There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 16

The first thing that came to mind was soap.

Soap was essential for my own bathing pleasure.

But I couldn’t just sell soap.

‘I did consider parasols, but…’

Making them wasn’t too difficult, but they consumed too much oil, so I gave up. Commercializing them wouldn’t be cost-effective.

This is just for the royal family to use.

I packed up the soap I made and took it to the Retired King’s residence.

‘I did give my great-uncle water last time.’

Maybe this small gift will soothe his hurt feelings.

At least, that’s how the men in my family were.

I laid out the neatly packaged soaps in front of Retired King Jeongjong and Retired Queen Kim.

The scent filled the air because I had added fragrance.

“If you cleanse with this, your whole body will be fragrant, and all impurities will be washed away.”

“Oh my, such a precious thing.”

My great-aunt, Retired Queen Kim, was grateful, but Jeongjong said with a sulky face.

“Just forgetting… doing useless things… keep doing it…”

My great-uncle wore a displeased expression.

But even so, he kept glancing at the ‘gift’.

I said with a business smile.

“When I made this soap, I thought of the Retired King and Queen and brought it here first. Please accept it as a token of my sincerity.”

“Hmm, you… thought of me?”

“The Retired King is the pillar of this country and the royal family, so of course I would think of you. How could I ever forget?”

“I, I see.”

My great-uncle’s cheeks turned red.

Is it because he’s feeling a sense of importance for the first time?

“It’s not really necessary for a man like me, but I’ll accept it out of consideration for your sincerity. …Thank you.”

The last words were barely audible.

The Retired King then slyly pulled the box containing the soap towards him.

Retired Queen Kim gently grabbed his hand.

“According to the Heir Apparent’s explanation, it’s a necessary item for women. It makes the body fragrant, and it’s good for the skin, isn’t it? If you don’t need it, I’ll use it all.”

“No, still, it’s the Heir Apparent’s gift.”

As the Retired King panicked and didn’t let go of her hand, my great-aunt covered her mouth and laughed.

“Your Majesty’s problem is that you’re not honest.”

“Ahem, anyway, you can only take half.”

The two playfully fought over the ownership of the soap.

‘Oh my, how affectionate.’

Seeing people who are old enough to be grandparents acting like that made my hands and feet curl up a bit.

‘Anyway, that should have resolved the sulking.’

Lee Bang-gwa [King Jeongjong, who abdicated the throne] was a figurehead, and still is, but there’s no point in being hostile to adults.

The Retired King and Queen, especially Retired Queen Kim, seemed to really like the gift.

Unlike Lee Bang-gwa, who was pleased that the Heir Apparent hadn’t forgotten about him, the Retired Queen seemed to be interested in the soap itself, so I puffed out my chest.

I know my great-aunt is around fifty years old, but the desire to be pretty is universal.

‘Wait a minute.’

The thread that seemed to be *kkeuneojil* [끊어질 – cut off] was reconnected.

‘Something people want even if they have to pay a high price.’

People in this era call it a *gwimul* [귀물 – rare and precious item].

And as seen in the Retired Queen’s reaction, everyone has a desire to be beautiful.

‘Cosmetics. Let’s sell cosmetics.’

I remember that until a few years ago in modern times, there was a K-beauty boom in China.

If I could sell cosmetics, wouldn’t that be quite profitable?

I immediately started development.

===

…I made a prototype!

It was powder made by mixing rice flour, four o’clock flower seeds, and loess [a type of yellowish-brown soil].

The ingredients were what they were, and the manufacturing process wasn’t difficult, so I made it in a day.

‘Yangnyeong, you’re amazing, man.’

To create cosmetics so easily, even though it’s not my major.

It’s truly frightening.

“Hmm, I made it simply, but what do you think?”

But I should always listen to the opinions of others.

The latest trends in this era start in the palace, and fortunately, one of my lackeys was familiar with the palace situation.

At my question, No-bun carefully took some powder and put it on his hand.

Then he blew on it.

The powder on his hand scattered.

“Ack, what are you doing, you bastard!”

As I waved my arms and shouted, No-bun bowed his head and replied.

“Isn’t it a product that falls off even with a single breath? Even if you dress up, the powder is likely to fall off, so who would buy something like this?”

“Ah.”

I didn’t consider adhesion?

“And with the powder being so yellow, women won’t look for it.”

“That’s because of the loess,”

As someone who had heard on TV that loess is good for the skin, I had deployed a key weapon, but it didn’t seem to appeal to No-bun.

“Either way, this won’t do.”

“Is, is that so?”

Women are most looking for white powder, especially something with good adhesion.

That’s how No-bun explained it.

“You know women’s hearts well.”

“I am quite insightful in that regard.”

No-bun proudly straightened his back, but that’s not what I meant.

‘No-bun is half a woman.’

Poor thing.

Anyway, No-bun’s criticism was valid.

“Adhesion, adhesion.”

I stroked my chin.

I don’t want to, but there is one method used in this era.

===

The second product perfectly compensated for the shortcomings that No-bun mentioned.

The powder was very white, and the adhesion was considerable.

It was contained in a white porcelain box with a flower painted on it, making it a great-looking product, but…

“Can I sell this?”

I tilted my head.

The product I made was the *Bakga Powder*, a cosmetic that was a huge hit during the Japanese colonial period.

