When Lai Chenglong went to the palace to report in, he happened to run into Lu Yifeng, who was leading the Embroidered Uniform Guard with a group of arrested eunuchs and palace maids. Lai Chenglong couldn’t help but glance at him.
The two were both friends and colleagues, and they usually kept each other in the loop when working on matters.
Seeing Lai Chenglong’s look, Lu Yifeng coughed lightly, waved his subordinates away, and lowered his voice: “They’re all people under Cao Xingwang. That man’s been sly for years, pretending to be obedient and honest on the surface, but in truth he’s something else entirely.”
Since it wasn’t convenient to speak much here, Lu Yifeng patted Lai Chenglong on the shoulder and discreetly reminded him, “Be careful what you say, His Majesty’s in a foul mood.”
Lai Chenglong understood immediately. He nodded to express thanks and waited outside Taiji Hall for his audience.
That day, Emperor Yongchang was clearly extremely busy.
First, Grand Secretary Chu Bo led the cabinet ministers inside and remained there for quite a while. After that, the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission also came, whatever they said inside, they left looking utterly dejected.
Judging by this, the Emperor’s mood was surely foul.
As Lu Yifeng had said, it was probably because of the Cao Xingwang matter.
Lai Chenglong pondered silently for a moment when suddenly, Xia Gonggong called out:
“His Majesty summons Defense Minister Lai!”
It was finally his turn. Lai Chenglong quickly straightened his robes and hurried into Taiji Hall. Without saying a word, he dropped to his knees and called out loudly, “May Your Majesty enjoy eternal peace!”
Lai Chenglong’s father and Emperor Yongchang had been childhood companions, nursed by the same wet nurse, no less.
Their relationship had always been out of the ordinary.
Naturally, the Emperor regarded Lai Chenglong with the same fondness. Now seeing him again, he couldn’t help but smile: “Oh? You’ve lost weight!”
It was true. Lai Chenglong had left looking sturdy and well-fed, but now, visibly thinner, he looked rather pitiful.
Having learned his lesson and heeding Lu Yifeng’s reminder, Lai Chenglong deliberately tried to lighten the Emperor’s mood. With a long sigh and a miserable face, he said: “Don’t even mention it, Your Majesty. You have no idea, Japan is a ghostly place! I drifted at sea for two whole months, and by the end, I couldn’t even spit out bitter water. I really thought I was going to die on that ship!”
He looked so genuinely miserable that it was clear he wasn’t exaggerating.
The Emperor found it unexpectedly amusing and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You really suffered! But come now, you went as an imperial envoy. Surely they wouldn’t have dared mistreat you?”
“It’s not that they dared mistreat me,” Lai Chenglong groaned. “It’s their food! Absolutely inedible! At every meal, they bring out dozens of tiny dishes, but only one bite of plain rice is edible. Everything else is raw fish or some thick, slimy mess like phlegm!”
As he spoke, Lai Chenglong was full of complaints.
So this was the ‘boundless wealth’ the eldest miss had promised? The price was far too high!
Just moments before, Emperor Yongchang had been furious over Qi Wang’s collusion with Cao Xingwang and the tampering of relief grain. But hearing Lai Chenglong grumble like this, he suddenly laughed heartily.
With a warm expression, he said, “Alright then, poor thing. Since you’ve returned, stay and dine at the palace today. The Empress Dowager hasn’t seen you in quite a while either. You can have a good meal in her quarters.”
Lai Chenglong quickly responded with gratitude.
Then he took off the python-robe he was wearing.
As an imperial envoy, an angel of the empire, he had special garments designated for diplomatic missions.
This python-robe had been with him throughout his time in Japan and never left his body. Now, removing it and turning it inside out to lay it on the floor, he said quickly: “Your Majesty, please have a look!”
Emperor Yongchang stepped down from his throne. Xia Gongong, quick as lightning, had already brought over the reading glasses.
