Entry

The minister Yang-xu-wen-dan who had been sent by A-da-a-zhe, the king of the country of Champa, presented a memorial and offered tribute of elephants, horses and local products. The Secretariat had not memorialized the envoy's arrival in a timely way and it was only when some eunuchs went out and saw the envoy that his presence was advised. The Emperor hastily summoned the envoy and on meeting him exclaimed: "A terrible case of concealment has led to this!" Thus he rebuked the Secretariat officials, saying: "I rule China and peacefully care for the yi in the four directions. When these foreign yi countries send people to express sincerity and offer tribute, I treat them with propriety. Now, Champa has come to offer tribute of local products. As soon as they arrived, you should have advised in a timely way and presented their envoy to the Court with appropriate ritual. However, you regarded these things lightly and did not inform of their arrival. Is this how the grand councillors assist the Son of Heaven, carry out the Emperor's orders and show concern and kindness to the yi in the four directions?" The Grand Councillors Hu Wei-yong and Wang Guang-yang both kowtowed and admitted their wrongdoing.