Black Corporation: Joseon

“Expand the board?”

“It means utilizing the merchants and public officials to increase the economic and national power of Joseon. It’s about expanding the size of Joseon.”

Hyang drew three rectangles of the same size as the first one he had drawn, then divided the area again.

“The foundation of their wealth lies in agriculture. The plan is to foster commerce and industry, increase economic power through trade, expand territory, and gradually increase the number of self-sustaining farmers. By doing so, they will become relatively weaker. As you can see from this drawing, initially, they controlled three-quarters of Joseon, but if we grow the size like this, they will only have 3/16. It’s a decrease from 75% to 25%, so they would become more than 1/3 weaker. We can then tax them as well. If that happens, they will have no choice but to follow the general trend.”

At Hyang’s words, King Sejong slapped his knee.

“I see! So there was such a plan!” King Sejong, who was pleased with Hyang’s answer and slapped his knee, soon pointed out a problem, “However, even if we foster merchants and public officials, in the end, those nobles must become the main consumers. Ordinary people don’t have enough wealth. In that case, is it possible to grow the size as you mentioned?”

“Your Majesty, please look at the bigger picture.”

“Look at the bigger picture? Hmmm… Ah! You’re talking about trade!”

‘Impressive!’

Admiring King Sejong’s comprehension, Hyang nodded, “Yes, it’s about increasing the size through trade.”

“I see. If we engage in trade, we can grow beyond the limitations of the land. If the nobles remain tied to the land, they won’t be able to keep up with the speed of the growth. There’s a limit to the income from agricultural lands.”

“That’s correct.”

As Hyang confirmed, King Sejong immediately pointed out another problem, “However, increasing the size of commerce and industry requires capital. Most of the wealth that can become capital is in the hands of those nobles. If they invest their wealth in commerce and industry, wouldn’t their power grow contrary to your expectations?”

At King Sejong’s point, Hyang nodded once more, “That’s true. We need capital to grow commerce and industry, and we also need capital for trade. If the royal court doesn’t intervene, those nobles will become the money lords and soon monopolize all the profits. To prevent that, the royal court, or more specifically, the government should become the money lord instead.”

“The government should become the money lord?”

In response to King Sejong’s inquisitive tone, Hyang explained the concept of a bank, more specifically, a state-owned bank.

Listening to the explanation, King Sejong’s face filled with admiration, exclaiming, “I see! In that case, merchants who need capital can borrow money at low-interest rates, and the government can control the flow of wealth!”

“By ensuring the government holds control, we can create a new market called the investment market.”

“Investment market? A market where capital is treated as a commodity and traded. Hmmm…”

Sejong stroked his beard, lost in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he opened his mouth to speak.

“As you mentioned, if we proceed this way, we will need a large number of officials. Isn’t this beneficial for the aristocrats?”

“Rather than those who have studied Confucianism, we will need professionals who are knowledgeable in specific fields. In simple terms, the number of people entering official positions through miscellaneous subjects should need to increase.”

“That’s a problem too. There are more than a few who, once they ascend to an official position, put pressure on their subordinates and engage in corruption.”

“There’s a saying, ‘If you want power, give up wealth; if you want wealth, give up power.’ However, it is also true that it is difficult to maintain one’s livelihood with the current salary system. We need to modernize the salary system and, at the same time, impose restrictions.” Hyang explained the concept of ‘salary reform’ and how to use it as a restraint, then stopped talking. Then, he continued, “Although the current civil service exam allows anyone but slaves to take it in principle, in reality, most of the candidates are aristocrats. Ordinary people don’t have the luxury to comfortably study literature. So, one solution would be to select the best and brightest among those with a minimum level of education, then train and utilize them at the national level.”

“Are you suggesting that we educate all the commoners?”

“I believe it is appropriate to guarantee a minimum level of education for those with at least the status of commoners. If the common people are educated, they can avoid injustices and seek redress from the country when they suffer injustices.”

King Sejong fell silent at Hyang’s words. After a long period of contemplation, Sejong spoke again, “There are two main issues: one is budget, and the other is the language script. We can solve the budget issue by developing mines and reforming the tax system, as you mentioned, but the script is a difficult problem.”

“I’m sure Your Majesty can find a solution.”

“Are you putting too much faith in me?”

“No, Your Majesty!”

At Hyang’s unwavering belief, King Sejong smiled, “Then, I must not become a disgraceful father.”

