Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 4

Jjanggeura

Hello, Bomb!

4. Who’s Your Daddy? (2)

Despite the minor chaos caused by the unexpected grab during the ceremony, the first birthday celebration continued.

“Hahaha!”

“Lord! Have a drink!”

“Lord, you too!”

The guests at the party laughed, exchanging drinks and enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

“It’s wonderful to see your nephew is so bright!”

Grand Prince Chungnyeong responded with a smile to the Crown Prince’s compliment.

“My wife says he smiles whenever he hears me reading.”

“Hahaha! A truly talented father and son!”

“It’s a blessing to see such an excellent child. Chungnyeong, congratulations.”

“Thank you, Brother.”

While the brothers exchanged pleasantries, Hyang was nestled in the Crown Prince’s arms, ever since he had touched the Crown Prince’s earring. Remaining in his embrace, Hyang continued his private musings.

‘Since Hangul [the Korean alphabet] is going to be created anyway, it would be good to subtly influence it beforehand. Even if it comes out in the mid-reign rather than the late reign, my scope of activities could broaden. After that, I’ll have to look into firearms…’

As Hyang was making his plans, he suddenly felt sleepy and grumbled inwardly.

‘Ugh, this terrible stamina! With such poor stamina, I kicked the bucket right after the three-year mourning period!’

Unaware that his body was that of a just-turned-one-year-old, Hyang grumbled to himself. Meanwhile, a subtle discord began to brew among the Crown Prince and his brothers.

The first birthday party was slowly winding down. The guests were getting restless, but they were all watching the Crown Prince, who was seated at the head of the table.

“Shouldn’t you all be heading back? You have to go to the government office early tomorrow, don’t you?”

“Shouldn’t Your Highness also return to the palace?”

“I need to talk with my brothers a bit more. You may leave first.”

“Then…”

At the Crown Prince’s dismissal, the guests at the party bowed one by one and began to leave.

* * *

“It’s a bit stifling.”

Once the guests—even Hyang’s maternal grandparents—had left and there were no prying eyes, the Crown Prince loosened the strings of his dopo [a Korean overcoat worn by scholars and officials], feeling flushed from the alcohol. As he loosened the strings of his dopo and even the strings of his inner jeogori [a short Korean jacket], Chungnyeong immediately intervened.

“Brother, please straighten your attire.”

“What’s the problem? A man should be comfortable.”

“Brother, you are the foundation of this nation. You must not forget this.”

“Phew~.”

At Chungnyeong’s rebuke, the Crown Prince let out a sigh filled with drunken air and straightened his clothes.

Seeing the Crown Prince follow his advice, Chungnyeong bowed his head in gratitude.

“Thank you for listening to this foolish brother, Your Highness.”

Pouring a drink into his glass, the Crown Prince spoke to Chungnyeong.

“Chungnyeong.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I once told Mother, ‘Chungnyeong, you are no ordinary person.’ At that age, your academic achievements are already beyond the reach of ordinary people. This foolish brother cannot even fathom your level.”

“You flatter me. It’s just that you haven’t been close to the classics, Your Highness. If you put in a little effort, you will quickly surpass this foolish brother’s insignificant achievements.”

The Crown Prince seemed pleased by Chungnyeong’s response and burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! Chungnyeong, I didn’t know you had a talent for flattery!”

“It’s not flattery. If you just get closer to the classics…”

“Chungnyeong, are you also advocating for virtuous rule and the politics of the kingly way?”

“Isn’t that the right path?”

The Crown Prince shook his head at Chungnyeong’s answer.

“That is just an ideal. Our Joseon [Korean dynasty], and even the Ming Dynasty [Chinese dynasty], are now in an era of hegemony. When I ascend the throne, I will recover the lost territories of the ancient Three Han states and make this Joseon into a Great Joseon.”

“Your Highness!”

Chungnyeong, horrified, cautioned him, but the Crown Prince was confident.

“Don’t worry. When I ascend the throne, I will surely accomplish this great task.”

Chungnyeong continued to object to the Crown Prince’s confident words.

“Your Highness, it’s impossible! Ming is a great power! With Joseon’s current national strength, we are bound to lose! You must not forget why Taejo [King Taejo, founder of Joseon Dynasty] had to retreat from Wihwado, and why Father had to execute Sambong Jeong Do-jeon!”

“Are you a prince of Ming!”

“No! I’m saying it’s impossible with Joseon’s current capabilities! We need to build up our strength!”

