Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 983: The Clear-Eyed Madman (8)

Because it was a painting by Da Vinci, whose skill was so good that he left his name in history, the depiction of the human skeleton and various organs had precision and realistic proportions that were close to the real thing. At best, Da Vinci even depicted the texture of the muscles that make up the body and organs. Therefore, da Vinci, who was worried about whether it would be possible to print properly, put his worries aside when he saw the imperial banknotes. Da Vinci was very satisfied when he saw the first test version that came out some time later.

“Now I understand why the word ‘rainy weather’ is used!”

Da Vinci was very satisfied with the result, and his eyes lit up as he rubbed his hands together.

“Is that so? Then what else should I draw?”

Same time. With a strange smile, Hyang called the eunuch and gave an order.

“Get Da Vinci.”

“Yes, Your Majesty Taesangwang.”

After the inner coffin left, Hyang, who was left alone, lightly rubbed his hands and muttered.

“Da Vinci will definitely start, so you have to work hard to get it to work.”

As time passed, Da Vinci came in and paid homage. Hyang responded lightly and ordered Da Vinci.

“Your help in the newly revised and published Basic Anatomy Textbook of the Institute of Medicine has been truly great. This is indeed Leonardo da Vinci.”

“That’s too much praise.”

“There’s another place where you can show off your outstanding drawing skills.”

Da Vinci, energized by Hyang’s praise, answered confidently.

“Just tell me what to say! I’ll do my best!”

“It’s not easy for you either.”

“This is Leonardo da Vinci. Please leave it to me!”

Hyang’s smile grew even deeper as he heard Da Vinci’s boast.

‘I caught it! ‘It’s a big one!’

“Then I will trust you and leave it to you.”

What Hyang entrusted to Da Vinci was to draw pictures of medicinal herbs to be included in the medicinal herb book.

-There are many examples of medicinal herbs and poisonous plants having similar shapes.

-It is not easy to distinguish between them unless you are a skilled herbalist or doctor.

-In this situation, there are many cases where ignorant people confuse medicinal herbs with poisonous plants and end up in trouble.

-Therefore, we plan to publish an herbal medicine guide that will be helpful not only to doctors and herbalists but also to the general public.

“That’s why it’s not easy for you either.”

Da Vinci’s eyes brightened even more at Hyang’s words. One of the fields he was most interested in was ‘natural science’.

“Just leave it to me!”

“Still, if you need it, ask for help. As long as it’s not too much of an effort, I’ll definitely give you help.”

“Hwang Eun is devastated!”

In this way, da Vinci took on another big and beautiful task.

…

_

_

‘There are too many!’

The herbarium, which was 50 sheets long (approximately 150 meters) and had four floors – the name herbarium would be more appropriate – was filled with a huge number of storage cabinets. And the drawers of the cabinet were filled with specimens of medicinal herbs.

It wasn’t just herbs. In some cases, poisonous plants that looked similar to the herb in question were located right next to each other as specimens.

“Here is a list of specimens.”

“Is this a list?”

Da Vinci muttered without realizing it when he saw the list book that the official held out.

“If I hit it with this, my head will just break.”

“Everyone says that. That’s why everyone uses the index book over there.”

In the place the official pointed out, there was a ‘really’ small chest of drawers. On the drawer handle, the consonants of Jeongeum were engraved one by one.

“Hmm…”

Da Vinci opened the drawer and his eyes lit up. Inside was a plaque with the names of herbs written in phonetic order. And on the name plate was written the number of the dresser and drawer where the specimen was located.

“I’m sure it will be easy to find the herb you want to see. Who thought of it?”

“Your Majesty Tae Sang-tae.”

“…….”

Da Vinci, who was just looking at the plaques in silence, asked the person in charge again.

“How many herbs are there in total?”

“Don’t you know?”

“Eh?”

“I counted it up to 10,000, but the numbers kept coming in after that, so I gave up. Incidentally, I also gave up on naming Jeongeum. Now I’m just using the name given by the residents of the area where I discovered it.”

“It keeps increasing? Is that possible?”

“Because medicinal herbs from other countries, as well as the Northern Daeseoldo Shinji, keep coming into our area.”

“Why things in other countries?”

“What should I do if an imperial citizen who goes there gets sick? Shouldn’t I find some herbs to use there?”

“Ah…”

Da Vinci, who was nodding his head at the explanation of the person in charge, became even more gloomy.

‘I could never complete this on my own! ‘It’s impossible!’

Da Vinci, who was thinking about finding a solution, muttered softly.

“I can’t die alone…” This

was the first imperial sentence I learned after coming to the empire.

* * *

Da Vinci immediately wrote several letters to be sent to Italy.

“…So, it is difficult for me to succeed with my own abilities. I would like to call some people. Here is a list of people who will receive the letter.”

“Hmm…”

‘There are quite a few names I heard in art class and liberal arts class?’

Hyang, who was looking at the list of recipients, asked Da Vinci.

“Are they all okay?”

“I don’t know their mentality, but they have good skills.”

‘In other words, they are people with good abilities but dirty temperaments.’

