Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 105

Clangra

Hello, Bomb!

105. Hwanghee’s Choice, and Glass (1)

Hwanghee returned to Hanseong [present-day Seoul] with his letter of resignation in his arms.

On his way back, Hwanghee heard about the punishments handed down to his sons.

“There are many who believe the criminals are skilled in manipulating documents, so they should be sentenced to document sorting! But! Therefore, we cannot entrust them with document sorting! Send the criminals to the coal mines in Pyeongan-do [North Pyongan Province] to perform hard labor for 20 years! Let them endlessly regret their wrongdoings while mining coal! In addition, confiscate all the criminals’ assets!”

Hwanghee squeezed his eyes shut upon hearing the punishment given by Sejong.

“Those fools… if you were going to do it, at least don’t get caught…”

Upon returning to Hanseong, Hwanghee immediately headed to the palace.

“Administrator Hwanghee requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

Hwanghee entered the throne room and bowed respectfully.

“What brings you here from Wonji?”

“I wish to submit my resignation.”

“Resignation?”

“My children’s faults are my faults, so I request to resign.”

“Are you aware that the crime of deceiving the monarch is a treasonous crime that involves guilt by association?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

At Hwanghee’s answer, Sejong pondered for a moment and then pointed to the scrolls piled up beside him.

“These are the petitions calling for you to be severely punished. Of course, this petition is the one that came up today, and if you include the ones that came up before, it would easily fill a cart. What should I do?”

At Sejong’s question, Hwanghee knelt and answered.

“I will only follow Your Majesty’s decision.”

At Hwanghee’s answer, Sejong quietly looked down at Hwanghee.

‘What should I do?’

Sejong, who was looking down at the kneeling Hwanghee, looked at Maeng Saseong, who was standing on one side with a gloomy face.

To be honest, compared to the praise from his father, Taejong, he was not as confident in Hwanghee. In particular, the difference was clear when compared to the Crown Prince, Hyang.

However, compared to the officials in the court now, Hwanghee’s ability, along with Maeng Saseong, was outstanding.

If he were to get rid of him now, it was certain that he would suffer for a considerable amount of time in the future.

“Haa~.”

Sejong, who let out a long sigh, came to a conclusion.

“There are two paths for you. One is to return all your assets to the national treasury, including all your property except for the house you currently live in, and even your pension, and to work in the court until you die. Ah! Your salary will be paid.”

“….”

Hwanghee was silent at Sejong’s words. Seeing Hwanghee like that, Sejong spoke about the second option.

“The second is to keep only half of your house and assets and sort documents until you die.”

Hwanghee’s face turned pale at the words ‘document sorting until death’. However, Hwanghee could not open his mouth.

“The first option allows you to live as a powerful figure in the court, living only on your salary.

The second option allows you to save some of your assets to distribute to your children. What will you do?”

Hwanghee was silent for a long time at Sejong’s question. After a long silence, Hwanghee made a decision.

“I will choose the first option.”

“I understand, then we will proceed that way. You may return to your post immediately.”

“I obey your command.”

The Chief Censor and the Censorate [Office of the Inspector General], who were about to demand his execution as soon as they saw Hwanghee, closed their mouths.

The ferocity that had been in the eyes of the two men looking at Hwanghee disappeared, and they were filled with pity.

‘Until death! He may be a powerful figure, but isn’t he just a slave working in the throne room? The king’s surveillance will continue, so what good is power!’

The historian who recorded all of this situation concluded as follows.

-In this way, the punishment for Hwanghee was decided. None of the officials in the throne room opposed or insisted on severe punishment.

The historian argues.

Looking at the two recent accidents, only one conclusion was reached.

Educate your children well.

* * *

After Hwanghee opened the door to a public service life without retirement, Hyang concealed his bitter feelings and moved to finish the work at the Gahaksan mine.

“Even if the people of this era don’t know the danger of this problem, I knew it, right? This is my mistake.”

Hyang felt a great responsibility for this mine accident.

To be honest, even though Hyang was called Gwangdeok [a term of respect], things like wastewater purification were all basic knowledge he learned while setting up high schools and blacksmith shops.

Therefore, when the mining of the mine began, he took the problem of contaminated water and leachate lightly and just passed it over.

