Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 809

Episode 809: The stars fall. (3) The

first thing that the Grand Army and counties in charge of checking the plans promoted or planned by King Sejong – dukes and marquis after the restoration of the title to the Empire – clung to was Gyeokbang.

To be precise, it was a game similar to modern golf called Shingyeokbang or Shinjigeukbang.

“Hmm…. ‘Include the new Jigyeokbangjang in the general entertainment hall.’…” After

confirming the title of the agenda, the Duke and Marquis looked at Anpyeong at the same time.

This was because the general entertainment center was under the jurisdiction of the Entertainment Office, and the person who had been sitting as the director of the Entertainment Office from the time of its founding until now was Anpyeong.

Anpyeong, who received the attention of his younger siblings, lowered his head with an embarrassed face.

“It’s not easy. “You know how wide the new Jigyeokbangjang must be, right?”

The Duke and Marquis all nodded at Anpyeong’s words.

* * *

Not long after returning from Shinji, Sejong started to feel itchy.

“Ah… I want to play Gyeokbang…”

Even before going to Shinji, Sejong’s favorite sport was Gyeokbang.

-Every time Gyeongsinil came around, the king would gather his relatives and high officials and stay up all night enjoying a feast.

King Sejong liked Gyeokbang so much that it is recorded in the Annals of History before Hyang intervened.

Since the situation was so bad that he retreated to the back room, King Sejong enjoyed the private room without hesitation.

But soon after, Sejong shook his head.

“This is not it!”

Sejong, who was dissatisfied with the traditional game, immediately went to Wan.

“I have a request from the emperor.”

“Just say the word.”

“Give me some land.”

“yes?”

According to imperial law, all the territory of the empire belonged to the emperor. The people rented this land from the emperor to live. Therefore, the most basic tax that the people paid to the country was land rent.

Of course, King Sejong and Hyang did not forget to place a ban preventing the emperor from raising the land rent at will.

This law prevented landlords from collecting unreasonably high taxes from tenant farmers or renters.

It was a kind of public land concept.

And because that was the law, King Sejong also asked Wan to give him the land.

King Sejong, who was granted suitable land in the Samnam region of Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do, built a gyekbangjang and enjoyed gyeokbang.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one enjoying it.

Family relatives were first invited, and soon after, influential figures from the place where the gyekbangjang was located were called and enjoyed the gyekbang together.

Being invited to the Gyeokbangjang by local figures was an honor for the family that would be passed down from generation to generation.

And that’s how Gyeokbangjang started, and soon began to stand out as a new entertainment.

The pleasure of hitting a ball in an open field was highly addictive. Also, the simple but clever rule of determining the winner with the minimum number of strokes also provided fun.

In the end, people who had fun with the new gyekbang room submitted a petition to open the gyekbang room.

And here, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, which smelled money, made a proposal to Wan. Wan, who thought this proposal was reasonable, asked Sejong, and Sejong nodded willingly.

“Wouldn’t it be better for people who want to enjoy Gyeokbang even without me to pay an appropriate amount of money to use it? “Like hot springs.”

In this way, the Gyeokbangjang was opened to the private sector. When King Sejong was not using it, anyone who wanted it could use it, regardless of status.

As the new Jigyeokbang became popular, new new Jigyeokbangs began to open throughout the empire’s territory – not only in the main and new regions, but also in Daeseoldo and the southwestern provinces of the North.

* * *

Because of this background, King Sejong created a plan to include Sinjigyeokbangjang in the general entertainment center managed by the Entertainment Administration.

However, Anpyeong, who was in charge of practical work, expressed his disapproval, saying that this problem was not easy.

The biggest problem was the size of the new leader, which Anpyeong had already mentioned.

Perhaps because the place where we first started was a large land area, we needed a large area to enjoy the new location.

It also had to be adjacent to a suitable hill or mountain, not just an empty plain.

It was impossible to install such a private room wherever there was an entertainment venue.

“I wonder if Bukji or Daeseoldo are new lands… The main location is impossible. Space is a problem, but wild animals are also a problem. “If you do it wrong, you will often need to bring not only a bow and a ball but also a bow and arrows to enjoy the game.”

Although the Chakho Musketeers worked hard, wild beasts such as tigers, leopards and bears were still inhabited in the rugged mountains of the area.

It was because of the thought, ‘Wild beasts are also a part of this world, so don’t kill them until they harm the people.’

Seeing Anpyeong with a perplexed expression, Duke Lim Yeong fleshed out the story.

“That’s right. “It takes a lot of money to prepare the necessary equipment.”

* * *

Just like the Gyeokbang that we enjoyed here, the Shinji Gyeokbang also required carrying various types of sticks. This was because different heads were needed depending on the location.

And this Gyeokbangchae was a monster that ate up wealth.

While Bonji’s Gyeokbangchae consisted of bending wood or bamboo into a frame and attaching a handle to the head covered with cloth or leather, Shinji’s Gyeokbangchae consisted of a head made of wood or iron or copper with a handle made of strong and tough wood.

The problem was that the woodworkers who made and sold the sieves made the handles of the sieves extravagant to show off their skills and receive more money.

