There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 56

< What is True Education? (3) >

No-boon.

In the original history, when Crown Prince Lee Je was spanked for neglecting his studies, No-boon was an extraordinary eunuch who directly confronted the Crown Prince, asking why it was his fault.

Or, to put it another way, he might have just been recklessly brave without thinking.

So, while serving the Crown Prince closely, he had been subtly slacking off.

However, due to Lee Sook-beon’s riot, Lee Je, feeling the need to establish strict discipline, suddenly threw him into an unexpected place.

“Hee… hee! Let’s rest.”

“How can you be so exhausted already?”

Ignoring the glances of the military supplies depot laborers, No-boon sprawled out on the ground.

With the Crown Prince’s roar, ‘I’m watching all you lazy devils!’ he was reduced to a laborer in the military supplies depot as a form of mental training.

It was a kind of soft gulag [a forced labor camp used for political imprisonment].

“Sigh, there’s nothing we can do about that…”

“Leave him be. He probably can’t use his strength because he has no yang [a euphemism for male virility, referring to his castration].”

Tears streamed down No-boon’s face at the laborers’ snickering.

He already missed being by the Crown Prince’s side like crazy.

===

After ordering No-boon to be disciplined to come to his senses.

I was once again beset by anguish.

“Haa.”

It was none other than Queen Wongyeong’s request.

I’m worried about how to handle this new quest that has fallen upon me.

To come up with a way for my younger siblings to study easily?

If I knew that, I would have started an academy.

How can I, who has only received 12 years of cramming education, create innovative and creative teaching methods?

‘But do I really have to do this?’

Why are you asking me to devise educational methods when there are people who can do it well even if I don’t teach them?

It was like telling a crow-tit to teach a stork how to tear its legs [an idiom meaning asking someone to do something completely beyond their capabilities].

From the beginning, wasn’t I the eldest son who quit school early and helped my father with the store?

‘Although it’s a bit large to call it a store.’

Still, let’s try to come up with a method based on my experience…

‘The key to studying is repetition.’

Thorough review is the secret to high scores.

And one more thing to add is the note-taking study method?

Even in college, they tell freshmen not to just copy PPTs and stare blankly, but to write them down by hand in a notebook.

However, writing is virtually impossible at the moment.

Writing with a brush on a book full of text is not an easy task.

You might even get scolded for ruining the book.

‘Then the solution is…’

I muttered.

At that time, Lee Cheon came to find me.

“Your Highness, these are documents for you to approve. Please review and sign them.”

“Oh, leave them there.”

Sigh, there’s no end to work.

Looking at the documents, the amount of lead was different from what I had previously reported.

“What’s going on?”

Wondering if someone had ‘Hwanghee’d’ it [a reference to Hwanghee, a historical figure known for his indecisiveness and tendency to gloss over problems], I asked, and Lee Cheon replied.

“That is… some of the quantity that came up from Gapyeong was thought to be lead, but it turned out to be a soft mineral. So I heard that it was treated as a loss.”

“Tsk, tsk, you should have checked it carefully before bringing it in…”

I signed the document and said.

Ugh, my wrist hurts so much.

Should I wear a compression bandage too?

At that time, Lee Cheon began to stagger towards me.

“Your Highness, may I return to my original duties now?”

“No. You’ve already been transferred to the office, what are you talking about moving to another office?”

“It’s just that it’s difficult to deal with the gulag people…”

Due to Kill Bang-won’s decisive measures, the people who had openly led the trolling had all drunk poison and gone to the other world, so the remaining people were a little more spineless and weak.

However, since they were also from the noble class, it seemed that Lee Cheon was not easy to handle.

“If you, who are from a military background, find it difficult, who else can I entrust the task to? Please bear with it a little longer.”

I gave him words of warm encouragement like a benevolent boss.

Lee Cheon’s face contorted strangely as if he was touched by the words.

Hehe, there’s no need to hold back your emotions.

“But you’re getting used to it now, and it seems more bearable than before, right?”

Lee Cheon barely opened his lips and replied.

“Yes…”

If it’s bearable, I can give you another job.

Let’s see, should I entrust him with his original research and development work as a scientist?

Thinking so, I picked up the brush.

“Hmm…”

The brush looks cool when writing, but it’s really hard to handle.

It takes a lot of effort to write, so everyone complains of wrist fatigue even if they only move the brush a little.

This was also related to my previous concerns.

‘No matter how much the nobles live and die for style…’

When have I ever started a job while considering such things?

I slammed the desk and stood up.

Lee Cheon flinched at the sudden action.

This nobleman, even though he’s from the military, is not immune to sudden actions.

“Yes?”

“Lee Byeong-jang, follow me.”

I dragged Lee Cheon to the military supplies depot.

Then, I took out the paper I had been scribbling on until just now.

“Can you make something like this?”

It was a piece of wood attached to graphite.

That’s right.

It was none other than a pencil.

My ultimate invention following the salt farm.

“Yes, it doesn’t seem difficult to make, so I think I can make it soon, but I wonder if I can get the materials right away?”

Lee Cheon bowed his head.

“Don’t we have it?”

After listening to Lee Cheon’s story earlier, I checked just in case.

As expected, the graphite that was mistakenly brought in instead of lead was lying around carelessly in the corner.

In the past, they thought graphite was a type of lead.

They must have brought it to the military supplies depot as raw ore, so they wouldn’t have known until it was refined.

“Try making it with this.”

“Too much work…”

“I trust only Lee Byeong-jang. Haha!”

Lee Cheon mumbled something, but it probably wasn’t an important story.

I patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.

‘After all, carrots and sticks are important.’

Strictly to slackers like Lee Sook-beon and No-boon, and gently to aces like Lee Cheon.

