NTA. It sounds like your ancestor was pretty out of touch with the current generation. Your son's behaviour is a major red flag.

NTA, but look into a new heir if possible. Never too late to befriend some colorful pastoral types from the steppes.

YTA let the kid have some fun ffs

NTA. I think you have found the appropriate loophole for this situation.

INFO: Does the rice chest have rice in it?

ESH. If Your Excellency had lead the prince correctly through your own righteous example, how could his behavior fail to be correct?

NAH. One one hand, I've crouched in a replica rice chest in Hwaseong Palace to experience exactly what you did to your son, and let me tell you, it's really uncomfortable. Dying that way would suck big time. On the other hand, your actions indirectly led to my username, so thanks for that.

NAH he is just forcing your hand. Sounds like the punishments my brother used to get.

Had to check if I was in the /r/CrusaderKings/ subreddit.

NTA, but keep that chest closed!

I know this may sound mad, but hear me out: As long as you don't open the chest, your son is still either alive or dead. This should be easily demonstrable by putting a cat, or really just any noisy person making inquires, into a chest as well.

NTA. Yes you’re his father, but you are also a king. Sometimes, you need to protect your people from even members of your own family. It sucks, but you need to make incredibly difficult decisions for the good of the country as a leader.

I feel like a dumbass but who is this referring too?

Sounds interesting (in a psycho way)

Edit:

NTA. His antics are going to get you all killed. Better him than you! Especially with what he's doing

YTA. Your son was known to suffer from mental illness. Much like the floods, drought and famine that Joseon has had to endure under your rule, clearly this was due to lack of your own virtue. Maybe you should, uh, reflect more on yourself, as you so like to claim that you do if this is how you provision for those of unsound mind to be treated.

NTA. Kids entitled. Has it coming.

YTA, let the heaven's representative on Earth do what he wants ffs.

NTA, there's nothing wrong with familial Sado-masochism.

If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands, you might consider contributing to the English Wikipedia article on Jeongjo of Joseon. (I'm assuming you're knowledgeable on him, obviously.) It has a decent amount of grammatical and presumably translational errors that make it kind of difficult to follow.

Thanks for the April Fool's Day post, btw! This was a fun thread

INFO: Were the servants he killed from good families?

YTA There's another option here. Cut the servants tongues out and there will be no gossip.

You can't just kill your heirs willy nilly he might be the only one to survive a plague!

YTA, stop trying to appease the plebs. Be the bigger man and crush anyone who challenges your family's privilege granted by Mandate of Heaven.

NAH, but killing him is such a terminal solution. I suggest you try out some alternatives first. Maybe the Confucian mental framework just isn't right for your son. It relies so heavily on the discipline of the individual after all. Have you considered a more structured, religious approach? Preferably one with a solid external motivator to push him into line.

Something like this new catholic thing that's becoming popular in Gangwon and Hwanghae.

NTA. Your son probably cheating on you, leave his ass in the box. Lol

Hello I seem to be an ignorant time-traveler. Can someone please tell me what is going on?

INFO: How effective is your son as a ruler? It may be disasteful, but there's always plenty more concubines and eunuchs, but the good of the realm needs to be guaranteed by having the best possible ruler.

NTA

Remember, there are five golden relationships in Confucianism. The relationship between a king and his peasants citizenry, a father and his son, a husband and his wife, an elder to his younger, and a friend to his friend. That means that your duty to your people takes priority over your duty to your son.

Just remember that your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather had to deal with his own bit of family drama, and everybody absolutely fucking loves that guy. Besides, we've all heard the rumors about your great-great-great-grandfather, so your alternative is beating your son to death and then pretending like nothing happened. Absolutely unacceptable.

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Now, look, I know you're worried about succession. Who will take care of the nation after you're gone? But you're not the first ruler to deal with that, and your country has dealt with a lot worse. Just name your grandson the Crown Prince and I'm sure it'll all work out.

NTA. Joseon is the last bastion of true enlightenment in this world. Surely, Confucious himself would see the reason in your words, as I am sure you will realize when you reflect further upon the classics. You are guided by your fatherly duty to your nation, just as consistently as your son has failed his own filial duties to you.

NTA.

Your son seems to have enjoyed inflicting pain on others, and judging by him voluntarily getting into the ricechest, he probably enjoyed receiving the pain as well.

I think this was a fitting punishment for his Sado-machochist tendencies.

ESH. Not specifically this situation the entire planet. Forever. Have you read history? YTA. YTA. YTA. Everyone's TA.

14 hours late (since this dilemma has been posted), here I am, reading this drama, not knowing where have I landed (on which subreddit). After reading the post, and then some comments, my brain illuminate me by letting my hand scroll up to the title again, peacefully for me to see APRIL FOOLS.

NTA kill the little bastard

ESH- Can we have posts like this more often?

INFO: does the law bind nobles of other countries? For instance, say you sent him off on an "official visit" to deliver a message to the Qing, but the message is "please execute my insane son." Would that count as an execution, or just be diplomacy in action?

Nta. Freaking millennials am I right?

YTA, just execute him! Don't bend the rules, this way, you are encouraging all your subjects to bend the rules, and soon, there won't be any rule of law!

NTA. Didn’t your terrible kid sneak around in water passages trying to kill people’s kids?

NTA - Your son seems like a real asshole, you did your subjects a solid from what you've told us.

I really should have paid attention in history class

NTA in any case

Has Your Majesty considered some less fatal form of punishment, perhaps torture with water, a dark cell or another practice that will allow for his physical inviolability, while correcting his behaviour?

ESH

Certainly the decision here is not fits the punishment for such an unruly prince but have you considered what ultimately led to this eventuality? Both the philosophers Confucius and Mencius stressed that the relationship between the father and the son must be loving and care. Indeed, Confucius states in the Rectification of Names that if you occupy the position of father, then you must act fatherly so that the son may act in filial reverence. Therefore, think, O King, how you have acted unfatherly such that your child ended up behaving this way. Think also how you could have handled this matter in a fatherly way. Could you not simply have disinherited or otherwise demoted him? If there is concern for a lack of suitable candidates, have you considered the precedents of the sages Yao and Shun?