Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 355

355. The Problem is People, in Many Ways.

While shipbuilding officials in the Mediterranean region were scratching their heads and muttering, in Area 51, Hyang was picking his ear and muttering.

“Is someone talking about me? Why does my ear itch so much?”

“Your Highness.”

Hyang, who had been picking his ear with his pinky finger, straightened up when he sensed the presence of a eunuch outside.

“What is it?”

“Grand Prince Anpyeong has arrived, Your Highness.”

At the eunuch’s announcement, Hyang frowned deeply.

“That rascal again….”

Though he grumbled under his breath, Hyang soon had no choice but to grant him entry.

“Let him in.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Soon after, Anpyeong entered and paid his respects to Hyang.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“We saw each other yesterday, so what is it this time…? If it’s about the Office for the Regulation of Entertainment, I have nothing to say.”

Hyang immediately concluded, and Anpyeong raised his voice.

“Brother, no, Your Highness! The Office for the Regulation of Entertainment is my calling!”

At Anpyeong’s words, Hyang nodded.

“Considering the things you’ve been up to since you were four, I suppose that’s true.”

When he was four, Anpyeong had said he wanted to become a member of a traveling troupe, which led to him being spanked. As an adult, he traveled around the country to see all the traveling troupes, causing Sejong to clutch the back of his neck.

At Hyang’s words, Anpyeong put strength into his voice.

“Your Highness just acknowledged it! People can only achieve the best results when they pursue their calling! Therefore, please allow me to transfer to the Office for the Regulation of Entertainment!”

“Personnel matters are decided by Father.”

“Isn’t it a problem that Father won’t allow it! So, if Your Highness could just help me a little….”

“Have you not considered why Father has refused?”

“….”

Anpyeong suddenly fell silent at Hyang’s question.

* * *

As soon as Anpyeong heard the rumors of the establishment of the ‘Office for the Regulation of Entertainment,’ he jumped up from his seat.

“The Office for the Regulation of Entertainment is where I must dedicate my life!”

Cheering with joy, Anpyeong visited Geunjeongjeon [the main hall of Gyeongbok Palace], and Sejong, after hearing his request, asked briefly.

“Have you finished organizing the native and popular songs?”

“Not quite yet.”

“Stay in your current position until that task is completed. Once that is done, I will find you a place in the Office for the Regulation of Entertainment.”

“Father!”

“I will not say it twice. It is not permitted until you properly complete the task you have been assigned.”

Having been rejected by Sejong, Anpyeong had been coming to Hyang for days, begging.

* * *

“If you properly finish the work you’ve been assigned, Father will transfer you without you even having to ask. Father is more certain than anyone when it comes to personnel matters.”

At Hyang’s words, Anpyeong offered a compromise he had thought of.

“Then, what about a concurrent post….”

“Hey, you rascal!”

Before Anpyeong could finish speaking, Hyang shouted.

“What was the first principle Father established when he initiated the reforms! A ban on concurrent posts! Are you suggesting that we undermine a principle that is barely taking root because of you! Leave now! If you really want to transfer to the Office for the Regulation of Entertainment, finish the work you’ve been assigned as quickly and properly as possible!”

“Yes, yes!”

“You’re not leaving right now? I’ll…!”

“I’m going!”

Overwhelmed by Hyang’s ferocity, Anpyeong answered and left the room at the same time.

Watching Anpyeong’s retreating figure, Hyang sighed deeply and grumbled.

“Hoo~. We’re already in a stagnant period because we don’t have enough people….”

* * *

As Hyang had said, the first principle Sejong established when he began the reforms was a ‘ban on concurrent posts.’

Before that, concurrent posts were the norm for officials in the court, especially those of the Dangsanggwan rank [high-ranking officials] or higher. Even the Dahagwan officials [lower-ranking officials] were simultaneously handling the work of multiple ministries due to a lack of personnel.

This was also related to Joseon’s founding ideology.

‘If the king follows the path of the sages and implements righteous rule, a large government is unnecessary. The king’s virtue will shine in all directions, and the people will follow that virtue and live righteously and beautifully. If disputes arise among the people, scholars with deep knowledge and virtue will enlighten them.’

* * *

Sejong, having removed the veteran ministers through the Great Purge, immediately began to increase the size of the court.

“When one person handles work in multiple fields, the results are sluggish and lack depth.”

Under this pretext, Sejong banned concurrent posts and began to increase the number of personnel.

In addition, the forgery and embezzlement committed by Hwang Hee’s sons provided further justification for the ban on concurrent posts.

Of course, there had to be those who could oversee the overall framework, adjust policies, and advise the king for the sake of smooth state administration, and the Dangsanggwan officials were assigned this task.

However, as the size of the court increased significantly, the most pressing problem to solve was the shortage of talent.

* * *

Although the civil service examination system was revised to broaden the gateway and attract more talent, the amount of work Sejong passed on easily exceeded the supply.

As a result, the progress of the reforms gradually slowed down. Therefore, the ministers of each department, the prime ministers, and Sejong himself were most concerned with adjusting the priorities of policies.

And all sorts of methods were mobilized to acquire talent.

* * *

Among the methods mobilized, the most useful was the ‘memorial’ [a formal written petition or report].

Whenever Sejong implemented groundbreaking policies, memorials were submitted. And whenever those memorials were submitted, the officials were actually excited.

“We need to catch a big one this time….”

“Since it’s about statecraft, it might work out, right?”

Interestingly, those who submitted memorials seemed to have their own areas of expertise. The amount of memorials submitted varied depending on which field Sejong’s groundbreaking policy was related to.

