Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 608 The little temple demon is so powerful

“We’ll take our leave now,” Huang Yicheng said, bowing to Wu Yunqian, Liu Yingyuan, and Li Qingquan at the entrance of the post station commonly used by the Korean delegation. “If you need anything, the three envoys can simply send someone to let us know.”

"Thank you for your trouble, Director Huang." Wu Yunqian led the way in returning the greeting.

"You're too kind, farewell!" Huang Yicheng bowed again and left.

"Goodbye."

The courtyard gate closed gently, and the latch slammed shut. Wu Yunqian's face slowly darkened.

"Ambassador Wu, Vice Ambassador Liu, Compiler Li." Several interpreters accompanying the delegation greeted them with smiles, but were intimidated by Wu Yunqian's cold face.

"Go back to your rooms! We have matters to discuss. Unless summoned by officials from the Celestial Empire, do not disturb us." Wu Yunqian glanced at them and turned to walk towards the main house.

Liu Yingyuan and Li Qingquan followed behind him, their expressions different, and neither of them spoke.

The interpreters had originally wanted to inquire about the meeting, but seeing Wu Yunqian's expression, they could only stand there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

“Vice Envoy Liu,” Wu Yunqian said abruptly as soon as he sat down, “Why did you tell such a lie?”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingquan, who was the last to enter, was startled and quickly closed the door.

“That’s all I can say,” Liu Yingyuan said, turning around and sitting heavily in the chair next to Wu Yunqian. “Could I possibly tell Councilor Yuan and the others that His Highness the King insisted on protecting the wives and families of generals like Yu Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui, even when their crimes were already clear? That would incur the wrath of Heaven!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Wu Yunqian was not docile at heart; he simply didn’t mind being subservient to the Ming Emperor and high-ranking officials. “What I’m asking is, why did you fabricate the lie that General Jin was framed as a treacherous minister and traitor in the court and among the people?”

"Of course, it's to provide evidence," Liu Yingyuan explained. "Since Councilor Yuan has said those kinds of things, I have to make the claim of 'a treacherous minister misleading the emperor' sound more believable, right?"

“One lie leads to another,” Wu Yunqian said with a worried expression. “What if we get caught?”

“It’s not that easy to expose,” Liu Yingyuan explained. “The construction of the shrine in Uiju and the writing of the letter in Wangjing were both to elevate General Kim and let the Celestial Dynasty know that our Joseon Kingdom also has loyal ministers who died for their country. The timing of the writing of the letter and the construction of the shrine are consistent.”

“But there is absolutely no rumor in the court or among the public that General Jin is a surrendered general!” Wu Yunqian retorted sharply. “When the time comes, one lie will be exposed, and all lies will be exposed. Even His Highness will be implicated by your lie.”

"I have considered all of what you have said," Liu Yingyuan said. "Rumors cannot be verified simply by asking around. Surely Yuan, the Councilor, wouldn't go all the way to Hanyang to investigate this matter? Besides, what the Celestial Empire wants most is an explanation. As long as we can persuade the King in time to cut off the heads of Jiang, Jin, and their families and send them to the capital, it will surely dispel the Emperor's suspicions and appease Yuan, the Councilor. At that time, who will bother to think carefully about what I have said? Instead of worrying about 'one lie being exposed, and all lies being exposed,' you should think carefully about how to persuade His Highness to execute those people and close the case!"

"Execute him to close the case." The mere mention of this gave Wu Yunqian a headache. "If it were that easy, we wouldn't be eating this cold banquet today. Sigh!" Wu Yunqian let out a long sigh. "Do you think His Highness might really..."

"It's definitely fake," Liu Yingyuan insisted, becoming more and more agitated as he spoke. "This matter is nothing but the work of treacherous officials misleading the emperor! It can only be treacherous officials misleading the emperor! Jiang Hongli is a treacherous official, Jin Jingrui is a treacherous official, Li Erzhan, Zheng Renhong, and Park Chengzong are also treacherous officials. It is they who deceived the emperor, misled the country and the people, and caused our country and our king to be deeply suspected by the heavens. Jiang, Jin, Li, Zheng, Park, and that witch. These people, and their cronies, all deserve to die! As long as they die, the suspicions and doubts of the emperor will naturally dissipate. The court will once again be filled with upright officials."

Liu Yingyuan's words startled Li Qingquan.

Wu Yunqian was also shocked. He never expected that Liu Yingyuan would be so radical, not only wanting to kill Generals Jiang and Jin, but also wanting to overthrow the Great Northern Faction led by Li Erzhan.

“You’re going too far!” Wu Yunqian said. “Leaving aside Jiang, Jin, and Zheng for the moment, let’s just talk about Park Seung-jong and Lee Il-chan. One is the Chief State Councilor, and the other is the Minister of Rites. On what basis do you think you can persuade His Highness to dismiss or even kill them?”