The Crown Prince lightly raised his right hand in response to Chungnyeong’s criticism.

“Ah, ah. I know that much. I’m not thinking of starting a great undertaking right away either. I’m planning a ten-year preparation period.”

“Ten years is too short!”

“Ten years is enough! The stellar generals who were with Zhu Yuanzhang [Hongwu Emperor of Ming Dynasty] have mostly disappeared due to Zhu Yuanzhang’s purges and old age, and even the remaining generals have disappeared due to the civil wars waged by the current emperor, Yongle [emperor of Ming Dynasty]. And the generals that Emperor Yongle raised have also disappeared due to civil wars and conquests. Therefore! I say again, ten years is enough!”

Seeming frustrated by the Crown Prince’s response, Chungnyeong jumped up from his seat.

“Ugh! Your Highness! Do you even have a brain? How much manpower did Yongle mobilize to suppress the remnants of Yuan [Yuan Dynasty] after he ascended the throne? A whopping 500,000! And it wasn’t just one suppression, but every time they suppressed, they lost thousands, if not tens of thousands, dead or wounded, and yet they continued to fill the ranks with 500,000! It’s scary enough to mobilize such manpower, but even more frightening is the administrative and supply system that makes such mobilization possible! But what about our Joseon? We haven’t even properly conducted a census, and we haven’t even started the land survey project! And yet you say ten years is enough? Wake up!”

“You brat! One year for the land survey, one year for the census is enough! And considering Father’s age, if I inherit the throne and ten years pass, those great generals of Ming will all be gone!”

“You haven’t even considered that intermediate officers who have gained experience through suppression campaigns will fill the positions of those old generals? If you consider the point at which they will step back, we need 30 years! And that’s assuming the next emperor of Ming doesn’t wage war!”

The Crown Prince and Chungnyeong, who had already jumped up from their seats, continued their heated debate, creating a tense atmosphere just short of a physical altercation.

As soon as the atmosphere turned hostile, Hyoryeong quickly picked up Hyang and moved back, sighing and emptying his teacup.

“Hoo~. You can’t fool blood… Who would have thought they weren’t the sons of a military general…”

Amid Hyoryeong’s grumbling, the Crown Prince and Chungnyeong’s debate was nearing its end.

“Once the military is reorganized, the first things to deal with are private soldiers and the Wokou pirates [Japanese pirates]! We need to thoroughly defend our rear!”

“Father has already dealt with the private soldiers! And the Wokou pirates have been quiet lately! The Jurchens [ethnic group in Northeast Asia] are still rampant and are as troublesome as the Wokou pirates! If we think about the future, we need to deal with the Jurchens first!”

“So, the private soldiers are gone? Dealing with private soldiers and the Wokou pirates is the priority!”

“Shut up! I am the Crown Prince! I admit you’re smart! But you’re not the one who will inherit the throne, it’s me! You just need to help me!”

“…”

At the Crown Prince’s rebuke, Chungnyeong gritted his teeth and glared at the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, Hyang, who was being held in Hyoryeong’s arms and watching the situation, was staring at Chungnyeong’s face with wide eyes.

Having confirmed the subtle flow of emotions on Chungnyeong’s face, Hyang was sweating bullets inside.

‘This guy, wasn’t he pushed into becoming king?’

In his past life, the generally known consensus was like this:

-Chungnyeong became king because Yangnyeong’s behavior was a mess, and Hyoryeong was immersed in Buddhism, so Chungnyeong had no choice but to become king, which was actually a ‘divine move.’

To Hyang, who had this common knowledge, Chungnyeong’s subtle expression was shocking.

Looking at Chungnyeong’s face, Hyang felt like he was hearing the OST [original sound track] of a famous historical drama in his head.

‘Oh crap! Was this a traditional historical drama, not a fusion historical drama! Surely the butterfly effect of me being reincarnated isn’t going to change history, is it?’

He was full of worries, but Hyang’s body, which had just turned one year old, couldn’t overcome the fatigue. Forcing himself to open his closing eyes, Hyang grumbled.

‘Ugh! This damn body! Terrible stamina!’

Hyang didn’t know it, but the competition between Yangnyeong and Chungnyeong was gradually rising to the surface.

* * *

Two months after Hyang’s first birthday party in December (Hyang didn’t know it), Chungnyeong visited Nam Jae’s house with several people.

