Part 1: Min Mu-jil, the Envoy to Ming
After leaving the throne room, Min Mu-jil and Min Mu-gu first paid their respects to their father.
"Indeed. Mu-gu, Mu-jil. Now that you've risen to high positions, do your utmost. Especially you, Mu-jil—Lord Jeong-an seems to have great expectations, so you must excel."
"Yes, Father."
Come to think of it, Father had also been promoted to Judge of the Board of Taxation. Well, his rank hadn't changed, so it was more of a reassignment than a promotion. Still, overseeing finances as Judge of the Board of Taxation felt close enough to one.
"Then let's have a family meal together after so long."
"Yes, Father."
With that, Min Mu-jil returned home, picked up Han Yeo-ul, and headed to his father's house. During the meal there, as they chatted about this and that, Min Da-yeon arrived.
"Did you come alone, Sister?"
"My husband will join us shortly. I came ahead because I have something to discuss with you two."
What could it be? It made him uneasy.
Thus, Min Mu-jil and Min Mu-gu stood before Min Da-yeon once more after a long time—and knelt just like old times. He still found her intimidating. Especially after seeing what she'd done to Jo Jun, it had etched into his mind once again what kind of person she was. He'd harbored a slight grudge against Jo Jun from the previous incident, but that had evaporated. She'd tormented him so viciously; he almost felt sorry for the man now. They were heading to Ming together this time, so he'd have to treat him well. Besides, Jo Jun was the kingdom's top administrator and quite pragmatic—someone he could reason with.
At that moment, Min Da-yeon spoke.
"Sit comfortably."
Once they sat at ease, she showered them with praise. She'd said they'd both worked so hard.
"You've both suffered. But don't settle for Sangjanggun; keep pushing forward. Especially you, Mu-jil—handle this trip to Ming flawlessly. Show them the full might of our house. Prove that we're incomparable to the likes of Jeong Do-jeon; he was the only one who blocked us."
He'd planned to do that anyway. But the vibe felt truly ominous. She's the most dangerous one here.
"And if my husband pushes any policies, you two must lead the charge in supporting them. Our house must always walk the path he treads. Understood?"
"Yes, Sister."
"Good."
Then she approached him and embraced him.
"Mu-jil. You've been wandering the frontiers and treading envoy paths so often—it's been hard on you. But this time is truly crucial, so I hope you'll handle it well. This sister believes in you."
"I'll do my best and return successfully."
"Good."
She repeated the same words, but that underscored their importance. It was the Yi Bang-won regime's first official diplomatic move, after all.
As they talked, Yi Bang-won finally arrived, bringing Yi Cheon-u and his second sister along. So that's why he was late.
With Yi Cheon-u and the second sister joining, they discussed the recent rewards for merit and various other matters. Yi Cheon-u, in particular, seemed utterly satisfied. As the head of the Board of Military Affairs and the de facto prime minister of the Eastern Palace faction, he'd have to be shameless not to be.
At that point, Yi Cheon-u said,
"But Mu-jil, you're off to Ming again. You won't stay long at court, will you?"
"What can I do? It's what my brother-in-law commands. And it's not like the old days visiting Zhu Yuan-zhang, right? I'm content with that. Ah, viewing the tomb, I suppose?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Exactly right."
Only Han Yeo-ul couldn't laugh. He'd comforted her several times, but she was saddened by the prospect of him leaving for the frontiers again. Still, Min Da-yeon's consoling had calmed her somewhat. Come to think of it, Han Yeo-ul followed Min Da-yeon closely. She even cared well for Min Da-yeon's daughters. As long as it wasn't the sons, she posed no real threat—thank goodness.
Then their father spoke.
"Still, I'm worried. Even without Zhu Yuan-zhang, the rift from the memorial tablet incident won't resolve easily."
Father wasn't wrong.
"With Jo Jun going along, it should be fine, no? Besides, Mu-jil caught Zhu Yuan-zhang's eye before—no need to worry."
