He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Sowing Discord in the Ming Dynasty (3)

 

The journey to the Ming Dynasty was truly an ordeal.

 

It would take only 3-4 days by ship, but due to the Ming Dynasty’s diplomatic policies, we had to walk there.

 

The time became incredibly long and the path was treacherously difficult, making it truly exhausting.

 

Still, thinking that this too shall pass, I endured with sheer determination and stubbornness, and our diplomatic mission finally arrived at the Forbidden City in Beijing.

 

Now I wanted to stretch out on a bed and rest, but we still had a very important task to handle first, so that wasn’t possible.

 

“I, Minister of Personnel Maeng Sa-seong, serving as both congratulatory envoy and condolence envoy, have come under the command of Joseon King Lee Do to mourn the passing of His Majesty the Regent Emperor and congratulate the ascension of the new His Majesty.”

 

Even in Joseon, in most cases, even ministers don’t know much about the king’s health condition.

 

So there’s no way a foreign country like the Ming Dynasty would give Joseon hints like ‘our emperor is dying soon.’

 

This is due to concerns that Joseon might use that information to scheme against the Ming Dynasty.

 

Therefore, it’s impossible for Joseon to gauge when the emperor will die.

 

If we follow all the principles, we should send a diplomatic mission twice – once when the emperor dies, and once when the new emperor ascends the throne.

 

However, since they’re hiding information from us, it’s impossible for us to send envoys twice in the very short period between the emperor’s death and the new emperor’s coronation…

 

The Ming Dynasty encourages sending congratulatory envoys for the new emperor’s ascension while also serving as condolence envoys (since a new emperor’s ascension generally means the previous emperor has died).

 

‘What tearfully grateful consideration.’

 

The emperor sitting on the Dragon Throne offered words of comfort to our diplomatic mission.

 

“It is an undeniable fact that all things under heaven, all learning, and all principles originated from Zhonghua. However, the remnants of Northern Yuan and the Jurchen tribes still refuse to follow Zhonghua’s order, abandoning morality and only enjoying killing people and plundering. The Japanese are also busy committing the atrocity of plundering the Ming Dynasty’s coastal areas, with no thought of accepting Great Ming’s beautiful culture. Yet they call themselves the emperor of the land where the sun rises – how ridiculous is that?”

 

Even in the 21st century, Chinese people think they’re the best in the world.

 

How intoxicated they are with their own superiority.

 

Among Chinese people, there are those who genuinely believe that when they speak loudly in Chinese at tourist spots like Myeongdong, the frontier barbarian Koreans are intimidated by ‘China’s dignity.’

 

On their social media, stories are widely spread that Korean women greatly revere Chinese culture.

 

But during this period when the Ming Dynasty was truly recognized as the world’s strongest superpower, if someone stepped forward to say ‘that’s not true,’ it would only hurt the speaker’s mouth.

 

Emperor Xuande speaking so shamelessly like that is one piece of evidence.

 

Everything good came from the Ming Dynasty?

 

Those same bastards accepted the barbaric custom of human sacrifice and went around burying people alive?

 

“On the other hand, while Joseon does not belong to Zhonghua and was among the Eastern barbarians, they showed proper etiquette and humbled themselves to accept Zhonghua’s learning, so they can truly be called a nation where propriety lives. I welcome the envoys from Joseon, who come from the Eastern Region of Propriety and Righteousness.”

 

The term “Eastern Region of Propriety and Righteousness” isn’t actually a compliment when you think about it.

 

Among Western historians, when examining the Zhonghua order, this can be considered an imperialist order centered on the Ming Dynasty.

 

There are cases where countries that were incorporated into this system and paid tribute are viewed as becoming colonies.

 

In other words, they’re considered colonies that don’t receive direct rule.

 

Therefore, the term “Region of Propriety and Righteousness” means being the Ming Dynasty’s colony No. 1.

