Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 974

974. A Tree with Many Branches… (3)

“Haa… I’m so troubled.”

Crown Prince Woo sighed, a troubled look on his face as he dealt with documents.

“Why do you look so troubled? The auspicious event is just around the corner.”

“Ah! You’ve arrived?”

Woo quickly rose from his seat and bowed to Duke Anpyeong, who had spoken as he passed by, replying with a still-troubled expression. “That auspicious event is what’s troubling me.”

“Hahaha! It’s only natural to feel troubled when a wedding is so close. But isn’t it something everyone goes through?”

“But, ever since being appointed Crown Prince, nothing has gone my way…”

Seeing Woo vaguely trailing off, Anpyeong felt a pang of sympathy.

‘Well, he didn’t exactly *want* to become Crown Prince…’

* * *

The commotion that occurred when Woo became Crown Prince had already spread far and wide throughout Seoul. The reactions of the Seoul residents who heard the rumors were largely divided into two.

“If they asked me to be the Crown Prince, I would have accepted with a ‘Thank you!’ Why is he refusing? He’s got too much luxury!”

“Even the lowest officials in Gyeongbok Palace [the main royal palace in Seoul] and the court are constantly complaining about how hard they work. How difficult must it be to be the Crown Prince or the Emperor? I would run away too.”

“But, he’s the Crown Prince, right? That means he’s the next Emperor? He can have all the power and wealth of this empire! Why would he refuse that? And it’s not just power and wealth! He can have any beautiful woman he wants and enjoy a life of pleasure!”

“What about the Board of Audit and Inspection? And is Chobeop [a type of legal procedure or oversight] just a pot stand?”

“…….”

“From the beginning, why would there be a saying like ‘attending to myriad affairs’? Even if you get a beautiful woman, would you have time to spend with her?”

“But, he’s the Emperor.”

“What if he’s the Emperor? He’s surrounded by superiors at every level.”

“Ah!”

* * *

Knowing these circumstances, Anpyeong looked at Woo with sympathetic eyes. In fact, not only Anpyeong but also the musicians and officials around him all looked at Woo with similar expressions.

“How many things in life go as you wish? You have to accept what you must.”

“Hoo…”

Woo sighed involuntarily at Anpyeong’s words and revealed his inner thoughts. “I know that too. But, in the process of selecting the Crown Princess, there’s a test of archery, but why isn’t there a test of music or dance? I dreamed of sharing affection with the consorts as they danced to my music, but why isn’t there a test of music or dance?”

“……..”

“……..”

At Woo’s words, Anpyeong, as well as everyone around him, fell silent.

‘Give me back my pity!’

However, before long, Anpyeong and those around him looked at Woo with sympathetic eyes again.

‘Well, it’s a well-known fact that they become fierce once they enter the inner court…’

* * *

During this period, there were several rumors and stories related to the Imperial Family that all the people of the Empire nodded in agreement with. One of them was the story related to the women of the Imperial Family.

-The Empire’s armies are five in total: the Army, the Navy, the Royal Guards, and the Inner and Outer Courts.

The Empress, the Imperial Consorts, and the court ladies who served them were collectively called the Inner Court, and the organization of the wives and daughters of the Imperial Family and high-ranking officials was called the Outer Court. The Inner Court mentioned by the people referred only to the Empress, Imperial Consorts, Crown Princess, and Crown Prince’s Consorts, not the traditional Inner Court.

However, the reason why the Inner and Outer Courts were treated as armies was that anyone who became a member of the Inner and Outer Courts learned marksmanship without exception. And not just at a hobby level, but at the level of elite soldiers. This tradition was created because of the ‘Palace Intrusion Incident’ that occurred in the Gyeyu year.

At that time, when the private soldiers led by Grand Prince Yangnyeong and Seo Seon crossed the walls of Gyeongbok Palace, Empress Soheon, as well as the Crown Princess and the Consorts, all participated in the battle to stop them. Since then, an unspoken rule and tradition had been created that all the Emperor’s women must be able to handle guns properly.

-Under no circumstances will the Emperor’s women be the ones to protect the Emperor to the end. We are the Emperor’s last sword and shield!

This was the reason why the women of the Inner Court properly learned firearms. Since the Inner Court was like this, it was only natural that the Outer Court also participated in the trend. And that was why archery was added to the process of selecting the Crown Princess and Consorts.

-Firearms are not allowed for the common people, so let’s just look at archery.

-The women who are named in the Inner and Outer Courts, including the Crown Princess and Consorts, must learn marksmanship under the supervision of the Empress.

This was how the rumor that the Inner and Outer Courts were armies was born. And then another audacious rumor began to circulate.

-The reason why the Emperor does not take other women besides the Empress and Imperial Consorts is for his survival. Later, Hyang, who heard this audacious rumor, smiled and shook his head.

“I’m already struggling to find time to do what I want; three is too much. Don’t they know the saying, ‘If your husband is into fishing, you don’t have to worry about him cheating’?”

* * *

‘But I can’t say I don’t understand…’

“Hmm…”

Anpyeong, who had been pondering for a moment at Woo’s grumbling, made a suggestion.

“Then why not add music and dance to the selection process?”

“Would that be possible?”

Woo, as well as those around him, all looked at Anpyeong with similar expressions upon hearing his suggestion.

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?”

“But, the public’s opinion of music and dance is…”

The social evaluation of music, dance, and skills by the people of the Empire had been quite harsh since ancient times. Thanks to Anpyeong, a high-ranking official, publicly stepping forward and the creation of comprehensive entertainment venues, it had improved, but there was still a long way to go. That was why Woo was worried.

“If you put music and dance in the selection process, the Board of Audit and Inspection will not stand still. They will say it does not suit the dignity of the Imperial Family.”

