Black Corporation: Joseon

Upon hearing Hyang’s words, the ministers tried to hastily present a counterargument, but there was none to be had. Nevertheless, the ministers could not back down.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince! No matter how much you are the Crown Prince, you cannot recklessly punish the ministers!”

As the minister directly involved in the matter stepped forward, Hyang immediately countered.

“Why not? I too am a servant of His Majesty! The duty of a servant is to speak the truth to the monarch, and the responsibility of a servant is to faithfully carry out the monarch’s orders! Yet this man tries to cloud the monarch’s vision with clever wordplay; how could I, as a servant, not impeach him?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince! Your words are too harsh! Although I am not sure of the exact content of the petition, it is the teachings of the sages that we must distance ourselves from extravagance, as it is the disease that leads to the ruin of a nation! But are you saying that extravagance is better than frugality with such sophistry?”

“Their frugality is not frugality but extortion! Did the sages instruct us to provide long-term benefits? Or did they tell us to suck the blood and sweat of the people through high-interest private loans? A wealthy man who indulges in luxury is more helpful than a miser pretending to be frugal! At least they scatter their wealth, do they not?”

“You must never advocate for extravagance!”

“Then how will you extract the wealth lying dormant in the landlords’ storehouses and share it with the people?”

“A stern admonition will suffice! All scholars who have mastered the classics… ”

“Do they commit such wickedness because they are ignorant of the classics? Do you know the proportion of those who have passed the lower-level civil service examinations among them and still make such a statement? They exploit the policy of granting tax exemptions upon passing the higher civil service examinations as a means to accumulate wealth!”

“Land-owning scholars providing tenant farming and long-term benefits have been a traditional way of making a living! To call this a sin is an absurd argument!”

“Just because something has been done since ancient times does not make it right to ignore the wrongs! With high land rent and interest, the number of commoners becoming slaves is increasing! For the country to prosper, the number of commoners must grow, but now we are going in the opposite direction! And yet, you say we should just let it pass because it has been done since ancient times? And you still call yourself a minister of this Joseon?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

“Enough!”

As the verbal battle between Hyang and the minister went beyond acceptable limits, King Sejong stepped in.

Upon King Sejong’s command, both Hyang and the minister ceased their verbal battle and bowed their heads. Looking at the two and the ministers, he spoke, “Although the two people’s opinions diverge significantly, I understand that they both have our Joseon in mind. However! Even if it is the right opinion, if it goes beyond propriety, it becomes overboard! Both of you should stop here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At King Sejong’s admonition, which was not exactly a scolding, the ministers bowed their heads.

“Show the document to the minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Minister, read the part that the prince did not mention in the document.”

Following King Sejong’s command, the minister read the problematic part of the document and bowed deeply.

“What a disgraceful account! Your Majesty! This is merely my personal opinion, not the will of the entire office!”

“I know that, which is why the prince did not mention it. The same goes for the other minister.”

“Your Majesty!”

Curiosity filled the faces of the ministers at the reaction of King Sejong and the minister. King Sejong reached a conclusion while looking at the curious ministers.

“As for the punishment of the author, the minister will take some time to think and decide. Let’s end it here for today.”

With his command, the ministers had to leave the meeting. Some friendly ministers politely bowed to the censor as they left, while the unfriendly ones only gave a perfunctory bow before turning away. At the forefront was the minister.

“Look, Your Excellency. No matter what, he is the prince. Aren’t you afraid of future consequences?”

The Chief of Justice, who belonged to the same faction as the Crown Prince, warned him, but the minister scoffed.

“Humph! Why worry when His Majesty is still healthy and well?”

“Isn’t the problem that His Majesty is favoring the Crown Prince?”

“I can just quit this damn position!”

“Watch your words!”

“I have urgent matters to attend to. Excuse me.”

As he said this, the minister disappeared with large strides. The Chief of Justice clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… He’ll get into big trouble like this…”

The place the minister hurried to was the office.

Bang!

The minister violently opened the office door and looked around before grabbing the collar of one of the officials.

“You, bast*rd!”

“Gah!”

As the minister shook the official by the collar, other officials rushed in.

“Please calm down, my lord!”

“Please restrain yourself!”

“Don’t stop me! This d*mn guy is going to get us all killed!”

“What?”

Growling, the minister continued to hold the official’s collar.

“You… What do you mean by talking about deposing the Crown Prince? What gives you the right!”

“Gasp!”

As soon as the word ‘deposing the crown prince’ came out of the high-ranking official’s mouth, the surrounding officials quickly stepped back.

“Speak up! What makes you think you can talk about deposing the crown prince?”

“Abandoning Confucianism and being tainted by heresy, how can we let such a person sit in the crown prince’s seat?”

“So, you talk about deposing the crown prince? Deposing a crown prince who is only 9 years old? Did you really think that makes sense?”

“In preserving the way of the sages, what does age have to do with it?”

“You foolish man! To change the direction of great power, one needs the right timing, geographical advantage, and harmony among people! The reason the current crown prince could become the heir was because the previous king’s will aligned with the right timing, there was someone with outstanding qualities to replace the crown prince which matched the geographical advantage, and the majority of the officials agreed, creating harmony among people. But now, which of the three—timing, geographical advantage, and harmony among people – do you see as unfit? Because of your pathetic judgment, not only you but also the other officials’ lives are hanging in the balance!”

