Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Intricate Schemes (3)
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Even though the Joseon Crown Prince had come all this way, the atmosphere in the Ming audience chamber was frigid beyond measure.
Back when Prince Gyeongnyeong of the previous dynasty had visited, during the time when Grand Prince Yangnyeong was still crown prince, they had received the utmost hospitality—the emperor himself had even stroked his head.
But now, there wasn't the slightest sign of welcome.
"The young Joseon crown prince must have suffered greatly on this long journey."
Crown Prince Munjong replied to the emperor's words.
"I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. Though I am from Joseon and it takes time to reach the capital, when Your Majesty summons me, it is only right for a vassal to come running at once. I thought I could behold Your Majesty in person, and even this long envoy journey was nothing but joy."
"The Joseon crown prince is far too given to flattery. I seek to keep villains at a distance and the loyal close—why does the Joseon crown prince delight only in pretty words?"
"I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty."
"Yet from those embellished words, I have sensed the Joseon crown prince's sincerity, so I shall scold no further."
If the Ming court took issue with Joseon expanding its territory without permission, they should lodge a diplomatic protest.
But this mad bastard was pulling rank on a child crown prince right in front of the envoy delegation—what a son of a bitch!
The standard reply when asked if the envoy journey was arduous was always, "It was so joyful coming to see Your Majesty that I didn't even notice the hardships of the road."
That's exactly what Munjong had given—the textbook response—yet this emperor character shot back with, "You little shit, talking like some sycophantic villain; you've got yellow sprouts showing."
The diseased emperor bastard, who would croak soon enough, sure knew how to spew venom.
Thanks a lot, you rotten scum.
I'll make sure to tear the Ming dynasty into pretty little pieces for you—just wait for me in hell.
"The crown prince must be weary from the long journey, as must your other officials. Thus, in special mercy, I shall exempt you from the hamayeon banquet and have you return to rest at once."
"Your benevolence is overwhelming, Your Majesty."
"I shall read the memorial submitted by King Do tomorrow and reply as swiftly as possible. Rest easy until then. Once I have issued my response, you may depart."
In truth, Munjong, Choi Yun-deok, and I were all quite fatigued.
So it would be convenient and pleasant to simply return and rest as the emperor commanded.
But considering the implications of his words?
This directive from the emperor was a clear signal that he would treat our envoy delegation as less than human.
There was no need to observe formal diplomatic protocols with the likes of current-day Joseon, so they had unilaterally skipped them.
In other words, "Know your place and just wait around resting."
'This is too great a humiliation for young Munjong to endure.'
Even I was trembling with rage boiling up inside.
They summon a nation's crown prince on a grueling journey, only to treat Joseon as beneath the Jurchen barbarians?
As crown prince, he had done nothing wrong—yet he would endlessly agonize over what mistake he had made, where it all went wrong.
In that process, he would plunge into profound self-loathing and despair.
"You may withdraw."
Upon hearing the Ming emperor's dismissal order, we all exited the audience chamber in the Forbidden City.
Munjong, who had grown quite close to me during the envoy journey, pushed past Choi Yun-deok and came to my side.
"Chief Delegate, what have I done wrong for His Majesty to treat us worse than Jurchen barbarians? I truly don't know, but if you tell me, I'll correct it—so please explain everything from one to ten."
Munjong was profoundly shaken right now.
His face had paled, and his body was trembling.
At just thirteen, bearing the fate of a nation and conducting himself so admirably to reach this point was feat enough—yet upon arrival, he had to endure the emperor's meticulous declaration that "Joseon ranks below the Jurchens."
If his mind were still sound after that, it would be the real surprise.
"Your Highness has done nothing whatsoever wrong. Nor has the envoy delegation you have led done anything wrong."
"Is that so?"
"Indeed. Consider this: if Joseon had truly committed a grave error, they wouldn't have even permitted Your Highness and our envoy to enter the capital."
And until that issue was resolved to some degree, we would have had to keep sending memorials via the Yodong Governor from Hanyang, while the emperor responded with edicts packed with outrageous demands.
"Hand over princesses, hand over eunuch boys, hand over tiger pelts, hand over horses"—all dressed up in elegant imperial prose, pouring down like a flood.
Joseon's court would have bent double just gathering those tributes.
No, they could manage tribute demands somehow.
The real problem was having to offer up Joseon commoners as princesses and eunuch boys, just like the comfort women exploited by the Japanese during colonial rule.
