Chapter 1604: False Civility

And of course, he had no way of knowing that at this very moment, his colleagues back in the Nine Provinces had already slipped into a rather delicate situation.

Just a few days after he left, Liu Jing, who was still at the Kyushu trading house, suddenly received another summons from the Elder Statesman, Naitō Tadashige.

With a mix of doubt and anxiety, he immediately dropped everything else and went to the Nagasaki official residence that very afternoon to have an audience with the Elder Statesman.

The previous Nagasaki Magistrate, Takenaka Shigeyoshi, had been discovered by the shogunate for corruption, and had already been arrested and sent to Edo; word was that this time he would not escape the punishment of seppuku. Because of Takenaka Shigeyoshi's arrest, Elder Statesman Naitō Tadashige had been in Nagasaki lately purging the magistrate's loyal officials, so when he arrived at the residence today, he noticed many unfamiliar faces, and these people were coolly indifferent toward him, nothing like the warmth of those from before.

He waited for a long time in the anteroom, and just when he was growing impatient, a stern-faced attendant finally came in to summon him, and he followed the man into the room where Naitō Tadashige was.

Upon entering, he saw Naitō Tadashige sitting in a chair handling official documents; even when he saw him, the Elder Statesman did not look up, merely gesturing slightly with his hand for him to sit.

Because of the frequent comings and goings of merchant ships from the West and the Great Han, this place had been greatly influenced by the outside world, making it very different from the rest of Japan. Not only did the city's architectural layout have a Western flair, but even the furnishings inside the official residence had taken on many foreign touches — the Western-style chair Naitō Tadashige sat in, for instance, was an object the Japanese did not ordinarily use.

Liu Jing, unhurried and unflustered, sat down as Naitō Tadashige had instructed, quietly waiting for this shogunate Elder Statesman to speak.

"I have kept the Ambassador waiting — my apologies." Only after Naitō Tadashige had finished processing all the documents on his desk did he set down his brush, then raise his head and smile at Liu Jing.

Then, he stretched and leaned back. "Ah, it truly has been busy lately. There are far too many matters waiting for me to handle — it really is a headache."

"Your Excellency has worked hard." Liu Jing saluted him respectfully.

"Everyone is working hard — it is all for the sake of national affairs!" Naitō Tadashige first sighed, then laughed again. "But to be honest, these southern barbarians' implements are rather interesting, and very comfortable to use... They certainly know how to enjoy themselves. It is just a pity I can only enjoy them here."

"When Your Excellency returns to Edo, could you not take them back with you?" Liu Jing asked with a smile. "Perhaps you might even show them off before your colleagues."

"That will not do. In Edo, I cannot be unconventional or stand out from the crowd — otherwise, many people would speak ill of me." Naitō Tadashige gave a wry smile, then immediately changed the subject. "Enough of that — it is time to discuss proper business. Ambassador Liu, I called you here today because there are some important matters I need to ask you about."

"Your Excellency, please ask." Liu Jing was somewhat curious.

"Because Edo has not yet sent a replacement for Takenaka Shigeyoshi, I have been handling all of Nagasaki's affairs lately. Although it was a tangled mess at first and terribly vexing, things have finally been sorted out." Naitō Tadashige suddenly smiled faintly. "We have also thoroughly investigated and confirmed that Takenaka Shigeyoshi repeatedly extorted gifts from your nation's merchants, and even from Your Excellency personally. Some of the money and gifts he already squandered, so there is no way to recover them, but all the gifts we could trace have been inventoried and sealed away. When the time comes, I must trouble Your Excellency to take all these gifts back — we cannot keep such ill-gotten gains."

"This..." Liu Jing was utterly astonished.

He had never imagined that after the confiscation of property, there would actually be items returned. This unheard-of novelty was something he had truly never encountered before, and he suspected that even within the Japanese shogunate there was no such rule — it seemed this was Naitō Tadashige's personal decision.

He really does think highly of me — it seems his intention to win me over is quite clear... Liu Jing sneered inwardly.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" He quickly regained his composure and hurriedly expressed his gratitude. "The moment Your Excellency arrived, the entire atmosphere in Nagasaki changed, and our grievances have been redressed — this is truly worthy of being called wise and enlightened!"

