Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 28
[Episode 28 Gapjin Sutra (6) ]
Episode 28 Gapjin Sutra (6)
The next day, as Sejong and Hyang had expected, letters of appeal began to flood in from the morning.
“You are truly diligent.”
As the left monk complained as he looked at the scrolls of petitions piling up higher and higher, the other monks all nodded.
“I thought I would have at least two days…”
“Did you stay up all night? The energy is really good too. “I’m scared to even step over the threshold of the main house.”
While the monks were grumbling while looking at the appeal, Do Seungji came forward.
“Does talking like that make things less work? “Let’s start with the classification.”
“What if you say classification?”
“I saw it yesterday, so you know, right? There were some who criticized the crown prince and some who supported him. So, we can classify them into two categories.”
“Aren’t there some people in the middle?”
“Will those in the middle write an appeal?”
“Ah…”
At Do Seung-ji’s words, the monks nodded without realizing it. Although he didn’t say it, Seungji himself was among those who were in the middle. And none of the monks wrote an appeal.
* * *
Anyway, about half a day after the assembly began in Pyeonjeon, trays full of sorted appeals were brought to King Sejong.
“There are so many.”
Sejong, who saw the pile of appeals piled up before his eyes, turned to the ministers and said something.
“They are truly diligent.”
The ministers bowed their heads in silence at King Sejong’s poignant words.
“Anyway, let’s see.”
King Sejong untied the string that bound the scroll of appeal and read the contents of the appeal. As the scrolls of petitions he read piled up, King Sejong’s expression became increasingly grim. Finally, Sejong nervously put down the scroll and gave an order to the merchant ship.
“Go and bring the crown prince.”
“Yes mama.”
After a while, Hyang followed behind the merchant ship and entered the battle line.
“Did you call me?”
“Okay, sit there.”
As Hyang politely bowed, King Sejong began to look through the scroll of appeals. After a while. Sejong, holding a scroll in his hand, opened his mouth.
“I think there are still many people who didn’t properly understand what you said yesterday. Explain it to them again. video!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Your appeal. “Read it properly in front of the crown prince.”
“majesty!”
King Sejong’s order frightened Yeonguijeong. But Sejong continued speaking.
“Wouldn’t there be misunderstanding if the parties involved read it themselves? Read!”
In response to King Sejong’s order, Yeonguijeong began reading the appeal he had written.
“Shin Young-ui-jeong and Ryu Jeong-hyeon. Be sure to bow down with your head touching the ground and pick up the brush. Because…”
“Put aside the flowery language and just read the text!”
Hearing King Sejong’s harsh command, Yeonguijeong paused for a moment and then read the appeal again.
“The crown prince’s political views appear to be correct at first glance, but they contain many errors. The first of these is that our Joseon Dynasty has Neo-Confucianism as a national policy. However, I, the Crown Prince, follow the academic tradition of Legalism. The laws of the great legal school are harsh, so it is inevitable that they will lead the people into despair and cause harm to the nation and the rulers themselves. This is proven by Shang Yang’s example of self-discipline in writing during the Warring States Period and the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
As for the second right, he suggested abolishing the Seo-eolgeumgo (庶孼禁錮). The Seoreolgeumgo was ordained by the previous king, King Taejong, so how could it be abolished without permission? This is unfilial. Also, if the royal officials were allowed to go to government office freely, they would personally influence state affairs as seen in the previous period. Therefore, this would be unrighteous.
The third thing is to increase the number of crying officials. As management increases, the burden on the people increases. Why did the old story, ‘The blind man fights against the family’ (Harsh politics is scarier than a tiger) come about? It is enough to establish a large framework for coordination. “The work of a local village can be done when the chief magistrate and the nobility of the village yuhyangso (village village) join forces.”
Justice Yeong’s appeal ended by pointing out three problems. Hyang, who had been quietly listening, looked at Sejong.
“Can I give you a small answer?”
“I agree.”
