< Chapter 17: Sprouting... Carcinogenic? (10) >
'For my own comfort, Sejong must have longevity—and not just any longevity, but healthy longevity!'
With that decision made, Hyang persistently persuaded Sejong.
"Looking at the medical texts from the Yuan Dynasty that I obtained through the envoys..."
Based on medical evidence, Hyang convinced Sejong.
"I am well aware that Your Majesty prefers meat. However, an imbalanced diet disrupts the harmony of yin-yang and the five elements..."
"Consuming excessive grains together with meat clouds the blood..."
He would quote passages from medical texts, or even go so far as to open the medical texts directly, as Hyang actively adjusted Sejong's diet.
How active was he? He practically lived in the royal kitchen for a month, constantly pressuring the skilled cooks and palace maids.
"The seasoning is too salty! Do it again!"
"It is better to eat small portions frequently rather than gorging all at once. Serve fruits and simple snacks to His Majesty in between meals!"
Hyang didn't just turn the royal kitchen upside down.
"You call yourselves royal physicians, yet you still only read medical texts from the Tang Dynasty! How many new medical texts have been published since then? Obtain and read them immediately!"
"If you've read the medical texts, you must put them into practice. What are you doing!"
"The medicinal herbs mentioned in Chinese medical texts don't exist in our Joseon? Then you must either go find them or identify herbs native to Joseon with the same efficacy—that is the duty of a royal physician, no, of any physician! Do you think herbs will just sprout on their own while you sit idle! Go outside the palace this instant and find those herbs!"
Under Hyang's pressure, the royal physicians of the Internal Medicine Bureau had to procure the latest medical books, research medicinal herbs, and break out in cold sweat.
"No matter what anyone says, exercise is the best!"
Hyang carefully observed what kind of exercise Sejong enjoyed. What Sejong liked was Gyeokbang.
"Gyeokbang? Similar to golf? Golf... it's a decent exercise, but..."
After some deliberation, what Hyang chose was 'jump rope.'
"It may seem ridiculous, but being king is not a job with much spare time or space, so jump rope is appropriate."
Holding the jump rope made by mobilizing the craftsmen of the Gunbigam, Hyang let out a small sigh.
"To think even making a single jump rope would be this difficult..."
From creating a lightweight and durable rope to use as the jump rope cord, to making light and sturdy handles, Hyang had to go through quite a few trials and errors.
"The problem definitely isn't technology but the lack of concepts... Do I really have to roll them out?"
Inside Hyang's head—for reasons of classified information security—the so-called 'tech tree' that constantly upgraded had only one item that never changed.
'Yeah, rolling them out should work.'
This was an item that, as Hyang grew and became more in sync with Sejong, would cause wailing from countless people.
* * *
Holding the jump rope and bells created through many trials in one hand, and a book written in Latin in the other, Hyang went straight to find Sejong.
"What is that?"
"While searching for medical texts for Your Majesty's health, I found this in a book from the Western barbarians. According to the translation, it involves jumping over a rope for exercise."
"Jumping over a rope for exercise?"
"Yes. May this humble son demonstrate?"
"Permission granted."
As soon as Sejong granted permission, Hyang stepped to the center of the Pyeonjeon, grabbed the rope with both hands, and began jumping rope.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Jingle! Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!
Every time Hyang lightly jumped over the rope, bells on his ankles rang cheerfully. After jumping about ten times, Hyang caught his breath lightly and respectfully held out the rope to Sejong.
Taking the rope, Sejong looked at Hyang.
"It doesn't look particularly difficult. But you say this will help me?"
"That is correct. According to what the Western barbarians wrote, 'If one jumps without rest 100 times a day, the lower body becomes strong and minor illnesses disappear, and if a man continues 100 times daily without rest for several years, the foundation becomes strong and...', the next part was difficult to interpret, so I re-translated from the Chinese interpretation as follows: 'In relations between husband and wife, there will be no retreat.'"
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
In that instant, not only Sejong but everyone in the Pyeonjeon—except the eunuchs—had their eyes light up.
