Exploring Lady Hyegyong's Life: Autobiography and Legacy
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Northwood High School**We aren't endorsed by this school
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AP HUMAN GEOG
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Arts & Humanities
Date
Dec 10, 2024
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53
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IntroductionTheAuthorandAutobiographicalDiscourseTheMemoirsofLadyHyegyongconsistsoffourauto-biographicalnarratives writtenbyLady Hyegyong,aneighteenth-centuryKorean noblewoman.She wasbornin1735,adaughterofHongPonghan(1713-1778)of theillustrious P'ungsanHongfamily.As aconsequenceofKorean customof theperiod,herpersonalname remainsunknown.1In1744,shemarried CrownPrinceSado(1735-1762).They were both nineyearsold at thetime,andconsummationdid nottake place untilfiveyearslater.On the day ofconsummation, Prince Sadowasappointed prince-regentandassumedanofficialroleingoverning. However,hisfather,KingYongjo(r.1724-1776),still madethemost importantdecisions.Lady Hyegyong bore Sadotwosonsand twodaughters,thePrincessesCh'ongyonandCh'ongson.One of hersons diedininfancy;theother later became KingChongjo(r.1776-1800).On one hotsummerday in1762,KingYongjoordered PrinceSado, then twenty-seven,to getintoarice chest.Thechestwassealed,andSado died eightdayslater. This tragic episode hungovertheChosoncourtformany years, inexorably shapingthelivesofthosewho hadbeen closetoPrince Sado. Despite deep chagrini
INTRODUCTIONand aprofessed desireto end herlife,Lady Hyegyong livedon andlent supportto her son who hadbeenleftvulnerableby hisfather'stragic death.This decision, however, hauntedher all herlife.Althoughwidows werenotexpectedtofollow their husbandstodeathinChoson Korea(i392-i9io),2thiswas aspecial case. Prince Sado'sbizarreexecutionby hisfatherwas anattempttoavoidtheappearanceof acriminal execution, which would, under Chosoncustom, have required punishmentof hisentirefamily.3Sado'sson,theonly remaining heirto thethrone,4would have likewisebornethestigmaofcriminality, somethingtheChoson court couldnotafford.HadLady Hyegyong chosentodie,herdeath couldhavebeen seenas aprotest againsttheroyal decisionor,alter-natively,itmight have deepenedthesuggestionthatSadohadbeen guilty. Neither possibility would have furthered Chongjo'slegitimacy. LadyHyegyong'smaternal allegianceaswellas hersenseofpublic dutytodynastic security precludedhersuicide.Inthecontextof theChoson mentality, which would have seen sui-cideas anhonorable alternative,to beindebtedfor herlifeto thekingwho hadkilledherhusband definitelylefther in acom-promising position.ThecircumstancesofPrince Sado's death becameafocalpointforsevere political turmoil.Theimmensityof itspoliticalim-plications cannotbeexaggerated. Thattheconflictwasbetweenareigning kingand anheir apparentwastroubling enough; moretroublingwasthattheheir'ssonbecametheheir apparentand wassubsequently enthroned.In1764,tolessentheimpactof the in-cidentofPrince SadoonChongjo's legitimacy, KingYongjomadeChongjoaposthumously adoptedson ofPrinceHyojang(1719-1728),thedeceased older brotherofPrince Sado. This measurelegallysevered ChongjofromPrince Sado;itmeant that Chongjowasnot in anylegal sensethe son of one whomightbecalledacriminal. Despite thesebenefits,theadoption madeanalreadydelicate issuefarmore complex.Becauseof thesensitive natureofthis situation,anydiscussionofChongjo's legitimacy becametaboo,but theissue lurked justbeneaththesurface,alwaysreadytoignite another roundofpolit-icalfuror.Royalandaffinalrelatives, powerfulfamilies,andofficialswere dividedon theissueofChongjo's acceptabilityandbecameinvolvedindebilitatingfeuds.HongPonghan,whoservedas a2
INTRODUCTIONhigh-ranking ministeron theState Councilat thetimeofSado'sdeath, emergedas hisgrandson's principalprotector,leadingthefaction known as sipfy whereas the Kyongju Kim, the family ofQueenChongsun(1745-1805),KingYongjo'ssecond queen,emerged as a major force in the opposing camp known as pyokp^a.In thepost-Sado courtofrecriminating politics, Lady Hyegyongnotonlyhad tonavigate with extreme cautionfor her ownpreser-vationbutalsohad towitness attacks againstherfatherand thedeclineof herfamily'spolitical fortunes.WhenYongjodiedin1776,Chongjo succeededhisgrandfatherto thethrone.Hedisplayedacertain ambivalence towardhis ma-ternalfamily,and theHongfamilydid notfarewell under him.Inthe firstyearof hisreign,HongInhan(1722-1776),HongPong-han's youngerbrother,wassuspectedofdisloyaltytoChongjoandwasexecuted. This castaterrible pall overtheHongfamily.Never-theless, Chongjowasdevotedto hismother,andafterthis initialshock,theHongfamilywasallowedtolivefor a time inpeacefulretirement.Ifthey entertained hopeofreturningtotheirformerglory,itended withthesudden deathofChongjoin1800.Theaccessionto thethroneofChongjo's son,Sunjo(r.1800-1834),not yeteleven, necessitatedtheregencyofQueenDowagerChongsun,thearchenemyof theHongfamily.SoontheHongfamilysufferedanother tragedy.In1801,HongNagim(1741-1801),LadyHyegyong'syounger brother,wasaccusedofhavingconvertedtoCatholicismand wasexecuted. With Sunjo's assump-tion ofpersonal rulein1804,Lady Hyegyong's trialsfinallyseemtohave ended. KingSunjowasattentiveto hisgrandmotheranddidwhathecouldtocomfort her.ThefournarrativesthatcompriseTheMemoirsofLadyHyegyongwere written from 1795 to 1805, a ten-year period spanning theend ofChongjo's reignandSunjo's accession. Lady Hyegyongbegan writing when Chongjowasstillon thethroneand did notcompletethelast memoir untilafterSunjohadpersonally assumedpower.Shelivedfor tenyearsafterfinishing herlast memoiranddiedin1815,at the age ofeighty.The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, known as Hanjungnok (Recordswritteninsilence)orHanjnngmallok(Memoirs writteninsilence),isviewedincontemporary Koreaas agreat literary masterpieceandaninvaluable historical document. Rather than being composedinliteraryChineseaswere most writingsby menbeforethemodern3
INTRODUCTIONera,these memoirs were writteninKorean,inhan'gulscript,makingthem accessibleto themodern reader.To acertain extent,thereader's fascinationiswiththeincidentitself—afrighteningstoryof a filicide. Thefourth memoir depicts,in all itsterror,thefather-sonconflictthat culminatesinSado's death.ItexploresthesourcesofSado'smadness—andtheaberrant behavior, uncontrolledrages,andviolencethatthreatenedthesafetyof thedynasty.Thefactthatawoman narrates this most publicofincidents,aneventthatcan bedescribedas theultimateinmale power rivalry, makesTheMemoirsuniqueinautobiographical literature.In theWestuntilthemodern period, autobiographiesbywomen wereamerefractionof thetotalnumberofautobiographies. Moreover,theoverwhelmingmajorityfocusexclusivelyon theprivateand do-mestic sphereoflife.5There seemstohave been evenfewerwomenautobiographersinEast Asia. Japan produceda fewself-narrativesbywomen,butthey tendto bediaries,andthus introspectiveandfragmentary.6The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong is much more than a descriptionof filicide,however.Of thefourmemoirs, onlythelastisdevotedto that event; the first three focus on the author and the lives ofpeopleotherthanthecentral playersinthatincident. Althoughthefourmemoirs were conceivedof andwrittenasseparate worksonseparateoccasionsforspecificaudiencesindefenseofspecificin-dividuals, they constituteanintegral wholethatmovesfromthepersonal to the public. The first, written in 1795, is a narration ofLadyHyegyong'slifeand,to alesser extent,thelivesof hernatalfamily.Addressedto hernephew,theheirof theHongfamily,it isanapologiaforherselfand herfather, defending their choicestoliveonafterPrince Sado's death. Eachof thelast three memoirs,whichareaddressedtoKing Sunjo,isincreasinglypublicinsubjectmatterandgenre.Thesecond memoir, writtenin1801,is adefenseofLady Hyegyong's younger brother,HongNagim,and her pa-ternal uncle,HongInhan,bothofwhomhadbeen executed.Thethird memoir, writtenin1802,describestheunrelenting obsessionofherson, KingChongjo,with restoringhonorto hisfather.Thefourthandlast memoir, writtenin1805,finallyrecountsthehistoryoftheSadoincident—thetensionin theYongjo-Sadorelationship,theson's mental illnessandviolentoutbursts,and hisdeathorderedbyhisfather.Althoughthe firstthree memoirs describeatlengththeemotional turmoilandpolitical repercussionsof theSadoin-4
INTRODUCTION5cident,theincident itselfisreferredtoonly cryptically.Hence,thelast memoir functions almostas theresolutionin adetective novelinthatitanswers many unanswered questions raisedby the firstthree memoirs.Written overatumultuous ten-year period, these memoirs wereinpart promptedbyexternal events suchasLadyHyegyong'ssix-tiethbirthdayor theexecutionof herbrother. Writingamemoirwasaveryunusual activityfor awomanatthat time,andLadyHyegyonghad tosurmount formidable cultural obstaclesto do so.First,she had toovercomeaninhibition against self-narration,andthenshe had totranscend,as shedoesin the finalmemoir,thereluctancetodiscussthedeficienciesandaberrant behaviorofherhusbandand herfather-in-law.What motivatedher?In theearlier memoirs,she wasintentonjustifyingherselfand herfamily.As herfamilylay inruins,shefeltitimperativetopleadthecausesofthose memberswho haddiedindisgraceand torestore their honor, albeit posthumously.Atsomepoint,shedecidedthat,for her andother membersof herfamilytobejudgedfairly,their actionshad to beseenin theproper per-spective,whichinturn requiredanaccurate understandingof theSado incident.LadyHyegyong also cametobelievethatthemotivesand ac-tionsofPrince SadoandKingYongjo,thecentralplayersin theincident, shouldbeaccurately portrayedandrecorded. Discussionoftheincidenthadbeen forbidden becauseit wasagainst customtomention royal misconduct. Moreover,it washoped that silencewouldputthosepainfulmemoriestorest. Instead,thesilence onlyencouraged misrepresentationandmisinterpretation. Exaggeratedanddistorted versionsofroyal motivesandprincely actions werewhispered aboutanddisseminated. Lady Hyegyongfinallycon-cluded that brushingtheincident asidewas not theanswer. Whathadhappenedwashorrible,but itwould become even more mon-strousinpeople's imaginationsifleftunexplained.Shefeltthattheversionsincirculation blamedorattributedwillfulmisdeedsto onepartyor theother rather than seeingtheeventin thetotalityofcomplexhuman interaction,and sheconcluded that althoughshemightnothave been abletosavethemfromtheir tragedy,sheshouldatleast rescue themfromthemore ignoblefateofbeingviewedasperverse villainsbyfuturegenerations. This requiredpresenting themintheir human complexity, caught between better
6INTRODUCTIONintentionsandinexplicable impulses. This convictionled her tosurmountapowerfulreluctancetoexposethefailingsin herhus-bandor herfather-in-law.It wasclearlydifficultfor her topresent this relentlessly gloomyandterrifyingtale—thatwas why sheresisted writingit for solong—butshetellsitwith compassionaseach player moves towardthetragicdenouement.Aspecial sympathyisreservedfor herhusband,PrinceSado,as sheportrayshissufferingandpain.Shefeltthatbynotfollowingherhusbandindeath,sheleftherconjugal dutyun-fulfilled.Writing this memoirwas her way ofseeking forgiveness.The"imperativesofimaginativediscourse"7thatanauthor fol-lowswhen transformingalifelivedintoaliferecountedare notconfinedtowhattheauthorprofessesthemto be. In theprocessofrecounting,theauthor desiresto"recompose"asmuchas to"discover"self.8Throughtheveryact ofwriting, Lady Hyegyongwasengagedin aquesttorecomposeanddiscover historicalorhumantruth.Shetookgreat painstoreconstructhow it allhap-pened, what each individual did,and inwhat order.But on adeeper, almost subconscious level,shesearchedforsomethingmorefundamental,someunderstanding that would explainthevagariesofhumanfateand thewaywardnessof themoral order.Narrating Livesand theSenseofSelfWritingTheMemoirswas apoliticalact forLady Hyegyong;thevery act of writing them meant that she wished to testify for herselfandtheactorsin hernarrationand topersuade othersof hertesti-mony.To bepersuasive,she had topresentcausesandrepresentlivesinaccordance withthecultural grammarof hertime.9Whatresourcesin therepositoryoftraditiondidLady Hyegyong pos-sess?What paradigmsofautobiographicalandtestimonial writingwereavailabletoher?Can hermemoirsbedescribedasidentifiablyin the feminine mode? How is her writing related to her sense ofself?Traditional Korean literature includes various kindsof firstper-son,nonfictionnarratives that are,if notnecessarily autobio-graphical,revelatoryof thewriter's interiorlife.These include
INTRODUCTION7travel literature and chapki or chapnok (miscellaneous writings).10Therearealso straightforwardmemoirs,oftenwiththe titlemallok(leisurely writing). Many powerful officials wrote reminiscences oftheir active service under thistitle.Mostofficialmemoirs, however,tendnot toreveal anything remotely privatein thelivesof theroyalfamilyor theauthors'ownlives.11Aninteresting exampleis thememoirbyLadyHyegyong'sfather,HongPonghan,IgikckaemMok,which beginsin1733whenhe was ayoung studentandendsin1748.Hecommentson hisdaughter's royal marriagein1744,hispassingthecivil examination shortly thereafter,and theperiod whenhiscareer beganto flourish. Thememoir recordsseveralof hismemorials12andvarious long conversations withYongjothat were presumably indicativeof his and theking'sin-tellectual makeupandsocial stance.On theprivateoremotionallifeofeitherthekingorhimself, however,it iscompletelysilent.13Pei-yiWu's studyofautobiographyinChina underscorestheenormous impactthatbiographyhad onautobiographical writing,which developed underitspowerfulandubiquitous shadow.Wuarguesthatbiographywasconceivedof asmainlyfulfillingthehis-torical functionoftransmitting moral principles; thereforeitrevealedonly thosefactsdeemed historically relevant, remainingsilent about emotionalandinterior lives. Autobiographershad toovercometheinhibitionsonself-expression imposedby thecon-ventionsofbiography.14InKorea,thebiographies writteninliterary Chinese werein thesamesubgenresasthose writteninChina, suchaschon/chuan(biography), necrology, and yonbo/nien-p'u (life chronology).15BiographiesofHongPonghanby hissons,forinstance, give someindicationofwhat topics were considered worthyofinclusioninworksinthatgenre. One,alifechronologyofHongPonghanbyhisoldest son,HongNagin(1730-1777),recordshispublic careerbutmakesnomentionof hismarriageor thebirthof hischildrenexceptforthatofLadyHyegyong.16Theother,titledSonbugunyusa(Memorable anecdotesfromfather'slife),consistsofreminis-cencesby histhree youngersons.17This piece pays homageto hisfamilialvirtues,but thefocusis onHongPonghanas a son andbrother—thelossof hismother whenhe wassix,hisremem-brancesofher,hisdevotionto hisstepmother,hisgenerosityto hissistersandbrothers especially when they wereinneed,and so on.
