< Chapter 3: Who Did You Say My Father Is? >
Chapter 3: Who Did You Say My Father Is?
It was a warm spring day with gentle sunlight.
"Let us end here for today, Your Highness."
"You have worked hard."
The young master, who appeared to be barely six years old, saw the young official out with manners far more polite than befitting his age, then stretched his legs and spat out a curse.
"Shit... I'm tired to death."
He massaged his legs, which had grown tingly from kneeling, and turned his head toward the window.
Beyond the layers of tiled roofs, a blue sky came into view.
The young master, gazing at the sky, heaved a sigh.
"Haa~. Being born a prince is nice, but... did it have to be the Crown Prince? And on top of that, my father is Sejong..."
The young master sighed long and deeply once more.
"I finally got reincarnated, so why doesn't it feel good?"
The child speaking the word 'reincarnation,' which others would not believe, was Jin-ho, born anew.
He had been reborn as Yi Hyang, the eldest son of King Sejong the Great, who would later become King Munjong.
* * *
When he first opened his eyes, Jin-ho thought he was in a temporary treatment facility set up at the accident site. After all, the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was a rafter.
'Whose house with tiled roofs was in our neighborhood again...'
Jin-ho, momentarily wondering whose house this temporary treatment center might be, soon realized another problem.
'Why is this room so large? And why does it feel so stifling? Don't tell me I'm in a full-body cast?'
Jin-ho turned his head with all his might. And he realized.
His body was wrapped tightly in a swaddling cloth, lying down, and that body was smaller than expected.
"Gyah?"
At this completely unexpected situation, Jin-ho spoke involuntarily.
At that moment, a woman's voice came from somewhere Jin-ho's gaze had not yet reached.
"Mistress! The young master has opened his eyes!"
It took three days for Jin-ho to accept the reality that he had been born as a baby.
Though he was still wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying down, eating, sleeping, and relieving himself, able only to count the number of rafters, Jin-ho's mind was working ceaselessly to find an answer.
'It's certain that I've been reborn... but where is this? The setting seems like Joseon...'
Jin-ho could not be certain where this new place he would live was. It was because he couldn't understand the language.
'A different world that looks exactly like Joseon? That would be novel.'
Jin-ho, who had fallen into various confusions, was finally able to confirm things after three months had passed and he could understand the language to some extent.
'It is Joseon! What kind of language...'
Jin-ho was blaming the innocent language without considering the passage of over 500 years.
Jin-ho's actions to verify the situation brought about his parents' misunderstanding.
"Husband, our child does not seem to be of ordinary talent."
"Do you feel that way too, wife? I also felt the same."
"This humble wife is therefore worried."
"I am the same."
As their certainty deepened that their child was not ordinary, the couple's worries grew deeper.
'So they're royalty? Royalty...'
Unaware that his parents in this life were worrying deeply about him, Jin-ho was conducting his initial situation assessment.
1. His father is royalty.
2. The current residence is Gaeseong. Joseon's capital is Hanyang.
Conclusion 1. Combining 1 and 2, his current father is far from the throne.
3. Judging by the voices of the servants heard outside and his parents' attire, they possess considerable wealth.
4. According to what he previously knew, royalty deliberately distanced themselves from academics even for survival.
Conclusion 2. No need to worry about food and clothing, nothing to be ashamed of anywhere, and it ends with just minimum studying.
5. Based on the information gathered so far, he is the eldest son. Within the family, his standing will never be pushed aside.
6. He remembers all the knowledge from his previous life.
7. After growing to some extent, even if he starts something based on memories from his previous life, it will be perceived as eccentric behavior typical of a royalty with nothing to do.
Final conclusion. Yes! It's honey!
Jin-ho smiled brightly as he confirmed the conclusion he had drawn.
'Looking at the situation, studying just the Thousand Character Classic and minimum academics should be sufficient... If it's after King Sejong the Great, Hangul must have already been created, so I'll study that, and around that time, those Western kids running around must have even entered China, so if I get a few Chinese translation books, washing the sources is OK! It's honey!'
Watching Jin-ho smiling brightly as he dreamed of a rosy future, Jin-ho's nurse and mother conversed with smiles.
"Oh my, Mistress! The young master is smiling!"
"Is that so. What could be so good that he smiles like this?"
His mother, holding Jin-ho wrapped in swaddling clothes in her arms, looked around.
Amidst the surroundings no different from usual, her husband's voice reading came. Thinking the child was smiling at the sound of her husband reading, the mother stroked the child's head happily.
"Seeing him already liking the sound of reading, our child must have outstanding literary talent as well."
It was a fatal misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, Jin-ho was diligently grasping the situation and changing his scenario.
'First, looking at the parents...'
When Jin-ho first saw his mother's face, from which the swelling from childbirth had subsided, and his father's face, his impression was simple.
'A kid gave birth to a kid.'
In the 21st century, both sets of parents would have caused an uproar, but in the Joseon era when early marriage was common, it was somewhat understandable.
'Plus I'm the eldest son, so I roughly understand, but the problem is that attire.'
Jin-ho tilted his head slightly as he looked at the clothing his parents were wearing.
'Recalling the dramas I saw in my previous life, no matter how I look at it, it seems like early Joseon. Even pushing it as late as possible... Taejong-Taejong-Taejong-... around Seongjong? Or Yeonsangun? If it's Yeonsangun's era, that's really troubling.'
An even more troublesome matter befell Jin-ho, who was worrying about when he had been born.
* * *
After safely passing the twenty-first day and hundredth day after birth, as his first birthday approached, people from his maternal family began visiting the house frequently.
Then one day.
