There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 46

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“A royal visit?”

To have the Crown Prince pay a visit meant that I would personally have to go to Ming [China] as an envoy and elevate the prestige of Yongle Emperor.

Naturally, Lee Bang-won was taken aback and couldn’t help but wear a serious expression.

However, for me, it wasn’t such a burdensome option.

‘Yangnyeong was sent to Ming in the original history, wasn’t he?’

That’s what I remembered from ‘The Land of Morning Calm’ [a historical drama or book].

If it happened in the original history, it would be difficult to avoid no matter how much we tried to put on a show.

If I have to go anyway, wouldn’t it be great if I could resolve the issue of the tribute women and eunuchs now?

‘I can even go and see if there’s anything else I can personally squeeze out of them.’

Compared to the apparent gravity of the matter, this was an incredibly cheap deal.

“Very well, I shall pay a visit.”

I stepped forward.

And looked at Lee Bang-won.

“Crown Prince.”

“Father, I will go.”

Honestly, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but I put on a determined expression.

Before Lee Bang-won could say anything, Hwang Eom shouted loudly.

“Ooh!”

Hwang Eom even clapped his hands in admiration.

“As expected, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has great courage.”

I grinned at Hwang Eom’s words.

I do have some courage.

“Your Majesty, what should we do…?”

The officials next to him murmured, but Lee Bang-won nodded, having watched my determined expression.

“Envoy.”

Lee Bang-won opened his mouth.

“The Crown Prince is still young, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to send him on such a long journey to pay a visit so soon. When he grows up and is ready to go to the capital, I will personally send the Crown Prince.”

“Just the promise is enough.”

Hwang Eom bowed his head and said.

As long as he had a written confirmation, the timing didn’t matter.

Hwang Eom asked with shining eyes.

“Then the delivery of the matchlocks will proceed without any problems, correct?”

“Ah, of course. How could I say otherwise now?”

It wasn’t a real matchlock, but a Seungja Chongtong [a type of Korean cannon] that Hwang Eom firmly believed was a matchlock.

I could give them as many of those as they wanted.

The same went for white porcelain.

‘It feels like a scam, but it’s not a scam.’

This wasn’t a scam because it was a measure to re-educate the unscrupulous Ming envoys.

Rather, it was like an education fee for correcting their daylight robbery.

‘In fact, it benefits everyone.’

I thought so myself.

Our Joseon court was satisfied, and the Ming envoys were also satisfied, so wasn’t it a win-win deal?

“Hand over the matchlocks made for demonstration to the envoys!”

My son and I struggled to hold back our laughter as we watched those who were deceived, gleefully accepting the Seungja Chongtong.

‘Thank you, valued customers!’

===

The envoys, having obtained what they wanted, returned in joy.

It didn’t matter to them that the fuse of the ‘matchlock’ had to be completely burned to fire, or that the situations in which it could be used were limited, unlike real matchlocks.

Because they had never seen a weapon to compare it to in the first place.

For them, the great achievement of taking a new weapon from Joseon to Ming was more important.

Hwang Eom laughed heartily and smiled contentedly.

“And on top of that, the Crown Prince’s visit! How can this not be considered a meritorious deed?”

“That’s right. Now that the Emperor has newly ascended the throne, if tributaries like Joseon fear the Emperor’s majesty and offer to pay a visit, how much would it enhance the prestige of the Great Ming?”

“It’s all thanks to the envoy’s brilliant strategy.”

“Thanks to the envoy’s ingenious plan, we obtained new weapons and even secured the Crown Prince’s visit, so it’s truly a profitable venture.”

Joseon was always an object of vigilance.

Yongle Emperor had especially emphasized this point, so Hwang Eom had finally achieved the feat of extracting Joseon’s hidden teeth and quietly bringing them into our cage.

From Lee Bang-won’s perspective now, it was a comedy, but what a comedy.

At that moment, someone from the envoy said.

“Envoy, what about those who informed you of the existence of the matchlocks?”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

If it hadn’t been for the officials of the Joseon Ministry of Rites who had come out to assist him and subtly let slip the information, today’s achievement would not have been possible.

The envoy asked Hwang Eom.

“But what if the Joseon court tries to find those who leaked it? Shouldn’t we give them a heads-up in advance so they can’t touch them?”

“Ah, their contributions have already been rewarded with treasures.”

Hwang Eom waved his hand dismissively, as if it were nothing.

“That’s enough. They must have said that because they wanted something from us. On the other hand, we’re taking everything we can get, so why bother getting involved? Whatever the Joseon court does, they’ll take care of it.”

Hwang Eom, having seen all he needed to see, showed no sympathy for them.

Whatever those guys were plotting using the envoy, Hwang Eom, who was now having everything go smoothly, didn’t want to get involved.

What if things went wrong and the achievements he had gained turned to dust?

If the Gaegyeong faction knew this, they would have gnashed their teeth in betrayal, but it was all the same to Hwang Eom, who had no sense of camaraderie or loyalty in the first place.

===

Meanwhile, I was also slowly getting a sense of who had committed such an act.

What sealed the deal was Baek Dal-won, who had come up from Hanyang.

“The Gaegyeong faction stirred up the Song merchants to interfere with the construction of Hanyang?”

These guys were really bad.

Then did that mean the Gaegyeong faction was behind the Song merchants’ antics?

I was furious.

Was that what Oh Jong-soo was trying to convey?

