Chapter 287: An Ordinary Day in Hanseong. (5)

“Princess Jeong-ui has shown interest in mathematics and astronomy and wishes to learn them. I am considering having her study at the research institute. What are your opinions on this matter?”

As soon as the morning court session began, King Sejong brought up this agenda item, and the ministers’ gazes unanimously turned to the head of the Censorate. Although his current nameplate read ‘Head of the Censorate,’ the one he had worn until recently was ‘Inspector General.’

Jeong Inji, who received the gazes of King Sejong and the ministers, organized his thoughts for a moment and immediately answered.

“Although they are considered miscellaneous studies, it is praiseworthy that she has set her mind on learning. However, since she is still unmarried, it would be better to assign a separate teacher for her to study.”

“Father, may I interject?”

“You may.”

As Hyang interjected after hearing Jeong Inji’s remarks, King Sejong immediately granted permission. With Hyang’s participation, Jeong Inji became tense.

“I am grateful that the head of the Censorate regards Jeong-ui’s studies favorably. However, assigning a separate teacher is not possible.”

“Why is that, Your Highness? If an unmarried princess studies among men, it may lead to a scandal.”

“Currently, all those who can teach mathematics and astronomy in the palace and the research institute are men. And you suggest leaving just two of them in a room? It will lead to an even greater scandal. It would be more helpful in preventing scandals to have her study in a public place.”

At Hyang’s point, Jeong Inji had nothing to say. After pondering for a moment, Jeong Inji immediately withdrew his opinion.

“I believe the opinion presented by the Crown Prince is correct. It would be better for her to study confidently in a situation where many people are watching.”

“Is that so? Hmm… I will ask the Crown Prince.”

“Please ask, Your Majesty.”

“I heard that the level of mathematics and astronomy taught at the research institute is very high. Will Jeong-ui be able to keep up?”

“I’ve heard that Jeong-ui’s skills are quite remarkable. And since it’s something she wants to do, she will do her best.”

“Won’t it be a hindrance to others?”

When King Sejong expressed doubt, Hyang answered with a wry smile.

“What could be more embarrassing than having inferior skills compared to a mere woman?”

At Hyang’s answer, King Sejong and the ministers simultaneously had the same thought.

‘This fearsome fellow! He never does anything that would put him at a disadvantage!’

‘Scary, so scary! When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, there will be endless lamentations!’

Regardless, Hyang continued his explanation.

“In our Joseon, the research institute is the only place that intensively studies and educates mathematics and astronomy. Since there are no competitors, the atmosphere has become somewhat lax these days, so there is a need to instill a sense of urgency.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

After pondering while stroking his beard, King Sejong reached a conclusion.

“Very well. Listen, ministers. I think it would be best to follow the Crown Prince’s opinion regarding Jeong-ui’s studies. Diligent study and refinement… If it can serve as a good stimulus for those studying mathematics and astronomy, that alone is a good thing.”

“We shall obey your command!”

And so, it was decided that Princess Jeong-ui would learn mathematics and astronomy at the research institute.

***

When the news about Princess Jeong-ui reached the research institute, Jinpyeong muttered with a worried face.

“The path of hardship lies ahead.”

“Pardon?”

When a nearby researcher tilted his head, Jinpyeong continued.

“I know my sister Jeong-ui well. Jeong-ui will persist until she understands.”

“Ah, is that so…”

Jinpyeong gathered his reports and concluded.

“The person teaching Jeong-ui will probably sweat quite a bit.”

After Jinpyeong left, the remaining researchers whispered in a small voice.

“Is this what they mean by ‘the bloodline of His Highness’?”

***

A few days later, while Hyang was organizing his work in his study at the Eastern Palace, a eunuch came to inform him of a visitor.

“Your Highness, Princess Jeongso has arrived.”

“My sister?”

Hyang pushed the documents aside and ordered the eunuch.

“Let her in.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

A moment later, seeing Princess Jeongso enter with the eunuch’s guidance, Hyang welcomed her with a delighted face.

“Sister, welcome.”

“Greetings to Your Highness.”

“Haha! Why are you being so formal? We’re all family here.”

