Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 846

Episode 846: Daily Life in the Empire (5)

Multicolored liquor was not only sold well within the empire.

Even in the European market, the position of multicolored stocks was becoming increasingly solid.

The unique taste and aroma of multi-colored liquor played a role in its popularity, but the biggest reason was the bottle containing the multi-colored liquor.

In the imperial glass workshop led by Raphael and Pietro, most of the artisans were already at the stage of maturity.

Plate glass used as window glass had already entered the mass production system using steam engines.

It wasn’t just plate glass. Simple-shaped glass bottles and glass plates were produced in large quantities using molds.

Even in the case of crystal glass, which Europeans called crystal glass and tried to buy by taking out debt, the inexpensive products were made by printing them out of molds.

Where the craftsmen’s skills were truly demonstrated were the expensive glass bottles and crystal glass products.

Just as potters put a lot of effort into creating pottery, glass craftsmen also put a lot of effort into creating products.

The biggest customer for these expensive glass bottles was the Bukjido family, which produced multi-colored liquor.

* * *

In order to investigate the internal affairs of the Northern Territory and find those who were in cahoots with the Ming, Milwi established posts in major cities, starting with Liaodong Province.

And a communication network was established under the pretext of supplying alcohol to this port.

The brewery built to maintain this communication network became the headquarters of the wheat committee operating in the North. Milwi’s action agents rested or recuperated here while waiting for their next mission.

However, this did not mean that the brewery work was neglected.

Giru had to be firmly established to carry out their duties smoothly, and for that to happen, alcohol was as important as the gisaeng.

And with the acceptance of Park Gyu-seop and his comrades into Milwi, Milwi’s brewery experienced a great change.

This was because the person in charge of the mill committee, who was impressed by the soju made by Kim Bok-ju, a colleague of Park Gyu-seop, appointed Kim Bok-ju as the head brewer of the Taoist clan.

“From now on, the most widely brewed alcohol in our Taoist clan will be myeongju (??)!”

Hyang, who was curious after seeing Milwi’s report, gave a secret order and obtained Kim Bok-ju’s alcohol.

Hyang, who shared the liquor sent in the name of Jinsang with the ministers, was impressed by its scent and taste. The name chosen on the spot was ‘Myeongju’.

It was a liquor with the Chinese character ‘get drunk’ meaning ‘get intoxicated by the scent and taste.’

Hyang sent an official letter praising the wine for making good wine and promising to give it the name Myeongju, and at the same time sent a secret document detailing improvements, and looked towards the north with eyes full of expectations.

And Myeongju, who accepted the improvements in incense, achieved results that exceeded expectations.

The executive of the Militia Committee in charge of the undercover headquarters with a sign reading ‘Northern Map Family’ screamed.

“Business is doing so well!”

The executives on site screamed, but the executives in charge of Milwi’s household and Hyang smiled happily.

“Whoa~. Thanks to you, I will be able to take a breather from my financial problems.”

“It was a pain to launder and use the royal family’s secret funds, but now I can take a breather.”

But the scent felt a little off-putting.

This was because ‘Multi-colored liquor’ became popular instead of ‘Myeongju,’ the name he had worked hard to create.

After checking the report, Hyang licked his appetite and muttered.

“I guess I’m definitely not good at naming things.”

It was a scent that made me feel my limitations once again after ‘Wanduseul’.

Hyang, who had been appetizing like that, decided to change his mind and rolled up his sleeves.

“The water has come in, so I have to row! Is the name the problem? “When it comes to whiskey, it’s highly aged and limited edition!”

In this way, Hyang led the premium marketing of multi-colored liquor.

In the process, a marketing strategy was born that sold multi-colored liquor in bottles made in the imperial glass workshop.

* * *

Fragrance did not necessarily push for luxury.

Although it was a bit expensive, we laid out the basics at a price point that ordinary people could buy and drink if they wanted to, and then released products at various price points.

Here again, the fragrance played a trick. Rather than just putting it on the market, it was a tasting event held by inviting renowned luxury chefs to the state.

The nobles holding invitations sent in the name of the northern leader entered the gilru where the event was held.

Until they received a small glass filled with the highest grade multi-colored liquor, most of the luxury people looked displeased.

“The color is the same as that of multi-colored liquor, but if that’s the case, then it’s not just the bottle that has changed…”

The luxury drinkers who had tried the high-grade multi-colored liquor while grumbling had an expression of disbelief.

“How can it taste and smell like this!”

“I wondered why it was called Myeongju…”

The luxury drinkers, impressed by the taste and scent, immediately opened their wallets. But here, Hyang’s second trick shined.

“This is our first year, so only 50 bottles were produced.”

“this! I’ll buy it right now! “I’ll buy them all!”

“Look! “A person must have shame!”

The tasting room quickly became a mess. At that time, a person in charge of the Northern Leadership Group stepped forward.

“Get in line! And we will limit it to one bottle per person!”

After the event, the luxury drinkers who were unable to get alcohol grabbed the people in charge of the North Leader Street and began asking questions.

“Are we going to sell this alcohol again next year?”

“yes.”

“Are there only 50 bottles again?”

