There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 411

412. Back to the Ordinary (4)

Following Taejong Yi Bang-won’s state funeral, King Je issued a declaration of emperorship.

Due to two general amnesties, the Uigeumbu [Joseon’s special police force] prison was momentarily deserted, but this situation did not last long.

Unruly elements dragged in from Ming China filled the emptied prison cells.

Most people chose to prostrate themselves before the prevailing power, but even ‘war criminals’ could not do so.

The number of these subversive individuals shipped from Nanjing was considerable.

Suddenly, the Uigeumbu prison transformed into a detention center for Ming prisoners awaiting war crimes trials.

Since most petty criminals had been released due to the amnesty, Zheng He, who had suddenly become the most senior inmate, wore a complicated expression as he watched the prisoners pouring in like strings of dried fish.

‘Has the Mandate of Heaven truly shifted to Joseon?’

Zheng He had been confined to the dark Uigeumbu prison since being captured by Yi Dan.

Zhu Ying, who had landed with him, fought against Yi Dan and died nobly, but Zheng He was dragged here without even having the chance to do that.

He had been enduring the humiliation of captivity, hoping for a change in the situation back home, but the Yeoheung Soonbo [a Joseon newspaper], pushed in by the prison guard without his asking, shattered even that faint hope.

Because it used a mix of Chinese and Korean characters, Zheng He could easily scan the contents.

Articles reported Joseon’s capture of Nanjing and the emperor, the empress dowager issuing a decree to depose the emperor and restore the lineage of Jianwen, and the upcoming abdication…

‘Could this all be a lie?’

Zheng He wondered as he haltingly read the newspaper, relying on the dim light entering the dark prison cell.

On the surface, the Yeoheung Soonbo, Joseon’s leading newspaper, claimed to aim only for just and upright reporting, but he couldn’t trust that to be the case.

It could all be a fabrication, printed to deceive or appease those imprisoned.

Nevertheless, Zheng He couldn’t stop reading the newspaper.

As the newspapers piled up in a corner of the cell, Zheng He gradually resigned himself to his fate.

At first, he had desperately searched for evidence that the enemy had fabricated the information, but instead of finding such evidence, he gradually concluded that Joseon would not go to such lengths to deceive a mere prisoner like himself.

Moreover, as time passed and he saw familiar faces who should have been in Nanjing entering the prison, his conviction deepened.

“Heh heh…”

Zheng He fully realized that the Mandate of Heaven had passed to Joseon and hung his head.

The dream of embracing all the nations under heaven had sunk with the Ming fleet in the waters off Byeokrando.

Negative thoughts, once triggered, consumed him as he considered his future.

In this era, a prison was merely a place to temporarily confine prisoners to prevent them from escaping.

Soon, after a ‘disposition’ [legal judgment], some would be sent to the executioner, some to remote islands in exile, and some to labor camps.

Zheng He’s own fate would likely follow a similar path.

‘I should have killed myself back then.’

Zheng He was filled with regret.

To have endured humiliation only to face execution or to die from overwork after being subjected to hard labor.

Even Zheng He, a seasoned and worldly eunuch, couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

It was at this moment that Wang Ho called for him.

* * *

When Wang Ho first came to Joseon, he was merely a eunuch of the Eastern Depot [Ming Dynasty secret police].

In contrast, Zheng He was a grand eunuch trusted by Emperor Yongle and the chief administrator of the Western Seas voyages.

However, their positions had reversed at some point.

Wang Ho looked at the prisoner before him and asked quite affably.

“Are there any inconveniences?”

“What complaints would a prisoner have?”

“That’s fortunate. The Grand Eunuch Hwang who used to occupy this room was constantly complaining. Oh, have you heard about Grand Eunuch Hwang?”

“…I saw it in the newspaper.”

The room Zheng He was confined in was previously occupied by Hwang Eom, who had been captured while serving as an envoy.

However, he had already been released and seemed to be working tirelessly for the Joseon emperor.

