| + | Sai Kei was a [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryukyuan]] scholar-official who traveled to China in [[1601]] to officially request [[Chinese investiture envoys|investiture]] for King [[Sho Nei|Shô Nei]]. Though Beijing initially suggested that a martial official be sent to Ryûkyû to invest the king, Sai somehow managed to convince the Ming to agree to send two civil officials, as per standard protocol and precedent, to invest the king. King Shô Nei was only slightly distantly related to his predecessor, [[Sho Ei|Shô Ei]], and his succession and continued rule was somewhat shaky; he therefore felt strongly about the importance of having the investiture ceremonies be performed as usual, to not shed any additional doubt on his legitimacy. |