Upon hearing the high-ranking official’s words, the faces of the surrounding officials turned pale. However, the official who raised the issue did not back down.

“A so-called aristocrat cannot call something wrong right! It is natural for an official to risk their life when remonstrating!”

“What a foolish person!”

While the high-ranking official was fuming in the Office of Censor, Hyang, who had returned to the palace, let out a long sigh.

“Ugh, this is why I hate traditional historical dramas… Trendy fusion historical dramas are the best.”

Preparing for the announcement of his views, Hyang had to expect and prepare for significant opposition.

“I have no choice but to respond to their eloquence with my own, but the problem is that their specialty is using ancient stories to dodge the issue.”

To win the debate, Hyang prepared by determining the anticipated questions and finding appropriate idiomatic expressions from numerous classics. Although Hyang had an extraordinary memory from his past and present lives, this preparation was not easy. Whenever he took a break from memorizing, hhe continued to mutter.

“Of course, fusion historical dramas are better… They don’t use difficult words…”

Hyang, who was tired from the debate, moved to the library to prepare his brush and ink.

“Damn it! They think they’re the only ones who can write a memorial!”

The next day, as soon as the royal attendance began, an inner official from the palace visited the Royal Chief Secretary.

“What is the matter from the Eastern Palace?”

In response to the question, the inner servant held out a tray containing a scroll.

“It’s a memorial from the crown prince.”

“Gasp!”

Hyang’s memorial was quickly processed and delivered to King Sejong. Holding the scroll of the memorial, King Sejong put his hand on his forehead and muttered softly, “This child…”

King Sejong had experienced how Hyang’s determination could cause a commotion.

“Phew…”

Sighing, King Sejong unfolded the scroll and read Hyang’s memorial. As the content of the memorial progressed, King Sejong straightened up, and his face became serious. Finally, having read the entire memorial, King Sejong looked towards the Eastern palace and laughed loudly.

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Sejong, feeling relieved by his laughter, handed the memorial to the Chief Royal Secretary.

“Let the Chief State Councilor and the Minister of Rites read this.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Chief Royal Secretary’s face turned red as he read the memorial. The Minister of Rites, who read it next, had a similar reaction.

“Uh-uh.”

“Ahem!”

Unable to contain their curiosity at the pained expressions of the Chief Royal Secretary and the Minister of Rites, the other high-ranking officials looked on. Sejong called for the royal scribe.

“Scribe, deliver the Crown Prince’s memorial to the Inspector General.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Inspector, read it aloud for all to hear.”

“Ye-yes.”

Upon hearing Sejong’s command, the Royal Inspector began to read the Crown Prince’s memorial in a loud voice.

“I, your loyal subject, Crown Prince Hyang, submit this complaint. Some of the ministers have accused me of following the ways of the Legalists. They cite the self-defeating policies of Shang Yang1 and the downfall of the Qin Dynasty as examples. However, through Shang Yang’s laws, the Qin became the dominant power during the Warring States Period and eventually unified the Central Plains, establishing an empire. Since then, Shang Yang’s laws have remained the most fundamental laws, even as dynasties and state titles have changed in the Central Plains.

Oh, how many Confucian scholars throughout the long history of the Central Plains have followed the will of the sages and strived for the perfection of the royal governance? What could be the reason for these scholars to have based their legal systems on Shang Yang’s laws? Moreover, was it really the fault of Legalism that the Qin Dynasty collapsed?

The downfall of the Qin was due to Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his officials abandoning the righteous path. How could a nation not fall when it exploited its people, killed innocent commoners indiscriminately, and turned away from the righteous principles of Heaven?”

(Continued)

“Even in strong winds, the towering tree does not fall because it has sturdy roots, and the well does not run dry even in a drought because of its depth. Examining this, the tree’s roots are wide and deep, enabling it to withstand strong winds and to dig a deep well, one must start by digging wide from the surrounding area.

The method of finding the way and the method of governing a country are the same. It has been only 30 years since our Joseon opened its doors. In order for our newly rooted Joseon to grow into a towering tree, bearing the flowers and fruits of the royal path, and becoming a deep well that quenches the thirst of the parched people, it must become wide and deep.

Therefore, I believe that in order to achieve the revival of our Joseon and the completion of the King’s Way politics, we must see widely and embrace various thoughts. Would Confucianism, which has strived to follow the noble intentions of the sages, be limited to Neo-Confucianism alone? Similarly, isn’t the ultimate goal of the Hundred Schools of Thought the same?”

Although the reading of the royal memorial by the Royal Inspector had ended, the hall continued to remain silent. While the officials were known for their talkativeness, no one was able to open their mouths easily.

Hyang’s memorial was that groundbreaking.

As the silence continued, King Sejong spoke, “My child is quite smart, isn’t he? What do you think, Inspector General?”

“···I think so.”

Sejong looked at the Inspector General, who answered with a trembling voice as if he found it amusing.

“Although the Crown Prince’s memorial is groundbreaking, I think there are many things we can learn from it in various ways. Now, I would like to hear the opinions of the courtiers. Please think carefully and give an answer to the examiners.”

“We will obey your command.”

“Let’s take a break for a while and then continue.”

Footnotes

상앙(商鞅) – Shang Yang: A Chinese statesman and reformer who established the legal system of the State of Qin during the Warring States Period.[↩]