Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 110

After reading the contract in its entirety, the ministers looked even more puzzled.

‘Tightening the control over the Pear Blossom trademark is a good move, but this alone…’

Sejong carefully examined the facial expressions of the ministers.

Left State Councilor and Right State Councilor Maeng Saseong, as well as Minister of Taxation Kim Jeom, looked like they almost grasped something but couldn’t quite make sense of it. The other ministers still had puzzled expressions on their faces.

In that situation, only one person—Hwang Hui, who had returned to Hanyang for the quarterly report—had an expression that indicated understanding.

“Do you understand, Ministers?”

“I understand.”

“Then, what is your assessment?”

“At first glance, it appears to be a loss, but the more you look into it, the less damage there is to our Joseon.”

“Exactly right.”

Sejong briefly replied and glared at the ministers.

“I am deeply disappointed in you all today. Can I really entrust the fate of Joseon to you?”

“Please take our lives!”

At Sejong’s reprimand, all the ministers bowed their heads and shouted.

“From now on, do not only examine the surface of all matters, but also scrutinize the inner part meticulously.”

“We will keep it in mind!”

“And listen, Minister Hwang Hui. As you can see, there is no one in the court who understands matters as you do. Keep your eyes on the affairs at Tumen River until they are resolved. I look forward to your return.”

At Sejong’s words, Hwang Hui deeply bowed and responded.

“Your Grace is boundless!”

* * *

As soon as the meeting was over, Hwang Hui was immediately taken to the Office of the Royal Secretariat.

“What exactly do you mean by saying that His Majesty and the Crown Prince are on the right track?”

Hwang Hui retorted to Lee Jik’s question.

“Do you really not know? Your Excellency?”

“It seems related to the Ming royal family, but I can’t really…”

“That’s…”

As Hwang Hui was baffled, the other Six Ministries’ officials exclaimed in unison.

“Then explain it!”

Pressured by the Six Ministries’ officials, Hwang Hui explained what Sejong and Hyang aimed for:

– Even though Ming’s financial scale is large, the amount they expend is also significant. Hence, the amount that the Ming Emperor will directly receive from this partnership is not insignificant for him.

To protect this gain, the Ming Emperor will take various measures, which will benefit Joseon immensely.

– First and foremost, by cracking down on counterfeit items marked with the Pear Blossom trademark, people in Ming will naturally come to perceive products with the Pear Blossom trademark as expensive and precious.

As a result, products with the Pear Blossom trademark will be treated as superior in quality, compared to those from other countries.

“I understand that much, but I still can’t comprehend why His Majesty and the Crown Prince are pleased. It feels like there’s something more that I can’t quite grasp.”

“Hoo~.”

Upon hearing Maeng Sa-seong’s words, Hwang Hui let out a soft sigh and briefly responded.

“It may not be in the short term, but in the long run, the Crown Prince has effectively poisoned Ming.”

“Poisoned? Poison?”

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Startled by Hwang Hui’s words, Maeng Sa-seong was shocked.

“My God! Who could think of such a thing… the Crown Prince! To harbor such malice at that age!”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

“Don’t just make cryptic statements. Explain!”

Under pressure from the other ministers, Maeng Sa-seong opened his mouth after looking at Hwang Hui.

“See if my thoughts align with yours.”

“Go ahead.”

“So…”

Maeng Sa-seong began to elaborate on what he was thinking.

– The wealth that comes in through tributes is passive income for the Emperor.

– If the Emperor is wise, he’ll use a reasonable amount for enjoying luxuries, but if not, he’ll become addicted to lavishness and seek even more of it.

– If one tries to adjust the profit-sharing ratio in this situation, the partnership will be broken according to the contract, and the Emperor, who’s already addicted to luxuries, will tamper with the finances to maintain his lifestyle.

– Ultimately, due to such extravagant tendencies, Ming’s finances will falter and internal distress will occur.

“That’s why I said it’s poison.”

Hwang Hui nodded at Maeng Sa-seong’s explanation.

