Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 140
Episode 140: The Running Crown Prince, I Am the King, and the Rolling Ministers. (2)
“The merchant marine shall read this appeal so that all ministers can hear it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sang-seon, who received the appeal from King Sejong, cleared his throat for a moment and then read the appeal loudly.
“Saengwon Im Sun-wook raises his brush and raises his head twice.”
Im Sun-wook’s appeal read by Sang-seon was largely divided into two parts.
One was a suggestion on how to find talent.
The other was to point out parts that had been missed in the sutra that had been conducted so far and suggest alternatives.
First of all, regarding the method of recruiting talented people, Lim Soon-wook first criticized the implementation method of the civil service examination system.
-The timing of implementation of the past must be changed. Currently, the civil service examination is generally conducted between the first month and May.
However, the civil service exam is usually taken between March and April, which has many problems.
Any good male can hit the civil service exam, but this period itself limits the ability to hit the civil service exam to only certain types of people.
This is because the period between March and April is when the spring hunger season and the sowing season overlap. Many people have lost energy as they go through the spring hunger season, and as the sowing season overlaps, many people have to focus solely on farming.
Therefore, taking the civil service examination at this time is not suitable for the purpose of recruiting qualified talent. This is because the only people who can take the civil service exam during this period are the children of local families who can afford it.
The period from New Year to February is also not good. This time is the middle of a harsh and harsh winter. This is not the season when people can travel long distances.
Therefore, it is appropriate to conduct the civil service exam between May and June, or between September and November, after the harvest ends and before winter begins.
Im Soon-wook, who pointed out the problem of the timing of taking the civil service exam, pointed out the next problem.
-The test itself is also problematic for those who have taken the exam in the past.
Looking at the records of the last military year (1428, the 10th year of King Sejong’s reign), the decision was made to determine success or failure through writing.
However, it is true that the controversy over whether it is a Gangjeong (memorizing and interpreting scriptures) or a sentence has continued.
The problem with a hard-line decision was that the test period took almost a month, and if the person in charge of evaluating the test and the test taker were familiar with each other, fraud could occur.
However, if you divide the pros and cons by sentences, you may end up ignoring Neo-Confucianism and learning only your writing skills.
(Note 1)
Therefore, in order to solve this problem, it is proposed that the subject be designated as ‘Non (論)’.
If you take the test to discuss the policies that the country is implementing or intends to implement, you can single out those who rely only on their writing skills.
-Also, as arithmetic becomes more important, it is necessary to make it widely known that the arithmetic test is an official exam subject so that test takers can prepare properly.
The method of announcing success or failure should also be improved by not simply announcing the list of those who passed the exam, but also announcing the reasons why those who failed the exam were eliminated. This is because even those who fail can try again or give up and find another job if they know which part of themselves is insufficient and failed.
The next thing Lim Soon-wook suggested was a method of finding talent without a past.
– It must be widely known that the Lord has shown great kindness and has allowed me to enter the Joseon Dynasty.
-This is to attract talented people by letting them know that His Majesty the Prime Minister and the government value talented people, as the old saying goes, “Seonjong’s foreign affairs (先從隗始).”
-First, let your work be widely known and then issue the following proclamation throughout the country.
‘Discuss ways to improve what the government is doing now. The person who gives a good answer will be used with great care.’
If you look at your example and have a will, you will be able to come up with good plans, and if you select excellent people among them and fill the head and waist of the court, you will be able to last a thousand years.
-This also applies to those who have already run for public office. Those who study at Sungkyunkwan to advance to the 5th rank or higher, as well as all officials above the 7th rank to 9th rank, give suggestions (thoughts or opinions) on state administration at least once every two years. must be submitted.
This is to select those who actively work rather than those who passively run state affairs.
‘You must submit at least one paper every two years.’ The ministers nodded to Lim Sun-wook’s suggestion.
“That’s a good opinion. “I guess I can find someone who will do the work for me.”
“The problem is that I can already hear the sound of singing.”
Kim Jeom shook his head at the whispers of the ministers.
“Do you not know that we also belong to that target?”
“Huh!”
While the minister’s face was blank, Sang-seon continued to read Lim Sun-wook’s appeal.
