Chapter 1531: The Crown Prince Leaves the Capital

"Yes, the message your country has asked to be conveyed is of such grave importance that if I were to suppress it and not report it, it could very well harm my country's interests. I will therefore relay it as quickly as possible and let my superiors decide." Liu Jing shot the other man a glare. "However, sir, I must ask you not to use such methods to win my favor, lest you both delay your country's vital affairs and ruin the friendship between us!"

"Thank you, Mr. Liu! You are a most capable and upright official! It gives me heartfelt joy to know that your country's court has an official such as you." Gozet thanked Liu Jing profusely. In his eyes at this moment, this Chinese official seemed almost like an angel.

At that very moment, however, Liu Jing suddenly shifted his tone.

"That said, since we are helping one another, I also have a small favor I need Mr. Gozet to help with."

"Please, just tell me. So long as it lies within my power, I will certainly find a way to accomplish it!" In excellent spirits, Gozet agreed without hesitation.

"It's really no great matter, just a small favor I'd like to ask of your country." A smile returned to Liu Jing's face. "Your country's trading post is in Hirado Domain, is it not? I have some matters I need to discuss with the Lord of Hirado recently, and I've been struggling to find a way to approach him. I was hoping Mr. Gozet could help smooth the way…"

He wants to go to Hirado Domain to meet the Lord of Hirado? Gozet's elation instantly cooled into sober rationality. The man had not accepted their monetary bribe, but he was offering a different transaction in its place.

The Lord of Hirado, due to his family's longstanding ties, was very familiar with the Dutch. Arranging a meeting between this Chinese man and the lord would not be difficult. But why did the Chinese want to meet him? Did they intend to establish another trading post at Hirado Port, or to have a portion of their merchant ships anchor at Hirado?

His mind raced, and for a moment he did not answer.

"Mr. Gozet?" Liu Jing pressed.

"Might I ask why your country wishes to seek out the Lord of Hirado?" Gozet could not resist probing.

"Our country naturally has its own commercial secrets. I'm afraid this matter is not something we can easily disclose to your country." Liu Jing's face immediately hardened. "Of course, if your country is unwilling to help us with this, I will not insist…"

"No, no, no. I am most happy to help you, Mr. Liu. You are my good friend, and we Dutch value friendship above all else." Seeing Liu Jing's displeasure, Gozet immediately made the decision to assist him. "As soon as I return, I will explain the matter clearly to my friends at the Hirado trading post. They will help."

Right now, he needed something from this Chinese official, so mutual assistance was a necessity. Besides, no matter how he thought about it, he could not see how the Chinese doing this would harm Dutch interests—even if the Chinese chose to open a separate port for trade at Hirado, that would still be beneficial to the Dutch. They had no actual trade conflicts, after all.

"Then I must trouble you, sir." Liu Jing smiled faintly. "I will also immediately write to my country. I believe they will have a swift response. Sir, please return and await the reply from our court."

"Thank you for your help. Farewell!" Gozet once again bowed respectfully to Liu Jing, then turned and left.

"What a windfall! I was just fretting over having no chance to contact the Lord of Hirado, and now the Dutch have delivered themselves to my doorstep!" Once the man was gone, Liu Jing, in excellent spirits, could not help but laugh, clearly quite pleased with his own flash of inspiration. "It's nothing more than writing a letter home—how much effort does that take!"

On the very same morning that Zhou Pu arrived in Japan aboard a merchant ship, the Crown Prince of Great Han was about to take his first step out of the capital.

Compared to the fanfare of Zhou Pu's arrival at Nagasaki, the Crown Prince's departure from the capital was an even grander spectacle. Aside from the Great Han Emperor himself, all the key ministers of the Grand Secretariat and the chief military officials stationed in the capital had come to the city outskirts to see the Crown Prince off.

Among the assembled ministers, most had been given the official word that the Crown Prince would be touring Liaodong and Goryeo as the Emperor's representative, to calm the hearts of the people in Liaodong and the tributary state, and incidentally to establish his own standing before the realm. Those in the know, however, understood that beneath this surface mission, he also bore a far weightier task, and thus their hearts were filled with even greater sighs of emotion for him.

A youth merely fourteen years of age, about to shoulder such a monumental task—the imperial family truly had it hard.

It was yet another clear, sunny day. Compared to the depths of winter, the early spring air carried a touch more moisture. The once withered yellow earth of the outskirts was now dotted with patches of green, adorning the road ahead. The vast territory stretched forward with this boundless plain, extending until it finally raced toward the equally boundless and shoreless sea.

The Crown Prince would soon set out upon this very road, heading for Tianjin Port. From Tianjin Port, he would board a seagoing vessel, first stopping at Jinzhou to review the Liaodong troops, then heading straight for Goryeo to formally assume his heavy responsibilities and carry out the preparatory work for the future conquest of Japan.

