Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 375
Episode 375: Interlude skit (1)
Late that evening when Choi Man-ri was appointed as the head of Jeongeumcheong.
At a kiru in Dadong, King Sejong and Hyang were having a drinking party just for the father and son.
“It is truly amazing to have abamama and tin in a place other than a palace or hunting ground.”
Sejong smiled and accepted Hyang’s words.
“It’s annoying to have to eat at the palace every time and go out hunting.”
At Sejong’s words, Hyang’s face changed slightly.
‘Ah-oh! This guy really is!’
Sejong, whether aware of Hyang’s feelings or not, immediately received the message.
“If you are going to do something wrong again, I will have you purged immediately. Don’t worry, this father is doing everything he can.”
“… yes.”
King Sejong covered Hyang’s mouth and gave orders to the gisaeng.
“The glass is empty. “Please fill it up.”
“yes.”
When the cup was filled, King Sejong raised the cup and commanded Hyang.
“Now let’s get going.”
“yes.”
After a few cups were passed around, the scent was asked of King Sejong.
“By the way, what is it that brought you here today?”
“Didn’t you catch a big catch today?”
Hyang asked with slightly surprised eyes at Sejong’s words, which were a mixture of jokes and seriousness.
“Was that what you were aiming for?”
“I caught a bigger fish than expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“What is the biggest lack of coordination right now?”
Hyang immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“It’s a person.”
Sejong nodded at Hyang’s answer.
“yes. There’s not enough people. Aren’t these people who are accustomed to working overtime and staying up all night every day now government officials? “I expected them to spread bait here and there just to survive.”
Hyang nodded at Sejong’s explanation without realizing it.
“Ah… is that why you didn’t issue a ban on copying?”
“Because they are the ones who will do it even if you tell them not to. And like the kid named Han Myeong-hoe, wouldn’t he know people who could be useful through various academic ties or regional connections? I thought it would be a good opportunity to re-catch those that had been missed in my net, and I succeeded. “We caught a bigger fish than expected.”
At Sejong’s words, Hyang muttered without realizing it.
“Are you the King of Sea Fishing?”
“That’s a good nickname. ha ha ha!”
Sejong, who was laughing at Hyang’s words, continued to smile and continue speaking.
“Thanks to catching a big catch, I think I’ll be able to see those stubborn fish again soon.”
Hyang, who was remembering Sejong’s words, asked Sejong.
“Are you referring to the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon who were dismissed for being stubborn?”
“Yes. They may be stubborn, but aren’t they talented enough to just make fun of? “I have to use it.”
After thinking about Sejong’s words for a moment, Hyang asked with an expression full of worry.
“Will they come back? No, there is a commandment given by Abama in the past. Is this possible? “If you do something wrong, there will be shameless people who will say that it is Abamama’s fault.”
Sejong lightly emptied his glass and responded to Hyang’s words.
“So wasn’t that what I asked the Prime Minister earlier? “The Prime Minister responded like that, so even if nonsense comes out, the Prime Minister will step in and stop it first.”
Hyang nodded at Sejong’s words, but her worries were not completely gone.
In the end, Hyang asked another question.
“But will those stubborn people come back? “Aren’t they stubborn people who already submitted their resignations before they were dismissed?”
Sejong’s smile grew deeper at Hyang’s point.
“I plan to temporarily give Choi Man-ri personnel and appointment rights. However, in the case of officials already working in the government, there will be a prerequisite that they must obtain permission from the head of the relevant ministry. “Then what will happen?”
Hyang immediately answered King Sejong’s question.
“It will be impossible to secure those already working as officials. Because the ministers will never release it. In the end, we have no choice but to exercise our right to appoint… In the end, in order to run the Jeongeumcheong properly, we have no choice but to bring in those who have been dismissed. But can Commissioner Choi Man-ri easily bring in those stubborn people?”
King Sejong answered the question about fragrance by emptying his glass. “One of the things that noblemen must adhere to is loyalty. “I have no choice but to come because of the loyalty I built up at Jiphyeonjeon.”
“Ah…”
At Sejong’s words, the scent instantly reminded me of a scene from a movie.
‘A kid from Jiphyeonjeon like us! ‘Ugh!’
“Thanks to you, I will be able to handle those stubborn people well under Choi Man-ri’s responsibility. “This is all thanks to you.”
