There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 451

452. Side Story – In Search of the Maritime Empire (3)

It’s called coca, but it would be problematic to treat it the same way as that infamous drug in the future.

Cocaine refers to the active alkaloid extracted from coca leaves through a separate process. The coca tea that Lee Hwan drank is simply a beverage commonly consumed in South America.

It is especially favored for its effectiveness against altitude sickness, making it practically the Incan version of a digestive aid.

However, Lee Hwan was not suffering from a throbbing headache due to altitude sickness, nor was he so accustomed to the taste of coca tea as to be indifferent to it.

For that reason, Lee Hwan’s thoughts jumped in an unexpected direction.

‘I’ve felt like something has been missing from Hyeonju [a type of sweet carbonated water popular in Joseon] for a while now.’

Having grown up drinking Hyeonju since he was young, Lee Hwan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was somehow lacking.

And the moment he tasted coca, he knew what was missing.

It might be an enlightenment engraved on the genetic level left by modern people. Anyway, except for the fact that the gene itself belonged to the original Grand Prince Yangnyeong.

Coca and cola.

Two ingredients that can turn Hyeonju, which is just sweet carbonated water, into real ‘cola’.

The cola trees discovered by Joseon merchants are now growing diligently on the White Lotus Society farm in Majapahit, so in fact, he was the first to discover coca.

Of course, even with those two, it would be difficult to create the real ‘that cola’ with the processes of this era, but every journey begins with a single step.

First of all, he had no doubt that it would enrich the taste of Hyeonju itself.

Lee Hwan, filled with the joy of having made a discovery of the century, hugged Sibi, who was next to him, tightly.

He wondered if she would put up even a slight resistance, but strangely, Sibi did not refuse.

He was already famous as a romantic playboy in Hanseong [the capital of Joseon], to the point where courtesans wished to even just touch his sleeve once, so he didn’t find it particularly strange.

‘I guess this woman is completely captivated by my charm too.’

Lee Hwan stroked Sibi’s chin with his finger and asked.

“What is your name?”

He asked in Joseon language, but perhaps because their hearts were connected, the woman understood perfectly.

“I’m Mayu (river).”

“Mayu, that’s a pretty name. How about coming to Joseon for a visit?”

Just as Lee Hwan was flirting with Sibi, the Crown Prince Tupac Inca and his subordinates burst through the door.

Behind them, Lee Hwan’s retainers followed, but their expressions did not look very bright.

Annoyed at having his pleasant time interrupted, Lee Hwan frowned slightly and asked.

“What’s going on?”

When Lee Hwan asked, Tupac Inca replied.

“Are you awake, Your Highness? I was worried that my sister might have made some mistake last night, so I came to find you in a hurry.”

“Sister?”

Lee Hwan glanced at Sibi next to him.

He naturally assumed she was a Sibi [a woman assigned to serve a visiting dignitary] assigned to him by this country because she brought coca tea, but it turned out she was the woman he had spent the night with.

Lee Hwan felt a throbbing in the back of his head.

‘This has become troublesome.’

If she were an ordinary Sibi, he could just give her some money and be done with it.

However, it was a different story if the woman he had brought in from last night’s banquet was a princess.

It was impossible to compare the national power of Inca with that of Joseon, but he had touched a princess of a country, so it was bound to be troublesome.

‘Isn’t the problem that this country’s customs are too liberal?’

In fact, Lee Hwan didn’t think this was much of a problem. He had thoroughly enjoyed the previous day’s banquet.

Rather, it was a good thing for him. If the country was this liberal, wouldn’t they just overlook what happened last night?

Lee Hwan quickly racked his brains.

‘Great, we can just part ways with good memories of each other.’

But the situation did not go as he thought.

In Inca, there are those called Aclla [chosen women]. This is according to a system of selecting certain women to learn Inca traditions and the rituals of the Sun God.

The virgins selected here were usually beautiful in appearance or from noble families. Mayu could be said to be both.

Some of these specially selected women would enter as concubines of the Sapa Inca [the Inca King], that is, the king, or influential Curacas [local chieftains].

The problem was that Mayu, whom Lee Hwan had touched last night, was this Aclla.

“In our country, even the king cannot touch an Aclla carelessly. If there is such a man, he is executed and his entire family is slaughtered.”

‘Is this bastard…?’

Lee Hwan frowned at the words that seemed to threaten him outright.

Even if he had made some mistakes, how dare he threaten the Prince of Joseon.

However, it would not be a wise choice to argue about it now.

Instead, he found a logical loophole in Tupac’s words.

“But until just now, you said that your country’s kings and dignitaries often take them as concubines, so how can you talk about execution?”

Lee Hwan wondered if the Crown Prince was just talking nonsense to pass his sister on to him.

“Even Acllas can marry after a certain point. However, my sister…”

Tupac Inca said calmly.

“My sister has decided to become a Huamac [a high priestess], who serves the Sun God for the rest of her life after finishing her life as an Aclla. But things have turned out this way…”

At those words, Lee Hwan looked at Mayu next to him.

Even though she had kicked away something important, she had a beaming, happy face.

‘If I’m not careful, I’m going to get properly hooked.’

Lee Hwan’s mind raced.

If his brother Lee Dan had a bold and cool personality, he, as the youngest, was good at using his brain and unhesitatingly backed out of things he didn’t like.

He said to Mayu.

