Chapter 724

Episode 724 Jang Yeong-sil’s Legacy (1)

“It’s wide, but it’s damn wide.”

Hyang, who was working at the temporary palace, cursed without realizing it.

As he said, Temporary Palace was much larger than Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Thanks to this, if there was an urgent meeting or call in addition to regularly held meetings, the eunuchs or monks who delivered the information had to ride horses to the government building where the officials worked.

The same was true for the incense-eating sura.

Because there were relatively, as well as absolutely, small numbers of people working scattered all over the place, a communal cafeteria was set up, and when it was time for meals, officials, regardless of their rank or rank, had to gather in the cafeteria to eat.

“The good news is that we are already familiar with the restaurant...” Since the

communal restaurant introduced by Hyang and expanded by Sejong was already familiar, officials had no hesitation in gathering and eating in the restaurant.

Of course, no matter how used to it, eating with high-ranking people, including the head of the household, was an extremely difficult task, so the dining car was divided into two.

Hyang’s grumbles continued over the mercilessly wide temporary palace.

“The problem is that we are expanding from here. “This guy’s mouth is so reckless...”

Hyang blamed herself for making a big deal out of it by using her mouth without thinking.

* * *

The incident started when I was looking at the map of the Shinji Temporary Palace and the city area built in Mishgama.

While Hyang and Jinpyeong were sighing while looking at the map of the temporary palace and the city area, which boasted a much larger scale than expected, the officials next to them asked Hyang with their eyes shining.

“I am asking you, Your Majesty. “How big is the Temporary Palace compared to the Forbidden City of Ming?”

“huh? Have you never seen the Forbidden City?”

The official answered Hyang’s question with a humble smile.

“I don’t have much experience, and I belong to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Development, which has no connection to any ministry... And hasn’t regular envoy travel disappeared since the Qingjegeonwon?”

“Oh, I see.”

Hyang nodded at the official’s answer.

* * *

As Gyeongjang progressed, all envoy travel became the exclusive responsibility of the royal family, and later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Of course, depending on the nature and importance of the envoys, high-ranking officials from other ministries were in charge of government and administrative affairs, but the middle-level and low-level officials who made up the envoys belonged to the royal rites.

In addition, after the war ended and Joseon became the Korean Federal Empire, this kind of meandering itself disappeared.

This was because, starting with the calendar, all the things that had to be received from the Ming became independent of the empire.

Therefore, it was natural that young officials with about 10 years of experience, like the officials who asked the question now, or officials who were not affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not know much about the Forbidden City.

* * *

“Compared to the Forbidden City...”

Hyang muttered, stroking his chin in response to the official’s reply.

‘The first impression was that the Forbidden City was shabby...’

Hyang, who had been remembering for a moment and making comparisons, answered the official.

“If you look at the castle alone, Shinji Temporary Palace is much bigger. But in terms of imperial castles, I think the Forbidden City is a little bigger.”

“yes?”

“I asked this once when I went to the Forbidden City. I heard that from Tiananmen in the south to Jianmen in the north, it is almost 8 ri (approximately 3.2km), and that the east and west are almost the same. In that sense, it would be a bit bigger than Haenggung Palace. Of course, if you consider the palace starting from the fifth gate located inside Tiananmen, the temporary palace would be larger.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

The scent should have stopped here. However, a needlessly detailed explanation, which is a typical habit of a fanatic, continued.

“Isn’t there an administrative building and military station inside Shinji Temporary Palace? If we think about that, we should expand the scope to the main gate south of Tiananmen. This is similar to Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace, the imperial castle of Seoul, should also be built not just at Gwanghwamun but also at Sungnyemun. Then... Shinji Temporary Palace is not that big compared to the Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace of Seoul...”

“Is that so...”

Hyang, who saw the dejected officials, offered words of comfort.

“Don’t be too discouraged. Still, Shinji Temporary Palace is by no means small. And do you know? “Will I need to grow more in the future?”

