Part 1 - The Birthday Envoy's Journey to Ming
Yi Seong-gye brought up the story from when Jeong Do-jeon had visited him at the Hamju barracks. He spoke of the prophecy Jeong Do-jeon had shown him, directed at Yi Seong-gye himself. What did that have to do with me?
"Whether it's Sam Bong or you, even if you both have your own desires, you both prioritize your lord's will above all else. And that's not all—both of you are paragons of integrity."
It was his way of praising me, I suppose. We were uncannily similar in that regard. In reality, Jeong Do-jeon would heed Yi Seong-gye's words unless their intentions clashed irreconcilably. And it was true that he built a wall against bribes.
"And you're undoubtedly capable. That's another way you're like Sam Bong."
But wouldn't that apply to anyone else too? It felt like he was deliberately trying to get under my skin. Thinking about it, yeah, that seemed right. He didn't hate me that much, but it was only because I was the best of Yi Bang-won's bunch in his eyes. He'd said as much to me before: "You piss me off too, but you're the least bad of the lot."
"And also... Never mind. Forget it. Anyway, when you go as the birthday envoy, bring back some sugar."
Why me, of all people?
"Because I don't want to ask that bastard Bang-won! It's for the queen consort—go get it!"
He was utterly devoted to Gang Clan, that much was clear. The reason made sense. I despised Gang Clan, but fetching sugar was no big deal. While I was at it, I should grab some for Min Da-yeon too. He'd even given me travel funds; it'd be rude not to bring something back. She loved sweets anyway—maybe I could make her something nice with it.
Come to think of it, I needed to push for southern expansion too. But that could wait until after dealing with the Japanese. For this Joseon to stabilize, subjugating the Jurchens and crippling Japan were essential.
But Yi Seong-gye... He must see me as the most approachable one. Making requests like this.
"Yes, Your Highness the Supreme King. I'll bring back plenty."
"Good. And when you return, make some food too."
I'm not a chef... And as we chatted about this and that, something felt off. Had he given up on heading to the Northeast Frontier after the personnel shuffle and Jurchen campaign? What was he planning? I might need to watch him closely while I was away—tell my men to keep a tight surveillance.
"Understood."
"Go on, then."
"Yes, Your Highness the Supreme King."
With that, I went off to prepare for the birthday envoy mission once more.
Watching Min Mu-jil leave, Yi Seong-gye thought,
"He's like Sam Bong, but also like Po-eun. No, more like a blend of the two."
Yi Seong-gye saw similarities between Min Mu-jil, Jeong Do-jeon, and Jeong Mong-ju. But he'd singled out Jeong Do-jeon just to needle him—Min Mu-jil despised Jeong Do-jeon. The man was one of Yi Bang-won's faction and had killed Jeong Do-jeon himself, so Yi Seong-gye wanted to dish out at least this much insult.
"Well, since I view him favorably, he can take it."
In truth, Yi Seong-gye thought quite highly of Min Mu-jil. He was the best of Yi Bang-won's people. Sure, as the one who'd directly killed Jeong Do-jeon, he was like an enemy—but Yi Seong-gye had always liked Min Mu-jil, and he lived the cleanest life among Yi Bang-won's inner circle.
Many of Yi Bang-won's aides were corrupt, strutting around arrogantly, obsessed with buying land and expanding their slaves. But not Min Mu-jil. He'd never taken a bribe, cooked his own meals—a paragon of integrity with no interest in amassing wealth. Sure, Yi Bang-won lavished him with gifts, and his Yeheung Min Clan was a prestigious house with ample fortune already. But Yi Seong-gye, who'd watched him for decades, knew that wealth and greed were unrelated. Lee In-im hadn't turned corrupt from poverty, after all.
That's why he saw echoes of Jeong Do-jeon and Jeong Mong-ju in him—both were incorruptible. And his abilities matched theirs too: scheming at Yi Bang-won's side like Jeong Do-jeon, military prowess and diplomatic finesse with Ming like Jeong Mong-ju.
"Funny thing is, his resentment toward Ming is just like Sam Bong's."
From their conversations, Yi Seong-gye could tell Min Mu-jil harbored hostility toward Ming beyond even his grudge against Zhu Yuanzhang. He pretended otherwise, but it slipped out—whenever Zhu Yuanzhang came up, so did the idea that Ming's weakness would benefit Joseon.
It was exactly like Jeong Do-jeon.
"What a peculiar fellow. And now Ming's in civil war. I hope they all just drop dead. Let the Central Plains burn, make that pig Zhu Yuanzhang wail from the afterlife."
Yi Seong-gye harbored as much resentment toward Ming—especially Zhu Yuanzhang—as Yi Bang-won did. Right after founding Joseon, the man had tormented him endlessly, even dragging him down to his grave. He deeply wished the Ming Zhu Yuanzhang built would implode, leaving him howling in hell.
As he cursed Zhu Yuanzhang,
"Speaking of which, this Ming civil war torments me to the end. Bang-won used it to purge the Northeast Frontier, stuffing it with his own men!"
He knew Yi Bang-won was exploiting the chaos to intensify pressure on the Jurchens, installing loyalists everywhere in the Northeast. That crushed Yi Seong-gye's last hope. He'd thought rallying the frontier forces and Jurchens was his only shot at ousting Yi Bang-won—but now it was impossible.
"Ming bastards are no help, Zhu Yuanzhang or not. Why start a civil war now, of all times, to screw me over like this? You pigs."
Still, he couldn't stomach watching Yi Bang-won ascend. He'd escape somehow and refuse to acknowledge him as king. That's why he'd sent Min Mu-jil for sugar "for Gang Clan." He hoped the meticulous man would let his guard down. It'd make breaking out easier. Sure, it was partly for Gang Clan, but this scheming was in play too.