‘Mines have been mined in this land since yesterday or today, and there hasn’t been any major problem so far, right?’

And the result was a large-scale contamination of farmland near Gahaksan. Heading to the mine, Hyang firmly resolved.

“Even if I only know the basics, I have to move to minimize the damage!”

With that resolution, Hyang began construction of a large wastewater treatment plant at the mine to prevent the problem of heavy metal contamination.

It was a primitive purification facility that used a large amount of sand, gravel, charcoal, and limestone, but Hyang had a helpless expression on his face.

“This is the best I can do right now.”

That large wastewater purification facility was the result of the limitations of his knowledge, and he could only hope that it would get a little better.

Returning to the palace, Hyang firmly resolved.

“I need to mobilize the researchers and artisans in Area 51 to do research. Before it’s too late.”

* * *

After finishing the work on the mine, Hyang moved to the residential area near Area 51.

“I have a long way to go, but I’m still falling behind.”

Hyang grumbled and hurried his steps.

Hyang was on his way to see Pietro and Raphael.

After the incident was settled with Seodal becoming a cripple, Hyang had been busy solving the mine accident, so he hadn’t looked for them.

Finally, the mine problem was solved, so Hyang visited them for the first time.

Pietro, whose right arm was broken after being beaten by Seodal’s servants, was recuperating in a rented house.

“I need to fix it quickly and use it. How much money are they giving me?”

Hyang, who brought the royal physician himself for Pietro’s quick recovery, arrived in front of his house and heard a sharp voice in his ear.

“You bitch! Why is a vixen like you here!”

“What are you talking about, you bitch! Who are you calling a vixen!”

“Haa~. I can roughly guess the situation.”

Hyang, who sighed at the piercing screams of the women, gestured to the Geumui [royal guards].

“Open it.”

“Yes.”

When the door opened, the expected scene appeared.

The sight of women grabbing each other’s hair and wrestling came into view.

Seeing the two women with disheveled hair fighting like crazy women, Hyang sighed and gestured to the escorting civil official.

“Haa~. Stop them.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

At Hyang’s command, the escorting military officer shouted.

“You bitches! What kind of bizarre behavior is this in broad daylight! The Crown Prince is here, why don’t you stop right now! Do you really want to taste the spicy taste!”

When the escorting military officer shouted sternly, the fighting women quickly separated and prostrated themselves on the ground.

“We see Your Highness the Crown Prince! Please save our lives!”

“Please save us!”

“Hoo~.”

Hyang, who let out a long sigh, pointed to the outside of the gate with his hand.

“Get out of here right now.”

“Yes, yes!”

At Hyang’s command, the two women ran away quickly.

Seeing that, Hyang asked Raphael and Pietro, who came out of the room and paid their respects.

“As far as I know, doesn’t the god you believe in teach you not to commit adultery?”

At Hyang’s question, Raphael pointed to Pietro and answered in still clumsy Joseon language.

“Pietro, that bastard, is a damn monist.”

“헐….”

* * *

Hyang, who came into the room, had the royal physician check Pietro’s condition.

“How is it?”

At Hyang’s question, the royal physician, who examined Pietro’s broken arm, answered immediately.

“It’s well attached.”

“Really? Then you can come to work from tomorrow.”

At Hyang’s words, Pietro rubbed his arm and pretended to be in pain.

“It still hurts here… I wish I could rest a little more…,”

“Really? Raphael is working hard to cover your share, and the glass workshop is ready to start again. So that means Raphael is enough….”

Hyang paused for a moment and glared at Pietro.

“Then why should I hire two people while paying a high salary? I should only hire the diligent Raphael, and you should be resold or made to work in the mine….”

Before Hyang could finish speaking, Pietro answered immediately.

“I will be at work on time tomorrow!”

“Don’t forget to be on time. You have a lot to do.”

As Hyang left after finishing his business, Pietro could not hide his regret and smacked his lips.

“The good times are all gone.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t have been lazy. Don’t you still know what kind of person that prince is?”

“Tch!”

Pietro still smacked his lips, unable to hide his regret.

* * *

As Pietro returned to work normally, the glass workshop began to operate normally.

“Are the materials properly prepared? Ash is the most important, how is it?”

