or Cancerous Growth?
(15) 22: Sprouting…
or Cancerous Growth?
(15) ***ANNOUNCEMENT*** New Novel Event for the entire week.
“The writing system of the Westerners is truly fascinating.” “Pardon?” “Come here and look.” Calling Hyang over beside him, Sejong pointed at the Latin sentences one by one as he continued speaking.
“These words appear repeatedly throughout the text, so they likely indicate the grammatical role of the sentence subject.
And judging by the structure of these words, this section here seems to represent the beginning sound, this part the middle sound, and this portion the ending sound.
In other words, the characters combine together to form complete letters.
These symbols here and here appear to represent the middle vowel sounds.
Looking at how words and sentences are formed, the Westerners do not shape meaning itself into writing.
They shape pronunciation instead.
Am I correct?” “Y-Yes, Father!” Hyang answered while practically losing his mind internally.
‘He’s a real monster.
An actual monster.’ After only briefly examining the book, Sejong had already identified Latin articles, word construction, and even the fact that the script was phonetic.
This was the moment Hyang truly experienced firsthand the genius he had previously known only through textbooks.
Picking the book up again, Sejong continued reading before suddenly turning toward Hyang.
“Do all Westerners use these same letters?” “No.
Most use writing systems based upon them, but each differs slightly.” Hyang selected books imported from France and Germany and placed them upon the desk.
“Hmm…
hm…” Comparing the French and German texts against the Latin book, Sejong stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“The forms of the letters are largely similar.
Only the symbols determining pronunciation seem somewhat altered…
hm…” After humming quietly to himself, Sejong looked seriously at Hyang.
“Crown Prince.” “Yes, Father.” “What do you think about creating a writing system solely for Joseon?” ‘There it is!’ Cheering inwardly, Hyang answered immediately.
“I believe Joseon absolutely needs its own writing system!
How many people truly understand the Chinese characters that scholars praise as the ‘true script’?
And among those who know them, how many can actually use them properly?
If Chinese characters alone were sufficient, then why does idu even exist?” “So you struggled while learning composition yourself?” “Hehe!” As Hyang briefly showed an age-appropriate expression, Sejong laughed softly and nodded.
“Haha!
I remember struggling myself when I first began writing.
After spending over two hours composing a poem, Father and Grandfather burst into laughter the moment they read it.” Reflecting briefly upon childhood memories, Sejong looked back at Hyang.
“It is certainly true that Chinese speech and Joseon speech differ completely.
That creates serious problems.
Even common people wishing to submit appeals cannot easily do so.
The issue is that creating a writing system is no simple task.” “Father is surrounded by wise men.
If you simply resolve yourself to do it, then it will not be difficult.” At Hyang’s words, Sejong shook his head.
“The moment I publicly announce creation of a new script, even the Hall of Worthies will become my enemy.” “Father.” Seeing Sejong’s expression filled with unspoken thoughts, Hyang called out softly.
But Sejong said nothing further and instead rose from his seat.
“It grows late.
You should sleep now.” “Yes, Father.
Please rest well yourself.
Only while Father remains healthy and strong can Joseon remain stable.” “You little…” Smiling faintly, Sejong turned to leave before suddenly stopping and looking back at Hyang.
“I wish you would grow quickly and reach the age of learning already.” “Pardon?” “Sleep well.” After seeing Sejong out, Hyang prepared for bed.
Yet after lying down beneath the blankets prepared by the palace maids, he suddenly shot upright again.
“This gives me a really bad feeling…” The final words Sejong spoke before leaving continued echoing through his mind.
Meanwhile, preparations for cowpox inoculations among palace residents and the people of Hanyang pushed the palace, especially the Royal Medical Office, into chaos.
The Chief Physician of the Royal Medical Office grabbed several physicians and immediately began checking preparations.
“Have the inoculation needles been prepared?” “One hundred are ready.” “One hundred is not enough!
Prepare another two hundred immediately!” “What about the cattle?” “Five infected cattle have been secured!” “And how many people can be treated with five?” “At current estimates, we can inoculate everyone within the palace and Six Ministries who has never suffered smallpox and still have plenty remaining.” “Excellent!
Make certain to record exactly how long the pus taken from infected cattle remains viable!” “Yes, sir!” “And how much disinfecting alcohol has been prepared?” “Distillation continues even now.” “Ensure there is more than enough.
We cannot risk shortages.” “Yes, sir.” After organizing matters to some extent, the Chief Physician sighed quietly.
“Hooo…
disinfection, of all things.
This work has multiplied several times over.
The Crown Prince speaks confidently, but I wonder whether any real benefit will come of it.” At this point in history, the concept of sterilization barely existed.
Physicians routinely treated patients without washing their hands, and needles were reused endlessly between patients.
But the cowpox inoculation program overturned all such customs completely.
“We must wash the cattle?
And boil the needles as well?” At the physician’s question, Soedol immediately bowed and answered.
“Yes, sir.
Just look at the cattle.
They’re covered in filth.
If handled improperly, poison from the filth enters the body.” “I understand the danger from filth, but why the needles?” “The first time we administered cowpox inoculation, one child had severe skin disease.
We used the same needle afterward on another child, and the skin disease spread.
Since then we always boiled the needles immediately after use, then wiped them dry with thoroughly boiled cloth.” “I see.” Nodding, the Chief Physician carefully wrote everything down.
Watching from nearby, Hyang casually added more fuel to the discussion.
“May I add something?” “We shall listen with utmost attention.” “I once read Western medical texts compiled from the knowledge of military physicians serving a great empire called Rome.” The moment Hyang mentioned Western medical books, the physicians immediately dipped their gold pens into ink and prepared to record every word.
