After the 'bid explanation meeting regarding the golden brush' concluded, the merchants began to leave the office one by one.
Before crossing the threshold, an elderly merchant spoke to the official in charge.
"Excuse me, sir."
"What is it?"
"May I ask how old the Crown Prince is this year?"
"He is eight."
"Ah~."
The merchant could not hide his surprise, and the young official spoke with pride in his voice.
"He is indeed remarkable. His Majesty the King is no ordinary person, and with such intelligence in the Crown Prince, it is a great blessing for our Joseon."
"Indeed."
After bowing to the official, the merchant stepped onto the main road, suddenly feeling a surge of anger inside.
"Whose child is so mature at eight years old! And my own grandchild!"
At the same time, in the East Palace.
Returning to her room, Hyang faced a man who had been chased away by the officials earlier.
"Thank you for your hard work, Court Eunuch Jo."
"It is nothing, Your Highness. But was it really necessary to do it this way?"
"I had no choice due to my young age."
Thinking of Hyang's age, Eunuch Jo nodded and stood up to bow.
"I will return to change my clothes."
"Thank you for your efforts."
With the production of the golden brush being privatized, it spread throughout the nation.
As the golden brush became an unprecedented hit, a spectacle began to unfold.
In a noble family in Naju, Jeollado, an elderly nobleman was waiting for someone on the large wooden floor of a house that seemed to have at least forty rooms.
After a while, a porter carrying a large wooden box on his back entered the yard.
Setting the box aside, the porter bowed deeply.
"Sir, did you call for me?"
"Yes, I summoned you. Did you bring the golden brush?"
"I have brought it this time."
"Oh, is that so!"
As the nobleman rejoiced, the porter spread a cloth on the ground and carefully took out a splendid mother-of-pearl box from the wooden box and placed it on the cloth.
After placing the box down, the porter bowed again and carefully carried the box up to where the nobleman was sitting.
As the porter set the mother-of-pearl box on the table, the nobleman gasped in admiration.
"Oh! This is!"
As the excited nobleman reached out, the porter quickly stopped him.
"Sir! You must bow first."
"Ah!"
Realizing his mistake, the nobleman quickly adjusted his attire and bowed respectfully before the box.
"Your Majesty's grace is profound, and I am deeply grateful for such a precious gift."
After expressing his gratitude to the king, the nobleman cautiously opened the box.
Inside, lined with soft silk, were a shiny pen holder and ten golden pen tips.
The silk lining of the box and the pen tips were adorned with distinct plum blossom patterns.
"Insert the golden brush into that pen holder..."
Listening to the porter's explanation, the nobleman combined the pen holder and the pen tips and dipped them into well-ground ink to write on the paper.
Writing down a phrase from his favorite scripture in one swift motion, the nobleman exclaimed.
"Truly a precious item!"
As the golden brush became a massive success, the face of the Minister of Revenue was filled with smiles.
"The budget is increasing, increasing!"
It was not just the Minister of Revenue who wore a smile.
The officials under him also had smiles on their faces.
Since the founding of Joseon, or even since the late Goryeo period, there had never been a time when the national budget was abundant.
When Joseon was founded, the royal family had their salaries reduced to one-sixth, and officials to one-fourth, yet the budget was still insufficient.
In such circumstances, the profits from the sales of the golden brush were very welcome.
Realistically, it was a meager amount, akin to "pissing on frozen feet," but it allowed the court to gradually expand its maneuvering space in governing the nation, which was a cause for joy.
Moreover, one positive effect was that King Sejong and his ministers began to take an interest in the positive effects of commerce.
However, beneath the surface, negative movements began to stir.
"How did the court become merchants...?"
"Indeed. His Majesty and the ministers are showing too much favor to mere merchants."
"Among the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants are at the very bottom. They may be commoners, but they are no different from lowly peasants! If this continues, we will be repeating the bad practices of the previous dynasty!"
Dissatisfied with Sejong and the ministers' interest in the funds entering the state through the sales of the golden brush, orthodox Confucian scholars began to voice their grievances.
And these dissenters turned their swords of criticism towards the Crown Prince Hyang.
"The beginning of this matter lies with the Crown Prince."
"At such a young age, he is already straying onto the wrong path... This is the fault of those responsible for his upbringing!"
"It is also a problem for His Majesty. No matter how intelligent the Crown Prince may be, he is still a child, and allowing him to make decisions on state affairs is something that must be corrected!"
"I believe we must pay more attention to the Crown Prince's education! He should be reading the words of the sages and engraving them in his heart, and nurturing a love for our culture instead of focusing on trivial skills. This cannot be allowed!"
"We must write a petition immediately!"
"Indeed!"
As the dissenters prepared to rise up, an unexpected event halted their plans.
King Taejong had passed away.
On May 10th, 1422, in the fourth year of Sejong's reign, King Taejong died at the age of 56.
During the period of mourning for King Taejong, the court was suspended for ten days, and the government was halted for five days.
While state affairs continued, no petitions could be submitted during the mourning period.
"Let us wait for the next opportunity."
"That would be wise."
Those who wished to submit petitions had to bide their time.
Unaware of the turmoil brewing beneath the surface, Hyang was engrossed in reading during the mourning period for King Taejong.
