Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 996

996. Meanwhile, Elsewhere… (1)

The Empire was bustling with activity in Seoul and Shinji, indeed, throughout its entirety. This period was known as the ‘Era of Leaps’ or, alternatively, the ‘Age of Madmen.’ The duality of this designation is quite interesting.

* * *

Among imperial historians and those with a favorable view of the Empire, it was celebrated as the ‘Era of Leaps’ or the ‘Era of Progress.’ However, historians critical of the Empire, or revisionist historians, often labeled this period the ‘Age of Madness’ or the ‘Age of Madmen.’ The papers presented by these historians with negative views were always a ‘hot potato’ [a controversial issue or topic].

This was because these papers were filled with criticisms of Sejong and Hyang, figures who represented an ‘era that could be called not history but mythology.’ Naturally, they sparked controversy not only about the limitations of the Empire but also among the general public. As the controversy grew, extending beyond academic circles to include ordinary people, it eventually drew the intervention of the Imperial Family.

Whenever press conferences related to this were held, the Imperial Family spokesperson would respond as follows:

“The historian’s view is a matter of personal values, so it is beyond our authority to comment. However, it is understandable that it is not a pleasant feeling. And… one must not forget that there are many members of the Imperial Family who are well-versed in history.”

Having said this, the spokesperson continued with a faint smile.

“And, according to the conclusions reached by those members, it seems that the scholar who published the paper in question was somewhat lacking in data research. The doors of the Imperial Archives are always open, so we recommend that they investigate again.”

When the spokesperson made such remarks, the careers of most scholars who had presented the problematic papers were effectively over. The Imperial Archives were the largest repository of records in the Empire, indeed, in the world.

Initially, it was simply a place to store the Empire’s administrative records, but over time, it transformed into a vast repository, storing all books, newspapers, and various video and audio materials produced within the Empire. Most of the Empire-related records found in other countries’ archives were copies taken from the Imperial Archives.

In particular, the Imperial Archives held the highest authority regarding various historical records related to the Empire’s history. The quality and quantity, as well as the value as a reference, of the Imperial Archives’ records were undeniable.

This was because the records meticulously documented when they were compiled, who reviewed them, and who was responsible for the final verification. Therefore, scholars who were told to ‘re-examine the data’ had to review the vast amount of data again and write supplementary papers, whether they liked it or not. Ignoring the spokesperson’s words would result in being branded as ‘insincere as a scholar’ and ostracized from academia.

Of course, there were those who resisted, dismissing the level of ‘Imperial Family’ scholars, but these individuals were simply ignored.

“Do they not know the characteristics of the blood flowing through the Imperial Family?”

Since Hyang, the characteristic of the Imperial Family members was that once they became fixated on something, they would see it through to the end. Of course, not all of them were fixated on positive things.

There were also those like Yi Yung—Yeonsangun in the history before Hyang intervened—who were expelled from the Imperial Family for the first time in its history due to ‘sex scandals,’ and these individuals were mercilessly expelled from the Imperial Family—removed from the Imperial Family genealogy and cut off from financial support. With such personalities combined with the Imperial Family’s wealth, Imperial Family members grew into recognized giants in their respective fields.

* * *

In any case, while the Empire was constantly changing, other countries were also changing incessantly. And the Empire was constantly paying attention to these changes. And the country that the Empire paid the most attention to was Ming.

Having fought two major wars and one civil war, Ming had become a wasteland. The national power that had grown during the ‘Reign of Xuande’ was greatly damaged, and the internal affairs of Ming were in shambles. This situation in Ming was not entirely good for the Empire either. Just like during the two wars, Ming, ruled by a capable but hostile monarch, was a problem, but Ming in a chaotic state was also a militarily and economically troublesome neighbor.

The borders became chaotic due to rampant bandits, and they were plagued by the influx of refugees. In addition, there was the problem of the wealthy who could afford to buy expensive products from the Empire decreasing. This difficult situation began to change with the enthronement of the Chenghua Emperor.

The Chenghua Emperor, who had spent his formative years in the Empire, began to implement aggressive reform policies as soon as he ascended the throne. To put it simply, these reform policies were about ‘weeding out vested interests.’

-It is impossible to eliminate all vested interests. However, the more you weed out, the more stably you can maintain power.

The Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces from the Empire who followed him carried out purges whenever they could find even the slightest pretext for their survival and to seize power. And the vacancies created through these purges became excellent bait.

-Do you want power? Then be loyal to me.

Officials, as well as eunuchs, made every effort to take this bait. And the easiest way was ‘eradicating corruption.’

Regardless of whether it was in the central or local government, if corruption was discovered, a secret report regarding it would surface at some point. What was unusual was that these secret reports often came from both the Eastern Depot [secret police] and the Embroidered Uniform Guard [another secret police] simultaneously. In such cases, immediate comparative verification was conducted, and purges proceeded immediately.

And those who had made contributions, or those who wanted to make contributions, filled the positions that had been emptied through the purges. However, the Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces could not be satisfied with this.

“It’s still 불안해 (unstable).”

