Chapter 410
The changes in Joseon through the reforms were not just changes for Joseon alone.
Ming and Japan also began to move in quite different directions compared to the history before Hyang’s intervention.
First, looking at the case of Ming, compared to the history before Hyang’s intervention, the development of commerce was more prosperous.
The one at the forefront of this development was the Xuande Emperor.
Unlike the history before the intervention, the Xuande Emperor responded not by strengthening the maritime ban, but by making it a bit more flexible.
First, he expanded the scale of tally trade with Japan slightly. As a result, the volume of trade between Japan’s Muromachi shogunate and Ming increased.
In addition, he opened several trading posts in coastal areas of Ming such as Fujian[1], Jiangsu[2], and Guangdong[3], allowing merchants who received permission from the Ming court to trade with neighboring countries.
Of course, this permission could only be obtained by paying a substantial amount.
Merchant groups that paid money to the Ming court and received permission could open shops in the trading posts established by Ming and sail ships for trade for three years.