There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 416

417. Governance and Politics (3)

On the ship heading to Ulleungdo, his place of exile, was not only Emperor Xuanzong, Zhu Zhanji.

Also aboard were the officials who had assisted the three emperors, spanning from Emperor Xuanzong’s brief reign to the longer reigns of Emperor Yongle.

The period when those three emperors ruled was, in effect, the golden age of the Ming Dynasty.

As such, the assembly of those officials was nothing short of remarkable.

From the Three Yangs (Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu) and Jian Yi, great ministers since the founding of the nation, to Zhao Hong, Lü Sheng, and other veteran officials.

In the original timeline, they were all destined to have their names recorded in the annals of history.

However, among the Ming officials brought to Joseon, those who could be swayed had already been turned through threats and promises.

The remaining ones were merely burdens to the new dynasty.

And they all knew it.

Ordinarily, it’s not customary to confine criminals to a single place of exile.

How much more so a deposed emperor and his officials?

No one present was naive enough to be unaware of the reason for placing them all on one ship and sending them to a remote island.

Nevertheless, they did not cry out for rescue.

They simply lamented the sinking ship.

That was the same for Emperor Xuanzong, who had to maintain his dignity above all else.

He released the gyrfalcon he had kept by his side until the very end.

Then he shouted.

“Let it be known that my death today is the karma of Taejo sinking Somyung [referring to a historical event where Taejo, the founder of Joseon, sank a ship]. If so, Yi Je, Yi Je! Will your reign be eternal! What karma will your descendants have to bear?”

Had Yi Je heard, he would have retorted, ‘How dare that lowly fellow call the emperor by his given name,’ but fortunately or unfortunately, Emperor Xuanzong’s voice merely echoed in the dark sea for a moment before fading away.

The leaking ship slowly sank.

Like remnants disappearing beneath the waves.

* * *

Of course, there’s no benefit in publicly announcing such an event.

That was why Emperor Xuanzong and his officials were brought to Joseon and eliminated.

Only the ministers of the court know that they are scheduled to be exiled to Ulleungdo.

Whether they suspect the deposed emperor’s fate or not, they are astute enough not to show interest unless I mention it.

So, Emperor Xuanzong will certainly not arrive in Ulleungdo, but this fact will remain unknown.

Not many people travel to and from Ulleungdo, and even fewer are interested in news about the deposed emperor.

Above all, news in this era travels slowly.

I did invent the telegraph, but that doesn’t mean all information is readily available.

It inevitably goes through the process of the central government ‘collecting’ information and then redistributing it.

The same applies to the newspapers that are gradually expanding their influence from Hanyang [the capital of Joseon] to the surrounding metropolitan area.

They might know trivial news within the capital, but important state affairs are simply copied from the court gazettes.

In other words, no information will be released without my permission.

For a while, rumors about the fate of the disappeared deposed emperor will circulate, but as time passes, such rumors will fade away.

So, the story that Emperor Xuanzong and his officials all vanished into the sea will likely only be found in history books.

Even more so in the Central Plains, far from Zhili [a northern province of Ming China].

‘The other imperial family members are the same.’

The collateral lines of the imperial family, including the Prince of Ying, will not be interested in the news of the deposed emperor in the first place.

They would rather he disappear than be implicated in treason and have their reputations tarnished.

The Empress Dowager remains in Nanjing, but she probably doesn’t expect to be in contact with her exiled son.

Instead of news of her son, she will have to console her old age by receiving letters written by her grandchildren in Joseon and sent by fast ship.

I was willing to generously allow that much.

For the record, it’s not exactly because I’m merciful.

“What are you going to do with the children?”

“What children?”

Juso Hwa stared at me as she asked.

“You know.”

“I won’t touch them.”

I said with a deep sigh.

It is our family’s tradition to mercilessly dispose of even the children (Changwang, Yi Bang-seok) [referencing historical figures who were victims of political purges].

The blood of Yi Bang-won [King Taejong of Joseon, known for his ruthlessness] flowing in my veins is whispering to sweep away even the remaining ones.

But there’s no need to do that when my wife is saying this much.

If I had wanted to, I could have put them on the same ship in the first place.

What can two children in the middle of enemy territory do?

‘Is Emperor Xuanzong the same?’

I sent him away because I hated him.

Anyway, unless those children diligently practice swordsmanship for about 10 years and attack me one day, there is no need to worry.

‘But I think I’ll still win.’

From the beginning, I intended to raise them thoroughly as civil officials.

Don’t even let them approach ominous places like the Donggung gym [the Crown Prince’s residence, often associated with political intrigue]. Yes, there is a good place called Yeouido, so let’s send them there.

It is close to the capital and has some distance with the river.

Besides, our in-law is the principal of Yaeun School, so it’s a win-win situation.

I should give him a hint to let them cool their heads there and diligently study.

“It’s exile in name only.”

Hush, what are you saying?

It’s not an island. In about 500 years, it will be no different from the mainland.

“The capital is right in front of us, what exile. It’s not like we’re putting them on an island and isolating them.”

Just think of it as attending a boarding school.

Emperor Xuanzong, who is probably high-fiving King Munmu [an ancient Korean king] by now, wouldn’t want his children to hold swords instead of books, would he?

So this is the right choice as a guardian.

“How do the children seem?”

“They don’t seem particularly bright. Not like our family.”

