Chapter 829 Returnee Kirin
In the summer of the eighth year of Hongwu, the Marquis of Jiangyin, who had gone out to sea, finally returned with his fleet. The emperor ordered civil and military officials from the coastal areas to meet him at sea, and Marquis Jinghai led the navy to guard him.
Jiang Yinhou’s trip can be described as going through many obstacles. Due to natural disasters, man-made disasters, military difficulties, illnesses, etc., thousands of people were lost in total, including himself, who once developed a high fever after being assassinated in a small country, and almost died in a foreign land.
Jiangyin Marquis Wu Liang, surrounded by a crowd of civil and military men, slowly stepped down from the deck, and when he stepped on the country, he finally couldn't help but burst into tears.
Slowly knelt down and picked up the sand, kowtowed first to the capital, and then to his ancestral grave, weeping uncontrollably.
Above the fleet, the flags were rustling, the gongs and drums were blaring, lion dances were performed on the shore, and the ocean-going soldiers were rejoicing.
There are many difficulties, and now I want to tell others, but in the end I can’t speak, and in the end I just murmured: "I'm back, I can go home."
...
"Xuan, the Marquis of Jiangyin will see you!"
Wu Liang, whose face was weathered and grizzled between his temples, was wearing a newly made court uniform and crown, holding jade kui in his hands, and walked into Fengtian Hall.
Today's court meeting is almost exclusively for Wu Liang alone. The Hall of Martial Heroes has already begun to arrange a banquet. When his report is over, the banquet will begin. You can see the joy of the Holy One.
"Wu Liang, Marquis of Jiangyin, my minister, was ordered to go overseas for more than two years. He passed through 48 countries including Champa, Java, Chenla, Old Port, Siam, and Guli. All countries must follow the law and order, do not violate the law, do not bully the few, do not bully the weak, if there is dissatisfaction, then show off your force to frighten them, so no one dares to disobey any order!"
"To make the barbarian countries afraid of prestige and morality, so they awarded the Chinese Zhengshuo, promoted culture and education, and served the voice of the emperor, and it was connected to the outside world. The sea lanes were thus cleared, and the people depended on it for their livelihoods. Order them to prepare products for trade!"
"Returning today, seeing the return of orders, sincerely receiving the protection of the emperor, and the care of the prince, I was able to accomplish things smoothly. A man who works hard is far away, and a gentleman does not take it. He does not lack soldiers and people, and the civilization of ritual and music is brilliant in foreign lands. , so that under the bright sky, there is nothing that is not free from virtue, it is not my emperor's heaven and earth!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's dragon heart was happy, and Zhu Biaoli held an imperial edict in Danbi and declared: "The virtuous and handsome man helped the salty and strengthened his wings. He was ordered to sail the sea into the Western Ocean, enfeoffed the kingdoms of the barbarians, and made tribute to the Southwest Sea Road. The merits of his writings are a testament to your loyalty and respect. I am very happy... All the affairs of the Western countries are entrusted to you, but your confidant, wisdom, and old age are old people, so that you can bear the weight of my entrustment, so you should be careful."
"Wu Liangte, the Marquis of Jiangyin, was granted the title of Doctor Jin Guanglu, Shangzhu Kingdom, and the commander of the Central Army of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion to take charge of all ocean affairs. The doctor, the acquaintance with the affairs of the governor's mansion, Zhu Guo, and another reward...
"I thank you for your grace, long live my emperor!" Hai Guogong Wu Liang thanked him with red eyes.
Afterwards, the envoys from the forty-eight countries came to the audience in strange costumes. There were blond hair, blue eyes, red hair, blue pupils, or as black as charcoal.
All the envoys held offerings in their hands, including frankincense, dried blood, aloe vera, myrrh, rest, storax oil, beetse, figs, lettuce, pumpkin, loofah, watermelon, bitter melon, melon, pistachios, walnuts, and sunflowers. , corn, tomato, sesame, potato, peanut and other crops, as well as spices such as sumac and pepper, and green materials such as sumac and green.
There are more rare jewels, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, aventurines, pearls, crystals and turquoises, large cat's eye stones, rare treasures such as elegant ladies of various colors, red coral trees, etc.
There are caged rhinos, six-legged turtles, zebras, yellow-black tigers, camels, black bears, black apes, white deer, lions, leopards and other animals that are not suitable for presentation in the hall.
There are 1,327 kinds of these things alone, and 234 ships were loaded to bring them back. The ones presented to the court are only small and portable.