8INTRODUCTIONVerylittleissaidof hisimmediate homelife.Nothingissaidof hismarriageor hischildren, exceptforoccasional admonitionsbyhim.18AftertheKorean script,kfrn'gul,wasdevisedin themid-fifteenthcentury,thewritten culture, whichhadpreviously been composedexclusivelyinliterary Chinesebymen, greatly expandeditsscopetoinclude many more subjects, genres,andparticipants.Thewritingof acertainclassofwomen, including court ladies, aristocraticyangbfrn women, and some courtesans, came to constitute a specialportionof thewritten culturein thelatter halfof theChosonperiod.Mencontinuedtowriteinliterary Chinese, exceptforletterstowomen, certain genresofpoetry,andother incidental piecesthatconcerned mostly private aspectsoftheir lives. Women wrotealmost exclusivelyinKorean. They usedthevernacularas ameansofself-expressionandcommunicationaswellas amodeofsocialandpolitical empowerment. They wrote poetry, essays,andman-ualsofmannersandhousekeepingforother women. Letters werethemost usualformofwritingandgenerallyfulfilledsocial obli-gationsto kinsuchasgreetingsandcondolence.19This customchangedthetextureofsociallifebyallowing womentoplayadis-tinctrolein thewritten discourse,thoughwithinthelimited sphereofdomestic concerns.Conscious attemptsbywomentoseizecontrolof thenarrativesoftheirown orothers'lives also emerged, though tentatively.Epistolaryformwasoccasionally resortedto forself-presentation.20In theroyal court, palace ladies begantowrite aboutthelivesoftheir mistressesin theformofromansaclef,which have beenclassifiedas"courtnovels"(kungjongsosot)but areincreasinglyviewedoflateasdocumentary court literature(knngjongsilgimnn-hak).21Recently, necrologiesof menwrittenbywomeninKoreanhavealso cometolight.22It iscommonly believedthatwritinginChineseandwritinginKorean weredichotomoustraditions,separated, respectively,bythegenderofauthorandaudience (male versusfemale),subjectmatter (public versus private),andgenre (classical versus vernac-ular).While this perceptionmay bevalidtosomeextent,therewasacloser relationship betweenthe twotraditions thanhasbeenac-knowledged,aswellas alarge areainwhichthe twoconverged,23
INTRODUCTION9atleast whenitcameto thepracticeofwriting about lives.Thecommon thread binding these writingsisadherenceto aparadigmofvirtue. Necrologies, courtnovels,andnarrativesofself presenttheir subjectsasparagonsoffamilialorsocial virtueandarrangechronological detailstoconstructtheclosest approximationto theideal.LadyHyegyong'smemoirs departfromthis model.It is notthatsherenouncestheparadigm.Thoughsheconfessesto adeviationfromtheideal,shenever eschewsherwholehearted commitmentto it.Nonetheless,hernarrationisinformedby arealizationthatlifedoesnotallowone toliveup to theideal.In the firstthreememoirs, this inabilityisattributedto themultiple roles withwhichonemustcontend,each carryingits owndemandsthatcanandoftendoclash withthedemandsofother roles.In thefourthmemoir,theconflictis nolonger presentedasstemmingfromexternalfactors alonebutfrominternalforcesaswell. True,theconflictisbetweenfatherandson,buteachisdrivenby hisinner-most darkforces.AsLadyHyegyongprobesthehuman psyche,sheacceptstheimperfectionsandweaknessesof hersubjectsandallowsspaceforautonomous interiorlife.Inthis,hermemoirsclearlydepartfromstandard paradigmatic representationsoflives.Hernarrationisimbued with poignancyandcomplexity.Sheacceptshuman imperfectionandacknowledgestheinabilitytoliveup to theidealbutmaintainstheConfucian beliefin theperfect-ibilityofhumanityand thenotionthatsocial privilege shouldbebasedonmoral renewal.She isacutely awareof theexactingde-mandsthat exaltedpositionmakeson her and theotherhighlyplacedpersonsin hermemoirs.Thetensionof hernarrationde-rivesfromthefactthatshe isinfluencedby twoseemingly oppos-ingforces,toeachofwhichsheappears strongly committed.Inotherwords,sheunfoldsherextraordinary taleas "anelaboratedramaofhonour,"24adramaof herclassandmilieu.InstudiesofWestern autobiography,it hasbeen positedthatasenseof thediscreteself,aconsciousnessofselfas anisolatedbe-ing,is apreconditionforwritingautobiography.25Women auto-biographers, however,areseenin asomewhatdifferentlight.Thefemalesenseofself,asopposedto themale senseof thediscreteself,isdefinedby itsrelationshipsto thepersons surroundingtheself.26Thisisgivenas areasonwhywomen sometimes appendeda
10INTRODUCTIONshort autobiographytolong biographiesoftheir husbands,as didMargaret Cavendish, DuchessofNewcastle,in theseventeenthcentury.27TheEnglish noblewoman, however, clearly wishestoasserther ownidentity.28Sheexpressesaconscious desireto bedif-ferentfromthenorm, declaringthatshepreferswritingtoneedle-workandthat this setsherapartfromotherwomen.29Incontrast,LadyHyegyong doesnotdisplaythefaintest desiretodepartfromthenorm. Becauseof herexalted position,sheseldomhad achancetospeakof her ownaccomplishmentsinsuch skillsasneedlework,but shedoes boastof hermother's talent.Infact,herideaofbeingextraordinarywas not todepartfrombut toadhereto andexcelbythenorm.It isclear that Lady HyegyongandMargaret Cavendishhaddifferentsensesofself.One of themore obviousdifferenceslay inthe waythey perceivedtherelationship between their privateandpublicselves. Margaret Cavendishmaysometimes expresshersenseofself throughherrelationshiptootherpeople around her,butthereis noquestion thatsheregardsherprivate selfasdistinctfromandpriorto herpublicself.Inboth,theprivateselfisgivenacertain autonomyandspace apartfromthepublicself.InLadyHyegyong'swork, however,thespace between private selfandpublicself becomes quite smallas therelationship betweenthe twobecomesever more closely intertwined.Sheacknowledgesthedis-tinctionbetweentheprivateandpublicselvesbutfeelsthattheredemptionof herpublic selfisindispensableto theintegrityofherprivateself.Timeandtime again, Lady Hyegyong stressesthedepthandacutenessofshameshefeltforfailingtoliveup towhatsheacceptsas thelegitimate demandsof hermultiple roles.She isconvincedthatonlybyfeelingandconfessingtheacutenessof hershame,thedegreeofwhich shouldbeproportionalto thedistanceshehasfallenfromtheideal,can she beredeemed.Shetriestoatonefor thefailingsof herpublic selfby theintensityof the re-morseof herprivateself,and inthisway theinterdependencebe-tweenthe twoselvesbecomes complete. Evenin thefourth mem-oir, thoughsheallows spaceto theautonomous interior livesofYongjoandSado,shedoesnotdeviatefromherbeliefin thecloserelationship between their privateandpublic selves.ForSado,shemerelyreplaces remorse withsuffering.Thatis, shepleadsforunderstandingof hispublic misconducton thebasisof thedepthof hisprivatesuffering.
TheMemoirof1802It hasbeen almostsixtyyears sinceIcameto thepalaceas achild. Duringthatperiod,mylifehasbeen extremelyturbulent;Ihaveencountered countless adversities.Inadditiontothat incomparablypainfulevent,Ihavesufferedsuchanendlesssuccessionofdevastating trialsandtribulations thatit is notlogicalthatIshould have lived.Isustainedmylifebecause, giventhefactthatthelate King servedmewith utmostfilialdevotion,Icouldnotbearto end mylife.Heaven detestedmemoreastime passed,however,and Isufferedthat truly unbearable loss.Itwould havebeennaturalfor me tofollowmy son indeath,butthis odiouslifeofmineis asstubbornas theearthor atree.I wasunabletokillmyself.In myheart,Icherishedtheyoung King,mygrandson,andsoIgrasped this threadoflife.Life,though,became insupportable.Evenif anordinary womanofhumble station had,atseventy,lostheronly son,herneighbors would pityher andoffercondo-lencesandsympathy. However, within several monthsof mylosingthelate King, insults were heaped uponmylatefather.Thenit waschargedthatmythird brotherhadinstigatedmyabortive attemptto end mylife.Within sevenoreight months, using absurdlyfalsecharges, they banishedhim to adistant islandto beconfinedto ahouse surroundedbybramble hedges. Soon afterwards, theyex-ecuted him.Inthiswaythey transferredto mybrotherthepunish-ment they wishedtoinflictuponme for myattemptto end mylife.Inthis sense,thekillingwas notdirectedat mybrotherbut atme.Evilcliquesareascendant; they have turned their backs uponthe197
198THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGlate King.Indisdainfor theyouthful ruler, they have persecutedthemotherof thelate King.Thedeclineofhuman moralityandfailuresofministerial propriety have never reached such extremes.Weeping tearsofbloodday andnight,Idesperately longtofollowmyson and mybrotherindeath,yet Iremain.Myrecent losseshaveleftmewithnosupportoranchor. WhetherIwishtoliveordie,I can doneither.All is due to myhorrendoussin and mymiserablefate.I can donothingbutbeseech Heavenandcursetheghosts. Since time immemorial,noqueenorroyal consorthassuf-feredwhatIhavein mylife;nootherfamilyhasbeenput to thetrialsthatminehasmet.The way ofHeavenisall-knowing.Thepresent Kingisbenevolentand filial. Itrustthat,evenif Iweretodiewithout seeingit, hewill distinguish rightfromwrong;hewillavengemysufferingandbitterness.IfI do notrecord eventsasthey occurred, thereis no way inwhichhewill cometoknowofthemsufficiently.Gatheringmyspent witsand myremaining strength,Iwill beginbydescribingthesagaciousfilialdevotion with whichthelate King servedmeandthediscussionshe hadwithme. Iwill then moveon tootherpointstoelaborateand toclarifytheissues.Who but Iknowsofthem?Whoelsecanspeakofthem?Mylifemightend at any mo-ment,and so Iwill entrust these writingstoLadyKasunthattheyshallbegivento thepresent Kingaftermydeath.If hewere,someday,torealizethesadnessof mylifeand theunjustnessof myfamily'splight,and if heweretoappeasemythirty yearsofaccu-mulated bitterness,mydeparted soul wouldbeabletomeet withthelate Kingin thenetherworld; motherand sonwould consoleeachotheron ourgreatgoodfortuneinhavingavirtuousson andagodly grandsonwho hasfulfilledourlifelong desire.Ifthereisthesmallest fabricationorexaggerationinthese writings,Iwouldbedeceivingthelate Kinganddeluding myselfbymisleadingthepresent King,and Iwouldbeindulginginfavoritismonbehalfofmyprivate parent.HowcouldI notfeartheimmediate retributionofHeavenandEarth?Ihave experienced countless eventsin thecourseof mylifeandshared many thousandsofintimate conver-sations withthelate King.In mydecrepitude, however,Iremem-berbut onewordin tenthousand.Iwill also gloss over irrelevantissues,betheyaffairsof thestateorfamilymatters,and Iwillmention onlythemajorpoints. ThusI amafraidthatthis recordwill not contain too much detail. Seventh month, imsulytzx (1802).
THEMEMOIROFl8O2199Although the most common of human relations is that ofmotherandson,themother-sontiebetween myselfand thelateKingwaslikenoother.If it had notbeenfor thelate King,Iwouldnot behere today;had it notbeenfor me, thelate King wouldnothavebeen protectedandpreserved. Having experienced hundredsoftrialsanddifficultiesandhaving been each other's supportthrough these stormy years, motherand sonboth awaitedablessedold agewhen,inretirement,wecouldenjoythepeaceandpros-perityof thenation.ForreasonsIcannot fathom, august Heavenhasdeprivedme of my son inmidcourse. Beneath Heaven, sincehistory began, there cannot have beenalosssoheart-rendingasthis. ThatI did not dieduringthetragic incidentof theimoyear(1762)wasonlytoprotectthelate King. When Father, bitterlyfrustratedin hisattemptstodemonstratetheunjustnessof thevileslandersandaccusations brought against him, died prematurelyinthe imsulyt&r (1778), I wished to follow him, but I was dissuadedfromit by thesincerefilialdevotionof thelate King. ThenIlostmyson. Soon afterwards,I let myguiltless brother meetthatcruelend. ThusIhave becomeone whofailedinloyalty[to myhus-band],affection[to myson],filialpiety[to myfather],andsister-hood[to mybrother].With whatfacecan Iremaininthis worldforevenonemoreday?Becauseof myaffectionfor theyoung Kingandbecause this odiouslifedoesnot ofitself end,Ilinger shame-fullyinthis world.Cantherebeanotherasmuddled,asstupid,asirresolute,and asweakas I?Thelate Kinghad aninnatelyfilialnature.In hislateryearshisfilialattentions grew even more thoroughandcareful,and heservedme asthoughhecouldnot doenough. Whenhemadeex-cursions, even withinthecity,inrecognitionof hismother's anx-ious concernherepeatedly dispatched messengers bearing notesandgreetings. Tripsto hisfather's tomb took days, but, consider-ing mynervousness,hestoppedhisentourageon theroadeverytwohourstosendme hismessages. Wherecan I go now forevenoneletterfromhim?Ah!Sadness!Thelate Kingwasextraordinarily endowed.He had abeautifulanddignifiedface,anexceptional carriage,and amagnificent phy-sique.Helearnedtospeakand toreadat averyearly age. Fromchildhood,he wasdiligentandhardworking; except whenhesleptandate,he wasseldom withoutabookin hishand.Hisaccom-plishments were superiortothoseof thewise rulersofold. There
wasnothinghe did notknow.Of all therulers sincethesage kingsofantiquity, therewasnonetoequalthelate Kinginscholarshiporcomposition,insagacious virtue,or inwiseadministration.Evenatnearlyfiftyyearsofage, burdened with myriad aspectsofgovern-ment,he finished aseriesofbooks each winter.In thewinterof thekimiyear(1799),*he finished theentireTsochuan(Tso com-mentary).Whenhe was achild,and he finishedabook,Iwouldprepareaspecial mealfor him as a way ofexpressing delightandencouragement.Onthis occasion, recalling thatoldcustom,Ipreparedacelebratory meal.Thelate King, appreciativeof his oldmother's gesture,ate anddrank with abandonin thecompanyofministersandcomposedapiecetocommemoratetheoccasion.Itseemslike yesterday.Who atthatpoint would have imagined thatthechangesin theaffairsof theworld would reach suchapointastheyhaveatpresent?Thelate Kingwaspeerlessinbenevolenceand filialpiety.It isimpossibletosatisfactorily recordthefaultlessmannerinwhichhecomplied withthewishesof HisLateMajesty[KingYongjo]andthesincerefilialdevotion with whichheservedhisparents.Thethrustof hisconductinthese mattersistruthfully recordedinhisofficialbiography,1and so Iwill mention only several things.Beforetheimoyear(1762),there were manydifficultmoments.Despitehisyouth,thelate King comprehendedthecomplexitiesofthesituation.Hetook careof hisconduct, never once causingdissatisfactionto HisMajesty.Sopleasedwas HisMajestywithhisgrandsonthat,wheneverhe saw me, hesanghisgrandson's praises,speakingof hisintelligenceand hisaccomplishments.This wouldnothave happenedif thelate Kinghadbeen unabletotouchHisMajesty'sheart withfilialdevotionandunimpeachable conduct.From early childhoodhe wasextraordinarily devotedtome.Heateonlyif I ate andslept onlyif Islept.Onmany tense occasionshe wasabletobehave withtheconcernandmaturityof anadult.He was ofgreat helpinmany ways, much more thanonewouldexpectof achild.At thetimeof thetragic incidentof theimoyear(1762),hegrieved likeanadult.He wasinconsolable.His sadbearingand hispiteous cries moved bystanders;no one who sawhimgrieveorheardhiswail could withhold tears.Thepainoflos-ing afatherseemstohave redoubledhisdevotionto hismother;he*Thelast winterofChongjo'slife.200THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O22OIwasunable, evenfor amoment,torelaxhisconcernforme.Whenwewere apart,he haddifficultysleeping. Whenwelivedinseparatepalaces,hewouldnot eatbreakfastuntilhe hadreceivedmyletterofgreeting.If Iwere slightly ill,hepersonallyhadmedicine mixedandsentto me.These incidents revealedhisextraordinaryfilialconcern.Oh!Grief!How can Ibring myselftospeakofthatkapsin(1764)decision!*How can Irecord that patheticscene—motherandson, strickenbydismayandsorrow, hugging each other des-perately, wishingwewere dead!Thepain thatthelate King suf-feredhas notbeen equaledbyanyonein anyruling house.Out ofhisdutyto thenation,heascendedthethrone,but he was ob-sessedby thetragic imageof hisfather,and asyears wentbythatmemorygrew more intense.He had theGateforGreetingthe SunandtheGateforViewingtheMoon constructedat theKyongmoShrine [for Prince Sado]andvisitedtheshrine more than onceortwiceamonth.Yet hislonging heart still regrettedthathecouldnot payrespectto hisfathermorningandevening.Heservedmewithall thewealthandsplendor availableto thethrone,yet he didnotthinkitenough. Withapleasant expressionand ajoyous voice,helookedin on mefouror fivetimesa day and wasalwayscon-cerned lesthe dosomething contraryto mywishes.In my oldage,Ihaveoftensufferedillhealth and,onthosetwooccasions whenI wasseriously ill, onceinkimi(1799)andthen duringkyongsin(1800),thelate Kingwas soconcernedandnervousthathecom-pletely gaveupsleep,noteven changingintobedclothes.Healsopersonally tendedto themedicine, boiling tincturesandextractsand, once done,offeringthemto mehimself,notwishingtoleavethistoothers. Thoughwewere motherandson,mygratitudeisinestimable.Thelate Kingalwayshadsimpleandplain tastes.In hislateryears,hegrew even more austereandfrugalin hishabits.Hisresi-dencehadshort eaves,hisroomwassmallandwithout polychromedecoration,and he did notpermit frequent wallpaperingorreno-vation.Hisquarters couldnot bedistinguishedfromthoseof apoor,unemployed scholar. Exceptfor theformaldragon robeofthesovereign,he did notdrapesilkon hispersonbutchoseroughwovencottoninstead,and herefusedsilkbedding.Helim-*Yongjo'sorder makingChongjoanadoptedson ofPrince Hyojang.
