Chapter 845

Episode 845: Daily Life in the Empire (4)

“Except for the drinking, singing, and dancing, they are truly a nation called Corpse.”

Just like the scent muttered to itself, the people of the empire enjoyed drinking, singing, and dancing.

No, it was human nature.

As the empire continued to grow, the people’s livelihoods became increasingly prosperous. As the economy became more prosperous, the spending of those who enjoyed drinking, singing, and dancing increased.

Of course, the gap between rich and poor still remained, and there were still quite a few people who were worried about surviving each day.

For the emperors of the empire, and even the kings of Joseon before that, this was a difficult problem that must be solved.

This was a deep-rooted problem that all Eastern monarchs must solve.

In Western political history, symbolized by Europe, the traditional role of the state and monarch was diplomacy, defense, and security.

However, in the East, ‘economy’ was added to it.

The most important part of the ‘Yao and Shun era’ and ‘Gyeoyangga’, which are mentioned as symbols of the era of peace and prosperity, was that ‘no one is hungry.’

Therefore, not only King Sejong but also those who actually opened the gates of the empire put the most effort into resolving this issue.

* * *

“There is a saying, ‘Not even a king can relieve poverty.’”

The ministers all shook their heads at Hyang’s words. Looking at the ministers like that, Hyang continued speaking.

“But the problem is that it is not a monarch’s job to just sit back and watch. “It’s truly a challenge.”

The ministers responded to the complaint by bowing their heads in unison.

“I am truly sorry that your subordinates are incompetent and cannot relieve your Majesty of your worries!”

“I am truly sorry!”

Hyang smiled slightly at the words of the ministers.

“There are a lot of people who would be discouraged if they said that the police officers were incompetent, so let’s not say things like that. “Even if it’s a difficult problem, if you work hard, won’t a good day come someday?”

“I will do my best!”

Recording the warm atmosphere of the incense and the ministers, the officer added as follows:

-...The minister was concerned about the people, so the ministers asked for forgiveness, and instead of condemning them, the minister encouraged them. It was nice to see a series of responses between the ministers and ministers.

The officer says:

The boss told me to work hard, so I’m working overtime again today.

* * *

In any case, the township and imperial court did their best to reduce the number of poor people.

After introducing various experimental policies, a meticulous verification process followed. After this verification, many policies were supplemented and abolished, and through this, the empire’s economy became increasingly sound.

The busiest officials in this process were the National Tax Service and the imperial battlefield officials.

– Taxation that everyone understands.

This was the National Tax Service’s motto. However, every time the officials of the National Tax Service saw a picture frame with those words written on it, regardless of high or low level, they grumbled quietly.

“It must be a tax administration that not all people can understand.”

“Greed is...”

Whenever taxes were paid, the reactions of the people were very similar, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.

-I pay this much, but why don’t they only pay that much? It is unfair!

Despite their grumbling, the people continued to pay their taxes. This was because all tax rates and details were made public, and if there were any objections, they could be confirmed by raising objections.

The efforts of the county and government did not stop here.

In particular, as drinking while enjoying performances at general entertainment venues has become a daily routine, the consumption of alcohol has gradually increased.

Here, the iron horse began to show off its presence.

Through Iron Horse, alcohol could be sold to other regions. As a result, competition broke out among breweries, and liquors with their own unique characteristics began to be released.

However, the alcohol that benefited the most from Cheolma was soju.

Fermented liquors such as Takju and Cheongju had the fatal problem of quickly turning sour if care was not taken when storing and transporting them.

Because of these restrictions, Takju was limited to about 100 ri (approximately 40 km) around the city or village where the brewery was located, and Cheongju could not exceed the provincial border.

However, soju, a distilled liquor, had no such restrictions. By rail and ship, Suzhou spread throughout the empire – from the North to Xinji.

“The winner of the soju plate is the real winner!”

Breweries that confirmed the marketability and future of soju focused on developing soju.

It wasn’t just the brewery.

When talking about Soju, noble families cannot be left out. In particular, the family with the famous soju brewing method immediately jumped into the brewing market.

And at some point, a battle of pride broke out between noble families in the Suzhou market.

“no! Soju from our family with a long history is being pushed out by soju from a family with a short history? Does that make sense!”

Funnily enough, it has been a little over 200 years since soju was introduced to the Korean Peninsula. Nevertheless, a fight broke out among noble families, claiming that their soju had a deeper history.

After receiving the report, Hyang burst into laughter without realizing it.

“It would be funny to think of whiskey companies that boasted about being founded in 1820 or 1860. Since this business was founded in the 1400s....”

As time passed, an unexpected powerhouse appeared in the soju market, where the Warring States period took place, centered on the Gayang liquor of noble families.

There were nicknames such as ‘Northern Liquor’ and ‘Liaodong Liquor’, but the nickname ‘Multicolor Liquor (茶色酒)’ became a proper noun for soju.

Here too, there was a lot of MSG in the flavor. The sweet scent was not what I expected.

* * *

The beginning of multi-colored liquor, which emerged as a dark horse in the soju market, was soju made by Park Gyu-seop’s comrade.

It was an original liquor made by combining the method of making soju, which he learned from his mother, who was a slave from a noble family that was exterminated in the Giyu Rebellion, and was later dismissed, and the method he learned from European merchants staying at the trading port.

Hyang, who was curious after receiving the report, immediately sent a secret message and obtained alcohol.

“If you think of this as whiskey... hmm....”

After thinking for a while, Hyang made up his mind and made a thick order, even drawing a picture, and delivered it to Milwi.

Since the Hyang’s orders were absolute, Milwi’s agents immediately carried out the orders.

They began full-scale brewing by using only barley in a copper still and even making oak barrels.

“The taste is okay, but it’s a bit spicy.”

“The spicy taste is the problem....”

“They said, ‘It will age for at least 3 years,’ so let’s wait for 3 years.”

And three years later, those who opened it again and tasted it shouted at the same time.

“This is it!”

“How can it smell like this!”

“Now I can sell it!”

“You said, ‘Jang is not the only thing that is good for a long time,’ right? That’s what you meant! Let’s pick some good drinks and stay somewhere for a while!”

In this way, they began releasing 3-year-old liquor, and over time, longer-aged soju was released.

Soju, which took on a light brown color as it was aged in charred oak barrels, soon became popular as the nickname ‘multi-colored liquor.’

And not long after it came onto the market, it stood out as a new leader in the soju market.