Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 10
[Episode 10: Germination…carcinogenesis? (3) ]
Episode 10 Germination… Carcinogenesis? (3)
After the ‘bidding briefing session on gold pens(?)’, the merchants left their good fortune one by one. Before crossing Hojo’s gate, an old, grayish merchant opened his mouth to Hojo’s official.
“That’s me.”
“Something?”
“What is Crown Prince Mama’s annual match this year?”
“You are eight.”
“Huh~.”
As the merchant could not hide his surprise, the young Hojo official spoke with a voice full of pride.
“He is a great person. “His Majesty the Lord of Danggeum is not an ordinary person, but the crown prince is also so intelligent, so he is a blessing for our Joseon.”
“I see.”
The merchant who bowed to the official and went out onto the main street suddenly felt angry boiling inside.
“Whose family’s child is so proud at the age of eight! “The bastard is our grandchild!”
Donggung Palace at the same time.
Hyang returned to her room and found herself face to face with a man. The man was the one who had been kicked out by the former officials earlier.
“Good work. “Jo Nae-gwan.”
“No, ma’am. But did you really have to do this?”
“I couldn’t help it because I was young.”
Considering Hyang’s age, Naebu Jo nodded, stood up and bowed.
“I will return and reclaim my honor.”
“Good job.”
* * *
As the production of gold pens made by Hyang was privatized, gold pens spread across the country. As Geumpil became an unprecedented hit, a real situation began to unfold.
A noble family in Naju, Jeolla-do.
An elderly nobleman was waiting for someone on the main floor of a large tile-roofed house that seemed to be at least 40 square meters long.
After a while, a worker carrying a large wooden box on his back entered the yard. The worker with his luggage next to him bowed in the yard.
“Did you find me?”
“Yes, I called you. “Did you bring the gold pen?”
“I brought it with me this time.”
“Oh, I see!”
When the nobleman smiled, the servant spread a cloth in the yard, took out a colorful mother-of-pearl box from a wooden chest on his back, and carefully placed it on the cloth.
After putting down the mother-of-pearl box, Bobusang bowed deeply to the box and carefully carried the box up to the main hall where the nobleman was sitting. When the merchant placed the mother-of-pearl box on the west bank, the nobleman let out an exclamation.
“Oh oh! this!”
When the moved nobleman stretched out his hand, the assistant merchant immediately blocked his action.
“lily! “You have to bow.”
“ah!”
At the assistant’s point, the nobleman quickly put his clothes in order, placed the box in front of him, and bowed politely.
“Your Majesty the Lord’s grace is so deep that he bestows upon you such precious gifts.”
After thanking the king, the nobleman carefully opened the box.
Inside the box, which was lined with soft silk, was a shiny lacquered pen stand and ten golden pen nibs.
The silk that covered the ceiling of the box and the nib of the pen were clearly engraved with plum blossom patterns.
“Insert a golden pen into the pen…”
While listening to the assistant merchant’s explanation, the nobleman, who combined the pen and pen nib, stamped the already finely ground ink and wrote the text on the paper.
The nobleman wrote down the phrase from his favorite scripture in one stroke and let out an exclamation.
“It is truly a noble item!”
* * *
As Geumpil became a huge hit, the smile did not leave Panseo Hojo’s face.
“The budget is expanding!”
It wasn’t just Panseo Hojo who couldn’t leave the smile on his face. Even the Hojo officials had smiles on their faces.
Since the founding of Joseon, or even since the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, the national budget has never been abundant.
When Joseon was founded, the royal family’s salary was reduced to 1/6 and the government officials’ salary was reduced to 1/4, but the budget was still insufficient.
In this situation, the profits coming from the sale of gold pens were very welcome.
In reality, it was a small amount, like ‘peeing on a frozen foot’, but it was still something to be welcomed because it allowed the government to gradually expand its scope of action in the process of running state affairs.
If there was one positive effect, it was that King Sejong and his subjects began to take interest in the positive effects of commerce.
However, a negative movement began to develop behind the scenes.
“How can it be that mediation has become a business?”
“That’s right. “The Lord Chief Minister and the government ministers are showing too much favor to commerce, which is a thousand things.”
“Among the farmers, artisans and merchants, the lowest class are merchants. Even though I am a good person because I am a poor person, I am no different from a low-class citizen! If we continue like this, we will just repeat the evil habits of the previous dynasty!”
The orthodox Neo-Confucianists, who were dissatisfied with the interest of King Sejong and the ministers who saw the money coming into the country through the sale of gold pens, began to feel dissatisfied. And those disgruntled elements turned their attacks on the crown prince, Hyang.
“In the first place, this matter started off in detail.”
“He is so young that he has already fallen into the wrong path… It is the fault of those in charge of disciplining the crown prince and his descendants!”
“Your Majesty the Lord, this is a problem too. “No matter how intelligent the crown prince is, he is still a child, and he allows him to carelessly decide on the government’s lines. This is something that must be corrected!”
“I think we need to pay more attention to the education of our descendants! Isn’t it surprising that you are focusing on catching up at a time when it is not enough to read even one more word of the sage’s words, engrave it in your heart, cultivate the heart of mother flower, and make this Joseon a small, middle-sized flower? “It will happen!”
“We need to file an appeal right away!”
“you’re right!”
When the complainers tried to rise up, something unexpected caught them off guard.
King Taejong had passed away.
On May 10, the 4th year of King Sejong’s reign (1422), Taejong died at the age of 56.
During King Taejong’s funeral, the assembly was suspended for 10 days and 5 days.
The affairs continued, but because it was King Taejong’s funeral, no controversial appeals were filed.
“Let’s wait for the next opportunity.”
“I guess so.”
Those who wanted to file an appeal had to aim for the following.