This journey would likely take nearly a year before he could return. He wondered if, by the time he came back, the capital would be even more bustling. With this thought, the Crown Prince abruptly turned his head, gazing back with reluctance at the city gate looming faintly in the distance.

Ever since his Imperial Father had assigned him this task, he had been meticulously studying every detail concerning Japan and warfare. Whenever his studies stirred his passion, his blood would boil, and he would wish he could set out on the campaign immediately—to serve his country and share his Imperial Father's burdens. Yet now, when the day to actually embark had truly arrived, he found himself still somewhat reluctant to leave.

He had already bid farewell to his mother, the Empress. Before parting, she had spoken to him at length, encouraging him with all her might to share the country's burdens and to handle affairs diligently. Then she had rambled on with many words, telling him to take care of his health, and he had agreed to everything. The tears in her eyes were as plentiful as her expectations, making his own heart faintly sour. It had taken great effort to hold back his own tears.

His younger brothers, unaware of the true circumstances, had crowded around him, either envying him for being able to leave the capital to handle state affairs or demanding that he take them along. His own full-blooded younger brother, Zhao Hu, had made just such a demand. Naturally, he could only smile wryly and placate his brothers, telling them he was not going out to play, but to get things done properly.

Only now, on the verge of departure, did he realize just how much he wished he could stay in the capital.

He had not been born in the capital, but he had been brought here as a young child with the founding of the Great Han Dynasty. He had grown up here, and from the inside out, he had become a man of the capital.

Whether from his own personal experience or from the words of his teachers—who hailed from all over China and even the West—he firmly believed one thing: in the world today, no nation was more prosperous and flourishing than Great Han, and no city more magnificent and glorious than the capital. Having grown up in such a metropolis, and holding the honored position of Crown Prince, how could he possibly cast aside that heartfelt attachment so easily?

Yet no matter how attached he was, he knew he absolutely had to go. Because he was the Crown Prince. Like his father, a hero whose fame filled the age, he had to step forward and support the nation when it needed him, to let it continue to prosper and flourish, rather than simply knowing how to enjoy wealth and glory in comfort. Since his father believed that conquering Japan would benefit the nation, he had to see the task through properly, not shrink back at the critical moment.

Therefore, in his heart, he not only bore no resentment toward his Imperial Father for forcibly sending him out, but was instead deeply grateful. His father had given him a chance to be a hero, just like him—though he could not charge and fight on the front lines, a man who oversaw the rear, supplied provisions, and devised strategies, allowing the frontline soldiers to fight bloody battles without a worry, was naturally a hero as well.

"On this journey, you must pull yourself together. You absolutely must not fail your Imperial Father's expectations…" He clenched his fist and spoke to himself in secret.

"What's this? You haven't even set out yet, and already your feet won't move?" Just as his mind was full of these heavy thoughts, the person beside him suddenly spoke up in jest. "Don't want to go anymore?"

Now, that hero who rose from the grassroots, swept the realm with a three-foot sword, campaigned across ten thousand miles, and expanded the Han lands to a vast expanse, that hero of peerless achievements whom he had yearned to emulate countless times—his Imperial Father—was right beside him. He had personally come today to see him off.

"Imperial Father, your son has absolutely no such intention." He hurriedly explained to his father. "Your son is merely feeling a little reluctant to leave the capital…"

"At your age, going on a long journey for the first time, it would be strange if you weren't reluctant." The Emperor sighed softly, then suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder. "My son, thinking it over today, you are still young. Sending you out so early truly puts too much pressure on you. I cannot, just for my own satisfaction, try to pull up a seedling to help it grow, only to make things needlessly difficult for you. While there's still time, tell me—do you truly want to go? Even if you say no, I won't blame you. Letting you study for a couple more years might not be a bad thing. You can just casually tour Liaodong and Goryeo and then return. I can send someone else to take command of the rear."

The Emperor's words were filled with deep affection for his son. The Crown Prince, already feeling somewhat emotional, nearly shed tears at this moment. In that instant, his father had rarely shown such tender parental love for his son; he feared his child would crumble under such immense pressure, and that it might end up harming him instead.

How many times had his ever-wise and decisive Imperial Father ever revealed his emotions in front of him?

Yet, although the Crown Prince could feel his Imperial Father's goodwill, he also knew that this goodwill… was something he absolutely could not accept.

Because matters of state and war could never be treated as a game. Although it had not been proclaimed to the world, the key ministers and senior generals in the capital already knew that the Crown Prince was going to Goryeo to oversee the rear. If he backed down now, how would those key ministers view him?

Moreover, what he had always kept in his heart was the desire to produce results, to live up to the expectations of his Imperial Father and the court. If he shrank back now, what face would he have in the future to claim he could take charge of a matter on his own?