< Episode 20: Sprouting... Carcinogenesis? (13) >
Episode 20: Sprouting... Carcinogenesis? (13)
After about ten days passed, Hyang fully recovered his health. Sejong summoned Soedol, who had been imprisoned in the royal prison.
"The Crown Prince has recovered his health. Do you truly believe with certainty that the Crown Prince will not contract smallpox?"
"I am certain, Your Majesty. It is something I have experienced myself, and those who lived with me likewise did not contract smallpox."
"I am still uneasy. Therefore, I will administer the cowpox inoculation to everyone in Hanyang who has not suffered from smallpox. Will it be possible to prepare so that everyone can receive it?"
At Sejong's question, Soedol calculated internally for a moment before answering.
"To do so, we would need at least fifty cows infected with cowpox."
"Use the cattle from the royal stables that you tend to. How long will it take?"
"Preparations will be complete within fifteen days. However, even if a cow contracts cowpox, it recovers within a week if short, or ten days if long, so we will need an exact implementation date."
"Wait in full readiness so that you can execute immediately upon receiving word from the Royal Medical Office. And..."
Sejong paused, glared at Hyang standing beside him, then continued.
"I appoint you as the Mokchambong (Pastoral Adjutant) of the royal ranch located on Neobeol Island."
"Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty!"
At Sejong's words, Soedol immediately prostrated himself in a deep bow. Though he was a yangin (free commoner), he had been a mokbu (herdsman) close to sin-ryang-yeok-cheon (free body, base occupation), and now an official position had been granted to him.
"Then prepare immediately."
"I obey your command!"
Soedol answered loudly and left the palace in high spirits.
Meanwhile, Sejong returned to the Pyeonjeon (Hall of Administrative Council) and glared at Hyang.
"First, Crown Prince. Congratulations on your recovery."
"Your grace is immeasurable, Royal Father."
"However, I will not tolerate such an incident a second time. You must report in advance and receive my permission."
"I will keep that in mind, Royal Father."
At Hyang's words, Sejong muttered unconsciously.
"The brat answers well enough... Hup!"
Realizing his mistake, Sejong looked toward where the scribes were stationed. But seeing that the scribes' golden brushes were already moving enthusiastically, Sejong clicked his tongue and continued.
"You and that fellow Soedol seem certain that the cowpox inoculation will prevent smallpox, but I am uneasy. Therefore, I will conduct an experiment on the people of Hanyang. What do you think, Crown Prince?"
"It is a wise decision. However, I would like to add a few points."
"Add points? Speak."
"First, those to receive the cowpox inoculation initially should be the physicians and medical women of the Royal Medical Office. If smallpox spreads during the inoculation process, we send out the physicians and medical women who received the cowpox inoculation. By doing so..."
"We will be able to determine more clearly whether Soedol's words are true or false?"
"Exactly, Royal Father."
"Hmm..."
Sejong, who had been thinking about Hyang's proposal, turned to look at the Minister of Personnel who oversaw the Royal Medical Office.
"When Soedol's preparations reach a certain point, administer the cowpox inoculation to half of the physicians and medical women of the Royal Medical Office first."
"Not all of them, but half?"
"This fel... no, judging from the Crown Prince's case, one cannot move properly for at least fifteen days. Therefore, I believe dividing them in half is appropriate."
"I will do so."
After hearing the Minister of Personnel's answer, Sejong turned back to Hyang.
"Is there anything else you wish to add?"
"Yes. When administering the cowpox inoculation, rather than summoning people, it would be better to visit each and every household directly to administer the treatment."
"The reason?"
"Because cowpox inoculation is unfamiliar. Smallpox is frightening, but if told to receive something they have never seen before called cowpox inoculation, who would readily come forward?"
"That is true. So we visit them directly and administer it without exception? That makes sense."
"In addition, when visiting to administer the treatment, have officials from the Ministry of Personnel accompany them to conduct a household census."
"Indeed! That is truly a brilliant plan!"
