Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 25

Hello, Bomb.

25. A Fresh Start in the Year of the Wood Dragon (3)

The second group consisted mainly of the Ministers of the Board of Revenue, the Board of Personnel, and the Board of Works.

“It seems we’ll need to bring writing tools in five days, wouldn’t you say?”

At the Minister of the Board of Revenue’s words, the Minister of the Board of Personnel stroked his beard.

“Do we really need writing tools?”

“We absolutely must.”

“Isn’t it just the opinions of a nine-year-old child?”

To the Minister of the Board of Personnel’s question, the Minister of the Board of Revenue explained the reason.

“Of course, His Highness the Crown Prince is only nine years old. Because of that, some say that His Majesty is behind all the Crown Prince’s actions and words. However, I don’t think so. The Crown Prince is a genius sent from heaven, and a shockingly capable one at that.”

“Is there a reason to think so?”

When the Minister of the Board of Personnel asked for the reason, the Minister of the Board of Revenue’s eyes gazed into the distance.

“There are several. First, do you remember the day His Majesty used the switch [a traditional Korean punishment tool] on the Crown Prince?”

“How could I forget that?”

“His Majesty using the switch means that the Crown Prince’s eccentric behavior was completely new to him. That’s why he was so furious.”

At the Minister of the Board of Revenue’s words, the Minister of the Board of Personnel immediately retorted.

“One could think of it that way. But, isn’t it unreasonable to assume that everything else is the Crown Prince’s independent thought? Consider the Crown Prince’s age. He’s only nine. It’s more reasonable to see that day’s incident as a fluke, wouldn’t you say?”

“It would be easier to think that way if you didn’t know. But, have you been to the famous library in the East Palace [the Crown Prince’s residence]?”

“I haven’t. Have you?”

“I went there once because the Crown Prince asked for books and told me to take the list. While I was there, I went into the library and looked at the books. Each book was heavily worn, and important passages were underlined in red. That’s not all. Some books had papers inserted, and those papers were filled with notes on how to apply the contents when introducing them to our Joseon [Korean dynasty]. And that handwriting wasn’t His Majesty’s.”

At the Minister of the Board of Revenue’s words, the Minister of the Board of Personnel’s face turned serious.

“That means…”

“We are looking at someone truly terrifying. Someone who is smart, has the ability to execute, and even has power backing them.”

“Hmm…”

At the Minister of the Board of Revenue’s words, the Minister of the Board of Personnel let out a groan that was hard to tell whether it was admiration or lament.

The third group was the young officials from the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor General.

“What do you think?”

“What do I think? We should be submitting memorials [formal written petitions] right away! The Crown Prince is only nine years old! What is governing the nation? It’s about running the country. It’s a heavy responsibility, but what does a mere nine-year-old know? This is His Majesty mocking us officials!”

“But, as we can see from this Golden Quill [a symbol of wealth and power], we must acknowledge the Crown Prince’s exceptional abilities, mustn’t we?”

“The Golden Quill is what I regret the most! We should have opposed the mass production of this Golden Quill! Because of it, from His Majesty above to the lowest official below, everyone is only thinking about wealth. I can’t help but lament! How is this different from the previous dynasty? Why did our Joseon come into being?”

The sight of the young official’s fist trembling as if unable to contain his anger made those nearby seem to agree.

“Let’s go! We need to go write memorials quickly!”

“Let’s do it!”

As the young officials moved in a group, a small number of young officials gathered separately behind them. Most of them were historians belonging to the Office of the Veritable Records, who recorded the historical drafts.

“Sir Lee, what do you think?”

“Sir Jang, I’m not sure. From what I’ve seen, I can’t find anything wrong with the Crown Prince’s words…”

A historian who had just finished his shift at the royal court joined the conversation.

“Isn’t the behavior of the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor General something we always see? It’s the same now. They just think that finding fault like that will increase their reputation. Let’s move quickly. We have a lot of work to do, don’t we? And if we think about five days from now, we need to prepare in advance.”

“Let’s do that.”

The historians, who were criticizing the officials from the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor General, quickly moved to the Office of the Veritable Records.

