How did the ruler of the Wa people address himself?
For Mitarai no Tsuchi, who was himself a Wa man, this should have been an extremely simple question. Yet at this moment, it was precisely one he found difficult to answer aloud.
He had served as an envoy to the Sui dynasty before. Naturally, he knew of the incident when the first Sui envoy sent by Crown Prince Shōtoku, Su Ingao, submitted a state letter that angered the Sui emperor and caused unnecessary trouble.
It could only be said that after the third year of Daye, the Sui dynasty was beset by Turkic threats in the north, defeat in Goguryeo to the east, and internal unrest caused by mass conscription to build palaces and canals. The court had no energy left to spare on Wa affairs. Otherwise, the matter would never have been let go so lightly.
But the Chinese emperor now standing before Mitarai no Tsuchi was different.
Leaving everything else aside, the former Illig Qaghan was someone he had seen just yesterday. That alone was the strongest proof of this emperor's military might.
Once the overlord of the steppe, now reduced to a palace entertainer beneath the hall, not a trace of former bearing remaining.
Mitarai no Tsuchi also knew even more clearly that within Wa itself, there was already great controversy over the very name of the country.
After all, the country now studied Han culture, and everyone understood the meaning of the term "Wa slave."
But these were things he could never say aloud.
He could only silently rejoice that he had previously exhausted himself persuading His Majesty to revise the wording of the state letter, while choosing a more tactful response.
"Our ruler does not dare forget the teachings of the Chinese emperor."
As for the slippery use of the homophones "Wa" and "our country," Li Shimin neither affirmed nor rejected it.
At the same time, he glanced at the opening line of the state letter in his hand, "The King of the Land Where the Sun Rises writes to the Chinese Emperor, wishing him peace," and curled his lip slightly.
Just as Pei Shiqing had judged.
Especially this self designation of "king." It had almost succeeded in fooling people.
According to Pei Shiqing, this "king" was not the common Central Plains usage. In Wa lands, it meant "the king who rules all under heaven."
And seeing that the words "Land Where the Sun Rises" were still stubbornly written on the silk, Li Shimin faintly formed a conjecture.
Perhaps this was the origin of Wa's later name.
Setting the letter aside, Li Shimin casually changed the subject.
"What is the purpose of the envoy's visit?"
Mitarai no Tsuchi did not dare raise his head. For this procedural question, he responded smoothly. Huiri the Healer had made him memorize it countless times, so the words flowed naturally.
"Our small country admires the customs of Xia. We have come to respectfully present local products and seek friendly relations with the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains."
As Pei Shiqing translated his words, the rest of the envoy group cooperated, carefully laying out the local goods they had brought.
Crude blades, oddly shaped pottery, textiles whose rough craftsmanship was obvious, along with some gold dust and jade artifacts, were all presented one by one.
Among these items, only the gold dust caught Li Shimin's interest. He picked it up and examined it closely.
Pei Shiqing, having already undergone the emperor's education, still harbored doubts but chose for now to follow His Majesty's judgment, waiting to personally witness that miraculous light screen in two months.
Seeing that the emperor's attention was drawn to the gold dust, and recalling later accounts of Wa's mineral wealth, Pei Shiqing thoughtfully stepped forward to explain.
"This gold dust is crudely refined, yet its quality surpasses that produced in Shinano."
In recent days, Pei Shiqing had spared no effort visiting master craftsmen to prepare for today.
Gold was divided into bran gold, placer gold, raw gold, and rock gold. Refining it was extremely difficult and often mixed with impurities. Only in the deep mountains of Jiannan Circuit were there deposits of lump gold.
But Jiannan was full of dense forests, making extraction extremely difficult.
Now seeing the gold dust offered by the Wa envoys, Pei Shiqing felt a trace of regret that he had not recorded more of Wa's conditions during his earlier mission there.
Li Shimin was very satisfied. He nodded and instructed the attendant beside him.
"Since this is a tribute from the Wa king, accept it."
Then he spoke kindly to Huiri.
"The envoys have come from afar. You may remain until the seventh month before returning east."
"Friendly relations between neighboring states should naturally endure. Such matters will be discussed by the Court of State Ceremonial."
With that, he waved his hand, signaling that they could withdraw.
Even after leaving the magnificent Taiji Hall, Mitarai no Tsuchi was still somewhat dazed.
This was not right.
By all reason, after presenting gifts, should not the Chinese emperor bestow generous rewards to display the wealth of the upper realm?
Why had the Tang emperor simply dismissed them without comment?
A deep ache rose in Mitarai no Tsuchi's heart.
To secure this mission to Tang, he had personally offered the emperor two hundred taels of gold dust.
In Wa, this was an astonishing fortune.
