Chapter 7

< Chapter 7: Who Is Father? (5) >

Chapter 7: Who Is Father? (5)

The second reason Hyeong changed her plan was, rather comically, due to a physiological phenomenon.

"Poop! Poop!"

Suddenly feeling the urge, Hyeong rushed to the chamber pot.

Pushing aside the cumbersome red robe, Hyeong used the chamber pot and muttered a curse.

"Damn! I missed again!"

As Hyeong grew older and no longer needed diapers, the most frustrating and annoying thing was using the bathroom.

Although there were toilets in the palace, they were few and far between.

As a result, Hyeong had to use the chamber pot most of the time, enduring the inconvenience each time.

There was not only her personal dissatisfaction, but the bathroom issue was a problem that needed to be addressed.

'The palace is full of the smell of feces and urine!'

In secluded spots and areas with many trees throughout the palace, there were always piles of feces and urine stains.

In severe cases, the leaves of trees where palace maids frequently urinated would turn yellow and wither.

It wasn't just the smell; there were also hygiene issues. If one wasn't careful while using the bathroom, it was easy to get dirty.

'No, the problem is the clothing itself!'

Hyeong recalled a memory from when she was even younger.

During the time when Prince Chungnyeong was still living in his private residence, Hyeong's mother was changing clothes for laundry.

'How many layers are there?'

First, she put on the inner undergarments, then the wide pants, followed by the outer skirt, and finally a colorful, layered skirt with a beautiful gold pattern.

Staring blankly at this scene, Hyeong inwardly screamed.

'What were those movies I watched? The costume designers should all be fired! After the outer skirt and inner skirt, it was just the butt! Even if it was an erotic film, it was too much for a theatrical release!'

Although she went off on a tangent, the layered skirts themselves became the worst obstacle for women when using the bathroom.

Because the clothing was so cumbersome to put on and take off, it was difficult to reach the toilet, so using a chamber pot or finding a secluded spot to relieve oneself became a daily routine.

This clothing and toilet problem led to other important hygiene issues.

"I greet you, Lady Hyeong."

The palace maids carrying laundry baskets bowed to Hyeong as they passed.

"Good work."

Hyeong's mature response made the maids suppress their laughter as they continued on their way.

"Hold on. That maid over there."

"Yes?"

"Not you, the third one from the back."

"Is it me, my lady?"

The maid who was pointed out stepped forward, looking confused.

If Lady Hyeong were older, there might have been a lucky chance—though problematic, as palace maids were the king's property—but Lady Hyeong was only five years old.

When the maid she had pointed out stepped forward, Hyeong simply said,

"You have something on the back."

"Yes?"

"There's something on the back of your skirt."

"Yes?"

"There's poop on the back of your skirt!"

The maid, who was still confused, turned bright red and lifted the back of her skirt.

"Oh my!"

"Go and change."

"Yes, my lady!"

As the maid, now bright red, hurried away, Hyeong glared at the remaining maids.

"What were you doing?"

"Yes?"

"When your coworker had a problem with her clothes, why didn't you help her?"

The maids all bowed their heads in response to Hyeong's reprimand.

"We are sorry, my lady."

"Make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Yes, my lady."

After warning the maids, Hyeong sighed and continued on her way.

That afternoon, during class, Hyeong told the tutor about the incident and asked a question.

"Excretion is a natural human function. If the clothing one wears hinders this, isn't that going against nature?"

The tutor, responsible for her education, responded with a difficult expression.

"However, clothing is not just for protection from the cold and heat; it also covers one's modesty and indicates one's status, so one must endure the inconvenience."

"Status... Isn't it also against nature to determine a person's status by their clothing? Isn't there a saying, 'A gentleman's virtue can spread a thousand miles even if he wears rags'?"

"That is true, but..."

"Shouldn't it be changed, don't you think?"

"Haha..."

The tutor was sweating profusely in response to Hyeong's question.

That night, as she lay in bed, Hyeong made a resolve.

"I will definitely create a flush toilet and reform the clothing!"

* * *

These two reasons were the biggest factors in Hyeong's decision to change her plan. Hyeong would curse whenever environmental issues came up.

"I can't stand the stuffiness and dirtiness!"

By 'dirtiness,' she meant literal dirtiness. Even in the private residence where Sejong lived as Prince Chungnyeong, bedbugs and fleas were common. Combined with the lack of frequent bathing and the scent from the sachets worn around the waist, the situation was truly unbearable.

The toilet and clothing issues compounded, leading Hyeong to decide to change her plan.

"Even in 21st-century South Korea, flush toilets have mostly disappeared except in a few places..."

Thinking about the toilet problem she couldn't adapt to, Hyeong decided to change her plan.

"Will it be version 1.5?"

Counting how many times she had revised it, Hyeong began to modify the items in her plan.