202 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGitedthenumberofside dishestothreeorfourin hismorningandevening mealsandhadthem placedinsmall platestoregulatequantity. WhenIoccasionally mentionedthathe was a bitexces-sivein hisfrugality,hewould eagerly denouncetheviceofluxury,concluding that,"Toupholdafrugalandsimplelifeis notsparingwealthorfoodsbut a way ofcultivatinggoodfortune."Thus,hechidedme. Icouldnot butadmire him.Thelate Kingwas notblessed witha sonuntil rather late.Theabsence of an heir caused concern for the dynasty. The birth ofMunhyoin theiminyear(1782)brought great joy,but theKingsufferedtwoterrible lossesinpyongo(1786).*Grief-strickenanddespairing,hesufferedillhealth;Ibecame quite alarmed.Then,inthespringofchongmi(1787),hechose LadyKasunas aconsort.^Shewasbenevolentandwarmin herconduct,beautifulinappear-anceandcarriage,and shepossessedthestyleandrestraintof awell-bredlady. Oncesheenteredthepalace, Lady Kasun servedmewiththeutmost devotionandloyalty,and so Icametoloveher asmyowndaughter.Sheservedthelate King mostbeautifullyandtruthfully,notonce going againsthissagacious heart.ThelateKingtreasuredandtrustedher;oftenheseemedas if hewereabouttoentrustherwithamessageofgrave import.I nowbelievethathefeltacertain presentiment.With each passing day,Iprayed more eagerlyandardently thanthepreviousdaythat Lady Kasun wouldbeblessed withason.With Heaven's silent assistance and the invisible benefactions ofancestors,on theeighteenthof thesixth monthof thekyongsulyear(1790),atthree o'clockin theafternoon,theblessed eventtookplaceat ahousefacingmyresidence.Thepresent Kingwasborn. Thiswas ablessingthatconsolidatedthedynastic foundationformyriad years. Motherand soncongratulated eachother.Wespentdaysincelebrationandjoy. Strangely,thenewborn child*Prince Munhyo diedin the fifthmonthof1786,followedby hismother,LadySong,whodiedin theninth monthof thesame year.Chongjosillok(hereafterCS),inChosonwangjosillok,21:42!),22:31!).^Although LadyKasunwasdefinitelyasecondary consort because Chongjohad alegalwife,QueenHyoui,she was ayungbanwoman. Chongjo performedaformalmarriage ceremonyafterathree-stage selection procedure. This madeherdifferentfrom theusual secondary consorts who,as arule, startedasladies-in-waitingat thepalace, were takeninwithoutawedding ceremony,andwerenot ofyangbanfamilies.CS,23:2ia,23:23^THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O22O3sharedhisbirthday withme. Thelate King usedtoremarkon it,saying,"The child's birthdayis thesameasYour Ladyship's. Thisisanextraordinary coincidence unprecedentedinhistory. YourLadyship's utmost sincerityanddevotion have brought thison.Heavendid notcasually produce thiscoincidence."I was notsurewhetherIdeserved this encomium,but I wasinclinedtofeelthatwhenitcametodevotionto thedynastyor theKing, therewasnone more devoted thanI.Wouldit not bewonderfulifHeavenindeed madehisbirthdaythesameasmineout ofsympathy?In the spring of kyongsin (1800), the present King performed thecappingceremonyand wasinvestedas theCrown Prince.ThelateKingcountedthedaysto thearrivalof thewinter, whenthethree-stageselection procedurefor hisson'swifewouldbecompletedand hewould gainadaughter-in-law,one of avirtuousandillus-triousfamily.Itsaddensme tothinkthat,withthelate King'sde-parture,Iwill witnesstheweddingalone.*Thelate Kinghadbeen awareallalong thatthesiteofYonguTomb^ left something to be desired. Early in the pyonjjsin year(1776),myfatherstrongly recommended reinterment,butbecauseit was amatterofsuch grave import,theKing couldnotcometo adecision easily.Inkiyu(1789)he had ageomancer selectanauspi-cioussiteatMountHwa inSuwoncity,and hecarriedout re-interment, changingthenameof thetombtoHyollyungTomb.*Thelate King informedme,"Accordingto thelawsof the an-cients,aplotofland suchasthiscan befound only onceineverythousandn."Healso said, "Now thatIhave movedhim to aspotthathadonce been intendedforKingHyojong,§Ihavenoregrets.In the twocharactersIselected,'hyollyung'(illustrious eminence),*The firstselectionin thethree-stage selection procedureforSunjo'swifetook placein thesecond monthof1800.Five girls were selected.Thesecondse-lectionwascompletedin theintercalary fourth monthof1800,when threeof thefivewerechosen. Chongjo's deathled to thepostponementof the finalselectionofhisson's brideand hiswedding.Thethird selection took placein theninth monthof1802,and thewedding ceremonywasperformedin thefollowing month.C5,53:4ia-b,54:i9b-2oa.Sunjosillok(hereafter55),inChosonwangjosillok,4:33b-34a,4:3ya-39a.^Prince Sado's original tomb.*Thereintermentwascarriedout in thetenth monthof1789in anelaborateceremony.Chongjowasquite emotionalon theoccasion.C5,28:i5b~33a.§Hyojong(r.1649-1659)was theeighteenth kingof theChoson dynastyandChongjo'sfifth-generationancestor.
204 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGtheworld will ascertainmyunspokenwish."Icannot begintodescribehowwholeheartedlythelate King devoted himself,dayandnight,tooverseeingthereinterment.Afterthereinterment,hisremembrancesof hisfather grew moreintense.He had his ownportrait hungin thepavilion besidethegravetosymbolizehiswishthathe bethere always, tendinghisfather'sgrave.Hemade provisionthateveryfivedaysthegravewouldbethoroughlyput inorder.In the firstmonthofeveryyear,hevisitedthetombandpaid respectto hisfather.Inaddi-tion,each springandautumn,hesentoutsuch exhaustivelyde-tailed instructions concerningtheshrubberyandplantingsthatit wasalmostas if hehimselfhadlandscapedit. Heaskedtheinhabitantsof the oldtowntomoveto the newcityofHwa-song.*Subsequently,as a way toprotectthetomband tomain-tainitsglory,he hadcity wallsand asplendid detached palacebuilt.In thespringofulmyo(1795),hetookme to thePrince's tombandtogetherwepaidourrespect. AfterwardsheheldagreatfeastatPongsu Paviliontowhichheinvited maleandfemalerelativesandcivilandmilitaryofficialsaswell, causing themtoenjoy them-selvesdrinkingandeating untilthesmall hoursof themorning.Theaged wereoffereddrinkatNangnamPavilionand thepoorwere given riceatSinp'ung Pavilion.Joyfulspiritsand thesoundsofmerrimentfilled the airfromHwasongto thecapital.^Allthiswasbut toexpresshis filialaffectiontothisoldmother.Whoamongtheofficialsandsubjectsof theentire nationdid notadmirehim andsinghispraises?Out ofdutyto thedynasty,thelate Kingremainedon thethrone,laboring diligentlyin hisrole. However, withtheineradi-cablepainin hisheart,he did notenjoythatpositionandresolutelyrefusedhonorarytitles.*Healways entertainedahopethatone day*Suwoncitywasrenamed Hwasong.CS,3y:4b-5b.^ See figure 5 for a representation of this feast. Also see note 25 of The Memoirofi795.*Chongjoreceivednohonorarytitle(chonho)whilehe wasalive. Althoughthis followedthepatternofmany earlier kingsof theChosondynasty,it set himapartfromhisimmediate predecessor,Yongjo,whoreceivedfiveeight-characterhonorarytitleswhilehe was on thethrone.SeeJaHyunKimHaboush,AHeritageofKings:OneMan'sMonarchyin theConfucianWorld(New York: ColumbiaUniversity Press,1988),62.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O22O5hewouldbeabletorelinquishhisthrone.Hethenbegatasagaciousson towhomhecould entrustthedynastic mission.HebuiltthecityofHwasongmagnificentlysothatit wassecond onlyto thecapitalinsplendorandconferred such namesasNonae Hall(Hall for approaching old age) and Mirohan Pavilion (Pavilion ofleisurefor the not soold) uponthe newpavilions.Hesaidto me,"Ihave occupiedthethronenotbecauseIcovetedit, butbecauseI had to for the nation. In the coming kapcha, year (1804), mY sonwillreachhisfifteenthyear,and Iwillbeabletoabdicatetohim.Iwillthenbeabletofulfillmygreatestwishes.Iwill retiretoHwa-song with Your Ladyshipto thetaskofrenderingtoPrince Sadothesupreme honorsthatIcouldnotgrantfromthethrone.Icouldnot dothis becauseof HisMajesty'sorder.2It wasextremely dis-tressing[thatIcouldnotoffersuch honorsto myfather].None-theless,thatwas therightway for me. Therightway for my sonistocomply withmyrequestbyhonoringhisgrandfatheras Icould not,fulfillingmywish. Becauseofthese considerations,therightway for theministersandofficialsof mycourtis torefrainfromhonoring Prince Sado. Oncethe newKing ascends,therightway forthem willbe tocomply withthe newKing'swish.Therightway is notunalterablyfixed;ratheritchanges withcircumstancesandtime.Howwouldit be if we,motherandson, having survived whatwedid, weretoreceive such gloryandcarefromourdescendantsinaccordance withthe way of filialpiety?"Ifeltagreat surgeofpityfor myson.Ithoughtof theover-whelming dutiesofruleandsilently wept.He,too, grew sad.Intears,hesaid,"WereI to go to thenetherworldtomeetmyfatherafteraccomplishingthattask[ofhonoring him]throughmy son asIcouldnotmyself,what more couldIwishfor?"Heoftenpointedathis son andsaid,"Thischild wishestoknow about Prince Sado.He isquite mature.Icouldnotbring myselftospeakofthatin-cident,and so Iaskedhismaternal grandfathertotell him.But hismaternalgrandfather also saidthathecould bring himselftotellthePrince onlythemainpoints."Thelate King saidof thepresentKing,"ThischildwasborntoaccomplishthattaskforPrince Sado.Hecameas ananswertothat wish.Itmust have beenanexpres-sionofHeaven'swill."In theearlyulmyoyear(1795),whenheconferred honorary titlesuponhisancestors,he wasabletoconferaneight-characterhono-
206 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGrarytitleonPrinceSado.*Afterwardshesaidto me,"Kim Chongsu,who hasbeensoopposedto themeasure,nowsays,'Pleaseofferhimthejade scepter,agold seal,and aneight-charactertitle.'Noweverythingisdone exceptfor onecharacter [the king(wang)].Forthatlet'swaitfor the newking."Hethen recitedtheeight char-actersof thetitle,"Chimgyunyungbomkimyongch^anghyn(Mani-festhumanity, eminent pattern, fundamental decree, auspiciousblessing)."Beinganignorant woman,I did nothearitcorrectlyandasked,"Kimyonjjch'anghyo(Auspiciousfiliality)?" ThelateKingsmiledandsaid,"As for thecharacterhyo(filiality),itwillbeusedin atitle designatinghim astaewcing(great king) some day,andso Ihavenotusedit.Besides,in ourdynastythecustomis notto usehyoinhonorarytitles."^I had in mypossessiona redcloth with gold thread wovenintoit, and hesaidto me, "At theconferralceremonyofroyaltitles,Iexpect Your Ladyship to wear the phoenix-embroidered robe ofthequeen.*Sopleasedon'tdiscard this cloth. Takegoodcareof it.Withthe filialpietyofyour grandson,youwill somedayuseit."Inhis last years, the ceremony that he was planning for kapcha (1804)tookonsuch central importancein hisconsciousness thatnothingheplanned, did,orsaid could escape being done with that eventasareference point. ThoughIremained somewhat incredulousthatitwouldberealized,Icouldnothelp thinking whatasplendidconclusionofrulershipitwouldbe. Ihalf expectedtoactuallyseethis unbelievably rare event realizedin mylong sojourninthisworld.Myfamilyhasbeen slanderedandvilifiedby theenvious sincekyongin (1770). By fyongsin (1776), that vicious calumny reacheditspeak,and myfamilysufferedcalamitiesandreversalsoffortune.Icannot describethedepthsof mybitternessandpain.Iwentdownto alowerhouse§and, determinedtodie,Iwailedandcriednightandday.Thelate King, however, consoledmewith heartfeltsympathy.IthoughtthathisHeaven-endowedbenevolenceand*Chongjohadalready conferred uponhisfatherafour-characterhonorarytitleon twooccasions,in1783and in1784.Chosonwangjouichesa,(Seoul:Munhwajekwalliguk,1967),108."*"Hyowasusedinhonorary titlesforqueens,but not forkings.*If thetitleofkingwas to beconferred upon Prince Sado,thetitleofqueenwouldbeconferredonLadyHyegyongon thesame occasion.§Quarters usually reservedforservantsorthoseof lowrank.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O22OJfilialpiety glowed with divine radiance, thatatemporary occlusionof hisintelligencebycunning ministerswaslikeadarkeningof theskybyfleeting cloudsthatpasswithoutdiminishingthetruebrightnessof the sun andmoon. Surely,hewould eventuallyseethesincere loyaltyof myfatherand theunjust treatmentof myuncle. Lesthis[reputation for]filialpietysufferif Iweretogiveuplife, I pushed myself and decided to continue this wretched life ofmine. Ghostsandspirits were witnessto thetruthfulnessof mysentiment, but I could not help but feel ashamed in my heart ofhearts.Asexpected,thelate King indeed repulsed that evilcrowd.*Deeplyremorsefuloverthe way he hadtreated Father,headmittedthathe hadbeen excessively harshtohim.Heoftensaid,"Itoldthem thatI hadwitnesseditwithmy owneyes.It was notGrand-fatherwho had'thatthing'^sentin, butthey insistthathe wasguilty.Isn'titridiculous!"Ianswered,"Theirposition, accordingtowhatIheard,isthis.The firstone,fromtheouter kitchenof thepalace,hadbeenbroughtinbeforeFather entered.Buttheysay it was he whosug-gestedthe onefromthePalace Guard,the onethatwasused!Whatanunconscionable calumny thisis!"Thelate King replied,"Whatcould they have known? ThatmanfromthePalace Guard also cameinbeforeGrandfather reachedthepalace. That thingfromtheouter kitchenwasfoundto be un-usable,and sothey brought anotheronefromthePalace Guardbecauseit wasnearby.MunjongPavilionisinside Sonin Gate,andtheeastern stationof thePalace Guardislocated just outsideofSonin Gate.Thesituation became terribleatabout three o'clockandhadturned utterly hopelessby five. HisLordship cameto thepalaceonlyafterthecurfewgongwasstruck.I sawthis myselfand*HongKugyong,whowielded great powerin theearly yearsofChongjo'sreign.In1780Hongwasexpelledto thecountryside.Hediedin1781.^Therice chestinwhich Prince Sadowasconfinedtodie. During Chongjo'sreign,thequestionof whosuggested that Prince Sadobelockedin arice chestandwho had thechest broughtinbecameaheated political issue, giving riseto awitchhunt.*Thecurfewgongwasstruckat 9P.M.Accordingto ahistorian's journal,HongPonghancameintothepalace much earlier thanChongjoasserts here.Buthe waswith several other high-ranking ministersandthey were promptly orderedtoleavethesceneof thefather-son confrontation.Hongcame back,but he waswith other ministers.SeeHaboush,Heritage,219-30.
208THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGsoIknowitverywell. Grandfatherhadnothingto dowiththefactthatthosetwothings were broughtinfromdifferentplaces.In myreplytoChong Ihwan's memorial,Ireluctantly referredto thephrase thatI finddifficultto use inordertoclarify[maternal]Grandfather'sinnocence.*Thewhole world knowsofit."Iasked,"Thenwhatis thecharge against Fathernow?"Thelate King said, "Perhapsit can becomparedtoCh'oeMyonggil'scriticismofthosewhoheld high positions under KingKwanghae^—atatimeofnational crisis, they,assenior ministers,failedtodie.Thisis anextreme though logically tenable position.ButHisLordship succeededinprotectingme, and hethus securedthedynasty. History will surely acknowledgethecrucial serviceherenderedto thedynasty. However, propriety doesnotpermitmetodeclareon thethronethathisprotectionof me wasright, whendiscussing rightandwrongin theaffairsofthat time.So I amlet-tingthemdo andargueasthey wish. Thatis why I amunabletocommend Grandfather.Butwhenmy sonascendsthethrone,howcanhefailtopraiseandhonortheloyal heart that protectedhisfatherandsecuredthedynasty?"Thelate King pointedto his sonandsaid,"Duringthereignofthat child, Grandfather willbe ex-culpatedandYour Ladyship willenjoyeven greaterfilialdevotionthan duringmyreign."Fromthewinterofsinkae(1791),thelate King collectedmyfather'swritingson theadministrationofgovernment,hismemo-rials,and hisdiscussionsinroyal audiences.Heentitledthemanu-script "Collected Memorials" (Chugo) and personally edited it*SoonafterChongjo'saccession, Royal Secretary ChongIhwansenta me-morial denouncingHongPonghanforthree crimes.One wasthatHonghadsuggested thattherice chestat theRoyal Guardbebroughtin. In hisreply,ChongjodefendedHong,saying,"ThisissomethingI finddifficulttobringupbetweentherulerand theminister,andbetweenthesuperiorand theinferior.Ontheseventhday of thesecond monthin thesinmyo(1771),HisLateMajestysaidtome,weeping,'Ifsomedayanofficialweretobringup to you theissueofthesetwowords["thatthing"],hewouldnotonlybedisloyalto me butalso impuretoyou.ThereasonIpunishedHan Yu and SimUijiwasthat they broughtupthematterofthesetwowords.HongPonghanhadnothingto dowithit. Thething arrivedwhile Ponghanwasstill waiting outside. Outsidersdon'tknow,butthey think thatPonghan recommendedit to me. But thetruthisdifferent.'"GS,iipa-ioa.^Ch'oeMyonggilwas one of the keypeoplewhojoinedin thesuccessfulcoupof1623that dethroned King Kwanghaeandinstalled KingInjo.Themeritoriousministersof the newregime maintainedadeeply critical stance toward thosewhoservedunder Kwanghae.
THEMEMOIROFl8O22O9piecebypiece.In thetwelfthmonthof thekimiyear(1799),afteralmostadecadeoflabor,themanuscriptwas put inorder.Itcon-tained aboutsixtypiecesthatthelate King composedasprefacestovarious writingsof myfather.3One day thelate King cameinaccompaniedby thepresent Kingandread some piecestohim.Heshowedhim theentire collection, adding,"OnlynowhaveIrepaidGrandfather'sloyal serviceanddonemydutyas agrandson."Hesaidto me, "Ihave sung unstinting praiseofGrandfather's loyaltyandhismeritorious deeds.Indescribing him,Ihave employedwords thatreferto theDukeofChou.AttimeshebecomestheLordofWei,attimesHanFu-p'i,attimesasageor aworthy.*Once published, this book willbetransmittedto ahundred gen-erations. There willnolongerbe anycausetodiscusshispastsufferings."In thefourth monthofkyongsin(1800),thelate King composedanintroductionand aprefaceto theentire collectionandwrotetomythird brother, saying,"Grandfather'sloyal service willbe re-vealedbythis."This letterispreservedby myfamily.Thelate Kingthen saidto me, "At thetimeofpublication,Iintendtoincludeanother pieceon hismost exceptionalcontribution."Whathemeantwasthathecouldnotsuddenly praisemyfather's loyalserviceofprotectingandsavinghimduringthatfatefulyear,and sohewantedtowaitfor anoccasion when this service couldbegivenfullnotice.Ireadtheroyalprefaces.Thegraciousnessand thelib-eralityof thetributethelate King renderedto hismaternal grand-fatherwasextraordinary. Indeed,itexceeded anythinga sonmighthavecomposed. Movedandgrateful,Ibroughtmyhands togetherandsaid,"TodayIfeelthe joy ofhavingaruler-son. This vindi-catesmylifeofshame."However,mytormentedfateisstillnotresolved!In thebottom-lesssorrowoflosingmyson,I had to see theclamor overmyfather'scollected memorials. Some even insisted thatthelateKing'scompositions, which were interspersed amongmyfather'swritings, shouldbeeliminatedfromthemanuscript.^With this,the*TheDukeofChouwas one of thecardinal paragonsofvirtuein theCon-fuciantradition.HanCh'iwas awise ministerof theSung dynasty.Hepacifiedarebellionandcontributedto apeacefulsuccession.He wasenfeoffedas theLordofWei.HanFu-p'iwasalsoawise ministerof theSung dynasty.*Theimplicationisthataguilty person shouldnothavethehonorofhavingtheKing writeprefacesfor hiswritings.
210THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGhumiliationof mylatefatherreachedanextreme;thepersecutionunleashedon my ownperson spunout ofcontrol.But thederisionwasextendedtoreachthelate Kinghimself1.Thoughthelate Kingisnolonger withus, his son is thesovereign whom everyone claimsashislord.Yettheydothis sortofthing. Whattimes arethese?Howdepraved!The firstroyal edict[of1776]that sentmyuncleintoexile saidthathe had "noseditious intentionsorsuspiciousambitions."Inimja,(1792)thelate King declared that "The remark'Hedoesnotneedtoknow'is asambiguousas'Onecan'tsaythereisn't.'Theremarkis notsufficientlyincriminatingthatheshouldbepunishedforit. Hewillbeclearedofguilt someday."Inrecent yearshespokeof myuncle quite frequently, treatinghim asthoughhe hadalreadybeen declared innocent.Of hisplansfor hismaternalfamily,thelate King usedtosay,"Assoonas wecarryout the bigtaskinkapchci,(1804),Iwill alsosee to itthatall thecharges [againstthemembersof theHongfamily]willbenullified. Regretsofmotherand son will be dispelled at once." In the second month of kyong-sin(1800),hereaffirmedthis intentionin anedict that said,"Iwanttoexonerateoneperson todayandanothertomorrowsothatnone will remain condemnedand nofamilyruined.Inthatway,wewillliveingreat peaceandharmony."*ButI wasrather impatient withthe way thelate Kingwasput-tingthingsofftokapcha,(1804).Isaid,"Thatwillbe myseventiethyear.Thereis noguarantee thatIwill livetothat age. Besides,whatif mylord doesnothonor today'spledgeatthattime?" Thelate King answeredinanger,"DoesYour Ladyship think thatIwilldeceiveaseventy-year-old mother?" ThusIcoulddonothingbutto eagerly await the kapcha year. Because of my odious and miser-ablefate,noneofthese plansandpledges weretomaterialize.Mymiserableplightand myfamily'smisfortune have reached thisun-believablepoint.I do notbelieveIhave encountered suchacaseasthisin anyhistory book. Underthecircumstances, whatis the useofliving evenfor amoment longer?*Chongjo declaredalarge-scale amnesty whenheappointed SunjoasCrownPrincein thesecond monthof1800.Thinkingtheamnestytooextensive,officialsincludingthePrime Minister requested that Chongjo rescindit.ThiswasmoreorlesshowChongjoreaffirmedhisintentiontoexonerateasmany peopleaspossible.CS,53:26a-b.Fordetailson the1776edictand1792declaration aboutHongIn-han,seeTheMemoirof1801,162-63.
THEMEMOIROFl8O2211Myonly hopeis thepresent King. Though young,hetakesafterhisfatherinbenevolenceandfilialpiety.Iprayday andnight thatonce he reaches maturity, he will execute the unfulfilled wishes ofhisfather.Theroyal marriageof thekapchayz&r(1744)alteredmyfamily'sposition,and so myfatherdid notwishtotakethecivil examina-tions. However,thescholarsof themountainsandforestsopined,"Thefather-in-lawof theCrown Princehas aunique position.It issenselesstoforesweartheexamination."Myfathertookit andpassedit in thetenth monthofthat year.HisMajestyKingYongjohadbeen anxiously awaitingtheresultand waspleased withthenews.ThePrince, though young,wasdelighted."Myfather-in-lawpassedtheexamination,"heannounced happily.No onefromthefamiliesofeither LordKyongiinorLord Talsonghadsucceededin themunkwaexaminationand so myfatherwas the firstroyalaffinewho hadpassedit inquitealongwhile.*Pleased with theirnewin-law'ssuccessfulcandidacy, Their Royal Highnesses QueenDowager InwonandQueen Chongsong summonedmespeciallytooffercongratulations. QueenChongsong'sfamilyhadsufferedinthesinim(1721-1722)purge,and she waspartial towardtheNoron.HerdelightatFather's successwas asgreatas if it hadbeenher ownfather's.I wasoverwhelmedandtouchedby herenthusiasm.HowvividlyIremember this sceneas if itwere justyesterday!Theworldin itsignorancehasassumed thatHisMajesty's trustinmyfatherwas due tofamilialrelations. Thiswas nottrue.In thespring of kyehfre (1743) my father, as student representative at theRoyalCollege,had aroyal audienceatSungmun Hall.At thetime,HisMajestywasgreatly impressed withFather—theway heofferedhisopinionand the way hecarried himselfin theroyal presence.Whenheretired that day,HisMajestysaidtoLady Sonhui,"TodayIhave seena[potential] ministerfor theCrownPrince.""Whoisit?" Lady Sonhui asked. "The student representativeHong,"hereplied, adding,"I amofferingapalace examination, hoping thatthisHongwillpass."This episodewaslater relatedto me byLadySonhui. Judgingbythis story,myfather's relationship withthe*Themunkwawas thehighestof thecivilservice examinations. LordKyon-gunwas thefatherofQueen Inwon. Lord Talsongwas SoChongje,thefatherofQueen Chongsong,Yongjo'sfirstqueen.
212THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGthrone began whenhe was astudent-scholar,atwhich timeHisMajestyhadalready markedhim as afutureminister.At thetimeof thefinalselectionof aprincessconsort,therewereother well-recommended girls; thoughI was thegrand-daughterof aminister, Grandfatherwasdeceased,and so I was thedaughter of a mere student-scholar. This made their selection ofmequite exceptional.HisMajesty's sagacious heartfavoredme,but thedecisivefactorwasthatI was thedaughterof onewhomHisMajestywasplanningtoemployinmajorcapacities. Evenif hehad notbeenaroyalaffine,myfatherwould surely havehad asuccessfulcareer givenhistalentsandabilities, whichhadalreadyimpressedthethrone. Becauseof me, he wasplaced under extremeconstraintsandsubjectedtounbelievably complex political situa-tions.In theend,hefacedmountingcalumny,and hispoliticalfortunesplummeted.Hediedbeforehistime with bitternessin hisheart.Thebenefithereceivedfrombeingaroyalaffinewassmall,but hissufferingbecauseof it wasgreat. Thiswas allbecausehehad me.ThusIhave livedmylifeinguiltandbitterness.Afterhissuccessin theexamination, Father grew rapidlyin HisMajesty'sesteem.He wasappointedto asuccessionofoffices,eachwith heavier responsibilities thanthelast.Atvarious points,he wasentrusted with currencyandgrain, militarytroops,4and finally thepremiership.Hisabsolute impartiality,hiscomplete sincerity,histalent,and hiswide knowledge pleasedHisMajesty's sagaciousheart. Never oncedid hecommitanimproprietyorviolatearule.Duringthetwenty yearsthatFather headed partsof themilitaryandcivilian bureaucracy,he saw thebenefitsandlossesof thepopulace, their painsandjoys,as hisown.Nomalfeasanceorabu-sivepracticethathenoticed eitherin or out of thebureaucracywasleftuncorrected.Tothis very day, those correctionsare inforce.Admittedly, thiswaspossible mostly becauseof theremarkablecompatibility betweenhim and HisMajesty,arareandoutstandingexamplein theannalsofroyal-ministerial relations. However,if notforhistalentsandextraordinary senseofloyalty,hecouldnothaveaccomplishedsomuch.Myfather's political fortunesdidtakeadismalturn,and hefellvictimtoendless slanderandcalumny.Butthatwas allbecauseofvariationson twobaseless stories.Thoughhe was inpublic serviceforthirty years,no one hasremotely intimatedthatanycourseofactionhetookled to thedeclineof thenationorbrought harmto
THEMEMOIROFl8O2213thepeople.Notonly educated scholarsandofficialsbutrankandfilesoldiers, ordinary residentsof thecity,andeven ignorant peo-pleinrural areas rememberhisvirtueandfeelindebtedtohim.Their overwhelming consensusisthat"wereit not forMinisterHong,neither theynor thenation would have survived." ThisisnotwhatI, out ofprivateaffection,say.If onewereto askanyoneinthestreet, evenachildor asoldier,onewould hear thatmyfatherwas awise minister indeed. This verdictiscertainlynotwhatisaccordedaperson justforwielding powerfor along time.Hismanyaccomplishmentsinofficearewell known.Thelate Kingenumerated themin hisprefaceto the"CollectedMemorials,"5andI do notwishtorepeat them. HereIwill onlypointout howutterly unjusttheaccusations againsthimwere.Adetailed accountof how hefellvictimtothat vicious calumnyisrecordedelse-where.*Thereis noneedfor me to gointoithere.Supposethat Prince Sado's illnesshad notreached that inde-scribablydifficultstateorthatHisMajestyhad notbecome awareofit, andthat Fatherforsome peculiar reasonhadinformedHisMajestyof thePrince's illnessandprovidedhimwith"thatthing,"advisinghimwhatto dowithit. Ofcoursehe was myfather,butafterall,one'shusband comesbeforeone'sfather,andthoughImaybe anignorant woman,Iknowofthis most basicofprinciples.Thus,hadthat beenthecase, wouldI nothavehad thediscrim-inationtofollowmyhusbandindeathat thetime?Evenif I hadbeen unableto dothat,wouldIstill have maintainedadaughter-fatherrelationship? Whatof myson,thelateKing?Wouldhehaveintercededonbehalfof hisgrandfatherin thesinmyoyear(1771)?Wouldhehave gonetosuch lengthstodefendhismaternalgrandfather,refutingthat memorial[ofChongIhwan]andcitingHisMajesty's words?HadFather been guilty, would Heaven haveallowedhislinetocontinue? WouldI,even reducedtowhatIamatpresent, have survivedforfortyyearsandreceivedthe filialdevotionof mydescendants?Atthetime[ofPrince Sado'sdeath],thefutureof thenationhung imperiled, sustainedby nomore thanathread.Had mylatefathermishandledthesituation,theruinof myfamilywould havebeenbut asecondary matter;theverysurvivalof thelate King* SeeTheMemoirof'1801,150-55.
214THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGwouldnothave beenpossible.Faced with that inexorable situation,myfatherwailedandcried, shed tearsofblood,but, despitehisgrief,succeededinprotectingthelate Kingandpreserving thismonarchyrightuntothisveryday. BecauseHisMajestytrustedmyfatherandrelied upon him,hepreservedthelate King. Otherwise,inthat towering rage, pursuing suchacourseofaction towardhisownson, wouldhehaveconsideredhisgrandson?Hadthathap-pened, what would theysay of himnow?Howcensoriousthejudgmentoflater generations! Situatedas hewas, what,then,would have beentheright coursefor myfather?Tobeathisheadupon those stones tillhedied, leavingtheGrandHeirtoperishaswell? Or, seeing that the situation had gone beyond the reach ofhope, shouldhe nothave actedtosavetheGrandHeir,continuingthedynasticline?Oneneednotconsultmen ofknowledgetofindananswer.Thelate King usedto say to me,"Grandfather'sloyaltywasrareevenamongtheancients.Topreventofficialcriticism,Ihave beenunabletoacknowledge eitherhisloyaltyor hismerit.Ihaveno onetoblameforthis. ThusI act asthoughmuddledorduped, justmarkingtime.Haven'tIeven [posthumously] exoneratedthatmonstrousHan Yu of hiscrime!Thepressureto do soovercamemyresistance,6but Iknowthatthisis not arighteous principlefortheages. Fromthenext reign, Grandfather's meritandaccom-plishments willbemanifest.Iwishtochangehisposthumoustitletoincludethecharacterck'ung(loyalty)."Hesaid this hundredsandthousandsoftimes. Lady Kasun also heardit. Iwouldnot ut-ter onewordofexaggeration just becausehe is nolonger withus.Becauseofthese desires,thelate King laboredtenyearson myfather'sofficialpapers. Oblivioustofatigue,heworkedonthemdayandnight,composing many piecesof his own forinclusioninthebook. Whatheintendedto dowith this publicationwas notjusttohonormyfather's long public serviceand hisaccomplish-ments;hewishedtoshowtheworldthedepthof hisappreciationforhisgrandfather's loyalandadmirable serviceinprotectinghimandstabilizingthedynasty.Whoamongtheministerswhowerecloseto thelate Kingdo notknowofthis?Hestill worriedthatFather's rolein theincidentofthat year[1762]mightnot be follyunderstood.Hesearchedforwaystodeclarehimguiltlesswithouthavingtoresortto aseparate explanation.Forthis reason, wheneditingtheentryfor thethirteenthday of the fifthmonthin the
THEMEMOIROFl8O2215imoyear(1762)in myfather'slifechronology,thelate King care-fullywrote downtheprecise time [when Prince Sado enteredthericechest].Healso addedalong descriptionof howdevotedlyandcarefullymyfatherattendedto hisdutiesasdirectorof[PrinceSado's]funeraland how hetook care thattheminutest detailsofthefuneralrites were properlyobserved.7Thelate King then askedmybrothers, "His Lordship's memorialon theimoevent, whichhesubmittedto thethronedirectly,*is notincludedin hiscol-lectedworks.8Whatis thereasonforthis?"Mybrothers answered,"It isbecausewe arestill boundby theorder prohibitingthecir-culationofpublic documents concerningtheincidentofthatyear."^Thelate King said,"Thatis notwritteninstone. Besides,that memorial revealsHisLordship's true intentionsand thefactsoftheincident.Whydon'tyouinclude it?"Heurged themre-peatedly.Butbeforelong,mybrothermetwithcalamity,*and sothiswas notdone.Howexcitedandpleasedthelate KingwaswhenheobtainedHisMajesty's handwritten letterof thesinmyoyear(1771)exoner-atingmyfather!Hesaid,"Let'sinclude thisin theRecordsof theCrown PrinceOffice."Includingit in myfather'slifechronology/hesaidto me, "Ifinallyfoundawritten accountofwhatIwit-nessedmyself.Now Ihave included this pieceinGrandfather'slifechronology.It isirrefutableevidence[of hisinnocence] that willstandfor athousand yearstocome.Ihavenoregrets."Had myfatherbeen involvedin theincidentofthat year evenin thesmall-estdegree,thelate King wouldnothave spokenof hisgrandfatherinthis way.Norwouldhehave eventhoughtofworkingonhisgrandfather's"CollectedMemorials"or hislifechronology.Inmattersthatallowednodeviation,thelate King always upheldrighteous principles, evenif itmeant leaving somethingunfulfilled*AccordingtoChosoncourt custom, memorialsto thethrone were receivedbytheRoyal Secretariat.Inexceptional circumstances, high-ranking ministers wereallowedtohand their memorialsto theking directly.^Therewas a ban ondiscussionsof the1762incident.*This phrase mustreferto theexecutionofHongNagimin1801.Itseemsthat withhisdeath,theprojecttopublishHongPonghan'scollected works cameto anend.§HongPonghan'slifechronology(yonbo)wascompiledfor themost partbyHongNagin,hisson.It wascompletedbysomeone else, perhapsChongjohimself.
216THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGin the way heservedhisparents.*If he hadfeltthathismaternalgrandfatherhad notbeenanexemplarofrighteousprinciples,hecertainlywouldnothave forgivenhimjust becausehe was hisgrandfather.Beyondthat,thelate Kingwas notmerely expressingtheusualfamilialrespectbut anextraordinary encomiumto hisgrandfather.Doesoneneed more persuasion thanthis?Myfatherwasexoneratedof allthree chargesin thekapchinyear(1784),^whichonewould ordinarily taketomean thathe hadpreviouslysufferedunfairaccusations.But forsome inexplicablereason, my father was yet again reviled for that same old charge ofwhich he had been exonerated in kapchin (1784). What injustice!Twoopinions have emerged concerningtheeventofthatyear[1762].One isthatHisMajesty's decisionwas animpartialandbrilliantact ofjustice. Thosewhohold this opinion callit themostsagaciousandadmirableof HisMajesty's accomplishments,one inharmony withall ofHeavenandEarth.Theother opinionisthatPrinceSadowas not ill but metthat tragedy unjustly. Thosewhoholdtheformeropinion assumethecriminalityofPrinceSado,thatheharboredatruly evil intent. This rendersanauraofrigh-teousness to His Majesty's act. It makes it a meritorious deed ofthe same nature as vanquishing an enemy nation. But what kind ofperson does this view makeofPrince Sado; where doesitleavethelateKing?This view discredits Prince Sadoand thelate King.Thesecond view,on theother hand, implies thatHisMajestytookthatextreme measure againsttheCrown Princeon thebasisofmereslander. This opinion might originatein awishtoconsole PrinceSadoand torestorehishonor,but itdoesso at theexpenseof HisMajesty'svirtue.Both viewsareequallyfaulty.Both display terrible improprietytowardtheThree RoyalGenerations*anddistortreality.As my*Notconferring titlesofkingandqueen upon them, whichwas inadherenceto hisdutytoYongjo.^Chongjo posthumously clearedHongPonghanof thethreecharges—thathegaveYongjotherice chestinwhich Prince Sadowasconfinedtodie, thathe be-grudgedthe use oftop-quality ginseng duringYongjo'sillness,andthathedis-cussedthepossibilityofofferingaposthumous royal titletoPrince Sado(CS,iSiiyb-iSb;Chongjo,Hongjaechonso,32:15b-i8b).Hongwasaccusedof thefirst crime by Han Yu in 1771 (Yongjo sillok [hereafter TS], in Choson wangjo sillok^ii7:7a-8a);thesecondandthird crimesby KimKwanjuand KimKwijuin1772(TS,iI9:6a-i2b).AfterwardsHongwasperiodically accusedofthese three crimes,including oncebyChongIhwanshortlyafterChongjo'saccession.Forexample,seeGS,npa-b.*Yongjo, Prince Sado,andChongjo.
THEMEMOIROFl8O22iylate father saidonseveral occasions,it wasclearlyanillness[on thepartofPrince Sado],but,thoughit wasillness,thesafetyof HisMajestyand thedynasty itself were sustainedby amere breath.Therewas noway,despitehisunfathomable sorrowandpain,forHisMajestytoavoid that decision.As forPrince Sado,hecouldhavebeen blamed onlyif hepossessedhissenses.As hegrew moreafflicted,helosthistrue nature;he wasunawareofwhathe wasdoing. What mustberegrettedisthathebecameill;it hadabso-lutelynobearingon hisvirtue.Asthiswas thetruth,onemustsaythatHisMajesty's decisionwasmade under irresistible pressures, that Prince Sado couldnothavebeen helped,andthatthelate King knewhisduty evenas hesuffereddeep grief. Only when this complete pictureispresentedcanthetruthbetoldandjustice achievedforall.The firstopiniondescribesHisMajesty's decisionassagacious, making Prince Sadoacriminal, whiletheother,seekingtobenefit Prince Sado, makesHisMajestyanunfeeling parent. Bothareunjustto theThreeRoyalGenerations.Andthen therearethosewhomaintain thatHisMajestywasrightbut areintentonplacingall theblameon mylatefather.Intotal ignoranceofwhat happened, they insist thatmyfatheroffered"thatthing."How canthisbe? Arethey tryingto beloyalto HisMajestyKingYongjoor arethey tryingto beloyalto HisHighnessPrinceSado?Theyaremerely turningtheincidentofthat year intoapit inwhichtoensnare people. That incident,inwhose shadowIhavelivedinunbearable painandsorrowforevery minuteofthesefortyyears,hasbecomethecenterof acunning scheme with whichthey harm people,afoothold with which they advance themselvesintheworld.Oh! Iwailinbitterness.Afterthedemiseof thelate King, that evil cliquehasrisenintheworld.*Dissatisfiedandangry that they couldnotcompletelyeliminateme,they brought calamityto mybrotherandmademyfatheraleaderoftraitors.Iteven cametopassthataroyal decreewasissued withmyfather's name headingthecriminal list. ThoughI amignorantof thehistoryof theages,I do notbelievethat,eveninthemost venalanddepravedofsocieties, therecanhave beensuchanevil cliqueas the onethat,in thepresenceof thelate*Because Sunjowasunderagein1800,Queen DowagerChongsunactedasregent.Herfamilyandthosewhowere opposedtoLadyHyegyong'sfamilywereinpower. LadyHyegyongisreferringtothem.
218THEMEMOIRSOFLADYHYEGYONGKing's mother, listedthelate King's maternalgrandfatheras aheadtraitoranddisseminatedthedecreeto thewhole country. More-over, their written recommendationtopersecutemybrother,whichwassentto thethronein thesixth monthof thesinyuyear(1801),containedapassage saying thata"certainsibling"of mybrotherwas"incomparablytraitorous."*Whocould they havebeen referringto as mybrother'ssibling?Who but me?They wereopenly callingme anarch-traitor. This showshow theworldhaschanged,howprecipitously ministerial integrityhasfallen.Thereisanoldsaying thatit is notenoughtowailandshedtears.Still, eventhatdoesnotadequately expressmystateofmind.Becausemyfatherwas sounfortunateas tohave livedindifficultandprecarious times,heremainedinofficefor alongtime.Gracedbyaprofound royal trust that heldhim in avery special regardandburdened withthecaresof thenationandanxietiesfor theyoungGrandHeir,hecould not, despiteaconstantandacute longingtoretire, disengage himselffromthedutiesofoffice.Shamefully,undertheinfluenceofevents,heremainedandthusfailedtoliveup to the[standardsof]loyaltyandintegrityof theancients.^Ifamanofrigorous principleandhonestyatcourtor inprivatelifecouldnotfathommyfather's true intentionsand hadcriticizedhim, sayingthathelacked solemn loyaltyand theintegrityof ahigh minister,myfatherwould have smiledandacceptedit as hecertainly should have.NorwouldIhave mindedthatcriticism.Myfamily,whichhadservedinofficeforgenerations, seemedforawhiletohave enteredaperiodofunobstructed fortune.Menof theyounger generation passedthecivil service examinationsoneafteranother;thegloryof thefamilyoverflowedand itspowergrew excessive.It is not oddthatpeople grew angryat us andthatghostsandspirits shunnedus.Reflecting upon thisafterfallingintoruin,I find it tenthousand times regrettableandbitterthatmyfamilydid notdepartfromthepathsofpower,butinsteadre-mained immersedin the flow ofexaminationsandofficialposts.Yetit istrulyunjustthatmyfamilyreach this extremepoint,maligned*Therecommendation they sent latein the fifthmonth requestingthe ex-ecutionofHongNagimandUnonand theedict they sentearlyin thesixth monthannouncing their deathsarecouchedinviciousandcondemnatory language.But Icouldnot findthis exact phrasein theSillokversion.5S,3:i9a-2ia,3:24a-b.^Bythis standard,HongPonghan should haveretiredfrompubliclifeuponthedeathofPrince Sado.
THEMEMOIROFl8O2219byslanderandcalumny.Howvividlydo I seethat prosperityanddecline, calamityandfortune, joinin acircle.As myfamilyhas de-clinedafterhaving flourished,Ibeseech Heavenintearsandbloodthatperhaps someday this bitterinjusticewillbeknownto theworldandthat calamity shall turntofortune.Kwiju'sfamily,catapultedout ofpovertyandobscurity9intosudden prominenceby theroyal marriageinkimyo(1759),exhib-itedtheinevitable awkwardnessandinexperience.Mylatefatherdecided thatit was in thebest interestsof allparties concerned thatthe tworoyalaffinalfamiliesmaintainacordial relationship. Thusheinstructed them and, with inexhaustible careandattention,arrangedtoconceal their rusticandunrefined manners.In the be-ginningthe Kimfamilywasgratefulandeven movedby hiscon-cern,but astheir powerandinfluenceincreased, their hearts grewmore wicked,andeventually they becameourswornenemies.Howincredible!Kwiju'sfatherwas a man ofsuspiciousanddevious nature,butKwijuwaseven worse,atruly depraved, vicious,andviolent char-acter.Hadthey modeled themselvesafterLordKyongiin,*whowould have faultedthem?They were originallyfromCh'ungch'ongProvinceandwereonfriendlyterms with thosewhoespoused dis-tortedandpeculiar theories.KimHallok,Kwiju'sfirstcousin onceremoved,thefatherofKwanju,was adiscipleofthatNamdang.^Heactedasthoughhewere engagedin thebusinessofscholarship.Thus those scholarsfromCh'ungch'ongProvince lookedup toandrelied uponKwijuand hisfamilyasthough they were godsandspirits.Bypromotingandsupporting these scholars' theories, how-ever,Kwijuandcompany deviatedfromtheir proper placeasroyalaffines.*Nor didthey managetomaintainaconsistent positionthroughout,asthey dropped their supporthalfwaythrough. Whatdistinguished themwastheir arrogance, absurdly pretendingto be*KimChusin.LikeKimHan'gu,heheldnoofficialpostat thetimeof hisdaughter's enthronement,butafterhisdaughter's marriage,hemaintaineda lowprofile.^Namdangwas the nom deplumeof HanWonjin(1682-1751),avery well-knownNeo-Confucianscholar.Hisfamousdebate withYiKan, knownas the"Horakdebate,"concerned human nature. LadyHyegyongseemsto bedisdainfulofthis debateand thescholars involvedin it.Noneofthem servedinoffice.*Royalaffineswere expectedtosupporttheroyal house.As arule, they werenotexpectedtopresent themselvesas"purescholars"whoshunnedoffice.
