Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 27

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb!

27. A Major Reform in the Year of Gapsin (5)

While Sejong and Hyang were enjoying a peaceful lunch, the high and low officials were bustling about, forgetting their midday rest.

“Writing tools! Writing tools!”

Returning to their respective government offices, the officials hurriedly dipped their gold brushes in ink and began to write on paper.

“What did he say again?”

“Damn it! There’s too much to write down!”

Those who had underestimated the nine-year-old’s presentation were now racking their brains, trying to transcribe what Hyang had said.

While the officials of the State Council and the Six Ministries were struggling with their papers, there were some who were surprisingly relaxed. Among those relaxed individuals were the military officers.

“Hey, Officer Seong. Did you understand what the Crown Prince was saying?”

“If I had understood it, would I still be stuck as a *Byeongjeol* [low-ranking] military officer?”

“Heh heh! That’s true.”

Those who wore bitter smiles were the ones who had risen through the military examination. Sejong had included a section on Confucian classics in the military exam as soon as he ascended the throne, but there were still many who were closer to being uniformed ruffians.

Another group of relaxed individuals were the officials from the Ministry of Revenue. Having brought their writing tools from the start, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were able to take notes whenever necessary. Thanks to this, they were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch break.

* * *

Hyang’s presentation, which was longer than expected, ended around sunset.

After finishing his presentation, Hyang looked at Sejong and the ministers.

“Do you have any questions?”

“…”

None of the ministers immediately opened their mouths to Hyang’s question. After waiting for a while, Hyang concluded.

“Then, I will end my presentation of political views here.”

After speaking, Hyang respectfully bowed to Sejong, who was on the elevated platform.

“You’ve worked hard. Let’s have dinner together later.”

“Yes, Father.”

Sejong, who couldn’t hide his proud expression as he looked at Hyang, turned to the ministers.

“Let’s stop here for today. You’ve all worked hard.”

At Sejong’s words announcing the end, the officials all rose from their seats and bowed respectfully.

As Sejong and Hyang left Geunjeongjeon Hall, the ministers also began to leave.

Starting with the high-ranking officials, the faces of the ministers leaving Geunjeongjeon Hall were more serious than ever. The only difference was that while the high-ranking officials were only carrying their writing tools, the lower-ranking officials and those of the third rank and above were also carrying their chairs in their other hands.

“Chief State Councilor, what do you think?”

“What do I think? I’m freezing to death!”

The Chief State Councilor responded irritably to the Left State Councilor’s question.

“We must write a memorial immediately! The Crown Prince has packaged it with the flowery words ‘Benefit all mankind,’ but he is ignoring traditional values! Not only that, but in establishing laws, he is trying to follow the teachings of Legalism rather than Confucianism, so I cannot help but lament!”

The Chief State Councilor, bursting with anger, strode towards the State Council building.

A similar reaction was coming from the officials of the Office of the Inspector General.

“We must write a memorial immediately!”

“That’s right!”

“The Crown Prince’s words seem right at first glance, but they follow the path of Legalism’s hegemony! This is following the oppression of Qin Shi Huang, so we must stop it!”

Amidst the chaotic outpouring of various opposing opinions, the intensity of the statements grew stronger.

“If necessary, we must consider replacing the Crown Prince!”

“Hey! Isn’t that too much?”

“What’s too much? Wasn’t the current King not originally the Crown Prince either!”

“Shhh!”

A colleague, who had covered the mouth of the official who had made the problematic statement, looked around and warned him.

“Hey! Watch your words! Do you think you have iron armor around your neck?”

“Why? What unspeakable thing did I say? Now, a mere nine-year-old is saying absurd things! We must impeach the guests of the Crown Prince’s Education Office who did not properly teach him, and at the same time, we must say that the King is also at fault! Since ancient times, discipline must be strict, but they only praise him for doing well, so such a terrible thing is happening!”

“Then we should say that we need to strengthen discipline, but replacing the Crown Prince…”

“Look at the current situation! Even if we try to correct it, the situation is already too far gone! For the sake of righteous politics, it is better to replace him immediately!”

“Geez! Your voice is too loud!”

Admonishing the official whose voice was growing louder again, the colleague looked around. However, the young officials of the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censorate were pretending not to notice.

However, the official giving the warning knew very well. Even if they seemed to be sympathizing now while pretending not to notice, there would be more than one or two who would come forward and report it when a crisis struck.

Meanwhile, unlike those who were raising their voices, there were also many officials who actively supported the Crown Prince’s opinions.

“Heh heh! I feel refreshed for the first time in a long time!”

“I agree! I’ve only been hearing talk of pie in the sky, but hearing something that makes us think realistically makes my ears feel clean. Hahaha!”

“Loyalty and filial piety are important, but there is something we must protect first in order to uphold them, and that is trust between the nation and the people! Ah, that was a great saying!”

“Did you see His Majesty’s expression? He looked like he was going to adopt it as a policy right away.”

“The Crown Prince is so outstanding, and His Majesty is so wise, this is the great fortune of our Joseon!”

The officials who continued to praise Hyang and Sejong were mostly the working-level officials of the Six Ministries, especially the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel. For the working-level officials who were suffering from budget securing and all sorts of administrative problems, Hyang’s pointed remarks, the related measures, and Sejong’s favorable response were like a cool glass of water that cleared their stuffy insides. As the officials of the Six Ministries were showing such a favorable reaction to Hyang and Sejong, they heard the voices of the officials from the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censorate.

“Those bastards who deserve to be torn to pieces!”