“I had the same thoughts.”

The Minister of Rites, who was listening to Hwang Hui and Maeng Sa-seong, raised an objection.

“Isn’t that too optimistic? Let’s say the partnership breaks because of this. Do you think Ming’s Emperor will just watch as our Joseon trades independently?”

“That’s why I’m saying, look at it in the long term.”

“Eh?”

The ministers showed faces of confusion at Hwang Hui’s words. Just when Hwang Hui was about to speak, Minister of Taxation interjected.

“We don’t necessarily have to go to China to sell goods. Consider when the current construction is finished. If things go as planned, we can build a trade port in our Joseon. Then, merchant ships from all over the world, including those from Ming, will gather there. In that case, there’s no need for us to go all the way to Ming.”

“Aha!”

“I see!”

“And in such a scenario, goods from our Joseon will become even more valuable in Ming.”

The ministers nodded at the Minister of Taxation’s words.

At that moment, Maeng Sa-seong looked at Hwang Hui and said, “Of course, this will bring about more issues in the North.”

“Ugh.”

Hwang Hui felt overwhelmed by the thought of increasing responsibilities.

***

Meanwhile, at the Gangnyeongjeon Hall, Sejong and Hyang were having a discussion over tea.

“Indeed, you’ve done well. You’ve endured hardship and successfully carried out the plan. I don’t need to see it to know your efforts.”

“I don’t know how to respond to such excessive praise.”

“You modest fellow.”

Sejong gave a slight smile at Hyang’s humility. However, that smile quickly faded, and his face was filled with concern.

“But what concerns me is the constant mention of being a tributary and a vassal state.”

Hyang replied indifferently,

“It’s a fight for justification. We’ve requested and the Ming Emperor has acknowledged that this trade is between states. We’ve thrown them a bone in terms of justification to get real benefits.”

“True.”

Thanks to that, the long-standing issues related to tribute and diplomacy were solved in one go. Issues related to royal princesses and hostages were also resolved.

Then Hyang spoke again,

“There is a saying among the scholars, ‘If you want to appease someone, suck on even their toes.’ Why can’t we deceive them to achieve our plans?”

Hyang hesitated to directly say the cruder version of the saying, ‘Suck on their assholes until they cave in.’

However, Sejong still had a worried look on his face.

“But it does hurt my pride. Especially when their envoys come and subtly mention being a tributary or a vassal state, it infuriates me.”

“Once the tribute ceremony is over, and the eastward campaign is complete, they won’t be able to say that anymore. Unless they have spare lives, there won’t be anyone bold enough to come here and make such claims.”

“True, but won’t they talk like that among themselves?”

Sejong questioned, to which Hyang replied with a look of indifference.

“So what if they do? There’s also a saying among scholars, ‘Even a king is cursed behind his back.’ What’s the point of worrying about what they’re mumbling among themselves? It’s rather laughable.”

“I may overlook the Ming talking like that, but I’m sure there will be people within Joseon who will speak similarly, and that concerns me.”

At Sejong’s statement, Hyang coldly smiled.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Those are the people we should weed out early on. It might actually be a good opportunity.”

“That could be.”

The scribes who were recording the conversation between the father and son were nervously taking notes.

-The scribe muses,

“‘One must have strong resolve to be a general.’ But the Crown Prince’s strong resolve could be considered a deadly poison.”

A moment later, Hyang gave an order to the scribes and the main officials.

“Scribes and main officials, step out for a moment.”

Upon hearing Hyang’s words, the scribes unanimously expressed their refusal.

“Our duty is to record all matters of state to pass onto future generations.”

At their words, Hyang scoffed,

“Heh! How would you know if what you’ve written will be seen or properly recorded for future generations that can’t even see it? Step out.”

“That’s unacceptable!”

Hyang warned against the refusal of the officers and royal scribes.

“‘What I am about to say is top-secret. If word gets out, there will be serious consequences. In that case, your heads will be the first to roll. No, to prevent that, I should take your heads right here and now. Will you still stand your ground?”

