Black Corporation: Joseon

The next day, as King Sejong and Hyang had anticipated, memorials began pouring in from the morning.

“Truly diligent.”

As the rolled-up memorials piled up, the Royal Secretary complained, to which all other chiefs nodded in agreement.

“I thought we’d have at least two days…”

“Did they stay up all night? They have such great stamina. I get scared just crossing the threshold of the inner quarters.”

As the chiefs grumbled while looking at the memorials, the Chief Secretary stepped forward.

“Will complaining lessen the work? Start by categorizing them.”

“Categorize?”

“Don’t you remember from yesterday? There were those who criticized the Crown Prince and those who supported him. So, categorize them into two groups.”

“Wouldn’t there be those who fall in the middle?”

“Would those in the middle write a memorial?”

“Ah…”

At the Chief Secretary’s words, the chiefs unknowingly nodded. Although they didn’t say it, among those who fell in the middle were the chiefs themselves. And among the chiefs, none of them had written a memorial.

In any case, after half a day had passed since the morning assembly began in the Pyeonjeon Palace (audience hall), trays full of categorized memorials were brought to King Sejong.

“There’s so many.”

Looking at the piled-up memorials before him, King Sejong commented while looking around at the ministers.

“You are all truly diligent.”

At King Sejong’s pointed remark, the ministers silently bowed their heads.

“Let’s take a look anyway.”

King Sejong untied the string that held the rolled-up memorial and read its content. As he read through each one, his expression grew increasingly stern. Finally, irritated, he put down the scroll and ordered the eunuch.

“Bring the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Shortly after, Hyang entered the hall, following the eunuch.

“Did you call for me?”

“Yes, sit down.”

As Hyang courteously took a seat, King Sejong began rummaging through the rolled-up memorials. After a moment, he picked one up and began to speak.

“It seems there are still many who do not fully understand what you said yesterday, Crown Prince. Explain it to them once more. Chief State Councilor!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Read the memorial in front of the Crown Prince properly.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty?”

At King Sejong’s command, the Chief State Councilor was startled.

However, King Sejong continued, “Shouldn’t the person in question read it himself to avoid misunderstandings? Read it!”

At his order, the Chief State Councilor began to read the memorial he had written.

“I, Chief State Councilor, Ryu Jeong-hyeon, humbly bow my head and hold the brush. Your Majesty…”

“Skip the beautiful phrases and just read the main text!”

The Chief State Councilor paused momentarily when faced with King Sejong’s stern command, then continued reading the letter of remonstration.

“The Crown Prince’s ideas may seem correct at first glance, but they contain many incongruities. The first one is that our Joseon upholds Neo-Confucianism as its national policy. However, the Crown Prince follows the Legalist school of thought. Generally, Legalist laws are harsh, inevitably leading to the people’s suffering and causing harm to the nation and its rulers. This is proven by the self-destruction of the states during the Warring States period and the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

The second incongruity is the proposal to abolish the restrictions on illegitimate children. These restrictions were established by the late King Taejong, our predecessor. How can we recklessly abolish them? This would be an act of filial impiety. Furthermore, if illegitimate children were freely allowed to serve in the government, as seen in previous dynasties, they would disrupt the administration. Therefore, it would be an unjust act.

The third one is increasing the number of government officials. The more officials there are, the heavier the burden on the people. Why do you think the ancient saying ‘harsh government is fiercer than a tiger’ exists? The court only needs to establish broad policies. The affairs of the villages can be managed by the local magistrates and the local gentry at the administrative offices.”

The Chief State Councilor’s letter of remonstration ended with these three points. The Crown Prince, who had been silently listening, looked at King Sejong.

“May I respond?”

“Granted.”

With King Sejong’s permission, the Crown Prince began to refute the Chief State Councilor’s points.

“Your Excellency, you mentioned that Neo-Confucianism is the national policy of Joseon, but the true policy is the King’s Way politics by putting people first, as advocated by the sages. Neo-Confucianism is merely a tool to implement the national policy.

“Crown Prince!”

The Chief State Councilor immediately tried to refute the Crown Prince’s argument, but the Prince continued.

“Neo-Confucianism is just one branch of Confucianism. Insisting on Neo-Confucianism alone is narrow-minded, isn’t it? Let me reiterate, the national policy of our Joseon is the King’s Way politics as advocated by the sages, and Neo-Confucianism is just a tool for that purpose. To give you an analogy, if the King’s Way politics is a dish, then ideologies, systems, and regulations are the vessels. Do we need to distinguish between Neo-Confucianism and Legalism when implementing the King’s Way politics in reality? There is a story of a king in the far west who advised his successor to ‘act like a bee, searching for the sweetest nectar among the flowers in the field.’ I believe this is the fundamental attitude a ruler should have.”

The Chief State Councilor closed his mouth, searching for a logical counterargument, but the Crown Prince did not give him a chance to speak.

“You also said that abolishing the restrictions on illegitimate children is wrong and an act of filial impiety, as it goes against King Taejong’s decree. However, it is well-known that these restrictions have caused many problems. If we leave them unchanged, the issues will only worsen, and resentment will grow. This resentment will ultimately be directed at King Taejong, who established the restrictions. As his descendants, is there anything more unfilial than causing our ancestor to be the target of resentment? You mentioned that illegitimate children disrupted the government in previous dynasties, but were they the only ones responsible?

