Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 115

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

115. He’s Back! (1)

As morning arrived, the Head Court Lady reported the events of the first night to the Queen.

“So, did the Crown Prince safely complete his first night?”

“Yes, Your Highness. His Highness successfully completed his first night.”

“But, why does your voice sound like that? Why is it so nasal?”

“I had a bit of a nosebleed….”

The Head Court Lady slightly raised her head, revealing cotton soaked with blood in both nostrils.

“Oh dear! Have you been tired lately? Well… I trust there are no concerns about an heir?”

At Queen Soheon’s question, the Head Court Lady answered firmly.

“There is absolutely no need to worry about the issue of an heir!”

From that day on, rumors began to spread that ‘the Crown Prince is a genius in that area too.’

And in noble families with sons or grandsons of similar age to Hyang, secret movements began.

‘Find the book that the Crown Prince read!’

* * *

Perhaps because he was sufficiently experienced through the Crown Princess, Hyang spent even hotter first nights with the two concubines.

Thanks to this, Sejong even asked Hyang the following.

“There’s talk about a book… ahem. Where did you get such a book?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang answered with a troubled expression.

“Among the books I had obtained through envoys from long ago, there were a few books related to the relations between men and women.”

‘I can’t possibly say I learned it from the internet!’

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong requested Hyang in a subtle voice.

“Really? There was such a book? How embarrassing. I need to check what it is. Bring it to me.”

“It was too embarrassing, so I burned it right away.”

“You son of a…!”

Sejong suddenly shouted. Surprised, Hyang looked at Sejong and replied.

“Y-Your Majesty, what did this subject do wrong…”

Hyang asked back with a bewildered expression at Sejong’s words.

Then Sejong replied.

“How can you treat books so carelessly! Burning it!”

“It was too embarrassing…”

“Still!”

At Sejong’s excessive reaction, Hyang quickly replied.

“Considering the number of my full-blooded and half-blooded brothers, there’s no need for you to even look at the book…”

“Learning must never stop.”

At Sejong’s answer, Hyang lowered his head and just moved his lips.

* * *

The rumor that ‘the Crown Prince is amazing even at night!’ spread widely within the palace.

Thanks to this, even the maids doing odd jobs here and there in the palace spread gossip on that topic.

The maids working in the royal palace were not court ladies. They were women with good strength and work skills selected from commoners by the palace ladies.

Therefore, there were unmarried women, but there were also many married women. These selected maids received identification tags and commuted to the palace.

As the name ‘water maid’ suggests, their main task was drawing water for use in the palace, but they also tended the furnaces and did all sorts of odd jobs.

Since the work was hard, and many were tough married women who had experienced all sorts of hardships to be recognized for their strength and work skills, all sorts of unreserved conversations took place among the maids.

“Hey, did you hear the rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“About the East Palace, the East Palace.”

The maids, who were waiting for their turn with water jars lined up at the well, were talking about ‘the East Palace’.

However, they could be severely punished for mentioning Hyang’s name carelessly, so they vaguely grouped it as ‘the East Palace’ and continued the conversation.

“The East Palace? Ah… they say he’s amazing?”

“They say the Head Court Lady was guarding and had a nosebleed three times?”

“Oh my! Amazing! If it’s the Head Court Lady, she’s a deeply experienced person, right? Such a person had a nosebleed three times? Oh my~. That person is ‘Seo Mal Dat Doe’ [a Korean expression implying exceptional virility or sexual prowess].”

As a fellow maid who was passing remarks admired, the maid who had first opened her mouth sighed.

“Phew~. Someone makes the Head Court Lady have a nosebleed, but my nemesis at home just snores as soon as he lies down… there’s no joy in life, no joy in life. I don’t even wish for ‘Seo Mal Dat Doe,’ but I wish he was at least ‘Dat Doe’ [a lesser degree of virility]!”

“Heh? If he was just ‘Dat Doe,’ I’d cook meat soup for him every morning!”

“Hehehehe!”

“Hehehehe!”

The maids who were talking like that burst into laughter that shook the neighborhood.

A young maid who was watching the scene asked an older maid next to her.

“What does ‘Seo Mal Dat Doe’ mean?”

“You don’t need to know yet.”

“Ah~. What does it mean? Huh? What does it mean?”