After receiving permission from King Sejong, Hyang began to refute Yeonguijeong’s comments.
“Grand Master Yeonguijeong said that Neo-Confucianism is the national policy of Joseon, but the national policy of Joseon is royal politics and people’s foundation advocated by Seong Hyeon. Neo-Confucianism is just a tool for carrying out national affairs.”
“Your Majesty!”
Yeonguijeong immediately tried to refute Hyang’s words, but Hyang continued speaking.
“Neo-Confucianism is just a branch of Confucianism. Isn’t it narrow-minded to insist on only Neo-Confucianism, which is like a branch extending from the giant tree called Confucianism? I will say it again, but the national policy of our Joseon Dynasty is the royal politics that the ancient sages spoke of, and Neo-Confucianism is a tool for that. Shall we take an example like this? Once the dish is made, it must be placed in a bowl. Isn’t it true that you can’t just sprinkle it on the ground just because you don’t have a container? If royal politics, which is a national poem, is called cooking, ideas, systems, and laws are the dishes. Is it necessary to distinguish between Neo-Confucianism and Legalism when implementing royal politics into reality? There are countries in the far west, and it is said that one of the monarchs who rule those countries taught the prince who would succeed him as Bowi:
‘Act like a bee looking for the flower with the sweetest nectar among the flowers in the field.’
“I think this is the most fundamental attitude a politician should have.”
In response to Hyang’s answer, Yeonguijeong kept his mouth shut and racked his brain to find a logic to refute. But the scent did not give him a break.
“And he said that it was not right to abolish the Seo-eolgeumgo, and that it was unfilial and violated the orders of King Taejong. But yes. It is already a well-known fact that Seoul Safe has many problems. If you leave it alone without fixing it, the problem will get bigger and the resentment will increase. If this happens, all the complaints will be directed to King Taejong, who ordered the ban. What could be more unfilial than making a descendant listen to the complaints of his ancestors? Also, in the previous article, it was said that the elders manipulated the state affairs. Were they the only ones who manipulated the state affairs at that time? If they were from the ruling clan, didn’t they make the state administration turbulent without any distinction between right and left? It wouldn’t be fair to blame all those sins only on the first-born. Lastly, were you born because you wanted to be born as a son? “If we are to blame, shouldn’t we blame those who sowed the seeds?”
Hyang paused for a moment and glared at the ministers gathered at the front.
“If you look at the law, a leader who carelessly sleeps with a government official is subject to impeachment, and ministers who come to the palace are also subject to impeachment if they concubine. But among the priests here, is there anyone who has not concubine? “Is it the duty of the noblemen to bury their sins and discriminate against only the elite?”
“greatness! “Keuhum!”
“Kuhum!”
The ministers who gathered in front of the local government, regardless of their high or low status, all cleared their throats with uncomfortable faces.
Yeonguijeong kept trying to open his mouth with a red face, but the fragrance did not give him a chance until the end.
“Lastly, you cited the old saying of ‘Jajangmeengeoho’. Would a government official be more fearful than a tiger to the people of Joseon during the Tang Dynasty? Or are they the local Confucian scholars whom Director Yeongyang praised so much? Since I sat next to Abamama and watched her handle national affairs, I have heard countless reports of helpless people starving to death and becoming refugees from all over the eight provinces of Korea. but! I haven’t heard many reports of local Confucianism dying of starvation or opening treasures to help the people. Video: Do you really think that people who don’t even help their neighbors in the town they live in will handle things fairly?”
“Well, that’s just a small portion…”
“If you add some to some and keep adding some, you get everything!”
Yeonguijeong kept his mouth shut at Hyang’s shout. Hyang continued to push Yeonguijeong.
“A person who takes advantage of a neighbor’s difficulties to incur high-value debt that is several times the original amount, ultimately forcing them to become sisters or refugees, and then swallowing the ownerless land into their stomach. Who are they? These are the local Confucian forests mentioned in the video! Great video! Ask! Who are more fearful than tigers to the powerless people? “Are they government officials or local Confucian scholars?”
