Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 512

512. Distance and Proximity (5)

“Good. We’ll know for sure when the Oirat envoy arrives in Hanseong [present-day Seoul], but for now, let’s focus on military preparations. Any objections?”

At Hyang’s question, Hwang Hee stepped forward to answer.

“None. It’s a reasonable decision. Further deliberation would be excessive, or we might stray down the wrong path.”

All the other ministers nodded at Hwang Hee’s words.

“Good. Then we’ll decide to properly discuss the Oirat matter after the envoy arrives and move on to the next topic. Hmm… Since we’re on the subject of the Oirat, how about we start by discussing the west, specifically Beijing?”

“That sounds good.”

“Then let’s have a light meal and resume the meeting.”

“Yes.”

Shortly after, Hyang and the ministers left Seungwha Hall and headed to the communal dining hall in Donggung Palace.

* * *

In King Sejong’s time, Sejong and his ministers used to have lunch in the communal dining hall next to Geunjeong Hall. However, now it had become routine to eat all meals from morning to evening in the communal dining hall created in Donggung Palace. Using the communal dining hall in Geunjeong Hall while Sejong had neither passed away nor abdicated was considered disloyal and unfilial.

Because of this, the communal dining hall in Geunjeong Hall was only maintained, and all the cooks, court ladies, and eunuchs in charge of the kitchen were moved to Donggung Palace.

“Why not just use the Geunjeong Hall communal dining hall? Why all this hassle?”

Such complaints occasionally surfaced but immediately disappeared upon hearing the following words.

“You fools! You should consider yourselves lucky! Do you want to be dragged to Sinji like the ones in Junggung Palace?” [Sinji was likely a remote or undesirable location for banishment or assignment.]

“Oh, heavens!”

* * *

While Hyang and the ministers had lunch in the communal dining hall and took a short break, the eunuchs and lower-ranking officials busily carried necessary documents in and out of the conference room in Seungwha Hall.

One of the lower-ranking officials muttered quietly at the sight of the ministers taking a break in the tea room set up in a corner of Seungwha Hall.

“I envy them… When will I ever get to rest like that?”

An official who appeared to be his superior scolded him for his grumbling.

“Even though they look like that, if they make even a small mistake, they’ll be sent to the Records Office for the rest of their lives. Are you still envious?”

“Aren’t we the same? If we make a mistake, we’ll be sent to the Records Office?”

“We won’t be there for more than five years unless we commit a really big crime, but those gentlemen will be there for life.”

Another superior official added.

“Still, isn’t it every official’s wish to be called ‘Your Excellency’ at least once in their lifetime?”

“I’d be happy just to be called ‘Old Man’.”

“Is everything ready?”

“Hiccup!”

The lower-ranking officials, who had been preparing for the next meeting while joking and grumbling, were horrified by the sudden voice of Ha Wi-ji and quickly replied.

“Almost done!”

“Prepare quickly! What are we going to do if you’re not ready when His Highness arrives!”

“Yes, yes!”

The lower-ranking officials quickly finished their preparations at Ha Wi-ji’s urging and left the conference room. Ha Wi-ji, who returned their greetings as they hurriedly bowed and left, muttered with a sulky face.

“These new recruits these days have no sense of the job….”

Kwon Ram, who was next to him, chuckled at Ha Wi-ji’s complaint and spoke.

“Anyone would think you were flying around like a whirlwind?”

“Of course! I passed the civil service examination with top honors! Unlike someone who got their position through connections!”

Kwon Ram’s expression turned sour at Ha Wi-ji’s words.

“Ha! It’s true that I entered service through a special appointment, but don’t you know it’s harder to succeed when you enter service through a special appointment? Because of people like you who look down on those who passed with top honors.”

“Hmph!”

“Huh!”

As the two men were exchanging sharp words, Hyang’s voice was heard from behind.

“Wow~. Am I lucky to be able to employ such outstanding talents?”

“Hick!”

“Cough!”

