There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 433

Retirement Ceremony (3)

Having reached a dramatic compromise with the old guard, I hurried them out.

This was to manage the civil and military officials outside who were endlessly chanting a medley of pleas for me to reconsider.

As the old ministers went outside, the medley stopped abruptly, and I could hear them seriously discussing something.

I pressed my ear to the door and quietly waited for Hwang Hee, Maeng Sa-seong, and Heo Jo to calm the officials down.

However, just as the noise seemed to be subsiding, a sudden, louder commotion erupted outside.

Then, Hwang Hee, looking flustered, reported to me from outside.

“Your Majesty, I am deeply sorry, but it seems you must come outside.”

“Did you not say you would not leave until you accepted my will?”

I need the heads of the court to step up and sort things out before I go out.

Seeing that he’s forgotten the agreement we just made, could it be… is Hwang Hee getting old too?

It’s regrettable.

Perhaps I should have let Hwang Hee go even if I hadn’t abdicated.

As I was lost in such thoughts, Hwang Hee, as if frustrated, stamped his feet and flung the door open.

I was about to scold him for his audacity, but I was at a loss for words the next moment.

No, anyone would have been.

Especially when seeing the rice chest that the royal guards were carrying in.

Even more so because it contained my son, not rice.

‘I told them to bring the Crown Prince, and they bring him in a rice chest?’

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

It was as if the royal guards were saying, ‘This is a rice chest. The Crown Prince you want is inside.’

I shook my head.

I knocked on the rice chest and asked.

“Son? Are you in there?”

“Father….”

For some reason, the voice of the guy inside the rice chest was cracking.

It hasn’t even been a day since I declared my abdication, but his voice is cracking, so he must have suffered a lot of mental anguish during this commotion.

‘But he’s still soft.’

As expected, based on my experience, I can’t help but compare.

‘Back then, I was kneeling in front of the Heejeongdang Palace [the King’s private residence], begging them to take back the abdication.’

Just thinking about that ice-cold atmosphere and the cold that penetrated my bones still sends shivers down my spine.

That’s how you act when you’ve gone through hardship; how dare he try to protest in front of me with just a rice chest?

Ha! How laughable!

“Come out now.”

I said that.

“If Father does not withdraw the abdication…!”

“This father has taken care of all those who opposed it. Come out and receive the abdication.”

I put my mouth close to the rice chest and whispered.

However, Dan wouldn’t budge.

Hwang Hee and the other old men all agreed, didn’t they?

The problem is that these people, who should be giving signals to the civil and military officials today to end the abdication event at a reasonable level, are slacking off.

Now that they’ve agreed to cooperate with my retirement plan, there’s nothing to worry about.

How can you not trust this father so much?

“But have you not seen outside the palace? It’s no joke. If I really step forward to take the throne, there might be a riot.”

Come to think of it, even the guards protecting the palace looked tense, as if they were worried that those people might suddenly turn into rioters and rush in.

“You worry about everything.”

The Hanyang Palace Fortress was designed by your great-grandfather and me.

It’s structured specifically for urban warfare, so there’s no need to worry about being breached by rioters.

No, more than that, there’s no way my gentle people would start a rebellion over something like this.

‘Honestly, the current situation is… just due to a momentary emotional change.’

I’ve been on the throne for almost 30 years, so I understand how they might feel overwhelmed when they suddenly hear about the abdication.

They must be quite anxious about whether the Crown Prince will do well.

And since the court officials are holding out in the palace, vehemently opposing the abdication, and the Confucian scholars are protesting outside, it seems that the common people have joined in due to herd mentality. That’s probably the whole story of this situation.

“Then what should we do?”

“First, we need to somehow turn this atmosphere around.”

To divert the swollen emotions to another direction.

Only after hearing those words did my son hesitantly open the lid of the rice chest and stick his head out.

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief and say.

“I will abdicate to the Crown Prince, so have the Sangseon [an official title] bring the royal seal!”

Let’s think about solving the situation later.

We need to do what we have to do first.

* * *

If you were to name the wealthiest person in this country, Joseon, it would undoubtedly be the current Emperor, Lee Je.

Even without invoking the theoretical ownership that everything under the heavens belongs to the Emperor, the Emperor inherently possesses many things.

When such an Emperor generously bestowed favor upon the gathered people, Hanyang soon became a festival ground.

– His Majesty has already issued a decree to abdicate, but he was deeply moved by the loyalty of the people.

Therefore, he wishes to commemorate this by providing wine and meat….

Originally, when a new Emperor ascends the throne, they make efforts to win over the public by issuing general amnesties and reducing taxes, so spending some money to turn the entire capital into a lively festival is not a bad choice.

Pots were set up and fires were lit everywhere on the streets, and wine, meat, and food bought in bulk from the market were lined up.

The merchants in the market, who had braced themselves for a complete shutdown, screamed with joy at the Imperial Household’s large-scale purchases.

The people, who had braced themselves for hardship, couldn’t help but get excited by the wine and meat provided by the Imperial Household.

Once the drinking began, even the people who had been wailing like at a funeral until just now couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

“The people who were wailing until just now are changing their faces as easily as flipping their hands with a glass of wine and a piece of meat.”

“Still, we saw an interesting sight! Have a drink!”

