The "Document Sorting Punishment" was a penalty that struck fear into all officials as soon as it was introduced.
In the 21st century, when people talk about Joseon on the internet, there's a joke about "record enthusiasts" because the scholars of Joseon were so passionate about documenting everything.
Thus, even though it had only been about 30 years since Joseon was founded, the records of state affairs were already immense in volume.
The local officials' evaluation of this volume was harsh.
"Fools who risk their lives for note-taking!"
It was like the notebook of a student who believed that just taking colorful notes with various pens would make them a top student.
"The problem was how to organize and digest it afterward..."
Among the meticulously recorded documents, the only one that had undergone an organization process was the Annals.
Therefore, the suggestion made by Hyang, who had solidified his position through the Crown Prince's appointment, was to organize the records by each department.
The issue was not the excessive recording itself, but rather the lack of organization, as the records were valuable.
However, this task was draining.
The volume of documents was enormous, and the work that needed immediate attention kept piling up.
The daily memorials, reports, and other documents submitted to the court were overwhelming, and the responses to them were no less.
It was a situation where "organizing one cart of documents would lead to two carts of work piling up."
In this situation, the "Document Sorting Punishment," created to punish the Ministry of Finance officials who failed to grasp the situation and held a face-saving ceremony, was the best alternative.
The worst punishment was that "if results were not produced within the set time, the remaining time and volume would be calculated to determine the exile period."
Officials subjected to this punishment had to work like "stone statues of a library."
"What if the document organization is sloppy?"
In response to King Sejong's question, Hyang answered nonchalantly.
"We should apply collective punishment."
"Collective punishment?"
"We can bring in the high-ranking members of the family and the school. If the person being punished tries to mess up the work, we should call out the elders of the family and the school."
King Sejong clapped his knee at Hyang's words.
"Aha!"
With all their assets confiscated, Jo Mal-saeng and his wife had to rely on their eldest son, Jo Seon.
"Father, please come in."
"Welcome."
As Jo Seon and Princess Jeongjeong greeted them, Jo Mal-saeng and his wife bowed deeply and asked for forgiveness.
"We are sorry to trouble you, Princess."
"We apologize."
"No need to apologize. Please come in."
Thus, Jo Mal-saeng and his wife had to set up a household in the annex of Jo Seon's house.
On the day Jo Mal-saeng and his wife relied on Jo Seon's house, King Sejong sent a letter to Jo Mal-saeng through the Chief Secretary.
The content of the letter was simple.
- Be cautious and more cautious.
Do not forget whose blood you carry.
It was a short but powerful warning.
Jo Mal-saeng, who had come out to undergo the "Document Sorting Punishment" he had only heard about, listened as a Ministry of Justice official carefully read a scroll.
"‘... Therefore, the criminal must do their utmost in organizing the documents!’ That is the royal command. Do you understand?"
At the cautious words of the Ministry of Justice official, Jo Mal-saeng nodded weakly.
"I understand. And since I am a criminal, please speak comfortably."
"Are you sure... is that okay?"
"I am a criminal."
"Then I will speak freely... Ahem. Follow me."
"Yes."
Following the still uncomfortable-looking Ministry of Justice official, Jo Mal-saeng looked up at the sky.
"Damn, it's such a clear sky."
The April sky was dazzlingly clear.
The place Jo Mal-saeng headed to was a newly constructed building behind Yukjo Street next to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
After purchasing the area of Jungak-dong and Susong-dong in the 21st century, the government demolished all the private houses and built massive buildings on the wide open space.
At the entrance of the large gate surrounded by high walls, there was a signboard written by King Sejong himself.
"Joseon National Document Archive"
It was a place with a terrifying legend that "the red color of the pillars of the archive was stained with the tears and nosebleeds of the officials and criminals who worked there."
"Wow..."
Seeing the grand scale of the archive he had only heard about, Jo Mal-saeng couldn't help but gape.
The scale and budget he had heard about as a minister didn't feel real until he saw it in person.
"Let's go."
"Yes, let's go..."
Standing dumbfounded and staring at the buildings, Jo Mal-saeng hurriedly moved at the official's words.
