There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 188

‘Vietnam, out of the blue?’

What’s to be gained from that place?

“Um, Grandfather, you do know that the Ming Dynasty is our in-law, right?”

‘Is he upset about the Jonggye [royal lineage] issue?’

I couldn’t see any benefit other than trying to mess with the Ming Dynasty.

The idea of selling weapons to Vietnamese guerrillas was too dangerous.

‘Do you want to ruin Joseon?’

There was no reason to do that.

Everyone was already on edge after the fall of Annam [historical name for Vietnam], so why provoke the Ming Dynasty?

They were practically allies, or at least a friendly nation, in the current situation.

“I’m not saying we should stab them right away. If we’re already planning to send ships to trade with the countries of the South Seas, it wouldn’t hurt to establish relationships with the influential figures in that land.”

‘Well, if we don’t sell them military supplies, the Ming Dynasty probably won’t interfere too much.’

If it’s normal trade, the Ming Dynasty has no reason to pressure us.

“And if we think we can get away with it, we can sell them some weapons too. Or send our friendly military instructors, like we did for Dae-nae [possibly a region or group within Joseon].”

“Absolutely not.”

I quickly stopped Yi Seong-gye’s ambition.

As long as I’m alive, there’s nothing to gain from rebelling against the Ming Dynasty.

“Are you bored these days?”

“Bored? I’m telling you about national strategies!”

Yi Seong-gye protested, his face reddening, but I didn’t really believe him.

What kind of national strategy is it to connect with Vietnam, which is so far away?

‘Choe Yeong, who wanted to join hands with the Northern Yuan, was better.’

I guess he’s been too bored lately because I haven’t been playing with him.

‘They say the biggest problem for retired seniors is having nothing to do, along with their income.’

The Taesangwang [retired king] was showing that side of himself, like an old man in retirement.

Wiping my moist eyes, I asked,

“Would you like to go hunting for the first time in a while?”

There were plenty of hunting grounds near Hanyang [old name for Seoul].

The court officials might not like it, but neither the Taesangwang nor I were the type to care about that.

Then, Yi Seong-gye’s face, which had been talking about national strategies until just now, lit up.

“Hmm, if you really want to go hunting, I might as well accompany you. Be grateful.”

Yi Seong-gye spoke as if he were Joo So-hwa [likely a female character known for a particular manner of speaking].

Did he learn that from his granddaughter-in-law?

“It’s no fun to just go. Let’s make a bet.”

“The one who catches less will treat the Naegun [royal guards] here to some takju [Korean rice wine].”

The corners of the Geumgun’s [another type of royal guard] lips rose to the sky when they heard that.

I had to grease these guys’ palms once in a while so they could enjoy their work.

“Alright.”

I readily agreed.

===

In conclusion, the hunt was successful.

We returned to the capital carrying the massive beasts that had fallen to our guns and bows.

“No, you have to count a deer as two rabbits! How can you count such a big animal as just one?”

“Deer are easier to catch because they’re bigger. And even if you count it as two, you’re still far behind me.”

There were minor squabbles on the way back, but it was a pleasant day for once.

Except for Min In-saeng, who was hiding far away, watching us bicker and writing in the Veritable Records [historical records of the Joseon Dynasty].

‘He’s definitely going to add some weird commentary.’

He’s probably writing something like, ‘Hunting is a trivial pleasure that harms a person’s virtue, so in the end, the Taesangwang and the Crown Prince lost their dignity~.’

At that moment, someone prostrated themselves before the procession returning to the palace.

“Your Majesty!”

“You scoundrel, what is this rudeness?”

The Geumgun quickly stepped forward, but Yi Seong-gye stopped them.

“Ah, leave him be. We should hear what’s going on.”

It is called Gyeokjaeng [a formal appeal to the king] to block the path of the king’s procession and appeal for grievances.

Yi Seong-gye had already been praised for resolving unfair stories on the way to the Northeast when he went with me.

However, in Hanyang, there were so many kings, including the Taesangwang and the Sangwang [former king who abdicated], wandering around, and the Hanseong residents knew the king’s authority so well that Gyeokjaeng did not occur so often.

“So, what grievance does this old man have that he has come before the royal presence?”

Yi Seong-gye said, looking down at him.

Then the old man said, still prostrate,

“I have no grievances. I am just poor because I have nothing, so please have pity on me and give me something to eat.”

‘This is something.’

As the turbulent times came to an end and normal governance began to take hold, the benefits were reaching every corner of the country.

Compared to the days when there was no land to plant a needle and all the harvest was taken away as taxes and tenancy fees, it was truly a world of difference.

However, the poor who were excluded from this flocked to Hanyang, where they could make a living, and often begged.

I suspected that this old man was one of them.

“What are your children doing?”

“I had them, but they’re gone. After I was dragged to the Hwangsan battle [a famous battle against Japanese pirates] a long time ago and returned, they had all starved to death.”

“Hwangsan!”

Yi Seong-gye exclaimed in surprise.

The Battle of Hwangsan was a battle that Yi Seong-gye took pride in for the rest of his life.

He had repelled the Wokou [Japanese pirates] who threatened Gaegyeong [old capital of Korea] and saved the country.

“You were in that battle?”

“Yes, I was.”

Yi Seong-gye, hearing the old man’s answer, said with a pitiful expression.

“I commanded the Battle of Hwangsan as the Samgun Do Sunchal-sa [a high-ranking military position], so if you think about it, the old man was under my command. Who would have known that you would lose your descendants and beg like this?”

“I tried to live on my own, but it wasn’t easy. A few years ago, when they were giving out rice when building Hanyang, I volunteered, but I was rejected because I was old.”

