Daming 1805

Chapter 101 This position is for Rome.

Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Jianfeng, two uncles and nephews, received representatives from feudal states and Huangzhuang from all over the world in the Wenhua Hall of Xiyang Haijiao Palace.

The representatives came out one by one to introduce and greet, and this process took a long time.

Zhu Jingyuan simply responded with a few questions, arrangements and instructions, and it was almost noon, so the banquet started directly.

The official banquet of the Ming court, like the era before the Tang and Song Dynasties, is a small table for each person, and each person has a piece of food.

The center above the lobby is the host's place, the guests live on both sides of the lobby, and the middle is the place for singing and dancing performances.

If someone wants to speak to everyone, or congratulate others or the host, he will go to the middle of the venue and let the dancers go away first.

Today's banquet was no exception. People from the feudal kingdom and Huangzhuang ate and drank, and from time to time someone came out to toast Zhu Jingyuan.

Zhu Jingyuan doesn't drink, and responds with tea instead of wine and sips a little bit, otherwise he will be full of water.

The banquet lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon, and the host and guest returned to their residences after enjoying themselves.

Zhu Jingyuan, who was still jet-lagged, yawned and went back to his study, only to find that Shen Fu, the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple, had also followed in:
"Mr. Shen, what's the matter?"

Shen Fu cupped his hands slightly and said:
"British Prime Minister William Pitt would like to meet with you privately. They have problems with the venue we have arranged for the meeting."

Zhu Jingyuan asked subconsciously:

"How is the venue arranged?"

Shen Fu introduced it as a matter of course:

"Normal negotiations are held in Wenhua Hall or Wuying Hall, and formal signings are held in Fengtian Hall.

"At that time, the two Highnesses will be at the top, and the ministers of the Ming Dynasty and the representatives of the vassal state and Huangzhuang will be on the left.

"Representatives of the Thai and Western countries and their vassal states are on the right."

Zhu Jingyuan thought about that scene:

"Isn't this similar to Shang Dynasty, except that Uncle Jiu and I sat under Grandpa's seat.

"Then put Xiyi in the position of the courtiers, and it was on the right side of the field, and the representative of Daming was on their left..."

Shen Fu nodded with a smile and said:
"The Honglu Temple is indeed arranged in this way, and it was originally intended to form the most comfortable environment for us.

"But Xiyi obviously understands our Ming's etiquette, knows that this is the pattern of our court, and also knows that our Ming respects the left.

"That's why the other party first insisted that the Thai and Western countries cannot be placed in the position of subjects of the Great Ming.

"Then the other party requested that the upper part should be vacant, that the long negotiating table should be placed horizontally from east to west, and representatives from both sides should sit on both sides of the long table.

"But this kind of request is absolutely impossible, and His Highness cannot talk to them face to face.

"His Highness is the representative of the Ming court, once he sits face to face with the representatives of the Thai and Western countries, the other party may use this to promote that the identities of the two parties are equal.

"Chen thinks that the other party may know that you are not yet weak, so they are trying to find a breakthrough from you.

"Our bottom line should be that although the top position can be suspended, the long table should still be placed in a north-south direction, and the representative of Ming Dynasty should still be on the left side of the long table.

"And His Highness has to sit in the center on the left, and the one opposite you should also be vacant. No Thai or Westerner is qualified to sit opposite you.

"However, the bottom line cannot be revealed easily, and His Highness should not compromise easily. We can talk about this matter slowly."

Looking at the era of Zhu Jingyuan's last life, such a request from the British was completely normal.

But for the courtiers of the Ming Dynasty in this era, it is impossible to get used to their problems.

You, the representative of the Thai and Western countries, want to be on an equal footing with the representatives of the Ming court?
This is absolutely impossible!

If the Thai and Western countries must insist on equality, then Ming may even really stop the peace talks for this reason.

But the Thai and Westerners should not insist.

They knew in their hearts that it was impossible for them to be equal to Daming, they just wanted to compete.

What they want is the process of this dispute, otherwise there is no way to explain to the king and the public.

After Zhu Jingyuan thought about it for a while, he soon had another idea:

"Then I'll meet them tomorrow morning, but we can't just let the British come, let all the official representatives from the Thai and Western countries come.

"Let the main representatives of our imperial court also participate, and the representatives of the vassal state and Huangzhuang also elect some representatives to participate.

"Directly organize an informal small-scale meeting to discuss how everyone should sit.

"The arrangement we prepared will be used on the spot, but the upper chairs will be replaced by four."

Shen Fu was a little puzzled after listening:

"Put four chairs in the upper position? Who are the other two for?"

Zhu Jingyuan smiled and said:
"To Rome."

Shen Fu immediately remembered the Roman Mandate of Heaven plan mentioned by Zhu Jingyuan at the beginning, which started directly before the negotiation.

His Highness the Great Food King's thoughts are really...very interesting...

