Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 477

477. Regent (2)

Hyang, having left Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace], paused on his way to Donggungjeon [the Crown Prince’s residence], tilting his head in thought.

‘From what I vaguely learned, a regency is happening, but was it this early? Could it be that Father is secretly suffering from deteriorating health? No, if the royal physicians aren’t saying anything, that’s not it either… Then, is this a butterfly effect from something I did?’

Feeling that the regency was arriving sooner than he had anticipated, Hyang pondered the reason.

However, this was Hyang’s misjudgment. In truth, it was a coincidence.

* * *

Even in the history before Hyang’s intervention, in the 24th year of King Sejong’s reign, Sejong summoned his trusted officials and expressed his intention to establish a regency.

Sejong’s reason for advocating a regency was his health.

“My eye disease has worsened, making it impossible for me to handle important state affairs directly. Therefore, I intend to have the Crown Prince act as regent.”

However, starting with Hwang Hee, the ministers strongly opposed Sejong’s request.

Eventually, Sejong, angered, dismissed the ministers.

“There is no need to say more!”

After dismissing the ministers, Sejong lamented to the Chief Royal Secretary.

“It has been ten years since I began suffering from eye disease. Especially in the last five years, it has become more severe. I regret not taking proper care of it when it first started.”

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, Sejong always suffered from his health.

Therefore, from the 19th year of Sejong’s reign (1437), he had already transferred the authority to approve documents to the Crown Prince.

And from the 24th year of Sejong’s reign, he transferred all external events that required a lot of time and labor to the Crown Prince, such as ancestral rites at the Jongmyo Shrine [royal ancestral shrine] and command of military training.

And he invested the spare time he gained in researching Hunminjeongeum [the Korean alphabet].(Note 1)

* * *

However, in the history after Hyang’s intervention, only the timing of mentioning the regency coincided; the situation was completely different.

First and foremost was King Sejong’s health.

Thanks to Hyang’s ‘Make Sejong a Strong and Healthy Pig Project,’ Sejong’s health was quite good. Of course, there were aftereffects from the mild stroke he had suffered early in his reign, but they were not serious. And the problem of Sejong’s famous chronic illness, diabetes, was being prevented from worsening into a severe condition through consistent diet control and exercise.

As for the eye disease, after intensive examination and discussion by the royal physicians, it was determined that it was not a complication brought on by diabetes but rather vision deterioration due to excessive overwork, and it was decided to make and present him with eyeglasses.

“It is truly bright! The letters are clearly visible!”

Sejong, wearing the eyeglasses, was greatly satisfied, and soon eyeglasses were distributed to elderly officials whose eyesight had similarly deteriorated.

And Kim Jeom, having received the eyeglasses, immediately sought out Hyang.

“Your Highness…”

“Yes, I will consider mass production and a reasonable price.”

“Thank you!”

* * *

Next, from a political perspective, the things that gave Sejong mental burden were greatly reduced.

After the purge of veteran officials symbolized by Ryu Jeong-hyeon, the officials of the court established themselves not as competitors for power but as Sejong’s excellent hands and feet and advisory bodies.

The next major contribution was the butterfly effect brought about by Hyang.

From the early stages of the reforms, he actively carried out water management projects and brought in large quantities of grain from the Jiangnan region of Ming [a fertile area in China], minimizing the damage from famine.

In particular, importing large quantities of grain from the Jiangnan region of Ming was the best choice.

In the early years of Sejong’s reign, there were famines almost every year—although the areas and scale of occurrence gradually decreased—but the damage could be offset by the grains brought in from Jiangnan in Ming.

If the people had properly registered in the census, they could fill not only the minimum amount for survival but also their basic needs.

As the amount that allowed them to survive somewhat like humans, rather than barely surviving, was supplied, the people were able to endure with hope for the future.

In addition, the active encouragement of commerce and industry, and the profits earned by selling goods created by Hyang’s crazy devotion to other countries, led Joseon in a positive direction.

As a result, the people of Joseon showed almost absolute loyalty to Sejong.

