Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 480

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Jjanggeura

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480. Acting as Regent (5)

As it was an official business trip, Sejong carried out tasks related to the purpose of the trip.

And Hyang became busy.

In the office of Seungwha Hall, Hyang placed a hand on her forehead, looking at the thick bundles of documents sent by Sejong.

“Is this guy conducting an inspection or writing a review?”

Sejong sent messengers to Hanyang almost every day.

The documents brought by Sejong’s messengers recorded the problems discovered while inspecting the entertainment establishments in the towns Sejong visited.

The problem was that the documents were very Sejong-like. He examined the excellent and lacking points of the entertainment establishments he inspected, even checking the cleanliness and the quality of the food provided, and sent them with his personal opinions on how to solve the problems found.

Therefore, Hyang complained that she couldn’t tell whether these documents were reports on inspections or reviews.

“If it were the 21st century, he would have become a video creator famous for reviews. He could have gotten a Silver Button [YouTube creator award] in the shortest amount of time, too! Gold… I’m not so sure about that.”

Even while sighing and complaining, Hyang was properly aware of what these reports meant.

“Royal Secretary. Go and summon Secretary Han Myung-hoi.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Shortly after, Han Myung-hoi hurriedly entered Hyang’s office.

“Your Highness, you summoned me?”

“Here are the inspection reports sent by His Majesty. Combine them with the ones you sent last time and properly categorize the types of problems.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Han Myung-hoi respectfully received the documents and stepped back.

Hyang, having sent Han Myung-hoi out, grumbled quietly.

“Why couldn’t he just say it from the beginning? Did he have to set a trap like this?”

What Sejong wanted was not only solutions for each individual entertainment establishment but also to identify the common problems of all entertainment establishments and then come up with solutions.

After grumbling for a moment, Hyang pulled a piece of paper that had been set aside and muttered.

“Hardware problems can be solved by pushing the managers of Seungwha Hall, but the real big problem is software, or more precisely, the content.”

* * *

The biggest reason Sejong went on this trip was to understand the situation of the entertainment establishments with particularly low profits compared to other places.

After spending a month inspecting three out of six entertainment establishments, Sejong and Anpyeong did not find any embezzlement that they had been worried about.

“But why are the profits so low?”

Curious about the reason, Sejong examined it with Anpyeong.

“Hmm. I didn’t know this would become a problem again.”

Having learned the reason, Sejong stroked his beard with a troubled face.

* * *

The biggest reason for the drop in profits was that the level of the Gwan-gi (female entertainers attached to government offices) in the towns with those establishments was much lower than in other towns.

From the initial planning stage, the lower limit for places where entertainment establishments could be set up was the county level.

The purpose was to hold wrestling competitions, bullfighting matches, and stone-throwing festivals at these establishments, legalize gambling that had been taking place underground, and expand tax revenue.

The problem was that events like wrestling, bullfighting, and stone-throwing, in which the common people participated, were limited to certain times of the year. And gambling could not be encouraged more than necessary.

Therefore, a more permanent and reliable source of income was needed. The result of finding that source of income was the touring performances of Jaein groups (traveling performers) and the performances of the Gisaengs (female entertainers).

Of course, in order to have a more certain element of success, competitions were held to determine the talents of the Jaein groups and Gisaengs, and the Jaein groups and Gisaengs who achieved excellent results in those competitions performed throughout Joseon.

In order to make this plan a success, the court publicly declared the exemption from slavery for Jaein groups and Gisaengs and presented various incentives, such as guaranteeing that they could earn a lot of income through touring performances.

Thanks to these incentives, people flocked to the entertainment establishments from the beginning of the implementation, and the court was able to secure a lot of revenue.

However, as time passed, problems began to arise in this area.

* * *

The performances of the Jaein groups guaranteed a certain level of basic success, regardless of their level. However, there began to be a big difference in the Gisaengs’ song and dance performances.

On days when Gisaengs from the famous three major “colored villages” [entertainment districts] that even three-year-old children knew about performed, the aisles of the auditorium were packed with people, but the performances of Gisaengs who were not were not. Even performances by Gisaengs and Gagi (private Gisaengs) who were known in several neighboring towns, if not as much as the three major “colored villages,” could be somewhat successful.

In the case of the problematic entertainment establishments, this problem was very clearly revealed.

The level of the Gwan-gi in the county and nearby hyeons [administrative divisions] where the problematic entertainment establishment was located was much lower than in other places.

The beauty was not so bad as to be called ugly, but it was less beautiful than the Gisaengs in the capital. The skills of singing and dancing were in a similar situation.

What was even worse was that the level of the Baduk [Go] players on the Baduk boards, where the wealthiest people gathered, was also low.

Therefore, except for times when competitions such as wrestling matches, bullfighting, or stone-throwing took place, or when Jaein groups performed, the income from gambling houses was almost the entire income earned by the entertainment establishment.

* * *

What dealt an even more fatal blow was the completion of the land transportation network.

The fact that the roads throughout Joseon were well-paved and that they could move quickly to distant places using railroads changed the situation again.

Even if they were not economically well-off Sadaebu [scholar-officials], if they had a more active personality than others, they would take the initiative to move instead of sitting and waiting.

Thanks to this, people flocked to the entertainment establishments in the towns with not only the three major “colored villages” but also Gisaengs who had spread even a little rumor, as well as national players and famous Baduk masters.

And the money that those who gathered in that way spent on eating and sleeping created a situation of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

* * *

“It looks exactly like the K-pop scene in the 21st century… It’s the same as the difference between successful groups and unsuccessful groups.”

