My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 205 "Memorial Requesting Changes to the Tribute System"

As the scribe of the Korean delegation, Xu Zi made many friends among Ming officials after arriving in the capital.

He quickly obtained a copy of Su Ze's memorial from an official he knew.

In the Ming Dynasty's officialdom today, there is little sense of secrecy.

Except for important military matters, memorials from ministers and cabinet ministers were kept in the cabinet archives of the various departments and were copied by officials at their discretion.

Many important case details in the Ming Dynasty were recorded by officials who rushed to the Ministry of Justice and then wrote them down in their own private histories.

Su Ze's memorial was submitted and sent directly to the Grand Secretariat for drafting. After the emperor approved it, it was sent to the Ministry of Rites.

Upon hearing that it was Su Ze who submitted the memorial, many meddlesome officials rushed to the Ministry of Rites and copied back the "Memorial Requesting the Revision of the Tribute System".

Su Ze submits at least two memorials every month, and so far every one of them has been approved. It has become popular among officials in the capital to study the format of Su Ze's memorials in order to improve their official document writing skills.

Thus, this "Memorial Requesting the Revision of the Tribute System" was quickly delivered to Xu Yu.

Su Ze began by writing:
"I humbly believe that pacifying distant peoples is the guiding principle of royal governance; and that establishing tributary relations with all nations is the system of the Holy Dynasty."

“Recently, I have observed that the tribute missions from various vassal states have been arriving frequently. Although this demonstrates the greatness of the submission of the four barbarian tribes, the delivery of tribute and the distribution of gifts are both complicated and cumbersome. Not only are the officials in charge of receiving tribute exhausted, but the imperial treasury is also being depleted in the process of transporting the tribute.”

Xu Zi recalled the hardships they had endured on their journey. They started from the capital of Joseon, traveled north to Pyeongseong, crossed the Yama River, and then bypassed Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty before heading south to reach the capital.

Two of the laborers who transported the goods along the way died from exhaustion; it was indeed extremely arduous.

Unfortunately, although the Ming Dynasty lifted the maritime ban, Korea continued to maintain the ban because of internal strife in neighboring Japan and the resulting instability along the coast.

Since we can't take the sea route, we have no choice but to take this land route.

But when Xu Zi saw the solution proposed by Su Ze, he felt a wave of dizziness.

“The tributes from the various vassal states, except for those specially requisitioned items such as Ryukyu pearls and Siamese spices, shall be paid in cash. The amount of silver shall be determined by the Imperial Treasury in accordance with the ‘Regulations for Returning Gifts’, and shall be clearly recorded in the register and remain a permanent practice.”

"In this way, the envoys of the provinces will be spared the labor of transportation, and the imperial treasury will be spared the tedious verification process."

As for what to do if you don't have any money, Su Ze also provided a solution.

“The tribute envoys were permitted to set up a market near the Capital’s meeting place, where they could sell their tribute goods and use the proceeds as tribute silver.”

"The profits all go to the vassal states, and the court only takes a share according to the value to subsidize the expenses of postal service and reception. This not only alleviates the hardship of long journeys but also eliminates the abuse of substituting inferior goods for superior ones."

Xu Zi finally understood why Su Ze was called a capable minister.

That move was absolutely ruthless.

Even if the Korean delegation claimed that they did not bring any silver with them, according to the memorial, they could sell the tribute items for silver.

Even more ruthless, Su Ze suggested that the Ming Dynasty should also deduct the cost of the Korean delegation's hospitality at the post stations along the way.

The worst part was that at the end of the memorial, it was copied that "Approved, to be sent to the Ministry of Rites to revise the 'Regulations for Returning Gifts'."

This sentence is the imperial edict of the Ming emperor, which means that the memorial had already taken effect at this time.

The North Korean delegation had brought this piece of bamboo paper all the way from afar, and now they were to sell it themselves and exchange it for silver as tribute!

Xu Yu was skeptical whether the price of this piece of bamboo paper could cover the expenses of the post stations along the way.

Sure enough, just as Xu Zi finished reading the memorial, a member of the mission approached him and said:
"Clerk, the envoy is calling you back for a meeting!"

Xu Zi sighed and followed the member of the delegation back to the guesthouse, where he saw Jin Yongshi, who had been very proud just a few days ago, now hanging his head.

Upon seeing Xu Zi, Jin Yongshi quickly stepped forward and said:

"Xu Hongwen! You're the most well-read person in the delegation, so you'd better come up with a solution now!"

Xu Zi glanced at Jin Yongshi and said, "Isn't it because you people have gone too far that you have angered the Celestial Empire?"

Is it too late to try and make amends now?
Moreover, Su Ze's memorial was not directed at Korea alone, but at all tributary states.

Who made us Koreans the most frequent payers and always the ones who asked for the most rewards?

However, Xu Zhen was, after all, an official of the Hongmungwan (Imperial Library) of Korea, so he had no choice but to say:
"The only solution now is to ask the Korean merchants in the capital to buy this batch of bamboo paper to raise enough silver dollars for the tribute."