At Hyang’s words, Jeongso smiled and replied.

“That’s true.”

“Indeed. Come, have a seat!”

After offering a seat to Jeongso, Hyang sat across from her and looked at her.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

When Princess Jeongso mentioned a ‘favor,’ Hyang’s face turned troubled.

Even after his rebirth, Hyang had maintained a psychological boundary with his family for a while. King Sejong and Queen Soheon felt a sense of disappointment, whether they realized it or not, when they saw the young Hyang, who had just started speaking naturally and learning characters, paying respectful courtesies to them.

The first to break through this psychological boundary was Princess Jeongso – initially granted the title of Princess Jeonghye, but due to the overlap with her aunt, Princess Jeonghye, she was re-titled as Princess Jeongso.

As a result, among King Sejong’s biological children, Jeongso was the closest to Hyang.

Seeing Hyang’s troubled expression, Princess Jeongso continued.

“Oh my. It’s been a while since I’ve seen our little brother make that face. Is it the first time since my hunger strike back then? Don’t worry, it’s not a dangerous favor.”

“What would you like to ask of me?”

“I want to try being a physician.”

“Pardon?”

At the sudden remark, Hyang’s face turned blank.

Seeing Hyang’s expression, Princess Jeongso explained the reason.

“A while ago, our child suddenly developed a high fever at night, and it was a big fuss. Fortunately, we were able to send servants to bring a physician and provide treatment, but there’s no guarantee that we can always time it well like that every time, right?”

“So you want to provide treatment yourself?”

“That’s part of it, but when I look at the maidservants in the household or the women in the neighborhood, quite a few of them have minor illnesses that turn into major ones because they don’t receive proper treatment. I wondered why and realized it’s probably because the physicians are all men.”

“Ah…”

At Princess Jeongso’s words, Hyang unknowingly nodded.

The main diagnostic methods used in traditional Korean medicine were observation (望, wang), auscultation and olfaction (聞, mun), inquiry (問, mun), and palpation (切, cheol).

These methods included observing the patient’s condition or changes in excreta (望, wang), examining the patient’s cough sound, speech, or the smell of excreta (聞, mun), inquiring the patient or caregiver about various things to identify the illness (問, mun), or taking the pulse (脈診, maekjin) or pressing on the affected area (按診, anjin) as part of palpation (切, cheol).

However, when examining female patients, it was mostly limited to asking the patient about her symptoms or taking her pulse. Carelessly touching a woman’s body was a grave discourtesy.

Of course, there was a solution to that.

“Aren’t there female physicians?”

“How many female physicians do you think are assigned to the Welfare Bureau, Hyeminguk (惠民局) and the Dongseohwarinyeon (東西活人院)?”

“…”

At Princess Jeongso’s question, Hyang fell silent.

The number of female physicians assigned to the Hyeminguk or Dongseohwarinyeon was not large.

Seeing Hyang’s expression, Princess Jeongso repeatedly emphasized the need for her to learn medicine.

“As a child of Father and a member of the royal family of this nation, shouldn’t I at least take care of the health of the women in the village where I live?”

As Hyang was making a blank expression at Jeongso’s words, he unknowingly muttered.

“Noblesse oblige?”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, no… I understand. Since your intention is good, I will speak to Father… No, if it’s such a good intention, Father would immediately approve of it, so why did you come to me?”

At Hyang’s question, Princess Jeongso gave a playful smile.

“Do you think I don’t know? If I tell Father, everyone from Father to the ministers will object, but if you say it, that won’t happen, right? It usually just passes without much issue. Why make things complicated? It’s troublesome…”

“Troublesome…”

At Hyang’s deflated expression, Princess Jeongso delivered the final blow.

“Isn’t that why Jeong-ui did the same thing?”

In the end, Hyang waved the white flag.

“I understand. I will speak to Father about it. Since your intention is not bad, I think we will get a good result.”

“Really? Please do.”

Having achieved her purpose, Princess Jeongso quickly disappeared to meet Queen Soheon and chat.

Seeing Princess Jeongso disappear into the distance, Hyang grumbled softly.

