Brown liquor didn’t sell well only within the Empire.

Its position in the European market was also becoming increasingly solid.

While brown liquor’s unique taste and aroma played a part in its popularity, the biggest reason was the bottles containing it.

The Imperial Glass Workshop led by Raphael and Pietro had most of its craftsmen already reaching the level of mastery.

Sheet glass used as window panes had already entered mass production using steam engines.

It wasn’t just sheet glass. Simple-shaped glass bottles, glass plates, and bowls were being mass-produced using molds.

Even in the case of crystal glass, which Europeans called crystal glass and tried to buy even by going into debt, affordable products were being made by pressing with molds.

The area where the craftsmen’s skills were truly demonstrated was in expensive glass bottles and crystal glass products.

Just as potters pour their hearts into making ceramics, glass craftsmen also poured their hearts into creating products.

The biggest customers for these expensive glass bottles were the Northern Provincial Breweries that produced brown liquor.

***

To inspect the internal affairs of the northern territories and find those in secret communication with Ming, the Secret Guard established gisaeng houses in major cities starting with Liaodong Province.

And using the pretext of supplying alcohol to these gisaeng houses, they built a communications network.

The brewery created to maintain this communications network became the headquarters for the Secret Guard operating in the northern territories. The Secret Guard’s field agents rested or recuperated here while waiting for their next missions.

This didn’t mean they neglected the brewery business.

The gisaeng houses needed to be firmly established for them to carry out their missions smoothly, and for that, alcohol was as important as the gisaeng themselves.

And when they accepted Park Gyu-seop and his friends into the Secret Guard, the Secret Guard’s brewery underwent a major transformation.

This was because the Secret Guard supervisor, impressed by the soju made by Park Gyu-seop’s friend Kim Bok-ju, appointed Kim Bok-ju as the head master brewer of the Provincial Brewery.

“From now on, the liquor we’ll brew most at our Provincial Brewery is myeongju[1]!”

Curious after seeing the Secret Guard’s report, Hyang issued a secret order to obtain Kim Bok-ju’s liquor.

After sharing the liquor sent as tribute with his ministers, Hyang was impressed by its aroma and taste. The name decided on the spot was ‘myeongju.’

It was a liquor using the character for intoxication (酩), meaning ‘intoxicated by aroma and taste.’

Sending an official document praising the creation of good liquor and giving it the name myeongju, while simultaneously sending a secret document with improvements, Hyang looked north with eyes full of expectation.

And myeongju, which accepted Hyang’s improvements, achieved results beyond expectations.

The Secret Guard executive in charge of the front company with the sign “Northern Provincial Brewery” screamed.

“Business is too good!”

While the field executive screamed, the executive responsible for the Secret Guard’s finances and Hyang wore happy smiles.

“Phew~. Thanks to this, we can breathe easier on funding issues.”

“It was troublesome laundering and using the Imperial secret funds, but now we can breathe easier.”

However, Hyang felt slightly disappointed.

This was because ‘brown liquor’ had become mainstream instead of ‘myeongju,’ the name he had worked hard to create.

Checking the report, Hyang clicked his tongue and muttered.

“I really don’t seem to have talent for naming things.”

It was another moment where Hyang felt his limitations again after ‘Wandusul.’

Clicking his tongue like that, Hyang rallied his spirits and rolled up his sleeves.

“Strike while the iron is hot! Who cares about names! When it comes to whiskey, it’s all about aged maturation and limited editions!”

Thus, Hyang took the lead in premium marketing for brown liquor.

In that process, the marketing of selling brown liquor in bottles made by the Imperial Glass Workshop was born.

***

Hyang didn’t just push for premiumization unconditionally.

After laying groundwork with a price range that was slightly expensive but affordable for common citizens if they set their minds to it, he released products at various price points.

Here again, Hyang played tricks. Rather than just releasing them to the market, he held tasting events by inviting connoisseurs known for their appreciation of fine liquor under the name of the Provincial Brewery.

The connoisseurs who entered the gisaeng house where the event was held, carrying invitations sent in the name of the Northern Provincial Brewery, had indifferent expressions until they received small glasses containing the highest-grade brown liquor.

“The color is the same as brown liquor, so isn’t it just the bottle that’s changed…”

The connoisseurs who grumbled like this while tasting the high-grade brown liquor wore expressions of disbelief.

“How can it have such taste and aroma!”

“I wondered why it was named myeongju…”

The connoisseurs, impressed by the taste and aroma, immediately opened their wallets. But here, Hyang’s second trick shone.

“Since this is the first year, only 50 bottles were produced.”

“Oh my! I’ll buy them right now! I’ll buy them all!”

“Look here! One must have some shame!”

The tasting venue instantly became chaotic. Then, the Northern Provincial Brewery’s representative stepped forward.

“Form a line! And we’ll limit it to one bottle per person!”

After the event ended, connoisseurs who couldn’t obtain the liquor grabbed the Northern Provincial Brewery representatives and bombarded them with questions.

“Will you sell this liquor next year too?”