Furthermore, through the encouragement of commerce and industry, Joseon’s society moved away from its existing closed and fixed structure and transformed into an outward-looking and resilient structure.

In addition, as the damage from diseases decreased due to the distribution of soap, one of the byproducts of Hyang’s devotion, the distribution of variolation [an early form of vaccination], which was close to gambling, and the strengthening of public and personal hygiene, the population began to increase rapidly.

As positive news came from all directions, Sejong’s psychological burden was greatly reduced.

With reduced stress, continuous health management, and the help of an administrative organization that had grown in size and become more efficient, Sejong was able to manage state affairs with some spare time.

And using this spare time, Sejong saw the completion of Hunminjeongeum earlier than expected.

Of course, the role of the papers secretly stolen from Hyang’s room could not be ignored.

Finally, the Hunminjeongeum had an impact.

The disappearance of the process of transcribing our language into Chinese characters brought about a tremendous increase in efficiency not only in administration but also in all areas of society.

The efficiency increase brought about by this Hunminjeongeum was so enormous that even the Japanese who came to study administration and train in practical affairs from Japan were seriously considering it.

-How about abandoning Hiragana and Katakana [Japanese syllabaries] and introducing Hunminjeongeum?

* * *

After much deliberation, Hyang finally shook his head and moved on.

“No matter how much I think about it, there are not one or two reasons. Then it’s better for my mental health to just format everything and say, ‘Qué será, será’ [Spanish for “What will be, will be”].

Hyang chose to simply ignore it.

It was a method his doctor had taught him when he was suffering from depression in the 21st century.

* * *

Once it became clear that the ‘regency’ was not a political conspiracy, the ministers actively responded to Sejong’s intentions.

“I would like to create a temporary institution so that the Crown Prince can perform his duties smoothly. According to the records of the old Tang Dynasty, there was a system called the Office of the Crown Prince’s Affairs (太子詹事府), so I would like to create a temporary institution called the Office of Royal Lectures (詹事院) with reference to this. What do you all think?”

To Sejong’s question, the ministers immediately answered.

“As you wish.”

As the proposal to establish the Office of Royal Lectures was passed, Sejong moved on to the next topic.

“As the Crown Prince is acting as regent, I would like him to face south (南面, the direction of the seat where the king sits) to receive audiences and oversee state affairs (攝行).”

No sooner had these words fallen than the ministers immediately rose up.

“Absolutely not!”

“That is utterly unacceptable!”

“Please reconsider!”

Amid the stronger-than-expected rejection, Hwang Hee explained the reason why it was impossible.

“Facing south is the position where the King listens to and judges state affairs. While Your Majesty faces south to receive audiences from various officials, how dare the Crown Prince face south and receive audiences like the supreme ruler?”

In the end, facing enormous opposition from the ministers, Sejong decided to have him face west (西面) instead of south.(Note 2)

* * *

As the establishment of the Office of Royal Lectures was decided, the construction of a building to operate the Office of Royal Lectures began.

Gyojodang (繼照堂) was built inside Geonchunmun (建春門), the east gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The role of this building was where Hyang would receive audiences from officials.

And Seunghwadang (承華堂), where Hyang would handle state affairs, began to be built.

Of course, this process did not proceed smoothly either.

“Since you will mainly be working in Gangnyeongjeon [the king’s residence] once the regency begins, how about the Crown Prince works in Geunjeongjeon? It would save more resources than building a new building, and it seems like it would be more efficient?”

At Sejong’s suggestion, the ministers were once again in an uproar.

“Absolutely not!”

“That is utterly unacceptable!”

“Please reconsider!”

Once again, Hwang Hee came forward and presented the reason why it was impossible.

“Geunjeongjeon is where His Majesty the King receives envoys and handles state affairs. Therefore, it is disrespectful for the Crown Prince to use this place. Furthermore, although the Crown Prince will be acting as regent, Your Majesty has stated that you will directly handle foreign affairs, national defense, and personnel matters, so we cannot hand over Geunjeongjeon to the Crown Prince.”

