There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 260

“With the help of our late, revered ancestors, the Crown Princess Consort has given birth to a firstborn grandson, an heir to this great lineage. What event in all the world could be more joyous than this day?”

Thus, a royal decree of amnesty (사문, *samun*: a document detailing a general pardon) was proclaimed, forgiving all previous crimes except for treason, crimes against morality, and robbery with murder.

As Yi Bang-won ordered the amnesty proclamation to be issued, the news spread throughout the nation in an instant.

The birth of a firstborn grandson to inherit the lineage!

Due to the lack of offspring for several years, temples and Buddhist halls in various regions immediately held services, ceaselessly offering prayers for the baby prince’s health and longevity.

If Ijae were to hear this, he might think, ‘I’ve done my part, so they’re naturally sucking up to me,’ but that wasn’t the only reason.

Joseon was experiencing stable governance and rapid development, but this wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

Though not to this extent, there had often been times in this nation’s history that could be called periods of prosperity (盛世, *seongse*).

However, if the royal line were to be cut off, politics would become chaotic. If the central government became disordered, the provinces would take advantage of the situation and become corrupt. From the local magistrates to the lowest clerks, all would act recklessly and riot.

Thus, producing an heir is one of the primary duties of an absolute monarch.

For this reason, not only the gentry but also the common people were quite pleased with the birth of the firstborn grandson.

However, even in this situation, the happiest person was naturally Yi Bang-won, the firstborn grandson’s grandfather.

“Your Majesty must be very pleased.”

“His second son, Grand Prince Hyoryeong, already has a son, but a firstborn grandson is different. It is only natural to be happy since the one who will inherit the throne has been born.”

Thanks to Yi Bang-won, who couldn’t contain his joy, a warm breeze blew through the court for the first time in a while.

The firstborn grandson’s talent or character is not very important at this point.

What is important is that a royal grandson to inherit the lineage has been born.

And what kind of royal grandson is he?

He was the king’s eldest grandson and the crown prince’s eldest son, so he was destined to inherit the throne from birth.

Furthermore, if we consider his lineage, his father is the successor of Joseon’s founder, Yi Seong-gye, and his mother is the youngest daughter of Ming’s founder, Zhu Yuanzhang.

He was a baby born wrapped in the legitimacy that Yi Bang-won had so desired.

The implications of this baby’s birth were clear.

No one can covet this lineage!

Yi Bang-won, as the king of the nation and also as a grandfather, wanted to make arrangements for the firstborn grandson from a young age.

‘I should invest him as the Crown Grandson quickly, even if it’s a bit early.’

Yi Bang-won’s determination was firm, but there was something he had to deal with first.

===

‘A naming contest for the world’s best name.’

I stared at my family with cold eyes.

The biggest issue was who would name the baby.

“Of course, I should name him. Am I not the firstborn grandson’s grandfather and the king of the nation? If the grandfather names him, the firstborn grandson’s legitimacy will be further enhanced.”

That’s true.

From a Confucian perspective, it is common for the grandfather, as the head of the family, to name the child. Also, the fact that the king cherished the firstborn grandson and named him would serve as a kind of endorsement.

However, Yi Bang-won’s ambitious plan was met with an unexpected obstacle.

“Bang-won… had a hard time naming himself… and didn’t even change his name… Can he properly name his descendants?”

As Yi Bang-gwa spoke indifferently, Yi Bang-won’s face stiffened, struck by that factual 폭격 (*pokgyeok*, bombing).

The two kings who had reigned in Joseon so far had both changed their names through renaming.

Yi Seong-gye to Dan (旦), and Yi Bang-gwa to Gyeong (曔).

This is because, according to etiquette, the king’s name must be treated with respect (忌諱, *gihwi*) when writing, so they change their names to Chinese characters that are not commonly used.

However, our 상남자 (*sangnamja*, a real man) father did not bother with renaming.

‘Naming is difficult. It’s annoying. Why should I change my perfectly good name?’