“It’s the will of the gods!”

As the officers and scribes firmly resisted, Sejong spoke.

“This is my order. Leave.”

“It’s against the law! We can’t leave!”

“What? You wretches?”

As anger began to cloud Sejong’s face, an idea suddenly came to Hyang.

‘Wait! It’s already a foregone conclusion that the Chinese will make noise about this later. Then, why not create an official record that can serve as evidence?’

Hyang, having made his decision, calmed Sejong.

“Your Majesty. How about letting them stay?”

“Let them stay?”

“Yes. In the future, it could serve as evidence to silence those who make rash judgments and clamor.”

Hearing Hyang’s words, Sejong contemplated deeply, finally understanding Hyang’s point and letting out a chuckle.

“A man who catches fish even when he falls into the water, you’re not one to simply let things slide.”

“Your words honor me.”

With a small smile, Sejong glared at the officers and scribes.

“Fine. Sit down and record everything, without leaving a single word out.”

“Your generosity overwhelms us!”

“However, if even a single word from our discussion here leaks out, I will have your heads!”

Faced with Sejong’s stern order, the officers and scribes broke into a cold sweat.

“We accept your command!”

As they nodded in agreement, the scribe’s pen didn’t pause.

-Thus, the dialogue between the Emperor and the Crown Prince was recorded.

The scribe reflects.

Recording everything accurately is the basic attitude of a scribe, but being forced to do so leaves a bad taste.

Amidst the presence of the officers and royal scribes, Hyang continued his conversation with Sejong.

“Have you heard the rumors about Daewol nation?”

“The rumors about Daewol nation?”

[Daewol nation here refers to Đại Việt, a Vietnamese kingdom.]

“It’s about ‘Emperor at Home, King Abroad’,” said Hyang.

King Sejong nodded at Hyang’s words. 

“I’ve heard. The Tang Emperor recently bestowed a title to the King of Annam, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“So, are you suggesting that our Joseon should also adopt the policy of ‘Emperor at Home, King Abroad’?”

To Sejong’s question, Hyang shook his head.

“No. My wish is not for such superficiality, but for us to genuinely become an empire and don the imperial robe of emperor on Your Majesty.”

At that moment, all the officers and scribes froze. They all had the same thought:

‘Damn it! Why did we stubbornly stick around for this!’

A subtle emotion flickered across Sejong’s face.

“Imperial robe, you say…”

“Why do you think Taejo sent a letter calling himself the Great King of Goryeo state after he returned from his military campaign? It’s about power. Frankly, even Ming had to bow down to a Barbarian King who declared himself an Emperor. Ultimately, power determines everything.”

The statements grew more audacious, making the officers and scribes either frown or murmur. Nonetheless, Hyang continued.

“If Joseon becomes prosperous and its sphere of influence expands, no one will oppose His Majesty ascending to the throne. Of course, the issue of population is a concern, but that will also increase rapidly as Joseon grows stronger. Then, even if we declare ourselves an empire, it will only be seen as a delusion by the Ming. A so-called ‘mental victory’ seen by them.”

‘Mental victory? Just say it!’

“Mental victory?”

At the unfamiliar term, Sejong expressed curiosity, and Hyang explained its meaning.

Listening to Hyang’s explanation, Sejong nodded.

“That’s an interesting term indeed. Yes, it will be amusing if the Ming think of it as a ‘mental victory.’ But listen, my Prince. If what we are doing now fails, then the ‘mental victory’ will inevitably be ours. Never forget that.”

To Sejong’s admonishment, Hyang responded strongly.

“I’ll bear it in mind! Rest assured, we will achieve genuine victory and reassert our status as a hegemon in competition for world supremacy, a status not seen for a thousand years.”

‘If we’re going to change history, go big or go home!’

A similar emotion was lurking at the corners of both Hyang’s and Sejong’s mouths.

The officers were also frowning, but they couldn’t erase the feeling of ambition welling up from a corner of their hearts.