There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 181

< Royal Marriage (1) >

Although Emperor Yongle had a terrible personality, he didn’t treat everyone that way.

He was a warmer emperor to his youngest Princess Zhang, his grandson, and Empress Xu than he was to anyone else.

Unfortunately, in the original history, Empress Xiaowen, Xu, would meet her end around this time.

The illness that took her life was relentlessly approaching here as well.

Because of this, Emperor Yongle was constantly visiting her palace almost every day.

“It seems heaven has not granted me a long life.”

“Empress…”

Emperor Yongle swallowed his tears.

Like any powerful ruler, he had a taste for women, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a loving husband.

No matter how much he reprimanded the imperial physicians or fed her the elixir that was Joseon red ginseng [Korean ginseng, known for its medicinal properties], the Empress’s illness did not improve.

Even as he sensed the end was near, Emperor Yongle could only hold her hand and offer words of hope.

“You will quickly regain your strength and get up. How can you leave so easily when you have risen to such a position?”

However, the Empress shook her head and said,

“Recently, Eunuch Hwang Eom from the Office of Ceremonies came to see me.”

Emperor Yongle frowned at the sudden mention of his name, but he asked,

“What did he say?”

“He asked me to persuade Your Majesty to send Hwa-ah to Joseon.”

Even though Hwang Eom was treated like a servant by Emperor Yongle, he hadn’t wasted his years as a eunuch.

He knew exactly where to strike to change Emperor Yongle’s mind.

Emperor Yongle might treat everyone else terribly, but he was warm to his youngest Princess Zhang, his grandson, and his seriously ill Empress.

However, Xu told her husband everything about Hwang Eom’s visit without hiding anything.

There could be no secrets between them.

“That bastard…”

Emperor Yongle gritted his teeth.

His expression was so fierce that Hwang Eom would have fainted if he had seen it.

“Hwang Eom is a man of Prince Zhao. He must be trying to get rid of her to a foreign country because the Crown Prince and Hwangmae are so close. If I marry her off to a prestigious family in the country, she will directly become a force supporting the Crown Prince.”

Hwang Eom had his own desperate reasons.

First of all, Prince Zhao was about to unleash his resentment for being sidelined while the Crown Prince was solidifying his position, so he had to come up with a plan, however small.

Moreover, wouldn’t he be generously rewarded in Joseon as a meritorious subject who arranged the royal marriage?

“But do you think I would send my sister to some foreign royal family? You know it too, don’t you?”

Emperor Yongle asked, raising his eyes.

As they had experienced, endless bloodshed raged in the royal family.

Joseon was no exception.

Even the current King of Joseon was a man who had killed his family and seized the throne.

‘Savages.’

Emperor Yongle was second to none when it came to double standards. He clicked his tongue inwardly.

“I know how much Your Majesty cherishes Hwa-ah like a daughter. I also know the hardships that royal women endure. My own family was like that as well.”

Empress Xu’s father, Xu Da, had followed Zhu Yuanzhang [the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming Dynasty] his whole life and made great contributions, but he ultimately met an ambiguous death.

Not only that, but her son, Xu Huizu, resisted Emperor Yongle during the Rebellion of Jingnan [a civil war from 1399 to 1402] and was purged and imprisoned.

“If you know such pain, shouldn’t you oppose it even more? If I bring in a handsome son-in-law who is a bit foolish and give her enough property to live without any hardships…”

“Even so, would that be what she wants?”

Xu said with a smile.

In the end, what matters is a person’s heart.

Emperor Yongle would have scoffed at this under normal circumstances, but the words of a dying Empress carried a different weight.

Instead of arguing, Emperor Yongle simply asked,

“Do you regret marrying me?”

Then, the Empress quietly closed her eyes and said,

“I have never regretted it in my life.”

===

Empress Xu was like a mother to Zhu Suhua, who had lost her parents early on.

Her passing was a very sad event, but it was encouraging that Emperor Yongle had changed his mind because of it.

Even during the Empress’s mourning period, Emperor Yongle constantly probed her to see if her mind had changed, but there was no way Zhu Suhua would change her mind now.

