Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 143 "Book of Han·Biography of Gao Hou"

The more Li Jinglong thought about it, the more he thought it was possible.

The reason is also very simple.

Who is the person opposite?

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate in Japan.

Li Jinglong had already learned about the deeds of this Japanese hero on the way from Hirado Port to Kyoto.

When Ashikaga Yoshi took over the throne at the age of ten, the Muromachi shogunate was still in turmoil.

When he came of age, he began to establish his prestige. When the monks of Kofukuji Temple carried the sacred tree of Kasuga Taisha Shrine to Beijing to complain, the Manchu ministers were afraid, but Ashikaga Yoshimitsu supported the court and severely attacked the power of the temple.

Subsequently, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu surpassed his grandfather Ashikaga Takauji and father Ashikaga Yoshiki, and was promoted to internal minister and left minister successively.

Emperor Gogenya abdicated and Emperor Gokomatsu ascended the throne. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu began to serve as the elder of the Genji family, and concurrently served as the head of both the Chunwa Academy of Scholarships. He was awarded the title of "quasi third empress" and became the leader of both the public and samurai families. Settled the Kyoto court.

Later, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu successively weakened the forces protecting the daimyo through the Toki Rebellion and the Meitoku Rebellion.

Especially the Meitoku Rebellion. At its peak, the Yamana clan once occupied the guardianship of 11 of Japan's 66 kingdoms, and was known as the "six points and one group". However, it was divided and disintegrated by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, leading to civil strife.

In the end, the Yamana family's Ujikiyo and Mitsuyuki led their troops to fight against Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's shogunate army in the inner fields of Kyoto. The two sides fought bloody battles day and night. The result was the defeat of the anti-shogunate army. Only Tajima and Yoshimitsu were protected by the Yamana family. The Three Kingdoms of Boqi and Inban.

And then, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu single-handedly ended the Northern and Southern Dynasties era in Japan that lasted for a century.

The three sacred artifacts in the hands of Emperor Go Kameyama of the Southern Dynasty (Amanosugaun Sword/Kusanagi Sword, Hachisha Magatama, and Yata Mirror) were returned to Emperor Go Komatsu of the Northern Dynasty. This also marked that the power of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has reached Japan's level in the past hundred years. The pinnacle.

Such a hero!

He must be extremely proud!

How could he act like a normal person after being given women's clothes by mistake?

Pretending!

It must be pretending!

It's just because of face, I'm embarrassed to expose it in public.

Otherwise, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu would be embarrassed.

It is precisely because of this that he will take the initiative to show kindness to himself.

Combined with the words he sent the monk to convey to him specifically.

He was hinting to himself not to mention this in public and to pretend that nothing had happened.

But this person must have already resented himself in his heart.

Honey in mouth and sword in belly!

A smile hidden in a knife!

The current shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu wanted to win over him in front of him, and even used the story of the Onimaru sword to hint at the shogunate's power struggle, which must have angered Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Therefore, you must not make mistakes.

Even if he is an envoy of the Heavenly Kingdom and cannot humiliate the country by groveling, at the very least, he must follow the etiquette he should do.

Otherwise, the other party will already be resentful of you. If you are too arrogant, it will be easier for the other party to find excuses.

Li Jinglong didn't want to die in Japan, so he decided to be as polite as possible. In this way, the other party couldn't do anything to him if they couldn't grasp his leverage.

Of course, if Ashikaga Yoshimitsu insists on playing rogue, then Li Jinglong really has no choice but to do it. This is his territory after all.

Other members of the Ming Dynasty's envoy, such as the eunuchs in the palace and officials from the Ministry of Rites, were somewhat worried when they saw Cao Guogong's uncertain expression as the envoy.

The members of the mission knew that it was risky to go to Japan as a mission. The mission of the Hongwu Dynasty had been detained before.

Therefore, they couldn't help but become nervous.

Cao Guogong's look must be hinting at something to us!

not good!

Do the Japanese plan to open the box as a sign and hack us to death?

This is all thanks to Jiang Xinghuo's words "Don't let anyone know", so Li Jinglong did an extremely good job of keeping secrets and did not reveal anything to the members of the mission. The members of the mission became vigilant.

Some people even put their hands on the hilt or hilt of the sword.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall, which had just relaxed, suddenly became tense.

The Japanese dignitaries on the opposite side were about to blurt out "Baga" again, and their hands were pressed on the handle of the katana.

