After all, he was in a royal home witnessing something few westerners ever had and that alone made this moment exciting. Especially since they had yet to see who was inside the palanquin.
Meanwhile, Prinny rubbed his temples as he grumbled. “What did he just say?”
The captain bowed again, his smile appearing to fade a bit. “This is a delegation from the Wong cohong, Your Highness.”
“The what?”
“They’re a merchant family, your highness. Very important. They sell tea and silks to us and are part of the governing body that oversees exports.”
Prinny narrowed his eyes. “So they’re merchants, not the Chinese king.”
“Yes, your highness. Not the Chinese emperor, but still a powerful family. Very important to the Chinese trade. The Wong patriarch is on the governing body and works closely with the Hoppo.”
“The hippo?”
“Hoppo, Your Highness.”
Prinny held up a hand and glared balefully at Max. “Can you explain this?”
Yes, but it was complicated. “Hoppo is a title, like prince or…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. These gentlemen are here from a leading merchant family.”
The captain nodded. “The Wong cohong, my lord. They express their greeting and respect for the prince in, um, very complimentary terms. He impresses them with his health and prowess. His great power and wisdom.”
Doubtful. Prinny wasn’t impressing anyone right now with his sweat damp skin and his baleful eyes, but such was the language of diplomacy. And not surprisingly, Prinny wasn’t in the mood to accept such insincere worship.
“What does he want, Max?”
The captain turned to the official and spoke in quick Chinese. Even Max could hear how badly garbled his language was when compared to the Chinese official, but apparently the meaning got across.
The official declared something very loudly. It was shorter than the other statements and he punctuated it by snapping the edges of the scroll together before he gestured to the guards.
Max didn’t need the captain’s translation.
“He has gifts, your highness.”
“Well, bring them on,” Prinny groused, but Max could see the gleam of interest in the royal’s eye.
Two guards behind the palanquin gathered things from a basket in the back of the litter. The first unrolled a bolt of bright yellow fabric, heavily embroidered. He spread it out before the prince. The other man came forward with a lacquered box that he opened. Inside were silk pouches filled with something aromatic. Several somethings, no doubt, and Max’s nose twitched as he tried to sort through the scents.
“Silk, your highness,” intoned the captain. “The finest. Imperial tea, meant for kings and emperors. Tobacco as well.”
Prinny wrinkled his nose. “Not very much,” he groused. “Bring it here.” A pair of footmen rushed to do the prince’s bidding, but Max could already see that the silk was of excellent quality. Likely the tea and tobacco as well, though as bribes went, this was a rather pitiful showing. Prinny seemed to agree, though he wasn’t disposed to liking anything right then. In the end, he waved the gifts aside as he dropped his chin on his hand.
“Is that all?”
The captain cleared his throat. “Er, one more thing, your highness.”
The Chinese official started speaking again. His voice lowered into more lilting tones. His hands gestured expansively, and he dropped his head as if in awe. Then he paused with his head bowed and hands outstretched as he waited for the sea captain to translate.
“The Wong cohong offers your highness a gift most dear to the patriarch’s heart. A gift that demonstrates the level of his respect and begs you to appreciate the cost to his soul.”
“What is it?” Prinny grumbled. If only the Chinese had arrived later in the day. Normally, Prinny would love the pageantry of such a moment.
The captain turned back to the official. He spoke in his thick Chinese with a quick kind of urgency. The bowed official flushed red at the words, but he continued his performance. He backed away from the palanquin. The two bearers walked to the windowed sides and put their hand to the curtains, but they stood still.
No one moved.
“Well?” Prinny pressed. “Why aren’t they opening it?”
