A Country Where Everyone Learns (1)

The Grand Academician of Sungkyunkwan had been executed by being torn limb from limb for treason.

And Jeong Chang-son, considered a promising scholar at the Hall of Worthies because of his outstanding academic achievements, had been beaten to death by the iron mace used to drive out the ghosts of Goryeo.

Quite apart from those momentous events, the Hall of Worthies I belonged to was being worked to the bone preparing for the promulgation and dissemination of Hunminjeongeum.

So no matter how the political situation outside unfolded, our Hall of Worthies could not spare any attention for it.

“The education and prosperity of Joseon rest on our shoulders. I know everyone is having a hard time because you are overwhelmed by your duties. Even so, I hope you will do your very best at the work assigned to you. If you do, you will rise in the world while alive, and after death, your names will remain honorably recorded in the annals.”

After finishing my words of encouragement, I sat down to carry out the work expected of me as Deputy Academician of the Hall of Worthies.

I had done an excellent job encouraging my subordinates, but when I saw the pile of documents stacked on my desk, I could not help sighing.

“This is three times the amount of paperwork I usually handle. If I make one wrong move, I might end up buried under this mountain of documents and crushed to death.”

We usually say that we will be buried under paperwork and die when we have so much work that we cannot handle it, but...

Now that I was looking at the staggering amount of paperwork piled up before me like a hill...