And among those who had lived in seclusion and submitted memorials out of indignation, officials who received Sejong’s order immediately rushed to those who offered useful opinions.

“Your opinion is good, so experience how different theory and practice are!”

* * *

As those who entered officialdom through memorials steadily increased, those who aimed to enter government service through memorials began to appear.

Among those who submitted memorials, there were those who genuinely had unique insights but lived in seclusion for various reasons. However, there were also many who used tricks.

Those whose memorials were deemed acceptable were summoned and engaged in discussions with Sejong in the presence of the ministers in Geunjeongjeon. While watching the discussions, Sejong and the ministers carefully observed the character and capabilities of those who submitted the memorials and soon assigned them to appropriate ministries. And many of those who entered in this way started slightly higher than those who had entered through the Sogwa examination [a preliminary civil service exam]. Seeing this, people began to use tricks.

“One well-written memorial is better than the Sogwa!”

People began to use memorials to achieve faster success than others.

* * *

When talent was found through memorials, the court announced the contents of the memorials nationwide through the jobo (court gazette) [official government publication].

“I hope you will ponder this content, compare it with the policies implemented by the court, and offer better opinions.”

Although it was disclosed with good intentions, there were those who abused it.

They carefully transcribed the memorials written in the jobo and submitted memorials when new policies were introduced in similar fields in the future. They did not just copy one memorial but combined the contents of several memorials to create something plausible.

The amount of memorials submitted each year was enormous, so the recombined memorials easily passed through the officials’ filters.

However, what those who used tricks did not consider was that the final gatekeeper was Sejong and that Hyang, who was second to none in terms of memory, was by his side.

“Doesn’t this seem familiar?”

“It seems like they mixed a few.”

Once Hyang confirmed it, Sejong wrote an answer in red and returned it to the officials.

‘Re-examine (再檢要).’ (T/N: 재검요 (再檢要) means re-examination required.)

If a memorial came back with this written on it, hell unfolded for the officials. They had to search through all the memorials published in the jobo for the past few years.

“You damn bastard! Just wait until I catch you!”

The officials, burdened with unexpected work, had to engage in a ‘furious search.’

And those who were caught ‘copy-pasting’ were severely punished.

‘Banned from government service and submitting memorials for 10 years.’

And Hyang, after receiving the report, chuckled and muttered.

“As expected of the ‘nation of tricksters’….”

However, even in this situation where ‘copy-pasting’ was prohibited, there were those who succeeded in entering government service through ‘copy-pasting.’

-According to the memorial published in the jobo in **month **year… (omitted)… However, regarding the same policy, the content of the memorial published in the jobo in ##month ##year is… (omitted)… As such, the contents of the two selected memorials conflict, and the original policy intended… (omitted).

The officials all exclaimed in admiration after seeing the memorial that openly revealed the sources and meticulously analyzed them.

“It’s innovative?”

And Sejong, after seeing the memorial that had been submitted in that way, immediately came to a conclusion.

“He is the person we need in a position to review and coordinate the policies that have been implemented so far. Bring him here immediately!”

“I obey your command!”

* * *

In this way, all sorts of methods were mobilized to gather talent, but it became increasingly difficult to find talent.

This was because the rate at which talent was leaving the existing pool of talent far exceeded the rate at which it was being supplied.

As a result, Sejong always complained about this problem whenever he discussed state affairs with Hyang.

“Our Joseon only has people, but how can there be so few talented people?”

“There must still be many who are living in seclusion.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong sighed deeply.

“Hoo~. If they are still living in seclusion, shouldn’t we assume that they have no intention of entering government service at all? Shouldn’t we consider them no different from the ruthless individuals who caused the rebellion in the year of Giyu [a historical political upheaval]?”

“Well, maybe.”

Hyang answered with a bitter smile at Sejong’s complaint.

One of the biggest causes of the current talent shortage was the Giyu Rebellion. The large number of scholars who participated in the rebellion was a problem, but the number of scholars who died for refusing to participate in or preventing the rebellion was also enormous.

In short, the Giyu Rebellion was a fatal event that resulted in the loss of a significant portion of the properly educated human resources.

“It will still take some time for talent to emerge from the Samin Academy [private Confucian academies] and the Jung Hakdang [government-sponsored schools]….”

“Yes. It’s a bit disappointing, but it can’t be helped.”

Hyang nodded at Sejong’s complaint. Watching Hyang, Sejong continued.

“Scholars from the West have come, but you’ve swept them all away….”

“Hahaha! They are useless except for mathematics and physics. And although we can communicate to some extent, they still can’t read or write, so they are useless.”

At Hyang’s answer, Sejong stroked his beard and muttered.

“Indeed, writing is a problem….”

Hyang’s eyes sparkled at Sejong’s muttering.

‘The tide has come in! Let’s row!’

“Father, to be honest, why wouldn’t there be people in this Joseon? Even in the example of the Nongsa Jikseol (Straight Talk on Farming) [an agricultural book], how many wise people were there?”

“That’s true.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong nodded.

In the early stages of the reforms, Sejong ordered officials to create a book on farming methods.

“The farming methods of Ming are tailored to the climate of the Central Plains, so they don’t suit us well! Find wisdom from the elderly farmers in each province and record it!”

The result was the Nongsa Jikseol, which took several years to complete.

And the Nongsa Jikseol soon became a must-have book in every rural village throughout Joseon. Find wisdom and record it!”

The result was the Nongsa Jikseol, which took several years to complete.

And the Nongsa Jikseol soon became a must-have book in every rural village throughout Joseon.