220 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGsomethingthatthey werenot andbehavinginsuchanaltogetherludicrous manner that they became laughingstocks.Sincemyfamilywas anillustriousonethathadproduced highministersforgenerationsand hadbecome royalaffinesearlier thantheKims, they resentedus,suspecting thatwemight scornandlook down upon them. During kyongjin and sinsa (1760-1761),when Prince Sado's illness reachedanirreversible pointand HisMajestyshowered specialfavorupon themas newrelatives,theevilheartsofKwijuand hisclique emergedintotheopen. Conferring,they agreed: "Now thattheCrown Prince's lossofvirtuehasreached thispoint,something decisive willbefallhimsoon.Inthatcase,itwouldbeonly rightif his sonwerenot to bepreservedeither.Ifthis weretohappen,asthereis noother prince,thethrone would havetoadoptason.We, as[adoptive] maternalrelativesto the newCrown Prince, wouldenjoypowerandgloryforalong timetocome."While they indulgedinthese daydreams, theyfearedthat,be-causeHisMajestysocompletely trustedmyfather,theGrandHeirmightbepreservedand sotheir dream would vanish. Thusinsinsa(1761),whenKwijuwaslittle more than twenty,hedaredtosendHisMajestyaletterinwhichhecriticizedmyfatherandimplicatedChongHwiryang.*HisMajestywasastoundedby hisbehaviorandinnouncertain terms warnedHerHighnesstheQueenthatthissimplywouldnot do. Inintimating thatmyfatherfailedto ad-monish Prince SadoandthatChongHwiryangfailedtoreporttothethrone Prince Sado's [secret] triptoP'yongyang,^Kwiju'sin-tention couldnotpossibly have been simplytoharmmyfather;hewasensuring thatHisMajestywouldbeinformedof themisstepsofHisHighnesstheCrown Prince.It isimpossiblefor apersoninhispositionto bemore nakedly evilandcovetous than this. Duringthis period,onePalace MatronYi, asisterof YiKyehung,was inroyalfavor.Sheoftenwaited uponHisMajestyandmediated cer-tain things betweenHisMajestyandPrince Sado.She sawKwiju'sletterand was flabbergasted andchagrined.Sheprotestedto theQueen,"Howdare Your Highness'sfamilyengageinthat kindofbehavior?"anddemanded, "Please washit outwithwater."My*Sending suchaletterto thekingwas abreachofpublic conductin theChosoncourt.^Prince Sado made this trip incognitoin1761withouthisfather's permission.Fordetails,seeTheMemoirof'1805,302-3.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O2221fathercameto beawareofKwiju'sintentionsfromthis incidentandwasdeeply concerned thoughhementionedit to noone,noteventoPrinceSado.One cangatherfromthis thathe did notwantaconfrontation withtheKims.Justasthey were most envious,feelingthatthefather-in-lawoftheKing shouldbemore important thanthefather-in-lawof theCrown Prince,andjust when their schemetoeliminateus wasripening, that tragic event* occurred. They must have been over-joyed, thinking thattheGrand Heir wouldbeswept aside. Therewouldbe anadoption; they would become maternal relativesofthisnewprince whiletheHongswouldbeannihilated. Instead,theGrand Heir becametheCrown Prince,myfamilywaspreservedintact,and myfatherservedasministerof theState Council.Overwhelmedbychagrin, they made that unprecedented, viciousblasphemy.Thiswas aschemeto sowseedsofconfusionanddoubtinHisMajesty's sagacious heartinordertoeliminatetheGrandHeir. Though they uttered this evil phrase,I canscarcely beartowriteitwithmybrush.If Iwerenot towriteitclearly, however,Ifearthat later generations mightbeperplexedby itscontent,andsoIwill push myselftorecordit.Shortlyafterthat terrible event,KimHallokdeclaredat ameet-ing of theKimsofHongju,"TheGrand Heiris acriminal'ssonandthus cannot possibly succeedto thethrone.WhoamongthedescendantsofT'aejo^wouldnot do aswellashe?" Thisiswhatthe world refers to as the sixteen-character blasphemy (simyukchahyungori).All theKimspresentat themeeting heardit, and astheyrepeatedit, itreachedeverywhere—thoughno onecould reallyrepeat suchahorrid phrase verbatimout in theopen.But Iheardit, and so did theGrandHeir.Eachof usthoughtitunbelievablyhideous.At thesame time,weonly half believeditsauthenticity.Not solong ago,thelate King saidto me, "I wasalwaysin-credulousofthat blasphemy attributedto theHallokandKwijugroup.But Irecentlyverifiedit."Iasked, "Howdid youfindout?"Thelate King said,"Rumorhad itthat this phrasewasspokenatafamilygatheringof theKalmigroupof theHongju Kims.OnenightKimIsongof theOfficeofSpecial Counselorswas onduty.*ThedeathofPrince Sadoin1762.^Thefounderof theChosondynasty.
222 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGHe is aKalmiKim,and so Ithoughthemight know.Iurged him,'Don'thide. Tellme thetruth.'Ialternatelycajoledandpressedhim.At first he wasrather hesitantand was notforthcoming.Butafterall, wouldn'tI beabletohandle someone youngandinex-periencedlikethat?Finallyhecameoutwith everything.Hetoldmethathe hadactually heard Hallok utter that phrase,as hadmanyotherKims.They immediately wentto KimSich'an,theheadofthat branchof the Kimfamily,andreportedto himwhat theyhadheard.KimSich'anwasgreatly alarmedanddeeply incensed.Hefeltthatthestatementleftnodoubtas to thetraitorousin-tentionsofKwijuandHallok,and hewarnedtheyoungstersof thefamilythat they shouldfirmlydistinguish between whatwasloyalandwhatwastraitorous.KimIsongalso mentioned thatthephrasedid notjust comefromHallok,butthatit hadoriginated withKwiju.Afterallthese years,Ihavetheproof thatit wastrue.Isn'titincredible!Yet if Iweretobringit upnow, thereisnotelling whattherepercussions mightbe. It isbestto saynothingfor the mo-mentand tohavealong lookat thefuture.That group should stillbefeared.Bettertoaccommodateandsoothe them rather thantocallforterrible incidentsthatmight cause deepresentment."Thelate King continued,"Ialso heard thatafterthat year theyevensettled upon someone they would recommendto thethroneforadoption. Thiswas allpartof thescheme that began with thatblasphemousphrase. Just imagine! Somefoolplacedon thethroneasthelordof thenation and, perhaps,in allpompandgrandeur,receivingthehumble obeisancesof theentirebureaucracy!Whatarepulsivepicture!ThemoreIthink aboutit, themore deeplyIshudderattheir treacherous heartsandviciouswords."When the late King appointed Kwanju10 the Magistrate ofTongnae,hetoldmethathe wasdoing"somethingthat cannotbeeasilyexplained, something extremely complicatedanddifficult."Ofcourse,thelate King cannot havefailedtoobserve thatKwijuand hisclique were vicious traitors.Hehad,infact,known thisforalong time.In thepyongsinyear(1776),forinstance, whenhedealt withKwiju'scase,helisted onlyhisminoroffensesandlefttherestof hiscrime unspecified, sayingthatit was"somethingtrulyunmentionable."*This unmentionable crimewasnone other*UponChongjo'saccessionin1776,KimKwijuwasbanishedtoHuksanIsland.Onthis occasion,Chongjobitterly condemnedKimHan'gu,KimKwiju,andChongHugyomfortheir intrigues againstHongPonghan.CS,2:27a~3ib.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O2223thanthatblasphemy. From thisone can seethatthelate Kinghadbeen informed of this crime before pyongsin^ but when he spokewithKimIsong,heobtained indisputable proof. Since ancienttimes there must have been many traitorsandrebelswhopushedsomefoolontothethroneandbetrayedtherightful heir.As forourroyal house,thesix-generation line descendingfromKingHyojonghas but oneroyal descendant,theGrandHeir.*None-theless, blindedbygreedforwealthandpower,Kwiju'scliquewishedto doawaywith thisonetrue blood line, placing sometotalstrangeron thethroneas "adescendantofKingT'aejo"andtak-ingthis countryas if itwere their own. There cannot possibly havebeenmore depravedandmonstrous villains than these traitors.This blasphemywasalsothereasonwhy theKimscameto re-gardmyfamilyastheir enemiesand topersecutemyfatherwithsuchdetermination.Aswordof theblasphemy spread, theyreal-ized that they could neithercarryouttheir schemesnordeny whattheyhadsaid.It was atabout this time thattheKims, actingasmenoflearning, begantobefriendso-called scholarsand topar-ticipateinscholarly debates. They gathered around them thosewhowere reducedtopoverty nearlyto thepointofdeath,eitherfromSeoulorfromthecountryside. These werethesort who,lackingliteraryormartial accomplishments, enjoyed idle talkanddelightedinschemesandgossip. Obviously they were covetousofmaterial gain,but theKimsbent over backwardtoattract them,pretendingthatthey were associating with themin thespiritofloyalfriendship.These rustics werethelowliestandmost lawlessofmalcontents.Not one ofthemin alltheir liveshadeven glimpsedthecourtyardof arichandpowerfulfamily.Nowsuddenly theyweretreatedto finefoodandsturdy clothes.Ifthey askedformoney, theygotmoney;ifthey askedforrice, theygotrice.If oneamong themfellill, ginsenganddeer horn were provided.If*King Hyojonghad anonly son, KingHyonjong,who inturnhad anonlyson, KingSukchong.Sukchonghadthree sonswhosurvivedtoadulthood.Thefirst,Kyongjong,died without issue,and thelast, PrinceYollyong,diedat the ageoftwenty, leavingnoheir.Themiddleson wasKingYongjo.Yongjo'sfirstson,PrinceHyojang,died leavingnoheir.Hissecondson wasPrince Sado. PrinceSado's heirby hislegal consort, Lady Hyegyong,wasChongjo,referredto as theGrandHeir.Prince Sadohadthree other sonsbysecondary consorts. Thus,asLadyHyegyong observes, only Sado's descendantsare in thedirect line unlessonegoesbackmore thansixgenerations. However,she isoverlookingthefactthatSadohadsonsbysecondary consorts.YongjoandSado were themselves sonsbysecondaryconsorts.
224 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGonemarriedordied, nothingwaswithheldfor theweddingor thefuneral.They were completely overwhelmedandfelteternallyin-debtedto theKimsinlifeand indeath. They went about singingthepraisesof theKims, declaring themto betrue sage scholarsamong royalaffines,andmakingitpossiblefor theKimstocon-tinue with their recklessplans.*Thiswas theevil scheme once usedbyWangMang.^Indisputably,Kwiju'sintentionwas toeventuallycrushmyfamily.Thelate Kingoftenremarked thatmyfathersaved several tensofthousandsoftaelsout ofregional tributesasemergencyfundsintheOfficeof thePalace GuardandthatOhungtogether withKwijuspentit all onthose they hiredintheir plantokill Father.Hefeltthisto besuchabitter irony that oncehementionedit to anofficialtowhomhefeltclose.Thelate King toldmethat thisoffi-cial's responsewas "Atrue description,indeed."It wastrulyoddthatKwiju'sgroupwas sosingle-mindedintheir determinationtoannihilatemyfamily.EvenifFatherhaderred against them, theyshouldnothave beensoantagonistic, sincethe twofamilieswereboundbyspecial relationships.Had wedone something disadvan-tageousorhostiletothem, then undertherulesofnormal humansentiment, they could have hatedus. Butfromthebeginning,wehadtreated them with kindnessandwithout evenoneiotaofhos-tility.NomatterhowlongIsearchfor apossible explanationfortheir hatred,Ijust cannotfind it.Nomatterhowthey triedtounderminetheGrand Heir withtheir evil wordsandschemes,HisMajesty'saffectionfor himstoodunchangedandroyal trustinFather continuedundiminished.Moreover,as theGrand Heir matured,hisposition grew even moresecure.They wereindismay. Then,soentirely unexpectedly, thatkich'uk(1769)incident involving those palace servantsoccurred.*Thelate Kingwasstill quite youngat thetimeand hecouldnothavebeenfullymindfulthathismaternal grandfatherandthisoldmother weresocompletelyandtotally devotedto hiswelfare.Hispassinganger cooledhisaffectionfor hismaternalfamily.*T'tmuhwarulp'ich'ianihagemandaniliterally means "causing themnot toavoidboiling waterand fire."^Wang Mangwas theinterloper who,in theviewof hisoverthrowers,usurpedthethronefromthelast emperorof theformerHandynasty.*Fordetails,seeTheMemoirof1801,144-49.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THE MEMOIR OF l8O2 225Hugyomwas notkindly disposed towardmyfamilyeither,andthroughhim,Kwijunoticed this changein theGrandHeir.Thinkingthat he finally had what he needed, Kwiju, in the manner of a thiefturningon hismaster withaclub,nowassumedtheroleof aloyalanddevoted followerof theGrandHeir,whomheflatteredandcajoled. He insinuated to the Grand Heir that my father, fond ofUnonandUnsin,wishedtoturn things againsttheGrandHeir.Healso announcedto thewhole worldthat"Hongismakingthingsdifficultfor theHeir Apparentwho,inturn,isslightingHong."Thosewhowantedanofficialpost overnightandthosewhocultivated self-interestandchanged withthetimes joinedin atonce.Theso-called"tenscholars"andmany other such groupsallrolled themselvesintoone bigclique scheming againstmyfather.In the third month of kyongin (1770), they finally found thatwretchHan YufromCh'ungch'ongProvince whom they couldpersuadetosend that evil memorial.It wasKwijuwhoplannedthewhole thing. ThisHan Yucouldnotboastofevenamodicumoflearningor amodest standing amongthegentlefolkof thecoun-tryside.He wasjustafoolish wretchfromsome remote backwater,anignorant, vicious,andfoolhardy personwho did notbelonginthecompanyofgentle-mannered people.Someyears previously,HisMajestyKingYongjohadbeendeeplyangeredbySong Myonghumand SinKyong. Lamentingwhathefeltto becriticismbyscholarsof hispolicyofgrandhar-mony,onwhichhe hadexpendedsomucheffortoverthefortyyearsof hisreign,HisMajestypunished SongandSin.*Thenhepublished the book called Yugottok (Instructions for later gen-erations),thegistofwhichwasthat scholars were leadingthe*In the fifthmonthof1764,Yongjoordered thatPakSech'e(1631-1695),arenowned scholar-statesmanwho hadserved underHyonjongandSukchong,becanonizedat theConfucian temple.PakSech'ehadbeenamemberof theSoron,andYongjo'smeasurewasmeanttodemonstrateto theincreasingly Noron-dom-inated bureaucracyhiscommitmentto thepolicyofgrand harmony.In thetenthmonth,SinKyong,agrandsonof PakSech'e, sentto thethrone Pak's writingsaccompaniedby his ownmemorial saying thatthe way thepolicyofgrandhar-monywasbeing pursuedbysomepowerfulministerswasinconsistent withhislategrandfather'shopes.In theeleventh month, when someone criticized this memo-rial,Sinsent anotherone inwhichhereaffirmedthatPakSech'e's usageof theterm"grandharmony"wasbeing misrepresentedby thepresent court.Sin wasbanished,andSongMyonghumandotherswhoexpressed agreement withSinweredemotedtocommoner status.TS,I03:24a,iO4:2ib-22a,iO4:32a-b,I04:33a-b.225
