Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 112

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

112. Being Talented is Also a Sin

Around the same time, in the Forbidden City.

“That guy… I can’t help but feel he’s a bit of a loss?”

Emperor Xuande muttered, smacking his lips as he returned to his private quarters after finishing his state affairs.

The object of his regret was Yi.

“He’s definitely not an ordinary fellow, just as I’ve heard.”

* * *

‘The Crown Prince of Joseon is no ordinary person.’ This was a common refrain from envoys who had visited Joseon.

“Not ordinary?”

To Emperor Xuande’s question, the envoys all gave similar answers.

“Yes, Your Majesty. First of all, in terms of scholarship, despite his young age, he is absolutely not lacking.”

“He humbly says he is insufficient, but when you converse with him, there is no measuring the depth of his knowledge!”

“Oh? And what about his appearance?”

To the question about Yi’s appearance, the envoys immediately replied.

“He is very handsome!”

“Although he is still young, his beauty cannot be hidden!”

“If the legendary Song Yu and Pan An [famous for their handsome looks in ancient China] were to be reincarnated, they would be the Crown Prince of Joseon. If the Crown Prince of Joseon were to walk the streets of Beijing, one could witness ‘throwing fruits to fill the carriage’!”

“Oh? To that extent?”

Emperor Xuande’s eyes sparkled at the mention of ‘throwing fruits to fill the carriage.’

The anecdote of ‘throwing fruits to fill the carriage’ came from the story of how Pan An’s carriage would be filled with fruits thrown by women—even grandmothers—when he drove down the street.

It was based on the ancient custom of women offering fruits to men they admired.

As the envoys who had visited Joseon praised the Crown Prince in unison, Emperor Xuande became curious.

“Should I invite him over?”

Just as Emperor Xuande was pondering lightly, Yi arrived in Beijing, leading a delegation at the opportune moment.

‘Oh! Indeed!’

Emperor Xuande internally exclaimed at the sight of Yi respectfully paying his respects.

‘I heard he is still young, not even having undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, yet he is so dignified!’

Although he had not yet shed his boyishness, his tall stature and neat face were undeniably those of a handsome man.

In the ensuing banquet and the debate on the joint merchant venture, Emperor Xuande grew increasingly fond of Yi.

‘Humble but not servile, not rude but not excessively polite! Truly a talented individual!’

It wasn’t just Emperor Xuande who was impressed.

‘The Crown Prince from Joseon is an exceptionally handsome man!’

The rumors spread through the palace maids and eunuchs who attended the banquets and lodgings, and all the palace maids and eunuchs in the Forbidden City made various excuses to enter Yi’s lodgings at least once to see his face.

And so, the rumors spread beyond the Forbidden City to the entire city of Beijing.

Thanks to this, as soon as Yi left the Forbidden City to return to Joseon, a remarkable scene unfolded as the residents of Beijing flocked to see the procession of the Joseon envoys.

* * *

“He’s definitely going to be someone great…”

Muttering words that Yi would have internally retorted with, ‘Hey! I’m the Crown Prince! I’m going to be great anyway!’, Emperor Xuande fell into deep thought.

“Marriage is the best way to keep him in check, but…”

He had jokingly said, ‘I have some fine daughters,’ making Yi flinch, but even if Yi had agreed, it would have been problematic.

His eldest daughter was only seven years old.

Sending his sisters would be problematic in the opposite way, as they were too old.

“Even so, it’s a shame. Then… Guards!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Summon the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet immediately!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Emperor Xuande, having given the order to the eunuch, hardened his resolve.

“If all else fails, there’s also the option of adopting a daughter. First, we must confirm whether what the Crown Prince of Joseon said is true or just an excuse.”

Some time later, Emperor Xuande gave an order to the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who had hastily returned after leaving the palace.

“Send someone to Shandong [a province in China] to gather detailed information about the Crown Prince of Joseon! Focus especially on his marital status!”

“Marriage, Your Majesty?”

“The Senior Grand Secretary has seen it as well, has he not? The Crown Prince of Joseon is no ordinary man! I believe we need to keep him on a leash!”

“I will send someone immediately!”

The Senior Grand Secretary himself had wanted to say that Emperor Xuande needed to find a way to control the Crown Prince of Joseon.

But when Emperor Xuande said the same thing, the Senior Grand Secretary immediately sent someone to Shandong.

* * *

‘We must get Yi married before the Ming Dynasty starts plotting something! This is a race against time!’

As the situation became urgent, Sejong decisively took action.

First, he sent the second round of selected noblewomen back home and began to choose the noblewomen who would undergo the final three-stage selection from the first round.

The noblewomen who were eliminated from the selection received gifts such as silk and various trinkets before returning home.

These noblewomen who returned home after being eliminated from the selection surprisingly had their marriages arranged quickly, precisely because they had been selected.

“She was chosen as a Crown Princess candidate, so what could be better than her as a daughter-in-law!”

In addition, there were things that these noblewomen who returned home after being eliminated from the selection popularized in the common households, or rather, accelerated the trend.

The first was the Western-style toilet. It was already commonly used in the palace, but it had not yet spread much among the common people.

The reason was that the bathroom had to be extensively renovated.

However, the first thing the noblewomen who returned home and shared their experiences in the palace mentioned was the Western-style toilet, and the households that heard of its convenience purchased Western-style toilets through the merchants connected to Area 51 [a reference to a secret military base, implying advanced technology] and began construction.

And next were the glass products made in the glass workshop.

These glass products were explosively popular.

And among them, the latest product, the mirror, became an essential item that women of the time had to have.

From mirrors decorated with mother-of-pearl placed in the inner rooms to full-length mirrors that allowed one to see their entire body, to small mirrors slightly larger than the palm of the hand, women bought mirrors to suit their circumstances.

