He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 89

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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 (5)

Wang Jin looked at me as if I were utterly ridiculous.

If I weren’t the Secretary from Joseon, he looked ready to say right to my face, ‘Where did this Joseon barbarian take the wrong medicine?’

No matter how gentle and kind-hearted I’m known to be, that kind of look is a bit hurtful.

I’ll have to soothe this pain by more actively planting Japanese Pirates along the southern coastal areas of Ming.

While soothing my pain, Joseon becomes freer from Japanese Pirates – how wonderful is that?

‘Good for Joseon, good for me.’

However, misunderstandings can be quickly resolved with slightly exaggerated praise filled with sincere heart.

The fact that I’m a kind and good person is acknowledged by our Gyeoul-i, my father-in-law, and all the officials who worked with me at the Ministry of Taxation and Ministry of War.

This guy Wang Jin will soon learn what a warm-hearted person I am.

Oh British Empire, who tried to sell drugs to cover war expenses when short on money but ultimately failed at that too, please grant a tiny bit of power (lies) to this servant who wishes to respect and follow you.

“Why would the esteemed Secretary from Joseon take interest in the writing of a lowly eunuch like me?”

You will soon become the Crown Prince’s tutor according to Emperor Xuande’s will to strengthen imperial power by empowering eunuch forces.

But here’s where fate plays its trick – Emperor Xuande will die when his son, the Crown Prince, is only 9 years old.

Then not only will you gain the greatest authority and honor a subject can obtain in Ming – being the Emperor’s tutor – but you’ll also have the massive eunuch organization (which also holds military inspection rights) backing you.

Moreover, Emperor Zhengtong will only like playing until before puberty, and after puberty becomes a fool who only pursues women.

You’ll perfectly fulfill the role of the Ten Attendants, the epitome of corrupt eunuchs from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

So I’m just trying to flatter you in advance, not because I have any other ulterior motives.

‘You’re a blue-chip stock that’s certain to rise thousands of times in value.’

“My name is Kim Dae-bung. In Joseon, I hold the position of Junior 5th Rank Jeongrang of the Ministry of War.”

“You’ve achieved great success despite being so young. I’m quite bewildered that someone of your stature would show such great favor to a lowly eunuch like me.”

Converting my rank to Ming standards, I’m merely a Junior 7th Rank nobody, but considering various factors, ‘Junior 5th Rank’ at my age is definitely not a low position.

For someone who started their official career at Junior 9th Rank, it’s a position that takes roughly 13-15 years of service to reach.

When I revealed my identity, Wang Jin raised his level of wariness toward me a bit more, but…

From now on, I’m going to launch an offensive to clear up misunderstandings. Grit your teeth and endure it, Wang Jin.

“My official career hasn’t been entirely smooth either. But don’t worry. I have no intention of detaining you, who has much work to do, with such lengthy stories. Then I’ll skip over the trivial matters.”

The Eunuch Organization is a collective consciousness that unites around the emperor – simply put, it’s like an ant colony.

Almost all information that eunuchs know naturally flows to the emperor, as one would expect.

Conversely, among the information the emperor knows, if it’s not necessarily classified as confidential, eunuchs can easily learn about it too.

What kind of person I am will quickly be determined through the intelligence network that the eunuchs have established.

What I’ve said will also spread among the eunuchs through Wang Jin and soon reach the emperor’s ears.

“I am an envoy from a small nation who came to congratulate His Imperial Majesty on his ascension to the throne.”

“Even a lowly eunuch like myself knows that much.”

Still thorns in your words? Fine, let’s see how far you can go.

“His Majesty said at the occasion of sending the Diplomatic Mission including myself that establishing friendly relations with the Great Ming is Joseon’s path to survival. So as a subject of Joseon who came to the Ming Dynasty, I must gather information about the Great Ming, and I must also strive to gain greater trust from His Imperial Majesty.”

Strictly speaking, it’s illegal for Joseon to come to the Forbidden City and collect information about the Ming Dynasty through interpreters or workers who speak some Chinese (disguised Merchants), and to engage in secret trade.

However, since the Ming Dynasty has no particular reason to stop us from wanting to learn information about the Ming Dynasty and seeking to profit through Trade, they tacitly allow it.

Therefore, there’s nothing particularly to worry about if I gather information to build friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty.

‘As long as it’s not military secrets, they won’t say anything.’

“In that process, I heard stories about a person called Eunuch Wang Jin.”

“How were people evaluating me as a eunuch?”

Wang Jin, who had been wary of me until just now, changed his attitude and perked up his ears with an active posture as he asked the question.

Most Eunuchs enter this path because their families had no way to make a living and were inevitably castrated by their parents… but this fellow uniquely became a eunuch voluntarily.

The reason he became a eunuch was due to his madness of wanting to become a person who gains power and wealth and glory and receives recognition from everyone by becoming a eunuch, rather than being called teacher and playing the role of an instructor in a prefecture.

