There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 431

432. Retirement Ceremony (1)

As Joseon’s pressure intensified, Yeo Won-ryong sent a national letter, practically groveling. The difference in national power with Joseon was simply too vast, and they weren’t prepared for war.

However, inwardly, he seethed.

“Although Joseon is a great power, our country is also a nation that fought and won against the Yuan and Ming dynasties. If they insist on war, they will only repeat the folly of Kublai Khan [Yuan Sejo, founder of the Yuan Dynasty, whose attempts to invade Japan failed], and we can reclaim our old territories and avenge our ancestors!”

Yeo Won-ryong made these pronouncements, but a real invasion by Joseon would be disastrous.

Under the guise of calming public sentiment and inspecting the military, he embarked on a tour.

And he never returned to Donggyeong (present-day Hanoi).

“Ugh……!”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please, regain consciousness!”

On his way to inspect the troops in Jilyeong County (present-day Chi Linh City, Hai Duong province), Yeo Won-ryong stopped at the house of his vassal, Wan Chi (阮廌), and suddenly died.

Gwanbok Marquis Wan Chi was a meritorious subject who had followed Taejo Yeo Ri from the time of his uprising and fought against the Ming Dynasty.

As Joseon’s military pressure increased, Yeo Won-ryong had given him even greater importance. However, the emperor’s sudden death threw the Annam court into chaos.

“What if Joseon invades, taking advantage of the emperor’s death?”

“It was wrong of the emperor to defy the superior country in the first place! It’s like hitting a rock with an egg!”

“Y-you traitors! The emperor’s body isn’t even cold, and you’re already slandering his intentions!”

“Traitors! You are the traitors who blinded the king and drove the country to the brink of ruin!”

“That’s right, haven’t you assassinated the king and revealed your treacherous intentions?”

“How dare you slander me like this……!”

Yeo Bang-gi (黎邦基), Yeo Won-ryong’s successor, was only one year old. His mother, Queen Wan, took charge of state affairs in his place.

She had no choice but to yield to the demands of the meritorious subjects from the Tainhoa area, who were united in advocating the ‘punishment of traitors.’

Wan Chi and his family were executed, sweeping away the hard-liners and their close associates. The next step was inevitable.

“Raising the temple name of Taejong (太宗) for the late king may incur Joseon’s wrath.”

“The Joseon envoy stated that only the Son of Heaven can use temple names. Even if the old laws allowed it, we should only use the posthumous title.”

The war crisis and the king’s assassination led to a return to the vassal state system under Yeo Chal.

Even Queen Mother Wan wasn’t foolish enough to believe their claims.

What was more suspicious wasn’t Wan Chi, but these meritorious subjects who were desperately trying to avoid war.

However, Yeo Won-ryong was dead, and his supporters were accused of being behind the assassination and eliminated.

With a one-year-old king on the throne, they had no choice but to comply.

Fortunately, their arch-enemy Champa in the south was embroiled in its own civil war.

The only way to quickly resolve this mess was to submit to Joseon.

Those suspected of assassinating Yeo Won-ryong retained their power, while Wan Chi, whom he had tried to ally with, was wrongly accused.

Those in power couldn’t completely ignore the potential backlash.

They eventually arrived at a traditionally popular solution.

‘Let’s attack Champa.’

Annam was in chaos, but Champa was in far worse shape.

The army that Yeo Won-ryong had prepared for war with Joseon advanced south. Champa, already weakened by internal conflict, hurriedly appealed to Joseon for mediation, citing Annam’s sudden offensive.

The confrontation with Annam, which had been insolent, ended in Joseon’s complete victory. Furthermore, Champa’s request for mediation from the superior country enhanced the imperial family’s prestige.

“Cham Thành (占城, Champa) is also a vassal state of Joseon, so why is Annam sending troops to harass them?”

The inquiry from the Ministry of Rites was delivered via the Joseon fleet stationed in Guangzhou.

It was a clear signal.

This intervention saved Champa from destruction, and Annam quietly withdrew, having gained land and money and achieved their initial goal of internal unity.

However, it was Crown Prince Lee Dan, not Emperor Lee Je, who initiated this measure through the Ministry of Rites, making his intentions clear to everyone.

Some time after the situation in Annam was resolved.

The abdication edict of Emperor Lee Je was issued.

* * *

“I established this country by receiving the teachings and grace of the late emperors, and I consider it my duty to guide the next generation and pass on the dynasty.

I am also aware that my time in this world is finite, and I fear the potential instability of the country without an emperor. Fortunately, I have a worthy successor in Crown Prince Dan (鉭).

The Crown Prince is intelligent, wise, gentle, and frugal, making him suitable to inherit and govern the country.

Therefore, I issue this royal decree to abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince. I trust that the Crown Prince will diligently care for and nurture the country for generations to come, dedicating himself to learning and treating the people with a generous and virtuous heart.

If we accumulate great blessings in the country and enjoy a peaceful and prosperous era with the people, we will be able to face the Jongmyo [royal ancestral shrine] without shame…….”

Believing the time was right, I immediately promulgated the imperial decree through the Seungjeongwon [Royal Secretariat].

The reaction was intense.

“No, Your Majesty!”

“Why are you abandoning your subjects and abdicating, Your Majesty!”

As soon as I announced my intention to abdicate, officials rushed to the palace entrance, prostrating themselves.

‘I suppose this kind of performance is unavoidable.’

