There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 63

< Hot Hot Bakery (1) >

As a procession of people who looked noble at first glance entered the market, people’s attention was immediately drawn to them.

“Everyone, step aside! The Crown Prince is passing by!”

“C, Crown Prince…”

“Is the Crown Prince on an excursion?”

People who had been engrossed in their respective businesses gathered together, but thanks to the Royal Guard, order was maintained.

From the start, no one seemed brave enough to act wildly with shiny spears and swords right in front of them.

‘Hmm, this is a bit different from what I expected.’

Watching the Royal Guards escorting me so flawlessly, I frowned slightly.

Did they have to create such an oppressive atmosphere?

I wanted to project the image of a benevolent Crown Prince, but this was clearly just intimidating.

Thinking that, I quickly changed my mind.

‘This must be a modern sensibility.’

Unlike modern times, it was an era where openly displaying spears and swords like this wasn’t a problem.

The people didn’t seem to find it strange either.

In fact, the people were lined up and bowing, but rather than just being afraid, they were marveling at the Crown Prince’s procession and glancing at my face.

“I never thought I would see the face of the Crown Prince in a place like this.”

“His face is so pale and fair, he’s truly handsome.”

The fleeting glances weren’t unwelcome.

Most of the comments I heard were compliments about my appearance.

‘Is it because I’m royalty? I guess I do look pretty good.’

I stroked my beardless chin for no reason and strutted a little.

“How are the people of Gaeseong [a major city in Korea] living these days? I wanted to see how the common people are faring, so I came here.”

“Y, thanks to your concern, we are living without any worries. The grace of His Majesty and the Crown Prince is truly great.”

‘No, what did I even do?’

Even in a 21st-century oil-producing country, people still have worries.

I was tired of hearing the same thing no matter who I asked.

‘I wish they would tell me some honest stories.’

However, it seemed difficult to say that life was hard in front of the Crown Prince.

‘Or is it really that livable?’

Well, I have done a lot of work for the people.

Thinking that, the corners of my mouth turned up.

I didn’t particularly go around promoting myself, but like an awl in a pocket [a Korean proverb meaning one’s talents will eventually be revealed], the achievements I had made were gradually becoming known.

It was then that I decided to accept it as genuine praise, not just flattery.

“Hey, everyone is just saying nice things, so isn’t it pointless for His Highness to come here? If you only say flattering words like this, how can His Highness’s good intentions be realized?”

Heo Jo stepped forward and shouted.

The people who had stepped forward were embarrassed by his sudden outburst.

‘No, I wanted to hear honest stories, but…’

I don’t think we needed to go this far?

Heo Jo, true to his meticulous personality, gave such instructions and then approached me.

He seemed proud of himself.

“Now you will be able to hear the real stories of the people.”

“Ah… yes, thank you.”

I didn’t particularly ask for it.

The people were still flustered by Heo Jo’s words.

“However, there are truly no great difficulties in life these days…”

If you live in the Gaeseong market, few people starve.

Therefore, their perspective was focused on the improved living conditions.

“Thanks to the stoves that His Highness made, we use firewood so abundantly!”

“And what about the tools that His Highness made! Originally, if the country needed labor, so many men would have been dragged from Gaeseong, but now it’s such a fortunate thing.”

“We are using oil and salt to our heart’s content thanks to His Highness.”

Such specific praise echoed everywhere.

“His Highness is truly a divine being!”

“Ugh…”

It’s a bit embarrassing to be praised so much.

This was also Song Sang’s territory, but despite that, there were no hostile gazes towards me.

Rather, it was full of friendly voices.

‘That’s a relief.’

Well, would the merchants who trade in a single market be interested in the bad relationship between Song Sang and me?

At best, it would be the issue of moving the capital to Hanyang, but by now they would have given up on that.

The event of calling the people and asking them about this and that for a long time ended after half an hour.

The stories I heard were all praise for the great leader Yi Bang-won and his son, me, Yi Je, but that alone was worth it.

‘At least these people won’t forget what happened today.’

If I just held their hand or gave them a glance, they would be grateful, so how could they forget?

It’s probably a story worth telling even to grandchildren sitting on their knees.

Just creating a favorable atmosphere for me made today’s outing worthwhile.

The food I decided on for lunch while visiting the market was Jang Gukbap (Beef and Rice Soup).

The soup was made with brisket and radish, and of course, compared to the royal cuisine, the broth and ingredients were simpler, but it was salty and just edible.

‘If the soup was bland, I would have taken a few spoonfuls and thrown it away.’

It was a very fortunate thing.

Commoners feel a sense of kinship when they find even a small commonality with their superiors.

“His Highness is eating such humble Gukbap so well…”

“A wise ruler has appeared, a wise ruler.”

Look at the fact that I’m being called a wise ruler just for eating a bowl of Gukbap.

That’s why politicians go to eat fish cakes [a common street food, implying they do it for show].

“How does it taste?”

“Ah, the owner seasoned it well.”

That’s the only thing worth praising.

“This is all thanks to the solar salt that His Highness provided.”

“Is that so?”

“The price of solar salt, which is almost like medicine, is so cheap that we are putting it in generously for our customers.”

“Ha, haha.”

I laughed awkwardly at the owner’s words.

“They say that eating solar salt promotes metabolism, aids digestion, detoxifies the body, and cools down the heat in the internal organs.”

‘I’m hearing what I said here after it went around.’

My face was burning.

In the beginning, I said this to promote solar salt, which was unfamiliar to Koreans, and it was spreading like a panacea [a remedy for all ills].

I’m worried that marketing like ‘His Highness’s fair skin is thanks to solar salt!’ will start circulating.

I’ve already heard rumors that they’re going around calling it Crown Prince Salt.