All the ministers whispered in praise: "Today I know that the universe is vast and the world has no boundaries, and the world is full of wonders."
"The spirit of hidden mountains and seas, the treasure of sinking sand and living on land".
"Yes, gold, silver and jewelry are all that matters. Those crops and livestock may be beneficial to people's livelihood."
"The princes of the four barbarians hold their treasures and present their treasures, and look at each other. On the day of the banquet, there will be a day of dancing, and there will be a sigh in the court. The hall of translation is full of emperors, and it is magnificent! "
The emperor waved his hand to stop after listening halfway, and the censor also knew that this was not a good time to advise, so he sighed.
"Banquet to the Hall of Martial Heroes!"
"My emperor is holy!"
The civil and military officials and the ignorant foreign envoys were invited to the Wuying Hall, while the emperor and the prince moved to the Huagai Hall to change clothes. On the way, the emperor ordered: "Put the tribute carefully into the warehouse."
Zhu Biao persuaded: "Father, Beijing has not been lively for a long time, why not put these rare treasures outside the gate of the palace, let the people watch and have fun with the people."
"Haha, that's fine, just do what the prince says."
"No." The eunuchs following behind promised and went to arrange.
Zhu Biao couldn't stop smiling at this moment. Almost all the crops he wanted were obtained. Although they still need to be carefully cultivated, improved and selected, they were finally available.
Placing these treasures outside the palace is to let the people know that there are so many rare treasures overseas, and those who get them can be rich.
After changing clothes, outside the Hall of Martial Arts, many civil and military officials gathered to watch. The Minister of the Ministry of Officials sighed and said: "The rare treasures of different places, such as lions, rhinoceros, celestial horses, divine deer, white elephants, and turkeys, are all salty and rich. , the emperor takes pleasure in it!"
Zhu Yuanzhang also looked around with great interest, pointing to a certain animal from time to time to ask questions, and an official who accompanied Wu Liang to sea was responsible for answering and explaining its habits.
Seeing that there was finally a high cage covered with a colored cloth, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Why, can't you see the light inside?"
The official said excitedly: "Your Majesty, there is nothing more precious than this. This is a tribute from the king of Malin Kingdom. It is called Jilin, and it varies from **** to god."
The Minister of Rites asked in amazement: "Kirin! Is it the unicorn, a lucky and auspicious animal?"
After saying that, he was about to kneel down to congratulate Lao Zhu. Zhu Biao had already guessed what it was, and hurriedly stopped him. The rest of the officials who wanted to congratulate him all stopped when they saw this.
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't quite believe what he said, but he just ordered people to lift the colored cloth, and a beast was revealed, which made everyone frown. miraculous.
But there are always officials who like to write essays saying: "Writing is brilliant, red clouds and purple mist, toes do not touch things, you must choose the soil when you travel, relax and slow, move according to the rules, listen to its harmony, the sound is in harmony with Zhong Lu, benevolent and beasts , once encountered in ancient times, according to its spirit, ascended to the palace of heaven."
"This beast comes from the sea in the southwest and the sea. It is also called Qilin, and it is the auspiciousness of the country!"
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't respond, and he was a little entangled in his heart. No matter whether this thing is a real auspicious animal or not, speaking out can always appease the hearts of the people.
Zhu Biao tugged his father's sleeve slightly, shook his head slightly when he looked sideways, and then looked at Guo Chong, Li Jin and others on the outermost side.
Guo Chong reacted the fastest and was the most knowledgeable, and immediately said: "According to the "Rui Ying Tu", the unicorn has a sheep's head, a wolf's hooves, a round top, five colors on its body, and a height of one or two feet. The godless aura, I'm afraid it's not a unicorn."
An official retorted: "If the tangerine grows in Huainan, it is a tangerine, and if it is born in Huaibei, it is a trifoliate orange. Although the unicorn is a mythical beast, it wanders in a barbarian land and has no Chinese seedlings to support it. Naturally, it is different from ordinary races."
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't bother to listen to their noise, and it happened that this "unicorn" pulled a lump, so he disliked it and said: "This beast looks like a deer, but with a long neck, it can be called a giraffe. Auspicious animal.
"The sage clearly judged that the lin can be tied to it, is it different from dogs and sheep, this is definitely not my Chinese mythical beast."
"Lin is a sign of the spirit. It is chanted in poems, written in the Spring and Autumn Period, and mixed in biographies of hundreds of schools. Although women and children know it as auspicious."
…
(end of this chapter)