Sejong gripped the rope tightly and looked at Hyang.
"So that's how it is?"
"Yes. According to the Western barbarians' writings, that is correct. The Western barbarians added this: 'Those in high positions or those who sail for long periods tend to have weak lower bodies. The best ways to strengthen a man's lower body are horseback riding or running, but those in high positions lack time, and those sailing lack space, making these impossible. That is why this was developed.'"
"Indeed! Exactly!"
At Hyang's additional explanation, Sejong slapped his knee in admiration. His father, the late king, and even Taejo had always preached until their ears wore out that a man must ride horses or run well to have a strong lower body.
"You say to jump 100 times with this?"
"That is correct."
"It doesn't seem too difficult. But what are these bells?"
"They are to be worn on the ankles. If done correctly, they make a pleasant sound, and if you trip, they make an undignified sound, which helps with concentration. Especially, Sangseon."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"When your father does this jump rope, you must carefully count the bell sounds and make sure to reach exactly 100. The Western barbarians wrote that 'excess is as bad as deficiency, so when starting out, aim to jump 30 times without rest, and only then gradually increase the number to reach 100.'"
"I will keep the Crown Prince's command in mind."
After conveying the precautions to Sangseon, Hyang offered counsel to Sejong.
"This humble son's greatest wish is nothing but Your Majesty's healthy longevity. I earnestly implore you to regard your diet and exercise with great importance."
As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, the ministers took up the words. For the ministers, this was an opportunity to score points with the king after a long time.
"The Crown Prince's words are correct! Your Majesty's health and well-being is the most important matter of all!"
Ultimately, Sejong began his morning routine by drinking water upon waking and then doing jump rope.
"This is not as easy as I thought!"
At first, his feet kept getting caught while jumping rope, but gradually Sejong began to jump the rope skillfully.
* * *
After starting jump rope, positive changes began to occur in Sejong, and the biggest change was that he began to properly move his bowels. Seeing Sejong's complexion improve as he properly relieved himself, Hyang smiled in satisfaction.
"With high fiber intake and jump rope stimulating the internal organs, it would be strange not to have smooth bowel movements!"
As word quietly spread that jump rope was effective for constipation, the Queen and the royal consorts also began to show interest in jump rope.
"Crown Prince, if this jump rope is as good as they say, would it be good for this mother as well?"
Queen Soheon, who took the lead, issued what was essentially a command disguised as a question, and Hyang immediately responded.
"My goodness! Please forgive this humble son's lack of foresight!"
Having readily answered, Hyang immediately created and presented jump ropes for the Queen and the royal consorts. Queen Soheon and the consorts, receiving jump ropes with gorgeous cords made from braided five-colored threads, encountered another problem.
"The skirt is inconvenient!"
"Should we mention this to the Crown Prince?"
After much deliberation, Queen Soheon once again took the lead.
"Crown Prince, this jump rope is certainly good to do, but there is a problem. The clothes are a bit..."
"This humble son will contemplate a solution."
Though he answered, this was not an easy task for Hyang either.
"Did I go too far?"
In any case, having given an answer, Hyang racked his brain to create a result, and found an answer. He borrowed the design of riding breeches that Western noblewomen and upper-class women enjoyed wearing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created a design, and sent it to the Sanguiwon.
Queen Soheon and the consorts who received the clothes were slightly taken aback by the unfamiliar design, but soon discovered that they were easier to move in than their previous clothes, and began to enjoy wearing them not only during exercise but also in daily life.
This led to a butterfly effect that Hyang had not anticipated—Sejong's nightly activities became more frequent. This was due to the design that, unlike traditional designs, slightly emphasized the waist and hips.
* * *
The jump rope Hyang created for Sejong's health quickly spread throughout the country. Ironically, its speed far surpassed that of the Geumpil.
"If you really can't get a proper rope, you can just use straw rope... but the biggest reason was 'vitality'!"
Reading a document sent through a merchant group that had become Hyang's personal intelligence network while supplying Geumpil, Hyang burst into a chuckle.
