In the seventh year of King Sejong's reign (1425), the civil service examination was held.
Since it was not a year ending in a "good" year (好, 卵, 午, 酉), it was a special examination focused only on the literary and military exams.
Unlike previous examinations, this one was different in many ways, and the reason was simple.
"We are short on officials! (We lack the people to fill the positions!)" Both the civil and military ranks required a large number of personnel due to the establishment of new positions and systems.
Thus, King Sejong issued an imperial decree to the governors overseeing the preliminary examination.
- For the literary preliminary examination, do not conduct the Jinseong exam; only the Saengwon exam will be held.
- The number of successful candidates should be increased by 50% over the combined total of previous Jinseong and Saengwon exams.
"Huh?" The governors, who received the decree, tilted their heads in confusion, but they proceeded to conduct the Saengwon exam and select the successful candidates as per the decree.
Once the selection was complete, the records of the successful candidates were sent to the capital.
"I have passed the exam!"
"Oh! This is the glory of the family! We must hold a feast!"
With the expanded quota of successful candidates, celebrations erupted across various towns in the nation.
The local administrative bodies of Joseon numbered 162, and in previous cases, the number of successful candidates from the local exams was 140. As a result, on average, about 50 towns failed to produce any successful candidates.
However, this time, 220 successful candidates emerged.
Consequently, only 11 towns across the eight provinces of Joseon did not produce any successful candidates.
The local offices in those towns were thrown into chaos.
"What on earth did they teach their children!"
"Such disgrace, such disgrace! Where in the world is there such disgrace!"
As March arrived, the successful candidates for the preliminary exam traveled to Hanyang for the second exam.
They brought rice, cloth, and servants, or they carried their own belongings as scholars or commoners flocked to Hanyang, seeking places to stay.
Those without relatives in Hanyang requested lodging at decent-looking homes or settled into temporary inns set up by officials.
Meanwhile, those with well-off relatives in Hanyang sought them out for accommodation.
"Uncle, have you not left the office yet?"
"These days, he is late every day."
"I see."
In a neat hanok in Bukchon, a prominent residence for the yangban class located north of Jonggak, a young man from the countryside was conversing with an older woman.
Their conversation flowed from their thoughts on the examination to various personal matters when a servant announced to the woman.
"Madam, the master has returned!"
"I understand."
Upon hearing that the master had returned, both the woman and the young man hurriedly rose from their seats.
That day, in the main room of the house, the master and the young man sat across from each other, sharing drinks and continuing their conversation.
"So, do you feel confident about the second exam?"
"I plan to do my best."
"That is the right mindset. By the way, have you held the grand ceremony (大礼, marriage)?"
"Yes."
"And children?"
"I have two sons and one daughter."
The master murmured softly at the young man's response.
"Fortunately, the family line will not be cut off. Whoever it may be, they will be comfortable..."
"Excuse me? I am sorry, but I did not quite catch that..."
"Oh! Just talking to myself!" The master waved his hand to dismiss the thought and changed the subject.
"You know, the number of successful candidates in this preliminary exam has increased. The number of successful candidates in the second exam will also rise significantly."
"Is that so?"
Seeing the young man's face relax, the master warned him.
"This is not something to be happy about. Now, it is not just about passing the second exam; the real issue lies beyond that."
"Ah..."
"Let me give you one last piece of advice: you will feel like submitting your resignation a dozen times a day. You must endure that to achieve success."
"I am prepared for the resignation ceremony."
At the young man's answer, the master chuckled softly.
"Pfft! A resignation ceremony? Who would dare to do that? The moment you do, you will taste hell while still alive... Well! I suppose you wouldn't understand unless you experience it."
"Yes? Yes..."
Thinking the conversation had come to an end, the master stood up and brushed himself off.
"The preparations should be ready. First, rest your weary body and gather your thoughts. And good luck!"
"Thank you!"
Three days later, the second exam took place.
After passing through Geunjeongmun, the wide space in front of Geunjeongjeon was set up with seats, and the candidates, having gone through the identification process, entered one by one to take their places.
"Your Majesty, the King has arrived!"
All the candidates seated stood up and bowed their heads.
Soon, King Sejong, along with the officials and ministers, entered and took their seats, prompting the candidates to bow deeply to the king.
