Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 363 Canonization
Naha Port, at noon, the sun is blazing, and the port shore is bustling with people.

Three sealed ships slowly came from the sea and were soon towed into the harbor by small boats.

The blue sun and moon flags were hung on all the sealed ships, and the one in the middle was hoisted with two huge dragon flags. The sea breeze blew, and the golden dragon flags fluttered on the bow.

In front of the port is a long oyster stone embankment, which extends from the port into the sea.
At the end of the long levee, dozens of wooden boats were connected by iron chains, and wooden planks on the boats were connected to form a floating platform on the sea.
As the sealed ship approached the pontoon, cheers immediately erupted from the crowd on the beach.
Ryukyu was an isolated island, and the Ming Dynasty's enthronement was a grand event that only occurred once every ten years. Many Ryukyu people could only see the enthronement ceremony once or twice in their entire lives.
At this time, not only were the shores outside Naha Port filled with onlookers, but the sea outside the port was also filled with small boats, with red flags flying on the shore, all of which were Ryukyu people who came to watch the excitement.

The sealed ship was pulled by the boat and stopped at the edge of the platform. Then, teams of soldiers in red cotton armor walked down from the sealed ship.
Two hundred soldiers in red armor stepped over the floating platform and quickly walked up the stone steps to the embankment. Once they were on the embankment, they lined up in two rows, holding their swords and guns.
"As expected of the Celestial Empire, how can we, the lower nations, ever see such majestic heavenly soldiers?"

The midday sun shone, and the copper nails on the soldiers' cotton armor reflected a burst of golden light. The onlookers looked at the soldiers standing solemnly on the embankment, all with expressions of admiration.
The people on the shore crowded forward to see the heavenly soldiers. Some even jumped into small boats and sailed out to the sea to watch.

On the embankment, a group of officials from the Ryukyu Kingdom were already waiting on the shore.

The leader was Ryukyu Regent Shang Sheng, followed by three judicial officials, Xiang Guoqi, Ma Fengxi, and Ma Jiamei, as well as Purple Gold Doctor Cai Jian and Zhongyi Doctor Jin Zhengchun, who were also wearing bright red official robes and standing in front of the crowd.

The people on the shore looked excited, but the regent Shang Sheng, who was waiting on the shore, saw the soldiers on the embankment with guns and swords, and his expression changed slightly.
Although Kumejima had previously reported to the court that the sea route was unstable and that the Ming envoys had brought some soldiers with them, the report did not say that there were so many soldiers in the envoys.
At this time, there were no less than 200 soldiers on the dike. They stood on both sides of the dike with guns in hand. The tips of their fine iron guns shone coldly in the sun, making people feel cold just by looking at them.

Xiang Guoqi and other Ryukyu officials also realized something was wrong. Even if they wanted to show off their power, the Ming delegation had too many soldiers. Two hundred elite soldiers in full armor were enough to dominate the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Shang Sheng called the waiter beside him and whispered
"Go to Qinglong Pavilion immediately and inform the prince of the situation of the delegation. The Ming delegation is quite unusual this time. It would be best for the prince to prepare more gifts."

After giving instructions to the attendant, Shang Sheng looked at Cai Jian behind him.
Shang Sheng's face darkened and he was about to ask, but at this moment, the soldiers on the ship had all disembarked, and a group of people in blue and red official robes finally walked down from the sealed ship.

Shang Sheng saw the Ming envoy on the floating platform and had to give up temporarily. He ordered the officials around him to organize the team and prepare to welcome the envoy.
Two hundred soldiers in red armor stood apart, forming a red passage several hundred meters long on the levee.
Zhu Zhiyu walked up the embankment in a red official robe with a crane-shaped head. A group of Ryukyu officials looked at Zhu Zhiyu, who was walking slowly under the protection of swords and spears, with awe on their faces.

Zhu Zhiyu was a fourth-rank official, but according to court practice, in order to show the majesty of the upper state, all ministers sent on diplomatic missions were given high-ranking court robes.

As long as you are the chief envoy of the delegation, even if you are only a ninth-rank official, you can wear a first-rank or even super-rank official robe. Zhu Zhiyu is wearing a first-rank crane court robe.
When Shang Sheng saw Zhu Zhiyu and the others coming, he immediately stepped forward and said respectfully:

"The Prime Minister of Ryukyu is still prosperous and has met the angel of the upper country"

Shang Sheng bowed and saluted after he finished speaking, and the three officials, Xiang Guoqi and others, followed Shang Sheng and bowed and saluted.

