Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 453 Sell it at a good price

The ceremony of enthroning the emperor's fifth brother as Prince Rui, appointing him as the King of Myanmar, and promoting the Duke of Qian to the title of Prince of Myanmar'an was very grand. At the same time, there were also announcements of enthronement for many chieftains and generals in the southwest.

This was the first time, after the three Xuans and six Weis, that the Ming Dynasty officially established the vassal state there. It was no longer just at the level of Xuanfusi and Xuanweisi.

Moreover, the ruler is a prince, not a duke like the ruler of Korea in the past who was inferior to the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty.

The ceremony was held on a grand scale because the envoys from foreign vassal states stationed in the capital were to be informed.

The Lifanyuan had existed for many years, and the Ming Dynasty had established new regular communication channels with the princes in the northern border, other foreign vassals, and tributary rule areas: envoys were set up in Beijing, and consuls were dispatched to the nearest Lifanyuan headquarters.

People from the Zheng and Nguyen families of Jiaozhi also came to the Ming Dynasty. The difference was that the Zheng people only stayed in the Southern Capital, while the Nguyen people went to the capital.

Because the Ming Dynasty has not yet officially recognized Jiaozhi, which is in a state of de facto division.

The head of the Nguyen family presented his own daughter, stating that he wanted to present her to His Majesty the Emperor, but Nandu did not make this decision.

Because the Caohe River was frozen last winter, they were only able to reach Beijing at this time.

Seeing the Ming Dynasty clearly swallowing up the fertile land of Toungoo in one gulp, Nguyen Phuc Yuan's newly recruited adviser Tao Weici was filled with awe.

He is already 47 years old, and this is his first time to take on such an important responsibility.

The reason why he was able to come to Ming Dynasty was not because Nguyen Phuc Yuan valued him so much, but because he was sent here, so it would not matter even if something happened - one more person in Nanyue would be fine, and one less person would not be a big loss.

On the contrary, he is good at poetry and proficient in Confucian classics, so it would be easier to deal with him if we sent him here.

Tao Weici originally did not hold high hopes for this trip, but the fact that he could actually come to the capital of the empire ignited a raging fire in his heart.

From the first day he arrived in the capital, he was shocked by the prosperity, magnificence and advancement of Beijing.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty was able to swallow up Outer Yunnan, which was of course a manifestation of its strong national strength.

What surprised Tao Weici even more was that after the ceremony, he was notified by officials from the Ming Dynasty's Lifanyuan to enter the palace for an audience - bringing with him Nguyen Phuc Nguyen's daughter Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ngoc.

The palace of the Ming Emperor was solemn and magnificent. They passed through many palaces and arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation on the side of the emperor's bedroom.

"Please come in, your Excellency." Fang Congzhe smiled and led him into the door of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Liu Ruoyu was waiting at the door: "My dear lady, please go to the side hall and rest first."

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ah, wearing a gauze hat on her head, was at a loss, and Tao Weici just nodded to her.

The fact that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not meet her first meant that the matter had not yet been concluded.

But having allowed her into the palace showed that the Ming emperor was somewhat interested in Nguyen Phuc Yuan's proposal and his daughter.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, only Tao Weici and Fang Congzhe faced the emperor.

Zhu Changluo was looking at the "memorial" sent by Nguyen Phuc Yuan because he directly pledged his allegiance.

This was not the first time he had watched it. After the ceremony ended today, he summoned the Nguyen envoys, of course because he was interested.

After Tao Weici paid his respects, Zhu Changluo recalled the reports from the Foreign Affairs Office and the Lifanyuan Nanyang General Office, and asked, "I heard that you only worked for Nguyen Phuc Yuan two years ago? Why didn't Nguyen Phuc Yuan send an important official to show respect for such an important matter?"

The emperor's question was very sharp, and Tao Weici immediately knelt down again: "Although I have only served you for a short time, you sent me here to show your sincerity in admiring your rule."

"Oh? How do you mean?" Zhu Changluo asked with a smile.