It was already famous that the Crown Prince possessed countless rare foreign medical texts unavailable within Joseon.
Though many physicians desperately wished to read them, none possessed the courage to ask the Crown Prince to lend them out.
Now that Hyang himself voluntarily spoke, none intended to waste the opportunity.
“The text states…
‘All instruments used to treat patients must be boiled in water before reuse and wiped clean with fresh cloth.
Cloth wrapped around wounds or laid beneath patients must likewise be boiled, washed, and dried beneath strong sunlight before being used again.'” “…Dried beneath strong sunlight.” “Ah, and there is more.
‘Physicians must always keep their hands clean.
Before touching another patient, they must wash their hands thoroughly and wipe them with clean cloth.
When treating wounds, alcohol should first be used to clean the injured area.'” “…Used to clean the injured area.
Does this truly produce results?” “According to the text, the effects are certain.
Therefore I see no harm in adopting the same methods ourselves.” “We shall consider Your Highness’s words carefully.” Bowing deeply, the Chief Physician answered respectfully.
After reviewing the records from Hyang’s explanations, the physicians split into two camps.
“Cleanliness is certainly beneficial, but is this not excessive?” “No.
From experience, when cloth and bedding remain cleaner, recovery does become noticeably faster.” “But can we truly trust Western medicine?” “They also strive to save lives.
There is no need to reject everything automatically.” After lengthy arguments, the physicians eventually reached a temporary agreement.
First, since the Crown Prince himself instructed it, preparations would proceed exactly as described, and the actual results would be observed directly in practice.
While the Royal Medical Office debated these matters, Hyang sat organizing Latin texts and quietly whistled to himself.
“I exaggerated things slightly with some extra seasoning, but those Eastern Roman medical texts were honestly unexpected.” Among the Western books arriving through diplomatic envoys, a surprisingly large number were medical works from the Eastern Roman Empire.
What surprised Hyang even more was that while many foreign works in other fields had already been translated into Chinese, almost none of the medical texts had undergone translation.
Eventually, Hyang discovered the reason inside the conclusion of one barely completed Chinese translation.
“Western medicine does not consider the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements when prescribing treatment.
Furthermore, these Western physicians do not hesitate to use knives not only for external injuries, but even internal illnesses.
Their methods are excessively violent.
Therefore there is no need to concern oneself with Western medicine.” Reading the blunt dismissal, Hyang snorted softly.
“Wait five hundred years and see.” Contrary to Chinese opinion, Hyang evaluated Eastern Roman medicine rather highly.
“Their level is far higher than expected.
Maybe that really is the legacy of Rome.” What interested him most were the books concerning public sanitation.
While reading texts discussing sewer systems and urban planning designed to prevent fires, Hyang muttered quietly.
“Hanyang’s city planning still isn’t complete yet…
maybe it’s time to play a little SimCity.” Coincidentally, in actual history, Crown Prince Munjong had indeed reorganized Hanyang’s city structure during his own time as heir.
“Still…” Looking around at the books filling the room, Hyang muttered quietly.
The Western texts obtained by the envoys were incredibly varied, and there were many of them.
Combined with the growing number of Confucian classics, Hyang had eventually converted one entire room of the Eastern Palace into a private library.
Bookshelves lined every wall, while a large desk and chair occupied the center.
What puzzled Hyang was the sheer number of Western books already circulating throughout China.
Considering the immense size of the Chinese continent, the books currently filling his room likely represented only a tiny fraction.
“To put it more accurately, there are clearly huge numbers of these books, but they don’t seem to have influenced Chinese industry or science much at all.” While wondering why, Hyang recalled the dismissive review written about Western medicine earlier.
“Chinese cultural arrogance?” His suspicion became certainty once the winter solstice envoys returned from Ming.
“These are works not already included within the book list Your Highness provided.” The Minister of Taxation personally delivered three large wooden crates filled with newly acquired texts.
“There are quite a lot.
You have worked hard.” “It was nothing.” “Judging from the quantity, Muslim merchants must still regularly enter Ming?” “Trade still exists south of the Yangtze, though not openly.” “And despite that, there are still this many books.” “Most are released by collectors and enthusiasts within Ming itself.” “And why are such people releasing them?” “Ming works tirelessly to erase the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty.” At the minister’s explanation, Hyang nodded slowly.
“I see.
Thank you for your hard work.” After seeing the minister off, Hyang stared at the crates and muttered quietly.
“So it really wasn’t a zero-base start after all.” Teacher Samcheonpo’s words echoed once more inside his head.
“Sejong’s explosive era of growth didn’t appear out of nowhere.
It happened because Joseon absorbed every technology leaking out during the Yuan-Ming transition.
The real problem came afterward when everything collapsed.” Remembering those words, Hyang nodded repeatedly.
By the time the envoys returned from Ming, preparations for inoculating the palace and people of Hanyang had nearly reached completion.
“Make absolutely certain every preparation has been properly checked!” “Every category has already been inspected twice.” “We can finish before the spring famine season arrives?” At the Chief Physician’s question, one physician nodded confidently.
“We can.” “Good.
Then I shall report directly to the Minister of Personnel.” “We can definitely complete all inoculations before the spring famine season?” “The physicians are confident.” At the Chief Physician’s answer, the Minister of Personnel stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“Very well.
Then I shall report this directly to His Majesty.” “Do not forget that all inoculations must be completed before the spring famine period begins.” After hearing the report, Sejong issued essentially the same order.
At the king’s command, the Minister of Personnel bowed deeply.
“We shall devote ourselves with every ounce of effort.”