Ha Wi-ji and Kwon Ram, horrified by Hyang’s sudden voice, quickly stepped aside.

Hyang looked at the two with a bitter smile.

“Anyone would think you’ve been in the bureaucracy for about 20 years.”

Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji’s heads drooped lower and lower at Hyang’s words.

* * *

The year Kwon Ram entered service through Han Myeong-hoi’s multi-level marketing scheme was Imja year (1432, the 14th year of King Sejong’s reign). And the year Ha Wi-ji entered service was Eulmyo year (1435, the 17th year of King Sejong’s reign). Kwon Ram entered service a little earlier, but Ha Wi-ji was older.

In any case, the careers of the two men, who had been in service for just over 10 years, were laughable to Hyang.

Hyang had already been showing promise since the age of 8, interfering in state affairs here and there, and enduring while dealing with ministers who had decades of experience.

* * *

“Still, it’s good to see you’re so confident in your abilities. Very good to see.”

The two, who had their heads bowed deeply at Hyang’s words, fell into confusion.

‘Is that a compliment? Or an insult?’

As Hyang watched the two of them unable to grasp the situation, he paused to gather his thoughts and then opened his mouth.

“I wasn’t happy with the reports coming from Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island anyway, so this is good. The two of you should prepare for a business trip immediately.”

The two, who turned pale at Hyang’s command, raised their heads to look at Hyang without realizing it.

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell me….”

“Go to Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island, properly investigate the local situation, and then submit a report. Since the two of you are confident in your abilities, you’ll be able to handle the work quickly, right? I’ll give you two months.”

“It takes almost a month just to travel to Daeseol Island and Jongjang Island and back, Your Highness?”

“If it’s your abilities, that should be enough, right? Don’t tell me you were just boasting without being able to do that much? That’s disappointing.”

As soon as the word ‘disappointing’ came out of Hyang’s mouth, Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji hurriedly replied.

“A, no, Your Highness!”

“We will definitely complete it!”

“We’ll prepare for the trip and leave immediately!”

“I’ll send the royal pass through a eunuch.”

“Yes!”

Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji answered loudly and quickly moved their feet. Hyang, watching their retreating figures, said to Han Myeong-hoi and Seong Sam-mun.

“Go and help them.”

“Yes, yes!”

Han Myeong-hoi and Seong Sam-mun, who answered hastily, quickly followed the two who had left earlier.

The ministers, who had come out of the tea room and were watching this scene, clicked their tongues and shook their heads as they watched the four moving away.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Of all people to get caught….”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-seo, who felt a strange sense of camaraderie from the four disappearing figures, approached Hwang Hee and whispered.

“Did you learn it? Or did you teach it?”

‘Did you learn how to handle people from the Crown Prince? Or did you teach it to the Crown Prince?’

Hwang Hee, who understood the meaning of Kim Jong-seo’s words even though the subject was omitted, replied briefly.

“Proximity to ink makes one black…. I must have been tainted.”

‘I was tainted by His Majesty.’

* * *

Meanwhile, Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji, who were diligently packing their bags in their office, raised their voices towards Seong Sam-mun and Han Myeong-hoi.

“Hey! If His Highness comes, you should at least give us a heads up!”

“That’s right! If you can’t give us a heads up, you should at least give us a hint!”

Han Myeong-hoi shrugged his shoulders at Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji’s accusations and replied.

“I wanted to, but His Highness stopped me from doing so.”

“That’s right. We didn’t even notice His Highness until he was standing right next to us.”

Kwon Ram and Ha Wi-ji gnashed their teeth at Han Myeong-hoi and Seong Sam-mun’s replies and packed their bags.

* * *

After the short farce after the meal, Hyang resumed the meeting with the ministers.

“According to the news from Beijing, the Emperor’s health is not good, but how bad is it?”

“The exact illness is not known, but it seems to be quite bad. However, what is certain is that it has gotten worse recently.”

At Heo Hu’s reply, Hyang immediately asked back.

“Is there no way to know more accurately?”

“The Emperor’s eyes and ears have become even sharper these days.”

