My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 351 The uncle from Japan: Tagawa Nanaemon!
Time flies like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, three days have passed quietly like flowing water.

Although the winter sun still carried a hint of chill, it was a rare good day in recent times.

Outside the capital, a huge and magnificent procession, like a winding and coiling dragon, slowly emerged into view, stretching for miles, with a truly awe-inspiring presence.

At the front and on both sides of the column were soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.

In the middle of the procession were rows of ornate sedan chairs and countless horse-drawn carriages.

Each carriage was piled high with all sorts of treasures, as well as many exotic animals, which were restless in their cages, making strange noises.

Without a doubt, this grand procession was none other than the envoys from various countries led by Zheng Zhilong!

Their arrival will bring a grand celebration to this ancient and solemn capital city.

Just like when Luo Rucai and his group entered Beijing, this group was immediately shocked by the two magnificent new cities that rose from the ground as soon as they stepped into the new city.

The two new city walls stood majestically, like an indestructible barrier, protecting the prosperity and peace within the city.

On the city wall, banners fluttered in the breeze, as if displaying the majesty and power of the Ming Dynasty to the world.

There was a watchtower at regular intervals, with soldiers standing tall and vigilantly watching the distance.

One of the messengers stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, and then couldn't help but speak:
"What exactly is going on? I was in the capital last year, and this place was definitely not like this then. When were these two cities built?"

His voice trembled slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Upon hearing this, one of the soldiers responsible for escorting them smiled slightly, revealing a hint of pride, before calmly explaining:
"To be honest, this is a new city that the imperial court just built this year. It took less than ten months from the start of construction to its completion."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, as if they had heard a story from Arabian Nights.

After all, in their understanding, building two such massive cities within ten months was simply an impossible task.

In an instant, they felt as if they were in a dream, their eyes filled with astonishment and admiration.

Even Zheng Zhilong was stunned by the scene before him. His eyes revealed a hint of surprise and admiration, and he thought to himself:

"Such speed is truly rare in the world!"

After all, when he last visited the capital, these two new cities were just barren lands. He never expected that such magnificent cities would be built in just a few months.

Such speed is truly breathtaking.

Moreover, no one knows what materials were used to build this new city. The surface of the city wall is smooth and flat, and it seems to be even more magnificent than the capital city.

Behind Zheng Zhilong, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old was also curiously looking at everything in front of him, his eyes full of surprise.

Although the boy was dressed in Han Chinese clothing and wore a hat, one of his features was still revealed: he appeared to be bald!
And this young man was none other than Tagawa Shichizaemon, the brother of Zheng Chenggong and the son of Zheng Zhilong!

Of course, he was also one of Zhu Cilang's brothers-in-law!

However, it would be more appropriate to call him Zheng Yun now, because on the way, Zheng Zhilong felt that his original name was not suitable, so he changed his name.

Although this son was previously adopted by the Tagawa family, now that he is in the Ming Dynasty, he naturally needs to have a Ming Dynasty name.

Zheng Zhilong even felt that his hairstyle was a bit awkward, so he simply had him shave his head.

However, his bald head was rather unsightly, so they put a hat on him in an attempt to cover it up.

However, anyone with a discerning eye can easily see that there is a bald head under the hat.

Because at the edge of the hat, you could vaguely see the bald scalp.

In addition, although Tagawa Shichizaemon grew up in Japan, Zheng Zhilong always wanted to train him to be the Zheng family's contact person in Japan, so he also placed many confidants around him.

These trusted confidants naturally taught him Mandarin, so he spoke in the same way as ordinary Han Chinese.

Just then, Tagawa Shichizaemon couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with curiosity and excitement:
"Father, what is that?"

He pointed to the sky as he spoke.

Zheng Zhilong looked up and saw that what he was pointing to was the hot air balloon rising above the city wall.

The hot air balloon, resembling a giant lantern, floated slowly in the air. A delicate basket hung below the balloon, and the figures of several soldiers could be vaguely seen inside.

