Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1314 The Japanese Envoy Arrives in the Capital

On the same day the second urgent report was sent to the capital, the city also welcomed a group of unpleasant guests.

The Honglu Temple (court office).

"A time of great turmoil, a time of great turmoil indeed!"

The list of envoys was thrown back onto the table by Lin Ai, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and the words "Japan" at the top of the list caught the eye of Qi Xiuqi, the Junior Minister.

"The news of the locust plague had already caused widespread panic in the capital!" Lin Ai pointed to the roster, clearly displeased. "Their coming to court now is nothing but adding to the chaos!"

Qi Xiuqi thought the same way.

Can......

"My lord, the Ministry of Rites approved the letter of credence sent by Japan three months ago..." Qi Xiuqi paused, then forced a smile and continued, "This time, it was the officials from the Ministry of Rites' Bureau of Foreign Affairs who personally accompanied them to the capital..."

"Ministry of Rites..."

Lin Ai raised her hand and pressed hard on her temples, her disgust for the officials of the Ministry of Rites growing even stronger.

As the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, he should have been in charge of the tribute missions of the four barbarian tribes and the affairs of foreign relations. However, in recent years, whenever he received foreign envoys, he was constantly hampered by the Ministry of Rites, and he had no say in the matter.

Right now, the Ministry of Rites didn't even communicate with him before taking the Japanese envoy directly to the Honglu Temple.

This clearly shows they don't take the Court of State Ceremonial Affairs seriously!

Seeing the annoyance on Lin Ai's face, Qi Xiuqi gritted his teeth and whispered, "My lord, the Ministry of Rites' actions are not in accordance with etiquette. Perhaps... we should pretend we know nothing about it this time, let the Japanese envoys wait, and then receive them after the locust plague subsides. This way, we can both alleviate His Majesty's burden and let the Ministry of Rites' Bureau of Receptions know that we, the Court of State Ceremonial, are not to be trifled with..."

Lin Ai suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with anger: "Are you crazy or am I crazy?"

Qi Xiuqi's expression stiffened: "My lord, I only wished to..."

"Shut up!"

Lin Ai angrily rebuked, "Are you trying to share His Majesty's burdens? You're ruining my Court of State Ceremonies and damaging the dignity of the Great Zhou!"

He abruptly stood up, his fingertip slamming into the envoy register: "It's one thing for the Ministry of Rites to overstep its authority, but it's another matter whether our Court of State Ceremonial is fulfilling its duties and acting in accordance with etiquette! Do you think leaving the Japanese envoys hanging will please His Majesty? Let me tell you, you're sorely mistaken! If you truly want to share His Majesty's burdens, you should act according to the rules, properly settle these Japanese envoys, and prevent them from seeing even a trace of chaos in our Great Zhou!"

With that, he wiped his face hard, grabbed the roster, and strode out of the hall.

"The Ministry of Rites is a bunch of bastards, we can't follow them. Come on! Follow me to the temple and clean up this mess first!"

"Yes..." Qi Xiuqi felt embarrassed for accidentally flattering the horse's leg.

......

At six quarters past 3:00 AM the next day, several carriages from the Court of State Ceremonial stopped outside the Vermilion Bird Gate.

Ji Benchang limped past the car when someone inside called out to him, "Minister Hu's man!"

Without turning around, Ji Benchang had already guessed the other party's identity.

Normally, when he was in a good mood, he would probably turn around and tease these Japanese envoys a bit, watching their clumsy responses, which would be a little bit of fun before the morning court.

But right now, he hasn't slept for three days.

His eyes were swollen and painful, his head was throbbing, and even the leg injury he had sustained three days ago on the Stairway to Heaven seemed to have worsened. With every step he took, a piercing pain shot from his ankle all the way up to his back, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

At this moment, he had no intention of joking with the Japanese envoy and walked silently toward the Vermilion Bird Gate.