◈◈◈

As King Sejong and Hyang were discussing future plans, some officials of the Saganwon1 were gathered in a courtesan house in the southern village, sharing their thoughts. While King Sejong and Hyang were having a warm and amicable debate, the atmosphere among the officials was filled with sadness and indignation.

“It’s unacceptable to humiliate us like this!”

“You’re right!”

“The legal system is collapsing!”

The drunken officials, without exception, raised their voices in anger. Among them, one was particularly loud. “The culprit behind all this misfortune is the crown prince! A mere ten-year-old child is trying to control national affairs! This is completely unreasonable!”

“Look here, Gocheong!”

“We must replace the crown prince…”

“Look here, Gocheong!”

Despite his colleague’s urgent attempts to stop him, Gocheong, as the official was called, remained determined. “Why! Did I say something wrong? Isn’t it a fact that the legal system of national affairs has been disrupted by the crown prince’s meddling?!”

“No matter what, he’s still a pillar of our nation. As the envoy said before, we shouldn’t casually speak of such matters!”

“I wonder what kind of tribulations that envoy must be going through right now!”

“That’s something we can address through a formal complaint! Haven’t you heard the saying that the mouth is the door to disaster? I don’t know if you’re worried about yourself, but are you thinking about bringing trouble to our family and reputation?”

“The official is speaking the truth, so what’s the problem?”

“The problem is the timing and the place!”

Upon his colleague’s advice, Gocheong had to keep his mouth shut. However, unable to suppress his anger, Gocheong downed a glass of alcohol. As time passed and the atmosphere turned tense, Gocheong, with his eyes half-open, put his arm around the shoulders of the courtesan seated next to him and tried to seduce her.

“My dear, how about sharing a night of passion with me tonight?”

“You’ve had too much to drink. Your too drunk, so let’s save the night of passion for another time.”

As the courtesan politely and respectfully declined with a smile, Gocheong’s face turned fierce, “You wen*h! Who do you think you are? You should just do as I say!”

At Gocheong’s harsh words, the smile disappeared from the courtesan’s face. Standing upright, she confronted Gocheong. “Isn’t a courtesan considered lower than farmers, artisans, and merchants, a mere beast wearing human skin? And yet, how could a nobleman like you share a night of passion with a beast? Ah! Perhaps you have a peculiar taste?”

“You wen*h!” Gocheong’s face turned from red to blue at the courtesan’s words, as she had essentially accused him of being a pervert who engaged in b*stiality. In an instant, the room that had been filled with laughter and music became quiet, and Gocheong’s colleague stood up to calm him down.

“Come on, Gocheong.”

“You wen*h! Do you want to die?”

“Are you trying to flaunt your power to a mere courtesan? You speak like a nobleman with integrity, but your actions are those of an unrivaled lowlife. Go ahead and try to kill me.”

“You wen*h!”

Bang!

Just as Gocheong was about to throw a punch, the door burst open.

In front of the open door stood a towering giant of nine feet tall, holding a slender bamboo cane in his arms and crossing his arms. At the sight of the giant, Gocheong stepped back hesitantly.

The giant, who had been glaring at Gocheong, opened his mouth, “You’re drunk. How about going home now?”

“That’s a good idea! Gocheong, let’s go.”

Although his colleague intervened, Gocheong was at a loss for what to do. He wanted to punish the arrogant courtesan right then and there, but he couldn’t, given the presence of the imposing figure.

Seeing this, his colleague forcefully grabbed Gocheong’s arm, “Come on, Gocheong! You’ve had too much to drink! Let’s go!”

Thus, the officials left the drinking party. Behind Gocheong, who was being dragged away, the courtesan’s voice rang out.

“Congratulations. Soon your name will be widely known throughout Hanyang.”

“You wen*h!”

“Come on! Let’s go!”

Gocheong yelled angrily, but his colleague forcibly restrained him and left the brothel’s house. Naturally, they had to pay a hefty price.

As the courtesan had predicted, it didn’t take a day for the rumor about Gocheong to spread throughout Hanyang. “An official of the Saganwon caused trouble while drinking at a courtesan house.” As soon as the rumor spread, the chief officials of the court began to investigate.

As the investigation began, the officials started to argue, “This is an attempt to oppress the Saganwon and block our freedom of speech!”

“This is ignoring the precedent!”

Officials, of course, and even the king, would risk their necks to argue if they thought something was wrong. As a result, they were granted considerable freedom in the face of the risks they faced. There was no distinction of rank among the officials, and it was common practice not to be punished for drinking during work hours. In other words, they had been turning a blind eye to minor troublemaking.

However, this time the chief officials had a point.