No, even men who cared about their appearance, whether they were nobles or commoners, had to have one.

And among those who admired themselves in the mirror was Yi.

“Hmm… Even I have to admit, I have a handsome face.”

Yi, standing in front of the full-length mirror installed in his room in the East Palace [the residence of the Crown Prince], was praising himself while striking various poses.

A face that combined only the strengths of Sejong and Queen Soheon, balanced nutrition as he entered full growth, a minimum of 8 hours of sleep, and training in horsemanship and martial arts led to a tall height and broad shoulders. Not just self-praise, but objectively speaking, Yi was a handsome man. Not just by Joseon standards, but by 21st-century standards as well.

“Funnily enough, this hanbok [traditional Korean clothing], especially the dragon robe [worn by royalty], looks best on someone tall with broad shoulders.”

As Yi said, traditional hanbok was an outfit that looked best on someone with broad shoulders.

“Okay, enough self-admiration. I need to go to work now.”

Yi, tidying his clothes while looking in the mirror, opened the door.

“I should stop by the research lab first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Yi, heading to the research lab with the eunuchs who always attended him, met Yu at the entrance of the research lab.

“Yu, is that you?”

At Yi’s call, Yu ran up and paid his respects.

“Brother, no, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Have you been well?”

“Yes. You’ve learned how to be so formal already? You’ve been working hard?”

“Hehe.”

Yu smiled brightly, pleased with Yi’s praise.

“So, are you on your way to see the train again today?”

“No. I’m going to learn mathematics today.”

Yi’s face turned surprised at Yu’s answer.

“Already learning mathematics? That’s an advanced course if you’re learning it at the research lab?”

Yi looked back at the royal tutor following Yu.

“Is Yu properly mastering the classics?”

“Yes, Your Highness. He is working hard.”

“Oh?”

Yi lightly patted Yu’s shoulder.

“Work hard. You still haven’t given up on your dream of the locomotive, have you?”

“Yes! My dream is to lay railroads all over Joseon and run on that road!”

Yi smiled at Yu’s answer and patted his shoulder again.

“Work hard.”

“Yes!”

As they entered the research lab, Yu respectfully bowed to Yi.

“Your Highness, then I will go to class.”

“Work hard.”

Yi, having sent Yu away, spoke to the eunuch behind him.

“Yu seems to have grown a lot, don’t you think?”

“He will be 11 years old soon. He will soon be appointed as a Grand Prince.”

“Is that so…”

Although he said that, Yi was grumbling inwardly.

‘No! How can an 11-year-old be so big! How much did I suffer to grow taller! He’s like a bean sprout that grows just by giving it water!’

In an instant, Yi, recalling Yu’s shoulder, which felt firmer than an 11-year-old’s, corrected his words.

‘Correction! He’s like a defective bean sprout grown with fertilizer-mixed water!’

After Princess Jeongso survived due to the butterfly effect Yi created, many things changed, the most representative of which was the appointment of Yi’s younger siblings.

In the history before Yi intervened, the year Yu was appointed as Grand Prince Jinpyeong was this year, the 10th year of Sejong (1428), but he had not yet been appointed.

The biggest reason was that everything was pushed back, starting with Yi’s marriage due to Princess Jeongso’s survival.

* * *

Yi, who had returned to his daily life and was working busily, was suddenly summoned by Sejong one day.

“What’s going on?”

Sejong, who greeted Yi, who had rushed over in confusion, took Yi to Gyeonghoeru Pavilion [a royal banquet hall].

“The Crown Princess candidates have been decided.”

“Is that so?”

Yi’s face lit up at Sejong’s words.

Not long ago, an urgent report had arrived from Shandong.

-Ming officials are inquiring about information about the Crown Prince. They are focusing especially on his marital status.

The content of the urgent report was serious, so Yi was quite anxious.

“But I can’t rush Father, can I? Otherwise, my married life will become a nightmare…”

Whether Sejong knew Yi’s heart or not, he continued his explanation as he moved.

“The Queen is currently sharing refreshments with the candidates at Gyeonghoeru Pavilion. Let’s talk about which noblewoman you like.”

“Wouldn’t that be impolite?”

‘If something goes wrong, the lives of innocent young women could be ruined! This isn’t some 21st-century blind date!’

To Yi’s question, Sejong rummaged through his sleeve and took out one item.

“Didn’t you make something decent recently?”

What Sejong took out was a telescope.

At a place slightly away from Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, Sejong and Yi put the telescope to their eyes and observed Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.

“Wow…”

Yi involuntarily let out a small exclamation as he saw the noblewomen sitting at the tea tables set up at Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.

‘Oh my goodness! At that level, they’d be girl group members even in the 21st century! And from a major agency!’

“Which noblewoman do you like?”

“I will examine them a little more.”

After examining them for a while longer with the telescope, Yi sighed and lowered the telescope.

“Okay, have you decided?”

To Sejong’s question, Yi replied with a troubled face.

“Please decide, Father. I find it difficult to decide.”

‘The difficulty of the multiple-choice questions is too high!’

That night, Sejong was deep in thought.

“That brat… He’s passed on a very troublesome burden.”

Even to Sejong, the three noblewomen were neck and neck in a close race.

“Wait! Do we necessarily have to choose only one person?”

After thinking for a long time, Sejong looked at it from a different perspective.

“After all, one of the king’s duties is to have many descendants. That’s how the royal family can continue stably…. And it’s not enough to just have many descendants. The children who are born must also be intelligent.

The Crown Prince’s intelligence is recognized by everyone, and looking at the scholarship of these noblewomen, there is no problem.

In that case…”

Sejong paused for a moment and organized his thoughts, but his expression darkened again.

“Ah… There’s this problem.”

In an instant, another problem popped into Sejong’s head.