There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 427

428. A Tree with Many Branches (2)

“Listening to Uncle Min, that nun sounds quite remarkable.”

It was a little later that Jang Dal-gu realized ‘that nun’ was Joan of Arc.

To think a person’s given name is Jang (將, General), and the surname is Otter Bandit (獺寇)—what a spirited name indeed.

Even more so, the person bearing that name appears to be a young woman.

Only after seeing the full name written in Hangeul instead of transliterated Chinese characters did I realize who she was.

I crossed my arms and thought.

‘Why couldn’t they pick up anyone else? Why did it have to be Joan of Arc of all people?’

Well, if they were talented enough for me to know their names, they would stand out anywhere, so there’s no reason for them to come to this foreign land.

Except perhaps for someone like Joan of Arc, who was pushed out of the power struggle and was about to grow old and die in a convent.

Of course, Joan of Arc is also a celebrity whose name even I know.

‘But… honestly, is she useful?’

The fighting was already done to our heart’s content before this woman even came, and all the cleanup is finished.

What use is a war expert in a country with no war?

Besides, isn’t she retired and a nun now?

‘It might have been better for her to just waste time in Europe rather than crossing over to this faraway place.’

To this, Joan of Arc replied:

“There were voices of saints. The Lord led my fate to this East, so there is no other choice but to obey.”

“Revelations from saints, I’ve experienced similar phenomena myself.”

“Really?”

It seems to be similar to how the Holy Father appears in my dreams.

“My grandfather, who founded this country, occasionally appears in my dreams and bitches… no, foretells the future.”

Joan of Arc twitched her eyebrows.

She doesn’t seem to believe me. The voices of the saints you hear are real, and my grandfather appearing in my dreams is fake?

Let’s respect each other’s beliefs.

‘She’ll be effective in teaching French, right?’

It’s difficult for male priests to enter the inner palace.

Judging by how she seems to have studied to her heart’s content while stuck in the convent for several years, let’s put her in charge of teaching the children in the inner palace.

Since it’s so difficult to hear overseas news in this era, it will help to instill a sense of globalization in the children while their minds are still flexible.

However, there was someone who opposed this measure of mine.

“How can you just let such a peerless military strategist idle, Your Majesty!”

I covered my ears.

Unlike me, who quickly lost interest in Joan of Arc, Dan seemed to have her curiosity piqued even more.

“Teaching the women and children of the imperial family is also important work.”

I persuaded her that way.

I don’t know much about Western sensibilities, but it must be considered a very honorable thing by their standards as well.

“Still, it’s a waste of heaven-sent talent.”

“Then are you saying I should entrust the military to a foreigner?”

Even if I were to entrust it, what would I use it for?

Our Gapsa soldiers [elite soldiers] would never listen to the words of some foreign woman.

“Military affairs are not just about commanding soldiers. Jang Dal-gu is a nun, a ‘Dalja’ [a woman who has taken religious vows], but she seems like a good person to discuss military strategy with.”

I brought up the Confucian principle that men and women should be kept separate, but I couldn’t resist Dan’s passion to use her closely, even if it meant putting a foot in the middle.

Alright, do as you please.

* * *

Lee Je’s move from Changdeok Palace to the rear garden of Gyeongbok Palace was meant to firmly empower the Crown Prince, who was acting as regent.

The Emperor still declares that he will make the final decisions on state affairs, but in reality, he often stays cooped up in the Blue House [presidential residence] with his old close aides like Jang Yeong-sil and Lee Cheon.

The courtiers rolled their eyes, wondering if the gradual transfer of power would soon be formalized.

‘Could it be…?’

‘Is the abdication imminent?’

The three generations of Taejo, Jeongjong, and Taejong all stepped down from the throne during their lifetimes and passed the throne to their successors.

Two of them weren’t exactly voluntary, but that’s not very important.

What’s important is that there’s a precedent for the current king to follow.

Naturally, those who rejoiced the most in this strange situation were the Crown Prince’s close aides.

