There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 368

369. The Way a King Should Be (3)

Although it’s nominally a summit, I can’t yet discuss matters on equal footing with the Emperor. It’s infuriating to think about it.

Anyway, ostensibly, I, the King of Joseon, was ‘attending’ the Emperor on a hunting trip in a scenic location.

Since hunting can’t exclude escorts, it’s also a good way to avoid accusations of disrespectfully bringing an army before the Emperor.

Both sides, with their escort troops, met at the hunting grounds in Jinju.

Hunting was merely a formality, but the Xuande Emperor surprisingly came prepared with genuine enthusiasm.

His fondness for hunting, especially falconry, seemed to be true, according to a letter Joo Sohwa received from her family.

I smiled gently and gestured to the Royal Guards.

The Royal Guards stepped forward, presenting a gift as a greeting.

A representative from the Xuande Emperor’s side came forward to receive it.

“What is this?”

Asked the Xuande Emperor, his expression full of wariness.

‘He’s so suspicious. As if I’d send a bomb in front of everyone.’

“When it comes to falcons, the Gyrfalcon [a large falcon species prized for hunting] is the best. I prepared it as His Majesty enjoys falconry.”

The cloth was pulled away, revealing a birdcage.

The corners of the Xuande Emperor’s lips twitched slightly.

‘What’s this?’

Ah, I see.

It’s the expression of a sulky child who can’t honestly show their joy.

I saw it often when raising my kids.

The Xuande Emperor, barely suppressing the twitching at the corners of his mouth, said:

“For gifts between gentlemen, ten pieces of dried meat are sufficient. Though the falcon is a precious creature, why would I be particularly pleased?”

“Ah, then I’ll take it back…”

“However! I cannot reject the sincerity of the King of Joseon, who has gone to the trouble of bringing it. I will repay you handsomely, so take it on your way back.”

The Xuande Emperor said, hugging the birdcage to his chest without giving me a chance to speak.

‘This guy, he’s quick to answer, afraid I’ll take the falcon back and throw him some dried meat. Such a dishonest fellow.’

Well, whatever.

The silk and gold, which were surely worth far more than a falcon, were waiting on their side.

Now that the gifts have been exchanged, shall we get down to business?

* * *

In the original history, the Xuande Emperor was so fond of falconry that he even sent eunuchs to catch Gyrfalcons in Joseon.

He still enjoys falconry now, but the difference from the original history is that there is no way to obtain Gyrfalcons now.

Tribute has already been entirely replaced with items Joseon wants.

With the strained relationship between him and Joseon since his ascension, he couldn’t embarrassingly say, ‘Just one Gyrfalcon from your country….’, could he?

His ministers wouldn’t say anything in front of him, but behind his back, they would surely whisper, ‘His Majesty says he hates Joseon, but he’s crazy about Joseon’s falcons.’

‘He could secretly have someone else buy them.’

If he, who claims to be a frugal emperor, were caught by his ministers buying Gyrfalcons at a high price, it would be an even greater disgrace.

So, having officially received the Gyrfalcon as a gift, which he hadn’t bothered to obtain, the Xuande Emperor’s mood improved considerably.

Indeed, it was worth coming all the way here in the body of the Son of Heaven [the Emperor].

However, the conversation that followed was not so pleasant.

“I heard that you came to clear up my misunderstanding.”

“That is correct.”

I now affirmed without hesitation.

“What misunderstanding are you talking about? Are you saying that the ones who attacked the borders of the Great Ming were not the Uriangkhai [a nomadic group]? Or are you trying to say that Joseon did not support those Tatar [another nomadic group] barbarians in handling artillery?”

He questioned me directly, but I now answered calmly.

“That is also a misunderstanding. Joseon has never incited or supported the Uriangkhai.”

“Then hand over the Uriangkhai. Or have Joseon take the lead and suppress them. If you do either, I will believe in Joseon’s innocence.”

He now spoke with narrowed eyes.

“That is precisely what Your Majesty is misunderstanding. Why should Joseon have to follow that imperial order?”

“What?”

At the Xuande Emperor’s shout, the bodyguards on both sides, who had been on edge, instantly reached for their waists.

I raised my hand and rebuked the bodyguards who had already drawn their swords and bows.

“What impudence before the Emperor!”