"Huh? Why would those merchants obediently give in and buy this worthless bamboo paper?"

The Korean merchants who were able to do business in the capital of the Ming Dynasty were all powerful and influential businessmen, and certainly not the small merchants in Korea who were at the mercy of the nobles.

Getting these merchants to buy worthless bamboo paper was by no means an easy task.

But Xu Zi said with a dark face:
"Whether it can be done or not depends on the envoy's ability. Even if it means borrowing money, this deficit must be covered. If this tribute causes the king to lose face, the envoy should think carefully about how to explain himself when he returns."

Hearing this made Kim Yong-sil's face darken even more.

The current King of North Korea, Yi Yeon, has only just ascended the throne, and he came to power as a member of a collateral branch of the royal family.

This situation is similar to that of the Jiajing Emperor, whose predecessor had no heir and was succeeded by a collateral branch of the family.

Therefore, the legitimacy of this Korean king was very weak, and he did not have the methods of a Taoist priest. There was factional strife between the "Eastern People's Party" and the "Western People's Party" in Korea, and the king's position was very unstable.

Therefore, the investiture by the Ming Dynasty was the source of the legitimacy of the Joseon king. If the Joseon king lost the support of the Ming Dynasty, his position would be in jeopardy.

Therefore, the mission to pay tribute was no small matter. If this matter was messed up, Kim Yong-sil could forget about returning to North Korea.

After saying this, Xu Zi turned and left.

He was already dissatisfied with Kim Yong-sil for cheating out of the reward, and now he has even less affection for him.

After Xu Yi left, Jin Yongshi gritted his teeth and said:

"Go and invite the Korean merchants from the capital. Even if I have to borrow it, I will raise this sum of money!"

Now that things have come to this, Kim Yong-sil understands her predicament. The only way to avoid losing face for North Korea is to let the North Korean merchants buy these cheap bamboo papers.

As for what to do next time, Kim Yong-sil didn't care. In any case, he would never act as an envoy again!

After leaving the guesthouse, Xu Zi went directly to the office of the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper outside the palace.

He also learned from the Ming Dynasty officialdom that Su Ze sometimes came to the newspaper office, so he came to the newspaper office specifically to see Su Ze.

It can only be said that Xu Zi was lucky. Today, Su Ze happened to be working at the palace newspaper office. After receiving Xu Zi's visiting card, he looked at Luo Wanhua beside him with a puzzled expression:
"A Korean?"

Luo Wanhua said:
"They must be here because of Brother Zilin's memorial. If Brother Zilin doesn't want to see them, I'll go and deflect the request for you."

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"Let's meet him anyway."

In his memorial requesting changes to the tribute system, Su Ze did not use the "handheld Ming Dynasty court" app, indicating that he was certain his memorial would be approved.

Ultimately, the emperor knew the Korean delegation's trick of swindling rewards, but in the past, the Ministry of Revenue had always covered the cost, and the emperor reluctantly accepted it for the sake of prestige, given the prestige of all nations paying tribute.

Now the Ministry of Revenue is no longer willing to bear this loss. Even if the emperor were to spend several thousand taels of silver to buy the lowest grade of bamboo paper, he would not be willing to be taken advantage of.

Su Ze's memorial came at just the right time, and the Longqing Emperor approved it that very day.

That's just how Korea is; it always likes to show off its little tricks. But the reason Korea holds such a special position among the many tributary states of the Ming Dynasty is because the country is indeed important to the Ming.

Korea was a vassal state of Japan, a bulwark of the Ming Dynasty. In the history before Su Ze's time travel, modern Japan first occupied Korea and then began to interfere in Northeast China.

If history had not changed, there would have been another war during the Wanli era to resist Japanese pirates and aid Korea.

The second reason is that North Korea is very good at recognizing its own position. It can be said that for thousands of years, North Korea has been practicing "serving the great powers".

The principle of serving the great power means genuinely treating a major power as a father figure.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was against the Central Plains; later, against the Japanese colonists; and in modern times, against that country across the ocean.

As a tributary state, Korea was perfectly qualified, and its unique geographical location made it a natural barrier that the Ming Dynasty could never give up.

So Su Ze decided to meet with the Korean scribe.

As soon as Xu Zi entered the newspaper office, he saw Su Ze's brand-new fifth-rank official robe and quickly bowed to Su Ze.

Su Ze then introduced Luo Wanhua, Zhang Wei, and Wang Jiaping from the newspaper office to Xu Zi. Xu Zi was quite nervous to see so many Hanlin scholars from the Ming Dynasty all at once.

After everyone was seated, Xu Zi looked Su Ze up and down.

As expected of the Ming Dynasty, even young officials can intervene in national policies. This atmosphere of meritocracy is something that North Korea, with its serious gerontocracy, cannot compare to.

Xu Zi couldn't help but compare the Ming Dynasty with Korea, and the more he thought about it, the more discouraged he became.

North Korea is still implementing the two-class system, where ministers of low social standing have no right to rise to high positions.

Domestic factional strife is constant, with each faction taking turns in power. Once in power, they quickly become corrupt and decadent, only promoting their family members, relatives, and old friends.

