There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 135

Like Hans Christian Andersen’s masterpiece, ‘The Little Mermaid’—a story by a Danish author—it resonated deeply with countless people across all ages and cultures.

Princess Zhu Suohua, the Princess of Baogyeong, was no exception.

At first, she found it amusing that a princess, the daughter of the Dragon King, would rescue a prince, fall in love with him, and trade her voice for legs.

But in the end, the prince fell for someone else, and the princess turned into sea foam and disappeared.

“He wrote about a guy just like himself as the prince,” she muttered.

Zhu Suohua, sulking, threw the book away, but then, noticing the looks around her, she quickly picked it up.

After all, it was the first gift she had ever received from someone her age.

This could perhaps be called a gift from a friend.

‘Friend?’

Zhu Suohua’s eyes widened.

Of course, she knew the concept, but it was something very distant from her own life.

The people in the palace were either much older adults of higher status or eunuchs and maids whom she couldn’t dare to consider as friends.

She held the book close to her chest.

Unlike the shameless face of the Joseon crown prince, the handwriting was so beautiful that it made her heart flutter.

===

‘The Little Mermaid,’ it’s a sad ending, but it should be fine.

‘I saw it all when I was young, too.’

The Huiguan [a type of Chinese merchant guild or association] was bustling with guests.

Not only was there mahjong, but there was also a growing fervor to obtain Joseon-produced red ginseng from Nanjing.

The people gathered in front of the Huiguan shouted.

“I’ll pay any price, so please bring some for us on the next envoy!”

“Us too, us too!”

People were clamoring for red ginseng.

Joseon ginseng was already considered the best among medicinal ingredients.

Moreover, as people who had taken the red ginseng samples and experienced its effects began to appear, the enthusiasm for finding red ginseng, which looked full of yang energy and was easy to store, grew even more.

“I don’t take reservations! The red ginseng brought on the next envoy will be sold through auction!”

I shouted to the people.

And I sternly told the Joseon officials as well.

“Strictly manage the supply of red ginseng. Only accept reservations from high-ranking officials of the 2nd rank or higher, or from royalty.”

It was important to thoroughly manage only the influential and excellent customers within Ming China.

‘This kind of strategy will be more effective.’

The sense of superiority that they were receiving top-quality goods that others couldn’t dare to obtain, supplied directly from Joseon.

This would turn them into loyal customers and lay the foundation for making Joseon red ginseng a luxury item.

“What should we do with the mahjong parlor?”

Originally, the Huiguan was a place where Joseon envoys came and went, so there were no permanent residents.

But now, some of the officials participating in the Boseondan [a special trade mission] and working with the Ming Dynasty had to stay behind.

In this case….

“Continue to operate it. However, strictly screen the guests.”

The profits were quite substantial, but the fact that high-ranking officials frequented the place was a great advantage.

They could hold meetings here without worrying about being watched, and they could play mahjong to their heart’s content, so the number of people only increased day by day.

I nodded.

I was gradually wrapping up my affairs in Ming China.

===

Before leaving Ming, I entered the palace to meet Emperor Yongle, but there was a place I had to stop by first.

The princess was indeed in the Crown Prince’s palace.

As soon as she saw me, she rattled off words like a machine gun.

“Why is the ending like this?”

“Are you crazy? Why kill the heroine?”

I was taken aback to see the princess arguing like that.

“No, well….”

What could I do when Andersen wrote it that way?

However, this princess seemed to be engrossed in the newly experienced storytelling, and her complaints about the ending showed no signs of stopping.

To summarize the lengthy complaint, which would easily amount to 5,700 characters if written down, it was this:

“The ending must be happy, no matter what. That’s my rule.”

“That’s a ridiculous rule.”

As expected of a princess who had lived as she pleased, she was forcing it on others.

“Even if I say this, there’s nothing you can do about what’s already written.”

The princess sighed and shook her head.

Her eyes were dark from reading all night.

It seemed like she enjoyed it nonetheless.

Seeing her read the short fairy tale over and over again.

That was also the reason why I visited her.

I placed thin books in front of her.

“You might be bored in the palace, so try reading something else.”

At best, her hobby would be embroidery.

The princess’s eyes widened as she looked at the books that the people below had diligently copied.

“I, is this all books?”

“Yes.”

‘Poor thing.’

Her parents died early, and as a princess, it was difficult for her to go outside.

Wasn’t it too harsh an environment for a child to dream in?

It was from a pure heart that I wanted her to blossom with childlike innocence, even now.

‘Well, there’s also the beta tester role.’

I was thinking of releasing these types of stories once I returned to Joseon.

I had to make sure it was profitable before publishing it.

“I, I already received a gift of apology?”

“Um… then let’s just say this is a gift from a friend.”

“Friend?”

Her face flushed.

‘Ah, this girl probably didn’t have any friends.’

I thought as I looked at her.

“We are friends, aren’t we? Hehe….”

The princess looked down, tapping her fingernails together.

Then she changed her expression, raised her head, and shouted.

“You, is it because you’re a foreigner? Your speech is too disrespectful. I don’t mind, but others might misunderstand if they hear it. You should improve and write more accurately in the future.”

It’s not like I don’t know honorifics.

“What if I teach you….”

I smiled as I watched her laugh, ‘Hehe’.

Even so, she wasn’t a bad girl at heart.

“Thank you, but no thanks.”

“Why?!”

She shouted with her mouth wide open, as if she thought her kindness had been ignored.

“Because I’m leaving soon anyway.”

It’s good to learn Chinese, but I won’t have much use for it in the future.

Probably.

Once I go back like this, I won’t be coming to Ming China again.

In Joseon, I only need to use an interpreter when talking to envoys.