Zheng Zhilong was familiar with this, and immediately explained:

"This is a hot air balloon, with soldiers on duty on board, which can observe the enemy situation dozens of miles away."

"With it, we can see the enemy's movements clearly."

Tagawa Shichizaemon was astonished upon hearing this, as if he had seen the most amazing thing in the world.

After all, he had never seen such a novel thing in Japan.

Zheng Zhilong glanced at his son beside him and couldn't help but say, "I must admonish you:"

"Once we arrive in the capital, I will first take you to see His Highness the Crown Prince and your younger sister."

"But you must remember that you are now a fourth-rank military officer in the Ming Dynasty. You must be mindful of your status and not act recklessly. This place is not like Japan!"

Previously, Zhu Cilang had issued an imperial edict on behalf of Emperor Chongzhen, which appointed all of Zheng Zhilong's sons as fourth-rank guerrilla generals.

Meanwhile, Tagawa Shichizaemon, who was far away in Japan, also received this official position.

Upon hearing this, Tagawa Shichizaemon quickly said:
"Father, rest assured, I understand. I will be careful with my words and actions and will not bring shame to you or our family."

Zheng Zhilong nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

Upon entering the capital, the group of envoys were immediately awestruck by the city's splendor.

At this moment, the streets were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere.

Various hawking cries and shouts filled the air, rising and falling like a stirring melody.

The wide variety of goods on display is dazzling.

At this time, the people were busy preparing for the New Year, and everyone's face was filled with happy smiles. The whole street was bustling with activity.

Envoys who had visited the capital before immediately noticed that the capital was significantly different from when they had been there before. The roads underfoot were incredibly wide and flat, without any gaps, as if they were paved from a single piece of material.

The carriage moved almost without any bumps, which completely overturned their worldview.

This sight greatly shocked the envoys.

Similarly, the surrounding people were also shocked by the sudden arrival of these messengers.

Because there were so many envoys, the procession stretched as far as the eye could see. The front of the procession had already entered the capital several hundred meters away, while the rear still seemed endless. Although the rare treasures they brought were all covered with cloth, the people could still guess what they were, and a flurry of discussion ensued.

"These foreign envoys must have come to offer their birthday greetings to His Majesty, right?"

A burly man in a coarse cotton coat scratched his head and guessed.

"It should be. After all, they have won several battles before, and they are afraid. They will definitely come to congratulate His Majesty on his birthday."

"Our Great Ming is so powerful now. If they don't come to curry favor with us, they won't have a good life in the future."

An elderly woman who had just finished shopping for New Year's goods chimed in, speaking with a proud expression.

"Look, isn't that a Jurchen with a money-tailed rat?"

Suddenly, at that moment, a young man pointed at a Jurchen envoy in the distance and exclaimed in surprise.

Upon closer inspection, some people immediately became puzzled.

"It seems so. How come even the Jurchens have come? Aren't they always at war with us?"

Someone nearby chimed in:
"What's so strange about that? Didn't the Jurchens surrender to the Ming Dynasty before? So they are considered a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Isn't it normal for them to come and congratulate His Majesty on His birthday?"

In an instant, the surrounding people began to discuss the matter, and the voices grew louder and louder, naturally reaching the ears of the Jurchen envoys.

Some of the Jurchen envoys who could understand Chinese were so ashamed upon hearing this that they blushed deeply and wished they could disappear into the ground.

Unlike other envoys, they were somewhat apprehensive upon arriving in the Ming Dynasty, since the other envoys' countries were not at war with the Ming Dynasty, while they were constantly at war with it.

Moreover, they had just suffered a crushing defeat with countless deaths and injuries, so how could they not be terrified?

Fortunately, he was always escorted by Ming soldiers, so no civilians dared to cause trouble.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Rites had already received the orders and had made all the necessary arrangements.

Once the group of envoys arrived at the designated location, officials from the Ministry of Rites came out to greet them.

Then they began to register the offerings they brought, carefully examining and recording each one.

Everything else was fine, but when the official in charge of registering the tributes saw the two tigers locked in cages, he was nearly scared to death.

