Chapter 2090: Chapter 1527: Shi Wende Turns Over a New Leaf, Unexpected Encounter with Mori no Kiyoshi (2)
"Haha! Sen Juzuo, since the East Gate has an inscription, the West Gate surely must as well! Speak it out, test me... hmm? Win the distant with virtue? This seems to be a phrase from the Zuo Zhuan? ’Guan Zhong said to Qi Hou: I have heard that one attracts with ritual, wins the distant with virtue; when virtue and ritual are unwavering, none fail to submit.’... Interesting! This speaks of the attitude toward foreign vassal states, using virtue to educate, letting the barbarians of foreign lands submit..."
Yao Fu Shouhuang was in high spirits, pulling Mori no Kiyoshi’s sleeve, eager to talk about ancient times. Mori no Kiyoshi smiled wryly, looking around, suddenly spotting a tall and robust Ming person, clad in a somewhat incongruent scholarly robe, rushing out of the Guest House covering his face. Behind this tall Ming person, a middle-aged Sakai Port merchant was chasing, calling out in Japanese with joy.
"Mr. Shi, so it’s you! Don’t go, Mr. Shi! I am Taro Konishi!..."
"Mr. Shi, although you may not remember me, I surely remember you! Ten years ago, your esteemed father docked ten large sea ships at Hirado Pier... At that time, I had an agreement with the Hirado Matsuura Clan to procure goods, and I met both your esteemed father and you at the port... Later at the welcoming banquet hosted by the Matsuura Clan, we even drank sake together!"
"Mr. Shi! Your bold and generous singing voice, I have always remembered! And now, you have become a translator for the Ming people? Surely with your esteemed father’s power, he must be a real ruler among the vassal states here in the Ming side, right?... Please come over, speak a fair word for us!..."
"Mr. Shi! The Ningbo merchants who came today are utterly unreasonable! The price they’re selling silk at is twice as high as what you personally brought to Hirado!... Especially that leader from the Yang Family, who even dared to threaten us. Saying that unless he, the Yang Family, nods, no one will sell us silk. And the silk price they set is the price for all of Ningbo City, truly outrageous!..."
The middle-aged Sakai Port merchant ran quickly, completely disregarding decorum, even surpassing the scholarly-robed, constrained tall Ming person. He then, breathlessly, grabbed Shi Wende’s sleeve, stopping him abruptly, bowing deeply in courtesy.
"Mr. Shi, Buddha is watching us! The Tang goods you sold to the Matsuura Clan earlier eventually ended up with us at Sakai Port. Please, for the sake of your esteemed father’s relationship with the Matsuura Clan, introduce your silk channels to us!... We are willing to give you twenty percent, no, thirty percent commission, however much you have, we can take it all!..."
"Ah!..."
Shi Wende stood outside the East Gate of the Guest House, slowly put down his hands from his face, revealing a bitter expression. The traces of sea winds and sun blisters marked upon his face and neck, no amount of powder could cover, making him out of place with those elegant, fair-skinned gentry gentlemen.
And those traces were like the sea merchant marks of his Chongming Shi Family’s past, no matter how he strived to obtain the scholar title, trying every possible method to stick close, he was still just as lowly, out of place in front of those noble families of advanced scholars!
Merely thinking of being recognized just now, the mirthful sneers from the West Lake Lu Family within the trading group, the playful gazes from the Jingchuan Yang Family... it was like his face had the words of a prisoner etched upon it, making him feel ashamed, pained and humbled! At this moment, he bit his teeth bitterly, once more recalling the admonishments from Zhejiang Governor Wang Zhe. He resolved, to completely sever ties with the disgraceful maritime past of the Shi Family!
"このお方,失礼いたしました!"
"Honorable guest, I apologize for the earlier offense!..."
Shi Wende took a deep breath, bowed in return with proficient, icily formal Japanese. Then he looked around, seeing only two people in monk robes, who seemed to be the Japanese nobles from the delegation. After pondering for a moment, he looked at the persistent Sakai Port merchant, Taro Konishi, and softly said.
"Witnessed by Buddha! I’m sorry, my Chongming Shi Family has already turned over a new leaf, taking the path of the imperial examinations, no longer doing maritime business... These businesses have already been handed over to others by the main family, it’s impossible to trade with you like before..."
"Honorable guest from Sakai Port... to be honest, the Ningbo merchants you negotiated with just now, they actually have quite a background, being one of Ningbo’s Four Great... um, ’house elders.’ The silk prices they set, other merchants find it hard to defy, and no one dares to lower the price or sell privately..."
"For the sake of our past connection, if you truly wish to successfully negotiate this business, try sparing some silver taels... In this Ningbo Port, there is only one possible avenue... seek out Guardian Lin Huai from the Market Department! In Supervisor Lin’s hands, there might be a batch of silks from the official stores, which would sell cheaper than those from the Ningbo merchants, but there’s not much stock... And if Supervisor Lin is willing to speak on your behalf, the Yang Family, after consideration, would certainly yield some face, and at least drop the price by another ten percent..."
"That’s all I have to say! Honorable guest... when we meet again next time, it will be as if we are meeting for the first time! And this conversation today, it never happened!..."
Finishing these sincere words, Shi Wende bowed again, turned around, rolled up his sleeves, and briskly walked away swiftly like the wind. Left behind was only the dumbfounded Sakai Port merchant, Taro Konishi, and Yao Fu Shouhuang and Mori no Kiyoshi, who had observed it all. Mori no Kiyoshi, with an intrigued look, pondered for a moment, then apologized to Yao Fu Shouhuang with a smile and stepped forward.
"Mr. Konishi, this tall Ming person, you know him? I think he’s a translator for the Ming person?"
"Ah! Mr. Sen... I do know him, and also his father, the leader of the Shi Clan’s naval forces... Strange! His family ought to be a powerful pirate group of the Ming Dynasty, with at least ten large sea ships under his command, several hundred battle-ready Ming naval forces... Yet this time meeting, he seemed like a different person, even talking about ’turning over a new leaf,’ and no longer doing ’maritime business’?..."
Taro Konishi was puzzled, only sensing a tragically thick wall separating him from his old acquaintance. Clearly of true martial family valor, why wear those restrictive scholar robes? But soon, his focus shifted to the practical suggestion Shi Wende left.
"Bribe ’Supervisor Lin’? Not only can we buy a batch of quality goods from the official stores, but also lower the price by another ten percent? I need to discuss this well with the others, to pay a visit to the Ming Dynasty noble!"
Taro Konishi, eyes sparkling, hurried toward the hall as he rushed out, while outside the East Gate, only uninterested Yao Fu Shouhuang and deeply interested Mori no Kiyoshi were left.
Under the inscription "Glimpse the Nation’s Light," Mori no Kiyoshi looked in the direction where Shi Wende had left, repeatedly contemplating his complex identity, gradually showing a grin.
"Ming Dynasty sea lord... turning over a new leaf... translator... Shi Wende?..."
"Glimpse the Nation’s Light, using guests unto the king..."
"Buddha’s blessing! This truly is ’Glimpse the Nation’s Light,’ an interesting Ming custom, indeed Buddha’s promised ’guest’!..."