Xu Zi is currently in a state of "Ming Dynasty fanaticism". He even thinks that the political struggles in the Ming Dynasty are more noble than those in Korea, because the political struggles in the Ming Dynasty are about fighting for governing ideologies, while the political struggles in Korea are about fighting for family wealth and glory.

Even Heo Jeon, a nobleman of Joseon, detested this system, let alone the scholars who were unable to enter officialdom because of their bloodline.

Upon seeing Su Ze, Xu Zi honestly said:

"The student sought an audience with Hanlin Su not for the purpose of submitting the memorial requesting a change in the tribute system."

Su Ze was impressed by Xu Zi's refined manner and fluent Mandarin.

"What brings the clerk to the newspaper office?"

Xu Zi quickly said:

"Su Hanlin, the Korean scribe, was established to learn the system of the Celestial Empire. Students are here to learn."

Xu Zi spoke humbly, and treated Su Ze with the respect due to a disciple.

Xu Zi continued:

"The students want to return to North Korea and emulate Su Hanlin in running a newspaper."

Su Ze never expected that the North Korean clerk who came to see him was actually trying to emulate his newspaper business.
Why start a newspaper?

Xu Zi said:

"North Korea is a small country with ignorant people, and students want to start a newspaper to enlighten them."

Su Ze glanced at Xu Zi. Sure enough, even small countries have their share of clever people.

The situation in Korea was indeed different from that in the Ming Dynasty.

North Korea, which is still operating under a two-shift system, is a country that hasn't quite figured out how to operate a feudal autocracy.

Whether it was the civil officials governing the people or the generals fighting wars, Korea was a complete mess.

In the history before Su Ze's time travel, during the Wanli era, Japan attacked Korea and swept through the country with unstoppable momentum. Even the capital city fell after only a few days.

Meanwhile, the yangban, the high-ranking officials in North Korea, spend all their time thinking about vying for power within their party, and their greatest hobby is hiding in their own estates and enjoying the service of their servants.

Xu Zi's suggestion to enlighten the people is indeed a practical approach.

Su Ze nodded and said:

"When you're working on the newspaper, you can consult Editor Luo."

Xu Zi hurriedly said to Luo Wanhua:

"The Number One Scholar."

It seems that Xu Zi is already quite familiar with the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty. Su Ze then said:

"Xu Shuzhuang, you can leave people in the capital to send newspapers from the capital to Laizhou, and then send them back to China by merchant ships. You can be authorized to reprint articles in the Yuefu Xinbao."

Xu Zi was overjoyed to hear this. He had originally wanted to ask Su Ze for advice on newspaper management, but instead he received Su Ze's permission to reprint the article.

Shouldn't these articles in the Yuefu Xinbao cause a sensation in North Korea?
Unexpectedly, Su Ze said again:

"Actually, I was planning to submit a petition to His Majesty to establish a regional academy under the Imperial Academy, where outstanding young scholars from Korea could study. What do you think of this proposal?"

Xu Zi was even more delighted:
"Scholar Su's method is excellent. Many scholars in Korea admire the Ming Dynasty. If they heard that they could study at the Imperial Academy of the Celestial Empire, they would fight tooth and nail for it!"

But Su Ze then said:
"But your country practices a two-shift system. If the king were to recommend candidates, I'm afraid it would be filled with incompetent people again."

Su Ze's criticism was very direct, but Xu Zi did not find it offensive, because North Korea was indeed like that.

If North Korea were to recommend its own talent pool, the number of students going abroad would likely be filled with scoundrels.

Su Ze said:

"Therefore, I would like to request Your Majesty to send officials to Korea to conduct examinations in the future, and only those who pass the examinations will be allowed to study in the Ming Dynasty."

Su Ze added, "In the future, these students can also participate in the imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty, following the precedent set by the Tang Dynasty's envoys to Tang."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zi quickly asked:
"Su Hanlin, may I come to study?"

Su Ze glanced at Xu Zi. "You're an official from the Hongwen Hall in Korea, with an education equivalent to that of a Hanlin scholar in Korea. You're coming to the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty to take the imperial examination. I'm afraid the King of Korea would go crazy if he heard about this."

However, this is the mentality of people from small countries. During the Tang Dynasty, the envoys from Korea and Japan stayed in the Tang Dynasty to serve as officials and refused to return to their motherland. Many of them died and were buried in China.

Even before Su Ze's time travel, young people in South Korea were most enthusiastic about studying abroad and immigrating.

Establishing special schools for international students is also part of cultural hegemony.

Koreans who studied in the Ming Dynasty and returned home were inevitably the most pro-Ming faction.

This matter is not difficult; no one in the Ming Dynasty is willing to study at the Imperial Academy.

Su Ze's friend, Shen Li, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy, spent his days idly at the academy. By having these scholars from vassal states come to study, he was essentially giving the academy something to do.

After Su Ze finished speaking, he got down to business:

"Shuzhuang Xu, you came to the capital via Liaodong, right? What is the current situation in Liaodong?"

(End of this chapter)