"My Lords, please stand up. No need to be polite."

Zhu Zhiyu ordered all the Ryukyu officials to stand up, then he looked at Shang Sheng in front of him and said

"A few days ago, news reached the island that the Ryukyu Kingdom had already prepared for the enthronement ceremony."

"The court is ready to receive the decree, and the Crown Prince is already at the Dragon Pavilion to welcome the Zhu Tianshi."

Zhu Zhiyu nodded and was about to walk forward. On the seawall behind him, two hundred soldiers were lined up in two teams, holding up dragon flags and cards in their hands, and followed closely.
Shang Sheng looked at the fully armed soldiers and said

"Angel Zhu, are these, these heavenly soldiers also going to enter the city together?"

"The national school has prepared the ceremonial guards. The weather is hot, so why not let the heavenly soldiers of the upper country find a place to rest for a while, and the national school can take care of the ceremonial guards."

Although Shang Sheng was not familiar with military affairs and could not judge whether these people were just show-offs or truly capable elites, he instinctively did not want to let these armored soldiers enter the city.
Under the control of the Japanese, the Ryukyu Kingdom still had a military establishment, but these people were completely unfit for use. After these two hundred soldiers entered the city, if they had a dispute with others in the city, the country would be unable to deal with it.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhiyu also said directly

"These people are all ceremonial guards appointed by the court. They need to accompany us to complete the various canonization ceremonies. What's wrong? Is there any problem in the country?"

"Absolutely no problem. It is only natural for the emperor's ceremonial guards to accompany him. It is only natural for him to accompany him."

Shang Sheng looked at Zhu Zhiyu's expressionless face, and his heart tightened. He immediately answered

"In that case, let's get going. Don't keep the prince waiting for too long."

After Zhu Zhiyu finished speaking, he walked forward, followed by Lin Risheng and other members of the delegation.
Shang Sheng hesitated for a moment, but he didn't dare to stop them. He signaled to the Ryukyu officials behind him, and quickly followed to lead the way for the delegation ahead.

These envoys from the upper countries have always acted arrogantly, and the Ming Dynasty used armored soldiers as ceremonial guards to show its power. Shang Sheng really couldn't find a suitable reason to stop them. It was not appropriate to provoke these Ming Dynasty envoys at this time.

Shang Sheng led the way, and the group soon arrived at the Qinglong Pavilion outside the port. At this time, a young man in his twenties was already waiting in the pavilion in court robes. This man was the current Ryukyu Crown Prince Shang Zhi.
The new king of Ryukyu cannot be crowned as king before he is enthroned by the Central Plains. Shang Zhi's brother is the previous king of Ryukyu, Shang Xian.
During Shangxian's six years on the throne, the Central Plains was in chaos. As he had not been able to receive the title from the Ming court, Shangxian was only a crown prince and never became a king until his death.

In the Qinglong Pavilion, Shang Zhi saw Zhu Zhiyu wearing the official robe of the crane and immediately knelt down to salute.
"The Crown Prince of Ryukyu, Shang Zhi, meets the angel of the upper country"

"The Great Ming Envoy for the Conferment of Titles, Chief Censor Zhu Zhiyu, greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Zhiyu also bowed and saluted. This was the status of the Ming Dynasty among the surrounding countries at that time. There was a reason for this incident, so the envoy was a fourth-rank official like Zhu Zhiyu.
According to the convention, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty who were sent to confer titles on various countries were usually only seventh-rank officials or editors of the Hanlin Academy. However, no matter what the envoys' original status was, as long as they entered the country, the new king of Ryukyu would kneel down to greet them.

In the Qinglong Pavilion, after the two parties had saluted, Zhu Zhiyu, Shang Zhi and others set out again surrounded by the crowd.
At this time, the welcoming team on the post road was getting bigger and bigger. Zhu Zhiyu and Shang Ning were in the front, followed by the Ryukyu officials, and behind them were two hundred armored Ming soldiers.

