Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 323

While various commotions, big and small, were occurring over the issue of replenishing the personnel of the research institute, a significant event was unfolding in Eastern Palace.

“Aaargh!”

“Aargh!”

“Argh!”

Screams were erupting from the Crown Princess and the two concubines, Yangwon and Yangje, in the hastily set up delivery room, and the royal physicians, senior court ladies, and palace maids were busily entering and exiting the room.

It was the moment when the children who would carry on the next generation of Joseon were being born.

Hyang stood in the courtyard of Eastern Palace, unable to do anything, pacing back and forth, waiting for the childbirth to end quickly.

“Aaargh!”

“Aargh!”

Whenever screams erupted from the Crown Princess, Yangwon, and Yangje, Hyang flinched and urged the eunuchs and royal physicians.

“Are the Crown Princess, Yangwon, and Yangje alright?”

“They will be fine.”

“Are they truly alright?”

“Experienced senior court ladies and royal physicians have entered, so do not worry.”

Whenever Hyang urged, the royal physicians and eunuchs answered that everything was fine, but Hyang couldn’t hide his anxiety.

“Isn’t the labor taking too long? It started before sunrise, and it’s already o-jeong (午正, noon).”

“Sometimes, there are mothers whose labor is long.”

“Sigh~.”

At the royal physician’s words, Hyang let out a long sigh and grumbled.

“These rascals took longer to come out than other children, and now they’re being sluggish even during childbirth…”

***

As Hyang said, the pregnancy periods of the three women had exceeded the average duration by about a month and a half.

“Isn’t the pregnancy period too long?”

“Sometimes, there are cases where it’s this long.”

At the royal physician’s explanation, Hyang immediately asked again.

“Have there been cases where all three had long pregnancy periods?”

“…It’s the first time. However, both the mothers and the fetuses are healthy.”

“…I understand. Please do your best.”

“We will do our utmost.”

Listening to the royal physician’s answer, Hyang let out another sigh and muttered.

“Sigh~. It’s as if they’re stubbornly refusing to come out…”

***

“Aaargh!”

“Argh!”

“Argh!”

The time had now passed o-jeong and even mi-sijung (未時正, around 2 p.m.), but the labor continued.

Hyang, who had been fidgeting outside, began to change his expression at the hoarse voices of the mothers and their screams that were becoming weaker as their energy drained.

“It’s taking too long… Are these rascals really refusing to come out…”

It was a thought that Hyang would have normally dismissed as nonsense, but given the situation, he began to seriously ponder.

After pondering for a moment, Hyang soon made a decision.

“It’s now or never! Eunuch!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Who is the eunuch with the loudest voice?”

“Pardon?”

***

“Ugh…”

“Please gather your strength. Just a little more, and you will make it!”

As the mothers, exhausted from the long and arduous labor, groaned, the senior court ladies and midwives next to them cheered on the Crown Princess.

“Huff… Huff…”

While the Crown Princess, Yangwon, and Yangje were gasping for breath, holding onto the white cotton cloth hung on the beam, a resounding voice was heard from outside.

“Informing the babies! His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered, ‘Your fates have already been determined! Do not cause any more filial impiety and come out at once!'”

“Pfft!”

“Haha!”

At the eunuch’s shout, the Crown Princess, Yangwon, and Yangje burst into laughter, forgetting the pain. No, it wasn’t just the mothers. Even those who had been anxiously waiting nearby involuntarily let out small laughs.

Another resounding shout was heard from outside.

“His Highness has ordered again! ‘If you continue to resist, I will speak to His Majesty the King and even receive a royal decree! Will you come out now and receive special treatment, or will you become the worst criminals for disobeying the royal command? I will count to 30. Come out at once!'”

As soon as the shout ended, the royal guards nearby began to chant loudly, following Hyang’s gesture.

“Thirty!”

“Twenty-nine!”

At that moment, the mothers began to scream in pain once again.

