Free Web NovelChapter 2092: Chapter 1529: You Are a Dragon Among Men—How Could You Associate With Such Vermin?
"I see!"
In the Great Hall, the incense candles wafted with blue smoke, but it was not as pleasant as the Divine Smoke of the Shandan people. The old abbot understood, nodded gently, and had the young monks accompany the other Japanese to tour the tea ceremony. He then went ahead alone, leading Mori no Kiyoshi to a secluded, elegant room. Shi Wende hesitated slightly, but Mori no Kiyoshi laughed and gestured for him to "follow."
"Step... step..."
The footsteps of the three entered the quiet room. The heavy stone walls and wooden door exhibited excellent soundproofing. In this era, Buddhist monasteries served as the highest level "upper-class club," with special rooms for officials to secretly meet for tea and discuss important matters. The old abbot brewed a pot of tea, chatted briefly with Mori no Kiyoshi about the Buddhist Scripture, glanced at the bewildered Shi Wende, his face showing a sudden realization.
"Brother, how is this tea? Is there any lacking?..."
"Hmm... the tea is excellent, but the water could be a bit better. The best is fresh spring water, freshly drawn, heated to almost boiling, then used to brew light tea. That’s truly exquisite!..."
"Ah! Brother, you’re absolutely right! Then I’ll go to the back of the mountain to fetch some spring water. The mountain trails are a bit far and will take one or two hours; please be patient, brother."
"Alright! Sorry to trouble you!..."
With a few responses, the old abbot gracefully departed, gently closing the wooden door. The situation had changed rapidly, and it was not until this moment that Shi Wende suddenly realized that in this quiet tea room, he was removed from all monks and Japanese, leaving only him and Mori no Kiyoshi?!
"Sen Juzuo? This... Perhaps I could ask Master Ci Ku to return, and I’ll go to the back mountain for water?..."
"Mr. Shi, please sit down, sit down!... From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you and I have a great fate destined by the Buddha!..."
"...! What? What fate?..."
Shi Wende jolted up immediately. Mori no Kiyoshi, smiling, reached out and held the tall Shi Wende in place. Under Shi Wende’s frightened gaze, Mori no Kiyoshi removed the Tiantai Sect monk robe, revealing the merchant attire beneath, and somehow produced a Japanese hat. He then slowly placed the hat on his head, shook Shi Wende’s hand solemnly, and handed over a one jin weight gold talisman.
"Amitabha! This gold talisman is our fate!... Shi Wende, let me introduce myself again. I am Mori no Kiyoshi, both a disciple of Tiantai and a great merchant from a rice house..."
"These past days, I’ve been inquiring about you... The Chongming Shi family is renowned, and it turns out you’re a true sea lord of the Ming Dynasty. Your father commands a fleet of more than ten large ships that have often reached Hirado! Although you have come ashore and passed the scholar exams, you were truly a maritime hero before, engraved in your bones, something you cannot wash away..."
"Blessings from the Buddha! Tribute is temporary, but the good friends we meet can last a lifetime! The Chongming Shi family has ships and people, able to acquire various goods from the Ming Dynasty... And I, though unworthy, have a bit of gold. Half of the gold in this tribute fleet is provided by my rice house!..."
"How wonderful, how wonderful! You see, isn’t our meeting this time the union of fate, an incredible fate before Buddha?..." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"...Ah?! What are you...? Oh! You went around all these twists just to engage me in private trading? No, impossible, absolutely not! The Chongming Shi family has washed their hands and stepped ashore..."
Upon hearing these words, Shi Wende finally trembled all over, coming to a realization. Hearing once more the Japanese trying to drag him into risky ventures, he couldn’t sit still. Shi Wende forcefully pushed Mori no Kiyoshi’s arm away and stood up to leave the quiet room. Mori no Kiyoshi did not stop him, but his quiet words echoed from behind, leaving Shi Wende thoroughly chilled to the bone!
"Mr. Shi! Thank you for your suggestion! These last days, Taro Konishi visited Lin the Supervisor, taking me along... Lin the Supervisor is very satisfied, will maintain the court’s decorum in appeasing the vassals, and will oversee the fairness of tribute trade for us. He has already submitted a request to lower the silk prices from Jingchuan Yang Family by twenty percent! I’ve heard the elder of the Yang Family is very upset, yet has to accept..."
"Do you think, if this House Elder of the Yang Family knew who gave us the idea, what would they do? ... This silk trade is a major business worth up to a thousand jin of gold! Your help saved us two hundred jin of gold, causing the Yang Family of Jingchuan to earn two hundred jin of gold less. More importantly, you stood up for our diplomatic envoy fleet and fiercely slapped the face of the Yang Family of Jingchuan... Our envoy team is truly grateful beyond words!..."