"The enemy's army is imminent, and Heaven suspects the Emperor's wrath is about to befall us! Two dire situations are looming ahead, and Your Highness must understand the implications." When Liu Yingyuan said this, Wu Yunqian could hear the implication of a coercion in his tone.

"Hmph! I don't know if Your Highness understands or not, but I certainly do!" Wu Yunqian sneered. "What 'ministers of Hui and Lun,' what 'rumors spreading everywhere.' I think it's just that you, Vice Envoy Liu, want to use this opportunity to instigate a purge of the party, isn't it?"

Liu Yingyuan's face flushed instantly. He tried to hold back, but ultimately couldn't.

"Jin Zhizai's false accusations, the Seven Commoners' case, Cui Yi's case, the petition to depose the mother." Liu Yingyuan stared at Wu Yunqian, his tone as hard as a rock: "When Li, Zheng, and Park and their ilk stirred up one party prison after another, creating one bloody case after another, why didn't Ambassador Wu advise and stop them? Instead, at this time, you put on a righteous and stern face, accusing me of taking advantage of the situation to start a prison?"

“Mediation isn’t about life and death.” Wu Yunqian knew Liu Yingyuan was losing his temper, so he quickly composed himself, softened his tone, and avoided a confrontation. “Conflicts in the court need someone to mediate, and the king’s anger needs someone to quell it. If everyone is confrontational, then even more people will be executed because of wrongful imprisonment in the party case.”

"Mediation? So Ambassador Wu is now mediating against me?" Liu Yingyuan slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of his chair. But because the armrest was made of cylindrical solid wood, Liu Yingyuan didn't make much of a sound. He just ended up hurting his hand.

"Why would I try to mediate for you?" Wu Yunqian said, frowning. "I just want you to calm down and not make things more complicated because of a moment of impulsiveness. There are some things you just have to do, but you don't necessarily have to do them now."

"Ha! You're quick to calm down," Liu Yingyuan retorted sarcastically. "Before Councilor Yuan produced that letter of denunciation, didn't Ambassador Wu speak so righteously and sternly? What about 'If Pyongyang is not peaceful, Anju will not be at peace,' what about 'right and wrong are reversed, and the virtuous and the wicked are confused'? Weren't those all your words? What I said later was just following your lead. I was much calmer than you at the time, and I even told Compiler Li not to write down your words!"

Li Qingquan was already uneasy and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles by the scene before him. When Liu Yingyuan suddenly pointed it out, he felt a surge of cold sweat run through his body. He broke out in a cold sweat, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

“These are two different things! They cannot be confused.” Wu Yunqian still looked straight at Liu Yingyuan: “Vice Envoy Liu, I think you should still remember who said, ‘When China is in trouble, the feudal lords come to its aid. This is the great principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the duty of the vassal states,’ right?”

"..." Liu Yingyuan was stunned for a moment, and his boiling blood quickly cooled down. Because the person who said these words was Li Erzhan, whom he had denounced as a treacherous minister, a traitor, and a member of the likes of Guilun.

In the 46th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the late Emperor Wanli launched a military campaign to attack the enemy's stronghold, ordering Joseon to send troops to assist. Faced with the emperor's conscription order, the king himself held a negative attitude. However, a group of important officials, including Jeong In-hong, the then-Chief State Councilor who had always stood by the king, and Yi Er-chan, the current Minister of Rites, advocated sending troops to aid in the suppression, in order to repay the grace of the Celestial Empire in restoring the dynasty.

At that time, Li Erzhan was particularly proactive. When the letter from the Jin Dynasty arrived, Li Erzhan even declared in court that the envoy should be executed and the letter burned to demonstrate the vassal state's resolve. Under pressure from both inside and outside the country, the king had no choice but to send troops to provide support.

Seeing Liu Yingyuan waver, Wu Yunqian breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Vice Envoy Liu, with these matters laid out before us, how can you use 'Heaven suspects the Emperor's suspicion that thunder is imminent' to refute or even overturn Judge Li's judgment?"

Liu Yingyuan was disheartened. "I just felt this was an opportunity to purge the treacherous party and set things right."

“There’s little chance, don’t overthink it,” Wu Yunqian retorted. “The most important thing for us now is to send a letter to the capital as soon as possible, asking the king to quickly execute Jiang, Jin, and other generals to appease the emperor. Don’t forget, the letter we were looking at was a copy.” “Sigh!” Liu Yingyuan sighed heavily, leaning back softly in his chair. “You’re right.”

"Phew," Wu Yunqian also relaxed.

--------

After a long silence, Liu Yingyuan slowly turned to look at Li Qingquan. "Li Xiuzhuan."

"Here!" Li Qingquan stood up abruptly.

