There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 68

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

Min Mu-jil grabbed my waist and whined like Jin-gu finding Doraemon [a popular Japanese manga and anime character].

I sighed and asked.

“His Majesty is very interested, but the type casting isn’t going well.”

Min Mu-jil cried and said.

“What’s the problem?”

“No matter how much I improve it and present it, His Majesty disapproves, so what can I do?”

I saw a version printed with Gye-mi characters [a specific font style], and it was a bit off.

The inconsistent size and shape of the characters, missing parts in the strokes, and the uneven thickness of the strokes were problems I already knew about.

However, I couldn’t figure out how they arranged it. The lines of the characters on the plate were misaligned, and the strokes of the top and bottom characters were even overlapping.

With this, readability was bound to be severely impaired.

“Originally, His Majesty said it was good enough, but suddenly the standards have risen…”

Lee Bang-won was the person who saw me developing various devices up close more than anyone else.

Not all the items were satisfactory, and there were trial and errors, but it was enough to raise Lee Bang-won’s standards.

That’s why my uncle is suffering.

‘I already have a headache because of the Grand Prince Hyoryeong issue, do I have to do this much?’

What kind of glory am I going to enjoy that my mother gave me this homework?

However, my uncle clung to me as if there was nothing else he could do.

“Crown Prince!”

I am not a cold-hearted person who would turn away uncles who came to me begging for help like the original Grand Prince Yangnyeong.

It was also something my father was enthusiastically promoting.

Besides, I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently.

“Ah, I understand. Let’s think about it together.”

I wasn’t Doraemon taking out tools from his pocket, but I did have friends comparable to him.

“Go and bring Choi Hae-san and Lee Cheon.”

When I told the eunuch, the three entered the Crown Prince’s residence.

“Why did you come?”

I asked, seeing Noh Bun, who had already become a master craftsman.

I had forgotten about him, but seeing Noh Bun’s face after a few months was quite welcome, but that was it.

“He’s been doing well in the field lately, and he also knows His Highness, so I brought him along,” Choi Hae-san said.

I wasn’t planning on making a sample yet.

I handed over the paper with the printed characters.

“Chief Choi, what do you think?”

“Hmm… this is a disaster.”

Choi Hae-san scratched his head and said.

It seemed serious even to them.

“Is there any way to improve it?”

“I’m not an expert in type casting…”

Choi Hae-san started making excuses, and I glared at him.

‘It looks like he’s making excuses because he doesn’t want more work.’

Well, whatever.

I turned my attention elsewhere.

There was Lee Cheon, whom I had personally scouted and put into the sewing machine development.

Unlike Choi Hae-san, the diligent Lee Cheon answered calmly.

“The problem seems to be caused by forcibly inserting characters of different sizes into the infantle [a frame for holding printing type]. It would be better to make the infantle completely modular. Fill the remaining parts with lead.”

I clapped my knees.

“Oh, you are indeed the best inventor in Joseon [Korean dynasty].”

“You flatter me.”

“No, it’s not flattery. How can ordinary people find out what the problem is just by looking at the printed paper? It’s impossible unless you’re a genius like you.”

“Ordinary people…?”

Choi Hae-san’s expression crumpled as if he was meant to hear it.

He glanced at Lee Cheon.

He looked like his pride was hurt.

Well, he couldn’t stand being pushed back by a military officer who had rolled in at my command.

Choi Hae-san also offered his opinion.

“In addition, instead of stuffing characters into the gaps in the typesetting, it would be better to fill them with bamboo. That would be better than lead.”

I had to encourage competition.

Even though Choi Hae-san was a weapon-specialized talent, he was coming up with countermeasures like this.

As I expected, Choi Hae-san and Lee Cheon diagnosed each other while being conscious of each other.

As ideas for supplementation popped out one by one, Min Mu-jil hurriedly wrote them down with a pencil.

I looked at it and asked.

“Are you using pencils in the Printing Office too?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. There is a fine brush, but it can’t compare to this pencil. I got it from the Military Supplies Office.”

No matter how much the censors fussed, they couldn’t ignore the usefulness.

I was relieved that even the Printing Office, which I didn’t pay much attention to, was using pencils.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

At the same time, Min Mu-jil also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was relieved to have finally found a solution.

But it was too early to be surprised.

“With this, the daily output will be about 40 sheets,” Choi Hae-san and Lee Cheon said, and Min Mu-jil’s eyes popped out.

“That much?”

His eyes popped out when he heard that he could more than double the amount of printing in a situation where the amount of printing itself was not that large.

“Oh, what a great achievement!”

The existing Gye-mi characters printed less than twenty sheets, so he praised himself, but I frowned.

‘Eh, that’s all?’

Forty sheets meant that they couldn’t even print one book a day.

I was even more fired up by the fact that I still had a long way to go.

‘Yeah, I can’t be satisfied with this improved Gye-mi character.’

“I will go to the Printing Office and proceed with the development.”

As Min Mu-jil thanked me and stepped back, I grabbed his arm.

“Uncle, are you going to just give me lip service and leave?”

“Ah.”

Min Mu-jil also knew the give-and-take principle that I had set.

“How can I repay you?”

“Lend me some of the Printing Office artisans.”

“The Printing Office people?”

“I have something to research about printing.”

Then Min Mu-jil said with difficulty.

“How can I arbitrarily lend out artisans belonging to the country?”

“Isn’t this what His Majesty ordered? Make some excuse and turn them over to me.”

When I strongly pressured him, Min Mu-jil nodded in confusion.

I smiled and patted my uncle’s back.

