Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 20
[Episode 20: Germination…carcinogenesis? (13) ]
Episode 20 Germination… Carcinogenesis? (13)
After about ten days, Hyang completely regained his health. King Sejong summoned Soedoli, who was imprisoned.
“The Crown Prince has regained his health. Are you really sure that the crown prince won’t get smallpox?”
“I am sure. “This is what I experienced and the people I live with also did not get smallpox.”
“Gwaine is still anxious. Therefore, among those living in Hanseong, a cow head needle will be placed on all those who do not suffer from smallpox. “Is it possible to prepare for everyone to receive it?”
To Sejong’s question, Soedol thought for a moment and answered.
“To do this, we need at least 50 cows with cowpox.”
“Suffice it from among the royal cattle that you raise. “How long will it take?”
“Preparations will be completed within 15 days. However, even if a cow gets cowpox, it will get better in as little as a week or as long as 10 days, so we need an exact implementation date.”
“If you get a call from the undergarment room, make every effort to do it right away and stand by. And…”
Sejong paused for a moment, glared at Hyang standing next to him, and continued speaking.
“I appoint you as Mokchambong (牧參奉) at the royal ranch located on Neobulseom Island.”
“I am devastated!”
At King Sejong’s words, Soedol bowed deeply on the spot. Although he was a nobleman, he was a shepherd who was close to the rank of Shinryang Yeokcheon, so he was given a government position.
“Then get ready right away.”
“I obey your command!”
Soedol answered loudly and left the palace excitedly.
Meanwhile, Sejong, who returned to the side, glared at Hyang.
“Let’s count first. “Congratulations on being healthy again.”
“I’m devastated, Mom.”
“But we will not tolerate something like this ever again. “Be sure to report in advance and obtain permission from the supervisor.”
“I will keep this in mind. “Abama.”
Sejong muttered involuntarily at Hyang’s words.
“The kid is good at answering questions… Wow!”
Sejong, thinking it was a mistake, looked towards where the officer was. However, after seeing the officers’ golden pens already moving excitedly, King Sejong quenched his appetite and continued speaking.
“You and that person called Soedol seem to be confident that Uducupuncture will prevent smallpox, but Gwain is uneasy. So we will conduct an experiment on the people in Hanseong. “What does the Crown Prince think?”
“That is a wise decision. “I just want to add a few things.”
“Adding? “Tell me.”
“First of all, the people who will be attacked first are the members of the National Assembly and medical women. If smallpox spreads during the process of getting the cow head needle, the doctors and medical women who received the cow head needle will be kicked out. If you do that…”
“You will know more clearly whether Soedol’s words are true or false?”
“That’s right. “Abama.”
“Hmm…”
Sejong, who thought about Hyang’s suggestion for a moment, looked back at Judge Lee Jo, who was in charge of the Naeuiwon.
“Once the iron stones are ready to a certain extent, have them first place the sword on half of the members of the inner circle and the medical women.”
“Not all, but half?”
“Looking at the case of this bird… no, the crown prince, he cannot move properly for at least 15 days. So I think it would be appropriate to split it in half.”
“I will.”
After hearing Judge Lee Jo’s answer, King Sejong looked back.
“Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
“yes. “I think it would be better to go to each family and do the acupuncture in person rather than calling people to do the acupuncture.”
“The reason is?”
“Because Uduchim is something unfamiliar. Smallpox is scary, but who would be willing to face cowpox, something they have never seen before?”
“That’s right. So, let’s visit in person and check everything without fail? “That makes sense.”
“In addition, when we visit for inspection, we have an official from the dynasty accompany us to conduct a census.”
“Is that right? “That’s a really clever trick!”
Sejong slapped his knee in admiration at Hyang’s suggestion. Researching family registers was a very difficult task. This was because it was common for many people to run away every time their family register was searched to avoid taxes and duties. Thanks to this, even the capital Hanseong, where the royal palace was located, had no proper family register.