Tao Weici stared at the carpet on the ground, hesitated for a moment and said: "Your Majesty knows that the foreign minister has not been serving the lord for long, and the foreign minister's background must have been investigated by the Heavenly Court."

The hall became quiet for a moment.

Zhu Changluo looked at him with interest.

Tao Weici kowtowed again: "The heavenly soldiers drove out the Western barbarians, and the merchant ships crisscrossed the seas. My vassal state was once under the rule of the king, but now the treacherous officials have usurped the throne. The imperial court is behind the suffering of my vassal state, and it is a benevolent act to investigate more. My lord, I still hope that the imperial court will know that the Li family is a tyrant and the Zheng family is a traitor, and return peace and order to our Annan."

"That's enough." Zhu Changluo shook his head. "Since Nguyen Phuc Yuan has written it clearly, you don't have to say these polite words to me. But you, who was born as a candidate of Annan, really speak well. But you compare yourself to Sleeping Dragon, and just saying these makes me laugh."

Tao Weici looked a little embarrassed. "How dare I compare myself to Mr. Wolong? I just have the ambition to support the wise ruler and hope to achieve even one tenth of Mr. Wolong's achievements. I am not well educated. Even if I pass the imperial examination by chance, I can't be compared with the great scholars of the Celestial Empire."

"Stand up and talk. I summoned you here to hear the truth and discuss whether Nguyen Phuc Yuan's request is feasible." Zhu Changluo gestured to Liu Ruoyu, "I know that you are the son of a prostitute, so you have been frustrated for half your life. Now is your chance."

Tao Weici was shocked and choked up: "I, Your Majesty, would like to thank you for your grace."

He followed all the etiquette and kowtowed several times before standing up. He thanked the young eunuch and then sat down tremblingly.

In fact, a lot of information has been revealed in just a few sentences of conversation.

It is a good thing that the Ming Dynasty has checked the information about Tao Weici, which further proves that the Ming Dynasty is interested in Nguyen Phuc Yuan's proposal.

But the Ming Dynasty was able to find out Tao Weici's background so quickly, and even knew that he was the son of a prostitute, had passed the imperial examination of the Le Dynasty, and compared himself to Sleeping Dragon. This is enough to prove that the Ming Dynasty had been planning for Jiaozhi for an unknown period of time.

Now we only need to determine one thing: whether the Ming Dynasty is interested in the entire Jiaozhi area, or only in the fertile land of North Vietnam controlled by the Zheng family.

This is what Nguyen Phuc Yuan is fighting for.

What can I do? Because I can't win.

Tao Weici's father was a chaoyu, or actor. In Jiaozhi, the sons of chaoyu were not eligible to take the imperial examination.

Later, his mother changed his surname and bribed people to get the opportunity to take the exam. Tao Weici studied hard since childhood and cherished such an opportunity. He also had some talent, so he passed the first test and was qualified to continue to take the imperial examination.

However, the briber threatened his mother to remarry. In the end, his mother refused, and the matter was exposed. Not only did Tao Weici lose the qualification to continue taking the imperial examination, but his mother also committed suicide because of the blame.

Under the double blow, because he was dissatisfied with the Le Dynasty controlled by the Zheng family, he went to the south and wanted to join the Nguyen family.

But given his family background, it was not easy for him to be valued by the Nguyen family. Therefore, he still lived a hard life for a long time, working as a private school teacher in the home of his teacher when he was first enlightened.

During this period, he wrote poems and essays, and made great speeches. He gradually became famous in the south, especially with the praise of his teacher, who gave him the reputation of "the sleeping dragon of the present day".

Of course, this was just their own entertainment in a remote foreign vassal state, and their sole purpose was to attract the attention of the Ruan family.

Although Tao Weici was indeed well-read and was considered an excellent civil servant in the area controlled by the Nguyen family, if it were not for the turmoil that the Ming Dynasty had already caused in Southeast Asia, it would have taken nearly another ten years for Tao Weici to be reused by Nguyen Phuc Yuan.

Now he was discovered in advance by Nguyen Phuc Yuan and sent to Ming Dynasty.

