李健命의 奏請 사행(1721~1722)과 「寒圃齋使行日記」

Abstract

‘Hanpojaesahaengilgi(寒圃齋使行日記)’ by Yi Geonmyeong(李健命, 1663~1722) is the diary about the envoy’s trip to request the emperor of Qing dynasty, China to approve the crowning of Yeoninggun(延礽君: King Yeongjo after that period). The di.ary was written from Oct. 27, 1721 when he departed from Hanyang(capital city at that time) to March 9 when the report on the declaration of the crowning of the prince was sent to Hanyang. The diary was the output of the severe political strife between Patriarch’s Faction and Disciple’s Faction, which was the circumstances around the envoy’s trip including the writer Yi Geonmyeong as the envoy and large-scale jailing started by the results of this envoy’s trip. Thus, this envoy’s diary was not a mere official record, but the expression of thoughts by a high-ranking government officer who was in the middle of the political strife. ‘Hanpojaesahaengilgi(寒圃齋使行日記)’ aimed to expose his loyalty and the effort to realize it. The diary was changed from precise daily record to the writing expressing his conviction at a certain point of time. However, the subject of Yi Geonmyeong’s loyalty was not the present King but the future King. Furthermore, his political party was defeated nearly to the collapse in the middle of his trip as an envoy and he was branded as a rebel when he left China to go homeThen, he estimated the worst punishment on himself right after his return. He fell down to a culprit waiting for capital punishment in a place of exile at the imminent moment of creation of a government. Accordingly, the diary elaborately edited important anecdotes in accordance with the principle of selection and exclusion. However, the contents of the diary showed the strange crack by tension and obsession. He gave up his own principles for the purposes. Patriarch’s Faction opposed Qing dynasty for the loyalty to Ming dynasty. However, Yi Geonmyeong bribed the high-ranking government officers of Qing dynasty and mobilized acquaintances without any constraints as insisting sacrifice and devotion. He endured cajolement by those government officers of Qing dynasty in the name of repayment to the devotion by Joseon envoys. It is clearly identified by comparing with the envoy’s diary by Yu Cheokgi(兪拓基) accompanying Yi Geonmyeong and Chinese poem in the collection published by the descendant of Yi Geonmyeong. Such unreasonable, servile and so extremely miserable custom was not caused by the structural problem of Joseon dynasty which had to be obedient to Qing dynasty. Such custom was tragic on the aspect that it was the output of political strife using the power of Qing dynasty for overcoming the opposing party. The excessive request by the government officers of Qing dynasty which was continuously criticized in the envoy’s trips after that and distress of Joseon envoys were caused not by the defeat in the ‘Manchu war’ in 1636 but by ‘making connections’ of high-ranking government officers included in ‘political parties’ who were not punished even though they did any behaviors infringing principles and who could legitimately mobilize money.