Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 142
142 Fire Contest. (1)
In April, the scheduled laws were promulgated.
The first thing to be promulgated was about longevity.
-It is prohibited for the interest on property lent as debt to exceed the original amount.
-Monthly interest is prohibited from exceeding 3 pennies of the principal.
When the interest restriction law was announced, there was quite a bit of backlash. However, the government pushed ahead by saying the following.
-The Great Ming Rule states that the monthly interest cannot exceed 3 pennies, and no matter how long it has been since the property was borrowed, the total amount of interest cannot exceed the original amount.
Those who opposed this continued to oppose by saying the following.
“Joseon is Joseon and Ming is Ming! This is what the court always said!”
The government refuted this as follows:
“When did you insist on following the rules of Great Ming, and now you are saying that Joseon and Ming are different? “It’s not worth even thinking about!”
The government, which refuted the claims of those who opposed it, began to revise the Sokyukjeon (續六典).
* * *
Not long after the promulgation of the ‘Interest Limitation Act’, the government announced a new law.
-Starting from this year, the civil service exam will be limited to the first and second exams conducted every year.
-The first examination of civil affairs is held on the fifth day in early May every year, and the second examination is held a month and a half later, on June 20th.
-The exams in the first and second poems are logic and arithmetic. If you get a grade in even one of the two subjects, you will fail.
-In the case of martial arts, it is implemented on October 1st every year.
-In the case of martial arts, in addition to the existing martial arts exam, the Four and Three Classics and Military Science are added.
-The implementation of the military academy will continue for the next five years, and thereafter it will be replaced by military academy entrance exams.
“What is military academy again?”
When a word they had never heard before appeared, the attention of those preparing for the martial arts competition was focused.
-Military academy is an institution that trains officers who will run Joseon’s land-based army in the future.
-The age that can apply for admission to a military academy is between 15 and 20 years old.
When it was announced that there would be an age limit for military academies, which are equivalent to military academies in the 21st century, those who were subject to age restrictions could not help but be nervous.
“You only have five years left! “I have no choice but to try my best!”
The hell of entrance exams was just as intense for those preparing for the liberal arts majors as it was for the martial arts aspirants.
* * *
The Joseon Dynasty was shaken by the revision of the ‘Interest Limitation Act’ and the civil service exam system.
“It has finally begun.”
Those who had been carefully observing the spectacle being conducted by the royal court thought, ‘It has finally come.’ He made an expression like this.
“I guess the good times are gone.”
“That’s right. “Perhaps next will be fixing our local music bands.”
“Look at my hands… I’m sure the tax exemption benefits will start to fly away.”
“I guess so.”
The local government, anticipating the government’s next move, struggled to think of a way to respond. But they had a hard time finding clear numbers.
“There is no justification for the government to stand up for its cause.”
While local groups were contemplating measures, the government issued a new decree.
Due to this decree, the division of local groups began to accelerate.
* * *
In mid-May, when the first draft was completed throughout Joseon, the government distributed King Sejong’s decree throughout Joseon.
-It has already been 11 years since Gwain ascended to the throne, and he has made a lot of effort for the well-being of Joseon.
However, in the process, I realized that there was a lack of talent.
The government’s ministers assist Gwain based on their intelligence and long experience, but their numbers are too small.
The recruitment gate has been widened for some time now, but it will take a long time for the talented people brought in this way to acquire experience.
Therefore, I will try to follow the old saying of ‘Seonjong and Euisi (先從隗始)’.
Just as King Xiao of Qi was able to save talented people from all over the world by treating the Prime Minister of Yan Dynasty, Guo Yue, with great respect, Gua Ren will do the same.
Many people will already know the news that Lim Sun-wook, a native of Uiju, received the rank of Cham and entered the civil service.
(Shortly)
The proclamation promulgated by King Sejong shook the local community.
“This is an opportunity! Now the chief minister is heading down the path of dictatorship! “This is our chance to stop this!”
“No, this is a trap for the Lord! “At times like these, we must unite and resist the Lord’s violent actions!”
Local groups were largely divided into two groups and engaged in a war of words. However, more and more people tried to follow King Sejong’s decree.
This was because they also had a dream of achieving success and fame.