Because his Confucian style might please the officials of the Ming Dynasty more, and his eloquence and knowledge were also quite good. The most important thing was: even if things went wrong, whether he was rewarded or punished after returning, it would not have much impact on Nguyen Phuc Yuan's base that he had to stabilize in this special period, and it would be a good influence overall.

For Tao Weici, this was the real test in his life.

After sitting down, he said carefully: "I report to Your Majesty: Although I am the son of a prostitute, your Majesty sympathizes with me and can still use me after years of hard study. It is because I am loyal to the king and promote people with knowledge and etiquette. If you want to fight against the Zheng family, you should use military officials. Your Majesty only wants to maintain peace in this area, take the upper country as a model, and educate the people according to the upper country's system. This is enough. However, the Zheng family's traitors are sharpening their knives. When I set out, I heard that Zheng was levying heavy taxes and mobilizing troops, intending to march south. Your Majesty is terrified and hopes that the upper country will send troops to fight against the traitors and save the people of Annan from hanging."

"The name of the master is what Nguyen Phuc Yuan said. There is irrefutable evidence that the Li family is not the descendant of the Li family?" Zhu Changluo asked meaningfully.

"Your Majesty is wise! In the past, the Mo family usurped the throne, and the Li family..."

Tao Weici got into the mood and talked about the old days fluently.

After Mo Dengyong usurped the throne, he showed no mercy to the members of the Le clan, and killed them all. Zheng Jian, the man who made the Zheng clan famous today, was just the son-in-law of Nguyen Gan, the ancestor of the Nguyen clan. To put it bluntly, the Le clan was able to "restore its country" thanks to a group of people mainly from the Nguyen and Zheng families.

The youngest son of "Zhaozong", Li Weining, whom they supported, was just a banner. Does it matter whether he was real or not?

Now Nguyen Phuc Yuan is willing to provide "ironclad evidence" to prove that Le Vinh Ninh was a fake. That is not only selling out the Zheng family and the entire North Vietnam, but also selling out his grandfather Nguyen Gan.

Of course, now there is a new version of this story coming from Tao Weici's mouth.

Nguyen Gan was just a loyal minister. Since he had found someone claiming to be the youngest son of "Zhaozong", would he have been willing to help the Le family? If we doubt his identity simply because there is insufficient evidence, how is he different from a treacherous minister?

However, Nguyen Gan later discovered something strange and was unwilling to be loyal to someone he did not know. On the one hand, he needed the Li clan to rally the people, while on the other hand, he continued to search for the true descendants of the clan.

But Zheng Jian thought otherwise, and thus had a conflict with Ruan Gan. In the end, Ruan Gan was poisoned to death by someone.

"Your Majesty, please understand! After expelling the tyrant Mo, Zheng has been able to firmly control the Li family. Is it because of their outstanding talents and outstanding achievements? It is because the Li family knows that they have usurped the throne and are willing to be puppets!" Tao Weici got up from his seat and bowed, crying, "The Li clan is dead, and Zheng is a despicable villain. What virtue do they have to make the people of Annan submit? It has been a hundred years since Mo Dengyong came to power, and the land of Annan has been in constant war. Now, my lord only hopes to restore peace to the people of Annan as soon as possible, so as to correct the great mistakes of those who followed the usurper in the past. It is a pity that the soldiers are weak and it is difficult to defend the land, let alone the Northern Expedition?"

He kowtowed emotionally: "I hope that the great country will relieve the suffering of the people of Annan from behind the curtain and punish all the treacherous officials. I often think about it and regret that I was not born in the past when Jiaozhi was in power. At that time, culture and education flourished, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Even a son of a prostitute like me could serve the country. The Li family rebelled against the Ming Dynasty in the early years, and the moral governance was not carried out, which led to the disaster today. Your Majesty, it is time to put things right!"

Zhu Changluo watched his performance and couldn't help but be amazed.

During the reigns of Yongle, Hongxi and Xuande, the Ming Dynasty's rule in Jiaozhi could not be described as a prosperous culture and education, nor one in which the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.