The various barbarians, gathered from who knows where, sheathed their weapons again.

The Joseon soldiers, holding small iron lumps, did the same.

“They are not familiar with etiquette. Please forgive them generously.”

“Hmph.”

The Xuande Emperor clicked his tongue, filled with the nuance of ‘what if I don’t forgive them?’

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless. To continue, the Uriangkhai’s dissatisfaction originated from the Yongle Emperor [previous Emperor] breaking his promise and not handing over Daining [a strategic territory] in the first place.

The Uriangkhai helped the Jingnan army [Yongle Emperor’s army] not because of an imperial order, but because there was a promise.”

The Xuande Emperor replied to Lee Je’s words.

“My father belatedly handed over Daining. In return, the Uriangkhai began to run rampant from that base.”

“That was merely the price for suppressing the two rebels, the Prince of Zhao and the Prince of Han. And Your Majesty then forcibly took Daining from them again. Now, who can trust the promise of the Great Ming Emperor?”

“…So, you’re saying that if I want to receive the Uriangkhai, I must pay a price?”

“Even if I receive a price, can I believe that it will last forever?

Moreover, since Your Majesty enjoys hunting, let me say something in that vein: even hunters do not catch the birds that come into their arms. How much more so those who have come to rely on them?

All I can give is a promise.”

“What promise?”

“A promise that the Uriangkhai will no longer invade Ming.

If Your Majesty bestows the virtue of loving life, I will have Your Majesty’s family be the witness.”

“Family, you say.”

The Xuande Emperor was momentarily puzzled, but then a look of discomfort appeared on his face as he looked at Joo Sohwa.

Even if she is a princess of the imperial family, she is by no means above the Emperor.

However, the higher the rank, the more difficult it is to treat them casually.

All the people under heaven are the Emperor’s subjects, but she is, after all, an elder of the family.

Above all, even his father, the Hongxi Emperor [Xuande Emperor’s father], treated her with respect as his aunt, even though she was younger.

“Even if the Princess comes forward, I cannot accept it. Either hand over the Uriangkhai, or have Joseon take responsibility for suppressing them. Choose one of the two.”

As the Xuande Emperor turned his head and spoke, Joo Sohwa opened her mouth.

“Why does Your Majesty not know about the disaster that the Jianwen Emperor [previous Emperor] brought upon himself?”

“What… did you say?”

“Even if Your Majesty’s other ministers had something given to them taken away, they would naturally harbor resentment.

How much more so foreign vassals?”

Mentioning the Jianwen Emperor was one of the imperial family’s greatest taboos.

The Jianwen Emperor caused disaster by stripping the titles of the princes that Emperor Hongwu [founder of the Ming Dynasty], the founding emperor, had scattered.

There were reasons for reducing the princes’ power, but everyone knew what his end was like, having been counterattacked by the princes.

“I clearly watched the burning imperial palace of Nanjing as a child. There has already been enough bloodshed sown in the previous generation from family members fighting each other.”

“How can you insult my grandfather, who loved the Princess so much, by mentioning the vanished Emperor!”

The Xuande Emperor gnashed his teeth in bitter betrayal.

He even abandoned the courtesy he had been showing to Princess Bokyeong.

“Indeed, my father was too lenient. Far too much…”

Following the Princes of Han and Zhao, even Princess Bokyeong, whom he had respected merely because of her high rank.

All of them were merely trying to advance their own interests.

If he had received even half of the loyalty he had shown to his family in return.

“Both my grandfather and my father were betrayed by their families.”

The Yongle Emperor was poisoned by his beloved son, the Prince of Zhao, and the Hongxi Emperor was constantly plagued by his brothers’ insidious plots and rebellions from his time as crown prince.

“Do not try to deceive me with the empty word ‘family.’ All I want is loyalty.”

“……”

“But it seems you have given up on becoming my subjects.

By making all sorts of excuses and refusing to hand over the Uriangkhai, it is clear that you do not intend to remain in the position of subjects.”

The Xuande Emperor glared at Lee Je.

“The Mandate of Heaven [divine right to rule] cannot be divided or split. If you dare to covet the throne, you have no choice but to defeat the Great Ming.”

Even though it was a statement branding the other party as a traitor trying to steal the Mandate of Heaven, Lee Je did not flinch.