As King Sejong stood up and stepped forward, the waiting eunuchs brought out the loudspeakers that had been created by Hyang in the past and set them up.
Standing in front of the loudspeaker, King Sejong addressed the candidates with encouraging words.
"... Therefore, for our Joseon to expand its ambitions, the most essential thing is talent. I sincerely hope that you all become such talents."
"I will give my all!"
After King Sejong's encouraging speech, a warning against cheating followed.
Finally, instructions regarding the examination procedures were given.
"... Thus, the candidates will take the exam in two parts. The first will be on the classics, and the second will be on arithmetic."
"Arithmetic?"
"Why arithmetic?"
With the unexpected addition of a subject, the candidates murmured in confusion.
"Silence! All of this is being implemented based on the opinions of His Majesty and the ministers to select talented individuals, so do not doubt it! If you cannot let go of your doubts, you may leave the examination hall immediately!"
At the examiner's sharp command, the murmurs quieted down instantly.
"Then, we will begin the exam!"
Thus, the first exam, testing understanding of the classics, concluded, followed by the second exam on arithmetic.
The second exam was unusual from the start, as officials from the court personally distributed the printed exam papers to the candidates.
"Do not forget to write your name and title at the top! Now, begin!"
After the exams concluded, candidates began to exit the examination hall one by one.
And from that moment, a battle among the officials began.
"Let me see..."
"Huh? Is this interpretable like this?"
While the atmosphere among the officials grading the first exam, which assessed understanding of the classics, was somewhat relaxed, the atmosphere for grading arithmetic was tense.
There, officials from the six ministries were engaged in a fierce battle as they graded the exam papers.
"Let me see, the scores..."
"Hey! Why are you taking that exam paper? Are you already trying to smuggle it out?"
"Maintain integrity! Maintain integrity!"
If swords had been drawn, several would have already fallen in that fierce atmosphere.
The beginning of this situation stemmed from the discussions regarding the special examination being held this time.
"I have a request for His Majesty."
"A request?"
As soon as Hyang uttered the word "request," the ministers and officials tensed up.
"Speak."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please add one more subject to the upcoming second exam."
At Hyang's request, King Sejong stroked his beard, showing a puzzled expression.
"Add a subject? What subject do you wish to add?"
"Arithmetic."
"Arithmetic?"
"Yes, we are short on officials in the research institute. Therefore, I wish to hire those among the candidates for the second exam who are skilled in arithmetic."
"Why the second exam?"
"Those applying for the higher exam are already filtered talents, so they are even more necessary for Your Majesty."
"Hmm..."
At Hyang's words, King Sejong stroked his beard and fell into thought.
A positive feeling lingered on his face as he silently contemplated.
"Your Majesty! The Ministry of Personnel also needs those skilled in arithmetic!"
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, the Minister of Personnel stepped forward to demand personnel reinforcements.
King Sejong raised an eyebrow at the Minister's request.
"Didn’t the Ministry of Personnel just reinforce their numbers?"
"Your Majesty! With that number, it is barely 'pissing on a frozen foot'! To manage the personnel for the nationwide monopoly and to investigate market trends, it is utterly insufficient!"
"Is that so? Hmm..."
"Your Majesty! The Ministry of Construction also needs them!"
"The Ministry of Military Affairs is the same!"
"The Ministry of Justice also needs personnel..."
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs..."
The pleas from the ministers broke the dam.
Just as the Minister of Rites was about to speak, Hwang Hee interjected.
"Why do you all need so many personnel?"
"In the case of the Ministry of Construction, just organizing the new and repaired dams, levees, and bridges across the nation requires all the officials to work overnight! Moreover, to conduct research on the 'Comprehensive National Development Plan,' we need those skilled in arithmetic!"
"The same goes for the Ministry of Military Affairs! To organize the weapons and personnel of each provincial office, we need those skilled in both literature and arithmetic!"
"The same goes for the Ministry of Justice! To investigate and organize the number and types of crimes occurring throughout Joseon, we need those skilled in arithmetic!"
Each minister passionately argued why additional personnel were necessary.
"Goodness... Everyone has a point..."
King Sejong muttered with a troubled expression as he looked around at the ministers.
"Is it really that we are short on people?"
In response to King Sejong's question, Hwang Hee explained the reason.
"It is not that we are short on people, but rather that we are short on budget."