“You do realize that all these letters must also pass censorship, right?”

“I’m keeping that in mind.”

After thinking for a moment, Hyang soon nodded.

“I will submit a request to the emperor. But keep in mind that there is a possibility that I may not be able to do so.”

“yes.”

But da Vinci never thought that his request would be rejected.

‘Tae Sang-tae comes forward and is rejected? ‘Oh no way!’

And things went as da Vinci expected. The county readily accepted da Vinci’s request, and da Vinci’s letters were sent to Italy. The painters who received Da Vinci’s letters were amazed by the contents of the letters.

-Guaranteed fairly long employment period.

-It is less than the amount received per case in Italy, but guaranteed payment

(but taxes must be paid).

For painters who could not escape poverty without requests from nobles, a fairly long employment period and guaranteed salary were attractive conditions.

“Even if I starve to death, I can’t go to that heathen land!”

There were some who strongly rejected it. However, a significant number of painters work alone. Otherwise, he boarded a ship heading to the empire with his family and disciples. There were suggestions that it would solve the problem of living difficulties, but this was because da Vinci cleverly stimulated artists.

The best example was that of Michelangelo.

-Hey kid! Are you satisfied with bragging that you are the best in a place where I am not?

-If you really want to be evaluated as the best, come to the Empire! This time, there is a request from the empire.

(omitted)

– Of course, it would be okay to make a name for yourself by only painting portraits of nobles or sculptures and temple murals, but there are paintings and sculptures that only high-ranking people can see, murals that can be seen once a week, and anyone can see them regardless of their status. To leave a proud mark as a participant in a book that has been and will continue to be viewed by the world in the future. Which one is more valuable?

-Are you afraid that everyone except a few people who praise you will judge you worse than me? ah! Did you say that sculpture is superior to painting?

“This arrogant and arrogant old man! Has he grown old and senile? He says I am worse than him! I will come and destroy that arrogance right now!”

After roughly crumpling the letter, Michelangelo immediately packed his bags and boarded a ship heading to the empire.

“Here’s the portrait I was commissioned to do! The sculpture!”

“I will complete it and send it to you from the Empire!”

* * *

As the renowned artists of the Renaissance era arrived in Seoul, they accelerated the work of illustrations for the herbal medicine book. The Italian art world had already established a hyper-realistic painting style. Thanks to the arrival of those at the top there, the illustrations in the illustrated book became incredibly realistic.

“But this can be printed? Oh, really?”

The painters, who had a similar reaction to Da Vinci, were surprised when they saw the test prints.

“This is what happens…”

Meanwhile, the painters of the empire also began to change due to the painters who came from Italy. The style of hyper-realism began to spread in ink paintings and portraits as well.

Perspective began to be applied to paintings that emphasized the ‘beauty of blank space’ and ‘imagery’, and an exquisite fusion occurred. It was the birth of a painting style that later art historians called ‘Third Gandhara Art’ or ‘Seoulism’.

* * *

“Didn’t I tell you to paddle when the water comes in? You can’t miss this time!”

Hyang sensed that now was a time that should not be missed, so he got busy.

“Now that so many talented people have gathered, I want to create a new book.”

“A book? What kind of book is it?”

At Hyang’s words, the eyes of the prefecture and the ministers lit up. Although the colors have faded a lot, most of the ministers were from the nobility. Since ‘book’ was mentioned, it was natural for them to show interest.

“An encyclopedia.”

“Dictionary? Are you talking about an autobiography? I don’t think painters and autobiographies go well together.”

Hyang continued speaking at Hyeon’s slightly disappointed reaction.

“I chose the wrong word. You can think of it as a collection of collections or something like a natural history journal imported from Europe in the past.”

“ah!”

Only then did the prefecture and ministers nod to Hyang’s explanation. But questions followed immediately.

“But why do we need to create a collection of books? Aren’t there already textbooks for those learning at the academy and various types of illustrated books already available or being made?”

“Of course there is. I also recognize the excellence of each one. But each one is ultimately like a tree. We need a forest. No, we need a map depicting what the forest looks like.”

The prefecture and ministers nodded at Hyang’s words. But I didn’t fully understand it. Hyang confirmed this and added.

“It will be a book that will make everyone in the world acknowledge the empire. It will make everyone acknowledge that ‘all the knowledge in the world is gathered in the empire.’ It doesn’t just end with a few sentences, it also includes pictures to properly explain it. “A book that makes you understand. Of course, it doesn’t go into depth like a textbook or an illustrated book, but it is a book that allows even a layperson to understand it to some extent.”

Han Myeong-hoe immediately responded to Hyang’s words.

“If it is completed properly, it will be a book that will be evaluated as a success.”

“That’s right. If completed properly, the empire will cover the world not with guns and artillery, but with knowledge.”

‘One of the first things Japanese translated during the Meiji Restoration was the encyclopedia, right? Diderot’s Encyclopedia? Britannica? Say fuck you! The standard for encyclopedias will be the Imperial Encyclopedia! And the standard of the world will not be London in Europe or Washington in the United States, but the Seoul of the Empire!’