There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 458

Side Story – The Land of Morning (3)

459. Side Story – The Land of Morning (3)

In Jikrye [the capital region of Joseon, centered around present-day Seoul], various cooperatives and organizations had been established early on, but the ‘autonomy’ of this region lagged behind that of Jungwon [the central plains of China, often used to represent the heartland of Chinese civilization].

From Geumju to Daema, from Yongseong to Jeju, this Jikrye area was the center of Joseon, and it seemed absurd for the head, rather than the limbs, to claim autonomy.

Moreover, unlike Jungwon, where each province was as large as a country, its territory was small (limited to the eight provinces of Joseon), and a strong central government had been established early on.

For this reason, even in this region, many sought to exert political influence by advancing in the royal court rather than advocating autonomy through the Hyanghoe [local self-governance councils].

However, it wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t because the class system was so rigid, as in the Jungwon inland region, that they couldn’t penetrate the established interests.

Rather, it was closer to the opposite.

“You want to go up to the Royal Court and discuss national affairs?”

“Then shouldn’t you take the civil service exam first?”

“We are the ones who passed that damn difficult exam and even finished the training institute!”

Their main argument was, ‘If you want to do politics, take the civil service exam and get a job. Why don’t you do it?’

“Even the Daesaseong [Chief Scholar] is from the Jurchen tribe, so what can’t you do if you really set your mind to it? Have you even tried?”

“Why are you making a fuss about wanting to get involved in national affairs without making any effort?”

In Joseon, there was a ‘qualification test’ for success in life called the civil service exam, and this exam was ostensibly open to everyone.

In fact, due to the unique circumstances of the early Joseon period and the rapid growth and social changes of the times, it couldn’t be said that few talented people entered through this gateway.

As a result, those who possessed such ‘qualifications’ were reluctant to give up their political rights easily.

Those who had worked hard to study and were able to sit in key positions in the government couldn’t stand to see others who were ‘unqualified’ shamelessly meddling, saying they had made some money or gained some fame in some rural village.

On the other hand, those who were pushed back by such opposition didn’t just sit still.

“In words, even the King proclaims that he must rule according to the will of the people, but in reality, when it comes to judging that will, don’t they claim that only the opinions of the scholars are the true will of the people?”

“The Emperor assumes that the public opinion of the Sadaebu [the scholar-official class] is this and that, but in reality, they don’t want to include us, do they?”

“In fact, while claiming to inherit the teachings of Ya Eun [a revered Confucian scholar], aren’t they purely using that as an excuse to push out the Emperor and run things among themselves?”

In a situation where the huge bureaucracy itself, represented by the Cabinet and the Six Ministries, was taking on a significant portion of the Emperor’s work, it was understandable that those excluded from this bureaucratic cartel felt that their voices weren’t being heard.

Most of them were dissatisfied that their interests weren’t reflected in national policies despite their increased capabilities.

Some eagerly hoped that their sons would study hard and join the ranks of those officials and scholars, but there was a limit to those who could enter that door.

“Was it thanks to the Sadaebu that this country became a Celestial Empire? Isn’t it all thanks to the bright discernment of the Taehwang Emperor [Great Emperor, a posthumous title]?”

“Do you… know the reign of the late Emperor…?”

“When the Taehwang Emperor was here, our Giin [local elites] were doing well as the leaders of national modernization…”

“After all, it’s right for the King to rule this country without anyone daring to say a word! Those who talk about public ownership of the world are no different from traitors!”

Some even went to the extreme of advocating the Emperor’s autocracy because their voices wouldn’t be heard anyway.

The Sarim [a faction of Confucian scholars], who were suddenly labeled as entrenched corruption, felt quite wronged.

Originally, Giljae [a prominent Sarim scholar] was a person who accepted and taught even the lower classes without discrimination, and the mainstream of the Sarim was still maintaining such a school of thought.

However, their claims themselves were widely accepted by the entire Sarim and transformed at will, becoming a tool to protect their own interests against the powerful imperial authority.

The majority of Joseon people couldn’t see it favorably at all.

Whether they were emerging forces demanding their political rights or ordinary people who had maintained absolute loyalty to the imperial family through the era of the Taehwang Emperor.

The reason why Lee Man-ju’s remarks upon returning to Joseon became so controversial was, in fact, due to the existence of such sentiments at the base.

