# Chapter 134: Changing People. (2)
Looking at the iron wire in his hand, Il-cheol wore a confident expression.
"I may not know other things, but I'm confident with iron wire!"
Il-cheol's smithy was well-known not only for making quality ironware, but also for crafting items skillfully with iron wire and copper wire.
The grills that Il-cheol made were sought after not only by wealthy families nearby but even by the gisaeng houses of Hanyang.
Also, the chainmail he made by skillfully bending iron wire was rumored to fit the body softly like cloth, so those newly subject to military service came from afar to purchase it.
Of course, demand dropped significantly after Joseon-style full plate armor began to be produced and distributed in District 51.
Having such confidence in crafting items with iron wire, Il-cheol was full of assurance.
"Let me see..."
Il-cheol roughly sketched a design on the ground with a fallen branch nearby.
"The size of the chicken coop would be..."
Il-cheol estimated the area of the backyard attached to his living quarters and nodded roughly.
"About 2 kan should be enough..."
Having decided on the size, Il-cheol looked for his wife.
"Honey, wife!"
"Why?"
"Let's raise chickens!"
"What?"
"So you see..."
After hearing Il-cheol's explanation, his wife immediately agreed.
"Damn it! Let's do it! I was already feeling like I'd get sick from those chicken shop owners' manipulations. Let's do it! Let's do it!"
With his wife's approval, work proceeded quickly. Il-cheol immediately placed an order with a carpenter living nearby.
"You want me to make a chicken coop? A chicken coop... It's not difficult, so I'll have it done quickly."
"Please do. I'll pay properly, so make it sturdy."
And so, a 2-kan chicken coop was completed in just three days.
Once the chicken coop was built, Il-cheol created rectangular window frames made of wire mesh. The thick iron wires woven like warp and weft threads into a rectangular iron frame looked sturdy at first glance.
Looking proudly at the chicken coop with the iron-barred windows he had made, Il-cheol shouted to his wife and children.
"What are you all doing? Hurry up and put the chickens in!"
"Yes! Kids!"
Il-cheol's family hurriedly pushed the hens and roosters into the chicken coop.
The chicken coop with windows blocked by wire mesh soon showed its effect. There were no chickens escaping through the windows, and with good ventilation, no chickens suffered from heat either.
Thanks to the bottom being carefully sealed with stones and lime mortar to a considerable height, the chickens wandered leisurely in a space safe from weasels, badgers, and even snakes.
As rumors spread that 'Il-cheol's chicken coop is amazing!' people from nearby poultry farms started to hover around. Seeing this, Il-cheol stroked his chin.
"Let me see... It seems like someone will copy this."
After pondering various thoughts, Il-cheol stood up.
"Who around here knows how to write?"
Il-cheol, searching for people who knew letters, eventually had a low-ranking clerk at the oil press write a document for him in exchange for two chickens.
"Since you asked, I'll do it... But will people really seek it out?"
"That's a problem for later. I just can't stand seeing random people copying things on their own without even saying anything."
"Ah! That is indeed a wicked thing!"
The clerk nodded at Il-cheol's explanation and quickly drafted the document.
"Thank you!"
"It's nothing... Anyway, I'll enjoy the chickens!"
Having created the document, Il-cheol immediately registered his wire mesh at the Intellectual Property Management Office. Hyang, who reviewed the documents through the office staff, smiled.
"Finally, the number of people moving on their own initiative is increasing."
---
As wire mesh windows were registered as a patent, poultry farms that heard the rumor ordered wire mesh windows from Il-cheol's smithy.
Since there were many poultry farms in the provinces as well, blacksmiths from the regions increasingly visited Il-cheol's smithy to sign usage contracts.
Each time such a contract was made, Il-cheol proudly shouted to his wife.
"I'm not dead yet!"
The pride of the blacksmith, which had faded, was revived.
---
As chickens were supplied steadily again, customers began increasing at 'Il-mi Gyejak.' Accordingly, the poultry farm expanded to three buildings.
With this expansion, Il-cheol encountered a new problem.
The problem of feed.
Il-cheol's children had to wander around all day catching earthworms, frogs, and grubs for the chickens to eat. But it was clear this wouldn't be enough.
"Hmm..."
Pondering to find an answer, Il-cheol headed to the oil press.
"Hey! Isn't this the wealthy Song!"
"Oh my, wealthy is not right at all!"
Waving off the oil-selling clerk's joke, Il-cheol noticed a group of workers carrying out and stacking sacks.
"What is that?"
"That? It's bean residue left after pressing out the oil."
"There's a lot. Removing that must be quite a task."
"It's perfect feed for cattle and pigs."
At the clerk's answer, Il-cheol's head turned sharply.
"You said cattle and pigs eat it?"
"Horses too. Why?"
"Please sell some of that to me!"
"Two mal of beans per seom."
"Please wait a moment!"
Seeing Il-cheol's back as he ran home in a hurry, the clerk opened his ledger.
"Let's see... With this, will it reach all the nearby poultry farms?"
---
In this way, quite a few commoners began breaking their existing frameworks for a slightly better life.
It was a small movement occurring beneath the surface, but the ripples it created reached Hyang.
On a day in March, after the spring cold had passed, Hyang was heading to District 51 on horseback as usual.
"Heave~ Make way! The Crown Prince is passing!"
At the eunuch's cry at the lead, the commoners on the main road all split left and right and prostrated themselves.
"This is really... doing this every day is inconvenient, should I change the law..."
Riding his horse through the prostrating commoners, Hyang muttered with a troubled expression.
---
If he stayed in the palace for most of the year like King Sejong or other kings in history, only coming out occasionally, it wouldn't have been a problem.
