Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 203
Episode 203: The Chief’s Favorite – Monopoly. (3)
When I was living in the 21st century, Hyang didn’t even know about salve until he came down to Yangsan. To be exact, it was a drug I knew the name of, but had never seen in substance.
However, after settling in Yangsan, I became accustomed to the scent of salve.
This was because salve was the prescribed medicine for the elderly people living nearby.
Every time I went to work on the farm equipment or repair the electrical equipment at the village hall, Hyang spoke with a look on his face full of worry.
“No, Yangsan City is right next door and there are big hospitals. Why don’t you go there?”
Whenever asked about scent, the old people’s answers were similar.
“Let’s go. But it’s a hassle to go back and forth.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m seriously ill…”
Even if you say that, the old people lived with medicine. Every time I went to an elderly person’s home, the medicines I was familiar with were digestive medicine, headache medicine, paste, and plaster.
It was inevitable that plasters were common in the homes of the elderly. It was inevitable that all body functions would weaken as we got older. In particular, problems with blood circulation were the most common, and for this reason, skin diseases, including boils, frequently occurred.
“It would be better to just go to the dermatologist…”
Hyang grumbled every time he saw such old people, but his curiosity began to creep in.
That’s how Hyang found an oriental medicine clinic that made and sold salve to the elderly.
Hyang visited an oriental medicine clinic with several bottles of good liquor and delved into the topic of plasters while serving drinks to an old oriental medicine doctor.
“Why did you make and sell the salve? “They sell it at the pharmacy, right?”
“Selling sells. But those old people are saying that the medicinal effect doesn’t seem to be what it used to be, aren’t they? So I made it.”
“I guess there is a prescription for the salve?”
“mind! “That and this are different secret methods!”
“Is there anything that is less effective?”
“If the effectiveness wears off, will those old ladies buy it?”
The more she talked to the Oriental medicine doctor, the more curious Hyang became, so she searched the Internet.
Hyang, who had obtained information about the salve through a few clicks, looked surprised.
“what? “Did this originate from Yangbang?”
According to records on the most famous salve, ‘Myung-rae Lee’s salve,’ Myung-rae Lee’s salve was created by Myung-rae Lee, a Catholic, by combining herbalism knowledge learned from a Western priest and oriental medicine. (Note 1)
The scent is related to the unexpected information. I became even more curious.
“In this town, an Oriental medicine doctor makes it. “What’s different?”
Hyang continued to visit the Oriental medicine doctor and asked about the salve.
“Why do you keep asking about the salve? Are you going to make it and sell it?”
In response to the oriental medicine doctor’s question full of doubt, Hyang waved his hand.
“What are you going to do if you make and sell it when you don’t have a medical license? “I was just curious because a lot of elderly people use it.”
The oriental medicine doctor gave a rough answer to Hyang’s answer.
“I’ll tell you just two things. Purslane and pine root.”
“More details….”
“Non-human failure!”
* * *
“What is that damn nasopharynx dysfunction…”
Hyang, recalling the memory of the salve, soon moved to the bookshelf.
“Medicine books…”
Hyang, who was looking for medical books, suddenly hit his forehead.
“idiot! “Why should I buy it and go through the trouble?”
Hyang changed her thinking and immediately went to the medical clinic.
“Who is the most knowledgeable about herbal medicine?”
In response to Hyang’s question, the medical doctors pointed to a member of the National Assembly.
“What is your name?”
“They say it’s a wall of chills.”
“Okay, Councilor, please do something with me.”
“yes?”
Hyang, who saved the congressman in this way, immediately started developing the salve together with Rep. Oh.
* * *
The development of the salve was, as expected, a series of trial and error.
It took a lot of effort to select and mix herbs that were good for pus-filled boils and boil them down into a sticky salve.
Therefore, medical women were also recruited and mobilized to make salve.
Once prototypes of various types of salve with different formulations were created, Hyang prepared for the next process.
“We need to conduct a clinical experiment…”
While thinking about finding a suitable partner, Hyang recalled a memory from the 21st century.
According to records seen on the Internet in the 21st century, Myung-rae Lee visited a beggar’s den to check the effectiveness of the salve he made. (Note 1)
The scent he checked from memory whetted his appetite.
“Tsk. I guess I’ll have to use my power. shell! I’m going to Geunjeongjeon! “Get ready!”
Hyang entered Geunjeongjeon and told King Sejong about his business. After hearing the contents, Sejong confirmed it again with Hyang.
“Please allow us to test new drugs on patients at Hyeminseo and Hwalinwon?”
“yes. “Abama.”
Hearing Hyang’s words, King Sejong stroked his beard and was deep in thought.
“Sure, the boil looks mild, but it is surprisingly a serious illness. It would be nice if there was a drug that could easily treat this. But it’s Crown Prince. It is a medicine used on humans. “Are you sure?”
“In theory, it’s the answer, but in reality, we don’t know, so we have to confirm.”
In response to Hyang’s response, King Sejong looked back at his ministers.
“What do you think?”
The ministers could not easily answer King Sejong’s question.
In essence, medicine is something that is related to human life. Therefore, I had to oppose using the new drug right away.
However, it was not possible to carelessly oppose it because of the case of Ryu Jeong-hyeon.
After shouting unconditional opposition, he could drink poison like Ryu Jeong-hyeon and his colleagues or go into indefinite exile.
After a long period of silence, Yeonguijeong Lee Jik took up arms.
“If what the crown prince said is true, it would be a great medicine, but the problem is that it has not been proven to be effective.”
