There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 186

Unlike Yi Cheon, who was shedding tears of joy at finally escaping Japan, I wore a gloomy expression.

It was because I had a mountain of work to do, even without an official position.

I visited the Taesang Hall with Ju Su-hwa.

Lee Seong-gye hadn’t been feeling well recently, so Lee Bang-won and I were visiting him twice a day, morning and evening, to check on him.

However, Lee Seong-gye seemed quite excited today.

“You were so listless until yesterday, but why do you seem so energetic today?”

He was a robust man to begin with, but wasn’t he a little too energetic?

When I asked, Lee Seong-gye laughed heartily and said.

“I have to perk up, even if I don’t have the energy, to go see my father. And I’m going to report that my grandson is married.”

“It’s not like it’s Hamheung [a remote area to which Lee Seong-gye had retreated in anger]; it’s just the Jongmyo Shrine [royal ancestral shrine] right in front of us.”

Lee Seong-gye dressed up like this from the morning because of the Myohyeon ceremony for Ju Su-hwa and me.

Myohyeon is a ceremony where a new bride visits the Jongmyo Shrine a few months after the wedding to pay respects to the deceased kings and queens of the past.

Of course, since none of the kings who actually reigned were deceased yet, only the posthumously honored kings Mokjo, Ikjo, Dojo, and Hwanjo were enshrined.

‘Originally, it’s something that only she and I need to attend.’

I made the request, hoping that if Lee Seong-gye, the highest elder of the royal family, led this Myohyeon event, it would be easier for the new daughter-in-law to settle in.

Aside from the fact that Lee Seong-gye didn’t particularly like his granddaughter-in-law, he wasn’t the type to refuse his grandson’s request.

‘And I also hope they get closer on this occasion.’

Lee Seong-gye doesn’t have particularly good feelings towards the Ming Dynasty, and he thinks his achievements were stolen by his granddaughter-in-law.

“Still, I’m glad you’ve regained your health. The royal physician said this could be a real crisis.”

“The royal physicians always say the same thing. I intend to live until you have children.”

“Hahaha.”

I laughed awkwardly.

We haven’t even consummated our marriage yet because of my age, so there’s no way we could have plans for children already.

Besides, when I think about having children between her and me, I don’t necessarily feel like I should have them early.

‘If I have a child, will they be Lee Seong-gye’s great-grandchild and Zhu Yuanzhang’s [the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming Dynasty] grandchild?’

Suddenly, I felt afraid of the future…

Regardless, Lee Seong-gye smiled at Ju Su-hwa.

“Well, the first grandchild doesn’t necessarily have to be legitimate. You can just bring one from anywhere.”

When Lee Seong-gye showed his age-inappropriate mischievousness, Ju Su-hwa said with a sulky expression.

“Unfortunately, I can’t grant that wish. Our Crown Prince said he won’t take any concubines and will only look at me for the rest of his life!”

“?”

Did I say that?

I don’t remember at all.

“Hmph, too much affection is also a problem.”

Lee Seong-gye said with a snort.

He recalled an old event from a long time ago.

“Back in the day, there was King Gongmin of Goryeo, whom I served. He was so madly in love with his wife, Princess Noguk. But then, suddenly, the queen passed away, and he completely changed.”

Lee Seong-gye clicked his tongue.

“It’s a very unfortunate thing. When the king lost his mind, only treacherous subjects swarmed beneath him, and the succession was messed up, so the Shin clan, not the Wang clan, took over.”

“But that was our manipulation…”

“Quiet.”

The deceased King U would have been unjustly furious and jumping up and down, but Lee Seong-gye said firmly.

“Anyway, even affection can be a disease. Marital harmony should be moderate. Especially, you must never be swayed by your wife!”

“That’s true.”

I nodded in agreement.

Coming from the Supreme King who lost his throne because he was swayed by his wife’s influence, his credibility is at its peak.

‘Still, there’s a surprisingly good give-and-take between the two of them?’

Could this be a process of getting closer little by little?

I nodded to myself, thinking.

I’m glad I came to Myohyeon with them.