“Hmph!”

Anpyeong scoffed at Woo’s point, replying with an expression that it was nothing.

“Dignity? Does the Crown Prince know that when Emperor Won organized Aak [Korean court music] and Hyangak [Korean folk music] with Park Yeon in the old days, he created the jeongganbo [a traditional Korean musical notation system]?”

“Yes?”

Anpyeong, who mentioned an anecdote about Sejong, scoffed once again.

“Hmph! Emperor Won did not take music lightly either, so what dignity are you talking about! If they argue about that, it would be like insulting the Emperor Emeritus! Who was the first to create the Sin Sokyo [likely a reference to a specific musical piece or system]!”

“Ah!”

Woo’s face brightened at Anpyeong’s words. It was because he had the most reliable shield. Seeing Woo’s face brighten like that, Anpyeong told him the best and worst method.

“If they keep making a fuss, say you won’t be the Crown Prince!”

“Aha!”

And Woo immediately put it into action.

* * *

“Haa… This kid…”

Hyeon, who saw Woo’s memorial [formal written request or petition], grabbed his forehead and pondered, then sought out Hyang again. Hyang, who received Woo’s memorial, replied immediately.

“Why not just accept it?”

“But…”

“The fact that they have become Crown Princess candidates means that there are no problems with their family or conduct, right? It’s not just the officials who are reviewing them, but the Secret Guard is also stepping in to filter them out.”

“That is true.”

“Then it is okay to add the conditions that the Crown Prince wants. We have granted the desires of the Inner Court, so we must also grant the desires of the Crown Prince, right? The person who will live with them is not us, but the Crown Prince.”

Hyeon, who had been pondering for a moment at Hyang’s words, replied with a bright face. “I will do so.”

After Hyeon left, Hyang looked out the window and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! It’s been a while, Anpyeong. I need to roll this guy around a bit. Instead of giving constructive advice to a child, he’s teaching him how to throw a tantrum?”

While Hyang was clicking his tongue, Anpyeong suddenly felt a chill and shivered.

“Why am I suddenly feeling a chill… I say, I should leave work early today.”

As Anpyeong hurriedly left work due to the sudden chill, all kinds of tonics and rare foods flocked to Anpyeong’s house.

“Duke, you must live a long life!”

The artists who owed Anpyeong a great debt gathered in groups of three or five to obtain medicine and delicacies.

“Thank you, thank you. It seems I haven’t lived in vain.”

“Duke, don’t say that, you must live a long life!”

“Haven’t I lived enough at this point?”

“Oh, Duke!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t die until I die.”

Some of the artists who were worried about Anpyeong’s health set out purified water and prayed for Anpyeong’s health.

* * *

Perhaps it was the butterfly effect caused by Hyang, but Hyang’s siblings were all living long lives. And it wasn’t just longevity. They were all making names for themselves in various fields. It wasn’t just Jinpyeong, famous for railroads and iron horses, and Anpyeong, famous for entertainment. Princess Jeongso was famous for her medical skills, and Princess Jeongui was famous for her industry-academia cooperation at the research institute.

In addition, Hyang’s full and half-siblings were making names for themselves in the military, government, commerce, industry, and the arts. Interestingly, it was not only Hyang but also Jinpyeong and Anpyeong who played a role in their rise to fame. When they took on practical work that made use of their aptitudes, the most lacking things were talent and budget. To solve this problem, Jinpyeong and Anpyeong actively brought in their full and half-siblings.

At the time, Hyang evaluated it as ‘royal multi-level marketing’ for talent recruitment. Whatever the case, as these royal figures actively moved, Joseon was rapidly transforming into an empire. Of course, this would not have been possible without Sejong’s active support.

It was because of Sejong’s active support, who had completely seized power, that Hyang and Hyang’s siblings were able to transform Joseon.

Later historians evaluated this period as follows:

-It was possible because it was a time of chaos in the early Joseon Dynasty, a time when nothing was yet formalized or fixed.

-The Empire was able to grow in that way because there was a strong root called Emperor Won, a solid trunk called the first Emperor, and branches called the Imperial siblings.

* * *

As time went on, fitting the word ‘peaceful reign,’ incidents and accidents continued to occur. Not long after Crown Prince Woo’s selection of the Crown Princess was over, a huge scandal broke out.

A sex scandal involving Yung -Yeonsangun in the history before Hyang’s intervention- the son of Count Jinpyeong -Seongjong in the history before Hyang’s intervention- broke out. Yung, who had come of age and received the title of Baron, was famous for his deep knowledge of music. However, under the pretext of discussing music, he frequented courtesan houses from before he came of age and played around with courtesans, causing constant scandals.

However, despite these scandals, there was a lot of sympathy for Yung. This was because his father, Count Jinpyeong, was famous for having an unhappy married life, to the point of being called the ‘Divorce Count.’ However, this scandal was quite different.

Not only was he caught engaging in adultery, promiscuity (multiple men and women engaging in sexual relations), and pederasty, but he was also caught smoking opium, which was prohibited by law. Naturally, the Board of Audit and Inspection rose up, and the memorials of the local gentry who heard the rumors once again flooded in like a flood.

“What should we do? Is it right to proceed according to the law?”

Hyang frowned and nodded at Hyeon’s question.

“Isn’t that what the law is for? Of course, it is right to proceed according to the law.”

In the end, Yung was sentenced to a heavy penalty through trial and was forced to work in a mine. And he was removed from the Imperial Family’s genealogy. As an aside, Duke Jinpyeong, who heard this news and could not bear the shame and humiliation, called Count Jinpyeong and beat him until he cried out. Because Duke Jinpyeong could not contain his anger even after that, the tigers living in the Northeast Forest -Siberia- had to suffer.