* * *
Not knowing that such a thing was happening beneath the surface, Hyang was absorbed in reading during King Taejong’s funeral.
“Hmm…. Can this be translated like this?”
Several books were open at the same time and their scents were carefully compared.
The books Hyang was looking at were books brought to China from Europe and Chinese books translated from them.
Just before Dongjisa (冬至使) left for China, the village called Dongjisa (正使).
“Did you call me?”
“yes. “I’m sorry for asking you to come when you must be busy preparing for the trip.”
“No, my Majesty.”
After a light conversation, Hyang got straight to the point.
“I would like to ask my mistress for a favor.”
“Are you asking me a favor?”
“exactly. “If you go to Beijing this time, please get me some books.”
“Speaking of books… what kind of scriptures can I get you?”
“Please get me some miscellaneous books other than the scriptures. Miscellaneous books related to medicine… Ah! “Do you know the Westerners?”
“If you say Seo-i… are you talking about people with colored eyes?”
“exactly. “If you have any translations or originals of their laws or techniques, please get me them.”
“Why do you want the books of barbarians…”
When the government official made a shocked expression, Hyang explained the reason.
“It was said that Saminhaengpilyuasa (三人行必有我師). There is a saying that says, “Through the mountains, all the stones are gone.” “If it helps me refine myself and run the country, how could I not learn something from a barbarian?”
“…”
Jeongsa closed her mouth at Hyang’s words.
If the person in front of you is a general-purpose prince, ‘Read the scriptures first during that time.’ They would give advice, but the crown prince sitting in front of them was acknowledged by all the ministers to be a more formidable genius than his father.
Before he was 6 years old, he learned the Four Books and Three Classics, and by the age of 7, he had read all 13 classics (Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Sikyung, Sangseo, I, Shimrye, Hyogyeong, Spring, Autumn and Three Classics).
Even at that young age, he studied the scriptures fiercely, not sleeping more than 3 hours a day (6 hours a day), and by the time he was installed as crown prince, he even discussed policies with guests.
Thanks to this, some young ministers who like correct speech were able to say the following.
-If the crown prince grows older and learns about the situation outside the palace, the government will be overturned.
Thanks to this, Jeongsa had no choice but to bow his head and answer.
“I will faithfully carry out the Crown Prince’s orders.”
“Please do me a favor.”
After that, Hyang made a similar request every time an envoy went to Beijing. Of course, after the first time, I even wrote a list and passed it on.
“I already have the books on this list, so get me some more.”
“… All right. mama.”
Thanks to this, the envoys had to go through hardships to obtain the books. Although Europeans and Arabs had entered China since the Yuan Empire, their books were not common.
* * *
“This will roughly solve the reference problem.”
Hyang smiled brightly as he looked at the books that were about 3/4 full of books on a bookshelf in one corner of the room.
As the industrial technology of Joseon during the Sejong era was confirmed, ideas for the use of incense gradually increased.
“The problem is that if I say I came up with all this, there are a lot of people who will start wearing colored glasses. Not to mention the medical field. In cases like this, it’s better to provide a reference.”
The conclusion reached was that not only Chinese books but also European books that had been introduced into China were obtained through envoys to Beijing.
Hyang obtained European books from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance through envoys, books from the Middle East, and Chinese translations of those books, and began to read the books meticulously.
“I need to know roughly what book contains what. Even if you solve the story later, it will be plausible. ‘You have to know the phrase to play it.’ “There is no other way to say it.”
The reason Hyang had this thought was because of the hardships he experienced while presenting the gold pen.
“It’s a good thing, but how did the Crown Prince come up with this idea?”
Hyang immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“It’s because I saw something unusual in the process of putting ink on a brush to write.”
“Something unusual?”
“I saw food climbing through the bristles of a brush. In general, water flows from top to bottom, but how can it not be amazing that it goes against this law? “This…”
Hyang told a believable story about the reason why he made the golden pen.
After hearing the explanation, King Sejong patted his knee and was impressed.
“Many people have used brushes so far, but no one has thought like the Crown Prince! What is this if not an example of knowing everything!”
In this way, Geumpil’s case passed safely, but Hyang knew well that this kind of luck would not last long.
“The reason I made the golden pen and gave it to you was to let people know that I, the crown prince, have this kind of talent. Because it’s something you can’t just throw out one day. But this is the first few times that ‘it just so happens’ works. “I need a reference to be more certain.”
* * *
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Crown Prince has arrived.”
King Sejong, who was attending to government affairs over the appeals and reports in the hut where he lived while King Taejong’s funeral was in progress, put down the appeals he was reading and answered.
“Come on in.”
Hyang entered the booth and bowed to King Sejong.
“Abama. Dragon’s eye is not good. “Have you eaten dinner?”
“The ministers consecrated it and ate it.”
‘This guy!’
Hyang sighed inwardly at Sejong’s answer.
‘I’m a meat-eating fanatic who can’t live without meat even for just one meal! Even if you don’t eat meat because you’re in mourning, you still need to eat properly!’
Hyang, who cursed inwardly, said earnestly,
“Abamama is the pillar of this country. Even though it is mid-term, you must eat.”
“Of course. “But what happened?”
“I obtained miscellaneous books from Westerners through envoys from Soja.”
“okay. I know because I heard it. “Is there anything that can help?”
“I hope Abamama will make the decision.”
King Sejong, who was smiling comfortably as if watching his son performing a joke, straightened his posture and had a solemn expression.
“Tell me.”
“yes. Soja petitions Abama to use their numbers.”
“The number of people?”
“yes. To be precise, we can say that it is the heavenly axis number. To explain in detail, this number starts from the first axis…”
[Episode 10 Germination… Cancer? (3) ] End
ⓒ Gukbbong
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