Chapter 111: Returning the Item to its Rightful Owner

"A poem is a natural creation, obtained only by a stroke of genius..."

"Magnificent!" Fujiwara no Hashio clapped his hands until they were almost swollen. His expression of utter infatuation was enough to make one retch; was such a display really necessary?

"Damn it! I am not a beautiful woman... what are you looking at me with those eyes for?"

Fujiwara no Hashio bowed to Zhen Qian once more, his excitement so intense that his blood pressure seemed to have soared to two hundred. His face glowed with a strange, flushed luster, and Zhen Qian had no doubt that the man might suffer a cerebral hemorrhage on the spot.

"Master Zhen possesses great talent. Would you be willing to accompany me to Japan? I shall treat you with the honors befitting a state tutor."

He had come all this way just to recruit people. Zhen Qian knew that the Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty loved to scout talent throughout the empire, especially scholars famous across the land, whom they treated with the reverence due to deities. However, most Tang scholars feared the perils of the sea and avoided the enthusiastic invitations of these "barbarian" allies like the plague—one only had to look at Jianzhen’s six attempts to cross the ocean to understand why.

Zhen Qian had not expected Fujiwara no Hashio to be so direct. On second thought, it fit the Japanese penchant for plundering—they wanted everything they deemed good. He truly underestimated their brazen nature.

Even so, Zhen Qian feigned a look of flattered hesitation: "While one's parents are alive, one does not travel far. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will certainly make a trip to Japan..."

Fujiwara no Hashio seemed unmoved by this polite refusal. "Not so! To travel ten thousand miles is to read ten thousand books. My country of Japan is a land with a flourishing literary culture, and we treat Tang scholars with the utmost respect. If you are worried about the risks of the journey, there is no need. I hope you will reconsider!"

Zhen Qian had never seen such a shameless person. He had already stated he did not want to go, yet the man clung on like a dead dog. Displeased, he replied, "I thank you for your kindness, Master Fujiwara, but this is absolutely impossible!"

He hadn't lost his mind; crossing the vast ocean in a small Japanese sailboat was an act of stupidity only someone whose brain had been eaten by dogs would consider. Even if he were to go to Japan in the future, it would be on his own sturdy ships with cannons blazing. As for now... the thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

Zhen Qian did not want to burn bridges with Fujiwara no Hashio. Firstly, the man was an official envoy, and secondly, his invitation was genuinely sincere. As for the sincerity of the Japanese, Zhen Qian could swear to the entire universe that their enthusiasm was as intense as a volcano and their piety was plain to see. As for the promised treatment? It was certainly more real than gold!

Yet, Zhen Qian had no desire to enjoy any of this. His glorious career had only just begun; it had taken nearly a year to build from nothing. To go to Japan now... that would be utter foolishness.

It had to be said that the Japanese were master actors. It wasn't just Fujiwara no Hashio; even the servants and samurai behind him looked at Zhen Qian as if he were a god, their bodies hunched like boiled shrimp, faces plastered with fawning smiles that were nauseating to behold.

Hao Ren had never felt Zhen Qian to be as tall and imposing as he did at this moment. His bewildered eyes sparkled with delight: Zhen Qian, whom he called "brother," was now famous throughout the Tang Dynasty! Even an envoy had traveled thousands of miles to pay his respects. Who could dare say Zhen Qian lacked renown?

Distracted by the envoy, the original meal had gone cold, and a new spread was soon laid out.

Fujiwara no Hashio was pulled to a seat by Hao Ren. It was Hao Ren's first time seeing Japanese people, and he was deeply curious about their attire, especially the samurai whose shaved, bald heads were topped with a small, tied-up braid. They stood at the door like temple guardians. When the hospitable Hao Ren tried to strike up a conversation, the samurai were so terrified they prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting "Hai" and "Un" in response.

"Your attendants are truly interesting."

"These are merely slaves of the Fujiwara clan. They are unworthy of speaking to Chief Hao. It is already the greatest fortune for them to behold Master Zhen’s brilliance..." Fujiwara no Hashio’s face changed as quickly as flipping a page. He looked at his samurai with disgust. "You are not needed here. Get out!"

Zhen Qian knew that the Japanese hierarchy was even more rigid than that of the Tang. The status of a Japanese household slave was beneath that of even a Tang slave, and this subservient mentality was deeply ingrained—they took pride in being slaves to a certain house. Calling them dogs was a compliment.

