Black Corporation: Joseon
Chapter 152

With the invention of the ‘automatic loom’ and the winners of the bidding competition determined, the commercial world of Joseon began to prepare for its expansion.

“If things continue this way, Joseon’s commerce will revive! No, it will grow even larger!”

Many merchants started to actively seek opportunities, dreaming of a hopeful future.

“What could be profitable?”

“Hmm… shall I try trading with this item?”

Merchants searched all over the eight provinces of Joseon for items that would bring profit, as the scope of their trade expanded.

In fact, their search was not limited to Joseon. More proactive merchants explored Ming China and Japan as well.

“Why go to Japan? What’s there to gain?”

“Who knows?”

“It’s a place where you could lose your head unexpectedly in a tavern, right?”

“That’s why I’m only planning to travel around Daehae and Guju!”

Many merchants sought new opportunities throughout Joseon, Ming, and Japan.

However, not all merchants were equally proactive.

“As merchants who chase profits, we shouldn’t recklessly embark on such ventures.”

“Right. For commerce to truly expand, we need currency, which Joseon lacks. We shouldn’t risk it. We must face reality.”

Despite their varying values and choices, the overall scale of Joseon’s commerce continued to grow.

It wasn’t just commerce that was growing. Craftsmen with their own skills began to actively utilize them.

They had exemplary models to follow.

For instance, the couple Song Il-chul, who was gathering wealth in Hanyang through metalworks, and his wife, who was collecting wealth through financial investments, were the most notable examples.

Not just the Song Il-chul couple, but the presence of craftsmen in Area 51, who had come to be called ‘local lords’, also motivated other craftsmen in Joseon to take risks.

Among the craftsmen who took up the challenge, those who specialized in mother-of-pearl inlay work saw the greatest increase in earnings.

With the introduction of glass mirrors made by Italian craftsmen to the market, these artisans started producing various lacquerware furniture and accessories with attached mirrors.

These furniture and accessories became a ‘Must have’ not only in Joseon but also among women in Ming and Japan.

“Jihwaja! When the water comes in, row the boat!”

Hyang, upon reviewing the report from the Ministry of Taxation, immediately requested King Sejong to organize a competition.

It was the ‘1st Joseon Furniture Competition’.

The first prize was ’10 nyang of silver’, a modest amount. However, renowned craftsmen from all over the country gathered in Hanyang.

It was because of the competition’s supplementary prizes:

– From first to fifth place, the palace would purchase all products made.

– The names of the winners from first to fifth place would be promoted in government offices nationwide, in Shandong’s commercial offices, and in Japanese offices.

The key aspect was that the products would have a varying number of pear blossom designs according to their rank, from five for first place to one for fifth place.

“Will it really be successful?”

Upon hearing Hyang’s proposal, Sejong was not fully convinced, but Hyang was confident.

As it was already known through gold and silver articles, the pear blossom pattern symbolized the highest quality.

Moreover, the situation involved ranking them. He anticipated a fierce competition for ranking in the future.

“It will definitely be a hit!”

And the result was just as Hyang had predicted.

The judges that were appointed, Queen Soheon and the other concubines, the crown princess, Yangje, and Yangwon, examined the submitted works with sparkling eyes.

Seeing their reactions, Hyang muttered to himself,

‘I recognize that look! It’s the same one my mother and aunts had when they saw a luxury bag!’

Thus, the rankings from first to fifth place were determined.

As a result, both Sejong and Hyang’s wallets were emptied.

Though the submitted works were sent to Queen Soheon as a form of tribute, they had to spend money for the other participants.

Despite the financial setback for Sejong and Hyang, what followed was as Hyang had predicted.

The products made by the craftsmen who won awards in the competition hosted by the King of Joseon were eagerly awaited by merchants from Ming and Japan, forming long lines.

***

Not everything went as smoothly as Hyang had expected.

Already discontented with Sejong’s actions, the local officials began to fill carts with their written complaints once again.

Upon reading these complaints, Sejong called for Hyang again. This time, Hyang was prepared, having heard rumors of the influx of complaints from the provinces.

“Do you know what to do?”

“Yes, Father. Shall I start with these?”

Quickly pulling a pile of complaints toward him, Hyang untied the scrolls and began reading them.

“How is it? Any worthwhile writings there?”

As Hyang diligently read and sorted the complaints, he sighed in response to Sejong’s question.

“Phew… What a waste of paper.”

“Is that so… I had hoped for some decent ones this time…”

Sejong couldn’t hide his disappointment at Hyang’s response. He still couldn’t suppress his desire for talented individuals.

“Well… Given the ongoing shortage of talent…”

Hyang understood Sejong’s feelings. Despite being filled time and again, there was still a shortage of talent in the current Joseon government and administrative structure.

“Phew… Whether this guy or that, they all go on about ‘luxury being the fast track to the ruin of a nation, etc., etc.’… They should stop wearing silk robes themselves.”

While grumbling and irritably untying the knots of the complaints, which mostly argued that luxury would lead to the nation’s downfall and that commerce should be strictly controlled, Hyang’s expression suddenly changed as he straightened up and his eyes sparkled.

“Will you look at this.”

Hyang, meticulously reading the complaints, approached Sejong with one in hand.

“Father, I think I’ve found something.”

“Oh? Let me see it.”

Sejong’s face lit up as he received the complaint from Hyang.

As he read through it, Sejong slapped his knee in approval.

“Excellent! It’s been a while since I’ve found someone with such deep thoughts!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty.”

The complaint Hyang found foresaw a trade dispute.