‘Well, even if they find each other annoying, they can’t sincerely hate each other.’

Lee Seong-gye was also showing the favor of leading the Myohyeon out of consideration for my face, and Ju Su-hwa had diligently learned about Joseon’s culture and customs while in Ming, so she was quite knowledgeable for a foreigner.

As Ju Su-hwa tried to show off everything she had learned, the conversation became heated, and Lee Seong-gye’s mood didn’t seem too bad.

After paying respects to the ancestral tablets of Mokjo, Ikjo, and Dojo without any problems, we moved towards the ancestral tablet of Hwanjo, Yi Ja-chun.

Lee Seong-gye seemed to have a lot to say to his father, as he stood in front of the ancestral tablet and muttered.

“Father, your grandson got married, so I brought her with me. From what I see, she’s a good person, and since she’s the daughter of the Ming imperial family, her family isn’t too shabby either.”

Then he said to Ju Su-hwa and me.

“This is my father, King Hwanjo. Pay your respects to Father.”

When Lee Seong-gye said that, Ju Su-hwa clapped her hands, wanting to score points.

“Ah! I learned about him from the scholars when I was in Ming! Is he the one whose name is written with the characters In (仁) and Im (任)?”

At that moment, a chilling silence fell over the Jongmyo Shrine.

“······.”

Seeing Ju Su-hwa tilting her head, not knowing what she had done wrong, I grabbed the back of my neck.

Damn it.

Why that name of all names?

Yi In-im.

The powerful subject of the late Goryeo Dynasty and Lee Seong-gye’s arch-enemy.

===

Ju Su-hwa’s bombshell was enough to turn not only the royal family but also the court upside down.

“Our royal ancestor is Yi In-im!”

“Didn’t the Emperor issue an edict to correct the family lineage?”

“What have the envoys who have traveled to and from Ming been doing all this time!”

The history of this ridiculous family tree revision goes back to the reign of the Supreme King.

It was a time when Joseon and Ming were in fierce opposition.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang sent a letter accusing Joseon of constantly spying on and plundering the borders of Ming, and it contained the content that Lee Seong-gye was a descendant of Yi In-im (李仁任), a former Goryeo minister.

Of course, we couldn’t help but feel absurd.

It was a situation where the reaction ‘What is this? A new kind of family insult?’ was bound to come out.

It turned out that Yun Yi (尹彝) and Yi Cho (李初), who had been expelled by Lee Seong-gye during the reign of King Gongyang, spread fake news to Ming that Lee Seong-gye was Yi In-im’s son.

Anyway, the Joseon court, which received this absurd letter, wrote back, emphasizing the fact that we had nothing to do with Yi In-im, rather than explaining the situation, so we thought the problem was settled.

However, now that we see it, the nonsense that Lee Seong-gye’s father is Yi In-im is still circulating in Ming, far from being resolved.

“So, that’s what they taught you in Ming?”

“Yes…”

When Ju Su-hwa said dejectedly, belatedly realizing that something was wrong, Lee Bang-won rubbed his forehead.

“What sin have I committed to suffer such humiliation in my old age! Zhu Yuanzhang, you bastard!”

Lee Seong-gye shouted, hitting his chest as if he was openly wronged.

Ju Su-hwa shrank back, looking at the sight.

I put my hand on her head.

‘It’s not really her fault.’

The Ming scholars who taught her wrong are to blame.

Then Ju Su-hwa grabbed my finger on her head, as if she felt a little relieved.

But this was not the end of the matter. Even King Emeritus Yi Bang-gwa rarely expressed his opinion.

“We must… come up with a plan… Gather all the court officials… and find a way to change it no matter what…”

‘Ugh.’

However, from my point of view, I had to prevent this incident from escalating at all costs.

The reason was simple.

– Lee Bin and Min Mu-hyul, who had been sent as envoys several years ago, reported that the family lineage had been corrected, but Hwang-mae’s remarks revealed that this was false. How can we not ask for their punishment?

It was obvious that such a memorial would pop out.

‘My maternal uncles’ necks are on the line again.’

