Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Stirring Up Trouble in the Ming Dynasty (6)
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For the Ming Dynasty, Joseon was the most trustworthy among the barbarians.
Unlike the Japanese pirates, they didn't band together to attack Ming's coastlines. Unlike the Jurchens, they didn't form bandit groups for plunder.
Yet when a new nation was founded, they handed over the authority to name it entirely to the Ming. And every time a new king ascended the throne, they made formal requests for permission, without fail.
Over decades, they had served the Ming faithfully without fail, never showing enmity.
They were a nation that staked their lives on accepting Ming culture and scholarship. In a way, the scholars of Joseon were more zealous than any Ming man when it came to serving and studying Confucius.
Even so, a corner of the Xuande Emperor's heart harbored deep suspicion toward Joseon that refused to fade away.
"The Yongle Emperor and Hongxi Emperor always warned me to beware of Joseon. I truly wonder if I can trust them..."
The emperor's chambers in the Forbidden City always had several eunuchs and palace maids present.
But the Xuande Emperor treated them as if they didn't exist, murmuring to himself as he organized his thoughts.
The eunuchs and maids in the emperor's chambers were like machines existing solely for his convenience, just as a certain brilliant prime minister with a lowly salt field slave's name had once said.
They weren't people who thought and acted of their own will like civil or military officials.
In fact, any eunuch or maid who leaked even the slightest secret was immediately "disposed of," so there was never any leakage from them.
"The Hongwu Emperor—that is, Zhu Yuanzhang—said that Joseon, descendants of Goguryeo, were barbarians who would surely muster hundreds of thousands of troops to eye the Central Plains if the Ming so much as faltered."
From Joseon's early days until the Imjin War and some time after, the Ming had gravely overestimated Joseon's national power.
They saw it as a frontier barbarian state that could mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops at any moment if it so desired.
That was why, when reports came of Busanjin Fortress falling and even Hanyang captured in a mere fortnight during the Imjin War, they fell into such delusion.
'The Joseon king is colluding with those Japanese bastards to attack the Ming!'
For Joseon, which had collapsed helplessly under the merciless Japanese invasion, it was an utterly unjust accusation.
But the Ming truly believed Joseon was a powerhouse with the capacity to mobilize hundreds of thousands anytime, and seeing such a nation pierced so easily, they reasonably suspected it must be putting on a wrestling show with the Japanese.
"Yet they haven't defied our Great Ming in decades. And from what I heard of this Kim Dae-bung, the envoy from Joseon... he even abandoned his pride to flatter lowly eunuchs."
Kim Dae-bung's flattery toward Wang Jin wasn't just for him alone.
Wang Jin was merely the emperor's eunuch—bluntly put, one of the lowliest slaves among the emperor's slaves.
That a young official who came as envoy-in-chief, no less one confident of becoming Joseon's youngest Chief State Councillor, bowed his head to such a man...
"It must be on the Joseon king's orders."
That was the logical conclusion.
A 23-year-old who had risen to rank 5, evaluated as capable of becoming a concurrent high post anytime if he wished.
Such a man had no reason to quibble.
He was simply a mad striver desperate for advancement.
His ambition pierced the heavens, and his talent matched it, propelling him to that position at such a young age.
Otherwise, it made no sense.
Why else would such a talented man endure the disgrace of bowing to a lowly eunuch, when it would shackle his ankles for life as he climbed higher?
The Xuande Emperor chuckled wryly and double-checked the intelligence from the Eastern Depot.
"The Eastern Depot doesn't know everything about Joseon... but for a mere rank 5 nobody, there's quite a lot."
According to the intelligence network the Eastern Depot had planted, Kim Dae-bung was a loyal subject who never bent his principles, no matter if Grand Prince Yi Bang-won—now retired Supreme King—threatened him with an iron mace.
Furthermore, he was a mad dog who, upon seeing corrupt officials, cried "You die or I die" regardless of their status, and had even impeached the Chief State Councillor in office, branding him a traitor and getting him executed.
Thus, the Xuande Emperor's thoughts flowed like this.
'Kim Dae-bung is a man driven mad for advancement, craving to become Chief State Councillor and wield power for life.'
'To that end, he is a subordinate who moves strictly according to the Joseon king's will.'
'Thus, just as Kim Dae-bung showed toward that Ming lowly eunuch, the Joseon king will obey whatever the Ming commands.'
Arriving at this conclusion...
He no longer needed to worry about the elite 200,000 Joseon troops that the paranoid, delusional Zhu Yuanzhang had fretted over.
And with that settled, it became amusing.
"Yi Seong-gye pushed forward Jeong Do-jeon to threaten our Great Ming Empire and conquer Liaodong, but his sons and grandsons have long since become dogs begging for Ming's grace."