As the young maid kept clinging, the older maid began to tell the story.

-In a certain village, there lived a very loving noble couple.

One day, the couple woke up at the same time a little before sunrise and started doing ‘it’.

While they were burning passionately, a female servant doing kitchen work called the wife.

“Madam. Madam~. How many ‘doe’ [a unit of volume, approximately 1.8 liters] of rice should I cook for breakfast? Madam? Madam~.”

The female servant, who was known for being clumsy, kept calling, so the wife answered from inside the room.

“Da, dat! Dahaat! Dahaat! Doe!”

“Yes. I understand.”

When dawn fully broke and the wife came out to the kitchen, she was horrified to see the rice cooked full in a large pot and grabbed the female servant.

“You! Are you crazy! Why did you cook so much rice!”

“You told me to do it!”

“When did I!”

“You said ‘Da, dat! Dahaat! Dahaat! Doe!’! ‘Dat Doe’ plus ‘Dat Doe’ is one ‘mal’ [approximately 18 liters], ‘Dadat’ is two ‘mal Dat Doe,’ so combined it’s ‘Seo Mal Dat Doe’ [approximately 36 liters]!”

“That’s how the saying ‘Seo Mal Dat Doe’ came about. Okay! It’s our turn! Let’s get water!”

The older maid, who finished the story, strode towards the well, and the young maid, whose face turned red, followed behind with hurried steps.

* * *

Meanwhile, the families who became Hyang’s in-laws through the marriages were also moving busily.

“Are the luggage all packed?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Hoo~.”

The parents, seeing their sons preparing to leave far away, sighed deeply.

The sons had to leave for the distant and harsh northern lands for the sake of their family’s peace and their own safety.

* * *

After Hyang’s marriage was decided, Sejong invited all the people who would become Hyang’s in-laws.

Sejong gathered the people who would become Hyang’s in-laws in the banquet hall of Gyeonghoeru [a royal banquet hall] and proceeded with the banquet, sitting at the head table.

“To celebrate the auspicious event of the Crown Prince’s consort being decided, I have summoned you all, who will now become relatives of the royal family.”

“Your benevolence is boundless.”

Those who were invited and came to Gyeonghoeru bowed their heads at Sejong’s words.

The banquet began, but the in-laws were all tense and only looked at Sejong.

‘If we make even a small mistake, our family will be exterminated!’

After some time passed, Sejong brought up the main point.

“Today, I have invited you because I have something to say.”

“We will listen attentively.”

‘Is this what’s coming?’

The in-laws swallowed hard and looked at Sejong.

Sejong slowly opened his mouth.

“Once the Crown Prince’s wedding is over, or even now, your houses will have many visitors. Isn’t that so?”

“We will close the gates immediately!”

At Sejong’s remark, all the prospective fathers-in-law answered in unison.

In fact, as soon as the words ‘became the Crown Prince’s Crown Princess – or concubine’ were spread, not only gift bundles but also relatives and acquaintances who had been infrequent in their visits flocked to them.

“Haha~ Closing the gates unconditionally would be rude. Treat them, but I hope you will not do anything that would cause harm to the royal family.”

“We will engrave it in our hearts!”

The people of the prospective in-laws all bowed their heads and answered.

“And… your sons are truly outstanding.”

“That’s an excessive compliment. They’re just barely earning their keep.”

“How could that be? I can tell ten things from seeing one. So… have they taken the civil service examination?”

At Sejong’s question, the brothers of the Crown Princess and concubines answered one by one in trembling voices.

“I am working in the Ministry of Taxation.”

“The Ministry of Taxation? You must be having a hard time. Suffer a little more. The overall reform is not far off. If you do your best, there will be good results.”

“I will give my all!”

Soon after, a sturdy son opened his mouth.

“I recently passed the military examination.”

“The military examination? You must work harder to become a shield that protects the country.”

“I will strive, and strive again!”

Among the nine sons from the three families who attended the banquet, one was working in the Ministry of Taxation, and one had passed the military examination. The remaining seven were preparing for the civil service examination. It was as reported.

Sejong, having confirmed the situation, lightly stroked his beard and opened his mouth.

“I would like to give opportunities to the other sons, except for the one working in the Ministry of Taxation. Would that be alright?”