“That…”
“Say it!”
Under the pressure of Hyang, Yeonguijeong looked at King Sejong. King Sejong, who received the gaze of the Prime Minister, answered calmly.
“Gwain (寡人) is also curious about the Lord’s answer. “Please respond to the video.”
As they reached Sejong, Yeonguijeong’s face turned even redder.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
When King Sejong put pressure again, Yeonguijeong gritted his teeth and answered.
“… local… Yurim is coming.”
“yes!”
King Sejong responded by hitting his knee in response to Yeonguijeong, and the anti-crown faction ministers, including Yeonguijeong, closed their eyes tightly.
‘finished!’
* * *
“Do you need more explanation, Video Captain?”
The ministers remained silent in response to Hyang’s question. Sejong, who was watching this, searched through the pile of appeals, took out another appeal, and handed it to Hyang.
“The people who posted it are all different, but the content seems like it was copied from what one person wrote, which is really funny. However, this is written differently, so please read it.”
“yes.”
After receiving the appeal, Hyang unfolded the scroll and began to read it carefully.
“Whoa~.”
After reading the entire appeal, Hyang sighed and straightened her back, and Sejong opened his mouth.
“This is an appeal from Saganwon. Should I call the person who submitted the appeal?”
“no.”
“So what do you think?”
“’Healthy consumption does not exist. If consumption is encouraged, the trend of extravagance will spread, and merchants who are greedy for profit will further fuel this trend. Artisans will only make luxury items, and farmers will also not farm and only look for opportunities to make a fortune. Ultimately, society will change into a society that worships wealth rather than virtue. That is why the ancient sage differentiated between farmers, farmers, and merchants.’ “La….”
Hyang, who was thinking while speechless, opened his mouth after a while.
“It seems right at first glance, but I think the person who filed this appeal should be punished.”
“why?”
“First of all, the old sage said that he discriminated between business, agriculture, and industry, but in any of the scriptures I read, there was no part where the sage said that there should be discrimination between business, agriculture, and commerce. The sage’s reference to Sanong, Gongsang, and others was to mean ‘all the people.’ However, to mislead like this, it is truly disloyal and covers Abamama’s eyes and ears! “I think people like this should be dealt with severely!”
When Hyang insisted on punishment, the eyes of not only King Sejong but also the ministers on the side widened. This was because although Hyang had said many things and argued many times, he had never once directly called for punishment.
“This man was concerned that the trend of extravagance would spread, but it would be better to be extravagant. This is because you can pay taxes on luxury goods. But look at the noblemen of Tanggeum Joseon! They wear linen clothes and boast about being frugal, but the grain and cotton cloth are rotting in the barn. Is it virtuous to not wear silk clothes? Is it virtuous to wear linen clothes and read the scriptures while ignoring the cries of hungry people during times of famine and spring hunger? The author of this appeal says, ‘Even if there are few products, it is the duty to be safe and enjoy the island with peace of mind.’ device! I dare say this to Abama! It is not an isolated island of Anbunji, but desperation! “I earnestly ask you to use this sermon to immediately weed out the treacherous people who pretend to be loyal!”
In response to Hyang’s strong-minded remarks, the noble Lord urgently intervened.
“Your Majesty! The person who filed the appeal is an official of Saganwon. A lieutenant’s job is to give advice. “Punishing an official because you don’t like his writing is blocking the communication path!”
“What this person has just posted is not a remonstrance, but a remonstrance! In fact, our Joseon Dynasty already clearly states by law that there is a distinction between noble people and low-income people, but no distinction between privates, farmers, and industrialists. But what qualifications does this man have to discriminate against the people by dividing them into industrialists, farmers, and merchants? How can the person who is supposed to say the right things to the monarch say the right things when his disposition is so wicked? “You must be punished immediately!”
[Episode 28 Gapjin Gyeongjang (甲辰更張) (6) ] End
ⓒ Gukbbong
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