Nearly a thousand people arranged by Ryukyu were clearing the way ahead, and the people behind were gathered to watch.
On the post road, the welcoming team stretched for five or six miles. There were colorful flags on both sides of the road, and the sound of gongs and drums was extremely lively.
The group left the Qinglong Pavilion and walked forward for a while before arriving at the Ying'en Pavilion.
Outside the Ying'en Pavilion, there were already ceremonial guards and musicians standing, and inside the pavilion, an incense table had been set up.
Zhu Zhiyu walked into the pavilion, took out the imperial edict from the servant beside him, and placed it on the table.
At this time, Shang Zhi and other Ryukyu officials were organizing the court procession outside the Ying'en Pavilion. Shang Zhi was in the front, followed by the Regent Shang Sheng, who led all the Ryukyu officials. After all the Ryukyu officials stood still, Shang Zhi walked into the Ying'en Pavilion alone.
In the Ying'en Pavilion, Zhu Zhiyu stood in front of the incense table, while Shang Zhi knelt on the cushion and spoke respectfully to the bright yellow imperial edict enshrined above.

"May the Emperor be well and healthy"

Shang Zhi knelt three times and kowtowed nine times inside the pavilion, while Shang Sheng, who was outside the pavilion, led Xiang Guoqi and other Ryukyu officials to also shout greetings and then kneel down to salute.
Inside and outside the Ying'en Pavilion, Shang Zhi and all the Ryukyu officials knelt down and saluted. After they finished kneeling three times and kowtowed nine times, Zhu Zhiyu, who was sitting in front of the incense table, also spoke up.

"May the Holy Spirit be at peace," Zhu Zhiyu answered, and the process of welcoming the angel came to an end. Zhu Zhiyu asked for the imperial edict with both hands, and asked someone to prepare it. Shang Zhi and others also stood up from the ground.
After Shang Zhi stood up, he had time to look around. He looked behind him, but his face was slightly stern.

Behind the court officials, two hundred Ming soldiers in armor held flags and stood motionless in the rear.

At this time, the ceremony was over, and the surrounding officials and people, as well as the Ryukyu Shuri Army who were maintaining order, were all excited and whispered to each other.

There was a mess outside the Ying'en Pavilion, but the hundreds of Ming soldiers seemed to be oblivious to the chaos. They just stood there in silence, out of tune with the surroundings.
The sun was shining brightly at this time, and Shang Zhi could even see the sweat dripping down the faces of the soldiers in front of him, but none of the two hundred soldiers moved, just standing there like a reef.

Shang Zhi looked at the soldiers holding guns under the scorching sun and became nervous.
Although Kumejima had experienced the identities of these envoys, the style of the delegation sent by the Ming Dynasty this time was very different from the previous ones.
Every time the Ming Dynasty's envoys came to confer titles on the new king, they would not only bring the edict of conferring the title to the new king, but also the imperial edict of posthumous sacrifices to the previous king.

According to the custom of the previous dynasty, after the envoys arrived, the country would first hold a sacrifice ceremony for the previous king, and then enthrone the new king. The sacrifice came before the enthronement, which was called respect, and it was used to encourage filial piety in the world.

However, after the delegation arrived at Kume, they sent a message to the country, informing them that the enthronement process would be changed.
The delegation requested that the ceremony of enthroning the new king be held directly after entering the city on the grounds that Shangxian had not submitted a memorial to the court and the court had not issued an order to posthumously commemorate Shangxian.
In fact, Shangxian did not submit a memorial to the court. The memorial Shangxian submitted was addressed to Emperor Longwu, not to the Regent Gui of the Guangdong court. Since there was no request, the court would naturally not confer the title.

Moreover, Shangxian's memorial was taken away by the Qing court when Mao Taijiu and others met Zhang Cunren, so it was even more impossible for the court to recognize Shangxian's request for a title.
However, the fact that Mao Taijiu and others secretly surrendered to the Qing Dynasty had already been suppressed by Zhu Zhiyu and others, and the Ryukyu Kingdom did not know about it at this time.

Although Ryukyu was isolated overseas, it had also heard about the chaos in the Central Plains. In just a few years, the Ming Dynasty had changed several courts, just as far as Ryukyu knew.

