Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 115

As morning broke, the Senior Palace Lady reported the events of the first night to the Queen.

“Is it true that the Crown Prince safely made it through his first night?”

“Yes. His Highness passed his first night without any issues.”

“Then why does your voice sound like that? Your voice is very nasal, why is that?”

“I had a nosebleed…”

Slightly lifting her head, both of Senior Palace Lady’s nostrils were packed with blood-stained cotton.

“Oh my! You must have been tired lately. Anyway, are there any concerns regarding the concubines?”

The Senior Palace Lady answered the Queen’s question resolutely.

“There’s absolutely no need to worry about the issue of the concubines!”

After that day, rumors began to circulate that ‘The Crown Prince is a genius in that aspect as well.’

Meanwhile, families with sons or grandsons around the same age as the Crown Prince began to move discreetly.

“Find that book the Crown Prince has read!”

* * *

Perhaps he had gotten sufficiently acquainted through the Crown Princess, the Prince had an even more heated first night with his two concubines.

As a result, King Sejong asked the Prince the following.

“There was talk of a book… Ahem. Where and what kind of book did you obtain?”

At King Sejong’s question, the Prince answered with a complicated expression.

“Among the books I’ve collected through scholars, there were a few related to the relations between men and women.”

‘I can’t possibly say I learned it from the Internet!’

At the Prince’s response, King Sejong made a subtle request.

“Really? There was such a book? How embarrassing. I must confirm this for myself. Bring it to me.”

“I found the contents too embarrassing, so I’ve already burned it.”

“What, you brat!”

In that moment, King Sejong burst into a shout. The startled Prince looked at Sejong and replied,

“Wh-what did I do wrong…”

To which Sejong retorted, “Do you think it’s acceptable to treat books so lightly? Burning it!”

“I-it was too embarrassing…”

“Even so!”

The Prince quickly responded to Sejong’s exaggerated reaction,

“Considering the number of my blood brothers and half-brothers, there’s really no need for you to consult such books…”

“Learning should never come to a halt.”

At Sejong’s answer, the Prince simply lowered his head and mumbled.

* * *

“Rumors that the Crown Prince is extraordinary even at night have spread like wildfire within the palace!”

Thanks to this, even the ‘water maids’ busy with odd jobs around the palace began to engage in chatter about the rumor.

The water maids were not palace maids. They were strong and competent women from the general populace, selected by the chief court ladies to work in the palace.

Hence, there were both single and married women among them. Once selected as a water maid, they received a special pass that allowed them to commute to and from the palace.

True to their name, the water maids’ main job was drawing water for the palace, but they also managed a variety of chores, such as tending the furnace.

Since the work was strenuous and most water maids were experienced married women with robust personalities, all sorts of candid conversations unfolded when they gathered.

“Girl, have you heard the rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“It’s about the Eastern Palace!”

As they waited their turn by the well, where buckets were lined up, the water maids started talking about ‘Eastern Palace’.

However, mentioning the name of the Crown Prince directly could lead to punishment, so they simply referred to him as ‘Eastern Palace’.

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“Eastern Palace? Ah, is he that extraordinary?”

“I heard the Senior Palace Lady had her nose bleed three times!”

“Oh my goodness! The Senior Palace Lady is a person with considerable reputation, isn’t she? She nosebleed three times? Wow, he must be ”Two fives, Twenty-fives.”

As her fellow water maid exclaimed, the one who initially opened her mouth sighed.

“Phew~. Some make the Senior Palace Lady nosebleed, while my useless husband can only snore… No joy in life, no joy in life. I don’t wish for ‘two-fives and twenty-five,’ but I’d be content if he were just good  in bed.'”

“Goodness? If he’s even just ‘good in bed,’ I would cook meat soup every morning!”

“Hohohoho!”

“Hohohoho!”

The water maids laughed uproariously as they continued their conversation.

Watching this, a young water maid asked an older water maid next to her,

“What does ‘two-fives and twenty-five’ mean?”

“You don’t need to know yet.”

“Come on~. What does it mean? Huh? What does it mean?”

Persistently pestered by the young water maid, the older one began to tell a story.

***

“In a certain rural village, there lived a couple with a very good marital relationship.

One day, just before dawn, both woke up at the same time and began to get busy.

In the midst of their fervor, the kitchen maid called for the lady of the house.