“Hey! Please be patient!”

The officials of the Six Ministries, hearing the statements of the officials, cursed without exception. Some, with hasty personalities, rolled up the sleeves of their official robes and tried to start a brawl, but their nearby colleagues stopped them and dissuaded them. The officials of the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censorate also stopped walking at the commotion, and both sides glared at each other.

“Hypocrites clinging to power!”

“You hypocrites who only know how to talk!”

The officials, denigrating each other as hypocrites and exchanging insults, soon spat on the ground and turned their backs.

“Ptooey! Let’s go! It’s just going to dirty our ears to mix words with those hypocrites!”

“Ptooey! Who’s talking! Let’s go!”

The officials who turned their backs shouted to their colleagues.

“Let’s write a memorial! A memorial is the only answer!”

“Let’s do it!”

Thus, the ‘Political View Debate’ that left the anecdote of ‘raising the price of paper in Hanseong [old name for Seoul]’ began.

* * *

Whether they knew about the commotion among the officials or not, Sejong and Hyang were enjoying dinner together amicably.

“Your presentation today was very good.”

“Thank you.”

“Even though it was the political view of a mere nine-year-old, there were many things that I missed. There are so many policies that I want to adopt and implement right away.”

“Thank you. But, to be honest, there are policies that would be difficult to implement right away if you were to do so.”

At Hyang’s remark, Sejong nodded and opened his mouth.

“Is it because of the budget?”

“Yes. To be honest… I am deeply sorry, but I think it would be better to postpone the circulation of copper coins that you are planning to implement next year.”

“Is it the problem of payment guarantee that you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes, it is.”

“If that’s the problem, can’t we just start with the finances that are secured first?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang put down his spoon and opened his mouth.

“If that happens, all the issued coins will go into the storehouses of the local magnates and be buried, and the people who really need them will continue to trade with rice and cotton cloth.”

“The issued coins go into the storehouses of the local magnates? Why?”

“It’s simple. No matter how well you store rice and cotton cloth, it’s hard to keep them for more than five years. But that’s not the case with coins, is it? And they’re small in size.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong crossed his arms and nodded.

“Hmm… I see. Then how do we solve this?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang looked at the historians and scribes sitting on one side, leaned towards Sejong, and whispered softly.

“If I had my way, I would take 10 years, or at least 5 years, to prepare thoroughly and then strike at once. Like waging a war—no, it *is* a war.”

As Hyang leaned in, Sejong, who also leaned in, asked back in a small voice at Hyang’s answer.

“War?”

At Sejong’s question, Hyang answered in an even smaller voice.

“It is a war. A war to determine whether the entity that moves this Joseon is the state or the local magnates who have been entrenched in the provinces since the days of the Three Han [ancient Korean kingdoms]. Only by winning this war can Joseon truly establish itself as your Majesty’s nation.”

“I see.”

Thud! Clatter!

Sejong, who was nodding as he listened to Hyang’s answer, straightened up at the sudden noise and looked at the source of the sound.

The noise came from where the historians and scribes were. As the Sejong and his son were talking in small voices, the historians and scribes, who were leaning as far as they could to hear the words, fell over, causing the commotion.

“Really… If you’re tired, you should take turns with others. What is this disgrace?”

At Sejong’s rebuke, the historians and scribes immediately bowed their heads.

“We are deeply sorry!”

“We are deeply sorry, but can you tell us what the two of you were talking about? We need to record it…”

“It’s a private conversation between father and son. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“…Yes.”

Although he said that, the historians added the following sentence.

-The historian says: There should be no secrets in discussing the policies of a nation. However, today, the King and the Crown Prince had many secrets in discussing the important matter of currency management, which is not right.

After that small commotion passed, a court attendant came in and conveyed the reactions of the ministers.

Sejong, hearing the court attendant’s story, put down his spoon as if he had lost his appetite.

“You’ve worked hard. Crown Prince, have you finished eating?”

“Yes.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong pushed the table forward.

“Then clear the table. And bring out the tea table.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the eunuchs came in and cleared Sejong and Hyang’s tables, Sejong and Hyang sat facing each other with teacups between them and talked.

“Memorials will be pouring in from tomorrow.”

“The Chief Royal Secretary will have a hard time.”

“We should send some royal food to the Royal Secretariat.”

“That is a wise decision.”

The two princes, who had expressed their condolences in advance to the officials of the Royal Secretariat who would be opening the door to hardship due to the flood of memorials, continued their conversation.

“Father, can you tell me how the smallpox vaccination for the residents of Hanseong is going?”

“The palace has already completed the vaccination, and the preparations for the residents of Hanseong are already finished. The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Day, so we will start the vaccination from the third day of the first lunar month.”

“I just hope that many people will be able to escape smallpox through vaccination.”

“I feel the same way as you, Crown Prince. If we can just prevent smallpox, you will have done a great service.”

“What great thing have I done? Everything is your Majesty’s decision. There is no merit for me to gain.”

“You.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong looked at Hyang as if he were admirable.

‘If the smallpox vaccination has the results I expect, no one will be able to stop you. No, even if someone comes out to stop you, I will take care of them all! Because that is the way for me and this Joseon to rise greatly!’

Vowing firmly in his heart, Sejong looked at Hyang.

‘Crown Prince! You will be my best sword! Let’s be the cornerstone for the rise of this Joseon together!’

At that moment, Hyang felt an unknown chill envelop his body.

‘What is this? What is this eerie feeling?’

End

ⓒ Gukbbong