‘Anyway, I’ve achieved the goal of upholding Emperor Yongle’s prestige.’

The red ginseng sales were successful, I got all the books and seeds I needed, and I achieved the purpose of upholding Emperor Yongle’s prestige.

‘There’s no point in staying any longer, I’ll just get caught up in the succession dispute.’

However, the girl’s face was quite shocked.

“Leaving?”

“Should I stay here and live then?”

It was an envoy with a set schedule from the beginning.

There’s no way I wouldn’t leave.

The girl’s eyes wavered.

“Is this the last time you’re coming here?”

“Probably, wouldn’t you think so?”

I asked back.

“If I write a new story, I’ll send it through the envoy.”

“Who would want something like that…!”

The princess bit her lip.

Only the tea water cooled silently between us.

Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, I got up.

“I should go see His Majesty the Emperor soon. I’ll be going now.”

“Wait…!”

The girl, who was trying to follow me in a hurry, lost her balance and fell spectacularly.

– Thud!

It looked painful at first glance.

The fallen girl couldn’t get up properly.

“Looks like she sprained her ankle.”

My gaze reached the girl’s feet.

It was a bound foot, tightly tied with cloth.

She couldn’t help it since she came out wearing unfamiliar bound feet.

“Why did you come wearing something like this?”

I said in a frustrated tone.

“Don’t you… like it?”

“Would I like seeing something like this?”

She didn’t even wear bound feet last time.

Why on earth?

‘Don’t tell me she’s trying to look good for me.’

That’s crazy.

What happened between her and me?

I started to untie the cloth that was wrapped around her foot.

“Ugh, ah….”

The girl, with a flushed face, hit my back repeatedly.

“How can you look at a maiden’s foot so carelessly!”

“So what.”

Why is she making such a fuss over showing just one foot?

What a strange sensibility.

‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like any bones are damaged.’

I’m glad I didn’t hurt Emperor Yongle’s most beloved younger sister carelessly.

I don’t know what kind of trouble I would get into.

But I turned my back to the girl, who was blushing red and covering her face with her hands.

“Get on my back.”

“Get on your back?”

“You can’t move like this, can you?”

I could call a eunuch, but if I left her to the eunuch of the Crown Prince’s palace instead of my inner palace, I would hear another lecture.

Zhu Suohua hesitated for a moment and then put her body on my back.

‘I should just take her to where the inner palace eunuchs are.’

The girl on my back muttered.

“Your back… is surprisingly broad.”

Of course.

It’s worth being specially trained by Yi Seong-gye [founder and first king of the Joseon dynasty].

“Let me tell you how this was made….”

I was excited to explain how these muscles were made and how harsh Yi Seong-gye’s training was, but there was no answer.

I wondered what she was doing, her mouth was tightly shut and her eyes were just spinning around.

‘She’s just barking like a dog.’

I clicked my tongue and closed my mouth.

I’ll never tell her this fun story again.

“Hey.”

The princess opened her mouth.

“What.”

“There’s no ritualistic burial or foot binding in Joseon, right?”

“Yeah.”

I said bluntly.

“You know what? You’re the first person to say it’s bad.”

“Don’t tell others that I said that.”

The girl listened to my warning and then threw out a word.

“I want to go to Joseon.”

“It’s not difficult to go.”

I thought I knew what this girl was thinking.

But vague longing only breeds anger.

‘There is no paradise in the place you run away to.’

As someone who once left his homeland and wandered around other countries, life in a foreign land is not easy.

“If that’s the only reason, you should stop.”

I advised with all my heart.

“As for ritualistic burial, you’re a princess, so you won’t be subjected to it. As for foot binding, you can just untie it when others aren’t looking, like now. Why give up being a princess and suffer?”

“….”

The princess shut her mouth tightly.

“That’s not the only reason.”

“Then?”

“…I don’t know.”

Is it because she’s still young?

It’s only possible to explain your feelings in words when you’re an adult.

That guy is too good at talking, which is a big problem.

“I guess you could say I want to have legs too.”

The princess said.

We walked in silence.

Somehow my shoulders felt heavy.

Surely this girl’s body was very frail.

===

“So, you’re going back now?”

“Yes, I have already informed the Ministry of Rites, but I thought it would be right to inform His Majesty directly.”

I knelt respectfully before Emperor Yongle and said so.

Emperor Yongle, who came in late, explained that he was late because he was discussing the Annam [historical name for Vietnam] conquest.

He didn’t exactly apologize though.

‘Yeah, this is the attitude of the powerful people of this era.’

The Crown Prince is strangely docile.

“I plan to support Prince Tran Thiem Binh of Annam and send an army of 100,000. With this, we should be able to defeat the usurper in one fell swoop.”

Emperor Yongle said proudly.

‘He’s a usurper himself.’

I cursed inwardly.

No, come to think of it, I’m also the grandson of a usurper.

I wasn’t in a position to judge others.

“What do you think of the Crown Prince of Joseon?”

“The heavenly army is strong, so it will be able to overthrow the dynasty and restore it in one fell swoop.”

I don’t know how powerful Vietnam is now, but it would be right to answer like this, right?

“Haha, Joseon is truly a respectful vassal state. That’s why our court has been bestowing grace for generations.”

“That is so. You have divided the land east of the Mudan River and given us the opportunity to participate in the Boseondan and spread the royal influence, so we are truly grateful.”

It was flattery, but it was true that Emperor Yongle’s actions were helpful to us.

Although the Boseondan was closer to a stance where we were cooperating for your sake.

“Yes, I thought about it after hearing the proposal to participate in the Boseondan.”

Emperor Yongle said suspiciously.

“What if Joseon lends a hand in suppressing the rebellious traitors of Annam under the name of Joseon?”