Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 192

Episode 192: Teacher (4)

After Mrs. Jo finished speaking, someone else spoke.

“When the ancient sages taught their disciples, they educated them through questions and discussions, but didn’t they teach them with rods? This does not mean to completely eliminate corporal punishment, but to suppress it to a minimum. On the contrary, it will teach the children even more.”

After that, a little more discussion continued, but in the end, it was concluded with ‘minimization of corporal punishment.’

*

…

_

“I don’t think that Yeopiljongbu and Samjongjido should be taught carelessly.”

“Why?”

Many of the male test takers asked back with surprised expressions at Mrs. Jo’s words.

This was because it was so unexpected that Lady Jo, a filial father and a virtuous woman, criticized Yeopiljongbu and Samjongjido.

Mrs. Jo, who was asked a question, calmly explained the reason.

“This is because Yeopiljongbu and Samjongjido are not even in the Samgang Oryun (三綱五倫).”

“yes?”

* * *

The three rivers and five principles, or the three rivers and five principles, were the three principles and five human principles that must be observed in Confucianism.

The Samgang refers to the duties that must be observed between the king, subjects, parents, children, husband and wife, and the Five Principles are the five ethics that must be observed as a person.

* * *

Mrs. Jo explained the reason in her usual calm voice.

“The reason I fulfilled my duty as a filial father and a virtuous woman is because my deceased father-in-law fulfilled his duty to me. As the head of the household, he adhered to the duties of the head of the household: father should be the foundation for his children and vice versa (the husband should be the foundation for his wife), and observed the five principles of marital separation. Since I have fulfilled my duty to protect the inviolable distinction between husband and wife, I have also fulfilled my duty.”

“Ah…”

Many people nodded at Mrs. Jo’s words. In particular, most of the virtuous women and filial fathers nodded. After taking a moment to catch her breath, Mrs. Jo continued speaking.

“But what do you think of the scenery of Chang’an now? “Are there one or two fathers or daughters who do not follow human principles themselves, but insist that their companions follow human principles?”

Several people cleared their throats at Mrs. Jo’s words. Towards those people, Mrs. Jo continued to speak thoughtfully.

“Even the author’s rogue betrays his loyalty. They may do the same, but in this situation, it would be poisonous to just insist on ‘Yeopiljongbu’ or ‘Samjongjido’.”

“Loyalty….”

“We talk about it here and there, but in the end, it is loyalty. The detailed division of loyalty between parents, children, and husband and wife is ultimately the three strong and five principles of today. So the most important thing is to clearly educate people on the Three Rivers and Five Rings.”

A fierce battle broke out over Mrs. Jo’s unconventional remarks, but in general, the women had the upper hand. This was because most of the female candidates who supported Mrs. Jo had a strong background as those who had received the title of filial piety and virtuous woman. Most of the virtuous women there were calloused people who had endured all kinds of hardships to protect their families. Naturally, those who only studied academics were not good enough to deal with them.

* * *

In the end, with no easy conclusion, the matter was escalated to King Sejong.

A heated debate also broke out among the ministers who heard the story. What was surprising was that Daesagan and Daesaheon came forward to support Mrs. Jo.

“First of all, it is natural that the three great powers and the five principles must be protected first! There is no mistake in what Mrs. Jo said!”

“you’re right! “There is no Yeopiljongbu or Samjongjido anywhere in Samgang or Oryun!”

When it comes to Confucian values, Daesagan and Daesaheon, who are very strict about Confucian values, supported Mrs. Cho, and Hyang added a spoonful.

“As Mrs. Jo said, unless the duty as a person represented by the Samgang and the Five Rings is maintained, the Yeopiljongbu and the Samjongjido will become nothing but a shackle. “This will come back with greater poison in the future.”

In the end, King Sejong officially issued an order.

-Yeopiljongbu and Samjongjido are secondary to the Samgang Oryun, so they are not as important as the Samgang Oryun! Get this part out!

“Well, does this mean we’ll be less likely to be criticized in the future?”

Hyang, who was muttering while thinking about the sexual competition between men and women that took place in the 21st century, suddenly realized something he had forgotten.

“Holy shit! “You have to reprint your textbook!”

* * *

However, King Sejong’s decision caused a huge repercussion.

“No matter how much the world is changing, Yeopiljongbu and Samjongjido are virtues that every woman must keep!”

“That’s right! “I must inform the chief minister of the injustice!”

