Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Deceive the Ming Dynasty (5)
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There was one thing all the eunuchs who came to Joseon had in common.
I couldn't say what they were like back in Ming, but the moment they set foot in Joseon, every last one of them turned into insufferable tyrants.
The depredations they wrought were so severe that the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty described the towns they passed through as stripped bare, not even a speck of dust left behind.
However... Zheng He was different.
Perhaps because he wasn't just any eunuch—he was a true man of valor who had served as a general, even if he lacked the functions of one.
He committed none of the usual outrages.
"I couldn't understand why Emperor Yongle would entrust the Western Campaign—one of the names for Zheng He's great expedition—to a mere lowly eunuch. But after seeing his demeanor and character here in Joseon, it all makes sense now. What do you think, Councilor Kim?"
"This humble official agrees with what the Minister of Rites has said."
"I was sure he'd demand tribute like all the other eunuchs, so we scraped together a fortune to offer him. Now it's all gone to waste."
The pinnacle among eunuchs was, of course, the Director of Ceremonies.
Just as the atmosphere in court could shift dramatically depending on who held the largely honorary post of Chief State Councillor in Joseon...
Zheng He had earned merits that would have seen him rise to the ranks of the meritorious elite if not for his status as a eunuch, giving him a position even the Director of Ceremonies dared not touch.
That was why he oversaw the capital relocation to Beijing—and this time, why he commanded the great expedition with tens of thousands of troops.
"Grand Eunuch Zheng himself seems to have no interest in bribes, but the others who came with him are a different story. If we don't put bribes in their hands... they'll cook up all sorts of rumors about Joseon and report back to the Ming court."
Even into the 1980s and '90s, teachers treated students who gave lavish gifts differently from those who gave none.
Kids who gave plenty got glowing student records without asking, and even when they messed up badly, the teacher would just give them a warm scolding instead of punishment.
But stingy kids? A tiny slip-up earned them a paddling, public shaming, the works.
How much more so from these Ming bastards, who had summoned Joseon's Crown Prince, subjected him to all manner of humiliations, and even forced him to remove his hat so they could pat his head like a child...
If Joseon held back on bribes, they'd nitpick everything to make our lives hell.
"Starting a fight with them would do us no good."
"So we should slip them the bribes on the sly, where Grand Eunuch Zheng won't see."
As Heo Jo and I discussed how to handle the Ming envoy delegation, one of the eunuchs suddenly appeared at the Hall of Worthies.
I shot a glare at the military officer on duty there, utterly dumbfounded.
But when I saw the clothes on the intruding eunuch, I understood why he'd been allowed in.
He wasn't wearing Joseon eunuch robes, but Ming ones.
'He must be here to deliver a secret message from Ming.'
"Is Lord Kim Jukheon present?"
"Here."
"Ah, there you are."
The Ming eunuch approached me and bowed with utmost courtesy.
It was disorienting to see one of these stiff-necked, notoriously rude eunuchs act so politely.
These guys usually threatened to make their fathers and brothers prime ministers left in Joseon unless we complied...
'Good thing I reeled in Wang Jin.'
"The Grand Tutor to the Emperor has sent a letter to Lord Jukheon."
"I'll read it."
"Please send a reply before we depart for home. That way, we can deliver your response to the Grand Tutor."
If that eunuch had a brain in his head, he wouldn't deliver a letter containing dangerous secrets—risky in either Joseon or Ming—in such an open manner.
So it should be safe to read right here.
Conveniently, Heo Jo had stepped out on business, so no one to ask permission from.
"Let's see."
[Lord Jukheon recognized this lowly eunuch and prophesied my rise to greatness—a grace I shall never forget. Thus, as both a eunuch of Ming and the Emperor's Grand Tutor, I am always seeking ways to aid both our nations.]
Last time, when we took King Munjong to Ming, Wang Jin stepped forward with advice on how Joseon should navigate the situation, helping us weather a major crisis.
Without him, Munjong would have faced humiliations several times worse than what he endured, and resolving the diplomatic fallout would have been far harder.
Even now, as mere "nanny" to the Emperor, he's this helpful to Joseon...
Imagine after Emperor Xuande's untimely death, when Emperor Zhengtong ascends and Wang Jin holds real power in court...
How invaluable would he be?
Just thinking about it made my heart race.
If I played my words right, I could turn this Ming pillar into a boon for Joseon.
[To that end, I shall now reveal the true reason for dispatching this Western Campaign fleet. The Joseon court should take note and cooperate—for the good of all.]
Below that was a detailed explanation of why the fleet had been sent.
It matched our predictions from start to finish.
To flaunt Ming might to Joseon and eradicate the Japanese pirates, minimizing wako raids—laid out in full detail.
"The content itself is utterly mundane..."
Since it was all so innocuous, the eunuch who delivered it probably thought nothing of handing it over.
But that was what felt off. Wang Jin—the sinister, scheming apex of Ming—sending a personal letter to me, the man he trusted most in Joseon, with nothing but this?
He treated me like family...
And this was all the intel he gave on the Western Campaign fleet?
'That doesn't add up.'
"There's a trick where you scorch a letter over a candle to reveal hidden ink, right?"
Holding the inked front near a candle flame and singeing it revealed new writing on the previously blank back, just as I'd suspected.
[His Majesty knows full well Joseon would never betray Great Ming. Thus, he hopes Joseon will show its sincerity in this pirate suppression. If Your Lordship personally joins Grand Eunuch Zheng to sweep Tsushima and Iki clean, His Majesty will more firmly believe Joseon's loyalty—and harbor no further doubts.]
A chill ran down my spine as I grasped Ming's insidious intent.
Zheng He had sworn not to burden Joseon and to pay generously for supplies at every port of call.
And loudly proclaimed Joseon troops needn't join the campaign...
'If we'd taken that at face value, Ming would have thrown a fit.'
Despite His Majesty's clear words, if Joseon failed to read between the lines, he'd deem us insolent—dispatching not Zheng He, but a tyrant eunuch-led delegation to rampage from Pyongan Province onward...
Hey, you call yourselves Ming vassals swearing loyalty.
How dare you not even pretend to mobilize for our pirate hunt?
You're faithless scum no better than the Japanese.
But our Ming is so magnanimous—if you bow your heads properly, we'll forgive you.
No Crown Prince demand this time; just send something fitting.
Do it cleanly and with flair, got it?
And since this is your voluntary tribute out of gratitude for our ocean-like imperial grace, our gifts will be... perfunctory.
Miffed? If you're miffed, that proves you're barbarians.
[His Majesty saw Your Lordship's grace and character firsthand at the Forbidden City. When this lowly one spoke of your loyalty to Ming, he praised you as future Joseon's top man below one and above all. Sending three or four other ministers would pale compared to Your Lordship going personally—it would impress His Majesty far more.]
Wang Jin hadn't spelled it out, but ships in this era killed passengers without raising eyebrows.
Especially if a Joseon minister mysteriously died on Grand Eunuch Zheng He's great expedition...
No one would bat an eye.
Of course, Zheng He gained nothing from killing me, so my odds of an "accidental" death were near zero...
'Still risky.'
[Enclosed are several packets of rare medicinals to bolster Your Lordship's health. I eagerly await our next meeting.]
"Aigoo, shit."
The curse slipped out, and the Hall of Worthies scholars all looked up, jaws dropping.
I was in the wrong for swearing mid-duty at court.
But how could I not?
Pouring a torrent of inner curses, I immediately began drafting a memorial to King Sejong.
'From Wang Jin's secret letter, it looks like I'll have to take a ship after all.'