At Hwang Hee's answer, King Sejong involuntarily cursed.
"Damn it..."
Amidst this, the ministers were engaged in a heated debate.
"The Ministry of Personnel has already been reinforced! There should be some conscience!"
"The Ministry of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Justice already have plenty of people; why do they say they are short?"
"What good is having many people if half of them are illiterate! Do you think those who can only wield a sword can handle paperwork? By the way, why does the Ministry of Rites need personnel? Why arithmetic there?"
The six ministers were embroiled in a fierce argument.
"Your parents must be like you..."
"Enough!"
As the argument escalated to the point of personal insults, King Sejong shouted to end the dispute.
In an instant, the ministers fell silent, and King Sejong clicked his tongue.
"Tsk! You all are doing well~. Really, doing well~."
"We are humbled!"
At King Sejong's words, all the ministers bowed deeply, lowering their heads.
Observing this, King Sejong glared at Hyang.
"Anyway, you, child..."
Caught in the crossfire, Hyang had to bow his head like the other ministers.
"We are humbled!"
"Enough! How many do I need?"
"At least twenty..."
"Can we not reinforce them through recruitment?"
"The quality of talent varies..."
Hyang's response made King Sejong click his tongue.
"I understand that the quality varies."
It made sense to him because if they were at least capable of taking the lower exam, they were somewhat intelligent.
"Regardless of the reasons, it is clear that we are short on people. However, there is the issue of budget..."
As King Sejong organized the situation, he asked the ministers.
"How long did they say it would take to mine gold and silver from the mines discovered by the Resource Office?"
"They said it would take at least half a year. However, to obtain properly refined products, it would take at least a year."
"Hmm..."
Hearing the answer, King Sejong began to calculate in his mind.
'The taxes collected from the officials and the profits from the monopoly...
Hmm...'
After a long while of adding and subtracting, King Sejong reached a conclusion.
"Did you say you need twenty?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. At least twenty..."
"Reduce it to ten."
"... I will obey."
King Sejong began to adjust the personnel starting with Hyang.
"This time, we will increase the number of successful candidates in the lower exam. And as per the request of the Crown Prince, we will also conduct the arithmetic exam. Each of you should coordinate the necessary personnel in your ministries and report to me. Just now, I have halved the Crown Prince's request. I hope you all will not only think of your own desires but also achieve harmony through concessions."
"I will obey!"
And the result of that was the fierce battle of wits currently taking place.
"The grading is complete."
"Let me see. This is arranged in order of scores, right?"
"Yes."
In response to the examiner's answer, Jeongcho silently picked the top ten papers and stood up.
Just at that moment, the Minister of Personnel grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait!"
"What is it?"
"You have no integrity! What are you going to do by taking only the smartest ones? You, sir... you have no conscience!"
"The research institute needs those skilled in arithmetic."
"That goes for all of us!"
"That's right! Jeong Dae-gam, I see now that you are a truly terrible person!"
The examination room was instantly filled with voices condemning Jeongcho.
However, Jeongcho did not back down.
"It is the Crown Prince's order."
Although Jeongcho invoked the Crown Prince's name, the other officials did not back down either.
The representative among them was the Minister of Personnel.
"You have forgotten the King's command! He said not to satisfy your own desires! What kind of disrespectful act are you trying to commit!"
"That's not true!"
"Let go of your greed."
"Tsk!"
Jeongcho clicked his tongue.
The people gathered here were all of the ministerial rank.
They were not individuals he could easily push around based on experience or age.
In the end, Jeongcho proposed a compromise.
"I will take five from the top and five from the average scores. I must also follow the Crown Prince's order."
At Jeongcho's words, the ministers, who had been groaning, offered a compromise.
"Four from the top. We must take one from each of the top ten!"
After pondering for a while over the Minister of Personnel's compromise, Jeongcho nodded.
"Let’s do that."
Once outside, Jeongcho let out a sigh.
"Haah~. The Crown Prince was right."
Before coming here, Hyang had called Jeongcho and proposed a plan.
"It would be great to bring all ten of the top scorers, but that is impossible."
"That is correct."
"So, I thought of a plan..."
Hyang's plan was to "aim for what is available at the beginning."
Naturally, there would be resistance, and from there, they would gradually make concessions while securing as many talents as possible, which was 'Plan B.'