I raised my eyebrows at Juso Hwa’s words.

“…Really?”

“Would I lie for no reason?”

The thought that she might be doing that because she thought I was going to intervene suddenly crossed my mind, but I didn’t bother to ask.

“I heard they are very fond of the eunuch next to them.”

I heard that Wang Jin, the eunuch who came with them from the Ming Dynasty, is still attending to them.

I remember it because Wang Ho brought back a unique detail.

‘He said he was unusually tall.’

No matter how difficult the Ming Dynasty civil service examination was, he was supposedly a scholar.

It wouldn’t have been easy to become a eunuch who was handpicked, but the moment I heard that he had castrated himself to get ahead, I had a feeling.

‘He’s crazy about power.’

He must have thought he was close to success when he was in charge of the education of the princes, but the country collapsed, so his mentality must have been shattered.

If that’s the case, he’ll want to grab even a weak lifeline, so I should instruct Wang Ho to win him over.

The cub of a lion is a lion.

‘I can’t let my guard down because I might see some potential.’

There is a saying that a tiger does not beget a dog, but still, they are descendants of Hongwu Emperor and Yongle Emperor.

At the very least, Emperor Xuanzong showed a smart side in his internal affairs.

It’s just that he ruined everything by unnecessarily antagonizing Joseon.

Maybe if the throne had continued normally, one of them would have become emperor?

Well, the truth is, you never know.

They both might have died young and someone else might have ascended the throne.

‘I should have learned some Ming Dynasty history.’

When I was in modern times, I didn’t even know Korean history, so there was no need to know Ming Dynasty history.

“You’re not going to touch the children, are you?”

Juso Hwa asked me slyly, as if testing me.

Even though they are the children of the enemy, they are still relatives.

As the only person in Joseon with the Ming Dynasty Zhu surname, she might want to take care of them.

She also owes a debt to Emperor Yongle and his wife, who took her in and cared for her when she was an orphan.

“…Okay.”

I nodded.

Juso Hwa’s eyes trembled slightly at the words filled with sincerity.

She let out a sigh of relief.

‘What would have happened if I had said I would get rid of them all?’

Even so, there would have been nothing she could do.

The fate of the loser depends solely on the winner.

‘It’s terrifying to think that my descendants would be subjected to such things.’

Seeing my son and grandchildren being born makes me think that even more.

All I can do is one thing.

To put this system on a solid foundation before I die.

Even if I lose power in the future, as long as the system is maintained, the dynasty will be maintained.

* * *

If you want to study in Joseon, go to Yaeun Academy.

That was a famous saying among the Jurchens and Tsushima islanders who wanted to study in Joseon.

The reason why they came to Yaeun Academy in the first place was because Giljae [a renowned Confucian scholar] originally took in and taught disciples regardless of their status, so he did not turn away the barbarians and Japanese who everyone else refused.

However, at some point, the reputation of being a loyalist and great scholar of Goryeo [the previous Korean dynasty] was added to the unique academic style, forming a group called the Sarim [a faction of Confucian scholars], so everyone wanted to bow and pay their respects even if that was not the reason.

Even after Giljae’s death, Jeong Jong-seong continued to maintain the existing principles.

Originally, the relationship between teacher and student is like the loyalty between father and son.

Even the king cannot easily go against it, let alone if that person is someone who can be called the future father-in-law of the nation.

For that reason, the sons of the deposed emperor bowed respectfully in front of Jeong Jong-seong.

With only a few eunuchs and maids who followed them from Ming, and no one else to take care of them, their faces were full of anxiety.

He was taken aback because Yi Je, his in-law, had semi-forced him to take on these children, but he said with a smile.

“Don’t be too nervous. First, you can learn Korean step by step.”

Yaeun School, which is frequented by foreign students, has a systematic Korean language learning system established.

These children are also young, so they will be able to quickly acquire Korean.

Perhaps they will mostly forget the Chinese they briefly learned in the early part of their lives and live only using Korean.

Meanwhile, Jeong Jong-seong turned his head to the other side and said.

There, next to the bright-eyed new students, a dark man was kneeling with a book open.

“And Great General, welcome. There is no age too late to learn! Are you preparing for the civil service examination again?”

“No, I am nominally a senior official, so I am not going to prepare for the civil service examination now…”

Yi Man-ju scratched his head and said.

“Excellent! So you came purely because you are thirsty for learning.”

“Yes, well, it’s similar…”

Yi Man-ju trailed off.

It is true that he is eager to learn, but it is not for academic and pure reasons as Jeong Jong-seong expects.

It’s just that he was embarrassed several times during the last war due to his lack of education, so he came to find a good academy.

‘I can’t learn by myself with my head.’

Yaeun Academy is a legendary academy that turns even the most dull-witted people into Confucian scholars after completely removing their barbarian ways.

Its depth cannot be compared to the Four Books and Three Classics seen in cartoons.

It seems that the war is over, and even if he tries to live as a military officer, he feels limited to live with shallow knowledge, trusting only in the achievements he has made.

It would be okay to take off his clothes and return to his hometown of Pajer River, but he has come to hate it more than death.

Now he has become a body that has to live in Hanyang whether he lives or dies.

Like other Jurchens.

In this way, the Jurchens, who have become inseparable from Joseon, are heading in a slightly unexpected direction.