명나라 영락제에게 진헌된 여덟 공녀의 비극

Abstract

This study examines the tragic life of the young girls who were singled out by early Joseon dynasty as the fairest of the fair, presented to the Ming’s Emperor, and passed away miserably. In total, eight young girls were chosen to be dedicated to the Yongle Emperor, who ruled the Ming Empire for 22 years. All of them sorrowfully died before the age of 30. At first, five girls were presented. Among them was Miss Kwon, who was outstandingly beautiful and remarkably brilliant, who enjoyed the Emperor’s special affection but fell ill and died within two years. Miss Han, the third to be devoted, also enjoyed the Emperor’s concern and affection due to her refined appearance and noticeable intellect; however, she was buried alive along with the dead Emperor. Miss Hwang, presented together with Miss Han, was pitiably scorned and killed by the Emperor when he became aware of the fact that she had been pregnant. The remainders suffered an equally tragic fate. All six women died by torture, suicide, or cruel massacre. As a result, the eight presented girls’ lives had barely lasted two years (2), four years (1), five years (1), seven years (1), 11 years (1), 13 years (2), and 16 years (1). Fathers, brothers, or brothers-in-law of the presented girls suffered hardship as their guardians and as diplomats for the nation. They had to pay visit to the Emperor, who was only formally their son-in-law or brother-in-law, whenever he arrived in Beijing or won a battle against the enemy. This was not an easy task because of both the long distance and the frequent nominations. In fact, although they were proud of their contribution to national interests, unusual weather such as extreme heat, cold, wind, snow, rain, etc., could cause trouble in line with eating, sleeping, and transportation.