One Day Before the Vitality Tonic
It was one day before the Hwaryeok-tang.
Choyo-gaeng received word that the king had summoned her. As soon as she entered the side hall, she prostrated herself. This wasn't the first time she'd been called to the king's presence. She knew it was either good news or very bad—nothing in between.
Munjong spoke. "Are you Choyo-gaeng?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Though not his principal wife, you were wed to the Pyeongwon Daegun, were you not?"
She knew it wasn't a question, so Choyo-gaeng said nothing.
"It seems you have a talent for bewitching the younger brothers of the house of Yi. I know of your relations with Hwayi-gun."
Choyo-gaeng unconsciously lifted her head, then lowered it again.
"The Daodejing speaks of how the heavenly net is vast and wide, yet never misses anything. With his elder brother as the superintendent of the Office of Special Crafts, did you truly hope to slip through that net?"
This, too, was no question. Choyo-gaeng's heart began to race. Suyang Daegun—once her direct superior, and the king's second younger brother.
"You can no longer remain in the palace."
She understood. Keeping her here would bring shame upon the royal house.
"Leave with only your body and your talents."
In a trembling voice, Choyo-gaeng replied, "Your Highness, I shall go wherever you command."
"We shall establish an office near Tsushima in Japan's Songpo vicinity to sell Joseon's goods. It will be called the West Japan Trade Liaison Office. Deokyangjeong Yi U-ryang, son of Anpyeong Daegun, will go as deputy commissioner. I wish you to accompany him as assistant commissioner and aid him."
Choyo-gaeng's mind reeled. Sending her to Japan was a command. Helping Deokyangjeong felt more like a request.
"Your Highness, I am but a gisaeng. How can I take on official duties?"
Munjong continued. "You will serve the Japanese lords food and drink, sing songs, and dance. Persuade them to buy Joseon's premium products—Hongsam and Biru. Your task is to win their hearts."
Only then did Choyo-gaeng understand. What the king wanted was precisely what she'd done her whole life: livening up banquets. Above all, captivating people's hearts.
In a low voice, Munjong said, "You must win over tens of thousands."
Choyo-gaeng's prostrated form went rigid. Tens of thousands.
"The Daenae and Songpo clans will be your guests. Make them unable to live without Joseon's goods."
She repeated those four characters to herself over and over. It was then that Munjong's voice suddenly softened.
"Deokyangjeong has harbored grand ambitions since youth, but his body has not kept pace. He is the son my brother Anpyeong Daegun treasures most. Think of him as your own son and serve him well."
Choyo-gaeng raised her head, gazing at Munjong with trembling eyes. "This is more than I can bear."
Munjong met her gaze. "This is not a request from your king, but from the uncle of Deokyangjeong."
Pressing her forehead to the floor once more, Choyo-gaeng said, "I shall obey your command."
A moment later, as Choyo-gaeng rose to leave the side hall...
"Choyo-gaeng, the palace's music and dance are your late lord's legacy."
She halted.
"I shall send talented children from the Office of Special Crafts. Ensure what your late lord left behind does not fade."
Since becoming a gisaeng, Choyo-gaeng had received no one's recognition save her master, Bak Yeon. Pyeongwon Daegun had loved her, but that was all. The world had never acknowledged her. Yet now, the late king entrusted her with his legacy.
Turning back as she exited, Choyo-gaeng prostrated herself again. "I shall give my all, body and soul, to carry on the tradition of music and dance."
Munjong said nothing more.
Today was on-call duty. In the duty room, I was reviewing a pneumonia patient's chart. Day three of admission; we'd started empirical antibiotics assuming the most common pathogen, without knowing the exact bug yet. Then the sputum culture results came back late, so I rushed over.
Against expectations, it was ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae—a tough resistant strain. I consulted infectious disease, and they advised switching to a stronger antibiotic: meropenem. I updated the prescription accordingly. That's the safest, most standard call for a hospital resident.
Finishing the meropenem order, I returned to the duty room. My head felt heavy with swirling thoughts. I sat there blankly for a moment. A tightness gripped my chest.
It was outside my specialty, sure. But really, I'd just relayed someone else's judgment. Gatong was the same. I'd leveraged my modern knowledge, passing info unavailable in Joseon—nothing more.
Moments of clinical certainty as a doctor were dwindling. Moments of truly aiding Munjong as a doctor were fading. As a doctor and as a person, I wanted to broaden my view.
Soon, that turning point would come.
Munjong was different. He'd set up a trading post in Japan without even building ships yet. A Joseon East India Company, some 150 years ahead of the Dutch.
Boil water. Wash hands. Isolate patients. With those three pieces of info, he'd stopped the Hwanghaedo epidemic in five days.
Choyo-gaeng wasn't just being shipped off to Japan. Not conquest, but seduction. Was that how Munjong planned to take Kyushu?
I recalled yesterday, when I'd sent shipbuilding data, how he'd repeatedly thanked me. Even bedridden, perhaps Munjong's gaze had stretched beyond Joseon to distant seas.
Thanks to the time spent with him through Gatong, my own eyes now turned seaward. I was grateful, too.
Let's prepare one more wedding gift.
Sildenafil. Originally developed for heart disease, it made its name treating erectile dysfunction. But making it in Joseon? Impossible.
The principle was simple, though. Erection happens when penile smooth muscles relax, flooding the area with blood. For sufficient flow, cGMP levels—that's the signal relaxing blood vessels—must stay high. The problem? PDE5 enzyme breaks down cGMP.
Inhibit PDE5, and blood flow holds; erection sustains.
I applied the principle directly, searching PubMed: "natural PDE5 inhibitor alternative sildenafil." No Viagra for Joseon, so natural alternatives with the same mechanism.
First, Epimedium (yin yang huo), rich in icariin, a PDE5 inhibitor. Mild effect, but gentle—perfect for Munjong, whose health had been shaky lately.
Next, Cnidium (osthol). Boosts blood flow, nitric oxide, and mild PDE5 inhibition.
Joseon's premium Hongsam was already there. Ginseng saponins boost nitric oxide (NO), enhancing blood flow—priming cGMP production.
Added Cornus and Rubus for astringent effects to prevent dissipation. Cornus tonifies kidneys; Rubus adds antioxidants. Both balance flavor and extend duration on established flow.
Ginkgo leaves for circulation, stabilizing microvasculature to mitigate side effects.
Steep in baijiu (ethyl alcohol) from Bo Shan Qing for over 30 days. For use, decant a small amount, warm to evaporate alcohol.
Not excessive, but enduring. Just right for Munjong now.
I typed it all out, then stared blankly at the monitor. Designing a king's wedding night 570 years ago, based on one PubMed paper. Med school never taught this.
Feeling oddly sorry for the bride-to-be queen, I added a Joseon sheet mask recipe.
I sent the file and a Gatong message.
As I stepped out of the duty room to return to the wards, another Gatong from Munjong arrived.