There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 214

“Ugh…”

Yeom Chi-yong, betrayed and captured by his comrades whom he believed would share his fate, found himself in dire straits.

He was brought before the royal court for interrogation, where he vehemently protested his innocence.

“Your Majesty, I am wrongly accused! How could I ever have plotted to replace the Crown Prince?”

Yi Bang-won’s voice was like ice as he questioned, “Those who were present testified that you discussed replacing the Crown Prince. Do you deny this?”

Yeom Chi-yong shook his head, arguing with fervent conviction. “Your Majesty, I never said we *should* replace the Crown Prince.”

“Then what did you say?”

“I didn’t say replace the Crown Prince, but rather, that we *might* have to replace him.”

Yeom Chi-yong delivered his words with unwavering confidence, causing a wave of confusion among the assembled officials.

‘…What’s the difference?’ they wondered.

‘Is he insane?’

However, this reaction was precisely what Yi Bang-won had hoped for.

It was crucial that it appeared Yeom Chi-yong wasn’t orchestrating a coup to support the Grand Princes, but merely rambling nonsensical drivel.

“That man is clearly mentally unstable and spouting utter nonsense! Guards of the Geumbu [Royal Investigation Bureau], why are you standing idle? Torture him on the rack until he reveals the truth!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Aaaargh!”

Yeom Chi-yong writhed in agony, his screams echoing through the hall.

“Your Majesty, I beg you, believe in my loyalty! When a woman interferes in state affairs, families and society crumble…”

“That scoundrel! More gibberish!”

Yi Bang-won gestured sharply, and a Geumbu officer silenced him with increased torture.

Yeom Chi-yong’s eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

The guards splashed water on him, attempting to revive him, but he remained unresponsive.

The Geumbu officer, after a hasty check of his pulse, lowered his head, a look of dismay on his face.

“Your Majesty, the traitor could not endure the torture and has died.”

“Oh dear, what is this? I haven’t even confirmed Yeom Chi-yong’s crimes, and yet he takes his own life.”

Despite his words, Yi Bang-won’s expression remained unchanged.

From the outset, he had no intention of formally punishing and executing Yeom Chi-yong.

The moment Yeom Chi-yong’s crimes were officially confirmed, whether treason or lèse-majesté [crime against the ruling power], officials would inevitably raise the issue of guilt by association.

Ultimately, Yeom Chi-yong had to die because his body couldn’t withstand the interrogation.

Unlike modern times, where investigations cease upon the suspect’s death, this was an era where, if determined, one could exhume the corpse and inflict further punishment.

Thus, the possibility of someone suggesting, ‘Even if Yeom Chi-yong is dead, let’s investigate whether the Grand Princes are involved,’ loomed. However, with the Crown Prince watching intently, such a statement was unlikely.

So, Yi Bang-won used this situation to cover up the incident, and all the officials understood his unspoken intention.

===

Although the incident caused a bit of an amusing stir, it wasn’t without its positive outcomes.

Most notably, the restriction on slave ownership was enacted, leading to the actual emancipation of many slaves.

‘I couldn’t let this golden opportunity slip away.’

I decided to organize a large-scale event in collaboration with Hwang Hee, the Mayor of Hanseong [present-day Seoul].

“Are these all the slave documents collected by the Ministry of Justice?”

True to its reputation as a nation of meticulous records, the slave documents, detailing everything, collected from government offices and various noblemen’s residences, amounted to more than a cartload.

“How many slaves did they employ to generate so many papers with names on them?”

“That’s all our family’s property, sigh!”

Whether noble or commoner, everyone came to witness today’s event.

The announced event was truly significant.

“Everyone, watch closely!”

I personally ignited the cartload of piled-up slave documents with a torch.

– Whoosh!

The dry paper ignited quickly, and the flames rapidly consumed the documents.

“Hmm…”

Heo Jo, standing beside me, swallowed a groan as he watched the scene unfold.

It wasn’t that he opposed the emancipation of slaves.

“Those documents could all be washed and reused…”

I had scolded him earlier for suggesting recycling the paper, calling it a waste.

‘To be so stingy as to try to recycle something like this.’

It wasn’t like a department head telling you to use the back of paper because the office supply budget was tight.

“Joseon is no longer a country that lacks paper, so there’s no need to do that. Burning slave documents like this will also help boost morale.”

That’s what I had said.

In fact, this kind of spectacle was often used when it was necessary to gain the cooperation of slaves and rally public sentiment.

During the Goryeo Dynasty, Kim Yun-hu also burned slave documents at Cheoinseong [a fortress], which boosted the morale of the defenders and helped them resist the Mongol army.

The reason slaves were exempt from corvée [unpaid labor for the state] was that they were not considered people.

Why protect those who were neither people nor masters of their own lives?

However, the moment Kim Yun-hu burned the slave documents, the freed slaves had no choice but to embrace the freedom and rights they now had to defend.

The power of freedom was immense.

The same was true for the slaves who were now buzzing with excitement, watching their former bonds turn to ashes.

“Are those really our slave documents?”

“Have we truly become commoners?”

Slaves had already been administratively emancipated by the court’s decree.

However, even after hearing those words countless times, they might have simply thought, ‘I guess so,’ without truly feeling it.

But there was no way they could remain unmoved as they witnessed the evidence of the heavenly punishment that had bound them turning into a handful of ashes.

As if the flickering flames had ignited their hearts, the slaves erupted in wild cheers.

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live Joseon!”

