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Chapter 39




< Chapter 39: Laughing and Crying Over Fandom (4) >
Chapter 39: Laughing and Crying Over Fandom (4)
“A ship has arrived at Jemulpo!”
“Is that so? Did it arrive without any issues?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the command of Emperor Yongle, Sejong, who had acquired hunting hawks, dispatched the Jin-eung-sa (Envoy for Hawks). Of course, merchants accompanied the envoy and returned with substantial profits.
Naturally, they also secured generous gifts in response to the hawks offered as tribute. As always, half of the funds received from the merchant caravan were used to purchase rice, which was then transported to Jemulpo using the ships of the Ming Empire.
“Did the books and items also arrive?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
While Sejong and the ministers were interested in the grain, Hyang’s attention was elsewhere.
Hyang’s focus was on the books that recorded Zheng He’s voyages and the items that were ideal for trade.
Two days later, an enormous number of chests entered the palace.
The chests were placed in the courtyard in front of the Geungjeongjeon, and Sejong, along with Hyang and the ministers, came out to the courtyard to inspect the contents.
As the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon opened the chests and inspected the contents, they looked at Sejong with surprised eyes.
“Your Majesty, these don’t seem to be copies; they appear to be originals.”
“What?”
* * *
While the court was in an uproar over the nationwide expansion of the cowpox inoculation, there were still many tasks that needed to be addressed, and Sejong and the ministers discussed and handled them.
“What about the hawks to be sent to the Ming Empire? Were they well taken care of?”
“The hawk masters of the Eunbang (Hawk House) are moving five of them.”
Sejong frowned and replied.
“Five... The hawk masters and the people must have suffered a great deal.”
“We are deeply grateful.”
“Study a compensation system for this.”
“As you command.”
After resolving the issue of the hawks to be offered as tribute, Sejong and the ministers moved on to the next agenda.
“What would you like to receive in return for the hawks offered as tribute?”
“The most important items would be sulfur and copper.”
The Minister of War mentioned sulfur without hesitation. As gunpowder weapons became increasingly important, the supply of sulfur and copper was essential.
However, since Korea did not produce sulfur, most of it had to be obtained from China and Japan, making the supply quite difficult.
Copper was no different. In fact, it was even more difficult to obtain. Copper was not produced in Korea, and the problem was that the Ming Empire and Japan consumed a lot of it themselves, making it hard to export.
Ultimately, in the tribute trade between the Ming and Korea, copper and sulfur took up the largest portion, followed by books and silk.
After much discussion, it was decided to request sulfur and copper, as suggested by the Minister of War.
“What else would be good?”
As soon as Sejong’s question was out, Hyang stepped forward.
“There are books we must obtain!”
“Books we must obtain?”
Hyang’s statement drew the attention of Sejong and the ministers.
“So, what books are you talking about? We already have most of the important classics in our Korea.”
“It’s not a classic. It’s the records of Zheng He’s voyages.”
“Zheng He’s voyages?”
Sejong expressed his confusion, and the Minister of Rites chimed in.
“Oh! There is a eunuch named Zheng He among the emperor’s attendants.”
“But why the records of his voyages?”
Zheng He led a fleet on an expedition by the emperor’s command.”
“Oh! I have heard of this.”
Sejong nodded in response to the Minister of Rites. He was not the only one; most of the ministers also nodded.
In the fifth year of Taejong, the court was in an uproar over the rumor that a eunuch had received the emperor’s command to lead a massive fleet on an expedition.
When the Korean court learned of such a massive fleet setting sail, they were in a state of emergency.
-Where is the fleet heading? To Korea? Or to Japan?
Taejong and the court were on high alert, but they eventually learned that the fleet was heading to the distant seas, not to Korea or Japan. Only after confirming this news did Taejong and the court relax.
“But why do we need those records?”
Hyang, who had been asked by Sejong, looked puzzled.
“What? Why do we need them? They are worth a fortune!”
Hyang saw that the ministers, including Sejong, had similar puzzled expressions and felt her blood pressure rise.
‘These noblemen, no! These noblemen are really...’
Realizing the severity of the situation, Hyang explained why Zheng He’s records were important.
-Zheng He visited countries that our Korea could not reach, and these records document his voyages.
-If we obtain these records, we can learn about countries that have what our Korea needs.
-We won’t just learn about the countries; we will also know the routes to get there, the time required, and the risks involved, which will help us avoid trial and error.
“Hmm... Is that so? Hmm... It might be...”
“Hmm... Yes...”
Sejong, who heard Hyang’s explanation, nodded slowly, showing a gradual understanding, but the other ministers still looked confused.
Seeing this, Hyang felt not just a rise in blood pressure but also a sense of despair.
‘These noblemen are really... They’re not ignorant old men from the countryside...’
Hyang, regaining her composure, gave an example that was easy to understand.
“Consider the gakgung (composite bow), the most important weapon for our Korean soldiers. The most crucial material for the gakgung is the water buffalo horn. But where do we get these horns now? Mainly from the Ming Empire. But does the Ming Empire give them easily?”
“Not at all.”
In response to Hyang’s question, the ministers all answered in unison. Korea’s gakgung was famous for its powerful force, so the Ming Empire did not sell much of the water buffalo horn, a key material. Korea had even suggested buying water buffaloes, but the Ming Empire had remained silent.
Therefore, even though Korea strictly prohibited smuggling, they actively encouraged it for water buffalo horns.
Ultimately, a significant portion of the water buffalo horns needed in Korea had to be imported through Japan and Ryukyu.
