Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 986

986. The Clear-Eyed Madman (11)

After ten days, a massive sculpture stood proudly at the entrance of Seokguram Grotto.

“Well, now….”

The stonemasons from the Imperial Public Works Department, who had gathered to assist with the restoration of Seokguram, stared in stunned silence at the colossal sculpture. The sculpture, shaped like an open book, was a ‘masterpiece’ in its own right. Michelangelo had only accepted help from his disciples and the stonemasons during the initial shaping of the large form. All subsequent work was completed solely by Michelangelo.

“An open book, complete with a bookstand… Well, now… I’m speechless….”

Jang Mal-ryong, the Dobyeonsu [Head Craftsman], who oversaw the Jwabyeon [Left Workshop] and Ubyeon [Right Workshop], the stonemason guilds of the Public Works Department, repeatedly voiced his admiration.

“It reminds me of an elder I served when I was a novice stonecutter, barely old enough to taste stone dust. He handled that hard granite as if it were clay….”

Jang Mal-ryong reminisced about the distant past as he watched Michelangelo, looking utterly exhausted, sitting on the ground and drinking water.

“To create such a massive stone object all alone….”

Jang Mal-ryong wasn’t the only one marveling at the nameplate Michelangelo had created. The stonemasons of the Public Works Department, the recorders dispatched for documentation, and the eunuchs sent by the Emperor were all rendered speechless. On one side, Michelangelo’s disciples watched him with a mixture of awe and pride.

‘Truly, he is a master! Who would believe that such a great master is about the same age as me?’

‘Did you see that? Did you see it! That is my master!’

The European painter and the court painter from Dohwaseo [Royal Bureau of Painting], who were recording this scene in paintings from behind, felt the same way.

‘In just ten days….’

‘That Da Vinci was amazing, but this man is no less impressive.’

Meanwhile, Michelangelo, sitting on the ground and catching his breath, felt relieved as he watched people admiring the nameplate.

‘It seems I’ve passed the first hurdle….’

* * *

Michelangelo was certain that ordering him to carve a nameplate out of that enormous granite block was the Emperor’s test.

‘In Italy, I worked with marble, so he must be testing if I can handle granite properly! If I don’t satisfy him even a little, he’ll fire me immediately!’

If this were Michelangelo in Italy, he would have thrown down his chisel and stormed off the site as soon as he received such a challenge.

“What do they take me for!”

Michelangelo’s reputation was so high that he considered such a reaction to be perfectly justified. However, after seeing Seokguram Grotto, Michelangelo knew he couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

‘It’s nothing short of a masterpiece among masterpieces! I can’t pass on the honor of restoring such a treasure to someone else!’

That’s why Michelangelo had poured all his effort into carving the nameplate. And as a reward for his dedication, he found himself handling granite as easily as marble from a certain point onward.

* * *

Michelangelo, having passed the ‘first hurdle’ that even the Emperor hadn’t anticipated, began the restoration of Seokguram Grotto in earnest. Throughout this process, Michelangelo maintained close cooperation with the stonemasons of the Public Works Department, especially Dobyeonsu Jang Mal-ryong. The restoration of Seokguram Grotto was a large-scale undertaking.

“You wouldn’t call it a restoration by simply carving a few stones and sticking them on, would you?”

“Of course not.”

“Hmm… We’ll have to carve away at the mountain itself.”

Jang Mal-ryong looked perplexed at Michelangelo’s words.

“That would be quite a big deal. We’ll need permission first.”

“Do we have to get permission again?”

“Budget.”

“Ah…”

So, the request was sent to Seoul. Five days later, documents arrived from the Hyun [The Prime Minister] and the Emperor. The Hyun’s document was simple and direct.

-Permission granted. A representative from the Ministry of Finance will be dispatched.

“And the Emperor….”

Michelangelo and Jang Mal-ryong sighed deeply as they reviewed the document sent by the Emperor.

“Hoo~. It’s a long and winding road.”

-Record all dismantling and reassembly processes with drawings and documents.

-Be sure to record where and how each part was repaired.

-Keep in mind: If you divide it into 100 parts during the dismantling process, all 100 parts must be included in the restoration process.

If there are any remaining parts, dismantle everything and start over.

“It would be easier to build a new Seokguram Grotto from scratch.”

Michelangelo nodded at Jang Mal-ryong’s grumbling. However, there was a reason why the Emperor was being so demanding.

“The evaluation of the restoration work carried out during the Japanese colonial period was so poor that some said, ‘It would have been better not to do it at all.’ Since we’re hiring experts to do the job, we have to do it right.”

And the Emperor’s enthusiasm translated into relentless oversight at the site.

“Excuse me, but this seems to be beyond demanding.”

The eunuch sent by the Emperor replied immediately to Michelangelo’s grumbling.

“The Emperor said this: ‘The restoration of Seokguram Grotto is not a one-time event. It will need to be restored again over time. At that time, future generations will need something to refer to. What you are doing now is not just a simple restoration but paving the way for future generations.'”

At the eunuch’s words, Michelangelo and Jang Mal-ryong immediately returned to the workshop.

“We have to do it right if we don’t want to be cursed by future generations.”

“That’s right.”

