Han Xiao, who was wearing the uniform of a third-grade civil servant embroidered with peacock patterns, sat cross-legged behind the case. After watching Xu Tianqi come in, he smiled and motioned for him to sit down casually. Xu Tianqi showed some humility and sat behind the last table. The maid next to him immediately gave him a He prepared breakfast and sake, and Xu Tianqi did not refuse, raising his glass and drinking it all in one gulp.
At this time, the North Korean official sitting across from Xu Tianqi smiled and said: "Master Xu, this is the highest quality Zhubai among the Japanese sakes. Only girls under the age of sixteen can participate in the brewing. The king of the small country likes it very much. I don't know. What do you think, sir?"
This North Korean official was wearing the unique attire of an envoy. He looked about forty years old and had a shrewd look on his face. Although North Korea had generally learned Chinese characters since the founding of the Li Dynasty, scholar-bureaucrats had generally learned Chinese characters, and most of the envoys sent to the Ming Dynasty were proficient in Chinese. Xu Tianqi didn't expect that this man could speak Chinese so fluently, and couldn't help but be stunned.
Han Xiao smiled and explained: "Master Xu, this is Master Jin Changhai, the envoy of Korea. Master Jin's ancestors are also from Nanjing. He only went to North Korea to do business during the Zhengde period. You and Master Xu can also be said to have the same hometown friendship. !”
Xu Tianqi nodded and asked casually: "Master Jin, do your country and Japan often have business contacts?"
Jin Changhai once again signaled the Korean maid next to him to fill the wine glass in front of Xu Tianqi, and then said: "Master Xu, please give me another drink... Originally, Xiaobang had been opening up markets and doing business with Japan, but in recent years, Japan has been experiencing frequent domestic chaos, and at sea, There are so many thieves that business transactions have gradually slowed down... Ah, I wonder if Mr. Xu has taken a liking to this maid?"
Jin Changhai noticed that Xu Tianqi glanced at the North Korean maid next to him twice, and immediately asked in such an "understanding" manner.
Xu Tianqi smiled faintly. He put down the wine glass in his hand and said, "Master Han, Master Jin, if you have something to say, it's okay to say it. There's no need to be so polite."
Han Xiao pondered for a moment and finally said: "Master Xu, I'll tell you the truth. This Master Jin is the nephew of Master Liu Chenglong. Master Liu hopes that you can mention Lord Linhai more in the edict. I wonder what you think." ?”
At this time, Jinchang Hai showed an eager look on his face. He quickly said: "Linhaijun has a long-standing reputation in the small country, and he is the eldest son of the king of the small country. He has no fault in etiquette. It's just that the traitors are greedy for fame and fortune, so they wantonly attack Linhaijun. I hope Mr. Xu can praise Lord Linhai in his secret letter..."
Listening to Jin Changhai's anxious words about his purpose, Xu Tianqi couldn't help but smile bitterly... It seems that not only the great Ming Dynasty, but also these small nations are also happy to do this kind of thing! But this They did find the wrong person this time. Although Qianhu, the Jinyiwei of Beizhen Fusi, had the right to report directly, and as the leader of the military attache on this mission, he could legitimately report the specific situation to His Majesty the Emperor, but now I It’s too late to protect ourselves, so how can we take care of these things? If they knew what just happened inside Jinyiwei, they probably wouldn’t come to me, right?
Thinking of this, Xu Tianqi looked calm and said calmly: "Master Han is the secret envoy. I am just a military attache. This matter is of great importance. Of course, it is all up to Master Han to make the decision. I will take orders from you!"
Hearing Xu Tianqi's words, Jin Changhai couldn't help but feel happy. At that time, North Korea was like the Ming Dynasty. The status of civilian officials was much higher than that of military attachés. He didn't expect Xu Tianqi, a low-level military attaché, to be of any help. It was just because of Xu Tianqi's special characteristics. I just hope that he will not be bribed by his opponent. So he immediately smiled and said: "Thank you so much, Mr. Xu!"
But Han Xiao knew that for more than two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, officials, especially envoys in their own position and situation, and the Jin Yiwei around them would definitely be staring at them sooner or later. Without the acquiescence of Xu Qianhu next to him, he and he would
Contact with North Korean envoys will be very troublesome...at least, their opponents in North Korea will use this as an excuse to launch impeachment against themselves.
This time, Han Xiao, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, had not arrived in North Korea yet, so he clearly expressed his support for Lord Linhai, not entirely because of the heavy gift from Liu Chenglong, Jinchang Hai and others. From his own point of view, the eldest son would inherit the throne.
, that is a legitimate act, it is a national discipline, and no one can violate it.
After hearing Xu Tianqi's promise, Han Xiao kept nodding his head... It seems that not all Jin Yiwei are hawks and villains. At least this Jin Yiwei Qianhu still has a sense of right and wrong in his heart.
