Chapter 96

Cai Mao, who led the Imperial Guard, dared to obstruct commoners and low-ranking officials, but when faced with high-ranking officials like the Minister of Rites, these soldiers were powerless. After all, Jin Changsen was superior to Cai Mao in terms of age, experience, and rank.

At the perimeter of the picnic, Jin Changsen met his family’s steward and whispered a few words in his ear when no one was paying attention. Soon, Jin Changsen returned to the banquet with the palace eunuchs.

"Your Majesty, this is a twenty-year-old vintage Zhuangyuan Red wine I bought from a merchant of the Qing Dynasty. In recent years, wars in the south of the Qing Dynasty have made these high-quality goods from Jiangnan increasingly expensive and scarce. It was no easy feat for me to obtain this jar..."

As Jin Changsen boasted about the wine he brought, his steward had already left the perimeter and was secretly approaching the direction where the fog-hidden ninja was playing the flute.

"Hurry and report to Lord Hoshizan. This banquet is very strange, and King Shangtai is acting very unusually. Now, you must immediately find out where the Qing Dynasty people are. If you can't find Xiao Letian, he is likely to meet King Shangtai at the banquet. This Qing Dynasty person is very dangerous and could bring great harm to Japan..."

The fog-hidden ninja's heart sank to the bottom. Since Xiao Letian left in the morning, all the ninjas in Naha Port had lost track of him. Xiang Shaolong and his Central Plains martial arts experts were too powerful, even a ninja as skilled as the fog-hidden ninja couldn't get close.

Now the Japanese could only rely on rough estimates, knowing that Xiao Letian should be in a commercial area near Shuri Castle, but they couldn't pinpoint which house he was in.

"There's no other way. I'll go and see Lord Hoshizan. We can't even break through the perimeter with our status..." Perhaps to prove the fog-hidden ninja's judgment, a ninja disguised as a dock worker clutched his chest and stumbled over from a distance.

As soon as he stood in front of everyone, the ninja began to vomit blood, the color of which was black and contained a large amount of clots. "The Qing Dynasty people have secretly sealed off the entire commercial area... It was personally commanded by Xiang, and they are ruthless..." After saying this, he spat out another mouthful of blood.

The fog-hidden ninja tore open his shirt, revealing a deep purple handprint on his chest. "Sigh... What a powerful Chinese martial arts..."

Wasting no time, the fog-hidden ninja quickly arranged the tasks and then sprinted towards Hoshizan's residence.

Time passed minute by minute, and the sun was getting higher. The banquet on the cliffside was at its most lively moment. After the twelve songstresses finished their dance, King Shangtai, feeling the effects of the alcohol, stood up to relieve himself. As some pro-Japanese officials tried to help the king, the pro-Chinese faction, led by the Minister of Revenue Lin Yuanmiao, quickly stepped forward to offer drinks and engage in conversation, keeping everyone in place.

At this moment, Jin Changsen realized that his guess was ninety percent accurate. The vague intelligence from the palace's secret line was finally confirmed. The Qing Dynasty envoy who came in early summer was indeed Xiao Letian's messenger, and today must be the day Xiao Letian and King Shangtai meet in secret.

Jin Changsen's palms were sweating. He was the highest-ranking spy of the Shimazu family in the court. If he failed in his duty and the head of the Shimazu family found out, he couldn't bear to think about it. He shuddered.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has had too much to drink. May I serve you..." As Jin Changsen stood up to follow, Cai Mao, the general of the Imperial Guard, extended his hand to stop him. "Minister Jin, you're joking. Who doesn't know that you can drink a lot? Come, let's drink three full cups..."

How could a civil official be a match for a military general? Cai Mao gently pulled Jin Changsen back to his seat. At this moment, King Shangtai, surrounded by eunuchs, had already disappeared behind the curtain.

Once out of everyone's sight, King Shangtai's drunkenness disappeared. Under the protection of his most loyal eunuchs, he headed straight for the warehouse where Xiao Letian was waiting.

At this time, in a warehouse filled with rice in Shuri Castle, Xiao Letian, protected by Luo Huo and other musketeers, was quietly waiting for King Shangtai. Xiao Letian was not at all anxious; he was calmly savoring the delicious dried seafood from the island, with a large bottle of Japanese rice wine by his side. He had only taken a few sips in over an hour.

The dried crab legs, small squid, and bamboo shrimp were all delicious, but Xiao Letian, lost in thought, had no interest in the food. He chewed casually to aid his thinking.

At this moment, Xiao He Xin suddenly walked in. "Advisor, King Shangtai has arrived..." A young man in a cloak, accompanied by two eunuchs, soon entered the warehouse.

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Letian bowed in a Western style, but King Shangtai did not return the bow. After a moment of silence, when Xiao Letian looked up in confusion, he saw that the young King Shangtai was already in tears.

"Mr. Shangguo, I humbly request your guidance..." King Shangtai bowed deeply, bending much lower than Xiao Letian.

Good, good, good. It seems that 250 years of suppression have made King Shangtai very clear about his position. This rational young man knows how to bow and be humble, which makes the negotiation much smoother.