In the end, after such difficulties, new buildings were built in Donggungjeon again.

* * *

While Sejong and his ministers were having a tug-of-war and creating precedents (典例) regarding the regency, Hyang was also moving busily.

“Entrusting the management of the research institute and Area 51 to Jeong In-ji is good, but I’m a little uneasy.”

Although Jeong Cho had survived longer than in the history before Hyang’s intervention, he had become too old and had no choice but to resign because he could not properly perform his duties.

And Jeong In-ji was the right person to fill that vacancy, but Hyang was still uneasy. This was because Jeong In-ji was one of the main figures in the Gyeyu Jeongnan [a political coup].

“Jin-pyeong, who is stuck in Area 51, is the problem. Hmm….”

After searching for a solution here and there, Hyang soon found an answer.

“I have no choice. It is best to have Jeong In-ji manage the research institute and entrust Area 51 to General Yi Cheon.”

Hyang, relieved to have entrusted Area 51 to Yi Cheon, a founding member of Area 51 along with Choi Hae-san, moved on to the next task.

“And I need to attach Yi Sun-ji to Jeong In-ji. With Yi Sun-ji’s personality, Jeong In-ji won’t be able to do as he pleases.”

The Sanhak [mathematics] monster Yi Sun-ji was as famous for his sharp tongue as he was for his mathematical talent. He didn’t just spout venom indiscriminately, but rather criticized those who were clearly at fault, so few people cursed him. In addition, he had an unexpectedly upright personality, so he would immediately say when something was wrong.

Therefore, Hyang used Yi Sun-ji as a check on Jeong In-ji.

* * *

After much deliberation, Hyang selected the heads of the research institute and Area 51 and began selecting the officials to work in the Office of Royal Lectures.

Hyang, who was reviewing the Seogyeongdanja (credentials) of the candidates sent by each department at Hyang’s request, sparkled his eyes.

“Oh? Already in this position? He’s been promoted quite quickly? Is he really that capable?”

The person who caught Hyang’s attention was Han Myeong-hoi.

Hyang fell into 고민 [Korean for “worry” or “contemplation”] with Han Myeong-hoi’s Seogyeongdanja in front of him.

“What should I do? Should I recommend him when Father goes to Shinji [a type of personnel assessment]? Or should I keep him by my side and roll him around?”

After seriously 고민 [Korean for “worry” or “contemplation”], Hyang soon picked out Han Myeong-hoi’s Seogyeongdanja separately.

“There’s a famous movie line, isn’t there? ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’”

Hyang decided to roll Han Myeong-hoi, who was the most important aide to Grand Prince Suyang, right next to him.

“If he’s really good, I’ll stick a straw in him and use him as the second Minister Hwang Hee, and if not, I’ll roll him around as a groundskeeper in Geunjeongjeon.”

Having decided on Han Myeong-hoi’s treatment, Hyang searched through the Seogyeongdanja again.

While searching through the Seogyeongdanja, Hyang’s eyes lit up.

“Oh? Yi Ja was here too? Ah! Everyone said they were alumni, right? Hmm….”

Hyang was 고민 [Korean for “worry” or “contemplation”] again.

“Should I tear them apart, or should I gather them together and monitor them….”

After 깊게 고민 [Korean for “deeply contemplate”], Hyang soon came to a conclusion.

“It’s a level of lust for power that could cause a rebellion. That level of desire…. If they are near the highest power, they will never try to be pushed out. To do that, they will be that much more loyal, right? Hmm…. We’ll see whether they become capable ministers of peace or waste.”

At the same time as he spoke, the Seogyeongdanja he picked out were Kwon Ram and Seo Geo-jeong, etc.

* * *

Note 1) Reading Sejong the Great’s Veritable Records in One Volume. Written by Park Young-gyu. Woongjin Knowledge House.

Note 2) Our History Net, Regency.

http://contents.history.go.kr/front/km/print.do?levelId=km_023_0040_0030_0010&whereStr=