< Chapter 37: Joy in Passion, Sorrow in Passion. (2) >
Chapter 37: Joy in Passion, Sorrow in Passion. (2)
In the original history, Princess Jeongso should have died in February. The problem was the cause of death. In the records Hyang had skimmed through in the 21st century, the cause was unclear.
Some records said chickenpox, others wrote smallpox.
"Where's that 50% probability!"
Knowing that Sejong suffered a massive psychological shock when Princess Jeongso died, Hyang had bet everything on that 50% probability and inoculated the princess with smallpox vaccine.
And that 50% probability proved correct.
* * *
As the nationwide implementation of smallpox inoculation entered its final stages, Sejong moved to wrap things up decisively. Sejong summoned the Minister of Personnel and commanded.
"Has the roster of local gentry who failed to pay the sot price been completed?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It has been completed."
"Bring it."
After a while, an official from the Ministry of Personnel who received the order brought the roster and submitted it to the Minister, and the Minister passed it to the Sangseon. Sejong, examining the roster received from the Sangseon, spoke.
"Truly many."
"143 persons in total, Your Majesty."
The roster submitted by the Minister of Personnel contained names, family lineages, residences, and approximate wealth.
Sejong, having examined the roster, issued his command.
"Remove all persons listed in this roster from the Hyang-an (local gentry registry). If any have passed the small examination and are receiving tax exemption benefits, revoke all such favors immediately. Finally, prohibit their descendants from holding official posts for three generations."
"I obey your command!"
This decision would cause a massive upheaval among the local sajok (noble families).
* * *
As Sejong's order was executed, the local yurim (Confucian scholars) experienced great turmoil.
"This is too harsh a measure!"
Those whose names were struck from the Hyang-an according to Sejong's command protested violently, but few agreed with their claims. Most reactions were as follows.
"Tsk tsk tsk. They should have restrained their greed. How much was that sot price anyway?"
"If they call themselves sadaebu and local gentry, shouldn't they live up to the name?"
"They should know shame and proper conduct! Leave this place at once! This is no place for those who aren't true sadaebu!"
Thus driven out, they shouted toward the closed gates of the Yuhyangso (local office).
"How clean are you lot!"
The repercussions of Sejong's order did not end there.
"What are these petitions?"
At the suddenly mountainous pile of petitions, Sejong looked at the Chief State Councillor. The Chief State Councillor answered with a troubled expression.
"These are petitions from fathers asking permission to divorce their daughters."
"Permission to divorce?"
Sejong unrolled a scroll and read its contents. The contents of the petitions were largely similar.
-My son-in-law has lost his qualification as a sadaebu by not knowing shame and proper conduct. When such a thing happened, he should naturally reflect in seclusion, but he declares his own innocence without any reflection, and even commits violence against my daughter his wife while drunk, so please permit divorce between the couple.
Unlike the Goryeo era when marriage and divorce were easy, in the Joseon era, marriage and divorce among yangban were very complicated. For yangban to divorce, filing a lawsuit with the local magistrate was basic, and they had to petition even to the King.
Sejong, having examined all the petitions, reached a conclusion.
"Using violence against one's lawful wife is not befitting a sadaebu. However, one cannot conclude based only on one side's words, so order the local magistrate of the petitioner's residence to verify the facts. If the contents of the suit are true, permit the divorce and order that bunjae (division of property) be done fairly."
"I obey your command."
As Sejong's order fell, numerous couples divorced. But it wasn't only divorces that were produced. Pahon (breaking of marriage), which didn't require as complicated procedures as divorce, was several times more numerous.
* * *
Sejong's reforms were being prepared gradually over a long time. However, there was one place moving at an unexpectedly fast pace: the military.
Sejong, who had been discussing state affairs with ministers, took a brief moment to visit the Crown Prince's quarters.
A eunuch standing before Hyang's door was about to announce him, but Sejong lightly waved his hand.
"Hush, I wish to see the Crown Prince's usual appearance."