226 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGcountry astrayandthathissuccessors shouldnotemploythem.11Thiswastruly excessive,andthere were nonewho did notthinkitapity. Nevertheless, sinceit was anoctogenarian ruler doing thisinamomentofexcess,myfather—muchin the way inwhich youngermembersof afamily,inresponsetocomplaintsofingratitudeby arespected elder,seekhisforgivenesstoappeasehim—decidedthathe, an old andtrusted minister, shoulddonothing that wouldfurtherenragehissagacious heart. Trusting thatallwould under-stand,hecomplied withHisMajesty's promulgationofroyalin-structions.Hejust wantedtosmooth things over.He wasservinginatimeofgenuine complexityanddifficulty.Hisonly true con-cernwas toprotecttheGrandHeirso as toleavethefoundationofthenationfirm andstrong.As for therest,hetookarather philo-sophical approach; thatis, hejust decided that nothing couldorshouldbedone aboutanaging king's excessesandthat therewouldbe atime whenallwouldbeworked out. This was, indeed,acaseoferringbyactingfromone's humanity.It wasrootedin hisdevotionandconcernfor theGrandHeir.Soon word circulated that sendingamemorialto thethronecriticizing Yugollok would bring fame.* Someone persuaded thiswretchYu,saying,"If yousendamemorial aboutYugollok,thenyouwill achievefame.Youwillget anofficialpostin thefutureandbecome a yangban. This stupid wretch believed it. Having somecharacterstattooedon his arm as a way ofexpressinghisloyalty,hecametoSeoul,set topresentamemorial.Hehappenedto befriendlywithone SimUiji,whoknew thatKwijuwassearchingforsomeone.UijiandKwijuconferred with each otherandcoaxedYu.He should by all means bring up the issue of Tugollok^ but theyalsosaid,"Rightnow,Honghasbeenaministerfor solongand hewieldssomuch power thatHisMajestyistiredofhim.He didsomething wrongby theHeir Apparent, too,and so theHeirAp-parentnolonger caresfor himeither.Thewhole world knowsabout this,and yetpeopleareunabletobring themselvestoattack*Infact,theprotestwasgathering momentum.In the fifthmonthof1769,i,800students sentin ajoint memorial requesting thattheYugollokbeabrogated.Yongjo'sresponsewas tocomposeacontinuation,SokYu0ollok(ContinuationtoYugollok)(TS,H2:22a-b).YugollokandSokYugollokarelistedinMunhonpigo(3vols.,Seoul:Tonggukmunhwasa,1957,245:1la-b),buttheydo notseemtobeextant.^Yangbanis thecolloquial termfor amemberof thehereditaryaristocracy.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THE MEMOIR OF l8O2 227him.If youweretocriticizehim inyour memorial,thennotonlywouldyou get anofficialpost,but youwouldbeconsideredonewhoundertookagreatandmeritorious act." They temptedhimendlesslyinthisfashion.They also turnedtoother inducements.Kwijusent servantsto the inn atwhichHan Yu wasstayingandordered themtoinquire loudly,"Istherea Mr. HanfromCh'ongjuhere?HisLordshipthePrime Minister orderedthewretchbeseized.He isheretomake troublebysendingamemorial."Onother occasionstheservants covered theirfacesandheckled,"Weareorderedtochase this personout ofSeoul."Thus they baitedYu.Histemper roseand hegrew chagrined.UijuthencajoledYuwith thousandsofsweet wordsandpromises.Hesaid,"If yousendthis memorial,youwill acquireareputationforuprightnessandintegrity.Youwillenjoypowerandglory."HegaveYu amemorialthathehimself composed,andthis wretch,notdiscerning whetherhemightdie orliveorwhether whathe wasdoingwasrightorwrong, sentinthat vicious memorial.UndertheswayofHugyom,MadameChongwasconvincedthat onlybyeliminatingmyfamilycouldshe and her sonconsoli-date their power. Allied withKwiju,shetirelesslyandferociouslyslanderedmyfatherto HisMajestyuntilhissagacious heartwasseven-oreight-tenths turned against him.Myfatherwasrelievedof hispostfor arather insignificant issuein the firstmonthofkyongin(1770).*He wassoon recalled,but as aminister withoutportfolio, whilethePrime Ministership wentto KimCh'iin,whocontinuedinthis post tillthethird month.Onecould clearlyde-tectinthisalesseningofroyalaffectiontowardmyfather.WhenHisMajestysaw HanYu's memorial,he wasdeeply chagrined.However,influencedbythosewhomaligned Father,HisMajestyhadHan Yuinterrogated with rather light corporal punishmentandbanishedhim to anisland.^ThenHisMajestyacceptedmyfather'sresignation.Theroyal intention was,ofcourse,toshieldmyfatherfromfurtherattack. Nonetheless, consideringtheaffec-*On theeighthday of the firstmonthof1770,HongPonghan, servingasPrimeMinister,led thebureaucracyinrequesting severe punishmentfor acensor,YunHongnyol,whose recent memorialwasdeemedfactional.Yongjowasangeredbythisanddismissedall thebureaucratswho hadjoinedinthis demand.TS,ii4:2b-3a.^Han Yu wasexpungedfromthescholars' rosterandsenttoHuksanIsland.TS,H4:i3b.227
228 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGtionandtrust between theminthat long relationship, this measurewastotally unexpected.Afterthat,myfamilywas out offavorandmyfatherwas not atcourt.Kwijualone wielded power. WithHu-gyominsideandwithallsortsoffaction-minded cronies outside,heschemedday andnighttoharmmyfather.Icannot begintodescribetheprecarious stateinwhichwelived during that period.In the winter of kyongin (1770), Ch'oe Ingnam sent a memorialthat said,"It isembarrassing thattheHeir Apparentis notpayingrespectatPrince Sado's tomb. Prime MinisterKimCh'iinshouldbeheld responsible."Theimplication thattheGrandHeirvisitPrinceSado's tombwas notwrong but, giventheextremely deli-cateissues that surroundedit, was notsomething thatasubjectmight casually suggest. Moreover,theincumbent Prime Ministerhadnothingto dowithit.This Ingnam,whosentthememo-rial,was anill-mannered person withareputationforshallownessandrecklessness.He was arelativeofMadameChong'sin-laws.Through this connection,myfamilyhad themisfortuneofhavingmadehisacquaintance.Kwijusentone KuSangtopersuadeHu-gyomtoinsinuateto HisMajestythatit was myfatherwho hadinspiredCh'oeIngnam's memorial.HisMajesty'ssagacious heartwaseasilyinfluencedbytheir explanationof whyFather mighthavewanted suchamemorial written.Towit,hewishedtoportraytheincidentofthat yearashaving beenHisMajesty'sfaultand tousethisto get rid of KimCh'iin. Becauseofthis suspicion,HisMajestyconductedathoroughandextensive personal interrogationofthesuspects, torturing manyseverely,12hoping that someonewouldconfessthatHongwasbehindthememorial.Butbecausemyfatherdid notknow aboutit, no oneimplicated him, althoughseveralpeople including Ingnam were beatentodeath.13Hissagaciousheart, however,was notappeased.Themurderous heartsofthat evil clique were stillinflamed.Thusafteronly severalmonths,in thesecond monthofsinmyo(1771),aterrible incidentinvolvingUnonandUnsin occurred.When Unonwasborninkapsul(ij54)andthen Unsininurhae(1755),I wasafflictedbythatfeelingthat attacksuswomenre-gardlessofbirth, highorlow,and was notpleased.ThePrince'sillness,however,wasgetting quiteawful,and he was notparticu-larlyenamoredof themotherofthese children. Moreover, thesechildren were already born, unintended though their birthsmayTHE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THE MEMOIR OF l8O2 229havebeen. Evenif I didwishtoexpress jealousy towardmyhus-band,thesituation justdid notallowforsuchadisplay.Of aweakandindecisive nature,Ifeltthat these children were,afterall,myhusband'sflesh andblood,lowly though theymayhave been.Unabletoignore them,Imade suitable arrangementsforthem.HisMajestyregarded themas apotential sourceoftroubleandharshlyreprimanded Prince Sado. This causedme tobearthesit-uation with greater fortitude thanIwould have otherwise.Ifeltthat,if Iweretodisplay jealousy under these circumstances,itwould increasethePrince's misery.HisMajestythoughtmy ac-ceptanceofthese children withnoshowofjealousy quite odd."Youareacting contrarytohuman feelings,"hescolded.Afterthat terrible event[1762],Ifelteven more pityfortheseforlornchildren.I had thedutyof alegalmother—theywere,afterall,flesh andblood thatmyhusbandhadleftbehind.Ilookedafterthemandmade their livesascomfortableas Icould. Then theycameof age and thetime cameforthemtoleavethepalaceandtakeresidencesoftheir own.HisMajestywasquite worried aboutthem. "What will they do?" he kept saying. My father, who, out offair-mindedness,alwaystooktheview that they werethe flesh andbloodofPrince Sadonomatter what, suggestedto HisMajesty,"Asthey have grownandgone,onemustbeconcerned that theseyoungsters, still greenandhot-blooded, mightbeseducedbysomethingorenlistedbysomeoneintoadangerous involvement.Thereis notelling what horrendous trouble they mightfallinto.This wouldbeextremelyunfortunate.I,your servant,am socloselyrelatedto theGrandHeirthatno onewill suspectme. If Iweretowatchoverandinstruct themandeducate themto beresponsibleadultswhocannotbeseducedbydangerous things,itwouldnotjustbenefitthem;itwouldbe ablessingfor thenation."HisMajestyreplied,"I amtrulygratefulandmovedby mylord'scon-cern. Pleasedothat."HisMajestyadded,"Iwonder whetherthey would listento mylord'sinstruction."Theyounger membersof thefamilyhad adifferentopinion.They said to Father, "That was a mistake. They will be the seeds oftrouble."They advised, "Please have nothingto dowiththem."WhenUnonandUnsincameto thehouse, everyone includingveryyoung children avoided them.Mylatefatherscoldedthehousehold, "It'sallmisconstrued, unnecessaryfear.Out ofpublic229
230 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGduty,Ijust wanttoinstructandguide themsothat they willnotbeledintosome terribleerror."Hethen assured them, "Whowould suspectme?WouldtheGrand Heir suspectme? Whowouldnotunderstandmyintention?"Ifsomeone wereto saythatFather,notdiscerningthementalityofthisage ofdecline,did afoolishthing,lethim.Hereceivedthesame criticismfromhisownchildren. Thatahuge disaster wouldbeconcoctedout of itwas,however, beyondourwildest dreams.It wassimplytoo in-credible! NeithermyfathernorLordCh'ongwonwas in any wayguilty.ButCh'ongwonalso rendered servicetoUnonandUnsinandgave them such thingsaspalanquins. Shouldonealso suspectCh'ongwon?Myfather's repeated attemptsatinstructionandguidance werewasted, however.UnonandUnsin were clods. Dull-wittedandmuddleheaded,theydid not at allapply themselvestostudying.The first, andperhapstheonly, thing they learnedwas toassumethehaughty airsofroyal princes.Inthis way, they associated withanunseemly elementfromthepalaceandwent about makingtrouble. They turnedadeafear to myfatherandincreasingly dis-tanced themselvesfromhim. Father then realizedthefutilityof hiseffort.Fearing thatfurtherattempts might elicit only resentment,hegradually dissociated himselffromthem. When Father wenttothecountrysidein thekyonginyear(1770)aftermeeting thattrouble,they completely ignored him,and hemadenomovetoward them.As he did every year, toward the end of the first month ofsinmyo(1771)myfathersent chestnuts harvestedfromhisestatetoeachestablishmentof theroyalfamily,includingthatofPrince Sado'sdaughters. Chestnuts were also senttoUnonandUnsin. This some-howignited royalfury.In thebeginningof thesecondmonth,HisMajestywentto theCh'anguiPalace.*Actingasthoughhewasanticipatinganuprising,he had thepalaceand thecity wallsguardedbysoldiers^andbanishedUnonandUnsintoChejuIs-land. Imminent danger hung overmyfather.*TheGrandHeirdid*Ch'angui PalacewasYongjo'sresidence whenhe was aprince.Afterac-cession,hisvisitstoCh'angui Palace usuallysignifieddispleasure with something.Onthis occasion,Yongjowent therefornine days.TS,n6:5b-8b.^Yongjoalso orderedthatUnon'sandUnsin'smother's housebeguardedbysoldiers.TS,ii6:yb-8a.* Hong Ponghan was also punished. For details, see The Memoir of 1801.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl8O2231notaccompanytheroyal carriageto thedetached palace,andonlyHan'giandHugyom attendedHisMajesty.Thiswas aresultoftheir elaborate plantoinducearoyal decision[tokill Father]atonce.Kwijuwas inmourningand so hesenthisuncle,Han'gi,inhisstead. Fromthebeginning,hissagacious hearthadfeltgreatdispleasurewithusconcerning UnonandUnsin.He did notlikemytaking theminwithout much ado,nor did hethinkitnecessaryformyfathertobother with them. Furiousat us,thinking thatmyfamilyhadconspiredtoinduce Ingnamtowrite that memorialblamingtheeventofthat yearonhim,andprovokedby thetrustedKwiju'sslandersand hisbeloved daughter MadameChong'sin-citement,HisMajestywasabouttocarryout theact.Thelate Kingwasastoundedby thenewsandwentto HerHighnesstheQueentoprotest."Thereis noevidence thatHisLordshiphasplannedtoplace royal grandchildren*on thethrone.Accusinghim ofthat, theyareabouttokill him.Itjustwon'tdo toindictandkill someonefor noother reason thanthatyouhate him.YourLadyship,youshouldput astoptothis."With these wordsfromtheGrandHeir,Han'giandHugyom relented,andthusthemost immediate dangerwaslifted.Myfather,who hadbeen con-fined toCh'ongjuforseveral days,wasreleased.^Uponhisreturnto thepalace,HisMajestyrealized thattheepisodehadoccurredbecauseofprivate animositiesandtrumped-up charges.HesaidtotheGrandHeir,"The attacksandcounterattacks betweenthe twoaffinalfamiliesarecausingagreat dealoftroublefor thecountry.Iwillhavetothinkof a way not to bedeceivedbythiscrowd."HisMajesty'ssagacious intelligencehadbeen onlybrieflyclouded.Intheend,hecouldnotfailtorecognizethemachinationsofthosewretchesand thefallacyofthose accusations! Thatwas why HisMajestyspoketo theGrandHeiras hedid.Althoughtheimminent danger passed becauseof theGrandHeir'sintervention, their blood thirst grew strongerday byday.Nowthat theyhadshown their hand,itbecame harderfor myfatherand hisopponentstocoexist—hisdetractors became moreapprehensivethanbeforeoffutureconsequencesif myfatherweretolive.Forinstance,in thesecond month, they succeededinper-*UnonandUnsin.^Yongjo'scommentonreleasingHongPonghanwasthathe wasdoing thisnot for thesakeofHongbut for thesakeofLadyHyegyong.TS,u6:iob.
