Black Corporation: Joseon

As March approached, a strange rumor began to circulate in Hanyang.

Hearing the rumor, Hanyang’s magistrate, Kwon Jin, immediately reported to King Sejong.

“Your Majesty, there is a false and slanderous rumor circulating within the capital.”

“A slanderous rumor, you say? What is it?”

“It is truly disgraceful to even mention…”

“That’s fine. Tell me.”

At Sejong’s command, Kwon Jin cautiously recounted the content of the rumor.

“‘Crows cry in the pine tree at the royal tomb, the sky plays tricks with the weather, and the black clouds that drift as rain falls signal the time for a change in dynasty.’ This is what it says…”

Before Kwon Jin finished speaking, Sejong slammed down his armrest and yelled, “How audacious!”

At Sejong’s outburst, the ministers sealed their lips and looked for cues.

“So, has the source of this disgraceful rumor been found?”

“We are investigating with all our efforts.”

“You must find the person spreading this falsehood!”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

After giving his command to Hanyang’s magistrate, Sejong gave an order to the Minister of Law and Punishment.

“Are there still those trying to commit arson?”

“Your Majesty, indeed, there are still those carrying out such reckless acts.”

“What insolence!”

Sejong slammed down his armrest once again, bursting with anger.

After the large fire in February, there had been attempts by some to start fires, hoping to use the opportunity to steal.

However, many of their attempts ended in merely burning houses.

Military forces guarding the capital were deployed throughout Hanyang for reconstruction of the affected areas and maintaining law and order.

Not only the military, but also the residents of the neighborhoods organized watch shifts, climbing onto rooftops to guard in all directions.

As the sun set, all passage was prohibited. After sunset, those found outside without special permission for night work were immediately arrested and imprisoned in the city jail.

Despite these tightened security measures, attempts at arson continued.

Over 50 houses had burned since the large fire, with casualties and refugees as a result.

However, those committing arson were quickly caught by the police and soldiers, and they were executed.

While an investigation to catch the person spreading the rumor of a changing dynasty was underway, another rumor started to circulate.

‘This fire was caused by the Minister of War, Jo Mal-saeng! The Minister of War, Jo Mal-saeng, ordered a fire to burn the weapons as soon as the king left the capital, and Yon Sa-jong of Goksan tried to hatch a plot when he did not follow the king. Also, Jo Mal-saeng’s son, Jo Seon, and his relative, Lee In of Gongnyeong, tried to attack the palace after setting the fire.’

Upon hearing this rumor, Jo Mal-saeng prostrated himself before Sejong, crying out his innocence.

“Your Majesty! I have not committed such a reckless act! Please believe in my loyalty!”

“That must be true. Since the time of the previous king, you have been faithfully serving.”

Consoling Jo Mal-saeng, Sejong issued a command.

“Find out who is spreading this groundless rumor quickly and punish them!”

After an extensive investigation across Hanyang, a suspect was apprehended.

“We’ve caught the suspect.”

“Who is it?”

“It is a man named Kim Yong-saeng, who once held an official post.”

Hearing Hanyang’s magistrate’s response, Sejong expressed doubt.

“An official post? That means at least a Grade 3 high-ranking official, right? Why would such a person spread this false rumor?”

“We are currently investigating the reason.”

“Hand him over to the Royal Secretariat for a swift verification of the facts.”

“Understood, Your Majesty!”

Days passed, and the Royal Secretary personally reported the investigation to Sejong.

“Kim Yong-saeng held a deep personal grudge against Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng and Yon Sa-jong of Goksan, which led him to commit this act.”

“Oh…”

Sejong sighed at the Royal Secretary’s explanation.

“What on earth could have caused such a grudge that led him to do this? Regardless of whether the accusation is true or false, one side will be utterly ruined, will they not?”

Sejong’s question was valid.

Accusations of treason were life-or-death gambles for both accuser and accused.

If the accusation was true, the accused’s entire family would be destroyed; if false, the opposite would happen.

“That’s…”

“Speak.”

At Sejong’s command, the Royal Secretary explained the situation.

“…So, due to this bribery issue, Kim Yong-saeng, who had held a grudge, spread the false rumor.”

“Oh…”

Sejong was flabbergasted and speechless. His eyes were fixed on Jo Mal-saeng, who was bowed to one side.

“Minister Jo Mal-Saeng.”

“Yes, yes! Your Majesty!”

“You must remember what the late king said to you. ‘I want to give you a promotion, but I’ll do it slowly, so don’t decline.’”

“Your Majesty….”

Sejong’s voice became increasingly cold.

“For the time being, be prudent. Auditor General, listen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Investigate the bribery issues related to the Minister Jo Mal-Saeng.”

“Your command is received!”

The voice of the responding Auditor General was excited.

And it wasn’t just the Auditor General who was excited. After a long time, the officers of the Censorate investigated zealously.

As a result, a bribery scandal, arguably the largest in the Joseon Dynasty during Sejong’s reign, was revealed.

