Di Ming

Chapter 101 The Dust Settles (Seven Thousand Years of Tears)

"Ah—!" The tourists screamed in surprise, and the scene immediately descended into chaos.

Both the constables and the thieves drew their blades from their clothes, and the Dacheng Hall was immediately filled with the glint of swords.

More than a hundred constables who had infiltrated the Confucius Temple, along with dozens of thieves who had already mingled among the tourists, made their moves one after the other.

The thieves whose faces Zhu Yin remembered were their leaders.

Among the more than twenty deacons of the Dacheng Hall, three of them suddenly pulled out the burning incense from the incense burner and rushed toward the statue.

With a "whoosh," Meh, who was already prepared, shot an arrow, which struck the deacon closest to the icon, piercing his brain.

Without uttering a sound, the man fell backward, scattering the incense sticks in his hand all over the ground.

Zhu Yin saw it clearly: the fuse might be right at the feet of the holy statue!
Almost simultaneously, several of the most skilled constables in Jiangning County charged up the steps and stormed into the Dacheng Hall.

The bandit leaders followed suit and rushed into the Dacheng Hall.

"kill!"

"ignition!"

In the blink of an eye, a chaotic battle broke out around the statue.

However, because there were too many constables, the other two detonators were blocked and had no chance to detonate the explosives.

Although the thief was very fierce, he was surrounded by the constables and had no strength left to light the fuse.

Seeing that there really were thieves outside Dacheng Gate, Magistrate Zhuang, after his initial shock, breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhu Yin with a sigh of relief:

"It really wasn't a fabrication! Zhihu, you've done a great service! I will definitely put in a good word for you and let you go directly to study at the Imperial Academy!"

At this moment, Zhu Yin was no longer concerned about school admission. What he cared about was solving the case, eliminating the traitors, and thwarting the conspiracy as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Uncle." Zhu Yin said absentmindedly.

At this moment, Magistrate Zhuang felt both lingering fear and immense relief.

Fortunately, he listened to Zhu Yin's advice and acted decisively. Otherwise, a major disaster would have occurred, and he would not have been able to escape responsibility. This is because the Confucius Temple is under the jurisdiction of Jiangning County!
But since he stepped in to thwart the conspiracy, he has done nothing wrong. Even without a perfect performance review this time, he should at least be promoted two ranks.

"Baka!" Suddenly, a bandit leader shouted, and even amidst the noise, Zhu Yin heard it clearly.

Japanese pirates!

Among the thieves were Japanese pirates!

Zhu Yin was somewhat surprised, but not at all astonished.

At that time, the Jesuits already had many Japanese followers.

The Jesuits of the late Ming Dynasty were a well-organized, clearly defined, and hierarchical religious institution.

The top tier consisted of church elites from countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Second only to Western missionaries in status were the Japanese, who were among the first to convert to Christianity.

Many of the Japanese pirates who invaded the Ming Dynasty were baptized Christians.

It is not surprising that the Jesuits took advantage of the physical resemblance between Japanese believers and Chinese people to impersonate Chinese and infiltrate the mainland.

As the battle raged and the bandits fought desperately, Zhu Yin was surprised to discover that there were quite a few Japanese pirates among them!
There were at least ten of them. They all used Japanese swords, and their swordsmanship was superb, as fierce as tigers.

Despite having a numerical advantage, the constables couldn't surround them!
Two of them drew their swords, and as they did so, a spray of powder shot out from the scabbards. The constable opposite them was hit in the face by the powder and immediately screamed as he dropped his weapon.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yin clenched his fists tightly, his expression showing some surprise.

Ninja! This is the work of a ninja!

In Japan, samurai were retainers, while ninjas were servants. Samurai held a noble status, while ninjas were of lowly status.

Compared to the aloof samurai who considered themselves gentlemen, ninjas would use any means necessary, including poisoning, concealed weapons, disguise, bribery, fraud, infiltration, and seduction.

Ninjas weren't as magical as they seemed. They were actually spies and secret agents.

Espionage, assassination, defection, messenger service, investigation, security... that's the work of a secret agent.

If one had to pinpoint the difference between them and secret agents, firstly, they place extreme importance on personal combat skills. Secondly, they pursue extreme physical and psychological endurance.

For example, hiding in a cesspool to escape. Or carrying a bag of dry rations and lying in wait in ambush for ten days. Or enduring the rape of one's wife and daughters in silence, without revealing one's identity.

How many people can achieve that kind of mental fortitude, like a Ninja Turtle?
But in essence, they are no different from spies or secret agents. Ninjas themselves consider themselves ascetic warriors.