At this moment, an old woman sitting next to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu suddenly put down the book given by Li Jinglong in her hand and spoke.

"The General of the Ming Dynasty is my distinguished guest. What are you doing?"

This old woman is Odaisho Hino Yoshiko. The Hino family has a status and influence similar to that of "a king and his horse share the world" in Japan, especially within the shogunate system, and Hino Yoshiko is deeply The public hopes.

Therefore, as soon as the old woman opened her mouth, the Japanese dignitaries below swallowed back the "Baga" that she was about to blurt out, and put their hands down from the handle of the samurai sword.

The atmosphere between both parties once again fell from the critical point that reached the limit.

The young shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi glanced at the page of the book Hino Yoshiko placed on the table without leaving any trace.

——"Book of Han·Biography of Gao Hou".

While Hino Yeko was talking, Ashikaga Yoshimichi also took a look at what he could see.

"Empress Gao, the Lu family, gave birth to Emperor Hui, who assisted Emperor Gaozu in ruling the world. There were three of them: father, brother, and Emperor Gaozu. When Emperor Hui ascended the throne, he honored Empress Lu as the Queen Mother, and the Empress Dowager made Princess Lu Yuan, the emperor's sister, the Queen."

Ashikaga Yoshimochi was surprised and happy.

Yutaisuo must have deliberately allowed himself to see it secretly!

Who is the great ancestor?

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu!

Who is the queen?

Hino Yeko!

Who is Emperor Hui?

That must be me!

The Empress Dowager made the emperor's sister Princess Lu Yuan's daughter (niece) the queen. Isn't she referring to her main wife, Hino Eiko (Hino Yeko's niece), the daughter of Hino Yeko's brother Hino Shiyasu!

Right!

Everything is right!

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's brows were filled with joy. This must be Odaisuo hinting to him that Odaisuo, who has long been disliked by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, wants to secretly form an alliance with himself, who is also not liked by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, to join forces to fight against Ashikaga Yoshimitsu!

When Ashikaga Yoshimitsu dies, wouldn't it be wonderful if Odai becomes the queen mother and she becomes emperor, and both parties are bound by the benefits of marriage?

Well, Ashikaga Yoshinori could have this idea because he didn't see the second half of this paragraph in "Hanshu·Takagoden".

"The Empress Dowager made the emperor's sister, Princess Lu Yuan, the Empress and had no children. She took the name of a beautiful woman in the harem and made her the Prince. After the death of Emperor Hui, the Prince was established as the Emperor. At a young age, the Empress Dowager came to the court and proclaimed the throne and granted amnesty to the world. She established her brother Lu Tai. The four of them, Chan, Lu, and Taizitong, were made kings, and the six of them, Zhu Lu, were made marquises."

If Ashikaga Yoshimochi could stand up and watch more, I'm afraid he wouldn't have such naive ideas.

All I can say is that there is still too little to learn about Sinology.

Speaking of which, Odaisho Hino Yakko clapped her hands.

Another box of the same style was also carried by the samurai to the banquet hall of the Flower Palace.

Hino Yeko said with a smile: "Please take a look at it, Your Excellency, the Great General of the Ming Dynasty."

Looking at the two boxes he sent out, Li Jinglong took a deep breath.

These two people probably have no good intentions.

There is no such thing as "giving women's clothes to an old man and books to a dazzling old lady" and still getting good results.

No matter what you think, it can't be that you are showing kindness to yourself.

Perhaps, in these two boxes, there are things that the other party uses to humiliate themselves in public without leaving any trace!

So how should you react when you open the box yourself?

It would definitely be awkward if you didn't say anything.

If you reprimand the other party righteously, it seems that you gave the wrong gift first, which is somewhat unfair.

But if you give in, where is the majesty of the Ming Emperor Zhu Di?

Forget it, don’t think about it anymore.

When the car reaches the front of the mountain, it has to drive inward regardless of whether there is any road.

"Qiang!"

Li Jinglong pulled out the Onimaru sword. This sword shone with a cold light under the candlestick in the Hanazhi Palace banquet hall.

As Li Jinglong slowly approached the two wooden boxes, the servants of Duke Cao's Mansion behind him also became nervous and alert.

Li Jinglong sighed in his heart: The more he lived, the more timid he became. In the past, no matter how dangerous the situation was, even if it was a huge rout of thousands of troops like Baigouhe, he would not panic at all.

