He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 90

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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 (6)

For the Ming Dynasty, Joseon is the most trustworthy among all the barbarians.

Unlike the Japanese, they don’t organize Japanese Pirates to attack the Ming Dynasty coastline, and unlike the Jurchen tribes, they don’t form bandit groups to engage in plundering.

Moreover, when establishing their new nation, they completely handed over the authority to determine their national name to the Ming Dynasty, and whenever a new king ascends the throne, they dutifully request permission, even if it’s merely ceremonial.

For decades, they have consistently served the Ming Dynasty without ever showing hostility.

Furthermore, Joseon is a nation that stakes its life on accepting Ming Dynasty’s culture and learning, so in some ways, those who call themselves Joseon scholars are more devoted to serving and learning from Confucius than any Ming Dynasty citizen.

Nevertheless, deep in Emperor Xuande’s heart, suspicion toward Joseon was deeply rooted and showed no signs of disappearing.

“Emperor Yongle the Great and Emperor Hongxi always told me to be wary of Joseon. I truly don’t know if I can trust them…”

In the emperor’s quarters in the Forbidden City, there are always several eunuchs and palace maids present.

However, Emperor Xuande treated them as if they didn’t exist, speaking to himself to organize his thoughts.

The eunuchs and palace maids in the emperor’s quarters were, as a certain talented minister with the name of a wretched salt field slave had said, merely like machines existing for the emperor’s convenience.

They were not people who thought and acted with their own will like civil or military officials.

In fact, any eunuch or palace maid who leaked even the slightest secret would be immediately ‘disposed of,’ so there were no security breaches caused by them.

“Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang) said that Joseon, descendants of Goguryeo, are barbarians who would undoubtedly mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to target the Central Plains the moment the Ming Dynasty shows even the slightest weakness.”

The Ming Dynasty seriously overestimated Joseon’s national power from the Early Joseon Period until some time after the Japanese invasions occurred.

They saw them as frontier barbarians who could mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops whenever they wished.

So when they received reports during the Japanese invasions that the area from Busanjin fortress to Hanyang had fallen in the short period of about two weeks, they made this mistake in judgment:

‘The King of Joseon is conspiring with the Japanese to attack the Ming Dynasty!’

From Joseon’s perspective, having been mercilessly invaded and helplessly fallen to the Japanese, this was an utterly unfair accusation.

However, the Ming Dynasty sincerely believed that Joseon was a powerful nation capable of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops at any time, and when they saw such a strong nation being breached so easily, they reasonably suspected that they must be putting on a WWE show with the Japanese.

“However, they have not opposed our Great Ming for decades, and listening to the story of Kim Dae-bung, the deputy envoy who came as part of this diplomatic mission, I hear he even abandoned his pride to flatter lowly eunuchs…”

Kim Dae-bung’s flattery toward Wang Jin was not directed solely at Wang Jin.

Wang Jin is merely the emperor’s eunuch, or to put it bluntly, nothing more than the most lowly slave among the emperor’s slaves.

For such a young bureaucrat who came as a secretary, one whom everyone in the diplomatic mission was certain would become Joseon’s youngest Chief State Councilor, to bow his head like that…

“It must be what the King of Joseon ordered.”

Common sense dictated that this was the case.

An official who had risen to the 5th rank at the mere age of 23, and was evaluated as someone who could become a high-ranking official immediately if he set his mind to it.

There was no need to analyze such a person this way and that.

You could simply see him as someone who was crazy about advancing his career.

His ambition for success reached the heavens, and since his abilities matched it, he had climbed to that position at such a young age.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense at all.

Why else would such an outstanding person endure the dishonor of bowing his head to a lowly eunuch?

When he tried to climb higher, this incident would bind his ankles like shackles for the rest of his life.

Emperor Xuande chuckled and reviewed the information submitted by the Eastern Depot once more.

“The Eastern Depot can’t know everything about Joseon, but… for a mere 5th rank nobody, he has quite a lot going on.”

According to the intelligence network planted by the Eastern Depot, Kim Dae-bung was a loyal subject who never bent his convictions, whether King Taejong Lee Bang-won threatened him with an iron mace or not.

Furthermore, he was a mad dog who would shout “Either you die or I die!” when he saw corrupt officials, regardless of their status, and a man who had driven a sitting Chief State Councilor to death as a traitor with a single petition.

Therefore, Emperor Xuande’s thoughts flowed like this:

‘Kim Dae-bung is someone crazy about advancing his career and wants to become Chief State Councilor to enjoy power for life.’

‘For this purpose, he is a subject who moves thoroughly according to the will of the King of Joseon.’

‘Therefore, just as Kim Dae-bung showed such attitude toward a lowly Ming eunuch, the King of Joseon will obey whatever the Ming Dynasty commands.’

Thinking this way, a conclusion emerged.

There was no need to worry about Joseon’s elite army of 200,000 that Zhu Yuanzhang, a terminal patient of delusional disorder and paranoia, had been so anxious about.

Having reached this conclusion, what was amusing was:

“Lee Seong-gye used to put Jeong Do-jeon forward to threaten our Great Ming Empire and said he would conquer Liaodong, but his son and grandson have long become dogs hoping for Ming Dynasty’s favor.”

