Bright Spring

Chapter 882 I'm at a loss

After the luncheon for the guests, all the high-ranking civil and military eunuchs of the navy went to a wing on the east side.At this time, the eunuch Wang Jinghong took the time to call Shi Jinqing, the consolation envoy of Jiugang, to speak.

Shi Jinqing's appearance on Semuren's boat and his arrival in Da Nang is a surprising event in itself.

In the "Three Buddhas Qi Kingdom" (located on the west coast of the Strait of Malacca), or the place called the Xuanweisi of the Old Port, Shi Jinqing is one of the best figures; Shi Jinqing.Why is a leader like Shi Jinqing in Da Nang?

There are eunuchs, military generals, and civil officials in the wing room, and many people sit there.And Shi Jinqing obviously became the person everyone paid most attention to.

He is a Han from Guangdong, and his appearance shows that he is from Guangdong and Guangxi.His skin was darkened by the wind and the sun, and his facial features were more prominent than those of the Han people in the capital. His forehead was flat, his brow bones were high, and his face was relatively flat.

After exchanging pleasantries with each other for a while, Shi Jinqing took the initiative to talk about his experience: "When Xiaguan left the old port, he was on his own boat. But it was attacked on the sea near Longyamen (Keppel Port, Singapore), and the boat It was also scuttled by thieves. Xiaguan followed the prodigal son and floated to the mouth of Longyamen River, only to escape by luck."

The head of the Ministry of Industry who accompanied the army asked, "Who did it?"

"I can't be sure." Shi Jinqing replied.

He did not name the object of suspicion, and even seemed to avoid talking about this issue on purpose, and then narrated: "Later, the subordinates of the Indian lord Ji'er Daer led a merchant ship to anchor at Longyamen. I stepped forward to ask for help and took out my valuables. Jewelry wanted to buy food, so he made friends with Kuo Er, an Indian."

Shi Jinqing took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and said: "At that time, if I had explained my identity and promised a reward, it would have been possible for the Indians to send me back to the old port; Longyamen is not too far from the old port. But wait for me Back in the Old Port, you have to go north again; since you have been attacked once, there may be a second time.

On balance, I might as well stay on the Indian ship and find Ming officials when I arrive in Annan.And the thieves should not know that I am on the Indian ship, and they have no reason to attack the Indian ship (prove that it is not a pirate who robbed money).After making such a decision, I will be able to see Wang Gonggong, Hou Gonggong and other colleagues here today. "

Wang Jinghong asked: "What is the matter, Shi Shijun must go north in person?"

Liu Ming who was present immediately pricked up his ears when he heard this.He is not exempt, and is also very curious about things that he cannot figure out.When Liu Ming looked back at the colleagues around him, he saw that everyone was similar to him, and some of them almost held their breath.

The wing room was extremely quiet all of a sudden, if a needle were dropped at this moment, people might hear it.

Shi Jinqing finally spoke: "The situation in Jiugang is not very good these days. It really took a lot of trouble for Xiaguan to go all the way north."

When he said this, he didn't continue.That is to say, he was rude by not keeping his mouth shut, and he didn't say anything important.Liu Ming was confused.

At this moment, Ma Huan, the general officer, stood up suddenly and said, "Eunuch Wang, Eunuch Hou, and Shi Shijun are old friends. We reunited after a long absence just to catch up on the old days. I will retire first."

Liu Ming and so on suddenly came to his senses, got up one after another and bowed to leave.

Wang Jinghong said: "Why doesn't Marshal Chen stop?"

Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Alright."

So apart from Shi Jinqing, only Wang Jinghong, Hou Xian, and the coach Chen Xuan were left in the wing room.

Liu Ming stepped over the threshold and walked to another wing, preparing to take a nap.Although he wanted to relieve the doubts in his heart, he also understood that Shi Jinqing might have some confidential matter, and he needed to discuss it with the top people in the navy first.

When he came to a room with straw mats, Liu Ming leaned on it, still thinking about Shi Jinqing's strangeness in his heart.

Apart from speculating about Shi Jinqing's secret affairs, there is at least one more thing that confuses Liu Ming: Why did Shi Jinqing work so hard to come here in person?

Liu Ming turned over several times, but he was still in good spirits and didn't feel sleepy.At this time, an eunuch came to the door and called softly: "Liu Shijun, Liu Shijun? Are you asleep?"

"What's the matter?" Liu Ming rolled over and sat up.

The eunuch said: "The prince said that he didn't see any Indians in the afternoon, so he ordered the young man to come and inform Liu Shijun, and ask Liu Shijun to take over the matter. You are in charge of diplomatic relations, and those Indian lords should also trouble you to come forward to receive them. "

Liu Ming immediately got up and cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty follows the wishes of the prince."

It's not difficult, it just takes some time.

Firstly, India is still far away from the areas where Ming Dynasty had a hand, even if it is about the Indian lord, it is not that important; secondly, Kuo Er and others are just the lord's subordinates, who came here to make money.Therefore, there will be no serious consequences for receiving such people, so Liu Ming can be more casual.

Not long after, Ma Huan, the general manager, also came. He will be Liu Ming's deputy and mainly responsible for translation.