Min Mu-gu nodded in agreement. Yi Cheon-u and Min Mu-gu were taking it awfully lightly. Well, it was a fact that the difficulty had plummeted compared to Zhu Yuan-zhang's era. Plus, by now, Je Tae—whom he knew personally—and Fang Xiaoru would be key power holders, making talks far easier.
They spent the day in warm harmony.
Afterward, Min Mu-jil went straight to the Office of Special Counsel to begin work. Some were still resting, but he had to prepare for Ming. Everyone started drafting the memorial tablets and such for the emperor, and he reviewed them. They watched his reactions closely and followed his orders impeccably. Thanks to that, the memorials and documents turned out just as he wanted. He showed them to Jo Jun first.
Jo Jun was the chief envoy anyway, and they needed to align.
Jo Jun examined the memorials and said,
"Unlike previous writings, these are quite pedantic and lengthy. Is there a reason?"
"With the new emperor, I've drawn from Tang and Song-era memorials, extending the praises. This emperor and his circle differ from Zhu Yuan-zhang in temperament."
When the emperor was Zhu Yuan-zhang, writings had to be concise. Lengthy ones irked him as taking too long to read. Historical records from late Goryeo and early Joseon showed him raging over it. Even Ming officials got berated for superfluous content and told to shorten them. But circumstances had changed. Ming's real powers now were Je Tae, Fang Xiaoru, and Huang Zicheng. Especially Fang Xiaoru, Zhu Yun-wen's tutor and a hardcore Neo-Confucian scholar—exactly as Min Mu-jil remembered from their meeting. He valued form highly and favored ornate, scholarly prose. Zhu Yun-wen, trained under him, was no different and respected scholars' views immensely. This approach was better.
His explanation prompted,
"Hm. Quite persuasive. Yes, proceed like this. Indeed, Scholar Min, your extensive Ming contacts show—you know their ways well."
"You're too kind, Lord Left Prime Minister."
Jo Jun was someone he could talk to, unlike others.
Afterward, they got final approval from Yi Bang-won. Hearing the explanation, he approved immediately.
"Brother-in-law. I have high hopes this time. It's my first diplomatic step—do it right. Succeed in just two of the four I want, and it'll suffice."
"I'll strive to achieve all four, Lord Jeong-an."
"No need to overdo it."
Yi Bang-won's four goals were specific:
1. Safe return of detained envoys.
2. Resumption of tributary trade.
3. Establish three tributes per year.
4. Exclude gold and silver from tribute.
His minimum: 1 and 2. Number 1 was easy now that Zhu Yuan-zhang and Jeong Do-jeon were dead—dispatch envoys, and it resolved. Zhu Yun-wen had pardoned and released them soon after ascending. No one here knew that.
The rest were trickier, though he had countermeasures—and Yi Bang-won knew them, as he'd explained already.
Then Yi Bang-won said,
"Everyone out. I need a word alone with Yeo-seong."
Once alone, Yi Bang-won continued,
"Yes, Mu-jil. I have something private for you."
"Yes, Lord Jeong-an."
"As you said, Ming now resembles the pre-Seven States Uprising chaos of the early Western Han, so their reducing fiefs policy makes sense."
Many scholars under Zhu Yun-wen judged thus and implemented it.
"However, civil war takes time. As Jeong Do-jeon said, it won't erupt immediately. Didn't our own uprising take years? A civil war won't happen overnight."
Spot on. The Jingnan Rebellion wouldn't hit until next autumn.
"Thus, as you suggested, offering more horses in exchange for dropping gold and silver tribute is logical. If they're truly bracing for civil war, they'll accept. It's not bad for us either—horses suit us better than gold or silver. If needed, we can raid the Jurchens for them."
