< Chapter 7 – Who Do You Say My Father Is? (5) >
The second reason Hyang changed his plans was, quite absurdly, a matter of bodily necessity.
"I'm going! I'm going!"
Feeling a sudden urge to relieve himself, Hyang hurried toward the chamber pot.
Pushing aside the trailing hem of his red robe, he finished his business and muttered a small curse.
"Ah, damn it! Missed again!"
Ever since he had grown old enough to be out of diapers, the thing that bothered and irritated Hyang the most was using the toilet.
There were restrooms in the palace, but they were few in number and far away.
As a result, Hyang had to take care of most of his business in a chamber pot, enduring discomfort each time.
This was his personal grievance, but the issue of relieving oneself was something that absolutely had to be addressed.
'The palace reeks of shit and piss!'
In every secluded corner of the palace, especially in places thick with trees, there were piles of excrement and stains of urine.
In severe cases, the leaves of trees frequently used by court ladies as unofficial urinals had even turned yellow and withered.
It wasn't just the smell. There were hygiene issues as well. If one lost focus even slightly while relieving oneself, it would immediately stain the clothes.
'No, the problem starts with the clothing itself!'
Hyang recalled a memory from when he was even younger.
It was from the days when Sejong was still living in his private residence as Chungnyeong. He remembered seeing his mother change clothes to do the laundry.
'Just how many layers is that!'
First came the inner leg garments, then the underskirt, underpants, and another inner skirt. Over that went wide trousers, then a large underskirt, then a rainbow-layered skirt made by stacking fabrics of different colors, and finally a lavish skirt decorated with gold leaf patterns.
Watching that scene blankly, Hyang had screamed inwardly.
'What were those movies I saw before? The historical consultants should all resign! It went straight from outer skirt and inner skirt to bare butt! Even if it was an erotic film, it was the theatrical version—how could it be that inaccurate!'
He had digressed, but those countless layers of skirts were the worst possible obstacle every time women needed to relieve themselves.
Because the clothing was so inconvenient to put on and take off, it was difficult to reach the restroom, so using chamber pots or finding secluded places away from prying eyes had become routine.
There was another important hygiene issue tied to this problem of clothing and restrooms.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Court ladies passing by with baskets of laundry immediately bowed upon seeing Hyang.
"Yes. You're working hard."
At Hyang's overly solemn reply for a child his age, the court ladies suppressed their laughter and began to move on.
"Wait. You there."
"Pardon?"
"Not you. The third one from the back."
"Are you referring to me, Your Highness?"
The court lady stepped forward, looking puzzled.
If the Crown Prince had already passed the age of learning, she might have entertained some foolish hope—though it would be problematic, since court ladies were technically the king's property. But the prince before her was only five years old.
When the designated court lady stepped forward, Hyang spoke briefly.
"You. There's something on you."
"Pardon?"
"It's on the back of your skirt."
"Pardon?"
"There's shit on the back of your skirt!"
Still confused, the court lady's face flushed bright red. She lifted the back of her skirt.
"Oh my!"
"Go change."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The red-faced court lady hurried away. Hyang then glared at the remaining court ladies.
"What were the rest of you doing?"
"Pardon?"
"Your colleague had a problem with her clothes, and none of you helped her?"
At his rebuke, they all bowed their heads.
"We are ashamed."
"See that this does not happen again."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After warning them, Hyang let out a small sigh and walked away.
That afternoon during lessons, Hyang told his tutor about the incident and asked a question.
"It is natural for a human being to excrete. But if the clothing one wears interferes with that, does that not deviate from natural principle?"
The tutor, clearly troubled, replied,
"Clothing does more than protect from heat and cold. It covers private parts and reflects one's status. Some inconvenience must be endured."
"Status… But is a person's status truly determined by attire? Is that natural principle? Is there not a saying, 'Even if a gentleman wears rags, the fragrance of his virtue spreads a thousand li'?"
"That may be so, but…"
"Do you not think it should change?"
"Ha, haha…"
Sweat beaded on the tutor's forehead at Hyang's questioning.
That night, lying in bed, Hyang made a vow.
"I will definitely build flush toilets and reform clothing!"
* * *
These two reasons were the biggest factors behind Hyang's decision to revise his plans. Whenever environmental issues arose, he cursed under his breath.
"I can't live like this—it's suffocating and filthy!"
By "filthy", he meant it literally. Even in the private residence where Sejong had lived as Chungnyeong, bedbugs were common, as were lice and fleas. Bathing was infrequent, and combined with the fragrance sachets worn at the waist, it created an indescribably foul situation.