-The biggest problem with light clothing is that the number of items being resold is increasing. Monopoly products, which first started with salt and candy, have continued and are now expanding to include glass products, iron materials, and spices.
It is acknowledged that monopoly directly helps the national budget and also helps the people’s households. However, as in the example of paper, excessive monopoly can reduce the motivation of craftsmen and increase smuggling. Therefore, as the market enters the second half of the season, it is necessary to decide which items to release from resale.
(Hyuk)
* * *
When the reading of the merchant ship was over, King Sejong looked back at the ministers with a happy face.
“It seems like we found a really good talent. Isn’t that right?”
Yeonguijeong Lee Jik responded to King Sejong’s words.
“That’s right. Of course, there are times when we are overflowing with enthusiasm and go ahead. But I think that problem will be resolved as we gain experience.”
Sejong nodded at Lee Jik’s words.
“That’s right. That will have to be left to the management of the Lords.”
The faces of the ministers darkened at King Sejong’s words.
‘The bottom line is that there will be more work!’
‘I am writing a resignation letter! ‘I’m going to write it!’
King Sejong continued speaking, looking in the direction of the East Palace Hall, as if he knew the inner thoughts of the ministers.
“It seems that our crown prince is truly blessed with many blessings. Maybe they are looking for such good talent…”
At King Sejong’s words, the ministers cried out inwardly.
‘It’s not a personal uniform, it’s a daily uniform!’
King Sejong came to a conclusion, whether he knew the feelings of those ministers or not.
“First of all, let’s announce the laws on land and rent as scheduled.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And regarding the issue of the past, Lim Saeng-won’s point makes sense, so let’s think about it a bit and also think of a way to find talented people buried in Choya (a secluded land in the countryside).”
“… I follow your orders.”
King Sejong added something to the ministers’ emotionally-filled answers.
“Don’t forget that the more talented people you have, the less difficult it is for you.”
“I will keep this in mind!”
The ministers raised their voices and responded to King Sejong’s words.
“Let’s stop here and rest for a while.”
When King Sejong declared the suspension of the session, the ministers rushed out of Geunjeongjeon and headed to Uijeongbu.
* * *
Among the ministers who arrived at the conference room in Uijeongbu, Yejo Panseo was the first to speak.
“Which do you think is best to discuss first? past? Or do you ignore Zen Buddhism?”
The ministers all responded at the same time to the words of Yejo Panseo.
“You don’t know Zen Buddhism!”
“Wouldn’t it be better to ignore Zen Buddhism?”
“What do you need other than ignoring Zen Buddhism?”
Based on the reactions of the ministers, the decision was made to transfer the Yeonguijeong.
“Everyone has the same opinion, so let’s start with ignoring Zen Buddhism.”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
When the ministers responded, Maeng Sa-seong continued.
“It looks like it will be a very difficult task, so take care of your physical strength in advance. “I heard that jaratang is very good for nourishment, right?”
Woo Ui-jeong added to Maeng Sa-seong’s words.
“When I heard about Jaratang, a thought came to me. If I get some turtles, I will have to send some to Captain Hwang of Dongbuk-myeon. It seems that his energy has waned due to the hardships he endured in remote areas, and it is difficult to see his face except during regular reports… It seems that the development of Dongbuk-myeon has also slowed down. “If you give me more energy, won’t you be able to handle the business in Dongbuk-myeon quickly and come back?”
“That’s right!”
“I will ask the doctors at the internal medicine clinic to find a medicine that suits Zara!”
These were the ministers who responded happily to Uijeong Woo’s words.
Over the next few days, those who entered Hanseong’s medicine room disappeared without a trace.
* * *
While this was happening in Hanseong, Hwang Hee, who was in charge of the administrative work of the settlement in Dongbuk-myeon, fiercely picked his ears with his little finger.
“Why do my ears itch so much? Did a bug get in there?”
Kim Jong-seo, who was sitting next to Hwang Hee and processing documents, opened his mouth as he heard Hwang Hee mutter.
“Let’s see if someone swears by the commander-in-chief.”
“swear word? who?”
“Well…”
Hearing Hwang Hee’s words, Kim Jong-seo hesitated and put his eyes on the documents.
