Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 134

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

134. Changing People (2)

Looking at the wire in his hand, Il-cheol wore a confident expression.

“If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s wire!”

Il-cheol’s smithy was not only known for its excellent ironware but also for its skillful crafting of items from iron and copper wire.

The grills made by Il-cheol were so popular that even wealthy families in the neighborhood and high-end establishments in Hanseong [historical name for Seoul] sought them out.

Moreover, his chainmail, meticulously crafted by bending wire, was rumored to fit the body so smoothly, like a cloth garment, that new recruits from afar would come to acquire it.

Of course, the demand significantly decreased after the Joseon-style [referring to the Joseon Dynasty of Korea] full plate armor was manufactured and distributed in District 51.

Having such confidence in crafting items with wire, Il-cheol was self-assured.

“Let’s see….”

Il-cheol used a nearby twig to sketch a rough design on the ground.

“The size of the chicken coop….”

Il-cheol estimated the area of his backyard and nodded in satisfaction.

“About two bays [a standard unit of measurement in traditional Korean architecture] should be enough….”

Having decided on the size, Il-cheol looked for his wife.

“Honey, dear!”

“What is it?”

“Let’s raise chickens!”

“Huh?”

“Well….”

After hearing Il-cheol’s explanation, his wife immediately agreed.

“Sure, let’s do it! I was getting sick of those poultry dealers’ tricks anyway. Let’s do it! Let’s do it!”

With his wife’s approval, things moved quickly. Il-cheol immediately placed an order with a carpenter living nearby.

“You want me to make a chicken coop? A chicken coop…. It’s not difficult, so I’ll get it done quickly.”

“Please do. I’ll pay you well, so make it sturdy.”

In just three days, a two-bay chicken coop was built.

Once the chicken coop was ready, Il-cheol made a rectangular window frame out of wire mesh. The thick wires, woven like warp and weft in a rectangular iron frame, looked sturdy.

With a proud look, Il-cheol gazed at the chicken coop with the wire mesh window and called out to his wife and children.

“What are you all doing? Hurry up and put the chickens in!”

“Yes! Kids!”

Il-cheol’s family quickly herded the hens and roosters into the chicken coop.

The chicken coop with the wire mesh window soon proved its worth. No chickens escaped over the window, and the good ventilation prevented them from suffering in the heat.

Thanks to the solid barrier of stones and lime from the ground up, the chickens roamed leisurely in a space safe from weasels, badgers, and even snakes.

As rumors spread that ‘Il-cheol’s chicken coop is amazing!’, people from nearby poultry farms began to peek around. Seeing this, Il-cheol stroked his chin.

“Let’s see…. Looks like someone’s going to copy this?”

After pondering this and that, Il-cheol got up.

“Who around here knows how to write?”

After searching for someone who could write, Il-cheol eventually bribed a low-ranking clerk at the refinery with two hens and asked him to write something for him.

“I’ll do it since you asked…. But will people really look for it?”

“Finding it is a problem for later. I can’t stand seeing those bastards copying it without saying a word and doing whatever they want.”

“Ah! That’s terrible!”

The clerk nodded at Il-cheol’s explanation and quickly wrote a document.

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it…. Anyway, I’ll enjoy the hens!”

With the document in hand, Il-cheol immediately registered his wire mesh at the Intellectual Property Office. Hyang, after reviewing the documents through the office staff, smiled.

“Finally, more people are starting to move on their own.”

* * *

As the wire mesh window was registered as a patent, poultry farms that heard the news ordered wire mesh windows from Il-cheol’s smithy.

Since there were many poultry farms in the provinces, more and more blacksmiths from the provinces visited Il-cheol’s smithy to sign usage agreements.

Whenever there was such a contract, Il-cheol proudly shouted to his wife.

“I’m not dead yet!”

The pride of the blacksmith, which had faded over time, was revived.