He suddenly looked up at the sky and muttered something.

It was as if he was complaining to someone up there.

And then, Lee Je turned his head again, looking directly at the Xuande Emperor, and said:

“If that is what must be done, then certainly.”

* * *

“That man is no longer my subject.”

The Xuande Emperor said coldly.

If anyone else in the world had answered like that, he would have killed them on the spot, but even he, as the Emperor, could not order the King of Joseon to be killed in that place.

If the two sides clashed, he could not guarantee his own life either.

That fact presented him with a deep sense of humiliation.

“The Grand Princess Bokyeong is the same. She married a barbarian and had children, and has become a barbarian herself.

A mere concubine’s daughter, believing only that she is the daughter of Taejo [founder of Joseon], dared to insult my endeavors.”

He had often heard praise that he had the demeanor of his grandfather, the Yongle Emperor, and he had secretly taken pride in it.

But it was none other than the Jianwen Emperor, whom that grandfather had driven out.

Wasn’t that a sign that his end would be the same?

“Please calm down. Although she has betrayed the country, the Grand Princess is Your Majesty’s great-aunt.”

Jang Bo hurriedly persuaded him.

Princess Bokyeong is a clear member of the imperial family. Insulting her openly would only be spitting in one’s own face.

“Is the Princess above the Emperor?”

“That is… not so.”

The courtesy he had shown her as an elder of the family was over.

“Joseon has rejected all my orders. They presented a futile promise and protected the Uriangkhai to the end.”

The ministers were anxious that the Emperor would start a war with Joseon right away.

If a battle broke out in Jinju while the Emperor was here, how would they clean up the aftermath?

It was fortunate for them that an urgent report came in at the right time.

“The Oirat [another nomadic group] have raised an army and invaded Shanxi! Jiayuguan [a strategic pass] is under attack!”

“What!”

“The enemy’s momentum is unusual. They even have artillery that could not have been obtained…!”

“This…!”

The Xuande Emperor was about to throw the birdcage in front of him, but stopped for a moment.

‘…The falcon is innocent, right?’

The Xuande Emperor tried to rationalize himself and put the birdcage down.

“How can I, as a ruler, vent my anger on a mere creature.”

It was a remark made out of embarrassment, but the ministers, who had been surprised by the Emperor’s rage, rushed to praise him.

“To show mercy even to a single falcon, indeed, Your Majesty’s virtue is as vast as the sea.”

He put his finger in the birdcage and stroked the startled Gyrfalcon, trying to calm it down.

As he stroked the Gyrfalcon, his own heart seemed to calm down a little.

“It’s Joseon’s doing.”

He knew what kind of guys the Oirat were.

They were full of barbarian courage, but their way of life, pitching tents on the plains, was not much different from the Uriangkhai.

How could such pathetic guys get their hands on artillery and fire it at Jiayuguan?

Even if they could somehow get the artillery, it would be impossible without a constant supply of gunpowder.

In the end, the only conclusion was that the Uriangkhai and their backers were the same.

The Ming Dynasty ministers quickly petitioned the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, you must withdraw. Only when Your Majesty is in the capital can you support the border and stop the Oirat.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty. It is not good to leave the capital empty at this time when a rebellion has occurred in the west.”

Eventually, the Xuande Emperor picked up the inkstone next to the birdcage and threw it.

* * *

‘They’re finally leaving.’

I could easily guess why the Ming army was withdrawing without giving any reason.

The timing was a bit off because the Uriangkhai were being crushed at lightning speed, but the Oirat had finally moved.

The confrontation in Jinju was over, but I did not return.

“Because the Emperor did not trust our promise.”

If he had accepted my proposal, I was planning to restrain the Uriangkhai, staking my wife’s honor on it.

Now that the Uriangkhai had completely come under our control, I wanted to avoid unnecessarily provoking Ming.

But now, a direct confrontation with Ming had become a foregone conclusion.

So, I couldn’t just go back either.

“How is the preparation for the conference going?”

“The various tribes of the Jurchens [another nomadic group], Uriangkhai, and Tatars, as well as other vassals, are gathering one after another. They will all be assembled within this month.”

He said that the Mandate of Heaven cannot be divided or split.

Let’s try to see if it works.