There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 271

My Joseon Has No Sejong – 272

< King of Letters (3) >

Seong Seok-rin and Kwon Geun, along with other elder statesmen, knelt before me.

Perhaps because they were retired noblemen enjoying their leisure, their faces gleamed with oil.

“Why have you summoned us, Your Majesty?”

They seemed quite bothered by being called away from their leisurely pursuits.

To encourage these unmotivated elders, I began to speak.

“It has been said that virtuous kings cherish scholars and revive literature and art. As the nation gradually stabilizes, I also intend to greatly promote literary pursuits. There are none more accomplished in literature among those who have long served in office than you, so I have summoned you.”

I carefully chose words that would please the ministers, but the reaction was quite different from what I expected.

“Did Your Majesty say that you would revive literature and art?”

The pupils of the elder statesmen trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

“We thought Your Majesty was only interested in contraptions and weaponry…”

“Just the other day, when I suggested you learn poetry, you dismissed it as useless. What wind has blown you here?”

They thought they were whispering among themselves, but unlike the old men, my keen ears heard everything.

It was true, as they said, that I hadn’t shown much interest in literature.

‘I’m the one who defeated Kwon Geun with the *Songs of Dragons Flying to Heaven* [a famous collection of poems celebrating the Joseon dynasty’s founding], what would I learn poetry for?’

Seong Seok-rin, the representative of the elder statesmen, stepped forward and asked.

“Do you mean to support men of letters and refine poetry and music?”

“No, not exactly.”

At my answer, the elder statesmen wore expressions that said, ‘That’s what I thought.’

Art is a hobby, a hobby.

“The language of a people contains the soul of that people. Our Joseon’s history is no less than that of China, yet I have always lamented that our literary language is not properly organized.”

“Do you mean to compile a *yupian* [a jade dictionary, a comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters]?”

“A *yupian* is a collection of Chinese characters and their meanings, but what I intend to collect and organize is the language of our nation itself.”

Once Hangul [the Korean alphabet] is introduced, new orthography and grammar must be organized.

Isn’t that the role of a national dictionary?

To clearly understand the meaning and help write according to the rules.

‘Since these old men have nothing else to do anyway, if I have them focus solely on collecting words and compiling a dictionary, it will be finished within 10 years, right?’

These people were once famous men of letters in their youth.

Perhaps it could be finished even sooner.

As elder statesmen of the nation, they should at least do this much service.

“This is an important matter for the nation. Can you undertake it?”

As I took each of the elder statesmen’s hands and asked, they had no choice but to bow their heads and accept the command.

Of course, there seemed to be some who were not happy with the royal command.

Kwon Geun was a prime example.

“Minister Kwon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Didn’t your second son pass the civil service examination this time? I heard he’s in the training institute with my brother. How wonderful would it be if father and son dedicated themselves to the nation together?”

Kwon Geun’s face contorted rapidly.

It’s good for his son to work for the country, but isn’t the position the most important thing?

‘Kwon Geun has retired, but his son, Kwon Je, has just started his career.’

If Kwon Geun doesn’t like it, I can send his son to the *Giroso* [a retirement hall for high-ranking officials] to compile the dictionary.

Of course, no parent would want that.

“Even if I am old and have to walk with a cane, how could I not uphold the heavy will of the king? Just entrust it to me.”

Good, now I don’t have to worry about them slacking off.

They were truly reliable ministers.

‘If I have these people take charge of unifying the language, there will be less opposition, right?’

I’ve put forward Joseon’s top authorities who made a name for themselves as men of letters, so if these people decide, that will become the standard.

Using them as a shield, should I also introduce spacing and punctuation?

‘Thinking about it that way, these people have a very important mission ahead of them.’

It seems I’m known as a terrible boss in the world, but I’m also a man who gives generously when I do.

Although I can’t give them positions of power, there are plenty of other ways to reward them.

“How admirable is the heart of the elder statesmen who care for the nation! I will bestow a small gift upon each of you, so please accept it.”

I gestured to No-bun, who brought a large box and began to distribute small bundles to the ministers.

The ministers recognized what it was at a glance.

“Your, Your Majesty! This is!”

“That’s right. It’s Biak [a rare and potent medicinal tonic].”

The eyes of the ministers, who had been drooping until just now, widened.

It was the most necessary remedy for the elderly, but Biak was something you couldn’t buy even with money.

I lowered my voice as if to tell only the elder statesmen.

“If you do your job well, I will reward you with Biak from time to time. How is it?”

I don’t do this for other ministers.

I’m doing this as a courtesy to the elders.

“As Your Majesty has revealed your intention to promote literature, your virtue surpasses that of Emperors Yao and Shun [legendary sage-emperors of China]. We, too, will devote ourselves to completing the great task of promoting the national spirit.”

“We will be loyal, Your Majesty!”

The eyes of the elder statesmen sparkled.

Men are all the same, whether old or young.

Look at Kwon Geun, who had a sour look on his face just now, now beaming with joy.

