Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Resocialization of the Butchers (1)
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After the great fire in Hanyang, the court intensely debated the question of what to do with the butchers going forward.
King Sejong had long strived to embrace them and integrate them into Joseon society.
But the Hanyang fire had made it clear that the measures taken so far were far too insufficient.
In the council chamber where the ministers had gathered, King Sejong made his declaration.
"Due to my own shortcomings, I have failed to truly make the new butchers—ordinary farmers and commoners who became butchers—into proper Joseon subjects. Because of this failing, some have turned to banditry. From now on, I intend to correct my mistakes and establish proper policies so that even the new butchers can live peacefully as Joseon subjects."
In Korea, the term "butcher" is used for those who slaughter cattle and pigs.
However, the original meaning of "butcher" was not that; it referred to ordinary commoners.
King Sejong had changed it to "new butchers" or simply "butchers" to include the slaughterers among the commoners.
Yet the people disliked the term, protesting why they should be equated with slaughterers.
They began calling themselves "commoners" instead of butchers, and the word "butcher" ended up replacing the Goryeo-era term for slaughterers.
Thus, "butcher" became, in another sense, a symbol of the failure of King Sejong's policy to assimilate the slaughterers—a dark mark in history.
"Until now, we have forbidden them from slaughtering cattle and horses, and even from raising livestock or living as nomads... But upon reflection, I believe such policies were misguided."
Joseon's policies toward the butchers had been identical from the founding of the dynasty to the present.
They denied the butchers' way of life—slaughtering cattle and horses and living nomadically—and forced them to farm instead, turning them into commoners.
But that approach had always failed.
After all, it was a one-sided demand that they abandon their long-established lifestyle and adopt an entirely new one.
"Just as laws that seem eternal must change with the times and circumstances, I wish to alter the court's policies toward the new butchers. What say you, my ministers?"
East Asia is a region where Confucianism is enshrined as the state ideology.
Thus, the people, officials, and even the king himself must uphold the virtues of loyalty and filial piety.
This is why, after ascending the throne following the Coup of 1506, King Jungjong frequently sent royal physicians to check on the health of his deposed half-brother, Prince Yeonsan, and supplied him with medicines and delicacies.
He had him confined to the royal villa, but filial duty still had to be observed.
In such a country, changing a policy handed down from Tajo Lee Seong-gye—the dynasty's founder and the king's own grandfather—placed a heavy burden on Sejong...
'For the sake of Joseon, it must be done.'
The ministers agreed with King Sejong's intent.
If the butchers failed to properly integrate into Joseon society and continued to be marginalized, who knew what horrors might unfold in the future?
Disgruntled butchers could set fire to Hanyang again or band together as bandits.
One might even emerge like Emperor Hongwu—the paranoid late-stage sufferer of mistrust and former bandit king of the neighboring land—who plotted rebellion.
In fact, half of Joseon's major crimes at present were committed by butchers—a gravely serious situation.
'To protect my own life, I must turn the butchers into proper people.'
Clearly, the time had come for new policies.
"Your subject, Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui, reports: Tajo the Great forbade their cattle slaughtering because oxen for farming were scarce, and horse slaughtering because many horses were needed to build the army. But now, with the Equal Field System widely implemented, the national treasury is ample, and the people's lives have grown prosperous. Circumstances have changed, so while permitting horse slaughter might be excessive, how about partially lifting the No-Oxen-Slaughter Edict to allow butchers to slaughter cattle?"
"I agree with the Chief Councillor's view."
King Sejong truly loved meat.
He couldn't even eat rice without it.
When King Jeongjong died and Sejong abstained from meat, King Taejong could gauge the depth of his grief from that alone—such was the intensity of his love for meat.
Thus, he wanted his people to enjoy that favorite food of his often, too.
Just as parents wish to feed their children the best.
"Until now, poor commoners without means have pulled plows themselves in place of oxen. But now, with some leeway emerging, people in rural areas can afford the oxen they need for farming... There is no reason to maintain the No-Oxen-Slaughter Edict so harshly."
"Moreover, the edict has often gone unenforced due to various excuses by the people. Why not abolish it outright and allow only those granted permission to slaughter?"