At Sejong's words, the eunuch answered with a troubled expression, pointing to one side.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is currently in the Haeuso."
"Haeuso?"
"The privy, Your Majesty."
"Ah! Haeuso... the name has quite an elegant ring to it."
Sejong nodded and looked where the eunuch pointed. Before a room situated in one corner of the Crown Prince's quarters, a court lady holding cotton cloth stood at attention.
Swoosh~
At the loud sound of water, the court lady quickly opened the door and went inside. After a while, Hyang emerged with a refreshed face, a book tucked under one arm, and upon seeing Sejong, hurriedly rushed over and bowed his head.
"Father, have you come? I am deeply ashamed to have shown such an unseemly sight!"
"Unseemly, indeed... that aside, you read books even in the privy?"
"It reads surprisingly well."
"Well now... I too enjoy books, but..."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong shook his head with a fed-up expression.
* * *
The Haeuso, or more precisely, the western-style toilet installed inside the bathroom, was something Hyang had firmly resolved to make since his days as Wonja (firstborn son).
For that reason, from the time he was invested as Crown Prince, created the Geum Pil, and judged he had gained Sejong's recognition of his abilities to some degree, Hyang attempted to produce the toilet.
However, toilet production encountered a major obstacle from the start.
The toilet Hyang was familiar with from the 21st century was made of ceramic. But the historical background of the Joseon era was problematic.
The place supplying various ceramics used by the royal family was the Saongbang, and the ceramics supplied there came through tribute payments. Ultimately, he had to find a kiln that actually produced ceramics, and even the nearest was in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.
After the Neobeolseom incident, Hyang's range of activity was limited to Hanyang, and Hyang himself had no thought of going as far as Gwangju, Gyeonggi.
"In the 21st century, you could get there quickly by car, but this is Joseon."
Ultimately, Hyang had to find an alternative. Searching through his memories for various alternatives, Hyang finally found one.
What Hyang found was a scene from a movie whose protagonist was a one-track-minded macho mummy - who cried 'Anaksunamun' until the very end - that he had watched.
He remembered the iron toilet in the bathroom where the child, a key keyword of the movie, escaped from the train.
As soon as the memory came to mind, Hyang created a concept diagram and rough blueprint and immediately sought out Gong the blacksmith at the Gungisi (Military Supplies Office).
That was when it began. Gong the blacksmith's ordeal started.
Though Hyang had made blueprints, they were closer to organizing concepts. Actual measurements had to be determined by Gong the blacksmith through direct experimentation.
This was the same even in the 21st century. When Hyang - Jinho in the 21st century - made steam engines with his friends, Hyang handled concepts and overall design, and all numerical calculations had to be done by his friends.
"I'm a humanities major. Should a humanities major do calculations too?"
Anyway, after all manner of trial and error, Gong the blacksmith produced an iron toilet.
"Good work, good work!"
Seeing the completed toilet, Hyang greatly praised Gong the blacksmith. Not just with words, Hyang gave Gong the blacksmith one seom of white rice, and to the blacksmiths under him, he distributed from five mal to one mal of white rice as rewards according to their rank. Gong the blacksmith, receiving unexpected rewards, prostrated himself and shouted.
"Please entrust me with anything hereafter! I will make it with all my might!"
"I trust and look forward to it!"
Later, whenever recalling the events of that time, Gong the blacksmith would slap his own mouth.
"This damn mouth of mine is my enemy!"
Anyway, having seen the toilet thus created and the bathroom where the toilet was installed, Sejong wanted to install a toilet in the Geunjeongjeon as well. However, Sejong's intention was thwarted by the opposition of the royal physicians.
"To check His Majesty the King's health, we must check his excretions! But in this state, we cannot check them!"
"Is that so? I understand..."
Sejong stepped back at the royal physicians' opposition, but Sejong did not abandon his intention.
"I will install it someday!"