Xiao Letian held King Shangtai's hand and invited him to sit on a straw bale. He spoke straightforwardly, "The Ryukyu Kingdom has a population of no more than a million and a land area of less than a thousand square miles, and it is resource-poor. This is not a good place. Your Majesty, who is well-versed in Han studies, must know that the Central Plains covers a vast area of a million square miles, and its prosperity is not only incomparable to Ryukyu but even a hundred times greater than Japan..."

Xiao Letian first compared the strength of Ryukyu and China, which seemed to be a bit disrespectful to King Shangtai, but his next words made King Shangtai overjoyed.

"Because China is vast and rich, we will never covet the wealth and power of the Ryukyu Kingdom. You must know that in China, the regulations of a single county far exceed those of Ryukyu..." Xiao Letian was not exaggerating. A first-class county in the Central Plains, with a dense population not inferior to Jiangnan, often has a population of over a million, and the wealth generated is far beyond what Ryukyu can imagine.

"I am not boasting, but my trading company in the Qing Dynasty, though only established this year, has financial power that probably exceeds the treasury of Ryukyu... Therefore, Your Majesty, you don't need to worry that I have any ulterior motives towards the Ryukyu Kingdom. Please remember this..."

It's better to say the unpleasant things upfront. It's better to resolve any doubts before cooperation than to leave them unresolved. When King Shangtai heard this, his face turned red, and he stood up to bow deeply.

"What are you saying, Mr. Xiao? If you can save me from this crisis and save the million people of Ryukyu, I... I will share this kingdom with you..."

Xiao Letian almost choked on his drink. This was just the beginning, and he was already being made a co-ruler? This young man was too impatient. But then he thought, even if he were given the title of co-ruler, what could he do? Ryukyu, though a country, was too small. On the mainland, it would be just a county, and King Shangtai's power was not even comparable to that of a first-class county magistrate.

Xiao Letian sincerely helped King Shangtai up. "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I came to Ryukyu only for a position. I don't want a single silver coin from you. On the contrary, I will provide you with a million silver coins every year..."

Xiao Letian briefly outlined his plan to King Shangtai. The idea of using Naha Port's excellent location to trade with various countries was very appealing, and King Shangtai was captivated.

In Xiao Letian's plan, King Shangtai would use land, policy incentives, and tax revenue as capital to participate in Xiao Letian's trading company. They would then form a maritime trade fleet to do business all over the world.

"Your Majesty, think about it. The trading company will give you dividends every year, and the Japanese can't share in this profit. If they dare to act, I will cut off their hands! When we have money, we can build the latest navy and army, and even your Imperial Guard can be equipped with world-renowned rifles like the Spencer..."

Xiao Letian, like a devil who could charm the heart, gradually broke down King Shangtai's psychological defenses. The young king, who already had a strong admiration for China, couldn't resist Xiao Letian's persuasion.

King Shangtai clenched his teeth and untied his bright yellow sash, handing it over. "Mr. Xiao, this is the imperial edict, written in my blood. From now on, you are the prime minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom..."

What? An imperial edict! And a prime minister? Xiao Letian was stunned. This was like watching "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" too many times and taking it as reality. The Ryukyu court followed the Ming Dynasty's official system, which never had a prime minister, a position abolished by Zhu Yuanzhang. Now, to highlight Xiao Letian's importance, King Shangtai had changed the ancestral system.

"Your Majesty... This position is so important, how can the court approve it?"

King Shangtai said with a bitter and angry face, "The court? Does the Ryukyu Kingdom even have a court? Half of them are dogs of the Shimazu family. All I can do is give you a title. I can't even provide you with military protection..." As he said this, King Shangtai turned his head and sobbed.

For 250 years, the suppressed tears of the Shang family had been pent up. At this moment, Sima Yun, who was leading the Green Forest people to guard the perimeter, suddenly rushed in. "Mr. Xiao, His Majesty must return to the palace immediately. Hoshizan Rikugen has arrived and is trying to force his way into Shuri Castle..."

At this time, on the official road leading to Shuri Castle, Hoshizan Rikugen, dressed in formal attire, was blocking the palace gate with his two subordinates, trying to force his way in.

A palace eunuch, frightened, knelt on the ground, sweating profusely. "Lord Hoshizan, please wait. Let us inform the king..." Before he could finish, Hoshizan Rikugen's large hand pushed him aside.

"What do you mean 'inform'? Our two countries have been friendly for hundreds of years. Do we not have the right to attend this grand event? Look behind you, we have brought gifts. Do you not want our goodwill?"

Hoshizan Rikugen looked around, his contemptuous gaze falling on every Ryukyu soldier. These Ryukyu soldiers, who had been afraid of the Japanese for hundreds of years, were now pale with fear.

Just as Hoshizan Rikugen was about to force his way in, a large man suddenly rushed forward, grabbing his wrist and firmly holding him down.

"Hoshizan Rikugen! This is Shuri Castle, the capital of our Ryukyu Kingdom, not your Japan! If you dare to act recklessly, I will challenge you to a duel..." The man who rushed forward was Cai Mao, a general with the same name as the naval commander of Jingzhou in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," but he was completely different from the Cai Mao in the novel, being extremely resilient and loyal to the royal family.

Seeing Cai Mao step forward, Hoshizan Rikugen cursed in his heart, "Bakayarou! Another pro-Chinese faction has been exposed. After this incident is resolved, the first one I will kill is you..."