Zhu Yin hadn't expected that the Jesuits would send ninjas to participate in the plan... But then again, isn't that what ninjas are best at?
This plan was most likely the work of a "Jonin" (high-ranking ninja) who was specifically tasked with devising it.

Alas, the Ming Dynasty's defenses have far too many problems; they're like a sieve.

These dozen or so Japanese pirates, including several ninjas, had infiltrated Nanjing at some unknown time.

Seeing that the rioters, led by a dozen or so Japanese pirates, were outnumbered and about to storm the Dacheng Hall, Zhu Yin couldn't help but feel anxious.

These constables are usually arrogant, but when faced with a small number of Japanese pirates, they can't even take them down or stop them!

The Japanese pirates brandished their swords, yelling and screaming, and none of the constables dared to step forward and fight.

The rioters numbered at most forty, with only a dozen or so Japanese pirates among them. Yet, the constables numbered one hundred and fifty, and they were powerless to subdue them.

For a moment, they were caught in a strange stalemate!
No wonder that back then, just over seventy Japanese pirates dared to swagger around Nanjing. A few hundred pirates were able to charge into the hands of thousands of Ming soldiers.

Fortunately, the tourists had all been evacuated and were not injured.

Zhu Yin had, of course, already left.

"Useless!" Magistrate Zhuang, who was personally overseeing the battle from outside, was also anxious. He stamped his foot and said, "They are afraid to advance and are utterly useless! They outnumber the enemy several times over, yet they cannot capture the bandits!"

"Someone! Go to the county government and bring in another hundred men!"

Zhu Yin said, "Uncle, there are Japanese pirates among the bandits. No wonder they are so fearless. Those who are carrying Japanese swords are all Japanese pirates."

Zhuang Tingjian sneered, "There really are Japanese pirates in Nanjing! They're incredibly audacious. It seems that the Jesuits have long been harboring these pirates as their henchmen, colluding with them in their evil deeds."

Zhu Yin sneered inwardly. "You're only just realizing this now? The officials of the Ming Dynasty are far too oblivious to these matters."

At this point, Meh could no longer shoot arrows. The constables were surrounding the thieves, blocking Meh's view, and Meh was also afraid of accidentally injuring the constables.

"Uncle Tiger, the constables are afraid to risk their lives; it might ruin things," Ding Hongying said, gripping her Japanese sword. "I'll go help!"

"You?" Zhu Yin shook his head. "You're only fifteen. How much strength can you possibly have? You're just practicing fancy moves. How much stronger can you be than a constable?"

"I think we should forget it. I can't let anything happen to you."

"Uncle Tiger!" Ding Hongying stamped her foot. "Why don't you believe me? With a knife in hand, I can take on ten men."

Ning Caiwei smiled wryly, like a little adult:
“Hongying, your Uncle Hu is just concerned about you. He usually just talks big, but on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes.”

Zhuang Tingjian shook his head upon hearing this.

Although this woman is heroic and has a pair of unbound feet, to say that she can defeat ten men with a single sword in hand is nothing but self-praise.
Ding Hongying couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Uncle Tiger, I'm at least as good as a constable, right? Shall I go help?"

Seeing her eagerness to fight, Zhu Yin could only nod and say, "Alright, then be very careful. There are ninjas among the Japanese pirates."

Ding Hongying asked, puzzled, "What is a ninja?"

Zhu Yin casually explained, "They are assassins and spies among the Japanese pirates. They use despicable methods and have many tricks up their sleeves. Don't be careless."

"Don't worry, Uncle Tiger!" Ding Hongying replied, smiled smugly, and drew her sword to charge forward.

"Koulou Sai!" A Japanese pirate fiercely forced back several constables and was about to rush into the Dacheng Hall when Ding Hongying intercepted him.

He was taken aback when he saw Ding Hongying's katana. "Nani? Donata?"

Ding Hongying was not about to say anything. She wielded the knife with both hands and slashed with speed and ruthlessness, her movements extremely sharp and skillful.

"Sinai!" The Japanese pirate was shocked, not expecting this Ming Dynasty girl to have such superb swordsmanship.

In desperation, he swung his sword to parry, but was immediately forced off the steps by Ding Hongying.

Just as she was about to retaliate, Ding Hongying swiftly thrust out her second blade like an arrow.

Spike!

With a "thud," Ding Hongying's knife pierced the Japanese pirate's chest.