"My lord, let me carry you!" After passing through the Vermilion Bird Gate, Chen Shengshen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, caught up with him and squatted down in front of him without saying a word. "Your legs really can't take any more of this! Please get on, and I will carry you into the palace."

Ji Benchang remained silent for a moment.

Raise your hand.

He patted Chen Shengshen's shoulder with his palm and then moved it away immediately.

"It'll make me a laughingstock." Ji Benchang gazed at the towering ladder to heaven ahead, slowly shuffling forward. "It's just a few steps, I can walk it casually."

"My lord..." Chen Shengshen was about to persuade him again.

The Japanese envoy, led by Lin Ai, caught up with them.

The leading envoy was recognized by Ji Benchang; his name was Ōtomo no Marō, and he was said to be a Japanese nobleman with very pure and superior blood.

Looking down at the other person's head, which was almost shoulder-high, Ji Benchang let out a barely perceptible snort.

"Minister Hu's man!" Ōtomo Maro looked down at his right leg, then looked up at him with a very sincere expression: "Your leg, what happened? Are you still crying?"

Ji Benchang: ......

It was bad to begin with, but hearing this sound makes it even worse.

Chen Xingshen gave Lin Ai a wink: "Lord Lin, it's cold and the dew is heavy. Let's take the envoys into the hall first."

Lin Ai nodded and raised his hand to Ōtomo no Maro, saying, "Please, envoy."

"Wait a minute..." Ōtomo Maro's gaze remained fixed on Ji Benchang, filled with concern: "Shangshu's man, I brought a monk doctor with me, should we... have him take a look at your leg?"

Ji Benchang frowned: "My leg is fine, thank you for your concern, envoy."

“But…” Ōtomo Maro twisted his hips, “I don’t think I can walk properly.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Benchang's gaze faltered slightly.

Two breaths later, under Ōtomo no Maro's extremely concerned gaze, he suddenly asked, "What do you want? Cloth? Gold and silver? Porcelain? Or... rice seeds?"

Da Banma's facial muscles twitched slightly: "The Minister's man..."

"The court assembly is about to begin," Ji Benchang interrupted. "The envoy should enter the hall first."

After saying that, he turned around, gritted his teeth, clenched his fist in secret, endured the excruciating pain in his right leg, and stepped onto the stone steps.

Today, the ladder to heaven is exceptionally long.

He had only walked halfway when his forehead was already covered in cold sweat.

“My lord…” Chen Shengshen, who was standing by, was heartbroken and wanted to help him up, but he was stopped by him without saying a word.

"I can walk." Ji Benchang took three breaths in one breath.

The autumn morning dew helped alleviate some of his pain.

He said, "Don't let the Japanese laugh at us. When we go to court later, I'll probably have to deal with them quite a bit."

......

At Mao hour, the sound of the whip fell, and the court meeting began.

The civil and military officials stood in two rows according to their ranks, while Ōtomo no Maro and others stood in the guest seats.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites' Bureau of Foreign Affairs stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, Japan sent a letter requesting to pay homage three months ago. Our ministry has already responded in accordance with the proper rites. The envoy is now in the palace, awaiting Your Majesty's instructions."

After speaking, Ōtomo no Maro presented the official letter and the list of tribute items.

The Emperor took the document from Eunuch Hong, glanced through it briefly, and then asked in a calm voice, following protocol, "The envoy has traveled a long way across the vast ocean, enduring hardships along the way. I wonder if the King of Japan and his subjects are all well?"

Upon hearing this, Ōtomo no Maro's expression darkened.

Upon seeing this, the emperor knew—they had arrived.

The freeloaders have arrived.

"Your Majesty, it wasn't too loud," Ōtomo no Maro bowed deeply. "Several months ago, a 'ground slam' occurred in our country..."

"A thud?" The emperor paused for a moment. "Was it an earthquake?"

"Yes, slammed to the ground..." Ōtomo Maro's voice was strained: "In many places, houses collapsed, and many people have nowhere to live..."

The emperor, being cautious, deliberately asked, "How much exactly is 'many' as the envoy mentioned?"