At Sejong’s question, the fathers-in-law bowed deeply.

“Your benevolence is boundless!”

Not only the fathers-in-law but also the sons themselves bowed deeply.

“Your benevolence is boundless!”

However, Sejong’s following words were not good at all.

“I have prepared positions in the northern frontier. Go there and accumulate achievements and merits. Then, when the time comes later, I will use you more preciously.”

The sons who were happy at Sejong’s words froze. However, soon the one who passed the military examination answered in a loud voice.

“I will follow your command faithfully! I am deeply grateful for giving me such a good opportunity!”

The other sons also answered with a feeling of crying and eating mustard [reluctantly].

“Your benevolence is boundless!”

“I will expect it.”

Having finished one agenda, Sejong glared at Hyang’s fathers-in-law.

“Soon, titles and ranks will be bestowed upon the in-laws. So, I have something to ask.”

“Please command.”

“It’s simple. Do not forget whose blood I inherited. I can do the same thing if necessary.”

At Sejong’s words, the inside of Gyeonghoeru literally froze. Everyone except Sejong lowered their heads with pale faces.

In the end, the three fathers-in-law answered in trembling voices.

“We will engrave it in our hearts and follow your command faithfully!”

* * *

And so, among the sons of the three families, all except the son working in the Ministry of Taxation were preparing to leave for the north.

“Then, this subject will now depart.”

“Yes, yes… sob!”

At the sight of the sons bowing deeply while saying their farewells, the mothers wiped away tears with their coat strings and grieved. The fathers sitting next to them tried to maintain composure and encouraged their sons.

“Yes. Now that things have turned out this way, think of it as an opportunity and do your best.”

“Yes. Then, Father, Mother. Please be healthy.”

The sons who gave their farewells left their families and headed north.

* * *

If we exclude the Crown Prince’s marriage, which was held in a flash, the second half of the 10th year of Sejong’s reign, Musin year [year in the sexagenary cycle], seemed to be flowing peacefully.

However, on October 16th, an impeachment petition was submitted by the Office of the Inspector General.

The target of the impeachment was Minister of War Hwang Sang.

-Supreme Commander Yi Sun-mong had an affair with Minister of War Hwang Sang’s courtesan, Wolhwa-bong, and was caught by Hwang Sang, who shaved both of their heads. In response, Yi Sun-mong falsely reported it and did not perform his duties. Hwang Sang illegally defrauded a courtesan, and Yi Sun-mong falsely took sick leave and did not work, so they should be severely punished.

Sejong, upon receiving the petition, immediately issued an order.

“Imprison the persons involved in the Uigeumbu [a special judicial body] and interrogate them.”

“I obey the command!”

Meanwhile, Hyang shook his head lightly upon hearing the story.

“No, did they have something like Viagra or Cialis in this era too? Those old men are strong…”

In the end, when everything was proven to be true, Sejong issued an order.

“Withdraw all titles and meritorious subject certificates given to Yi Sun-mong and Hwang Sang. Confiscate half of their entire property. And sentence both of them to indefinite document sorting.”

“I obey the command!”

Meanwhile, the historian recorded all of this and added.

-When His Majesty ordered document sorting for the criminals, all the ministers agreed.

The historian argues.

These days, there are hardly any exile sentences.

It is regrettable that there are almost no respected elder statesmen.

* * *

As Hwang Sang was sentenced to document sorting, the position of Minister of War became vacant.

“Who would be good…”

He ordered the ministers to recommend suitable candidates, but Sejong himself was also searching his memory to find a suitable candidate.

While Sejong was looking for a suitable candidate, the Chief Royal Secretary came in with a scroll.

“What is it?”

“It is the document sorting record completed this month.”

“Leave it there.”

“Yes.”

Sejong unfolded the scroll left by the Chief Royal Secretary and checked the contents, his eyes fixed on one place.

“The Ministry of War has such results? How?”

Sejong, examining the details of the Ministry of War’s performance, which recorded achievements surpassing other ministries of the Six Ministries, his gaze was fixed on one name.

‘Jo Mal-saeng.’

He was the one who had been sentenced to document sorting and entered the record office, and he had demonstrated outstanding ability to quickly organize the records of the Ministry of War.

Sejong, having confirmed the name, smiled and muttered.

“There was someone useful.”