Chapter 105: Hwang Hee's Choice, and Yuli (1)
Clutching his letter of resignation to his chest, Hwang Hee returned to Hanseong.
On his way back, Hwang Hee could hear the punishment handed down to his children.
"Since the criminals were skilled enough in document processing to forge documents, many argue they should be sentenced to document organization duties! However! For that very reason, they cannot be entrusted with such work! Send the criminals to the coal mines in Pyeongan Province and put them to hard labor for 20 years! Let them regret their endless mistakes while mining coal! Furthermore, confiscate all the criminals' assets!"
Hwang Hee, hearing the punishment Sejong had handed down, squeezed his eyes shut.
"Foolish things... If they were going to embezzle, they should have at least not been caught..."
Hwang Hee, who had returned to Hanseong, immediately headed to the palace.
"Administrative Official Hwang Hee requests an audience."
"Let him enter."
Hwang Hee, entering the side hall, bowed respectfully.
"What brings you here from your post?"
"I wish to submit my letter of resignation."
"Letter of resignation?"
"The sins of my children are my sins, so I request to resign."
"Do you know that the crime of deceiving the sovereign is a crime of great treason, subject to guilt by association?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
At Hwang Hee's answer, Sejong pondered for a moment, then pointed to the scrolls piled beside him.
"These are petitions demanding extreme punishment for you. Of course, these petitions were submitted today, and if we include those from before, it would easily fill a cart. What should be done?"
In response to Sejong's question, Hwang Hee prostrated himself and answered.
"I will only follow Your Majesty's decision."
At Hwang Hee's answer, Sejong quietly looked down at him.
'What should I do?'
Sejong, looking down at the prostrate Hwang Hee, glanced at Maeng Sa-seong standing to one side with a somber face.
Honestly speaking, it was true that compared to his father Taejong's praise, Hwang Hee was not entirely trustworthy. Especially when compared to Crown Prince Hyang, the difference was stark.
However, when compared to all the officials currently in the court, Hwang Hee's ability, along with Maeng Sa-seong's, was exceptional.
If he were removed now, it was certain they would have to struggle for a considerable time ahead.
"Haa~."
Sejong, letting out a long sigh, reached a conclusion.
"There are two paths before you. One is to have all your assets confiscated by the state treasury, except for the house you currently live in, including your pension. And work in the court until you die. Ah! Your salary will be paid."
"..."
At Sejong's words, Hwang Hee said nothing. Seeing this, Sejong spoke of the second option.
"The second is to keep only half of your house and assets, and organize documents until you die."
At the words 'document organization until death,' Hwang Hee's face turned pale. However, Hwang Hee could not open his mouth.
"The first option means you must live on salary alone, but you will survive as a powerful official of the court.
The second option means you can salvage at least some assets to give to your children. What will you do?"
At Sejong's question, Hwang Hee remained silent for a long while. After a long silence, Hwang Hee made his decision.
"I choose the first option."
"Very well, then we shall proceed accordingly. You are to return to your post immediately."
"I obey the command."
The Chief State Councillor and Chief Censor, who had intended to demand extreme punishment the moment they saw Hwang Hee, fell silent.
In the eyes of the two looking at Hwang Hee, the fierceness that had filled them until just moments ago disappeared, replaced by pity.
'Until death! They call him a powerful official, but isn't he essentially a slave working in the side hall? With the King's surveillance continuing endlessly, what use is power!'
The historiographer who recorded all this situation concluded as follows:
-Thus, the punishment for Hwang Hee was decided. Among the officials of the side hall, there was no one who opposed or argued for extreme punishment.
The historiographer notes:
Looking at the two incidents that occurred recently, only one conclusion emerged.
Raise your children properly.
* * *
After Hwang Hee opened the door to his public service life without retirement, Hyang moved to wrap up the Gahaksan mine affair, hiding his bitter feelings.
"Even if people of this era don't know the dangers of this problem, I knew, didn't I? This is my mistake."
Hyang felt great responsibility for this mine accident.
Honestly speaking, although Hyang was called Gwangdeok, his knowledge of things like wastewater purification was limited to what he had learned while setting up high school and blacksmith shops.
