Qin Kan still felt quite guilty for this young Japanese prince.
Even Qin Kan himself had to admit that in fact, the Japanese did not recruit him or provoke him. Not only that, but they were respectful and courteous to him. Both his attitude and etiquette were impeccable. It was a typical vassal of a weak country to pay respect to the great king of heaven. However, what Qin Kan did was indeed a bit excessive. He transferred the hatred from the previous life to this life, and those hatreds never happened in this life.
Since you feel you are wrong, you should correct it. Qin Kan can be unreasonable sometimes, but he will not always be unreasonable. Since the Japanese prince has done nothing wrong, Qin Kan will certainly not target him for no reason.
That being said, I still felt a little awkward in my heart. I cupped my hands in a perfunctory manner and smiled at the young Prince Zhiren, which was regarded as an apology for what happened yesterday. As for whether His Highness the Prince saw any apology from his smile, Qin I can't control it. Since it is a heavenly country, it must have the attitude of a heavenly country.
Zhou Jing accompanied Prince Zhiren to the door today, which acted as a lubricant. Seeing that no one in the front hall spoke, Zhou Jing coughed twice and started to smooth things over.
"Mr. Qin, yesterday Prince Chihito of Japan came to the Rites Department Yamen. He said" Zhou Jing's seemingly dim eyes blinked, and he quickly decided his position and continued: "He said that he visited on behalf of the Emperor of Japan yesterday. The prince, however, offended the prince because the feudal vassal had turned into a barbarian country and foreign countries did not understand the etiquette of our dynasty. Therefore, His Royal Highness was frightened and found the yamen of the Ministry of Rites. On the face of the minister, I turned my hostility into friendship with His Highness the Prince"
As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Zhiren, who could understand Chinese, was startled, and then his fair face quickly turned red. He stared angrily at Zhou Jing, his nostrils constantly flaring and shrinking as if he was Kang.
Even Qin Kan was surprised by Zhou Jing's words. The old man blushed and started humming.
Mr. Qin, who was well aware of the darkness in the officialdom, could not help but feel aggrieved for the Japanese prince at this moment. This official of the Ming Dynasty is too dark
Prince Zhiren, who had seen the darkness of the Heavenly Kingdom for the first time, was obviously not used to it. After all, he was too young, and his emotions and anger were so obvious that he couldn't hide them at all. He blushed and sat on the chair for a long time, trying to get angry but didn't dare. . I want to endure it but feel aggrieved.
Qin Kan watched His Highness the Prince change his face with great interest. He turned his eyes slightly and met Zhou Jing's eyes. Zhou Jing curled up the corner of his mouth, picked up the tea cup and began to taste it silently. The old man's Qi-nurturing skills were obviously better than Zhiren's. The prince is higher by an unknown number of levels. After saying some confusing words, his face was not red, his heart was not beating, he was not out of breath, his eyes were half-closed and he was smacking his lips, as if he was savoring the supreme flavor of the tea, with a ethereal expression that he was about to attain enlightenment and immortality.
Zhou Jing was certainly not a fool for being able to live peacefully to the age of seventy. Although the Japanese mission to Beijing to pay tribute was a grand event for the country, Japan was just a barbarian vassal after all. It was impossible for him to offend the most popular prince of the day for a Japanese prince who could not be beaten. Duke. Any normal person knows which side to take.
I don¡¯t know how long I struggled in my heart, but Prince Chiren finally decided to endure it. He did not forget that this trip to the Ming Dynasty was with the mission of the Japanese royal family. For this mission, the royal family can endure everything and even sacrifice everything.
"Your Excellency, Mr. Ning Guogong, yesterday I, Tai Meng Lang, did not know the etiquette of the foreign vassal state and offended you. Please accept my most sincere apology!"
After saying that, Prince Zhiren suddenly stood up. He knelt down heavily facing Qin Kan and kowtowed three times.
Qin Kan originally wanted to make a joke and expose this immoral thing, like the Japanese textbooks of later generations, neither admitting nor apologizing. However, since Prince Chiren endured the humiliation and took the responsibility on himself, Qin Kan certainly had no objection.
"Your Highness, you're welcome. Well, I've accepted your gift. Well, I've also accepted your apology. Let's just be clear. Never use those rags again no, those generous gifts to corrupt our country. Sir, please remember." Qin Kanpi responded with a smile, then suddenly picked up the tea cup and took a symbolic sip, then stood up and brushed the hem of his python robe, as if to see off guests.
