Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 356 Envoy
At Guangzhou Sifang Pavilion, Ryukyu Deputy Envoy Jin Yingyuan saw Jin Siyi walk into the hall and immediately stood up to greet him and said

"How about it? Will the court allow us to attend the court on New Year's Day?"

"The cabinet's Lu Ge Lao disapproved. As the New Year is approaching, all government offices have been sealed. The Honglu Temple's Peng Shaoqing only told us to stay in the courtyard and not to disturb us anymore."

Jin Yingyuan looked disappointed, but then he asked again

"What about the tribute ship? Have you found out any accurate information?"

"It has been confirmed that this year's tribute ships were not allowed to enter Fujian Province. They only stayed at the port for two days and were then driven away by the court."

"I heard something from Chief Peng that His Majesty the Regent was furious when he learned about the Fujian Province incident and seemed to be intending to cut off Ryukyu's tribute."

Jin Yingyuan looked at Jin Siyi, whose face was pale, and finally became panicked.

During the Longwu reign, the new king of Ryukyu, Shangxian, ascended the throne and sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty to request the title of
At that time, Emperor Longwu was competing with the Regent of Lu for the title of orthodox. When Emperor Longwu saw that Ryukyu came to the court to ask for a title, he was very happy and sent people directly to Ryukyu to announce the succession of the Longwu court.

After receiving the imperial edict in Ryukyu, King Shangxian learned that the Longwu Dynasty was re-established, so he sent his uncle Mao Taijiu as the chief envoy and the chief secretary Jin Siyi as the deputy envoy to lead the tribute ship to the Ming Dynasty again to ask for the title of emperor.
The first time Emperor Longwu sent an envoy to Ryukyu, he only announced Longwu's succession to the throne, but did not directly confer the title of Shangxian.

The reason why the Longwu Dynasty ordered Shangxian to send people to the court again to ask for the title was to establish its own orthodox status.
The Longwu court first went to Ryukyu to announce the decree. After the Ryukyu Dynasty received the decree, it would become a vassal state of the Longwu court. At this time, Ryukyu sent envoys to ask the Longwu court for a title.

After such an operation, the Ming Dynasty's legal system could be transferred from Chongzhen Hongguang to the Longwu court.
But when Mao Taijiu and his party arrived in Fujian Province, they found that Emperor Longwu had been killed by the Qing army, and the Ryukyu delegation that came to pay tribute was also in chaos.
Mao Taijiu and his entourage went to the Ming Dynasty to ask for the title of King Shangxian, and to complete the tribute trade with the Ming Dynasty.
The Ryukyu delegation brought with them a large amount of Japanese products and silver, waiting to purchase various silk products from Fujian Province and transport them back to Ryukyu. For the delegation, the latter was even more important than the former.

If they fail to get the title once, they can still ask for it again later. But if they cannot successfully complete the sea trade, they will probably be taken to Satsuma and punished immediately after returning to Ryukyu.
The custom of sending envoys to Ryukyu is that there are usually only two envoys, the chief envoy Mao Taijiu and the deputy envoy Jin Siyi.
But at this time, there was an extra deputy envoy, Jin Yingyuan, in the delegation.
Although Jin Yingyuan was the deputy envoy in name, he was actually the chief envoy sent by Ryukyu four years ago.
In the Jiashen year, Jin Yingyuan was sent to the Ming Dynasty as the chief envoy of Ryukyu. However, when Jin Yingyuan arrived in Fujian Province, Emperor Chongzhen had already been killed.
Jin Yingyuan stayed in Fujian for several months when he suddenly received news that Emperor Hongguang had established his government in Nanjing. He immediately went to Nanjing to pay tribute.
The reason why Jin Yingyuan was so eager to meet Emperor Hongguang was not because Ryukyu was so submissive to the Ming Dynasty, but also to continue the tribute trade with the Ming court.

Emperor Hongguang was very happy when a Ryukyu delegation came to pay homage to him just after he came to power.

Emperor Hongguang directly approved the Ryukyu delegation's request to lift the ban on white silk trade, and at the same time instructed officials in Fujian Province to properly complete the Ryukyu tribute trade.