‘It can be made sufficiently with home industry, and it was so popular that it became synonymous with cosmetics even hundreds of years later, so it’s perfect for commercial use, but…’

The problem was the manufacturing process.

When you sprinkle vinegar on lead and heat and dry it, white powder sprouts, which is called ‘lead flower’.

Bakga Powder was made by mixing this lead flower with traditionally used rice flour, barley flour, shellfish powder, and arrowroot powder, and making it into a square lump.

‘If you apply this, you’ll definitely get lead poisoning.’

Sweat dripped down my back.

But lead plays a key role in enhancing adhesion, so I can’t remove it.

‘In modern times, they use titanium dioxide for that, but I can’t get it now. But it’s too good to give up like this.’

As I opened and closed the white porcelain box and sighed deeply, No-bun asked with a ‘what’s wrong with this guy’ expression.

“What’s wrong, Heir Apparent?”

“No-bun.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

No-bun replied.

“Do you think people would use a cosmetic that makes them pretty at the cost of shortening their lifespan by 20 years?”

I blurted out.

Hiding the harmfulness is the same as fraud. It’s not like the harm can be hidden.

Even though Lee Bang-won gave me a task, I’m not that unscrupulous.

‘Should I just discard it?’

Just as I thought that, No-bun answered immediately without hesitation.

“Of course they would.”

“…What?”

“Either way, life is only fifty years. Rather than living a miserable life, if they can gain someone’s favor and live a splendid moment, people will line up to do it.”

I was more embarrassed by No-bun’s words.

“Even if it ruins their body?”

“Why cherish a body that will rot when they die?”

“Huh.”

I unknowingly hit my forehead.

I realized that the way of thinking of people in this era is very different from that of modern people.

If they can gain someone’s favor for a moment, there are plenty of people who will live with it, whether their lifespan is shortened or their face turns blue.

That’s why cosmetics in this era contain lead and mercury from the beginning.

‘I still haven’t abandoned my modern mindset.’

I shook my head.

It was a different dimension from modern people, whose average lifespan is close to 80 years, and whose dream is to preserve their lives and live a healthy and long life.

Since you can die for all sorts of other reasons in this era, it’s foolish not to use such a thing.

“Haa.”

I looked at the white powder well-packaged in the white porcelain box and took a deep breath.

“Oh well, I don’t know.”

I’ll just give a warning about the danger and let them do what they want.

===

The next evening, I presented the Bakga Powder, which I had renamed, to Lee Bang-won, who visited my residence as usual.

“This is a powder made by this humble one, and I have named it *Baekjabu*n (White Porcelain Powder). It is said that if you apply this powder, your face will become as white as white porcelain.”

In the case of luxury goods such as cosmetics, the brand is more important than the effect.

So I named it this way to add the image of high-end white porcelain.

The container was not simply wrapped in cloth, but used a white porcelain box with a flower painted on it.

“Huh, I wondered what great thing you were making, but it was powder for women?”

It could have sounded unpleasant, but I didn’t feel that way.

Perhaps he was just surprised that I made powder this time after making heavy equipment like *Geojunggi* [거중기 – a type of lever-based crane].

“If you apply this powder, your skin will become white, and temporarily, prickly heat and blemishes will disappear and become radiant, but it is harmful to the human body, so it is best not to overuse it.”

Then I showed him my hand with a moderate amount of powder on it.

Ugh, I hope I don’t get lead poisoning with this much.

“Hoo!”

Like a father who enjoys women, he immediately exclaimed upon seeing the White Porcelain Powder.

“It seems to be of much better quality than what is used in the palace. So, is this the way you came up with to replenish the national treasury?”

“Is it insufficient?”

I wasn’t sure either.

Even if I sell this, will there be meaningful demand?

“Well, you won’t see much fun in this country of Joseon.”

But Lee Bang-won smiled slyly and said.

“When I went to Ming Dynasty, I had the opportunity to look around Nanjing. As expected, the great power is a great power, with *Giruu* [기루 – brothels] standing in every alley and *Ginyo* [기녀 – female entertainers] showing off their beauty to each other. Since beauty is directly linked to fame, there is no place where the competition for appearance is more intense.”

Lee Bang-won recalled when he went to Ming Dynasty as a prince.

Hmm, my father seems to have enjoyed it quite a bit, even though it didn’t come out in the Land of the Morning Calm.

“Wouldn’t the imperial palace be any different? The rumors I overheard while I was there as an envoy were all about the concubines who filled every corner of the palace engaging in all sorts of jealousy to win the emperor’s favor.”

Lee Bang-won looked straight at me and asked.

“But what if this White Porcelain Powder gains great fame and becomes popular in Ming Dynasty?”

“The merchants of the world will flock to buy it.”

Lee Bang-won nodded at my words.

“This is definitely money. It will become something that you can’t sell because there isn’t enough.”

“Even if it ruins their body?”

“Even if it ruins their body.”

That’s what pursuing beauty is like.

Lee Bang-won finished speaking.

“However, there will definitely be imitators…”

“That’s not a problem.”

There will be various knockoffs, but it’s okay as long as we can build a solid brand for White Porcelain Powder by then.

Once a place is established, just as people only look for *Goryeo Insam* [고려인삼 – Korean Ginseng] for ginseng, wealthy people will meticulously look for genuine Korean products.

“Ah, and.”

I opened my mouth.

“Wouldn’t it be better to ban White Porcelain Powder in Joseon?”

End