Chapter 1084
Chapter 1084
The problem isn't scarcity, but inequality. If everyone is equal and has no connections, how can the Ministry of Works possibly gain an advantage and be so far ahead of them?
As they were whispering among themselves, the Korean envoy entered. Coincidentally, the Japanese envoy had also just met privately with the Ming emperor. Perhaps the meeting had not gone well, as he looked rather displeased. When the two sides met at the door, the Korean envoy lowered his eyes, glanced at the other side disdainfully, snorted, and quickened his pace to enter first.
The Japanese envoy, who had been holding back his anger, quickened his pace upon seeing this, and the two sides collided at the door with a bang.
The envoys from both countries bent their knees slightly, tightened their stances, and pressed their arms forcefully against each other.
The people inside the hall silently turned to look at them, neither stopping them, nor advising them, nor encouraging them.
They also wanted to know who would win.
However, from the official perspective of the Ming Dynasty, everyone naturally hoped that Korea would win.
After all, they had a better relationship with Korea, and the Ming Dynasty even sent reinforcements to fight against the Japanese pirates.
Unlike the officials of the Ming Dynasty, the various tribes of the grasslands gathered on the other side had their eyes flashing as they stared intently at the envoys from Japan and Korea.
They hoped the Japanese envoy would win.
The North Korean envoy was jostled and forced to move cautiously, but his face flushed red as he refused to budge an inch...
The Japanese envoy, enraged, raised his elbow and struck the Korean envoy squarely in the face, slamming him against the doorframe. The Korean envoy sneered and raised his foot to step over the doorframe first, but suddenly, he couldn't lift his foot even after raising it a little over an inch. His body froze, and his face changed drastically.
The Korean envoy covered his left cheek, while his right cheek slammed against the doorframe. He was about to yell when he noticed the Japanese envoy standing motionless, his face ashen. A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately stood up straight and bumped into the other man, finding no resistance whatsoever.
He quickly stepped over the threshold, and the delegation behind him immediately followed in single file.
Pan Yu, who had already taken two steps forward, stopped and watched as they all passed the Japanese delegation without any hindrance and entered.
The Japanese delegation glared angrily at the Korean envoy, their faces ashen, yet they were held motionless by an invisible force.
This must be a divine technique of the Ming Dynasty!
The Ming Dynasty still favored Korea.
The Japanese envoy was deeply dissatisfied. They were both vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, so why did the Ming Dynasty show such favoritism towards Korea?
The Japanese envoy was very unwilling, but there was nothing he could do for the time being.
They glared at the Koreans with hatred, but their gazes quickly softened and became harmless when they met the Ming officials.
Pan Yun stood at the back of the hall watching all this, then withdrew her Yuan Power.
The Japanese envoy then realized that he had lost control of his body, lowered his eyes, and walked into the main hall as if nothing had happened.
“They fear power but not virtue,” Pan Yun turned to the emperor: “What does Your Majesty think should be done about this matter?”
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Qiyu lowered his eyes and said, "Only by making the Ming Dynasty strong, much stronger, will they not rebel."
Pan Yun nodded with a smile: "That's right!"
Standing on the other side, Yu Qian said, "Your Majesty, if we can subdue the various tribes of Ezo, it will be much easier to deter Japan."
The emperor nodded slightly.
Yu Qian continued, "Relying solely on Pan Yu is insufficient. I request that the Imperial Son-in-Law, Commandant Jing Yuan, accompany me to the Nurgan Regional Military Commission."
The emperor quickly looked at Pan Yun, and seeing that Pan Yun was smiling and did not object, he breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement after careful consideration.
Pan Jun remained silent, neither opposing nor supporting the proposal.
Yu Qian also looked up and glanced at her quickly, then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Since learning of Pan Yun's intention to ascend to immortality and leave, the emperor has treated the Pan family with great courtesy and bestowed favors upon them on numerous occasions, to the point that Pan Yun began to openly interfere in government affairs.