‘Hmm…’

I avoided the Taesangwang’s gaze and subtly turned my head.

‘This can’t be helped.’

When building Hanyang, they not only mobilized the people for forced labor but also paid them a small wage by giving out old rice stored in the warehouse.

In addition, various construction materials and heavy equipment were introduced on a large scale at this time, which significantly reduced the demand for manpower.

For this reason, there was no reason to use a weak old man.

The same was true for the construction projects that followed.

“Oh, dear.”

Yi Seong-gye couldn’t hide his pity.

“The old man is like my comrade. But it’s a pity that he can’t avoid being a beggar because he has no one to support him.

First, give him two rolls of cloth and a bag of rice, and find him a job sweeping the yard at some government office.”

“Thank you, thank you!”

The old man, his eyes wide open, prostrated himself before Yi Seong-gye and bowed repeatedly.

Yi Seong-gye sighed.

The mood that had been lifted by the hunting trip had instantly cooled.

“Damn it, what are the neighbors doing while the old man is starving?”

“Isn’t it true that generosity comes from the granary?”

Even if things are getting better, there are still many poor neighborhoods.

“There must be more old people like that all over the country. Tsk, tsk.”

Yi Seong-gye said that.

Even if they are poor, people who are energetic and have healthy limbs can become self-sufficient by receiving land sold by the country and paying off the debt.

However, the problem was that old people were too weak to do even that.

“I saved one old man this time, but aren’t the rest just waiting to die?”

Yi Seong-gye had been known as a virtuous general since his days as a commander.

I cautiously suggested to him, who was sighing deeply,

“Then, why don’t you, Taesangjeon [honorific title for the retired king], take the lead in starting an elderly welfare project?”

If Yi Seong-gye, the representative old man of Joseon, doesn’t take care of elderly welfare, who will?

“Assign odd jobs to old people who have no children to support them, or who have children but are unable to receive support due to difficult circumstances.”

Even in modern times, it is not easy for children to support their parents with filial piety alone.

In this era, old people are also considered labor, and they usually help with farming until they are too old to move around, but there is a limit to that.

Yi Seong-gye, who had been contemplating for a while, asked,

“What should we do with those old people?”

“There are many things we can do.”

Since it was an agricultural society, the experience that old people had accumulated would be useful in its own way.

‘We could gather know-how from old farmers and compile something like the Nongsa Jikseol [an important agricultural text].’

This is something that other government offices should do, so let’s put it aside.

“Let’s start by gathering people.”

===

In Joseon, there is an event called Yangroyeon (養老宴) [Feast for the Elderly].

As the name suggests, it is an event where the king gathers old people and holds a feast for them, but at the present time, the target is limited to the men and women of the Sadaebu [scholar-official class].

For this reason, the Seungjeongwon [Royal Secretariat] objected to this Yangroyeon held by the Taesangjeon.

– It is the law that lowly people should not attend the Yangroyeon.

Both Yi Seong-gye and I nonchalantly ignored it, but it was a bit annoying.

‘They didn’t even help, and they’re trying to discriminate even when we’re throwing a feast for the old people?’

Anyway, when we opened the Yangroyeon to the common people for the first time, a lot of old people with nothing to do gathered.

‘Looking at it like this, there are quite a few people over sixty.’

No matter how short the average lifespan was in pre-modern times, there were always people who lived long lives.

Yi Seong-gye went around personally pouring them drinks and congratulating them on their longevity, and they were so moved that they didn’t know what to do.

“Your Majesty, may you also have a long and healthy life.”

The old men said, prostrating themselves.

Perhaps getting a drink from the Taesangwang will be an unforgettable experience.

“You’ve all grown very old.”

Yi Seong-gye said, looking around at the old men.

“But how many of these old people are not in financial difficulty even if they do not work?”

The old men closed their mouths and remained silent.

The Sadaebu can leisurely write poetry at this age, but the common people have to help with the household in some way.

The old men glanced around and threw out a word each.

“I am still able to work, but I am afraid of what will happen when I get older.”

“I only have one daughter, and I am living with her family and her in-laws, so I am quite conscious of them.”

As they began to share their circumstances, stories began to pour out like a flood.

Most of them were old people who were no longer able to help with farming because they were weak, and they were the most worried.

“I would like to do some sewing, but it is difficult because my eyes are getting blurry.”

“I knew it.”

Yi Seong-gye said that.

“Crown Prince!”

“Yes, Grandfather!”

I ordered them to bring the rice straw from the Jeokjeon [royal farm].

The Jeokjeon is farmland cultivated directly by the king. Of course, since the king’s job is not farming, he only shows examples of sowing seeds and plowing fields on certain days, and all management is done by the government office.

All the harvested grain is used for royal ancestral rites, and of course, the rice straw is also the property of the royal family.

Rice straw is like plastic in this era, and there is no place where it is not used.

First of all, it is used as feed for cows, and it is also used for daily necessities such as straw shoes, hats, baskets, hampers, raincoats, and straw hats.

It was the most necessary material for the household goods workshop that would be created by gathering the old men of Hanyang.

“If it’s handicrafts, it doesn’t require that much strength, so even those who can’t work can be used effectively.”

Muttering absentmindedly, I looked around with an ‘oops’ expression.

This, could it be that it will be misinterpreted as ‘The Crown Prince is trying to exploit even the old people!’?

I looked at the officials standing next to me.

They were also looking at me with an expression that said they knew it would happen.

‘No, I’m so frustrated, really.’

I rubbed my forehead.

Why is my pure intention constantly being distorted?

End

ⓒ Pitkong