After saving Min Mu-gu and Min Mu-jil, it’s Min Mu-hyul this time.

My maternal uncles were involved in various incidents in various ways.

Before Lee Bang-won’s eyes changed, I hurried forward.

“Is it really necessary to do that?”

“Not necessary? Crown Prince, what are you saying?”

Lee Bang-won asked, his eyes shining.

Lee Seong-gye and Yi Bang-gwa were the same.

“Even though the Ministry of Rites has already received an imperial edict and sent a certificate stating that the family lineage has been corrected, this has happened. If we send someone again, will they accept it willingly?

Also, even if we get an answer that it has been corrected again, can we trust it?”

“So, you’re saying we should do nothing?”

Lee Bang-won asked sharply, but I answered calmly.

“Think about it. We only found out now that the family lineage hasn’t been corrected, but have there been any inconveniences in the meantime?”

Whether it’s a diplomatic issue or an internal Joseon issue, nothing has been said about this.

It feels bad to have our ancestors recorded as Yi In-im, but there hasn’t been any practical problem.

Then, is there any need to crawl and beg Ming, which doesn’t even care, to please correct it?

‘Isn’t it a fixed idea that we have to correct the family tree in Ming?’

“The founding emperor of Ming doesn’t even know the world beyond his great-grandfather, so there’s nothing to record. How can they properly record someone else’s family tree when they don’t even know their own?”

It was a subtle diss towards my in-laws’ family, but Ju Su-hwa, who was next to me, told me about it anyway.

Looking at it this way, they really are a family without roots.

We’re not in a position to talk about others, though.

“Everyone in this Joseon land knows that our family is not descended from Yi In-im. That means there’s no reason to struggle to get recognition from a foreign country.”

“But not correcting the wrong record of our ancestors is a great disgrace…”

“The disgrace should be suffered by the people who don’t even know the family tree of the family they’re marrying into, not us.”

Frankly speaking, this is the truth.

Then Lee Seong-gye clapped his knees as if he felt relieved.

“That’s right, why should we beg and plead because those bastards are ignorant and misunderstood? When I think about it carefully, there’s no need to be upset by the nonsense of the Ming bastards.”

Lee Seong-gye, who had quickly finished his change of mind, said.

He had gained the realization that ‘The bad thing is that he insulted my family, not me.’

Lee Seong-gye then turned to Ju Su-hwa and said.

“You learned it wrong in Ming, so I’ll just let it go, but make sure you know it properly from now on. Do you understand?”

His voice was full of displeasure, but it seemed like he was going to let it go without much questioning.

‘Hoo.’

It was truly fortunate.

Mainly for the safety of my wife and her family.

The reactions to the change of mind I presented were different.

Lee Seong-gye was satisfied, and Yi Bang-gwa was still grumbling.

And Lee Bang-won,

‘Why is he being like this?’

He was looking at me with unknown eyes.

===

‘Did he expound the meaning of autonomy (自主)?’

Lee Bang-won thought, looking at his son.

Where does the authority of the King of Joseon originate?

The answer is simple.

It is legitimately inherited from ancestors who have received the Mandate of Heaven.

Therefore, those who try to shake the authority of the king sometimes raise questions about their lineage.

Wasn’t Joseon itself a country that was established after deposing Shin Woo and Shin Chang?

‘That’s why the family lineage issue is important.’

In Joseon, there is no one who doubts Lee Seong-gye’s family line, but it is a different matter to be recognized by Ming.

‘But… what if the recognition of Ming is not necessary?’

Lee Bang-won’s eyebrows twitched.

Just now, he said that if Joseon people recognize the King of Joseon, what does it matter what the Ming Emperor recognizes?

In other words, he naturally denied the authority of the Ming Emperor over Joseon.

‘Whether he knew it or not.’

His attitude of not taking the family lineage issue seriously will surely cause much controversy.

However.

‘Isn’t this what a king should be like?’

Lee Bang-won’s heart was pounding.

This throbbing in his heart was not just anxiety.

< The Unchanging Lineage > End

ⓒ Pitkong