‘Madam, madam~. How many servings of rice shall I cook for breakfast? Madam? Madam~.’

Annoyed by the foolish maid’s incessant calling, the madam answered from the room.

‘Just, More! Just! More, Yes, more!’ (Two-Fives, Two-Fives, Twenty-five)

‘Okay, got it.’

When dawn fully broke and the madam came into the kitchen, she was shocked to see the large pots full of cooked rice and grabbed the maid.

‘You wench! Are you out of your mind? Why did you cook so much rice?’

‘But madam, you told me to!’

‘When did I!'”

+++

Explanation: ‘two-fives and twenty-five’

The term itself comes from a story about the misunderstanding between a maid and her mistress revolving around the mistress’s ambiguous phrase ‘닷되 닷되 다닷되,’ during an intimate course. In this phrase, ‘닷 되’ is a traditional Korean unit of measure for rice, and ‘다닷 되’ implies ‘twenty-five units.’

The maid misinterprets the phrase by taking each ‘닷 되’ (five units) separately and then adding it to ‘다닷 되’ (twenty-five units). In other words, she calculates it as 5 + 5 + 25, arriving at a total of ‘서 말 닷 되’ or ‘thirty-five units’ of rice. In the end, the servant then cooked that much rice, which led to the lady of the house later chastising her for making too much.

***

“The Mistress said, ‘Da, Dat! Dahat! Dahat! Do!’ If it’s ‘Dat Do,’ it’s one word, and ‘Da Dat’ means two words. Combined, it becomes ‘Three words, Dat Do,’ right!”

“So that’s how the phrase ‘Three words, Dat Do’ came about. Alright, let’s line up! Let’s get some water!”

Having finished the story, the elder water carrier headed toward the well with big strides, followed by a young water carrier whose face had turned red.

***

Meanwhile, families that had become in-laws through the marriage were also busy.

“Is everything packed?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Hoo~.”

Parents sighed deeply at the sight of their sons preparing to leave.

The sons had to leave for the distant and dangerous north for the sake of the family’s well-being and their own safety.

***

After the marital arrangements were made, King Sejong invited everyone who was to become a family member.

Sitting at the main seat in the hall of Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, King Sejong conducted the gathering.

“Upon the occasion of the Crown Prince’s betrothal, we’ve invited you who will become royal in-laws.”

“We are deeply honored.”

Everyone who had been invited to Gyeonghoeru Pavilion bowed their heads at King Sejong’s words.

The gathering had begun, but the in-laws-to-be were intently focused on King Sejong.

‘One mistake and it’s the end of our family lineage!’

After some time had passed, King Sejong finally got to the point.

“The reason I’ve invited you here today is that there’s something I wish to say.”

“We will listen carefully.”

‘Is this the moment?’

The in-laws-to-be swallowed dryly and looked at King Sejong.

King Sejong slowly opened his mouth.

“Once the Crown Prince’s marriage is over, many visitors will come to your homes, will they not?”

“We’ll close the front gate immediately!”

All the prospective fathers-in-law answered in unison.

Indeed, as soon as the words ‘The Crown Prince’s candidates—also future consorts—has been chosen’ spread, not only gift packages but relatives and acquaintances who hadn’t visited for a long time began to swarm in.

“Hehe~ Closing the gate indiscriminately is also rude. Do entertain them, but avoid causing trouble for the royal family.”

“We will keep that firmly in mind!”

The prospective in-laws all bowed their heads and answered.

“And… your sons are indeed loyal.”

“It’s too much praise. They are fortunate if they can at least earn their keep.”

“Is that so? ‘Seeing one lets you know ten,’ as they say. So… have they taken the civil service examination?”

At King Sejong’s question, the brothers of the Crown Prince’s wife and future consorts answered one by one with trembling voices.

“I am currently working at the Office of Taxation.”

“The Office of Taxation? Truly, it must be hard work. Work a little more, since there isn’t much time left for the rank promotion. If you give your best, good results will follow.”

“I will do my utmost!”

Soon after, a strapping young son spoke up.

“I have recently passed the military service exam.”

“The military service exam, you say? You should strive even harder to become a shield that protects our nation.”

“I will redouble my efforts!”

Among the nine sons of the three families attending the banquet, one worked in the Office of Taxation another had passed the military service exam, and the remaining seven were preparing for the civil service exams. It was just as reported.