As Hwang Hui said, there was no need to deprive the butchers of their livelihood over a law that wasn't properly enforced anyway.
On the contrary, encouraging more cattle breeding—to cover even the portion slaughtered— and legalizing limited slaughter would be better in many ways.
The cattle population would grow, allowing more to be used as labor.
"In truth, Joseon needs more livestock. Hwanghae and Pyeongan Provinces have plenty of land suitable for pasture, even near villages, do they not? So, grant them some livestock, let them live there, but register their names in the village census along with the types and numbers of animals they raise. Designate their living areas so they cannot stray from them. Would that not be good?"
The directions proposed by King Sejong and his ministers closely matched what Kim Dae-bung was pondering now.
Abolish the unenforced No-Oxen-Slaughter Edict in name only, providing the butchers a foundation to survive.
Then, allocate the abundant lands in Pyeongan and Hwanghae Provinces as pastures, allowing controlled nomadic life and giving them a chance to live like humans.
"Any officials who think of better ideas should submit memorials regardless of rank... Bypass the Office of Royal Decrees and deliver them straight to me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
King Sejong then recalled the former Hanseong Governor Min Jeon, who was imprisoned in the Royal Secret Bureau and had offered to surrender his entire fortune.
"Former Hanseong Governor Min Jeon disregarded Minister of Works Lee Cheon's warnings and neglected Hanyang's fire prevention measures. Though he was exceedingly busy with Hanseong Magistracy duties, his negligence nearly burned down the Royal Ancestral Shrine—a horrific incident. His crime is truly grave. By rights, he should face capital punishment or strangulation for endangering the shrine through dereliction of duty."
From Min Jeon's perspective, it was an utterly unjust fate.
The Hanseong Magistracy handled not one or two matters, but dozens or hundreds.
To lose his head over slightly neglecting fire measures among them was far too harsh.
Yet with over 1,000 dead in the fire and 18% of Hanyang reduced to ash, such a punishment held ample justification.
"However, Inspector General Kim Dae-bung submitted a memorial stating that fires are inherently unpredictable, and the delay in preparations stemmed from the urgency of other Hanseong duties. I concur. Before I ascended the throne, Hanyang's population was a mere 100,000; now it has swelled to 120,000 overnight with people flooding in from all eight provinces. Consider how much more the magistracy must handle. In such circumstances, I should have held special examinations more frequently to increase the number of officials—but that failure is mine above all."
Cold sweat trickled down the spines of the ministers.
Elevating Kim Dae-bung while humbling himself as king was not mere self-reflection.
It was an indirect, sharp rebuke: What have you ministers been doing all this time?
Thus, today would bring a chain of scoldings from the State Council and Six Ministries, starting with the Chief State Councillor.
The Chief would berate the Left and Right Councillors, who would then berate the Left and Right Participants, followed by the ministers of the Six Ministries, and then their deputies—a multilevel dressing-down.
"In such a situation, what right have I to impose capital punishment on Hanseong Governor Min Jeon? Moreover, he repents his error and offers his entire fortune... How could I not remit his sentence? Thus, reduce his punishment: strip him of office and exile him to Gilsang in Hamgyong Province. Respect his intent by using half his property for disaster relief among the people."
Exile to Gilsang in Hamgyong—already frigid, and in February no less—was a directive to shiver in the cold and reflect through suffering.
Losing half his wealth on top made it a severe penalty.
"The Left and Right Governors of Hanseong are not blameless either. Strip them of office and exile them to Saknyeong County in Gyeonggi Province and Deoksan County in Chungcheong Province."
The ministers were stunned inwardly at this unprecedented purge of the magistracy's top two officials.
"Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui will concurrently serve as acting Hanseong Governor. With the Right State Councillor position vacant due to a resignation memorial... I specially promote Minister of War Jo Mal-saeng—who has rendered great service—to First-Rank Right State Councillor."
Hwang Hui, now Hanseong Governor, and the newly promoted Jo Mal-saeng shared one thing in common.
They were men who listened exceptionally well to Kim Dae-bung's opinions.
"The Chief Councillor will immediately devote himself to Hanyang's reconstruction. The Right Councillor will draft initial plans for handling the butchers and submit them to the State Council for discussion."