Chapter 7
**CHAPTER TITLE: A Starving Era (4)**
Yi Yeon walked up to the bronze mirror and muttered the words like a spell. “It isn’t, it must not be.”
Ever since he had become the king, he had never once looked at his own face. That was why the portrait he had seen online, which resembled the villainous Gakamel from the cartoons, had terrified him. So he had avoided seeing it all this time, only to be forced by acne. He had to check how far along things were. “What if that’s true?”
Because of puberty hormones, worries that ignored his entire life crowded in. “I heard people say emotions are controlled by hormones. It really is.”
As a chemistry major, he understood perfectly how hormones worked. But he had never believed that they could control human emotions. He had thought emotions could be overcome by willpower. Yet the moment he was dominated by them, his mood sank. “Damn it! I feel like I’m not myself.”
The memories of the king he had inherited and the influence of puberty hormones had made him do things he never would have before. Yi Yeon grew irritated. Even so, his legs kept moving. He couldn’t stand the curiosity any longer. At the bronze mirror he hesitated, then closed his eyes and pressed his face close. “So what if I’m ugly? I’m the king.”
Yi Yeon steadied himself, took a big breath, and slowly opened his eyes. He couldn’t see well. He pressed his face even closer to the bronze mirror. “Great!”
Yi Yeon clenched both fists and shouted. He wasn’t handsome, but his straight nose, thick lips, and intelligent-looking eyes pleased him greatly. When he smiled, mischief sparkled in them. Given his age, that was perfectly normal. He grumbled at the acne sprouting on his face like goosebumps. “I don’t need to inherit this kind of thing.”
In his past life he had suffered from acne too. Thanks to it, not one of the chubby Jicheol or short Suhun had ever gone on a blind date. “Right! I need to grow taller.”
At sixteen—fourteen in modern terms—he was at the perfect height. Yi Yeon stood from his seat, adjusted his posture, lifted his heels, and raised both hands straight up at the same time. It was the exercise he had seen on the internet to grow taller. “I should make a glass mirror too.”
While working out, he planned to make a glass mirror. The bronze one in front of him was surely the best in Joseon. It belonged to the king, after all. Yet it was still blurry and dark, like the screen of a dead television. “If I just make a glass mirror, I can scoop up gold.”
That was easier said than done. The tin used to make flat glass only melted at 232°C. So if he made a crucible from copper with a melting point over 1,000°C, he could produce glass. But another problem arose. Melting glass required temperatures higher than melting iron. Adding soda ash lowered the melting point, but it was still extremely high. “Damn it! Nothing’s easy.”
If he had oil or gas, raising the temperature above 1,500°C would be no problem. But Joseon had not a single drop of petroleum. He would have to find another way to get that high temperature. “I should develop the mines first.”
Fortunately, Joseon had anthracite coal with high combustion efficiency everywhere. “Blowing air into burning anthracite can raise the temperature above 1,500°C.”
Another problem appeared here. The furnace could be made of refractory bricks. But blowing air at such high temperatures was the real issue. Making a blower would require a lot of iron. “Damn it! Who comes first, the chicken or the egg?”
He had thought of making a steel mill to earn money from mirrors, but to do that he had to build the steel mill first. Yi Yeon raised his hand, then covered his head. * * *
West of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Even though it was deep night, a series of people moved about in the row of grand houses there. They gathered in unusually large gates and stopped in front of them. After confirming the number, one of them cautiously knocked on the door. The door opened a crack and someone poked their head out with a torch. The person was not a servant. They looked extremely sharp-eyed. The person checked the faces reflected in the torchlight and bowed respectfully. “Please enter quickly. The Lord is waiting.”
Following the wide courtyard, the people were led into the inner hall and greeted the host, Sim Tong-won. “Lord, have you been well, Your Excellency?”
Sim Tong-won nodded satisfiedly. “Sit comfortably. Sorry for the trouble.”
After light conversation, one man stepped forward and asked Sim Tong-won, “Your Excellency, do you have any business you called us out for this late at night?”
“I called you because I have matters to discuss at tomorrow’s grand court meeting.”
“What matter is so urgent at this hour…?”
“You heard, right? The King is doing poultry farming with the two princes. We need to discuss countermeasures.”
“Countermeasures? What went wrong?”
“Hah! Really! With this kind of head, how am I supposed to live in this dangerous world?”
Sim Ui-gyeom, Right State Councillor, bowed his head at the roar of Sim Tong-won. “Forgive me, Lord. I am unworthy and cannot understand Your Excellency’s profound meaning. Please tell me.”
“Hmph…”
Sim Tong-won snorted, scanned the gathered men one by one, and spoke. “According to what I heard, the King has found a way to hatch eggs into chicks. So we should do poultry farming in that way.”
“Is that possible? I heard the news too, thought it would make money, and tried, but since the King and the two princes are doing it, I backed off.”
“Tsk tsk!”
Sim Tong-won clicked his tongue at Sim Ui-gyeom’s answer. “Fang Shu, why do you think Byeokgyeong was so eager to collect money?”
“Because money is power, right?”
“Exactly. Money is power. You know the saying that the Governor of Pyeongan could not be ignored even by the richest man?”
