In the seventeenth year of Yongle (the first year of Sejong in Korea, 14 19), in order to thank Emperor Yongle for allowing Emperor Taizong of Korea to abdicate Sejong, North Korea sent a grateful delegation to Beijing to thank him. Zhang Zizhong, a Korean comrade who came to Beijing, wrote a storytelling diary and recorded what he saw and heard in Beijing.
1
One of the things is to show his great achievements. Emperor Yongle showed the North Korean envoys the lions, Ghiris (giraffes), zebras and other animals from all over the world. North Korean envoys usually have no chance to see these, so they are very surprised and sighed after reading them. Zhang Zizhong also compared Kirin, lion and zebra to Yongle emperor, and wrote poems to express his excitement: "The emperor is building poles, and the exhibition is in the sky. The lion came to worship the rule of Chongwen, and the lion came to worship the martial arts. Meet three generations of masters and sing two southerly winds. There is even a monster called Fululong. "
When North Korean envoys came to the Ming Dynasty, they were generally impressed by the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. China really lived up to his reputation. For example, Cui (1433- 1480), who accompanied Xie En's envoy to Beijing in the 11th year of Chenghua (the sixth year of Zhenguan), said in the Early Morning of Fengtian Temple: "All the bells rang in Cui Shuguang.
2
Storks smell the sky fiercely, and the pheasant's tail opens the royal fragrance. When Yue Xian played, the flag was straight, and the courtiers came back with long voices. Shengping cultural relics are ahead of ancient times, and clouds hold colorful Penglai. "The splendor of the imperial palace in the Ming Dynasty and the sight of ministers standing in the hall singing and dancing are enough to make the North Korean envoys look and sigh.
In the thirty-eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the North Korean envoy Zheng Shixin came to Beijing to pay tribute. On the way back, I met some drunken Mongolian Tatars in Suizhong (Liaoning) and forcibly stopped the car for money. Fortunately, he was saved by a few Han people riding horses and recorded it in Mr. Mei Cong's Record to Heaven: "Thirty-eight years of Wanli (16 10), December 21st, Renchen.
Before I went to the temple in Zhonghou, I saw that Bian Zhongji had been occupied by the Dalai Lama, but when I passed the temple, the Dalai Lama and others made another unexpected attack. When crossing the river, when the drunken Dalai Lama covered his horse and asked for money with a saddle, he was so fierce that it was difficult to leave without giving money. Suddenly, I saw five China people riding mules and horses. I saw Yu Yima's face full of embarrassment and rushed to save him, trying to defend himself. "
three
In the fifteenth year of Wanli, the DPRK delegation stayed at Huaiyuan Pavilion in Liaoyang. As a token of gratitude, it left some gifts for servants to give to small officials, librarians, rice women and other thank-you gifts. I didn't expect these people to cause disputes over gifts. Pei Sanyi, the North Korean envoy, wrote a poem, "The legacy of the Tang Dynasty is constantly contending." You An Tian has been passed down through the ages, and the wind in Wang Lie is high. When customs contend for size, people from afar have nowhere to spit. Sitting alone all day, everything is like a glass of wine. "I can't help feeling that China, which has always claimed to be a state of etiquette, is now in power.