Chapter 17: Sprout... Sprout of Cancer? (10)

Chapter 17: Sprout... Sprout of Cancer? (10)

Hi there! My name is Kirara and as you might have guessed, I absolutely adore everything that sparkles. My love for reading webnovels and light...



Hello! Just wondering if you like me to insert a bit of historical context in every chapter if I deem it necessary for you to understand more about the historical scene in the story.



“To be comfortable, Sejong must live a long life, a healthy long life!” Following this decision, Hyang persistently persuaded King Sejong.

“If we look at the medical texts obtained through emissaries during the Yuan Dynasty...” Hyang persuaded King Sejong with medical evidence.

“Father is known to prefer meat. However, biased meals disrupt the harmony of yin and yang and the five elements...”

“Eating too much meat and grains can make the blood turbid...”

Hyang actively adjusted Sejong’s diet by reciting passages from the medical texts or even spreading them out if necessary. To the point of residing in the Royal Kitchen for a month, practicing and studying with skilled and novice chefs.

“The broth is too salty! Do it again!”

“Eating a little frequently is better than binge eating all at once. Offer fruits and simple desserts from time to time!”

Hyang didn’t just turn the Royal Kitchen upside down.

“If you call yourself a physician, why are you still only looking at medical texts from the Tang Dynasty? There are several new texts that have come out since then, go get them and read them now!”

“If you read medical texts, you should follow them. What’s the point otherwise!”

“If a herb is mentioned in Ming’s medical texts, but not found in our Joseon, then we must either go and obtain it or find an herb in our own Joseon that has the same effect. Isn’t that the duty of a physician? If we continue to sit idly by, will the herb just grow on its own? Go outside the palace walls immediately and find the herb!”

In the inner medical quarters of the palace, the royal physicians had to study the latest medical books and research herbs, sweating to achieve their goals.

“Regardless of what others may say, exercise is the best!”

Hyang closely observed what type of exercise Sejong enjoyed. It turned out that he enjoyed playing Geokbang[simple_tooltip content='”격방”: geokbang, a Korean game played with a stick and ball, similar to hockey’][1][/simple_tooltip].

“Geokbang? Is it similar to golf? Although golf is quite a good sport... ”

After considering his options, Hyang chose “jump rope” as his exercise of choice.

“It may be amusing, but being a king is not a profession that allows for leisure time and space, so jumping rope is appropriate.”

With the help of skilled craftsmen, Hyang let out a small sigh as he held the jump rope in her hand. “Even creating just one jump rope requires so much effort...” From making a lightweight and durable rope to creating a light and sturdy hoop, Hyang had to go through considerable trial and error.

“Surely the problem is not the technique, but the lack of concept... Do I have to roll it again?” In the constantly upgraded ‘Tech Tree[simple_tooltip content=’Tech Tree: a term used in video games to describe the tree-like structure of technology and upgrades that players can acquire.’][2][/simple_tooltip]’, where secrecy is maintained for security purposes, there was only one item that never changed.

“Yes, just roll it.”

As Hyang grew and became more compatible with King Sejong, it became an item that would cause cheers from many. Hyang, holding a rope and a bell made through twists and turns, and a foreign book in the other hand, went straight to King Sejong.

“What is that?”

“While looking for a document for Father’s health, I found this in a book written by the Western scholars. If I translate it, it says that jumping rope is a form of exercise.

“Jump rope exercise?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. May I show you the book?”

“You may.”

As soon as King Sejong allowed it, Hyang stepped into the middle of the convenient[simple_tooltip content='”편전” (convenient hall) refers to a small building or a room in a palace where the king would conduct daily administrative affairs.’][3][/simple_tooltip] hall and started jumping rope with both hands on the rope.

Whip whip whip whip! Jingling! Jingling! Jingling! Jingling!

Every time Hyang jumped lightly, the bell on Hyang’s ankle rang cheerfully. After jumping rope about ten times, Hyang politely handed the rope to King Sejong after taking a deep breath.

Upon receiving the rope, King Sejong looked at Hyang.

“It doesn’t seem too difficult. But does this really help one improve his health?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. According to what Western scholars have written, ‘If one jumps over it 100 times a day without rest, the lower body will become stronger, chronic illnesses will disappear, and if a man continues to do this 100 times a day for several years, his foundation will become stronger...'”, the next part was difficult to translate, so it was retranslated from the Chinese interpretation: ‘There will be no withdrawal in the matters related to the couple’s intimacy[simple_tooltip content=’Nightly activities... Ehem’][4][/simple_tooltip].”

“Huh?”

Riding pants, which palace women loved for their ease of movement and activity, began to spread among the women of the wealthy class.

“Why?”