Negotiations for the royal marriage with Joseon proceeded smoothly, and as soon as Empress Xiaowen’s mourning period ended, the procession carrying the princess was scheduled to depart.

The palanquin stopped briefly as it left the palace gate.

This was because the Crown Prince, in a wheelchair, had come to see her off. Hwang Eom, who was in charge of the envoy for the first journey, was standing next to him.

“Hwangmae, I am Hwang Eom of the Office of Ceremonies, who will be serving Hwangmae…”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

Hwang Eom stepped forward as if to boast of his merits, but Zhu Suhua didn’t even look at him and ran to the Crown Prince and hugged him.

“Your Highness, thank you.”

“His Majesty told me to come and see you off, Aunt.”

The Crown Prince said with a smile.

Emperor Yongle showed his remaining discomfort by not coming out to see her off on her first journey, but the dowry was several times larger than that of other princesses.

Moreover, he even sent the Crown Prince to see her off.

“Not just seeing me off, but you have consistently supported this royal marriage.”

Then, Hwang Eom hurriedly stepped forward and shouted,

“That’s right! I put a lot of effort into it. Please keep that in mind.”

To be precise, it was the persuasion of the seriously ill Empress that moved Emperor Yongle, but Hwang Eom proudly took credit for himself.

However, Zhu Suhua didn’t even pretend to listen and said to Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi,

“How far will you see me off?”

“Unfortunately, only as far as Nanjing. I wish I could escort you all the way to Joseon, but…”

Hwang Eom’s face turned red as he was completely ignored, but neither of them cared.

===

As the procession passed through Liaodong and began to approach the Yalu River, Zhu Suhua’s heart began to flutter.

Along with that, Hwang Eom’s attitude also became more suspicious.

He seemed to have something to say, but Yang Shiqi, a scholar whom the Crown Prince had sent in his place, was always accompanying him, so he couldn’t speak properly.

However, Yang Shiqi was currently distracted, discussing something with the officials of Liaodong.

Hwang Eom looked at Zhu Suhua and puffed himself up.

He might have acted recklessly when he was in Nanjing, relying on the Emperor, but now that he had been away from the capital for quite some time, his spirit had been greatly diminished.

“Now that we are entering Joseon territory, I would like to receive a few pledges from the Princess.”

“Pledges?”

Zhu Suhua asked, tilting her head, and Hwang Eom raised a finger.

“Wherever Hwangmae is, Hwangmae’s homeland is this Ming Dynasty. You must not forget this. Also, the palace maids and eunuchs who will attend to Hwangmae are following you, so trust and use only them, not the Joseon people.”

The palace maids and eunuchs who followed Zhu Suhua were mainly those who had originally served her, but there were also quite a few new faces mixed in.

“These are people whom His Majesty the Emperor has strictly selected out of concern for the Princess. They will be in constant contact with our imperial family, so rely on them if you have any difficulties.”

“Hmm… I wonder if there will be such a thing?”

“Isn’t the palace a battlefield? A woman who is not favored is no different from a pebble. Hwangmae, you know that much, don’t you?”

How could Zhu Suhua, who had grown up in the inner palace since birth, not know?

However, she frowned, displeased by Hwang Eom’s attitude.

Hwang Eom didn’t even notice her mood.

He went on to boast about himself.

“I worked very hard to build a bridge for this royal marriage. I trust that you will not forget this when you later become the Queen of Joseon.”

This was also the reason why Hwang Eom had intervened in this royal marriage.

‘The Crown Prince of Joseon is quite a useful card.’

Whether or not, it is the most important vassal state.

‘If an abnormal succession occurs in the imperial family…’

Then, Joseon’s recognition will have a strong effect.

Just as Emperor Yongle had established his authority through Joseon’s recognition when he first ascended the throne.

Hwang Eom had not yet given up on his goal of enthroning Prince Zhao.

“So, Hwangmae, I believe there will come a day when you will repay my efforts.”

Hwang Eom said with a wicked smile.

What else could this be but a plan to kill two birds with one stone and catch both the pheasant and the crayfish [idiom for achieving multiple goals at once]?