After all, Li Jinglong came from a family of military generals. Although he was not as powerful as Zhu Gaoxu, he still had some skills. Now that he had the sword in his hand, he was confident that no matter who dared to touch him, he would definitely make the opponent's blood splatter three feet. .

But now, he can only use the Onimaru sword to open the box.

You have to at least take a look at what's inside, right?

Li Jinglong was already prepared in his heart to give himself women's clothes, and he accepted them.

Who taught you to give to others first?

Li Jinglong walked to the box and cut it off with a beautiful knife, which earned him the applause of the whole house.

Li Jinglong used the tip of his knife to pry up the box sent by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, gently opened the wooden box, and immediately revealed the contents.

It's clothes, but not women's clothing.

A set of men's Japanese gold foil embroidered Golden Pheasant Mountain pattern dress is neatly stacked and lying there quietly. It is beautifully embroidered and has many precious gems inlaid on it. Even the Golden Pheasant's eyes are decorated with gems.

"Da Sheren's Silk!"

The knowledgeable Japanese noble sighed softly again.

Oshajin's silk, also known as Nishijin weaving in Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, is a Japanese national treasure traditional handicraft fabric. It is famous and has a high status in the fabric industry. It is named after it is produced in the Nishijin area of ​​Kyoto, Japan.

It's just that the name of the Western Front was due to the war between the East and West armies that broke out in Kyoto during the middle period of the Muromachi Shogunate. The textile industry in Otani Town was in a state of destruction. After the war subsided, they returned to Kyoto. In the war not far from the original place At that time, Nishijin (the headquarters of the Western Army) Omiya began to develop the textile industry again.

But all this has not happened yet, so at this time it is still called Dasheren's Silk.

This set of dresses is hand-made by master weavers, weaving stitch by stitch, with unique texture and elegant texture pattern, showing amazing craftsmanship under the large candlestick in the banquet hall.

Li Jinglong was startled. He probably knew that the gift was indeed a painstaking effort. I am afraid that after receiving the news of his arrival, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had already arranged for the weavers to start making it. Moreover, he did not know his specific body size, which could be hundreds. Thousands of craftsmen worked on several sets of sizes at the same time.

"The Ming Dynasty envoy Cao Guogong Li Jinglong thanked the owner of the Japanese Deer Garden for the gift."

Thinking of his previous plan, he gave the other party women's clothes, and the other party gave him a dress. The other party could be regarded as "repaying resentment with directness", and he must not be too arrogant.

Otherwise, it is very likely that the other party will think that their overtures are worthless to you.

When a misunderstanding occurs, one's life may be in danger.

Li Jinglong gave a half salute to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu who stood up.

This is already the highest etiquette stipulated by the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty and the highest etiquette that an official can perform when dealing with foreign affairs.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu certainly understood that this was the limit of what Li Jinglong could do.

It is precisely because he understands this truth that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu understands it in his heart.

After this test of giving gifts, I finally found out the attitude of General Li Jinglong of the Ming Dynasty, and he really intended to be kind to others.

Otherwise, if you just remind yourself by giving women's clothing and Shu brocade.

So at the formal banquet, General Li Jinglong should still maintain his cold and arrogant demeanor as an envoy to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Instead of saluting yourself politely like this.

Since General Li Jinglong has given himself enough face.

He also had to give General Li Jinglong face.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu quickly returned the gift and said while saluting.

"Your Majesty, General of the Ming Dynasty, you are so polite. This is the respect I should pay you!"

Li Jinglong thought the other party was being polite, or even a little bit weird?

In order to eliminate the misunderstanding, Li Jinglong quickly continued to salute and said: "The master of Japanese Luyuan is really too polite!"

Ashikaga Yoshiman's heart sank, General Li Jinglong actually said that he was too polite.

Could it be that the gift he gave was a bit expensive and General Li Jinglong did not dare to accept it for fear of arousing the Emperor's suspicion? But for the sake of face, he had to accept it and could only remind himself with a vague "too polite".

At this time, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu regretted that he should not have used these gold embroidery threads and gem-inlaid dresses to give to General Li Jinglong.

Also, what if the new Ming Emperor thinks that General Li Jinglong, the envoy, has connections with foreign countries?

General Li Jinglong warned him in advance, and now he is protecting his own face. The gift he gave was not what he wanted. It was really a sin.