As the meeting continued, Nam Jae praised Chungnyeong’s deep scholarship and said the following:

“In the past, when His Majesty was in his pre-accession days, I advised him to study, but His Majesty said, ‘A mere prince has no place to participate, so what good is studying?’ So I said, ‘Which son of a king cannot become king?’ Now that the Grand Prince likes to study like this, my heart is glad.”(Note 1)

It was a truly meaningful story.

It wasn’t explained what Nam Jae meant by telling the story, but due to Nam Jae’s position and the content of the words, this story immediately reached Taejong [King Taejong of Joseon]. However, Taejong listened to this story and laughed it off, saying the following:

“That old man has gone too far.”

Taejong laughed it off, but the competition between those who supported the Crown Prince Yangnyeong and Chungnyeong as the next heir to the throne began to accelerate.

The decisive reason for this competition was Taejong’s ambiguous response. In principle, he recognized Yangnyeong, the eldest son, as the Crown Prince, but he also continued to show constant interest and praise for Chungnyeong.

“Look at Chungnyeong!”

Whenever a report came up that the Crown Prince Yangnyeong was neglecting his studies, Taejong would mention Chungnyeong and urge the Crown Prince to do better.

Once, unable to endure this comparison, the Crown Prince criticized Chungnyeong in a private meeting with Taejong.

“Chungnyeong is not brave!”

Taejong openly refuted the Crown Prince’s rebuttal.

“Although he may not seem brave, when faced with great tasks, there is no one in this era who can compare to him in deciding on righteousness.”

In addition to this assessment, Chungnyeong showed compassion for the plight of the people, making him Yangnyeong’s most formidable competitor.

Taejong was the one who triggered this fierce competition, but Taejong continued to recognize Yangnyeong as the Crown Prince.

In the end, whether it was Taejong’s intention or a voluntary move by the officials who wanted to prevent another ‘Princes’ Revolt,’ Park Eun gave a warning to Shim On, the leader of those who supported Chungnyeong.

“Grand Prince Chungnyeong is virtuous, and the hearts of those inside and outside are leaning towards him, so you should tell him to know how to conduct himself.”(Note 2)

Park Eun gave the warning, but Shim On ignored the warning and did not even convey it to Chungnyeong. Eventually, Park Eun, who had been enduring for too long, ended up visiting Chungnyeong’s residence himself.

The incident that day was also remembered by Hyang. As a child who had just passed his first birthday, he was sleeping for more than half the day, but the commotion outside was enough to wake Hyang up.

“Minister Shim! Do you even have a brain?”

“Haha. Minister Park. It’s not that…”

“Minister Shim, you can’t do this! Are you thinking of reliving that bloody tragedy that happened during the reign of Taejo?”

“Surely that can’t be the case?”

“Then what is the behavior you are showing now! Get out of the way! I must see the Grand Prince!”

“I just forgot last time. I will definitely tell him this time. Let’s stop here today.”

“Minister Shim, listen to me!”

“Okay, okay… Let’s stop here today.”

Although he could only hear the sounds and not see what was happening, Hyang realized that the situation had become serious.

‘Is this really going to cause a problem?’

“Hoo~.”

Shim On, who had pushed Park Eun out of the gate, let out a long sigh. After staring at Park Eun’s back disappearing into the distance for a long time, Shim On turned around with a stern face.

“It’s already a tiger by the tail [a Korean idiom meaning it’s too late to stop].”

Shim On’s voice, muttering to himself, was resolute. The current Crown Prince Yangnyeong was not lacking in ability. However, he had many disqualifications in his conduct. There was Hyoryeong as the second son, but it was universally acknowledged that he had no interest in the throne. After eliminating them, the only one left as the legitimate son of the current king was Chungnyeong, his son-in-law.

‘For the future of Joseon, Grand Prince Chungnyeong is the only answer!’

Having made up his mind, Shim On pushed Chungnyeong as the Crown Prince. It was a risky gamble, but Shim On thought he had a chance of winning. This was because Taejong’s reaction was lukewarm. As the number of people supporting him increased, Shim On’s confidence grew even stronger.

“Although His Majesty dislikes in-laws, everything will be resolved when the Grand Prince becomes the Crown Prince! All I have to do is lie low until the Grand Prince becomes the Crown Prince and later ascends the throne!”

And on the day the Grand Prince ascends the throne, he would rise to the position of the king’s father-in-law, the Crown Prince’s maternal grandfather, and the greatest contributor, a position above all but one.

Note 1) Annals of Taejong, December 30, 15th year

Note 2) Annals of Taejong, October 6, 17th year

End