If things go well, he will be able to enjoy immense power by being indebted to Joseon, Hwangmae, and Prince Zhao.

At that time, Zhu Suhua looked at him, lost in his happy imagination, and said curtly,

“You talk a lot.”

“Yes…?”

Hwang Eom’s expression crumpled at the unexpected reaction, but the surprise didn’t end there.

Zhu Suhua loosened the cloth that was tightly tied around her feet.

“Hwa, Hwangmae!”

Hwang Eom immediately recoiled as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, but Zhu Suhua was calm.

“I feel like I can finally live.”

Zhu Suhua had been loosening her foot binding or secretly untying it when no one was watching since she met that guy.

She had been keeping it tightly tied because there were many eyes watching her while coming by land, but now that Joseon land was in sight, it didn’t matter.

Anyway, no one in Joseon cared about foot binding, and according to that guy, it would likely be seen as ugly.

“Hwangmae, quickly co, cover your feet! Yo, Your Highness’s dignity…”

“Shut up!”

Zhu Suhua shouted at Hwang Eom with her hands on her hips.

“I am the youngest daughter of Emperor Taejo [Emperor Hongwu] and the younger sister of the current Emperor. How dare a mere eunuch like you, who is a descendant of the imperial family, tell me what to do!”

Hwang Eom’s expression froze.

Hwangmae’s attitude was a clear expression of her intention not to be manipulated by him.

“Th, this royal marriage would not have been possible without me!”

Hwang Eom shouted with a desperate heart, but Zhu Suhua only snorted.

“So?”

“Yes?”

“Is it my business? If you’re not happy, go back to my brother and ask him to call off the marriage.”

“How can a mere eunuch call off a marriage that has already been decided by the two countries’ august rulers?”

“Then there’s nothing for a eunuch like you to decide. Who are you showing off to?”

Zhu Suhua said triumphantly with her arms crossed.

She could see the anger rising in Hwang Eom, but this moment was too precious to give any more attention to such a guy.

Because the mountains and rivers of Joseon, which had finally unfolded in her eyes, were filling her vision.

‘Sunjang [burial alive of concubines and consorts to accompany the deceased emperor], a country without it.’

No one could criticize the fact that her beautiful mother was buried alive following her father, Zhu Yuanzhang.

Not only could they not criticize it, but everyone seemed to have forgotten that such a thing had happened.

Because it was just a matter of course in the Ming Dynasty.

‘And the country where that guy is.’

But now it was different.

‘What is this? Look at this. Ugh, disgusting.’

As if to represent her heart, which had been festering without being able to blame anyone or express her sad feelings because it was so natural.

How startled she was when she heard that the Crown Prince had been hit by an arrow.

And when she heard that her mother’s keepsake had blocked the arrow, she considered it fate.

Zhu Suhua’s heart began to pound.

“A group of people are rushing in from afar!”

“Which officials are they from? Stop them first!”

However, before they could stop them, those who had rushed in from afar, kicking up dust, identified themselves.

“We are the Crown Prince’s procession!”

“His Highness the Crown Prince of Joseon has personally come to greet the Grand Princess of the Great Ming!”

The black dots that had been visible in the distance gradually grew larger, and soon took the shape of people.

As the boy, who had now grown quite dignified, approached, the beating of her heart grew even louder.

Zhu Suhua opened her mouth, trying to calm her trembling voice.

“Why did you come in person?”

Then, the boy scratched his head and took something out of his pocket.

“He told me to return this.”

The silver mirror was strangely intact for something that had been hit by an arrow, but Zhu Suhua, whose vision was already half blurred, had no time to notice it.

Even if she had known, the joy of remembering the promise would have easily suppressed the question.

“What is that?”

Zhu Suhua clutched the silver mirror and ran into the boy’s arms.

“I came from farther away, you idiot.”

Behind the two people who had tilted and fallen grandly, Yi Seong-gye [King Taejo of Joseon] closed his eyes and lamented.

“It’s the end of the world.”

< Royal Marriage (1) > End

ⓒ Pitkong