While investigating the cause, Hyang discovered an unexpected fact. The riding pants that slightly accentuated the curves of the waist and hips were the perfect means to lure men passing by into the inner chambers. Surprisingly, women in early Joseon were quite open-minded and active. No, the customs of the Korean Peninsula have been quite liberal since the Three Kingdoms period, even before the early Joseon period, and that trend has continued to this day. In such a societal atmosphere, clothes that were easy to move in and sexy(?) were enough to become a trend.

“So, the Gate of Virtuous Women must have been created...”

Hyang remembered the ramblings of Samcheonpo, the teacher, once again.

“The fact that they say the Gate of Virtuous Women was created and even provided benefits proves that virtuous women were rare! Similarly, in the West, or even in Catholicism, they searched for ‘saints’ in the same way!

‘Come to think of it, didn’t the clothing of the Tang Dynasty that exposed the collarbone also spread to Silla?’

◈◈◈

Time flowed steadily, and the departure of the official envoy to Beijing drew near. Hyang created a hypothetical scenario and educated the envoy party.

“So, if it goes like this, I think it’s best to answer like this.”

“That may be so, but it could also lead to lying to the Emperor and cause diplomatic problems.”

“But it’s not entirely false, is it? It’s true that the national treasury wobbles every time a Ming envoy comes and that there is a shortage of gold and silver. It’s also true that we want to emulate the Ming’s system, but we cannot because of the shortage of gold and silver. It’s just not entirely accurate. It’s slightly exaggerated.”

“If it gets exposed, it could cause diplomatic problems.”

When the Chief Envoy, Chief State Councilor[simple_tooltip content=’It refers to a high-ranking government official who was responsible for the education and military training of the crown prince and other royal family members in the Joseon Dynasty.’][5][/simple_tooltip] Ryu Jeong-hyeon, made this suggestion, Hyang looked at him suspiciously.

“If it gets exposed, it could cause diplomatic problems...”

“And the Chief State Councilor should always be honest...”

“Then, should we tell the emperor that all the war horses we have given to Ming were fakes and that we have nearly doubled the price we paid for them in Yeojin? Or should we tell him that it’s not that there is a shortage of gold and silver, but that we just don’t mine and excavate as much as we could?”

“That’s...”

Chief State Councilor Ryu Jeong-hyeon was at a loss for words at Hyang’s reproach. Hyang, who had been eyeing him, pressed on, “Are you saying this out of concern for the safety of Joseon or just to quell my ambitions?”

“God has never had such an unpredictable mind!”

“Then what is the correct answer?”

“...I will follow the plan of lowering the Crown Prince’s status.”

After the Chief State Councilor surrendered, the meeting proceeded more normally.

“According to the rules of the tribute system established by the Ming, we, Dawei[simple_tooltip content=’대월 (Dawei): a former kingdom in present-day Myanmar, which was a tributary state of China during the Ming dynasty. While Seomra = Kingdom of Siam, now Thailand’][6][/simple_tooltip] and Seomra are granted a visit once every three years. If Ming revives this rule, what should we do?”

“Why does Ming want to revive this rule?”

The magistrate, who asked the question in response to Hyang’s inquiry, explained the reason. “Because the size of the accompanying trade delegation raises doubts about the nature of the tribute mission.”

“In that case, just as we have established the Wae-gwan[simple_tooltip content=’Japanese embassy in Joseon.’][7][/simple_tooltip] for Japan, ask the Ming to create one in Joseon. It might be mutually beneficial to make it a permanent institution rather than having them accompany us on trade missions. Attendant, get me some maps.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After examining the map brought by an attendant for a while, Hyang pondered. After some time had passed, he spoke up. “If we only allow sea routes, it would be best to make it in Sandong[simple_tooltip content='”산동” (Sandong) is a region located in the eastern part of China’s Shandong Province, facing the Yellow Sea.’][8][/simple_tooltip], and if we only allow land routes, it would be better to build it in the Yoha[simple_tooltip content='”요하” (Yoha) is an archaic name for the Liao River, a river in northeastern China that flows into the Bohai Sea.’][9][/simple_tooltip] river area. Please submit a proposal to the King for his consideration.”

“I understand.”

Hyang sighed as he returned to his room.

“Phew~. There’s no answer except for Sandong!”

Translator’s Notes

There’s parts of the historical context in this chapter that I don’t quite understand. So, it’d be helpful if someone could enlighten me...

Kirara

Hi there! My name is Kirara and as you might have guessed, I absolutely adore everything that sparkles. My love for reading webnovels and light novels is just as bright and shiny, and I have a passion for bringing these stories to life through translation. If my translations are your cup of tea, kindly consider fueling my passion by purchasing me a Ko-fi or subscribing for early access to advanced chapters of all my translated works.