Watching Jo Mal-saeng hastily approach, the Ministry of Justice official clicked his tongue.
"Ahem... If you have so many other thoughts... you will most likely be caught in collective punishment."
"I understand!"
At the official's words, Jo Mal-saeng, whose face turned pale, shook his head.
"This is where the criminal will work from now on."
"Yes."
Jo Mal-saeng arrived at one of the many buildings in the archive.
The signboard on the building's main entrance read "Ministry of War."
Entering the building, Jo Mal-saeng couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh~."
In the large room at the center of the building, nine long desks were arranged in three rows, and officials with dark circles around their eyes were flipping through scrolls and transcribing them into books.
Seeing the officials exhausted from fatigue, Jo Mal-saeng felt complicated.
"Will I end up like that too?"
"I will explain the work process from now on."
"... Yes."
Perhaps because he had asked to be spoken to comfortably, or because Jo Mal-saeng was recognized as nothing more than a criminal, the Ministry of Justice official's tone had become blunt.
"First, you receive the assigned volume of work from the supervisor sitting over there and then process it. Since it's the Ministry of War, you should be familiar with it, right?"
"... Yes."
The words were polite, but there was a hint of sarcasm in the content.
The official, who looked at Jo Mal-saeng with a mix of sympathy and criticism, continued speaking.
"Since it's the Ministry of War, it will probably start with the reports from each region. Check the date the report was submitted, find the corresponding date in the Seungjeongwon Diary to see what was discussed, and if a response was issued, check the date the response was issued, find the copy, and record the exact content."
"Then do I have to go to the Seungjeongwon...?"
"Follow me."
The official led Jo Mal-saeng to the entrance.
Standing at the entrance, the official pointed to the two large buildings in the center of the archive.
"From here, the left one is where the Seungjeongwon Diary is stored, and the right one is where the copies of the responses are stored. They are categorized by year, month, and day, so if you find them properly, the work will be easy."
"Yes..."
Seeing the two large buildings, Jo Mal-saeng replied in a dazed voice.
The official's explanation was nearing its end.
"... When the bell rings once, you get a 15-minute break. During that time, you can go to the restroom and stretch your stiff body. When the bell rings twice, you go out to the left of the entrance to the cafeteria for a meal. You will be provided with one meal a day, at noon. Finally, when the bell rings three times, you leave work. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Then, start working."
"... Yes."
Feeling the gaze of the Ministry of Justice official behind him, Jo Mal-saeng walked over to the supervisor.
"The criminal should start with these 10."
The supervisor took 10 scrolls from the bookshelf behind him and handed them to Jo Mal-saeng.
Receiving the scrolls, Jo Mal-saeng unconsciously read the date on the top scroll.
"Hongwu 26th year (1393, Taejo 2nd year)... Gasp!"
Startled, Jo Mal-saeng looked at the supervisor with wide eyes.
Reading Jo Mal-saeng's expression, the supervisor nodded.
"It's a bit old, isn't it? There are hardly any criminals in the Ministry of War. Or they are illiterate... The goal is to progress to the 6th year of King Taejong by the end of this year."
It was a total of 14 years of records.
Seeing Jo Mal-saeng frozen with a blank expression, the supervisor urged him.
"Start working! Remember that if the work is delayed or errors occur, collective punishment will be applied! Especially in the case of a criminal, since you committed the grave crime of treason, even a single mistake will immediately result in collective punishment!"
"Yes, yes!"
Hurriedly finding an empty seat, Jo Mal-saeng unrolled a scroll.
"Brush and ink... Haha..."
Looking for a brush and ink, Jo Mal-saeng wore a defeated expression.
In the center of the long desk were several containers filled with brushes, ink containers full of ink, and stacks of blank paper.
He had become a stone statue, destined to write documents.
Meanwhile, at Jo Seon's house, Jo Mal-saeng's wife, Lady Shin, was pleading with Princess Jeongjeong.
"Princess, can't you use your influence somehow?"
Despite Lady Shin's plea, the princess shook her head with a troubled expression.