“Yes.”

“Only 50 bottles again?”

“We’ll have to see then. Since we only select myeongju worthy of the grade…”

“Damn!”

In this way, they began maximizing sales through grade differentiation policies.

As an aside, connoisseurs who obtained the highest-grade brown liquor stared at the problematic brown liquor bottles with eyes full of love and hate.

“Should I drink this or not…”

As time passed, this brown liquor became known to Europeans as well. Brown liquor in glass bottles soon became popular among Europe’s upper class.

Of course, distilled spirits like brandy already existed in France and Italy. However, with the reputation of being from the “Land of Flowers” and quality befitting that reputation, brown liquor penetrated European high society.

And European nobles and royalty who heard rumors about the highest-grade brown liquor also joined the competition.

It wasn’t just royalty and nobles. Among merchants and the middle class, there were those who pooled money to join the competition. Demand was high, but supply was insufficient. Therefore, obtaining and selling even one bottle could yield quite a large profit.

What economists would later call the “Brown Liquor Bubble,” a speculative overheating phenomenon, occurred.

Meanwhile, other sojus competing with brown liquor weren’t just watching either. They too released various grades of soju to survive in the market.

Some began worrying about their fierce competition.

“Soju is an expensive liquor, but aren’t the citizens becoming indulgent in luxury like this?”

“Right. I think it’s proper to prohibit citizens from drinking soju.”

Whenever petitions were submitted to prohibit soju consumption out of concern for citizens’ luxury, Hyang called the Minister of Finance.

“Is citizens’ luxury that severe?”

“No, Your Majesty. Soju is indeed expensive. However, the soju most commonly drunk by ordinary citizens is the cheapest soju, and the quantity is much less compared to makgeolli or cheongju.”

“So you’re saying only those with money drink it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then what do you think these people’s real intention is?”

“While some may be genuinely concerned, I believe most are displeased that those they consider inferior are drinking soju like themselves. If they were genuinely concerned, they would have said to prohibit soju used for ancestral rites as well.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing the Finance Minister’s answer, Hyang nodded.

“That is my thought as well.”

Thus, Hyang did not accept the petition.

***

As citizens’ livelihoods became prosperous, it wasn’t just drinking, singing, and dancing that changed.

Various changes continued in the areas where citizens lived and ate.

Looking first at food, the diversification of cooking methods, especially the diversification of meat cooking methods, stood out.

This was because Empire citizens, regardless of whether in the mainland or northern territories, loved meat, and as exchanges with Europeans continued for a long time, European cooking methods were introduced.

Various meat cooking methods were created, and seasonings and sauces to match were developed.

As meat consumption increased, farms specializing in raising cattle, pigs, goats, and poultry also increased.

As the number of livestock increased and Western cooking methods were introduced, cheese and butter were no longer unfamiliar foods to the Empire’s citizens.

It wasn’t just cheese and butter.

While dealing with their main trading partners, Portuguese and Italian merchants, ‘pão’ and ‘pane’—that is, bread—also began appearing on Empire citizens’ tables.

Thus, Empire citizens’ dining tables became increasingly diverse.

***

It wasn’t just eating and drinking that became diverse and splendid.

Empire citizens’ clothing was also becoming diverse.

Just as Empire men’s clothing and accessories were becoming increasingly diverse and splendid, women’s clothing was also becoming increasingly splendid.

The biggest characteristic was that jeogori (jackets) were getting shorter.

Until the middle of the reform period, women’s jeogori came down to the hip line and were voluminous.

This was to subtly show off one’s wealth.

• I’m rich enough to use this expensive fabric so freely!

They wore voluminous style clothes to subtly show off their wealth like this.

However, as the reform moved into its later period and livelihoods became prosperous, women’s jeogori began getting shorter.

As the reform progressed, women’s outside activities increased, and having multiple sets of clothes to change frequently became a new means of displaying one’s wealth.

In extreme cases, rumors circulated that the lady of a certain noble house changed clothes five times a day.

As jeogori became shorter like this, new fashions were created.

Due to the shortened jeogori, the chest-binding band, chest covering, and inner ties began showing on the outside, and using these for fashion began trending.

Particularly, embroidering and dyeing the chest-binding bands and inner ties to catch the eye began trending.

And the veils that women used whenever going out also became more splendid.

Particularly, the veil fabric that had been uniformly black began using other colors and patterns began appearing.

Veils made like this presented a visual effect that made the wearing woman look mysterious.

Men from Europe and the Middle East who came to the Empire were fascinated by the appearance of Empire women wearing veils like this, and at some point, this style began trending among women in European social circles.

This trend wasn’t one-way. Among the fashions worn by European upper classes, some began trending in the Empire.

The most representative were hair ornaments and accessories like necklaces used by women.

However, when Joseon changed to the Empire and Hyang’s reign began, a bomb dropped on women’s fashion.

‘Hobok’[2]—that is, in 21st-century terms, the qipao—began trending.

It was an event that caused a major controversy in the Empire’s mainstream society.