As Emperor Xuande organized his thoughts about Joseon, from this point forward he significantly lowered his level of wariness toward Joseon.

A dog that fearlessly charges to bite even a lion is frightening, but what is there to fear from a dog that wags its tail while looking at its master?

However, since it is proper diplomatic policy to test even a stone bridge before crossing it, he decided to seek counsel from the most trusted and finest Joseon expert before finalizing his thoughts.

“Summon Grand Eunuch Yun.”

Before long, the Korean eunuch Yun Bong, who was receiving the most curses among Joseon’s ministers, entered.

“Did you summon me, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, I called you because I have something to ask about Joseon. Do you think I can trust present-day Joseon?”

Yun Bong was a Ming Dynasty eunuch, and among them, the highest-ranking eunuch who supervised the Eastern Depot that managed intelligence and the Ceremonial Directorate that performed the role equivalent to Joseon’s Royal Secretariat.

And there was only one reason why he, a Korean, could rise to this position.

‘Eunuchs do not dare express personal opinions to the emperor.’

“I humbly report that it is difficult for this subject to dare express personal views to Your Imperial Majesty regarding matters related to Joseon.”

“Yes, I am well aware that your family remaining in Joseon is being treated very well by the King of Joseon. However, from what I have observed, you have consistently pursued only Great Ming’s interests and are truly a subject of Great Ming in name and reality. Therefore, I will ask you directly rather than the Minister of Rites. Answer honestly.”

Though the principle of not expressing personal views was being broken by the emperor himself, Yun Bong did not panic and read the situation by observing the emperor’s eyes and expression.

Then he guessed the emperor’s intention.

“Joseon cannot even think of opposing Great Ming, not even in their dreams.”

“I asked whether I can trust Joseon, not whether Joseon has thoughts of opposing Great Ming.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. Though this subject was born in Joseon, it has been long since I became a citizen of Ming. Thus, it has also been long since I came to regard Joseon as one among the Northern Barbarians. How could such a person rashly make definitive statements to His Imperial Majesty about whether barbarians can be unconditionally trusted or not?”

Emperor Xuande smiled upon hearing those words.

As Yun Bong had said, Emperor Xuande had never intended from the beginning to completely eliminate his suspicions about Joseon, regardless of what situation might arise.

When even Ming Dynasty ministers might climb over the emperor’s head at any time, requiring eunuchs to be given military inspection authority to keep them in check, how could he trust the King of Joseon?

Though Yun Bong had not properly answered his question, he found it admirable that he had read his intentions.

“Continue speaking.”

“To gain favor with this subject who is merely a eunuch of Ming, Joseon gave considerable wealth and official positions, plus even a residence to my family remaining in Joseon. Moreover, when diplomatic missions pass through various counties including Pyongyang according to imperial commands, they deliberately extort much wealth and act brutally, yet the King of Joseon cannot even think to protest about this. Is this not because they greatly fear Your Majesty?”

These were words most satisfying for Emperor Xuande to hear.

“The Eastern Yi, Western Rong, Southern Man, and Northern Di are all the same barbarians. It’s just that among them, Joseon is the Eastern Yi barbarian that listens well to orders.”

“Haha, you are Joseon, yet you call Joseon the Eastern Yi? Then I have taken in barbarians. Moreover, the previous emperors must have taken barbarians as concubines.”

“Though my learning is quite limited, I believe barbarians and people are distinguished by whether they have received civilization. I have been civilized through Zhonghua learning, while Joseon simply has not.”

If Confucius had heard this, he would have punched him, asking why he was using his words in such a way to elevate China.

However, to the Ming Emperor filled with Chinese pride, there was no better flattery than this.

“Barbarians can only be governed through the jimi policy. Since Joseon says they will submit to Ming even more diligently in the future, please bestow imperial grace as compensation to encourage such good intentions and behavior. Then they will never dare to think of opposing Your Majesty for a long time to come.”

“Yun Bong, your wisdom is truly outstanding. Excellent. Then what do you think should be done with Wang Jin, who was praised by Joseon’s Kim Dae-bung this time? Answer this honestly as well.”

Yun Bong knew well that Wang Jin would eventually take his position.

If he told the emperor to kill him out of fear, Yun Bong would lose the emperor’s trust.

Conversely, if he showed leniency toward him, even if he was pushed out of the Chief Eunuch position, he could remain as the emperor’s confidant and continue to enjoy power.

‘It’s better to give up a little than to lose everything.’

“Wang Jin has not been going around bragging about being greatly praised by Joseon’s Kim Dae-bung, and has only informed the minimum number of people while acting with restraint. His conduct can truly be called a model for eunuchs. Therefore, I think it would not be right to punish him.”

Emperor Xuande wanted to obtain even stronger imperial power.

For the sake of very strong imperial power, he thought he should minimize giving his petty subjects the honor of being the emperor’s teacher.

In that process, the one who seemed useful was precisely Wang Jin.

So if Yun Bong had said to punish Wang Jin, he would have punished Yun Bong instead, but…

‘Yun Bong knows his place well.’

“Everything you said is correct. I will grant you 50 nyang of silver, so use it where needed.”

At the same time, Kim Dae-bung was secretly conversing with a man who had entered disguised as a laborer.

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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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