Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 284

‘Why is Your Majesty here?’

Prostrating on the floor, Maeng Sa-seong muttered to himself while breaking out in a cold sweat. Although he had drunk less than the other ministers, Maeng Sa-seong had also consumed a considerable amount.

However, the intoxication had somehow disappeared.

“Come here. This is perfect. I was feeling a bit lonely drinking alone anyway. Come and have another drink with me.”

“Yes. Yes…”

Approaching on his knees, Maeng Sa-seong respectfully received the cup King Sejong offered. Maeng Sa-seong’s hand trembled slightly as he held the cup.

Seeing Maeng Sa-seong’s appearance, King Sejong continued with a slight smile.

“Hearing the ministers enjoying a banquet together without formality truly put me at ease.”

“Pfft! Cough! Hiccup!”

At King Sejong’s words, Maeng Sa-seong spat out the drink he was sipping and immediately prostrated on the floor, bowing his head.

“Please forgive me for my unseemly behavior!”

“Unseemly behavior? On the contrary, hearing the ministers enjoying a banquet without worries put me at ease.”

“I am unworthy!”

“That aside… Is the work that burdensome?”

“N-No, Your Majesty! We are the ones who stepped forward to serve Your Majesty and Joseon with utmost dedication!”

Although Maeng Sa-seong answered with a raised voice, he was inwardly lamenting his predicament.

‘Why? Why only me? Why? Why! Why do I have to be here? Why! Why!’

Seeing this, King Sejong continued with a smile.

“As expected of Minister Maeng. If Minister Hwang were here, he would have started complaining right away.”

“Surely not, Your Majesty.”

Despite his answer, Maeng Sa-seong inwardly agreed with King Sejong’s words.

‘Minister Hwang would certainly do that. Indeed.’

Hwang Hui, who had received the punishment of ‘lifetime service’ due to various scandals, was known for his increasingly sharp tongue after the punishment. When Maeng Sa-seong expressed concern about Hwang Hui’s behavior of pointing out issues even to King Sejong, Hwang Hui simply replied.

“Why should I worry about the future when I’ve already thrown myself away?”

“Minister!”

***

Continuing to offer drinks to the trembling Maeng Sa-seong, King Sejong continued.

“Today, as the state affairs ended early and I had some free time, I decided to go on a secret outing to observe the lives of the people for a while. However, when I heard that the ministers had gathered to drink, I came to see. Thanks to that, I was able to hear various inner thoughts.”

“P-Please spare my life!”

“Why would I kill you, Minister? It is I who should reflect.”

“N-No, Your Majesty! It is our sin.”

“It’s not a sin. Now that I have learned of my ministers’ hardships, I will contemplate a solution.”

“I am unworthy, Your Majesty.”

“Then, let’s have another drink.”

“Yes, yes. Your Majesty.”

***

After a few more rounds of drinks, Maeng Sa-seong was finally able to leave.

“Hmm, the night is deep, so let’s meet tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Be careful on your way back.”

Seeing Maeng Sa-seong’s back as he politely bowed and left, King Sejong stroked his beard while making a small nasal sound.

“Hmm…”

***

King Taejong’s evaluation of Maeng Sa-seong could be summed up in two characters.

-Like water (如水, yeo-su)

“Maeng Sa-seong is like water. Just as water does not discriminate between containers, he does not discriminate between positions. And just as water always maintains its level, he is always impartial. Being like water, that is Maeng Sa-seong’s greatest strength and weakness.”

After King Taejong’s passing, King Sejong, who had fully grasped power, came to understand what ‘the greatest strength and weakness’ meant.

Compared to the Crown Prince Hyang, all the talents recommended by King Taejong, such as Hwang Hui and Maeng Sa-seong, had shortcomings, but they were not so noticeable as to be unacceptable.

Therefore, King Sejong appointed Maeng Sa-seong to important positions, and Maeng Sa-seong fulfilled his duties sufficiently.

Especially after becoming the Left State Councilor, he had been truly living up to his reputation by coordinating disputes between various departments and handling affairs impartially.

However, King Sejong clearly saw Maeng Sa-seong’s weakness.

Maeng Sa-seong’s greatest weakness was his indecisiveness. His unpretentious personality and lack of discrimination between people led to his indecisiveness.

