“I understand. You’ve worked hard to come all the way here. Imperial Physician Do, listen. From today, you are responsible for investigating this matter thoroughly so there is nothing you don’t know. As you said, since this is a matter that could overturn the very foundations of yin and yang, it is not right to keep hushing it up. Immediately post notices nationwide and seek out men who can conceive. We must prevent such people from being driven to the red-light district to repeat unwanted births, and stop the nation from becoming diseased by consuming this as entertainment. Time is of the essence, so we shall hold a grand court assembly to discuss this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I, Do Jin-gyeom, upon receiving Your Majesty’s command, will keep it in mind and carry it out. Long live, long live, ten thousand times long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.”
“…Your, Your Majesty. There is one more thing I, I must tell you.”
Though it was a crime to speak first without the Emperor asking, since he was of such lowly birth and his circumstances reminded him of Sansan, the Emperor didn’t feel like questioning his crime. He nodded as if telling him to speak.
“For those like us, there is a di-disease too shameful to speak of. I thought I should mention this too…”
“A disease too shameful to speak of?”
“…So-sometimes there are times when heat rises as if in he-heat like an animal. When that happens, even beatings are useless, and sometimes below gets wet as if urinated, and unless a ma-man holds and calms us, the arousal doesn’t subside. I-it’s truly not a lie, and even being beaten with a club was useless. The imperial physician said it was as if we’d consumed aphrodisiac powder.”
Sansan had never shown such symptoms. The Emperor unconsciously raised one eyebrow.
“…Do all of you experience this?”
“Yes. Though the cycle period differs for each person, all experience it.”
“Then what must be done for it to get better?”
“We-we must sleep with someone to calm down. It can happen even when pregnant, so occasionally the baby can be harmed.”
Whether Sansan, being in the same situation as those fellows, was truly pregnant would need more observation, but even if so, if such a disease flared up, he could just hold and calm him himself. The Emperor nodded.
“I understand, so leave now.”
The man was led out by the imperial guards, just as when he came. However, it wasn’t with the same rough handling as before.
That night, the Emperor couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night in Dongbaejeon of Yeongnyeong Palace. Sansan remained asleep, unaware of anything.
The next day, even before dawn fully broke, the Emperor had the Imperial Guards summon all officials high and low who ate the imperial stipend, including the Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor living in the capital, the Court of Imperial Clan, the Three Excellencies, the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries, and all other court officials.
At the sudden grand court assembly that struck like a bolt from the blue in the middle of the night, the Emperor made this matter public and simultaneously announced Sansan’s pregnancy.
“Generally, humans see what they do not know as strange and reject it. However, this should be seen as a new harmony of yin and yang bestowed by Heaven. And I also confess here that I belong among them—how then can we say these are not Celestials? I have decided to newly establish regulations for these Celestials. To do so, I will need the help of you who eat the nation’s stipend. Of course, as loyal subjects of this empire who have glorified the Ha nation for generations, I have no doubt you are capable of accomplishing this.”
Some had heard the rumors circulating in the marketplace recently but didn’t believe them, some knew from seeing directly, and some knew nothing at all. But regardless of stance, the answer they could give was the same.
“Upon receiving Your Majesty’s solemn command, we will carry it out without deficiency. Long live, long live, ten thousand times long live His Imperial Majesty the Celestial Emperor.”
“Upon receiving Your Majesty’s solemn command, we will carry it out without deficiency. Long live, long live, ten thousand times long live His Imperial Majesty the Celestial Emperor.”
When the Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor of highest rank first began to perform the triple kowtow ceremony, the officials high and low performed the triple kowtow ceremony in succession.
“Long live, long live, ten thousand times long live His Majesty the Celestial. May you enjoy great fortune.”
“Long live, long live, ten thousand times long live His Majesty the Celestial. May you enjoy great fortune.”
“Long live, long live, ten thousand times long live His Majesty the Celestial. May you enjoy great fortune.”
According to the protocol of bowing three times and shouting long live three times, cries of long live burst forth from here and there.