"The fault in this matter lay with us in the first place; I am merely remedying it now. How can that be called wise and enlightened?" Naitō Tadashige shook his head. "Ambassador Liu, that is only one of the matters. There is another thing I wish to ask you about."

"Your Excellency, please ask."

"Ever since I began taking over Nagasaki's affairs, some things have become very strange." Naitō Tadashige unhurriedly pulled a few ledger pages from the pile of documents on his desk, then tossed them in front of Liu Jing. "According to the port records, the number of merchant ships arriving from your esteemed country has dropped significantly compared to before, and the volume of cargo has also fallen considerably. May I ask the reason for this?"

"This..." Liu Jing faltered briefly. Fortunately, he had anticipated being asked about this, so he immediately resorted to his prepared explanation. "This is because... because there are currently trade disputes between our two nations, and there is some dissatisfaction about this back home, so they have restricted merchant shipping. We... we are also deeply worried about this. Besides, copper exports have yet to resume, and Your Excellency's side also wishes to restrict trade between us..."

"Indeed — your esteemed country does seem to be harboring resentment, which is only to be expected." Naitō Tadashige nodded, accepting this explanation. "However, forcibly restricting trade between our two nations was never our original intent."

"At this point, you cannot place all the blame on us, can you?" Liu Jing gave a bitter smile. "We also did not wish to see so many disruptions in the trade between our two countries."

"Since things have already reached this stage, there is no point in assigning blame for the past anymore, is there?" Naitō Tadashige pretended not to notice the veiled sarcasm in his words. "Your Excellency, what matters now is resolving these difficulties, and the sooner the better. May I ask — has there been any result yet regarding the matter I previously discussed with Your Excellency?"

What he was naturally referring to was the proposal to go to the Great Han and negotiate with the Great Han court. This matter was, of course, absolutely out of the question; Liu Jing had merely made a perfunctory report back home, but how could he tell him the truth?

"I have already reported it to our home country. They are probably still deliberating on how to handle it, so I must ask Your Excellency to wait a little longer." Liu Jing answered in a low voice. "I imagine there will be a result soon."

Perhaps because this answer was deeply unsatisfactory, Naitō Tadashige's brow furrowed, and the look he directed at Liu Jing grew considerably sharper.

Liu Jing suppressed his inner tension and sat as calmly as he could.

"Then there is one more matter, and I must ask the Ambassador to give me an explanation as well!" After a moment of silence, Naitō Tadashige suddenly picked up another sheet of paper and spread it open. "According to reports from Dutch merchant ships, they were repeatedly harassed by pirates along the entire route to Nagasaki. Many ships traveling with them were forced to turn back, and they only managed to reach Japan by taking great risks — and it is precisely for this reason that our nation's trade with the Dutch has now been severely affected. What is more, according to the descriptions of the merchants aboard the Dutch ships, before they reached Nagasaki, they saw numerous Great Han merchant ships and warships continuously shuttling across the open sea, and their destination in every case was the Goryeo region... May I ask Your Excellency — merchant ships arriving at our nation's doorstep yet hesitating to approach, and warships incessantly spying upon our nation — what is the meaning of this?"

This question struck straight at the heart of the matter, and for a moment, Liu Jing was at a loss for words.

Although the Great Han had been strictly maintaining secrecy and had blockaded the relevant sea areas, even the tightest net would still let some fish slip through, let alone across the boundless, limitless ocean. No matter how much the navy disguised themselves as pirates to carry out harassment, some Dutch merchant ships had still broken through the blockade line and reached Nagasaki harbor, and then reported what they had seen and heard to the shogunate authorities.

"Your Excellency... this matter... this... please allow me to explain!" Sweat was already beading on Liu Jing's forehead; he was nervous to the extreme.

"Oh? An explanation? Very well... please, explain." Naitō Tadashige gave a cold laugh. "Ambassador, the reason I called you here today is precisely to hear your explanation."