If the king doesn’t want to conform to society, then society must conform to the king.

Both Bang (芳) and Won (遠) are frequently used Chinese characters, but Yi Bang-won issued an order to prevent them from being used together when avoiding his name.

“Thinking that way, a two-character name like Father’s might be good. Statistically, there is less chance that both characters will be used.

The Book of Rites (禮記, *Liji*) also states that if a name has two characters, avoiding the use of only one of them is not necessary.”

Do said with his arms crossed.

That’s also true.

The king’s name has traditionally been one character since the Goryeo Dynasty, but there is no law that it must be one character.

Root?

If we start creating traditions now, that’s the root.

‘Thinking that way, a two-character name doesn’t sound so bad either….’

There aren’t many pretty one-character names.

As I was thinking that, Do raised a piece of paper.

“So, this younger brother has tried to name his nephew once….”

As he took out the paper with the expression of presenting a proposal, I shook my head.

‘Even my younger brother is bringing names.’

Tell me when you have a son.

If I delay any longer, I’m afraid even 영락제 (*Yeongnakje*, Yongle Emperor) will come forward to name his nephew.

“Still, a one-character name….”

“But according to the etiquette of avoiding names….”

“Speaking of which, that 피휘 (*pihwi*, name avoidance) thing….”

As my family members each added a word, the room quickly became noisy.

The baby, unaware of the commotion caused by him, was just sucking on the wet nurse’s breast.

“Ggeueok.”

As I patted his back, the baby burped softly, and I sighed.

“I’ll just name him myself.”

I said that.

Where is the baby’s ‘root’?

I hate to admit it, but it was a baby conceived in that dream that I can only acknowledge as a 태몽 (*taemong*, a dream about conception).

‘The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty will probably record it that way.’

The Crown Prince saw King Taejo in a dream and obtained a firstborn grandson~ something like that.

So, I’ll take the name from Taejo’s name, Dan (旦).

Dan means morning, so it also connects with Joseon, the nation’s name.

‘And Mecca Sejong, whom I saw in my dream.’

Adding the metal (金) character to this Dan character completes the Chinese character 鉭 (Tan).

Originally, when naming a prince, they would create a non-existent Chinese character for easy name avoidance, so it wasn’t difficult.

“Tan, Tan.”

“Since 할바마마 (*Halbamama*, grandfather)’s name was Dan, isn’t this a good enough name?”

“Indeed. With the 태몽 (*taemong*, a dream about conception) and all, it’s worth borrowing the power of King Taejo.”

Yi Bang-won came to that conclusion after turning his political circuits.

I didn’t particularly care about that when I named him, but seeing my father satisfied with his own interpretation, I didn’t feel like arguing.

Good is good.

===

‘Soon, the days of sitting in this seat will be numbered.’

Yi Bang-won sat on the dragon throne and enjoyed a bittersweet feeling.

He had revealed his inner thoughts to his son a while ago, but the abdication was sincere.

He had been riding on the back of a tiger for a long time, so this was enough.

His son was already handling most of the state affairs, so it would be better to abdicate in advance and support him.

However, he would still have to hold the military power.

‘If I only deal with the remaining tasks….’

What he thought of was something he could only do while he was in this position.

The first is the investiture of the Crown Grandson.

To give the firstborn grandson the title of Crown Grandson, he must first be on the throne.

Even if the grandson’s position is automatically upgraded through abdication, wouldn’t a Crown Grandson from a Crown Grandson background look better than a Crown Prince from a firstborn grandson background?

‘And the second is,’

Yi Bang-won flipped through the paper.

“Are these all the families that are suitable to send daughters?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have selected families with marriageable daughters who are not of low status.”

Yi Bang-won nodded at the 지신사 (*jisin-sa*, royal secretary)’s words.

Then, Ha Ryun, who was in front of him, asked.

“Are you planning to bring in a new concubine?”

“That’s right.”