“Upon examination, Duke Jang Dal-gu of France is truly an extraordinary person. He bravely took up arms to drive out the Zhou and Jie-like Louis [referring to tyrannical rulers, comparing Louis to figures from Chinese history], and obtaining a country spanning ten thousand miles is like King Wu [founder of the Zhou dynasty], but he didn’t presumptuously claim kingship, nor did he pass the position on to his descendants, but rather established a law of recommendation and cultivated the virtue of yielding.

Although the Duke is not a scholar who has mastered orthodox learning, what he has done is no different from a great scholar, so if you are to take office in the future, you should certainly emulate such points.”

Lee Man-ju himself had a friendship with Jeanne [likely referring to Joan of Arc, though the name is slightly different] and had always highly regarded her, so he was simply teaching his disciples a few words by comparing them to her.

However, when these words leaked out, it was enough to take issue with the nuance.

In fact, since Joseon was an absolute monarchy, it wasn’t easy to support the republican revolution that had taken place in France itself.

Because of the relationship between Joan of Arc and the imperial family, they didn’t openly criticize her, but they couldn’t support her actions either.

A moderate stance of ‘Ousting the tyrant is commendable. However, republicanism after ousting him is a last resort chosen by barbarian countries where it is difficult to establish a righteous king’ was the limit.

Therefore, Lee Man-ju’s remarks were easily misrepresented as the words of a traitor seeking republicanism.

He even incited his disciples to emulate this.

People who liked to meddle in politics would gather and make it their business to criticize him, and newspapers continued to escalate the level of criticism to increase sales.

Lee Man-ju had made a name for himself with his high level of scholarship, but the Daesaseong was not a position with great power.

Since the Sarim itself was not a mainstream force in the court, Lee Man-ju was inevitably bombarded as soon as the criticism arose.

Fortunately, voices emerged from the military to protect the old senior Lee Man-ju, but there were limits to that as well.

Lee Man-ju, who suffered from all-out attacks for plotting rebellion and disloyalty in his later years, was greatly disheartened and requested resignation, which Lee Dan had no choice but to accept.

However, the situation didn’t end there.

“Your Majesty! We must punish the group of petty men who slander the virtuous!”

“Arrest them immediately and cut off their heads!”

“Please have mercy!”

When the great scholar Lee Man-ju resigned and returned to his hometown due to slander, public opinion in the north was greatly agitated.

Seeing this scene, which was like a reenactment of Confucius being expelled from the State of Lu, there was no man in the north who didn’t roll up his sleeves and become indignant.

Thus, under the leadership of Altari Yoo Saeng Dong Cheong-rye (the representative of the memorial), as many as ten thousand people signed a memorial.

This was the beginning of the so-called Jurchen Ten Thousand People Memorial.

Lee Dan also didn’t like the fact that he had unnecessarily escalated the situation, so when the Ten Thousand People Memorial was submitted, he used it as an excuse to arrest those who were claiming to protect the imperial authority and exiled them all to remote islands.

However, he had quite a bit of experience as an emperor.

Before the rumor spread that those who had shown loyalty to the Emperor had been backstabbed, he gave them what they really wanted.

Just as the Nanjing court in the past gathered the former Ming imperial family and gentlemen and assigned them to the Hanlin Academy [a prestigious academic institution] to advise on the affairs of Nanjing, Joseon also established a similar institution.

There was already the Jiphyeonjeon [Hall of Worthies], which his father had established as a national policy research advisory body, but in any case, unlike the Jiphyeonjeon, which required passing the civil service examination to take office, the Hanlin Academy differed in that it was selected through recommendations from various interest groups and regions.

Of course, this Hanlin Academy had no right to directly influence national policies or laws.

It was merely giving them a piece of the pie because there were immediate complaints.

To put it extremely, there were even complaints that it was opening the way for selling official titles by allowing those with money to buy academic titles in the form of recommendations.

However, once it was created, it wasn’t without its useful aspects.

Being able to listen to the opinions of various fields, not just the bureaucratic class who had passed the civil service examination, was quite an advantage.

It would be meaningless if the Emperor had no intention of listening, but Lee Dan didn’t leave it completely useless.

According to the principle of Chil-sang-pal-ha [a political philosophy emphasizing balance and harmony] that he had established, this tendency became even stronger when Lee Dan retired and Crown Prince Lee Yoon ascended the throne.

The new Emperor kept his promise that establishing a capable prime minister was all that a monarch had to do.