With the restroom issue and clothing problem combined, Hyang resolved to modify his plans.
"Is this version 1.5 now?"
Counting how many revisions he had made, he adjusted the items in his mental blueprint.
– Move up the start of public activities to age nine. At the latest, by nine, I will no longer be just the royal heir but formally invested as Crown Prince. With that title comes power.
– Once invested, conduct outings beyond the palace. Observe the lives of commoners in the capital to support the reform policies Sejong will implement.
– In addition, accelerate the creation of Hunminjeongeum.
"That should do."
After reviewing the revised plan, Hyang rose and opened the window, gazing outside. He muttered softly,
"I wonder if that brat is growing up well."
The "brat" he referred to was Grand Prince Suyang.
When Sejong had been invested as Crown Prince, changes had come to the family as well.
Hyang, as the eldest son, had entered the palace. The third son, Anpyeong, had been born in the palace. But the middle son, Suyang, was still living in a private residence.
Though he should have been brought into the palace, Sejong's enthronement, the subjugation of Tsushima, and Anpyeong's birth had delayed the decision.
Historically, Suyang entered the palace when Hyang was eight and Suyang was five.
"This will probably follow history."
Hyang searched through his memories of his past life. Traditionally, princes and princesses left the palace at fifteen, but in practice, they were often made independent around eight.
"But this is early Joseon…"
He counted on his fingers.
"Three years at shortest, ten at longest… What should I do with him during that time?"
Knowing that the brother living outside the palace would later seize the throne, Hyang pondered how to handle him.
"I left him alone because there wasn't time before he entered the palace. But once he comes in, I'll have to deal with him. Should I discipline him harshly from the start? Or coax him gently as a kind older brother?"
As he wrestled with the choice of whip or carrot, Hyang let out a short laugh.
"Forget it… He's only five now, and I'll be eight then. If a kid bullies another kid, I'll just get scolded."
* * *
While Hyang agonized over what to do with his younger brother—the future usurper—his mother, Queen Soheon, was troubled as well.
"Yu must enter the palace too… Haa…"
Her sigh drifted toward the room where Hyang stayed.
When Hyang first saw Yu, newly born and wrapped in swaddling cloth, Queen Soheon had sensed something strange in her eldest son.
'Hostility? Why?'
Concerned that Hyang seemed to harbor hostility toward his newborn brother, she asked the wet nurse anxiously.
"It seems my eldest dislikes his younger brother. What should I do?"
The wet nurse smiled.
"It is natural, Your Majesty."
"Natural?"
"When a younger sibling is born, the firstborn rarely likes it. The affection once directed solely at them now shifts. Once the older child matures and is properly guided, it will pass."
"Is that so?"
"Indeed."
Though reassured, Queen Soheon still pleaded,
"Please take special care."
"I will."
Afterward, whether due to the wet nurse's efforts or time, Hyang no longer showed hostility. But Queen Soheon's worries did not vanish. The hostility had disappeared, only to be replaced by indifference—and then by excessively high expectations.
"Hyang, what are you doing?"
A few days after Yu's first birthday celebration, Queen Soheon found Hyang searching for books in Sejong's study.
"I am selecting a few light books to refresh my mind, and also determining which would be suitable for Yu to begin studying later."
"Yu has only just turned one. Is it not too early to choose his books?"
"I was taught that preparation in advance is best."
"That is not wrong, but…"
"What do you think would be appropriate?"
"I believe Tonggamjeolyo would be suitable. Since he has turned one, he could begin just after two."
Cold sweat began forming on her face.
"Is that not too early?"
"Is it?"
"It is. You were exceptional and began early. Other children do not."
At her explanation, Hyang expressed dissatisfaction.
"Everyone in Joseon knows Father's brilliance. It would be unacceptable for his children to be mediocre."
"Haa…"
At his firm answer, Queen Soheon let out a long sigh.
* * *
"Haa…"
Recalling the past, Queen Soheon sighed again.
"I thought it was a blessing to bear a brilliant child…"
But excessive brilliance had become its own burden.
Compared to the firstborn, the second and third sons were intelligent yet lacking—like the moon compared to the sun.
The problem was that Hyang measured his brothers by his own standards. And it wasn't only Hyang. Once the princes began their studies, the officials would inevitably judge everything by Hyang's standard as well.
"Haa…"
With another sigh, Queen Soheon's sleepless night continued.