Shen Fu can already imagine what will happen tomorrow, so he can't help but smile and nod and say:
"I understand, let's make arrangements."

Shen Fu left Zhu Jingyuan's residence, went out and ordered his men to go down to prepare the venue and notify relevant personnel to participate.

At the same time, I personally went to inform Zhu Jianfeng, the highest Shen Fu.

After hearing Zhu Jingyuan's plan conveyed by Shen Fu, Zhu Jianfeng couldn't help saying with some emotion:
"This child... is really different. This is to honor the dead and demote the living, and the other party has nothing to say..."

Zhu Jianfeng walked around his room twice, thought carefully for a while, turned to Shen Fu and said:
"The superior still prepares two chairs, but I will sit if I don't go to the superior, because I am not Daming's representative during the official negotiation.

"I'll just sit in the first place on the left, and I'll put a chair across from me. I want to see who will sit there..."

Of course, Shen Fu understood that it was obviously more effective to put only two chairs in the upper position and only one for Rome.

But Shen Fu also realized at the same time that His Highness the Ninth Prince also had his own ideas.

Shen Fu asked Zhu Jianfeng what he wanted to do, Zhu Jianfeng just pretended to be mysterious and didn't say anything, just promised not to cause trouble for Honglu Temple.

Shen Fu thought in his heart, even if you caused trouble, it shouldn't be a big problem.

So he agreed bitterly, and went to inform Zhu Jingyuan again.

After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan was a little puzzled:
"What is my ninth uncle going to do? What is he going to do to the person sitting opposite him?"

Shen Fu smiled wryly and said:
"I don't know either, His Highness the Ninth Prince has always been pretending to be mysterious, and we will find out tomorrow when we talk about it."

Zhu Jingyuan was speechless, you, Zhu Jianfeng, are not some kind of military adviser, you can play tricks that cannot be revealed.

Zhu Jingyuan turned to look at his two staff members:

"Gentlemen, what do you think my ninth uncle is thinking?"

The two staff members thought about it for a while, and Niu Jian first spoke his mind:
"Students don't know what His Royal Highness is thinking, but they can analyze it according to the situation.

"During the formal peace talks, His Royal Highness Dashi Wang represented the Ming court.

"His Ninth Prince does not represent the Ming court, but represents the Ming imperial family.

"The person sitting opposite His Royal Highness Ninth Prince can be regarded as the representative of the family corresponding to the Ming royal family.

"There are definitely people who want this honor, but others may not allow it.

"Once there is a dispute, this trouble will come."

Lin Zexu next to him smiled and added:
"Actually, this is similar to the position of Rome set by His Highness.

"The princes of the Thai and Western countries should not allow similar people to sit.

"But if it is a representative of the courts of the Thai and Western countries, such as the British Prime Minister Peter.

"He seems to be able to avoid that kind of problem if he sits there as prime minister.

"I just don't know if His Highness the Ninth Prince has a solution to this situation."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded slowly listening to the analysis of the two:
"Then let's wait and see the situation tomorrow. This kind of subtotal is just an addition, and it doesn't matter if it is resolved..."

Nine o'clock in the morning the next day.

Zhu Jingyuan took two of his staff, under the guard of Guan Tianpei, entered the palace again, and arrived at the newly arranged Wenhua Palace.

In the middle of the main hall, there is usually a table for discussion, but now it has been replaced with a large conference table with a height suitable for sitting.

According to the requirements of Zhu Jingyuan and Zhu Jianfeng, two exquisite armchairs are now placed on the main seat at the top of the conference table.

On both sides of the table, there are twenty official hat chairs for the main representatives of both sides.

Behind these two rows of chairs, there are rows of tables and a large number of chairs with backrests for the accompanying sub-delegates and clerical personnel.

The representatives of the Ming court, as well as those elected by the vassal state and Huangzhuang, arrived 10 minutes earlier.

Zhu Jingyuan, the highest-ranking chief representative, hadn't arrived yet. They were all standing and chatting in the left area of ​​the scene, and actually occupied the left area in advance.

Representatives of the courts of the ten countries of the Anti-Ming Alliance and representatives of the ten royal families, a total of [-] people, have all arrived now.

They also didn't sit down, they were doubting the layout of the scene, and they were also waiting for Zhu Jingyuan to arrive.

They did not stand on the right side of the large conference table, but at the end of the conference table, obviously not wanting to enter the right area.

Only Zhu Jianfeng was alone, sitting on the first seat on the left, looking at the people around him happily.

Zhu Jianfeng's identity was unmatched by anyone on the scene. In terms of background alone, as a prince, he was higher than Zhu Jingyuan, who was the grandson of the emperor.

After Zhu Jingyuan entered the arena, the representatives of Ming Dynasty bowed and bowed their hands in salute. Zhu Jianfeng sat down as an uncle and nodded slightly.

When the representatives of the courts and royal families of the Thai and Western countries saw Zhu Jingyuan formally entering the arena, there was a slight commotion immediately.