Hyang immediately responded to Lee Jik’s answer.
“It goes without saying that the effectiveness has not been proven. It hasn’t even been used on patients yet. “So, aren’t we going to do an experiment?”
“That’s true, but…”
In the end, King Sejong had to decide whether to accept or reject this issue.
Sejong, who had been mulling over his words for a long time, finally made a decision.
“good night. The Crown Prince can conduct experiments on Hyeminseo and Hwalinwon’s patients. step! Coercion is not allowed! “Experiment only on applicants!”
When King Sejong gave permission, Hyang bowed deeply.
“I follow your orders! “I am devastated that you allowed me to do this!”
In this way, we began recruiting volunteers from boil patients who visited Hyeminseo and Hwalinwon.
“Who made this medicine?”
“It’s a medicine that the crown prince made together with his medical doctors.”
“Then let me give it a try. “How can you be so merciful when you are the crown prince who even blocked the Demon Goddess!”
Unexpectedly, the application rate from patients was very high.
In the background, there was the Jongdu Act, which was pushed forward because of the scent. The people who experienced the effects of the Jongdu Act with their own eyes were showing full trust in Hyang.
Thanks to this, incense and medical doctors were able to confirm the effectiveness of the medicine by using different types of prototypes of the salve.
Fortunately for the department’s patients, all prototypes showed some degree of medicinal efficacy.
“Because it was originally a collection of medicinal herbs with such efficacy…”
Relieved by the positive results, Hyang began to select combinations that were effective among them.
It started with half suspicion and half disbelief, but when positive results came out, the medical doctor and medical women began to work enthusiastically. They weren’t the only ones.
Some of the fishermen who heard the news applied for the work.
“There are many lives that can be saved if we just catch the boil properly! “Give small people a chance too!”
“You’re welcome.”
As the research team was further strengthened, the development of plasters gained further momentum.
Thanks to this, the final version of the salve was revealed before the end of the Year of the Armed Forces (1429).
After receiving good results not only from the patients of Hyeminseo and Hwalinwon, but also from those who came from near Hanseong after hearing rumors, Hyang immediately visited Sejong.
“Success! We must sell this medicine to the people!”
The ministers all expressed their agreement with Hyang’s proposal.
“It seems right to sell it through a reseller!”
“I’m getting it back!”
“Please allow me to sell through resellers!”
When all the ministers agreed, King Sejong also agreed.
In this way, the salve began to be sold through monopoly stores throughout the country.
The salve, named ‘Balgeungo (拔根膏)’ with the meaning of ‘pulling out the root of the boil’, is sold nationwide under the official brand name ‘Wangsylbibangbalgeungo (Wangshilbibangbalgeungo)’. it started.
* * *
Soon after ‘Balgeungo’ was officially sold, sales began to rise vertically through word of mouth from people who saw its medicinal properties.
The price of the salve in a container the size of a soy sauce bottle was quite high, equivalent to a pint of white rice, but the people bought it without hesitation.
As such, boils were a disease that afflicted the people.
“If your body is clean, you won’t get boils!”
Of course, sales of vino (soap) also increased following Sejong’s announcement.
* * *
The salve that began selling like this became a hit product not only in Joseon but also internationally.
Joseon was not the only country suffering from boils.
Boils were a very annoying disease not only in Japan, which suffered from a humid climate, but also in Ming countries, where people enjoyed fatty food.
Merchants from the Japanese and Ming countries, who saw root root extract at the superior offices of Waegwan and Shandong and experienced its medicinal properties, rushed to buy it.
It was not just the Ming and Japanese countries. Merchants from Daeyue and Seomragok (Thailand) who frequently stopped by Shangguang in Shandong also purchased root root gourds in large quantities.
This rooting technique was effective in an unexpected place, which was the residence of the Jurchen people.
There were many Jurchen people who suffered from boils after spending a lot of time sitting in the saddle of a horse.
* * *
As Rootgungo recorded huge sales, attempts to replicate it naturally arose.
However, in Joseon, people could not even dream of replicating it thanks to the four letters ‘Royal slander’ and the cucumber flower engraved on the lid.
Therefore, the countries that mainly attempted cloning were the Ming and Japanese countries.
But the results of that attempt were not very good.
This was because the characteristics of the ingredients – such as scent and color – were lost as they went through numerous manufacturing processes to make the salve.
Therefore, they also searched through medical books and tried to manufacture medicinal herbs with similar efficacy, but were unable to create a product with the same efficacy as root root.
The reason was that the scent was a little messed up with the raw materials and manufacturing process.
This was because, in addition to the materials recorded in traditional medical books, some materials were added based on memories from the 21st century.
* * *
Through this huge hit product, the monopoly was able to solidify its position.
Especially in the pioneering areas of the northeastern region, the Jeonmaeso established itself as the most powerful organization for absorbing the Jurchen people into Joseon.
It was a great shock to the Jurchen people that they could confidently buy products such as salt and candy rooting as well as the Joseon people as long as they had wealth (and later money).
There was no need to feel humiliated while receiving favors like before, and there was no need to risk one’s life to plunder.
You could get what you needed without discrimination by visiting the monopoly with just your gift certificate and wealth.
And this wealth could be obtained legally by applying to human resources support centers or selling the horses and cattle they raised.
Lastly, as they received the same status badge as the Joseon people instead of the noble certificate, the noble Jurchen people swore allegiance to Joseon.
* * *
Note 1) Korea Agricultural Administration. 2017.04.15.
http://www.ikpnews.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=29703