In an effort to assert the superiority of the new currency, the resistance of Ryu Jeong-hyun and the old ministers was purged, and Sejong declared the implementation of the new currency.
As the stubborn old ministers were swept away, the balance of power clearly tilted towards Sejong, allowing him to govern the country according to his will.
As time passed and summer approached, Sejong summoned the ministers.
"Princess Jeonghye has come of age. What do you think about starting to look for a suitable groom?"
"I believe it is a very good time."
"Then let's start looking."
"Your command is received."
The ministers responded happily to Sejong's order, as they keenly felt the need for a joyful event to cover up the recent turmoil. Moreover, Princess Jeonghye was someone who enjoyed the exclusive affection of the royal family.
When the rumor of "Finding a groom for Princess Jeonghye!" spread, Hyang smiled.
"Is Unnim getting married? Many elders will be sad."
Hyang's evaluation of her sister, Princess Jeonghye, was simple.
"Max charisma. The queen of queens."
To give an idea of how much charisma Princess Jeonghye had, when Hyang, wrapped in a blanket, first met Princess Jeonghye, she was so confused by the princess's charm towards the elders that she fell into a state of confusion.
'Could this young lady also be from the 21st century?'
* * *
When the rumor spread that the secretaries of the Royal Secretariat had started looking for groom candidates, Princess Jeonghye threw a tantrum at Sejong.
"Father! I want to continue living with Father and Mother!"
Sejong smiled and stroked the princess's head in response to her tantrum.
"Would I not feel the same? However, it is natural for one to meet their match and form a household when the time comes."
As Sejong spoke, tears began to well up in Princess Jeonghye's eyes.
"All I wish for is to stay a little longer with Mother and Father."
"Oh, my!"
Sejong feigned a stern expression, but Princess Jeonghye, with her tearful eyes, argued back.
"I don't want to! I will continue to live with Father and Mother!"
"Oh, my! This child! Why are you throwing such a tantrum?"
"Father, I hate you!"
Princess Jeonghye stormed out of the room as she said this.
"Jeonghye!"
Sejong called out, but Princess Jeonghye did not look back.
Seeing this, Sejong turned to Queen Soheon with a defeated expression.
"Really…."
Queen Soheon, noticing Sejong's expression, smiled warmly and defended the princess.
"She is still a child, and since she spends more than half a year at the house of Minister Lee Myeong-gyun, it must be hard for her to be away from her parents."
At that time, it was a custom in the Joseon royal court to entrust young princes and princesses to the care of ministers. Following this custom, Princess Jeonghye was living at Lee Myeong-gyun's house.
"Do not worry too much. I will soothe Jeonghye's heart."
"I leave it to you. Sigh~. They say children are the ones who do not follow their parents' wishes, but in the end, even Queen Soheon stepped in, yet Princess Jeonghye firmly refused.
"Princess Jeonghye has stopped eating!"
"Really!"
Sejong was greatly surprised to hear that Princess Jeonghye had started a hunger strike.
"What did the queen say?"
"She is continuously trying to persuade Her Highness, but she is being very stubborn…."
"Oh… Sigh~."
Sejong sighed deeply upon receiving the report from the official.
"One troublemaker has quieted down, and now another one…."
* * *
The next day, at Princess Jeonghye's residence in Gyeongbokgung Palace.
"Her Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived."
When the palace maid announced that Hyang had arrived, Princess Jeonghye, who was lying in bed, responded in a weak voice.
"Let her in."
"Yes, Your Highness."
With the princess's permission, the maids opened the door and bowed deeply to Hyang.
"You must be tired."
"We are honored."
As Hyang entered, the door closed behind her. She walked briskly to the bed where Princess Jeonghye was lying and sat down, calling out to the princess.
"Really! Unnim must be going through a lot."
Princess Jeonghye, who had been lying in bed, suddenly sat up and threw off the blanket.
"Enough! Give it to me!"