Without even looking, she instantly drew her sword and charged towards the most densely packed area of ​​thieves with the bloodstained knife in hand!
"Uh..." The Japanese pirate's knife clattered to the ground. He clutched his chest, where blood was gushing out, but he couldn't stop it.

His legs went weak, and his body slowly collapsed. His eyes widened as he stared at the statue of Confucius not far away, letting out a desperate scream before his death.

"what-"

Why? Why was it discovered?
Who betrayed us?
idiot……

The Japanese pirate who was killed was one of the men Zhu Yin knew who had previously impersonated a student of the prefecture.

He was one of the leaders of this gang of thieves.

"Huh?" Ning Caiwei, Zhu Yin, and Zhuang Tingjian were stunned when they saw Ding Hongying kill a Japanese pirate so easily.

This…

But then Ding Hongying shouted, her red clothes like fire as she charged into the bandit group. Her long sword flashed, sending chills down her spine. The two Japanese pirates couldn't stop her!

"Follow me to kill the traitors!" Ding Hongying shouted, thrusting her long sword and striking a Japanese pirate squarely in the neck.

Then, with a swift and precise slash, the longsword sliced ​​across the neck of a traitor.

Like a valiant female general, she single-handedly stormed the enemy camp, and none could stand in her way!
Her steps were light and agile, as was her sword. Her footwork and swordsmanship were perfectly combined, avoiding direct confrontation with the enemy and completely circumventing the disadvantage of a woman's lack of stamina.

This is a method of using skill to overcome strength.

"Kill!" The constables were greatly encouraged and rushed forward with boiling blood, finally rekindling their long-lost fighting spirit.

In this way, the bandits were utterly doomed. Even though the Japanese pirates fought back like ferocious beasts, they were like trapped animals, and began to be surrounded and killed.

Ding Hongying's long sword moved like the wind, and with a "whoosh," she killed another Japanese pirate.

The Japanese pirate clutched his stabbed neck with one hand, while the other futilely grasped at the air, stabbing him repeatedly.

By this point, Ding Hongying had not only killed three fierce Japanese pirates and one traitor, but had also become the backbone of the constables, completely controlling the battle.

Suddenly, a ninja raised his arm, and a hidden arrow fired from his sleeve shot out!

At the same time, another ninja raised his left hand and threw a packet of lime mixed with poison powder at Ding Hongying.

However, Ding Hongying had been instructed by Zhu Yin to be aware of the existence of so-called ninjas and had been taking precautions against such tricks.

When she saw the ninja raise his arm, she swiftly dodged away.

With a "whoosh," the poisoned hidden arrow missed its target, and the filthy lime packet also failed to harm Ding Hongying.

"This...this is truly a match for ten men." Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei exchanged glances, both surprised and delighted.

What a wonderful niece! She really is a female knight-errant!
I'm not bragging.

It turns out, the clown was actually myself!

No wonder her adoptive father once said that Hongying had a talent for learning swordsmanship and understood the nature of the blade very well.

The so-called "knife-like feel" is like the "feel" for a car. Some people can get the hang of it right away and become proficient in no time. Others drive for ten years and still can't find that feeling of oneness between driver and car.

It seems Ding Hongying is the kind of person who understands knives. As the saying goes, she knows how to handle a knife. Once she's mastered it, the knife becomes like an extended arm to her.

"What a heroine!" Zhuang Tingjian was also pleasantly surprised and exclaimed, "A seemingly weak woman can actually wield a sword and defeat a powerful enemy. Even Hua Mulan is no match for her!"

He praised them briefly, then shouted, "Try to keep them alive! Take them back for interrogation!"

At this point, the remaining few Japanese pirates and a dozen or so traitors were all in dire straits.

In the blink of an eye, the constables swarmed forward, seized all their weapons, and tied them up.

Of the three stewards in the Dacheng Hall who acted as spies, two died and the third was captured alive.

Thus, all thirty-eight thieves were captured.

Twenty-three people were killed on the spot, and fifteen were captured alive, all of them wounded. Among them were five Japanese pirates and ten traitors.

One constable died and more than thirty were wounded.

The once peaceful and solemn Dacheng Hall was now filled with bloodstains and corpses.

Seeing that the explosion crisis was over, Zhu Yin breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did he feel relieved.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

Soon, Zhuang Tingjian found two ends of a wire at the very bottom of the statue; these were the fuses. The fuses were long and led into the interior of the statue.

After the thieves lit the fuse at night, because the fuse hidden in the statue was long enough, it wouldn't explode immediately, giving the thieves enough time to escape from the Dacheng Hall.

