Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 348

Chapter 348

While Hyang was realizing the seriousness of the issue, King Sejong in Geunjeongjeon Hall was pointing out the same problem.

“Minister of Justice.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Was it 80 people who were arrested in connection with Im Dae-su last time?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How many households are there in total in the neighborhood where they were caught?”

“About 30 households, Your Majesty.”

At the Minister of Justice’s answer, Sejong’s face grew even more serious.

“Are you saying that 80 people were gambling in a small neighborhood of just 30 households?”

“During this busy farming season?”

At Sejong’s words, the Minister of Justice bowed his head.

“I apologize. My abilities are lacking…”

“It’s not your fault. There must be some problem in our Joseon right now. Hmm…”

As Sejong trailed off with a serious expression, the Chief Royal Secretary informed him of Hyang’s arrival.

Shortly after, having received Sejong’s permission to enter Geunjeongjeon Hall, Hyang paid his respects to Sejong.

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

“I have something to say regarding the recent attempt to smuggle craftsmen.”

“I’m planning to discuss measures to protect the craftsmen with the ministers now.”

“That’s an important issue, but what I’m worried about is a different problem.”

At Hyang’s words, Sejong’s eyes sparkled.

“A different problem? Well, what is it?”

“The problem of gambling.”

“Gambling?”

After briefly echoing the word, Sejong glared at the ministers and clicked his tongue shortly.

“Tsk!”

Hearing Sejong click his tongue for the first time in a while, the ministers shrank their necks.

Though it was a small sound, to the ministers it was as loud as thunder.

– Are you in your right minds? No one mentioned this problem until I brought it up, even though the Crown Prince, who’s always cooped up in Area 51 doing who-knows-what, noticed it.

Though he clicked his tongue only once, the ministers who grasped the long rebuke contained within it began to sweat profusely.

‘Why didn’t I notice this?’

‘By the way, why did the Crown Prince, who’s always doing who-knows-what in Area 51, have to butt in? Why always at times like this!’

‘Even if he inherited His Majesty’s intelligence, this is too much! Having the same thought on the same day? This is a conspiracy!’

‘No matter how you look at it, this seems staged!’

While the ministers, alarmed by Sejong’s tongue click, were letting their thoughts drift towards conspiracy theories, Hyang continued his explanation.

“Yes, I heard that those who were gambling with Im Dae-su were also arrested in the process of apprehending him. I’m not sure how large the gambling site was, but the fact that 80 people were caught at once is problematic. During the busy farming season, and in broad daylight, 80 able-bodied men were gambling. How can this be a small issue? Would such gamblers only be in that neighborhood? If we consider all of Hanseong, no, the entire Joseon, how many people are neglecting their livelihoods to gamble?”

At Hyang’s point, the Minister of Justice stepped forward.

“The Crown Prince’s words are truly appropriate. The vice of gambling ruins the individuals involved, destroys families, and ultimately ruins the country. The best course of action is to prevent it through severe punishment.”

At the Minister of Justice’s words, Hyang immediately posed a question.

“Is prohibition and severe punishment really the best solution, and is that the only way?”

“Pardon?”

As the Minister of Justice, not fully understanding Hyang’s question, blinked and asked back, Sejong stepped in on Hyang’s behalf.

“Since ancient times, gambling has been considered a disease that ruins countries, and many wise rulers and ministers have strived to prevent gambling. However, despite these efforts, gambling has not been eradicated. Do you think it can be stopped simply by prohibition and severe punishment?”

At Sejong’s question, the Minister of Justice began to stammer.

“That… in my opinion… it’s…”

“Tsk! Think about it more carefully!”

After rebuking the Minister of Justice, Sejong turned to the other ministers.

“What do you all think?”

“…”

At Sejong’s question, the ministers fell silent. Sejong, with a dejected expression, turned to Hyang.

“Do you have any thoughts, Crown Prince?”

“Yes. First, we need to understand how deeply the people are immersed in gambling. Then, we need to know the reasons for this. Countermeasures come after that. The most urgent matter is understanding the cause.”

“Your words are reasonable. Minister of Justice, immediately…”

“We’ll need the help of the Ministry of Finance and Economy.”

“Even the Ministry of Finance and Economy?”

“Gambling dens need stakes. People might start with their own money, but when that runs out, they’ll borrow. There must be people who use gambling debts for money lending. And would such individuals pay their taxes properly?”

“That’s right! If we’re not careful, we might see another surge of people selling themselves into slavery! Minister of Finance and Economy!”

At Sejong’s words, Kim Jeom immediately bowed and answered.

“I will do my utmost to investigate together with the Minister of Justice! We will root out all those who evade taxes without exception!”

As Kim Jeom answered with great enthusiasm, Hyang muttered inwardly.

‘That man has changed since he got a taste of money…’

***

In the end, a nationwide crackdown was implemented jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

In the midst of this, Hyang requested other information from the Ministry of Finance and Economy:

– The total population of Hanseong.

– The amount of rice consumed in Hanseong.

– The estimated amount of rice and grains consumed by Hanseong residents for food and the difference with the actual rice consumption.

– Based on this, the estimated rice consumption for alcohol production in Hanseong.

– The amount of cloth sold in Hanseong.

– Among the cloth sold, the quantity of high-priced silk.

The faces of the Ministry of Finance and Economy officials who received Hyang’s request turned pale.

“We’re already swamped with the crackdown…”

“We’d better stock up on medicine.”

“…Bring some black bean tea too.”

After analyzing the report prepared by the Ministry of Finance and Economy officials, Hyang sighed.

“Sigh~. As they say, where there’s light, there’s also darkness…”

The report from the Ministry of Finance and Economy showed the dark side of the Reformation.

As the Reformation progressed, the consumption activities of people who gained economic leeway increased.

