The Court of State Ceremonial, responsible for matters concerning foreign guests and court ceremonies, was one of the nine major courts in Chinese history. While its specific duties have varied slightly throughout history, they have remained largely unchanged.
During the Ming Dynasty, the Court of State Ceremonies was in charge of matters concerning court assemblies, guests, and auspicious and inauspicious ceremonies. It was responsible for all major national ceremonies, suburban and ancestral temple sacrifices, court assemblies, banquets, lectures on the classics, investitures, the presentation of calendars, the presentation of spring, the transmission of imperial edicts, and the reporting of victories.
In fact, many people feel that the duties of the Court of State Ceremonies and the Ministry of Rites overlapped somewhat. After all, the Ministry of Rites was not only in charge of matters related to rites and music, schools, religion, and ethnic affairs, but also had a role in foreign affairs.
Chen Di was now a little nervous and worried because the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial had come to visit and told him that Goryeo had once again experienced internal strife.
“No wonder there’s a simmering undercurrent of private interests in the court.” Chen Di sighed, unable to contain his worry. “Judging from His Majesty’s intentions, a major battle in Liaodong is inevitable.”
The court never recognized the Joseon Dynasty established by Yi Seong-gye, and it also did not fully acknowledge the last few kings of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Because the last king of Goryeo, as recognized by Joseon, was Wang Jeon, who accepted the title of King of Goryeo from the Ming Dynasty. During his reign, he killed the powerful minister Shin Don, but he was assassinated by his bodyguard Hong Ryun and the eunuch Choi Man-saeng.
The Ming Dynasty bestowed upon Wang Zhuan the posthumous title of 'Gongmin', which also gave him a 'legitimate status'.
The monarch after Wang Jeon was Wang U, but some in Goryeo believed he was Wang Jeon's son. However, others said he was the son of the powerful minister Shin Don, and even after being deposed by Yi Seong-gye, he was directly identified as Shin Don's son, which stripped him of his 'legitimacy'.
In fact, Wang Wu's ascension to the throne was problematic, as he was installed after Wang Zhuan was assassinated. Although he had received investiture from the Ming Dynasty, he had first received investiture from the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
He once ordered the entire Goryeo kingdom to adopt Ming Dynasty attire, but just a year later, relations with the Ming Dynasty deteriorated due to the Tieling Weiwei issue. Moreover, his attempt to launch a northern expedition against Liaodong resulted in Yi Seong-gye directly initiating the retreat from Wihwa Island, leading to his forced abdication.
After being deposed, Wang U plotted to assassinate Yi Seong-gye, but was demoted to a commoner and subsequently killed.
The Ming Dynasty no longer recognized Wang Wu because his background was questionable. As the "monarch" of Joseon, he was born and raised in the mansion of a powerful minister, and his mother was a maidservant of the powerful minister Shin Don, which speaks volumes.
Leaving aside the fact that the last king of Goryeo was already problematic in terms of his identity and the succession of the monarchy, Yi Seong-gye was also viewed with suspicion by the Ming Dynasty as a traitor and a usurper, which only exacerbated the problem.
As a monarchical state, the Ming Dynasty naturally needed to consider upholding justice at this time, to be orthodox, and to spread its doctrines.
Chen Di knew what he had to do, regardless of whether he secretly hoped the court would launch a war. However, as the Minister of Rites, if he began to conceal this matter, he would basically be impeached, and being dismissed from office would be the least of his worries.
Moreover, the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial are already aware of the news, seemingly the responsible authorities. However, Chen Di is self-aware; he knows these things, and it's even quite possible that the emperor deliberately let him know.
It was impossible to hide it from the emperor. Besides the reports from the court, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard should not be underestimated.
After all, this may seem to be a matter concerning Goryeo, but in reality, no monarch would tolerate rebellious ministers or traitors, especially since the Ming Dynasty was the suzerain state. If the Ming Dynasty did not contribute to its 'vassal state,' then its status as the suzerain state would be somewhat unconvincing.
"It's possible that His Majesty didn't send troops in the past because of this."
"Gongmin of Goryeo was assassinated, and a powerful minister installed a traitor's son to usurp the throne. The legitimate bloodline was already broken, but there may still be loyal ministers and generals. If more than ten years have passed, the false king will have been assassinated, and the false dynasty will have been in existence for more than ten years. The remnants of the former dynasty may have already forgotten their homeland."
Chen Di pondered for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "It seems that His Majesty had planned this all along. More than ten years ago, His Majesty was building ships at the Longjiang Shipyard, plotting to seize silver mines in Japan, constructing Beiping, and building Tianjin. He also inspected the north and intimidated Liaodong. At that time, the court had already occupied Busan and established the Three Guards."
It's really not something you can calculate too carefully, because the more you calculate, the more you feel a bit apprehensive.
Don't underestimate this just because it happened in Goryeo, more than ten years ago. However, many people know that the current emperor had considerable control over the court when he was only a teenager. In fact, it could be said that the plans for Japan and Goryeo were all laid out by the current emperor.
At that time, the current emperor was not yet fifteen, yet he possessed such cunning and skill. Many people thought his initial plan was merely to seize the silver mines and intimidate the puppet king of Goryeo. But looking at it now, the current emperor had been planning for over a decade, and now he was about to achieve his goal in one fell swoop—how profound and far-sighted he was!
Gu Feng
At this point, it is still necessary to consider allowing the Ming Dynasty to send troops in a reasonable and legal manner; this is the most important thing.
Regardless of what Chen Di and the others were thinking at that moment, Zhu Yunying still had a lot to do and couldn't stay idle.
Zhu Su was equally busy. As the eldest of Zhu Yuanzhang's living sons, Zhu Su naturally held the position of Imperial Clan Court Director. His special status stemmed not only from his seniority but also from his status as one of Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite sons and his perceived lack of threat to imperial power.
After Zhu Su entered the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yunying immediately stood up and said, "Fifth Uncle, thank you for coming to the palace."
Zhu Su, true to his duty as a subject, immediately replied, "Your subject..."
"Fifth Uncle, this isn't the imperial court." Zhu Yunying smiled and winked at Wang Chengen, then walked towards Zhu Su. "If Grandfather knew that we were putting on airs in front of Fifth Uncle, he would scold us."
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