“That’s a pity.”

Hyang couldn’t hide his genuine disappointment.

‘Unlike what I vaguely read, he’s holding out for a long time. If that’s the case, there will be too many variables… It would be nice if this side could be a little easier….’

As Hyang was feeling disappointed, Hwang Hee asked Heo Hu.

“If the Emperor’s health is so bad, shouldn’t we start paying attention to the Crown Prince?”

“I’m already gathering information about the Crown Prince, but it’s not good.”

“Not good?”

Hwang Hee’s face became serious at Heo Hu’s reply.

“In what way is it not good? Health? Temperament? Ability?”

At Han Myeong-hoi’s question, Heo Hu immediately replied.

“Unlike the Emperor, his health is rumored to be good, and his abilities seem to be slightly lacking, but not to the extent that it’s a big problem. The problem is his temperament. He’s said to be very impulsive.”

“Impulsive?”

“On top of that, there are rumors that he doesn’t get along well with the Emperor.”

At Heo Hu’s words, the ministers’ eyes slyly turned to Hyang.

‘Someone’s father and son get along so well that the father dumped all the work on him and left….’

“Haven’t there been rumors about the Emperor and the Crown Prince not getting along for a long time?”

At Hwang Hee’s question, Heo Hu replied in more detail.

“They’ve become even more estranged recently. The reason for that is that the Emperor killed the Crown Prince’s closest eunuch.”

* * *

“Is it right to entrust this country to the Crown Prince?”

This was one of the concerns that plagued Emperor Xuande these days.

Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen’s personality had an impulsive side, but he had become quite serious as he got older.

The problem was that the Crown Prince’s knowledge and ability to handle affairs were very lacking—at least, according to Emperor Xuande’s standards.

“Although the Crown Prince’s knowledge seems shallow, this is a problem that will be solved over time. He is also gradually improving in managing state affairs, so there is no need to worry.”

Whenever Emperor Xuande heard his complaints, the ministers would say this and defend the Crown Prince. This was not just to flatter the Crown Prince. In fact, Zhu Qizhen’s ability to manage state affairs was not outstanding, but it was not lacking either; it was average.

The reason why Emperor Xuande was so harsh in his evaluation of the Crown Prince was because of Hyang.

Emperor Xuande, who had a strong impression of Hyang, who was not intimidated despite his young age and confidently discussed interests with him, was evaluating the Crown Prince with all standards set to Hyang.

“Even the Crown Prince of Joseon does that, but this Crown Prince of Ming!”

Emperor Xuande had harshly disciplined Zhu Qizhen like this since he was a child. Zhu Qizhen, who was overly stressed in this process, developed a violent personality.

However, as he got older, Zhu Qizhen was able to control this personality to some extent and gradually received positive evaluations.

However, a super-large incident occurred recently that cooled the relationship between Emperor Xuande and Zhu Qizhen.

Emperor Xuande had executed Wang Zhen, the Crown Prince’s closest eunuch.

* * *

Eunuch Wang Zhen, who had been by Zhu Qizhen’s side since he was young, was someone Zhu Qizhen relied on greatly.

His job was to soothe Zhu Qizhen, who was stressed by Emperor Xuande’s harsh discipline. As he handled the job well and received praise from Emperor Xuande, Wang Zhen became even more enthusiastic towards Zhu Qizhen.

Wang Zhen, who acted like a tongue in his mouth and gained Zhu Qizhen’s trust, developed ambition over time.

‘It is an immutable fact that the Crown Prince will become Emperor! Then the position of being second to none will be mine!’

Wang Zhen, who had ambition, began to slowly build a faction.

As Wang Zhen built his faction, the existing factions began to feel a sense of crisis.

‘This brat is already…!’

In the end, the existing eunuch factions reported Wang Zhen’s misdeeds to Emperor Xuande, and Emperor Xuande ordered Wang Zhen’s execution.

“A crime of blinding the Crown Prince and filling his own selfish desires! He deserves to die!”