Yisan's love for deok-im through the years
Doek-im was the daughter of yisan's mother's family's butler. When she was around 10, Deok-im's father went bankrupt and was not able to support his family so she became an apprentice court lady. Yisan's mother took her and kept her in her place. Deok-im was like an adoptive daughter to her as her daughters were silmilar age as deok-im. People believe that yisan and deok-im knew each other since around that time when they were kids.
Around that time yisan got married to queen hyoui. It was of course arranged marriage. Joseon's royals usually got married around 10. After marriage, Princes and princesses live in a court with their spouses for a while. Around the age of 15, they go through coming of age ceremony and finally set a date to sleep with the spouse. Yisan and hyoui's relationship was bad at first because of complicated political situations and people came between them such as princess hwawan and hong deok-ro. Yisan hated his wife and talked bad about her when he was teen. They later Reconciled and developed mutual faith and respect with each other after yisan acsended the throne. they never had a child together.
Teen yisan didn't want to be close with his legal wife perhaps he had someone else in his heart, deok-im. Right after his coming of age ceremony, when he officially became a man that can have concubine if he wants, he asked deok-im to be his concubine. It seems that yisan asked her in person. Normally king or crown prince had someone else deliver his order to a woman. Like yisan had lady seo tell deok-im in the red sleeve. But he aked her himself. I think it's cute to imagine teenage prince confessing his feelings to someone for the first time. However deok-im rejected him saying she can't be his concubine because yisan's wife had not born a legitimate child yet. Yisan repected her rejection. If he insisted more he could have had her but he didn't pursue more.
"I undertood your mind and didn't push further" was his words
After all, He was in difficult political situation. He had so many enemies that want him disposed. His only lifeline was his grandpa yeongjo and he most likey wouldn't have approve yisan having low class women as concubine at very young. Yeongjo wanted yisan to be perfect confuciusist crown prince. So yisan didn't push it. From then and until yisan ascended the throne at age 25, he was so busy. Even after he became the king, he had to grow his own power over noron. He didn't ask deok-im again during that time. but later he revealed that he always considered her as his royal consort since he first asked her.
Deok-im seemed to maintained good relationships with yisan's sisters even after she rejected him. Deok-im and yisan's two sister transcribed series of books <곽장양문록> along with other court ladies kyeonghee, bok-yeon and yeonghee. We don't know about these court ladies. In the red sleeve they are deok-im's close friends. She was 21 when she transcribed the books. In late joseon royal and noble women liked to read very long novels to kill times.
<deok-im's handwriting, bottom right under red seal it says "Uibin's handwriting">
Yisan always said he was not that kind of man who seeks carnal pleasures. As his queen could not get pregnant, he had to have royal consorts. he was always reluctant when people around him pushed him. Royal consorts were all chosen by other royal women in higher positions or ministers not him. One-bin was too young, died young. Hwabin did not get pregnant as well and she really was a jealous type. Around age 30, yisan was still Childless. People at that time usually have first child at late teen so this was really really late for him. Around 30, yisan asked deok-im again to be his royal consort. She rejected again! He was a king not a prince then. Court lady who disobey king's order can be harshly punished for that but she did it. So this gives us something to think about. Yisan wrote about her so many times. So we know he loved her but are we sure that she did love him too? Normally people think all court ladies would be honored and thrilled to be king's woman. They would be happy doing nothing in her room and just waiting for the king to come sleep with them. We often forget that even though these women lived in pre modern era, they might have their own wishes and feelings. I love the the red sleeve making us think about what deok-im would have really wanted.
Anyway so did yisan punish her? Nope! He couldn't get mad at her. instead he punished deok-im's subordinate court ladies. So Deok-im finally cave in and slept with him. I don't think having a child was yisan's only purpose to keep her. At that time, 30 was an old age. If yisan wanted an heir, he would have picked more noble women from prominent family in their late teens. He chose deok-im because he never not thought of her since 15. It wasn't a teenage crush. It was long time devotion and faith. I imagine deok-im was really a wise woman like yisan praised so many times. An amazingly wise and generous woman. someone just like him that smart and cocky king loved for life. She was the only woman that yisan ever chose in his life.
After they got together, he huilt a new place for her. Building a new place for someone is king's way of showing affection. Her place was located between his office and his bedroom so he visited her whenever he wants.
Back in joseon, there were people that picks the best date for the king to sleep with queen or royal consorts from noble family. They set a perfect date to have royal heir according to astrology and stuff. They meddled with king's sex life so a king can't sleep with the queen anytime he wants. But with a court lady, king can spend night with them freely with no meddling. So i think yisan and deok-im made love a lot without anyone interfering them. He finally got together with his crush after so many years. Imagine his passion! isn't that why he built her place so close to him?🤣🤣
Deok-im immediately got pregnant. Unfortunately first two pregnancies end in miscarriage. In 1782, a son, 순(sun: pronounced as 'soon') was born. The first son of the king that he made with the woman he loved! He said he was happy that he finally became a father. He believed that with deok-im, he would have many children and they would be happy forever.
The next day sun was born, yisan built a new prince's place. It isn't like there was no place for a prince to live in the court. There was 저승전(jeo-seung-jeon) where crown princes of joseon lived traditionally including yisan's father sado. But yisan wanted a brand new place that has no tragic history. He built '중희당'(jung-hee-dang) nearby his office and deok-im's place. It was in the center of the court. He put many scientific device and astronomical instruments there expecting his son to use them and study as he grows up. New father had high hopes for the future of his son.
Deok-im received the only best from yisan. Normally royal consorts who were from noble families are ranked higher and treated better than those who were court ladies before. But yisan treated her like she was from noble family. Deok-im became first rank royal consort two months after their son was born. She got the title '의빈'(宜嬪, uibin)'. Usually the names of royal consorts"s title were chosen by other government officials. But uibin was named by yisan himself. '의宜' has various meaning. Firstly 'as it should be' or 'meant to be',. And 'peaceful, warm, beautiful', 'like'.
