"My lord, this is not a royal palace; it's merely the provincial governor's residence!"
Upon Feng Yuanbao’s inquiry, Hirakawa Akikawa, who had just arrived from the Taira clan, hastily whispered.
"What's this 'provincial governor's residence'? It sounds so awkward. Just tell me, is this Chikugo Province, or is he the highest authority?"
Feng Yuanbao found himself completely overwhelmed by the convoluted official titles of this land called Wa.
The language barrier aside, translating specialized terms like these official titles was indeed troublesome.
Even for a scion of the Taira clan like Hirakawa Akikawa, speaking felt incredibly awkward.
If the speaker felt uncomfortable, how could the listener possibly comprehend?
"If that's the case, then yes, he is the highest authority..."
Seeing the impatience on Feng Yuanbao's face, Hirakawa Akikawa quickly replied.
"Right, what was that old bastard's name again?"
As they walked, Feng Yuanbao suddenly turned his head back, looking at Hirakawa Akikawa beside him.
Upon hearing his words, a fine mist of sweat broke out on Hirakawa Akikawa's back. Fujiwara Ichiro, the provincial governor of Chikugo Province, was the ruler of the entire Chikugo region.
Yet, in Feng Yuanbao's mouth, he was now simply referred to as an "old bastard"...
"I'm asking you, didn't you hear me?"
After a moment of hesitation, Feng Yuanbao impatiently asked again.
"His name is Fujiwara Ichiro, and he is the clan head of the Fujiwara family in Chikugo Province!"
"Judging by the name, he's no good. It's best if this fellow has gold and jewels. If he dares to make me come all this way for nothing, I'll skin him alive!"
Having obtained the information he sought, Feng Yuanbao strode grandly towards the provincial governor's residence, hands clasped behind his back, his chest puffed out.
"You must be Mr. Feng, I presume?"
As soon as the two arrived at the entrance, a short, stout Japanese man, beaming with a smile, came forward to greet them.
"Who are you?"
Although Feng Yuanbao had brought only two guards and Hirakawa Akikawa when he came out today, he still adopted an arrogant demeanor when facing these Japanese people.
"I am Fujiwara Jiro, the younger brother of Governor Fujiwara, and I have come specifically to welcome Mr. Feng!"
"Enough with the pleasantries, my time is valuable. Lead the way!"
Even though this man was considered the second most important figure in the Fujiwara family, Feng Yuanbao still didn't take him seriously.
Before coming here, Yuan Xingchi had made it very clear to him that the more arrogant his attitude, the safer his situation would be.
After all, thousands of troops were right behind him. As long as these people dared to make any rash moves, it would only take an instant to pacify the entire Chikugo Province.
In less than a month, all the ships they had seen in the vicinity of the Saikai Circuit, except for those they had captured, had been sent to the bottom of the sea.
At this point, unless they made some fatal mistake themselves, these Japanese people were utterly incapable of dealing with them.
With thousands of troops at their command, plus nearly a hundred thousand-koku large ships, they could advance or retreat as they pleased, having already secured an unassailable position.
"Yes! Mr. Feng, please!"
Led by Fujiwara Jiro, Feng Yuanbao followed him all the way to the rear hall of the provincial governor's residence.
"Mr. Feng, what do you think of the scenery here at our provincial governor's residence?"
Seeing Feng Yuanbao constantly looking around, Fujiwara Jiro asked with a smile as they walked.
"How should I put it..."
Looking at the smile on his face, Feng Yuanbao felt a bit of pity. If he were to say that this place was no different from the pigsty at his own residence, he wondered if this fellow would collapse on the spot.
"Please speak your mind, sir!"
Seeing the hesitation on Feng Yuanbao's face, Fujiwara Jiro's heart stirred.
"Let me put it this way: I used to have a mansion in Bianliang City. Of course, it couldn't compare to the mansions of princes and ministers, but compared to the houses of ordinary commoners, it was ten thousand times better!"
"Uh, you mean you also have residences like this?"
Hearing his words, Fujiwara Jiro's eyes widened immediately, attempting to gauge Feng Yuanbao's strength from the side.
"Your residence here is only slightly better than that of an ordinary commoner. It's inferior to the courtyards of country squires back in our Great Song Dynasty! If you compare it to my own children's houses in Bianliang City, this is a damned pigsty! Look at this, what is this? In this day and age, don't you even have tiles?"
Feng Yuanbao spoke as he pointed to the thatch on the roofs of the neighboring houses.
At this, Fujiwara Jiro's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"I..."
Stammering for a long time, Fujiwara Jiro finally managed to suppress the urge to strike down this fatuous fellow with a single blow.
"My elder brother is inside the room. Please go in yourself, sir!"
His feelings wounded, Fujiwara Jiro no longer wished to have any verbal exchange with this man.
After leading Feng Yuanbao to the door of a room, he directly retreated.
"You two stand guard outside. And you, you come in with me!"
Feng Yuanbao spoke as he pointed to Hirakawa Akikawa beside him.
"Mr. Feng, welcome! We regret not being able to meet you further away."
Although he had just suffered a defeat, losing soldiers and resources, and squandering the entire hard-earned naval strength of Chikugo Province, Fujiwara Ichiro could only suppress his heartache when facing Feng Yuanbao.
"Less talk, more action. These are the conditions we agreed upon beforehand. If you can accept them, we can continue our talks. If not, I don't see any point in continuing!"
Before Fujiwara Ichiro could finish his pleasantries, Feng Yuanbao impatiently took out a small booklet from his sleeve and tossed it in front of him.
At this, Fujiwara Ichiro was utterly bewildered.
Weren't negotiations supposed to begin after some initial greetings and friendly exchanges?
Why was this fellow not following the usual procedure?
"What are you looking at? If you can't read, find someone who can outside. What a nuisance!"
However, Feng Yuanbao did not give him much time to react. He took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his hands, and casually tossed it onto the ground beside him.
Looking at the precious silk handkerchief, Fujiwara Ichiro couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
In Wa, even the Emperor would not receive such treatment as discarding a silk handkerchief after using it to wipe one's hands just once...
With the embroidery on the handkerchief and its pearl-like luster, just this single handkerchief was likely enough to buy dozens of slaves...