Ming East India Company

Inside the main hall of Shuri Castle, a table was placed in the center, upon which lay the imperial edict, the golden seal, and the ceremonial robes of the Ming Dynasty.

The chief and deputy envoys of the Ming Dynasty stood to one side of the incense table. The chief envoy, Luo Sigong, held a staff in his hand, while the deputy envoy held a wooden box containing the imperial edict. Their expressions were calm and composed.

Prince Shoken of Ryukyu, along with members of the royal family and civil and military officials, stood quietly below the hall, each with their hands at their sides, not daring to move.

When the auspicious hour arrived, the master of ceremonies shouted at the top of his lungs, and the ceremony immediately began. Shang Jian took the lead, walked to the open space in the hall, bent his knees, slowly knelt on the ground, pressed his hands tightly to the ground, and pressed his forehead heavily to the ground to perform the kowtow.

The royal family and ministers behind him also knelt down in unison, with the sound of fabric rubbing together. Everyone bowed their heads, their foreheads touching the ground, rising and falling in a grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

After bowing, Shang Jian slowly straightened up, still kneeling, head bowed, not daring to look up at the Ming envoy.

Luo Sigong nodded slightly, and the deputy envoy immediately stepped forward, opened the wooden box with both hands, gently took out the yellow silk edict, held it by both ends, slowly unfolded it, raised it to his chest, and loudly read the edict. The hall was quiet, with only the sound of the edict being read. Everyone held their breath, and those kneeling remained in their positions, none daring to raise their heads or move their bodies.

After the imperial edict was read aloud, the deputy envoy carefully folded it and placed it back in the wooden box. Luo Sigong turned around, picked up the camel-shaped gold seal from the incense table, then held up the imperial robes, steadily supporting them with both hands, and walked up to Shang.

Shang Jian quickly bowed again, raised his hands high, and carefully accepted the golden seal and imperial robes, his fingertips gently gripping them as if afraid of dropping them. After receiving them, he bowed again, his forehead touching the ground, and kowtowed three times, loudly expressing his gratitude with a tone full of respect.

After kowtowing, Shang Jian slowly rose, first holding the golden seal in his hands, then adjusting his ceremonial robes, placing the crown securely on his head, straightening his garments, and standing upright. At this moment, the master of ceremonies announced the ceremony again, and all the Ryukyu officials in the hall bowed and kowtowed once more, shouting their gratitude in unison, their voices loud and clear. Shang Jian, holding the golden seal, stood in the hall, facing the Ming envoy, and bowed slightly in greeting. The chief and deputy envoys stood still and nodded.

With this, the investiture ceremony was officially completed, and Shang Jian became the new king of Ryukyu.

During the ceremony, Luo Sigong searched everywhere for "Princess" Bai Ling, but she never found her.

What puzzled him even more was that the Ryukyu "royal family" scattered like birds and beasts after the ceremony was completed, leaving the palace. He tried to talk to them, but no one paid any attention to him.

Therefore, after the ceremony, Luo Sigong hurriedly inquired about the situation from King Shang Jian of Ryukyu who was present.

Shang Jian felt strange after hearing this:

"Our Ryukyu Kingdom has never sent any princess to the Ming Dynasty! Why do you say such a thing, Your Excellency?"

Luo Sigong hurriedly described Bai Ling's appearance. After hearing it, Shang Jian was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, his hands trembling uncontrollably, and he could no longer speak.

Seeing the Ryukyu Kingdom's loss of composure, Zheng Jiong stepped forward and pretended to cover his mouth:

"Your Excellency, please do not mention the name of the Vicious Lady everywhere on the island."

"A viper?"

"That's right, the princess you mentioned is actually named Bai Ling. The people on the island all call her the Viper Lady because she is extremely ruthless. You must be careful."

"How ruthless were your methods? Tell me about it," Luo Sigong asked, intrigued.

Zheng Jiong gestured downwards:

"Cutting off someone's testicles! Aren't you afraid?"

"I don't have any eggs to begin with! What's there to be afraid of?"

……

As the two were arguing, they suddenly heard a guard approaching from the front:

"Your Excellency, the Master requests your presence."

Zheng Jiong quickly retreated. Although Luo Sigong was puzzled about who this host was, he realized from the attitude of the people around him that this should be a big shot from Ryukyu, so he followed him forward.

The guards led Luo Sigong away from the palace and they made their way to a civilian house.

As soon as he entered, Luo Sigong smelled a strange, foul odor that was familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Upon entering the house, one sees a young man with his hands behind his back, facing away from the guests, while a young woman stands with her arms folded on the other side.

Upon closer inspection, who else could it be but Bai Ling?

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Queen."

"No need for 'Princess,' please just call me Madam!"

Then Bai Ye slowly turned around, and Bai Ling began her self-introduction:

"This is the current lord of Ryukyu Island, his surname is Shiro, his given name is Ye, he is generally called the Lord of the East on the island, and he is also my younger brother, I usually call him..."

"If you don't understand what 'master' means, just think of him as the King of Ryukyu. Anything that happens on the island must be done with the master's permission."

Pang Shipu, who was standing nearby, knew that Bai Ling was about to say something sarcastic to Bai Ye again, so he quickly came out to interrupt.

Luo Sigong was also a shrewd person, and he probably understood that the Ryukyu Island was now a place where powerful ministers were turning against their masters.

But it didn't matter to him. Luo Sigong said very respectfully:

"I'm just here in Ryukyu as a military supervisor to earn military merit. As for whose merit it is, I don't care."

Shirano nodded in satisfaction:

"It seems that Minister Luo is a clever man. In that case, let Minister Luo broaden his horizons."

Immediately, the guards next to him dragged in several boxes from outside. When they opened them, a pile of human heads rolled onto the ground.

Even someone like Luo Sigong, who had spent many years struggling in the Eastern Depot's prisons, couldn't help but gasp at the sight.

The two confidants behind him were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, while the maidservant immediately lay on the ground and vomited.

Baiye said with a smile:

"These are the heads of over two thousand Japanese pirates that our Ryukyu army just captured during their campaign in the East. My sister just told me that your Excellency is currently worried about how to report your achievements. I wonder if that's enough for you now?"

"No problem, no problem. This time, the report of merit will definitely be successful." Luo Sigong's tone was already tinged with panic.

"Then we'll have to rely on your writing skills, Your Excellency. This concerns the future of Ryukyu, so please don't be stingy with your words!" Hakuno said meaningfully.

Luo Sigong nodded repeatedly:

"Rest assured, I will submit the memorial to you after I have completed it. I would be grateful if you would be so kind as to offer your guidance."

Luo Sigong understood the threat Bai Ye was implying, and immediately voluntarily surrendered his communication rights with the Ming Dynasty.

"In the future, if there are any dealings with the Ming Dynasty, I will inform the owner in advance and let the owner make the decision."

Bai Ye was very satisfied with Luo Sigong's performance, but still gave him a warning:

"Whether His Majesty's decree to close Yuegang and grant permission to Ryukyu will reach us is a matter of life and death for many!"

"Don't worry, leave this to me. If I fail, I'm willing to add my head to this pile of heads on the ground."

Luo Sigong quickly pledged his loyalty.

Bai Ye nodded, then waved his hand, and Luo Sigong and the other three, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly fled the house.