The news that ‘Shim On’s fate has been decided!’ spread instantly in all directions.
Upon learning that the Crown Prince was the driving force behind this event, Queen Soheon offered a prayer of gratitude.
“Your Highness! Thank you so much! I am truly grateful!”
Responding to Queen Soheon, who was holding his hands and sobbing, the Crown Prince spoke politely.
“It was my duty as your son. Now, please calm your heart and live long and prosper! You must live to see not only your grandchildren but also your great-grandchildren.”
“Of course! Yes! I must, indeed!”
That night, King Sejong, who visited Queen Soheon’s chamber, held her hands and spoke.
“I’m sorry for being so indifferent all this time. Please forgive your unworthy husband.”
“No, Your Majesty! No, Your Majesty! There are no more obstacles now!”
Queen Soheon, once again, became a whirlwind of tears.
***
After all these events, the day of the Crown Prince’s wedding finally arrived.
He followed four of the six traditional rites (Napchae, Napjing, Gogi, Chaekbin) and was about to perform “Chinyeong” before the “Imheonchogye”1.
[TL/N: The 6 Traditional Rites of Royal Wedding are as follows;
- Napchae (납채, 納采) – sending formal proposal letter and the royal groom’s four pillars to Detached Palace
- Napjing (납징, 納徵) – sending wedding gifts to the Detached Palace
- Gogi (고기, 告期) – choosing date and alerting the Detached Palace of the chosen date for the wedding
- Chaekbi (책비, 冊嬪)/Chaekbin (책빈, 冊嬪) – coronation ceremony for the Queen or investiture ceremony for the Crown Princess
- Chinyeong (친영, 親迎) – the royal groom’s procession to the Detached Palace to greet the royal bride
- Dongroe (동뢰, 同牢) – the royal bride would enter the palace on that day and exchange bows, drinks, and food with the royal groom before completing the first night ritual.
Credit: https://thetalkingcupboard.com/2021/02/09/wedding-and-marriage-in-joseon-part-3-royal-style/ ]
“Crown Prince, I’ve seen your conduct, and I have no particular worries, but still, one can never be certain about human affairs. You are now the head of a family. Be cautious in all matters.”
“I will heed your words carefully.”
Having completed the “Imheonchogye,” the Crown Prince mounted his horse to go to the Detached Palace.
As he rode toward the Detached Palace, the Crown Prince murmured to himself.
“Do I have to do this two more times?”
Due to the different fortunes of the princess consort and the women in the inner palace, the Crown Prince had to perform the wedding ceremony three times in total.
While riding his horse, which was restrained at a walking pace, he let his thoughts wander.
“The first night, huh… Come to think of it, both in the 21st century and now, it’s my first ‘first night.’ Hmm…”
As soon as the word ‘first night’ came to his mind, a variety of sensual scenes unfolded in his imagination.
His eunuchs, who had been following him, started to whisper.
“Isn’t this the first time we’ve seen the Crown Prince like this?”
“He looks like the young prince who used to gaze at toy train models.”
“It must be great… I also want to get married…”
One of the eunuchs grumbled, and a colleague next to him looked at him with a strange expression.
“…”
“Why?”
In response to the question, the colleague still looked at him strangely.
“You’ve been going out a lot lately at night…”
Caught off guard by the question, the eunuch looked around cautiously before whispering to his colleague.
“Shh! Do you want to see someone’s head roll?”
There was a reason for the eunuch’s alarm.
While Ming Dynasty eunuchs underwent full castration, in Joseon, only the testicles were removed.
However, in Joseon, erections were still possible, making it likely for scandals to occur with the palace women who lived in the same environment.
For that reason, a colleague’s mere slip of the tongue could become a life-threatening major accident.
“That eunuch seems like he wants to get married. I’ve noticed he’s been going out a lot these nights.” would turn into, “That eunuch said he wants to get married, but he seems close with the palace maid so and so. Could they have some sort of relationship?” and eventually transform into, “That eunuch and that palace maid are having an affair!”
And when such rumors reached the ears of the merchants or the palace maids, a storm of blood would inevitably ensue.
The internal regulations for the eunuchs and the palace maids were far more strict and brutal than one could imagine; a tiny misstep and the individuals involved in the rumors would disappear without a trace.
Another eunuch official gave a reproachful look to his colleague, who was sweating bullets just for saying, “I want to get married.”
“Why are you so surprised? If you want to get married, then get married.”