232 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGsuadingHisMajestytoreleaseHan Yu,notingthathe hadshownperspicacity.ThisfoolYuobviouslyhadbeen persuadedby thesweet talkofothersthathewould attain highofficeandgainad-vantageif heweretosendinthatmemorial. Instead,he wasbeatenandbanishedto anuninhabited island.Hefeltthat whathe haddonewas not histrueintention,and hecomposed"anessayofremorse."KimYakhaenghadbeen exiledto thesame island earlierthanYu* and sotalkedto Yu. KimYakhaeng askedYu why hesentthat memorial.Yusaid,"I did itbecauseI wasdeceivedby SimUijiandSongHwanokandtheir crowd.Itseems thatUijiandcompanywere enlistedby KimKwiju.But I amjustascholarfromthecountrysidewhowentup toSeoultospeakof theTngollok.HowcouldIhave knownthedetails?OnlyafterIcame hereandheard many thingsdid Irealize thatI wasdeceived.Ifeltso re-morsefulthatIcomposedanessaycalled'Remorse.'"Hethenshowedtheessayto KimYakhaeng. Thustheessaycameto beknownto theworld.Myfamilysaw it and Iheard aboutitscon-tents.I do notknow whetherKimYakhaengisstill aliveornot,butthisessaymakesit all themore clear thatthewhole thingwasKwiju'sdoing.Once that wretchYu was setfree,Kwiju'sclique coaxedhimagain. They said,"HongPonghanisdefinitelyunder siege.HisMajestyreleasedyoubecauseyoushowed understanding. Wereyouto do itagain,youwould surelygetsomethingbetter."Thewretch sent another memorialin theeighth month.Inthisme-morialhe finallymentioned"thatthing,"saying thatmyfather"gave[the rice chest]to HisMajestyandsuggesteditsuse."^Hiswillingnesstoengageincalumny knewnobounds.Aspunishmentforbringingup"thatthing,"HisMajestysentYudownto theCh'ungch'ongprovincial courtand had himexecuted.Uijiwasalsointerrogated. Asked what"thatthing"referredto, hearro-gantly retorted, "Your Majesty truly does not know what cthatthing' is?"14 His Majesty termed this crime lese-majeste and metedoutpunishment harsher than whathadbeen imposedon Han Yu.NotonlywasUijiexecuted,but hiswifeandchildren were sepa-ratedfromeachotherandexiledtodistant places.HisMajesty*Kimservedin theCensoratebut wasbanishedtoHuksanIslandfrom1768to1771.tYongjointerrogatedHan to seewhathemeantby"thatthing"and how helearnedaboutit. TS,ii7:7a-b.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THE MEMOIR OF l8O2 233dealtYu andUijitheheaviestofpunishmentsforhaving broughtuptheissueof"thatthing,"andcertainlynot forcriticizingmyfather.15AlthoughHisMajestyimposed capital punishmentonthosewretches,he wasalso deeply irateat myfather."Whois the onewho has been stirring up that imo (1762) business* since thespring?"heraged.HisMajestyordered,"Hewillbedeprivedofeverypostandmadeacommoner."16WhatHisMajestymeantwhenhesaid"stirringupthatimo(1762)business"wasthathewasstill suspiciousandresentfulof myfatherinconnection withCh'oeIngnam's memorial.Theroyal pronouncement mentionedthatmyfather"has been stirringupthatimo(1762)business"andthathe"helpedtocreate it."Onecouldverywell interpret thesephrasesjustas Yu did in hismemorial—thatmyfatheroffered"thatthing"to HisMajesty,askinghim to"pleaseusethisto putanend [toPrinceSado]."Now, becausearoyal pronouncementsaidthat Father"helpedtocreate it," some peopletookitliterally.In thefaceofthis, whatcan bedone aboutthesuspicionand whocanestablishhisinnocence? WhatI saywould probably sound likedefenseby aninterested party. However, thereis oneproof thatcanstandinwitnessfor theages.Indisgrace,mylatefathershut himselfup in thecountryin theninth monthofsinmyo(1771).One day hereceivedaletterfromthelate King.Itsaid,"Intruth,thespiritsandghosts will standwitnesstoYour Lordship's wholehearted loyalty.ThatYour Lord-shiphasnothingto beashamedof incomparisontoancientmen ofprincipleis nomere private homagefromagrandsonto agrand-father.Itshouldbepublicly recognizedby theage,arecognitionthat will standfor onehundred generations. Unfortunately,hissagaciousintelligenceismomentarily cloudedand so he hasmetedoutthis measure placing Your Lordshipinthis plight. However,Iheartilyagree with Your Lordshipthat,despitelife'sthousandanomalies,hundred oddities,andlimitless varietiesof the un-expectedand theamazing, thereis onefundamental, unchang-ingtruth—theimportanceofdedicationto thenationandpublicwelfare.Althoughtheroyal orderwasrather unexpected, YourLordship's loyaltyanddevotion will longberemembered,for tenthousand generations. There shouldbe noworry."Hereitmeans creatinganissue overtheSado incidentof1762.*233
234 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGTheletter alsosaid,"Onthethirteenthday of the fifthmonthofthatyear,*atthree o'clockin theafternoon,Iheard thatthatconfoundedthingwasorderedto bebroughtinfromtheouterkitchen. Realizing that something ominouswasabouttohappen,IwentintotheMunjongPavilion.HisMajestyorderedme toleave,andso Idid.I satbeneaththeeavesof theCrown Prince TutorialOffice.Longafterthree o'clockIheard that Your Lordshiphadarrivedoutsideof thepalaceand washavingafainting spell.So Isentout theheart-clearing pills thatI wasgoingtotake myself.Thetimingof theeventsofthatdaymakesitclear that'thatthing'wasthoughtof by HisMajestyhimselfand notsuggestedbyYourLordship. BecausethemeasuresHisMajestytook thatdayweresolelyfor thesakeof thedynastyandbecausehissagacious heartwasforcedtomake that decision,Ihave sustainedmylifeuntilnow.I amalive today because,thoughI amPrince Sado's son,Ihavetoseparate dutyfromgrief.If,however,thesituationhadbeen,asthat recent royal pronouncement seemsto besaying,thataministerhadsuggested'thatthing'to HisMajestyandthatHisMajesty,persuadedby theminister,hadcarriedoutthat incident,thennotonly woulditattributeinsufficientvirtueto HisMajesty,but itwould also obscuretherighteous principle.Ifprinciple wereto beobscured, thenthefactthatI amalive today wouldnot beright either.Wouldn'tit bedistressing?"Itthen said,"Ihavespokento KimHan'giaboutthis."Thelate King thusclarifiedthetimingof theeventsofthatday—whichcamefirst andwhich camelater—byrecounting whathehimself saw. With thisonesheetofpaper,itbecomes clearthatmyfatherhad notoffered"thatthing."^Ifthiswas thecase,onwhat groundwas hebeingcensured?It was notstrange that uninformed peoplein theremote coun-tryside, hearing nothing more than rumors, suspectedmyfather.ButKwijuandcompany were royalaffines.Besides,theGrandHeirspoketoHan'gispecificallyaboutit. Yetthey slanderedmyfather.HadKwijunotbeensobloodthirsty, they couldnothave behavedinsuchanextreme fashion. Close thoughKwiju'srelationship*The daywhen Prince Sadowasconfinedto arice chest.^To myknowledge, this letteris notextant. However,asnoted earlierinthismemoir, Chongjo publicly declared very earlyin hisreign thatHongPonghanhadnothingto dowithYongjo'suse of therice chest.HequotesYongjoonthis.CS,upb-ioa;Chongjo,Hongjaechonso^42:ia-2a.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THEMEMOIROFl802235to thethrone was,hecouldnothave succeededincausingsomanydepraved incidents withoutthecollaborationofMadameChongandHugyom. Outside,Kwijuplottedandschemed withhiscronies; inside, Hugyom conspired with him,andthus they joinedforces.Thenmythird brother, urgedby me tothinkof a way tosaveourparent,befriendedHugyom. Hugyom colluded withKwijupartlybecausehe waspersuadedbyKwiju'scrowdthathewouldwieldgreat powerif heeliminatedHongandpartly becausehe didharbor some resentment towardmyfather.However,he did notseemtohaveset hisheart irrevocably upon massacringtheHongs.Asmythird brother pleaded with him, Hugyom begantorespondwith somefeeling.Amarriagehadjust been arranged betweenthetwofamilies.*Hugyomwasawarethat,as theHongswerethematernalfamilyof aCrownPrincewhowould,in alllikelihood,reign, therewas thefuturetoworry about.As forMadame Chong,shewas fickle,changingfrommorningtoevening.Iingratiatedmyselfwithher to theutmostinordertogainherfavor.Further-more,she did notholdadeep grudge againstus.Gradually, theycamearound and,in the firstmonthofimjin(1772),managedtohavemyfatherexpungedfromthecriminalregister.^NowthatHugyomhadslightedhim and nolonger respondedto hisplans,Kwijunolongerhad acollaborator insidethecourt.Inhisanger,hesentamemorialto thethronein theseventh month.Kwanju,Hallok'sson, followedsuit.17Between HeavenandEarth,thebrotherof theQueendidthis horrendous thing withnothoughtfor itseffectuponHerHighnessor how itwouldaffectherrelations withherdaughter-in-law.Inthis sense,Kwijuwas notonlythebitter enemyof myfamilybutalsoatraitorto thenation,abetrayerof thelate King,and acriminalto HerHighness.Kwiju'smemorialfaultedmyfatheronthree counts.The firstconcernedafailureto useonlytop-qualityginseng duringHisMajesty's illness in the pyongsul year (1766), the next concernedpine-flavoredtea,and thelast concerned certain wordsmyfathersaid.During royalinfirmity,it is notunusualto use two orthree*It isimpossibletodeterminewho thebetrothed wereandwhetherthemar-riagetook place.If itdid, whichislikely,itinvolvedthechildrenofHongNagimandChong Hugyom.^HongPonghanwasrestoredto thepostofminister emeritus.TheSilloksaysthatYongjotook this measuretoconsole LadyHyegyong.TS,n8:ya.
236 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGyang of ginseng a day. In pyongsul the Director of the MedicalBureauwas KimCh'iin,and mylate fatherwasPrime Minister.Themedicineofferedto HisMajestywasmadefromamixtureofhalftop-quality ginsengandhalf more ordinary ginseng.One dayKwiju'sfatherwalkedintotheattendant'sofficeandsummonedaphysician.Heasked,"HisMajesty doesnotseemto bedoingwell.How is itthathispotionis notmade entirelyoftop-qualityginseng?"Myfatherwassitting withtheDirectorat theMedicalBureau.Hearing this,hesaidto thedeputy director,"Wehavesolittle top-quality ginsengleftthat,if wewereto useonly top-quality ginseng now,wewould soonrun out of it.Thenwewouldhaveto useordinary ginseng exclusively. Thatwouldbeevenworse."Thenhesaid, "Theaffairsof theMedical Bureauare notsomething thattheroyal father-in-law should botherabout."Thematter should have endedthere.However,theKims, fatherandson, were incensedatFather'ssuggestion thattheroyal father-in-lawhadinterferedin theMedi-calBureau. They turnedthematterintosomething quitedifferent,portraying themselvesasparagonsofloyaltyand myfatheras onewhoprohibitedthe use oftop-quality ginsengfor HisMajesty.Howevil-hearted this was!As for thepine-flavored tea,it isevenmore ludicrous,somuchsothatitdoesnoteven deserve descrip-tion.As fortheir accusation concerning certain wordsthatFathersaid, hereis thestory.Whenmyfatherwas inretirement duringhismourningbe-tweenckonghaeandmuja,(1767-1768),Ch'ongwonpaidhim avisit. Ch'ongwon mentioned thattheGrand Heir seemedintentonconferringaposthumous royaltitle[uponhisfather].*Ch'ong-won,who wasrelatedto myfamilybymarriage,was onveryfriendlyterms withmyfatherand the twofamilieswere boundbythesame interests. Since thiswas amatterofgrave importanceandsinceCh'ongwonfeltclosetoFather,hecametospeakto himaboutit. So,afterhistermofmourning, when Fathersaw theGrand Heirat myquarters,hegingerly broachedthetopicin thecourseof along conversation.HeadvisedtheGrandHeir,"Onthis matter, pleasedo not beswayedbyemotion;firmlyadheretotheprecedent."HewarnedtheHeirof thedangerandtreacheryin*Thediscussion centered around what titleChongjo,uponhisaccession,would confer uponhisfather, Prince Sado.THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THE MEMOIR OF l8O2 237the ways of the world and in the hearts of people. He said, "Even ifthe conferral were consistent with the law, there are still groups ofmalcontentswhoresentthegovernmentand whoseek oppor-tunitiestostiruptrouble. Justtonameafew, thereare the de-scendantsofkisa,(1689)and theremnantsof themusin(1728)rebels.*Itwouldbemost tiresomeifthese groups, taking issuewiththeconferral, weretostiruptrouble.I amquite botheredbythisthought."TheGrand Heir also concurred,"Thereisindeedthat worry.Howfrustrating!"I wasalso worried about thoseproblems,and thethreeof us allexpressed concern.TheGrandHeirwasstilla boy at thetime,and so herelated thisto HerHighnesstheQueen.Kwijuheardof it andbrought thisout in hismemorial. Whatanodious wretchhewas! EvenifFatherhadbeenin thewrong,howcouldKwijusendamemorialto HisMajestyabout something thathadgoneon in theinner courtandhehadheardat theQueen'sresidence?If HisMajestyhadbeenenragedat theGrand Heirfordiscussingthepossibilityofofferingaposthumous royal title[to hisfather], thereis nosaying wherethecalamity might have reached.It isevident thatKwiju'sschemewasnotjusttovilifymyfatherbutalsotoharmtheGrand Heir.Cantherebe inthis whole wide world another such devious, cruel,eviltraitor?In myfather's position, whatwasthere thathecouldnot sayto theGrandHeir,hisgrandson,inprivate conversation? EvenifFatherhadsaid such thingsas"Pleasedoofferaposthumous royaltitle"or "IfYour Highness werenot toofferthetitle,thenyouwould become suchandsuch,"hewould simply have beenre-gardedasimprudent.But hesaid,"Don'toffertheroyaltitle.Pleasedon'tbeswayedbyemotion;firmlyadheretoprecedent."As fortherest,he wasmerely expressinghislong-term concernsandworriesfor thenation, cautioningtheGrand Heiron thelimitlesschangeabilityof theheartsofmen, livingastheydid in an age ofdecline.Howcould thisbe acrime?Ifthiswas acrime,thenallwarningstotheir rulersby theancients, such warningsas"the ruinofthecountryisimminent"or"thieves wouldarise,"should also*Thedescendantsofkisaare theNamin,whowereout ofpower since1694.Themusinrebelsare therebelsof the1728rebellion.The1728rebellion, thoughpacifiedwith relative ease, playedanimportant roleinshapingYongjo'spoliciesandinsettingthemoodof hiscourt. Haboush,Heritage,136-46.237
238 THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONGbeconstruedasthreatsto theruler. Were thisthecase,whocouldhavesaid anythingatall?What sheer nonsense thisis! Thedetailsconcerning this matterarerecordedincourt documentsandalsointhekapchin(1784)royal instruction that exoneratedmyfather,soIwill only touchon thegist.Theterrible memorialsbyChongIhwan and Song Hwanok in pyongsin (ijj6)18 took up whereKwijuleftoff [in hismemorialof1772].What needistheretospeakofthem?If onecarefullyanalyzesKwiju'sattemptstoharmmyfamilysincesinsa,(1761),apattern emerges.In thebeginning,itstartedwiththehopethat,once Prince Sadowaseliminated,theGrandHeirwould alsobe putaside, which would leadto anadoptionthatwould makeKwiju'sfamilythematernalfamilyof the newheir.Thenext phase evolvedaftertheeventofthat year[1762],whenherealized that thingsdid notturnout as he hadhoped. Togetherwith Hallok,heutteredthesixteen-word blasphemy. Thiswasintendedtoconfusehissagacious heartand toreplacetheHeirApparent,sothatanadoption wouldbemadeandthey wouldbecomethematernalfamilyof theheir. However,HisMajesty'ssagaciousheart remainedfirm, and theGrand Heir reached matu-rity. Therewas nolikelihood that there wouldbe achangeofheirapparents, though their blasphemous phrase circulatedfar andwide, makingitincreasinglydifficulttohide their intentions.Butthen,seizing uponthemoment whentheGrand Heirwasfeelingdispleasedwithhismaternalfamily,they pretendedto be hismostloyalsubjectsandaccusedtheHongsofengaginginactivities dis-advantageoustohim. Although they adopted this tacticinordertoget rid of theHongsand toingratiate themselves withtheGrandHeir,their real motivewas toconceal theirowntreachery.Ifeelthatthis blasphemywas therootofmany calamities.There mustbepeoplewho arealive todaywhowitnessed theseevents,and sothey must haveageneral ideaofwhat those timeswere like.But Idoubt that thereisanyonewhoknows theminsuchdetailasmyself.Onecannot deceive even small children threefeethigh withtheaccusation thatmyfather, shortoflosinghismind becauseofsome disease, would have done something disad-vantageousto thelate KinginordertobenefitUnonandUnsin.Nor can onedeceive three-foot-high childrenbyarguing thatKwijuwas aloyal subjectand mylatefatherwas atraitorto thelateKing.WhatKwijusaidin hisaccusationof myfatherviolateshu-THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG
THE MEMOIR OF l8O2 239manfeelingsandHeavenly principles. Thusoneneednotseekamanoferuditiontodistinguishwho wasrightand who waswrongand who wasloyaland who wastraitorous.Yet thecursethatwasutteredin thecrowd aroundKwijuandHallok—thatthey wouldseeto itthatthedynasty cameto anend—hasnotyet,tothisveryday,comeout in theopen.Kwijuhaseven been termedaloyalminister.*On theother hand,myfamily,whonever dreamtofsayingeven halfof aremotely disloyal word,isreceiving everharshermaltreatmentandgreater persecutionas timegoesby andhasbeen declaredthemost heinously traitorousoffamilies.Therecannot have been,in theentire historyof thehuman race, suchwaysandsuch decrees! Vomitingblood,Iregret thatIhavenotyetattainedtheblissofunawareness.*KimKwijuwasbanishedin1776uponChongjo'saccession.In1784,in ageneral amnesty celebratingtheappointmentofPrince MunhyoasCrown Prince,Kwijuwasmovedto acloser place,but hesubsequently died.In1801,whenQueen DowagerChongsunactedasregentfor theyoung Sunjo,Kwijuwaspost-humously honored withthepostofMinisterofPersonnel.55,2:2a-b.239