* * *

As chickens were steadily supplied again, ‘Ilmi Chicken Skewers’ began to attract more customers. Accordingly, the poultry farm was expanded to three buildings.

As the poultry farm grew, Il-cheol faced a new problem.

The problem was feed.

Il-cheol’s children had to run around all day catching earthworms, frogs, and grubs for the chickens to eat. However, it was clear that it was not enough.

“Hmm….”

To find a solution, Il-cheol headed to the refinery.

“Oh! Isn’t that Song, the wealthy man!”

“Oh my, ‘wealthy man’ is too much!”

Il-cheol waved his hand at the oil-selling clerk’s jest and saw a group of workers carrying sacks and stacking them.

“What is that?”

“That? It’s the bean dregs left over from squeezing oil.”

“That’s a lot. It must be a lot of work to get rid of it.”

“It’s great for feeding cows and pigs.”

At the clerk’s answer, Il-cheol’s head snapped around.

“Cows and pigs eat that?”

“Horses eat it too. Why?”

“Sell me some of that!”

“Two mal [traditional Korean unit of volume, approximately 18 liters] of beans per sack.”

“Wait a moment!”

Watching Il-cheol rush home, the clerk opened his ledger.

“Let’s see~. If I do this, will it cover all the nearby poultry farms?”

* * *

In this way, many commoners began to break away from the old ways for a slightly better life.

It was a small movement happening beneath the surface, but the ripple effect it created reached Hyang.

One day in March, after the late winter cold had passed,

Hyang was heading to District 51 on horseback as usual.

“Make way~! Clear the road! The Crown Prince is passing by!”

At the cry of the eunuch at the head of the procession, the people passing by the main road all parted to the left and right and prostrated themselves.

“This is… It’s uncomfortable to do this every day. Should I change the law….”

Riding his horse through the prostrated people, Hyang muttered with a troubled expression.

* * *

Like King Sejong [a famous and respected king of the Joseon Dynasty] or other kings in history, it wouldn’t be a big deal if he spent most of the year in the palace and only came out occasionally.

However, the problem was that Hyang, on the contrary, spent most of the year traveling between the palace and District 51.

He reduced the number of escorting guards and eunuchs to a minimum, but could only reduce it by 1/3 due to safety concerns. As a result, at least 30 people had to move at once whenever Hyang left the palace.

“It’s too many people! We can reduce it further!”

Hyang insisted on reducing the number of people, but Sejong remained unmoved.

“Don’t forget that you are the Crown Prince.”

And as policies regarding the local magnates were being prepared, Sejong issued another order.

“Strengthen the security for the Crown Prince, as reckless individuals may commit unforeseen acts!”

As a result, this kind of thing happened every morning and evening when Hyang went to and from District 51.

“If I can’t avoid it, I’ll have to reduce the time!”

In the end, Hyang continued horseback riding, which he had started for health and height growth, for faster commuting.

Ironically, unlike Hyang’s worries and apologies, Hyang’s commute was a spectacle for the residents of Hanseong. In particular, Hyang’s appearance, which even the Ming Emperor [referring to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China] admired, was the pride of the Hanseong residents.

“You country bumpkins! Have you ever seen the face of the Crown Prince? We see him every day! You don’t know how handsome the Crown Prince is, do you?”

Thanks to the various reform policies created and implemented by Hyang and Sejong, the people’s support was fervent.

On days when Hyang did not come out due to palace affairs, the people who went out on the streets looked at Gyeongbok Palace [the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty] with worried eyes.

“I hope he’s not sick somewhere?”

* * *

“Make way~! Clear the road!”

Whether he knew Hyang’s concerns or not, the eunuch’s shouting continued.

Just as the main gate of District 51 came into view, a sudden, loud gong sound was heard.

Gwaeng, gwaeng, gwaeng, gwaeng!

“Your Highness! Please grant my wish!”

“Stop!”

“Stop!”

“Protect His Highness!”