Hyang muttered with a troubled face after seeing the report written and sent by Sejong and Anpyeong.

“How do I solve this problem?”

Hyang, who was struggling to find a solution to the problem, called a eunuch.

“Summon all the managers of Seungwha Hall.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

* * *

“…Since this is the situation, let’s come up with ideas. I’ll give you five days.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The managers who heard Hyang’s order left with serious faces.

“We already have too much work, and this has become annoying. Don’t you think so?”

At Kwon Ram’s words, Han Myung-hoi shook his head slightly.

“It’s annoying, but it’s a good opportunity.”

“Opportunity?”

Kwon Ram’s eyes suddenly began to sparkle at Han Myung-hoi’s words.

“That’s right!”

What Han Myung-hoi meant was clear. If a good idea was put forward and adopted, it would be a sure way to get the attention of not only Sejong but also the Crown Prince and the ministers.

If that happened, they would be able to approach the core of power more quickly and easily.

Kwon Ram, realizing the meaning of Han Myung-hoi’s words, quickened his pace.

“There’s no time to be doing this!”

Han Myung-hoi, watching Kwon Ram’s back as he disappeared in a hurry, made a dumbfounded expression and grumbled.

“To have such a guy as a friend….”

Han Myung-hoi had completely forgotten what he had done in the past—although it was not intentional.

* * *

Five days later, Hyang’s desk was piled high with proposals written by the managers of Seungwha Hall.

“An opportunity, huh… They sure have a good sense of what’s going on.”

Hyang, realizing the managers’ intentions as she looked at the results piled up in front of her, sat down and began to carefully review their proposals.

After reviewing the documents for a long time, Hyang picked out a few documents from there and then called a eunuch.

“Summon Han Myung-hoi, Kwon Ram, Seong Sam-mun, and Ha Wi-ji.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Shortly after, the four people who had been summoned by Hyang took their places in front of Hyang’s desk. After confirming the faces of the four people, Hyang opened her mouth.

“Who copied whose?”

“Yes?”

Hyang, seeing the bewildered expressions of the four who did not know what was going on, handed over the documents and ordered.

“Take turns reading them.”

* * *

“Huh….”

The four, who were looking at each other’s proposals, soon sighed in amazement.

The four people’s proposals were almost identical in content, with only differences in sentence expression.

-The number of days and regions for the touring performances of famous Gisaengs should be forcibly assigned.

-Educational facilities should be established nationwide to teach singing and dancing, using retired Gisaengs who were famous in the past as instructors.

-The prohibition of prostitution by Gagi (private Gisaengs) should be legalized to improve awareness and recruit talent.

‘It’s similar to what I thought, but are people’s thoughts all the same? Or are these people’s abilities outstanding?’

Whether they knew Hyang’s inner thoughts or not, the four people immediately prostrated themselves on the floor and shouted.

“I absolutely did not copy!”

“I swear on the conscience of a scholar that I did not do such an immoral thing!”

“Please have mercy!”

“I just wrote down my thoughts as they were! Please have mercy!”

Hyang, listening to the four people’s protests, opened her mouth with a dry expression.

“Is that so? Then let’s believe that. Then answer the questions I throw at you.”

The four people who stood up at Hyang’s command waited for Hyang’s questions with tense faces.

“First question. ‘The number of days and regions for the touring performances of Gisaengs should be forcibly assigned.’ Explain this part.”

As soon as Hyang’s words fell, Seong Sam-mun answered.

“The reason why people leave their hometowns and visit entertainment establishments in other regions is because it is difficult to see famous Gisaengs in the entertainment establishments in their own towns. Therefore, the inconvenience of the people should be minimized by forcibly assigning the number of days and regions for the touring performances of Gisaengs.”

“Gisaengs are already doing touring performances. But what is the reason why you can’t see those Gisaengs?”

This time, Han Myung-hoi answered Hyang’s question.

“From ancient times, Gisaengs have boasted of their name value by having a large number of people looking for them. The current situation is the same. Therefore, it is necessary to forcibly assign touring performances and regions.”

The other three nodded at the same time at Han Myung-hoi’s explanation.

Hyang, who also nodded, immediately threw the next question.

“Then, moving on to the next one, ‘Educational facilities should be established nationwide to teach singing and dancing, using retired Gisaengs who were famous in the past as instructors.’ There are many problems with this?”

This time, Ha Wi-ji came forward to answer Hyang’s criticism.

“That part is true as Your Highness pointed out. Although the status of Gisaengs has been legally defined as Yangin [commoners], there are still many who see them as lowly. The biggest reason for this is that Gisaengs sell their bodies, so prostitution must be clearly prohibited by law.”

Following Ha Wi-ji’s words, Kwon Ram added.

“Ilpae Gisaengs [respectable Gisaengs], who are properly educated and have proper manners, raise their names and boast of a prosperous life without engaging in prostitution. Therefore, these cases should be widely publicized to change people’s perceptions.”

After that, Hyang continued to throw fierce questions, and the four people answered, sweating profusely.

After that nerve-wracking time, Hyang came to a conclusion.

“It’s okay. Then the four of you should do a training session and submit a proper proposal. The proposal you wrote alone was good, so I can expect it, right?”

The four people, looking back at each other at Hyang’s question, answered at the same time.

“We will do our best!”

“Then go out.”

Hyang, who had tied together the four people who had been in opposing positions in history before Hyang intervened, chuckled and muttered.

“Will it be a fantastic combination, or will it be a nightmare of a group project? Certainly, I’m not a good person either.”