Although they had repeatedly confirmed before they came, the full-power peace negotiating representative sent by the Ming Empire was not the former Minister of Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Jianyan, the second son of the current Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

It was the son of the Second Prince, a grandson of the Ming Emperor, a 15-year-old eldest child.

They still couldn't believe it completely. They were worried that Zhu Jianyan would follow his son to the scene, but not in the name of envoy of peace talks.

That's what the Ming people often do, and they have made a lot of plans for it.

After all, the negotiating method needed to face a mature diplomat is completely different from that of a young royal child.

Now that I really saw Zhu Jingyuan appearing alone, not with Zhu Jianyan, and when I confirmed the news, I was very surprised.

At the same time, the image of the young oriental grandson also made them express their sincere admiration.

Westerners in this world generally believe that the images of orientals are very beautiful, generally more beautiful than Westerners.

This is not only the strong cultural impact of the Ming Dynasty, but also the gradual orientalization of their aesthetic tendencies.

It is also due to the group limitations they observed.

The images of Orientals that Thais and Westerners often see are, first of all, the emperors and princes and grandchildren of the Zhu family.

Then came the noble children of the East, and then the actors and courtesans of the East.

They rarely see ordinary people in the East, especially the hardest bottom workers, who are basically unnoticed by them.

The image of emperors, grandsons and aristocrats is originally the best among Ming people.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the ancestor of the Zhu Ming royal family, as a man who eats soft food but hard food, his image is already outstanding enough.

Afterwards, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty chose concubines, and they only chose beauties from small families. This continued to optimize the genes for more than 400 years.

Therefore, the current princes and grandsons of the Ming Dynasty are all quite handsome in appearance, and only a very few of them will become disabled.

But the more important reason is acquired. As the ruling class, they will not participate in manual labor for a long time.

It has the best diet, living environment, and the most reasonable basic exercise, as well as special personnel to prepare and take care of the image.

The appearance they show in their daily life is carefully cared for and maintained, and it is the most beautiful side of Daming people.

Thai and Western people look at the images of the Ming royal family and nobles in newspapers and pictorials, and compare them with the ordinary Thai and Western people around them.

As a result, the Eastern nobles naturally won.

Even compared to Taixi's royal family and aristocrats, and compared to Taixi's pampered ruling class, Daming is still generally superior.

After all, the genes that have been continuously optimized for hundreds of years, and the genes that have been inbred with Taixi for hundreds of years, are basically not at the same level.

The Zhu Jingyuan that these representatives see now is the best result formed under such various conditions.

The basic image itself is good enough, plus the best dress and temperament of the royal family, and more importantly, identity filters, as well as the filters that children bring.

The Tessie representatives now feel like they have seen the legendary fairy boy.

If there is an angel, it should be like this!

He will surely bring peace to the world!

The group of representatives were stunned for a few seconds before they realized it, and quickly saluted Zhu Jingyuan like the representatives of Daming.

Use the hands-on salute common in the Ming Dynasty, and then bow slightly to the nobles.

Zhu Jingyuan first bowed to his uncle, then stood up straight and bowed to the others, while greeting everyone with a smile:

"Okay, we all come from afar, don't stand still, let's sit down and talk."

A group of Thai and Western representatives immediately felt refreshed, and their first impression was directly pushed to the limit.

Spanish Prince Fernando subconsciously wanted to sit down on the right, but was immediately stopped by Prime Minister Manuel beside him.

Then the 21-year-old Prince Fernando suddenly realized that he could not sit down according to the plan.

Now we are going to discuss the arrangement of the meeting place, so if we sit down now, we will accept it directly.

British Prime Minister Peter coughed lightly, and was about to speak after getting rid of the influence, but Zhu Jianfeng, who was sitting, preempted him.

Zhu Jianfeng raised his finger and pointed to the representatives of Taixi, and seemed to remind him very generously:
"Everyone in Taixi doesn't need to accommodate the etiquette of our Great Ming Dynasty. How you usually salute your king in your court hall, you can salute my Prince of Ming Dynasty now."

Everyone at the scene could say Daming's elegant words, but everyone was obviously taken aback when they heard this.

It took him a few seconds to realize what he meant.

See the etiquette of the king in the Taixi court, that is to kneel on one knee.

It means don't imitate Daming and bow your hands now, and continue to use your Taixi's one-knee salute.

It should have been said that you Xiyi are not qualified to use our Daming etiquette, but he said it in a very magnanimous and kind tone.

After Zhu Jingyuan understood it, he subconsciously wanted to praise Zhu Jianfeng: Uncle Jiu, you are really a master of yin and yang.

Tessie's representative was also embarrassed at this moment.

Prince Fernando immediately felt that although the Ninth Prince had an outstanding image, he was a very mature and tasteful middle-aged man.

But definitely a villain.

Perhaps the difficulty of the negotiation lies with him.

(End of this chapter)