Xu Jie was extremely adept at observing people’s expressions. Seeing Yan Song’s unusual demeanor, clearly flustered, and his stubborn refusal to allow the report to be submitted, Xu Jie knew something was amiss. He coughed dryly and said,
“You’re in such a panic, what is this all about? What great matter is it? Bring it here for me to see!”
The clerk was stunned, unsure whether he should hand it over. Yan Song was staring coldly at him, making him tremble.
Xu Jie quickly added, “Sending an envoy during wartime is a major affair. I am in charge of the Ministry of War, you must hand it over!”
The clerk’s mind went blank for a moment, thinking: That’s right, it’s wartime, and this is a crucial military matter that must be reported…
He walked over and handed it to Xu Jie with both hands.
Xu Jie took one look and nearly cried out in surprise—
The head of Ōtomo Sōrin?!
Did someone named Oda defeat this Wokou leader and send his head to show sincerity?
He quickly held his breath and examined it carefully again, an overwhelming sense of elation filling him—
This was truly a godsend…
No wonder Yan Song was so terrified!
It should be known that
These two were both top-tier old foxes. With just a little information, they could immediately piece together the whole story.
This time, it was obvious—
Something had happened in the Wokou’s stronghold!
For reasons unknown, Oda Nobunaga had suddenly defeated Ōtomo Sōrin and sent his head to the Great Ming, stating a desire to resume trade relations based on the tally system. His tone was entirely submissive, acknowledging vassalage and tribute. This meant the Wokou were finished!
If the Great Ming could now firmly support this Oda, preventing him from allowing ronin and samurai to conduct piracy overseas, the Wokou threat could be entirely eliminated. The remaining pirates would not be a match for Yu Dayou or Qi Jiguang, and they could likely be cleared out within a year.
Thinking of this,
Xu Jie was overjoyed. He secretly glanced at Yan Song, seeing his extremely unpleasant expression, and thought: This matter must be reported to the Emperor by Prince Yu immediately, otherwise, Yan Song would still suppress it.
He immediately straightened his expression and said,
“This is indeed a crucial state affair. We in the Grand Secretariat need to discuss it further. Tell the envoy not to leave the post station, treat them well, and say nothing… Do you understand?”
“Your subordinate understands.”
The clerk, already under immense pressure, immediately turned and left.
Xu Jie handed the document to Yan Song and apologized, “Esteemed Elder, how do you suggest we handle this?”
Yan Song stared at him coldly. He took it and scanned it a few times, suppressing his immense rage, yet maintaining a calm expression. He said,
“Sending an envoy for friendly relations is naturally a good thing… but we must first verify it. Once verified, we will proceed as necessary…”
Xu Jie dared not offend him, and immediately bowed his head, nodding respectfully,
“Your instructions are noted.”
…
That evening,
At Yuxi Palace.
Lü Fang repeatedly read the copy from the Ministry of Rites, but after a long time, he couldn’t make sense of it. Seeing that Jiajing was still meditating, he didn’t dare to disturb him. He could only polish his ritual implements while pondering—
Japan had always been at war internally, so that wasn’t strange. And he had heard that this young man named Oda possessed great ambition, defeating the aging Ōtomo Sōrin, which was also not strange. What was strange was, how could this person send heads immediately after a battle? That seemed illogical…
As he thought,
He couldn’t help but sigh softly.
Jiajing, being extremely perceptive, had already opened his eyes and said calmly,
“What’s wrong now? You haven’t had a moment’s peace these past few days…”
Lü Fang, steeling himself, said,
“Your Majesty, it’s this thing, this servant cannot quite figure it out for a while…”
*Hmph!*
Jiajing glanced at it and then closed his eyes again, saying leisurely, “Good, good, so you’ve all learned to collude with outsiders and concoct stories…”
Lü Fang looked surprised and asked, “Your Majesty, this? Whose story is it?”