Thanks to this, from urban areas such as Hanseong to the mountainous valleys of Jiri Mountain and Taebaek Mountain, everyone from silk-clad monks to poor scholars reading at night took up the brush.
* * *
King Sejong set a generous deadline of 100 days, but within less than 15 days, many proposals poured into the government from all over Joseon.
Do Seungji and monks who saw the proposals coming in by cartload complained to King Sejong that they were in trouble.
“Hmm… I see. However, reviewing these is absolutely necessary…”
At King Sejong’s words, the ministers stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, we are currently in a situation where we are short on manpower as we are continuing to educate those who have passed the double exam. First of all, he will postpone it for a while and deal with other matters first…”
In response to the ministers’ words, King Sejong pointed out the reality.
“There are so many people flooding in right now, so the longer you put it off, the more difficult it will be, right?”
“Is that so…”
The ministers trailed off.
In their view, the amount of suggestions coming in was increasing. According to reports from those in charge of reception, there were quite a few cases where the same person posted multiple suggestions. In the end, it was clear that when 100 days had passed – considering Joseon’s poor transportation environment, it would have taken another 15 days to finish – the volume would be beyond imagination.
“The conclusion is that it becomes easier to sort things out as soon as they come up…”
While struggling to find a clear answer, Maeng Sa-seong came up with an answer.
“How about selecting people for Jiphyeonjeon and the research institute?”
“Jiphyeonjeon and Research Institute?”
After hearing Maeng Sa-seong’s suggestion, King Sejong stroked his beard and did the calculation.
As the construction progressed, Jiphyeonjeon established itself as a policy research institute directly under the king. The academics affiliated with Jiphyeonjeon did not hold concurrent positions, as did the officials affiliated with Hyangui Research Institute.
Thanks to this, the ‘Sagadokseo (賜暇讀書)’ that was born in the history before Hyang intervened did not appear.
“Hmm…. Jiphyeonjeon and Research Institute….”
Sejong, who had been muttering to himself and struggling, finally made a decision.
“Good!” Let’s do it! merchant ship! Go and call Daejehak and the crown prince!”
“Yes, Your Highness….”
* * *
“… So, we are in charge of evaluating these proposals first.”
“I see…”
Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji nodded with chewed faces at Hyang’s explanation.
‘I’m so busy already!’
‘The ministers think we’re just having fun!’
Hyang continued, looking at the faces of Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji, who were internally dissatisfied.
“We have a lot of work to do, but we can’t help it because it is absolutely necessary for the future of our country. “First of all, are there any things you are doing right now that can be postponed a little bit?”
In response to Hyang’s question, Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji looked through the records.
The three of them picked out things that would not have a big impact even if they postponed, and soon called the people in charge and explained the situation.
“ruler! This may be a bit of a headache, but let’s deal with it quickly! “I will do the same.”
“We will join you too.”
When Crown Prince Hyang said he would do it himself, Jeongcho and Jeongin had no choice but to participate, crying and eating mustard.
Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji were in tears as they saw the cart full of suggestions coming in.
‘no wonder! I heard your dream was disturbing last night!’
‘no wonder! I wanted to go to Area 51! I’m jealous of Captain Icheon, I’m jealous!’
* * *
Evaluating the proposals coming from all over Joseon was truly a drain on mental energy.
“Whoa~. “The work itself is simple, but it takes a lot of mental energy.”
As the scent grumbled with a long sigh, Jeong Cho, Jeong In-ji, and the officials of the research institute nodded with wide eyes.
The task itself was simple.
-First, record who the sender is.
-Open the sealed bag and check the contents.
-Evaluate the content and divide it into acceptable and non-communicative.
-Proposals divided into pass and fail are sent to the Seungjeongwon.
-The Seungjeongwon works to ensure that King Sejong can read the proposals evaluated as a whole.
In some ways, it was a very simple task, but an enormous amount of mental energy was consumed in the process of evaluating the content.
“There are many heads, but few brains… There are many delusions, but few thinkers… Is there so much talent in this Joseon?”
Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji nodded without realizing it at Hyang’s complaint.
This was because there were many suggestions that bordered on delusion.
“Whoa~.”
Hyang heaved a long sigh and picked up the next bag.
After mechanically recording the sender, Hyang broke the seal and inspected the contents.