Zhuang Tingjian saw the two hidden fuse ends, and even though he had the situation under control, he broke out in a cold sweat.

so close!

If it weren't for Zhu Yin, tonight would have been a catastrophe.

The consequences would be unimaginable! These foreign barbarians and Japanese pirates are far too audacious; they have no regard for the Ming Dynasty.

Aren't they afraid of incurring the wrath of the Ming Dynasty?

But Zhuang Tingjian couldn't help but sigh when he thought of this.

The Wrath of Ming Dynasty?
The southern pirates and northern barbarians have been causing trouble for so many years, and we still have to pay silver to the Mongols. Burma invades every year, and Yunnan is in ruins. What can the Ming Dynasty do even if it is angry?

“Uncle,” Zhu Yin stepped forward, squatted down and looked at the fuse, “there must be a lot of gunpowder in this statue, so the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern festival has to be canceled.”

"I request that you, Uncle, order a temporary curfew at the Confucius Temple, and all tourists must leave the temple."

Zhuang Tingjian nodded solemnly, "Your idea is still sound. Let's do it that way."

He then gave the order:
"Guards! Issue my order: impose martial law at the Confucius Temple and cancel tonight's Mid-Autumn Festival lantern festival, rescheduling it for tomorrow night!"

"Carefully lay this fake icon down and disassemble it carefully."

"Bring the thief on board and keep a close watch on him! This is a serious and urgent matter. I will personally go to see the garrison eunuch, Lord Tian!"

...

Zhuang Tingjian was a capable official, and he immediately issued several orders, all of which were extremely prudent measures.

Logically, as a county magistrate, he should have reported such a serious matter to the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture first.

However, Zhuang Tingjian bypassed Yingtian Prefecture and went directly to the garrison office to report to Tian Yi, skipping the proper channels.

This approach is correct.

Since no one knew whether the thieves had any accomplices or backup plans in the city, the immediate priority was to have the garrison command mobilize the imperial envoy to impose martial law on Nanjing and its surrounding areas, and to send troops to search for spies.

There is no time to waste.

In reality, the Prefect of Yingtian was also in an awkward position. In Nanjing, the Prefect of Yingtian wielded less real power than the Magistrates of Jiangning and Shangyuan counties.

As a result, Jiangning County has never taken Yingtian Prefecture seriously and often deals directly with the Six Ministries and the Garrison Commander's Office, bypassing the proper ranks.

The Six Ministries and the garrison eunuchs were also pleased that the two major capital counties had rendered Yingtian Prefecture powerless.

Unless he had other important concurrent posts, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture sometimes had to be mindful of the attitudes of the two major capital counties.

“Child Tiger, you two come with me to the garrison headquarters to see Lord Tian!” Zhuang Tingjian said.

"When you meet Lord Tian, ​​tell him the truth. If Lord Tian is pleased, it will be as simple as a word from him for you to enter Nanyong."

Zhuang Tingjian was both grateful to and admired Zhu Yin, and wanted to promote him to Tian Yi so that he could win a prize and become a familiar face to him.

Moreover, Zhu Yin was the one who exposed the treachery and should be questioned. Otherwise, how could he explain himself to Tian Yi, and how did he learn all this?
Zhu Yin was overjoyed when he heard that Zhuang Tingjian wanted to take him to see Tian Yi.

He had wanted to get to know Tian Yi before, but the difference in their status was too great, so he had no chance to enter the garrison headquarters and therefore could not meet Tian Yi.

Hai Rui was fair and impartial, but he wasn't as sentimental as Zhuang Tingjian, and he would never recommend himself to curry favor with Tian Yi, the garrison eunuch.

Now that Zhuang Tingjian is taking me along, as long as I perform well and leave a good impression on Tian Yi, things will be much easier in the future.

Wait a minute, isn't Madam Tian's surname Ning? Caiwei's surname is also Ning.

“Uncle,” Zhu Yin said, “I think we should send someone out of the city to search for Lord Hai on the river. After all, Lord Hai is the Censor-in-Chief, and we should report to him as soon as possible.”

Zhuang Tingjian nodded, "Your reminder is very good. Then send someone else to report to Lord Hai."

Just as the group was about to escort the captured bandits to the garrison headquarters, a blue-robed official came hurrying over, panting.

Zhu Yin recognized him as Professor Shi, who had previously driven away Dr. Zhou, and who was also the temple keeper who managed the Confucius Temple on a daily basis.