“Forgive me, Lord.”
Sim Ui-gyeom bowed his head again, then looked up at Sim Tong-won. “Your Excellency, it seems you have another plan. Please teach me.”
Only then did Sim Tong-won smile. He knew Sim Ui-gyeom, the successor, had a rough personality. Yet he had called him for this. Because he had impeached his uncle Yi Liang without hesitation, he wanted him as the vanguard. Still, he needed to keep him in check. Otherwise he might speak out later. “They say the King is doing poultry farming with the two princes to save the starving people. So even if others copy it, we can’t stop them. Tomorrow at the grand court, you bring it up. We’ll set the mood. The rest is on me.”
“Ah…”
The men in the inner hall sighed long. They wanted the royal salt monopoly too, but only the royal family and those with permission could do it, so they had been shut out. That was why they thought poultry farming was also restricted. But now they understood anyone could do it. “As expected of Your Excellency. But will it really make money?”
“Didn’t you say it would make money?”
“That was before the situation changed. If everyone jumps in, even the price of eggs like gold dust could drop.”
“How much could it drop?”
Even in the 1960s egg prices were huge. When the president was hospitalized, packages of twenty eggs were anonymously gifted and covered across all newspapers. Joseon was worse. As seen in the anecdote of King Sejong and Grand Chancellor Hwang Hee, eggs were something even a prime minister could not easily afford. That was why Sim Tong-won was not worried about a price crash. “We have no choice. We must secure the poultry farming rights at any cost. Understood?”
“Yes, Lord.”
* * *
Yi Yeon received the report from his trusted eunuch Kim Yang-bo and laughed quietly. “Hmph! The one who’s about to be impeached is plotting something…”
Yi Yeon had seen the memorial asking for Sim Tong-won’s impeachment, but he had not decided yet. He had to wait until the Queen Dowager approved it, while she was in mourning. “That’s one thing, but thinking a greenhouse like the Changsalu in Changdeokgung Palace would let him do artificial hatching is too sloppy.”
He knew this era was full of schemes and intrigues, but it was worse than the internal politics of the company he had worked at in his past life. Secret conversations were flying around. “I should be careful from now on.”
Fortunately, the talk of the two brothers doing poultry farming had not spread through the historians. Unlike the cautious eldest brother, the second brother’s careless words had spread instantly. Yi Yeon had known the second brother was the one who spread it, and the man had come to apologize. Yi Yeon had said nothing and sent him away. He had wanted to punish him severely. But since the contents were not bad, he had let it go this time. “No choice. I have to be careful.”
Yi Yeon realized again that once words leave the mouth, they spread everywhere. That was why the quiet Kim Yang-bo drew his attention more. Kim Yang-bo, following Yi Yeon’s orders, lived alone in the Naebeon quarters of the Donggung Palace, unlike the others. Yet he was gathering people one by one according to the king’s command. Without leaving a single rumor. “Good work. Go rest now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Kim Yang-bo left, Yi Yeon sat alone in thought. After about an hour, he quietly spoke. “I can’t just let this slide.”
Yi Yeon decided to use their plan in reverse. * * *
At dawn, the ministers and high officials gathered in the main hall. The first agenda was to form a diplomatic mission to Ming China. “Thank you for volunteering, Your Highness. But we cannot make you the main envoy.”
“Why not?”
“Your Highness may not be familiar with etiquette and could cause trouble.”
“Then who shall we appoint?”
“In my opinion, Minister of Rites Lee Tak would be suitable as the main envoy.”
After discussion, the ministers decided the main envoy for this mission would be Minister of Rites Lee Tak. Because he had protected the king’s honor against the arrogance of a Ming envoy before, they unanimously chose him. The eldest brother Hawonggun was to be the envoy of celebration. Since a new emperor had ascended in Ming, he was appointed as the congratulatory envoy. Once again, Yi Yeon’s role was to approve if the Queen Dowager asked. She was in mourning, so it was natural, but he had no desire to get involved in such matters. To the ministers it seemed important and profitable, but to Yi Yeon it was a hassle and hardly worth the money. After several more agendas, Sim Ui-gyeom stepped forward, bowed, and cried out. “Your Highness! I have something to report.”
‘Now it begins.’
Yi Yeon laughed inwardly and spoke calmly. “Go ahead.”
“Your Highness, rumors are spreading in the capital that the royal family is doing poultry farming. I am unworthy, but I ask to hear the truth.”
“It is true.”
“Your virtues are boundless, Your Highness.” After Sim Ui-gyeom left, another man stood up. “Your Highness, I also have something to report.”
“Go ahead.”
“Your Highness, I humbly beg that permission be granted for anyone to do poultry farming as the royal family is doing.”
“What is your reason?”
“It is said that Your Highness, the father of all people, has begun poultry farming to save the starving people. So I wish to join as well.”
“Is that true? You say it is for the people?”
“Yes, Your Highness. My heart belongs only to the people.”
‘Hmph! The words are flowery.’
Yi Yeon sneered inwardly. When he was a local official, one of the ones who had plundered the people had said the same thing. It was ridiculous. But he could not question it now. “Granted. But there are conditions.”