The situation in the Central Plains was complicated at this time. The envoys sent by the Ming Dynasty first changed the enthronement process, and then suddenly brought so many soldiers to enthronize. How could Shang Zhi not be nervous?
Shang Zhi exhaled lightly, winked at his uncle Ma Zongyi, and then walked up to Zhu Zhiyu and said

"Lord Zhu has traveled across the ocean to bring the imperial decree to the country. It is really hard work. The country has prepared a few ceremonies. Please accept them with a smile."

As Shang Zhi finished speaking, Ma Zongyi came forward with a tray containing twenty small gold ingots.

Whether the Ming envoys arrived or left, the Ryukyu Kingdom would present a gift of silver. This was something the imperial court knew, and the imperial court would not prevent the envoys from collecting these silver gifts.

According to past practice, the initial gift of silver to welcome the envoys should be 100 taels. After seeing the soldiers in the delegation, Shang Zhi decisively doubled the amount of silver.

Zhu Zhiyu looked at the gold ingots on the tray with a calm expression and said

"I have followed the imperial court's order and crossed the ocean to carry out the mission for the purpose of spreading the emperor's virtues to the boundless world and maintaining my loyalty as a minister without disgrace."

"I came here to increase the power of the Heavenly Dynasty. How can I take advantage of it? Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness. Please take back the gold and silver."

Shang Zhi looked at Zhu Zhiyu with a serious expression, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. There were also envoys who came to Ryukyu in the past dynasties who were upright and honest and would not take a single gold coin, but there were only one or two such people over the years.
The rest of the envoys were either overtly or covertly seeking profit. At least, as far as Shang Zhi knew, the envoys from the Hongguang and Longwu dynasties in the past few years were like this.
Shang Zhi saw Zhu Zhiyu's refusal and hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether Zhu Zhiyu's words were true or false.
Seeing Shang Zhi standing there in a daze, Wang's uncle Ma Zongyi stepped forward and said:

"Lord Zhu is not moved by profit, he is indeed a gentleman of the upper country. But the ancient sages also said that a gentleman's wealth should be obtained in a proper way."

"The Holy Emperor's virtues are known overseas, and we, the people of our country, also rely on your grace to survive. The Chinese and foreigners all respect you. This ceremony is not only for the angels' hard work, but also a token of our Ryukyu people's gratitude to our country. Please accept it, angel."

Ma Zongyi had a sincere look on his face. The prince was still too young after all. It was customary for envoys to present silver, but how could these envoys easily surrender in front of so many people?

These envoys are all civil officials in the imperial court. If they accept the money like this, will their reputations be preserved when they return?

However, these envoys from the upper countries were indeed helpless. The Ryukyu Kingdom not only had to prepare the silver, but also had to think of a reason to collect the money before sending the silver out.

But the silver had to be sent back. If the silver was really taken back now, the envoys would definitely make things difficult for him when he was conferred the title.

Shang Zhi, who was standing by, also reacted and responded immediately, saying that Zhu Zhiyu must accept the gift of silver.
Zhu Zhiyu glanced at Ma Zongyi, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but Zhu Zhiyu only thought about it for a moment and then said

"Since this is what the people of Ryukyu want, I cannot refuse it."

"In this case, please ask the prince to distribute the gifts to the lonely and widowed people in the country on behalf of our envoys."

"Although these gold and silver cannot help the common people, they are also a token of our gratitude to the people of Ryukyu from the Ming envoys."

Ma Zongyi was also stunned at this time, but before he could speak again, Zhu Zhiyu said

"This matter ends here. The palace can prepare for the enthronement ceremony."

“Already prepared”

"In this case, please set off immediately, Your Majesty. The enthronement ceremony is of great importance, so don't miss the auspicious time."

Shang Zhi saw that Zhu Zhiyu really didn't want a gift, and a trace of respect flashed across his face.

But before he could open his mouth to compliment her, Zhu Zhiyu had already walked out of the pavilion. It was Shang Zhi who was being crowned king, but it seemed that Zhu Zhiyu was even more anxious than Shang Zhi, the man who was about to ascend the throne.

Shang Zhi and Ma Zongyi met and couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. It seems that this time a gentleman has come.

Zhu Zhiyu looked at the Ryukyu officials who were sitting outside the pavilion, and a hint of sternness flashed in his eyes. When the Ryukyu officials gathered for the enthronement ceremony, it would be the best time to inform the Japanese about the garrison. He didn't have time to waste on this now.

(End of this chapter)