Didn’t people from powerful and influential families, regardless of their legitimacy, contribute to the corruption of state affairs? Blaming everything on illegitimate children is not fair. Lastly, did these children choose to be born as illegitimate children? Shouldn’t those who sowed the seeds be the ones held responsible for their actions?”

Taking a break from speaking, Hyang glared at the high-ranking officials gathered in the room.

According to the law, those who sleep with court women without permission should be impeached, and high-ranking officials who keep concubines should also be impeached. However, are there any among you, the esteemed officials, who do not keep concubines? Is it the way of the nobility to ignore their own wrongdoings and discriminate against illegitimate children?

“Ahem! Cough!”

“Cough!”

At Hyang’s rebuke, the high-ranking officials in the room, regardless of their status, all made uncomfortable faces and coughed awkwardly.

The Chief State Councilor tried to speak again with a flushed face, but Hyang did not give him a chance to do so.

“Finally, you cited the ancient saying, ‘harsh government is fiercer than a tiger’. Are the most terrifying figures to the people of Joseon today the officials at the royal court, or the local scholars that you praised so highly? Ever since I sat beside my royal father and watched him handle national affairs, I have heard countless reports of people starving to death or becoming refugees in all corners of the eight provinces of Joseon. However, I haven’t heard much about local scholars starving to death or opening their granaries to save the people. Chief State Councilor, do you really think those who don’t even save their neighbors in their own village can handle affairs fairly?

“Well, that’s just a small part of…”

“If you keep adding parts to parts, they eventually become the whole!”

At Hyang’s outcry, the Chief State Councilor closed his mouth. Hyang continued to press the Chief State Councilor.

“Who are the ones that take advantage of their neighbors’ hardships, lending them money at exorbitant interest rates until they are forced to sell themselves or become refugees, and then swallowing up their now-ownerless land? They are the local scholars that you spoke of, Chief State Councilor! Tell me, who is more terrifying to powerless people than the tigers? Is it the officials of the royal court, or the local scholars?”

“That is…”

“Speak!”

“··· It is the local ··· scholars.”

“Indeed!”

Upon hearing the answer from the Chief State Councilor, Sejong slapped his knee and replied, while the anti-Crown Prince faction ministers, including the Chief State Councilor, tightly shut their eyes.

‘It’s over!’

“Do you need more explanation, Your Excellency?”

At the question from Hyang, the ministers remained silent. Seeing this, King Sejong searched through the pile of petitions and handed another one to Hyang.

“The people who submitted them are all different, but the content seems as if it was copied by one person, quite amusing. However, this one is written differently, so read it.”

“Yes.”

Hyang unrolled the petition and began to read it carefully.

“Hoo~.”

As Hyang finished reading the petition and straightened her back with a sigh, King Sejong opened his mouth.

“It’s a petition from the Office of the Historiographers, would you like to summon the petitioner?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Alright, what do you think?”

“‘There is no such thing as sound consumption. If consumption is encouraged, the trend of luxury will spread, and merchants, who pursue profits, will fan the flames. Artisans will only create luxury items, and farmers will stop farming and only seek quick fortune. Eventually, society will change from one that venerates virtue to one that worships wealth. That’s why the ancient sages established the hierarchy of scholar-farmer-artisan-merchant.’—”

Hyang paused, lost in thought, and then opened his mouth again.

“It seems right at first glance, but I think the person who submitted this petition should be punished.”

“Why?”

“First of all, the petitioner said the ancient sages established the hierarchy of scholar-farmer-artisan-merchant, but in none of the classics I’ve read have the sages ever said to establish such a hierarchy. When they mentioned the four classes, they meant ‘all the people.’ However, this confusion is like covering the eyes and ears of a fool, and it is truly an act of disloyalty! I believe such a person should be strictly disciplined!”

Upon Hyang’s insistence on punishment, the eyes of not only King Sejong but also the ministers present in the hall widened. Hyang had said a lot and had many debates up until now, but had never directly asked for punishment to be administered.

“This person worries about extravagant lifestyles spreading, but rather, it’s better to have extravagance. It’s because we can tax luxury goods. But look at the nobles of Joseon now! They wear hemp clothes and boast of their frugality, but in their storerooms, grains and cotton fabrics are rotting away. Is there virtue in not wearing silk clothes? Is there virtue in reading only the classics while wearing hemp clothes, ignoring the cries of starving people during famine and spring famine? The author of this appeal says that ‘even with scarce resources, contentment and delight in poverty are the way to follow.’ Your Majesty! I dare to speak! That’s not contentment and delight in poverty, it’s self-abandonment! I beg you earnestly, please expel this treacherous minister who pretends loyalty with cunning words!”

The shocked Chief State Councilor quickly intervened in response to Hyang’s strong remarks.

“Your Majesty! The person who submitted this appeal is a censor of the Office of the Inspector General. It is a censor’s job to offer remonstrance. Punishing a censor for not liking their writing is tantamount to blocking freedom of speech!”

“What this person has submitted is not a remonstrance but a wicked word! Our Joseon has already specified in the law that there is a distinction between good people and lowly people, but there is no distinction between the four classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. What qualification does this author have to divide the people into the four classes and discriminate? With such a wicked heart in those who should speak the truth to the monarch, will there be any right words? Punishment must be administered immediately!”