“One kill, two wins!” “What else would you like me to add?”
Sejong, who really liked the plan presented by the scent, asked a question with a smile on his face.
Hyang quickly answered King Sejong’s question.
“Although you are not sure yet, I am confident that this initiative will succeed. Therefore, it would be natural to carry out this Uduchim not only in Hanseong but also throughout the country.”
“This can be happen.”
“Then, please receive wealth from the ministers as well as the local noblemen.”
Sejong’s face became serious at Hyang’s suggestion.
“Accept wealth from noblemen?”
“That’s right. Just like cowpox, cows that have had cowpox once will not get it again. If that’s the case, then they say we need to keep getting new cows and make them sick with cowpox. This alone costs quite a bit of money. In addition, dispatching medical staff and officials to conduct a family register investigation also costs money.”
“That’s right.”
Not only King Sejong but also the ministers nodded at Hyang’s point.
“But it is also difficult to ask people to pay. “This is because most of them are not even properly prepared to survive the spring crisis.”
“Sadly it is true. “It is all because of the vice of the people.”
The ministers all bowed their heads at King Sejong’s self-reproach.
“No! All people know that your virtue is great! “This is an unavoidable natural disaster, so please do not worry!”
“Please don’t worry!”
Hyang, who heard the ministers speaking in unison, clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘The noblemen who used to say that it was because the king was immoral… Is it Kebake?’
Hyang, who was grumbling internally, continued speaking when the ministers’ words died down.
“How can we receive money from the people in this situation? But isn’t the situation different for local magnates and noblemen? “It is my personal opinion, but if you charge half a cow for a Baekseok keeper, three cows for a Cheonsuk keeper, and 20 cows for a Manseok keeper, you will be able to recoup the cost.”
“Hmm…”
At Hyang’s words, not only King Sejong but also all the ministers began calculating profits and losses. After a while, Woo Ui-jeong opened his mouth.
“The policy of lowering the Crown Prince is the best option, but will they be willing to do it?”
“You have to make it come out. If you decide to pay it in advance, you will have to erect a memorial monument or give a plaque. If you do not pay it, you will have to forcibly collect it. If you don’t want to pay it to the end…”
Hyang paused for a moment, and his eyes were shining coldly.
“As long as the Dongri (洞里) that the family belongs to is not basted, that’s it.”
“It seems a bit harsh.”
Judge Lee Jo expressed his opposition with a loud voice to Woo Ui-jeong’s point.
“It’s not harsh! Baekseokjiji is the funniest person in the village! It is natural that any nobleman or adult should step forward! But you reject it? Other than that he is not qualified to be a nobleman! If you recite the sutras with your mouth but don’t do anything, what kind of scholar is that? Knowledge and action must be unified!”
In response to Judge Lee Jo’s rebuttal, the left council came forward this time.
“But isn’t cost an issue?”
“No matter how expensive a cow is, wouldn’t a Baekseok keeper be able to pay for half a cow? “They just don’t pay!”
Starting with the clash between the ministers and Judge Lee Jo, the ministers split into two and began to engage in a war of words.
“If your reputation is to be a nobleman, of course you have to pay it!”
“But that doesn’t mean the state can force you to pay!”
King Sejong, who was watching the war of words among the ministers, looked at Hyang with tired eyes.
“You have an outstanding talent for creating flat wind waves.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Did this sound like a compliment?”
At this, Hyang smiled strangely and Sejong clicked his tongue slightly.
“Tsk!”
King Sejong, who clicked his tongue slightly at the reaction of the incense, clicked his tongue loudly as he watched the exchange of words between the ministers.
“Tsk tsk tsk!”
“greatness! “Keuhum!”
When King Sejong clicked his tongue, the ministers cleared their throats and straightened their postures.