With just one Biak, the will to work has risen so sharply.

The decline of virility is a terrible thing.

I must take care of myself from a young age.

===

It had been a long time since Jang Yeong-sil was employed by the grace of the monarch, freed from his status as a slave, and given a government post.

Now, as a senior official in the Ministry of Construction, he had not only artisans but also several officials under his command, but sometimes he couldn’t shake off his old habits.

For example, like now, when the monarch, Lee Je, summoned him to assign him a task.

“So, you want me to make something that presses the carbon paper when you press the keys to print letters on paper?”

“That’s right.”

Jang Yeong-sil scratched his head without realizing it while bowing.

“…Can such a thing be made?”

“It can, if you try.”

It was a very familiar question and answer.

In fact, it was a question and answer that was repeated every time the monarch assigned a task.

‘Make it happen, even if it doesn’t’ was the monarch’s motto, but every time, Jang Yeong-sil felt his mind go blank.

‘Working with His Majesty is like performing a trick.’

It was an irreverent thought, but he felt like a bear performing tricks, and His Majesty was like the bear’s owner.

What was even more maddening was that even seemingly impossible tricks could somehow be done if he worked on them all night.

Jang Yeong-sil himself was amazed at how he exceeded his limits every time.

‘Why does it work?’

This time would be similar.

As always, before he brought the results, the thing that His Majesty had already named ‘typewriter’ would be made if he worked on it.

It would have been better if he wasn’t the one who had to develop it.

‘No, maybe His Majesty is trying to nurture me?’

He had also heard the *Sejapa* [political faction supporting Sejong the Great’s policies] ministers whispering that their era had come.

Although he was born a slave, His Majesty didn’t care about such things.

Slaves had already been largely liberated by His Majesty’s hand.

‘Yes, why can’t I become a prime minister or a minister?’

Jang Yeong-sil clenched his fist tightly.

He was making things that were like dreams come true in place of His Majesty’s hands, so there was no way he wouldn’t be credited for his achievements.

The typewriter was like that.

‘If it’s made, it will be a device that allows for incredible speed of writing.’

Since the monarch invented the pencil, its convenience and practicality had become so widespread in the court that even historians used pencils instead of brushes.

However, the problem of having to sharpen pencils frequently and getting tired after writing for a long time was difficult to solve.

But according to the monarch’s plan, it was as if each person would have a printing press made by the *Jujaso* [royal printing office] in their hands, so fatigue, as well as the speed of document creation, would be incomparably faster than before.

‘But….’

The problem was how to write the tens of thousands of Chinese characters on this keyboard.

The keyboard that the monarch mentioned was only large enough to hold a few dozen characters at most.

Perhaps that was a bigger problem than making this typewriter.

‘No, that’s not my job. He told me to make the structure first.’

Jang Yeong-sil almost sighed at the renewed sense of despair.

However, he couldn’t do that with the artisans in front of him.

No one wants to pour passion into an impossible project.

During his repeated promotions, Jang Yeong-sil had gained enough experience as a boss to know that much.

“Sir!”

Jang Yeong-sil snapped back to his senses at the artisans’ call.

They looked lost as to where to start and were waiting for Jang Yeong-sil’s orders.

“The press… yes, we’ve already developed the press, haven’t we? All we have to do is move it to this typewriter.”

The printing press currently in use at the *Jujaso* also used a method of pressing the press to apply ink to the paper.

The monarch wanted to create a way to apply that pressure when the keyboard was pressed.

“Shall we try….”

I’ll have to call the blacksmiths and start extracting iron.

===

Although I entrusted Jang Yeong-sil with the invention of the typewriter, I don’t expect it to perform as well as the old manual typewriters.

Of course, something much larger and clunkier will come out.

‘But I gave him a rough idea of the structure, so he’ll be less likely to mess up, right?’

Since high-quality iron is also coming out, if he knows the structure and principle, Chief Jang will take care of the rest.

I remembered the countless objections to the use of Hangul that I saw in historical dramas.

I think I heard from Jinhyuk that it was an exaggeration, but even so, it’s true that the official script of Joseon until the fall of Joseon was Chinese characters.

‘Even if they’re too scared to object, they might never use it in official documents.’

But what if typewriters are distributed?

Even if they praise the elegant beauty of the brush with their mouths, they’re uncles who use pencils well for work with their bodies.

‘I heard that there’s a need for personnel who can professionally handle typewriters.’

In the old days, there was a job called a typist.

If we train typists and have one in each department and government office, would they not use it?

If these typists start taking over the writing of documents one by one, official documents will naturally have to switch to Hangul.

‘I have no intention of making a Chinese character typewriter.’

No, I don’t even know how to make one.

If there’s anyone who makes a Chinese character typewriter out of a desire to use Chinese characters, I should give them a prize.

Like clothes getting wet in a drizzle, I’ll gradually take over until no one in the court knows when they stopped using Chinese characters.

‘I’ll make sure that Chinese characters are only used for military purposes without anyone noticing.’