For Joseon, gold and silver in tribute were a real burden. Horses were easier—and as Yi Bang-won said, they could plunder Jurchens for them. That's why Joseon pushed to swap gold and silver for horses, cloth, and ginseng. It was simpler. Historically, they did so and profited immensely. Though Ming demanded absurd quantities—mostly Zhu Yuan-zhang and Zhu Di's doing. The Prince of Yan incident was an exception, with the emperor captured.
Zhu Yuan-zhang was infamous everywhere. But Zhu Yun-wen was kind-hearted, almost a sucker. Fearing Joseon wouldn't provide horses, he'd sent advance payment and begged. Civil war made horses urgent, but Zhu Di never would. That's why Min Mu-jil backed Zhu Yun-wen.
"If the tribute issue resolves well, they'll be eyeing civil war. Then, leverage your ties with Je Tae to gauge the Ming court's stance toward us. Confirm how they view Joseon. If it doesn't resolve well—or even if it does, but their reaction disappoints—approach Prince of Yan secretly on return. We'll weigh which side benefits Joseon more."
Oh ho, things are progressing better than expected?
"Are you considering military intervention?"
"Not yet. But if they acknowledge our dominion over the Jurchens, we could entertain it. To stabilize Joseon, we must crush the Jurchens and wokou definitively. Military aid isn't impossible for that. I agree with what you said criticizing Jeong Do-jeon's Liaodong campaign: with wokou and Jurchens, holding and governing Liaodong is impossible."
Was Yi Bang-won radicalizing from their chats? Or always like this? Min Mu-jil knew he was serious about subduing Jurchens and wokou, but intervening in Ming's civil war? Not bad for him. Military intervention was his last-resort plan for the Jingnan Rebellion.
Early on, fierce fighting in Shandong and Hebei pushed Zhu Di back. Despite more victories, Seo Hwi-jo, Cheol Hyeon, and others overwhelmed with numbers, pinning him in Shandong and Beiping. Especially Cheol Hyeon and Pyeong-an crushed his main forces, making victory impossible. But Zhu Di boldly struck Nanjing with his main army. En route, he suffered a major defeat to Seo Hwi-jo, but Zhu Yun-wen—misled that Zhu Di was retreating to Beiping—pulled back Seo Hwi-jo's army. Zhu Di seized the chance, ambushing and annihilating Pyeong-an and Ha-bok's forces, seizing momentum, then sweeping south with piecemeal defeats to win.
Without Zhu Yun-wen's blunder, Zhu Di lost. He fought well, but Zhu Yun-wen handed it to him. Thus, Min Mu-jil planned to intervene when Zhu Di marched on Nanjing—via military aid, though still conceptual. Backlash could be huge, and alternatives existed. But if Yi Bang-won thought this way, it opened doors. He'd decide later. First, fulfill orders.
"Yes, understood. I'll confirm thoroughly."
"I trust only you, Mu-jil."
After reporting to Yi Bang-won, Min Mu-jil prepared the envoy delegation. Finally ready, he boarded ship to Ming with Jo Jun and the group.
Crowds saw them off, but Yi Seong-gye was absent—likely avoiding Yi Bang-won. He loathed him. Or maybe Min Mu-jil more, as the Jeong Do-jeon killer.
Anyway, sea route to Nanjing was fastest, and they avoided early Yan contact. Aboard, chats with Jo Jun showed he viewed him positively.
They sailed, talking much, until arriving in Nanjing.
"Nanjing at last. Let's make it a success, Yeo-seong."
"Yes, Lord Left Prime Minister."
They entered Nanjing, greeted this time by Cheol Hyeon.
Cheol Hyeon eyed him.
"We meet often, Excellency."
"Indeed."
Third time in five years—frequent, especially with detention time totaling over a year in Ming.
"Wait at the envoy quarters."
"Understood."
Likely a day or two, then audience to present tribute and memorials, awaiting response. Unlike Zhu Yuan-zhang, Zhu Yun-wen consulted scholars.
They unpacked at the quarters and waited.