Tokugawa Ienari desperately wanted to kill Kōkaku-tennō on the spot. Before the abdication was finalized, Kōkaku-tennō remained the nominal monarch of Wa, and even Tokugawa Ienari, who held actual control over Wa, had to show deference as a subject to Kōkaku-tennō.
This was also the historical practice of all previous shogunate regimes in Wa. No matter how much real power the shogunal general wielded or how he commanded the entire country, he first had to pay homage as a subject to the Tennō, who held no real power.
It was precisely for this reason that the shogunal generals of Wa lived far from the Ōgosho, and controlled the imperial court of Wa through intermediaries and marriages with regents and chancellors.
For example, in Kōkaku-tennō's era, there was Konoe Hirozumi, Minister of the Right. Since Tokugawa Ienari's wife was the daughter of Shimazu Shigehiro and also Hirozumi's adopted daughter, Hirozumi could be considered Tokugawa Ienari's father-in-law. Hirozumi and Tokugawa Ienari worked in tandem, firmly grasping the entire country of Wa.
What if Tokugawa Ienari directly drew his sword and killed Kōkaku-tennō and Imperial Prince Kan'en, then declared his own ascension...
As Tokugawa Ienari pondered whether to draw his sword and kill Kōkaku-tennō, Imperial Prince Kan'en, standing beside Kōkaku-tennō, coldly snorted and said, "General Tokugawa has quite the imposing presence. Are you waiting for the Wa Tennō to pay homage to you?"
The words "Wa Tennō" spoken by Imperial Prince Kan'en immediately calmed Tokugawa Ienari, who had been contemplating action.
The term "Wa Tennō" signified that Kōkaku-tennō was the King of Wa, enfeoffed by imperial decree from the Ming Emperor!
Although the envoys to the Ming from the pro-shogunate faction dared to contemplate forcing Kōkaku-tennō to abdicate, none dared to directly kill Kōkaku-tennō and then support Tokugawa Ienari.
This was because the nature of the two actions was completely different.
Forcing Kōkaku-tennō to abdicate was considered an internal matter of Wa. However, killing Kōkaku-tennō would be a provocation to the will of the Ming Emperor Zhu. If Tokugawa Ienari killed Kōkaku-tennō, the Ming fleet stationed on Kyushu Island would immediately come to quell the rebellion.
This had indeed happened in the history of the Central Plains – during the Yongle era, the founding monarch of Nan-Yue, Hu Ji Li, and his son Hu Han Cang, sent envoys to pay homage and seek enfeoffment from Zhu Di. They claimed that the "lineage of the Chen clan had been severed, their collateral branches extinguished, and there was no one to succeed them," and that they themselves were "nephews of the Chen clan, recommended by the masses, and holding the state affairs temporarily." Later, when the Annamite pacification commissioner Dao Xian Dai sent envoys to escort the former King of Annam, Chen Tian Ping, to seek aid from the Ming, and accused Hu Ji Li and his son of "actually wanting to contend with the superior state," the Hu father and son outwardly conceded but secretly ambushed the former King of Annam, Chen Tian Ping. As a result, Zhu Di dispatched Zhang Fu to "punish the guilty and comfort the people, to revive extinguished lineages." The Hu Dynasty collapsed, and Zhang Fu became known as a demon of slaughter in the books and among the people of Nan-Yue.
Although the situation of the Hu father and son in Nan-Yue during the Yongle era was quite different from that of Tokugawa Ienari now, who would dare to take that risk?
In any case, Tokugawa Ienari did not have the courage.
After careful consideration, Tokugawa Ienari finally suppressed the impulse to kill Kōkaku-tennō and Imperial Prince Kan'en. He bowed and said, "Your subject, Tokugawa Ienari, pays his respects to the Wa Tennō. Long live His Majesty, ten thousand thousand years."
After paying his respects to Kōkaku-tennō, Tokugawa Ienari turned to Imperial Prince Kan'en and also bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets the Crown Prince."
Imperial Prince Kan'en was instantly infuriated. If Tokugawa Ienari were to pay respects to the Wa Tennō, then Imperial Prince Kan'en would undoubtedly be the Crown Prince of Wa, equivalent to a prince of the first rank. But by calling him the Crown Prince, Tokugawa Ienari, that old coffin lid, had effectively relegated Kōkaku-tennō to the status of a prince of the second rank, and Imperial Prince Kan'en, being called the Crown Prince, naturally dropped from a prince of the first rank to a prince of the third rank.
However, Imperial Prince Kan'en did not dare to react.
Just as Tokugawa Ienari dared not directly kill Kōkaku-tennō and usurp the throne, Imperial Prince Kan'en also lacked the courage to point out the issue with Tokugawa Ienari's address. This was because the title of Wa Tennō was bestowed by the Ming Emperor's decree, and its ceremonial status was indeed equivalent to that of a prince of the first rank. The title of Tennō, however, had been abolished by the Ming Emperor's explicit decree. While it was fine to use it privately when no one was around, openly using it could be fatal.