 

Minister Maeng Sa-seong expressed his gratitude upon hearing the emperor’s words.

 

“Your imperial grace is overwhelming, Your Majesty.”

 

“My late father who passed away also left instructions that while we should always be wary of the northern barbarians and southern Japanese pirates, Joseon is a vassal nation and should be treated with benevolence. So when you return, make sure to convey exactly what I have said to Joseon’s King Lee Do.”

 

People often say that tributary diplomacy was a profitable deal for Joseon.

 

However, there are major flaws in that view.

 

During King Taejo Lee Seong-gye’s time, the Ming Dynasty didn’t hesitate to make all sorts of outrageous demands like loan sharks slapping seizure notices and extorting money, and even during King Sejong’s time, they demanded massive tribute that only benefited the Ming Dynasty.

 

The tributary diplomacy and tribute trade where only Joseon benefited, which we commonly think of, only began after the Jungjong Restoration when the Ming Dynasty became confident that Joseon wasn’t particularly strong.

 

Now that he’s declared ‘I won’t touch you Joseon people,’ it’s time to start extorting money.

 

“If Joseon is a vassal nation, then naturally they must pay tribute to serve their lord. Have Joseon’s King Lee Do offer tribute goods including tribute women, eunuchs, war horses, gold and silver, just as before. I will receive them and reward you generously in return.”

 

He will keep this promise.

 

The problem is that what they consider generous rewards by their standards always results in losses for Joseon.

 

When it costs Joseon about 1 billion won to prepare all the tribute goods for the Ming Dynasty, by Ming standards it only costs about 100 million won to prepare tribute goods at the level Joseon offers.

 

Therefore, from the Ming Dynasty’s perspective, giving Joseon luxury goods worth about 300 million won would be ridiculously generous compensation.

 

The emperor gets to enjoy the dual benefit of maintaining the Ming Dynasty’s dignity while weakening Joseon’s national power. That’s the problem.

 

“You must have had much hardship traveling such a long distance, so withdraw and rest to recover from your journey.”

 

“Your Imperial grace is truly overwhelming.”

 

Overwhelming my ass, now that I’m actually here facing that emperor bastard’s face, my insides are boiling even more furiously.

 

It seems to drive home my resolve that I must tear China apart by whatever means necessary.

 

Because of those bastards, dozens and hundreds of families in Joseon suffer the agony of having their daughters sold off to the Ming Dynasty every year.

 

How great must that sorrow and resentment be?

 

As a 21st century Korean, I will never forgive these bastards.

 

They say a gentleman’s revenge is not too late even after ten years, so as someone who’s not even a gentleman, I’ll definitely get my revenge even if I have to wait 10 years, no, 20 years.

 

‘After all, I came all the way here for revenge.’

 

**

 

Some people also call diplomats this way.

 

People who can openly show their faces and spy in that country with dignity in the 21st century.

 

Our Diplomatic Mission from Joseon is similar.

 

We who came as a Diplomatic Mission, for the infinite development and glory of Joseon.

 

Naturally, it’s important to extract as much information as possible about the Ming Dynasty’s internal affairs.

 

Well, figures like the chief envoy, Deputy Envoy, secretary, and Interpreter all have surveillance attached to them, so it’s difficult to obtain truly important core classified information.

 

But just finding out who the key figures are that we need to flatter can be considered a great achievement.

 

Therefore, I decided to put down all my pride and gather as much information as possible to prepare for the day I’ll get revenge on the Ming Dynasty.

 

“Thanks to your lordship taking good care of the Joseon Diplomatic Mission, I haven’t had any troubles even after coming here to the Ming Dynasty.”

 

“For someone who came as Joseon’s secretary to use honorifics even to a lowly eunuch like me… there’s no need for that. Please stop.”

 

Joseon is nominally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.

 

As a result, Joseon’s court ranks are not recognized equally in the Ming Dynasty.

 

It’s called second-class treatment, where ranks are lowered by two levels.

