Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 724

724. Jang Yeong-sil’s Legacy (1)

“It’s ridiculously large.”

While working in the Haenggung Palace [a detached palace often used as a temporary residence by the royal family], Hyang unconsciously cursed.

As he said, the Haenggung was much larger than Gyeongbokgung Palace [the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty].

Because of this, in addition to the regularly held morning assemblies, when urgent meetings or summonses were needed, the eunuchs or Seungji (Royal Secretaries) had to ride horses to the government offices where the officials worked to deliver the messages.

The same was true for the Surasang (royal cuisine) that Hyang ate.

Because a relatively small number of people were working, scattered in all directions, a communal dining hall was set up. During meal times, officials, regardless of their rank, had to gather in the dining hall to eat.

“If there’s any consolation, it’s that I’m already used to the dining hall…”

The communal dining hall, introduced by Hyang and expanded by Sejong, was already a familiar presence, so officials had no qualms about gathering there to eat.

Of course, no matter how used they were to it, eating with Hyang and other high-ranking officials was enough to cause indigestion for some, so the dining hall was divided into two sections.

Hyang’s grumbling continued about the absurdly large Haenggung.

“The problem is that it’s getting even bigger. This damn mouth of mine…”

Hyang blamed himself for making things bigger by speaking without thinking.

* * *

The incident began when he was examining the map of the Shinji Haenggung and the city district created in Mishigama.

While Hyang and Jin-pyeong were sighing at the map of the Haenggung and the city district, which was larger than expected, the officials next to them asked Hyang with shining eyes.

“Forgive me for asking, Your Majesty, but how big is the Haenggung compared to the Forbidden City of Ming?”

“Huh? Haven’t you ever seen the Forbidden City?”

At Hyang’s question, the official replied with an embarrassed smile.

“I haven’t been in service for very long, and I’m in the Ministry of Land Development, which has no connection to foreign affairs… And, haven’t regular embassies disappeared since the establishment of the imperial system?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Hyang nodded at the official’s answer.

* * *

As the reforms progressed, all embassies became the exclusive responsibility of the Ministry of Rites—later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Of course, depending on the nature and importance of the embassy, the chief and deputy envoys were high-ranking officials from other ministries, but the mid- and low-level officials who made up the delegation were from the Ministry of Rites.

Furthermore, after the war ended and Joseon became the Korean Federal Empire, these embassies themselves largely disappeared.

This was because everything that had to be obtained from Ming, starting with the calendar, had been changed to the Empire’s own.

Therefore, it was natural that young officials with about 10 years of experience, like the officials who asked the question now, or officials who were not affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not know much about the Forbidden City.

* * *

“Compared to the Forbidden City, huh…”

At the official’s answer, Hyang stroked his chin and muttered.

‘My first impression was that the Forbidden City paled in comparison…’

After recalling his memories for a moment, Hyang answered the official.

“If you’re only talking about the palace grounds, the Shinji Haenggung is much larger. But, if you’re talking about the imperial city, the Forbidden City might be a little bigger.”

“Yes?”

“When I went to the Forbidden City before, I inquired about its size. I heard that it was almost 8 li [approximately 3.2 kilometers or 2 miles] from Tiananmen in the south to Di’anmen in the north, and almost the same from east to west. If you calculate it that way, it would be a little bigger than the Haenggung. Of course, if you’re only talking about the palace grounds starting from the Meridian Gate inside Tiananmen, the Haenggung would be bigger.”

“I, is that so?”

“That’s right.”

Hyang should have stopped there. However, the detailed explanation, a habit unique to 덕후(otaku) [a term for someone with obsessive interests, similar to “geek” or “fanboy”], continued unnecessarily.

“In addition, the Shinji Haenggung has administrative buildings and military garrisons inside, right? Considering that, you’d have to extend the range to the Daqing Gate south of Tiananmen. Seoul is similar. Gyeongbokgung Palace, the imperial city of Seoul, should also include Sungnyemun, not Gwanghwamun. Then… the Shinji Haenggung isn’t that big compared to the Forbidden City and the imperial city of Seoul…”

“Is that so…”

Seeing the officials looking dejected, Hyang offered words of comfort.

“Don’t be too discouraged. Still, the Shinji Haenggung is definitely not small. And, who knows? There might be a need to expand it later?”

At Hyang’s words, the officials asked Hyang with sparkling eyes.

“Did you say expand it further?”

“Wouldn’t there be? Considering the size of Shinji, even more people will come to Shinji in search of opportunities in the future. If that happens, there should be expansions of the Haenggung and other government offices in advance.”

“Ah! That’s right!”

Time passed, and after the meeting, the officials paid their respects and went outside.

“Huh? Why didn’t you leave? Do you have something to say?”

Jin-pyeong, who remained in his seat even after everyone else had left, cautiously answered Hyang’s question.

“Forgive me for asking, but it seems that Your Majesty has created a problem.”

“Huh?”

Two days later, the officials of Shinji flocked to Hyang.

“We request your approval, Your Majesty!”

“Approval? For what?”

At Hyang’s question, the officials unfolded a large piece of paper and answered in a loud voice.

“It’s the second architectural plan for the Shinji Haenggung!”

“Huh? The second plan?”

At the officials’ words, Hyang looked down at the unfolded paper. It read ‘Shinji Haenggung Architectural Plan’ in large letters.

Hyang looked at the officials after seeing the figures written on the blueprint.

“This is the second plan?”

“That’s right.”

“So, are you saying that we should rebuild the current Shinji Haenggung?”

“It’s not about rebuilding, but about properly constructing it according to the second plan.”