In the case of our magazine, all we had to do was paint the handle with five colors symbolizing the five elements. However, Shinji Gyeokbang’s Gyeokbangchae was made with gold or silver thread inlaid on the handle instead of using vermilion or lacquer on the handle.

Sejong and Hyang were also responsible for this.

This is because the first people who started it were King Sejong and Hyang, and the craftsmen put a lot of effort into making it.

The same was true of Chae’s head. Since the player who gets the ball into the ball with fewer strokes wins, it is essential to have a head that is advantageous for hitting long shots.

And to make hair like this, blacksmiths wrapped the hair and conducted research after research.

Chae, which was good at hitting long shots, could be sold at a high price.

In less than 10 years, craftsmen known for making excellent sieves appeared in this magazine. Thanks to registering the head of the head they developed with the Intellectual Property Management Office, the value of the craftsmen’s name gradually increased.

It wasn’t just the cabbage that became more expensive.

Balls were also becoming more expensive.

In the case of this paper’s gyeokbang, it was simply carved from wood or agate.

However, in the case of the Shinji Gyeokbang, which can fly dozens of pieces with one hit, colorful wooden balls or agate stones with colorful stripes were selected to make them easy to find.

In addition, as it became known that the more perfect a sphere is, the better and straighter it flies, so ball craftsmen worked hard to create even more perfect spheres.

This naturally led to an increase in prices, and a box of 5 well-made balls was usually priced at 2 to 3 silver coins.

Even though prices had risen a lot, this amount was enough for a family of four to live for 15 days.

* * *

Anpyeong sighed and continued.

“Already, there are frequent complaints that Shinjigyeokbang is the main culprit of extravagance and disorderly conduct. “I don’t swing the gyekbangsa in the gyekbang field like everyone else, but I swing something else.”

As he spoke, Anpyeong’s eyes were fixed on Duke Imyeong. Duke Imyeong, who received Anpyeong’s glare, made an expression of disapproval.

“What am I!”

“You bastard, there’s already a rumor in this newspaper.”

“Because it’s just me!”

“So that’s the problem… ugh~.”

As you can see from the Gyeokbangchae and the ball, Shinjigyeokbang was a game that required a lot of money. Of course, it was possible to enjoy it with cheap sticks and wooden balls, but most of those who enjoyed Shinjigaekbang were local wealthy people.

Naturally, they invited the gisaengs and had fun with them, and of course a scandal was bound to arise.

Since he was Duke Lim Yeong, who was known for being lecherous, he naturally had a place in this scandal.

* * *

In a situation where he could not find an answer even after thinking about it for several days, Anpyeong made a decision.

“There is only one person who can solve this problem.”

Anpyeong turned his head. In Anpyeong’s gaze, there was a scent with his head wrapped and staring at a book.

“Your Majesty, no brother.”

“why!”

Anpyeong froze at Hyang’s harsh voice.

“why? “What’s going on!”

“That…”

Anpyeong managed to come to his senses and explained the problem to Hyang.

“Hmm…”

After hearing Anpyeong’s story, Hyang crossed his arms and was lost in thought. After briefly remembering the scent, the existence of a ‘golf driving range’ immediately came to mind.

‘There was at least one place in most neighborhoods. There were more screen practice sheets….’

After finding the answer, Hyang soon answered Anpyeong.

-Most entertainment centers are located in places with good scenery. Most places with good scenery are near large rivers or rivers.

-Most of those who enjoy Shinjigaekbang enjoy the pleasure of long shots.

-Therefore, a platform is built on one side of the entertainment center and a place where one can hit the ball toward the river or river is created.

-If there is a river or a place where I am not present, set up a curtain at an appropriate distance and have the player hit the ball towards it. Draw a target on the screen and practice hitting it correctly.

-Those who enjoy playing at a general entertainment center can use their own sticks, but must only use those from the playing field. And only balls made of wood are used in the Gyeokbangjang.

-Nets are installed in the rivers and creeks where the hit ball falls to prevent the ball from flowing downstream and make it easier to retrieve.

-The private space installed in the entertainment hall can be used on a half hour basis (approximately 1 hour), and one basket of balls is provided free of charge. Pay extra for additional time and effort.

“Of course, the number of balls to put in the basket should be just a little bit less than half an hour, right?”

“ah! okay!”

Looking at Anpyeong’s face becoming brighter, Hyang continued speaking.

-The number of new Jigyeokbang leaders will be appropriately increased while looking at the people’s livelihood. This also applies to the space to be installed in the entertainment complex.

-Anyone who enters the Shinjigyeokbang is prohibited from accompanying gisaeng, regardless of the reason. Of course, gatherings of gisaengs and women are allowed to enter and leave. However, in this case, a separate date is designated and only available on that day.

The scent described up to this point looked at Anpyeong.

“How do you feel?”

In response to Hyang’s question, Anpyeong bowed his head with a bright face.

“You are my brother after all!”

“It would be better with a little more work.”

“yes!”

Hyang, who was excitedly watching Anpyeong returning to his seat, turned his head and glared at the book in front of him.

“What the hell is Abama…”

Hyang’s expression as she looked at the contents written in the book was literally one of shock and fear.

‘Why does nuclear physics come out here!’

King Sejong’s thoughts – literally miscellaneous thoughts – written in a book titled ‘Japsangrok (雜想錄)’ shocked Hyang.