"Say no more!" However, as soon as he spoke, Naito Tadashige interrupted him sharply. "When I asked you just now, you didn't say anything, and you still didn't say anything after so long at the banquet, in that case, now I don't want to listen to your quibbles, you deserve it."

"Your Excellency...... Spare me! Masayoshi Takenaka didn't care about decency, so he left the table in front of the public, and then knelt down in front of Naito Tadashige, "I...... I'm just confused, and I'll never do it again! See in...... For the sake of our generations of serving the Tokugawa family, please spare me! ”

"Whether I spare you or not, that's what the general can say." Naito Tadashige didn't take his plea seriously at all, "I can only send you to Edo to be punished." ”

"Pending sanctions...... What is the punishment? Shigeyoshi Takenaka felt that his whole body was paralyzed, and he couldn't spare any strength, he knew Tokugawa Iemitsu's temper, and if he came to punish him, it would definitely not end well.

"If everything is true, you, seppuku, and your eldest son is involved, seppuku." As if he was not desperate enough, Naito Tadashige directly told him what Tokugawa Iemitsu meant, "Your family's territory will also be confiscated and replaced." ”

"Ahh Not only did Shigeyoshi Takenaka let out a scream, but everyone else in the room, as long as they could understand Japanese, almost unanimously exclaimed.

Shigeyoshi Takenaka was the lord of the Bungo Imperial Domain, and his father was enthroned in this place because he followed Tokugawa Ieyasu to conquer the world, and he inherited it. Although the Funai Domain is not a big domain, only 20,000 koku high, it is a family business that can be passed down from generation to generation, and the title of the daimyo is also a noble status that ordinary people cannot reach, and now it has disappeared all along with it.

Shigeyoshi Takenaka himself and his eldest son had to apologize for their crimes, and even the territory was confiscated, which was a rare punishment, and it was too severe, which shows how angry the general was about it.

However, the shogun's anger is understandable, as it was not only an economic mistake but also a political mistake, as the shogunate instituted the seal system to control Japan's foreign trade, gain financial benefits from it, and use it to prevent the feudal domains from strengthening themselves. Not only did Takenaka's actions hurt the shogunate's revenue, but it also kept a large number of merchant ships out of the shogunate's control, which directly meant that the foundation of the national policy was shaken, and he could not tolerate such an outcome anyway.

In fact, his reputation had already spread throughout the shogunate, and the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu had long been very dissatisfied with the actions of this genealogy daimyo who left the town of Nagasaki, but because he was a close confidant of his father Hidetada, he never took action. After Xiuzhong's death, he also observed for almost a year, and found that Takenaka Shigeyoshi was still as unrepentant as ever, so he would not have any more leniency for this person, just to use him to purge the old ministers left by his father.

Tadashige Naito took over the trip to Kyushu to preside over the meeting of the old and middle schools in the last meeting

Under such a strong blow, Shigeyoshi Takenaka's whole person was already stunned, and he couldn't speak, I don't know how long it took before he finally came back to his senses, and then rushed towards Naito Tadashige with a rolling belt.

"My lord, please intercede for me...... My lord, please intercede for me! He shouted as he rushed, and tears flowed from his eyes unconsciously. Please let the Shogun forgive me! You can do whatever you want me to do, help me intercede! Please! ”

However, before he could rush in front of Naito Tadashige, he was mercilessly stopped by the guards brought by Lao Zhong.

He pleaded repeatedly, but Naito Tadashige ignored it at all, as if he didn't hear it, and he waved his hand directly.

"Take him down and escort him to Edo tomorrow! Also, his son must also be arrested, and he must not be let go! ”

"Yes!" These guards responded and forcibly dragged away Shigeyoshi Takenaka, who was still pleading.

There was still dead silence in the lobby, except for shouts echoing farther and farther away.

This meal was really fun...... Liu Jing, who had been silent, thought to himself. Dealing with such an official in Nagasaki in front of so many people seems to have the intention of Liwei.

Nagasaki, who had been in Nagasaki and was a big headache for every foreign businessman in Nagasaki, pursued Takenaka Shigeyoshi, and in this way, after the arrival of the old man, he said goodbye in a sudden way, although on the surface he said that he would let the shogun verify and make a judgment, but it was obvious that not only could he not keep his position, but even his life was going to be lost.

In the midst of such an unusual silence, Naito Tadashige seemed very calm, and he waved his hand, motioning for his entourage and subordinates to come and clean up the dirty area that had been soiled by Shigeyoshi Takenaka as soon as possible.

He felt the fear of others, and from this fear he also truly experienced the sweetness of power. When he was in the shogunate, he was only one of the lowest ranked among the old people, although his status was very high, but it was not inconspicuous, and he had to accept the moderation of the old Ii Naotaka and others from time to time. But when he arrived in Nagasaki, he was now the most senior official of the shogunate in Kyushu and the entire Kansai region. After taking Nagasaki with a thunderbolt, the officials of Nagasaki and the merchants of various countries are now bowing their heads in front of them, and they dare not come out with trepidation, which is really pleasant.