He raised his cup with satisfaction, smiled at Xu Tianqi and said, "It is really a blessing for North Korea that Mr. Xu can be so sensible and aware of right and wrong!"
Xu Tianqi quickly stood up and said humbly: "My lord, Miao Zan! How dare I take this position?"
Han Xiao shook his head. Because the North Korean envoy was right in front of him, and because of Xu Tianqi's special status, he swallowed the following words hard. "If the ministers in the cabinet had dared to fight hard from the beginning, how could things have happened?
To this point now!”
At this time Jin Changhai said: "By the way, Mr. Han and Mr. Xu, among the things that the small countries paid tribute to the Celestial Empire this time, there was also a Noh theater troupe from the Japanese country. However, the adults in the cabinet said that His Majesty the Emperor was busy with affairs and did not
I didn’t have time to watch these musicals, so I went back. I wonder if the two adults are interested in watching them?"
In fact, this is not because of busy affairs at all, but because of the recent quarrel between the emperor and the ministers. Wanli tried to use this method to ease the relationship. Although some officials often spent time and wine, they did not like Wanli's entertainment.
In their view, His Majesty the Emperor should work hard to govern, and drinking, listening to operas, and other activities were purely ways of subjugating the country. Therefore, Wanli's move was really praised by many officials in memorials.
Han Xiao couldn't help but be very happy when he heard that there was a play to watch. Nanjing's opera was the best in the world, and most of the officials in Nanjing were idle, so he went to the Goulan Theater every few days to listen to the play and drink. Some officials even themselves
For example, Tang Xianzu, a colleague of Han Xiao's who participated in it, wrote the famous work "The Peony Pavilion".
Han Xiao nodded repeatedly and said: "Noh drama? Is it a Japanese pirate play? This is the first time I have heard of it. Of course it should open my eyes. I just don't know how there is such a theater troupe in your country?"
Jin Changhai smiled and said: "A businessman from Xia Bang bought this from the Japanese country. Although the Celestial Empire is rich all over the world, it will naturally not take a fancy to things from such a barbarian country, but it is not bad as a pastime in leisure time occasionally.
?This is the humble intention of the king of Xiaobang, but the chief minister of the cabinet said that today's people are diligent in politics and governance, and there are many affairs. Not to mention playing with things and losing one's ambition, it makes the king of Xiaobang extremely ashamed... Ah, the official said
It’s far away. Let’s ask you two adults to enjoy these plays first, right?”
I saw Jinchang Hai give a few gentle claps, and then people filed in through the small door on the side. Four of them were dressed as musicians. They held flutes and large and small tambourines in their hands, while the others
They were all wearing very loose clothes and looked like they were actors, and two of them were wearing masks.
Jin Changhai pointed to the actor wearing a female mask and explained: "This is the protagonist in today's Noh play. It is different from Japanese operas. In Japanese Noh play, only the protagonist and some supporting actors have masks, huh?
, the one wearing the devil mask is the sidekick, and this play is about a woman being snatched away by a devil..."
At this time, the musicians had already tuned their instruments, and after the protagonist wearing a female mask explained the content of the story, the opera began.
To be honest, not to mention the Japanese Noh drama that I don't understand well, even Xu Tianqi has always preferred Wujiang Kun Opera, so he has no interest in it. As for whether North Korea will establish Linhai Lord as the crown prince, it is even more important.
It has nothing to do with him. Now he only cares about rushing to North Korea to help Mr. Han get things done. Xu Tianqi doesn't want to stay in North Korea for a year and a half, which may make him completely disappear from the Jinyiwei establishment, and he will never be there again.
Any chance again.
But Han Xiao watched with great interest and asked Jin Changhai some things from time to time. The two of them burst into laughter. Xu Tianqi couldn't help but bring up a wry smile. It seemed that he was the same as Commander Liu.
We can't talk to these civil servants about going together!
At this time, Yang Shangfeng turned around at the door of the conference cabin and winked at Xu Tianqi. Xu Tianqi immediately stood up and said to Han Xiao: "I have some affairs to deal with, so I can't excuse you for a while. I hope you will forgive me."
"Master Xu, you can do whatever you want, but don't forget to come back later. Master Jin has some gifts for you, haha!" Han Xiao just drank a few more glasses of sake. He seemed to be a little drunk and started to speak casually.
Jin Changhai looked at Xu Tianqi, and then at the maid just now, with a knowing smile on his face. He was originally from a businessman family, and his decades of officialdom experience made him understand the fact that since he has a request
When it comes to people, it is natural to give them benefits.
Xu Tianqi raised his hand, strode outside the door, and whispered to Yang Shangfeng: "What's the matter?"