 

A 1st rank official in Joseon would receive treatment equivalent to a 3rd rank official in the Ming Dynasty.

 

The Ming Dynasty’s ‘Quanbu’ is 6th rank by grade, so I, who receive 7th rank treatment by Ming standards with a lowered rank, do have a lower rank than this guy.

 

But since this guy is a eunuch, his actual treatment is much lower.

 

So that’s probably why he’s telling me not to use honorifics.

 

However, eunuchs are guys who, having lost their manhood, go crazy for power and money instead…

 

When I bowed and entered like this, he couldn’t hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.

 

“Joseon is a vassal state of Great Ming, and aren’t you, sir, someone who serves His Majesty directly? So as Great Ming’s vassal’s vassal, it would be strange if I didn’t respect you, sir.”

 

“Heh, if you put it that way, I can’t help it. And to think Joseon has a minister who treats Great Ming so respectfully – His Imperial Majesty would be truly pleased if he knew.”

 

That castrated bastard is someone who serves the emperor directly.

 

Giving a bribe to this guy means Kim Dae-bung is essentially offering tribute because he wants to look good to the emperor.

 

The same goes for flattery.

 

Other Joseon ministers don’t bother flattering eunuchs, but I can do it.

 

All to cause chaos in the Ming Dynasty.

 

“And this is a small token of my sincerity that I’m offering to you, sir.”

 

“Oh, this kind of thing isn’t necessary…”

 

Even as he said that, this castrated bastard’s hand stretched right out to receive the gift.

 

The castrated bastard’s eyes became as big as marbles when he saw the contents.

 

“Isn’t this ginseng?”

 

Ginseng is widely used for yang energy, that is, as an aphrodisiac.

 

So one might mistakenly think that giving this to a eunuch would be seen as insulting the castrated bastard…

 

Joseon ginseng is the finest medicine highly valued everywhere in the Ming Dynasty.

 

In other words, one piece of this has the same value as a gold bar.

 

Just as there’s no one in this world who dislikes gold, there’s no way a eunuch would dislike ginseng.

 

“Please accept this. And there’s a rumor I heard. I was told there’s a eunuch in the Imperial Palace who knows how to read and write well.”

 

“Ah, are you talking about that fellow Wang Jin? All of us eunuchs, including myself, don’t know how to read, but that guy used to be an instructor at the County Office, so… he knows letters very well. Yet he’s not arrogant and serves his superiors very well – quite an admirable fellow. I heard that among the lower-ranking eunuchs, they even call him ‘teacher’.”

 

When I heard his words, a smile formed on my lips.

 

Back when that bastard Zhu Yuanzhang was alive, if a eunuch knew how to write even a single character, they would be torn apart and killed immediately.

 

Because that bastard Zhu Yuanzhang extremely detested eunuchs interfering in politics.

 

However, the current Emperor Xuande has become blinded by the idea of strengthening imperial power through eunuchs, so he’s keeping literate eunuchs alive and even tolerating them being called ‘teacher’.

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Indeed. When I first entered the palace, such a thing was unimaginable. When Emperor Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) was alive, if a eunuch knew how to write just one character, he would tear them apart and kill them, calling them traitors.”

 

This time I handed the eunuch a fan made in Joseon.

 

The eunuch unfolded the fan, and seeming satisfied with the bribe, looked at me and spoke meaningfully.

 

“It’s truly wonderful that Joseon has such an excellent minister like you. I will certainly convey your story to the Grand Eunuchs.”

 

Through the Grand Eunuchs, my story will naturally reach the Emperor.

 

As a minister who bows his head well to the Ming Dynasty.

 

With this, I’ll be classified as pro-Ming.

 

Of course, since I dislike the Ming Dynasty, I have absolutely no intention of doing anything beneficial for them.

 

As soon as the eunuch left, I immediately went to meet Maeng Sa-seong.

 

To deliver some good news.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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