Great Fire of Hanyang (4)

On the day the great fire broke out in Hanyang, Sejong and Taejong Yi Bangwon had left the palace and were engrossed in hunting.

Even before this, Yi Bangwon had often gone hunting, using the excuse that Sejong needed to exercise for the sake of his health, while draining the court budget and the royal treasury...

So the fact that they were hunting now was not particularly unusual.

There was one unusual thing, however: the way Sejong and Taejong were hunting had changed considerably from before.

“Your Majesty, are you uncomfortable riding your horse?”

“It has already been over a year since Your Majesty personally taught me how to ride, so I am not tired from riding this much.”

Bangwon grinned when he heard that.

In his eyes, there had been only one thing Sejong lacked: stamina.

But now much of the weight he had gained had come off, and his stamina had improved greatly as well. He showed no sign of tiring even after riding around for two shijin (four hours).

Of course, if Yi Seong-gye had still been alive, he would have said that any male of our family should be able to ride for not two shijin, but two whole days without tiring...