand and support it."

"As for the prerequisite for all this, General Li Jinglong has clearly given hints."

In fact, it was no secret in the eyes of his confidants that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu planned to use the Muromachi shogunate to usurp the emperor's position.

Six years ago, at the end of Meitoku's fifth year, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was promoted to Taizheng Minister at that time, asked the ministers to pay him imperial rites.

In the first month of the year five years ago, when Sekishi Ichijo Suitsugu went to Muromachi-den to prepare the offerings for the Taishō Minister's congratulatory meeting, he treated Ashikaga Yoshimitsu with the "court ceremony." The so-called "yuan" refers to the place where the emperor, the emperor or the queen mother lived. Apparently Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who had become a monk at this time, placed himself in the seat of the emperor.

At the same time, because Emperor Gokomatsu's mother, Yanko Fujiwara, is in very poor health, it is said that she may only have the last few years of her life left.

If Fujiwara Yoshiko dies, it stands to reason that Emperor Komatsu should be in mourning for one year, which is called the "ritual of forgiveness" in Japan.

However, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had long conspired with his confidants to ask Emperor Gokomatsu to recognize his young wife Hino Yasuko as his godmother on the grounds that it was not appropriate for an emperor to mourn twice. In this way, he would naturally become the emperor's successor. father.

Later, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu also planned to make his most beloved second son Ashikaga Yoshitsugu the adopted son of Gosogoin, and then force Emperor Gokomatsu to abdicate.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's heart will soon be known to everyone.

The butt determines the head. It is not surprising that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu came to this "reasonable and well-founded" conclusion after getting Li Jinglong's women's clothing and Shu brocade gifts, and hearing the allusions told by Gu Jian Miao Kuai.

Gu Jian Miao Kuai was flattering: "You are indeed the most brilliant temple master in Japan. Your control of the temple is like a pleasing art."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu laughed proudly, took the cup delivered by Furuken Myo and took a sip of water, soothing his face that was slightly red from excitement.

Gu Jian Miaokuai continued: "However, do we really need to follow the wishes of General Li Jinglong of the Ming Dynasty? After all, the Ming Dynasty is a country thousands of miles away."

"What does it mean to accept a little insult? I know what you are worried about. Don't worry, I have already thought about it."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu took another sip of water, then put down the cup and said.

"So what about the Ming Dynasty? Do they dare to invade Japan directly? No, I believe the Ming Dynasty does not dare."

"Although we in Japan are now in a weak state compared to the Ming Dynasty, I don't believe that the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty will be so stupid."

"Because the great emperor of the Ming Dynasty has just ended the civil war and ascended the throne. The Ming Dynasty does not have enough ability to launch another cross-sea expedition."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu said confidently: "So, I feel that I am fully qualified to exchange with Mingguo."

"For example: Let my second son Ashikaga Yoshitsugu inherit the throne of the emperor. In exchange, I am willing to accept even slightly excessive conditions from the Ming Dynasty."

"My life is short. I hope to help my second son Ashikaga Yoshitsugu become the new emperor before I die!"

Gu Jianmiao nodded quickly and suddenly thought of a question.

"Your Excellency, why did General Li Jinglong do this?"

Hearing this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu also fell into deep thought.

Yes, why use such a subtle allusion to hint?

Why do you want to help your side know what the Ming Dynasty will do next?

"Could it be that?"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Furuken Myokai thought of an answer at the same time.