In the Joseon Dynasty, unlike in China, eunuchs could marry, hence the statement.
However, the reprimanded eunuch answered with a glum voice,
“I don’t have money…”
“That’s why I told you to cut down on the drinking.”
While the internal eunuchs were scolding, Hyang was still entrusting himself to the flow of consciousness.
‘I knew it. Ah! I didn’t delete the “Hidden” folder on the computer in my room at the repair shop!’
***
At the palace, during the selection ceremony, Hyang was able to see the Crown Princess’s face for the first time.
‘Wow! She’s the center!’
[TL/N: Center here usually means the visual in an idol group.]
Hyang shouted cheers in his heart upon seeing the Crown Princess’s face.
When he had secretly observed the ‘Gyeonghoeru Tea Party’ hosted by Queen Dowager Jeong, Hyang had judged them as a “girl group.”
‘If it’s a girl group, of course there’s a center!’
Thinking so, Hyang busily moved his telescope.
‘Goodness! Whoever I choose… I made a great choice!’
The beauty of the remaining three finalists was a tough choice to make.
He had worked hard and ultimately chosen the ‘center,’ but the other two were neck and neck, so Hyang, who had ‘choice paralysis,’ handed the ball over to Sejong.
‘If I’ll regret it no matter what, I might as well find an excuse!’
However, due to internal and external circumstances, he ended up taking all three finalists, and from that point on, Hyang fell into another dilemma.
‘So, who is the Crown Princess?’
And at the highly anticipated selection ceremony, Hyang, who saw the Crown Princess for the first time, couldn’t help but smile.
***
As anticipated, Hyang’s choice for Crown Princess was revolutionary compared to the past conventions.
Not just in terms of beauty, but the biggest difference was that all the candidates were tall.
Not as elongated as 21st-century fashion models, but they were relatively taller than the average of that era.
This was influenced by the Office of Royal Wedding officials, who were in charge of selecting the candidates.
Having received King Sejong’s orders, the members of Office of Royal Wedding were discussing what kind of candidates would be suitable.
“Why don’t we set more specific criteria, apart from them being beautiful and kind-hearted?”
“More specific? Isn’t being roughly beautiful and kind-hearted enough?”
“You fool! We’re not just picking a daughter-in-law for a wealthy family; this is the Crown Princess we’re talking about! Don’t be ignorant!”
“So you say!”
“Idiot! At least I’ve read the Analects! You ignorant fool!”
Seeing his subordinates bickering, the director spoke up.
“Seeing you guys argue like this… let’s add scholarly knowledge to the criteria for selecting consorts.”
Upon hearing their director’s command, the bickering subordinates stopped and asked a question.
“Scholarly knowledge, you say?”
“Yes. As you all know, should the Crown Prince be smart or not? Do you want to invite ridicule by choosing a beautiful but dumb consort?”
“Ah…”
After ‘scholarly knowledge’ was added to the criteria for selecting consorts, ‘height’ was the next addition.
“Height? Why height?”
“Think about it. Not just our current ruler, but even starting from the founding emperor, have there ever been short aristocrats?”
When one of the subordinates mentioned height, citing historical examples including King Sejong, the others expressed admiration.
“Ah!”
“To wield a sword effectively, you need to be large in stature, you see.”
“Does His Highness ever wield a sword?”
“It’s better than being weak, isn’t it?”
Among the hesitant subordinates, one cautiously presented another opinion.
“Then how about choosing a robust consort…”
“What if that consort later conflicts with the Crown Prince?”
“Then let’s compromise with height for now…”
And so, ‘height’ was included in the criteria for selecting a consort, to everyone’s satisfaction.
***
After the ceremony, Hyang returned to the Eastern Palace and proceeded with the Dongroe (a ritual where the Crown Prince and the consort share a meal and drink).
After Dongroe was over, changing from heavy ceremonial attire to lighter clothing – though still in a dragon robe and dangui2– Hyang and the Crown Princess Consort sat face to face.
‘This atmosphere is really tense…’
Hyang grumbled toward the screen door with a face full of discontent.
“Do we really have to have people standing right outside the door like this?”
Seeing the inner palace attendants and maids gathered tightly outside, the Senior Palace Lady, who was sent by the Queen, responded with a smile.
“It’s the law.”
At the sound of the Senior Palace Lady’s reply from outside the door, Hyang clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! There’s no privacy, no privacy… Fine! But never open that door!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
***
[TL/N: It was a custom back then, for certain servants to wait outside on the first night of marriage of royals.]