My art of personnel management seemed to be working successfully.

The structure was not difficult, so the finished product came out quickly.

Lee Cheon held about 10 pencils made first in a box and handed them to me.

‘As expected of Lee Cheon.’

I thought it would take quite a while, but this is enough, right?

I can urge you to do it faster next time.

I smiled brightly, picked up a pencil, and put it on Hanji [traditional Korean paper].

– Thududuk

“Huh?”

Why is this happening?

I thought the lead was broken because I put too much force on it, but it didn’t break, it crumbled.

The same was true for the officials who used other pencils.

“Your Highness.”

“The graphite is crumbling.”

“…Is that so?”

‘Damn it!’

The strength of the graphite was too soft than I thought.

I thought I could just knead the graphite to make the core and insert it into the wooden board, but it was too naive.

‘Hmm…’

What to do.

I didn’t know anything about how to handle graphite.

Even in Africa, when there was really nothing, I used charcoal on slate, and after things got better, I just received pencils and used them. So I hadn’t really thought about it.

“Isn’t there a way to make graphite a little harder?”

I thought of several methods, but it was too difficult to apply them right away.

I looked around at the officials and asked, but the answer didn’t come out easily.

‘Well, these people are humanities-type talents, not science-type talents.’

Damn it.

That’s why you can’t just have liberal arts students in the company.

The only measure they came up with after racking their brains was this.

“How about using other materials?”

‘Is that a measure?’

I clicked my tongue.

What should I use instead of graphite? Lead?

‘No more lead naver [a play on words, using the Korean word “naver,” meaning “never,” to sound like the English word]…’

I’m sick of that lead.

Having to worry about lead poisoning even when using a pencil, what kind of hell is that?

I gave up hope for them and stared at Lee Cheon.

“…”

“…”

“Why, why are you doing that, Your Highness?”

“Lee Byeong-jang, do you have any plans?”

He was the only one among the people gathered here who had a science aptitude.

I’m sure there’s something there.

When I pressed Lee Cheon, he hesitated and answered.

“How about baking it once?”

“Bake?”

“Graphite is characterized by being soft like soil… so wouldn’t it be possible to bake it like pottery?”

‘Is that so…?’

Lee Cheon’s suggestion poked at a blind spot I hadn’t thought of.

Should I just bake it?

‘He’s smart?’

As expected of the man who invented the Angbu Ilgu [a type of sundial].

I soon broke into the military supplies depot.

But an unwelcome human stuck his face in.

“Your Highness! Please save me!”

No-boon said with a blackened face.

“It’s unfair enough to suddenly become a military supplies depot laborer, but now you’re telling me to knead soil that I’ve never heard of!”

“Hey, you, you’re just smearing it on your face, what’s with the fuss?”

Why are your hands and front clean, but only your face is covered in graphite powder?

You look like a politician who came to take a picture.

You haven’t repented enough yet?

‘More than that, you’ll get more tired from the pencil poison if you do this.’

As expected, No-boon suddenly started complaining of a throbbing headache.

“Ugh, Your Highness. Suddenly my body…”

What a variety.

“Shut up and bake the graphite.”

I ordered.

And I said to the military supplies depot artisans standing next to me.

“This friend is my close servant, don’t be lenient and make him work properly.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Has it been a day or two since the eunuchs used the power of the master they served to act like tigers?

You were being lenient with your work because you were looking at my face.

‘I sent you to come to your senses.’

Fortunately, No-boon thought there was no way out after I nailed it down, and followed the order without complaint.

The cores began to enter the pottery kiln.

I watched the scene with great tension.

===

“Here!”

The gazes of the officials who were concentrating on their work while groaning turned to me.

“I have created a new object, considering your pain!”

“Yes?”

I handed out the pencils made in the military supplies depot to each of the officials.

Hwanghee, who received one, looked at it and asked curiously.

“How do you use this, Your Highness?”

“How do you use it? Just hold it like this and write on paper. You don’t have to grind ink or trim hair.”

“Heo…”

The officials awkwardly held the pencils and began to write on the paper.

However, since they were not yet familiar with the use, there were a series of people who broke the core and turned pale.

“Oh! What should I do!”

“I broke the gift given by Your Highness…”

I said calmly to the vassals who were trembling as if they were going to be punished.

“Ah, it’s okay. Since the pencil lead shrinks as you use it, you can sharpen it with a knife and use it again properly.”

When I gave them a knife and told them to sharpen it, a new core quickly appeared.

“Oh!”

“It’s really fortunate. Even if the core breaks, it can be solved so easily.”

Other nobles may treat this pencil as a strange toy, but for officials who have to grind ink dozens of times a day, there is nothing more comfortable than a pencil.

They didn’t have to write with more effort than before, and there was nothing to prepare to write.

The officials held pencils and wrote with happy faces.

They were still chatting with their mouths.

“Your Highness’ invention is convenient. Especially this pencil is more touching than other tools. How hard it is to hold a brush.”

“That’s how much they’re trying to use us.”

“But isn’t it much better than not making something like this? The result of using us will be the same anyway.”

“That’s right. Your Highness is really…”

I thought I heard strange noises without knowing my compassionate heart, but anyway, the demonstration was successful.

“All right!”

Finally, I created a tool optimized for note-taking study method.

Let’s achieve a perfect score on the college entrance exam with the Crown Prince’s study method!

I, who invented the pencil, proudly took it to the Junggungjeon [Queen’s residence].

No, I was going to take it.

If I hadn’t been challenged in a strange place.

“Your Majesty, please ban the pencil made by the Hanyang Construction Office!”

‘Ah.’

What is it this time?

< What is True Education? (3) > End

ⓒ Pitkong