In particular, Liu Jeong-hyeon was a scholar who had experienced the tumultuous period at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty.
He was appointed as the commander of the three armies and led the expedition against Tsushima under the command of Lee Jong-mu.
He was praised for laying the foundation for cultural prosperity during King Sejong's reign, but unlike the original history, he met his end as a criminal of the military's delusions.
This was a bitter example of the butterfly effect created by an unexpected existence.
However, the most unfortunate one was the Prime Minister.
On October 21 of the fifth year of Sejong's reign, Prime Minister Jeong Tak passed away at the age of 61, and he was the one who rose to the position at the recommendation of Liu Jeong-hyeon.
Just a few months after taking office, he lost power and wealth and was sentenced to exile.
Through the assassination of Liu Jeong-hyeon and the exile of the scholars, Sejong completely seized power.
As March arrived, he summoned the ministers and declared, "I will implement a reform for the sake of Joseon!" With Sejong's declaration, the great reform that took ten years to prepare and five years to execute began.
This was the start of the great reform that would later be evaluated as having completely changed the constitution of Joseon.
Historians refer to the day of Sejong's declaration as the beginning of the "Gapjin Reform" or "Gapjin Great Reform."
The foundation of the reform that Sejong declared to implement was the work of Hyang.
Long before Sejong's declaration, when he was preparing for smallpox inoculation for the people living in Hanyang, he visited Hyang late at night.
"I will take the chart you made."
"Yes? Please do."
"Thank you. Sangseon, pack the chart."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Following Sejong's command, Sangseon packed Hyang's chart.
"Oh, and don't tell anyone that I took this."
"Yes? Yes."
After Sejong took the chart, Hyang realized that he had dug his own grave.
After the morning assembly, after some time had passed, Sejong sought out Hyang.
"This part here..."
"Yes, that is..."
As Sejong examined the chart and questions arose, he sought out Hyang for answers.
"Then I will take my leave. You worked hard."
"Not at all."
After seeing Sejong off, Hyang buried his head on the table and sighed.
"Ha~. I dug my own grave..."
Before long, Sejong's visits became a routine in Hyang's daily life.
Up to that point, it was manageable.
The problem was that as time passed, the depth and sharpness of the questions Sejong posed were rising almost vertically.
Eventually, Hyang's daily life turned into a continuous cycle of overwork.
In the morning, he had to attend the royal lectures, in the afternoon, he would discuss with the guests of the Crown Prince's educational institution or attend the morning assembly to observe state affairs, and in the afternoon, he had to go through regular training in martial arts with the military officers of the royal guard.
Then, starting in the evening, he had to prepare for Sejong's visits by cleaning up the sources of information.
"Who would believe if I said, 'Everything came from my head'? I wouldn't believe it myself. Or I would be exhausted from morning till night."
By the time he finished cleaning up the sources, Sejong would arrive.
After a round of questions and answers with Sejong, it would soon be past the third watch (11 PM to 1 AM) and heading towards the fourth watch.
The moment Hyang learned the full extent of the work was when Sejong declared the reform.
With the chart he had taken, Sejong began to create a master plan to reform the entire system of Joseon.
"The greatest purpose of the reform is to realize 'royal governance' and 'benefiting humanity.'" Using the punctuation he learned through Hyang, Sejong drafted plans for the reform.
Starting from the reform of the administrative organization to the expansion of education, Sejong built the framework and fleshed it out.
Whenever he encountered questions or obstacles, he would wait for the right moment and visit Hyang every night.
Through this process, when he had about 80% of the plan completed, Sejong tossed the reform plan to the Hall of Worthies.
"This is the reform plan I created. Examine it thoroughly for improvements or issues."
"I will obey your command!" "If there are any improvements or issues, submit them to me in writing immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Also, regarding this matter, keep it confidential until I officially announce it. Anyone who speaks of it will be punished for treason."
"I will engrave it in my heart!" The scholars of the Hall of Worthies, having received the reform plan from Sejong, began their analysis with their utmost effort.
However, they encountered difficulties from the start.
There was something only Sejong and Hyang knew, which was the punctuation.
"Your Majesty, what are these symbols?" "Ah, those are..."
The scholars of the Hall of Worthies, having learned about punctuation from Sejong, began to focus their analysis on the reform.
And from that moment on, the level of questions Sejong posed to Hyang rose to an almost vertical level of difficulty.
When the Hall of Worthies found issues and reported them to Sejong, he pondered the solutions to those problems.
If he continued to struggle with finding answers, he would seek out Hyang for discussions.
Whenever they found a reasonable answer, Sejong would toss that answer back to the Hall of Worthies, and they would apply that answer to their analysis.
When the reform was announced, Hyang complained to Sejong.
"Wouldn't it have been more efficient if you had let me work with the scholars of the Hall of Worthies?" Sejong smiled and replied to Hyang's complaint.
"You know well that there is a big difference between acting with knowledge and acting without it, right? This is a matter of changing the entire country. If the king does not understand it properly, he will merely become a figure who says, 'Do it,' and stamps the royal seal."
"If you had explained it in advance..."
"Which would yield better results: the king directly engaging in thought and understanding, or merely hearing and understanding?" At Sejong's words, Hyang bowed his head deeply.
"I am truly in awe of Your Majesty's insight."
This was Hyang's sincere feeling.
Although the foundation of the reform announced by Sejong was Hyang's, it was so diluted that it was hard to say it was entirely his.
Sejong's deep thoughts had been infused into the reform.
Even after announcing the reform, Sejong spent a full ten years in preparation due to his obsessive dedication.