Ultimately, a toilet was not installed in the Geunjeongjeon, but toilets were installed in quite a few places besides the Crown Prince's quarters. Those places were where the Queen and royal consorts resided. Squatting over a chamber pot to do one's business was by no means comfortable. Especially when pregnant and the belly had grown, the toilet was the finest item. Of course, it was hard labor for the eunuchs and court ladies who had to remove the waste bucket placed in the space beneath the bathroom floor and fill the toilet tank with water.
Later, this toilet began to be released to the private sector, and various problems arose accordingly. And to solve this, Hyang completely overhauled the public hygiene system, which was inevitable.
* * *
Coming out of the Haeuso, Hyang moved to the study with Sejong. Sejong, facing Hyang with a large table between them, spoke immediately.
"Crown Prince, I was looking at the reforms you created again and had a question, so I came."
"What question do you have, Father?"
"Though you mentioned many parts, there was one part you did not mention: only the military. Surely you didn't omit it out of ignorance?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang smiled gently. Seeing that, Sejong shook his head.
"This sly one..."
"If I had mentioned the military as well, even greater commotion would have arisen."
At those words, Sejong nodded.
"That is true."
"What does Father think?"
At Hyang's question, Sejong answered firmly.
"The military must also be reformed. Rather than looking only at individual martial power as before, I believe intelligence must be given greater importance."
At Sejong's words, Hyang nodded.
In the 4th year of Sejong's reign, Sejong had established new standards for the military examination.
"The civil service examination is for selecting talent. This is the same for the military examination. From now on, even if someone cannot hit a target from 200 paces, if they are well-versed in the classics, select them."
Some said this was favoring civil officials and looking down on military officials, but Hyang thought differently.
"Even Jedi die from ganking. Father's words are not wrong. From now on, smart people are needed."
'Who was that again? Can't remember. Anyway, I'm going to use him!'
Muttering to himself, Hyang immediately spoke.
"I think as follows. For the nation, civil and military are like a person's two arms, and like the two wheels of a cart. A person cannot live with only one arm, and a cart cannot move with only one wheel. I believe civil and military for the nation are exactly like this."
At Hyang's words, Sejong nodded strongly.
"Your words are truly right! That is why I too am thinking of reform. However..."
Sejong sighed.
"The ministers sitting in that hall will immediately raise objections. Defense requires a thousand nyang, no, ten thousand nyang, and they will mention the military regime of the former dynasty."
"But we cannot look down on the military. Then this Joseon will immediately collapse. Please consider the precedent of Song."
Hyang, wetting his throat with tea brought by a eunuch, continued.
"There was an empire called Rome in the West. That nation's proverb is said to include this: 'Si vis pacem, para bellum.'"
"What does it mean?"
"It means 'If you want peace, prepare for war.' It is the same as saying yubimuhwan (preparedness ensures no disaster)."
"Yubimuhwan..."
Sejong rolled the word yubimuhwan around in his mouth, tapping the table with his fingers. Seeing this, Hyang added.
"We need not look far. Look at the late period of the former dynasty. How many people suffered due to the Jurchens and Japanese pirates? It is true that defense consumes much wealth, but if preparations are not properly made when trouble actually breaks out, many times that wealth and manpower must be consumed."
"You are right. You are right..."
Sejong, nodding his head, reached a conclusion.
"Yes. If it must be reformed, then it must be reformed!"
As Sejong firmly resolved, Hyang clenched his fist beneath the table.
'Yes!'
Having firmly resolved, Sejong asked Hyang again.
"Reform of the military is not something that can be done overnight, so we must take time to solve it one by one. If it were you, where do you think we should start? The northern army that must face the Jurchens? Or the southern army that must face the Japanese pirates? Or the central army that must defend the capital?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang immediately answered.
"We must divide into army and navy. The navy, no, the Giseongun (ship-riding army), must never be ignored."
< Chapter 37: Joy in Passion, Sorrow in Passion. (2) > End
ⓒ Gukppong