"You all step outside for a moment."
"Yes, Mistress."
After sending the nurse and female servants outside, Jin-ho's grandmother spoke to his mother in a subdued voice.
"Is His Highness the Grand Prince still frequently with books these days?"
"He is always immersed in academics, as always."
At Jin-ho's grandmother's question, Jin-ho's mother answered as if boasting.
Hearing the answer, the grandmother firmly grasped the mother's hand and continued her words.
"These days, there is much talk due to the disorderly conduct that His Highness the Crown Prince is engaging in. Because of this, various rumors are circulating regarding His Highness the Grand Prince. Currently, the Crown Princess's father is making slight moves, so His Highness the Grand Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess should endure and restrain yourselves."
At the grandmother's words, the mother was shocked.
"Mother! What kind of outrageous words are those?"
"Please do not speak of this to anyone and endure and restrain yourself."
The one surprised by the grandmother's words was not only the mother.
'What is this! This sounds like they're trying to replace the Crown Prince! Which king was it where the Crown Prince was replaced midway?'
Lying on the bedding, Jin-ho desperately racked his brain.
'The one who succeeded in replacement was King Sejong the Great, and how many were almost replaced...?'
Jin-ho, searching through his memories, frowned.
'Too many variables!'
In the history of the Joseon Dynasty, there were not a few instances where disputes arose over the Crown Prince's qualifications.
Cases where the Crown Prince replacement issue actually surfaced were not small in number, and cases that circulated beneath the surface and then fizzled out were completely impossible to grasp.
"Our Hyang-ah. Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Did you soil yourself?"
Looking at the baby's face, which was deeply frowning, the mother hurriedly checked the diaper and fussed over the spot while warning the mother.
"Mother. I will treat today's conversation as unheard. Please do not speak of it again."
"...I understand."
"I will not see you out."
At the mother's firm demeanor, the grandmother quietly left the room. The mother, who had turned her back and was only tending to Jin-ho, let out a long sigh.
"Huu~."
'Is this going to make me a slave as soon as I pass my first birthday?'
Jin-ho, anxious about his future, learned at his own first birthday celebration when and whose child he had been born as.
* * *
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
On the day of Jin-ho's first birthday celebration, people dressed in splendid silk clothes flocked to offer congratulations.
Each time guests arrived, Jin-ho's father diligently exchanged bows and returned thanks for the congratulations.
'My father, that gentleman, seems to be quite a figure? Then isn't it even more dangerous?'
Looking at the faces of the visiting guests, Jin-ho fell into worry about whether he should be happy or not.
'If I bet the wrong money and end up destitute, that'll be big trouble...'
"Why does our Hyang have a bad expression on a good day?"
Seeing Jin-ho frowning, his mother picked him up and put her hand to his bottom.
"He hasn't wet himself... what could be bothering our Hyang?"
At his mother's words, Jin-ho let out a small sigh.
'Putting everything else aside, I guess I have to live as Hyang from now on.'
Jin-ho, who still sometimes experienced confusion about whether he was Jin-ho, finally reached a conclusion.
'From now on, I will live as Hyang who has Jin-ho's memories.'
At the moment Jin-ho, no, Hyang, was deciding his identity, the person holding the most important answer revealed himself.
"Haha! Chungnyeong! Congratulations! Sister-in-law! Congratulations!"
"Sister-in-law, congratulations."
When two young men who appeared to be in their mid-twenties revealed themselves, all those who had come earlier rose from their seats.
"Welcome, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Welcome, Your Highness the Grand Prince."
Watching the people bowing politely, one of the young men raised his hand and responded.
"Yes~. Greetings."
The problematic young man, fluttering his robe's hem and ascending to the seat of honor, approached Hyang's mother.
"Sister-in-law, may I hold our nephew for a moment?"
"It is an honor, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince, having received Hyang from his mother, gently soothed him and gazed at Hyang's face.
'Smile! Smile!'
As soon as the Crown Prince held him, Hyang made a desperate effort to smile brightly. Seeing Hyang's smile, the Crown Prince laughed loudly and looked at Hyang's father.
"Hahaha! Chungnyeong! The child resembles you and looks very bright!"
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Don't be so formal between brothers. That's your problem."
At the younger brother's always polite response, the Crown Prince lightly scolded him. The Crown Prince, having returned Hyang to his mother, sat in the seat of honor, and the celebration resumed.
Meanwhile, Hyang could not escape from the shock.
'Chungnyeong! My father is Prince Chungnyeong! My father is King Sejong the Great? Then I'm Munjong, and my child is Danjong?'
When Hyang, who could not escape from the sea of shock, barely came to his senses, the celebration was already at the point of the first birthday grab ceremony.
"Now! Let's see what our nephew grabs!"
Following the Crown Prince's resounding words, several items were placed before Hyang.
With all the attendees' gazes concentrated, Hyang's eyes turned to the objects placed before him.
'Let's see. Brush, rice, gold nugget, jujube, thread, wooden sword... nothing special.'
While pondering what to choose, Hyang's gaze fixed on one spot.
Where his gaze fixed was the Crown Prince's ear. Precisely, the earring hanging from the Crown Prince's ear.
'Is such craftsmanship possible in this era?'
Hyang, whose curiosity was piqued, reached out toward the Crown Prince without realizing it.
"Gyah!"
"Hm?"
As soon as the Crown Prince held him, Hyang reached out and touched the earring.
"An earring?"
"Gyah!"
As Hyang touched an unexpected object, those gathered at the celebration began to ponder how to interpret this.
< Chapter 3: Who Did You Say My Father Is? > End
ⓒ Gukppong