Hyang’s eyes widened at Sejong’s words.
“yes? What is Soja…”
“Have you forgotten what you said before? This is what the king of Xiyi said to the prince who would inherit the throne. ‘Become a bee that sucks the sweetest nectar of all flowers.’ “How nice of those words?”
“Ah…”
Hyang muttered to herself, shaking her head at Sejong’s words.
‘It’s a good thing the officer isn’t here. If I had done something wrong, I would have been written off as something dark… Anyway, this guy is really outside the standard… What kind of application are you so scared of?’
* * *
While the drinking party was continuing, a gisaeng named Haengsu came in.
“What’s going on?”
“Some of the children of Giru said that His Majesty the Lord and the Crown Prince had a request, so a young woman came in.”
“Is it Cheong?”
King Sejong looked full of curiosity at the words of Haengsu Gisaeng.
“It’s a courtesan’s request… So, let’s hear what kind of request it is.”
“yes.”
After King Sejong’s permission was given, the door to the room adjacent to the room where King Sejong and his father were seated was opened.
When the door opened, the waiting gisaeng made sharp gestures and bowed deeply to King Sejong.
Seeing that, Sejong smiled and nodded.
“ha ha ha! It is indeed a movement as agile as a swallow. So what is Cheong?”
In response to King Sejong’s question, the gisaeng sitting in front cautiously opened her mouth.
“Please teach the heavenly women a new sound.”
“huh?”
“uh?”
Sejong and Hyang tilted their heads at the unexpected request. Hyang, who was looking at the gisaeng for a moment, looked at the gisaeng sitting in front and let out an exclamation.
“ah! “You’re that kid back then!”
The gisaeng sitting in front was the gisaeng who had previously asked Hyang to teach her how to be a ‘virgin boatman’.
The courtesan, who pretended to recognize the scent, gently raised her head and answered with an alluring smile.
“yes. “The gisaeng at that time was Cheonnyeo.”
Seeing that, Sejong opened his mouth with a slightly disappointed expression.
“It wasn’t me, it was the crown prince. “By the way, it’s a new sound… Please explain in detail.”
At King Sejong’s command, the courtesan told the story in more detail.
* * *
Hyang: ‘A cliche is a cliche.’ The ‘Virgin Boatman’ who taught by shouting ‘Virgin Boatman’ quickly spread throughout the eight provinces of Joseon. The craze was so strong that the residents of Nakdong River were rather bewildered.
However, as a popular song, the craze cooled down quickly. However, the saying that the trend has cooled down means that it has been overtaken by ‘virgin voyeurs’, not by adult music itself.
Therefore, as time passed, songs that added different lyrics to the melody of ‘The Virgin Boatman’ circulated, but no song recorded as much of a hit as ‘The Virgin Boatman’. It felt like I was wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
In the end, the gisaeng who first learned singing from Hyang prayed earnestly to meet Hyang again.
‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have to go to the palace! Thing! That proud envoy from the Ming Dynasty only comes at times like this!’
While he was waiting for an opportunity, King Sejong and Hyang stopped by Giru.
* * *
At the gisaeng’s request, King Sejong looked at the scent with eyes full of expectation.
“I want to hear new sounds too.”
“Yes…”
Hyang answered briefly and shook his head.
‘What would be better….’ Hyang,
who searched through the songs she had memorized while working hard as a senior citizen’s joy group in Yangsan in the 21st century and the songs she had memorized by listening to them here and there, soon chose one.
‘We started with the river, so let’s continue with the river!’
The new song Hyang chose was ‘Soyang River Maiden’.
“greatness! “Keuhum!”
Hyang cleared his throat for a moment and immediately started singing.
“The sun is setting~”
After the song, Hyang asked Sejong what he thought.
“How was it?”
Sejong nodded and answered Hyang’s question.
“The sad feelings of a wife and daughter anxiously waiting for someone to leave are well expressed. “It sounded good.”
“thank you.”
“By the way, you should never be like the bad guy from that sound. “You cannot give affection carelessly, and if you do, you must take responsibility, both men and women.”
Hyang understood the hidden meaning of Sejong’s words and answered with a bitter smile.
“I have a hard time with three.”
“huh? already? Should I find the meaning of this….”
Hyang waved his hand at Sejong’s words.
“It’s still fresh!”
After finishing the short skit, Hyang asked the gisaeng.
