Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 580 Louis' Request

More than twenty people from the Western Yi entered the capital city, forming a special landscape in the capital. Although the Western Yi had already appeared in the Ming Dynasty, it was still a relatively novel thing for ordinary people.

Especially since these Western barbarians still came to pay tribute, the people in the capital couldn't help but feel proud. We are still the Celestial Empire, which made the people in the capital feel that another prosperous era was about to begin.

Meng Jun looked through the list carefully again and found that the Dutch had given him a lot of bells, more than a dozen bells of all sizes. Meng Jun could only comfort himself, wondering how these barbarians could understand the profound Han culture.

After this group of Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese people arrived in the capital, the Ministry of Rites received them according to the normal reception procedures of a vassal state. However, a dispute arose when it came to the etiquette for meeting the emperor.

The Dutch envoy Louis insisted on kneeling on one knee instead of both knees, claiming that this was the highest etiquette for his country to meet the monarch and that he had no intention of being disrespectful.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites also insisted, saying: "Since your envoy has entered our court, you should follow our court's etiquette and kneel on both knees to kowtow to the emperor. This is a custom passed down for thousands of years in our court. All vassal states that come to the court perform this ceremony to show respect for the Celestial Empire. Now that your envoy insists on not following this, I'm afraid it's not a friendly way."

Louis insisted that they came to visit the Eastern Emperor and that they were not a vassal state of the Eastern Emperor, so they did not have to follow the regulations of a vassal state, but the officials of the Ministry of Rites of the Qian Dynasty refused to do so.

After arguing for a long time, Louis finally agreed reluctantly under the persuasion of the Spanish and Portuguese envoys. But in the end, Louis still said indignantly: "I have met their emperor before, and he didn't ask me to kneel at that time. It's only been a few years."

The envoys from Spain and the Netherlands said one after another that they now had a request to make to the Qian Dynasty, so they might as well kneel. As long as they could please the Eastern Emperor, no one would know if they kneeled.

Of course, Meng Jun was completely unaware of these things. He did not insist on making people kneel, nor did he think that kneeling could represent his supreme power. Meng Jun had already issued an edict in the court.

Word:

"The relationship between the monarch and his subjects should be treated with sincerity. The etiquette of kneeling and bowing has been practiced for a long time in court ceremonies. However, I believe that the key to etiquette is to be respectful and sincere, rather than to be bound by appearances. Now that the world is at peace and government affairs are being reformed, in order to promote simplicity and solemnity and to demonstrate enlightened governance, I hereby issue this decree. Except for grand court meetings, grand sacrifices and other important ceremonies, when my subjects meet me in person, they do not need to kneel and bow. You can speak frankly and do not be burdened by red tape.

In the fifth year of Zhaowu, on the first day of September, there was a grand court meeting.

In the wide square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, officials from the capital were crowded together. The officials were dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing black hats on their heads. They were arranged in order according to their rank. Under the guidance of the officials responsible for maintaining order, although there were many people, everything was still in good order.

In today's grand court meeting, the tribute from the Western Barbarians was undoubtedly the highlight. Following one summons after another, Louis and eight people from the other two countries came to meet the emperor.

As soon as Louis stepped into the palace, his steps suddenly stopped. He was stunned for a moment, his eyes widened, and his face showed astonishment. The scene before him was beyond his previous imagination.

The towering palace and its golden glazed tiles on the roof glowed brightly under the sunlight, and the huge number of officials made the atmosphere even more majestic.

Louis only felt his throat dry, he had never seen such a grand scene, for a moment, he stood there in a daze. He knew that the Eastern emperor was very rich, but he thought that the Western emperor was not bad either, and this grand scene made him doubt his previous thoughts for a moment.

Meng Jun, wearing a black and gold dragon robe and a crown on his head, slowly walked up to the throne. When the emperor sat down, the steward sang loudly: "Come on, all officials kowtow!"

All the ministers shouted "Long live the emperor" in unison, their voices resounded through the sky and were magnificent.

Following the emperor's summons, the envoys from the three countries began to enter the palace. Along the way, Louis unconsciously became restrained, and the same was true for the other members of the envoys. One of them even slipped and fell to the ground due to nervousness.

The official in charge of recording the court meeting hurriedly wrote down: "On the first day of the ninth month in the fifth year of Zhaowu, a grand court meeting was held. The emperor summoned envoys from the Western Yi. One of the envoys was suddenly confronted by the majesty of the emperor and became so frightened that he slipped and fell."

Louis and others thought that no one would know if they knelt, but in fact every move they made would be recorded in history, because they met a nation that loved to record history the most.

Without mentioning these trivial matters, as the envoys finished their ceremony, Louis hurriedly presented the carefully prepared list of tribute. Although Meng Jun already knew the list, the officials from the Ministry of Rites still read it out loud one by one at the grand court meeting.

After the gifts were presented, Meng Jun greeted Louis and the envoys from the three countries in a gentle manner according to etiquette, and did not discuss business at the court meeting.

After much trouble, Meng Jun summoned Louis and the envoys from the other two countries after the grand court meeting was over.

In a private meeting, Meng Jun asked bluntly: "You have come from afar, what do you want to discuss with me?"

Louis replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, we came here to show our respect to your Majesty and to ask for a favor."

"Well, please speak, messenger."

Louis had also learned a little about Eastern culture during this period, and knew that he couldn't speak too directly, so he said in a roundabout way: "We have come all the way to the East, just to trade with the East, but now Zheng is blocking and intercepting our merchant ships from Western countries at sea, and this behavior has affected the trade between the two sides. I beg Your Majesty to come forward to coordinate and make the sea route unobstructed, so that the trade between the two countries will be more prosperous."

Meng Jun was a little surprised when he heard this. It was really beyond his expectation that this group of Western colonists came over with such few demands.

So, Meng Jun nodded and said, "I have my own considerations on Zheng's matter. I will order them to ensure the smooth flow of maritime trade and not to block merchant ships. But you also need to know that every transaction must be conducted through the imperial Maritime Customs."

Louis nodded quickly, indicating that he would abide by the laws of the Qian Dynasty. Seeing that the time was ripe, Louis bowed again and said to Meng Jun: "Your Majesty, the Zheng family is now immigrating in large numbers in the Manila area, and they are very greedy for our Batavia. I hope that Your Majesty can restrict the Zheng family."

Louis looked up, but Meng Jun's expression remained unchanged, so Louis could not tell what Meng Jun was thinking. Louis immediately continued, "Your Majesty, if possible, our three countries are willing to pay a large amount of money to Your Majesty, and Manila will be used as a common trading city for all countries in the future. Of course, jurisdiction can be negotiated."