However, even after declaring the reform, Sejong did not immediately overhaul everything.
He started with finances and gradually prepared, making adjustments along the way as various issues arose.
When he thought he had prepared sufficiently, Sejong commanded the ministers.
"The ministers of the Six Ministries should select personnel."
Sejong created a scaled-down model of the newly changed administration using those selected from the Six Ministries and began experiments.
He observed in real-time the division of work and operational efficiency created through reports and petitions coming from local areas and the field, coordinating with the ministers.
As the experiment on the central government restructuring progressed successfully, Sejong began experiments on local administrative organizations.
"Select five counties in Hwanghae Province, seven in Gyeonggi Province, and five in Gangwon Province."
The selection process was not random. - Hwanghae Province is in the northwest of Joseon, Gangwon Province is in the northeast, and Gyeonggi Province is similar to the central and southern regions of Joseon. - The selected areas must be within a day's journey, or at most two days, using the relay horse system.
After selecting the counties, the real experiment began.
New personnel were assigned according to the local administrative organization created by Sejong, and a large number of investigators—scholars from the Hall of Worthies and officials from the central government—followed to observe their actions, making it a massive experiment.
As the experiment began, relay horses laden with reports—written by those directly in charge of administration and by the investigators—ran daily from the experiment counties to Hanyang.
While reviewing these reports, Sejong, Hyang, and the ministers continued to coordinate.
Despite this meticulous coordination, once the actual implementation began, various problems arose from all directions.
Ultimately, it took five years to resolve these issues and establish the system.
However, this was just the beginning, following the declaration of the reform.
As Sejong commanded the nationwide implementation of smallpox inoculation, relay horses carrying Sejong's orders raced across the eight provinces.
Following Sejong's command, all local officials began preparing for smallpox inoculation.
However, some dissent began to emerge, originating from local gentry.
"You want us to pay for this?" "Here is the royal command in His Majesty's own handwriting. The local gentry are urging you to pay."
Upon seeing the letters presented by the inspectors or county magistrates, the gentry fell into deep thought.
"Since the king desires it, we must follow the command."
"It is for the benefit of our families and neighbors, so we should pay!" A considerable number of gentry paid without further ado.
The officials sent by the inspectors recorded this fact, and it was reported directly to the court.
"I cannot pay!" "Our families have already suffered from smallpox, so we have no need for it!" Of course, among them, there were also many who refused to pay, feeling it was too much.
They could act this way because Sejong did not force them but rather said, "I urge you."
Although it would be common sense to follow the king's urging, there were those who, blinded by greed, forgot their common sense.
"Hey, Mr. Kwon. Still..."
"I said I cannot pay!" Despite the continued urging from the county magistrate and other gentry, some remained stubbornly resistant.
As a result, the frustrated magistrates had to write a petition seeking a response.
"Have you ever seen such audacious people!" Sejong could not hide his anger upon receiving the petition.
Gripping the scroll tightly, he glared at the vacant seats of the three chief ministers and then turned his gaze towards the ministers of the Six Ministries.
"Sangseon, read this petition aloud!" "Yes, Your Majesty."
Sangseon, having received the petition from Sejong, read its contents in a loud voice.
As the reading continued, the heads of the Six Ministries gradually lowered.
When Sangseon's reading ended, Sejong spoke.
"Is it true that these are the gentry and the elders of the village?" "It is a great offense!" "The number of petitions received so far exceeds several tens! Several tens! Are these truly the gentry? Those who have declared their intention to illuminate Joseon?" "It is a great offense!" "Truly... truly..."
Unable to contain his anger, Sejong stammered.
Seeing this, Hyang was alarmed. 'He might collapse! This is dangerous!' "Your Majesty! Please calm your anger! Your health is at stake!" "Hoo~."
At Hyang's words, Sejong took a deep breath and began to calm his anger.
Hyang hurriedly continued, "They have already proven themselves to be false gentlemen. How fortunate is that? From now on, we need not treat them as gentlemen! This incident has allowed us to distinguish between the good and the bad, so it is rather fortunate!"
Sejong took a long breath and then spoke.
"What you say is indeed correct. Through this incident, we have learned how they truly think about this nation and its people. The Minister of the Interior shall compile a list of those who have not paid by the time this smallpox inoculation is completed. And the people in the counties where those who refused to pay live shall receive assistance from neighboring counties to ensure that those who cannot receive inoculation are minimized. However, the families of those who did not pay shall be excluded from the inoculation. If they have caused trouble, they must also bear the responsibility."
"I will obey your command."
"Then let us take a short break. I am quite fatigued."
"Yes."
As the ministers of the Six Ministries took their leave, Hyang immediately spoke.
"I will call for the royal physician."
"A short rest will suffice."
"Your health has been greatly affected. Your Majesty must be well for Joseon to run properly."
At Hyang's words, Sejong smiled contentedly.
"Just hearing that makes me feel better. Yes, let’s do that. Sangseon, call for the royal physician."
The royal physician, who rushed in at Sangseon's call, immediately checked Sejong's pulse.
"The pulse is somewhat rapid, but it is not a cause for concern. I will prepare a medicinal soup, so please drink it and take a short rest."
"Let it be so."
After a while, having confirmed that Sejong was resting peacefully after drinking the medicinal soup brought by the royal physician, Hyang finally left the main hall.
Returning to his room, Hyang let out a sigh.
"Hoo~. That was close. It seems that the willow bark tea was worth its weight."
As he drank the willow bark tea, Sejong's pulse stabilized.
Sitting in a chair, sipping tea, Hyang muttered softly, "My dear core influencer sister must live long and healthy."