Just as Maeng Sa-seong did not like to say unpleasant things to others, he also disliked hearing unpleasant things from others. Therefore, when a dispute arose, he tried his best to reach a conclusion impartially and reasonably. That way, there would be no gossip afterward.

Moreover, he always paid attention to coordination to prevent disruption of work due to conflicts among officials in charge of state affairs.

As a result, he rarely took the lead in expressing his opinions. While Hwang Hui would openly point out issues even to King Sejong if necessary, Maeng Sa-seong’s nature was to provide solutions only after problems were discovered.

Even at the drinking party earlier, when debates broke out, Maeng Sa-seong diligently moved between the ministers to defuse the overheated atmosphere.

****

“Even if not as the Prime Minister, he is the optimal candidate for the Deputy Prime Minister position. Anyway… Now that the ministers are struggling with overtime work, how should I solve this? Is it best to increase work concentration and handle as much as possible in the shortest time?”

King Sejong was contemplating a solution to the ‘harsh working environment.’ However, most of the methods would make the ministers or officials beg for their lives if they heard them. The reason for this was the gossip about King Sejong that had emerged from the ministers’ drinking party earlier.

Although King Sejong himself was not well aware of it, he was a person with a strong sense of lingering resentment.

***

“Your Majesty, shall I bring the Secret Police Unit Heads back in?”

Brought back to reality by the question of the Imperial Guard Commander, King Sejong straightened his posture and answered.

“Send them in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After a short while, three Secret Police Unit Heads entered the room again. Composing himself, King Sejong continued the conversation with the Secret Police Unit Heads.

“Last time, I ordered you to observe the surroundings of the artisans closely. So, have there been any changes?”

“Not yet, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief. Well, are there any inconveniences in carrying out the work?”

At King Sejong’s question, the faces of the Secret Police Unit Heads brightened, and they immediately answered.

“We lack manpower. Please allow us to increase the number of members.”

“Increase the personnel?”

At the request of the Secret Police Unit Heads, King Sejong stroked his beard and organized his thoughts.

‘Come to think of it, the Geomgye suffered heavy losses during the suppression of the palace intrusion in the Giyu year. However, although they are currently obeying my orders, they are essentially ruffians… If we’re not careful, the public order in Hanseong could become a problem.’

In the end, King Sejong bluntly asked the Secret Police Unit Heads.

“It’s not that I distrust you, but I am concerned about the public order in Hanseong, and I cannot shake off the worry that your existence may be exposed due to imprudent individuals.”

“We will stake our lives to maintain that, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? But you know, as far as I know, the time when you lost a significant number of people was in the Giyu year. However, why are you making this request now, when there has been no request to increase personnel until now?”

King Sejong’s point was valid. In response to King Sejong’s question, the Secret Police Unit Heads of the Bukchon Geomgye explained the reason.

“Although we lost many in the Giyu year incident, the remaining members were sufficient to handle the affairs within the four gates. However, to properly handle the current task, we need people to go as far as Jemulpo. But we are severely short-staffed to do that.”

“I see.”

King Sejong nodded at the Secret Police Unit Heads’s answer. With the establishment of a branch office in Shandong and the maritime trade routes taking shape, Jemulpo was bustling with Chinese merchants from Ming. Not only merchants but also Chinese warriors who came to escort them were not few. The moment they set foot in Jemulpo, their weapons were confiscated, but they could not be trusted.

As King Sejong nodded at the Secret Police Unit Heads’s words, another thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

‘Wait, Jemulpo is not the only place where external spies are a concern. There’s also the Japanese settlement in Dongnae and Gaeseong, which is still a bit unstable. In that case…’

Just as King Sejong was about to speak, he suddenly stopped.

‘But if their power expands, can it be properly controlled?’

After considering various possibilities, King Sejong reached a conclusion.

“Alright. I will allow it. However, I will add an additional order to it.”

“An additional order, you say…”

The Secret Police Unit Heads swallowed their saliva and looked at King Sejong. It was because King Sejong’s orders were rarely easy.

“Since you’re increasing personnel and expanding your power anyway, expand your surveillance network as well. Start with Jemulpo, Dongnae, and Gaeseong. Ultimately, it should cover the entire Joseon.”

