He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 88

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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 (4)

 

Dissatisfaction clouds Maeng Sa-seong’s face as he looks at me.

 

On the way to Beijing, when I grabbed Maeng Sa-seong and told him I would lower myself a bit to do ‘bad things’ to the Ming Dynasty, asking him to pretend not to see even if he witnessed it.

 

Maeng Sa-seong had said to do as I wished, but I must bring good results.

 

However, giving permission was one thing, but actually seeing a Joseon official bow his waist and act submissively even to some lowly Ming Dynasty eunuch right before his eyes must have been very unpleasant to watch.

 

It’s not like I enjoyed bowing my head to a low-ranking eunuch either.

 

“Even though the basics of Military Strategy start with deception… seeing Kim Jeongnang bow his head first to a Ming Dynasty eunuch was quite unpleasant to witness.”

 

“I apologize, Your Excellency.”

 

“Kim Jeongnang did nothing wrong, I was the one who gave permission. Though my insides are burning with anger right now… how could Kim Jeongnang, who bowed his head to an eunuch, be any different?”

 

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty evaluates Maeng Sa-seong like this:

 

‘He lacks strong personal convictions like Hwang Hee or Heo Jo, and as a minister, he is utterly indecisive.’

 

‘However, he doesn’t lean to either side and has the character suited for a mediating role.’

 

Since he’s someone who understands others’ hearts well, he’s probably more worried about me being hurt from bowing my head for a greater cause.

 

“I am prepared to endure any humiliation if it serves the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State and benefits all the Common People.”

 

For me, tearing apart the Ming Dynasty has aspects similar to traveling.

 

If I say I’m going to travel to Japan, the enjoyment begins from the moment I start planning where to go and what to eat in Japan.

 

It’s enjoyable to search for good restaurants and wonder what kind of Ramen to eat.

 

It’s also fun to plan routes by reading reviews written by other travelers about what to see at tourist destinations.

 

Similarly, since I’m someone with Korean blood flowing through me, I enjoyed even the planning stage of thinking about how to tear apart the Ming Dynasty.

 

Now that I’ve come to the Ming Dynasty and entered the preparation phase, this too is interesting.

 

Even in the original history, after the Tumu Crisis occurred and the Ming Dynasty was devastated right up to the capital’s front door, it was said that neither the Northern Yuan nor the Ming Dynasty had the capacity to mobilize more military forces.

 

Since I already know this fact, I’ll target that gap and move Joseon’s forces to reclaim Manchuria, the ancestral land of the Korean people, dragging along plenty of Fire Carts and cannons.

 

Just imagining that moving scene makes my heart race with excitement.

 

No wait, to make the Ming Dynasty suffer greater damage in the Tumu Crisis, I mustn’t forget to deploy those ‘Japanese bastards’ to the south of the Ming Dynasty as well.

 

It will be very interesting.

 

Then how painful and agonizing would it be for the Ming Dynasty to be attacked by Northern Barbarians from above and Japanese Pirates from below?

 

Just thinking about it is very enjoyable and pleasant.

 

“And I succeeded in obtaining extremely useful information.”

 

“If Kim Jeongnang says so, it must be quite promising. Well then, what exactly did you find out?”

 

“There is a eunuch in the Forbidden City who knows letters very well. His name is Wang Jin, they said.”

 

“… A eunuch in the Forbidden City who can read calligraphy (Chinese characters). That is certainly a curious matter. But what of it? Joseon also teaches letters to eunuchs, and teaches classics like the Great Learning as well.”

 

Modern people think that the only qualification for being a eunuch is being castrated.

 

However, that just means one must be castrated to become a eunuch, and to become an official eunuch, one must go through various training processes.

 

Rigorous physical training and mental education, plus as Maeng Sa-seong mentioned, they must study extensively.

 

Even after being appointed as a eunuch, one must continue studying to get promoted.

 

Therefore, eunuchs studying is a very natural concept in Joseon.

 

However, the problem is that this place is the ‘Ming Dynasty’.

 

This is a place where until just recently, a eunuch knowing letters alone would make them a criminal deserving death.

 

For such a place to acknowledge and permit the existence of ‘eunuchs who can read’ leads to one important conclusion.

 

‘The Ming Dynasty’s political policy is changing.’

 

“It seems His Majesty intends to concentrate power in the eunuchs to strengthen imperial authority.”

 

In Joseon, eunuchs enjoy power comparable to yangban officials.

 

The reason is extremely simple.

 

In Joseon, eunuchs are not given authority to command even a single soldier or to propose or establish policies.

 

However, since court eunuchs are the king’s slaves, they always live closely attached to the king’s side.

 

That becomes their source of power.

 

“Previously, it was customary for a grand eunuch (highest-ranking eunuch) to often be appointed as the chief envoy of Ming Dynasty diplomatic missions, so we couldn’t ignore them. Now the influence of eunuchs will become even stronger.”

 

Outstanding emperors like Emperor Yongle and Emperor Xuande have the disease of wanting to do everything themselves.

 

So those emperors often sent eunuchs as military inspectors to monitor whether the frontier generals were doing anything suspicious or not.

 

Well, the eunuchs during Emperor Yongle’s time couldn’t read at all, so they couldn’t look at documents.

 

Literally, all they could do was check the atmosphere to see if there were plans for rebellion or not.

 

Moreover, they would have served as beings that taught generals the lesson that even before a castrated bastard backed by imperial authority, they had to bow their heads.