“Aaargh!”

“The head is visible! Just a little more, just a little more strength!”

At the shouts of the senior court ladies acting as midwives, the mothers gathered their remaining strength once more.

“Aaah!”

“Just a little more, just a little more!”

***

“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!”

After a while, boisterous baby cries erupted from the delivery room.

As the prolonged cries of the babies subsided, a royal physician walked out of the delivery room.

The exhausted-looking royal physician saw Hyang and immediately bowed his head and reported.

“Congratulations. All three babies are boys.”

“How are the mothers?”

“They are very exhausted but not in grave danger.”

“That’s a relief. Please take good care of them.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Can I see the mothers now?”

At Hyang’s question, the royal physician answered with a slightly troubled expression.

“Not yet. Please wait a little longer.”

“I understand.”

As soon as entry was permitted, Hyang, who had been waiting outside, immediately entered the delivery room.

Following the procedure he had established, Hyang thoroughly disinfected his hands and approached the mothers lying on the bed.

Seeing the pale and haggard faces of the mothers, Hyang spoke in a gentle voice.

“You have truly worked hard.”

“Not at all, Your Highness.”

“As the labor was long, your bodies must be very exhausted, so don’t forget that you need to rest sufficiently.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hyang held the hands of the mothers one by one and spoke to them, then turned to the senior court ladies and midwives.

“Please pay special attention to the care of the mothers.”

“We will do our utmost.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“We will obey your command.”

After checking the condition of the mothers, Hyang finally looked at the babies. Seeing the babies wrapped in swaddling clothes, Hyang brought his face close and muttered.

“It’s you rascals, isn’t it? You’re prepared to pay the price for making your mothers suffer, right?”

As if understanding Hyang’s growl, the babies’ faces scrunched up, and Hyang immediately continued.

“The one who cries will receive special attention and be thoroughly disciplined.”

As soon as those words ended, the babies’ faces relaxed again.

After patting the mothers once more and coming out, Hyang tilted his head.

“I said it out of anger, but… They couldn’t have really understood, right?”

***

The news that the Crown Princess, Yangwon, and Yangje had safely given birth and that all three babies were boys was immediately delivered to Geunjeongjeon Hall.

“Congratulations!”

“The birth of the legitimate grandson is a great fortune for the royal family and the country!”

“Congratulations!”

Amid the congratulations from the ministers and officials, King Sejong replied with a pleased face.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

After responding to the ministers’ words, King Sejong turned to the eunuch and asked.

“I heard the labor was long. Are the mothers safe?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tell me in detail.”

King Sejong, who was in a good mood upon hearing the auspicious news of the birth of the legitimate grandson who would succeed the throne, wanted to hear about the childbirth process.

At King Sejong’s command, the eunuch recounted the childbirth process in detail. King Sejong and the ministers, who already had much experience with childbirth, all listened with fascinated expressions.

Especially when the eunuch mentioned that Hyang was restless every time the mothers screamed, King Sejong and the ministers burst into laughter.

“Haha! It seems even the Crown Prince can’t help being an anxious father!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty!”

The eunuch’s story reached its climax at the part about Hyang’s threat.

“Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

King Sejong and the ministers, who had only been smiling or laughing softly until then, roared with laughter, forgetting the time and place.

“Haha! A royal command!”

After laughing heartily like that, King Sejong looked at the ministers.

“Doesn’t it seem like the sprouts are already visible, as expected of the Crown Prince’s children?”

At King Sejong’s question, Maeng Sa-seong immediately answered.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Even though they haven’t properly opened their eyes yet, the fact that they know the weight of the royal command shows that they are extraordinary.”

At Maeng Sa-seong’s words, the ministers nodded.

King Sejong, who had been pondering the situation while listening to the ministers’ words, looked at the ministers with a grin.

“Doesn’t it seem like it will be enjoyable to raise them? I’m already worried about who to entrust as their tutor.”