Not only the conservative noblemen but also the conservative noblemen saw a consensus this time and began to write appeals.

It wasn’t just the noblemen who were in an uproar.

The same thing happened among ordinary people who heard the rumor.

“What is this? Are we going back to the Goryeo period?”

“Isn’t the Ssanghwa Branch song playing again?”

The lyrics of the song ‘Ssanghwajeom’ were as follows.

‘I went to a dumpling restaurant, and the Mongolian man who owned the dumpling restaurant grabbed my wrist. I went to the temple, and the chief priest held my wrist. I went to the well to draw water, and the dragon from the well grabbed my wrist.’ The content was:

Here, grabbing the wrist was a metaphor for sexual activity.

This was a song that hinted at the promiscuous sexual culture of the time, and as a result, many noblemen sang it in a disparaging way, calling it ‘a poem about the love between men and women.’

One of the biggest criticisms of Goryeo by the Neo-Confucian scholars who founded Joseon was this promiscuous sexual culture.

In order to overcome this, virtuous women and filial fathers were identified and given preferential treatment, and ‘Yeopiljongbu’ and ‘Samjongjido’ were emphasized.

“It is said that ‘when a hen crows, the family will fall.’ I did it. A woman would only listen to men at home…”

“That’s right. “I think the king made a big mistake this time.”

When men were whispering like this, women also had something to say.

“How are you? What did the king say? You said people’s duties come first, right? “What kind of nonsense are you talking about, drinking, fighting, and bitching after the harvest is over?”

“If you look at a fair-faced woman, you will see her spitting and swallowing…” * *

*

In those days, many men would fight during the off-season.

Although there were some who were raising chicks at home or preparing for the next crop, the majority of farmers spent their spare time drinking alcohol and engaging in combat during the farming season.

And this was an everyday rural scene even before the ‘Saemaeul Movement’ was launched in earnest by the military regime of the Republic of Korea in the 20th century.

By order of King Sejong, people were mobilized for flood control work during the off-season farming season, and the number of battles like this decreased, but it also had the opposite effect.

An even bigger battle broke out, with wages earned through flood control work at stake.

Accordingly, the government turned on its eyes and searched for Tujeonpan, arresting gamblers and farmers, but Tujeonpan persistently survived.

The nobleman’s house was noisy as well. No, it was even louder.

The reason was the problem of concubinage.

There were frequent discords due to the issue of concubines, and the most useful tool to quell these discords was the ‘Chilgeojiak (七去之惡)’ based on ‘Yeopiljongbu’ and ‘Samjongjido’. (Note 2) Of course, compared to the

late Joseon Dynasty. In other words, the early Joseon Dynasty was a time when women’s status was relatively high.

Divorce was also more common than in later times, and sons and daughters had equal rights in inheritance of property.

Even under such circumstances, King Sejong’s decision brought about great backlash.

* * *

When the situation became like this, the ministers also began to secretly withdraw their opinions.

“Your Majesty, your intentions are clearly correct, but it seems premature. “Why don’t you give us a break for just a moment?”

King Sejong shook his head resolutely at Yeonguijeong Lee Jik’s words.

“There is no reprieve.”

“But the situation…” As

Lee Jik trailed off, Sejong said briefly.

“If they had moved while watching the market price like that, the position of Yeonguijeong would still have been held by criminal Ryu Jeong-hyeon.”

“….”

The ministers fell silent at Sejong’s words.

“What are the Three Rivers and the Five Rings? It is the most basic duty and principle that people must follow. Samjongjido of Yeopiljongbu? As I said before, this is secondary. “Do you think it would work if we asked people to keep these two things in a situation where they do not keep the most basic morals?”

“….”

The ministers continued to remain silent.

“If a man acts like a woman and demands that his wife follow her morals, and has sexual intercourse with several men and tells his wife to follow her morals, will that be followed? The most important thing is the Three Rivers and the Five Rings! “Only when the Three Rivers and Five Rings are established can the next steps proceed!”

“….”

“ah! Did Mrs. Jo say it was loyalty, not duty? That is correct! “People must be loyal in life!”

None of the ministers raised a counterargument to King Sejong’s words.

Although King Sejong’s words were theoretical, there was nothing wrong with them.

In the end, King Sejong had to write another proclamation.