It was a scandal recorded in the annals as the “Kim Do-yeon Bribery Case.”

“According to our investigation, a man named Kim Do-yeon bribed former and current officials, including the Minister Jo Mal-Saeng and the Commander of Goksan, manipulating lawsuits. He robbed the property and slaves of brothers Kim Song and Kim Jin, who live in Hongwon-hyeon of Hamheung-bu, and made hundreds of relatives slaves.”

“Heavens….”

Sejong’s face showed a loss for words at the Auditor General’s report.

According to the report, Kim Do-yeon’s case showed vividly what ‘inhumanity beneath a human face’ means.

The crime started with Kim Do-yeon’s greed for Kim Saeng’s property. Kim Saeng, who had migrated to Hamgyeong-do and after many twists and turns became a wealthy man with vast rice fields and over a thousand slaves, was originally a friend of Kim Do-yeon’s grandfather.

Kim Do-yeon, envious of this wealth, fabricated documents claiming that Kim Saeng was originally his family’s slave but had fled to Hamgyeong-do, and initiated a lawsuit.

To win this lawsuit, Kim Do-yeon bribed high-ranking officials enormously.

Thanks to those bribes, Kim Do-yeon won the lawsuit, and made Kim Saeng’s descendants, numbering 426, and over a thousand slaves, and fields, his own.

“… So, the list of those who took bribes from this Kim Do-yeon is as follows.”

Sejong, unrolling the scroll handed to him by the Auditor General, checked the names written on it.

“Minister Jo Mal-Saeng and the Commander of Goksan are at the top.”

At Sejong’s words, Jo Mal-saeng bowed deeply and cried out.

“Please grant mercy!”

Ignoring Jo Mal-saeng’s cry, Sejong gave an order to the Auditor General.

“The Censorate and the Inspectorate shall investigate immediately how much these people on the list have taken and report it.”

“Your command is received!”

The voices of the responding Auditor General and the Grand Inspector were filled with vigor.

Meanwhile, Hyang, who had heard the rumor while working at the research institute, hastily organized the documents.

“It’s frustrating to just watch this happening. This is an opportunity to uproot the practice of bribery!”

The Censorate and the Inspectorate were bustling like fish in water.

According to the report sent by the inspector dispatched to Hamgyeong-do (a monitoring position dispatched by the Censorate to each province), a total of 19 former and current high and low-ranking officials were bribed with 132 slaves.

And the one who received the most was Jo Mal-saeng, with 36.

The Auditor General Kwon Do who submitted the list to Sejong argued as follows:

“The bribes Jo Mal-saeng received, counting only the slaves, amount to 780 *gwan*. By law, we may overlook up to 40 *gwan*, but if it exceeds 80 *gwan*, it must be met with execution!”

“Is that so?”

“If we forgive such a person, who enjoyed the great trust of the late king, who will follow the law?”

“Ah~.”

As Sejong hesitated, the Auditor General and Grand Inspector simultaneously bowed and raised their voices.

“Please punish him severely!”

“He must be executed! Please punish him severely!”

As the Auditor General and Grand Inspector vehemently advocated for execution, Sejong looked at Minister Jo Mal-Saeng with resentful eyes.

As he looked at the trembling back of Jo Mal-saeng, who was bowed down, Sejong became lost in thought.

He had been a faithful servant, having earned a reputation since the reign of the late king.

He was also one of those who followed Sejong’s policy well and gave good advice, and that person was Jo Mal-saeng.

According to the law, execution would be the correct punishment, but the problem was that bribery was the daily practice of officials.

If they punished all the officials who took bribes according to the law, only those with little experience who only knew how to follow orders would remain in the court.

‘I wish I could execute them all like the Crown Prince said, but the situation…’

“Your Majesty, may I express my thoughts?”

Reading Sejong’s expression, Hyang opened his mouth, to which Sejong seemed to have been waiting, answered, “Speak.”

“The punishment of those who have taken bribes is urgent, and it is also urgent to restore the identities of those who have been wronged by unjust lawsuits. How about handling this first?”

“Indeed! Send someone immediately to restore the identities and properties of the descendants of Kim Saeng, who have been wronged by false lawsuits!”

“I accept your command!”

“Furthermore, we must punish Kim Do-yeon, who committed such heinous crimes.

Kim Do-yeon’s crimes are not one or two.

First, he instigated false lawsuits for his own greed; that’s one crime.

Second, he manipulated documents to treat commoners as slaves and disrupted the country’s public affairs; that’s another crime.

Third, he spread bribes to achieve his own will; that’s another crime.

Fourth, he intentionally harmed his grandfather’s close friend out of his own greed. This disgrace to his grandfather’s name is an act of unfilial piety, which is another crime.

Fifth, by deceiving people into thinking commoners were slaves and blinding your Majesty, he committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign and disrespecting the superior; that’s another crime.

Even combining just the crimes of unfilial piety and deceiving the sovereign, according to the law, he can be sentenced to death for these major crimes.

