There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 412

413. Joseon Halloween (1)

Lee Dan was greatly surprised to hear the whole story from the Ryukyu students who brought Prince Ryukyu into the East Palace.

He hadn’t noticed any signs at all.

‘What on earth did he see?’

In fact, even others didn’t know what Prince Ryukyu was so taken with, so it was only natural that Lee Dan wouldn’t know either.

Well, there’s no big reason why people like each other.

That’s how everyone understood it.

However, from Lee Dan’s perspective, hearing that a friend he had known since childhood liked his younger sister gave him a strange feeling.

“So, how are you going to convey your feelings?”

At Lee Dan’s question, On Ryuhwan hesitated but spoke confidently.

“I’m thinking of writing a love letter.”

Lee Dan couldn’t help but be appalled by the idea of writing a love letter.

How many times had foolish people tried to convey their feelings to the Second Princess with letters, only to have them burned by his older sister?

That love letter would probably turn to ashes and dust before it even crossed the East Palace wall.

“Then, then, if you could deliver it directly, Hyungnim [older brother or respected male figure]… !”

‘Since when did he start calling me Hyungnim?’

Lee Dan was displeased with his presumptuous attitude, but he decided to give him sincere advice out of old friendship.

“Listen carefully. A man doesn’t rely on such letters in the first place.”

If he was going to convey his feelings, he should try to seduce her face to face. How could he express all his affection with a long letter?

“But if not a love letter, how else can I convey my feelings?”

Lee Dan crossed his arms and thought.

As a dating expert, he thought it was best to strike while the iron was hot. Since he was already in the East Palace, why not go and tell her now?

“I’ll call someone for you, so wait a moment. Eunuch Eom! Where is Eunuch Eom!”

“Wait, wait a moment, Hyungnim!”

However, On Ryuhwan’s face turned pale and he waved his hand.

“Isn’t it… too sudden right now?”

“A guy who’s meant to be will succeed no matter what he does, and a guy who’s not meant to be won’t succeed no matter what he does. It’s better to end it all at once than to just stand by and fret.”

Lee Dan spoke nonchalantly, but for On Ryuhwan, it was a matter of life and death.

He had been dragged into the East Palace (half willingly) to find a way to increase his chances, not to confess and be gloriously sunk.

On Ryuhwan begged Lee Dan to help him.

“Please find a way. Aren’t you familiar with women’s hearts, Hyungnim?”

“I am.”

Lee Dan nodded and said.

Although he had brought in many concubines purely for external reasons,

It was because of his father’s political motives and the production of offspring, but capturing their hearts was another matter.

Lee Dan had recently begun to think that his charm might be playing a part in it.

Otherwise, how could concubines be lying in ambush everywhere he went?

“The end of the year is coming soon, so wouldn’t the Daenarye (大儺禮) [Narye ceremony to expel evil spirits] be held?”

The Narye is an event held on the last day of the year to drive away evil spirits from the old year.

Confucian scholars ritually complain every time there is such a pagan event, but tradition is tradition.

In fact, even they secretly join in and watch when it’s time for the Narye.

Originally, Buddhists enjoy Christmas just the same.

Thanks to his father, who likes this kind of thing, the event was becoming more and more grand.

The fire that used to be lit in the yard to chase away ghosts had turned into a huge campfire, and the firecrackers had turned into colorful fireworks.

On the other hand, according to tradition, people wear masks and red clothes that are said to be effective in warding off evil spirits and enjoy the Narye, making it a Joseon version of Halloween.

On days when such events are held instead of the rigid ceremonies of the palace, people’s hearts tend to be loosened.

Lee Dan’s suggestion was to take advantage of that time.

Isn’t a festival a place for couples to be born?

“What do you think, Minister Woo?”

Woo Gyeom, who was attending as the Crown Prince’s, or rather, the Grand Heir’s tutor, with the title of Minister Woo, bowed his head and said.

“It seems like a good plan. After all… the palace will invite many officials and state guests to enjoy themselves, so it won’t be easy to run into the Princess.”

Suddenly, Woo Gyeom wondered why he was assisting the Grand Heir with his love counseling.

Originally, a tutor of the Grand Heir should be giving advice on cultivating scholarship and character, not this, right?

But Woo Gyeom had been a prisoner until recently.

A loyal subject should not hesitate to give advice in any situation, but he was a loyal subject with a practical side.

Like the man who practically replaced the Emperor and secured Beijing, he convinced himself that this was also for the sake of the country.

‘Originally, there must be trust between the ruler and his subjects in order for the subjects to fulfill their duties.’

‘The same goes for advice. It is important to give the Grand Heir confidence so that he does not doubt the intention of the advice.’

‘Moreover, this is a matter of national marriage with Ryukyu, so it can be said to be a national affair. If it is the will of the nation to make this happen, I should not spare my advice.’

Once he had sorted things out in his head, Woo Gyeom was able to escape his self-loathing.

He gave On Ryuhwan a plan with a light heart.

“Your Highness, you must reveal your affection for the Princess and at the same time offer her a token of your love.”

“A to, token?”

“Even if the Princess allows it in the heat of the moment, her mind may change when she cools down a little.

But a token of love is proof of that, and once she accepts it, she won’t be able to say anything else even after the Narye is over.”

“Yes, I think that handkerchief you’ve been carrying around, to the point of being annoying, would be good. Besides, if you hold it up to her face, she might accept it.”

Lee Dan inadvertently revealed his true feelings, but On Ryuhwan was not greatly hurt.

It was because he was impressed by Woo Gyeom’s words.

On Ryuhwan nodded diligently and wrote it down in his memo pad.

“I’m glad I consulted with the Grand Heir!”

On Ryuhwan clenched his fist and said.