"It's beyond my power. The current king is very strict about this matter."
"Sigh~. What should we do..."
At the princess's answer, Lady Shin clutched her chest in frustration.
In the history before Hyang's intervention, Jo Mal-saeng, whose bribery was revealed, had to go into exile.
Not long after going into exile, he was reinstated, and after two years, Jo Mal-saeng was able to return to the central government.
However, that was the end.
Jo Mal-saeng never sat in the prime minister's seat that King Taejong had promised until he died.
The evaluation written in the Annals at the time of Jo Mal-saeng's death was as follows.
- He had a good character and was competent, but a "blemish" blocked his path.
To King Sejong, who had a strong desire for talent, Jo Mal-saeng was a decent talent but not on the same level as Hwang Hui.
Simply put, he was a talent that was used because he was needed, but he wasn't someone who truly captured the king's heart.
However, as Hyang's intervention gradually increased the scope of change, and with the emergence of the excellent handling method called "Document Sorting Punishment," Jo Mal-saeng's return to politics became uncertain.
Meanwhile, during the one-month deadline set by King Sejong, a massive amount of wealth flowed into the national treasury.
"Land deeds, slaves, gold, silver, horse meat, and horse gear. Coral, jade, and jadeite... Every kind of wealth available in Joseon is here."
At King Sejong's words, the ministers could only bow their heads.
Staring at the ministers who had bowed their heads, King Sejong continued.
"To have eaten... consumed so much and still be fine... I am amazed at your talents. Truly remarkable skills."
At King Sejong's words, filled with thorns, the ministers all prostrated themselves on the floor and shouted.
"Please kill us!"
"As much as I would like to do as you say or punish you all with the Document Sorting Punishment, I have made a promise, so I will let it go this time. However, if this happens again, do not expect my mercy."
"We will engrave it in our bones!"
"Then let's get to the main point."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Thus, the bribery issue was resolved, and the government began to move along its course again.
Outside the palace, reconstruction work was in full swing, and inside, the government was busy with state affairs when a ripple spread among the officials.
It was due to King Sejong's order regarding the government slaves (female slaves used by the government).
"From now on, when central and local government slaves give birth, they shall be granted a 100-day leave."
"We accept the order."
King Sejong's order had its own justification, as it was common for government slaves to fall ill or for babies to die because they had to work without properly recovering after childbirth.
However, the order caused a stir for another reason.
"What! Even government slaves get maternity leave, but what about us!"
Overworked officials began to grumble.
The officials' complaints reached the ears of King Sejong and Hyang through the eunuchs.
Hearing the complaints, Hyang snorted.
"Hmph! If they're so upset, tell them to submit their resignations! With all the benefits they receive, how can they complain! Do they think power is so easily obtained?"
King Sejong went a step further.
"I hear there are many complaints about giving maternity leave to government slaves?"
As soon as King Sejong's words fell, Hwang Hui began damage control.
"There are always people with complaints everywhere, aren't there?"
"I'd like to catch them all and make them do document sorting for about 100 days."
"Please show the mercy of a ruler."
"Tsk! Let's do that! But it's really annoying. It's not like I didn't give them holidays!"
"We are grateful!"
At that time, Joseon also had holidays.
New Year's Day, the first full moon, Dano, and Chuseok were holidays, as well as the 24 solar terms, the king's birthday, and the 1st, 8th, 15th, and 23rd of each month were official holidays.
In addition to these official holidays, there were days off according to internal regulations, like how Hyang allowed a day off every 10 days, so officials took turns resting.
Therefore, when holidays overlapped with solar terms, festivals, official holidays, and internal regulations, there were cases where they rested for 4 to 5 consecutive days, and every year when the Royal Observatory distributed calendars, officials flocked to check the holidays.
Because of this, when officials complained, King Sejong was annoyed.
After dismissing the ministers, King Sejong grumbled to the Chief Secretary.
"How about really finding them all and making them do document sorting for 100 days?"
At King Sejong's question, the Chief Secretary closed his eyes tightly and answered sincerely.
"Please spare us, Your Majesty!"