"Really… Tsk!"
Hyang, who clicked her tongue, rummaged through her sleeve and handed over a paper envelope containing candy and another with rice cake. Both the candy and the rice cake were bought from the market when Hyang went out in disguise.
Seeing Princess Jeonghye munching on the candy, Hyang clicked her tongue again.
"Tsk! Really… Is this how a princess should behave in the palace?"
"Be quiet! If I don't do this, Father won't change his mind, will he?"
"Just find a good young man and get married. If you don't, you might end up an old maid."
"Shut up! I'm doing this for you!"
"Me?"
Surprised by the unexpected words, Hyang tilted her head.
Princess Jeonghye, who seemed to have filled her stomach with the candy and rice cake, burped.
"Burp! I feel better now."
"Really! A princess should have more dignity…."
"Enough, okay?"
"Alright, I'll stop. But why am I suddenly being dragged into this?"
"I will leave when I leave, but Yu (Suyang Daegun), that wretched child, will be left behind to create chaos."
"Oh dear…."
Hyang had to force a bitter smile at Princess Jeonghye's words.
* * *
Princess Jeonghye, originally recorded as Princess Jeongsu, was Sejong's first child. In the original history, her posthumous title was Princess Jeonghye, but it was later changed to Princess Jeongsu because she was like a cousin.
She was supposed to have died the previous winter, but thanks to Hyang's intervention, Princess Jeonghye survived. She was one of the variables created by Hyang's interference.
Princess Jeonghye had a significant position in the royal court, primarily because she was the eldest daughter.
Among all the legitimate and illegitimate children Sejong had—none of whom had been born yet—Princess Jeonghye was the eldest. This made her a special favorite of Sejong and his wife.
Her personality also played a role. Hyang had described her as "the queen of queens" for a reason; Princess Jeonghye was very friendly.
Even King Taejong and his wife doted on her until their last days, and not only Hyoryeong Daegun but also Yangnyeong, who had a strained relationship with Sejong, adored her.
While she was a favorite among the royal elders, Princess Jeonghye was a different presence to her younger siblings. Hyang evaluated her as follows:
"Discipline master"
Perhaps because she inherited Sejong's blood, Princess Jeonghye was quite intelligent. And perhaps because she also had the blood of Yi Seong-gye, she was quite active. However, having realized her position and responsibilities at a young age, she strictly disciplined her younger siblings when they misbehaved.
For the younger siblings, the most unfortunate thing was that their standard was Hyang.
"I know Hyang is not an ordinary person, but even considering that, you are all too unruly!"
Princess Jeonghye would strictly discipline her younger siblings whenever they showed the slightest misbehavior. She was so strict that even Queen Soheon would scold her.
"I will not comment on your disciplining of your younger siblings, but are you not being too harsh?"
When Queen Soheon said it was too much, Princess Jeonghye replied firmly.
"Mother, these children are precious to both Mother and Father, and they are also my beloved younger siblings. But they are also noble princes and princesses. How can I just let them lead by causing trouble? As the eldest daughter of the royal family, I cannot tolerate this!"
Queen Soheon could only sigh at Princess Jeonghye's firm response.
"Sigh~."
The image of the eldest son, who had defied Sejong even to the point of kicking him, overlapped with that of the eldest daughter. Queen Soheon placed her hand on her forehead and sighed.
"Sigh~. Jeonghye and the Crown Prince…."
* * *
The one who was disciplined the most by Princess Jeonghye was Yu (Suyang Daegun), followed by Yong (Anpyeong Daegun).
It was hard to deny that Yu's behavior was largely influenced by his environment. Princess Jeonghye and Princess Jeongui, who were older than Yu, lived in the palace with Sejong and his wife, while Yong, who was younger, was born in the palace.
However, Yu was too young to travel long distances and had to live in a private residence until he was five years old. Due to his status as a prince, there were almost no one to discipline him, which led to his free-spirited and arrogant personality.