"You can write the letter to Wang Jing," Liu Yingyuan said.

"Me write it?" Li Qingquan blinked.

“Yes,” Liu Yingyuan nodded and said, “You’re a clerk, that’s what you do.”

Li Qingquan wasn't stupid; he quickly realized that Liu Yingyuan was trying to drag him into this mess. "Okay, I'll write it right away."

In the early days, the scribes of the pilgrimage mission were not only responsible for recording the mission's itinerary and observations, but also for managing the entourage and investigating any illegal or disorderly conduct by key members of the mission. However, as time went on, the mission's chief envoy gradually gained the power to independently select and recommend scribes, and the scribes slowly became mere recorders and echo chambers.

"No rush," Liu Yingyuan said, straightening his posture as he leaned on the armrest. "Please show us today's draft first."

"Oh, okay." Li Qingquan took out his handwritten notes from his pocket and walked up to Liu Yingyuan. "They're all here, Vice Envoy Liu, please take a look."

Liu Yingyuan didn't take it. "Should I look at it first?"

"Oh!" Li Qingquan immediately turned around and handed the draft to Wu Yunqian.

“I won’t look at it.” Wu Yunqian refused directly. “Li Xiuzhuan can copy everything I said today into the official document.”

“How can you write everything down?” Liu Yingyuan smiled at Wu Yunqian, his tone becoming more gentle. “Haven’t you calmed down by now and decided not to break ties with those who are causing ‘unrest in Pyongyang and unrest in Anju’?”

"I never intended to break ties with anyone; I was just stating the facts," Wu Yunqian said, propping his head up with his hand. "Only by letting Councilor Yuan know the true situation of our country can he make the right decisions. If I were to lie and say that our country is strong and has no weaknesses for us to exploit, would the heavenly army still come to our aid?"

"You always have so many reasons," Liu Yingyuan said, taking the draft. "But I think you're probably planning to contact those in the court whom you've mediated to help you advise the king, right? I'm afraid they won't be happy after reading this."

“It’s alright, we won’t be returning until at least September. In the meantime, they won’t know what I said.” Wu Yunqian smiled and said to Li Qingquan, “Keep it, consider it my final advice to the King.”

"Finally?" Liu Yingyuan looked at Wu Yunqian in surprise.

“I will resign from my post once I return to China,” Wu Yunqian said calmly.

"Why did you suddenly think that way?" Liu Yingyuan asked.

“I’m really old,” Wu Yunqian sighed. “And tired.”

"I think you're scared," Liu Yingyuan said with a sneer.

“What am I afraid of?” Wu Yunqian retorted. “I’m not the one who had Li Xiuzhuan alter the records.”

“You’re afraid that your advice to the emperor will be ineffective and you’ll be harmed by others,” Liu Yingyuan said bluntly to Wu Yunqian. “Resigning from office is the way you’ve found for me.”

Wu Yunqian's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Say what you will."

"Hehe. It seems there's no need to make any corrections; Li Xiuzhuan didn't write anything at all." Liu Yingyuan nodded approvingly at Li Qingquan.

"Nothing was written on it?" Wu Yunqian asked doubtfully. "But there's ink on the paper."

“Of course there’s ink for what’s written, but there’s no ink for what’s not written,” Liu Yingyuan said, placing the draft in front of Wu Yunqian. “You see, ever since you started criticizing the current affairs, our compiler Li hasn’t written anything more.”

Despite being stopped by Liu Yingyuan, Li Qingquan still jotted down a few notes on a new piece of paper. However, he later discovered that there were too many blank spaces in the middle, making it impossible to connect the scattered strokes, so he crumpled the paper. Therefore, the last sentence presented to Liu Yingyuan and Wu Yunqian was still Yuan Keli's rhetorical question.

"You didn't even remember what happened after that?" Wu Yunqian looked at Li Qingquan in surprise.

“I told him not to remember it,” Liu Yingyuan interjected rather frankly. “I did this for your own good.”

"I already said, there's no need," Wu Yunqian waved his hand. "Anyway, I've already prepared my escape route."

“You may want to resign, but Compiler Li doesn’t want to,” Liu Yingyuan said, handing the draft back to Li Qingquan. “With this written record, how can he possibly keep his official position?”

“These are my words! What does it have to do with him?” Wu Yunqian glared at him.

“Are you truly confused or just pretending? In this climate, if you hand over this written statement, ‘If Pyongyang is not at peace, Anju will not be at peace,’ won’t those people consider him your accomplice? To put it more bluntly, if you hand over this record truthfully, the safest person is me!” Liu Yingyuan pointed to himself. “If you really have the courage to offer one last piece of advice before resigning, then you should submit your own memorial. Don’t drag others down with you through these roundabout ways.”

(End of this chapter)