At Hyang's proposal, Sejong slapped his knee in admiration. Investigating household registries was truly a difficult task. This was because many commoners fled every time a census was conducted to avoid taxes and corvée labor. As a result, even Hanyang, the capital where the royal palace was located, lacked proper household registries.
"It is killing two birds with one stone! What else would you like to add?"
Sejong, who was very pleased with the plans Hyang presented, asked with a smile spread across his face.
At Sejong's question, Hyang answered promptly.
"Though Your Majesty is not yet certain, I am convinced that this cowpox inoculation will succeed. Therefore, it will become natural to implement this cowpox inoculation not only in Hanyang but throughout the entire country."
"That could well happen."
"If so, please accept wealth from the great ministers and the local gentry."
At Hyang's proposal, Sejong's face grew serious.
"Accept wealth from the gentry?"
"Exactly, Your Majesty. Just like smallpox, cows that have once contracted cowpox do not contract it again. This means we must continuously obtain new cows and infect them with cowpox. This alone costs a considerable amount. Additionally, dispatching physicians, medical women, and officials to conduct the census also incurs costs."
"That is true."
At Hyang's point, not only Sejong but also the ministers nodded.
"Yet demanding money from the commoners is also difficult. Most of them have not even properly prepared to survive the lean spring season."
"Sadly, that is true. It is all due to my lack of virtue."
At Sejong's self-reproach, the ministers all lowered their heads together.
"It is not so, Your Majesty! The people all know that Your Majesty's virtue is high! This is an unavoidable natural disaster, so please do not worry!"
"Please do not worry!"
Hearing the ministers speak in unison, Hyang clicked his tongue internally.
'Those yangban who kept babbling about the king's lack of virtue at the drop of a hat... is it case by case?'
Grumbling internally, Hyang continued speaking as the ministers' words died down.
"In this situation, how can we demand money from the commoners? However, the local powerful families and gentry are in a different situation, are they not? Though this is my personal opinion, if we collect the value of half a cow from those with a hundred seok of land, the value of three cows from those with a thousand seok, and the value of twenty cows from those with ten thousand seok, we should be able to sufficiently cover the costs."
"Hmm..."
At Hyang's words, not only Sejong but all the ministers began calculating profit and loss. After a while, the Right State Councillor spoke.
"Though the Crown Prince's plan is excellent, will they willingly contribute?"
"We must make them contribute. If they voluntarily offer in advance, we can erect a monument praising their virtue or bestow a hanging plaque, and if they do not, we must collect it forcibly. If they refuse to pay until the end..."
Hyang paused, and his eyes shone coldly.
"We simply do not administer the inoculation to the village where that family belongs."
"That seems like a somewhat harsh measure."
At the Right State Councillor's objection, the Minister of Personnel voiced his opposition loudly.
"It is not harsh! Even a hundred-seok landowner is the most senior elder in that village! If one is a gentry and a senior elder, it is only natural to step forward! Yet they refuse that? They lack the qualifications of a gentry! If one recites the classics with one's mouth but does not act accordingly, what kind of gentry is that? Knowledge and action must be one!"
At the Minister of Personnel's rebuttal, this time the Left State Councillor stepped forward.
"But is the cost not the issue?"
"No matter how expensive a cow may be, can a hundred-seok landowner not pay the value of half a cow? They simply will not pay!"
Starting with the clash between the ministers and the Minister of Personnel, the great ministers split into two and began a war of words.
"If one is a gentry in name, they should naturally pay!"
"But the state cannot forcibly demand payment!"
Watching the ministers' debate, Sejong looked at Hyang with tired eyes.
"You have an outstanding talent for stirring up trouble out of nowhere."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Does that sound like a compliment to you?"
At this, Hyang wore a subtle smile, and Sejong clicked his tongue quietly.
"Tsk!"
At Hyang's reaction, Sejong clicked his tongue quietly, then clicked his tongue loudly as he watched the ministers' debate.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"Ahem! Ahem!"