As he organized his thoughts on Joseon, the Xuande Emperor decided from this point to significantly lower his vigilance level toward them.
A dog that fearlessly lunges to bite even envoys is frightening, but what is there to fear from one that merely wags its tail at its master?
Yet proper diplomacy means tapping even stone bridges before crossing, so he resolved to consult his most trusted Joseon expert, get advice, and tie up his thoughts.
"Summon Eunuch Yun."
Soon after, Yun Bong—the Joseon eunuch most reviled among Joseon officials—entered.
"You called for me, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. I summoned you because I want to ask about Joseon. Do you think I can trust the current Joseon?"
Yun Bong was a Ming eunuch, and among them, the highest-ranking one overseeing the Eastern Depot—which handled intelligence—and the Directorate of Ceremonials and Protocols, equivalent to Joseon's Office of Royal Decrees.
And the sole reason a Joseon man like him had risen this far was one thing.
'Eunuchs never presume to offer personal opinions to the emperor.'
"I beg your pardon, but this servant finds it difficult to offer personal views on matters concerning Joseon to Your Imperial Majesty."
"Yes, I know your family left in Joseon is being well-treated by the Joseon king. Yet from what I've observed, you have consistently pursued only Great Ming's interests—a true servant of the Ming. Thus, I ask you, not the Minister of Rites. Answer honestly."
The moment the principle against personal opinions was broken by the emperor himself, Yun Bong didn't panic. He read the situation from the emperor's eyes and expression.
And inferred his intent.
"Joseon wouldn't dare even dream of defying the Great Ming."
"I asked if I can trust Joseon, not whether they intend to defy the Great Ming."
"My apologies, Your Majesty. Though this servant was born in Joseon, it has been long since I became a Ming subject. Thus, it has also been long since I came to see Joseon as one of the lesser barbarian states. How could I presumptuously declare to Your Imperial Majesty that you should unconditionally trust or distrust these barbarians?"
The Xuande Emperor smiled at those words.
As Yun Bong said, he had never intended to completely erase his suspicion of Joseon no matter the circumstances.
Ming officials might crawl over the emperor's head anytime, so he entrusted military oversight to eunuchs for checks—how much more so a foreign king?
Though Yun Bong hadn't answered his question properly, the emperor found it commendable that he had read his intent.
"Continue."
"To gain favor from this servant, who is merely a single eunuch of the Ming, Joseon bestowed considerable wealth and office upon my family there, even granting them a house. Moreover, when envoy missions pass through places like Pyongyang by imperial decree, they deliberately extort much wealth and act with brutality, yet the Joseon king doesn't even think to protest. Is this not because they greatly fear Your Majesty?"
These were immensely satisfying words to the Xuande Emperor's ears.
"The Eastern Yi, Western Rong, Southern Man, Northern Di—they're all the same barbarians. It's just that among them, the obedient barbarian Eastern Yi happens to be Joseon."
"Ha ha, you're Joseon-born, yet you call Joseon 'Eastern Yi'? Then I've taken in a barbarian, and all previous emperors have wed barbarian concubines."
"This servant's learning is shallow, but I believe barbarians and civilized men are distinguished by whether they have been civilized. I have been civilized by the learning of the Central Florescence, while Joseon has not."
If Confucius heard that, he'd punch him for twisting his words to exalt China.
But to the Sinocentric Ming emperor, steeped in Chinese superiority, there was no finer flattery.
"Barbarians can only be ruled through a policy of appeasement. Joseon vows to serve the Ming even more diligently henceforth, so bestow imperial grace as reward to encourage their good mindset and conduct. Then they shall never dare even consider defying 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 this Wang Jin, whom Joseon's Kim Dae-bung flattered? Answer this honestly too."
Yun Bong well knew Wang Jin would soon take his position.
If he suggested killing him out of fear, he'd lose the emperor's trust.
Conversely, showing leniency might cost him the Directorate post but let him remain a close aide and wield power.
'Better to yield a little than lose everything.'
"Wang Jin did not boast everywhere of being greatly praised by Joseon's Kim Dae-bung; he informed only the minimum necessary people and restrained himself. Such conduct is truly exemplary for an eunuch. Thus, I believe punishing him would be unjust."
The Xuande Emperor sought even stronger imperial authority.
To that end, he thought he must minimize granting the honor of "emperor's tutor" to mere official nobodies however possible.
And in that process, Wang Jin was deemed useful.
Had Yun Bong called for punishing him, the emperor would have punished Yun Bong instead...
'Yun Bong knows his place well.'
"All you say is correct. I grant you 50 taels of silver—use it where needed."
At the same time, Kim Dae-bung was secretly conversing with a man disguised as a laborer.