However, just as Jin Yingyuan and others received the imperial edict, the Hongguang court was quickly destroyed by the Qing court. Even the Hongguang emperor was gone, and the previously promised tribute was naturally not followed up.
Jin Yingyuan stayed in Fujian for several months, but suddenly heard that Emperor Longwu had established his government in Fuzhou, so Jin Yingyuan immediately led his people to Fuzhou to pay homage to the new emperor.
After meeting Jin Yingyuan, Emperor Longwu was overjoyed, just like Emperor Hongguang, and ordered officials from Fujian Province to cooperate with the Ryukyu delegation to complete the tribute trade.
Jin Yingyuan spent two years in the Ming court, and finally saw the tribute coming. However, he could not have expected that the newly established Longwu court of the Ming Dynasty would only last for a few months before it was conquered by the Qing court again.

After the Qing troops entered Fujian, the province was in chaos. Officials from all over Fujian fled or surrendered. Naturally, no one cared about Jin Yingyuan and other so-called Ryukyu envoys anymore.
Mao Taijiu and his companions arrived in Fujian Province at this time and joined Jin Yingyuan and his companions.

The Longwu court was gone, so naturally there was no way to ask for the title anymore. However, Mao Taijiu and others did not dare to return to Ryukyu.

Tribute trade is no longer just a matter for the Ryukyu Islands. Trade between the Ming and Ryukyu Islands has been interrupted for several years, and Japan has lost its patience.
Mao Taijiu and his companions came to Daming this time, also carrying a large amount of goods and silver. If they did not purchase enough goods, they would not dare to go back.

Since the Jiashen Rebellion, Jin Yingyuan saw that the Ming Dynasty had destroyed three emperors in a few years, and he also believed that the Ming Dynasty might no longer exist.

After discussing with Mao Taijiu, Jin Yingyuan made a decision that went against their ancestors.
The people of Ryukyu decided to betray the Ming Dynasty and go to the capital to pay homage to the Qing emperor and continue the tribute trade.

After the fall of Nanjing, Jin Yingyuan did not choose to surrender to the Qing court, but led the Ryukyu delegation directly back to Fujian Province.

The Ming Dynasty and Ryukyu had been vassal states for hundreds of years, and Ryukyu was proud of its status as a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. If some people chose Jin Yingyuan, they would not want to go to the barbarians in the north.

The reason why Jin Yingyuan and others changed their attitude was because the Qing army invaded Fujian Province.

Fujian Province is the key place for the tribute trade between Ryukyu and the Central Plains. If Fujian Province is lost, the tribute trade between Ryukyu and Ming Dynasty will no longer exist. This is something that Ryukyu can never accept at this time.

Jin Yingyuan and his entourage raised their flag and went to Fuzhou to meet Zhang Cunren, the governor of Fujian Province of the Qing Dynasty.

After Zhang Cunren learned of Jin Yingyuan and others' intentions, he naturally attached great importance to it and immediately decided to send people to escort the Ryukyu delegation to Beijing.

Although the Qing Dynasty had occupied most of the Central Plains, it was still regarded as a barbarian outside the Great Wall in the eyes of the world. Compared with the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty needed tribute from Ryukyu to confirm its orthodox status.

After meeting Zhang Cunren, Jin Yingyuan and his companions prepared to go to Beijing. However, before they set out, the Ming army suddenly defeated the Qing invaders in Fujian Province.
After the Ming army captured Fuzhou, Zhang Cunren and other Qing officials fled north in panic. Jin Yingyuan and others were also captured by the Ming army in the Fuzhou government office.
Jin Yingyuan was sent as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty in Jiashen year. During this period, he went through wars for several years and eventually turned himself from a good Ryukyu envoy into a prisoner. This experience is indeed lamentable.

Jin Yingyuan looked at Jin Siyi, who looked pale, and said in a deep voice, "The tribute issue concerns the survival of Ryukyu. We must not allow the tribute issue to be abolished."

Jin Siyi's face was also sad when he heard this. How could he not know the importance of tribute?