“Hmm…”
Hwang Hee muttered to herself as she narrowed her eyes and glared at Kim Jong-seo.
‘There are too many suspects!’
Starting with Kim Jong-seo, who works right next to him, from close by, to his sons who are digging coal in the mine from a distance, to his wife who is in tears because she is worried about her children, and finally, to his fellow ministers who are suffering in Hanseong.
Hwang Hee, who was thinking about the people who were chewing on her, burst into laughter.
‘Foot! Is that a problem now? My nose is three feet long… If you want to swear, do it.’
The fact that there was a lot of work to do and no people due to the development of Dongbuk-myeon made the situation even more critical.
‘Being tied to the record office until you die means you are an ambassador!’
Hwang Hee, who was looking through the documents with renewed enthusiasm, called out Kim Jong-seo.
“Hey, Jong-seo!”
“Please call me Deputy Administrator!”
“Yes, Deputy Administrator! There’s a mistake in the documents here! Don’t you want to do your job properly? Do you want to go back to Hanseong after working like this? Are you planning on going back after holding a 60th birthday party for the deputy administrator here in Dongbuk-myeon? huh? Is that it?”
“Give it to me!”
After being scolded by Hwang Hee, Kim Jong Seo returned with the problematic documents.
Kim Jong-seo gritted his teeth as he examined the documents.
“You bastards! I told you to refer to your suicide note like that! “You even use your biceps on official documents!”
As the title suggests, it was a book that was always on the desks of officials, containing the forms and writing tips for various official documents that Confucian scholars and scholars must know.
After confirming who the people who wrote the documents in question were, Kim Jong-seo immediately ran to where they were working.
“You guys are really going to work like this! And then you wanted to go back to Hanseong! Remember! If I can’t go, you can’t go either! “Even if I die, I can’t go!”
It was Kim Jong-seo who suddenly resembled Hwang-hee.
* * *
While his busy daily life continued, King Sejong looked perplexed at Hyang’s request.
“You want to build a new palace?”
“That’s right.”
“What is the budget?”
“I plan to use Insunbu’s budget.”
“That aside, why do we need a new pavilion? If you are not careful, officials will rise up and accuse you of being extravagant.”
“It’s not about luxury. “It is because of unavoidable necessity.”
“An inevitable necessity? “What on earth is the seal used for?”
Hyang gave a short answer to Sejong’s question.
“It’s a restaurant.”
“restaurant?”
“yes.”
According to Hyang’s explanation, the creation of the restaurant was for the employees of the research institute, the eunuchs and court ladies who worked in the East Palace, and the royal family.
First, there was a problem that the employees at the research center were losing a lot of energy because they were doing tasks that taxed their brains every day.
“That’s why we make them eat the right foods and foods to replenish their energy.”
“That seems plausible.”
Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words.
“The reason it is said to be for the court ladies and the royal courtiers is because of the ancestral rites.”
“Why the bite?”
According to the customs of the Joseon Dynasty, there was a custom of subordinates eating what was left over from their superiors. Therefore, it was polite for superiors to eat as cleanly as possible using the plate in front of them.
In the palace, it was routine for the king and royal family to add extra side dishes (meat in King Sejong’s case) to the leftovers and share them with the court ladies and officials.
“There were hygiene issues, so we switched to eating in a communal restaurant. Lastly, Soja and I will eat together at the restaurant.”
“why? “It is against etiquette.”
As King Sejong pointed out, the scent highlighted another aspect.
“It’s a safety issue. “You can’t poison yourself and hundreds of people just to kill me, right?”
“Ah…”
“If you show that the high-ranking people eat the same food as you, their loyalty will increase.”
Sejong, who thought for a moment about the explanation of the fragrance, nodded.
“You look okay. “Just give it a try.”
“I am devastated!”
After the scent went out, King Sejong, who was thinking deeply, looked back at the merchant ship.
“Isn’t that a pretty good idea?”
“….”
* * *
Note 1) April 10th year of King Sejong’s reign. In response to Byeon Gye-ryang’s appeal, King Sejong, after discussion with the ministers, decided that the Dae-gwa exam would be centered on sentences. The Annals of King Sejong, read in one volume. Written by Park Young-gyu. Woongjin Knowledge House.