When Sejong clicked his tongue, the ministers coughed and straightened their postures.
"I have heard your arguments well. Let us discuss the cost issue again after seeing the results of the cowpox inoculation to be implemented in Hanyang. The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Taxation shall thoroughly verify and report not only the household census but also the cost expenditure during the inoculation process. It would be better to discuss again after seeing those results."
"We obey your command."
Seeing the matter of 'cowpox inoculation for Hanyang residents' resolved to some extent, Hyang quickly opened his mouth.
"I have a petition for Your Majesty, Royal Father."
"A petition?"
As soon as Hyang mentioned 'petition,' Sejong and the ministers all tensed up. This was because whenever Hyang made a petition, a storm always ensued.
"... Must you really make that petition?"
"I believe it is absolutely necessary."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong let out a long sigh.
"Hoo~. Speak."
"Yes. First, I will speak about the Royal Medical Office."
"The Royal Medical Office?"
"Yes. Though this was a subject raised by the Ministry of Personnel a few years ago, the point was that medical officials are only interested in passing examinations and rising in rank. Therefore, they focus only on memorizing books that collect prescription formulas and neglect actual treatment." (Note 1)
"Right, I remember."
Following Sejong's answer, the Minister of Personnel interjected.
"I also recall discussing that matter when I searched my memory. At that time, His Majesty ordered that promotions be based on treatment achievements."
"That was so. I remember."
Sejong nodded and looked at Hyang. Hyang continued.
"His Majesty made a wise decision at that time."
"Then what is the problem?"
"It is the same issue as this cowpox inoculation. Though there are many physicians, there are still many diseases that physicians do not know, and many treatments they do not know."
"That is true. Then we must obtain more medical texts from Ming China."
"China's new medical texts are helpful, but they are not the answer. China's mountains and rivers are not the same as our Joseon's mountains and rivers, and the people are not the same either. Therefore, the 'Hyangyak Jesaeng Jipseongbang' (Compiled Prescriptions of Native Medicines for Saving the People) was already compiled during the reign of King Jeongjong. This must be expanded and supplemented."
"Expanded and supplemented... I see. That is reasonable. Minister of Personnel, what do you think?"
At Sejong's question, the Minister of Personnel bowed his head.
"I believe the Crown Prince's words are truly reasonable!"
"Are there any other opinions?"
At Sejong's question, not a single official offered a counterargument.
"Good. Minister of Personnel, cooperate with the Royal Medical Office and the Jiphyeonjeon (Hall of Worthies) to execute the expansion and supplementation of the medical texts."
"We obey your command."
After deciding on the expansion of the 'Hyangyak Jipseongbang,' Sejong turned back to Hyang.
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes. In watching Your Majesty and the ministers discuss state affairs, I have noticed one problem."
"A problem?"
"When a problem arises in administering state affairs, the ministers search their memories to recall whether there was a similar precedent. Was that not the case just now?"
"It was."
"In particular, the elder ministers present here have experience serving even in the previous dynasty."
"That is so."
"Similar problems always tend to repeat. In ten years at the shortest, thirty years at the longest, both the current elder ministers and young officials will have retired. What will happen then? When a generation without memories or experience to reflect upon administers state affairs?"
"That will be a problem..."
At Hyang's point, Sejong answered with a serious expression. Seeing even Sejong become serious, the Left State Councillor joined the conversation.
"As the Crown Prince said, in thirty years, old men like me will have already returned to the earth, and even those young men with ruddy faces will have nearly retired. However, policies and institutions flow continuously like a river, so there will always be those with experience even when that time comes. Even if problems arise, they will be solvable."
'Is today like yesterday, and tomorrow like today?'
Finding the Left State Councillor's words absurd, Hyang immediately launched a rebuttal.
* * *
Note 1) Sejong Year 3, March 18th.
< Episode 20: Sprouting... Carcinogenesis? (13) > End
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