Thinking of this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu quickly poured himself a glass of wine and said, "I didn't think about it. Your Excellency, the Great General of the Ming Dynasty, I'm really sorry. Let me punish myself with a glass of wine!"

Li Jinglong was already a little angry at this time.

What does "I didn't consider it" mean?

Isn't it obvious that you still remember my grudge for giving you women's clothes?

It's hard to get over the co-authorship thing, right?

But after all, people are under the roof, and Li Jinglong has always been shameless.

Li Jinglong could only smile impeccably and continue to humbly say: "It was my lack of consideration, and I will punish myself with a drink."

"I punish myself with two drinks!"

"I'll also punish myself with two drinks!"

"I punish myself with three drinks!"

"I"

The members of the Ming Dynasty's envoy and the Japanese dignitaries on the other side stared dumbly at the two of them as they drank one glass at a time.

Someone secretly tasted the wine in the glass.

It tastes the same as usual.

This person couldn't help but have an idea in his mind.

Could it be that they were drinking precious wine?

idiot!

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, this bad old man is very bad!

Give us ordinary wine, and drink fine wine in the name of entertaining the Ming generals!

There are such shameless people in the world!

"Ahem, there's another box."

Hearing these words, Li Jinglong just put down his wine glass and was already a little drunk.

Li Jinglong was dressed in a red robe and carried a ghost pill sword.

With a slash of the knife, the copper lock of the second wooden box broke.

With the crisp sound of the copper lock falling to the ground, the cover of the second wooden box was turned over by the tip of the knife.

The scene inside was immediately revealed.

"It's actually a book?"

Li Jinglong was slightly startled, then reached out and took out several thick thread-bound books.

This surprised Li Jinglong.

Hino Yoshiko of the Odaisho opened his mouth and explained.

"This book is called The Tale of Genji."

Li Jinglong nodded. He recognized the Chinese characters on it.

The so-called "The Tale of Genji" is a novel written by the female writer Murasaki Shikibu during the Heian period. It is set in the heyday of the Heian Dynasty in Japan and describes the life experience and love story of the protagonist Genji. The book has a total of fifty-four chapters and nearly one million readers. Character. It includes four generations of emperors, a history of more than 70 years, and more than 400 characters involved. The characters are mainly upper-class nobles, but also middle- and lower-class nobles, maids, maids, and ordinary people. It fully reflects the cultural life and social background of the Heian period. While implementing the realistic "real" aesthetic thinking, he also created the Japanese romantic "mono-sei" doctrine.

If Jiang Xinghuo came, he would only say one thing, what a Japanese Cao Xueqin.

Of course, Li Jinglong couldn't understand who Cao Xueqin was even if he told her face to face.

After a brief introduction, Li Jinglong also understood that this was a representative work of Japanese literature. Odaisho Hino Yoshiko probably wanted to use this book to introduce Japan to himself.

Understanding the other party's intention, Li Jinglong also said with a half salute.

"The Ming Dynasty envoy Cao Guogong Li Jinglong thanked the Japanese imperial government for the gift."

Hino Yeko managed to get up and said meaningfully: "I want to thank the Ming Dynasty General for sending me the Sinology books."

Li Jinglong was stunned, what kind of book?

Oh, by the way, aren't there just a few "Hanshu", "Old Tangshu" and the like? New editions of books can be found everywhere in bookstores in Daming City. The reason why he gave these books away was because they were all The Song Dynasty version is more valuable because the books are old.

But the content is actually the same. For example, "Hanshu·Gaohouzhuan", "Old Tangshu·Benji Volume 6", etc., don't they all have the same words in whichever version they put?

Fortunately, Odaisho Hino Ieko is not good at drinking, otherwise the two of them would probably have another drink after another.

However, the gifts given by the three powerful Japanese men to the Ming general did not arouse anyone's suspicion.

The Ming Dynasty was a celestial kingdom, and its envoy was the extremely high-status General Li Jinglong. Isn't it natural that the shogunate, the master of Luyuan Yuan, and the Imperial Palace should present some acceptable greeting gifts?

As for what seemed a little weird before, what was weird? It was obviously an invisible confrontation between several big shots!

The welcome dinner successfully entered the next stage, introducing the characters.

Next, we are waiting for the arrival of Emperor Komatsu of Japan.

Later, Li Jinglong, the official envoy of the Ming Dynasty, read the edict.