In reality, nothing had changed, and it was just a plan filled with optimism… that he would confess with the help of the festival’s excitement, but somehow he was overflowing with confidence that it would work out.

‘Will it work?’

However, Lee Dan couldn’t help but wonder.

No matter how gentle his second younger sister was, she wouldn’t accept the confession of such a clumsy guy.

‘Well, it’s none of my business.’

But as always, he only cared about having fun.

* * *

Narye.

Fires were lit everywhere to create a Halloween atmosphere.

Judging from the boisterous sounds coming from outside the palace, it seemed that the people of the capital were already out.

There’s no better event to forget all the worries of the year and enjoy it to the fullest.

Thanks to the support of the people, I also prepared a big event.

Since the war was over and there was plenty of gunpowder left, a fireworks display was prepared to cover the entire capital.

“Now that the war is over, shouldn’t we think of that as a stock of Biak [currency] rather than gunpowder?”

“Ugh… I wonder how many Biak are being blown away in one firework display…”

I couldn’t help but think that my aides were being stingy when I heard them whispering.

It’s not your money, why are you like this?

Anyway, we can’t release it on the market because of supply control, so it’s better to burn it up in a fireworks display.

Isn’t it great to have such a bustling festival atmosphere for the first time in a while?

On one side, I saw a group of children with baskets gathering around.

They were children of the royal family who had entered the palace for the Narye.

“Give us candy!”

“If you don’t give it to us, we’ll punish you!”

Like everything else I’ve touched, the Narye was very different from what it used to be in Joseon.

Children wearing hideous masks with four eyes grabbed the eunuchs and held out their baskets.

The eunuchs couldn’t resist and squatted down, taking out snacks from their pockets and handing them over.

‘Our kids used to be like that.’

Seeing the little kids threatening to give them snacks reminded me of the old days.

It seemed like only yesterday that Dan-i was bringing his younger sister and begging No-bun.

I remembered telling them that there was such a custom in the West, and before I knew it, our kids were doing trick-or-treating, and it had become a tradition in the palace.

The gathered officials were also watching the scene with curiosity.

Even the officials from China, the home of the Narye, were looking around with interest, saying, ‘Is this the Joseon-style Narye?’

Not to mention the foreign envoys who probably didn’t even know what the Narye was.

However, Ouchi Mitsuyo, who had been in charge of diplomatic affairs in Joseon for a long time at the Ouchi Buyeo Consulate General, was calm.

It was only natural that he had been invited to attend the Narye often.

Rather, he was subtly looking around to come to me and pay his respects rather than the Narye.

I leaned towards Wang Ho and said.

“The situation in Japan is getting worse.”

“Yes. The Daenei clan is planning to raise troops under the pretext of assassinating the Shogun, so they plan to ask the Emperor to issue a decree.”

No matter how much we do, we don’t have informants in Japan. At best, we collect information from Akamagaseki, a major port, or Iwami, where some of our personnel are stationed.

However, the Ouchi family is giving the most important information directly to Buyeo, so Wang Ho has finally succeeded in plugging a straw into it.

“We need to quickly ship the troops waiting in Gangnam to Japan.”

We also needed to hurry.

As time goes by, discontent and unrest will surely arise among the Mongol troops who are tied up in Gangnam doing nothing, so we need to quickly throw them into Japan before that happens.

Those barbarians will cause less trouble if they quickly gain achievements, land, and wealth.

Since they are incompatible with the sea, sending them to an island will make them more docile.

From the moment they clash with us, who provide the navy, and the Ouchi, who are the local cooperating forces, it is no different from choosing to be annihilated in the middle of the enemy camp.

In other words, as long as they don’t bite the hand that feeds them, the Mongol troops have a great advantage, unlike the two Japanese expeditions during the Yuan Dynasty.

Since they are scheduled to land in Ouchi territory, there is no need to fight fiercely to secure a landing bridgehead, there are no problems with supplies, and they have control of the sea.

The stage is set for the Mongol troops to run wild.

Now, all that remains is for the Ouchi to take them and lead them in the direction they want.

“If Uije had lived, would Han Gojo have returned the world to him? Assassinating the Shogun is just a pretext.”

They are raising troops under the pretext of assassinating the rightful Shogun, but in fact, the Shogun has already been taken care of by Gien, the de facto ruler of the shogunate.

From the Ouchi’s point of view, it’s like getting something for nothing.

Even if they win later, they can just pretend to be loyal subjects while crying and holding a memorial service for the Shogun.

Japan has a different sensibility than us, so I don’t know if it will actually proceed that way.

‘What the Ouchi want.’

Revenge for the last failed rebellion? Becoming the de facto ruler of the shogunate?

Or… maybe it’s about moving on to a higher stage.

They may not even know it yet, but from the perspective of someone who has already taken the ‘next step’, the situation in Japan is quite interesting.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, I scratched my neck, feeling like I had heard someone nearby.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

* * *

On Ryuhwan just kept drinking.

At first, he was eager to approach the Princess as soon as the Narye started, but when he actually tried to go, his heart was pounding and it wasn’t easy.

It was impossible for him to challenge her sober, so he was silently adding more alcohol.

Until his mind became hazy and his courage filled him.

“Hey, why are you drinking so much when you’re not even good at it?”

What romance would there be in confessing with a red face and smelling of alcohol? But he couldn’t afford to worry about such things.

Fortunately, thanks to the courage potion, he was finally full of energy, but he soon ran into a serious problem.

‘Huh?’

No matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t find where the Princesses had gone.

The effects of the courage potion were gradually fading.

He had to act quickly before that happened, but it was impossible to find his target because of the boisterous surroundings and the masked people.

On Ryuhwan became anxious.