The three major samurai clans of Ryukyu: the Shuri samurai clan is a close descendant of the royal family, the Naha samurai clan is a local noble clan, and the rest are the Kume samurai clan.
In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang moved 36 surnames of Fujian people to Kume Island in Ryukyu. This was the origin of the Kume samurai clan. Due to the special relationship with the Ming Dynasty, the Ryukyu court's tribute affairs were always controlled by the Kume samurai clan.
Kim Eung-won and Kim Sa-yi were both from the Kim family, a prominent Kume clan. Several decades ago, during the Salyu War, the Kume clan suffered heavy losses due to their support for the Ming Dynasty, and their power in the court had greatly declined.
If the Ming Dynasty cut off the tribute to Ryukyu at this time, the status of the Kume clan in Ryukyu would probably plummet, and they would not even have the last bit of room to stay in the court.
The reason why Jin Yingyuan and others cared so much about paying tribute was not only for the Ryukyu court, but also for their own family status and family business.

Jin Siyi was about to speak, but at this moment, footsteps were heard outside the room. Soon, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe and slightly fat walked into the room with brisk steps.
Mao Taijiu held a stack of newspapers in his hand, with a look of joy on his face. He entered the room and said

"My guess was right. There is indeed another update before the New Year. My two brothers Jin, Hengxiang Sanren had a new serial the day before yesterday."

Seeing Mao Taijiu's delighted face, Jin Yingyuan was furious and shouted:

"Master Mao, the imperial court is very likely to stop paying tribute to Ryukyu. If tribute is stopped, the situation of Ryukyu will be disastrous."

"Mr. Mao is the chief envoy, shouldering important responsibilities for the government and the people. How can you be so distracted by trivial matters at this time?"

Mao Taijiu's expression froze when he heard this, and the smile on his face disappeared.
Mao Taijiu looked at the two people who were glaring at him, but his face was calm, and he said

"What if we cut it off? What if we don't cut it off?"

"That day, we were captured by the heavenly soldiers of the upper country in Fuzhou City. Since then, we have been powerless."

"Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. If the upper country is willing to show mercy, then we will have a glimmer of hope. If Your Highness wants to punish us, we will have no way out."

"We are all under arrest now, and we cannot even leave this building. What can the two adults do if they struggle now?"

Jin Yingyuan was even more dissatisfied when he heard Mao Taijiu's dejected words. Mao Taijiu saw that Jin Yingyuan was about to speak again, but he waved his hand to stop him and said

"Okay, let's end this matter here. I don't want to argue with Brother Jin anymore."

"Brother Jin, if you have any tricks, please do it. Even if Brother Jin wants the position of the envoy, I will give it to you without any complaints."

After Mao Taijiu finished speaking, his expression became lazy again. Mao Taijiu grabbed a piece of dragon beard cake from the table and stuffed it into his mouth, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
"The food in China is really exquisite. I could never eat such exquisite pastries in China before."

"This clerk is just too greedy. He dares to ask you for half a tael of silver for a few copies of the newspaper. Do you really think you don't know the market price of newspapers?"

Seeing the lazy look on Mao Taijiu's face, Jin Yingyuan was also furious. Mao Taijiu saw Jin Yingyuan's expression and said directly

"The New Year is approaching, Brother Jin, please calm down for now and just think of it as my fault."

"My homeland is thousands of miles away and my hometown accent is hard to hear. I originally wanted to buy a new newspaper and enjoy poetry and wine with you two brothers to celebrate the festival, but now it seems that you two are not in the mood for this."

"Since you two brothers don't want to read it, I will go back to my room."

Mao Taijiu picked up the newspaper on the table and was about to go back to his room, but before Mao Taijiu could get up, Jin Yingyuan snatched the newspaper and said fiercely
"Who said we wouldn't read it? The Xingming Times often publishes news about the developments in the upper court. There might be a chance for us to turn things around. How can we not read this important information?"

Jin Yingyuan grabbed the newspaper and split it into two pieces. Jin Yingyuan glanced at the supplement at the bottom and found that the latest issue of "Swordsman" had indeed been published.
Jin Yingyuan put the original publication aside, took a piece of cake, and then began to read with tea and cake.

Although the tribute was a big deal, they had already been imprisoned in Guangzhou for two years and there was no rush.

Besides, it was New Year's Eve now, so what if he enjoyed himself? They couldn't do anything about the tribute anyway. So, why not see what happened to Junior Sister Yi Lin?
In the inn, Jin Yingyuan and other Ryukyu envoys completely rested for the New Year. However, a sudden imperial decree half a month later completely disrupted the two-year peaceful life of the Ryukyu people.

(End of this chapter)