At Hyang’s words, the officials’ eyes sparkled and they asked Hyang.

Only then did the officials understand King Sejong’s words and responded by bowing their heads.

“I follow your orders.”

* * *

“...This is how Shinji Temporary Palace was built in accordance with the third plan.”

“His Majesty the Great has also said the same thing that the Great Emperor has said, so wouldn’t now be the right time?”

“Budget issues can also be resolved with compensation received from Ming. No, construction must be completed while compensation is received to avoid budgetary pressure.”

“The same goes for manpower issues. More and more people are coming to our site, and the number of natives who are honoring us is also increasing rapidly. “If you hire them and pay them, it can be a great help in helping them quickly establish themselves.”

“Hmm...”

Hyang, who was listening to the officials with his arms crossed, remained silent for a moment and then asked a question.

“This is to help establish a foundation for those coming from the mainland and the nobles... Since the nobles are natives, isn’t there already a certain level of foundation established?”

“The foundation is at a level where survival is barely possible. What they give is for a better life. Therefore, only by providing adequate support can they settle down as citizens of the empire. “At first, we took this lightly, but then it turned into a hostile force and even mobilized military force.”

“I saw it in the report. Hmm... Then, other than the temporary palace, what support measure did you have in mind?”

“We are mobilizing for railroad construction.”

“Is that okay too? Isn’t it better? Since the expansion of the temporary palace is carried out in a small area, there is a high possibility that slums will be formed around the temporary palace if done incorrectly. “But since railroad construction takes place over a larger area, isn’t it possible to avoid population density?”

“The problem is the reseller. “Establishing too many monopoly stores is also not good for operation.”

“If you look at the Mishigama City construction map, you will see that it has already been divided into districts. “If we make good use of Area 52 and the surrounding plains, we can minimize the number of slums.”

He waved a white flag in response to the officials’ endless responses.

“I will consider it positively.”

“Hwang Eun is devastated!”

“Let’s go out.”

After sending the officials away, Hyang slapped his mouth and muttered.

“This guy’s mouth is so righteous!”

After so much self-criticism, Hyang looked back at the unfolded drawings and related reports and examined possibilities.

“It’s definitely not a bad thing.”

Whether it was people coming from the main branch or noble people, the purpose was the same.

-Living a little better.

It was not a bad thing to hire people with this purpose and provide them with financial support.

In addition, as officials said, it was a good opportunity for financial issues to come in as compensation was received from Ming.

Compensation was both medicine and poison.

It could be a medicine to strengthen the weak parts of the imperial economy, but if done incorrectly, it could cause price instability and ruin the imperial economy.

As a way to solve this problem, it was decided to invest a significant amount of the compensation into new land development.

Therefore, if temporary palaces and other infrastructure were built during the period in which compensation payments were received, budget pressure could be avoided in the future.

“It’s not a bad thing...”

The results were positive, but Hyang’s expression wasn’t very good.

“I’m sure Wani will be grumbling right now, and the Board of Audit and Inspection will do the same...”

It was a visible sight that the officials of the Board of Audit and Inspection were writing appeals, saying, ‘How dare the detached palace be bigger than the main palace!’

“Whoa~. Still, I think it would be a good idea to do it. “If the Board of Audit and Inspection whines, just suppress it based on the status of the situation.”

It was a scent that made me decide with a sigh, but it was still a scent that couldn’t hide my discomfort.

“It seems like I was attacked by someone again.”

* * *

According to the decision of the township, a large-scale reconstruction of Shinji Temporary Palace began.

To ensure smooth construction, many indigenous people as well as engineers were hired.

The response from the natives was higher than expected because there was a course to teach woodworking skills to those who wanted it.

Native people who saw the empire’s wooden houses wanted to build their own houses like that. However, the imperial carpenters were busy, and the natives, who had not only education but also practical skills, were an excellent alternative.

Thanks to this, indigenous carpenters emerged as high-income professionals in the new world.