Sitting outside, the Senior Palace Lady listened carefully to the movements inside the room.
‘Will tonight go well?’
Unlike Sejong, who even had a child before coming to the palace, Hyang was experiencing his first night in the palace.
Moreover, Hyang had no prior sexual experience.
That’s why the Senior Palace Lady had to pay extra attention to the movements inside the room.
Because if needed, she had the authority to enter the room, even if the Crown Prince objected.
Listening closely, the Senior Palace Lady was baffled.
Inside the room, Hyang and the Crown Princess Consort were just having an unexpected conversation.
“So, what are your hobbies, Crown Princess Consort?”
“I enjoy reading books and sewing, but my favorite activities are horseback riding and archery.”
“Archery? Wow. How skilled are you?”
“I’ve rarely lost when wagering among the palace ladies.”
“Amazing!”
“Do you also enjoy archery, Your Highness?”
“I enjoy archery, but these days I prefer shooting something else. Wait here for a moment.”
After a brief rustling sound, Hyang continued speaking.
“I’ve been using this matchlock gun that the Joseon cavalry uses these days. It’s really fun to shoot with it.”
“Is that so?”
“Let’s do it together sometime.”
“Yes.”
Listening to the conversation in the room, the Senior Palace Lady hit her chest.
‘Oh my! Is this really the time to be chit-chatting about guns when there’s so much to do?’
Although the Senior Palace Lady was feeling frustrated outside, Hyang was just as restless.
Even in the 21st century, Hyang had always been distant from romantic relationships.
He was a well-known geek throughout middle and high school, and after going to college, he had even traveled to the U.S. to indulge in his fandom. As a result, he was labeled a ‘Global Geek,’ and no women approached him.
‘I need to create some kind of atmosphere… I can’t just simply say let’s lie down! Strip! Hug! I can’t do that! The movies and dramas I’ve watched are all unrelated to romance! This is driving me crazy!’
Making a ‘romantic atmosphere’ was an entirely unknown territory to him. What made Hyang hesitate further was the age of the Crown Princess (Seja-bin).
The Crown Princess was 15 years old. Hyang was 14, but he was more concerned about the Crown Princess’s age than his own.
Despite trying to forget, he was continually held back by psychological barriers.
Ding~.
The atmosphere was broken by the sound of a bell from the bell tower.
Hearing the bell, Hyang checked the time.
“It’s already midnight. Let’s sleep.”
“Yes.”
The Crown Princess, who humbly bowed her head in response, was flushed red from embarrassment and tension.
The Senior Palace Lady, who had been listening outside, clenched her fist lightly.
‘Finally!’
As the lights in the royal chamber went out, a few court ladies who had followed Senior Palace Lady tried to drill a hole in the door to peek.
However, behind the papered windows were glass panes, and beyond those, another layer of paper obscured their view.
“Give it up. This Eastern Palace (a palace within the royal grounds) is the first place where glass doors were installed. Did you think His Majesty would just let it pass?”
Upon hearing this from the court ladies working at Eastern Palace, the faces of the court ladies who had come with the Senior Palace Lady filled with regret.
“Hmm…”
Once the Crown Prince and Crown Princess finished their first night, the Senior Palace Lady had a peculiar expression.
‘It seems average but also a bit short…’
Since the duration and frequency of the first night were related to the aftercare, the Senior Palace Lady began a serious analysis.
Just then, Hyang’s voice was heard.
“Now that I roughly know, let’s do it properly.”
“Excuse me? Your Highness? What do you mean by that?”
“Today is my first time dealing with marital affairs; I’ve only learned from books until now. Now that I’ve grasped how to do it, let’s do it properly!”
“Yes, Your Highness? From books…?”
Suddenly, the Crown Princess’s words stopped, and shortly after, a strange moan began to leak out.
“Ah-hm!”
Following that, the atmosphere inside the room grew hot.
“Now, let’s try it like this…”
“Again?”
“Yes, and also this…”
Listening to the sounds coming from the inside, the Senior Palace Lady looked outside.
The dawn was breaking.
“What in the world is this…”
The Senior Palace Lady’s eyes began to darken as the sounds kept coming.
***
Footnote 1) It is said that the eunuchs in Joseon, unlike those in China, were capable of sexual activities.
[Link to Korean Wikipedia Article on Eunuchs](https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/내시)
- 臨軒醮戒, the king instructing the Crown Prince on moral boundaries[↩]
- Korean traditional clothing[↩]