We previously saw how the Malacca Sultanate fell to the Portuguese and its desperate attempt to seek help from China to reclaim the port city.
The envoy, Tuan Nacem Mudaliar, finally received an audience with the Emperor after waiting for a few months. The Emperor welcomed him and learned about Malacca’s fall directly from the envoy’s account.
Although the Emperor agreed to consider a solution to assist the Sultan, he ultimately did not want to do so. He asked Mudaliar to remain in China for a while, during which time Mudaliar’s wife passed away.
After a few days, the Emperor’s messengers informed Mudaliar that the imperial court was unable to provide military aid and explained their justifications.
Nacem Mudaliar left immediately, but he passed away while still in China on his return journey.
Before he died, he instructed his assistants to build a small tomb for him with an inscription detailing his identity and the purpose of his mission.
While Mudaliar did his best to save the Sultan, another Chetti merchant active in Malacca worked in favor of the Portuguese. Let’s talk about him in the next post.
English: Envoy / Ambassador
Mandarin: 使者 (Shǐzhě)
Tamil: தூதுவர் (Tūtuvar)
Hindi: राजदूत (Rājdūt)
Malay: Utusan / Duta