There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 444

445. Side Story – In My Joseon, Sejong Is… Here?

The Supreme Emperor’s life was over, and the royal physician lowered his head with a somber expression.

Cries finally erupted from among the gathered family members.

“My dear!”

“Brother!”

“Sob, Father…!”

The family members lamented one after another, but the royal physician’s pronouncement stood firm.

Nobun thought as he personally removed the Supreme Emperor’s upper garment.

‘When the Heir Apparent was young, there were times when I dressed him myself.’

Attending to clothing was common for subordinates, but back when Ije first arrived in Joseon and wasn’t yet accustomed to Hanboks [traditional Korean clothing], he was so picky.

In contrast, when Ije took off his clothes, he would fling them off haphazardly, leaving Nobun little opportunity to attend to him.

Except for cleaning up the discarded clothes.

‘It took 60 years for you to entrust this to me, Your Majesty,’ Nobun thought.

Nobun recalled the Ije of those days who often gave him a hard time, and he carried the clothes outside.

Numerous junior eunuchs were already waiting outside.

They, too, must have heard the news of the Supreme Emperor’s passing.

Indeed, Eom Jachi approached Nobun with hurried steps.

“Chief Eunuch, please give me the dragon robe. I will perform the ceremony.”

However, Nobun shook his head.

“No, I will do it myself.”

“You will do it yourself, Chief Eunuch?” Eom Jachi asked, his eyes wide.

The question implied that it might be dangerous for the elderly Nobun to perform the task.

“I am the one who has attended to the Supreme Emperor since he was the Heir Apparent. Should I entrust his send-off to someone else?”

“Even so… His Majesty will be furious if he finds out,” Eom Jachi said, flustered.

It wasn’t that Yi Dan [the current emperor] didn’t have the mind to care right now, but he would be furious if he heard this story later.

As if there’s a need to hold another funeral.

However, Nobun had no intention of backing down.

“I am the one who has watched over the Supreme Emperor for a long time.”

He was neither as brilliant as the other ministers whom the Supreme Emperor cherished, nor was he a figure who left a great name in history. Nor did he have any extraordinary talents like the fellow eunuch Wang Ho.

Rather, he was often jokingly scolded for being fearless and lacking tact.

However, he was the only minister who was with Ije from beginning to end.

From the days as the impudent close eunuch of the Heir Apparent, to becoming the Chief Eunuch serving the Emperor through the positions of Crown Prince and King.

He couldn’t dare to bring up such a story in front of other ministers, fearing he would be criticized for pretending to be the king’s confidant despite being a castrated eunuch, but Nobun was proud of it.

He was the one who had witnessed everything about Ije.

Therefore,

“If there is anyone who should send off His Majesty, it is only I.”

There was no more time to delay. He was anxious.

Nobun brushed aside the dissuasion and began to climb onto the roof himself.

Those watching from below shouted for him to please climb slowly, but Nobun did not slow down.

In his lifetime, Ije would always unravel knowledge he had gained from who knows where.

Since it was just a story he would tell in passing whenever he was bored, it was mostly mischievous jokes like, ‘Eunuchs live long,’ but there were some stories worth listening to.

For example, the story that a person’s hearing remains alive for a certain period even after death.

Nobun, having climbed over the roof, stood on the ridge and waved the king’s upper garment greatly.

And hoping that the king’s ears had not yet cooled, he squeezed his old voice and shouted loudly.

“Sangwi Bok!” [A ritualistic cry to call back the soul of the deceased]

The meaning is.

“Sangwi Bok!”

Your Majesty, please return.

Before the Supreme Emperor’s soul completely departs, may at least these words reach his lord.

The old Nobun shouted, yelling.

His face was already wet.

* * *

The Supreme Emperor, Demise.

It did not take long for those six letters to spread throughout the entire country.

Those who remembered the chaos that had occurred when the former Supreme Emperor abdicated had plenty of troops on standby, but the same confusion and disorder did not occur this time.

Rather, what swept through the country was a silence like death.

Stories that the Supreme Emperor’s health was not good were circulating, and even those who were completely unaware of these circumstances could easily guess that the elderly Supreme Emperor did not have much time left.

In other words, the people of Joseon had enough time to prepare themselves.

However, when they actually heard the news of Ije’s demise, the hearts of the people all sank.

In fact, whether the Supreme Emperor Ije died or not now, nothing would change in their lives.

It was not as if the monarch had met a sudden death, and it had been a long time since the Supreme Emperor had handed over the throne to Yi Dan and secluded himself.

The fact that their current lives would not collapse due to Ije’s death, nor would the country fall into chaos, was something everyone knew well.

However, human emotions do not move according to such detailed reason.

Regardless of the prediction of the Supreme Emperor’s death or the certainty that Joseon’s prosperity would not decline, the people were swept up in a strange emotion.

It was a sense of awe and helplessness at the fact that the person who had bestowed today’s prosperity upon them had finally left this world.

It was truly a collapse of the heavens.

It would be an exaggeration to say it was a situation like the sky collapsing, but the feelings of the Joseon people were not much different.

From officials to mere children, everyone took out and wore white mourning clothes without being told to do so.

Behind the Supreme Emperor’s bier, the procession of citizens of the capital escorting him stretched endlessly, and the line continued to the hill of Hakdang-ri, west of Gwangju, the burial site.

It was not just the capital.

To honor the deceased Supreme Emperor, Confucian scholars flocked from all over the country, and those who could not come to the capital gathered in places even slightly related to Ije to commemorate him.

Places that each village had preserved because Ije had visited, or even the portraits enshrined by the shamans if there were none.

The people of Joseon had a kind of faith in the Supreme Emperor Ije, whether large or small.