This was a natural phenomenon. Knowing this, Hyang had been producing and selling various luxury goods and high-end necessities through Area 51 and the Royal Workshop. Private trading companies also participated in this trend.

The problem was that this consumption was starting to overheat.

Not only silk produced within Joseon but also expensive silks imported from Ming were being sold in large quantities, and high-quality soju was being sold commonly even in rural inns.

***

This had also occurred in history before Hyang’s intervention.

In the 8th year of King Jungjong’s reign, Jungjong issued the following royal edict:

“From the nobility to the commoners in the capital, they are competing in luxury in various aspects such as houses, clothing, carriages, and weddings, causing the order of noble and base, superior and inferior to collapse.”

While it might seem like he was annoyed at prosperous commoners living more lavishly than the nobility, money was overflowing throughout Hanseong.

This was because Hanseong itself had a population of over 200,000, and it was the center of trade with Ming, the Jurchens, and Japan.

All sorts of extravagance prevailed with this increased economic leeway. For example, according to a survey by the Relief Office (an government office that aided people during famines) in the 36th year of Jungjong’s reign (1541), the amount of rice consumed daily for brewing alcohol was about 1,000 seok. (Note 1)

The report Hyang was looking at now contained similar content. Of course, in absolute terms, it was smaller in scale compared to the situation nearly 100 years later before Hyang’s intervention, but it was still a scale that couldn’t be left unchecked.

“In simple terms… the entire Joseon has become like the nouveau riche of Gangnam in the 20th century.”

After finishing the analysis of the report, Hyang drew a simple conclusion.

***

From the 20th century, specifically from the 1980s, the development of Gangnam produced an enormous number of nouveau riche. And these newly produced wealthy individuals distorted consumer culture.

People who were ordinary, or even poor, before the development suddenly found themselves with huge sums of money. However, these individuals who hadn’t learned how to consume properly were unlikely to engage in healthy consumption. As a result, luxurious goods circulated in large quantities through these people, and all sorts of decadent culture began to emerge.

Of course, portraying these nouveau riche as the root of all evil might be simply creating scapegoats, but it was a fact that they had too many negative influences.

***

“The common point between the nouveau riche and these gentlemen is that they have money but don’t know how to use it… To be precise, they don’t know how to enjoy themselves. Without proper entertainment, it’s either alcohol or gambling.”

Having reached a conclusion, Hyang began to draft a report on blank paper.

After writing down various measures for the people’s leisure, Hyang looked at the list he had written and said just one thing.

“Anpyeong would like this. Minister Kim Jeom would hate it…”

Looking at the list of policies that would clearly involve enormous expenditures, Hyang smiled wickedly.

“If money is overflowing, isn’t it human nature to stick in a straw?”

***

While Hyang was plotting such a wicked scheme, Sejong was receiving a report from the captain of the Inner Palace Guard.

“I’ve looked into the matter you commanded, Your Majesty. The Secret Police had also noticed unusual movements and was about to start an investigation.”

“Then why wasn’t there a report?”

“Because the Im Dae-su incident broke out in the middle, and they didn’t have enough manpower…”

“Oh dear…”

At the Captain’s answer, Sejong clicked his tongue.

“It seems the Secret Police is also struggling with a shortage of talent.”

“If we expand the organization as Your Majesty commanded, the talent issue will be somewhat resolved.”

“I’ll say it again, do your utmost in selection.”

Sejong repeatedly cautioned the Captain in response to his answer. He was worried because the members composing the Secret Police were from the sword-bearing class.

“Anyway, let’s look at the report first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sejong took the report and carefully read through its contents.

After concentrating on the report for a while, Sejong looked at the captain of the Inner Palace Guard with surprised eyes.

“The gambling debts circulating in gambling dens amount to almost 10,000 nyang of gold? And that’s just in Hanseong? Is this certain?”

“That’s just what’s visible on the surface, Your Majesty. The directors of the Secret Police believe that if we dig deeper, it could be several times that amount.”

“Wow… That’s enormous…”

Sejong was speechless with shock. Gambling debts were mostly high-interest private loans. If the amount circulating as gambling debts was 10,000 nyang of gold, as it circulated, several times that amount in interest would go into the pockets of the moneylenders.

After examining the report several times, Sejong ordered the captain of the Inner Palace Guard.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“If you give the order, we’ll immediately deal with the moneylenders.”

“It’s too big for that. If we’re not careful, the Secret Police might be exposed. Stand by for now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After dismissing the captain of the Inner Palace Guard, Sejong muttered while looking at the report.

“How can we absorb this money…”

***

While Hyang was plotting and Sejong was pondering how to stick in a straw, the first results of the joint operation by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance and Economy were compiled into a report.

“First, we’ve identified the types of gambling circulating among the people. The most common is yut (a traditional board game), followed by ssangnyuk (a dice game) and golpae (a domino-like game). However, the games where large amounts of money change hands are baduk (Go) and janggi (Korean chess).”

“Baduk, you say…”

At the mention of ‘baduk’, Sejong’s face filled with regret.

It was when Yangnyeong, who was later forced to commit suicide, was still the Crown Prince. Yangnyeong had invited baduk players to Heungdeoksa Temple, where the memorial service for his grandmother, Queen Sinui, was being held, and played gambling baduk. This issue had caused a conflict with Sejong.

Following the Minister of Justice, Kim Jeom stepped forward to report.

“As a result of investigating those arrested in this crackdown, we’ve found the individuals who lent them private loans. The assets seized from these individuals amount to 17,000 nyang of gold. The problem is that those caught in this detection are likely not all of them.”

At Kim Jeom’s answer, Sejong and the ministers sank into deep thought.

***

Note 1) Segye Ilbo, August 28, /view/20070827001639