Chapter 624: Chasing the Sea

Zhu Youxiao was out enjoying himself with his two consorts, while negotiations between the Great Ming and Joseon continued.

After two days of talks, Yi Wang had roughly figured out the situation.

This fellow before him, named Liu Xian, looked young and affable, but he was anything but easy to deal with.

On the specific distribution of benefits, this fellow held his ground stubbornly, refusing to yield an inch.

Looking at the overall situation, the Great Ming stood to gain more this time, and it would be very difficult for Joseon to obtain much benefit.

"Crown Prince, I believe there is one matter you haven't fully understood." Liu Xian said with a beaming smile.

"Then please do enlighten me, Lord Liu." Yi Wang said directly.

Yi Wang's expression had already turned serious—the words Lord Liu was about to speak likely would not be polite. He was prepared, and was already mulling over in his mind how to respond.

Liu Xian looked at Yi Wang and said: "The origin of this matter is that your father the King came to seek an audience with His Majesty, and told him of the affairs of your Joseon, saying that your Joseon people live in hardship. It was only then that His Majesty conceived the notion of attacking the Wa. This point you must understand."

"After all, when it comes to the normal trade between merchants of our two nations, His Majesty cannot very well interfere. He couldn't just hand money directly to you, could he? The annual tribute and gifts have never been short, but extra money cannot necessarily be given."

"Once the Wa are struck, your situation will improve considerably—this is what His Majesty has given you."

Hearing Liu Xian say this, Yi Wang's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and for a moment he could not find any good rebuttal.

Although what Liu Xian said certainly wasn't true, even if it were true, no one else could say otherwise. After all, the Great Ming had said it and had done it.

"This time, when the Great Ming sends troops to attack the Wa, we will give you some benefits. But everything must have its limits. If you ask for too much, then the Great Ming might as well not fight at all."

Liu Xian said with complete confidence: "If it truly came to that, then the matters your father discussed with His Majesty in Liaodong would be void. Or do you intend to do something about it?"

Within these words there was a hint of threat.

Seeing that Yi Wang was about to speak, Liu Xian said directly: "Crown Prince, don't be hasty. Let me finish what I have to say."

"This time the Great Ming is sending troops, with a great many men and a great deal of money and grain. Under such circumstances, if no benefits are obtained, His Majesty cannot account for it to those below him."

"So let us discuss this properly, and know when to stop. Whether in dealing with people or with affairs, one must learn to be content. Those who are insatiably greedy come to no good end. Crown Prince, what do you think?"

As he said these words, Liu Xian's face carried a brilliant smile throughout.

Only, the words themselves were not so polite—for the Joseon side, they were harsh words to hear.

Though it was the truth, sometimes the truth sounds just that jarring.

Liu Xian no longer had the patience to keep going around in circles with the other party.

His Majesty was waiting there, and the Imperial Navy was awaiting word. If this continued to drag on, Liu Xian could not guarantee how anxious they might become.

For Liu Xian, completing this matter as quickly as possible was what he ought to do; delay was not the result he wanted.

Even if force were to be used against the Wa, it would basically be preparation this year and war next year—it could not possibly be any faster. Under such circumstances, they needed to prepare quickly and get moving quickly.

Yi Wang looked at Liu Xian and said: "This time we are joining the campaign, and we too must account for it to those below us. If the benefits are insufficient, our situation will become even more difficult. I hope Lord Liu will convey to His Majesty on our behalf—we truly have no other choice, and hope His Majesty can be understanding of us."

Liu Xian looked at Yi Wang, the smile on his face growing even more brilliant, and said: "But I think the benefits given are already more than enough. This matter is settled as is. If the Crown Prince feels it is inappropriate, then there is no need to continue talking. This matter ends here, and we each return to our own affairs."

"However, there is one thing I must remind the Crown Prince of: this matter was decided between His Majesty and your father the King. If you reject it, then you may go back and account for it to your father yourself. Though you are the Crown Prince, your father seems to have more sons than just you."

The threat in these words was very clear—the Great Ming could not only decide the success or failure of this matter, but could also decide whether you would sit on the throne of the Joseon king.

Do not take the Great Ming's tolerance for granted.

Yi Wang's face instantly darkened. He raised his head to look at Liu Xian, as if wanting to say something, but said nothing.

To this, Liu Xian remained smiling as before, without any change.

"Everything will be done as Lord Liu says." A smile appeared on Yi Wang's face as he said: "Whatever the Great Ming says, we will do. This matter is settled then."

"As for what was said just now, Lord Liu need not take it to heart. I am the Crown Prince of Joseon, and I wished to fight for a bit more benefit for Joseon. I hope Lord Liu can understand."

"Understood, understood." Liu Xian nodded with a smile and said: "Then this matter is settled. I will go report to His Majesty immediately. In a couple of days His Majesty will issue the imperial decree, and our two sides can begin preparations."

"Good, good." Yi Wang agreed with a smile, and the expression on his face was also very sincere.

After the two parted ways, each of their faces sank.

A trace of dissatisfaction and anger appeared on Yi Wang's face, and a flicker of coldness passed through his eyes. Soon after, he returned to normal and walked out with a smile.

