Chapter 112: Being Outstanding is Also a Crime
Around the same time, in the Forbidden City.
"That fellow... I can't help but feel regretful, you know?"
Emperor Xuan De, having finished his state affairs and returned to his private chambers, clicked his tongue and murmured.
The object of his regret was Hyang.
"He is certainly not an ordinary fellow, just as I heard."
* * *
'The Crown Prince of Joseon is no ordinary person.' This was what the envoys who had returned from Joseon all said without exception.
"Not ordinary?"
In response to Emperor Xuan De's question, the envoys all gave similar answers.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. First, regarding his scholarship, despite his young age, he was absolutely lacking in nothing."
"Though he himself claimed to be lacking and showed humility, upon conversing with him, the depth of his knowledge was impossible to fathom!"
"Hmm? Then what of his appearance?"
At the question regarding Hyang's appearance, the envoys answered immediately.
"He was extremely handsome!"
"Though still young, his beauty could not be hidden!"
"If the legendary Song Yu and Pan An were reincarnated, they would have been that Crown Prince of Joseon. If the Joseon Crown Prince had walked the streets of Beijing, we would have witnessed 'fruits filling the carriage' with our own eyes!"
"Hmm? To that extent?"
At the mention of 'fruits filling the carriage,' Emperor Xuan De's eyes sparkled.
The story of 'fruits filling the carriage' originated from the tale that when Pan An drove his carriage onto the street, women—even grandmothers—threw so many fruits that the carriage was filled to the brim.
This was based on an ancient custom where women would offer fruit to men they fancied.
As each envoy who had visited Joseon spoke in unison praising the Crown Prince, Emperor Xuan De grew curious.
"Shall I summon him once?"
Just as Emperor Xuan De was pondering this, Hyang had arrived in Beijing leading his diplomatic mission, right on cue.
'Hmm! Indeed!'
At the sight of Hyang paying his respects with proper etiquette, Emperor Xuan De was inwardly exclaiming with admiration.
'I heard he hasn't even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony yet due to his young age, but how dignified he is!'
Though he still hadn't shed the air of a youth, his tall stature and clean features could be acknowledged as handsome by anyone.
During the subsequent banquet and the war of words over the Hapja Merchant Group, Emperor Xuan De grew even more fond of Hyang.
'Humble but not servile, not rude, yet not overly formal! Truly a remarkable talent!'
It wasn't just Emperor Xuan De who took a liking to him.
'The Crown Prince from Joseon is peerlessly handsome!'
Through the maids and eunuchs serving at the banquet and the lodgings, rumors spread, and all the maids and eunuchs in the Forbidden City made various excuses to enter Hyang's quarters at least once to catch a glimpse of his face.
And the rumors thus spread beyond the Forbidden City to all of Beijing.
Thanks to this, when Hyang left the Forbidden City to return to Joseon, a spectacle unfolded where Beijing residents flocked to watch the Joseon envoy's procession.
* * *
"He's certainly going to be someone great, but..."
Emperor Xuan De murmured words that Hyang would have internally retorted, 'Hey there! I'm the Crown Prince! I'm already destined to be someone great!' if he had heard them, and his worries deepened.
"Marriage is indeed the best method of restraint, but..."
He had jokingly mentioned 'I have some decent daughters' to make Hyang flustered, but even if Hyang had agreed, it would have been problematic.
His eldest daughter was now only seven years old.
Sending his sisters would have the opposite problem of them being too old in age.
"Even so, it's still regrettable. Then... Someone come!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Summon the Grand Secretary immediately!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Having given the order to the eunuch, Emperor Xuan De made his decision.
"If all else fails, there's always the option of an adopted daughter. First, we need to verify whether the Joseon Crown Prince's words were true or just an excuse."
After some time, Emperor Xuan De issued orders to the Grand Secretary who had returned after being dismissed from court.
"Send someone to Shandong to gather detailed information about the Joseon Crown Prince! Focus especially on whether he is married!"
"Marriage, Your Majesty?"
"Did you not see as well, Grand Secretary? The Joseon Crown Prince is no ordinary person! I believe we need to put a bridle on him!"
"I will send someone immediately!"
The idea that 'we must find a way to control the Joseon Crown Prince' was what the Grand Secretary himself had intended to say.
When Emperor Xuan De said the same thing, the Grand Secretary immediately sent someone to Shandong.
* * *
'Get Hyang married before Ming can play any tricks! This is a race against time!'
With the situation becoming urgent, Sejong began handling matters decisively.
First, the candidates selected in the second round were sent back home, and among those selected in the first round, he began choosing the candidates for the final three selections.
The candidates who were eliminated received gifts such as silk and various ornaments before returning home.
These eliminated candidates surprisingly found marriage matches quickly, precisely because they had been selected for the royal selection process.
"If she was chosen as a Crown Princess candidate, where could one find a better daughter-in-law!"
Additionally, as these eliminated candidates returned home, they introduced—or more precisely, accelerated the spread of—certain trends among the common people.
The first was the flush toilet. It was already commonly used in the palace but hadn't spread much among common households.
The reason was that major construction work was needed for the bathroom.
However, the candidates returning home and sharing their experiences in the palace mentioned the flush toilet first, and households that heard of its convenience purchased flush toilets through merchants connected to District 51 and began construction.
Next were the glass products from the glass workshop.
These glass products enjoyed explosive popularity.
And among them, the newest product—the mirror—became an essential item that women of the time had to possess.
From large mirrors decorated with mother-of-pearl for use in the inner chambers, to full-length mirrors that showed one's entire body, to small mirrors slightly larger than a palm. Women purchased mirrors according to their means.