Yet now, not even the slightest return had been granted.
Huiri, however, did not care at all. Even if the Tang emperor had bestowed rewards, they would not concern him. As a monk of the Silla Esoteric lineage, his purpose had always been clear.
To borrow China's power to open relations between the two states, thereby expanding Buddhism's influence in Wa and spreading the faith, seeking liberation in the next life.
In a sense, he truly regarded wealth as dirt.
Thus Huiri's attention focused instead on the month mentioned by the Tang emperor.
Seven months later.
What would happen then?
At this time, Li Shimin and Pei Shiqing turned into the rear hall, strolling along the corridor as they discussed what they had just seen.
Pei Shiqing had expected the emperor to denounce Wa's wolfish ambitions. Instead, he first heard a sigh.
"No wonder later generations mock small states' tribute as a risk free business. Some merchants even falsely claim to be envoys."
The local goods Wa presented, if thrown into Chang'an's markets, would likely be discarded as junk by merchants, aside from the gold and jade.
Li Shimin roughly estimated the value of the gold dust and jade at no more than three hundred thousand cash. If Tang reciprocated with gifts, the value would far exceed this to demonstrate the empire's abundance.
But did such behavior truly benefit relations?
The Tang emperor believed this only fattened corrupt elites of tributary states, without letting their common people understand Tang's might.
Moreover, the sages once said that rather than envying fish by the river, it was better to go home and weave a net.
What Wa admired was royal transformation and Xia speech, not Central Plains wealth.
Thus, warm hearted Li Shimin decided to resolve the problem at its root.
"Wa affairs will require you, Shiqing, to personally supervise them as previously discussed," Li Shimin instructed.
Pei Shiqing straightened proudly.
"I shall not fail Your Majesty's trust."
Thus, the day after the Wa envoys returned to the guest quarters, Du Ruhui arrived together with Pei Shiqing and knocked on the courtyard gate where the envoys resided.
After meeting, the two explained their respective intentions.
"Duke Du wishes to discuss Wa affairs with me?"
Huiri felt both flattered and startled, then quickly demurred.
"I have entered the monastic path and do not belong to Wa. If such matters are discussed, I can serve as interpreter between Duke Du and Envoy Mitarai."
Du Ruhui smiled calmly.
"What I wish to discuss with the Master is the promotion of Buddhism in Wa, unrelated to secular matters."
Huiri had lived in Chang'an for over ten years and understood Chinese well. He immediately caught the deeper meaning.
After only a moment's hesitation, his heart burned hot. Yet seeing Mitarai no Tsuchi waiting curiously for translation, he still hesitated.
"Then Envoy Mitarai…"
Pei Shiqing stepped forward.
"I am Pei Shiqing, former Sui envoy to Wa and current Assistant Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial of Great Tang. I wish to discuss friendly relations between Tang and Wa with your envoy."
Mitarai no Tsuchi's eyes widened.
He understood every word.
This Tang official knew Wa language and had once been an envoy to Wa.
Wait.
A former Sui envoy to Wa. Then he could very well be the father of the head of the Nukata clan.
Seeing that the official knew Wa speech and that discussions with Mitarai were proper, Huiri nearly could not wait. He gestured invitingly.
"Duke Du, there is a quiet chamber here. Let us move there and discuss Buddhist principles at leisure."
Suppressing his shock, Mitarai no Tsuchi asked suspiciously.
"Healer Huiri, this is?"
"Oh, Duke Du enjoys studying Buddhism. Hearing that Master Huiri practices a Silla Buddhist lineage different from ours, he has come to seek instruction."
Hearing this, Mitarai no Tsuchi did not doubt it. After all, monks in Wa often claimed that the Chinese emperor respected Buddhism, and that high officials were well versed in the Dharma. What he saw now was merely another confirmation.
Thus, the two each withdrew to separate rooms, to carefully discuss friendship between the two nations.
Only at dusk did Mitarai no Tsuchi, heavy with thoughts, see Pei Shiqing off. Upon returning, he found Huiri kneeling inside the room.
"How was the depth of Buddhist discussion with that great official?" Mitarai no Tsuchi asked.
Huiri revealed an inscrutable smile. A faint flame of ambition flickered in his eyes as his lips slowly curved upward.
"Tang truly is an upper realm. Its officials all understand Buddhism. I am slightly inferior."
"And what of your discussion, Envoy?" Huiri asked.
Mitarai no Tsuchi recalled Pei Shiqing's many promises. Houses, land, Turkic slaves, even Tang official posts.
Lavish beyond belief.
And all of them were promised to him, not the emperor.
Having reached a decision, Mitarai no Tsuchi smiled sincerely.
"The discussion went exceedingly well."