There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 226

< Career Planning (2) >

Although Giljae had spent a long time as a commoner, it was, in the end, partly by his own choice and partly due to circumstances surrounding the fall of Goryeo [the previous Korean dynasty].

‘If you were to rise up and take office right now, your father would come running out barefoot…’

Those words nearly escaped Giljae’s lips, but he barely managed to hold them back.

How could he, an elder, become so agitated by the words of a child?

And the moment he uttered such words, it would reveal his lingering desire for office, tarnishing the integrity he had so carefully cultivated.

“Um… I understand.”

‘He doesn’t understand.’

Giljae thought, watching Yi Do [Grand Prince Chungnyeong, later King Sejong] make an ambiguous expression and simply nod.

He was probably thinking, ‘Whatever the excuse, isn’t refusing to take office just being unemployed?’

Moreover, Grand Prince Chungnyeong was a prince born after Joseon was founded, so he likely didn’t fully grasp Giljae’s attachment to Goryeo.

Watching him, Giljae sighed inwardly.

‘At least the king seemed normal, but what’s with all his sons?’

Such straightforward brothers were rare in Joseon.

However, Giljae, befitting a renowned Confucian scholar of later generations, calmed his mind.

‘Princes grow up in the palace and rarely have the opportunity to interact with ordinary people.’

So, he must have learned from those of higher status around him.

‘It’s the Crown Prince, after all.’

Giljae lamented.

If Yi Je [the Crown Prince] had heard this, he would have protested vehemently, but Giljae finally understood when his thoughts reached that point.

In any case, having identified the reason, Giljae composed himself and asked.

“So, what advice are you seeking from this humble one?”

“Even though you don’t hold any official position and simply spend your time in study, you are respected by people for your scholarship, are you not?”

“I have a small reputation, embarrassingly enough.”

Critics accused Giljae of cultivating a false reputation by pretending to be a loyal subject of a fallen nation, but he had been renowned for his scholarship since the Goryeo era.

If Yi Do aimed to become an originator of some field of study like him, wouldn’t that be beneficial?

“Doesn’t Your Highness already possess a deep understanding of orthodox Confucianism despite your young age? If you diligently devote yourself to it, you will surely surpass this humble one… no, this unemployed scholar.”

Giljae’s words contained a subtle jab, but Yi Do didn’t notice.

He simply asked innocently.

“But isn’t orthodox Confucianism just a term created by people? It’s not as if Neo-Confucianism is the only righteous learning in the world.”

‘Hmm.’

Giljae could understand why Yi Do would say this.

Wasn’t it because of his brother, who knew little about Neo-Confucianism but was remarkably adept at developing the country and bringing peace to the people?

‘When you think about it, that’s true.’

Giljae knew about the Crown Prince’s unique approach.

Even if you asked Yi Je to explain it, he would have difficulty articulating it, but all his actions stemmed from it.

‘So it’s a strange thing. It’s not as if His Highness the Crown Prince is deeply knowledgeable in scholarship and then found that path.’

Unless he had come from another world, there was only one explanation, as far as Giljae knew.

“Do you know what it means to follow your heart’s desires without overstepping the bounds?”

“A sage…”

Yi Do muttered with a serious expression.

Then, tilting his head, he repeated the word.

“…A sage?”

Giljae seemed to understand the question in those words.

Well, he wasn’t exactly a flawless sage, but his actions ultimately led to the development of Joseon, didn’t they?

Even if he wasn’t a sage, he certainly had the qualities of a wise ruler.

“Among sages, some are born with natural gifts and bring blessings to all people by acting according to their hearts, while others must learn and master the actions of such virtuous figures through acquired knowledge. Scholarship is for those people.”

So, even if Giljae didn’t take office, he was still contributing by teaching students.

He was definitely not unemployed.

“So, you mean I should study my brother?”

“The Crown Prince enjoys associating with artisans and interfering in the affairs of merchants, and he has relieved the concerns of farmers. Shallow people ridicule these actions, but they are far better than those who act like noblemen and can’t even weed their own fields.”

Neo-Confucianism is, after all, a methodology for becoming a sage.

How could the pursuit of the Way be confined to scriptures?

“But to ask my brother to get involved in state affairs…”

“There’s no need to get involved in state affairs. Try to emulate the Crown Prince’s actions one by one. If you do that, won’t you soon attain enlightenment?”

Yi Do pondered.

What were the things that his older brother was primarily interested in?

There were too many to count.

There wasn’t a field he hadn’t explored.

So Yi Do thought.

What was the first thing his brother had tackled?

‘Hmm… Explosions?’

He had definitely heard that he had been involved in making muskets and gunpowder.

===

“Where have you been?”

I asked Do.

Just this morning, he had seemed uneasy, but after going somewhere, he seemed cheerful.

‘Did he have a good bowel movement or something?’

I heard that a meat-based diet can cause constipation, so I should ask him about it.

However, Do shook his head and said.

“I went to talk with Teacher Ya-eun [Giljae’s pen name].”

Aside from the difference in their positions as a Joseon prince and a Goryeo loyalist, they seemed to get along well as fellow Confucian scholars.

‘That guy should come out of Yeouido [an island in the Han River near Seoul] now.’