Fortunately, they haven't had any major conflicts yet, but this won't be a good thing in the long run.
Yu Qian was somewhat worried, concerned that Pan Yun might change her mind once she gained power, and that she not only had the emperor's favor, but also the people's and the army's support...
Just think about it.
The three men stood in three different directions, each with their own thoughts. Cheng Jing carefully reminded them, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived."
The emperor immediately invited the imperial advisor to go out with him.
Empress Wang was already dressed in her finest attire and waiting. The Emperor and Empress left hand in hand, with Pan Yun and Yu Qian following on either side.
All the officials and envoys stood with their hands folded beside the table. Yu Qian stood at the head of the line, while Pan Yun stood one step to the left of the emperor.
If the emperor is young, this position is held by the regent; but if the emperor is old, this position is usually vacant.
But at this moment, Pan Yun stood there, her meaning self-evident.
The Korean envoy was delighted, while the Japanese envoy turned pale. Both sides knew that Pan Yun had a grudge against Japan and held a very negative view of the country.
Her senior brothers and sisters landed on the island and killed many Japanese, causing chaos throughout the entire Japanese country;
She even personally led her men to storm the island, directly confronting the head of the Ōuchi clan. In the end, the Ōuchi clan not only lost land and harbor, but the head of the clan also died of illness not long after.
It is said that he died of illness, but there have always been rumors in the martial arts world that the head of the Da Nei clan was seriously injured by Pan Yun and later died.
In short, they are enemies.
In the past, North Korea just watched it as a spectacle and treated it as gossip.
However, ever since they learned that Pan Yun was the one who suggested sending reinforcements to Korea so quickly, and that she had also donated a lot of grain to Korea and encouraged many grain merchants to transport supplies to Korea, their goodwill towards Pan Yun has increased dramatically.
Today, people in North Korea not only worship the longevity tablets of the emperor, Yi Song, and Pan Yu, but also that of Pan Yun.
She was the Grand Preceptor of the Ming Dynasty, and the Joseon Kingdom also recognized her.
The emperor dismissed all formalities, looked at Pan Yun, and said, "Since the late emperor's death, I have not dared to relax for a single day, for fear of failing my ancestors' wishes. But Heaven has been kind to me. When the world was in turmoil, a national advisor descended from the heavens. He not only helped me to pacify the people and borders, but also used himself as a guide to draw down the heavenly lightning to strike down all the evil in the world, cleansing the dragon vein and making my Ming Dynasty stable for thousands of generations!"
Hu Ying immediately bowed and said, "The Mandate of Heaven rests on Your Majesty, hence the Heaven has sent forth the Imperial Preceptor. This is a blessing for the Great Ming Dynasty, a blessing for us, and a blessing for all the people. Your Majesty is wise!"
The ministers echoed, "The Mandate of Heaven rests with Your Majesty; Your Majesty is wise!"
The Korean envoy joined in the shouting, while the Japanese envoy looked on with envy, his eyes occasionally gleaming as he gazed at Zhu Qiyu.
Only the envoys from the various tribes of the grasslands and the envoys from the southwest, including the Le Dynasty, had complicated expressions on their faces. Reluctantly, they turned their heads to the side, but had no choice but to raise their hands in a gesture of respect and make a perfunctory shout.
Pan Yun glanced at them, chuckled, and stated directly, "There are quite a few tribal envoys from the Oirat and Tatars this time. There are too many of them. Who can speak on your behalf?"
They looked at each other, and the awkwardness from before vanished instantly; neither wanted to be represented.
After Esen's death, the various tribes of the steppe had not yet had a chance to fight each other, so naturally no leader could be chosen.
Their method for deciding the leader was simple: fighting!
Whoever wins will be obeyed for the time being.
Pan Yun was aware of this tradition of theirs. After glancing around, he laughed and said, "It seems there's no one who can represent us. The last one to defeat you all was the army of the Ming Dynasty. According to your rules, His Majesty is now your Khan, isn't he?"