Dogs sometimes barked; these men, however, would scramble to commit suicide if ordered, fearing only that their master might be displeased.

Like all Japanese, Fujiwara no Hashio was fond of indulgence. After a few cups of potent "burning knife" liquor, his tongue loosened. He poured out everything he had seen and heard in the Tang Dynasty and took the opportunity to boast about the status of the Fujiwara clan in Japan. He expressed with a mournful face that he wished to remain in the Tang, but he dared not defy the family’s instructions and had to return.

Zhen Qian hadn't realized that the Fujiwara clan’s status in Japan was supposedly higher than that of the Langya Wang family of the Jin Dynasty. How utterly shameless.

Back in the Western Jin, Sima Rui’s rise from his journey east to his enthronement had relied heavily on the support of the northern clans, the brothers Wang Dao and Wang Dun, leading to the adage: "The Wangs and the Sima clan share the world."

What did the Fujiwara clan have? Zhen Qian wasn't sure.

Historically, the Fujiwara clan did hold immense power. Judging by the standards of some of the sycophantic families in Japan, the Fujiwara clan of the Nara period and the Langya Wangs of the Western Jin were indeed comparable in terms of domestic influence.

Only later did Zhen Qian gradually learn the truth: In the eighth year of the Emperor Tenji’s reign, Nakatomi no Kamatari died. In recognition of his role in the Taika Reform, the Emperor granted him the surname "Fujiwara no Ason"—the origin of the name.

Later, Emperor Mommu decreed that only his son, Fuhito (what a name!), was permitted to use the surname Fujiwara.

After the Jinshin War, Fuhito participated in the compilation of the legal codes and the construction of the Heijō-kyō, laying the foundation for their political power. His daughter, Kōmyōshi, was made Empress, marking the beginning of the Fujiwara tradition of placing their daughters on the throne. Fuhito had four sons—Muchimaro (Southern House), Fusasaki (Northern House), Umakai (Ceremonial House), and Maro (Capital House)—who formed the four powerful political factions under the Ritsuryō system. Later, the other three houses lost power in factional strife, leaving only the Northern House to prosper. By the time of Yoshifusa, they began to hold the post of *Sesshō* and *Kampaku* as maternal relatives, marking the start of the Fujiwara era of absolute power. By the time Michinaga took power, the Fujiwara dominance reached its zenith. During this period, the clan interfered in politics as maternal relatives, doing whatever they pleased, with two empresses reigning at once and four daughters serving as consorts to three emperors. The Crown Prince would be married to their daughter, and the young emperors would reside in their homes. The offices of Regent, Chancellor, Minister of the Right, and Minister of the Left were monopolized by the clan, forming a unique political system.

Of course, Zhen Qian did not know how much exaggeration was in Fujiwara no Hashio’s words—after all, who goes around studying the history of the Nara period for fun?

However, looking at Fujiwara no Hashio, he didn't seem to be lying. Coupled with the fact that the tenth envoy to the Tang was indeed Fujiwara no Kiyokawa, Zhen Qian was inclined to believe him. It later turned out that Fujiwara no Hashio hadn't been lying; he had actually understated things.

When Hao Ren heard that the Fujiwara clan dared to claim parity with the "Seven Clans and Five Surnames" of the Tang, he couldn't help but despise the man. These arrogant Japanese, knowing nothing of true aristocratic lineage or literary heritage, were truly like frogs in a well, boasting of their own greatness.

Zhen Qian viewed the man’s words from the perspective of an observer. The Tang’s tolerance was real, but it was built upon a foundation of superiority. Anyone who dared claim to be better than the Tang would be spat upon by every ancestor in the land.

Zhen Qian’s goal was to get Fujiwara no Hashio drunk and extract intelligence about Japan. In case he ever felt the urge to go to Japan to plunder wealth and women, he would know his enemy and be invincible.

There was no barrier in their communication; Fujiwara no Hashio’s Tang Chinese was more standard than Zhen Qian’s own.

Taking advantage of the envoy’s drunken stupor, Zhen Qian immediately made an excuse to go relieve himself and escaped. Of course, he didn't forget to take the white bear pelt that Fujiwara no Hashio had gifted him. One must not think Zhen Qian was greedy; the white bear pelt gifted by Emperor Xuanzong to the Japanese envoy was a national treasure. How could he let the Japanese take it back? He was simply returning it to its rightful place.