Rather than fearing scarcity, they feared inequality. Everyone was supposedly equal, so why should the Ministry of Works be able to break open the situation and march so far ahead of them?
As they murmured in low voices, Korea's envoys entered. By coincidence, Japan's envoys had just had a private audience with the Ming Emperor. The talks had perhaps not gone pleasantly, for their expressions were rather ugly. The two sides met at the entrance. The Korean envoy lowered his eyes, cast the other party a sidelong, disdainful glance, snorted, and quickened his pace, intending to enter before them.
The Japanese envoys had long been holding back a bellyful of fury. Seeing this, they too quickened their pace, and with a bang, both sides collided at the doorway.
The envoys of the two nations bent their knees slightly, planted themselves firmly like horses in a stance, and drove their arms hard against one another.
Everyone inside the hall silently turned to watch them. No one stopped them, advised them, or egged them on.
They wanted to know who would win as well.
From the Ming Dynasty's official standpoint, however, they naturally hoped Korea would win.
After all, they had better relations with Korea, and in the recent war against Japan, the Ming Dynasty had even dispatched reinforcements.
Unlike the Ming officials, the eyes of the various grassland tribes gathered on the other side flickered as they stared keenly at the Japanese and Korean envoys.
They hoped the Japanese envoys would win.
The Korean envoy was squeezed back step by step. His face had turned crimson, yet he still refused to yield even half a step...
The Japanese envoy hardened his heart and raised an elbow straight at the Korean envoy's face, smashing him fiercely into the doorframe. With a cold