“I’ll have to go there then to find out. Because we only select silk that matches the grade….”

“Oh my!”

In this way, they began to maximize sales through a policy of differentiation by grade.

As an aside, the luxury drinkers who had obtained the highest quality multi-colored liquor stared at the bottles of multi-colored liquor in question with eyes full of love and hate.

“Should I drink that or not…”

As time passed, this multi-colored liquor became known to Europeans as well. Multi-colored liquor in glass bottles soon became popular among the European upper classes.

Of course, distilled spirits such as brandy already existed in France and Italy. However, with the value of the name ‘Land of Flowers’ and the quality befitting the name, multi-colored liquor penetrated into the upper class of Europe.

And European nobles and royal families, who heard rumors about the finest multi-colored liquor, also joined the competition.

It wasn’t just royals and nobles. Even among merchants and the middle class, there were those who raised money and joined the competition. There was a lot of demand but a shortage of supply. Therefore, if you could find even one bottle and sell it, you could make a fairly large profit.

Later, an overheated speculative phenomenon occurred that economists called the ‘multi-color stock bubble’.

Meanwhile, other sojus competing with multi-colored liquor were not just watching. They also released various grades of soju to survive in the market.

Some people are starting to worry about their fierce competition.

“Cow is an expensive drink, but isn’t this causing the people to become addicted to luxury?”

“That’s right. “I think it is right to ban people from drinking soju.”

Whenever a petition was raised to ban the consumption of soju out of concern for the luxury of the people, the village called the Minister of Finance and Economy.

“Is the luxury of the people that extreme?”

“No. Soju is expensive. However, the soju that the general public drinks the most is the cheapest soju, and the amount of it is much larger than that of takju or cheongju.”

“So you’re saying that only people with money drink it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what do you think these people really mean?”

“There may be people who are genuinely worried, but I think the majority of people do not like the idea of people who they think are inferior to them drinking soju like them. “If they were truly concerned, they would have said that soju, which is used in Jeju (alcohol used in ancestral rites), should also be banned.”

“Hmm…”

Hyang nodded after hearing the Minister of Finance and Economy’s answer.

“Jim thinks the same thing.”

In this way, the township did not accept the appeal.

* * *

Drinking, singing, and dancing were not the only things that changed as the people’s livelihoods became richer.

Various changes were continuing in the area where people lived and ate.

First of all, when looking at eating, the diversity of cooking methods, especially meat recipes, caught my eye.

This was because the people of the empire loved meat, regardless of whether they lived in the mainland or in the north, and European recipes were introduced as exchanges with Europeans continued for a long time.

Various meat recipes were created, and seasonings and seasoning sauces were created to match them.

As meat consumption increases, the number of farms specializing in raising cattle, pigs, goats, and poultry has also increased.

As the number of livestock increased and Western recipes were introduced, cheese and butter became no strangers to the people of the empire.

It wasn’t just cheese and butter.

While dealing with merchants from Portugal and Italy, which were major business partners, ‘pao’ and ‘pane’, or bread, also began to appear on the imperial people’s dining tables.

In this way, the imperial people’s dining table became increasingly diverse.

* * *

It wasn’t just eating and drinking that became more diverse and fancy.

The clothing of the imperial people was also becoming more diverse.

Just as the clothes and accessories of the men of the empire were becoming more diverse and extravagant, women’s costumes were also becoming more extravagant.

The biggest feature was that the jeogori was getting shorter.

Until the mid-Gyeongjang period, women’s jeogori (jeogori) went down to the hip line and were rich.

This was so that the person wearing the clothes could subtly boast about their wealth.

-I am so rich that I can afford to spend this expensive fabric as much as I want!

In this way, he wore rich clothes to subtly show off his wealth.

However, as gyeongjang (gyeongjang) moved to the later period and household life became more luxurious, women’s jeogori (jeogori) began to get shorter.

As the economy progressed, women’s outdoor activities increased, and having multiple sets of clothes and changing them frequently became a new way to show off their wealth.

In extreme cases, it was rumored that the wife of a certain noble family changed her clothes five times a day.

As jeogori became shorter, a new trend was created.

Due to the shortened jeogori, the jjolitmal (strap that ties the chest) and the breast covering and anoreum began to be visible on the outside, and stylish ways using them began to become popular.

In particular, it started to become popular to draw attention by embroidering and dyeing the jolitsmal and angoreum.

And the veils that women use whenever they go out have become more extravagant.

In particular, other colors began to be used in the veil’s fabric, which was previously black, and patterns also began to appear.

The veil created in this way gave a visual effect that made the woman wearing it look mysterious.

Men from Europe and the Middle East who came to the empire were fascinated by the sight of imperial women wearing veils like this, and before they knew it, this type of attire began to become popular among women in European social circles as well.

This trend was not a one-way street. Among the fashions worn by the European upper class, those that were popular in the empire also began to appear.

The most representative items were accessories such as headdresses and necklaces used by women.

However, as Joseon turned into an empire and the reign of Hyang began, a bomb was dropped on women’s fashion.

‘Hubok (??)’ In other words, the cheongsam, a 21st century expression, was starting to become popular.

It was an incident that caused great controversy among the mainstream classes of the empire.