"Hmm... Is this how it translates?"
With several books opened simultaneously, Hyang was meticulously comparing them.
The books Hyang was examining were those that had come from Europe to China and their translated versions in Chinese.
Just before the envoy departed for China, Hyang had summoned the chief envoy.
"Your Highness, you called for me?"
"Yes. I apologize for calling you when you must be busy preparing for the mission."
"It is nothing, Your Highness."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hyang got straight to the point.
"I would like to ask a favor of you."
"A favor?"
"Yes. When you go to Beijing this time, please procure some books for me."
"Books? What scriptures should I bring back?"
"Not scriptures, but some miscellaneous books. Books related to medicine... Ah! Do you know about the Westerners?"
"Westerners? You mean the people of the colored eyes?"
"Yes. If there are any translations or original texts regarding their laws or techniques, please bring them all."
"Why do you wish for the books of the barbarians...?"
As the chief envoy made a reluctant expression, Hyang explained the reason.
"There is a saying, 'In a group of three, there must be a teacher among them.' There is also the saying, 'The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade.' If it helps me refine myself and govern the country, how can I not learn from the barbarians?"
"..."
At Hyang's words, the chief envoy fell silent.
If the person before him were an ordinary prince, he would advise, "You should read the scriptures first."
However, the Crown Prince sitting before him was recognized by all the ministers as a genius even more formidable than his father.
Before turning six, he had already memorized the Four Books and Five Classics, and by the age of seven, he had thoroughly read the Thirteen Classics (Analects, Mencius, Book of Songs, Book of Documents, I Ching, Book of Rites, Book of Changes, Classic of Filial Piety, Spring and Autumn Annals).
Even at such a young age, he studied fiercely for more than three hours a day without sleep, and by the time he was to be crowned as Crown Prince, he was already discussing policies with guests.
Thanks to this, some young officials who favored speaking the truth would say things like:
- "If the Crown Prince grows up and learns about the affairs outside the palace, the court will be turned upside down."
Thus, the chief envoy had no choice but to bow his head and respond.
"I will wholeheartedly carry out the Crown Prince's orders."
"Thank you."
After that, every time an envoy went to Beijing, Hyang made similar requests.
Of course, after the first time, he even prepared a list to hand over.
"These books on the list I already have, so please find some others."
"... Understood, Your Highness."
Thanks to this, the envoys had to struggle to procure books.
Since the time of the Yuan Dynasty, Europeans and Arabs had entered China, but their books were not common.
"With this, the reference issue should be mostly resolved."
Looking at the bookshelf he had filled about three-quarters full, Hyang smiled softly.
As he confirmed the industrial technology of Joseon during the Sejong era, Hyang's usable ideas began to increase.
"The problem is that if I claim all of this as my own idea, many will look at me with colored glasses. Not to mention the field of medicine. In such cases, it is better to present references."
Concluding this, Hyang had obtained not only Chinese books but also European books that had entered China through the envoys.
Through the envoys, he acquired books from late medieval Europe, early Renaissance, and Middle Eastern texts, as well as their Chinese translations, and began to read them carefully.
"I need to know roughly what each book contains. That way, I can present my arguments convincingly later. There is a saying, 'You must know a lie to tell it well.'"
Hyang thought this way due to the hardships he faced while presenting the golden brush.
"It is a good item, but how did the Crown Prince come up with such an idea?"
When Sejong asked, Hyang immediately replied.
"I saw something unusual in the process of dipping the brush in ink to write."
"Unusual?"
"I observed the ink rising through the hairs of the brush. Water typically flows from top to bottom, so how could this be anything but miraculous? This..."
Hyang crafted a plausible story about how he came to create the golden brush.
After hearing the explanation, Sejong clapped his knees in admiration.
"Many have used brushes, but none have thought like the Crown Prince! This is truly an example of the principle of investigating things to attain knowledge!"
Thus, the matter of the golden brush was safely passed, but Hyang knew well that such luck would not last forever.
"Presenting the golden brush was to lay the groundwork for me, the Crown Prince, to show that I possess such talents. It cannot be presented out of the blue one day. However, the 'by chance' approach can only work a few times. To solidify this further, I need references."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived."
During the period of mourning for King Taejong, while Sejong was in a makeshift tent dealing with petitions and reports, he set down the petition he was reading and replied.
"Let him in."
As Hyang entered the tent, he bowed to Sejong.
"Father, your countenance does not look well. Have you had your evening meal?"
"I ate because the ministers insisted."
'This man!'
At Sejong's response, Hyang inwardly gasped.
'He can't survive without meat even for a meal! Even in mourning, he should at least eat properly!'
While inwardly scolding, Hyang earnestly said, "Father, you are the pillar of this nation. Even though it is a time of mourning, you must eat properly."
"Very well. But what brings you here?"
"I have procured some miscellaneous books from the Westerners through the envoys."
"I see. I have heard about it. Is there anything useful?"
"I would like you to make a judgment, Father."
With a relaxed smile, as if looking at a playful child, Sejong straightened his posture and adopted a serious expression.
"Speak."
"Yes. I request that you allow the use of the Westerners' numbers."
"The Westerners' numbers?"
"Yes. To be precise, I mean the numbers from India. To explain in detail, these numbers originated from India..."