roccoschili Chapter 141 The Whereabouts of the Rubber Tree
Chapter 141 The Whereabouts of the Rubber Tree
Among the many envoys who gathered in the Tang Dynasty, Ma Zha was just an inconspicuous existence.
He comes from Johor, a small country with not very strong national strength.
Because of this, Maza was often the target of ridicule from other envoys to the Tang Dynasty in this foreign land.
Those words, whether sharp or harsh, stung his heart again and again.
Afterwards, he gradually got used to such days and silently buried all his grievances and unwillingness deep in his heart.
He must study the advanced culture and sophisticated technology of the Tang Dynasty carefully, and bring these precious treasures back to Johor when he has completed his studies.
Let Johor become prosperous and strong, just like the Tang Dynasty!
Johoreans are generally thinner, and because they live in the tropics with strong sunlight, their skin color is slightly darker.
In the Tang Dynasty, black skin was often seen as a symbol of lowliness, and the status was similar to that of the Kunlun slaves who were castrated and trafficked by Arabs.
Ma Zha knew the existence of this prejudice. Walking through the streets of the Tang Dynasty, he could often feel the strange looks from people around him.
But today, Ma Zha unexpectedly received an order from His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, summoning him to the Liangyi Palace to meet the emperor.
This sudden news instantly made his heart confused.
All kinds of terrible thoughts involuntarily emerged in his mind.
Could it be that the King of Johor did something to anger the Emperor of Tang?
Is there a serious rift in the diplomatic relations between the two countries?
His heart became increasingly uneasy, and he was spinning around in panic.
But the imperial order was hard to disobey, so he could only suppress his inner fear and follow the eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty, moving slowly step by step towards the Liangyi Palace.
Along the way, every step he took seemed to use up all his strength.
His thoughts were tangled, and he was in extreme tension and fear, so much so that he staggered when he walked and almost fell to the ground several times.
Fortunately, the two eunuchs beside him were quick-witted and helped him up in time.
"Johor's envoys to the Tang Dynasty, inside is the Liangyi Hall."
An eunuch spoke softly, with a barely perceptible warning in his tone.
"His Majesty only wants to see you, so we won't go in. You must not offend His Majesty!"
Ma Za forced a stiff smile, nodded mechanically, and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, eunuchs."
He stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his pounding heart a little, then slowly walked into the majestic and solemn Liangyi Palace.
Li Chengqian was sitting in the hall, concentrating on handling government affairs. He raised his head slightly when he heard someone coming in.
As soon as Ma Zha entered the hall, he immediately knelt on his knees and kowtowed respectfully. The moment his forehead touched the ground, his body still couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"Johor's Tang envoy, Maza, greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang! May His Majesty live forever!"
There was awe in his voice.
"Get up, Ma Zha, right? Why are you shaking? Am I scary?"
Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the empty hall, with a hint of doubt.
Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Ma Zha didn't dare to stand up rashly. He continued to tremble as he said, "Your Majesty, I don't know how Johor has offended Your Majesty. Please consider the people of Johor who admire you every day and don't punish the people of Johor. Please only punish the Johor royal family."
"I, Maza, am willing to work with the Johor royal family to appease His Majesty's anger!"
His words were filled with deep concern for Johor.
Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh when he heard what Ma Zha said.
"Who told you that I was going to punish Johor?"
"Your Majesty! I wish..."
Maza was about to continue his impassioned speech when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes full of surprise and confusion, and looked at Li Chengqian eagerly.
"Your Majesty, you...?"
"You just said that Johor will not be punished?"
Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said affirmatively: "I summoned you not because Johor has offended the Tang Dynasty, but because I want to give you a great opportunity."
When Ma Za heard this, he was stunned for a moment and knelt there blankly.
Before he could recover from the shock, Li Chengqian continued, "Ma Zha, do you have a tree in Johor that produces gum? The gum is white."
Maza nodded subconsciously and answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty, are you talking about the trefoil tree?"
Hearing this answer, Li Chengqian patted the table lightly, a hint of joy appearing on his face.
"Yes, that's it."
Li Chengqian secretly felt relieved. Although he was not sure about the specific name of the rubber tree in this era, he knew that the full name of the rubber tree in the past was Hevea brasiliensis.
Now when he heard Maza mention the trifoliate tree, he immediately knew that this was the rubber tree he was looking for.
"Yes, Maza, it's this trefoil tree!"
"I will have the Ministry of Revenue allocate funds to you. You will return to Johor tomorrow and transport the shamrocks back to Chang'an for me."
"You did a great job on this matter. I will grant you an official position in the Tang Dynasty!"
When Ma Zha heard Li Chengqian's words, he felt his head buzzing.
He was just worried that his life would be in danger because of Johor's anger towards the Tang Dynasty, but in the blink of an eye, he had a huge opportunity to obtain an official position in the Tang Dynasty.
This huge gap made him feel a little overwhelmed.
Being able to hold an official position in the Tang Dynasty means that he will completely change his destiny and become a member of the Tang Dynasty from then on.
By then, even the King of Johor would have to treat him with courtesy.