“If that resolution was broken because of me, you wouldn’t have been a good shaman in the first place. Fortunately, you realized that early, so diligently learn the virtues of a woman and marry well.”

Mayu, no matter what, couldn’t understand those words and had a bewildered expression. Instead, her brother could have been furious at Lee Hwan’s brazen words, but he nodded readily.

“It can’t be helped if Your Highness won’t take her.”

Lee Hwan cheered inwardly.

“It’s a pity, but it can’t be helped. I’ll leave some wealth behind, so find a good match.”

“There’s no need for that. I’ll take her as my concubine.”

“Yes, as your concubine…”

Lee Hwan, who was repeating Tupac’s words, suddenly noticed something strange.

“Didn’t you just say that Mayu is your sister?”

“That’s right. Originally, I was just going to leave her alone because my sister said she would dedicate her purity to the Sun God, but since Your Highness has already taken her, that promise is meaningless. I will take her as my concubine.”

Lee Hwan and the Joseon people were dumbfounded.

It was a statement that far exceeded their common sense.

However, unlike his outward expression, Lee Hwan was quite relieved inside.

‘I guess that woman being a princess or whatever was a lie? That’s a relief. I almost got tricked by this guy and took a Sibi as a princess.’

Lee Hwan wanted to praise himself for not falling for the other party’s cunning scheme.

However, the reality of the Maritime Empire of Inca far exceeded his expectations.

Joo Gijin stepped forward and shouted.

“To take your own sister as a concubine, are you daring to mock our Highness?”

Tupac Inca, as if it were not strange at all, asked with a puzzled expression.

“What’s so strange about blood-related siblings marrying each other?”

“Wh-wh-what did you say?!”

Lee Hwan wondered for a moment if the translation was wrong, but the interpreter’s expression was also pale.

The interpreter then opened his mouth.

“The current wife… so the Crown Princess is actually the Crown Prince’s sister.”

“Cough!”

Even though they had made them a vassal state, they could not know the customs of each other in detail.

Just as Inca was gradually becoming accustomed to Joseon’s tributary system, Joseon was also gradually learning about Inca’s culture.

However, for Confucian boys who do not even marry those with the same surname and origin, Inca’s union of relatives was truly shocking.

‘The Maritime Empire was not a Prosperous Country (盛國) but a Sexual Country (性國)!’

They lamented so inwardly.

Lee Hwan, who was born and raised in Joseon, was the same, but unlike his subordinates, he had the difference of having to take responsibility for this matter.

Lee Hwan, looking back and forth between Tupac Inca and Mayu, suddenly thought.

‘Didn’t such marriages happen frequently in Silla and Goryeo [ancient Korean kingdoms]? Then, wouldn’t it not matter if these guys marry each other?’

Lee Hwan suddenly became tolerant of Inca’s customs.

The ideology of cultural relativism, which his father had never taught him, spread in his heart.

But unfortunately, the Confucian warriors, who had no understanding of cultural relativity, foamed at the mouth and went wild.

They were about to shoot Tupac with a gun.

“Your Highness, you must not allow such beastly acts to happen.”

As his subordinates grabbed his shoulders and spoke, the eyes of Prince Shim, Lee Hwan, trembled.

“Then what should I do?”

“Take her, to Hanseong.”

“What?”

Lee Hwan’s face contorted, but Nam Yi whispered in his ear.

“Then are you going to leave that woman behind now? If we let this depravity go, that poor woman will become her brother’s plaything and spend her whole life like that.”

“No… still…”

Lee Hwan, who was about to say what does it have to do with me, shut his mouth at the sight of his subordinates’ eyes looking at him like he was trash.

“If we hear that you not only touched a princess of a vassal state carelessly, but also that the princess hooked up with her brother after being abandoned, wouldn’t there be discussions to strip Your Highness of your title?”

“My brother stripping me of my title?”

As the youngest, who had only received love from his parents and affection from his older siblings, he could not imagine the Emperor stripping him of his title.

However, if he thought about it carefully, it was not impossible.

Even now, there is talk of changing his title as Prince Shim (沈王), which is the old title held by his late father, and if such a scandal is added to this, it was obvious what would happen.

Many retainers who had no thoughts would join the faction to abolish Prince Shim, and perhaps his brother would approve of it.

He had crossed the Pacific Ocean with great difficulty, but what a disgrace it would be if he did not achieve anything and his title was stripped and he was demoted to Lord Shimha (沈河侯).

Even if he regained his title not long after, it was obvious that it would be a lasting disgrace.

“Wouldn’t me taking that woman be enough of a scandal?”

Lee Hwan’s timid resistance was quickly suppressed by his subordinates.

“First of all, isn’t she a princess of a country? This is something that even the late Emperor did, so there is nothing to be afraid of.”

Lee Hwan was speechless at the words that even your father, the wise ruler, did the same thing by seducing princesses when he went to other countries.

He didn’t know why other people were bringing up his family affairs.

He shouted while gulping down coca tea.

“Alright. I am a person who knows righteousness, so how can I not cherish even a one-night relationship? Fine, I’ll take her.”

“Really?”

Tupac Inca asked with wide eyes.

He already had a sister married according to custom, so there was no need to take another sister.

But if he married that sister to the Emperor’s brother, wouldn’t he be able to connect with the Joseon imperial family, an infinitely powerful country?

On the other hand, Lee Hwan only felt that he had been completely caught.

‘Damn it, I need to drink more coca tea.’

There were times when his favorability towards Inca had soared through the roof, but now he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.