Prince Zhiren was anxious when he saw this. He endured all the hardships, knelt down and gave gifts. He did so many tricks just to have a good talk with the most powerful minister in the Ming Dynasty, but the rhythm in front of him was completely beyond his control. What he expected.
"My vassal is being impolite. Please wait for a moment, Your Excellency. I have something to ask of Your Excellency." Prince Chiren begged urgently.
Qin Kan frowned and glanced at Zhou Jing unconsciously.
Zhou Jing is a seasoned veteran after all. When he saw this, he hurriedly smiled and said: "This official is the minister of the Ministry of Rites. I only ask about Chinese and foreign etiquette."I don¡¯t want anyone else to interrupt. I saw that the pavilion and waterside pavilion in the front yard of Mr. Qin was quite elegant. I wonder if I could let him take a look at it? "
Qin Kan cast an admiring look at him. The old man was really sensible. If he hadn't seen that he was too old and was about to retire, Qin Kan would have really thought about recruiting him.
Immediately, he ordered the housekeeper to take Zhou Jing to the front yard to pretend to enjoy the scenery. Only Qin Kan and Prince Zhiren were left in the huge front hall.
Qin Kan took a sip of tea slowly and said with a smile: "I wonder what your Highness the Prince wants from me?"
Prince Chiren finally got the opportunity to talk face-to-face with the dignitaries of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, he did not talk nonsense and went straight to the topic: "I believe your Excellency, the Duke of the Kingdom of Japan knows that our country has been at war for hundreds of years. The major names have supported themselves and conquered each other. , successive years of war have made the people in the country miserable, and the influence of the royal family is gradually weakening. This time, the ministers came to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. One of them was to pay homage to the dragon face of the Khan of Heaven and feel the holy light. The other was to represent the Japanese royal family to seek help from the overlord of China and the Ming Dynasty. For the sake of a century-old vassal, please help the Kashiwahara royal family in Japan. Please, Your Excellency!"
Qin Kan sighed secretly in his heart, and he was indeed here.
"Japan is indeed a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. It was designated as one of the fifteen non-conquering countries as early as the Hongwu period. However, Your Highness, with all due respect, Japan has rarely paid tribute since Yongle and has cut off all contact with the Ming Dynasty. A hundred years later, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too snobbish to send an envoy to Beijing this time to ask for help as soon as you meet him? I don¡¯t usually burn incense and just do it temporarily. Why should I, the Ming Dynasty, help you?¡±
There was no one else in the front hall, so Qin Kan spoke very rudely, with an aggressive edge.
Prince Chihito looked ashamed and said: "Please forgive the disrespect of the Japanese royal family, it is rude!"
Qin Kan waved his hand and said: "You should tell our Emperor about this. I am just a minister of the Ming Dynasty and am not qualified to accept your apology. Having said that, what do you mean by 'asking for help'?"
Prince Zhiren was shocked, suddenly showed joy, and said hurriedly: "I would like to ask Your Majesty the Duke to persuade His Majesty Tian Khan to sell to our Japanese royal family no, to give the Ming Dynasty some firearms and gunpowder, some swords and shields, and Borrow one million dollars"
Qin Kan's brows furrowed more and more as he listened. Firearms, ordnance, and loans. The ambitions of the Japanese royal family were not small. They could hardly survive their own life. They and Ming actually dared to speak loudly without fear of flashing their tongues. Probably It has been bullied miserably by the famous names in the country for more than a hundred years. If these things are given to the Japanese royal family, there is hope for the royal family to be revitalized, but who knows whether Ming Dynasty will raise a white-eyed wolf?
Qin Kan shook his head and said: "Your Highness, your request is really not simple. Do you think I, Daming, will agree to it?"
Prince Zhiren didn't know where the courage came from. He suddenly raised his head and looked directly at Qin Kan, and said plausibly: "Your Excellency, I remember that the Ming Dynasty had established rules as early as the Hongwu Year when the world's etiquette system was established. All overseas vassal countries, every In three years, they sent envoys to the capital to pay tribute to the emperor, but the vassal states of Korea and Annan paid tribute to the emperor three or even four times a year. Why? Because the Ming Dynasty returned rich gifts, and each vassal state could exchange a cart of rice for a cart of gold and silver. Therefore, the vassal states saw that they were profitable, so they paid tribute several times a year. However, in Japan, due to the weak imperial family and difficult life, we stopped paying tribute for a hundred years. Now we have finally restored diplomatic relations and only made some demands to the suzerain. Your Excellency, however, categorically rejects me? You treat Annan of Korea as if you were your own nephew, but you treat me, Japan, as if you have abandoned your shoes. I dare to ask Your Excellency, why is this so?"