Thus, on the ninth day of the ninth month in the twentieth year of Yeonghwi, the existence of Celestials was officially recorded in historical records for the first time. On this day, the Office of Celestials was immediately established and notices were distributed nationwide. It was the starting point when those who had existed only as entertainment while going around the red-light district suddenly came to be called Celestials.
And also on this day, Wanui Jin, the Emperor’s concubine, also officially left his name in the Veritable Records of the Ha Empire.
The Yeonghwi volume of the Veritable Records of the Ha Empire records that the Celestial Yoon Sansan conceived an imperial grandson, and to commend that merit, the Emperor personally promoted him from Wanui Jin to Bin Jin. For this reason, the Veritable Records of the Ha Empire is recognized today as the first historical record to document the fact of a man becoming pregnant.
***
Several days passed after Sansan became Bin Jin. Inwardly, Sansan thought the Emperor had gone mad. He, who showed no outward changes at all, didn’t believe in the slightest that he was pregnant. He was firmly convinced that only women could conceive.
The Emperor had changed since going mad. He still had him attend his bed every night as before, but there was no more hitting whatsoever. He didn’t threaten him for skipping meals, and only coaxed him gently by continuously changing to foods he might be able to eat.
He also touched Sansan’s lower abdomen like that. While caressing his belly, he constantly went on about the “crown prince.” Sansan didn’t know the meaning, but everyone except Sansan knew.
The Emperor was acting as if the child Sansan carried was his first child, despite having numerous children. Since the Emperor acted that way, everyone in the imperial palace gauged his mood and treated Sansan even more attentively.
It was one dawn when days were passing smoothly like that.
“Your Majesty, I speak with utmost trepidation, but Concubine Yoon has begun labor pains.”
At the news delivered by the head eunuch from beyond the curtain, Sansan, who had been awake first, widened his eyes from within the Emperor’s embrace. Sansan, who had been entangled naked with the Emperor, shook the Emperor’s shoulder with urgent hands.
“Your, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
***
“Your Majesty, please… Let me go in. Please?”
Sanwol’s labor pains that had begun at dawn continued all the way until time for the evening meal. It was already approaching six shichen. Sanwol’s wretched screams, which had been piercing, now faded faintly as if about to break off.
“Didn’t I tell you it’s not allowed? Stop this and have your evening meal.”
Sansan was kneeling at the feet of the Emperor who had come to share the evening meal, begging. He grabbed those legs and shook them occasionally as if pleading. It was a sight that would have shocked anyone who didn’t know, but it had become a daily occurrence for the palace servants of Yeongnyeong Palace.
“Please, please. Let me be by Wol’s side.”
“How on earth are you, in a pregnant state, not thinking of taking care of your own body but wanting to go to such a place? I refuse permission.”
Sansan shuddered and shook his face side to side. He seemed to be silently protesting that he definitely was not pregnant. The Emperor exhaled roughly. He struggled to suppress his anger.
“Stop and get up. The food is getting cold.”
“Wi-without even a mother, Wol is alone going through that… Please, at least let me, let me go and stay by her side, won’t you? Please.”
Originally, all concubines gave birth alone. There had never once been a case of permitting a mother’s entry to the palace during childbirth. He was simply following protocol. There was no need to care more or less for Sanwol. Even if she was currently in difficult labor right now.
Such was the imperial heart. If he did something insincere on a whim, it would be interpreted arbitrarily both publicly and privately, likely leading to trouble. Among numerous concubines, one was simply giving birth to one more among numerous children—he didn’t want it unnecessarily interpreted as favor.
Above all,
“Someone as weak-hearted as you will surely develop symptoms of the seven emotions after seeing such a scene. Excessive worry harms the lungs, excessive grief harms the lungs, excessive fright harms the heart and courage—all things a pregnant person must guard against. So stop this and eat. I am already saying this for the third time.”
With each word, one could feel the anger forcibly pressed down and swallowed. But Sansan, as if unaware of this or as if it didn’t matter, continued to kneel at his feet and only cried. Yeongchae, unable to watch any longer, approached Sansan and forcibly made him stand.
