Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 756

Episode 756 Encounter (1)

Imperial Year 18 (1466).

At Shinji’s temporary palace, Hyang was wrestling with documents.

After processing the mountain of documents, Hyang looked at the last remaining documents and sighed.

“Even though you wrestled like that, the

worry is still there...” Hyang, who made a pun, looked at the documents and swore.

“Damn it, this population problem is the same regardless of whether it is the original or new territory...”

* * *

As Hyang said, the population problem was a shackle holding the empire back.

And to solve this population problem, the empire actively pursued a policy of encouraging birth.

This policy to encourage childbirth has been in operation since the time when it was called Joseon, not the Empire.

Looking at history before Hyang intervened, there was a record that in the 16th year of King Sejong’s reign (1434), King Sejong issued an order to provide maternity leave to men as well.

– Recently, a pregnant woman died because she did not receive help during childbirth. It’s so sad. What good is a woman’s maternity leave if she doesn’t get help with childbirth and postpartum care? It is natural for a married couple to help, so the husband should also be given leave.

Of course, this was a benefit given to the lowest class, such as slaves. However, support for prolific families did not discriminate between classes.

There was no special support for twins, but for triplets or more, 10 pounds of rice and beans were provided.

And this became a policy passed down from generation to generation.

After the intervention of the township and its transformation into an empire, this policy was implemented more actively targeting a wider range of classes.

In the history before intervention, multiple births of triplets or more were limited to one birth.

However, after the intervention, support was provided when children had two or more children. 10% of the average salary of imperial workers was subsidized for childcare expenses. This ratio increased as the number of children increased, and if there were four or more children, childcare expenses were paid up to 40%. However, once the child reached the age of nine, the amount exceeded this limit and was paid up to 60%.

This support for childcare expenses was cut off once a child graduated from a social democratic academy, because according to the social conventions of the empire at the time, children were recognized as adults when they were 13 or 14 years old, which was the age at which they graduated from a social democratic academy.

The problem was that the birth rate, which had risen rapidly thanks to these active support policies, began to rise slowly at some point.

Township officials, well aware that the empire’s greatest weakness was its population, began to investigate the cause.

The county officials sighed after checking the results.

“Whoa~. “It’s because I started living well...”

Hyang’s face looked particularly serious as he checked the report.

‘Is it Korea in the 21st century already?’

As the empire’s governance developed, the average marriage age of its citizens began to get later.

If the household situation was as tight as it was in the past, people would quickly get their children married in order to save money as quickly as possible.

However, as the number of families with a certain level of economic power – although not middle class by 21st century standards – increased, the rate of early marriage gradually decreased.

And the delay in child marriage was due to the high enthusiasm for education.

“Was this high enthusiasm for education imprinted in your DNA?”

As Hyang said to himself after receiving the report, the enthusiasm for education among the people of this empire was great.

“At least I have to send my children to middle school!”

“cancer! “Shouldn’t my child be better than me?”

Parents who wanted their children to rise to a higher class than themselves put effort into their children’s education.

In addition, this was a time when the idea of male superiority over female was not yet fully established. Therefore, sending both sons and daughters to middle school has become the minimum duty parents must do.

The most representative one was syphilis.

In the 21st century, the theory of its existence from ancient times and the theory of its origin by Columbus were both popular, but it was a very unfamiliar disease to the people of the empire at this time.

The lawmakers who examined the syphilis patients shook their heads in embarrassment.

“Where on earth did they catch it?...”

The doctors who persistently tracked the infection route of the patients finally found the cause.

“The problem was the relationship with the native women...”

“Doesn’t that mean that there are many patients among the natives as well?” “Right. “Let’s investigate.”

Lawmakers who investigated the scope further confirmed serious results.

-Many people among indigenous people are infected.

-The fatality rate is very high.

-If an infected woman becomes pregnant or a pregnant woman becomes infected, the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or birth defects is very high.

After confirming the results, the doctors began to rush to find a treatment.

Clinicians searched through medical books to find diseases with similar symptoms and treatments, and applied them to patients who came in for treatment.

However, despite using various methods, no treatment was found that showed significant results.

Every time a report filled with despair was received, Hyang suppressed the itching in his mouth and consoled the lawmakers.

“I said it would work if the situation were to be difficult. Tell him to try a little harder. “The lawmakers are doing well now.”

Hyang, who was left alone after encouraging the lawmakers, sighed.

“Whoa~. I would like to say this, but if I say this, people will say that I am an alien in the future. surely.”

And as Hyang said, the doctors who tried everything to find a cure finally found the answer.

It was a clean bacteria liquid created under the leadership of Hyang.

With the mindset of ‘all or nothing’, the syphilis patients began to show definite remission when the bacterial solution was administered.

“This is it!”

“found!”

The lawmakers, filled with joy, submitted their report to Hyang.

“Tell them that it is truly magnificent. “And record the names of the lawmakers who discovered the cure and reward them.”

“I follow your orders!”

Left alone that night, Hyang looked over the report in question and sighed softly.

“The history of fierce challenge and response has finally begun.”

The ‘battle between antibiotics and bacteria’ was a battle with no end in sight. Every time a new antibiotic with greater efficacy is released, a super virus resistant to that antibiotic emerges.

Hyang’s face was not very bright as he looked at the report.

Compared to penicillin and other antibiotics of the 21st century, the bacterial solution used today was at a very primitive level. Although it is showing remarkable medicinal efficacy now, there will come a time when the bacterial solution becomes useless. And looking at the level of the disinfectant solution, it was likely that the time would be faster than expected.

“The problem is that the field of medicine was not my area of interest, and I cannot understand germs or viruses with current medical concepts. Phew~.”

Hyang let out a long sigh and looked out the window at the sky.

“There needs to be talented people in the medical field quickly... so we can solve the population problem more easily...”

Hyang, who was looking at the sky with a face full of worry, scratched his head and grumbled.

“Ah-oh! “Nothing is this easy!”