“How do you feel?”
“Please be sure to teach me! “I will do my best to learn it!”
In this way, a new popular song began to spread, starting with Hanseong.
And the residents of Chuncheon began to complain.
“Is it Soyang River this time?” (Note 1)
* * *
Meanwhile, there were several merchants at the place where King Sejong and Choi Man-ri were openly discussing.
Through them, the contents of the Hunminjeongeum and discussions were delivered to Beijing.
After receiving the report, the Cabinet Secretary immediately ran to Emperor Seondeok and made a report, adding his opinion.
“I think we should immediately send an envoy to Joseon to ask questions!”
“What will we discuss?”
The Cabinet Secretary immediately answered Emperor Seondeok’s question.
“There are two things. One is to create a unique character. The other one is about the four major things.”
“Hmm…”
Emperor Seondeok thought for a moment about the words of the assistant cabinet secretary and came to a conclusion.
“Not possible.”
“your majesty! You have to be strong! There is a rumor going around in the Joseon Dynasty (government and private sector) right now that is difficult to put into words. At least to calm this down….”
“Stop.”
Emperor Seondeok raised his hand to block his speech and opened his mouth while looking at the assistant cabinet secretary and ministers.
“It’s something I can’t bear to say… They say that I am not the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but of Joseon, right? Who would say something like that? “You might say that because civilians like to talk, but who in this court made such treasonable remarks?”
Emperor Xiande spoke in a relaxed tone, but as soon as he finished speaking, the room in the Wenhua Hall (a biography of the early Ming Empire emperor) froze.
“Hmm… I wonder who it is… Since the Assistant Cabinet Secretary said it was Choya, I guess I know who was making a fuss in the court. “Can you tell Jim?”
No sooner had Emperor Seondeok finished speaking than the head of the cabinet fell to the floor and shouted.
“your majesty! Not God! God’s loyalty remains unchanging!”
“I’m not questioning your loyalty, I’m just curious who made the noise.”
“God doesn’t know!”
Emperor Seondeok muttered softly in response to the Cabinet Secretary’s shout.
“If you investigate, you’ll find out.”
Emperor Seondeok spoke in a calm voice, but the officials and eunuchs became thoughtful. As the emperor said, Tong Dong would search through the officials, and the Jingui Committee would search through the eunuchs. And a bloody wind would blow.
“It’s not that the Assistant Cabinet Secretary doesn’t know what he’s worried about. Most of those who have their own writing system are foreigners. But can Joseon be viewed as a miracle? The relationship between Joseon and the Ming Dynasty was one of pure harmony and cold. And the King of Joseon, Danggeum, said, ‘The four major powers are a means of diplomacy.’ I’m making a point by saying that, but isn’t that wrong? And when I sent envoys or envoys came to Joseon, were they ever rude? Have you ever shown your sincerity in performing rites? Why do they keep trying to worsen relations with Joseon? Properness is not something you do because you are told to do it; it must be done from the heart. But have we forgotten that emphasizing examples only increases resistance? “Is that your loyalty?”
Everyone, including the assistant cabinet secretary, fell to the floor at Emperor Seondeok’s reprimand.
“your majesty! “Please forgive the gods for their negligence!”
“Please forgive the gods for their narrow opinions!”
Emperor Seondeok looked down at the ministers and continued speaking.
“Jim’s empire is like a bong (鵬). Just as the Bung does not move carelessly, the movements of the Empire must also have weight. But why do they want to make the empire move like a small sparrow? Don’t they know that the more they act like that, the more countries will rebel against the empire?”
“I’m sorry!”
After listening to the answers of the ministers, Emperor Seondeok came to a conclusion.
“Not long ago, some eunuchs tolerated this even though they suddenly disappeared. But if the gentlemen act like this, I can no longer tolerate it. “Keep that in mind.”
“I will keep this in mind!”
“Therefore, regarding what happened in Joseon this time, it is impossible as it could constitute interference in internal affairs. “This is a royal decree.”
“I follow your orders!”
* * *
Note 1) It is unclear exactly when the name Soyang River was used. However, during the reign of King Sejo, a river spear called Soyang Gangchang was installed on the Soyang River, and it was written based on the assumption that it had been used since the late Goryeo or early Joseon Dynasty.
Soyang Gangchang. Korea Creative Content Agency.
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