– No one would simply watch as others take the wealth stored in their own granary.

– Looking at Joseon’s current situation, we are garnering substantial profits from Ming and Japan. Fortunately, the products currently sold to Ming and Japan are mainly luxury goods, posing little risk of major issues.

– However, merchants will increasingly desire more profit, eventually even selling low-priced, high-volume goods.

– If we start selling everything from luxury items to cheap goods, we risk arousing hostility from Ming and Japan.

– If it gets severe, Ming, as a major trading nation, might exert pressure, and Japan could see a resurgence of pirate activity.

– To solve this, we need to carefully select items that won’t harm Joseon, produced and sold in Ming and Japan. This way, the wealth obtained from these countries circulates within their borders, and Joseon can maintain a steady trade by only taking a reasonable amount of wealth, thus preserving good relations.

“This is good.”

After reading the complaint, Sejong nodded approvingly and sorted it into a separate pile.

Now, even complaints were being used as opportunities to discover talent.

This practice eventually became a trend, giving rise to a phenomenon called ‘Trial of Expression’, where people used complaints as a means to achieve rapid career advancement.

***

Ultimately, the local officials exploded in frustration when their arguments were once again disregarded.

“This is tyranny from the monarch!”

“Can we even say that free speech exists in this situation?”

“If this continues, Joseon will fall!”

In the eyes of the local officials, Sejong was ‘turning a deaf ear and a blind eye’, ruling tyrannically.

“What measures should we take?”

“Indeed.”

Among the local officials, a tense and uneasy atmosphere was increasingly palpable.

As the harvest season of Sejong’s 11th year approached, Sejong threw several bombshells at the local officials.

The first was the ‘Slave Law’.

– A child born to a female slave will inherit the status of the father.

– If the father of the child born to a slave is a commoner, the child will have the status of a commoner.

– If the child born to a slave is of commoner status, the mother slave will be granted freedom.

– If the father of the child born to a slave is married, the above clauses will not apply.

This specific part sparked some debate among Hyang, Sejong, and the ministers.

“Isn’t this too heartless?”

To Hyang’s objection, Sejong and the ministers all shook their heads.

“No, it’s not. A minimum level of morality must be maintained.”

“Exactly. Without this clause, there would be daily disputes in the villages.”

Faced with the firm stance of Sejong and the ministers, Hyang had no choice but to step back.

‘Well, given the times…’

“Hmm… A bit disappointing, but it seems fair enough.”

This was the general reaction of most local officials.

However, what caught their attention the most was the latter part of the law.

“A clause about ‘granting freedom’?”

“Why suddenly bring up freedom?”

The latter part of the ‘Slave Law’ dealt with the emancipation of slaves.

– Emancipation of slaves cannot be done during the spring hunger period.

– When emancipating a slave, one must provide enough wealth for them to live for three months.

– If a slave has a family, they must be emancipated as a unit. However, unmarried adult slaves, both male and female, are excluded.

At this point, Hyang clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. If they had included adults, it would have caused an uproar… But still…”

Pausing for a moment, Hyang let out a wry laugh.

“This is the poison pill of the law. It seems that even Father has a strong knack for cunning strategies.”

The most surprising element in the continued regulations on emancipation was the last clause.

– Slaves over the age of 60 cannot be emancipated.

Ironically, this was a point strongly advocated by Hyang.

“Crown Prince, according to your usual arguments, this part seems illogical, doesn’t it?”

In response to Sejong’s question, Hyang replied immediately.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. It is consistent with my usual stance.”

“How so?”

“When combined with other upcoming laws, the local officials will inevitably have to emancipate their slaves. In that case, the first to be emancipated would be the elderly, who have no value as labor.”

“Ah!”

Upon hearing Hyang’s explanation, Sejong and the ministers exclaimed in admiration and nodded in agreement. To himself, Hyang mumbled,

‘Didn’t my American history professor in the 21st century say something like this?’

The American history professor back then had told the students:

-Before the war, Southern plantation owners were so opposed to freeing slaves. But after the war ended, they welcomed it. Why? Because it gave them an easy way to get rid of old slaves who were just consuming food without providing labor.

Recalling her 21st-century memories, Hyang muttered with a bitter expression,

“Given the current state of Joseon, we can’t even dream of welfare for elderly without family. It’s inevitable that we have to pass this burden onto the local officials.”

***

Thus, in the fall of Sejong’s 11th year, when the Slave Law was promulgated, the reaction of most local officials was somewhat uniform.

“It’s not completely satisfactory, but it’s acceptable.”

However, a minority of the officials scrutinized the laws with suspicion.

“The clauses about emancipation seem dubious. Why suddenly introduce regulations on emancipation?”

“The mere establishment of criteria for emancipation is too suspicious to simply overlook.”

“But why now, of all times?”

With these doubts, the officials focused their attention keenly on the movements in Hanyang.

Soon after, another law was promulgated, causing the officials to completely forget their suspicions.

Following the ‘Slave Law’, the new legislation was about the treatment of those who passed the civil service exams (like the ‘saengwon’ and ‘jinsa’ exams) but had not taken up official positions.

The content of the newly announced law was straightforward.

“Those who passed the ‘saengwon’ exam more than 10 years ago and the ‘jinsa’ exam more than 5 years ago, but have not taken up official posts, will be deprived of their tax exemptions. Furthermore, they will be removed from the ‘local records’. Only those who have retired from government positions or have been awarded honorary positions for their contributions may be recorded in the ‘local records.'”

It was a law that stripped the local gentry, who prided themselves as scholars, of their prestige and honor.