– Although Yeopiljongbu and Samjong guidance are important, they are secondary. As a human being, the first and most certain things to keep are the three strengths and the five principles. If you fail to properly observe this, no matter how much you recite the passages from the Gyoteuksaeng (郊特牲) section of the rites (禮記) and the Mourning Ceremony (喪服傳) section of the rite (儀禮), you will end up with nothing more than a pagoda built on sand!

Therefore, the most important things to be taught in social democratic schools are the Three Strengths and the Five Principles!

This is because of the duties and righteousness that all people must adhere to!

The nobles fell silent at King Sejong’s firm answer.

“If we talk any more, we’ll end up just like those idiots from last year.”

“The Lord Sang said he was wise, but now I see he wasn’t. Even if not now, you have created a snare that will ensnare future generations…” *

* *

The ministers were reacting similarly to the nobility.

At the Uijeongbu Government Complex, Heo Jo spoke about the situation in a voice full of worry.

“In this case, His Majesty the Prime Minister made a big mistake. Since His Majesty the Lord and the Crown Prince are wise, there will be no problem, but the problem will come later. “If the quality of the person who succeeds to the throne in the future falls, it will definitely bring great disaster.”

Maeng Sa-seong, who was silently nodding at Heo Jo’s point, looked towards Geunjeongjeon and answered.

“Who doesn’t know that? I am sure His Majesty the Lord knows this. “The problem is that you are still stubborn like this.”

* * *

I was also aware of this problem.

“The first of the three rivers is the Gunwisingang (君爲臣綱)… There is no way Abamama doesn’t know…”

In the end, Hyang found King Sejong.

“What’s going on? “It’s a big deal that you came here first.”

“Here comes the Emperor.”

“okay. What brought you here? “I will tell you in advance, there is no time or budget.”

A smile appeared on Hyang’s face for a moment as Sejong’s words were filled with anger, and then disappeared.

“The reason Soja came to Abamama is because of the proclamation you made this time.”

“Why the proclamation? “There were no typos?”

Hyang’s voice became more serious as he still took it as a joke.

“Don’t you know that’s not true? “The three rivers and five principles are the most basic principles, but they can create a snare that can grab the king’s neck.”

Sejong smiled at Hyang’s words and opened his mouth.

“You mean ‘military authority’ and ‘military discipline’?”

“Why?”

Hyang’s face became more serious. This was because I knew that Sejong had planned it.

Sejong still responded with a relaxed expression upon seeing the scent.

“There are several reasons, but I can cite the two biggest reasons. One is to loosen the shackles on women. In order for Joseon to develop further in the future, more talented people are needed. What this means is that even women should be accepted if they are talented. But it is difficult for vested interests to accept newcomers. At that time, those who have no ability and are full of greed will stand in the way with Yeopiljongbu, Samjongjido, and Chilgeojiak. Even now, there are more than one woman who is responsible for the livelihood of a family.”

“That’s right.”

Hyang nodded at Sejong’s point. It was common to see women taking responsibility for the family’s livelihood after losing the head of the household due to war or disease. There were many such people among the Musuri who worked at the palace.

When Hyang was convinced, Sejong told the second reason.

“Secondly, it is to prevent an incompetent person from ascending to the throne of Joseon and ruling Joseon. As Ryu Jeong-hyeon said, no one can guarantee that a tyrant like Geolju (桀紂 Geolwang and Zhou King) will never appear. Of course, he may not be a tyrant, but do you think Joseon will be properly protected if someone who can’t even properly protect the Three Powers and Five Rings takes the throne? In that case, we have to change the king.”

Sejong paused for a moment and looked into the distance.

“For the sake of the royal family, the people, and this Joseon, a guy like that should not ascend to the throne.”

“Did the ministers notice?”

Sejong smiled and answered Hyang’s question.

“I’m sure you’ve figured it out to some extent by now. “Because they are smart people.”

* * *

After finishing her conversation with King Sejong, Hyang left Gangnyeongjeon and headed towards Donggungjeon before turning her head.

Hyang, who was looking towards Gangnyeongjeon, located beyond Geunjeongjeon, immediately shook his head and turned around.

“He’s such a harsh man.”

* * *

Note 1) Confucian term referring to the moral norms that specified the status and role of women that were commonly used in pre-modern Confucian culture. Samjongjdeok.

Source: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture Note

2) A system derived from Confucianism during the Joseon Dynasty, with seven reasons for kicking out a wife.

Source: Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture