Book 19 Chapter 22

A Must-Read for Students—Yet Almost Nobody Reads It—108 Recommended Books Designated by Cheonmu Academy

XX. A Consideration of the Current Entertainment Industry in Nanchang

Nanchang, as a place where many people gather, is filled with numerous and varied entertainment facilities lined up on both sides of the bustling streets. Just as it would be foolish to open a shop where customers do not gather, it is equally foolish not to open one where they do. Among these, the places that generate the most profit are those that sell the unique commodities of spring, flowers, and songs: the courtesan houses (Giru).

Why do courtesan houses generate more profit than other food and beverage businesses? This is primarily due to the scarcity of supply. People often believe that quantity is always good, but sometimes, small and scarce things are better. Especially in business, uniqueness and differentiation are virtues that are highly recommended.

Although being a courtesan is one of the few professions available to women, the supply is always falling short. The reason is clear.

To engage in the profession of a courtesan, one must bear certain risks. Few women are willing to endure the unique, inherent anxieties, dangers, and unpleasantness associated with this profession. Beyond these physical and physiological risks, the negative social perception of courtesans also significantly contributes to their scarcity. Nevertheless, it is truly a mystery that the majority of those who are fervent about courtesans, who are socially scorned and looked down upon, belong to the mainstream of society.

Therefore, to compensate for this unstable supply, the industry resorts to the illicit practice of buying young children from impoverished parents. However, due to the high infant mortality rate, this method is also not viable. The high infant mortality rate is attributed to unsanitary conditions, difficult financial circumstances, national indifference, and reckless, unplanned family planning. If ordinary people have more than three children, the entire household will starve to death, forcing them to give their children up for adoption or, in the worst-case scenario, sell them. Otherwise, they will all starve. Thus, selling children was a common practice, and the entertainment industry, which always suffers from a shortage of voluntary workers, actively utilizes this phenomenon, offering better prices than competitors to meet the insufficient supply. However, the chronic shortage of high-quality supply is an unavoidable consequence stemming from the inherent nature of the industry.

An astonishing number of people believe that a courtesan house will prosper as long as it has many courtesans. However, this is a grave misconception. A courtesan house does not prosper simply by buying many young girls. It absolutely does not profit by supplying large quantities at low prices.

Not just anyone can become a courtesan, even if they are a woman. And they cannot. They are not allowed to. This is because a societal norm, which is highly subjective but to some extent universally applicable, called the "sense of beauty," intervenes in the selection process. Therefore, courtesans are required to possess a beauty that does not violate common sense.

However, to maintain competition with other establishments, each courtesan house must ensure its quality is maintained above a certain level. Especially to be considered one of the top three courtesan houses in the region, a mediocre quality is utterly insufficient. Furthermore, the existence of exceptionally beautiful courtesans who can serve as a flagship is indispensable. The ability to secure such women is the sole key to winning the fierce competition with rivals.

Therefore, in renowned courtesan houses rated as first-class or above, courtesans are not selling their bodies but rather selling elegance and refinement. Moreover, courtesans must undergo appropriate training over time and with effort to match this standard.

Especially in these first-class courtesan houses, the crucial point to consider when attracting customers is to instill the illusion that coming to 'such a place' is not shameful, but rather a profoundly elegant and sophisticated cultural activity that is somehow differentiated from others and never vulgar. In other words, while their fundamental reason for visiting may stem from animalistic desires, the aim is to avoid giving such an impression, thereby providing a large number of indulgences that allow customers to hypnotize themselves and deceive themselves. Without such meticulous and sophisticated psychological consideration, prioritizing the customer, one can never become first-class. Except for a few specific aspects, this can be said to apply well to other industries as well. Therefore, each courtesan house must continuously strive to provide higher quality service.

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Hyo Ryong: Huh? Wait a minute! This isn't a required reading! It's not on the list of recommended books at all!

Jang Hong: What?! Oh dear! I made a mistake. This is what I was reading! The real one is this!

Hyo Ryong: No, why? Are you going into the prostitution business?

Jang Hong: Don't ask too many questions. You'll get hurt.

Hyo Ryong: I'll have to tell your wife later…

Jang Hong: (Flustered!) You rascal! You're saying something that could get us into trouble! Are you starting to resemble that friend of yours, Ryu Yeon?

Hyo Ryong: I don't know…

<True> XX. Complexion in Autopsy

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When commencing an autopsy, one should first carefully examine the complexion of the deceased.

One might wonder about complexion when faced with a dead body, but traditional Eastern medicine has always emphasized complexion. Color was an important means of judgment, revealing the state of internal organs externally, and this method is equally applicable in autopsies. Therefore, various expressions exist to describe colors.

The sages commonly believed that simply using red (赤), green (綠), yellow (黃), and black (黑) was insufficient to express the diverse and subtle differences, and furthermore, it was ignorant. They well understood that equating different things leads to confusion.

The complexion varies significantly depending on the method and cause of death. Even if the same stab wound is inflicted, if it is done while the person is alive, the wound will be bright red. However, if the person is suffocated and then given various creative cuts to stage an accident or suicide, the wound will be white, not bright red. This is because, after death, blood no longer circulates throughout the body. Conversely, a body that has died of suffocation will have a bluish tint rather than a reddish hue. Thus, color was a crucial indicator in determining the cause of death.

Therefore, one does not commit the ignorant act of blindly cutting open the body's abdomen without examining the complexion. This is an act that any sensible coroner should avoid.

Just as surgery is the last resort for a doctor dealing with a living patient, cutting into a corpse is the final stage of an autopsy. In this sense, dealing with the living and the dead is both different and the same.

Black is a significant indicator of injuries from beatings or strangulation.

Weapons used in assault injuries can be broadly categorized into limbs (手足: generally referring to parts of the human body), bladed instruments (刃物: objects with blades), and other objects (他物). While limbs and bladed instruments are clearly defined, other objects are not. However, this does not mean that the distinction between bladed instruments and other objects is always easy, as the law requires more rigorous and strict distinctions.

In the past, there was debate over whether a bite from a human should be considered an injury from an "other object," "limb," or "bladed instrument," and this issue remains unresolved, requiring timely judgment from coroners and judges. Furthermore, the question of whether an injury inflicted by kicking should be considered an injury from a limb or an other object, if the assailant was wearing leather or straw shoes, also remains undecided. However, if soft shoes were worn, it is generally considered an injury from a limb rather than an other object. Why are such seemingly trivial distinctions important? Because the severity of the sentence imposed depends on the means by which the injury was inflicted. Injuries inflicted by limbs and injuries inflicted by tools are not treated the same. Generally, tools result in more severe sentences than limbs. Among these, objects with blades are separately classified as "bladed instruments" (刃物) and receive special consideration.

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When poisoning is suspected, a silver hairpin is used as an autopsy tool.

The silver hairpin used in autopsies is a genuine article with 100% purity. It is made with extreme precision and rigor under the direct supervision of artisans appointed by the government, all to the same specifications. This is because the performance of silver items circulating in the market is questionable due to the prevalence of fakes. These are colloquially called "do-sam-chil" (倒三七), meaning 30% silver and 70% copper, referring to fakes. Some are half genuine silver and half fake, but based on the common sense calculation that there's no point in losing money when making a fake, "sam-chil" (three-seven) fakes are more prevalent than "ban-pun-i" (half-silver) fakes. So, how can one trust any silver hairpin? Due to the rampant counterfeit goods, the government has no choice but to directly supervise the production of the silver hairpin, an instrument of law for autopsies, and recommends its use solely for autopsy purposes.

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*Reference book: Xin Zhu Wu Yuan Lu (新註無怨錄).