“Problems arise in running a country because class discrimination occurs and a gap between the rich and the poor arises.
Only by solving this problem can the country be run soundly.
Nationalize all production facilities such as land and workshops. “Afterwards, food and supplies will be distributed differently depending on the number of family members?”
‘Isn’t this a bright idea ahead of its time?’
Unlike Hyang, who was shocked, Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji showed interest.
“Hoo? “That’s an interesting idea, huh?”
“That’s right?”
Hyang pointed out a problem in the reactions of Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji.
“It seems so at first glance… but would the country be managed properly if differential payments were made based on the number of family members?”
“yes? Ah….”
“If I do something wrong, people will say I only make children without working.”
As Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji nodded, Hyang put the problematic suggestion to one side.
“No communication!”
Since then, similar proposals with the idea of ‘equal distribution of joint production’ have emerged one after another.
“How on earth… The words ‘joint production and equal distribution’ are very good, but who is going to distinguish between large and small amounts of labor?…”
“That’s right.”
“The standards themselves are too vague.”
Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji, who had already processed several similar documents, also nodded to Hyang’s complaints.
In the end, fragrance set a new standard.
“From now on, let us give priority to non-communication in proposals that mention ‘joint production and equal distribution.’”
“yes.”
“All right.”
“Fuha! Phew!”
When Hyang and Jeong In-ji were discussing their opinions with serious faces, laughter erupted from one side.
“huh?”
The three people’s eyes turned to the sound of laughter out of nowhere, where Lee Soon-ji was looking at the suggestions with a chuckle.
“Phew! “No communication!”
Jeong In-ji, who was watching this, called out Lee Sun-ji with a serious face.
“Lee Soon-ji Jeongrang. “What’s so funny?”
To Jeong In-ji’s question, Lee Soon-ji scratched the back of her head and answered.
“These suggestions are so absurd…”
Jeong In-ji criticized Lee Sun-ji’s words.
“Those who wrote that suggestion must have written down their lifelong beliefs, but isn’t that taking it too lightly?”
Lee Soon-ji responded to Jeong In-ji’s criticism with a serious expression.
“You can look at it that way, but there are so many writings full of wit and dreaming of unexpected luck. “If I look at it seriously, I think it’s my loss.”
In response to Lee Soon-ji, Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji looked at the documents in their hands.
“Sure….”
‘They’re just full of delusions.’ Like Hyang’s evaluation, there were too many things written with only plausible words in hopes of luck.
As the momentum of Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji subsided, Lee Soon-ji continued.
“I think that in order to minimize mental energy consumption, you should not be serious from the beginning.”
Hyang agreed with Lee Sun-ji’s words and went forward.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do it that way. “There is a lot to see in the future.”
“All right. That would definitely be better.”
As Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji took a step back as they went to Hyang.
Through the decision of the fragrance, people changed their attitude of evaluation.
* * *
“huh? “What’s so heavy?”
Hyang, who was carrying the thick envelope, looked surprised at the unexpected heaviness.
After mechanically recording the sender, Hyang opened the envelope and checked the contents.
Tuk!
The moment I opened the envelope and tilted it down to take out the paper inside, something fell out of the envelope.
“what? huh? knife?”
What fell out of the envelope was a small dagger.
Hyang grabbed the handle of the dagger and carefully pulled it out. When Hyang saw the bright blue-edged dagger, he muttered involuntarily.
“What the…”
After seeing the dagger, Hyang took out a piece of paper from the envelope and unfolded it.
“You’re in the middle of a mountain. Is it a blood oath this time?”
Suddenly, a dagger came out, and Jeong Cho and Jeong In-ji came right next to it. With Yi Sun-ji gathered together, Hyang read the contents of the blood oath.
“The national security can only be achieved if the national defense is strong. “Only iron and blood can strengthen a nation’s defenses?”
‘What Bismarck!’
After confirming the details of the problem, Hyang, Jeong-in Jeong, and Soon-ji Lee looked at each other. After a long period of silence, Jeongcho came to a conclusion.
“If it were me, I would agree. Although it is short and concise, it shows a clear belief in national defense.”
“Me too…”
“Me too…”
As Jeongcho, Jeongin, and Lee Soon-ji decided unanimously, Hyang silently added a blood letter to the proposal decided unanimously.