When he saw the corpses and blood inside and outside the Dacheng Hall, his face turned deathly pale.

"Prefect Zhuang!" Professor Shi said, bowing respectfully. "May I ask, Prefect Zhuang, what exactly has happened?"

"What happened?" Zhuang Tingjian sneered and said sternly, "Professor Shi! You usually manage the Confucius Temple, do you know what happened today!"

"The statue has been switched and filled with gunpowder. The rebels plan to blow up the Dacheng Hall tonight during the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Is this how you manage things? Thieves are allowed to run rampant right under your noses!"

What? Professor Shi swayed, stunned.

How can this be?

They took on the projects of gilding the statues and maintaining the Mahabodhi Temple simply to make money.

I only accepted two hundred taels of silver as a gift from them, so why did they replace the holy image...?
As Professor Shi thought of this, he looked up at Zhuang Tingjian and met Zhuang Tingjian's murderous, indifferent gaze.

In an instant, everything went black before his eyes, and he almost fainted.

I only accepted two hundred taels of silver from them.

I didn't know they would dare to do that.

Zhuang Tingjian, too lazy to argue with Professor Shi any longer, led the group of bandits to the garrison headquarters. Ding Hongying and Meihe were both involved in the escort.

Professor Shi's legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

The scholars who had been following him immediately turned and left as if fleeing a plague, their faces pale.

Surprisingly, not a single good student came to help Professor Shi.

Once the martial law order was issued at the Confucius Temple in Jiangning County, all tourists were dispersed, and all the temple's staff were temporarily detained at the prefectural school and were not allowed to leave.

Soon, news spread that foreigners and Japanese pirates were planning to detonate the holy statue.

Before long, the entire city of Nanjing will once again be in a state of panic.

……

Zhuang Tingjian, Zhu Yin, and others escorted fifteen thieves westward along Changfu Street, then northward along three alleys, and entered the outer street.

Along the way, gongs were sounded to clear the way, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Next, the escort team crossed the Xuanjin Bridge and arrived outside the Xi'an Gate.

Once you enter through the Xi'an Gate, you're in the Imperial City. The Nanjing Garrison Command, the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Eastern Depot were all located within the Imperial City.

At this moment, as the sun sets, Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei gaze at the towering Xi'an Gate and can't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, thoughts, and reflections).

Two hundred years have passed since the glorious early Ming Dynasty, and the Hongwu Emperor, who once lived in this imperial city, is now buried in the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Zhongshan.

This imperial city has no master.

Zhuang Tingjian took out his ivory token, led his men through the Xi'an Gate, and headed south directly along the Imperial Eunuch Avenue.

Soon after, a grand and imposing government office came into view, resembling a palace, but with only a single roof.

The screen wall in front of the government office was covered with carvings of birds and beasts, and there were towering trees at the entrance.

We have arrived at the Nanjing Garrison Command.

This place, commonly known as the "Governor's Office" by the people of Nanjing, was the highest power center in the entire Southern Zhili region, where the emperor's close ministers resided, thousands of miles away.

The square of the garrison was filled with carriages and horses. There were over a hundred servants waiting for their masters to come out.

At the main gate, a row of armored soldiers stood with their chests puffed out and bellies protruding, on high alert.

Above the main gate, on a huge plaque, are two lines of clerical script.

One line reads: Nanjing Garrison Command.

The other line reads: Nanjing Directorate of Ceremonial.

That's right, the Garrison Command and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs are the same place, but they have two different signs.

The garrison eunuchs usually also served as eunuchs in the Directorate of Ceremonial.

In the vast majority of cases, it's just one person.

Zhuang Tingjian straightened his clothes, then handed over his name tag and visiting card, and said to the gatekeeper eunuch:
"I, Zhuang Tingjian, who is in charge of the administration of Jiangning County and the Right Vice Minister of Jiangning, have urgent official business to attend to. This matter is of great importance and I urgently need to report to Lord Tian in person!"

The gatekeeper eunuch asked arrogantly, "Reporting to you, where is the detailed document?"

Zhuang Tingjian patiently said, "Tell the eunuchs that a major incident has occurred at the Confucius Temple. Someone is plotting a rebellion and has been captured. Fifteen people need to be interrogated for their confessions in order to make a decision!"

"In urgent situations, we must act expediently, which is why there is no time to write a detailed official report."

After saying that, he slipped a five-tael silver ingot into his sleeve and discreetly placed it into the eunuch's hand.

The gatekeeper smiled calmly, expertly pocketed the silver, took the visiting card, and said:

"It seems to be a very urgent matter. They even brought the prisoners directly to the garrison headquarters. How rare."

