Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

The first day of the first month of the first year of the Jingtai reign.

Civil and military officials, dressed in brand-new court robes, lined up below the red steps according to their rank.

The envoys of the vassal states had also taken their places, standing behind the officials and arranged according to their relationship to the officials.

At the very front was the Korean envoy, Lee Sa-cheol.

Secondly, there were envoys from Ryukyu, Annam, Champa, Siam, and other countries.

Many envoys wore official robes bestowed by the Ming Dynasty, while others wore their own country's formal attire.

Last to them were two delegations from the Oirat Mongols.

Bayan, Esen's envoy, stood on the left, while Batu, the envoy of Arazhiyuan, stood on the right.

The two were about a dozen people apart, neither looking at the other.

The envoys of the Uriyangkhai Three Guards stood in the middle.

The three of them secretly found the scene amusing.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Zhu Qiyu slowly ascended the throne.

Behind him followed a child who was a little over three years old: Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen.

The officials knelt and kowtowed, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The envoys from various countries also knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" in their respective languages.

Zhu Qiyu raised his hand: "Rise."

All the officials rose and stood with their hands at their sides.

Hu Ying, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and loudly read out the congratulatory message.

After the recitation, all the officials knelt down again.

Next, the envoys from various countries presented their credentials.

The Korean envoy, Lee Sa-cheol, was the first to step forward, kneel, and present his letter of credence, speaking fluent Chinese as he said:

"The Joseon envoy, Yi Sa-cheol, conveys the King's best wishes for the New Year to the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, and wishes His Majesty long life!"

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly: "The King of Joseon is loyal and diligent in his duties to the country, which greatly pleases me. A banquet is to be held."

After bowing in gratitude, Li Sizhe returned to his train.

The Ryukyu envoy stepped forward to present Yongdi with his credentials.

He then said in broken Chinese, "Xiang Yongdi, the envoy of King Zhongshan of the Ryukyu Kingdom, congratulates the Emperor of the Great Ming on the New Year. May His Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Zhu Qiyu nodded in agreement: "A banquet will be held."

Annam, Champa, Siam, Japan...

Envoys from various countries stepped forward one by one to present their credentials and offer their congratulations on the New Year.

The envoys of the three Uriyangkhai Guards stepped forward one by one.

"...Long live His Majesty! May the Ming Dynasty and the Uriyangkhai be forever at peace, jointly guarding the northern border!"

The congratulatory message was as ornate as that of the Korean envoy.

Zhu Qiyu smiled slightly: "Tuohuo Chi, your Mandarin is very good."

Tuohuochi kowtowed: "I have been learning Chinese since I was a child."

However, the culture of the Han dynasty is vast and profound, and I only have a superficial understanding of it; I dare not accept Your Majesty's praise.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Present a banquet and treat them well."

The three thanked him and withdrew.

Next is the Tatar envoy Zhang Wenbi: "Zhang Wenbi, the Tatar envoy of the Loyal and Obedient King, is here by order of the Great Khan to congratulate the Emperor of the Great Ming on the New Year."

Long live His Majesty! May the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars forever cease hostilities and maintain peace together!

Zhu Qiyu looked at the former scholar from the Ming Dynasty in silence for a moment, then said softly, "Alright, I understand. You may leave."

Zhang Wenbi kowtowed and withdrew, his eyes slightly red.

Finally, two envoys from the Oirat stepped forward.

Bayan knelt and presented the letter of credence, saying in broken Chinese, "Your Majesty Bayan, the envoy of Esen, the Grand Tutor of the Oirat, congratulates the Emperor of the Great Ming on the New Year. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Bayan then knelt and presented the letter of state, saying in broken Chinese, "Your Majesty Bayan, the envoy of Alazhiyuan, the Shunyi King of the Oirat, congratulates the Emperor of the Great Ming on the New Year. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, their voices colliding in a somewhat comical way.

Zhu Qiyu looked at them and nodded expressionlessly: "You may leave the banquet."

The two exchanged a glance and then withdrew.

After the court ceremony concluded, Zhu Qiyu rose from his seat.

The officials knelt down again, and the envoys from various countries followed suit.

As Zhu Qiyu walked out of the Fengtian Hall, he let out a long breath.

At noon, at the Huitong Hall.