"Why ask such a question, Grand Preceptor?" An old tribal chief said calmly without any fear, "Now the Oirat and Tatar have been divided into three tributary states. Our land and our grasslands have become the emperor's private property, and our cattle, sheep and herdsmen have become the emperor's property."
The emperor glanced at Pan Yun and said with a faint smile, "All the land under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people within the realm are his subjects. In my heart, the grasslands are the same as the Central Plains, the cattle and sheep on the grasslands are the same as the fields in the Central Plains, and the herdsmen are the same as the farmers."
"The world belongs to me, and it also belongs to the people of the world!" Zhu Qiyu said. "You should pass on these words to the herders of the grasslands and tell them that they should continue to herd and live the same way they did in the past."
"They like wrestling, horse racing, and archery, so the annual Naadam festival will continue. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we celebrate the Spring Festival, and you celebrate the White Festival. Whether you pay homage to heaven and earth or to the lamas is up to you," the emperor said. "However, after winter each year, you will no longer raid southwards due to a lack of food. The Central Plains and grasslands will become one family, with the court in charge. The herders on the grasslands can exchange cattle, sheep, and horses for grain, salt, and tea, and can also learn more farming techniques from the Central Plains."
The envoys from various tribes exchanged glances. Although the emperor and officials of the Ming Dynasty had been saying this all along, few people believed it.
But a lie repeated three times can shake a person's resolve. Besides, this might not even be a lie, and they've said it more than three times.
Especially now that the emperor has said it again in front of so many envoys from vassal states, isn't that considered a public promise?
The Ming Dynasty has always had a good reputation.
At least they always treated their vassal states with great courtesy and always kept their promises, so the scales in people's hearts began to tip.
Just as the scales were tipping, Pan Yun said coolly, "I once went to the Oirat army to save the late emperor. I heard that many tribes at that time followed Esen, saying that they could destroy our Great Ming in three months. Is that true?"
The scales in the hearts of the envoys began to shake violently. Yes, they had fought against the Ming Dynasty with Esen, twice.
Let's not dwell on this defeat, but the last one...
Well, they weren't exactly successful last time either, but the late emperor died at their hands.
The late emperor was the emperor's elder brother, and it was said that the brothers had a good relationship and were very close since childhood. Therefore, after Zhu Qiyu was enfeoffed as a prince, he was kept in the capital and not sent to his own territory. If he wanted to avenge the late emperor...
Just then, a sigh came from above. Everyone looked up and saw the emperor bowing his head and weeping, showing no sign of sadness: "I lost my father at a young age, and my elder brother is like a father to me. He has always treated me very well. In the Battle of Datong, the fault lies with Esen. I have already used Esen's head as a sacrifice to the heavens to comfort the spirit of the late emperor. All the tribes on the grassland were held hostage by Esen. As long as the tribes do not commit the same crimes again, I will forgive and forget the past."
The scales in the hearts of the envoys slammed to one side. They excitedly looked up, knelt down on one knee with a thud, clasped their hands and shouted, "Your Majesty, we are willing to submit to the court and serve Your Majesty."
The emperor quickly descended the steps, helped the envoys up with both hands, and pressed their hands firmly, saying, "Good, good!"
Pan Yun remained calm, while the officials looked pleased. Only then did the envoys from the other vassal states realize what was happening and turn to look at Korea and Japan.
They thought the two leaders and the Grand Preceptor were the main characters of the birthday banquet, but little did they know that the leaders of the various tribes on the grasslands were the real stars.
It wasn't just the various tribes of the grasslands. After the emperor finished exchanging pleasantries with the envoys from the grassland tribes and returned to his throne, Pan Jun looked at the three major vassal states on the southwestern border and smiled slightly, saying, "I heard that Siji is still hiding in Laos? Could it be that he intends to hide with his people forever and never come back?"
Cold sweat instantly poured down the Lao envoy's face. (End of Chapter)