Thus, the criminal Kim Do-yeon should be executed, all his family members turned into slaves, and his properties confiscated.

Among the confiscated properties, return the victims’ belongings to them, reimburse those who purchased the victims’ land at the time of purchase, and return the land to the victims. And if there is any remaining property, put it into the national treasury.”

At Hyang’s suggestion, Sejong slapped his knee in approval.

“The Crown Prince’s opinion is indeed correct! What do the ministers think?”

At Sejong’s question, the ministers all answered in unison,

“We think it’s an excellent plan!”

As the ministers unanimously agreed, the chief state councilors and chief aides had a disagreement.

“The measures for the victims’ identities and the criminal’s punishment are indeed good, but the punishment for those who accepted bribes for Jo Mal-saeng is also urgent!”

“Please decide quickly!”

“I will consider that part a bit more.”

“Please decide quickly!”

“I said I will consider it! That’s enough for today!”

Although Sejong said he would consider it, the Office of the Inspector General and the Secretariat did not lose momentum.

From the next day, the officials of the Secretariat and the Inspector General’s Office spread mats in the front yard of Geunjeongjeon Hall and began a sit-in protest.

“Jo Mal-saeng and the corrupt bureaucrats must be executed!”

“Please decide quickly!”

“Please decide quickly!”

“Sigh~.”

Hearing the shouts from the front yard of Geunjeongjeon, Sejong, who let out a long sigh, stood up.

“Let’s take a break for now.”

After declaring a recess, Sejong headed for Eastern Palace.

“Is the Crown Prince here?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve stayed in the Eastern Palace.”

After confirming with Eastern Palace’s steward that Hyang was staying there, Sejong ordered the following officials,

“Wait here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It’s a private conversation between father and son. Do not cross the line.”

The officials retreated at Sejong’s command, which was so firm that it even seemed angry.

‘Somehow! Someday!’

They were officials burning with determination, recalling legends of their senior officials.

“Please come in.”

“Yes.”

Hyang, who had offered a seat, opened his mouth as soon as Sejong sat in his chair.

“You seem deeply troubled.”

Sejong nodded his head in response to Hyang’s question.

***

“I’ve seen it all. I want to destroy everything just as I thought. There’s no suitable successor, and if I handle this poorly, I could be criticized for committing an act of filial impiety by offending the subjects raised by the late king. Sigh~.”

Sejong heaved a long sigh, and Hyang nodded quietly.

As long as Joseon’s state system included Confucian scholars, the shadow of the late king was not easily dismissed in personnel matters.

Especially since many of the ministers involved in the current problem were intertwined with royal and familial relationships.

Seeing Sejong filled with concern, Hyang offered his opinion.

“Why not simply not kill them and not appoint them to new positions?”

“Huh? How?”

Hyang whispered to Sejong. After listening to Hyang for a while, Sejong slapped his knee.

“That’s an idea!”

* * *

‘The king has returned.’ Upon hearing this, the ministers returned to the hall and took their seats. Seated on his throne, Sejong opened his mouth and addressed the ministers.

“Upon deep consideration, the crimes of Jo Mal-saeng and others are far from light. According to the law, they should be executed, but…”

“Execute them! Execute immediately!”

“Execute immediately!”

The moment they heard the words ‘they should be executed, but…’, the chief state councilor and chief eunuch advocated for severe punishment.

“How dare a subject interrupt the king! What country’s etiquette is this?”

Realizing their mistake at Sejong’s reprimand, the chief state councilor and chief eunuch knelt immediately.

“Please grant us death!”

“Please grant us death!”

“Should I really do so?”

Sejong, having silenced the two officials, continued.

“The execution is deserved, but since they were trusted by the late king, I will not kill them. However, their crime is not light, so they will be punished as follows;

– First, all the official positions, ranks, merits, lands, and wealth bestowed upon the criminals will be confiscated.

– Only the assets of the criminals themselves will be considered for confiscation, without touching those that were passed to their wives and children beyond the last five years.

– Furthermore, I order them to serve as document organizers. They will be assigned to the Six Ministries and serve in document management.”

“Gulp!”

Everyone was horrified at the word ‘document management,’ since it meant dealing with a considerable amount of records, some even connected to previous dynasties.

Sejong’s judgment left Jo Mal-saeng utterly collapsed.

Above his head, Sejong’s command continued.

“I also command other ministers. I will give you one month. Those who have received bribes above the legal standards must return them to the state immediately. If anyone is discovered after one month, not only will they face additional penalties, but they will also serve in document management!”

“We accept the command!”

* * *

As the ministers crowded out after the meeting, the officials who had been protesting swarmed the chief state councilor and chief eunuch.

“What happened?”

At the officials’ query, the chief state councilor and chief eunuch looked at Jo Mal-saeng.

With a face that seemed to have aged 10 years, Jo Mal-saeng, supported by those around him, was leaving the hall.

Seeing him, the chief state councilor opened his mouth.

“Death would have been better.”