And then consoling each other that it was unavoidable for Joseon's survival.
Just imagining that scene made my blood surge in reverse.
"I say it once more: Your Highness has done absolutely nothing wrong. They are merely wary because Joseon has grown too strong."
"Wary, you say."
"As I passed through Yodong, I tried building rapport with the military officers there by slipping them appropriate gifts. But they all asked the same thing in unison—what was the secret behind Joseon's crushing victory over the Jurchens?—quite seriously, too."
So I fed them lies that omitted the core secrets but sounded plausible enough.
Joseon had squeezed the peasants dry for the Jurchen campaign, braced for multiple grain transport ships to sink, and stockpiled provisions in Hamgyong and Pyeongan Provinces.
Then, advancing with a great army while maintaining supply lines nonstop left the Jurchen barbarians unable to even twitch.
"Hearing them ask me such things convinced me they are extremely vigilant about Joseon's sudden rise in strength."
"......Is that how it is, Vice Commander?"
Choi Yun-deok nodded at Munjong's question.
"Did I not serve as Supreme Commander this time and lead the Joseon army? Our forces were so mighty that we achieved several times the expected results. It's only natural for Ming to be on guard."
In the original history, the expeditions ended at securing the Four Garrisons and Six Commands—essentially the current Korean Peninsula border.
But now we were eyeing beyond southern Manchuria, into Yanbian, Vladivostok, and even Siberia...
'They have every reason to be wary.'
"But Your Highness, there is no cause for concern. I will resolve this somehow."
Fortunately, Ming had the mortal enemy Northern Yuan to contend with, and tensions with Annam that could erupt into war at any moment.
In such circumstances, they couldn't afford all-out war with Joseon or a diplomatic rupture.
If Joseon's envoys appropriately broached the issue and submitted plans for dealing with the Jurchens, the Ming emperor would quickly forgive us and drop the snub and suspicion.
The problem was how to convey that.
"Chief Delegate, my lord!"
A familiar voice called out.
No—just from the voice, I knew who it was.
That eunuch's shrill, sycophantic tone dripping with villainy.
This was unmistakably Wang Jin.
"I never imagined you'd find me so quickly."
The crown prince and Choi Yun-deok stared at me like I was some bizarre stranger.
Joseon might be in a position to fawn on Ming, but for the chief delegate to welcome a mere eunuch so warmly must have seemed absurd.
Whatever. To me, the bastard standing before me was like a high-interest fixed deposit.
No—like a stock that, with diligent investment, was bound to skyrocket like some revolutionary fruit-phone uncle's company in the future.
The man who would play the biggest role in splintering Ming apart.
"Haha, Chief Delegate. Rejoice with me."
"Has some great fortune befallen you?"
"His Majesty has greatly praised my talents, scholarship, and character, appointing me as Guorang, tutor to the crown prince. A mere eunuch like me becoming Guorang—what an unprecedented event in Ming history, no?"
Hearing the translation via interpreters, the crown prince and Choi Yun-deok tilted their heads, then widened their eyes in shock.
"Congratulations, Lord Guorang."
"Just as you said, Chief Delegate—the empire has recognized my talents. Like Sima Qian, who toiled even as a eunuch to achieve his ambitions, now I too can display my gifts to the world."
In the talent for ruining a country, you take the cake, Wang Jin.
If Joseon had Won Gyun, the King Injo who couldn't even flee, and Empress Myeongseong who handed out all offices to her kin...
Then Ming had Wang Jin, to that degree.
"With fine gentlemen like Lord Guorang filling it, Ming will surely prosper greatly in the future."
"Haha, the same goes for Joseon, no? With men like you, Chief Delegate, Joseon will continue to flourish."
After lavishly praising Wang Jin to his heart's content, I let out a deep sigh.
"Lord Guorang, might I make one small request?"
"For the man who recognized my true worth sooner than anyone, what wouldn't I do? So long as it doesn't harm the realm, I'll help with anything."
Wang Jin coin—bottom-fishing buy, massive success.
He wasn't yet the Grand Eunuch Sili Taigong, but as Guorang, his influence already rivaled it.
In other words, it was entirely feasible to convey Joseon's true intentions to the Ming emperor through him.
"I don't know who, but it seems some villainous sycophants are clouding His Majesty's gracious favor and slandering Joseon. How might we overcome this?"