“Isn’t it too early for that, Your Majesty?”

At Lee Jik’s question, King Sejong answered with a smile.

“That’s true, but I’m getting impatient. Seeing such an outstanding appearance already.”

At King Sejong’s words showing his doting grandfather side, the ministers muttered inwardly.

‘Why do I feel sorry for the babies?’

***

After some time had passed, the story of what had happened during the childbirth process also became known to the people of Hanseong.

“…So, when the Crown Prince said, ‘If you don’t want to be punished by the royal command, come out at once!’ the babies immediately came out, isn’t that right?”

At the words of Jang Seobang, known for his eloquence in the neighborhood, the men gathered around all nodded their heads with amazed expressions.

“Oh my~. Does it mean they already understand words?”

At the neighboring man’s remark, Jang Seobang rebuked the speaker.

“You fool! Whose seed are those babies? Aren’t they the Crown Prince’s? The one who creates all sorts of wondrous devices and solves difficult problems without hesitation? How can the offspring of such a man be ordinary?”

At Jang Seobang’s words, the gathered people all nodded their heads. Even among the common people—at least the residents of Hanseong—Hyang’s extraordinariness was widely known.

“And didn’t he mention the royal command? No matter how young the babies are, how could they not know the fearfulness of the royal command?”

At Jang Seobang’s words, the gathered people all nodded their heads.

***

One of the most emphasized aspects when Joseon was founded was the rule of law. The first thing created when Joseon was founded was the legal code, and even the magistrates couldn’t handle judicial matters as they pleased. Even if it was a formality, it had to be based on the legal code, and all such actions were written in reports and submitted to the king.

Therefore, most of the Joseon people’s actions had to follow the statutes and ordinances, and the most fearsome and heavy among these statutes and ordinances was the royal command.

The weight of this royal command was also effective in folk beliefs.

The simplest example was when the people moved or dug a new toilet in each household, to avoid the wrath of the toilet god (believed to protect the toilet), the people shouted the following:

“It’s a royal command!”

In other words, it meant that the toilet was being moved or newly dug by the king’s order, so do not be angry. This was the idea that even a powerful god had to follow the king’s order.

***

However, there were always skeptics among the people.

“Eh~. Isn’t that too exaggerated? No matter how extraordinary they are, they are still babies who haven’t even opened their eyes yet, so how can they understand words? It must be a coincidence.”

At the skeptic Kang Seobang’s point, Jang Seobang became furious.

“You fool! Have you already forgotten what I said earlier? Whose seed are those babies? The Crown Prince’s! The Crown~ Prince! The one who recited the Four Books and Three Classics at the age of four and made the tutors’ noses flat before turning six! With such a father, how can the babies be ordinary?”

“No matter how good the seed is, there is a limit to human capability… The babies aren’t Buddha or anything…”

At Kang Seobang’s rebuttal, a vein popped on Jang Seobang’s forehead.

“Are you saying I’m talking nonsense?”

“It’s not that, but the exaggeration is a bit much.”

“You fool! There are dozens of people who witnessed it! I also heard it from someone working in the palace!”

“Who is it that works in the palace?”

“That doesn’t matter!”

“Tell me who it is!”

“I said it doesn’t matter!”

Kang Seobang kept asking, but Jang Seobang firmly kept his mouth shut about that part.

The reason Jang Seobang had no choice but to do so was that the source of the story was a widow named Hong, who worked as a seamstress in the palace. Jang Seobang and Hong were in a flirtatious relationship. The problem was that Jang Seobang was a married man. If the truth were revealed, it would be a disastrous situation, so Jang Seobang kept his mouth tightly shut.

Anyway, the story about the childbirth spread throughout Joseon, beyond the capital city.

Many people who heard the story congratulated Hyang on having sons and anticipated what would follow next.

“Will there be a discount event at the tobacco shops this time too?”

***

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