However, Giljae adamantly refused to enter the capital.

He said he felt more comfortable in a place surrounded by rivers, which felt like an isolated area.

Well, that place was perfect for being close to Hanyang [old name for Seoul] while living as a recluse.

Anyway, because of that, Do had to use a boat to travel to and from Yeouido, and since it was a boat on the Han River, it couldn’t be as large as a merchant ship on the ocean.

‘It’s easy to capsize like this.’

So, I developed life jackets at this opportunity.

Modern life jackets were impossible, but I made jacket-shaped life preservers out of buoyant wood and made them mandatory for those crossing the river.

‘There are many complaints that they’re uncomfortable, though.’

Still, it’s better than people drowning.

Fortunately, the boats in this era weren’t very fast, and because of their size, if someone fell in, it was immediately noticed.

If they wore their life jackets, they wouldn’t become water ghosts in most cases.

Anyway, the guy smiled brightly, as if he had gained something from his meeting with Giljae.

I stared intently at him and said.

“But you seem to have gained weight again these days?”

“No, how could that be?”

The guy jumped up and answered, but I didn’t dismiss my suspicions.

Was he secretly sneaking chicken from the royal kitchen?

I definitely didn’t receive a report that Grand Prince Chungnyeong had ordered it.

As I stared intently at Do, his half-brothers were sweating profusely.

“Ahem.”

“Hick!”

Do noticed this and cleared his throat, and his half-brothers screamed softly.

‘Chungnyeong unexpectedly maintains military discipline.’

Hyornyeong [another prince], who is a good person, and I, who go out every day, only find him difficult, but they aren’t afraid of him. But Do coughs once, and they are surprised and fall over themselves.

‘Suspicious, suspicious.’

Something caught Chief Investigator Yi Je’s attention.

Just as I was about to investigate further, No-bun shouted from outside.

“Your Highness, His Majesty the King is calling for you.”

At No-bun’s words, I got up, supporting myself on my knees.

‘That lucky bastard.’

I saw it clearly.

Do clenched his fist under the table.

I’ll have Wang-ho find out later if he’s ordering something through the back door.

===

“Did you call for me?”

“Yes, sit there.”

As I sat down in front of Yi Bang-won [King Taejong], he opened his mouth.

“The reason I called you is because of the issue of your brothers’ separation.”

“Separation? Are you planning to send the Grand Princes out of the East Palace?”

If that were the case, he should have sent them out when they got married.

As I was thinking that, Yi Bang-won said.

“I don’t mean send them out, but I mean to organize things in advance.”

Well, both of my younger brothers are married, so it’s not appropriate to live in the East Palace even after they have children.

‘Or is it?’

Actually, there are many remaining buildings, so it doesn’t matter if we live together.

“Your brothers are currently staying in the East Palace, but we should still prepare houses and land for them in advance, shouldn’t we?”

‘Ugh.’

This moment has finally come.

I thought it was fortunate that there would be no money going out if I didn’t separate them, but from Yi Bang-won’s point of view, it would be awkward not to give them anything at all under the pretext that they still live in the East Palace.

“This is an issue that Father should take care of on his own.”

After all, the property given to the Grand Princes comes from the royal treasury.

The royal treasury is the king’s slush fund, so there’s no need to call me and ask about it.

“That’s right. But when you think about it, most of it is money you’ve earned, isn’t it?”

Well, that’s true.

Since I got involved, the royal treasury has been growing rapidly with the profits from the Cheonil salt fields, Hansang [a trading company], and Cheonghaejin [a naval base and trading port].

Moreover, whether it’s salt, transport, or Hoshi [tribute trade with Japan], they were essential for survival and tax revenue, so they weren’t affected by the economy.

Yi Bang-won nodded and said.

“And it’s money you’ll inherit, so I can’t help but ask for your opinion.”

There may be cases where a father consults with his eldest son about dividing property among his younger brothers.

Usually, the eldest son’s words in this case are final, but.

I swallowed hard and said.

“So… how much…”

Ah, my tone has changed like my uncle.

But I can’t help it when I think about the property that will be going to my younger brothers.

Think about money, think about money.

“First of all, 200 gyeol [a unit of land measurement] of land each.”

The Grand Princes are supposed to receive 225 gyeol of land, so it’s a reasonable level.

However, since the words ‘first of all’ are included, it’s safe to assume that my father is thinking of giving more.

‘Hmm.’

To be honest, it’s a waste.

Still, they’re my younger brothers, so I can’t kick them out with nothing, but I wish I could manage it all until they leave the East Palace and then give it to them.

But I said generously.

“So be it.”

“Hoo, an immediate answer.”

Yi Bang-won admired.

‘There’s nothing more ugly than family members fighting over money.’

Of course, even my father in front of me fought with a knife for the throne, but that was an issue involving the throne.

What I will inherit is more than enough with just this country, so it’s okay to take care of my younger brothers a little.

There’s no need to argue about these things.

“Well, you’ve wasted enough money trying to harness lightning to match the output of 200 gyeol of land.”

“Waste?”

That was absolutely necessary.

If my long-term plan succeeds, Joseon can advance at least several centuries technologically.