As is customary, envoys from various countries attended the banquet here.

The envoys took their seats according to their rank, while officials from the Court of State Ceremonial accompanied them.

Korean envoy Lee Sa-cheol sat in the chief seat, next to Zhang Lun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

The two ate and chatted, discussing everything from poetry and songs to court affairs, finding themselves quite compatible.

Envoys from Ryukyu, Annam, Champa, Siam, and other countries sat in the second seat.

Their Chinese wasn't very good, so they just ate their food in silence and occasionally toasted each other.

Hami Guard envoy Haji sat in the third seat, eating his food absentmindedly, occasionally glancing up in the direction of the head of the table.

The envoys of the Uriyangkhai Three Guards sat in the fourth seat, chatting and laughing with several deputy envoys.

They spoke fluent Mandarin and chatted enthusiastically with the officials who were accompanying them.

The Tatar envoy Zhang Wenbi sat at the fifth seat, and he simply lowered his head to eat.

Occasionally, when she looked up at her surroundings, her gaze held a complex mix of emotions.

The two Oirat envoys sat at the last seat.

There was a person between them, and neither of them paid any attention to the other.

Batu drank his wine in silence, while Boyan ate his food in silence, occasionally glancing at each other before quickly looking away.

Halfway through the banquet, someone suddenly suggested, "Today is the Lunar New Year, and it is a rare occasion for envoys from various countries to gather together."

"How about we have each of you envoys contribute a poem to celebrate this festive occasion?"

The suggestion came from a physician in the Ministry of Rites, who was quite enthusiastic after drinking a few cups of wine.

Zhang Lun glanced at him but did not stop him.

Korean envoy Li Sizhe immediately stood up and said with a smile, "In that case, I will make a fool of myself."

He hesitated for a moment, then recited aloud: "On New Year's Day, we pay homage at the Daming Palace..."

All nations, adorned in their finest attire, bowed before the emperor.

A peaceful and prosperous era has arrived.

May I follow the constellation of the constellation Jiwei and pray for its eternal glory.

After he finished reciting, the whole hall erupted in applause.

Zhang Lun praised, "Envoy Li, what a fine poem! What a beautiful line: 'All nations in their finery bow before the emperor!'"

Li Sizhe humbly cupped his hands in greeting: "Minister Zhang, you flatter me."

Upon seeing this, the Ryukyu envoy Xiang Yongdi also stood up and recited a poem.

Although the language is plain, it is sincere and heartfelt.

The envoys from Annam, Champa, and Siam each presented a poem.

Although my Chinese isn't very good, I got the meaning right.

It was the turn of the envoys from the Uriyangkhai Three Guards.

Tuohuochi was the first to get up:

"The north wind blows snow into Yanjing"

All nations come to pay homage to the peace.

May spring be beautiful every year.

Together we support the sun and moon shining over the border town.

After the recitation, the crowd cheered again.

Zhang Lun praised, "Envoy Tuohuoqi, your poem is excellent! I never imagined there could be such literary talent on the grasslands."

Tuohuochi laughed and said, "Minister Zhang is too kind. You are merely repeating what others have said."

Subsequently, the other two Uriyangkhai envoys also composed a poem each.

While not exactly stunning, he still outshone most of the other envoys.

When it was the turn of the Tatar envoy Zhang Wenbi, he stood up, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly recited:

"Ten years of wandering, a traveler in the dust of the world,"

Today we gaze upon the new moon over the Han River.

I wish to receive a glance from the king.

Even with white hair, one can still return to the Central Plains.

After the recitation, the hall fell silent.

Many people understood the deeper meaning in the poem.

This Tatar envoy, who was of Han Chinese descent, was using poetry to express his longing for home.

Zhang Lun said softly, "Envoy Zhang..."

Zhang Wenbi shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I have lost my composure. Please forgive me."

He picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Finally, it was the turn of the two Oirat envoys.

Boyan stood up and opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

He can only speak a few simple Chinese phrases, how could he possibly recite poetry?

Batu was the same; he stood up and hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, "Zhengdan... good... let's drink."

The room was filled with laughter.

Bayan glared at Bayan fiercely, and Bobatu glared back defiantly.

Zhang Lun waved his hand and laughed, "You two envoys need not force yourselves. Come, let's drink, let's drink."