The people of Chang'an had never been shy about gathering to watch excitement.
Watching executions beneath lone willow trees, watching Hu merchants in the East and West Markets, watching grand processions march along Zhuque Avenue, watching shaved heads on Anshang Street. All of these were well-known pastimes, famous sights that never failed to draw a crowd.
And today, a new spectacle had been added.
Watching the Wa people outside Chunming Gate.
In truth, most ordinary citizens had no idea what "Wa people" actually were. Someone, driven by curiosity, asked the cavalry escorting them and learned that these were envoys from the Wa Kingdom across the Eastern Sea, come to pay homage to the Heavenly Khan of the Great Tang.
Once that was explained, the people of Chang'an immediately understood.
Another subordinate state. Nothing more.
Still, compared to the Western Region merchants who arrived with spices, jewels, and strange beasts, these Wa envoys struck the Tang citizens as particularly amusing.
They watched as the Wa people clustered beneath the towering city gate, craning their necks upward until they nearly lost their balance without realizing it.
They watched them stare at the endless stream of pedestrians, chattering away in an incomprehensible tongue. Even without understanding a single word, one could tell from their expressions and tones how stunned they were.
The surrounding onlookers burst into laughter again and again.
At that moment, a lady from a wealthy household returned from outside the city, escorted by her servants. The Wa envoys failed to restrain themselves and collectively glanced over, swallowing unconsciously in unison.
This did not offend the lady in the least. After all, the tallest among them barely reached her shoulder, while the rest looked like bean sprouts, some not even as tall as Chang'an youths.
However, their behavior immediately irritated the military officer escorting them. He snapped his whip against the ground, the crack sharp and clear, forcing the Wa people to pull back their improper gazes.
"That one with the surname Mitarai. Control your people."
At once, a man hurried out from the envoy group, bowing repeatedly and offering apologies to the officer. His submissive display only provoked another round of laughter from the idle spectators.
After bowing and apologizing, the leader of the Wa envoys did not feel humiliated. Instead, he turned to the monk beside him and sighed with genuine emotion.
"Master Huiri the Healer, Tang truly is an upper realm."
The monk called Huiri remained expressionless and merely offered a quiet warning.
"Mitarai, manage the envoy group carefully. Do not provoke the Tang people, lest the Heavenly Khan take offense."
Mitarai no Tsuchi nodded repeatedly in agreement, though he could not help glancing once more toward the direction where the lady had departed.
He dared not harbor improper thoughts toward a woman of the upper realm. What caught his attention was the Turkic slave walking behind her.
In truth, this was already his second visit to Chang'an.
Back in the tenth year of Daye, he had been dispatched by Crown Prince Shōtoku as an envoy to the Sui dynasty.
The vast territory, magnificent palaces, and powerful armies had shaken him to his core. Yet the unending warfare frightened him like a startled rabbit. He had stayed only half a year before fleeing back home in haste.
Only the monks accompanying the mission had insisted on remaining behind to study Buddhism.
Mitarai no Tsuchi had assumed those monks were long dead. Eight years later, they reappeared before him, claiming that China had passed from Sui to Tang and returned to stability.
Moreover, these monks persuaded Mitarai no Tsuchi, who had personally witnessed China's grandeur, to jointly convince Emperor Shumei to once again dispatch envoys to Tang.
The effort was far from smooth, but in the end they secured the emperor's authorization and embarked upon the westward voyage.
Unfortunately, shortly after reaching Baekje, they received startling news.
The Turks had been destroyed. Their ruler had danced in submission beneath the halls of the Chinese emperor. All remaining tribes now revered the Chinese emperor as the Heavenly Khan.
From that moment on, Mitarai no Tsuchi's gaze toward Huiri the Healer grew tinged with suspicion.
Had he not said that although China was reunified, it was far weaker than Sui?
Huiri had no time to address this. After learning the name of the Heavenly Khan, even he fell into confusion.
Before I returned east, the crown prince's name was Li Jiancheng, was it not?
Though neither fully understood the internal details, the two quickly reached a consensus.
In short, display the utmost humility. Nothing else mattered.
Huiri sought to use the Tang mission to expand Buddhism's influence within the Wa Kingdom and spread the faith. For that reason, this journey could not afford the slightest mishap.
As for Mitarai no Tsuchi, having been the leading figure who persuaded the emperor to resume Tang missions, success was his only option.
Thus the envoy group lingered in Baekje for half a year. On one hand, they sent messengers back to revise the wording of the state letter. On the other, they drilled etiquette relentlessly to avoid any misstep.
Only then, in early Zhenguan year five, did the mission that had departed in early Zhenguan year four finally arrive in Chang'an.
Half a year of training proved futile.
The towering city walls, the imposing Tang citizens, the dazzling decorations, and the unimaginable wealth of the nation left the Wa people shouting in excitement.
Mitarai no Tsuchi felt deep envy toward the Turkic slave following the noble lady.
When would their emperor lead them to conquer such a powerful country, reducing its soldiers to slaves to be commanded at will?
Tang had conquered the Turks. If Tang could be conquered…
Mitarai no Tsuchi abruptly cut off that dangerous thought, cold sweat breaking out as he buried it deep in his heart.
Yet once he had entertained such wild ambition, when he looked again upon the flourishing Chang'an before him, his heart filled instead with deeper sorrow.
Heaven is unjust, to have me born in the Wa Kingdom.
But Mitarai no Tsuchi soon realized that his lament had come too early.
After waiting a while longer, a group of officials finally emerged from within the city. After brief exchanges, Mitarai learned that the leader was an Assistant Director of the Court of State Ceremonial, sent to escort them to the guest quarters.
"Why is it not the Minister of State Ceremonial?" Mitarai voiced his doubt. He still vaguely remembered China's bureaucratic hierarchy.
Unfortunately, he did not speak refined Tang speech. The only translator, Huiri the Healer, chose to remain silent.
Fewer troubles were better than more. What difference could there be between an assistant director and the minister? Were they not both proper Tang officials?
Once they truly entered the city, the splendor swiftly caused Mitarai to forget this question altogether.
At this point, he no longer believed Huiri's earlier claim that early Tang was far inferior to Sui.
Elegant speech and barbarian tongues mingled into a deafening roar. Brilliant colors seized his vision. He wished to see and remember everything before and behind him. The entire envoy group sighed that if they could live in Chang'an long term, they would gladly give up everything they owned.
The assistant director found their reaction unremarkable. While guiding them, he even spared attention to introduce Chang'an's basic conditions. Each sentence, relayed through Huiri, drew gasps from the entire group.
Within the Wa Kingdom, they were all members of prominent families. Precisely because of this, they knew well the history of Sui missions and knew that Wa institutions were modeled after Sui.
Even the clothing they wore was stiffly imitated from Sui styles, which was exactly why Chang'an citizens could not help laughing when they saw them.
Because of this, Chang'an's magnificence stirred complicated emotions among the envoys.
Imitators meeting the original felt humbled by the disparity, yet strangely proud of the strength of what they imitated.
Look. This is the upper realm we study.
This peculiar mood persisted until several days later, when they were finally granted an audience with the Heavenly Khan.
Kneeling prostrate on the ground, Mitarai no Tsuchi heard a voice like thunder descending from above. It carried a note of unmistakable interest.
"The ruler of the Wa Kingdom. Does he still call himself Emperor?"
Pressed to the ground, Mitarai felt as though the blood in his body had frozen.