And the eunuchs and court ladies were quietly watching that scene.

* * *

The reactions of the officials were immediately conveyed to Sejong through the eunuchs.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Sejong, after praising the head eunuch, let out a long sigh.

“Hoo~. Why are there only such narrow-minded people?”

Listening to the reactions of the ministers, Sejong deeply lamented. The current officials were openly protesting.

‘If they were actually going to take action, they would have met outside the palace. Very secretly!’

Seeing that Sejong’s complexion was not good, the head eunuch quickly pleaded.

“There were also quite a few who showed goodwill.”

At the head eunuch’s words, Sejong smiled bitterly.

“Is that supposed to be a relief? Well, even I find it hard to believe that the Crown Prince is only nine years old at times…”

Sejong, who had been smiling at the excellence of the incense, let out another long sigh.

“Hoo~. For the young officials to be so inflexible…”

What Sejong was most disappointed in was the rigidity shown by the young officials of the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor General.

The Chief State Councilor’s faction also had rigid ways of thinking, but based on their years of experience, they moved somewhat flexibly when necessary.

However, the problem was those young officials. They were people who blindly believed that Confucianism was everything to them.

They believed that thinking and living according to Confucianism was the only right path. In their eyes, everything Hyang was promoting was enough to be called heresy.

In fact, they were shouting like that.

“The country is going backwards! To value commerce! Why did the previous dynasty collapse like that! Have they forgotten the emphasis on agriculture and the suppression of commerce!”

“Hoo~.”

Sejong, letting out another long sigh, lamented.

“There are no talented people. There are no talented people.”

It had been five years since he had received the throne from Taejong, and more than half a year since Taejong had died, but Taejong’s shadow was still strong.

As soon as he inherited the throne, he partially reshuffled the cabinet, and the ministers followed his words well. However, Sejong also knew well that he was still seen as a young boy in the eyes of the ministers. In the end, Sejong needed talented people who would follow his words well.

“It’s still too early to call them…”

The ‘them’ that Sejong was thinking of were Hwang Hee and Maeng Sa-seong.

Hwang Hee and Maeng Sa-seong were talents that even Taejong had acknowledged. However, both of them had been caught up in Taejong’s power-strengthening efforts and had experienced crises. In the end, they had returned to the central political arena, but there was not enough justification to immediately bring them to the core of power.

“The question is whether they alone can control those immature ones well…”

Sejong, thinking of the young officials with their rigid ways of thinking, put his hand on his forehead.

“My head hurts.”

At Sejong’s words, the head eunuch wore a worried expression.

“Shall I call the royal physician?”

“It’s not that serious. I’ll be fine if I rest for a while.”

Sejong, dissuading the head eunuch from calling the royal physician, turned his gaze to the documents and memorials that had not yet been processed.

* * *

While Sejong was troubled like that, Hyang was also hearing similar stories through a court eunuch.

“Has the distinction between friend and foe been made to some extent with this? Anyway…”

Hyang, trailing off, tapped the desk with his finger and muttered softly.

“It’s still the early Joseon period, but already at the Taliban level…”

“Your Highness? What did you say?”

“It’s just me talking to myself. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang, having silenced the court eunuch, tapped the desk and fell into deep thought.

‘Damn it! What am I supposed to do if they’re already at the Taliban level from the start! How am I supposed to deal with these people who have heads as hard as the foundation stones of Gyeongbok Palace [main royal palace of Joseon dynasty]?’

Hyang was overwhelmed at the thought of dealing with the young officials, especially those from the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor General.

After much deliberation, Hyang finally came to a conclusion.

“Eunuch, leave me alone.”

“Yes?”

“I have things I need to sort out on my own.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang, having sent the court eunuch out and sitting alone in the room, clenched his fist.

“Damn it! I’ll unleash everything without holding back! Our King Sejong will be able to pick out the good ones from within that! Starting with that, I’ll put the rest into action the moment I ascend the throne! If they can’t keep up, I’ll just get rid of them all! Those who need to go will go, and those who need to be worked will be worked until they figure it out!”

Hyang, having come to a conclusion, unfolded a blank sheet of paper.

“Hmm… Where should I start?”

