In May of the year Imja (the 14th year of King Sejong’s reign, 1432).
The 100-day celebration for Hyeondong, the first son, was held at Myeongnye Palace, the private residence of Prince Jinpyeong.
The 7th day (choil-re) and 21st day (seil-re) celebrations, combining the numbers 3 and 7 traditionally favored by our people, were quietly observed by just the Jinpyeong family, but the 100-day celebration was held on a larger scale. While heading to Myeongnye Palace to celebrate this, Hyang muttered softly.
“The word ‘baek’ (hundred) itself means having everything in proper order…”
In fact, in ancient Korean, the word meaning ‘100’ was ‘on’.
“But why are these kids so fast? Are their hormones different? Or is there some other factor? Did they secretly take something without me knowing?”
Hyang counted on his fingers and shook his head.
Jinpyeong was now thirteen years old when he had his first son. And Anpyeong, who would have his 100-day celebration next month, was 12 years old. Of course, counting by years, they were 15 and 14 respectively, but it was still early.
“Even though it’s an era where early marriage is common…”
While Hyang grumbled about the situation he couldn’t easily adapt to, there was something he kept forgetting.That his father, Sejong, was fourteen when he had his first child.
***
When Hyang arrived in front of Myeongnye Palace, the front gate was crowded with people.
“Make way! His Highness the Crown Prince is arriving!”
At the eunuch’s shout, the gathered people parted to the left and right and prostrated themselves on the ground.
Hyang dismounted and approached the people prostrating themselves in front of the gate, asking,
“There are many people here, what’s the matter?”
“We’ve come to receive the 100-day rice cakes, Your Highness.”
“100-day rice cakes? Ah…”
Hyang nodded at the commoner’s answer. Distributing rice cakes to pray for the long and healthy life of a child reaching 100 days was a custom regardless of social status.
“Your Highness! I’m truly grateful that you’ve come!”
Hearing that Hyang had arrived, Jinpyeong rushed out to greet him.
“How could I not come when my younger brother’s first son has reached 100 days? Congratulations.”
“Thank you!”
Guided personally by Jinpyeong, Hyang entered Myeongnye Palace and widened his eyes as he stepped into the inner courtyard.
There stood an iron horse made at half the size of a real one.
“What’s this?”
“Yes! I made it to do more research!”
‘What a fanatic! They say true railroad enthusiasts are hopeless, and it’s true!’
At Jinpyeong’s answer, Hyang inwardly clicked his tongue. Jinpyeong was proving exactly what happens when a fanatic with money and power indulges in their passion.
While the eunuch was handing over the congratulatory gifts to the steward, Hyang ascended to the main hall and met the protagonist of the celebration.
“The child looks very bright. I look forward to his future.”
“Thank you.”
Jinpyeong’s wife, Lady Yun of the Samhan Guk rank, bowed his head in gratitude at Hyang’s words of blessing.
Seeing the appearance of the lady and Jinpyeong, Hyang inwardly muttered,
‘A child and a child had a child.’
Hyang was making a comment that others would have criticized as ‘look who’s talking!’ if they had heard it.
With a table set with rice cakes and tea for the 100-day celebration in front of him, Hyang conversed with Jinpyeong.
“The child looks intelligent, I expect a bright future for him.”
At Hyang’s words of blessing, Jinpyeong replied with a broad grin.
“Isn’t that right? Isn’t it? I too am praying for this child to grow up quickly! My dream is for him to grow up soon and help me lay railroad tracks all over Joseon along with his siblings.”
“That dream is really…”
Hyang, who was trying to hold back from saying something, glanced sideways at Lady Yun and his face became troubled.
Lady Yun, holding the child and listening to Jinpyeong’s conversation, was placing his hand on his forehead and sighing softly.
Seeing this, Hyang asked Jinpyeong,
“This is just your firstborn, and you’re already talking about siblings?”
“Haha! We must prepare early! My dream is that in this Joseon, when people think of railroads, my name and my children’s names will come to mind first, and when my name and my children’s names are mentioned, people will immediately think of railroads, hahaha!”
As Jinpyeong laughed heartily, Hyang quietly lifted his cup to his lips.
‘I’m a fanatic too, but you… I have no words…’
Anyway, the atmosphere continued to be cheerful. Jinpyeong, facing Hyang, freely expressed his love for railroads and emphasized their importance.
“…Therefore, railroads are absolutely essential for the development of Joseon.”
To Jinpyeong’s statement, Hyang replied briefly.
“You fool, I’m the one who made that iron horse and railroad.”
“Ah…”
Jinpyeong was momentarily silent, but soon opened his mouth again.
“Your Highness. I’ve heard about the ‘Eastern Expansion’, but isn’t it progressing too slowly?”
“Joseon’s capabilities are not yet strong, so it only appears that way. But seeing that even you know about it, I suppose there’s no one in Hanseong who doesn’t know?”
“Haha! Little brother, I came to know about it while preparing in advance to lay railroad tracks. However, Father and Your Highness should urge the ministers. Joseon’s lacking capabilities can be sufficiently secured by expanding our territory! We must expand our territory as quickly as possible and lay railroad tracks!”
“You fool! I…”
Hyang, who almost shouted “You fool, get out!” in that moment, forcibly held back and inwardly screamed.
‘Tit for tat! Tit for tat! Hey, you madman!’
‘Tit for tat’, an abbreviation of ‘if they hit us, we hit back’. Japan’s strategy that provided the biggest cause for America’s entry into World War II was the most famous example of ‘tit for tat’.
On the way back to the palace after attending such a tumultuous 100-day celebration, Hyang inwardly muttered.