Originally, such cries were not in accordance with the etiquette of a vassal state, but Joseon in this era didn’t particularly care about such things internally.

If it did, it would have strictly cracked down on the Japanese envoys mentioning the Emperor of Joseon to Yi Bang-won from the start.

‘Could it be that my father is secretly enjoying letting things like that slide?’

It was a reasonable suspicion.

“Hey, you scoundrels! What’s all this commotion in front of the Crown Prince! Can’t you shut your mouths!”

“Ah, leave them be. They seem to be quite happy.”

I said to the military officer who was trying to silence the slaves.

Although the slaves were legally free, they weren’t completely released from bondage in reality.

‘The owners will find a way somehow.’

For example, like Shim On, they might rehire their former slaves as servants.

Such cases had already been reported several times.

“Most of the freed slaves have returned to their original owners’ homes.”

“The live-in slaves have become servants, and the out-dwelling slaves have become tenants, doing the same work as before.”

Looking at it this way, it seemed that only their nominal status had changed, and little else.

“Still, at least they have the right to refuse if they don’t like it.”

That is, if they could overcome the inertia of their former lives and the intangible pressure.

Besides, Joseon was still a place where labor was scarce, so it would be easier for servants to find better employment.

So, the emancipation of slaves wouldn’t be completely meaningless.

I believed so.

Jang Yeong-sil, who was standing next to me, seemed to share the same sentiment, as his eyes welled up.

“But when did you arrive?”

Wasn’t he supposed to be working on making magnets at the Eastern Palace until just now?

“What about the work you were assigned?”

“I am still working at the Military Supplies Department, so… I will go back and complete it soon.”

“Sightseeing is fine, but if your superior assigns you something, you should take care of it promptly. And you shouldn’t leave your post without permission.”

This was all advice that would be invaluable for a successful working life.

Then, Jang Yeong-sil scratched his head and muttered.

“It seems that I have more work to do now than before I was emancipated…”

His voice was too quiet to hear clearly, but I took it as a sign that he would heed my words.

===

There was some unrest caused by the slave emancipation decree, but not as much national opposition as expected.

“Shouldn’t we implement the ban on maritime activities first if we are going to adopt the laws of the Ming Dynasty?”

“What can we do? We must obey the orders of the country.”

From the beginning, those who were agitated and caused a ruckus out of fear of losing their vested interests were a minority.

‘The ones who truly lost out were those who stubbornly clung to their slaves until the end, protesting against the movement.’

Those who were quick-witted cleverly emancipated their slaves as soon as they realized that the Confucian scholars had little power and the protests were being suppressed.

Of course, it definitely wasn’t because they were particularly benevolent slave owners.

“Now, everyone, sign this paper!”

As the slaves, who couldn’t read, blinked in confusion, the owner stepped forward and shouted.

“Wasn’t your lifelong wish to pay a ransom and become commoners? I am graciously accepting the ransom and allowing you to be emancipated.”

There was a system called ‘napsok’ (納贖) [paying a ransom to gain freedom] in Joseon.

In simple terms, it meant buying commoner status by paying money to the owner or the country.

This was the dream of all slaves, but there was a reason why dreams often remained just dreams.

“Master, how can we afford to pay a ransom?”

It was difficult to accumulate wealth while being a slave.

That was why they had lived as slaves for generations.

“Don’t worry. Am I not someone who considers your circumstances? I will give you a very low interest rate, so you can pay it back in installments after you are emancipated.”

The owner continued, puffing out his chest.

“Also, you will all be in trouble because you have no means of livelihood after being released. I will hire you all as servants in my house, so you can pay it back with the wages you receive each year. Haha!”

Slaves who had to be released anyway were preemptively tied up with debt, and even their meager wages were deducted to repay the principal and interest.

‘Truly a devilish idea…!’

I clicked my tongue after hearing this story.

‘They must have structured the debt so that they have to work for life, at least until their children’s generation.’

They were quick-witted, but I couldn’t control everything like this.

Even in the Ming Dynasty, which issued a slave restriction order earlier than Joseon, people were secretly desperate to find slaves, so I had to focus on the fact that they were being released as commoners anyway.

“We will only arrest and punish those who charge exorbitant interest rates on the ransom, effectively making them work as servants for generations.”

“If it is not at that level, they will be freed from debt within a generation, so there is no need to intervene.”

“Is that so?”

‘Well, they may be working as servants for the rest of their lives, but they were originally slaves, weren’t they?’

Their descendants should be grateful that they had completely escaped the fate of slavery.

Even slaves who had been freed a little earlier were experiencing difficulties.

“There are many landowners who lack manpower, so it is easy to find work cultivating land, but in many cases, the original farmers ostracize the emancipated slaves and refuse to help them with cooperative labor.”

“Huh.”

Surprisingly, not only the nobles but also the commoners didn’t particularly welcome the emancipation of slaves.

They couldn’t help but feel resentful that the slaves they had treated as inferiors until yesterday had become their equals.

It’s absurd, but aren’t people inherently like that?

“It’s easy to crack down on illegal acts, but it’s hard to change perceptions easily.”

It was a headache, but it wasn’t something that could be improved overnight.

‘Do I have to wait for perceptions to change eventually?’

I was tapping my pencil, wondering if there was a brilliant solution.

“Your Highness!”

A cry urgently calling for me echoed from outside, and the door burst open.

“Hey! What is this rudeness in front of His Highness?”

Eo Byeon-gap, who was writing the minutes in the corner, scolded him, but Yeong-sil had been at the Eastern Palace longer.