"However, sir, you are stationed in the southern region, and you see countless important matters every day. Which one is not urgent and important?"

“Please wait patiently, Master Zan. The master is discussing important matters in the hall. He will be summoned shortly.”

After saying this, he calmly went inside to report.

His official steps were steady and unhurried, displaying the demeanor of someone who could walk leisurely even when facing imminent danger.

Zhuang Tingjian, Zhu Yin, and others were furious, but there was nothing they could do.

We could only wait patiently for fifteen minutes.

When you come to the garrison to do business, whether it's official or private, there's never a problem.
Zhuang Tingjian glanced at the Japanese pirates behind him, who were bound hand and foot and gagged, and said to Zhu Yin:

"Child Tiger, you seem to know quite a bit about that Jesuit order. Who told you they were colluding with the Japanese pirates?"

He knew about the Jesuits, but only heard of them and didn't know anything about them.

If Zhu Yin knew, he would like to find out more so that Tian Yi could consult him.

Zhu Yin replied, "My late father used to do business in Southeast Asia, so he knows a bit about things overseas."

Zhu Yin carefully considered the content and told Zhuang Tingjian some things that he could talk about.

This includes collusion between the Jesuits and Japanese pirates.

The Japanese pirates and the Jesuits have a long history of collusion and deep-rooted ties.

The Wokou raids began in the Yuan Dynasty and continued until the end of the Ming Dynasty, spanning three hundred years.

Japanese pirate raids did not only occur in the late Jiajing period.

However, the period when Japanese pirates were most rampant and arrogant during the mid-to-late Jiajing period coincided with the time when the Jesuits had a profound influence on Japan.

Portugal, which occupied Macau and Shuangyu Island, and Spain, which occupied the Philippines, had long-standing cooperative relationships with Japanese daimyo.

The organization that facilitated this communication was the Society of Jesus.

Even Oda Nobunaga's black samurai, Yasuke, his personal bodyguard, was a slave given to Oda by the Jesuit missionary Varian.

One theory about Mitsuhide Akechi's killing of Oda Nobunaga is that he believed Oda had colluded with the Jesuits and betrayed tradition.

It cannot be ruled out that the severe Japanese pirate raids in the mid-to-late Jiajing period were related to the instigation and exploitation by the Jesuits.

It's hard to say that the Jesuits had no influence on the ambitions of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi to conquer the Ming Dynasty.

This also explains why Spain's plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty involved cooperation with Japan.

Of course, Zhu Yin did not mention that Spain was preparing to conquer the Ming Dynasty.

After all, this won't happen.

They also wouldn't mention Toyotomi Hideyoshi's ambitions. Because nobody believed it.

Zhuang Tingjian learned some things about the Jesuits and the Japanese pirates, and suddenly he understood a lot.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that both the foreign barbarians and the Japanese pirates have big ambitions!
Just then, a magnificent carriage came from the north, accompanied by guards and maids.

The carriage drove straight past the prisoners, and the people inside couldn't help but curiously glance outside a few times.

The person in the car took a look and saw a girl who was about ten years old, with a beautiful face and a noble demeanor.

Moreover, they had six-inch unbound feet.

It's quite rare to find such a refined and elegant girl with such large feet.

The person inside the carriage looked at it intently for a few moments, then lowered the curtain and smiled at the maid beside him:
"The girl by the roadside, just like me, doesn't have bound feet. She's so beautiful, and she still has natural feet. I'm happy just looking at her."

"When I was a child, there weren't as many women with bound feet as there are now. Alas, it's only been forty years, and wealthy families hardly have any women with natural feet anymore."

The maid said, "Since the old lady finds him pleasing to the eye, why not summon him and ask about his family background, and say a few words to relieve her boredom?"

The old lady said, "Never mind. Some people are only acquainted once, and some are just passing acquaintances. I was just saying it casually."

At this moment, Ning Caiwei, who was standing by the roadside, also noticed that someone was looking at her from inside the luxurious carriage.

There seems to be no malice.

Upon seeing the carriage, Zhuang Tingjian immediately recognized it, his expression instantly becoming serious, and he respectfully bowed, saying:
"May I ask if the distinguished guest in the carriage is Madam Tian? I am Zhuang Tingjian, Right Vice Minister of Jiangning. Greetings!"

P.S.: Data has such a huge impact on my mindset. Goodnight. Wishing all my fellow book lovers who have been with me until now: all the best.

(End of this chapter)