“I must prevent that fool from getting involved with the military at all costs. Sigh~. To think he wants to grab land just to lay railroad tracks…”
***
Rumble! Crash!
On a night with loud thunder and lightning. A middle-aged Jinpyeong walked towards the young king sitting in Gangnyeongjeon Hall.
Putting down an iron hammer covered in blood and flesh, Jinpyeong sat down. The young king asked in a trembling voice,
“Uncle, did you really have to do this?”
“They deserved to die! They tried to decide the railroad routes, the most important thing for the country’s transportation, for their own selfish interests! This is a crime worthy of death!”
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud thunder struck. Whether startled by the thunder or frightened by Jinpyeong’s ferocity, the young king, trembling, opened his mouth.
“Un-Uncle, do as you wish.”
“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s grace!”
Having achieved what he wanted, Jinpyeong bowed and then abruptly stood up, turning to leave.
As Jinpyeong strode out, throwing open the doors of Gangnyeongjeon Hall, a familiar voice from historical dramas flowed:
-Thus, Jinpyeong was able to do everything related to railroads according to his will. Historians referred to this incident as the ‘Gyeyu Railroad Incident’.
At that moment, the Haetae statue erected in front of Gwanghwamun roared loudly.
[https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/UO3Q8sVxucxMv8MIcxMtrnOZXggw77tKGN7JmIhdIqPuVxHJqlWNknz8kHEbWBDAM2CW5nfN52Q5Hoo9Cw8TOghEutz9WfbZBI5oMFr3pyAz7our90HL *Haetae statue]
“Woof woof woof!”
***
“Gasp!”
With a short scream, Hyang sat up, startling the Crown Princess who was sleeping next to him.
“Your Highness! What’s the matter?”
Surprised by the Crown Princess’s question, Hyang waved his hand lightly and replied,
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just had a bad dream.”
However, seeing Hyang still breathing heavily, the worried Crown Princess continued to ask,
“I’ll call for the royal physician.”
“It’s fine.”
“Your breathing is rough. You there, Lady Yang! Are you there?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Call for the royal physician immediately!”
“Yes, my lady.”
After giving orders to the court lady, the Crown Princess, seeing Hyang’s face covered in cold sweat, began wiping it with the strings of her jeogori.
“Oh dear…”
Shortly after, the royal physician who rushed in examined Hyang’s pulse and prescribed treatment.
“It seems Your Highness’s energy is slightly depleted due to overwork recently. I will prescribe a decoction to boost your energy.”
At the physician’s answer, the Crown Princess didn’t forget to make a request.
“Please take good care of him.”
“Yes, my lady.”
***
When day broke, Sejong and Queen Soheon, receiving the morning greetings from Hyang and his wife, all mentioned the night’s incident and didn’t forget to express their concern.
“I was just a bit tired, that’s all. I’m sorry for causing you worry.”
“How about taking a day off from work today?”
At Sejong’s words, Hyang immediately shook his head.
“It would be unfilial of me to rest when you, Father, govern the nation without rest. I’ve taken the medicine prescribed by the royal physician and feel better now, so please don’t worry.”
At Hyang’s answer, Sejong cautioned again.
“Be careful, very careful. You are this country’s Crown Prince.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
***
Sitting alone in the office of Area 51, Hyang crossed his arms, glared at a blank piece of paper, and muttered,
“Is it just a dream or a prophetic dream…”
Recalling the night’s dream, Hyang touched his stomach and muttered,
“Should I implement a ‘long life and health project’ not just for Father but for myself too? Haven’t I neglected martial arts training for a while?”
Taking off the long robe he was wearing and hanging it on a coat rack, Hyang looked at the mirror on the wall and struck a few poses.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Hyang turned his head towards the window and grumbled.
“Damn beansprout-like bastard.”
Hyang was grumbling while thinking of Jinpyeong.
***
Although Joseon strictly based its court etiquette on Neo-Confucianism, the process of educating the Crown Prince, the next generation’s monarch, was not focused solely on Confucian studies.
Martial arts education was as essential as the education in Confucian classics. Therefore, a properly trained Crown Prince was a being well-suited to the phrase “proficient in both literary and martial arts”.
“The problem is that teaching martial arts and building physical strength seems to be meant for planting good seeds and preventing the king from dying easily after ascending to the throne…”
While grumbling like this, Hyang diligently practiced martial arts and developed his body in accordance with his growth period.
‘I can’t lose to Jinpyeong! If I lose, my child will suffer!’
For Hyang, there was a critical reason why he had to maintain his health.
However, after Jinpyeong had his fanatical accident with the railroad, Hyang’s vigilance towards him had greatly relaxed. With this relaxed vigilance and focus on various hobbies, he had neglected martial arts training for a while.
But Jinpyeong’s obsession with railroads at the recent 100-day celebration was enough to be wary of.
In the end, Hyang had to readjust his schedule with a sigh.
“Sigh~. Life is really not easy…”
As he was readjusting his schedule, Hyang suddenly had a question.
“How much has history changed since I intervened? There was a saying that ‘history has constancy’… What are the chances of returning to the history I knew?”
Since Hyang’s intervention, Joseon’s history had changed astonishingly. Among these changes were things Hyang knew about and intervened in, but there were also things he didn’t know about.
Among the changes that occurred without Hyang’s knowledge was the birth of Jinpyeong’s first son this time.
In the history before Hyang’s intervention, Jinpyeong’s, or rather Suyang’s, first son was born 6 years later. If the child born this time doesn’t die before turning one, history would change again.
And the history that Hyang knowingly changed was his own marriage and the birth of his son. If the child born now grows up without issues, even if Hyang dies early as in the history before his intervention, he would be of an age and have the capacity to have sufficient foundation.
***
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