Sejong, having confirmed the situation, lightly stroked his beard and opened his mouth.

“Would it be acceptable to give an opportunity to the sons other than the one working at the Office of Taxation?”

At Sejong’s question, the fathers bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless!”

Not just the fathers, but the sons themselves also bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless!”

However, what followed from Sejong was not good news at all.

“I have prepared places in the northern frontier. Go there and build your achievements and merits. When the time is right, you will be used even more valuably.”

Upon hearing Sejong’s words, the previously delighted sons froze. However, the one who had recently passed the military service exam responded loudly.

“I shall heed your words! For granting such an excellent opportunity, Your Majesty’s grace is boundless!”

The other sons, although reluctant, replied in the same manner.

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless!”

“I have expectations.”

Having thus concluded one matter, Sejong then glared at his in-laws.

“Titles of nobility and lands will soon be granted to do to your position as in-laws. Therefore, I have something to ask of you.”

“Please, instruct us.”

“Simple. Never forget whose blood you carry. If necessary, you too could commit the same actions.”

Upon hearing Sejong’s words, the atmosphere inside the venue literally froze. Everyone except Sejong bowed their heads with pale faces.

Eventually, the three fathers answered with trembling voices.

“We shall remember and heed your words!”

***

So, the sons of the three families, excluding the one working at the Office of Taxation, all prepared to leave for the north.

“Father, I shall now depart.”

“Yes, yes… *sobs*”

The mothers wiped their tears with their sleeves, looking distressed as their sons bowed deeply while taking their leave. Fathers sitting beside tried to maintain a composed face, encouraging their sons.

“Think of this situation as an opportunity and do your best.”

“Yes. Father, mother, please stay in good health.”

After bowing, the sons thus left their families and headed north.

“Except for the hurriedly arranged wedding of the Crown Prince, which seemed like ‘roasting beans in a wildfire,’ the latter half of the tenth year of King Sejong’s reign appeared to pass peacefully.

However, on October 16th, an impeachment motion was raised in the Office of the Censors.

The subject of the impeachment was Hwang Sang, the Minister of Law and Enforcement.

– Chief Prosecutor Lee Soon-mong was caught having an affair with Hwang Sang’s concubine Wol-hwa-bong, and both of their heads were shaved off by Hwang Sang. Consequently, Lee Soon-mong falsely accused Hwang Sang of neglecting his duties. Hwang Sang had illegally taken the concubine, and Lee Soon-mong had falsely taken sick leave to avoid work. Both should be severely punished.

Upon receiving the motion, King Sejong immediately issued an order.

“Detain the parties involved and interrogate them at the Royal Investigative Department.”

“I will carry out your command!”

Meanwhile, Hyang, who heard the story, lightly shook his head.

“What? In this era, there are still things like extramarital affairs and false accusations? Those old gentlemen seem too energetic…”

In the end, when everything was proven true, Sejong issued another order.

“Reclaim all the previous titles and merits given to Lee Soon-mong and Hwang Sang. Confiscate half of all their property. Also, subject both to indefinite document-sorting.”

“I will carry out your command!”

On the other hand, the court official added a note while documenting all these events.

– When His Majesty decreed the document-sorting punishment for the criminals, all ministers unanimously agreed.

The official then reflected.

– Nowadays, there are hardly any exile punishments.

– It’s lamentable that there are hardly any respectable elders left.

* * *

With Hwang Sang receiving the document-sorting punishment, the position of the Minister of Law and Enforcement became vacant.

“Who would be suitable…?”

Although he had asked his ministers for recommendations, King Sejong himself was also pondering suitable candidates.

As King Sejong was thinking about candidates, Chief Eunuch entered the room carrying a scroll.

“What is it?”

“It’s the document-sorting records completed this month.”

“Leave it and go.”

“Yes.”

King Sejong unfurled the scroll left by Chief Eunuch, and his eyes fixated on one spot.

“Does the Ministry of Law and Enforcement department achieve these much results? How?”

While examining the excellent performance of the Ministry of Law and Enforcement that surpassed other departments, King Sejong’s eyes landed on one name.

‘Jo Mal-saeng,’

The man who had displayed remarkable ability in swiftly organizing the documents of the Ministry of Law and Enforcement after receiving the document-sorting punishment.

Upon confirming the name, a smile crossed King Sejong’s lips as he muttered,

“It looks like there is someone useful after all.”