Fu Shanhe

Chapter 341 Mission Case

Honglu Temple Yamen.

"Are you the envoys sent by Annan?"

Wen Siyuan asked casually.

As the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he had received hundreds of foreign envoys and had long since summed up a set of experience.

The more polite one is to foreign envoys, the more these people will try to curry favor with them, and they will easily cause trouble in the capital.

On the contrary, receiving them with a cold face is more likely to make them feel awe.

Therefore, every time a foreign delegation arrived, his first job was to teach these people a lesson and teach them the rules of the capital.

If someone doesn't listen to advice and insists on running out to cause trouble, Dayulv is not a pushover.

The vassal states are not qualified to ask for extraterritoriality from Dayu.

"If you want to reply to the superior, it's us!"

The old man bowed and replied.

When I was in my hometown of Thang Long, the emperor was far away and I could brag as much as I wanted.

It is better to behave properly when entering the capital of Dayu.

There were more than one or two envoys who were killed by Dayu for not following the rules.

"Humph!"

"You are so brave!"

"The previous King of Annan passed away. The Crown Prince of Annan dared to ascend the throne without the approval of the court. Did he take Dayu seriously?"

Wen Siyuan asked sternly.

When power in the vassal states changes, Dayu has a very strong say.

The new king’s rule will only be legitimate if he obtains the title from Emperor Dayu.

Considering that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and that an early succession to the throne would put an end to the petty thoughts of others, Dayu generally would not take this too seriously.

The main reason is that the mountains are high and the roads are long. With the current communication efficiency, Dayu cannot be the first to know what happens in the vassal state.

If we really want to deal with it seriously, with so many vassal states, Dayu will have to use foreign troops every year.

However, this time it was an exception. Someone had informed him in advance and asked him to entertain the Annan delegation well.

One has to give face to the bigwigs in the court, which is why he makes things difficult for himself within his authority.

"Sir, we are wronged!
Our country is only temporarily taking over the throne and presiding over state affairs, and there is absolutely no intention of disrespect."

An Shuhuai hurriedly explained.

Disrespecting the suzerain state is a serious crime punishable by death.

Although Annan had long since broken away from Dayu's control, and the King of Annan even called himself the Emperor of Dai Viet in the country, these could not be discussed openly.

Countless Annan kings throughout history have clamored for a northern expedition, but few have dared to put it into practice.

At most, when it came time to pay tribute, they would find excuses to get away with it.

For major events like the succession of royal power, the emperor of Dayu still had to be consulted to confer the title.

Without this legal formality, the throne would not be secure.

If one day his subordinates rebel, it will be a ready-made excuse.

As he spoke, An Shuhuai quickly and quietly handed over a stack of banknotes.

This is the experience summed up by successive envoys: when encountering trouble, just send money and feed the officials of Dayu, then subsequent troubles will not be troubles anymore.

"That's it!"

"Since you are sensible, I will take the responsibility for this matter.

Bring out the letter of credence. I will submit a memorial to Your Majesty tomorrow to request a title for the King of Annan."

Wen Siyuan said with a smile, "For the sake of the banknotes."

As the Dayu Dynasty gradually declined, the number of envoys from vassal states coming to pay tribute also decreased, resulting in a sharp drop in the income of the Honglu Temple.

In this context, it is natural to treat the financial backers with a friendly attitude.

"Sir Wen, as soon as we came in, our luggage was kept by the yamen runners.

The letter of credence is also among them, do you see?"

Seeing that Wen Siyuan's attitude had softened, An Shuhuai became a lot bolder.

He filed a complaint without making a sound, venting out the grievances he had suffered before.

"Bastard!"

"The people below are so ignorant, how could they treat the envoy so rudely.

Lord An, don't worry. I will give you justice in this matter.

Zhu Qi, quickly have your men deliver the letter of credence and return the delegation's luggage as well."

Wen Siyuan immediately gave the order.

But those who are familiar with him know that he is acting.

If you want to put on a good show, someone needs to play both the good guy and the bad guy.

Scolding subordinates is nothing more than a way to appease the delegation.

If you really want to punish a crime, you should punish him directly, instead of just saying "you bastard" and being done with it.

"I obey my orders!"

After saying that, Zhu Qi, who was standing behind him, immediately turned around and went to the backyard.

"Your Excellency is not worthy of this. The officers are also following the rules."

Realizing that the situation was not good, An Shuhuai, who was good at observing people's words and expressions, immediately took remedial measures.

“It doesn’t matter, the rules also need to be humane.

However, since Lord An has spoken, this matter will not happen again.

What are you standing there for? Why don't you serve tea?"

Wen Siyuan changed the subject and scolded the clerk outside the door.

Seeing this scene, all the envoys blushed.

Annan has been restless in recent years and has a bad relationship with Dayu. Before they came, they knew that they would be harassed this time.

I never expected that these Dayu officials would go so far as to not even bother to put on a show.

If it weren't for the silver notes, they wouldn't even be able to get a cup of tea in the Honglu Temple.