"I'm sorry, but the shogunate's internal affairs have made everyone laugh." He suddenly laughed again, and then said to these merchants with a pleasant face, "Takenaka Shigeyoshi is insatiable, presumably you have been bullied and exploited by him before, but fortunately, the general has seen everything and has removed him from his post and investigated him, and he will no longer have a way to embarrass you in the future, you can do business with peace of mind." In addition, now that you have seen the present, you can understand the original intention of replacing the seal again, right? If you think about it, it's for your good...... Otherwise, there will be many merchant ships of unknown origin competing with the merchants, don't you see? ”

He smiled while looking at the officials and businessmen present, but they were only sparsely settled, and people still had lingering palpitations about what had just happened, where was they still in the mood to speak, especially the officials, many of whom were still Takenaka's righteous henchmen, and they were even more frightened when they saw that the backers had fallen to such a point.

However, under Naito's watchful gaze, the people who gradually came back to their senses also understood the current situation and situation, and soon the harmony became louder and louder, and finally resounded throughout the hall, especially the Japanese officials present, who touched the ground with their heads and were extremely obedient.

After seeing that his actions had the desired effect, Naito Tadashige was also very satisfied. Shigeyoshi Takenaka had been in Nagasaki for a few years, and he had promoted a lot of cronies, and now that he had been disposed of, these officials must have a fluctuating mood in the people's minds, and he needed to stabilize the people's hearts first and then clean them up one by one.

As for the treacherous businessmen, they need some reassurance even more. These people have been secretly coracting with Takenaka Shigeyoshi before, giving a lot of bribes, and some people have even bought his fake vermilion seals, and now they must still be nervous. Foreign trade was very important to the shogunate, and it should not be investigated too deeply to affect the stability of trade, and it is enough to scare it appropriately.

"Well, it's getting late, and you must have a lot of important things to do, so let's end today's banquet. In order to make up for my mistake in summoning you here in a hurry, I have prepared a lot of gifts, although they are not valuable, but they are also a piece of heart, and I hope that you will be able to return with pleasure. Naito Tadashige continued to speak to the group of businessmen with a smile on his face, and then his gaze finally stayed on Liu Jing's body, "Envoy Liu, I still have some things to talk to you about here, if it's convenient, can you stay for a while?" ”

Although he didn't understand why the other party suddenly wanted to keep him, Liu Jing had no other choice, and immediately nodded and agreed.

"Your Excellency has an order, and you dare to disobey your orders."

"Good, good." Naito Tadashige picked up the folding fan on the desk and waved it lightly, signaling the end of the banquet, "Let's go back first!" ”

Under the leadership of the attendants, these merchants and officials left the hall one after another, and the thrilling scene just now will become their eternal memory, and the original noisy hall has returned to silence.

Liu Jing stayed according to the request of the shogunate elder, he was a little uneasy in his heart, but he had already eliminated the doubt that the matter was exposed, but he didn't know what the other party wanted to say to him.

Naito Tadashige didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, he poured himself wine again without hurrying, then stood up and walked in front of Liu Jing.

"Just now we cleaned up the scum and frightened the envoy, and I ask for forgiveness." He put a glass of wine on the table in front of Liu Jing, "I think I must have caused a lot of trouble to the envoy before coming to Takenaka Shigeyi, right?" ”

“…… It's a lot of trouble. To tell you the truth, Takenaka took the opportunity to ask for bribes several times before, and made our businessmen very troubled, and we did secretly complain about him. Liu Jing nodded, "But...... The lower officials also have to tell the truth, Takenaka has been polite to us, and it has also done a lot of convenience, and in the next few years, we have been able to expand the trade between the two countries, and we have also been commended by the country......"

"The envoy is really an upright person, and he is not down at this time," Naito Zhong praised heavily, and then held the wine glass in his hand and stretched it out to him, "Sure enough, as an official of the Chinese court, he is more reliable than a merchant after all." Those Nanban merchants, one by one, were treacherous and cunning, only thinking about making profits from our country, and Takenaka Shigeyoshi forged and issued those seals, most of which were bought by those Nanban merchants and then resold privately, without taking our shogunate seriously at all! However, after we investigated thoroughly, Chinese businessmen were rarely involved. After all, they are barbarians, and they are never trustworthy by the people of China! ”

It is true that no one among the Chinese merchants has ever bought these privately issued seals, but it is not because no one is greedy for huge profits from Japan, but because Shigeyoshi Takenaka is afraid that China is too close to China, and he is afraid that the frequent contacts of merchants will be easy to expose, so he deliberately does not sell these seals to Chinese merchants.