On Liu Xian's side, the smile on his face also disappeared. He went at once to report the news to Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao was in high spirits from sea fishing, and could not help but recall a poem:

"A straw cloak, a bamboo hat, a small flat boat,

A single fishing line, an inch-long hook.

A loud song, a jug of wine,

One man alone fishing an autumn river."

All that was missing now was a bright moon hanging overhead, and the mood would be complete.

The tide happened to be coming in, so beach foraging was out of the question. Zhu Youxiao obediently fished from the shore.

Seeing His Majesty come out to play, the men from the navy came over to attend to him.

Compared to Zhu Youxiao's amateurish efforts, the navy soldiers were the true professionals—they went straight into the water wearing their water suits.

According to Qi Yuanbi, the water suits these men wore were made of shark skin.

This truly surprised Zhu Youxiao—the wisdom of the working people!

Biomimetic shark-skin swimsuits, also known as magic swimsuits—what a wonderful thing, banned by FINA in later generations.

With the shark-skin water suits, combined with these navy men's excellent swimming ability and their familiarity with these waters, they were truly in their element diving in the sea, churning the waves as they plunged straight down to catch lobsters for Zhu Youxiao.

They could even spear fish underwater with steel forks—impressive.

Noble Consort Yuan and Noble Consort Tian had previously had no interest in beach foraging, but now that they had come to the seaside, they were having a wonderful time.

After all, they had always stayed within the palace, and opportunities to go out were few to begin with. Even back when they were at home, chances to frolic by the seaside like this had never existed. And this time, with the Emperor accompanying them, it was naturally the best of all.

As the sun set in the west and the evening breeze gently blew, the three of them, dressed in simple clothes without all those long robes and wide sleeves, strolled along the beach, treading through the sand.

Zhu Youxiao held Noble Consort Yuan's hand on his left and Noble Consort Tian's hand on his right, and the three left a long trail of footprints on the sand.

Wei Chao stood watching from afar.

Beside him stood Liu Xian.

Wei Chao said with a smile, "Lord Liu, don't be anxious. At this moment, I don't think it would be appropriate for us to go over and disturb His Majesty. What do you think, Lord Liu?"

"Of course, if Lord Liu has urgent matters, I can go over right away."

"Absolutely not." Liu Xian said hurriedly, "My matter isn't anything major—it's just that we've reached some results in the talks with Joseon, and I came to report to His Majesty. In this situation, we shouldn't disturb His Majesty. His Majesty rarely gets to enjoy himself."

"Indeed." Wei Chao nodded and said, "Since ascending the throne, His Majesty has worried over the state and its people, busy day and night—one could say he rarely has time to rest, let alone time for amusement."

"Now that His Majesty can have a day like this, we servants are all happy for him." Wei Chao said without changing his expression.

Liu Xian glanced at him, then nodded along, putting on a look of utter seriousness.

Then the two exchanged a glance and simultaneously turned their heads away, both sighing inwardly: a worthy opponent at last.

In all the world today, who doesn't know that His Majesty is indeed decisive and capable of getting things done—but when it comes to slacking off, no one can match him either. To say that His Majesty is diligent in state affairs is to tell a barefaced lie with one's eyes wide open.

Yet Wei Chao and the other man just stood there, turning that barefaced lie into the truth with their eyes wide open, all while maintaining grave and earnest expressions.

After a long while, Zhu Youxiao strolled back from the distance and directly ordered that Noble Consort Yuan and Noble Consort Tian be escorted back. The lobsters and giant crabs they'd caught had already been sent off to be prepared—they'd be ready to eat by the time they returned.

Ambling over to Liu Xian's side, Zhu Youxiao asked, "So? Any results?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are indeed results." Liu Xian said directly, "The Joseon side has agreed to everything—no problems at all."

Having said this, Liu Xian seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to say more.

"What's the matter? Standing before me, is there something you can't say?" Zhu Youxiao said with a smile. "Why suddenly like this? Since when have you been afraid to speak your mind?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, your servant fears offending Your Majesty." Liu Xian said hurriedly.

"Enough—I've never seen you like this before. If you have something to say, just say it." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, speaking in a casual tone. "Is it about that Crown Prince of Joseon?"

"Your Majesty sees clearly." Liu Xian quickly replied, "Your servant feels that this Crown Prince is quite formidable—a man with ideas of his own, able to stoop and to rise, and talented to boot. If he is the one to inherit Joseon in the future, your servant fears..."

Though Liu Xian didn't finish the sentence, the meaning was already clear.

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao laughed.

Joseon's size was what it was, and its national situation was what it was—from this era onward, Joseon had never once managed to turn things around.

It had no chance in the original course of history, and even less chance now.

Still, Liu Xian's concern wasn't without reason—he had many plans for Joseon in the days ahead.

He'd originally thought this Yi Wang would know which way the wind blew and make a good puppet for the Great Ming. But unexpectedly, he wanted to be Joseon's heaven-sent hero.

That, Zhu Youxiao could not permit.

Zhu Youxiao said with a smile, "That's all? I thought it was something major, the way you were too embarrassed to say it. Since you think it's inappropriate, then just keep him in the Great Ming."