* * *

Michelangelo and Jang Mal-ryong, once again burning with enthusiasm, devoted themselves to the work, but soon conflicts of opinion arose here and there. The most contentious area was the various scientific principles applied to Seokguram Grotto.

The best example of this conflict was the problem of the floor slab. They disagreed over whether condensation was intentionally created on the floor or not.

“You’re saying that people did this on purpose in the old days? No way! This is just because the path of the underground water has changed!”

“It looks like it was done on purpose no matter how you look at it. It’s not like water veins change that often.”

When the conflict arose between the two, the eunuch who was watching immediately reported the urgent situation to the Emperor. In less than two days, the Emperor appeared in Gyeongju. The Emperor, who visited the restoration site, listened carefully to the opinions of Michelangelo and Jang Mal-ryong and came to a conclusion.

“I think Dobyeonsu’s words are correct.”

“However….”

“I know what you want to say.”

The Emperor, cutting off Michelangelo, who was about to argue, continued.

“Have you ever seen the Colosseo [Colosseum] in Rome?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t you believe that such a huge building was built hundreds of years ago?”

“…No.”

“Get rid of the prejudice that the talents of the old people are inferior to those of today. There may be more lost talents and knowledge. Don’t forget that point.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Having settled the situation, the Emperor smiled and made a joke that wasn’t really a joke.

“You’re not the only one who has such questions. Do you know about the pyramids?”

“Yes, I know it as a huge structure in Egypt. I know that many tourists still go to see it.”

“The pyramids were a famous attraction even in ancient Greek and Roman times. The Greeks and Romans who visited the pyramids at that time said, ‘No, they made this in the distant past? How?'”

“Ah…”

After the Emperor’s intervention, the restoration of Seokguram Grotto was back on track.

* * *

However, the Emperor, who received regular reports, looked perplexed as time passed.

“I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing… The work is getting bigger and bigger.”

The restoration of Seokguram Grotto was evolving beyond simple restoration work. If even a minor question arose during the restoration process, the work was immediately halted, and a discussion was held.

-Has it been deformed over time, or was it made this way intentionally from the beginning?

The problem was that both Michelangelo and Jang Mal-ryong lacked expertise in this area. Upon receiving the report, the Emperor dispatched scholars from the research institute to the site to resolve the situation. The problem was that the scholars also had differing opinions and often engaged in fierce debates.

To resolve these debates, more and more scholars gathered at the Seokguram site, and each presented their hypotheses.

“Let’s think positively. The research speed in the field of natural science, which had been moving slowly, has increased, right?”

The Emperor, who gave a positive evaluation, paused for a moment and then began to draft a plan.

“Strike while the iron is hot! There are still many valuable relics left! Let’s do this properly!”

It was a time when many relics from the old Three Kingdoms period and even earlier remained in the Empire’s mainland and northern territories.

‘The chances of things like the Japanese colonial period or the Korean War happening are very low, but you never know!’

Worried about the possibility of such events, the Emperor decided to begin researching the ancient relics remaining in the Empire’s mainland and northern territories in earnest.

‘Of course, I won’t be running around in the field myself. But, I can’t miss the moment when the attention of the public, no, the powerful, is focused!’

As traces of various advanced construction techniques were discovered in Seokguram Grotto, the interest of the upper class began to grow.

– These technologies were used in the old days? Really?

This curiosity was leading to interest in the old Three Kingdoms period, which existed only in records. The Emperor didn’t want to miss this opportunity. And the Hyun [Prime Minister] and his ministers, completely swayed by the Emperor’s prodding, soon formed a large-scale academic research team.

The first place the academic research team headed to was Gyeongju. The academic research team began to meticulously investigate the ancient relics scattered throughout Gyeongju. And here, too, the Emperor’s influence was generously applied.

-The excavation and investigation of relics should not be carried out recklessly.

-All processes and finds must be recorded in documents and drawings.

(Omitted.)

This was the application of excavation and investigation techniques that began to be used from the mid-to-late 20th century, which was surprisingly welcomed by the Empire’s intellectuals.

“Yes! Everything must be left in the record! These are all precious things to leave to posterity!”

As time passed, this turned into a level that even the Emperor was fed up with.

“These record enthusiasts….”

The Emperor, grumbling like that, drafted the plan again and muttered.

“The Ministry of Finance will make a fuss again.”

The plan written by the Emperor was ‘Regarding the establishment of a museum.’

“You can tell what it’s for just by looking at the name ‘Museum (博物館)’. Considering the number, type, and value of the artifacts that have been excavated so far, there is definitely a need for a place to properly collect and manage them.”

The Hyun [Prime Minister], who saw the Emperor’s plan, nodded but sighed.

“The problem is the budget. Suddenly, there are many places where money will be spent….”

“Shouldn’t we spend it when we need to?”

“That’s true. Hoo~.”

The Hyun sighed and stamped the imperial seal on the plan.

“We have to do it when we have to. And it’s not like we’re building the Forbidden City; it’s for future generations, so the justification is strong.”

After that, the ministers who learned about the Emperor’s plan through the Hyun’s order gathered in the conference room.

“Is it possible to allocate a budget?”

At Han Myung-hoi’s question, the Minister of Finance replied with a frown.

“It is possible. But, we have to reduce other areas….”

However, before the Minister of Finance could finish speaking, shouts erupted from all directions.

“That won’t do!”