Liu Jing knew he was already in an extremely dangerous situation. Here, the shogunate Elder Statesman could deal with him in any manner he pleased, and he had no way to escape calamity — if he could not provide a convincing explanation.

"Recently... recently... have not relations between our two nations been strained? So our nation's Ministry of Commerce issued a directive, requiring... requiring a temporary reduction in the scale of trade with Japan..." Liu Jing forcibly steadied his nerves, then began to explain in a hoarse voice. "But since the goods had already been produced, they could not simply be piled up in warehouses, and we still wish to restore trade as quickly as possible — we do not want the dispute to drag on indefinitely. Left with no choice, the officials in our ministry deliberated and reached a decision: to first store these goods originally destined for export to your esteemed country in Goryeo, selling whatever can be sold, and storing whatever cannot be sold in the warehouses of the Goryeo trading house, so that once trade relations between our two countries return to normal, they can be sold to your esteemed country as quickly as possible. After all, Goryeo is very close to your esteemed country."

Naitō Tadashige listened in silence the entire time, giving no indication of his thoughts.

"And then?"

"And then... and then there is the matter of the warships, correct?" Liu Jing looked at the other man cautiously. "Actually, this is also quite simple. The seas have been rather unsettled lately, with pirates acting with extreme audacity, so for the safety of commerce, we had no choice but to dispatch additional warships to escort and protect our merchant fleets. In addition, quite a few warships have been sent to suppress and eliminate the pirates, in order to restore peace to the seas... Presumably, the warships those Dutchmen saw were the very ones carrying out these missions."

"Suppressing pirates? I fear it is far more than that!" Naitō Tadashige was still sneering. "At the very moment a trade dispute arises between our two nations, pirates suddenly become rampant, and then trade immediately shrinks drastically — even the Dutch trade is severely affected. Is there really no mystery in this? I see a great many suspicious points; no matter how one looks at it, one cannot help but think that these pirates were deliberately unleashed by your esteemed nation's navy, can one?"

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency, where does such talk come from?" Liu Jing looked utterly horrified, appearing extremely flustered. "We place great importance on the trade between our two nations. How... how could we do such a thing? Would that not cause harm to everyone?"

"Indeed, I also find it very strange — why are some people so determined to do things that cause harm to everyone, rather than doing things that allow everyone to benefit?" Naitō Tadashige abruptly stood up, then walked over to Liu Jing's side. "Ambassador Liu, at this point, there is no need for you to keep trying to fool us with fine-sounding words. Please tell us — is it that your esteemed nation's Ministry of Commerce or imperial court believes that by using this method of cutting off trade to coerce us, we will have no choice but to submit and bow obediently to your esteemed nation's court?"

Because anger had kindled in his heart, his words were no longer polite. In his view, all these actions by the Great Han reeked of something sinister no matter how one looked at them, and every sign indicated that they were deliberately reducing the volume of trade between the two countries, and were even interfering with normal trade between Japan and the Dutch.

Why were they doing this? After much pondering, Naitō Tadashige had concluded that the only possibility was that the Great Han court wanted to use this method to blackmail the shogunate, forcing the shogunate to submit and agree to all of their trade conditions.

It had to be said, this tactic was indeed putting the shogunate under considerable strain. Many industries that originally relied on imported raw materials — such as silk weaving — had suddenly been plunged into a state where production was difficult to sustain because of these measures by the Great Han. When commerce was unstable, the economy was unstable; when the economy was unstable, society was unstable — it was truly quite uncomfortable.

However, this discomfort had not been painful enough to force the shogunate or Naitō Tadashige himself to yield; instead, it had provoked their anger. In their view, the Great Han was handling the trade issue with excessively aggressive methods, and had even affected Japan's trade with other nations — this was truly pushing them too far.

Moreover, in their view, although the goods China exported to Japan were vitally important to Japan, they had not risen to the level of a lifeline; whereas the goods Japan exported to China had completely seized the other side's lifeline. No matter how one looked at it, in the trade between the two nations, it ought to be Japan that held the advantageous position — at the very least, it should not be their side making concessions.

Therefore, he had decided to counter the Great Han's measures with a hardline response, and summoning Liu Jing to intimidate him was only to be expected.