Just when the atmosphere was awkward, Zhu Qi happened to bring the letter from the country.

"Sir, this is a letter from Annan."

Wen Siyuan took the document and opened it to see the contents, his face changed instantly.

There is no problem with other contents, except that the Prince of Annan called himself the Emperor of Dai Viet.

"Bastard!"

"This is so treasonous. This is bullying our Dayu!"

"Come here, throw these traitors into jail and wait for your majesty's decision!"

Although he noticed that the content of the letter was abnormal, Wen Siyuan still made a decision immediately.

There is only one sun in the sky; this is a matter of principle.

The people of Annam dared to call themselves the emperor of Dai Viet, which showed that they did not take Dai Viet seriously and was a serious political issue.

Regardless of whether it was a careless writing error or an intentional act by the Annan people, as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites he had to stand up at the first opportunity to safeguard the status of the Great Yu Celestial Empire.

"Master Wen, we are wronged!"

Seeing the police coming to arrest people, An Shuhuai and his group hurriedly cried out for justice.

They really couldn't understand how their own national letter could be related to treason.

Before coming, they specially consulted with great scholars in the country to analyze the wording and sentence structure sentence by sentence.

Only after ensuring that everything is foolproof will it be written down, sealed and sealed.

"Injustice?"

"If you want to complain, go back to the Imperial Prison and tell the Imperial Guards.

I have long heard that your country of Annan is restless and often regards itself as the Great Viet Empire. It seems that the rumors are true!"

Wen Siyuan said unhappily.

He didn't care whether the Annamites were wronged or not. The key was that he had to distance himself from the matter.

If I had known these people were capable of causing so much trouble, I should not have taken their money.

Fortunately, everyone in the yamen is our own people. As long as everyone speaks with one voice and denies it, the words of the Annan people cannot be considered as evidence.

"Master Wen, those are all misunderstandings!"

An Shuhuai hurriedly explained.

Deep down, he was extremely panicked at this moment.

The worst situation finally happened.

Compared to rumors, what we fear most is that the rumors are true.

It is an open secret that Annan has always referred to itself as the Dai Viet Empire in official documents.

In the past, the Dayu Dynasty just pretended not to see it.

After all, if things get serious, troops will have to be sent out.

The imperial court was in financial difficulties and had no spare resources, so it provoked a war for the sake of face.

After weighing the pros and cons, everyone tacitly chose to turn a deaf ear and dumb.

But no matter how much you pretend, you can't let anyone come and slap you in the face.

The appearance of the Emperor of Dai Viet in the official letter was a challenge to the sanctity of imperial power, and the imperial court had to respond.

Reason told Wen Siyuan that he had inadvertently fallen into big trouble.

Once the news leaks out, people from all walks of life will be outraged and demand severe punishment for the Kingdom of Annan.

Unfortunately, the current situation of the imperial court was not suitable for a major war. If the hot potato was thrown out from the Honglu Temple, it would inevitably cause a storm.

Thinking of the person who greeted him, Wen Siyuan vaguely realized the truth.

It was not about "entertaining" the Annan delegation, it was clearly about wanting their lives.

It is possible that the letter from the Annan people was also replaced in the Honglu Temple.

After a slight hesitation, Wen Siyuan decisively chose to pretend to be confused.

If the truth behind the scenes is revealed, people will die.

With the information he had in his hands, it would be useless even if it was leaked out, and he couldn't be convicted of any crime.

He is not qualified to participate in the layout of the bigwigs in the court.

As long as you know nothing and handle things according to the court rules, no one can find fault with you.

After capturing the person, Wen Siyuan did not dare to stay for a moment and went straight to the palace to meet the emperor with the letter from the country.

……

In the palace, Emperor Yongning was in a good mood and ate half a bowl more of lunch.

After seeing the letter from Annan brought by Wen Siyuan, my good mood disappeared in an instant.

The King of Annan dared to call himself the emperor, which clearly showed that he did not take him, the Son of Heaven, seriously.

If he is not severely punished and other vassal states follow suit, he will become a historical joke.

The Dayu Dynasty had never suffered such injustice in all these years since its establishment.

"Lord Wen, are you sure the people coming here are from the Annan delegation?"

Emperor Yongning asked with a frown.

At this moment, he really didn't want to start a war.

Even if we want to deal with the Annan people, we have to wait until we have quelled the domestic rebellion and dealt with the northern barbarians.

He now has no interest in Annan, which is thousands of miles away.

"Your Majesty, I have verified their identities again and again, and there is no doubt that they are the Annan delegation.

And from what foreign countries have learned, the previous King of Annan regarded himself as the Emperor of Dai Viet in the country.

Similar information has been mentioned many times in previous memorials from the Guangxi Governor's Office.

The Jinyiwei should also have records and archives.

Considering that the barbarians in foreign countries were not receptive to civilization, the imperial court had never bothered with them.

I never thought that these guys would become more and more daring and actually dare to..."

Wen Siyuan decisively passed the buck.

All government offices at all levels reported the incident, and the imperial court did not bother with the barbarians.