A man suddenly ran into the middle of the road, banging a gong, causing the procession to go into emergency mode.

As the guards around Hyang hurriedly surrounded him, the guards at the front surrounded the man on horseback.

“You! Who are you!”

“Your Highness! Please grant my wish!”

“I’m asking who you are!”

One of the guards dismounted and drew his sword, aiming it at the man, or rather, someone closer to a boy, who did not answer but only looked for the Crown Prince.

Startled by the guard’s ferocity, the boy hurriedly answered.

“I, my name is Mal-bok! Please save me!”

With the words to save him, Mal-bok prostrated himself, shouting inwardly.

‘I must be crazy to want to die! That damn alcohol is to blame! It’s to blame!’

Blocking the Crown Prince’s procession was not something one could do sober, so Mal-bok had emptied a jug of turbid rice wine [Makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine].

He had started the deed with the courage created by the intoxication, but that courage disappeared in an instant at the sight of the guard’s sword.

Hyang and the guard’s conversation came to Mal-bok’s ears as he trembled on the ground.

“Bring that man here.”

“However, Your Highness! He may be someone approaching with malicious intentions!”

“Then wouldn’t it be simple to search him and bring him? He blocked the procession asking to have his wish fulfilled, so we should find out what the situation is, shouldn’t we?”

“…However….”

“He knew that blocking the Crown Prince’s path is a serious crime, yet he jumped in. Doesn’t that show how desperate he is? Bring him here.”

“…I obey.”

At Hyang’s command, the guards searched Mal-bok’s body and dragged him before Hyang.

Seeing Mal-bok being dragged before his horse, Hyang dismounted.

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen, fourteen years old, Your Highness.”

“You’re the same age as me. So, what grievance do you have that you blocked the road?”

At Hyang’s question, Mal-bok glanced at the guards surrounding him and stammered.

“It’s not a grievance, but something I couldn’t solve no matter what….”

“Something you couldn’t solve?”

“Yes. No one in my village could give me an answer, so I did this. I thought that Your Highness, who is the smartest person after His Majesty the King, would give me an answer….”

“So, what do you want to know?”

“Please tell me what I can do!”

“Huh….”

‘Out of the blue, it’s a job consultation?’

Hyang, who was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer, smelled alcohol from Mal-bok.

“Sniff, sniff. This is the smell of alcohol. Did you drink?”

“Yes, I couldn’t dare to do it sober….”

“Hahaha!”

Hyang burst into laughter at Mal-bok’s answer. After laughing for a while, Hyang looked at Mal-bok.

“Before we talk in detail, go to the police station and get a beating [a euphemism for receiving punishment]. ”

“Yes?”

“If you’re going to do something like this, it must be a serious matter for you. However, there is the law. You have violated that law, so you must be punished. So, go get punished first.”

“Yes.”

Mal-bok answered dejectedly at Hyang’s words. Seeing this, Hyang ordered the guards.

“You and you, take this person… wait, what’s your name?”

“My name is Mal-bok, Your Highness.”

“Okay, take this Mal-bok to the police station and have the punishment carried out.”

“Yes!”

The guards answered vigorously at Hyang’s command. At the sight of this, Hyang gestured to the guards.

“A word….”

Hyang whispered to the guards who came closer.

“Bring him back in as good condition as possible. If, just in case, I think it’s too severe, I will hold you responsible. Tell the police chief the same thing.”

“Yes, yes!”

The guards answered, sweating profusely.

Hyang ordered Mal-bok.

“I say again, the law is strict. Go get punished and come back, I will talk about your wish after that.”

“Yes.”

In this way, Gyeokjaeng [petitioning the king directly by striking a gong], was officially recorded faster than in actual history.

Meanwhile, the residents of Hanseong, who watched this commotion, explained the situation to their neighbors who had not seen it, saying this.

“Have you ever seen such a benevolent and just nobleman in the world? Have you ever seen one!”