However, Hyang's issue was the opposite—he spent most of the year going back and forth between the palace and District 51.
He reduced the number of escorting martial artists and eunuchs to a minimum, but due to safety concerns, he could only reduce them by a third. As a result, whenever Hyang left the palace, at least thirty people had to move at once.
"It's too many! It can be reduced further!"
Hyang argued for personnel reduction, but Sejong was firm.
"Do not forget that you are the Crown Prince."
And as policies regarding local powerful families were being prepared, Sejong gave another order.
"Strengthen the guard for the Crown Prince, as wicked people may commit treacherous acts!"
Thanks to this, on days when Hyang traveled to and from District 51, this happened morning and evening.
"If I can't avoid it, I should reduce the time!"
Eventually, Hyang continued horseback riding, which he had started for health and growth, for faster commuting.
The amusing thing was, unlike Hyang's worry and guilt, for the residents of Hanyang, Hyang's commute was a specialty of the city. In particular, Hyang's appearance, which even the Emperor of Ming had admired, was a source of pride for Hanyang residents.
"You country bumpkins! Have you ever seen the Crown Prince's face? We see it every day! You don't know how handsome the Crown Prince is, do you?"
Thanks to various reform policies created and implemented by Hyang and Sejong, the people's support was fervent.
On days when Hyang didn't come out due to palace business, commoners who came out on the road looked toward Gyeongbokgung Palace with worried eyes.
"Surely he's not ill somewhere?"
---
"Heave~! Make way!"
Whether knowing Hyang's concerns or not, the eunuch's shouting continued.
When the main gate of District 51 came into view, suddenly loud gong sounds rang out.
Clang clang clang clang!
"Your Highness! Please grant this servant's wish!"
"Halt!"
"Halt!"
"Protect Your Highness!"
When a man suddenly jumped into the middle of the road beating a gong, the procession went into emergency mode.
While the escorting martial artists around Hyang hurriedly shielded him, the martial artists at the lead surrounded the problematic man on horseback.
"You there! What are you doing!"
"Your Highness! Please grant this servant's wish!"
"I asked what you're doing!"
Not answering and only calling for the Crown Prince, the man—no, someone closer to a boy—had a martial artist dismount and draw his sword to aim at him.
At the escort's fierce demeanor, the boy hurriedly answered.
"I, I am called Mal-bok! Please spare me!"
Along with the plea to spare him, Mal-bok, who had suddenly prostrated himself, screamed internally.
'Did I go crazy wanting to die! That damn alcohol is my enemy! My enemy!'
Blocking the Crown Prince's procession wasn't something one could do with a sober mind, so Mal-bok had downed a large jar of makgeolli.
He had acted on the courage born of intoxication, but that courage vanished in an instant at the sword aimed by the martial artist.
Lying prostrate on the ground and trembling, Mal-bok could hear the conversation between Hyang and the escorting martial artists.
"Bring that man here."
"However, Your Highness! He may have approached with treacherous intent!"
"Then simply search his body and bring him. He blocked the procession asking to grant a wish, so shouldn't we find out what the circumstances are?"
"...However..."
"Knowing that blocking the Crown Prince's path is a serious crime, he still jumped in. That shows how desperate he must be, doesn't it? Bring him."
"...I obey your command."
At Hyang's command, the martial artists searched Mal-bok's body and then dragged him before Hyang.
Seeing Mal-bok dragged before the horse he was riding, Hyang dismounted.
"How old are you?"
"I, I am fourteen, Your Highness."
"The same age as me. So what grievous circumstances made you block the road?"
At Hyang's question, Mal-bok glanced nervously at the surrounding escorting martial artists and answered haltingly.
"It's not a grievous matter, but rather something I couldn't resolve no matter what..."
"Something you couldn't resolve?"
"Yes. No one in my village could give me an answer, so I did this. I thought Your Highness, second only to His Majesty in wisdom, could give me an answer..."
"So what is it you want to know?"
"Please tell me what work I can do!"
"Huh..."
'A needle in a haystack in the middle of the night, career counseling?'
Hyang, dumbfounded by the unexpected answer, caught the smell of alcohol from Mal-bok.
"Sniff sniff. This smells like alcohol. Did you drink?"
"Yes, I couldn't bring myself to do it with a sober mind..."
"Hahaha!"
At Mal-bok's answer, Hyang burst into loud laughter. After laughing for a while, Hyang looked at Mal-bok.
"Before we talk in detail, go to the police office and receive your punishment first."
"What?"
"If you went to such lengths, you must have pressing circumstances. However, there are national laws. You have now violated that law, so it is only natural that you must receive punishment. So go receive your punishment first, then return."
"Yes."
At Hyang's words, Mal-bok answered dejectedly. Seeing this, Hyang ordered the martial artists.
"You and you, take this person... wait, what is your name?"
"I am called Mal-bok."
"Right, take this Mal-bok to the police office and have the punishment executed."
"Yes!"
At Hyang's command, the escorting martial artists answered vigorously. Seeing this, Hyang gestured to the martial artists.
"Your ears for a moment..."
Hyang whispered quietly to the martial artists who came close.
"Make sure to bring him back in reasonably good condition. If, let's say, I think it's too severe, I will hold you responsible. Convey the same to the police chief."
"Yes, yes sir!"
The escorting martial artists answered with cold sweat.
Hyang ordered Mal-bok.
"I say again, national laws are strict. Go receive your punishment and return. Your wish will be discussed after that."
"Yes."
Thus, gyeongjaeng came to be officially recorded earlier than in actual history.
Meanwhile, the Hanyang residents who watched this commotion explained the situation to neighbors who hadn't seen it, saying:
"Have you ever seen such a benevolent yet strict nobleman? Have you ever seen one!"