‘Crown Prince Salt.’

Another person came to mind with a name attached to the food.

“Is there a dish called Seonggyeyuk [literally ‘Yi Seong-gye’s meat,’ a dish with a controversial origin] in Gaeseong?”

I whispered to Hwang Hee, who was sitting next to me.

The Seonggyeyuk that appeared in the Land of Morning Calm [another name for Korea] came to mind.

I heard that the people of Gaeseong, who harbored hatred for Yi Seong-gye, named boiled pork Seonggyeyuk.

Then Hwang Hee turned pale and shook his head.

“I have never heard of the people of Gaeseong selling such disrespectful food!”

“Eh.”

Then what is the Seonggyeyuk story?

Is it just a fabricated story?

“There may be people who miss the Wang family because they have been in Gaeseong for five hundred years, but even those people know that their lives have improved much since Joseon was founded.”

So there is nostalgia for Goryeo, but that does not lead to hatred for the Joseon Dynasty.

Hwang Hee explained in detail, emphatically.

“Didn’t you see the welcome for the Crown Prince earlier? How could those who harbor such disrespectful thoughts towards the King welcome the Crown Prince so much?

They are also Joseon people.”

And they are also your Highness’s people.

Listening to Hwang Hee’s words, something heavy seemed to settle in my heart.

‘Why did I only think that these people would have a vague aversion to me and Joseon?’

I may have unconsciously thought of the people of Gaeseong as potential enemies because I was fighting with the Gyeonggi faction [a political faction].

Thinking that, I felt ashamed of my attitude.

“I didn’t expect to hear such a perspective from Hwang Gyeongnyeok [Hwang Hee’s given name].”

I confessed honestly to Hwang Hee.

I didn’t know that someone known for taking bribes like Hwang Hee would enlighten me like this.

‘Is a great statesman still a great statesman?’

Yes, Gaeseong is also the land that I will rule in the future, and the people of Gaeseong are also my people.

‘I can’t just stand by and watch Gaeseong decline.’

I didn’t directly intend for Gaeseong to decline, but I felt sorry because my actions had contributed to it.

Knowing that or not, the people who purely welcomed me stung my conscience even more.

I was the one who brought down Song Sang, a leading merchant group in Gaeseong, in one fell swoop, so it was even more so.

‘Gaeseong may regain its former vitality over time, but…’

That’s just an optimistic view without any concrete plans.

The capital has moved, the population has flowed out, and Song Sang has declined, so it will be difficult to recover in the short term.

It wasn’t just Gaeseong.

‘That’s why regional balanced development is needed.’

I mainly went back and forth between the palace and the office in Gaeseong, and I only went on inspections in Hanyang, so I didn’t know it well, but Joseon was still a small and poor country.

Compared to the prosperity of Hanyang, Gaeseong is one of the better ones.

In other provinces, they still can’t use improved stoves and live as they used to.

Once the construction of Hanyang is completed… we must start modernizing the rural areas in earnest.

I had seen enough of the methods in modern times.

Isn’t South Korea a living example of that?

‘I need to make a lot of money by then.’

That’s right, how do I solve this problem of Gaeseong’s decline…

“Your Highness.”

Meng Sa-seong, who was next to me, spoke while I was lost in thought.

“Since you’ve come to the market, why don’t you try Umaegi [a traditional Korean sweet] before you go?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!”

“It’s been a while!”

Hwang Hee and Heo Jo were delighted when Meng Sa-seong brought it up.

“Umaegi?”

“Don’t you know? It is a famous snack in Gaeseong. It is also called Gaeseong Juak.”

Umaegi was said to be a specialty of Gaeseong.

Since it has been the capital of Goryeo since ancient times, the food culture has developed, so these snacks seem to have developed as well.

Dessert.

I, who had only tasted Yakgwa [a honey cookie] and Sujeonggwa [a persimmon punch] since falling into Joseon, also started to crave it.

‘Those snacks don’t really suit my taste.’

Developing chicken dishes was also an effort to satisfy my palate.

In that case, there is delicious food that even the pretentious Hwang Hee and Heo Jo would abandon their dignity for.

I can’t not taste it, can I?

I and the officials immediately moved to a tea shop that sells Umaegi.

“Hey, bring Gaeseong Juak!”

“Are you talking about Umaegi? How many should I bring?”

Because of the expensive price, it was difficult to order recklessly, so all the officials were watching my every move.

“Bring enough for the number of people.”

Hey, this is when you should spend money.

If a boss is stingy in this situation, he’ll lose face.

The officials cheered in unison at my words.

Soon Gaeseong Juak came out with tea.

It was a rice cake made of glutinous rice and fried in oil.

I, who was full of expectations, picked up a round Juak and swallowed it in one bite.

The sweetness spread throughout my tongue as if it had been coated with Jocheong [a type of Korean syrup].

Other officials also swallowed it one by one and made the happiest expressions.

In this era where there is a clear lack of entertainment, gourmandism is the greatest and easiest pleasure to obtain.

Even that is limited in kind, so I understood their reaction.

“How is it? Is it delicious?”

Hwang Hee chewed Umaegi with a happy expression, swallowed it, and then asked me.

On the other hand, how about me, it’s delicious, but…

‘It’s kind of familiar.’

Unlike the name I heard for the first time, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the taste that was too familiar.

Yes.

It was too familiar.

‘This is just a glutinous rice donut without red beans, isn’t it?’

It was the very taste that I had eaten so much in modern times.

They’ve been developing and eating this since this era.

Koreans are amazing.

The method of making it didn’t seem particularly difficult either.

Is it because Gaeseong has a developed food culture?

‘Wait.’

If I use my head well, something amazing might come of this.

< Hot Hot Bakery (1) > End

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