Chapter 359

But he still had a clear sense of the situation.

As long as it was something Zhu Yuanzhang arranged, he would basically handle it perfectly.

The matter of the Bai Lianjiao was obviously no exception; it was all stored in his mind.

But today, Zhu Yuanzhang did not, as before, casually ask a question and let it pass.

Instead, he was very dissatisfied with his answer, lifted a foot, and kicked Jiang Huan onto his backside.

"Useless thing! How long has it been, and it is still not cleaned up? Not a single fish that slipped through the net is allowed to escape! Continue sending people; you must catch them all!"

"Yes!"

Jiang Huan quickly nodded and replied.

"Get lost!"

After Jiang Huan left, Zhu Yuanzhang's attention returned to the group chat.

"You must be careful with Su Qiao's safety; you cannot let the Bai Lianjiao go unattended; they must all be cleaned up!"

"Great-Grandfather, rest assured. This morning, Sun Chen had already issued the imperial decree."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "Tell Su Qiao not to forget the matter he promised us; if he fails to complete it, we will throw him onto Haidao to become a pirate!"

"Yes!"

Su Qiao noticed that Zhu Youjian would zone out for a while while chatting, then chat for a bit and zone out again.

He felt somewhat suspicious in his heart: What is going on?

After quite a while, Zhu Youjian finally "came to his senses."

"Su Qing, Great-Grandfather said to remind you not to forget the matter you promised him; if it is not completed, he will send you to Haidao to fend for yourself."

Su Qiao: "..."

"Your Majesty, the improvement of cannons requires a large amount of copper. Should the money shops immediately begin using Baochao to purchase copper?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qiao spoke immediately in an anxious tone.

Zhu Youjian: "I approve!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The navigation charts were ready, new-style sea ships had already been designed, and powerful gunpowder had likewise been concocted by Su Qiao.

Now, the only bottleneck was the cannons.

Once the problem of the cannons' range is solved, the difficulties of going to sea will be completely resolved.

Zhu Youjian interrupted Su Qiao's "contemplation" and spoke directly:

"Su Qing, the Korean envoys will arrive in Jingcheng in two days. I do not trust the people of the Libuya Sect, so I am entrusting them to you; regarding the specifics of the negotiations, just give me a result later."

213, Vice Envoy Cui Linyu!

Upon hearing this, Su Qiao was somewhat stunned.

"Your Majesty, I know very little about the etiquette of receiving envoys; what if..."

Zhu Youjian smiled and interrupted Su Qiao's words. "Su Qing, do not worry; those tedious etiquettes can be left to the officials of the Libuya Sect when the time comes. I believe you can handle it."

Having said that, he paid no mind to whether Su Qiao could actually succeed or accept it.

After leaving the palace, Su Qiao actually felt that Zhu Yuanzhang was more reliable.

He only needed to offer an idea; he did not need to do the work himself.

Being sent here to Zhu Youjian was a typical case of turning a strategist into an ox.

Dealing with and negotiating with the Korean envoys was truly a first for Su Qiao.

"Mr. Su, are we going home, or to the Ministry of Works?"

Ma Kui and others, responsible for Su Qiao's authority, respectfully inquired.

Su Qiao shook his head, boarded the carriage, and said, "Go to the Libuya Sect!"

"Yes!"

As the saying goes, sharpening the spear at the eleventh hour may not make it sharp, but it will make it shine.

Although he knew nothing about receiving envoys, Su Qiao still decided to go to the Libuya Sect to ask and learn.

Four days later.

The Korean envoys, totaling thirty-seven people, arrived in Jingcheng together.

Su Qiao had received the news early on.

He did not go to welcome them personally but instead had the officials of the Libuya Sect welcome them.

Because Su Qiao knew there were people among the Korean envoys specifically looking to cause trouble.

And sure enough!

On the first day, a quarrel broke out at the entrance of the Viceroy Yamen.

"We are envoys! Why do you 610 not value us? We want to see the Emperor of Great Ming..."

As soon as Su Qiao arrived at the Libuya Sect in his carriage, he heard the commotion there.

Lifting the curtain, he saw seven or eight members of the Korean envoys surrounding a Fifth Rank, Junior Grade official, arguing relentlessly about something.

Su Qiao did not get down immediately but sat quietly in the carriage listening to what they were arguing about.

After listening for a while, Su Qiao understood what was happening.

These few Korean envoys were truly looking for trouble.

They were extremely angry that Great Ming had not sent a high-ranking official to welcome them,

They felt he didn't value them and was just going through the motions with them.

Besides, they found fault with every aspect of the assigned guesthouse, nitpicking over nothing.

Holding the seal and ribbon of the Fifth Rank, Junior Grade, Zhao Wenhua's face flushed red; no matter how he explained, he couldn't make it clear, and he grew extremely anxious.

"Everyone, this was arranged by the superior officials. The one responsible for receiving you was designated by Your Majesty. Moreover, your lodging is the finest available; there are simply no problems as you claim..."

At this moment, Su Qiao, who had finally understood the situation, lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage.

"Enough, it's useless talking to him. He is merely a Fifth Rank, Junior Grade official in the Ministry of Rites and has no authority over the Ministry's affairs."

Su Qiao gave Ma Kui a subtle glance.

Ma Kui immediately squeezed forward and "rescued" Zhao Wenhua.

"This humble official greets Mr. Su!"

Seeing Su Qiao, Zhao Wenhua quickly bowed and performed the ritual salute.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites, from top to bottom, had long known that Su Qiao was assigned to receive the Korean envoys.

Several days ago, Su Qiao had been coming to inquire about various matters every other day.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites all knew Su Qiao.

"You, who are you?"

A leader among the envoys, noticing Su Qiao's extraordinary demeanor, spoke up to ask.

Zhao Wenhua whispered into Su Qiao's ear, introducing him: "His name is Cui Linyu; he is the Vice Envoy!"

"Oh, I am the person in charge responsible for receiving you, the Korean envoys. In other words, the person you will deal with from now on is me. Whether it concerns food, clothing, shelter, and travel, or negotiations and exchanges, it will basically be me."

Su Qiao looked at the other party and said in a calm tone.

Upon hearing this, Cui Linyu frowned and deliberately shook his head, sizing Su Qiao up and down.

"We have come to pay homage to the Great Ming Emperor on behalf of our King of Korea; you are not qualified!"

Hearing his words, Ma Kui and the others' faces immediately darkened.

Cui Linyu's words were clearly a deliberate provocation, an intentional slight against Su Qiao.

The purpose was also to deliberately provoke Su Qiao into anger.

However, Su Qiao had long known that there were people with ulterior motives hidden within the Korean envoy's group.

He was mentally prepared!

Now that Cui Linyu had jumped out so quickly, Su Qiao almost immediately confirmed that he was a man of that Korean General, Li Kangcheng.

"I will not say this twice. From now on, the person you will communicate with is me. If you are unwilling to talk, you may leave directly. Furthermore, if you wish to see Your Majesty, you must see whether Your Majesty has the time. Remember, you came here of your own accord; it is not the Great Ming begging you to come!"

A cold sneer played on Su Qiao's lips as he glanced at Cui Linyu.

The faces of Cui Linyu and the people behind him changed.