I couldn’t expect much in terms of skill or technique, but I had secured manpower.

===

The Hoegangs (講會) [lecture or presentation] to be held before the book presentation.

I sat anxiously.

And on one side, a few officials from the Censorate [an office that monitored government officials] were sitting.

Both sides had to attend the results of the bet.

There would be no Hoegangs as splendid as this.

‘Because no one cares about the Hoegangs of a Grand Prince, not even the Crown Prince.’

So Lee Bang-won didn’t bother to come here.

Since I, the Crown Prince, came, it couldn’t be said that the class was lacking.

“Then let’s begin.”

The teacher in charge of the Grand Prince said, nodding towards me.

I also nodded to express my permission.

The Grand Prince’s teacher put the Elementary Learning [a Confucian textbook] in front of him and asked Grand Prince Hyoryeong.

“Your Excellency, it is said in the Book of Odes [a collection of Chinese poetry], ‘Heaven produces the teeming people; For every affair there are its rules. The people, holding that normal nature, love the admirable virtues.’ Can you explain what it means?”

I clenched my fist.

It was probably written in the core notes.

As expected, Grand Prince Hyoryeong’s mouth opened without hesitation.

“It means that the Book of Odes says, ‘Heaven gave birth to the people and made rules for everything, so the people cherish the Dao [the natural order of the universe] and love beautiful virtues.'”

‘Indeed.’

I clenched my fist.

It wasn’t a skillful or smooth answer because he sometimes stuttered, but he didn’t forget any parts.

“That’s right. It is rewarding for me as a teacher that the Grand Prince is so bright.”

The Grand Prince’s teacher said with a proud expression.

‘It’s thanks to me, not you!’

I wanted to shout that, but I remained calm.

In the following questions and answers, Grand Prince Hyoryeong answered without any problems.

The expressions of the censors were not good, while my expression was filled with joy.

“Pass!”

Eventually, the Grand Prince’s teacher’s shout echoed.

I watched it with a proud expression.

‘To finish Elementary Learning at a younger age than me.’

It was done through rote learning, but I was still happy.

‘Actually, it doesn’t mean much.’

He just memorized it without knowing the meaning, so it was difficult to say that he had achieved great learning.

‘My mother may think of this as a symbol of genius.’

But does that matter?

It was enough to win the bet.

I looked at the censors and said.

“How is it? As you feared, the handwriting has not deteriorated, and he has mastered Elementary Learning at a young age.”

The censors’ faces turned red.

“There is still one more Grand Prince left, so we will check his studies and decide!”

Like villains shouting ‘We’ll see!’, they hurriedly left.

But what a pity, the result will be the same then.

That was just a few days later.

Hehe, it’s only a few days until I put those guys in the gulag [prison].

I’m enjoying this wait enough.

As soon as the officials stood up, Grand Prince Hyoryeong ran to me and said.

“Hyung-nim [older brother], as promised…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I handed my brother a wooden statue.

It was something I carved myself, and it was in the shape of an animal.

“Dragon?”

“Yeah, a dragon…”

It was a dragon, but it looked like something I had never seen before.

“It’s a dinosaur.”

It was close to a dinosaur.

‘Kids go crazy for dinosaurs and robots.’

When I was young, I used to memorize all the dinosaur names.

I started to forget them as I got older, but now I’ve forgotten everything except Tyrannosaurus.

“Dinosaur!”

Grand Prince Hyoryeong’s eyes sparkled.

And he started hitting the Diamond Warrior with the dinosaur.

‘When I see things like this, he’s just a kid.’

If my mother’s pressure gets too severe, he might go astray.

Even though he overcame the crisis with a trick, Grand Prince Hyoryeong was just an ordinary person.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

The real genius is different.

A genius who can take all of Queen Wongyeong’s education fever.

So.

‘You just play with the figure.’

I thought so, stroking Grand Prince Hyoryeong’s head.

===

Immediately after winning 1 victory against the censors, I looked for Lee Seong-gye.

“I need help creating new type technology.”

“Take a breath and talk. What’s the rush?”

When I went to Lee Seong-gye and spoke directly, my grandfather complained.

Still, I have to take care of things right away.

I quickly urged Lee Seong-gye.

“Do you know anyone who can help?”

“I know.”

Lee Seong-gye also answered coolly.

“Then please connect me.”

But Lee Seong-gye’s answer was unexpected.

“Then what are you going to do for me?”

“Yes?”

I jumped at the absurd sound.

“They say they don’t even begrudge the rice that goes into their grandson’s mouth, are you trying to get something in return between grandfather and grandson?”

“You rascal, you’re the one who’s been demanding something in return every time. Between grandfather and grandson.”

‘I have nothing to say.’

It’s true that I’ve been a bit harsh.

But even among family members, money matters must be thorough in advance.

Otherwise, complaints will accumulate little by little and they may become estranged.

‘How much is it, how much is it?’

A line from an old drama came to mind, but Lee Seong-gye wasn’t exactly short on money.

Besides, I had an easier element to persuade him.

I put on an evil smile.

“If I want to reinstate my two uncles and old comrades later, I need people to support me firmly from behind. So you said you would give me people, didn’t you?”

Lee Seong-gye raised both hands as if he had been hit.

“You rascal, you’re good at talking.”

Lee Seong-gye said.

“Okay. I’ll call them. But it will take some time for the news to come and go because they are outside the capital.”

“I hope it doesn’t take too long.”

“Ah, don’t worry. It’s not that far. It’s in Yangju.”

Yangju?

End

ⓒ Pitkong