Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 984

984. The Madman with Clear Eyes (9)

‘The court, no, the Emperor is creating an encyclopedia! Seeking participants!’

Soon, rumors spread among writers in Seoul and throughout the Empire, and people gathered in small groups, buzzing with conversation.

“An encyclopedia? What’s that?”

“I don’t know, but if His Imperial Majesty is making it, it must be something extraordinary.”

“Hmm… really?”

“Isn’t the Retired Emperor behind him?”

To the people of the Empire at this time, ‘Emperor’ and ‘Retired Emperor’ were like the word ‘faith’.

-What the Emperor and Retired Emperor do is never in vain!

-Even if it seems absurd and only leads to losses now, in time, it will all be for the good of the people.

-Conclusion: Anyone who questions their actions is either blind or a pretentious fool.

The people showed almost ‘religious’ trust. And after a few days, notices related to this were posted on government bulletin boards throughout the Empire.

-This ‘encyclopedia’ is truly no ordinary thing.

-If you participate, your knowledge will be recognized!

“What is this all about?”

The rumors spreading from those who had seen the notices stirred even the sedentary local intellectuals. They gathered at nearby tearooms to discuss the matter.

“…So, this ‘encyclopedia’ is something similar to the Classics, Histories, Philosophies, and Collections.”

“Rather than the Classics, Histories, Philosophies, and Collections, it seems more like a collection of commentaries compiled alongside them.”

“Indeed.”

The local intellectuals, discussing the nature of the encyclopedia based on the notices, concluded that it was closer to a collection of commentaries. And their initial reaction was negative.

“I wonder if participating in a collection of commentaries, rather than the Classics, Histories, Philosophies, and Collections, will truly help my ‘good reputation’.”

The Classics, Histories, Philosophies, and Collections were traditional East Asian book classifications. They were divided into Classics (經), Histories (史), Philosophies (子) which included various schools of thought like Buddhism and Taoism, and Collections (集) which gathered literary works.

A collection of commentaries was a compilation of book lists classified according to these categories, as well as a collection of books that did not fit into these classifications. This was why the local intellectuals showed a negative reaction.

‘Compiling the Classics, Histories, Philosophies, and Collections is one thing, but working on a collection of commentaries? Is this truly a task that requires scholarship?’

* * *

Although the Empire was already showing signs of an early capitalist society, the local intellectuals still displayed conservative and rigid Confucian-centric tendencies. Individuals like Han Myung-hoi—those who had established themselves in the central government—scoffed at these local intellectuals.

“They’re just openly playing with money!”

As they said, the main source of income for the local intellectuals was ‘capital investment.’ The ‘Venture Capital Fund’ created in the early days of Gyeongjang had grown even larger and changed its name to the ‘Equity Trading Fund.’ The initial ‘venture capital investment’ had become just one of the tasks handled by the Equity Trading Fund.

And the local intellectuals were enjoying economic prosperity with the profits they earned from this Equity Trading Fund. Through the active application of the Wangto ideology—‘All land in the Empire belongs to the Emperor’—there were no landlords in the Empire. Instead of owning land, they ‘leased land from the Emperor and entered into labor contracts with tenant farmers.’

Accordingly, landlords had to pay land taxes as a type of rent, and contracts with tenant farmers had to be made using the ‘Imperial Legal Contract’ in the presence of the field manager at the battlefield. Afterward, it was natural to pay income tax after the harvest.

The local intellectuals, unable to profit from their traditional source of income, ‘agriculture,’ naturally entered the capital market. As the Empire grew actively, they were able to maintain economic stability. They were also the ones who enjoyed Sejong’s Singyeokbang [a system of agricultural innovation] the most.

However, as they failed to enter central politics, either by choice or by circumstance, they became more entrenched in ‘Confucianism-centric’ and ‘Confucianism-principled’ ideologies.

* * *

However, not all local intellectuals were like that.

“If it were simply compiling the Classics, Histories, Philosophies, and Collections, or a collection of commentaries, there would be no need to post notices. They could just print the list from the archives. Something is strange.”

They walked back to the place where the notice was posted and began to examine the contents in more detail. And they noticed the hidden meaning between the lines.

“This is not a simple classification!”

“The term ‘encyclopedia’ does not simply refer to 100 items! It is literally about classifying and organizing all fields, all knowledge in the world!”

“All knowledge in the world!”

A madness-like fervor began to shine in the eyes of those who recognized the hidden meaning between the lines.

“My name cannot be missing from such a great undertaking!”

At a similar time, Han Myung-hoi and his ministers were having a similar conversation.

“Although I was already rejected after advising against it, I cannot shake the feeling that the sentences are too ambiguous. I am worried whether those who see the notice will understand it properly.”

In response to Im Soon-wook’s words, Han Myung-hoi replied in a relaxed tone.

“What can we do? His Majesty wrote the sentences together with the Retired Emperor.”

“But they are too ambiguous.”

“Does the Minister still not understand their intentions?”

After thinking for a moment at Han Myung-hoi’s remark, Im Soon-wook placed his hand on his forehead.

“Are they fishing again?”

Han Myung-hoi drank his black tea and continued calmly.