“I mistook it for the same case as mine… By the way, have I been deceived by both my older sister and younger sister? Then, am I the royal family’s pushover?”

Anyway, although it was Princess Jeongso’s request, Hyang also thought it was a necessary task.

“Since we’re doing it anyway…”

Hyang began to spread out a sheet of paper and draft a proposal.

***

Two days later, Hyang submitted a memorial to King Sejong.

“Producing female physicians for women?”

Upon seeing the title of the memorial, King Sejong immediately looked down at Hyang.

“Crown Prince, please explain it yourself.”

“Yes, Father.”

Hyang began by telling the story of Princess Jeongso’s visit to him.

“…So, she wants to learn medicine. Isn’t this a beautiful thing?”

At Hyang’s words, King Sejong and the ministers nodded.

“Indeed, it’s truly a beautiful thing that Jeongso had such a thought.”

“It is, Your Majesty. It is truly a beautiful thing for someone in a noble position to come down to a lower place and work for the people.”

As the ministers unanimously praised it as a ‘beautiful thing,’ King Sejong got to the main point.

“But why has that story developed into a memorial like this?”

“Aren’t there countless women throughout Joseon who suffer from illnesses?”

At Hyang’s question, Heo Jo, the Minister of General Affairs, immediately raised an objection.

“Female physicians are already being dispatched.”

“How many of those assigned female physicians are there?”

Looking at the history before Hyang’s intervention, the female physician system was established during the reign of King Taejong as medical personnel for women living in the palace. Later, during the reign of King Sejong, two female slaves were sent from Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang Provinces to receive medical education and then sent back. However, this was literally a ‘drop in the bucket.’

At Hyang’s point, Heo Jo fell silent. After silencing Heo Jo, Hyang explained to King Sejong why it was necessary.

“Looking at the situation in Joseon, the number of physicians is not large, and there are virtually no physicians who can treat only women. To properly diagnose and treat a patient’s illness, it is crucial to accurately identify the symptoms first, but no matter how much of a physician one is, they cannot carelessly lay hands on a woman’s body outside of their family. Therefore, I believe the best solution is to select women and train them as physicians. Moreover, the status of female physicians is also a problem.”

Hyang continued to point out the problems with the current female physician system.

The girls selected as female physicians were mostly government slaves. Selecting female physician candidates from among government slaves was because it was easy to fill the positions. However, due to their low status, they were often subjected to contempt and mobilized for tasks other than medical activities.

After pointing out the problems with the female physician system, Hyang presented his conclusion.

“Through the commoners’ school, even women of the commoner class have been able to acquire knowledge. Among them, we must select bright girls who wish to learn medicine and teach them medical skills.”

Thereafter, this issue was debated back and forth for several days. As the issue remained unresolved and only arguments were being made, King Sejong stepped in, and a decision was immediately reached.

“After continuous deliberation, I believe the Crown Prince’s opinion is reasonable. I hope you will establish policies accordingly. Any objections?”

As soon as King Sejong’s question ended, all the ministers answered.

“None, Your Majesty!”

“Huh?”

King Sejong tilted his head for a moment and then smiled enigmatically, reaching a definite conclusion.

“Since the ministers have no objections, establish the policies as quickly as possible.”

“We shall obey your command!”

The scribe who recorded all of this added the following:

-Thus, when His Majesty reached a conclusion, the ministers began to create policies to train female physicians for women.

The scribe comments:

Compared to the arguments that went on for several days, the conclusion was reached too easily. This is not limited to this case alone. Previously, issues that would have been quite sensitive are now being passed immediately once His Majesty makes a decision. Have the ministers been caught with some weakness?

***

That night, in Gangnyeongjeon, where the scribes had been dismissed, King Sejong and Hyang had a conversation.

“Women are increasingly making their presence felt.”

“As you said, Father, Joseon lacks people. We don’t have the luxury to discriminate between men and women.”

At Hyang’s answer, King Sejong nodded.

“By the way, I’m looking forward to 10 or even 20 years from now. There will be individuals breaking through barriers and emerging from various places, starting with the commoners’ school.”

“I only hope they don’t become another barrier themselves.”

“We’ll have to prevent that.”