There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 221

< Tiananmen >

I love Tiananmen in Beijing (我愛北京天安門)

The sun rises above Tiananmen (天安門上太陽昇)

The great monarch, Emperor Yongle (偉大領袖永樂帝)

Leads us forward (指引我們嚮前進).

It was just a four-line poem, but the words resonated across time and space, touching the heartstrings of China’s absolute ruler.

That’s probably why Chairman Mao made people recite it so often during the Cultural Revolution.

‘The new sun rising above Tiananmen means that I will reside in Beijing.’

Emperor Yongle was very pleased with the comparison of himself to the sun.

Like the sun rising above Tiananmen, it meant that the emperor would move to Beijing, which was in line with the idea of moving the capital.

However, there was something that the Crown Prince Yi Je had not considered.

“The gate of heavenly peace······.”

Yongle murmured.

The Gate of Heavenly Peace (天安門).

In other words, Tiananmen does not exist in this era.

The Forbidden City, which is currently undergoing expansion, exists even now, but Tiananmen, its south gate, has not yet been built.

In the first place, its original name was Chengtianmen, and its name was changed to Tiananmen only after the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

So, Emperor Yongle interpreted the word Tiananmen in a more general sense.

‘The Emperor is the Son of Heaven (天子). If it is the gate where heaven is at peace, then its son will surely enjoy blessings for generations to come.’

What name could be more fitting for the main gate of the imperial palace than this?

Yongle looked around the Forbidden City, which was undergoing extensive construction.

Construction had been underway for several years, and beautiful pavilions and palace gates were being erected here and there.

Yongle opened his mouth.

“Soon we will have to build the main gate as well, how about naming it Tiananmen?”

“Your, Your Majesty?”

The officials all widened their eyes and asked.

Did he like the Crown Prince’s poem that much?

So much so that he would take the name from it for the main gate of the palace, of all places?

‘The name of the gate is originally taken from famous writings (名文), but······.’

That is why the Tiananmen of the original history also took its name from the phrase ‘受命于天, 安邦治民 (Shòumìng yú tiān, ānbāng zhìmín)’ which means ‘receiving the mandate from heaven, pacifying the country and governing the people’.

Of course, Yongle was not at all interested in the meaning of receiving the mandate from heaven and governing the people in peace.

Only a gate where the Emperor and his descendants could enjoy peace for all eternity.

“In addition, how about engraving this poem by the Crown Prince of Joseon in stone and placing it in front of Tiananmen?”

While the officials were unable to answer, Hwang-eom quickly stepped forward and said.

“The poem submitted by the Crown Prince of Joseon is beautifully written and perfectly suited to Your Majesty’s virtues, so it is a very wise decree. Please have a good stone carved and made quickly.”

“But, how can we put the words of a foreign Crown Prince in front of the Imperial Palace······.”

Yongle coldly said to the official who was pouring cold water on the idea.

“You do not understand my intentions well. Is Joseon just a foreign land?”

“······?”

Does that mean that because Princess Hwangmae married there, it is the same country?

The officials, unable to grasp his intention, wore dumbfounded expressions, but Yongle continued.

“Whether it is the King or the Crown Prince of Joseon, they are all subjects of the Great Ming.

I want to engrave the writings and calligraphy of my subject because they are good, who would dare to object?”

Since the Emperor had said so, the officials had nothing to say.

Thus, in front of the south gate of the Forbidden City, which would soon be built, was engraved , written in the elegant handwriting of Crown Prince Yi Je, which could also be called a twist of history.

===

Emperor Yongle received the memorial from Joseon and happily prepared to go on an expedition to Mongolia.

In any case, since the Emperor would be leaving the capital, where the relocation work was in progress, someone was needed to supervise in his place.

Prince Zhao, Ju Gosu, who was staying here, secretly expected that he would be given the role, but······.

“To entrust the regency to the Grandson while I am in Beijing!”

The Grandson was only twelve years old.

Unlike Prince Zhao, who had set up residence in Beijing and lived there, wasn’t he a child whom the Emperor had brought along this time during his northern tour?