Yi Bang-won had brought in quite a few concubines, so it wouldn’t be strange to bring in one or two more now.

However, the quick-witted Ha Ryun read a different point from Yi Bang-won’s attitude.

“Is it related to the Crown Prince?”

“I can’t fool you. That’s right. I’m looking at the Crown Prince’s concubines.”

“……”

Ha Ryun tried to say something for a moment but swallowed it.

Indeed, the timing of bringing in concubines was very late.

Since Crown Prince Ijae’s marriage was concluded through the 국혼 (*guk-hon*, royal marriage) method, it was not well highlighted, but originally, concubines enter the palace with the Crown Princess Consort.

Because Consort Ju So-hwa is no ordinary Crown Princess Consort but a princess of a great nation, it has been postponed until now out of consideration.

Considering legitimacy, the child born from the legal wife should be the eldest son. There was also the calculation that it would be troublesome if only 서자 (*seoja*, children born out of wedlock) were born first and floated around.

“If the daughter-in-law doesn’t have a child and you bring in a concubine, she will naturally feel pressured as a human being, right? In her haste, she might ruin the great cause.”

“Your Majesty’s consideration is truly unmatched.”

Yi Bang-won’s logic was simple.

Even if his daughter-in-law was a princess of Ming, he had waited until she had a son, which was enough.

In fact, he had shown considerable generosity.

Now that she has given birth to a healthy firstborn grandson, it is time to bring in concubines to further solidify the succession.

‘Even if I get 욕 (*yok*, criticized) from my daughter-in-law, I have to make a decision while I’m on the throne. If my son becomes king, he’ll be 영 우유부단하게 굴 테니 (*yeong uyu budanhage gul teni*, so indecisive).’

Yi Bang-won clicked his tongue.

He usually handles things quickly, but he was a master at acting weak in front of his family.

As a father, he was satisfied with his son’s attitude, but sometimes he felt a little frustrated.

Yi Bang-won, who had steadfastly brought in concubines even when Queen Wongyeong was jealous, had aspects that he did not understand.

‘In the end, aren’t they living happily together?’

Yi Bang-won clicked his tongue, completely forgetting that he had barely managed to prevent his son from intervening and leading to a breakdown.

“However, will Ming stay still?”

Yi Bang-won snorted.

“The emperor also has more than one or two concubines, so why would he say anything about a 번국 (*beon-guk*, tributary state) trying to continue its line?”

If he had a conscience, he shouldn’t say such a thing.

That’s why he waited until the firstborn grandson was born.

‘Speaking of which, should I go see the firstborn grandson?’

Yi Bang-won is a man who does not hesitate.

He immediately moved to the East Palace.

===

The baby has a very strong desire to suck.

When something enters his mouth, he tries to suck it, regardless of whether it’s a finger or another object.

If this desire is not satisfied, he soon bursts into tears, and our baby, who seems to be twice as active as other babies, was no exception.

Yi Dan burst into tears, making the room shake.

I was afraid of how such a sound could come from that small body.

“Is he hungry?”

I shook my head at Ju So-hwa, who was speaking worriedly.

“No, that can’t be. There’s no way the wet nurse would skip feeding him.”

Even if he is hungry, giving him too much milk will definitely cause problems.

I slipped something into Yi Dan’s mouth.

“?”

The baby, who had stopped crying, stared at me blankly.

He put it in his mouth, so he’s sucking on it, but he doesn’t know what it is.

Ah, this is a nipple. It prevents babies from putting things in their mouths.

Thanks to my uncle securing rubber, we were able to make such a thing.

‘It’s for infants, so not much rubber is used, and mass production may be possible.’

It has the effect of easily calming the baby and reducing crying, so if it succeeds in being supplied, the burden on countless Joseon people will be reduced.

The baby has only stopped crying, but just looking at this East Palace, which has become very peaceful, isn’t that the case?

Unaware that a huge bomb would soon be flying in, I thought so.

End