There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 100

‘What on earth is going on?’

Mun Gahak couldn’t come to his senses.

It was true that when he was working as a Taoist in Jinju, he and other Taoists performed ‘miracles’ and were revered by the people for doing so.

However, most, if not all, of them were based on shallow tricks.

In these turbulent times, the trend of following Taoists and sorcerers had become so severe that it was entirely possible with mere sleight of hand.

The ‘miracle’ he wanted from the Crown Prince was the same.

Originally, he knew that the Crown Prince was no ordinary person, but he just wanted him to use tricks like he did to help attract believers.

‘But he really summoned lightning.’

Mun Gahak’s chin trembled.

He couldn’t do that with any of the shallow tricks he knew.

Who could conjure a trick that would make lightning strike the East Palace [the Crown Prince’s residence] on its own?

That in itself was something only a divine being could do.

‘I almost received a great punishment!’

Mun Gahak’s heart sank.

He had truly felt the sorrow of a man without connections when he was kicked out of the Seowoongwan [a government office].

Therefore, he only had the idea of using the primitive faith that was emerging within the Military Supplies Command to ride on the Crown Prince’s name.

However, seeing the blue lightning strike the East Palace several times, he was feeling an uncontrollable religious ecstasy.

“Truly, a celestial being has descended…”

Mun Gahak muttered.

A pseudo-religious leader doesn’t necessarily disbelieve in pseudo-religions.

Even in modern times, there are many pseudo-religious leaders who were originally victims of other pseudo-religions.

It is with this madness that they truly shout to be revered as gods.

Seeing this miracle, Mun Gahak shouted without realizing it.

“The lightning that struck recently is not a celestial change or a celestial anomaly! It was summoned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

He is summoning lightning to forge divine weapons!”

Otherwise, how could he create such enormous objects?

The question he had always held met its answer and fit perfectly.

At this moment, the believers’ faith was soaring through the heavens.

Their god was real.

===

– The lightning struck the East Palace several times, which is a very ominous sign. The Crown Prince should practice self-cultivation.

Originally, the Seowoongwan should have given this interpretation.

However, they dared not say such a thing.

One of the reasons was that Yi Bangwon was in a mood to slice up anyone who dared to say anything about his son’s virtue.

And the other was…

“Lightning struck the East Palace not just once, but several times, and no one was hurt, and there wasn’t even a scratch on the house?”

“Oh, should this be called a disturbance? Or should we say that the Crown Prince has the help of heaven?”

Before the confused Seowoongwan officials could come up with a clear answer, strange rumors began to circulate among the people.

“Among the foolish people, there is talk that this is a sign that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is no ordinary person.

The heretical group called the Communists are spreading such evil words…”

“Heresy? Are you saying that my son is associated with heresy?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

According to Yi Bangwon’s sensitive reaction, the rumors collected by the court were adjusted to simply say, ‘There are such rumors circulating among the people.’

“Congratulations.”

Then, Chief State Councilor Ha Ryun stepped forward and said.

“What are you congratulating me on?”

“Isn’t it widely rumored in the marketplace that the Crown Prince summoned lightning?”

At his words, Yi Bangwon laughed.

“How can a person summon lightning with his own power? If that were possible, wouldn’t it truly be the power of a celestial being?”

“That is true. However, the words that the foolish were uttering to slander Your Majesty’s virtue have disappeared thanks to this, so wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

Like that, the uneasy atmosphere that had been subtly spreading quickly subsided with this incident.

Let’s say that lightning strikes frequently in Joseon because of heaven’s wrath.

Then what would it be called if the Crown Prince directly summoned lightning to the East Palace?

In an instant, ‘the heaven that punished the king without virtue’ became a subordinate who caught lightning and offered it to the Crown Prince sitting in the East Palace.

Since mysterious objects were constantly coming out of the East Palace anyway, the people truly regarded this as a miracle performed by the Crown Prince.

‘Did His Royal Highness really use sorcery to summon it?’

However, the court officials would not seriously believe such rumors.

They also saw the lightning strike, but they did not believe it was proof that the Crown Prince was a divine being.

And…

‘I will stand in the sky.’

The ministers imagined the Crown Prince laughing triumphantly while saying these words.

This was emotionally and rationally unacceptable.

Therefore, the ministers could not know the existence of lightning rods, but they forced themselves to accept it as a mere coincidence.

Of course, Hwang Hee, Maeng Saseong, and Heo Jo, who had experienced the Crown Prince for a long time at the Hanyang Construction Office, were different.

“His Highness has invented another strange thing!”

They also could not know the principle of summoning lightning, but they thought that the Crown Prince must have known what he was doing.

And as always in these cases, the Crown Prince appeared and passed on new work.

“This is an object I made called a lightning rod. It is a great object that can prevent people from being struck by lightning or houses from burning down.”

As expected, the next day, Crown Prince Yi Je directly visited the office and showed the officials a strange wire.

Although they could not know the basis on which such a principle worked, Hwang Hee swallowed hard.

“Ah, is that so?”

He knew it was great, so he begged not to be given the work, but Yi Je said mercilessly.

“I will install them all over Hanyang soon, so make them all from now on.”

“All over Hanyang, you say?”

“Have you ever seen me joke about something like this?”

Hwang Hee’s face cracked at Yi Je’s words.

“I trust you with this, Officer Hwang.”

Hwang Hee quickly looked at his colleagues, but they did not help him and instead wore expressions of relief.