Deok-im got pregnant again. This time yisan looks like he practically lived in her place. He even worked in there. That was their happiest moment. With a baby son babbling and another child growing in her belly. He talked to her when he got bored. They laughed a lot. He held a birthday party for her. I once read that he taught her mathematics and she learned right away. I imainge that was during this time. The king counted on her. They were not equal but they shared their souls. He was by her side when their daughter was born. He was so happy to be a father of both son and a daughter.
Unfortunately the baby princess died in only two months. They were both deeply devastated. Afther their daughter died, it seems like yisan wanted to cheer up deok-im. Two months later, He appointed their son Sun, 22 months old, as the crown prince of Joseon. This was quite a shock because usually, a prince should be older than at least eight to be the crown prince. The day that Sun became the crown prince, yisan offered food to government officials and released prisoners. He even cut taxes. He wanted to share blessing in all over the country. Yisan had people record every royal ritual crown prince Sun went through. Everything was so special.
By the way Deok-im and yisan's queen seemed to have mutual respect for each other. They were same age. They probably had known each other since kids. Deok-im rejected yisan for the queen at 15. Deok-im was humble even though she was the mother of future king. She always looked up to the queen. As deok-im's children are legally queen's children and deok-im didn't threat queen's authority, queen cared for deok-im as well. After all...it was queen's duty and virtue to not be jealous of royal consorts. People wrote that queen cried like someone who lost their sibling when deok-im died. Yisan's mother took care of deok-im as well. She sent her servents when deok-im was giving birth.
Their happiest moment didn't last long. Their son, crown prince died at age 5 of measles. Doctors thought he was cured but then he suddenly died. This broke yisan and deok-im. At Sun's funeral, deok-im was there. She clutched her son's grave and cried. She must have felt like she lost everything. Yisan lost his loving son, an only heir to the joseon dynasty but he had no time to be drown in sadness. As he was the king he had to deal with measles outbreak in the country. Even though he couldn't show it, i imagine he would have broken down when no one was watching just like in the red sleeve.
Sun's death completely broke deok-im mentally and physically. She was pregnant at that time. Yisan worried about the health of her and the baby in her. He sent her to the other palace for her to recuperate. Back then, it was believed that sick person should move to somewhere else to cure disease. Two month later she came back with heavy belly. But it was uncertain if she was able to give birth. She was so weak. As yisan studied medicine, He stayed with her and took care of her. He watched her take bath every day. He looked over her medicines. He inspected every little medicine tools that were used for deok-im.
Despite all his efforts and devotion, deok-im died in 1786 at age 34. She was nine months pregnant. Doctors then didn't know the cause of her death. Could be toxemia or her son's death broke her too much. There even is a conspiracy theory that she was poisoned by hwabin. But there is no way of knowing now. She died leaving yisan deeply devastated. He cried loudly. He stopped working for 20 days. He lost his only heir who was supposed to carry on joseon dynasty's legacy, only infant daugter and the love of his life in few years. He thought Sun would come back to him and deok-im as the third child but the baby in deok-im died with her. He cried that Sun's trace is now all gone. Life was so cruel to him. How did he have to lose everything he loved? He never asked much. According to yisan's mother's memoir, his body got so weak because of grief after death of deok-im and children. I can't even imagine how he got himself together, continued to do kingly duties, and In fact became the greatest king of late joseon.
Yisan couldn't bear the thought of deok-im's existence get lost in the history.
"Uibin's trace will be forgotten forever. If i don't write how she was the most amazing person, who would leave her story and let it known?"
He wrote that behind deok-im's tombstone. In epitaph, he wrote short biography of her and how wonderful she was as a person (he literally wrote that she was the perfect woman in every way) and how devastated he was to loose her. A king of joseon never did that for a concubine. A king of joseon rarely express their romantic feelings towards a woman. A king of joseon never mourned a concubine's death for long. But for deok-im, he did all of them. I think she wasn't just a concubine to him. She was a whole woman he respected and loved. He was her man.
This excerpt got famous and people began to have intrest in their love story.
After her death, he mourned her for three years of traditional royal funeral process.
He buried deok-im next to their son Sun aka, crown prince munhyo. Accroding to the royal law, a concubine can not be buried next to royal born even though they are mother and son. But yisan let them be together. He visited deok-im and son's graves often. The hill he used to pass when he visit them is now called "거둥고개".
Remember jung-hee-dang that yisan built for crown prince? Yisan used that place as his office until he died.
After losing the love of his life and the son who was supposed to carry on his legacy and joseon dynasty... he had to produce another heir.. it was his duty. I think he must have felt quite miserable to sleep with some woman whom he had never seen before after he buried his family. Regardless of his feelings, subin was chosen by others. She gave birth to a son and a daugher. A son became the crown prince at age 11 and ascended the throne after yisan died. Yisan respected subin and the son but he never treated them like he treated deok-im and munhyo.
Yisan died at age 49. His 11 year old son ascended the throne. Because he was too young, yeongjo's young queen who was the most senior of the royal family held the power. She revoked yisan's great policies and works. Joseon dynasty went downhill after that. Some people think if yisan and deok-im's son didn't die young, he would have been around 20 years old when yisan died. He would have never let yeongjo's queen and other norons screw up joseon dynasty. So It's a tragic for everyone.
It was fun watching the red sleeve with you guys and telling you about korean history. We talked about romantic side of yisan mostly but he is really interesting person and a great king other than that. Hope more people get to know him. Thank you for reading very long post.
*historical facts about the red sleeve
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