“Jemulpo, Dongnae, Gaeseong…”

The Secret Police Unit Heads, who had been mulling over the areas King Sejong had pointed out first, nodded slightly.

Jemulpo and Dongnae were places full of Chinese and Japanese merchants. Therefore, there was no way there were no spies. Finally, Gaeseong was the royal capital of Goryeo. Although it had mostly disappeared now, in the early days of Joseon’s founding, it was a place where the spirit of ‘anti-Joseon’ was rampant.

‘It’s not an easy task, but if we do it well, we can dominate the nights of Joseon!’

Having finished their calculations, the Secret Police Unit Heads immediately bowed their heads.

“We shall obey your command!”

“And one more thing.”

At King Sejong’s words ‘one more thing,’ the Secret Police Unit Heads of the Geomgye became alert. Looking at the faces of the Secret Police Unit Heads, King Sejong continued.

“You are a secret organization that follows my orders. However, looking at the current situation, it’s in disarray. Properly organize the organization.”

At King Sejong’s command, the Secret Police Unit Heads looked at each other’s faces. Sensing the suddenly grim atmosphere, the Imperial Guard Commander sitting next to King Sejong quietly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“What? Is it a difficult task?”

In response to King Sejong’s question, the Secret Police Unit Heads looked at each other and answered.

“No, Your Majesty.”

However, the atmosphere among the Secret Police Unit Heads remained grim, and seeing this, King Sejong asked a question.

“Come to think of it, how is the Secret Police Unit Heads of the Geomgye selected?”

“The previous Secret Police Unit Heads nominates a successor before retirement, but ultimately, the Secret Police Unit Heads is determined through a duel between the nominee and the challenger.”

“So, in other words, the strongest one becomes the Secret Police Unit Heads, right?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Then, if you integrate into a single organization according to my order, the three of you will have to duel for the position of the leader, right?”

“Most likely, that will be the case.”

“It won’t be a duel to the death, right? If a duel to the death is necessary, it would be a great loss…”

“Yes, duels to the death rarely occur. It is a loss to lose a skilled fighter who would step forward as a challenger.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

King Sejong, who had been observing the Secret Police Unit Heads eyeing each other, spoke again.

“Would it be alright if I recommend a candidate?”

“If Your Majesty nominates someone, we will follow.”

“No, the rules must be followed. That’s how you prevent discord. I’m thinking of putting forward a suitable candidate to compete with you.”

“A suitable candidate, you say?”

When the Secret Police Unit Heads of Unjongga cautiously asked, King Sejong turned his head and looked at the Imperial Guard Commander.

“Imperial Guard Commander. You will be the candidate.”

“I shall obey your command.”

As soon as the Imperial Guard Commander’s answer came out, the Secret Police Unit Heads simultaneously shouted.

“Oh, for f***’s sake!”

“Huh?”

As the Imperial Guard Commander’s face turned fierce upon hearing the Secret Police Unit Heads’s profanity, the Secret Police Unit Heads immediately bowed their heads.

“We, the lowly ones, have misspoken! Please forgive us!”

“Please forgive us!”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

“We are unworthy!”

Although they expressed gratitude, the Secret Police Unit Heads inwardly screamed.

‘Isn’t this too much?’

The nickname of the Imperial Guard Commander sitting next to King Sejong was known to every child in Joseon.

The Imperial Guard Commander’s nickname was ‘Joseon’s Best Swordsman.’

In the end, the Secret Police Unit Heads of Dadong waved the white flag to King Sejong.

“We will accept the Imperial Guard Commander as the leader here and now.”

At the words of the Secret Police Unit Heads of Dadong, King Sejong shook his head.

“No, rules are rules! Shouldn’t we follow the established practice?”

“If the Imperial Guard Commander becomes the leader, there will be no one to oppose it.”

Even the Secret Police Unit Heads of Bukchon stepped forward, but this time, the Imperial Guard Commander spoke up.

“Who knows about that? It’s best to decisively settle it. And I’m not the same as before, so who knows?”

“No way…”

At the Imperial Guard Commander’s exaggeration, the Secret Police Unit Heads shook their heads and inwardly shouted.

‘Like hell you’re not the same as before!’