Therefore, Prince Zhao could not help but feel resentful.

‘I thought I would have a chance, but······.’

While the Crown Prince was staying in Nanjing, wasn’t the reason he was placed in the new capital to give him a chance?

However, his father mocked him by entrusting full authority to his young nephew.

As Prince Zhao burst into anger, his confidant, Meng Hyun, quietly said.

“It is certainly not a good sign that His Majesty has entrusted the regency to the Grandson. However, doing nothing but brooding like this will not solve anything.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Should I go before my father and beg him to entrust the regency to me?”

Meng Hyun shook his head.

Given Yongle’s personality, doing so would only increase his disappointment in his son and would not reverse the unfavorable situation.

“Your Highness should request to assist His Majesty.”

“Isn’t Father about to go to the battlefield?”

“That is why you should stay by His Majesty’s side even more.”

Ju Gosu frowned at Meng Hyun’s words.

It was his second brother, Prince Han, Ju Gohu, not him, who had followed Yongle in the wars.

Ju Gosu was closer to a civil official in every way, so he was not keen on going to the battlefield.

“Fortunately, His Majesty has been very pleased recently because Imperial Eunuch Hwang brought the memorial.”

Hwang-eom was close to Yongle’s punching bag in every way, but he was still one of the few people who could be called the Emperor’s confidants.

Meng Hyun did not like the eunuch very much, but it was fortunate for the same Prince Zhao faction.

“His Majesty knows that Your Highness has been in Beijing and has had high expectations. But in an instant, Beijing was handed over to the Grandson, so His Majesty must feel sorry for Your Highness.”

‘Is that really so?’

Ju Gosu frowned.

Even Prince Han, Ju Gohu, was given all sorts of menial tasks during the Rebellion of Jingnan, hearing encouragement that was not encouragement, such as ‘Work hard! The Crown Prince is often sick!’ but in the end, the position of Crown Prince went to the eldest brother.

It was questionable whether a father who only used his sons for his own sake would feel sorry for his son.

“If what you say is true, wouldn’t it be okay to ask Father to entrust the regency to me?”

“That is already a decided matter, so it is not easy to reverse.”

Meng Hyun shook his head and said.

“A son who yields on his own is more endearing. If Your Highness withdraws without complaint and instead asks to serve His Majesty by his side, he will surely grant it.”

Even after listening to Meng Hyun’s explanation, Ju Gosu’s frown did not disappear.

Even if he served by his father’s side, would his father really give him a chance?

He trusted the twelve-year-old Grandson so much that he entrusted him with the supervision of the new capital?

“Is it really meaningful to follow that harsh Mobei [the desert regions north of China] just to suck up to Father?”

“Even if the Emperor’s favor is directed towards the Grandson, even the Emperor cannot control the fortunes of heaven.”

Then Meng Hyun lowered his voice even more and said.

“Although he has gathered a great army of 500,000, will the fierce Tartars [a historical term for nomadic peoples of Central Asia] be pacified in a day or two? Surely he will have to raise troops several times.

But His Majesty still seems healthy, but he is already over fifty years old, and he has spent most of his life on the battlefield.”

Ju Gosu listened to Meng Hyun’s ominous words.

“If His Majesty’s life ends when he leads the army to Mobei, who will be able to lead the generals and turn the horses around?”

Ju Gosu swallowed hard at Meng Hyun’s words and said.

“Are you advising me on the plot of Shaqiu (沙丘) [referring to a historical power grab]?”

What Ju Gosu said was about the incident in the past when the eunuch Zhao Gao and the Prime Minister Li Si hid the death of Qin Shi Huang and enthroned the prince Huhai.

This was a conspiracy no different from treason, but Meng Hyun nodded coolly.

“If the Great King has no desire for the throne, then behead this humble one and close the gates of the royal palace and live in seclusion. But if you cannot abandon your great ambition, then this is the only plan left.”

After pondering for a moment, Ju Gosu widened his eyes and grabbed Meng Hyun’s hand.

“How can I be born as a dragon seed (龍種) [of imperial lineage] and die as a commoner! I will make great use of your plan!”