‘I’m glad it’s not me.’

‘I know, right.’

Maeng Saseong and Heo Jo glanced elsewhere and pretended not to notice.

Hwang Hee, who had taken on the task of making lightning rods, could not proceed with a project that was not his major.

“Ah…”

Hwang Hee grabbed his head and called a government slave who had recently been assigned to the office.

The slave child, who was being called from here and there, ran over in a hurry and listened to his errand.

“Why did you call me?”

“Yes, look at this blueprint and make a real thing right away. Calculate thoroughly and report on how much time it will take to produce in large quantities and how much material will be needed.”

He used the long-standing tradition of the Hanyang Construction Office, ‘trust and entrust’.

Of course, Jang Yeongsil’s face cracked.

Then, Hwang Hee grabbed his shoulder with a determined expression and encouraged him.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has specifically appointed you to this task.”

“His, His Highness to someone like me?”

“Yes, His Highness’s trust is great. You won’t disappoint him, will you?”

Jang Yeongsil’s expression also changed at those words.

“I will do it with the determination to die.”

Then, Jang Yeongsil ran off somewhere.

Maeng Saseong clicked his tongue while watching the scene.

“Oh, Brother Hwang. You’re lying to pass on the work, so you’re not going to be a gentleman. What crime did that child commit?”

“I think I’m going to die from overwork before I become a gentleman. I have to live first.”

Hwang Hee shook his head.

The newly arrived Jang Yeongsil was so good at his job as a government slave that not only Yi Cheon but also many people were assigning him work in this way.

Yeongsil, the person in charge, was about to have his head explode, but the situation was not much different for other people.

Today, the Hanyang Construction Office was somehow running like this.

===

Finally, all preparations for the relocation to Hanyang were completed.

The palace, the market, and the residential complex were all completed, so all that remained was the preparation for the transfer from Gaeseong, which was also completed.

“The construction period, which was expected to last for several years, has been shortened like this, all thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“What.”

I replied shyly to the praise of the people around me.

Of course, my influence was significant.

In addition to introducing objects such as the Geojunggi [a type of lever], the Nokro [a type of crane], and the Yuhyeonggeo [a type of movable shelter], I also built railroads.

In addition, the time it took to mobilize manpower and materials from various regions was greatly reduced with the help of officials whose information processing capabilities had improved dramatically.

The consumption of people’s power was also greatly reduced as the construction period was shortened.

Perhaps that’s why the public sentiment in Gaeseong was not so bad even after seeing the court and the royal family leaving for good.

“Please live long and prosper!”

“Joseon Kingdom, a thousand years!”

“Long live His Majesty!”

This is the second time to relocate from Gaeseong to Hanyang.

However, the first time was before I was born, so Yangnyeongdaegun [the Crown Prince’s older brother] didn’t even remember it.

In the first place, young children have almost no old memories.

So I couldn’t help but admire the long procession.

“This is truly a spectacle!”

Many people had already moved from Gaeseong to Hanyang in advance, but there were also many who wanted to move with the royal carriage.

Numerous officials and their families, and people each carrying their luggage to move to Hanyang, so the column was at least dozens of miles long.

“It’s like seeing Liu Xuande’s army fleeing from Dangyang [a chaotic retreat in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms].”

I said, seeing the sight of officials, soldiers, and people mixed up and moving.

Yi Seonggye hit my head when I admired it like that.

“You bastard, why did you have to make such a comparison?”

Immediately after that, Cao Cao’s army invaded and smashed everything, so it’s ominous.

It was clear that the order was fairly strict when they started, but as they walked dozens of miles, some people sat down to rest, and some people left to eat, so it was all mixed up.

However, only the royal carriage moved without error while receiving strict protection.

No, royal carriage’s.

Since there are three kings, there were also three royal carriages.

My father Yi Bangwon’s royal carriage departed first, and the concubines and grand princes followed behind.

However, I was moving with Yi Seonggye and Yi Bangwa’s royal carriage.

The reason was, needless to say, because Yi Seonggye wanted to go with me.

Yi Seonggye drove his horse with a deeply moved expression.

“To be able to return to Hanyang again. I’m really happy.”

“Why are you doing this when you’ve already been here with me so often?”

I asked, tilting my head.

“You bastard, that was just for fun. Is it the same as going to settle in Hanyang, which is now a proud capital?”

Yi Seonggye said.

Well, he would be happy to return to the place where he spent his heyday as the official capital.

However, there was also someone who was dying.

I glanced at Yi Bangwa, who was moving silently next to me, and said softly.

“Please cheer up.”

“Hmph…”

Yi Bangwa said with a sulky expression.

“To have to return to that place where brothers killed each other…”

“Gaeseong is the same.”

The Second Prince’s Rebellion, started by my uncle Grand Prince Hoean Yi Banggan, who is now exiled to Iksan, took place in Gaeseong.

Then, Yi Bangwa was speechless.

“If Hanyang and Gaeseong are the same anyway, you should go to a more comfortable place. I’ve created a new world in Hanyang, so please see and judge.”

I boasted to Yi Bangwa.

My words were not a bluff.

When the royal carriage reached Hanyang, everyone held their breath and looked up at the castle walls.

The castle walls of the capital, which were much higher than when they left, greeted them.

Cannons were placed in the gunports here and there, and the Training Command troops on the castle walls straightened their backs and greeted the returning king.

“His Majesty the King is coming!”

End

ⓒ Pitkong