That was why, when mining at the mine began, he had lightly considered and passed over the problems of contaminated water and leachate.
'Mining has been done on this land for a long time, and nothing happened before, right?'
And the result was a large-scale contamination incident at farmlands near Gahaksan. Heading to the mine, Hyang firmly resolved.
"Even if I only know the basics, I must act to minimize the damage!"
With such determination, to prevent heavy metal contamination problems, Hyang began constructing a large wastewater treatment facility at the mine.
It was a primitive purification facility using large amounts of sand, gravel, charcoal, and limestone, but Hyang wore a helpless expression.
"This is the best we can do right now."
What came out due to the limits of knowledge was that large wastewater purification facility, and he could only hope it would improve even a little.
Returning to the palace, Hyang firmly resolved.
"I need to mobilize the craftsmen from the research institute and District 51 to conduct research. Before it's too late."
* * *
Having finished the mine work, Hyang made his way to a residential area near District 51.
"There's still a long way to go, and you're still lying around."
Hyang grumbled as he quickened his pace.
Currently, Hyang was on his way to see Pietro and Raphael.
After the incident concluded with Seo Dal becoming crippled, Hyang had been too busy solving the mine accident to visit them.
Finally, with the mine problem resolved, Hyang was visiting them for the first time.
Pietro, whose right arm had been broken after being beaten by Seo Dal's servants, was recovering at his rented house.
"Need to fix it quickly. The money being paid is substantial."
To ensure Pietro's quick recovery, Hyang had brought a royal physician directly and arrived in front of his house when a sharp voice reached his ears.
"You wench! Why is a vixen like you here!"
"What did you say, you wench! Who are you calling a vixen!"
"Haa~. I can roughly guess the situation."
Sighing at the women's shrill voices that seemed ready to tear each other apart, Hyang signaled to the Royal Guards.
"Open it."
"Yes."
When the door opened, the expected scene appeared.
The sight of women grabbing each other's hair and wrestling came into view.
Seeing two disheveled women fighting bloodily like crazy women, Hyang sighed and signaled to his attendant official.
"Haa~. Stop them."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
At Hyang's command, the guard shouted sternly.
"You wenches! What is this absurd behavior in broad daylight! Crown Prince His Highness is present, yet instead of stopping immediately, what are you doing! Do you truly wish to taste the whip!"
At the guard's stern shout, the fighting women quickly separated and prostrated themselves on the ground.
"We greet Crown Prince His Highness! Please, spare our lives!"
"Please spare us!"
"Huu~."
Hyang, letting out a long sigh, pointed outside the gate with his hand.
"Get out immediately."
"Yes, yes!"
At Hyang's command, the two women quickly fled.
Seeing this, Hyang asked Raphael and Pietro who were in the room performing their bows.
"As I understand it, doesn't the god you believe in teach not to commit adultery?"
At Hyang's question, Raphael pointed at Pietro and answered in still-halting Korean.
"Pietro, that bastard, is a damned womanizer."
"Hwal..."
* * *
Having entered the room, Hyang had the royal physician examine Pietro's condition.
"How is he?"
At Hyang's question, the royal physician who had examined Pietro's broken arm answered immediately.
"It has healed well."
"Is that so? Then he can return to work starting tomorrow."
At Hyang's words, Pietro rubbed his arm and whined.
"It still hurts here too... if I could rest just a little more..."
"Is that so? Raphael is currently working hard to cover your share, and the glass workshop is ready to operate. That means only Raphael is needed..."
Pausing briefly, Hyang glared at Pietro.
"Then why should I keep two of you while paying expensive salaries? I should just employ the diligent Raphael, and you should be sold off or put to hard labor at the mine..."
Before Hyang's words could even finish, Pietro answered immediately.
"I will report to work on time tomorrow!"
"Don't forget to report on time. There's much for you to do."
As Hyang departed after finishing his business, Pietro clicked his tongue, unable to hide his regret.
"The good days are all gone."
"That's why you shouldn't have played so many tricks. Do you still not know what kind of person that prince is?"
"Tch!"
Pietro still could not hide his regret as he clicked his tongue.