“Trying to force a state-owned courtesan into sleeping with him, and even attempting violence – this has tarnished the name of the court officials and nobles!”

In the end, after the investigation, Gocheong was caught and King Sejong made his judgment.

“An official, who should impeach injustice, commits a great sin by relying on his power and engaging in unjust acts. The criminal shall be immediately stripped of his official position and sentenced to 500 li of exile.”

“Your command is accepted!”

According to King Sejong’s command, Gocheong was sent into exile immediately. However, Gocheong’s case was handled more severely than usual. Typically, when an official was sentenced to exile, they would depart from their home without an escort. Moreover, the country would provide horses and food, and the criminal’s son or servant would be allowed to accompany and serve them, which was customary. However, in Gocheong’s case, he had to be taken to exile in a caged cart with a knife around his neck.

The reason for this was that during the investigation, it was revealed that Gocheong had said, “The crown prince must be deposed.” Upon receiving the report, King Sejong was furious and added to the punishment.

“The mention of the abolished prince is a great treason. However, since it was a lowly person who wielded violence against a courtesan, I will not go as far as to grant death. Instead, change the exile from 500 li to 1,000 li, put a knife around his neck, and send him off on a raft.”

“We accept your command.”

Of course, King Sejong already knew about it through the previous report. The reason why he had kept silent and not punished him right away was because he was waiting for a situation like this to arise. From now on, the officials had to be careful with their words.

Hearing the full story of the incident at the East Palace, Hyang lost his appetite.

“They say a gisaeng’s wit is the best in the world, and it’s really sharp.”

As Hyang said, the wit of the Joseon courtesans was famous. During the “Gye Yu Jeongnan” (see short intermission below) upheaval and when Suyang seized power, the court officials had a drinking party at a courtesan parlor. A heavily drunk minister asked a courtesan to sleep with him.

“Yesterday, you matched horoscopes with that man, and today with this man, I wonder how it would be to match horoscopes with a wandering wallflower2 like you?”

The courtesan immediately retorted to the minister’s words, “Since yesterday, you’ve entered Gyeongbokgung, and today you entered Myeongnye-gung (Suyang’s residence), it seems the wandering wallflower like me and the lord indeed have the best match.”

The Gye Yu Jeongnan upheaval was a political conflict that occurred during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea in the late 15th century. It was a power struggle between two factions, one led by Prince Suyang (later King Sejo) and the other led by his younger brother, Grand Prince Anpyeong. The conflict arose due to the sudden death of King Sejo’s brother, King Munjong, and the succession dispute that followed.

Prince Suyang emerged victorious in the power struggle and became King Sejo after King Danjong (Munjong’s son). However, his ascension to the throne was not without controversy and violence. He executed many of his political rivals and their families, including Grand Prince Anpyeong, to consolidate his power and eliminate any potential threats to his reign.

I guess, Hyang is insinuating that a courtesan is more adept in interpreting political events surrounding them more than ordinary people think.

King Sejong did not only judge Gocheong’s crime.

“Convict Ryu Jeong-hyun tried to lead the king in the wrong direction with his narrow-mindedness, which can be called deceiving the king and ignoring the superior. Therefore, Ryu Jeong-hyun will be granted death, and all his family members will be turned into government sl*ves. Also, confiscate all his property.”

“We accept your command.”

“Also, exile the Right Chief State Councilor, Left Chief State Councilor, and Chief Inspector, who formed a faction with him, 2,000 li away. However, leave their families as commoners, but confiscate 80% of their property.”

“We accept your command.”

As a result, the old ministers who had made a name for themselves in the early days of King Sejong’s reign met a different end than their original historical fate.

 

Translator’s Notes

We’re finally hitting the end of this arc! As the chapter namesake suggests, ‘Winds of Change’, we’re shifting gears to the next part of the story, where things in Joseon are gonna get wild with Hyang leading the way. So, keep your eyes open until next time!

Footnotes

司諫院 (Saganwon) was a government office during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Its primary function was to advise the king on political affairs and to monitor the conduct of other officials.[↩]“路柳墻花” is a compound noun in Chinese characters (hanja) used in Korean. It refers to a woman who wanders around the walls of a palace or house, waiting to be summoned to entertain guests or be courted. The first character “路” (로 in Korean) means “road” or “path”, “柳” (류 in Korean) means “willow tree”, and “墻花” (장화 in Korean) means “wallflower”. Together, they create the compound noun “路柳墻花(노류장화)” which is a poetic term used to describe such a woman in ancient China and Korea.[↩]

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