Of course, there were some virtuous and loyal officials who were dedicated to promoting civilization there, but there were more officials and eunuchs who treated them as slaves and levied heavy taxes on them.

In addition, the local powerful families were unwilling to give up power, so rebellions continued. In the third year of Xuande, the Jiaozhi Chengxuan Zhengshisi was officially abolished, and the Ming Dynasty later recognized the status of the Li family and enfeoffed them as the ruler of Jiaozhi.

After Mo Dengyong usurped the Le Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty once again set up an Annan General Administration, with each of the thirteen provinces having a Xuanfu Office. However, this was only a nominal title and its rank was also downgraded.

Now Nguyen Phuc Yuan’s proposal is, of course, to be willing to sell North Vietnam controlled by the Zheng and Mo families and let the Ming Dynasty decide how to deal with it.

He only hoped to trade for some recognition of his position in South Vietnam from the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Changluo listened to Tao Weici's "sincere and heartfelt" words and was in a trance and felt quite emotional.

If nothing had changed, this year, Nurhaci would have officially rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and mentioned the seven major grievances. After that, the Ming Dynasty would have officially entered the countdown to its end.

But at this moment, Nurhaci's people were gone, and the remnants of Jianzhou Jurchens had been driven away by Liu Jing to who knows where. On the contrary, after hearing the news that the Ming Dynasty had sent troops to Burma, Nguyen Phuc Yuan sent his daughter over, eagerly hoping that the Ming Dynasty would recognize him, and for this he did not hesitate to sell out the reputation of his ancestors and the core area of ​​Jiaozhi controlled by his primary enemy.

For Nguyen Phuc Yuan, it was indeed reasonable: there were many enemies in the north who were stronger than him, and they were even more eager due to the new changes in the surrounding situation. He hoped to unify the north and the south as soon as possible so that he could free up his hands to govern the country and ensure the people's safety, thereby gaining the recognition of the Ming Dynasty.

Similarly, the Ming Dynasty was a more formidable enemy, and Nguyen Phuc Yuan also needed to test or clarify the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards Jiaozhi. Even if the Ming Dynasty wanted the entire Jiaozhi, Nguyen Phuc Yuan's attitude was to surrender, because the Ming Dynasty should also need the old people of Jiaozhi to help them manage it.

Zhu Changluo spoke at this time: "There are two things you may not know. One is that Zheng also submitted a petition to the Ming Dynasty, promising the land occupied by the remnants of the Mo family and your Ruan family's land. The other thing is: not long after you set out from Nandu, Zheng Song's son Zheng Chun and the Li family conspired to assassinate Zheng Song, but the plot was exposed. Zheng Song can't take care of the southern expedition now. Does your lord still think the same as when he sent you out last year?"

Tao Weici was stunned for a moment. Both pieces of news were shocking.

What the emperor meant seemed to be: The Zheng family had started internal strife, and the pressure on the Nguyen family had been reduced suddenly, and it was even possible that the Northern Expedition would be successful. So would Nguyen Phuc Yuan still be willing to choose the previous plan?

Seeing the emperor's half-smile, Tao Weci knelt on the ground, raised his head and said indignantly: "The Zheng family is corrupting human relations, and their disloyalty and unfilial behavior are obvious! I dare to ask Your Majesty on behalf of my humble master: The Zheng family is fighting for power, and the people are innocent? Please send the heavenly soldiers, and I will send the volunteers to follow the heavenly soldiers to destroy the tyrants and treacherous officials!"

Zhu Changluo looked at him deeply, and then said: "The Ming Dynasty is currently deploying troops in Outer Yunnan and the East. The matter of Jiaozhi still needs to be considered in the long run. Besides, it is easy to suppress the rebellion, but it is difficult to pacify the people. If Zheng spreads the rumor that the heavenly soldiers invaded the land and enslaved the people, the Ming army will become an unjust army."

"I have the irrefutable evidence presented by my humble master..."