Look at Hwang Hee, Maeng Sa-seong, and Heo Jo, who have been prime ministers for decades, just rotating positions among themselves.

Since the old subjects who served the Emperor since he was a young prince are still wielding power, it was subtly unpleasant for them as well.

“When His Majesty ascended the throne, Minister Nam Jae requested to step down along with the old subjects. How old were those who stepped down at that time?”

“Even if I don’t know, they wouldn’t have been over eighty.”

“But now, ministers in their seventies and eighties are still acting as prime ministers…”

Even the old ministers who took the lead in retiring together with Nam Jae when Taejong abdicated weren’t this old.

The old men couldn’t possibly not feel the eyes of these juniors.

Hwang Hee, in particular, frequently submitted resignations, asking to step down from his position.

The Emperor even granted him a wheelchair instead of a cane, dissuading him from resigning, but to the eyes of the juniors, it only seemed like the cunning tactics of a seasoned official who had been worn down for decades.

‘In the end, it’s a problem that will only be resolved when the Crown Prince ascends the throne.’

Hwang Hee, Maeng Sa-seong, and Heo Jo are all still very healthy.

It wouldn’t be strange for them to serve for another five or ten years.

Even if they all die, there’s a truckload of mid-level officials waiting in line, following the order.

Because of this seniority system, those who were serving the Crown Prince at close range were not being promoted as quickly as they had hoped.

However, these were the most promising of the young officials that Lee Je had selected and attached to the Crown Prince in the first place.

In the first place, they were nothing more than a personal guard force that he had directly trained with the Crown Prince’s succession in mind.

As time passed, their turn would inevitably come.

So they were eagerly waiting for the abdication, but outwardly they didn’t show it, and they were just keenly watching.

However, those who hadn’t even managed to cling to the Crown Prince’s side also thought of this as an opportunity.

‘If the Crown Prince ascends the throne?’

‘Of course, the discussion about establishing an heir would also gain momentum, right?’

It’s a good thing that the gateway to success has become much wider as Joseon’s territory has grown and its governance network has become more detailed, but as the bureaucracy itself has become larger, even after entering the service, they could only wait for even fiercer competition.

Without a certain level of ability, or without connections to powerful figures, rising to a high position is like picking stars from the sky.

But those who were talented enough to stand out among them had already been selected and had risen to become the mainstream group.

All that remained were those who were trying to get in line with the next power.

The power of the gatekeepers is the true power.

The means to get in line with the current Crown Prince, who was born as the Emperor’s grandson, grandson-crown prince, and raised as the successor, were limited, but the story is different for the person who will succeed the throne next, isn’t it?

Already, a battle of wits was taking place beneath the surface.

* * *

The patriarchal system under the system of legitimate succession is as follows.

First, priority to the legitimate son (立嫡), second, priority to the eldest son (立長), and only third, the successor is determined by character or ability (立善).

Based on that standard, the one closest to the position of Crown Prince’s grandson is Lee Gyu, born to Royal Concubine Oh.

Royal Concubine Oh is the younger sister of Esen, the Prince of Peace of the Oirat [a powerful nomadic group], and she is quite favored by the Crown Prince, having already had two children, the first of whom was Lee Gyu.

Around the time of the Joseon-Ming War, the Crown Prince had several sons around the same time, but the one who was born even a day earlier is the older brother.

Since Lee Je’s legitimate grandson has not yet been born, the appointment of the Crown Prince’s grandson is being postponed indefinitely, so being the Emperor’s eldest grandson was of great significance.

The Crown Prince Lee Dan also seems to regard him specially as his eldest son, so there was no disagreement that Lee Gyu is currently the most promising.

In the old days, the Oirat lineage flowing in him might have been a weakness, but in Joseon, where globalization has progressed, no one openly pointed this out.

Besides, he’s not a descendant of some barbaric tribe, but the nephew of the Prince of Peace, who greatly pacified the Western Regions [Central Asia].

Rather, his lineage was more helpful than harmful.