Whether he believed it was right, or whether it was simply an expression of his laziness, the person who came to control domestic affairs while the Emperor was in charge of foreign affairs was Lee Hyul, the Ja-eul-san-hu [Marquis of Ja-eul Mountain], a member of the imperial family.

While he, who had a moderate tendency and pursued public opinion politics, served as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet by imperial appointment, the function of the Hanlin Academy was further expanded.

The legacy left by Lee Je continued to promote the scientific and technological development of Joseon, and accordingly, the Joseon economy continued to grow.

The social system intertwined with this also began to move in an irreversible direction, and the economy and scholarship of Joseon, which were affected by this again, turned like gears.

Toward the morning.

Toward the dawn of modern times.

— Flash!

At the same time as my sinking consciousness floated, I opened my eyes.

My head was heavy.

However, my mind was as clear as someone who had just woken up.

I stared blankly at the white tiled ceiling.

‘It’s an unfamiliar ceiling.’

However, the surrounding scenery wasn’t that unfamiliar.

Because this was a place that I would come to at least once in my life, whether I was injured or someone else was injured: the hospital.

“A hospital room…?”

‘I definitely died, though?’

Moreover, this place isn’t even Joseon.

Rather, it was a completely modern hospital room that I had experienced when I lived in the 21st century.

I was taken aback by the sight, which wasn’t much different from what I remembered.

I thought that I might come to this land again someday because I had experienced such a thing once, but I didn’t know it would be in this form.

‘Did I come back? To modern times?’

No, should I call this coming back?

‘Could it be… a dream? Seriously?’

I opened my mouth without realizing it.

No, it can’t be a dream.

Clearly, the 70 years of life in Joseon were real.

The faces of my family are still vivid, and their voices are lingering in my ears, so there’s no way that all of this is a dream.

But… if I really came back to where I used to live.

If there is nothing that can prove my life in Joseon.

What’s the difference between that and having a dream?

“Ah…”

I covered my face with my hands.

No way. I’d rather die as I was, than have it all disappear?

My wife, my children, my country?

“Oh my, Nurse! The patient is awake!”

The nurse who found me awake was making a fuss, but even though it was Korean, I couldn’t hear it at all.

Wait… Korean?

‘I was definitely in Africa, though?’

If I was transferred to a hospital locally, I wouldn’t be hearing Korean.

Various personnel were dispatched from the company, but there were no employees working at the local hospital.

I’ve never even heard of Koreans who got jobs locally other than us.

No, that’s not the only strange thing.

The last thing I saw in modern times was a shooting star rushing towards me as I was lying down.

If that’s real, I shouldn’t even be able to find my body, right?

‘Why am I alive?’

I asked, feeling my mouth getting parched.

“Did I have some kind of accident?”

“Patient, don’t you remember anything?”

“Yes…”

When I nodded, the nurse made a troubled expression and kindly explained.

“You lost consciousness in a traffic accident and were transferred to Naknang Jeil Hospital here. Fortunately, it wasn’t a major injury… but you haven’t woken up for a few days, probably because you hurt your head.”

I was lying blankly on the hospital bed, listening to those words.

I don’t know why the meteor fall accident was disguised as a traffic accident, but what I’m more concerned about is something else.

“Naknang?”

“Yes. The biggest hospital in Naknang county here… Kyaak!”

I jumped up from the hospital bed before the nurse could finish speaking and shouted.

“Phone! My phone!”

My mouth was getting parched.

The nurse hurriedly advised me to calm down, but I didn’t care and focused only on finding my phone.

It doesn’t look like it’s the intensive care unit, but if they brought my phone with me, it must be somewhere here.

I snatched the phone that was on the table and burst into a hollow laugh.

My phone had a clear Hansang mark on it [a Korean brand or logo].

I succeeded in coming back.

To the world where I should be.

The next moment, I tilted my head.

‘Wait. Then how many years have passed since I died?’

There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]

There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]

내 조선에 세종은 없다
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine a Joseon dynasty unlike any you've read before, where the throne isn't yours by right, but by cunning and strategy. What if the most revered king in Korean history, Sejong the Great, was your younger brother? Forced to confront a destiny not of your choosing, you face a daunting question: Can you truly surrender to fate, or will you defy it to forge your own legend in a kingdom ripe with ambition and intrigue? Dive into a world where blood is thicker than water, but power is the ultimate prize. Will you yield, or will you rise?

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