“I only followed along because others were going to mourn. Still, it should be noisy like this to feel like we’re welcoming a new Emperor, right?”

The same went for the Confucian scholars who had been protesting the injustice of the abdication until just now.

“Actually, when you think about it, the Crown Prince has been handling all the state affairs so far.”

“Even if His Majesty steps down as the Supreme Emperor, not much will change.”

“I knew it all along. But wouldn’t it be disloyal not to stop His Majesty from abdicating?”

One pretentious Confucian scholar added a word for no reason, and the others nodded.

At first glance, people seemed to have forgotten the great emotions that had swept through them until just now and seemed more interested in the rare spectacle they had witnessed today or the feast provided by the Imperial Household.

“The Emperor is coming!”

That’s why, even when the Gwanghwamun Gate [the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace] opened for the first time and Emperor Lee Je walked out, they cheered but didn’t cause as much of a commotion as before.

Under the brightly shining moonlight, everyone’s gaze was directed at the Emperor.

It’s not strange that their gaze was filled with admiration.

A ruler is, in and of themselves, worthy of receiving the respect of their subjects.

However, the gaze of the subjects towards Lee Je was not only filled with respect for a celestial being.

Rather, it was an emotion close to the opposite.

Originally, not many people know the face of the monarch.

It’s a natural thing.

To know someone’s face, you have to face them.

Most monarchs never reveal their appearance to anyone except for a few close aides who serve them closely in the palace.

However, most of the people gathered here seemed to be able to recognize the Emperor’s face well.

To the laborers, he was the young Prince who spearheaded the construction of Hanyang,

To the soldiers, he was the King who had marched north with them twice,

To the merchants of the market, he was the regular scholar who frequented the Hanyang capital.

They were all subjects of Lee Je.

The young people had lived under Lee Je’s reign since they were born.

It was hard for them to imagine an era that was not the reign of the Emperor.

Those who were older remembered the previous era.

They knew exactly how different the era before that young Prince emerged and the scars of the war were still evident on this land were from the current era.

All their prosperity and glory had been achieved with the Emperor.

There was no one among them who did not know that fact.

Knowing that it was inevitable, but suddenly realizing this point, it was inevitable that their emotions would surge.

It was an emotion that anyone living in Joseon could not help but feel.

The same went for the pretentious Confucian scholars and the ignorant commoners in the marketplace.

“Your Majesty!”

Someone called him with a choked voice.

As one person’s voice echoed, a thunderous cry followed, as if a dam had burst.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty! Please do not step down!”

“Please rule the country forever!”

The people, who had been eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves until just now, wiped away the tears that welled up and pleaded with him.

Even though it was a done deal, there was still some lingering attachment in their hearts.

Perhaps there was still a 1%, no, even a 0.1% chance that His Majesty would withdraw the abdication.

If only he would do that, the entire capital would be willing to ignore the awkwardness of having abdicated and then withdrawn it.

However, the Emperor did not seem to have any intention of granting their request.

The Emperor, hearing the earnest pleas of his subjects, quietly looked around.

He opened his mouth, looking at the crowd where only sobs could be heard intermittently.

“Farewell is not an eternal parting!”

Lee Je raised his hand high and shouted.

“Is it not a promise to meet again!”

“Your Majesty….”

Knowing that they could not change his mind with Lee Je’s cry, an uncontrollable regret and sadness welled up.

Seeing his grieving subjects, Lee Je looked very troubled, but the people could not control their aching hearts.

Lee Je fiddled with his 익선관 [ikseongwan – a type of Korean royal headgear] and quietly continued.

“I am now going to leave to find the path I must take.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Please do not go!”

“You must not leave, Your Majesty!”

Before the people could say anything, he put his hand on his 익선관 and leaned forward.

And right then.

“Oh oh oh!”

The people widened their eyes.

The subjects’ painful emotions were soon overwhelmed by the shock that followed.

An unbelievable sight was unfolding before their eyes.

“H-He’s walking backward!”

Along with someone’s frantic cry, another person’s voice followed.

“His Majesty is walking backward!”

A night where the brightly shining full moon seemed to cover the entire capital.

The King’s divine skill unfolding under that moon.

Lee Je’s figure, moving his steps backward as smoothly as flowing water, was reminiscent of a Taoist walking backward to ascend to the moon.

They hurriedly rubbed their eyes, but the mysterious gait continued.

The people in the front row, who could clearly see Lee Je’s figure, burst into exclamations.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!”

“His Majesty is ascending!”

“His Majesty! His Majesty is ascending to the heavens!”

Without anyone starting first, the people could not overcome the rising thrill and prostrated themselves.

However, their heads were raised as they watched the divine skill that Lee Je was showing.

Emotions are like waves, so those who could not see Lee Je’s gait because they were blocked by people also resonated with the surprise that had been conveyed from the front.

Hearing the exaggerated accounts, they believed that they had directly seen Lee Je’s figure disappearing into the moonlight.

The anxiety, regret, and lingering feelings about the reign of 이단 had long been washed away by that surprise.

Isn’t the story about the King who disappeared into the moonlight more interesting than those things?

The most jovial King did not disappoint expectations until the last day he was on the throne.

The subjects shouted to such an Emperor, filled with emotions that they could not feel for any other King.

“Your Majesty, farewell!”

They loved Lee Je.