Liu Jing had known similar rumors for a long time, but because he had an official status, he never talked about it with Shigeyoshi Takenaka, anyway, the official way of trade could already bring rolling profits to the imperial court, and the above did not have similar requirements for him.

"Your Excellency praised it." Liu Jing replied with a smile, and at the same time raised his wine glass, and the two of them drank it together, "Bearing the heavy trust of the imperial court, it is not only to expand the trade between the two countries, but also to make the relationship between the two countries better and better. ”

"Well said the Envoy! That's how it should be! Naito clapped his hands gently, "Only by relying on a serious and responsible official like the envoy can our two countries maintain good relations, and finally we will both begin to move towards peace and order, and trade will continue to maintain ......."

The other party was so enthusiastic, but Liu Jing was just submissive, and he could feel that Takenaka Shigeyoshi was deliberately currying favor with him, so he decided to improvise and see what the other party was planning.

"Originally, our two countries have always been very friendly, but recently there have been a lot of turmoil, which is a pity to say." At this moment, Naito Tadashige suddenly sighed, "I guess the envoy has also been reprimanded a lot in China recently, right?" ”

I...... Under domestic pressure? Liu Jing didn't come back to her senses for a while.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck him. That's right, now the shogunate is still stopping the export of copper ore to the Han Dynasty, and normally speaking, the domestic court should have been in a hurry, and it was right to reprimand itself several times.

However, the current situation is very abnormal, Dahan has made up his mind to conquer Japan, whether it is the Ministry of Commerce or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no one urges him for this matter anymore, so Liu Jing still hasn't remembered it until now. After being reminded by Naito Tadashigeichi, he realized that he had missed a very important problem.

How did I forget about it? There was such a serious dispute, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry, and he didn't seem to be in a hurry to negotiate with the shogunate, so it was definitely a very abnormal thing to be seen by people with a heart, and it was inevitable that he would become suspicious. And if this old man sees the problem, it will definitely be bad.

When he thought of this, his heart sank. However, perhaps because he had been in business for many years before, Liu Jing was already very skilled in controlling his emotions, and he quickly sank his face and made a bitter face.

"Your Excellency...... Ay...... Don't tell the adult, I've been really anxious lately! He let out a long sigh, and then poured himself a glass of wine, looking very worried, "Your country did not issue a word in advance, and directly stopped the export of copper to our country, although I don't know what the decision was made for, but this is really embarrassing!" As you know, copper has always been a large quantity of China's imports from your country, and our country is also in great need of importing copper. The boss has sent many documents to question the subordinate, and has been reprimanding the subordinate, thinking that it is because the subordinate work has not been done well, so such a situation will occur, and instructs the subordinate to solve the problem as soon as possible, otherwise, it will ...... Hey, otherwise it will be difficult to protect the position below! ”

He sighed for a long time, and seemed to have received Naito's sympathy, "It's really not easy for the envoy." ”

"It's not easy, it's not easy!" Liu Jing shook his head, "Recently, I have asked Takenaka and other shogunate officials several times, but their answers are vague, and they have not said when the export of copper will be resumed, which makes us all worried, and we don't know what to do to solve it......

"Hey, the envoy really feels ashamed to say that, we caused the envoy a lot of trouble." Naito Tadashige smiled as if he was sorry, "Actually, this matter was also a decision we made in a hurry, and for various reasons, when the decision was made, we also went through a lot of debate within the shogunate, and in the end, we had to make this decision because we had to do it. ”

"Of course, there are all kinds of difficulties in governing a country, which can be understood at the bottom, and to be honest, there is nothing I can change about." Liu Jing frowned, obviously still very distressed, "However, I still want to ask the adults to give me a letter to tell me when the exit will be resumed?" At least let some things be reported to the country, so that it will not appear that nothing has been done in the future. Best...... It's better to do it as soon as possible, because domestic imports have been stopped for several months, and copper is urgently needed everywhere. ”

"I understand the envoy's feelings, and it is the most important thing for both of us to resolve the traders' disputes as soon as possible and restore peace to everything." Naito Tadashige looked serious, "Do you think the envoy thinks that the resumption of exports next month will satisfy the envoy and your country?" ”

"Will it be back next month?" After hearing his words, Liu Jing couldn't help but be taken aback.

The shogunate's abrupt halt to copper ore exports to the Dahan had already caused a great uproar, and the Ministry of Commerce had already reprimanded the shogunate's representatives in the Dahan on several occasions - a reaction that would have been several times more intense under normal circumstances.

After a detailed investigation by Liu Jing and Zhou Pu and the staff of the merchant house, although the Dutch increased their imports of copper, they did not suddenly increase to the point that the shogunate had no time to take care of exports to China, and the shogunate's sudden suspension of exports must have had other purposes. Since they have other purposes, they should not easily lift the export ban.