* * *
With Pietro returning to normal work, the glass workshop began operating normally.
"Are the materials properly prepared? Ash powder is the most important, how is it?"
At Pietro's question, Raphael held up a container filled with gray ash and answered.
"Ah. This time we made good ash powder."
Pietro dipped his finger in the ash, tasted it, and nodded.
"Not bad. The suffering was worth it."
At Pietro's words, Raphael also nodded and continued.
"Right? It was worth the hardship."
Recalling the trial and error and suffering the two had to endure to make this ash, complicated feelings crossed their minds.
To melt silicon, the main ingredient of glass, an intense heat of 1500 degrees Celsius was required.
Because obtaining such high temperatures was difficult, European craftsmen sought methods to make glass at lower temperatures.
Amidst countless repetitions of challenge and frustration, what European craftsmen discovered was ash from burning seaweed.
"You need seaweed? What kind?"
At Pietro and Raphael's request, Hyang had purchased all kinds of seaweed such as miyeok and dashima from the market.
"Something is a bit lacking..."
"Let's just find it ourselves!"
Pietro and Raphael, checking the ash from the seaweed Hyang had brought, shook their heads and then headed to the west coast accompanied by guards.
After scouring the west coast, the two found glasswort (saltwort).
"This exists in this country too!"
"Let's try it!"
Having found glasswort, the two immediately burned it to check the ash. Dipping their fingers in the ash and tasting it, the two looked at each other and smiled brightly.
"Yes, this is it!"
Having found the optimal material, and after various trial and error from pre-processing before burning—such as how long to dry the seaweed—to the appropriate fire temperature, what they produced was the current ash.
Checking the ash in the container, Pietro lightly stretched his right arm and looked back at Raphael.
"Shall we begin?"
"Good."
Having confirmed the materials, Pietro shouted to the waiting Korean craftsmen.
Pietro, whose always smiling face had completely lost its smile, shouted to the Korean craftsmen with a fierce expression.
"Light the kiln! Hot! Very hot!"
"Understood!"
The Korean craftsmen who answered Pietro's shout put burning coal into the kiln and began turning the handle of the centrifugal blower with all their might.
Whoosh~.
Along with the noisy sound of air being sucked in, the coal in the kiln began to burn blue.
"More coal!"
"More wind!"
Giving orders to the Korean craftsmen while checking the kiln's condition, Raphael and Pietro put the crucible containing the blended raw materials into the kiln.
After some time passed and they confirmed the raw materials had melted properly, Pietro and Raphael took out the crucible, poured it into a mold, and inserted a tube connected to bellows. Once the tube was properly inserted, the two worked the bellows.
It was the cylinder method developed in Germany and advanced in Venice.
The Korean craftsmen observed this entire process from beside Pietro and Raphael. It wasn't just the craftsmen.
Scribes dispatched from the research institute recorded every move of Raphael and Pietro without omission.
What they recorded would be made into books and become precious educational materials.
* * *
Finally, when the test-produced plate glass had completely cooled, Pietro and Raphael carefully lifted it to check the result.
Seeing the result, the two smiled broadly as they looked at each other.
"It worked! Success!"
It was the moment Korea's first plate glass was born.
Once the plate glass was completed, Hyang also entered the workshop to check the result.
"Well made! Good work!"
"Thank you!"
"I will award 20 nyang of silver as a reward!"
At the mention of a bonus, Pietro bowed deeply and answered.
"I am utterly grateful!"
At Pietro's words, the eunuch beside him shouted.
"Not 'mangguk' but 'manggeuk'!"
"I beg your pardon."
"Hey!"
"It's fine."
Stopping the eunuch from saying anything more, Hyang looked at Pietro and Raphael.
"Plate glass is successful, and I assume you know how to make vessels and bottles too?"
"Yes."
"And you know how to add color?"
"Yes."
"What about mirrors?"
At Hyang's question, Pietro looked at Raphael. Raphael answered in an uncharacteristically confident voice.
"We can make them."
At Raphael's answer, Hyang grinned.
"Is that so? Then let's make them all."
'Finally, time to reap the rewards!'