Jiajing remained silent for a while before speaking again, “Since they’ve sent heads, we cannot be entirely stingy…”
He had only said half of what he intended to say when he suddenly stopped. With a whoosh, he stood up, paced back and forth several times, and then cast a hexagram. After careful consideration, he said,
“Lü Fang, tell me about this hexagram…”
Lü Fang, having been with him for forty years, had learned to interpret them even by sight. He immediately replied, “Your Majesty cast ‘Di Tian Tai’ (Earth Above, Heaven Below). This servant has heard it is quite auspicious…”
“Heard what? Haven’t you only heard me? Where else could you have heard it?”
Jiajing seemed to be in a good mood and said leisurely, “Treading on the tiger’s tail, yet it does not bite… Treading on the tiger’s tail… Lü Fang, when did Japan stop submitting as a vassal?”
Lü Fang scoffed and said,
“That was a long time ago. This servant remembers they stopped interacting in the twentieth year of Jiajing’s reign, but even before that, it had been nominal for quite some time, perhaps for a hundred years?”
*Mmm,*
Jiajing remembered it very clearly and said,
“It was in the ninth year of Yongle… Their Shogun, Ashikaga something, sent a memorial to Emperor Chengzu, stating that his country, Japan, had always submitted only to spirits, not to mortals… That was over a hundred years ago. These Wokou, if we speak of it from the beginning, it’s been a hundred years…”
*Mmm, mmm,*
Lü Fang nodded repeatedly and said, “In that case, their renewed submission is indeed a major event…”
“Of course it’s a major event… Lü Fang, Ōtomo Sōrin, that Wokou leader, was the greatest Wokou in a hundred years. Since Japan can send heads, let them submit! Hold a ceremony, make it a bit lively, and have officials of the fourth rank and above attend…”
Only then did Jiajing reveal his thoughts.
Lü Fang quickly inquired, “Your Majesty, where should it be held?”
“Hold it at the Huangji Hall, and simultaneously issue a decree to the entire realm, so that the common people also know and it can be festive…”
…
That night,
Yan Residence.
Yan Shifan, who hadn’t thrown things in a long time, had a wild night. With a series of crashes, porcelain shattered all over the floor. All the officials kept their heads down, not daring to even breathe.
After making a racket for a while, he was still full of resentment, cursing,
“What kind of damn Ōtomo Sōrin? His head was even sent to the capital! And he’s called the ringleader of the Wokou? I made my father’s subordinate a thug, and what was the result? He brought utter shame!”
*Whoosh, whoosh~~*
Yan Shifan sat on the grand tutor’s chair behind the desk, his eyes bloodshot.
His trusted aides secretly calculated that he hadn’t lost his temper for five or six months. Now that it had erupted again, the once fearless and audacious Young Grand Secretary seemed to have returned.
During this period,
Because Yan Song had returned to power, he wanted to bring in new faces and had screened his subordinates. Yan Shifan proposed the idea of “three, six, and nine grades,” selecting a total of one hundred and thirteen people deemed capable.
The so-called three, six, and nine grades referred to the upper grade of twenty-eight people, led by Lü Ben, Wu Peng, Zhao Wenhua, Zhang Jing, Xu Lun, Luo Longwen, Liu Boyue, Xu Xueshi, Zhang Yu, and others, along with some regional frontier officials. These were either high-ranking officials or exceptionally talented individuals, each formidable in their own right. The middle grade consisted of seventy people, led by Yan Maoqing, Gao Hanwen, He Qian, Hu Runlin, Yuan Yingxu, Bai Qichang, Tang Ruji, Wang Cai, Niu Xin, Li Fengmao, Wan Yulong, and others. These were also considered highly capable, mostly third or fourth-rank officials in the capital, primarily valued for their influence. The remaining fifteen people, led by Wu Shi, Ge Shouli, Ai Shouchun, Shen Chun, Chen Zan, Tu Qiao, and others, belonged to the lower and middle tiers of the faction, mostly officials of remonstrance and censors.