“To add to that, the current Haenggung is the third plan.”

The officials explained to Hyang in detail.

* * *

When the first draft was submitted, Sejong rejected it.

“It’s too small for the Empire’s Haenggung. Come back with a revised plan.”

At Sejong’s words, the officials immediately pointed out the problem.

“However, there is a great shortage of materials and manpower needed for construction, including timber.”

“Isn’t there an abundance of trees everywhere, and can’t we mobilize the naturalized natives for manpower? It seems like a win-win situation to me?”

“Are you talking about the natives?”

“Weren’t there one or two natives who complained about not being able to use the monopoly because they had nothing?”

The officials, who immediately understood Sejong’s words, bowed their heads and answered.

“We will come back with a revised plan.”

“And, considering the efficiency of work, it would be good to have the administrative office and the military garrison under one roof.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

“If possible, come up with a plan that befits the name of the Empire.”

At Sejong’s continued order, the officials bowed their heads again and answered.

“We will do our best.”

And a month later, Sejong shook his head again after receiving the second plan.

“Impossible. This time it’s too big. No, it doesn’t suit Shinji’s current situation.”

“However…”

“The problem is the budget. There is not enough budget to build it as it is. Come back with a revised plan.”

“Yes…”

“However, secure the land in preparation for when the second plan is 추진(promoted) [pushed forward or implemented] again.”

“Are you saying when the second plan is 추진(promoted) [pushed forward or implemented] again?”

Seeing the officials’ expressions of not understanding properly, Sejong continued.

“Think about the size of Shinji. How many people will live in this vast land? There will be situations to govern them, and it is where the court is located. Just as a child wears bigger clothes as they grow, shouldn’t the palace also grow bigger?”

Only then did the officials understand Sejong’s words and bowed their heads and answered.

“We will follow your command.”

* * *

“…This is how the Shinji Haenggung was built according to the third plan.”

“The Emperor Emeritus said the same thing as the Retired Emperor, so isn’t now the right time?”

“The budget problem can also be solved with the reparations received from Ming. No, we must complete the construction while the reparations are coming in to avoid budget pressure.”

“The manpower problem is the same. More and more people are coming from the mainland, and the number of naturalized natives is increasing rapidly. If we hire them and pay them, it will greatly help them settle down quickly.”

“Hmm…”

Hyang, who was listening to the officials’ words with his arms crossed, was silent for a moment before asking a question.

“Help to establish the foundation for those coming from the mainland and the naturalized people… Since the naturalized people are natives, isn’t their foundation already somewhat established?”

“That foundation is only at a level where they can barely survive. They naturalized for a better life. Therefore, we must provide appropriate support so that they can settle down as citizens of the Empire. There was an incident where we took this lightly at first, and they turned into hostile forces and even mobilized their forces.”

“I saw it in the report. Hmm… So, what other support measures did you have in mind besides the Haenggung?”

“To mobilize them for railway construction.”

“That’s not bad either? No, isn’t that even better? Since the Haenggung expansion is taking place in a small area, there is a high possibility that slums will form around the Haenggung if we do it wrong. However, railway construction takes place in a wider area, so we can avoid population density, right?”

“The problem is the monopoly. Building too many monopolies is not good for operation.”

“If you look at the Mishigama Special City construction map, you can see that we have already divided the sections and made distinctions. If we make good use of the 52 districts as well as the surrounding plains, we can minimize the slums.”

Hyang, at the officials’ answers that came out without hesitation, waved a white flag.

“I will review it positively.”

“Your grace is boundless!”

“Go now.”

Hyang, after sending the officials out, slapped his mouth and muttered.

“This damn mouth of mine!”

Having self-criticized in that way, Hyang re-examined the unfolded blueprint and related reports, assessing the possibilities.

“It’s definitely not bad.”

Whether they were people coming from the mainland or naturalized people, their purpose was the same.

-To live a better life.

It was not a bad thing to hire these people with such a purpose and provide financial support.

In addition, as the officials said, now was a good opportunity to solve the financial problem with the reparations coming in from Ming.

Ming’s reparations were both a medicine and a poison.

It could be a medicine to strengthen the weak parts of the Empire’s economy, but if handled incorrectly, it could cause price instability and ruin the Empire’s economy.

As a way to solve this, it was decided to invest a significant amount of the reparations in the development of Shinji.

Therefore, if the Haenggung and other infrastructure were built during the period when the reparations were coming in, it would be possible to avoid budget pressure even afterwards.

“It’s not bad, but…”

Although a positive result came out, Hyang’s expression was not good.

“It’s certain that Wan will grumble right away, and so will the Board of Audit…”

Hyang could see the Board of Audit officials writing memorials, saying, ‘How dare a 별궁(detached palace) [byeolgung] be bigger than the 본궁(main palace) [bonggung]!’

“Hoo~. Still, I think it would be good to do it. If the Board of Audit whines, I can just suppress them with my position as Retired Emperor.”

Hyang, having made up his mind with a sigh, still couldn’t hide his unease.

“I feel like I’ve been tricked by someone again.”

* * *

Following Hyang’s decision, a major reconstruction of the Shinji Haenggung began.

Not only engineers but also many natives were hired for smooth construction.

The natives’ response was higher than expected, because there was a process of teaching woodworking skills to those who wanted to learn.

The natives who saw the Empire’s wooden houses wanted to build their own houses like that. However, the Empire’s carpenters were busy, and the natives who had learned not only education but also practical skills were a great alternative.

Thanks to this, carpenters from native backgrounds became high-income professionals in Shinji.