- Advance the start of external activities to age 9. By the latest, at age 9, she will be appointed as the Crown Prince. As the Crown Prince, she will have some power.

- Once appointed as the Crown Prince, she will go on excursions outside the palace to understand the lives of commoners in the capital and support the reform policies Sejong will implement.

- In addition to the above, she will accelerate the creation of Hunminjeongeum.

"That's enough."

After reviewing the revised plan, Hyeong got up. Opening the window and looking outside, she muttered to herself.

"Is that kid growing well?"

The 'kid' Hyeong was referring to was Prince Suyang.

With Sejong's appointment as the Crown Prince, changes occurred in the family.

As the eldest, Hyeong moved into the palace, and the third son, Anpyeong, was born in the palace. However, Suyang, who was in between, was living in a private residence.

Although he needed to be brought into the palace, due to Sejong's ascension, the invasion of Daimado, and Anpyeong's birth, the timing for Suyang's entry into the palace was still undecided.

Historically, Suyang entered the palace when Hyeong was 8 years old, and Suyang was 5.

"This part seems to be similar to actual history..."

Hyeong recalled her past life. According to her memories, the principle was that princes, lords, and princesses would leave the palace when they turned 15, but in practice, they were often independent by around 8 years old.

"But this is early Joseon..."

Hyeong lightly counted on her fingers.

"Three years at the shortest, ten years at the longest... What should I do with this kid during that time?"

Knowing that her younger brother, who was currently living outside the palace, would later usurp the throne, Hyeong pondered how to handle him.

"Since there's no time to deal with him until he enters the palace, I'll have to take action once he's inside. Should I just beat him up from the start? Or should I try to be a gentle older brother and soothe him?"

Struggling with the 'whip or carrot' dilemma, Hyeong couldn't help but chuckle.

"Come on... He's only five now, and by then, he'll be eight. If a kid acts up, he'll just get scolded..."

* * *

While Hyeong was pondering how to handle her younger brother, who would later usurp the throne, her mother, Queen Soheon, was also worried.

"Yoo should also come into the palace... Sigh."

Queen Soheon's eyes were directed towards Hyeong's room as she sighed.

When Hyeong first saw Yoo, who had just been born and wrapped in swaddling clothes, Queen Soheon sensed an unusual reaction from her.

'Hostility? Why?'

Worried about Hyeong showing hostility towards her newborn brother, Queen Soheon asked the wet nurse anxiously.

"The eldest seems to dislike the second child. What should I do?"

The wet nurse smiled and replied.

"It's natural, my lady."

"Natural?"

"When a younger sibling is born, the older child often doesn't like it. The attention that was once focused on them is now directed towards the younger sibling. This will improve as the older child grows and is better trained."

"Is that so?"

"That's right."

Despite the wet nurse's reassurance, Queen Soheon remained worried and earnestly asked her.

"Please take care of it."

"I will, my lady."

After that, thanks to the wet nurse's efforts, Hyeong no longer showed hostility towards her brother. However, Queen Soheon's worries did not easily disappear. The hostility was replaced by indifference, and then by excessively high standards.

"Hyeong, what are you doing?"

A few days after Yoo's first birthday, Queen Soheon found Hyeong looking for books in Prince Chungnyeong's study. Hyeong straightened up and answered respectfully.

"Yes. I'm looking for some light reading to clear my mind and to find books suitable for Yoo to learn later."

"Hyeong, Yoo is just a year old. Isn't it too early to choose books for him to learn?"

"I learned that preparation is best done in advance."

"That's not a wrong statement, but..."

Hyeong's words were not wrong, so Queen Soheon hesitated and then asked again.

"So, what do you think is good?"

"I think 'Tonggamjeolyo' is good. Since he just turned one, it would be best to start when he turns two."

Hyeong's answer made Queen Soheon break out in a cold sweat.

"Isn't that too early?"

"Too early?"

Hyeong's question made Queen Soheon nod.

"Yes, it's too early. You started your studies early because you are intelligent, but other children don't start so early."

Hyeong expressed her dissatisfaction with Queen Soheon's explanation.

"Father's intelligence is known to all the people of Joseon. It would be unacceptable for his children to be mediocre."

"Sigh."

Hyeong's firm answer made Queen Soheon sigh deeply.

* * *

"Sigh."

Recalling the past, Queen Soheon sighed deeply again.

"I thought having an intelligent child was a blessing..."

But having a child who was too intelligent turned out to be a curse.

Compared to the first, the second and third children were intelligent but had their shortcomings, like the moon compared to the sun.

The problem was that Hyeong set the standards for her siblings based on herself. No, it wasn't just Hyeong. From the moment the princes started their studies, the ministers would definitely set all their standards based on Hyeong.

"Sigh."

With a sigh, Queen Soheon's sleepless night continued.

< Chapter 7: Who Is Father? (5) > End

ⓒ National Pride

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