Helpless, Imperial Prince Kan'en could only clench his teeth and coldly snort, "General Tokugawa, you may rise. I wonder if you have been well?"
Tokugawa Ienari ignored Imperial Prince Kan'en and directly addressed Kōkaku-tennō, saying, "Today is the Aoi Festival, and Mr. Chen, the Ming envoy to Wa, will also be arriving. Your Majesty must not be discourteous."
This time, it was Kōkaku-tennō's turn to want to kill Tokugawa Ienari.
What did "must not be discourteous" imply?
Were these words fitting for a subject to say to his lord?
Kōkaku-tennō's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "I have already sent someone to invite Ambassador Chen. There is no need for the General to trouble himself. However, my son greeted you, General. Why did you not respond?"
Tokugawa Ienari did not take the bait. Instead, he put on a look of curiosity and kept sizing up the Wa royal palace behind Kōkaku-tennō.
Kōkaku-tennō became even more displeased. He said mockingly, "The General neither responds to my son nor to me, yet you keep looking at the palace behind me. Is there anything more discourteous than this?"
Tokugawa Ienari laughed heartily and looked at Kōkaku-tennō, asking, "Does Your Majesty remember who built this palace?"
Seeing that Kōkaku-tennō did not take his bait, Tokugawa Ienari paid it no mind and continued speaking on his own, "This palace behind Your Majesty was built by my ancestor, the first Shogun of the Tokugawa, Tokugawa Ieyasu."
Kōkaku-tennō's heart sank. He stared at Tokugawa Ienari and asked, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Tokugawa Ienari chuckled and said, "Nothing much. I'm just lamenting that although my ancestor Ieyasu completed this palace, he never lived in it for a single day. It's a pity."
"Baka!" As soon as Tokugawa Ienari finished speaking, Imperial Prince Kan'en could no longer restrain himself. He pointed at Tokugawa Ienari and cursed, "Traitor! You degenerate wretch!"
Tokugawa Ienari was completely unfazed. He sneered and said, "There is no need for the Crown Prince to worry about me. Rather, the Crown Prince should take care of himself."
The pretense was over!
At this point, Tokugawa Ienari no longer bothered to hide his intentions.
He cast a cold glance at the ministers present, then sneered again and declared loudly, "Do you gentlemen have anything to say?"
The ministers present kept their heads bowed low, none wishing to be involved in this drama. Although the ministers and daimyo present had long guessed that something significant would happen today, none had expected Kōkaku-tennō and Tokugawa Ienari to escalate things so quickly!
As for the Ming envoys, whether they were pro-shogunate or anti-shogunate, they cursed inwardly.
To put on a show, one first needs an audience, right?
The most important audience members haven't arrived yet, and you two are already putting on a performance?
However, there was indeed someone brave enough.
Takayama Masayuki, who had just been recruited as a vassal by Imperial Prince Kan'en, walked up to Imperial Prince Kan'en with his short legs. After glancing at Tokugawa Ienari, he said arrogantly, "I am Takayama Masayuki. You must have heard of my name."
Tokugawa Ienari was slightly taken aback and tentatively asked, "You, have great fame, do you not?"
Takayama Masayuki was instantly enraged. He cursed "Baka!" and pointed at Tokugawa Ienari, saying, "My name is Takayama Masayuki, courtesy name Chōjō. I am from Kōzuke. I am skilled in swordsmanship, uphold righteousness, travel the realm, inspire patriots, once whipped the grave of Ashikaga Takauji and enumerated his crimes. Who in Kyōto does not know me?"
Tokugawa Ienari thought, "I haven't heard of you either. Even if you whipped the tombstone of Ashikaga Takauji, or even dug up his grave, what does it have to do with me?"
Takayama Masayuki continued, "Tokugawa-san! Our great Wa was originally a land to the east of the sea, and the Tennō was also called the Son of Heaven of the East. Now, it has become a vassal king of the Great Ming. Whose fault is this?"
"Although the people of Wa were not wealthy, they were able to live and work in peace. Now, over a hundred thousand Wa men have left their homes, either to be supervisors in the Ming, replacing those Ming people who oppress laborers, or to travel to India, the Ottoman Empire, and other places, replacing those Ming people who go to war. Whose fault is this?"
Seeing that Tokugawa Ienari remained silent, Takayama Masayuki assumed that Tokugawa Ienari was speechless at his words. His spirit was uplifted, and his tirade became even more vigorous. "In the past, General Tokugawa Ieyasu fought east and west for Wa, achieving countless merits, which led to your Edo Shogunate! Ever since General Ieyasu was posthumously enshrined as Tōshō Daigongen, your Tokugawa clan has received the favor of the nation. Now, instead of serving the Emperor, you seek to usurp the throne. You are simply a beast! Tokugawa Ienari, I want to see how you will face Tōshō Daigongen in the future, and how you will face the one hundred and eighteenth generation of Wa Emperors!"