Taking them, the Emperor examined the images and characters embroidered on the robe and at once, his expression grew serious: “This… these are the cities of the Japanese pirates!”
Lai Chenglong responded softly, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
He pointed bit by bit to explain to Emperor Yongchang: “Previously, Huailiang Qin Wang died in our territory. Their stronghold is located in Hakone, while the Yamana family is based in Okinawa. Both factions have built their own cities and maintain their own armed forces.”
This time, Lai Chenglong’s diplomatic mission had truly achieved results!
Emperor Yongchang happily slapped Lai Chenglong on the shoulder. “Good lad! Truly your father’s son. Well done! Aside from these few factions, who else?”
“There’s also the Emperor in Kyoto, and the Ashikaga in Osaka.”
Clearly, Lai Chenglong had gained a lot from this trip. Pointing to the Yamana family’s territory in Okinawa, he spoke quietly: “Your Majesty, as the Yamana family claimed, there are indeed three silver mines here! And during my trip, I brought back the Yamana heir. He’s agreed to sign a contract with our dynasty, allowing us to oversee the mining operations for ten years in exchange for the horn and tendon-based weaponry he purchased from us.”
Emperor Yongchang sneered, “Afraid that’s not the whole story, is it? With four forces standing like the legs of a cauldron, locked in constant conflict, didn’t you also mention another faction near the island off Okinawa?”
At that, Lai Chenglong hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice, “Your Majesty, the ones occupying that region aren’t Japanese pirates but our own Great Zhou people. The man is named Xu Chuan, and he has a nephew called Xu Hai. The two of them entrenched themselves in the area and made a fortune through maritime smuggling. They’ve traded with those red-haired, blue-eyed foreigners for a large stockpile of weaponry.”
The Great Zhou had issued a sea ban, meaning Xu Chuan was breaking the law knowingly.
Moreover, he had amassed a large cache of arms, recruited many followers, and was openly engaging in piracy at sea.
Emperor Yongchang’s finger halted over that part of the map. His voice turned cold: “He’s a cancer, we must root him out!”
The purpose of sending Lai Chenglong to Japan this time had been to sow discord between factions.
And now, that goal had been achieved, he’d successfully driven a wedge between the Yamana family and Huailiang Qin Wang’s faction.
But it wasn’t enough. There were still the Emperor in Kyoto, the Ashikaga in Osaka, and Xu Chuan and Xu Hai.
All of them had to be eliminated, or else the Great Zhou’s coastal waters would never be at peace.
Still, this wasn’t something that could be done overnight.
Emperor Yongchang gave a low grunt of approval, praised Lai Chenglong, and then added, “Since you were the envoy and brought the Yamana heir back yourself, you’ll be in charge of receiving their delegation. Treat them well.”
Lai Chenglong immediately bowed and accepted the order.
As the emperor was busy with other matters, he didn’t keep Lai Chenglong much longer. He simply added, “If you’ve nothing else to do, help with the interrogation of Cao Xingwang.”
His expression darkened. “That old dog dared plot harm against the Imperial Grandson, he deserves death a hundred times over! I want to know just how many co-conspirators he had!”
Lai Chenglong agreed at once.
By the time he returned to the Zhenfu Division, several people had already been executed.
The place reeked of blood, no matter how many times they scrubbed and washed the floors, the stench clung stubbornly to the air.
He couldn’t help but frown.
Lu Yifeng raised a brow and looked at him. “What, can’t handle it after one trip to Japan? I’m telling you, you missed quite the show while you were gone.”
Lai Chenglong clicked his tongue as he watched the Embroidered Uniform Guard skin a man alive right in front of Cao Xingwang.
“What happened?”
Lu Yifeng grabbed a handful of melon seeds and began casually recounting the recent events in vivid detail.
When he got to the part about Tian Baoci setting dogs on Qi Yuan to have her torn apart, Lu Yifeng was grinning ear to ear.