Prince Zhao, Ju Gosu, was not a man of words only.

He went straight to his father, Emperor Yongle.

However, Yongle appeared only after a long time after hearing that Prince Zhao was asking to see him.

“You have done a good job defending Beijing, but aren’t you disappointed that the Grandson is in charge? Make sure to assist him well from the side.”

Yongle patted his son on the shoulder as soon as he saw him.

On the surface, it was a consolation, but the tone was telling him to understand quickly and leave.

Assist him or whatever, Ju Gosu also knew that it was empty words.

He had already filled the important positions with the Grandson’s aides, so what power did he have to assist?

‘Meng Hyun’s plan was right!’

Ju Gosu’s insides were boiling, but he tried his best to control his expression and said.

“No. If an old uncle stays in Beijing, the Grandson will feel burdened. I will go out of Beijing for a while.”

“Heo······.”

Emperor Yongle’s expression became subtle at his son’s words.

Seeing that, Ju Gosu quickly continued.

“The reason I came to see you today is because I am worried about Father going on a distant expedition, so I wanted to ask if I could accompany you. Even if it is just a soldier, please allow me to follow you.”

“Mobei is not a place to follow with an easy heart.”

“I have made a firm decision. If I continue to stay in Beijing, I will have unnecessary thoughts and feel sorry for Father and the Grandson, so please accept me.”

Yongle’s eyes changed from surprise to emotion.

In his eyes, his son had always been greedy, so he was proud of him for finally coming to his senses.

“Prince Zhao is asking so earnestly, so please accept him.”

“Hmm······.”

The eunuch Hwang-eom also chimed in at the right time, and Yongle finally made a decision.

“My son is asking so earnestly, so I cannot refuse. Even if you suffer hardships on the expedition, do not resent this father.”

Yongle patted Ju Gosu on the shoulder.

Unlike just now, it was a gesture full of affection.

“Thank you, Father.”

However, Ju Gosu’s eyes, which were lowered, were coldly hardened.

===

“Wo ai Beijing Tiananmen~ Tiananmen shang taiyang sheng~”

“Can’t you stop singing that song?”

Ju Sohwa blocked her ears next to me as I enthusiastically sang.

No, this is a hit song from your country hundreds of years later.

‘In fact, Hwang-eom liked it very much.’

When I wrote down the lyrics in the elegant handwriting of the original Prince Yangnyeong, Hwang-eom foamed at the mouth and poured out praise.

Of course, even if I had just written it down casually, they would have praised it first from their desperate position, but I really considered this to be the masterpiece of my life.

Yongle might regret not giving me his daughter when he sees this.

Unexpectedly, the daughters of the Ming imperial family seem to resemble their mothers more than their fathers, so it might be good to bring one more······.

“What strange thoughts are you having again?”

Ju Sohwa pulled on my cheek.

“No, I just think the song is really good, even though I wrote it.”

“That bizarre song?”

Ju Sohwa was disgusted.

‘Well, my brother has a different sensibility.’

Hwang-eom said that it would be perfect for Yongle’s taste, who is full of self-aggrandizement.

Ju Sohwa ran to the Grand Royal Father and said.

“Grandfather, please stop him from doing that, please?”

“Stop it. If that guy was going to listen to me, he would have quit a long time ago. You’ll have to listen to it for a while longer.”

“Aaaagh!”

Yi Seong-gye clicked his tongue and said, and Ju Sohwa screamed and ran away.

Well, was the joke too much?

Yi Seong-gye looked at me and opened his mouth.

“The Emperor has set out to conquer Mongolia, right?”

“That’s right.”

That’s the news from Liaodong.

As soon as he received our memorial, Yongle left Beijing.

‘Was he trying to establish some authority in advance while he was out of the country?’

Maybe that intention was mixed in as well.

That cunning human.

“The Emperor is leading the army himself, and the number of troops is so large, won’t Mongolia be in trouble?”

Yi Seong-gye nodded at my question.

“That’s right. It will probably be completely destroyed.”

“Yes?”

When did you say the Ming Dynasty would collapse soon?

< Tiananmen > End

ⓒ Pitkong