For that reason, the eunuch Jeon Gyun, who takes care of Prince Imjon, calling him the Emperor’s grandson, was almost openly circulating among the eunuchs.

Eom Ja-chi, a fellow eunuch who couldn’t stand it, rebuked him like this.

“Don’t you know what kind of trouble arose when Jo Bak called Bulno the Emperor’s son in the past? [referring to a historical incident of political manipulation]

Prince Imjon is the eldest grandson of our Emperor, but he is clearly a prince born out of wedlock, so why do you call him the Emperor’s grandson?”

“You should just properly guard the Queen’s Palace. Why are you meddling in other people’s affairs?”

At Jeon Gyun’s words, Eom Ja-chi frowned.

“The superiors haven’t said anything yet, so why are you trying to cause a stir in the palace? The Chief Eunuch is also greatly worried.”

Even after hearing those words, Jeon Gyun only snorted.

In his eyes, No Bun is like the setting sun.

The advance and retreat of a eunuch is entirely determined by the monarch he serves.

Just as No Hee-bong, who served Taejong when he abdicated, retired to Sugang Palace and spent his natural life there, when the Emperor abdicates, No Bun will also move to the Blue House and end his eunuch life by attending to the Emperor.

Even if it’s not right now, it will be so in ten years.

‘Where does the Chief Eunuch’s awe-inspiring power in the palace come from?’

It’s all because he served Lee Je as a close eunuch since he was a young prince.

There was no reason why he couldn’t emulate such old ways.

‘I heard that a nun brought from the West is going in and out of the Crown Princess’s Palace. Isn’t it because they think it’s difficult to have a son without offering Buddhist prayers?’

Even the successor of that ‘King of Evil’ Lee Je has not yet had a son with the Crown Princess.

Prince Imjon, whom he has fully bought out, is truly a promising stock that is bound to fly.

There can never be a case of delisting.

* * *

However, there were still those who were conservative enough to believe that the blood of a barbarian should not sit on the next throne.

Lee Dan’s concubines are mostly foreigners who were strategically married during the alliance process.

Right now, they are acting like princes and dukes, calling themselves the Prince of Peace, the King of Baekje, and the Chief of Jianzhou, but anyway, from the conservative side, they were not very satisfactory choices.

So they focused on the other side.

‘Could it be that His Majesty appointed Prince Lee Hwan as the Prince of Sim with another intention?’

They regarded the fact that the Emperor’s second son, Lee Hwan, was appointed as the Prince of Sim with great significance.

What kind of position is the Prince of Sim?

Isn’t it the title that Lee Je, who once held the title of Ming Dynasty’s Prince, held together with the Joseon royal title?

‘Hey, it’s not the King of Joseon, but the Prince of Sim?’

‘It’s natural that Joseon, the name of the country, cannot be used. The Prince of Sim is a royal title that His Majesty obtained directly after subjugating the King of Jo, so it’s meaningful enough.’

‘Originally, Emperor Jeongjong only had illegitimate children, right?’

‘So his younger brother, Taejong, was adopted as Jeongjong’s adopted son. So the title of Prince of Sim?’

In Joseon, the right of succession of an illegitimate child precedes that of a younger brother, but since there was such a case most recently, it is a possibility that must be kept in mind.

For that reason, it was also true that there was whispering about the Prince of Sim.

Moreover, his age is not much different from that of the Crown Prince’s son.

‘The next throne will naturally be succeeded by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but could it be that His Majesty is considering His Highness the Prince of Sim for the next successor?’

“That’s nonsense.”

Lee Do dismissed his son Lee Yu’s words as they were.

“Seeing these stories circulating in Hanseong [the capital], it seems like it’s time to go back.”

“Everyone doesn’t say anything specifically… but if there is an abdication, someone will have to be established as the successor in the future.”

“So the guys who are talking recklessly are popping out now.”

Lee Do knew his brother’s personality.

The story of abdication floating beneath the surface is only because he wants it to be so.

Perhaps among the names being mentioned in the court, there is not a single person who is in his brother’s mind.

He had been waiting for someone all along.