As the minister read from the journal of Liu Xang, the Emperor ceased stroking his wife’s hand and listened:
“The northern steppes were a cold place was Liu Xang’s first thought as he pulled his cloak closer around himself for warmth. He had passed the northern most border post and the Great Wall several weeks ago. Now he was on endless plains and that stretched out in the distance. Perhaps they were wrong he thought. Perhaps there are no tribes here.
Suddenly he saw it. Smoke rising in the horizon. It must be a camp. Suddenly he didn’t know whether he should be relieved or terrified. He would have to parley with the barbarians. The money bags tied to his belt jingled as he dismounted.
Once he had reached the camp he spoke in the barbarian tongue and quickly arranged a meeting with the ruler. A ragged and dirty looking man dressed in some sort of animal fur and covered in scars.
“What do you want?” he snarled
Liu Xang drew himself up imperiously and tossed three bags of coins onto the floor in front of him. The taels from the third bag spilled out just as he had planned having loosened the string beforehand. He smirked inwardly; he had a flair for theatrics. The barbarian ruler eyed him speculatively now. “What is this?”
“This is gold.” replied Liu Xang. “The Emperor Hongzhi sends his greetings. He has sent me as his loyal servant to bear emissary to your people, for the Son of Heaven desires war. A tribe to your east has laid great insult upon the Empire of the Great Ming and their existence on the fringes of the Middle Kingdom is an affront to us. The Son of Heaven commands that you consider war against these upstarts who have sullied his honour and he will fill your coffers with more gold then you could spend in this lifetime or the next.”
The barbarian lord nodded his eyes still transfixed on the gold coins scattering the dirt floor. “We will crush them.”
Liu Xang smiled the Emperor would be pleased. “
And he was pleased. After that, there was brief pause while a man and a woman entered the garden dressed as townspeople of some low rank. At a nod from the minister they began:
“Praise to the Emperor!” shouted Shiu Chien as he burst through the doors of his house.
“What is wrong with you!” exclaimed his harassed looking wife
“Praise the Emperor” Shiu Chien said a second time and out of the folds of his dusty robes he produced a piece of paper bearing the imperial seal on it. “Do you know what this is? It is a passport! The Emperor has granted three thousand passports for us to travel abroad and engage in trade.”
“He has?” his wife asked incredulously
“Yes I will be leaving immediately from Guangzhou and heading south to Malacca. Quick pack my things no time to waste! My competitors will be leaving soon as well.” Shiu Chien said breathlessly racing out the door as quickly as he came in.
“Well I never.” said his wife still looking shocked.
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I can't wait for the map and stats.
It's good to be Emperor.