Among the reports related to jump rope, the highlight was that a rural yangban in his sixties who had been ailing started jump rope immediately upon hearing the rumor.
However, there was also a butterfly effect that Hyang had not anticipated at all.
"Riding breeches are becoming popular? No way!"
The riding breeches that palace women had favored because they were comfortable for exercise and movement began to spread among the women of the noble families as well.
"Why?"
Investigating the cause, Hyang grasped an unexpected fact. Hyang's riding breeches, which slightly revealed the lines of the waist and hips, were the best means to draw men who had been wandering outside into the inner chambers. Additionally, unexpectedly, women in early Joseon were quite open and active. No, since the Goryeo Dynasty, no, even before that since the Three Kingdoms period, the customs of the Korean peninsula were quite open, and that trend continued into the early Joseon period. In such a social atmosphere, comfortable and sexy (?) clothes were enough to become a trend.
"That's why they built gates for chaste women..."
Hyang once again recalled the ramblings of Samcheonpo Teacher.
-The fact that they built gates for chaste women and even gave benefits is proof that chaste women were rare! It's the same as how the West, no, the Catholic Church, kept searching for 'saints' so fervently!
"Come to think of it, wasn't the Tang Dynasty fashion that boldly exposed the chest cleavage also introduced from Silla?"
* * *
Time passed steadily, and the time for the winter solstice envoys to depart for Beijing drew near. Hyang created expected scenarios and educated (?) the envoy delegation.
"...Therefore, if they respond in this manner, I believe answering in this way would be the best course of action."
"That may be true, but doing so could amount to telling lies to the Emperor, which could become a diplomatic issue."
"It wouldn't be a lie, would it? Whenever Ming envoys come and go, it's true that the national finances stagger, it's true that gold and silver are scarce, and it's true that we wish to emulate Ming's systems but cannot due to lack of gold and silver. Isn't all of this true? It's just not the precise truth, with a bit of exaggeration mixed in."
"If discovered, it could become a diplomatic issue."
At Chief State Councillor Ryu Jeong-hyeon's objection, Hyang glared at him.
"Diplomatic issues if discovered..."
"Furthermore, a scholar must always be honest..."
"Then, should we not first report to the Emperor that all the war horses we have given to Ming so far were purchased from the Jurchens, and that we made nearly twice the profit from the purchase price? No, why not also mention that it's not that gold and silver are scarce, but simply that we don't prospect or mine them?"
"That is..."
At Hyang's rebuke, Chief State Councillor Ryu Jeong-hyeon was left speechless. Staring at Ryu Jeong-hyeon, Hyang pressed on.
"Are you speaking out of concern for the safety of this Joseon, or are you simply insisting on this to suppress my spirit?"
"I have never harbored any such disloyal intentions!"
"Then what would be the correct course of action?"
"...I will follow the Crown Prince's plan."
Once the Chief State Councillor yielded, the meeting proceeded more normally.
"Originally, according to the rules Ming established for diplomatic missions, we, along with Dai Viet and Siam, are permitted one mission every three years. What if Ming revives this rule?"
"Why would Ming want to revive this principle?"
In response to Hyang's question, the Minister of War who raised the inquiry explained the reason.
"Upon seeing the scale of the merchant group accompanying us, they may suspect the nature of our mission."
"In that case, request that Ming establish a Joseon Hall just as we have established the Waegwan. Making it a permanent facility rather than accompanying missions could be beneficial to both sides. Eunuch, bring a map."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After a while, looking at the map the eunuch brought, Hyang pondered for some time. When enough time had passed, Hyang continued speaking.
"If only sea routes are permitted, Shandong would be best; if only land routes are permitted, the Liao River region would be appropriate. Please consult with His Majesty."
"I understand."
Returning to his quarters, Hyang let out a sigh.
"Phew~. There's no answer except Shandong!"
< Chapter 17: Sprouting... Carcinogenic? (10) > End
ⓒ Gukbong