Kyoto, Silence and Tea House.

Li Jinglong, led by a tea waiter in a kimono, walked into the depths of the courtyard.

It is not so much a tea room, but rather like a academy, where you can see calligraphy and paintings on the screen everywhere, and Li Jinglong can completely understand it. There is no dyslexia at all.

Because it's all written in Chinese characters.

Under the eaves of the hanging mountaintop, there was Sao Qingniang, whose somewhat exaggerated eyes were staring at Li Jinglong, making Li Jinglong uncomfortably quicken his pace.

As the shoji door was opened, Li Jinglong took off his boots and replaced them with clogs.

The elite generals of the Cao Guo Mansion, dressed in black armor and holding a thousand cattle knives, were left outside the teahouse.

Inside, Gu Jian, whose face was much younger than his actual age, was waiting for him.

"Hello, Your Excellency, General."

A mouthful of Fengyang official dialect with a straight and round tone will give Li Jinglong a face.

But after all, our Cao Guogong has seen the world, and after sitting down calmly, he asked, "Has the mage been to Daming?" Or is it a Ming person who came to Japan? ”

"I'm Japanese, and I've been in your country for many years."

Gu Jian Miaokuai casually reported the names of several Zen monks, and even included Dao Yan, obviously showing that he had a heel.

Li Jinglong also knew in his heart that the shogun had sent a Ming Guotong to talk to him, so as not to miscommunicate.

In this way, the crappy interpreter brought by the mission on his side can save effort in an informal setting.

Of course, even on formal occasions, the two sides must have conversed in Chinese, and the so-called interpretation is just a better way to tell the Japanese side some subtle and incomprehensible Chinese words in Japanese.

Li Jinglong chose an opening sentence that could not be wrong: "Japanese custom utensils are quite similar to the Ming Dynasty. ”

"Let the Great General smile." Gu Jian Miaokuai smiled slightly, "According to the words of Ming Guo, it is Dong Shi Xiaofeng." ”

Li Jinglong smiled reservedly, but did not continue to evaluate without knowing the depths.

In fact, what he has seen all the way since he entered the tea room can see that Japanese cultural etiquette is indeed almost completely born from China, as Jiang Xinghuo said, but with a little bit of its own.

For example, the sweeping lady (sunny day doll) hanging under the eaves is not much different from the one hanging in the countryside of Daming.

It's just that China's sweeping lady often makes a doll image in the form of cloth or paper-cutting, holding a broom in one hand and cutting a lotus flower on her head; The Japanese Sunny Day Doll wraps a bamboo cage ball or cotton ball with a square handkerchief, and then paints the facial features on the ball.

Another example is the shoji gate, which was transmitted to Japan from the Song Dynasty, and the shape is generally the same.

Gu Jian Miaokuai took the task assigned by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu: to test the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, the great general, Li Jinglong, the prince of Cao Guo.

And after he answered Li Jinglong, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

- Japan has never had such a beautiful person!

This general of the Ming Kingdom, tall and tall, with comfortable eyebrows, and graceful and luxurious bearing, his conversation is even more extraordinary, no matter what he talks about, he can calmly pick up the conversation, and the head of the talk is the Tao.

The important thing is that the general was very polite in his words, and he did not seem to have any prejudices against Japan.

What is even more paradoxical is that this general seems to know the customs and spiritual characteristics of the Japanese very well.

This made Gu Jian Miao beat a drum in his heart.

Mingguo, come prepared!

And this general is so difficult to deal with, and so polite, obviously, there must be something strange in this.

Otherwise, how to explain that the powerful people under the Ming Kingdom, even if they are not as majestic as the shogun's Emperor of the Shogun, they are also marshal ministers who can command hundreds of thousands of troops and make a decision, why do they know Japan so well and be so polite in the eyes of the Ming people?

You must know that when Gu Jian Miaokuai traveled to the Ming Dynasty, when others knew his Japanese identity, even if he didn't say anything, his eyes would show a look of disdain imperceptibly.

In the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, especially in the eyes of the Ming elites, Japan is a foreign land.

Who would go out of their way to study the history, folklore, and humanity of a foreign land?

There is only one answer, Ming is going to do something to Japan!

This is not a Japanese unfounded concern, this kind of thing was done in the Yuan Dynasty more than a hundred years ago, and more than once.

The Japanese know very well that they are not as far away from China as they imagined.

If the Ming Dynasty passed through Korea, it would be only a strait away from Japan by land.

If the Daming sailors set off from Ningbo and other ports, it would take up to three days to get to Hirado Port.

And the shadow of the war of annihilation such as "Yuankou Attack" has always hung over the heads of the Japanese.

Therefore, the ancient sword that has finished thinking about it is wonderful, and it has invisibly added a lot of psychological pressure.

Looking at the couplets and poems held by bamboo poles in the room, Li Jinglong asked curiously.