“They spread rumors in the market to lay the groundwork, and then cast their fishing line by posting notices with ambiguous sentences. If there is anyone who understands the hidden meaning of the rumors and sentences and applies, wouldn’t they be valuable talent to use in the future?”

“Hoo~.”

At Han Myung-hoi’s words, Im Soon-wook sighed deeply.

“The problem is that this is a clever trick, not the standard approach. What will those who have properly passed the civil service examination and climbed the ranks think?”

“That’s why they are starting them from the middle ranks and positions, not high ranks and positions, isn’t it? Frankly, those who have risen through the ranks from the past are too frustrating. Even in urgent matters that require quick judgment and decisions, they spend their time looking at legal codes and precedents. Flexibility and rigidity must be in harmony. Prioritizing only one will surely lead to trouble.”

“That is true, but… haa~.”

Looking at Im Soon-wook, who was sighing deeply, Han Myung-hoi added one last remark.

“Whether it is the standard approach or a clever trick, it is what His Majesty has done. The rest is our responsibility as ministers. Selecting those who come is our responsibility, examining their work is our responsibility, and properly utilizing those we have obtained is also our responsibility.”

“Why does it feel like the work is only increasing…”

“Hoo~.”

The conversation ended with worries and sighs, and Han Myung-hoi, left alone in his office, was pondering to solve one question.

‘Something is strange. Even if they released a considerable number of people, the rumors spread too quickly. Of course, rumors spread quickly enough to be described as exponential, but this is too fast. Could His Majesty be using people separately?’

The question that arose from the rumors spreading faster than expected became increasingly serious.

‘Come to think of it, there are definitely more than one or two strange things. There have been more than one or two times when His Majesty seemed to know things before I even reported them to him through the proper channels. Of course, rumors within the palace are said to be faster than light, but this is strange.’

“Hmm…”

Han Myung-hoi, tapping the desk with his finger, continued his analysis and reasoning and came to a conclusion.

‘His Majesty has a separate organization that he uses. And it is quite capable in terms of information. No, very capable. And they are probably also monitoring the officials.’

Han Myung-hoi, contemplating the conclusion he had reached with a serious face, chuckled and muttered.

“So what? It’s not like there’s anything I can do about it. And what would I do by making it public? As long as I do my job properly and don’t have unnecessary greed, it’ll be fine.”

* * *

The talents who were caught in Hyang and Hyun’s fishing gathered in Seoul again, and the production of the encyclopedia began smoothly. However, as the work got into full swing, the participants began to worry, though not really.

“Will we be able to finish this before I die?”

This was because, as the work progressed, it increased rather than decreased. Thanks to this, starting with the research institute, even the specialists from the Court of Justice and the Board of Censors were投入 [thrown] into the production of the encyclopedia. And painters from Italy and the Bureau of Painting were投入 [thrown] into the illustration work. Initially, the participants, who were only worried about the enormous scale of the work that had no end in sight, became more enthusiastic over time.

-If it is completed, it will be a book that no one in the world can compete with!

-As Han Myung-hoi said, if it is completed, it will become a Peng [a giant mythical bird] that covers the world! A Peng that covers both the East and the West!

While the participants were working with all their heart and soul, Michelangelo was being dragged to Gyeongju.

* * *

“Let’s see… Michelangelo is better at sculpture than painting, isn’t he?”

Hyang, looking at the progress of the illustrations to be included in the herbal medicine encyclopedia and the encyclopedia, expressed his discomfort while mentioning Michelangelo.

“Of course, I know that his skills are difficult to distinguish from Da Vinci, but still, it’s a bit unsettling. There seems to be a place where he can be used more properly.”

As he pondered this and strolled through the garden of Sugang Palace, a group of monks came into Hyang’s view. It was not an unfamiliar sight, as Hyang’s consorts and concubines often invited monks to listen to sermons. Therefore, Hyang, who was about to move on indifferently, suddenly exclaimed.

“Ah! There is!”

Hyang, who was about to hurry back to his office, stopped again and chuckled.

“Come to think of it, something similar happened when I was young, didn’t it?”

Hyang, recalling the memory of the ‘limited edition Tripitaka Koreana [a Korean collection of Buddhist scriptures],’ smiled and walked towards Sugang Palace. Three days later, Michelangelo received an order issued by Hyun.

“You have to go to a place called Gyeongju?”

“That’s right. If you go, there are places called Seokguram [a stone cave temple] and Bulguksa [a Buddhist temple]. Among them, you have to fix Seokguram.”

“Is it a repair job? I understand.”

“Oh, right! That Seokguram is a Buddhist temple, is that okay?”

At the manager’s question, Michelangelo smiled and replied.

“I don’t care. If you pay me properly, I can fix the mosque in Mecca.”

“Really? Then I can trust you!”

Having received the order, Michelangelo and his disciples arrived in Gyeongju and were guided by the manager to Seokguram.

“Oh!”

Michelangelo and his disciples, who looked around the inside of Seokguram, exclaimed and could not close their mouths. When Michelangelo, who had looked around Seokguram, came out, the manager asked.

“Can you do it?”

“I would risk my life for such a masterpiece!”

Michelangelo’s expression was more serious than ever.