"That's useless. Will the people of Jiaozhi care about this?" Zhu Changluo interrupted him. "To accomplish this, we still need to start with the people. You said that Nguyen Phuc Yuan is loyal to the king, so let's do this first and make the people in the land controlled by the Zheng family envy you, the people of the Nguyen family."

Tao Weici was stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Zhu Changluo looked at him and smiled, "You are quite clever. Contact the Lifanyuan, reply the letter, and the Ming Dynasty will send the letter. Nguyen Phuc Yuan can defend the land with peace of mind, while the Ming Dynasty can increase trade with your Nanyue and let Nanyue become richer first. To facilitate exchanges, let the Ming Dynasty build a port city in the three Champa areas promised by Zheng. In this way, Zheng Song can make a misjudgment and let him concentrate on dealing with his rebellious son and restless king. If he usurps the throne, it will be an excuse."

Tao Weici's heart sank: Nguyen Phuc Yuan had other plans for Champa...

But Zhu Changluo didn't care about all this and just let Fang Congzhe discuss the details with him.

"I will accept Nguyen Phuc Yuan's daughter to put his mind at ease." Zhu Changluo finally said, "It is good to grow more grain for the Ming Dynasty. In the future, the Ming Dynasty's ships will go to buy the surplus grain and other products, and the price will be absolutely fair. He is a man with vision. Since he knows what to choose, the Ming Dynasty can tolerate him. There may be many people in Jiaozhi who are afraid of the Ming Dynasty. When they flee south, there must be someone to take care of them. As long as he does a good job, I will not hesitate to enthrone him as the Lord of the State and the King of Nanyue."

For Tao Weici, it was another great joy. He was able to obtain the title of a foreign vassal king, which even Mo Dengyong did not get. This obviously far exceeded Nguyen Phuc Yuan's expectations of him.

Although it is not the complete land of Annan.

But to the west... isn't it still possible to expand?

With this calculation, for the weak Ruan family, they actually sold the Zheng family's land for a good price!
So Tao Weici thanked him repeatedly, knelt down to say goodbye, and then left with Fang Congzhe without even looking at Ruan Yuhua - she was already the woman of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Changluo, however, needs to take a look at it.

After taking a look, he was quite satisfied - the Ruan family has been powerful for generations, so how could their genes be bad?
And that helpless and timid expression is quite interesting.

He didn't mind changing his taste sometimes. It was a win-win situation: it satisfied himself and put Nguyen Phuc Yuan at ease.

"Have you learned Chinese on the way?"

"…Reply…Reply to your majesty's question. You should learn it…from childhood…"

Zhu Changluo burst out laughing.

indeed.

Whether it is Korea or Jiaozhi, in fact, where is not the image of a small China? It has always been used, and it is also used in the imperial examination.

So it's time to come back.

"Let's place them in Chuxiu Palace first."

Zhu Changluo instructed Liu Ruoyu.

Today, the Chuxiu Palace is truly a place for accumulation of beauty.

Although there were many noble ladies from foreign races in the Yude Palace where Wang Wei lived, they all already had positions or were just palace maids for the time being.

And in Chuxiu Palace, there were indeed many girls from various ethnic groups who were offered as tributes. From the northern border, Southeast Asia, Korea, Ryukyu...

Recently, there was even a daughter of a daimyo from the western part of Honshu, Japan, who had secretly surrendered. This was the result that Denraku secretly achieved with the help of the retainers of Tsushima Souji.

Zhu Changluo continued to look at other memorials.

After a while, he frowned and thought about it.

As soon as Liu Ruoyu came back, he said, "Go and summon Yuan Shumi. Also, fetch the secret files of the Japanese pirates."

Shen Yourong proposed to incorporate the Han Chinese pirate group in Japan, and Zhu Changluo needed to consider it.

Given the temperament those people have developed at sea, are they suitable to serve as the future Japanese Squadron of the Oriental Fleet?
At this time, Zheng Zhilong had not yet become successful.

Zhu Changluo then read Shen Yourong's memorial, and after a while he chuckled: "This guy probably also thought that if he can be used, he will use him, and if he can't be used, he will just use him for a while."

(End of this chapter)