The Supreme Emperor, who was already worshiped as a god during his lifetime, was now poised to fully establish himself as a god who governs the nation’s good fortune and people’s destiny.

Perhaps because of this, strange rumors were spreading among the people gathered for the memorial.

“The Supreme Emperor has not passed away forever!”

“He will return someday, riding the star of a general!”

Whether they were pseudo-believers who seriously believed this, or mourners who harbored hope at the level of ‘I wish that were so,’ they repeated those words at least once.

At least it was an impossible dream in their lifetime.

* * *

Yi Dan, who had been keenly aware and closely watching the people’s movements, finally let out a sigh of relief after burying his father at the burial site.

This was because the trauma of the abdication at the time was deeply rooted even now, past middle age.

Fortunately, the people only offered their deepest condolences to the late Emperor, and there was not much commotion.

After the funeral, which was held under strict security, the issue that emerged was deciding on the temple name [posthumous name for an emperor].

Without a doubt, the first temple name considered was Gojo (高祖) [Great Founder].

“Our dynasty was founded and, after four generations, in the reign of the late Emperor, we finally conquered the Central Plains and possessed the attire and etiquette of the Son of Heaven. This achievement is truly no different from founding a new country, but since there is already Taejo [Grand Founder], it is appropriate to raise the temple name Gojo to honor his merits.”

“That is correct. If the late Emperor does not receive Gojo, who else could receive such a temple name?”

Yi Dan thought it sounded plausible.

If it were not for his father, could Joseon have acted as a Son of Heaven country [a nation considered to be divinely mandated to rule]?

If Taejo Yi Seong-gye created Joseon as a kingdom, his father created Joseon as an empire.

It was inevitable to be tempted by the idea that he should be treated with the same respect as the founder.

However, just as public opinion was about to converge on Gojo, an unexpected objection came in.

“I, Jinwang Yi Do, would like to say a word.”

When Yi Do lowered his head and requested to speak, Yi Dan quickly granted permission.

There was no one else as close to his father as he was during his lifetime, so he wondered if there were any wishes that Ije had left behind.

“Uncle? Please speak.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The late Emperor often proudly thought that he had inherited the legacy of Taejo Gohwangje [Grand Founder and August Emperor].”

“That’s right.”

There was almost no one who did not know about the relationship between Yi Seong-gye and Ije, the two grandsons.

Now that the court had undergone a generational shift and most of those who had served in those days were no longer around, the exemplary relationship between the two grandsons, which resembled the bond between fish and water, was very famous.

Yi Do was closer to knowing the slightly more unruly and informal reality, but in any case, what he had to say was the same.

“Also, Taejo directly referred to the late Emperor as his successor before his demise, so it does not seem appropriate to call him Jo (祖) [Founder]. The Sipbeop [Ten Injunctions, a set of guidelines for rulers] does not differentiate between Jo and Jong [Ancestor], so it is even more so.”

If one were to pick the person most versed in Yeak [ceremonial rites] in the land of Joseon now that Heo Jo was dead, it would be Jinwang Yi Do.

Since he was saying this, Yi Dan had no choice but to think proactively.

Should his father be seen as having opened a new orthodoxy, or should he be seen as having inherited the orthodoxy passed down from Taejo and Taejong?

Either way, it didn’t matter much, but if that was his father’s wish during his lifetime, it would be better to respect it.

However, Yi Dan couldn’t help but feel something was lacking.

Yi Do noticed the Emperor’s desire to honor his father and added a word.

“However, there is also meaning in the discussion to honor the late Emperor’s achievement of virtually founding the country. It would be sufficient to replace it by raising the title of Taehwangje (太皇帝) [Supreme Emperor].”

“Jong [Ancestor], then. So it would be Gojong Taehwangje?”

It felt like a perfect match, so Yi Dan felt like he had found a clear answer.

With Taejo Gohwangje and Gojong Taehwangje.

Some ministers also watched the Emperor’s mood and jumped on the natural flow from Gojo to Gojong.

“That’s right! How about Gojonghwangje?”

“Gojong is perfect for the deceased Emperor!”

“Gojong! Gojong!”

The court’s opinion rapidly swayed to Gojong.

It was a sound that would have made the dead Ije jump up, but fortunately for him, Yi Do stepped forward once again.

“Unlike Gojo, the temple name Gojong is not appropriate. There were Gojongs in Sang and Jeonhan, Bukju and Tang, Song and Goryeo, but all of them had bad endings, so how can we raise that temple name to our late Emperor?”

Except for King Mujeong of Sang, who was an almost legendary figure from ancient times, Gojong of Jeonhan’s lineage was cut off, Gojong of Bukju virtually led the country to ruin, Gojong of Tang was a wise ruler but was swayed by Empress Wu in his later years, and Gojong of Goryeo was undoubtedly a puppet of the Choi clan.

At best, Gojong of Song had the merit of restoration, but how could his achievements compare to those of the late Emperor?

After hearing his uncle’s detailed explanation, Yi Dan realized that this was not the way to go and quietly backed away.

“…I don’t think there is a need to cling to the one character Go (高) [High/Grand]. Are there any other temple names?”

As the Emperor said this, the ministers also quickly changed their stance.

“One of the late Emperor’s greatest achievements was territorial expansion, so shouldn’t we raise a temple name that matches it?”

“Then it should be Se (世) [Generation/Era]. It is a character offered to both restoration monarchs and conquering monarchs, so it is good to honor the late Emperor’s achievements. You should call him Sejong [Wise Ancestor].”

Thus, the temple name Sejong was raised to Ije, who almost became Gojong, and he was soon referred to as Sejong Taehwangje.

It was truly a tearful victory.