This was because neither the Chenghua Emperor, who had spent his formative years in the Empire, nor the pro-imperial forces, who were all from the Empire, had a foundation. They were now loyal to the Chenghua Emperor, having taken the bait he had offered, but they could not guarantee when the situation would change.

To overcome this, the Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces employed various methods.

One was to create a protective barrier around the Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces, consisting of the Imperial Army. Although she was adopted, the Chenghua Emperor’s empress was a member of the Imperial Family. Therefore, the Imperial Family dispatched court ladies and troops to attend to and protect the empress.

This Imperial Army stationed in the Forbidden City became an excellent defense. If they attacked the Imperial Army to harm the empress, the Empire would immediately intervene militarily. Having suffered fatal defeats twice at the hands of the Imperial Army, Ming had a strong trauma towards the Imperial Army.

The next was the marriage policy.

A significant number of the pro-imperial forces who had followed the Chenghua Emperor were unmarried. The Chenghua Emperor promoted marriages between them and the established powers. Being linked to the newly emerging pro-imperial forces through marriage meant guaranteeing power and security, so the established powers actively promoted marriages as well. To the extent that they pushed their own daughters in.

“Is it a blessing of women (女福) or a disaster of women (女難)…” [These are both idioms referring to being fortunate or unfortunate with women, respectively.]

“I really want to sleep alone now.”

The Chenghua Emperor smiled as he listened to the complaints of his friends and loyal subjects, the pro-imperial forces.

“It must be a blessing of women. You lucky bastards.”

“Lucky, you say? I’ll let Geum-soon. No, I’ll let the Empress know.”

“Trying to break the peace of the family, how can you call yourself a loyal subject!”

Unusually, the Chenghua Emperor did not take any concubines other than the Empress. According to the Ming imperial norms, the emperor was required to take concubines, but he refused to do so.

The story that circulated outside was that ‘the Emperor and Empress were too affectionate,’ but those in the know, including the pro-imperial forces, all knew.

“The Emperor is dominated by the Empress.”

However, since the Empress did not seek power, no one raised this as an issue and made it public. No, they would be purged for using it as an excuse to make it public.

* * *

While the Imperial Army and marriage policies were being carried out at the core of power, things were also happening on the periphery of power.

“No matter what measures we take, we are a minority, and the fact that they are the majority does not change.”

“The number of those who have joined hands with us through marriage has increased, but we are still at a disadvantage. It will get better over time, but at best, it will be a situation of equal strength (佰仲之勢) [a situation where the strengths of both sides are nearly equal].”

“Then, what should we, no, what should I do to gain a clear advantage?”

“You must make the people our allies.”

In this way, the Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces implemented new reform policies. The first thing they did was to create a new legal code.

The Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces created a new legal code based on the Empire’s supralegal code. They deleted the excessively harsh penalty clauses from the existing Great Ming Code and significantly revised the parts related to the Three Taxes and Exactions. In addition, they specified various legal support measures to alleviate the difficulties of the people, thereby securing the overwhelming support of the people.

Compiling the legal code was not the only thing they did to secure the support of the people. They also began to revise the existing administrative and military structures. They prevented local officials from having too much authority and clearly revised the command authority and command system of the military.

-Divide what should be divided, take what should be taken, and guarantee what should be guaranteed.

They changed the administrative and military structures according to these criteria. While the eyes of the established powers were focused on the changes in the local administrative structure and military system, the Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces did not miss the opportunity to revise the core power structure of the Forbidden City.

The most representative example was the legalization of the emperor’s personal review of all documents (萬機親覽) [the emperor personally reviewing all official documents]. Until then, it was customary for the emperor to directly review only important matters, while the eunuchs approved the rest. But this was where the problem arose.

-Who decides the importance and lightness of the matters?

Since the eunuchs could easily engage in corruption if they wanted to, they legally stipulated the emperor’s personal review of all documents.

“There are hundreds of official documents and memorials coming back every day! It will put a strain on your health!”

“Please trust our loyalty!”

There were many objections like this, but the Chenghua Emperor immediately retorted.

“The Emperor of the Empire is already personally reviewing all documents, is he not? You said that ‘the most extreme people in the world are the Imperials.’ It is said that even those extreme people submit hundreds of memorials a day. And yet, they are personally reviewing all documents. Do you think that I am inferior to the Emperor of the Empire?”

At these meaningful words, the officials and eunuchs had no choice but to bow their heads and answer.

“We will follow Your Majesty’s will! Do as you please!”

While promoting reform policies in this way, the people of Ming gradually began to support the Chenghua Emperor. And the grip of the local gentry, the gentry, began to weaken little by little. It was exactly as the Chenghua Emperor and the pro-imperial forces intended.

* * *

However, the established powers could not simply back down. To be more precise, it was the local gentry.

-Joseon Emperor.

-Half Emperor (半皇).

These were the words they used to call the Chenghua Emperor. Joseon Emperor was a term that had been used familiarly for a long time, but Half Emperor was a newly coined term.

-He inherited the blood of the emperor, but he did not grow up in the Central Plains, so he is only half a person.

This was the hidden meaning. And those who used these words began to explore in secret.

-Let’s find those who are not half-baked but complete and enthrone them!