OBS Chapter 539
Chapter 539
Episode 539: Conspiracy (5)
In response to the captains’ cry, ‘Please make it a document,’ the interpreters said to the customs officials.
“They ask me to document it... but there is a problem with this.”
“You mean the problem?”
“Letters sent by Europeans working at the institute are subject to unconditional censorship.”
The expressions of the customs officials hardened at the interpreter’s words.
“Does that mean it could be a problem if we write it down and give it to you?”
The interpreters answered the customs officials’ questions with perplexed expressions.
“Of course, in the case of research institutes, many of the things being studied are confidential. “But wouldn’t the documents we translated thoughtlessly be able to give other countries a clue to our secrets?”
“I guess so. “Then it would be best to ask above first.”
In some ways, it may be a characteristic of public servants, but it was best to beat on the stone bridge and then cross it.
Inquiries from customs officials and translators went directly up to Seunghwadang through the hands of ministers.
“What do you think?”
The ministers responded to Hyang’s question with expressions that said it was no big deal.
“I’m not writing down the country’s secrets, but about the ‘mandate of heaven,’ so there won’t be a big problem, right?”
“That’s right. In particular, I think it is a good opportunity to inform and educate the people about our virtue.”
“you’re right. “Wouldn’t it be a good thing if their monarch learned about ‘virtuous guidance’?”
Based on the ministers’ answers, Hyang came to a conclusion.
“Then let’s do it.”
After the meeting, Hyang, who was organizing documents, muttered softly.
“Contrary to the wishes of the teachers, it seems like they threw another very large bomb... Aren’t you just pretending not to know even though you know?”
After thinking for a moment, Hyang muttered as he signed off on the documents.
“Does it matter to me?”
* * *
After receiving the order, the customs officials began to produce documents regarding the ‘Mandate of Heaven’. The work was surprisingly slow, but both the customs officials and the translator had passed the civil service examination. Since everyone had basic Confucian knowledge, a war of words arose during the documentation process.
“If you keep doing this, you’ll miss the boat!”
Despite the pleading of the captains on board, the customs officials and interpreters waved their hands.
“Uh-huh! Please be patient! “Even if you interpret just one sentence differently, the meaning can be completely different!”
“But...”
“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll hand it over to the next voyage! for a moment! Hey! Isn’t that what it means there? According to the words of an old sage....”
The captains looked up at the sky as they saw the customs officials and interpreters arguing with blood vessels in their necks.
“Oh my lord....”
After such a fuss, the captain was able to accept the document just before departure.
“If I had more time, I would have taken proper care of it....”
“Oh no! “This is enough!”
The captains, who handed over the documents as if snatching them from customs officials and translators who could not hide their disappointment, hurriedly boarded the ship.
The document, which was carried with a copy on each ship just in case, aroused the curiosity of the captains.
But a problem arose there.
“Shit! “It’s all Latin!”
Those who could speak Latin but could not read or write were the first to fall away. And those who could speak Latin soon fell away.
“This is God’s will!”
The surviving nobles eagerly emphasized that it was ‘God’s will.’ This was an effort to avoid being overlooked by Pedro, who completely monopolized power, and at the same time, an effort to alleviate the guilt of having survived.
* * *
As the cheers of the nobles and ministers died down, Pedro continued.
“I’ll say it again, it was God’s will that our kingdom was founded and that your Majesty sat on the throne! However, threatening His Majesty and extorting the people is a way of violating God’s will. Those who follow this path must be resolutely purged! Therefore, I will proceed with the purge and purge at the same time!”
King Afonso V’s eyes sparkled at Pedro’s words.
“What if it’s a purge?”
“We will break down the practice of taking charge of public affairs simply because one is a nobleman and one is under the aristocracy’s control! We will select the right officials to run the kingdom through strict examinations similar to the ones conducted by Joseon in the past! And we will also work on the system to make this kingdom even more prosperous and make your majesty’s reputation known to the public!”
A large-scale reform that later came to be called ‘Pedru’s Reform’ took place.
* * *
A proclamation summarizing what Pedro said that day was once again posted throughout the kingdom.
“It’s reform...”
“It’s God’s will...”
Many people began to argue as they read the contents of the proclamation. But those who moved the most vigorously were intellectuals.
Numerous intellectuals began to debate the legitimacy of Pedro’s ‘will of God’, and young college students began to dream of entering the civil service.
At the same time, interest in Joseon began to rise once again.
“What is the civil service that is practiced in Joseon?”
Eventually, the amount of letters going from Europe to Joseon increased significantly.
* * *
Soon, Pedro’s proclamation spread to many European countries and began to provoke a variety of reactions.
First, a conflict within Christianity broke out once again.
‘God’s will moved the Pope.’
It was precisely because of this part.
“This is proof of the dignity of the Pope! “God’s will is revealed only through the Pope!”
Those who support the Pope argued this, while those on the other side refuted it.
“gibberish! The Pope was simply following God’s will! Why don’t they say that the will of the people is God’s will? Likewise, the will of the Council is the will of God!”
When the religious community became noisy, political disputes also began to arise.
“The king’s position is a God-given position! Therefore, the right of a king is a God-given right!”
“gibberish! It is our nobles who elected that king! “Our choice is God’s will!”
“God’s will is revealed through the people! The will of the people is the will of God! “There is no need for kings and nobles!”
“gibberish!”
The political world also became noisy as those who sought absolute royal authority, nobles who sought the division of power among the nobles, and even those who advocated republicanism, albeit at a beginner level, emerged.
In the midst of this chaos, the gap between Portugal and Spain deepened.
“what? Portugal’s independence is God’s will? So does that mean we have abandoned God’s will?”
Spain sharply ground its teeth against Portugal.
* * *
Meanwhile, Cosimo, who was observing the situation unfolding like this, grinned and muttered.
“I guess I should at least give the Duke of Coimbra a gift of the finest wine.”
Now that Europe is in such chaos, there is no room to look outside.
What he meant was that for the time being, the Mediterranean-centered trade route would be the only overseas trade route, and that the prosperity of the Medici family would continue even longer.