"Is it Japanese literature that the mage wrote, or did you learn it during the Ming Dynasty?"

"It's the Five Mountains Sinology."

Gu Jian quickly explained to Li Jinglong, and Li Jinglong understood.

In Japan, after the decline of Confucianism centered on the Kosei period in the Heian period, Zenlin Confucianism centered on the Zen monks of the Five Mountains emerged.

The so-called "five mountains" is the Zen temple system established by Japan in imitation of the official temple system of the Southern Song Dynasty, including the five mountains of Kamakura, the five mountains of Kyoto and the southern temple of Kyoto, a total of eleven Zen temples, synthesized "five mountains and ten temples". ”

Well, there are eleven out of ten brakes, which is reasonable, right?

Since Buddhist scriptures are written in Chinese, Sinology has become a compulsory course for monks. However, the sinology of this period was mainly based on the Song studies, which explored the study of sexual reason. The daily documents of the Zen forest mostly use the Chinese character pun style, the four or six texts of this pun style, often have to quote the scriptures, in addition to quoting Zen quotations, but also cite a large number of Confucian classics, Zhuzi Baijia and even Chinese literary works.

To cope with the daily life of the Five Mountains, Zen monks must not only learn to write four or six pun scripts, but also memorize many Chinese classics.

As a result, Wushan Sinology flourished unprecedentedly. At that time, the Wushan Zen Forest was quite similar to China, especially advocating the Chinese style of life, and the poems and texts written by it were also on a par with the literati of the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

Li Jinglong looked at the wisdom of the shogun in his intelligence and smiled heartily.

"I still have a few authentic paintings of my predecessors here, so I will send the servants to the Master's Zen temple when I turn around."

Gu Jian Miao quickly hesitated for a moment and said, "Then thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency." ”

The nonsense was almost over, and the two sides finally got to the point.

"I don't know what His Excellency the General sent to Japan at the behest of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?" Gu Jian Miaokuai stared at Li Jinglong's expression through the rising tea smoke.

Li Jinglong remained silent, and only said: "It is to announce the king of Japan, the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty, to ascend the throne." ”

Gu Jian Miaokuai bowed slightly, and asked again: "Then I wonder if Your Excellency the Great General can privately reveal that the new Great Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty has any intentions regarding the exploration trade?" ”

Hearing this, Li Jinglong frowned, his face was serious and his aura was impressive.

"Is this what the mage asked?"

"Or did Ashikaga Shogun ask?"

"Or did King Go-Komatsu ask?!"

Gu Jianmiao was taken aback, and hurriedly apologized: "Your Excellency General, don't misunderstand, I'm asking curiously." ”

After that, he never dared to mention the topic again.

Seeing that he had frightened the other party, Li Jinglong's heart slowly let go.

Scared to death personally.

Zhu Di didn't plan to talk about any exploration and trade with Japan at all, and even if he did, it would only be possible to negotiate it if Japan ceded land.

If Li Jinglong talks about this condition now, I am afraid that the shogun who can be angry directly will draw his sword.

As the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di's bottom line and conditions are only known to Li Jinglong, so Li Jinglong never dares to let go of this tone.

In addition to this little turmoil, the two talked for half an hour and tasted the matcha method, which has long been eliminated in China, and then Li Jinglong was sent out by Gu Jian Miaokuai.

On the carriage outside the tea house, Cao Afu had been waiting for a long time.

Smelling the smell of wine on the housekeeper, Li Jinglong asked casually, "Why did you go?" ”

Cao Afu smiled flatteringly: "Grandpa Guo, a few small people go to the opposite side. Izakaya, sat for a while. ”

Li Jinglong himself is not a serious person, and he is not very strict with these subordinates who have grown up with him since childhood, as long as he does not cross the line, he will not get angry and punish him.

Therefore, he just nodded and did not mention this stubble again.

"Then don't go."

"Ah Da, Ah Er."

Li Jinglong greeted him, and the two armor-clad generals responded.

"Go and bring the gift to the ancient sword mage in the tearoom just now."

"Yes!"

The two families will leave with the paintings and calligraphy in the box.

Li Jinglong was in the carriage and waited for the two men for a while.

After all, this is Japan, let these two people go alone, if these two people are harassed on the street and forced to cut people, it will not be good.

As for the attitude of the Japanese, he had basically figured it out, and it was not surprising that the Japanese knew nothing about the apparent and real purpose of the Ming Mission.

The spies in the mission who came from different systems but were generally short in stature had already been scattered along the way, and what they were going to do and how they returned to China was none of Li Jinglong's business.

"Ji Gang's Jin Yiwei, Zhu Gaosui's Jin Wuwei, and Daoyan's spy."

Li Jinglong shook his head, exploring the matter of the Iwami Silver Mine and the Sado Gold Mine in Japan, these waves of people should be able to handle it.

Especially those veteran spies under Dao Yan.

