Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Joseon Steelworks (3)
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In the 21st century, it's almost unheard of for a mother to die during childbirth.
They say it happens to about one in a hundred thousand, which basically means you won't die unless you're extraordinarily unlucky.
But in Joseon, they say the probability of a mother dying during childbirth exceeds 10%.
Thanks to my improvements in hygiene, Gyeol's chances are much lower than that...
So I hurried home and gathered the female servants who would assist with the birth, drilling into them the preparations and precautions they needed to follow.
"Before helping with the delivery, wash your entire bodies right now with water and lye, then change into clean clothes that have been boiled in lye! During birth, both the mother and baby will have many wounds on their bodies. If anything dirty gets into those, it could put both their lives in danger."
"We've already washed our bodies with water and changed into clean clothes..."
"Preparation is key to averting disaster. If you neglect the cleanliness I've instructed and something goes wrong while receiving the baby, I'll have you flogged."
"Yes, my lord."
Thanks to my constant emphasis on hygiene, the custom of bathing is gradually taking root not just in Hanyang but across all eight provinces.
People who used to wash only twice a year during the major holidays—excluding hot summers—now bathe at least once a week, even in cold water, and it's said that infectious diseases have decreased as a result...
By my standards, it's still incredibly dirty.
You need to wash once a day to avoid body odor and prevent all sorts of diseases.
Besides, a mother right after giving birth and a newborn are extremely vulnerable, so even a minor bacterial infection could cost them their lives.
That's why I have to be even more sensitive about hygiene.
"If the baby comes out safely and the mother is healthy too, I'll give you all a great reward."
"Yes, my lord."
"And have a male servant fetch the physician."
"The physician? How could we allow a physician into the lady's delivery?"
"If she develops a fever afterward, she'll need to drink medicinal tonics to recover. This is just in case."
If there had been obstetric specialists in Joseon, I would have called in an expert—man or woman, it wouldn't matter—and asked them to oversee the entire process from start to finish without hesitation.
I would have persuaded Gyeol in advance that it was necessary.
But there are no obstetric specialists in Joseon.
And even if we called in a male physician, he couldn't help with the birth itself.
Because as a man, he's never once participated in a delivery—he's a complete novice.
But after the birth, if she gets a fever, she needs to drink fever-reducing tonics immediately.
No one can stand against puerperal fever.
"The biggest danger after birth is fever. If preparations are lax and we can't treat it in time, Gyeol could die."
In the 21st century, puerperal fever rarely kills mothers anymore, but in pre-modern societies, it was the leading cause of maternal death—weakened after childbirth, an infection sets in, and fever follows.
Difficult labors or breech births are serious too, but there's nothing I can do about those.
I can only do my best within my limits.
"You female servants, wash your own bodies first, change into fresh clothes, then wipe down Madam's body with boiled water, dress her in new clothes, and help her prepare for the birth."
"Yes, my lord. Then what about you...?"
"Before going to the mother, I'll wash my body and change clothes too."
Comforting Gyeol is important, but maintaining strict hygiene in the delivery room is even more so.
I wrung out a towel from boiling water, soaked it in cooled boiled water, wiped my body, sprinkled it with lye water, and wiped again.
Then I changed clothes and headed straight for where Gyeol was...
"Her water has already broken, and labor has started. You must wait."
"Damn it."
There's nothing I can do in that room right now.
What good would it do her to have a useless guy hovering nearby?
"Gap-seok, go to the market right now and buy plenty of seaweed and beef."
"Yes, my lord."
"The mother will be hungry after delivery, so don't worry about the cost—buy only the best."
"Yes, understood."
As I finished giving instructions, Gyeol's groans came from beyond the wall.
The only thing I can do is one thing.
Sit in the men's quarters, pace anxiously, and wait. That's it.
No, there's one more.
Find the talisman that Grand Prince Hyoryeong gave us at our wedding and pray to Buddha.
I don't know how much help Buddha can provide, but it's better than not praying.
If it works, great. If not, nothing to be done.
"Great and merciful Buddha, please let our Gyeol have a safe delivery. If you do, I'll do everything in my power to restore Joseon's Buddhism to its proper place."
All religions are the same.