As the ministers understood, Hyang added:
“Water buffaloes are not only found in the south of the Ming Empire. They are also common in the southern regions of Japan and Ryukyu, but especially in Da Viet and Siam. During the reign of Taejo, envoys from Siam came, but proper trade relations were never established. Why? Because we didn’t know the way.”
“Oh!”
The ministers all exclaimed in surprise at Hyang’s words. They remembered this incident.
* * *
During Taejo’s reign, envoys from Siam came and offered tribute, and Taejo showed interest in trade, but no significant results were achieved, and the matter was left unresolved. Or rather, it was considered a failure. At the time, most of the ministers thought, ‘We were scammed!’
Moreover, most of the ministers who had been in power from Taejo to Sejong believed that one of the main reasons for the fall of Goryeo was commerce.
- The aristocrats, who colluded with merchants, indulged in luxury, leading to the corruption of the government, and all the damage fell on the powerless common people.
Sharing this belief, the ministers and the yangban (scholar-gentry) of the common people moved as follows, based on Confucian principles.
- To avoid such a situation, the yangban must be frugal, and the state must prioritize agriculture over commerce.
However, the main source of income for the yangban, who were the educated class and landowners, was the agricultural products produced by farmers.
Ultimately, the harsh lives of farmers and common people did not change much.
This conflict in thinking led to clashes between the ministers and Hyang, resulting in purges of the prime ministers, chief censors, and chief secretaries.
Ultimately, Hyang’s proposal was accepted, and it was decided to obtain a copy of Zheng He’s records.
The envoy, carrying the cages with the hawks, set off for Beijing.
* * *
“You have done well.”
“The emperor’s grace is boundless.”
Emperor Yongle, looking at the hawks in the cages with satisfaction, spoke.
“So, you have brought something precious. What would you like in return?”
“We desire sulfur and copper.”
Hearing the envoy’s answer, Emperor Yongle turned to the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet.
“Grand Secretary, negotiate with the envoys and provide an appropriate amount of sulfur and copper.”
“As you command.”
After issuing the order, Emperor Yongle looked at the Korean envoys and asked.
“Is there anything else you desire?”
“Though it pains me to say, we also desire a copy of the records of the expeditions led by the eunuch Zheng He.”
“Oh? The records of Zheng He’s expeditions?”
The interpreter’s words piqued Emperor Yongle’s curiosity.
“Why does Korea want these records?”
The chief envoy, bowing deeply, explained the reasons.
“Our Korea is a small country nestled in a corner of the vast world, and we do not know how vast the world is. Thanks to the emperor’s virtue, we have learned that there are many countries in this world. This alone is a matter of great gratitude, but we have also heard that Zheng He, by the emperor’s command, spread the emperor’s and the empire’s majesty across the four seas. Though we have learned about the vastness of the world through the emperor’s and the empire’s grace, we are still like frogs that have just emerged from a well and do not know the vastness of the Yangtze River. Therefore, we wish to obtain a copy of the records to understand the vastness of the four seas and the majesty of the empire that has been spread across them.”
The words were so flattering that even the interpreter felt uncomfortable.
Of course, these words were not created by the ministers. They were crafted by Hyang during a mock dialogue with Sejong and the ministers.
Hyang, who had created these words, returned to her room and scratched her arms while muttering.
“Ugh! It’s so cringeworthy it gives me goosebumps! Goosebumps! I really went all out! Even though I said it, ugh! Goosebumps!”
“Hahaha!”
Emperor Yongle, hearing the words through the interpreter, burst into laughter. Wiping away the tears from laughing so hard, he spoke.
“The current king of Korea truly has virtue! He knows his place! He’s better than his father or grandfather!”
Hearing Emperor Yongle’s words, the Korean envoys gritted their teeth but bowed their heads.
“The emperor’s grace is boundless!”
“Yes! Since a small country in a corner wants to understand the vastness of the four seas, we will provide it! Grand Secretary, prepare a copy and send it to Korea!”
“As you command!”
Upon receiving Emperor Yongle’s order, the Korean envoys raised their arms and shouted.
“The emperor’s grace is boundless! Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!”
* * *
That’s how Zheng He’s records ended up in Korea.
The problem was that it was not a copy but the original.
“Is this an administrative error?”
“Isn’t this a problem?”
Faced with an unexpected issue, Sejong, Hyang, and the ministers were all in a dilemma. At this moment, a scholar from Jiphyeonjeon, who was opening another chest, found a sealed letter.
“There is a sealed letter here!”
The Minister of Rites, holding the expensive silk envelope, tore the seal and read the contents, then frowned.
“What is it?”
“It’s a letter from the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet.”
“Let me see it.”
Sejong, receiving the letter from the Minister of Rites, read it and looked even more puzzled.
“I’m even more confused now.”
Hearing Sejong’s and the Minister of Rites’ reactions, Hyang interjected.
“May I read it as well?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Hyang, receiving the letter, immediately checked the contents.
The letter was simple.
-This was done through proper procedures, so Korea should not doubt or inquire about it.
Hyang, reading the letter, frowned.
‘No matter how many times I read it, it feels...’
No matter how many times she read it, the tone of the letter was clear.
-Just put it in! No, it’s not stolen goods! Just put it in! And don’t say a word! Shh! Shh! No, just put it in!
Hyang, thinking deeply, recalled her 21st-century memory and muttered to herself.
“So, it was just a chicken rib after all?”
“A chicken rib? Hyang, do you understand what it means?”
Hearing Sejong’s question, Hyang nodded.
“Yes, though it’s just my personal opinion...”
Hyang began her explanation.
< Chapter 39: Laughing and Crying Over Fandom (4) > End
ⓒ National Pride
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