There are many people who know Korean and Japanese all year round, and they choose people who are short in stature, and after shaving the strange head shape of the Japanese, there is no obvious difference in appearance.

And the daimyos, cities, villages, garrisons, economic conditions, etc., along the way, these spies will probe.

Therefore, Li Jinglong now has only one task, that is, to get rid of the shogun, and then return to China safely.

As for the economic situation in Kyoto, Japan, he only needs to take a stroll to get a general idea, and then diverge a little, so that he can give Zhu Di a business.

And the political situation in Kyoto, Japan, is not so difficult, as the official envoy of the Ming Dynasty, there will definitely be a welcome dinner, and people with heads and faces in Kyoto, Japan will come.

Li Jinglong himself has an excellent memory, coupled with the help of his subordinates, when these Japanese magnates are introduced, they will record them one by one, which is enough to fool Zhu Di.

Well, there is only one thing that is very important at the moment.

Li Jinglong's expression was a little serious, and he looked at the housekeeper Cao Afu and asked.

"The gifts for the Japanese shoguns are ready, right?"

"Ready!" Cao Afu nodded like pecking rice.

This is a big deal for Grandpa Guo, give him a hundred guts, and he will not dare to delay.

According to information obtained by Li Jinglong, the shogun was not short of gold and silver, but sinology is very popular in Japan today, so high-end luxury goods are very popular.

This kind of luxury goods includes famous Chinese calligraphy and painting, exquisite porcelain, high-end silk, and antiques of the Tang and Song dynasties.

And it just so happened that the appearance of these things was generally not large, and the Cao Guo Mansion was not short of these things, so Li Jinglong quietly ordered his cronies to pack a lot and bring them on the boat.

Li Jinglong believes that in order to return to the Ming Dynasty safely, the shogun must not be offended.

It's not about spending money at all, it's about saving your life.

"As long as he can coax the shogun over, he will never be able to detain me!"

Li Jinglong thought secretly in his heart.

Ah Da Ah Er had already returned from sending gifts to Gu Jianmiao, and the team began to return to the residence.

Because he really attached too much importance to it, Li Jinglong returned to his residence and deliberately checked the boxes of gifts, and only after confirming that they were correct, did he really put his mind at ease.

"That's fine, it's definitely stable!"

Li Jinglong was very happy that in Japan in this era, this was already the most handy gift, and he believed that even the shogun would be overjoyed to see these calligraphy and painting antiques that were very in line with the aesthetics of the current Japanese in the Tang and Song dynasties.

Seeing that the owner was happy, Cao Afu was also very happy.

Cao Afu asked, "Grandpa Guo, shall we send it over today?" ”

"What's going on today?" Li Jinglong was slightly surprised, "Be sober, wait for Gu Jian Miaokuai to come to probe the wind, and go back to report to the shogun." Otherwise, if we rush over, won't we lose weight in vain? Gift-giving should also pay attention to a scale. ”

Cao Afu naturally didn't dare to say more, and nodded his head again and again.

"When will you send it over?"

"Tomorrow, send it quietly tomorrow morning, and don't let anyone in the mission know!"

Li Jinglong repeatedly instructed: "Remember, the current shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori is just a teenage doll, a puppet without real power, and the one who really holds the real power in Japan is the previous generation of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu who lives in Daxiangkokuji. In addition, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's Imperial Observatory (the name of the shogun's wife) Hino clan is also a figure with great influence on the shogun, so the gifts given by these three people are different, so you must not get confused, understand? ”

"Repeat it again."

"Send porcelain and books to Ashikaga Yoshimori, calligraphy, paintings and antiques to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and send horse-faced pleated skirts and Shu brocade to the Hino clan of the Imperial Observatory." Cao Afu hurriedly said.

"Yes."

Li Jinglong nodded with satisfaction.

In this way, all is well!

Looking at the departing figure of the housekeeper Cao Afu, Li Jinglong leaned on the seat and tapped on the armrest, humming a little song comfortably.

"The water is surging and the mountains are stacked, where is the young Zhou Lang? Unconsciously gone! Poor Huang Gai turned to be injured, the broken Cao's canopy was extinguished for a while, and the river water of the fierce soldiers was still hot, so that I felt sad. This is not a river that has flowed for twenty years. Heroes, Blood! ”

The matter of gift-giving, there is a lot of exquisiteness, and the emphasis is on watching people cook.

I have already inquired about the preferences of several powerful Japanese figures in advance, and prepared corresponding precious gifts, so I think I will be able to get out of danger smoothly.

Just like Jiang Xinghuo said, the gift is smashed into place, and the king shouts long live.

When the time comes, if you pretend to read the edict again, you will not be able to bear the anger of the shogun, and you will be able to get out and return home smoothly if you continue to give gifts.

"Worthy of being a fertilizer immortal!"

"Simply a perfect plan!"

(End of chapter)