He looked at the escorting officers and soldiers beside him with an incredulous expression and said:
"Wait... why are they even sending tigers?"

Upon hearing this, the officer said with a rather helpless expression:
"I don't know what's going on either. I only know that these two tigers seem to have been sent by a naval commander stationed on Pi Island."

Upon hearing this, the official in charge of registering the tribute items quickly flipped through the booklet beside him and discovered that the two tigers were indeed sent by a naval commander named Shi Lang.

Shaking his head helplessly, the official could only register Shi Lang's name and the two tigers in the register.

Meanwhile, officials on the other side began arranging accommodations for them.

Today, there are more than 700 envoys who have come to the Ming Dynasty. If we add the beautiful women who are to be offered as tribute, that makes more than 1,000 people. Arranging accommodations for them is not an easy task.

It has to be said that the Ministry of Rites has not been this busy in a long time. Right now, they have to prepare for the emperor's birthday celebration and also prepare to receive this group of foreign envoys. They are truly busy as bees.

They were busy until evening before all the envoys were finally settled.

Meanwhile, Zheng Zhilong had already returned to the Marquis's mansion with his son, Tagawa Shichizaemon.

As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw his other sons there.

Since it was the emperor's birthday celebration, Zheng Zhilong instructed all his other sons to come to the capital early in the morning to participate in the celebration.

Zhu Cilang had met these people before; after all, they were his brother-in-law, so it was only right that he got to know them.

At this point, all of Zheng Zhilong's other sons, except for Zheng Chenggong, were here.

They are Zheng Du, Zheng En, Zheng Yin, Zheng Xi, Zheng Shimo, and Tagawa Shichizaemon, who can also be called Zheng Yun.

At this moment, everyone was beaming with joy, after all, their status was still quite awkward before their sister became the Crown Princess.

Although his father was Zheng Zhilong, the General of Fujian, they themselves did not hold any official positions and felt inferior wherever they went.

However, with their younger sister becoming the Crown Prince's concubine, they suddenly transformed into fourth-rank guerrilla generals.

Regardless of whether it was a nominal position or not, the status of a fourth-rank military officer was real and earned him favor wherever he went.

In addition, given their status as the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, who would dare not look up to them?

They can finally hold their heads high with pride because of this.

After the two sides met, Zheng Zhilong introduced Tagawa Shichizaemon to the other brothers.

The brothers naturally greeted Tagawa Shichizaemon warmly.

Because they knew that Zheng Zhilong valued this younger brother highly, and moreover, he was originally their own brother, the brothers quickly became close friends.

After a quick wash, Zheng Zhilong was wondering whether he should go to the East Palace to say hello when someone suddenly came to report that someone from the East Palace had arrived.

Zheng Zhilong was startled and immediately went out to greet them personally.

Before long, he saw Ma Bao standing at the door with a smile on his face.

Zheng Zhilong naturally recognized Ma Bao, and immediately said respectfully:
"Please come in, sir. I am truly sorry for not welcoming you properly."

However, Ma Bao was startled by these words and hurriedly waved his hands in a panic, saying:
"Your Excellency would not dare to say such a thing. This servant is not worthy of such a title. If the Crown Prince were to find out, he would surely skin this servant alive."

Ma Bao was telling the truth. He was well aware of his own status. Although he was Zhu Cilang's chief advisor, the other party was the Fujian General and the father of the Crown Prince's concubine. He couldn't accept Zheng Zhilong being so polite.

Zheng Zhilong, however, didn't seem to care at all upon hearing this, and continued to speak with a smile:

"Father-in-law, please don't be so polite. We've known each other for a long time."

After saying this, Zheng Zhilong reached out and stuffed another gold ingot into Ma Bao's hand, saying:

"It's just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you'll accept it, sir. If you refuse, it would be disrespectful to me."

Hearing this, Ma Bao didn't know what to say and could only carefully put the gold ingot away.

My respect for this Fujian general grew even stronger.

After all, this Lord Zheng was truly adept at interpersonal relationships.

(End of this chapter)