“I listened carefully to what you said. Let’s discuss the cost issue again after seeing the results of the Uduchim exercise in Hanseong. In the case of Ijo and Hojo, please make sure to thoroughly check and report on not only household surveys but also cost consumption during the sewing process. “It would be better to see the results and talk again.”
“I follow your orders.”
As soon as the agenda of ‘vaccinating the residents of Hanseong against cow-headedness’ seemed to have been resolved to some extent, the village quickly opened its mouth.
“I have a petition to make to Soja Abama.”
“petition?”
As soon as Hyang uttered the word ‘petition’, King Sejong and the ministers all became tense. This was because every time the scent made a petition, a whirlpool swirled around.
“…. Is it really necessary to file that petition?”
“I think it is absolutely necessary.”
In response to Hyang’s response, Sejong let out a long sigh.
“Whoa~. “Tell me.”
“yes. “First of all, the first thing I want to talk about is the internal medicine room.”
“Underwear room?”
“yes. This is a topic that was already brought up on Ijo a few years ago, but the point is that medical officers are only interested in passing exams and getting promoted to government positions. Because of this, they only focused on memorizing the book containing the prescriptions for medicine and neglected treatment.” (Note 1)
“Yes, I remember.”
Following Sejong’s answer, Judge Lee Jo intervened.
“When I look back on my memory, Shin also remembers making that issue a public debate. At that time, His Highness the Prime Minister decreed that people should be promoted to government positions based on their treatment performance.”
“It did. “I remember.”
Sejong shook his head and looked at the scent. Hyang continued.
“At that time, His Highness the Prime Minister made a wise decision.”
“But what’s the problem?”
“It’s the same problem as this one. “There are many doctors, but there are still many diseases and treatments they don’t know about.”
“I see. “Then I guess I’ll have to get more medical books from the Ming Kingdom.”
“China’s new medical books are helpful, but they are not the answer. The mountains and rivers of China and Joseon are not the same, and the people are not the same. Therefore, ‘Hyangyakjesaengjipseongbang (鄕藥濟生集成方)’ was already compiled during the reign of King Jeongjong. “This must be increased.”
“Jeungbo… I see. It is reasonable. What do you think of this report?”
Judge Lee Jo bowed his head in response to King Sejong’s question.
“I think what your Majesty the Crown Prince said is truly reasonable!”
“Are there any other opinions?”
There was not a single subject who objected to King Sejong’s question.
“good night. “Ijo Panseo shall cooperate with Naeibang Jiphyeonjeon (集賢殿) to carry out the expansion of medical books.”
“I follow your orders.”
After deciding to expand the ‘Hyangyak Collection’, King Sejong looked around the village.
“Is there more?”
“yes. “I have seen the process of Soja Abama and the ministers discussing state affairs, and there was one problem.”
“problem?”
“When a problem arises in running state affairs, ministers search their memories and reflect on whether there have been similar cases. “Isn’t that the same just now?”
“It did.”
“In particular, the senior ministers here have experience working in the previous dynasty as well.”
“yes.”
“Similar problems always repeat themselves. In 30 years, which can be as long as 10 years, not only the current senior ministers but also younger officials will have retired. What will you do then? “When the time comes for the government to be run by a generation that has no memories or experiences to reflect on.”
“It will be a problem…”
Sejong responded to Hyang’s point with a serious expression. As Sejong became more serious, the Left Council intervened in the conversation.
“As the Crown Prince said, in 30 years, old people like me will have already returned to the dust, and those red-faced young people will have almost retired. However, policies and systems are something that continues like a flowing river, so even when that time comes, there will be people with experience. Even if a problem arises, we will be able to solve it.”
‘Is today the same as yesterday and tomorrow the same as today?’
Hyang, who was astounded by the Left Councilor’s words, immediately refuted them.
* * *
Note 1) March 18, 3rd year of King Sejong’s reign.
[Episode 20 Germination…Carcinogenesis?(13)] End
ⓒ Gukbbong
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