“It’s not surprising, given his treacherous nature and actions.”

Wang Ho nodded at Zheng He’s words and said.

“Our Emperor is well aware of Hwang Eom’s character. However, it was Ming that sent him to Joseon as a disposable pawn in the first place. Regardless of Hwang Eom’s character, he has plenty to offer.”

Zheng He fell silent at Wang Ho’s remark.

“It is our Emperor’s magnanimity to employ those who change their minds and devote their loyalty, like Hwang Eom.

But why does Grand Eunuch insist on rotting away the rest of his life in this narrow prison?”

“…”

Only then did Zheng He realize why Wang Ho had brought up Hwang Eom’s story.

“Do only scholars know the meaning of loyalty and righteousness?”

“The academicians of the Hall of Worthies [Joseon’s royal research institute] are already praising our Emperor’s virtues with their elegant brushes.

Even scholars say that wise birds choose their branches carefully. What more is there to say for eunuchs like us who lack testicles?”

In Joseon, eunuchs are merely household servants. Even Sangseon No Bun-jo, who can be said to be the closest confidant of the King, is no exception.

However, it is different in China, where eunuchs have a long history of acting as the Emperor’s political partners.

Eunuchs are universally despised.

Those so-called righteous scholars invariably hate the eunuchs who are merely the Emperor’s arms and legs.

The displeasure and sense of crisis that officials feel when imperial orders are transmitted without going through them are directed not at the Emperor himself, but at the eunuchs who attend to him.

The more this happens, the more the eunuchs have to rely solely on the Emperor’s favor.

Therefore, they are more sensitive to the direction of power than anyone else, and they desperately hope to cling to power.

Zheng He could not escape from such a eunuch’s nature.

Wang Ho, who had once faced the risk of being eliminated by Yi Je and survived, knew this very well.

“You fought an unwinnable battle and remained loyal until the country fell, so you have already fulfilled your loyalty to the late Emperor Yongle.

Now, isn’t it true loyalty to serve someone who recognizes you and devote your life to him? His Majesty has already expressed his intention to employ Grand Eunuch.”

“…”

Even the noble scholars who cried out for integrity were considering whether or not to serve in the new dynasty, and Emperor Yi Je himself was issuing a decree to take him in.

Zheng He couldn’t believe it.

“It is true that I personally pioneered the sea routes during the Western Seas voyages.

But the Joseon people already know every detail of the Western Seas routes, don’t they? Lately, I’ve heard that they are even trading with the more advanced Turks (referring to the Mamluks) and the Benaeguk [Bengal].”

In this situation, what use would his knowledge and experience be?

At best, he would end up serving as the Emperor’s lackey like other eunuchs, and in that regard, Emperor Yi Je would certainly find the Joseon eunuchs more trustworthy.

“If the new Emperor intends to use my abilities, he has no choice but to send me out to sea. But even in that regard, I don’t know what use I would be.”

Zheng He said with a sigh.

* * *

“I intend to find a new continent.”

Zheng He almost blurted out, ‘Excuse me?’ at Yi Je’s words.

However, he was a skilled eunuch, one way or another.

He skillfully swallowed the sound and expressed his question in more refined language instead.

“…Emperor Qin Shi Huang believed in the absurd rumors of the elixir of immortality and sent 3,000 young men and women to the sea, but to no avail. Sending people will not yield any elixirs like those told in old tales.”

“No, I’m not interested in elixirs or anything like that. But I am certain that there is a vast land in the East.”

Yi Je spun the globe around.

Once, most of the world remained blank on the globe, but as Joseon’s voyages and trade increased, more and more parts were drawn in, and now one side of the globe was quite elaborately completed.

However, as Yi Je turned the globe, the opposite side, which had nothing drawn on it, was revealed before Zheng He’s eyes.

“In Joseon, it is already accepted that the Earth… that is, the world, is round and its size is unimaginably large.

It would be a serious waste of space if there was nothing but sea on half of the Earth.”

Carl Sagan’s famous quote, which he had once quoted to Grand Prince Chungnyeong Yi Do, resurfaced.

“So I’ve been sending people to find a route to reach new lands, but it hasn’t been easy.”

Yi Je is, of course, not a maritime expert.

Even deep-sea navigation had to be attempted by including Joseon people in Zheng He’s treasure ship fleet.

Jeong Chang-son and other foreign explorers are working hard to find routes, but all they see when they go north are rough seas and ice floes.

Yi Je, who had wondered if they should follow the Siberian coast all the way up and find a way to the New World, came to the conclusion that they should revise their direction at this point, as the foreign explorers continued to fail.

‘But we don’t have many people who can head out and find a route from scratch.’

There were many in Joseon who had accumulated considerable sailing experience.

However, they are still in charge of trade ships that connect to the Indian Ocean, or even the Middle East and Europe.

Although exploring the New World is important for the future, Joseon’s Age of Discovery is important for the present.

After subtracting this person and that person, there was no one left who had Zheng He’s level of charisma and sailing experience to explore the New World.

Even for that Zheng He, Yi Je’s order did not feel easy.

Zheng He also did not start from scratch and open up routes during the Western Seas voyages.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Arab manpower and knowledge had already been introduced, and information about the Indian Ocean region, such as Wang Dayuan’s Dao Yi Zhi Lue [Description of the Barbarians of the Islands], existed.

But wasn’t he being told to find a route to the New World, which he wasn’t even sure existed, from the beginning?

It was daunting, but if he refused, he would be dragged back to that prison and spend the rest of his life there.

‘Let’s think positively. On the one hand, isn’t this an opportunity to leave my name in history?’

If I just launch a ship and look for it… wouldn’t something work out?

“I will humbly do my best to serve Your Majesty’s command.”

Zheng He had no choice but to bow and say that.

As Zheng He, freed from his status as a prisoner, thanked him and stepped back, Yi Je said to Wang Ho.

“I thought he would hold out to the end, but he was surprisingly easy to win over.”

Then Wang Ho bowed his head and replied.

“There are no people as strongly attached to life as eunuchs. Once they have broken their integrity, they will do their best to survive by making achievements.”

Yi Je momentarily had an impure thought, but he didn’t bother to say it out loud.

‘Does the lack of missing parts manifest as an obsession with life?’

He just understood it that way.

* * *

Zheng He was not the only one who was broken in this way.

Soon, some of those who had been rummaging through newspapers in the Uigeumbu were released and saw the light of day.

Among them was former Vice Censor-General Woo Kyum.

In the original history, when Emperor Zhengtong, who had embarked on a personal campaign, was defeated and captured by Esen of the Oirat (the Tumu Crisis), he abandoned him without hesitation and enthroned Emperor Tianshun.

Woo Kyum himself could argue that it was Emperor Zhengtong who had committed a foolish act that almost cost him his job, and that he had used a self-sacrificing strategy to protect the country.

And that defense was close to the truth.

Similarly, his attachment to his lord, Emperor Xuande, who had led Ming to the path of ruin, faded faster than expected from his point of view.

Only the question of whether or not to serve the new dynasty remained.

After much deliberation, Woo Kyum decided to accept reality.

He was originally known for his integrity and competence.

Yi Je had, of course, never heard of Woo Kyum when he was in modern times, but he couldn’t ignore such a reputation.

That was why he had placed him in the Crown Prince’s household, even though he could be said to be a prisoner of the former dynasty.

For Yi Je, it was a personnel appointment that was also intended to promote the preferential treatment of scholars who had defected to Joseon, but it was truly a groundbreaking treatment.

Thus, Woo Kyum, who had come to work at the Crown Prince’s household with the ambition to realize his aspirations even in Joseon,

“Are you saying that you want me to help… with the Ryukyu Crown Prince’s proposal?”

His first task was to play the role of a love strategist.