Now that the scandal has come to light, it is no longer the responsibility of the Honglu Temple.

If the emperor were to hold someone accountable, all the government offices would share the blame.

“The Annamites are crazy!

You challenge me, Dayu, and bully us, so you can't even lift your sword?"

After cursing, Emperor Yongning found out with embarrassment that it seemed like the court really couldn't lift a knife now.

The Kingdom of Annan, with an army of 300,000, is also a hegemon in South Asia.

If the imperial court wanted to deal with them, it would have to invest a lot of manpower, financial resources and material resources, and there was no guarantee of a quick victory.

The Dayu Dynasty was already poor, so how could it have the ability to open a new front?

"Your Majesty, I am unaware of this matter.

Perhaps the Annamites saw the rebels wreaking havoc in the southeast and felt that their opportunity had come, so they took the opportunity to come and provoke and test.

It is also possible that the official who wrote the letter was careless and made a mistake accidentally.

Or maybe Annan is in turmoil, with factions fighting each other, and someone wants to use us to get rid of someone in the delegation."

Wen Siyuan analyzed with a serious face.

Those who provoke border conflicts may not necessarily be the Annamites, but may also be a group of nobles.

As a local boss in Beijing, he had too many opportunities to frame the Annan delegation.

It is normal to have several children of noble families working in a government office like the Honglu Temple.

However, he could only think about these things in secret and could not say a word.

The noble group got its start through war, so there is nothing wrong with advocating war.

It is also well documented that the King of Annan proclaimed himself the Emperor of Dai Viet in his country.

No matter how many people were sent to verify, the final conclusion was that the Annamites were committing treason.

In this context, only a fool would speak for the Annamites.

"Humph!"

"Send an order, summon the cabinet and the six ministers to come together to discuss the matter.

Tell the commander of the Imperial Guard to verify as soon as possible whether the King of Annan has proclaimed himself emperor."

Emperor Yongning said coldly.

Deep down in his heart, his dissatisfaction with the Annamites suddenly reached its peak.

He was trying his best to restrain himself and did not immediately order a war against Annan.

The letter sent by the Annan delegation seemed to be just a minor mistake, but in fact it was a challenge to the imperial power.

After he ascended the throne, various disturbances occurred frequently, and many voices of dissatisfaction accumulated in the court and the country.

Now this kind of thing has happened again, which is completely like rubbing his face on the ground.

……

In the imperial prison.

The Annan envoys who were tied to the rack were all terrified.

They were envoys, not death warriors, and could not face the tragedy before them.

"Are you going to confess yourself, or are you going to enjoy yourself first and then reveal the truth?"

The young centurion asked with a smirk.

As a Jinyiwei, we are not afraid of big cases, but we are afraid of having no cases.

The bigger the case, the more their value is reflected.

After suffering a loss, the Jinyiwei have become much more restrained.

Now we don’t dare to arrest cabinet ministers or chancellors.

When it comes to high-ranking officials in the court, they rarely take the initiative to cause trouble unless ordered to investigate from above.

Even if some senior officials were imprisoned, they would not dare to execute them on their own because of the political impact.

The Annan delegation in front of us is obviously not one to be feared.

"Sir, we were wronged!"

An Shuhuai hurriedly cried out for justice.

From beginning to end, he had no idea how he ended up in prison.

He didn't even have the chance to take a look at the tampered letter.

Even if I am willing to plead guilty, I don’t know how to do it.

"Very good, I like hard bones the most.

You should all use your best skills to entertain these foreign guests, so that they won’t be accused of not knowing how to entertain guests.”

The young centurion said indifferently.

“Sir, we are all envoys.

The upper country is a country of etiquette, and neither country would kill envoys when they went to war! "

An Shuhuai suddenly had an idea.

Not wanting to be tortured without knowing why, he decisively applied the Confucian culture he had learned in an attempt to escape.

Suddenly a strong man came in and whispered something in the young captain's ear.

"Got it. Go tell them. I will definitely take care of this matter."

After saying that, the young captain took the case file casually, glanced at it, and asked again.

"If you don't want to suffer physical pain, then just sign the case file!

There is no need to explain, this information was collected by our Jinyiwei spies.

You know best whether the content is true or false.

You are the leader, so let’s start with you!”

The young centurion said unhappily.

He thought that these Annan envoys would reveal all the information under his interrogation.

He never expected that the charges had already been decided by his superiors, leaving him no room to maneuver.

With his political intuition, he also knew that this was due to his status as an envoy.

Dayu has so many vassal states that we must be cautious when dealing with the diplomatic envoys.

Testimonies extracted through torture lack some persuasiveness.

Finally, the envoys were asked to confess all the contents themselves.

"Sir, this is none of our business!"

"We have absolutely no intention of disrespecting Your Majesty, and we dare not covet the territory of the upper kingdom!"

Just by taking a look at the case files, An Shuhuai realized the darkness of the imperial prison.

"This is not true, so the other information is true?"

……

(End of this chapter)