Yang Shangfeng came over and said in Xu Tianqi's ear: "Sir, when Yan Lie inspected the whole ship just now, he found someone on a ship board on the side that was tightly strangled by a rope or a ditch.
He suspected that someone might have sneaked onto the ship last night?"
Xu Tianqi frowned and said, "Although we didn't leave the Yangtze River Estuary last night, it's not easy to climb onto the boat like this in the middle of the night. Can Yan Lie be sure?"
"Yan Lie has asked all the sailors that this ship has been used as a mission ship since it was built, and has never been used as a fishing boat or cargo ship. The marks and wood chips on the ship's planks look very new. The sailors on the ship
They all said that they had not caused such damage. Of course, this may be because they were lying in order to evade responsibility, but my subordinates thought it was better to be cautious. After all, the sea has not been calm recently. I heard from the brothers in Quanzhou,
Liu Xiang's remaining troops started to move again..." Yang Shangfeng said cautiously.
Xu Tianqi understood what Yang Shangfeng meant. After all, this was the envoy ship of the Ming Dynasty, and the envoys of the vassal state of Korea were also here. If something happened, they and the Jin Yiwei would be in big trouble. And anything can happen at sea, really
If you were to encounter a large group of pirates like Liu Xiang back then, those three-masted warships were not enough to fill your teeth.
After pondering for a moment, Xu Tianqi made a decision: "Let Yan Lie go check it immediately. No, go it yourself. Be careful, except for the two adults, every location must be searched."
Yang Shangfeng bowed to accept the order, and hurriedly turned around to arrange the manpower. However, the two of them did not take this matter too seriously. Although they were the escorting military attachés of the mission, they did not think that anyone could really escape from the turbulent river.
Climbing on the ship and hiding like this, no one can even find it until now. Even Liu Xiang, the great pirate who roamed the seven seas in the past, probably didn't have this ability. Now this method of disposal is just a precaution.
Although Xu Tianqi felt it was a bit weird, he thought for a moment, shook his head, and walked back to the conference cabin. At this time, the first performance of the Noh play had been performed, and Han Xiao was heard saying loudly: "Yes, yes, I have a reward."
!”
Seeing Xu Tianqi come back, Han Xiao turned to him and said with a smile: "Master Xu, although the Japanese opera is not as good as our Kunqu opera, it is not without its merits! You just missed a feast for your eyes.
If you get a chance, come over and watch the next one."
Xu Tianqi said calmly: "Oh? Is that really so? It's a pity that the official doesn't know much about this. Maybe he can't appreciate the beauty of it?"
At this time, the protagonist wearing a female mask walked not far in front of Han Xiao, bowed and said, "Thank you, sir, for the reward."
The voice sounded a bit aged, and it was a man's voice. Han Xiao couldn't help but be surprised. He turned to Jin Changhai and asked: "Why is it a man?" Based on his experience in Nanjing, he originally thought he would meet a young woman.
Yes, I didn’t expect it to be a middle-aged man.
Jin Changhai quickly explained: "Sir, all roles in Noh are played by men. This is the custom of the Japanese country."
Hearing Jin Changhai's explanation, even Xu Tianqi couldn't help but be a little surprised. He had just heard the actor's voice when he was performing, and he really didn't expect that this actor was actually a man.
Han Xiao looked at the actor in front of him. His body was wrapped in a large costume. It was really hard to tell whether he was a boy or a girl. After a while, he seemed to sigh a little disappointed, waved his hand and said: "
This is a reward for you."
The attendant next to him immediately pulled out a plate from behind, with a piece of fine Suzhou silk on it. This kind of silk was simply more valuable than gold to people from any country other than the Ming Dynasty. The actor didn't seem to have it either.
Thinking of such a generous reward, even his voice became excited. He bent even lower and said, "Thank you... Your Majesty for the generous gift!"
As he said that, he stretched out his hand to take the plate. Xu Tianqi suddenly asked: "What is your name? Are you a Japanese? How can you speak Chinese?"
The actor was stunned for a moment, and Jin Changhai beside him said displeasedly: "This master asked you something, why didn't you answer it?"
The actor immediately said: "The villain's name is Agui, and he is a pariah from the Owari area of the Japanese country. It was only after I arrived in Korea that a master taught me the etiquette and speech of the previous country. Please don't take offense at the indecency."
These words were said with sincerity and fear, but they were quite fluent. It seemed that they had been practiced many times. Jinchang Hai then explained: "Master Xu, before coming to see His Majesty the Emperor, Xiaobang sent officials to teach these people the etiquette of the Celestial Dynasty.
"
Xu Tianqi nodded. He didn't know why. Looking at this ordinary-looking actor, he always felt a little uneasy. In the past, he only felt like this when he was performing the most dangerous tasks. Xu Tianqi couldn't help but think of just now.
According to the situation reported by Yang Shangfeng, will something happen today?