When money-grubbing priests become the mainstream, they turn into worse trash than radioactive waste. But when they pursue the ideals and goodness of their faith over money, they become teachings that benefit the world.
Even Confucianism did a lot of good for the world before it became Confucian Taliban and stagnated into rot.
Thanks to that, human sacrifices like suttee disappeared from the Korean peninsula.
As I prayed like this, my father-in-law came rushing into the room, panting and letting out a deep sigh.
"Son-in-law, even if it's your first birth, isn't it a bit much for a yangban to pray to Buddha?"
I had no rebuttal.
But with my insides burning like this, what can I do but pray to Buddha?
"When Queen Won-gyeong suffered from a grave illness, the Supreme King summoned monks from Hoeam Temple to pray for her."
"......"
"It's said the prayers had some effect and eased her illness a bit, so I'm clinging to that hope here."
"Then I'll join you."
"You too, Father-in-law?"
"When my wife or concubines gave birth, I was so anxious inside that I prayed to Buddha too. Not with a talisman like you, though."
Joseon people are just like 21st-century Koreans.
They act strict, dignified, and serious on the outside, but there are grandfathers who don't scold their grandsons for tugging their beards—instead, they just chuckle heartily.
And there are those who brag to everyone about how their young child is a rare prodigy just for learning letters a bit early.
Speaking of bragging about kids, I've heard that my parents in Yanggu have been boasting about me endlessly lately.
'My son is that branch manager Kim Dae-bung!'
Just saying that in a Confucian society where raising children well is one of life's top priorities makes everyone bow in awe, they say.
As if they're competing in some Yanggu kid-bragging contest—what on earth are they doing?
"Even the great Kim Branch Manager of the realm can't stand firm before his wife's labor. If the Minister of Finance saw you like this, he'd probably roar with laughter."
"Considering the way I handled things at the Ministry, yeah, he probably would."
At the Ministry of Finance, no matter how much work Minister Jo Gye-saeng dumped on me, I handled it all.
I even reviewed beyond what was assigned, pointed out potential issues, and provided solutions.
Some whispered that I was a workaholic bug who wouldn't bleed even if stabbed.
Recalling those days eased my tension just a little.
"Praying to Buddha is one thing, but try to relax your mind. Gyeol isn't some sickly child, and she's young. There's almost no chance of anything going wrong."
"Father-in-law."
"What changes if you fret yourself to death? And when Gyeol shows you the baby and asks you to hold it, do you want her to see her husband flailing around like an idiot?"
A married man must strive to be the coolest husband in his wife's eyes, and a wife must strive to be the most beautiful in her husband's eyes.
Without that effort, the marriage is highly likely to fall apart.
Gyeol would prefer to see me composed and confident in front of the baby rather than flustered.
"Thank you, Father-in-law. You've helped me pull myself together. Now, please wash your body thoroughly like I did and change into fresh clothes."
"......Do I really have to go that far..."
With that, Kim Man-deok followed my words and went off to wash immediately.
Truly, nothing is more powerful for grandparents than 'grandson' or 'granddaughter.'
Soon after, Kim Man-deok returned, having changed into fresh clothes.
"Does this mean I can hold my grandson now?"
"Yes, Father-in-law."
"You're really relentless. Then again, that's why you could clean Hanyang's filthy streets until not a speck of dust remained."
As I chatted with Kim Man-deok to ease the tension, the voice of a waiting female servant came from outside the door.
"Congratulations on the birth of a son!"
"What about the mother? How is her condition?"
"She's healthy!"
Hearing that, I flung open the door to the men's quarters as if kicking it and rushed straight into the delivery room.
Gyeol had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of the grueling birth.
The baby lying beside her was wriggling in swaddling clothes, eyes still unopened, but to me, it was the cutest and most beautiful thing in the world.
"Your name is Jang-saeng. Kim Jang-saeng."
Others name their children with wishes like attaining glory or elevating the family name...
But to me, nothing is more important than my child living long and healthy.
Glory and family honor mean nothing if you're dead.
"Just live long and stay healthy."
And with that, I took nearly a week off because my wife had given birth.
The Minister of Works hated giving me leave, but after I gifted him some ginseng roots, he approved it right away.