No, even men who wanted to show off some style, whether yangban or commoner, made sure to have one.
And among those admiring themselves in mirrors was Hyang.
"Hmm... Even I think this is a truly handsome face."
Standing before the full-length mirror installed in his room at the Eastern Palace, Hyang struck various poses and praised himself.
With a face combining only the best features of Sejong and Queen Soheon, balanced nutrition from entering his main growth spurt, at least 8 hours of sleep, and horseback riding and martial arts training giving him a tall stature and broad shoulders—objectively speaking, not just self-praise, Hyang was handsome. Not just by Joseon era standards, but by 21st century standards as well.
"Strangely enough, this hanbok, especially the gonryongpo, only looks good on those who are tall with broad shoulders."
As Hyang said, traditional hanbok was clothing that showed its dignity best on those with broad shoulders.
"Well, enough self-admiration. Now I need to get to work."
Having adjusted his attire while looking in the mirror, Hyang opened his door.
"First, let's stop by the research institute."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Accompanied by the eunuchs who always attended him, Hyang headed for the research institute and met Yu at the entrance.
"Isn't that Yu?"
At Hyang's call, Yu came running and paid his respects.
"Brother—no, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Are you well?"
"Yes. To think you now know how to pay proper respects, you've been working hard."
"Hehehe."
At Hyang's praise, Yu beamed with joy.
"So, are you going to see the train again today?"
"No. Today I'm going to learn mathematics."
At Yu's answer, Hyang looked surprised.
"Mathematics already? That's an advanced course at the research institute?"
Hyang looked back at the prince's tutor following behind Yu.
"Is Yu learning the classics properly as well?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He studies diligently."
"Hmm?"
Hyang gently patted Yu's shoulder.
"Keep working hard. You haven't given up on your dream of locomotives yet, have you?"
"Yes! My dream is to lay railways across all of Joseon and run them on those tracks!"
At Yu's answer, Hyang smiled and patted his shoulder again.
"Work hard."
"Yes!"
Upon entering the research institute, Yu respectfully bowed to Hyang.
"Your Highness, then I will go attend my lessons now."
"Work hard."
After sending Yu off, Hyang spoke to the eunuch standing behind him.
"Doesn't it seem like Yu has grown a lot?"
"He will soon be eleven years old. He will soon be invested as a Grand Prince as well."
"Is that so..."
Though he said that, Hyang was grumbling internally.
'No! How does an eleven-year-old grow so much! I'm working myself to death trying to grow taller! He's like a bean sprout that just keeps growing even if you only give it water!'
Momentarily recalling Yu's shoulder that had felt surprisingly solid for an eleven-year-old, Hyang corrected his words.
'Correction! He's like a defective bean sprout grown with fertilizer-laced water!'
Due to the butterfly effect Hyang created, after Princess Jeongso survived, many things changed, the most representative being the investiture of Hyang's younger siblings.
In the history before Hyang's intervention, the year Yu was invested as Grand Prince Jinpyeong was this very year, the 10th year of Sejong (1428), but the investiture had not yet occurred.
The biggest reason was that with Princess Jeongso's survival, everything had been pushed back starting from Hyang's marriage.
* * *
Returning to daily life and working busily, Hyang one day received a sudden summons from Sejong.
"What could this be about?"
Sejong, greeting Hyang who had rushed over without knowing the reason, led Hyang toward Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.
"The Crown Princess candidates have been decided."
"Is that so?"
At Sejong's words, Hyang brightened.
This was because urgent news had arrived from Shandong a few days earlier.
-Ming officials are making inquiries about the Crown Prince. They are investigating with particular focus on whether he is married.
Because the content of the urgent report was serious, Hyang had been quite anxious.
"But I can't rush Father, can I? If I do something wrong, my married life could become a nightmare..."
Whether knowing Hyang's feelings or not, Sejong continued his explanation as he walked.
"Right now, the Queen is having refreshments with the candidates at Gyeonghoeru. Let's discuss which young lady catches your eye."
"Wouldn't that be improper?"
'If we do this wrong, innocent young ladies' lives could be ruined! This isn't some 21st century blind date!'
At Hyang's question, Sejong rummaged through his sleeve and took something out.
"Didn't you make a fine item not long ago?"
What Sejong took out was a telescope.
From a spot slightly away from Gyeonghoeru, Sejong and Hyang observed the pavilion through their telescopes.
"Wow..."
Seeing the young ladies seated at the tables prepared at Gyeonghoeru, Hyang involuntarily let out a small exclamation of admiration.
'Oh my, good heavens! At this level, they'd be girl group members even in the 21st century! From a major agency at that!'
"Which young lady catches your eye?"
"I would like to observe a bit more."
After examining them through the telescope for a while longer, Hyang sighed and lowered it.
"Well, have you decided?"
In response to Sejong's question, Hyang answered with a troubled expression.
"Father, please decide for me. I cannot make the decision."
'The multiple-choice questions are too difficult!'
That night, Sejong was deep in thought.
"This fellow... he's handed me quite a troublesome burden."
Even to Sejong's eyes, the three candidates were neck and neck in a close contest.
"Wait! Is it necessary to choose only one?"
After pondering for a while, Sejong considered from a different angle.
"Anyway, one of a king's duties is to produce many heirs. That's how the royal family continues stably... And just having many heirs isn't enough. The children to be born must also be intelligent.
The Crown Prince's brilliance is acknowledged by all, and looking at these candidates' scholarship, there's no problem.
Then..."
After stopping his words for a moment to organize his thoughts, Sejong's expression darkened again.
"Oh right... there is this problem."
Suddenly another problem came to Sejong's mind.