There’s no way such a person wouldn’t be interested in how others evaluate him.

“The civil officials said that the sight of a mere eunuch acting arrogant just because he can read some calligraphy is surely that of a treacherous subject who will undoubtedly become one of the Ten Attendants. They didn’t hesitate to show contempt, asking how greedy for power one must be to cut off his own Male genitalia to become a eunuch.”

Speaking as someone who knows the future, the civil officials’ predictions were absolutely accurate.

This crazy bastard who voluntarily castrated himself for wealth and glory after becoming an adult would eventually completely ruin the Ming Dynasty.

It would reach the point where even Beijing would be on the verge of falling, but at that time, the Ming Dynasty’s tragic general Yu Qian barely managed to prevent it, so the Ming Dynasty could at least avoid being split in half.

“On the other hand, among the eunuchs, there are many who call you teacher and respect you for being able to read and write.”

“As expected, the civil officials don’t like me.”

“I think they simply fail to recognize your true worth.”

These words are also sincere.

If this bastard had been a treacherous minister of Joseon rather than a Ming Dynasty eunuch, I would have somehow made him die a natural death and sent him to the afterlife.

A crazy bastard like this needs to stay in the Ming Dynasty and cause chaos, so he can do the good deed of creating an opportunity for Joseon to recover its beautiful territories.

If he had been in Joseon, he would have met someone like King Sejo who was twisted by his desire for recognition, and would have become trash who leads all kinds of evil deeds.

After hearing my evaluation, Wang Jin tilted his head and asked.

“Then how do you view me, Your Excellency?”

“You will become someone like Sima Qian in the future.”

Wang Jin’s eyes wavered when he heard the name Sima Qian. Then a smile formed on his lips.

The corners of his mouth stretched so wide they almost reached his ears.

However, if I misspeak here, all the foundation work I’ve built up until now will collapse in an instant.

I need to keep my wits about me.

“You and Sima Qian have very similar paths. Of course, strictly speaking, Master Sima Qian was unjustly castrated for offering loyal advice. On the other hand, you directly lowered yourself to become a eunuch in order to fulfill your ambitions.”

As someone who studied history, honestly comparing someone like Sima Qian, who is a legend in Eastern historiography and ranks among great ministers, to trash like Wang Jin… it really pricks my conscience.

However, as an official of Joseon, I uphold the collective intelligence and imperialism of the British Empire, and just as they packaged colonial exploitation as the sacred duty of the ‘white man’s burden’…

For the glory of Joseon, to take reasonable revenge on China that tormented and exploited countless Koreans, I can do anything.

“However, Master Sima Qian endured all kinds of hardships to record history correctly as his father had instructed in his dying words. As a result, he left behind the book ‘Records of the Grand Historian’ which can be said to contain his entire life, and that is why Sima Qian’s name has been shining for over a thousand years.”

“Those words are truly correct.”

Wang Jin had served as a teacher at the County Office.

By 21st century standards, you could say he was equivalent to a professor at a regional four-year university.

That’s why such a person could hold the position of national tutor (the crown prince’s literary instructor) for nearly 10 years.

Even if Emperor Xuande wanted to strengthen the power of eunuchs to reinforce imperial authority, he couldn’t entrust the ‘teacher’ position to someone who didn’t properly know literature for long.

“And from what I’ve seen, you seem destined for the same path. Isn’t that actually the case? Right now, without any official rank, you’re already directly teaching literature to numerous eunuchs at the Inner Palace Academy. Why do you think that happened? Isn’t it possible because His Imperial Majesty recognized the patriotic loyalty in your heart and your high scholarship?”

“My lord.”

Tears streamed down Wang Jin’s eyes.

Yes, I’ve praised this guy who voluntarily castrated himself out of desire for recognition to this extent…

It’s natural that he’d cry. I understand completely.

“When you have time, could you write some calligraphy that contains your beliefs?”

“Of course, my lord. Though Minister of War may be a minister from the outer provinces, you think highly of me and evaluate me so favorably. How could I not write a single piece of calligraphy for you?”

“Thank you, I’m truly fortunate.”

Confucius said it’s better not to do something at all than to do it half-heartedly.

So if I’ve decided to flatter someone, I should properly deliver the finishing blow.

“Right now I can receive your calligraphy without much difficulty by asking like this, but I think later it will become something not easily obtained even if one offered a thousand gold. In that sense, I’ll also give a very generous reward in return.”

That day, not long after parting with Wang Jin, I was able to receive calligraphy he had written himself.

The content written was truly good, unlike what you’d expect from a future corrupt official.

‘Baekjeolbulgul’

It means never yielding even if broken a hundred times.

I gave Wang Jin, this fellow, a full 2 geun of ginseng as payment for the calligraphy.

This rumor naturally spread throughout the entire Imperial Palace.

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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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