 

However, starting from Emperor Xuande’s time, they created an institution called the ‘Inner Palace Academy’ and began educating eunuchs.

 

The educated eunuch inspectors transformed from merely being tools for instilling military discipline to becoming powerful figures who genuinely inspected the military.

 

‘They’ll end up like the Ten Attendants, that’s what I’m saying.’

 

“Among them, a man named Wang Jin will stand at the center of the eunuchs.”

 

“Indeed, since Ming Dynasty officials greatly despise eunuchs, they would be reluctant to teach them letters themselves. Wang Jin will end up teaching all the eunuchs directly. Then, as Kim Jeongnang said, Wang Jin will stand at the center of the eunuchs.”

 

In Confucian cultural spheres, kings, teachers, and fathers are greatly revered.

 

They revere them so much that they consider teachers almost the same as their own fathers, serving them as they would their real parents.

 

Moreover, since eunuchs cannot have children, how tightly would they stick together among themselves?

 

And naturally, Wang Jin would stand at the center of that.

 

“Then it would be good to maintain close relations with this Wang Jin… Is there a good method?”

 

If I didn’t know what kind of person Wang Jin was, honestly, finding a sharp method would be nearly impossible.

 

However, I properly learned what kind of human he was while studying history.

 

This guy is a petty person obsessed with the desire for recognition and a corrupt official.

 

A crazy bastard who, after failing the civil service exam and causing trouble to the point of facing exile, volunteered to become a eunuch by castrating himself.

 

The method to get close to such a person is surprisingly simple.

 

“According to rumors I’ve heard, Wang Jin greatly enjoys being recognized by people. So if someone prestigious from Joseon recognizes him when he’s lowly, praises him and supports him, we could gain tremendous favor without spending much money.”

 

Maeng Sa-seong frowned.

 

Among the people who came from Joseon now, the most prestigious person is undoubtedly Maeng Sa-seong.

 

So it seems he understood it to mean that he himself should be the one to bow his head and flatter Wang Jin, who is a bottom-tier eunuch among the lowest ranks.

 

If he understood it that way, even the gentle Maeng Sa-seong might try to kill me.

 

When the Ming eunuchs came and caused a ruckus, enduring it and bowing before them was already a matter that greatly damaged one’s pride.

 

But now, if a ‘Minister of Personnel of the 2nd rank’ had to bow his head to someone who is currently just a low-level eunuch but whom we believe will rise greatly in the future, what an enormous humiliation that would be.

 

When we return to Joseon, how would other people view Maeng Sa-seong?

 

They would mock him as a madman who would give up his liver and gall bladder to flatter the Ming Dynasty.

 

However, if I bow my head to some Ming eunuch lackey here, it would have a completely different meaning.

 

“And I will take on that role, Your Excellency.”

 

“… Kim Jeongnang, even if it’s you, that won’t do. Isn’t this something no one would want to do? Then why should you have to do this? It’s something you don’t need to do. That’s right. No matter how much it’s for Joseon, how could I order you to endure such great humiliation?”

 

Joseon is a country of dignity and honor.

 

Therefore, for the honor of one’s family, anyone would not hesitate to die.

 

For me, living in such a Joseon, to bow my head to a Ming eunuch, and a low-level eunuch at that, and go in to greatly praise and elevate him would be like declaring that I’m giving up honor that is more precious than life.

 

The Ming Emperor would naturally come to know of this fact as well.

 

Even so, if I, who passed the civil service exam with top honors in Joseon and left behind all sorts of famous anecdotes, bow my head…?

 

Naturally, he would think this:

 

‘Joseon really knows how to bow their heads properly to the Ming Dynasty!’

 

Then his favorability and trust toward Joseon would greatly increase.

 

As a result, the amount of tribute imposed would also be greatly reduced.

 

In fact, one of the occasions when relations between Joseon and the Ming Dynasty improved most significantly was the ‘Jungjong Restoration.’

 

The reason was that they judged that Joseon’s royal authority had fallen to the ground, weakening the country so much that it no longer had the strength to resist China.

 

“I have already received great grace from the Retired King and His Majesty that I can never dare repay. I have been deeply troubled my whole life about how to repay that grace, but if I can repay even one ten-thousandth of it by enduring the humiliation of crawling between someone’s legs here, that would be enough for me.”

 

Maeng Sa-seong listened to what I said and remained silent, at a loss for words.

 

“I still cannot forget the time when I was the Jinhae County Magistrate, when the common people joyfully offered me various delicacies. But when I think of those same people having their backs bent from the tribute they must pay to the Ming Dynasty, my heart feels like it’s being torn apart. I believe Retired King and His Majesty feel the same way. So as a subject, if I can cast aside my petty pride and lessen the worries of Their Majesties, how joyful would that be?”

 

… And if I can blind the eyes of that Wang Jin bastard who will seize the real power of the Ming eunuchs, no, the entire Ming Dynasty.

 

Joseon will eventually expand to Manchuria, Southeast Asia, India, and even to the world beyond.

 

For the greater cause, for revenge against the Ming Dynasty, this is a burden that I, who knows the future, must rightfully bear.

 

Maeng Sa-seong gripped my hand tightly with tears welling up in his eyes and said.

 

“… Kim Jeongnang is a loyal subject for all ages.”

 

Having completely captured even Maeng Sa-seong’s heart, I went to meet Wang Jin.

 

As soon as I saw him at our meeting, I said this.

 

“I heard you have excellent calligraphy skills. May I receive some of your calligraphy?”

 

… If I’m going to suck up to him, I’ll do it properly.

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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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