It’s customary in Eastern cultures to refuse a gift initially.

However, since the decision was made, I decided to relax.

‘If I just toss the royal seal and retreat to my chambers, the promoters will handle it, right?’

With that thought, I tried to ignore the commotion outside.

However.

The opposition to the abdication, which had started small, grew stronger.

“Your Majesty, please withdraw your imperial order!”

“Please withdraw it!”

I announced the abdication in the morning, but the sun was setting, and even the end of the workday had passed, yet they remained.

‘Huh?’

I began to doubt the prolonged resistance to the abdication.

No, perhaps ‘ominous’ was a better word.

“Where is the Crown Prince?”

According to the plan, the officials should bring Dan-i, and I would forcibly hand him the royal seal to complete the abdication.

But he hadn’t even appeared.

“Has there been any word from Changdeok Palace?”

“They say the people are surrounding the palace, preventing the Crown Prince from leaving.”

“What?”

I was speechless at Wang Ho’s report.

“I heard that Yeoheung Sunbo [a type of newspaper] distributed extra editions in front of the market, announcing Your Majesty’s abdication.”

“They say people are abandoning their livelihoods to wail in protest. They claim they have enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous era thanks to Your Majesty’s virtue, so why are you stepping down…….”

For a moment, tears welled up in my eyes.

I was touched. It seemed my efforts to make Joseon prosperous hadn’t been in vain.

Well, I have done quite a bit for this country.

‘No, this won’t do.’

Originally, it should have ended after about half a day of arguing.

But now, they were gathering with lanterns, staging a demonstration against the abdication.

‘Why has this become so big?’

It was all because the old men who were supposed to be promoting the abdication were crying out against it themselves.

The old men, lying on the cold floor, wiped away their tears and shouted earnestly.

“It has been 40 years since we served Your Majesty, since you were the First Prince. Why won’t you let us die in Your Majesty’s reign?”

“If you truly wish to abdicate, please kill us first!”

I couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

‘Are these people suddenly senile?’

I gave them the script; they should be following it.

Where did these actors who slap the director and improvise come from?

‘Could it be that my brother misunderstood my intentions?’

Delivery accidents are a serious problem.

Wasn’t Soon-wook’s death caused by someone eating the delicious lunch that Cao Cao [a famous Chinese warlord] packed for him?

But my brother wouldn’t make such a mistake.

“Anyway, I have to fix this now.”

“Are you going to withdraw the abdication?”

I shut my mouth when I saw even Wang Ho asking with a hopeful expression.

The old ministers, who should have calmly said, ‘It is a solemn imperial order, so we have no choice but to follow it,’ while the young ministers were prostrating themselves, were shouting with as much fervor as any young man.

What was that feeling? That was definitely not acting. Were they truly that saddened by my departure?

‘Are they really going to die like that?’

They were all at an age where they could die of natural causes at any moment.

I couldn’t help but worry because they were displaying the most intense emotions I had ever seen.

‘What will be recorded in the Veritable Records [official historical records of the Joseon Dynasty] if those gentlemen die like this?’

Wouldn’t they be recorded as immortal loyalists who died trying to stop the emperor from staging an abdication show?

No, even if it’s not in the Veritable Records, Min In-saeng would definitely report it that way.

‘Ugh.’

I felt a pit in my stomach imagining that scene.

I couldn’t let that happen.

“Summon the Three Chief State Councillors to the palace immediately.”

As my imperial order was conveyed, a buzz of excitement arose.

“Your Majesty, are you withdrawing your order?”

“You must heed the Chief State Councillors’ loyal words, Your Majesty!”

Shut up.

* * *

As everyone knows, Hwang Hee and Maeng Sa-seong were in charge of the chief state councillor position even when I was staying as the King of Joseon.

However, it was said that they had been promoted to a celestial empire, so it was not right to send down one person, and Heo Jo, who had only been rotating around the level of vice minister, had to be included, so naturally, the chief state councillor system of Joseon was just a change of name from the Three Ministers system.

The three people are in charge of the Chief State Councillor, Left State Councillor, and Right State Councillor.

“Why are you doing this? Didn’t you hear the imperial order conveyed through Prince Jin?”

If I didn’t have any affection for these people, I would have dismissed them and sent them into exile.

‘I can’t even send them into exile because they might die on the way.’

At my question, the old men lowered their heads as if deeply sorry.

“We have committed a crime worthy of death, Your Majesty, cough cough! We are deaf and could not understand your true intentions.”

“Then go out now and try to stop the officials.”

“…….”

The three old men exchanged glances and remained silent.

Having known these people for years, I recognized this as an unspoken expression of unwillingness.

I sighed and said.

“What do you want?”

The old men exchanged meaningful glances.

Soon, Heo Jo spoke.

“Your Majesty. Let’s go together.”

“Where are you talking about?”

“If Your Majesty is going to abdicate, shouldn’t we also step down together?”

“???”

I responded with a question mark, unable to comprehend their words. The old men looked like they were about to die of frustration, but I couldn’t even consider retiring these people.

‘Because I’ve known them for so long.’

Should I say it’s just a familiarity, like a fixture in the court?

It would be different if they were incompetent, but as befitting the famous ministers who left their mark on history, they hadn’t lost their sharpness even in old age…….

‘I should have replaced them sooner if I was going to replace them.’

It’s my style to trust and entrust people for a long time, but who knew that my splendid retirement ceremony would turn into these people’s retirement demonstration?