At Pietro’s question, Raphael lifted a container full of gray ash and answered.

“Ah. I made some good ash this time.”

Pietro tasted the ash with his finger and nodded.

“It’s good. It’s worth the hard work.”

Raphael also nodded, receiving the words.

“Isn’t it? It’s worth the hard work.”

He was filled with mixed emotions as he recalled the trials and tribulations the two had to go through to make this ash.

In order to melt the silicon, the main material of glass, an enormous high temperature of 1500 degrees Celsius was required.

It was difficult to obtain such a high temperature, so European artisans looked for a way to make glass at a lower temperature.

In the midst of numerous challenges and repeated failures, European artisans discovered the ash from burning seaweed.

“You need seaweed? What kind?”

At Pietro and Raphael’s request, Hyang bought all kinds of seaweed, such as seaweed and kelp, from the market.

“Something’s a little lacking….”

“Let’s find it ourselves!”

Pietro and Raphael, who checked the ash from burning the seaweed that Hyang had brought, shook their heads and headed to the West Sea [Yellow Sea] with escorting military officers.

After searching the coast of the West Sea, the two found Salicornia europaea (glasswort).

“It was in this country too!”

“Let’s do it!”

The two people who found Salicornia europaea immediately burned it and checked the ash. The two people who tasted the ash with their fingers looked at each other and smiled brightly.

“Yes, this is it!”

In that way, they found the optimal material, and from the pre-treatment before burning – how much to dry the seaweed, etc. – to the appropriate fire temperature, they created the current ash after various trials and errors.

Pietro, who checked the ash in the container, lightly loosened his right arm and turned to Raphael.

“Shall we start now?”

“Good.”

Pietro, who had checked the materials, shouted to the Joseon artisans who were waiting.

Pietro, whose always smiling face had disappeared, shouted at the Joseon artisans with a fierce face.

“Light the kiln! Hot! Very hot!”

“I understand!”

The Joseon artisans, who answered Pietro’s shout, put burning coal into the kiln and began to turn the handle of the centrifugal blower with all their might.

Whoo-oong~.

With the sound of air being sucked in loudly, the coal that went into the kiln began to burn blue.

“Put in more coal!”

“More wind!”

While giving orders to the Joseon artisans, Raphael and Pietro, who were checking the condition of the kiln, put the crucibles containing the mixed raw materials into the kiln.

After some time, Pietro and Raphael, who confirmed that the raw materials were properly melted, took out the crucibles, poured them into the mold, and inserted a pipe connected to the bellows. When the pipe was properly inserted, the two began to pump the bellows.

It was the cylinder method developed in Venice after being created in Germany.

(Note 1)

The Joseon artisans observed all these processes next to Pietro and Raphael. It wasn’t just the artisans.

The scribes dispatched from the research institute recorded Raphael and Pietro’s every move without omission.

What they recorded would be made into a book and become a valuable textbook.

* * *

Finally, when the test-produced sheet glass was completely cooled. Pietro and Raphael carefully lifted the sheet glass to check the results.

The two who checked the results smiled brightly and looked at each other.

“It’s done! It’s a success!”

It was the moment when Joseon’s first sheet glass was born.

When the sheet glass was completed, Hyang also entered the workshop to check the results.

“It’s well made! Good job!”

“Thank you!”

“I will give you 20 silver coins as a reward!”

At the words that he would give a bonus, Pietro bent over and answered.

“Seongun is ruined!”

At Pietro’s words, the eunuch next to him shouted.

“It’s not ruined, it’s manggeuk [thank you]!”

“I’m sorry.”

“This!”

Hyang, who stopped the eunuch from saying anything, looked at Pietro and Raphael.

“The sheet glass was successful, and you know how to make bowls and bottles, right?”

“Yes.”

“You also know how to add colors?”

“Yes.”

“What about mirrors?”

At Hyang’s question, Pietro looked at Raphael. Raphael answered in a confident voice, unlike his usual self.

“I can make it.”

At Raphael’s answer, Hyang smiled.

“Really? Then let’s make everything.”

‘It’s finally time to get the most out of it!’

——

Note 1) In search of the roots of glass. Kim Cheol-young. Ceramist. Vol. 11, No. 2. April 2008.