How long had it been since Hyang flipped the switch? The court eunuch standing outside the door announced in a loud voice.

“His Majesty the King is here!”

At the sound of Sejong’s arrival, Hyang rose from his chair, checked his attire, and respectfully greeted Sejong.

“Have you come? Father.”

“It’s late at night, why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s not good for your health.”

“How can sleep be a problem when there are things to do? And, Your Majesty’s health is more important than mine.”

“You…”

Sejong, pleased with Hyang’s answer, lightly patted Hyang’s shoulder and turned his head to the desk.

“May I take a look for a moment?”

“Yes.”

However, Sejong began to pick up the papers and read the contents written on them even before Hyang’s answer came out.

At that sight, Hyang pouted his lips and grumbled inwardly.

‘If you’re going to read it before I even answer, why ask? Anyway, those high-ranking people…’

Whether he knew Hyang’s mind or not, Sejong carefully read the sentences written on the paper and asked Hyang a question.

“Crown Prince, what are these ‘?’ and ‘!’ marks written next to these sentences?”

“They are punctuation marks from the Western barbarians [a somewhat derogatory term for foreigners]. The ‘?’ with a curled end means a question, and the ‘!’ with a straight end means exclamation or surprise.”

“Oh? A simple symbol makes the meaning of the sentence clearer! Hmm… I see, I see…”

Having learned what the punctuation marks meant, Sejong examined the papers even more carefully.

“Father, wouldn’t it be better to sit down and look at them?”

“I was feeling a bit of pain in my legs anyway, so let’s do that.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong was overjoyed and sat down in the chair.

‘You old man, lose some weight! You’re still a pyramid shape even though you’re jumping rope so much!’

Hyang, grumbling inwardly at Sejong’s obese figure, sat opposite Sejong.

Sejong, spreading the papers out on the desk and looking back and forth, stared at the papers with his arms crossed.

“Reorganization of the administrative structure, differentiation of local government positions, reform of the land tax system… This isn’t just a simple announcement of political views?”

“My political view is very simple. It is ‘Benefit all mankind,’ as the legendary Hwanung [founder of the first Korean kingdom] said in the old days. Aren’t the golden rules of the sages ultimately the same meaning?”

“That is what you say is right.”

Sejong nodded his head greatly as if agreeing with Hyang’s words. The words were about benevolent rule, but the conclusion was simple.

‘Let’s make everyone, from the king to the people, live in peace.’

“In order to actually realize that principle, the current system has many shortcomings. It is my dream to fix these shortcomings and create a Joseon where the royal family and the people are at peace.”

“That’s a good dream. To be honest, just looking at what you’ve written, I want to adopt it as policy right away. But, you’re only nine years old, and there will be many who will find fault with that and not listen properly.”

At Sejong’s point, Hyang shrugged his shoulders.

“Isn’t that true? It is true that I am only nine years old, and it is also true that my experience is shallow because of my young age.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! It is not the will of the sages to prioritize age and experience when discussing the Way and governance…”

“Doesn’t that help in some ways thanks to that?”

“Help?”

“Wouldn’t it make it easier to distinguish those who will truly be helpful to Father?”

“That’s right!”

At the same time as the words, Sejong and Hyang smiled slyly. It was a good sight to see the father and son smiling amicably, but it was a scene that would have made the ministers sweat if they had seen it.

Sejong, feeling relieved by Hyang’s response, rose from his seat.

“Go to sleep now. Children need to sleep early to grow well.”

“Yes, Father. Father, please go to bed as well. This Joseon will be at peace only if Father is healthy.”

“I will.”

Sejong, who was about to go out with a smirk, stopped and looked back at Hyang.

“Ah! I just remembered! For your presentation, we will call not only the senior officials (Dang Sang Gwan, from Senior 1st Rank to Senior 3rd Rank) but also the middle-ranking officials (Cham Sang Gwan, from Junior 3rd Rank to Junior 6th Rank). Prepare well.”

“Yes.”

“Rest well.”

After sending Sejong out, Hyang frowned.

“Damn it!”

The scale has become larger than expected.

End

ⓒ Gukbbong