What on earth were these Gaegyeong faction guys doing?

I had even decided to try to go along with them as much as possible.

“Grand Censor, just leave this human alone!”

I didn’t expect Kwon Geun to be like this.

I thought we had come to understand each other through the Yongbieocheonga [a Korean epic poem] battle.

However, Baek Dal-won shook his head.

“Ah, the Grand Censor has been shunned by that group for a long time.”

“They must have told the envoy about the existence of the matchlocks.”

The only ones who were bold enough and had the motive to throw dirt on my father were those guys.

“Are you planning to capture all the Gaegyeong faction officials?”

I nodded at Baek Dal-won’s words.

It was time to cut ties with all the tiresome guys who were just holding me back.

It wasn’t just a moderate opposition, they had completely stabbed me in the back.

Lee Bang-won’s reaction was similar.

“What have these guys done!”

Lee Bang-won shouted as he heard the whole story.

“They not only opposed the relocation of the capital but even plotted to interfere with the construction through the Song merchants, which alone is unforgivable.

But now they’ve even colluded with the envoy, so how can I let them live?”

Lee Bang-won’s eyes turned sharp.

The benevolent look he usually showed when looking at me was gone, and now he was full of anger.

‘Is this Kill Bang-won mode?’

Lee Bang-won slammed the desk and shouted.

“Strictly interrogate the officials of the Ministry of Rites who entertained the envoy! If they truly had the intention of exposing military secrets, I will not let them get away with it!”

This was the first time I had seen my father so angry.

Those Gaegyeong faction guys wouldn’t even be able to gather their bones if they were caught.

“But those guys know they’ll die if evidence is revealed, so will they confess willingly?”

“They will confess if we twist their limbs.”

Ugh, such a barbaric method.

It is said that it is the sunlight, not the storm, that strips the traveler of his clothes [a proverb about persuasion].

I looked at Lee Bang-won and said.

“I have a secret plan to catch them all without resorting to torture.”

===

The Gaegyeong faction officials were in an uproar when an unprecedented situation occurred in which the officials of the Ministry of Rites were all dragged to the Uigeumbu [a Joseon Dynasty law enforcement agency].

“No, what on earth did the envoy do before leaving?”

The Gaegyeong faction officials’ meeting was smaller than before.

The envoy, who was supposed to be the key to changing the game, had only taken the matchlocks and returned to Ming, so they were all trying to distance themselves.

The ones gathered here were key figures, including the Jipui [a high-ranking official] of the Office of the Inspector General. They were the ones who could no longer back out even if they wanted to.

The Jipui looked around the group and said.

“We are already in the same boat. Those who have useless thoughts will all face death.”

The best thing to do was to lie low until the storm passed.

The people who were dragged to the Uigeumbu would all claim that they didn’t mean to say anything like that and beg for forgiveness in order to survive.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“I’m not threatening you, I’m telling the truth. Don’t you know the King’s temperament? He shows no mercy to those who oppose him.

Besides, the Crown Prince…”

The Crown Prince, despite his young age, had a violent and cruel nature.

Wasn’t he the one who invented solar salt by putting rebellious slaves in the gulag entirely in poison and pickling them?

The Gaegyeong faction officials shuddered at the thought. Their shoulders trembled.

The more they did, the more betrayed they felt by the envoy.

They had anticipated that such a backlash would occur if things went wrong, but they didn’t expect the envoy to leave without taking any action.

They had hoped that he would at least challenge the Crown Prince’s qualifications, but he had left without any restraint, only taking care of his own business.

In a way, it was their own self-inflicted wound.

“The officials of the Ministry of Rites were just having a casual conversation with the envoy of the tributary state, and the story was accidentally brought up. If we don’t say anything unnecessary, we can survive.”

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel said, and the group quietly nodded.

They showed their agreement that they would not say anything no matter what.

However, their inner thoughts were different.

‘Since things have already gone wrong, can we really get away with just such a cover-up?’

‘Oh, I was crazy. Things have gotten bigger than I thought?’

‘I didn’t say anything, so wouldn’t it be okay if I just reported it in advance?’

They had been talking about loyalty to each other just a moment ago, but as soon as they parted, they began to calculate how to survive alone.

The man who was walking in thought was the same.

As he trudged home, someone grabbed his collar.

“Gasp!”

The man looked up in surprise, and the other person put a finger to his lips.

“Shh.”

“You are…”

The man knew the identity of the other person.

It was Hwang Hee, who had served as a Gyeongryeok [a minor official position] in Seungchubu.

He was more famous as the Crown Prince’s slave these days.

Rumor had it that he was trapped in the Crown Prince’s gulag and couldn’t get out, so the man’s back was covered in sweat, wondering why he had come to find him.

“W-What’s going on?”

“Hasn’t the Jangnyeong [another official position] of the Office of the Inspector General been strongly opposed to the relocation of the capital?”

Hwang Hee asked abruptly, and the man nodded.

“Y-Yes. But I have never participated in any conspiracy related to the envoy!”

Without even being asked, the man rattled off excuses, claiming that he was wronged.

Hwang Hee smiled and said.

“Of course, I know. It’s just that those who shared your views on the capital relocation issue must have taken the lead in such discussions.”

“…”

The man was confused and shut his mouth.

It was when he decided that he should deny it for now.

“Jangnyeong, you have two choices.”

However, he couldn’t help but be shocked by Hwang Hee’s next words.