Ma Huan said: "Although the Indians helped the Ming Dynasty's Jiugang Consolation Envoy, they were just doing business. Mr. Liu arranged something to take them around and pass the afternoon."

Liu Ming thought for a while and said, "The Holy Majesty's new policy is to open up distant trade. Let's talk about business."

Ma Huan clasped his fists and said, "I will obey Liu Shijun's wishes."

So Liu Ming sent someone to call a few merchants accompanying the army and make preparations.Then, together with Ma Huan, they went to meet the Indians.

When people meet each other, they greet each other according to their own rules.Ma Huan stepped forward and chattered. As he spoke, he pointed to the Ming people next to him. Liu Ming guessed that Ma Huan was introducing people to the scene.

In addition to Liu Ming and Ma Huan, there are also Xu Gui from the Shen Xu Shang gang, Zhang Shihua from the Zhang family of Minyao in Jingdezhen, people from the Lu family who deal in Shu brocade business in Chengdu Prefecture, Sichuan, and Yang family merchants from the Yun brocade business in the Gyeonggi area. people.

The most famous goods sold overseas by the Ming Dynasty were silk and porcelain.So Liu Ming called the relevant businessmen.

Conversing through a translator was a bit awkward.Because when Liu Ming's tone, demeanor and emotions were expressed, the other party could not understand the content; when the other party understood the content, they could only feel Ma Huan's tone.So Liu Ming's feelings are a bit weird.

At this time Zhang Shihua brought over a blue and white plate.Seeing this, Liu Ming immediately took out a white handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, put it on the table, and carefully placed the plate on it.

Zhang Shihua froze for a moment.Because this plate is indeed not too expensive, after all, the real high-quality tributes are all from official kilns; the plates made by this private kiln are a bit nondescript for overseas business, which is obviously not acceptable in China.

However, Kuo Er, the Indian, was immediately attracted to it, and moved his eyes closer for a closer look.When he reached out to touch the plate, he was so careful, as if he was touching some antique.In fact, this plate is not very valuable.

Liu Ming smiled and said, "A thing is good or bad, depending on how you treat it. There is no need to translate this sentence."

Ma Huan said: "Of course."

Liu Ming began to talk casually again: "Good porcelain not only needs to carry water and soil, but also exquisitely inherited skills. This is only blue and white porcelain produced in Hutian Kiln in Jingdezhen. The clay excavated is designated in a small local area. Only then can there be such a color. Jingdezhen’s ceramic skills have been passed down from generation to generation. Since the Song Dynasty, it has undergone hundreds of years of precipitation;

From a small place thousands of miles away, unique porcelain and exquisite dinner plates, if they are placed on a noble table, the owner must be very respectable.If Mr. Kuoer buys in bulk, the price will be lower. "

After a while, Kuo Er said through a translator: "We have many lords, and the manors of each lord cannot make all the things. The most prestigious people will use the best items from all over the place."

Then Liu Ming introduced Yunjin in the Gyeonggi area.He didn't know much about weaving either, but he had a general understanding, so he bragged about it casually.

Liu Ming said: "Silk itself has no patterns. If large pieces of embroidery are embroidered with patterns, the silk material will be uneven; therefore, we have brocades. Please see, Mr. Kuo Er, the patterns of brocades are not embroidery, but different colors are used when weaving , Different silk threads. After weaving, the pattern is neat and fine, which is natural. An Nanguo and Japan may also be able to make silk, but they can never weave such exquisite brocade.

Chicken big ear collars are mainly because they are willing to buy in large quantities, and they can even ask Ming merchants to order special patterns. "

After hearing this, Kuo Er looked at it, and said through an interpreter, "This one doesn't look very smooth, but the other one seems to be easily damaged?"

Liu Ming said with a smile: "It's just because the latter uses more silk, and the silk is very stingy and needs to be carefully protected. But a real lady wants the most glorious moment, and doesn't need a durable rough coat. "

After Kuo Er understood it, he suddenly slapped his hands in praise and said something he didn't understand. Seeing his expression, he seemed to agree with Liu Ming.

Liu Ming roughly said that the styles of Shu brocade and Yun brocade are different.Then he introduced the jewelry brought by Xu Gui, "Gold inlaid jade has always been a common production of Ming jewelry, but the jewelry of Shen Xu Shang Gang is even better.

Since the expedition of the elite kings of the Ming Dynasty, they have occupied the emerald producing areas and repaired roads to trade with Burma; the green jadeite and rubies in the deep mountains were transported to the interior of the Ming Dynasty.It is bordered in gold, surrounded by small rubies, and in the middle is jasper like a pool of water, which is brightly colored, colorful and extremely dazzling. "

Kuo Er said something about "they don't like jade very much", but at the same time he played with it fondly.Obviously he is quite interested in all kinds of goods produced by Daming.

After talking for a while, Liu Ming directly suggested: "We don't carry much goods this time. If you want to buy in bulk, you can pay some deposit at this time, and I will guarantee the contract of the merchant gang. Lord Er sent people to the Straits of Malacca, and the goods could be picked up nearby."

Kuo Er began to bargain.Liu Ming let Ma Huan and the merchants stay and took the opportunity to get away.He is just an official, not specifically responsible for business matters.

Chapter 883 The Poetry of the Giant Ship Cannon