"Your Excellency, do not wrongly accuse us! How could we do such a thing!" After hearing the other man's words, Liu Jing realized that the other party had made an erroneous judgment, so while he pretended to defend himself in great panic, inwardly he actually felt relieved.

"The facts are already laid out before everyone — what use is it if Your Excellency refuses to admit them?" Naitō Tadashige still wore a look of mockery. "Forget it, I understand Your Excellency's difficult position — you cannot directly admit to such things. However... please do not try to deceive me with any more useless lies. It will only invite further ridicule."

"Your Excellency..." Liu Jing hesitated for a long time, and finally lowered his head and offered no further defense.

Naitō Tadashige naturally took this demeanor as a tacit admission, confirming that his suspicions were correct.

"Very well, it seems the Ambassador finally has nothing to say." He sighed again, then walked back to his earlier seat and sat down once more. "We each serve our own masters, and originally there is not much to be said about this matter. But in doing this, has your esteemed nation's court never once considered Your Excellency's safety? Should the Shogun's thunderous wrath descend, I fear that even as an official, Your Excellency would find it difficult to preserve yourself."

"This is the court's arrangement — what can I do, stationed here in Nagasaki? I can do nothing but serve loyally, and even if I must face danger, I have nothing to say." After a long silence, Liu Jing replied. "Besides, now that this matter has escalated to this point, I do not believe the fault lies solely with our Great Han. If not for the enormous storm that was stirred up before, how would the subsequent events have occurred?"

"Is there any point in assigning blame now?!" Naitō Tadashige asked, his brow tightly furrowed. "What matters is resolving it! Resolving the matter quickly! Did Your Excellency not say so yourself? The Great Han court is still hoping to restore trade as soon as possible. Having so many goods piled up in Goryeo must also be causing your esteemed nation considerable distress. That being the case, why continue wasting everyone's time instead of resolving the dispute early and letting everything return to normal? Why must you resort to such methods? Does your esteemed nation truly believe that by doing such things we will compromise? That is simply too naive!"

His torrent of furious words left Liu Jing not daring to interject, but Liu Jing knew that since the other party had been willing to summon him here, it could not be merely to scold him to his face.

"Your Excellency is right — mutual destruction is ultimately no good thing. In my view, it is best that both sides reconcile as soon as possible." He sat upright once more. "From my standpoint as the Special Envoy to Nagasaki, I naturally hope that commerce between our two nations will flourish day by day, and that merchants and commoners alike will benefit from it. It is just that there are some things beyond my control... I can only leave it to fate. If Your Excellency blames me, I have nothing to say."

"Only after we have done everything humanly possible can we leave the rest to Heaven's will. If we haven't yet finished what ought to be done, how can we lightly speak of giving up? Lord Liu, you yourself said you wish to preserve the relations between our two nations. Now that the situation has reached this point, shouldn't we immediately think of ways to remedy it? Must we simply let relations between our two nations fall to rock bottom before we act?"

Naitō Tadashige, from the bottom of his heart, did not wish for the two nations to fall out over this. Although Great Han's actions had already been utterly excessive, in his view the present circumstances could still be salvaged — as long as the trade issues could be resolved. In his view, the two nations had no natural contradictions; the existing problems could all be settled through negotiation. He himself had been dispatched to resolve these problems. If in the end the two nations broke off relations, the Elders above and the Shogun would surely deem him incompetent. Conversely, if he truly managed to turn the tide and restore everything to normal, he would certainly earn the Shogun's high praise.

And all of this required the cooperation of this Great Han official.

"My lord... does my lord believe there is still a way to turn things around...?" Liu Jing asked, puzzled.

"Of course there is! In this world, there is nothing that cannot be done — it is only a matter of whether one has the resolve to do it. With resolve, what is there to fear of failing?" Naitō Tadashige shook his head. "Lord Liu, your safety, your honor or disgrace, and your future prospects in your nation's court — all of these are in fact aligned with ours. Only when the trade between our two nations endures and grows in scale will you, my lord, receive greater regard and trust. Can a man as clever as you truly not see such a thing?"