However, Tokugawa Ienari was not rendered speechless by Takayama Masayuki's ranting. Although Takayama Masayuki believed his furious denunciation had the heroic spirit of Zhuge Liang scolding Wang Lang to death in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Takayama Masayuki was ultimately not Zhuge Liang, and Tokugawa Ienari was not Wang Lang. Takayama Masayuki not only lacked the demeanor of Zhuge Liang's "scolding the enemy on the battlefield" but also seemed like a monkey wearing a crown.
The reason Tokugawa Ienari remained silent was that he had completely fallen into a state of stunned ecstasy. He looked at Kōkaku-tennō and Imperial Prince Kan'en foolishly, as if suffering from senile dementia, and had lost the urge to kill the father and son.
Or rather, Tokugawa Ienari felt that he no longer needed to act.
As everyone knew, this fool named Takayama Masayuki was a samurai recently recruited by Imperial Prince Kan'en, and was clearly someone on the side of Kōkaku-tennō and Imperial Prince Kan'en. Now, this fool had uttered such absurdities as "Son of Heaven of the East" and "reduced to a vassal king of the Great Ming," and he said this in front of many Ming envoys, both pro-shogunate and anti-shogunate...
The only pity was that Chen Yan, the Ming envoy to Wa, was not present to witness Takayama Masayuki's wild pronouncements.
Kōkaku-tennō and Imperial Prince Kan'en were equally stunned.
Kōkaku-tennō was relatively better. Although his heart was filled with bewilderment and shock, he did not show it on his face. After all, Chen Yan, the Ming envoy to Wa, had not yet arrived, and the situation had not yet reached its worst point.
However, Imperial Prince Kan'en's face was as if his mother had died, and at the same time, he discovered that his wife had been violated in front of him. With Takayama Masayuki's nonsense, even if Kōkaku-tennō was his own father, it would be useless. Even if Kōkaku-tennō adopted another son, his position as Crown Prince would definitely be lost.
Seeing that Takayama Masayuki, this fool, was still looking triumphantly at Tokugawa Ienari, Imperial Prince Kan'en's anger turned to malice. He drew the short blade hanging at his waist and forcefully stabbed Takayama Masayuki in the waist, then gave it a twist.
Takayama Masayuki cried out in pain from his waist. When he realized it was Imperial Prince Kan'en who had stabbed him, he was almost driven mad, "Your Highness! I!"
Imperial Prince Kan'en looked at Takayama Masayuki with a ferocious expression and shouted, "What I! What you! You traitor! Although I have many complaints about Tokugawa Ienari, did I ever think of betraying the Great Ming? By Amaterasu Omikami, the Great Ming is our lord and father, and Wa is its subject. Your words have placed me in a position of disloyalty and unfilial piety. What is your intention?"
He forcefully pulled out the waist sword and then waved his hand with disgust at the dying Takayama Masayuki. He commanded, "Someone, drag this traitor who incites discord between the Great Ming and Wa out to be fed to the dogs!"
After two attendant samurai from the Imperial Prince's court dragged Takayama Masayuki away, Imperial Prince Kan'en then sliced his own face with the刀 (dao, short sword) and said sternly, "The Great Ming is the father, Wa is the son. The Ming Emperor is the lord, and the Wa Tennō is the subject. Anyone who, like Takayama Masayuki, incites discord between the Great Ming and Wa, I will kill!"
As Imperial Prince Kan'en's words fell, the Ming envoys of the anti-shogunate faction and the ministers of the Wa court immediately knelt down and said in unison, "The Crown Prince is wise!"
Tokugawa Ienari snorted disdainfully and said sarcastically, "The Crown Prince is indeed brilliant! But can the Crown Prince fool everyone here, or can he fool Mr. Chen?"
After speaking, Tokugawa Ienari did not wait for Imperial Prince Kan'en to reply. He turned and instructed his attendants, "Send someone to check the whereabouts of Mr. Chen's carriage. Take good care of them on the road."
In fact, Chen Yan's carriage was not far from the Wa royal palace. However, Chen Yan not only did not rush his journey but deliberately had the speed slowed down.
"Damn it," Chen Yan twisted his body, his face full of pain, and cursed, "These damned shorties don't know how to repair the roads properly. Now they're going to shake all my bones apart!"
Qian Chuan, sitting opposite Chen Yan, paid no attention to how bumpy the carriage was. He asked curiously, "It's almost past the auspicious time for the Aoi Festival. Why are we still moving so slowly?"
Chen Yan snorted, "This is their auspicious time, not ours. What can those shorties do to me if it passes? Moreover, Tokugawa Ienari and Kōkaku-tennō are going to put on a big show today. Those shorties also need to play along with them in this grand performance. Let them wait, so their temper will rise, and the performance will be even louder and more beautiful."
Qian Chuan immediately lost interest in saying anything more. He even felt some sympathy for Tokugawa Ienari and Kōkaku-tennō.
(End of Chapter)