Shi Wende’s footsteps paused instantly, and his body began to tremble slightly. He was of humble origin, finding it difficult to integrate with the aristocratic families of Ningbo, as his ancestors were poor fishermen who had never produced any significant officials, let alone having any connections within the officialdom.
And yet, with just a few words of his, he had actually managed to severely slap the face of the Yang Family of Jingchuan? Should he quickly bring gold and silver treasures to kowtow and apologize to the Yang Family of Jingchuan, would they be merciful and forgive him? Two hundred jin of gold... ugh...
"Buddha bears witness! Mr. Shi, to express our goodwill, Taro Konishi specially prepared a generous gift for you! And I have submitted a petition to the Mingzhou Prefecture Government, inviting you to accompany us as a translator on our journey to the capital for the tribute! By joining our tribute team, you’ll head north continuously until you meet the Emperor of Ming. Even if the House Elder of the Yang Family of Jingchuan guesses and knows it was your idea, he would probably be apprehensive and dare not retaliate against you..."
"In fact, as long as you are willing, we will specially mention your merit in the tribute document to the Emperor of Ming. Stating that you ’assisted us in fair trade and avoided being defrauded’... Once your name and deeds reach the ears of the Emperor of Ming, leaving traces in the tribute document... Then, surely, such troubles in Ningbo City will not trouble you anymore! These elders of Ningbo City would surely not risk catching the Emperor’s attention to trouble you over two hundred jin of gold..."
Mori no Kiyoshi’s faint words, like the heavenly demon’s voice of Mahayana, penetrated Shi Wende’s ears, making him unable to take a step forward. He gritted his teeth hard, lowered his head, and looked at the gold talisman in his hand. On the front, it depicted a strange bird, while the back bore strange foreign characters, seemingly spelling "divine"? And as he stared at this never-before-seen gold talisman, he thought of the terrifying future had the Chongming Shi offended the Yang Family of Jingchuan... Shi Wende’s expression continually changed, struggling, becoming increasingly ferocious.
"Damn it! You meddling Japanese, how can you understand the matters of our Ming Dynasty? Doing this will only make the Yang Family of Jingchuan hate me even more, even dragging the entire Chongming Shi into the sea!"
Long after, Shi Wende slowly turned around, shedding the cautious and deferential demeanor he had on the way. He finally stopped suppressing his nature, revealing a fierce, angry, battle-hardened brave face! At that moment, even the muscles of veins on his arm were trembling like dragons.
"Damn it! You damn Japanese, did you plan against me? Against my Chongming Shi?! You have ruined me!! ... Don’t you believe I would lead a fleet, intercept you on your return trip, cut you into eight pieces, and throw even your corpse into the sea to feed the fish!!..."
"Hahaha! I believe, of course, I believe you!..."
At that moment, seeing Shi Wende’s sinister, fierce, and dangerous look, Mori no Kiyoshi laughed heartily from the heart. Then, he respectfully bowed to Shi Wende and answered excitedly with extremely familiar words.
"Dear guest, I was previously disrespectful!..."
"Viewing the light of the kingdom, putting guests to good use with kings..."
"Buddha blesses! How can a hero like you be bound on a small island, dealing with those greedy, bloated insects on the shore, like a dog at their command?..."
"Whether you wish to or not, you have already offended those so-called ’Noble Family Elders’... Actually, I also understand the situation in Ming. Your very existence, like a hunting dog hoping to turn the tables, is naturally seen as an enemy by these ’Noble Family Elders’... Sooner or later, you really have no choice at all!"
"Buddha is the witness! Regardless of how the situation develops in Ming, having an additional escape route to Japan brings you countless benefits without any harm... Actually, this gold talisman is the keepsake of a noble. It represents a noble with a gold mountain in hand, hoping to open a trade route in Ming. And in my view, this is your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your future with the prudence of three burrows!"
"Of course! I know you still don’t trust me now, so please forgive my rashness today. After all, there are many people and voices in the mission, and today was the rare chance to converse with you alone... The road of our mission’s tribute is long, and subsequently, we can find opportunities to discuss slowly, to chat slowly!"
Noticing Shi Wende’s anger and unease and seeing his predicament, Mori no Kiyoshi softly laughed, quietly leaving this insignificant scholar, the courageous and dangerous sea lord, vanishing into the shadow of departure.
Soon, in the now-empty quiet room, the tall man clutching the gold talisman remained. The golden light and shadow enveloped his struggle. Like a moth seeking flame, suddenly caught in a pitch-black web, unanticipated and inescapable!~~