"I hope that unfilial son Bang-won gets his comeuppance from his own boy, just like I did. That might ease this grudge a bit."
Thus, Yi Seong-gye prayed not just for his escape, but for Zhu Yuanzhang's Ming to crumble into oblivion and Yi Bang-won to suffer at his son's hands, as he had. He hoped Buddha would pity him and grant at least one.
Meanwhile, Min Mu-jil finished preparations for Ming and boarded the ship.
Whew. Off to Ming on another business trip. Not to see Zhu Yuanzhang, so that was a plus. And I had my own agenda. Interfering in the Jingnan Rebellion, among other things to check out.
Before leaving, I'd informed Yi Bang-won of Yi Seong-gye's order to fetch sugar. He nodded and instructed me to buy plenty—he wanted some too. So I'd stock up generously.
I also ordered my subordinates to tighten surveillance on Yi Seong-gye. Something felt fishy. The Yi Seong-gye I knew wouldn't give up, even without the northeast shuffle blocking a rebellion. He'd at least eye an escape.
It feels like bullying the old man, I thought, but staying comfortably in the palace is best for him. I provide most conveniences anyway. Not his keeper, yet I bring him food I cook, buy whatever he wants, and now sugar too. Just rest easy in the palace and chant sutras—that'd be ideal.
Honestly, scheming a northeast rebellion or protest in his twilight years would be pathetic. Better to live out his days peacefully in the palace.
Anyway, en route to Ming, I chatted with Yi Cheom to pass the time. He was quite favorable toward me—not just for abolishing gold and silver tribute, but he approved of killing Jeong Do-jeon too. Yi Cheom had his own beef with him. Jeong Do-jeon, you really made enemies everywhere.
From Yi Cheom, I learned something new: in his youth, Jeong Do-jeon had been best friends with Yi Sung-in and Gwon Geun. They studied and played together daily. Yet he'd ordered their deaths and pushed that absurd impeachment. What a personality. Jeong Do-jeon, your humanity knows no bounds—terrible through and through. Abilities were decent, though.
Recently, Yi Bang-won had implemented many reforms starting with the Hall of Worthies, all drawn from my organized compilation of Jeong Do-jeon's old plans. I'd thought the Hall of Worthies started in King Sejong's era, but it existed in late Goryeo. Jeong Do-jeon had critiqued its flaws, and Yi Bang-won reimagined it creatively as "innovative." Plus local policies and more in the works. Yi Bang-won would handle it fine; no need for me to fret over everything.
Aside from Yi Cheom, there was another: Jang Yeong-sil, gazing at the sea.
"That exciting, huh?"
"Yes, my lord. Thank you so much. I've always wanted to visit Ming."
Only 14, but I'd pulled strings to make him my attendant. I had the authority.
"Lots of wondrous things there—make sure you see them."
"Yes, my lord!"
I didn't expect much from him yet. Just indulging his wish to see Ming. Treat Jang Yeong-sil well now, and later I could use him effectively. Childhood memories like this build bonds and loyalty.
Days aboard ship flew by, and soon we reached Nanjing. Familiar after so many visits.
And there was Cheol Hyeon again.
Huh? Hasn't this guy gone to Shandong Peninsula yet?
Cheol Hyeon approached. "We meet often, Excellency."
"Indeed. Good to see you, General."
We'd grown fairly close. Frequent encounters helped, plus our age gap wasn't huge, and he was decent company. Befriending Cheol Hyeon was ideal—he was a key player I'd need. New ideas sparked with him here.
Upon arrival, we promptly submitted the congratulatory address and dispatch for Zhu Yunwen's birthday. He seemed pleased.
"This address pleases Us too."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As birthday envoys, we presented for the emperor's—now actually the prince's—birthday. It hit the mark. Byeong Gye-ryang wrote well.
"Rest at the envoy quarters for now. We shall reply later."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
That meant he'd consult aides and issue demands. Birthday envoy or not, it was diplomacy.
We waited at the quarters. Yi Cheom asked, "Deputy, what demands do you think they'll make?"
"Obviously, more tribute horses. The Crown Prince knows too."
Before departing, we'd anticipated with Yi Bang-won and others: either increased horse tribute or Ming buying directly in Joseon.
Sure enough, Je Tae arrived for talks.
"Long time, Excellency."
"You come to the Great Ming often."
"So it seems."
"Not bad. You're reasonable—easy to deal with."
Je Tae was straightforward too. Negotiations wrapped quickly. As expected, they wanted more horses; we agreed to +250 per tribute. They'd asked for +400, but we cited transport limits. He accepted. They'd send ships soon to buy. Probably next fall—that's when Yi Kyung-ryeong gets wrecked.
"We'll discuss other matters later. Thanks for the ginseng again."
He loved the wild ginseng. Time for small favors.
"Excellency, a request?"
"What is it?"
"Know any place to buy sugar in bulk?"
He laughed. "You like sugar, eh?"
"I enjoy cooking. And it's a favor."
He roared with laughter. "I'd wondered what your fun was—no interest in Nanjing's top brothel. Cooking makes sense. Not many like that."
Je Tae had once invited me to the best pleasure house; I'd declined. He found me odd—what joy in life? Cooking explained it. Many scholar-officials in Joseon and Ming fancied cooking.
"Fine, I'll introduce a merchant guild. Can't refuse when you're paying."
"Thank you, Excellency."
Next day, Je Tae sent a man. I took Jang Yeong-sil and others to buy sugar—and scout Nanjing's markets. Perfect reference for Hanyang's future markets. Ming was the most advanced now; worth studying.