Because of this personality, causing trouble in the palace became a daily routine for Yu. As time passed, Yong also began to join in.
The eldest brother, Hyang, was already involved in major plans with Sejong and the ministers, and as Yong reached an age where he enjoyed causing trouble, he and Hyang began to get along well.
Princess Jeonghye, however, was not one to let such behavior slide.
"These brats!"
As soon as she heard that Yu and Yong were causing trouble, Princess Jeonghye scolded them. Knowing that they would be severely disciplined if called by Princess Jeonghye, the two immediately fled, but each time, Princess Jeonghye would chase after them, grabbing the hem of her skirt.
"Stop right there!"
And when they were caught, they would receive several times the punishment, which was to be expected.
As this repeated, Princess Jeonghye became a tiger-like figure to Hyang's younger siblings, making them shrink in fear whenever she appeared.
Upon hearing the rumor of "Finding a groom for Princess Jeonghye," Jeonghye set a single goal.
"I will correct Yu's behavior before I get married!"
Regardless, due to Princess Jeonghye's hunger strike, the decision to find a groom was postponed. While the hunger strike was a factor, Sejong also felt reluctant to send her away so soon.
"Since there is still some time before Jeonghye's coming-of-age ceremony, let's postpone it a bit."
"Your command is received."
The ministers, upon hearing Sejong's decision to postpone the search for a groom, gathered in small groups to discuss.
"His Majesty is truly lenient with his children."
"Isn't she a favorite princess?"
Princess Jeonghye had a good image among the ministers, so no one criticized the decision. However, there was one concern.
"If this goes wrong, the royal wedding might keep us all busy."
"That's true. The selection of a groom will be followed by the Crown Prince's wedding."
On the other hand, when Yu heard that the selection of a groom for Princess Jeonghye had been postponed, his face turned pale.
He had been the most enthusiastic about the news of "Finding a groom for Princess Jeonghye."
"A little longer, and it will be my world!"
The news that the person who treated him the most strictly would soon leave the palace made Yu feel like he had the world in his hands. However, when he heard the news of the postponement, his vision went dark, and his body began to tremble.
"I'm dead… What do I do?"
Yu's nightmare was far from over.
* * *
Hyang could tell that Yu was in a panic. This was because, while he had shown signs of improvement when the rumor of "Finding a groom" spread, he had immediately reverted to being a model student.
"Indeed, there are natural enemies."
Hyang chuckled as she watched Yu and Yong sitting quietly and studying.
Hyang had no complaints. Although things were different from the original history, it was a good thing that there was someone who could make Suyang fear.
"By the way… if Unnim gets married, will it be my turn next?"
Hyang put down her pen and leaned back in her chair.
"The conclusion… This is really a dilemma. How do I get the choice? I can't just get married three times like in the original…."
As the conclusion, a massive event, drew closer, Hyang was lost in thought. While pondering various things, she suddenly became curious.
"By the way, did this guy in the original story get into fandom because his love life was a mess, or did his love life become a mess because he was a fan?"
Hyang, recalling the stories she had heard in her Korean history class, was curious.
However, there was something Hyang herself did not realize, or rather, refused to acknowledge.
She was a fan who had given up on relationships, even in the 21st century, suffering from a "terminal condition" that even doctors had given up on.
During her school days, especially in college, her legendary fandom made female classmates avoid her, and after that, she built a wall between herself and women, suffering from what was known as "the green grape syndrome"—a euphemism for "victory of the mind."
"The green grape syndrome" was a common symptom among fans with terminal conditions, named after the fox in Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes."
"My lack of luck with women is because my standards are too high.
I need to lower my standards, but it's not easy, hahaha!"
This was true for Hyang in the 21st century.
And it was the same now that she had been reborn in Joseon. Despite her recent concerns about her own marriage, she had thrown those thoughts far into Andromeda as she started her fandom in earnest after setting up a research institute.