Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 468

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 468
Not long after, Jin Cheon-hee’s memorial reached the Imperial Council exactly as Jegalling had predicted.
Emperor Pung Ha-geum pressed his forehead repeatedly.
“Seek reconciliation as the goal, not annihilation?”
The court officials began speaking one after another.
“According to the memorial, the primary objective among the detailed goals would be the propagation of a silver standard currency system.”
“In the past, when trading with the Suksin Tribe, instead of silver coins, we primarily engaged in barter—vegetables, horns, timber, iron ore and the like. The memorial points out that this arose precisely because commerce had not developed.”
“However, if our nation’s currency circulates and gradually spreads, and if even among the nomads transactions with silver coins replace those conducted with cattle and sheep, then naturally they will become inseparably bound to our nation.”
Our nation—meaning one’s own country.
Here it refers to the Hwa Empire.
Of course, there were dissenting opinions as well.
The Minister of War, who had been listening, spoke.
“I believe this is unjust. The nomads are like seeds of malice, and if we miss this moment, we shall lose forever the opportunity to eradicate them root and branch. If we do not burn all their strongholds and exterminate their clans, we lose the chance to protect our people. I beseech you to consider this carefully!”
“According to ancient texts, the Suksin Tribe knew neither benevolence nor virtue, and delighted in attacking those weaker than themselves.”
That’s right, quite so—words of agreement came from all sides.
“If we do not now demonstrate our nation’s strength, they will regard us lightly, and this will become a source of calamity. They will seek to drain the lifeblood of our people for generations to come. I implore you to demonstrate our nation’s might and govern them by the sword.”
Emperor Geum-wang felt a headache descending upon him.
His long black hair flowed slowly beneath his imperial crown.
“….”
Soon he turned to Han Yi-jeong, the Minister of Revenue.
“Minister of Revenue, do you have a different opinion?”
Han Yi-jeong fell into contemplation.
Though considerable time had passed since she met Jin Cheon-hee, she understood what thoughts had guided this doctor in treating her, and what heart had moved him to write this memorial.
Even now, her trusted aide served as her eyes and ears.
‘My grandfather offers no opinion whatsoever.’
Eunuch General Han Gwang was the Emperor’s trusted confidant, not an advisor on state affairs.
He merely moved as an instrument of the imperial will.
Yet the fact that even such a grandfather had placed his granddaughter in this position was, in a sense, an opportunity granted to her.
Han Yi-jeong, after deliberating, opened her mouth to speak.
“This humble minister, Han Yi-jeong, offers the following words. In ancient times, Wu Zi said that an army raised to save a nation is called a righteous army, while one raised from anger is called a fierce army. Our nation’s punitive expedition was certainly righteous at first, but according to the memorials arriving from all regions, it has become fierce, turning the land into a sea of fire.”
“Hmm….”
The Minister of War let out an uncomfortable cough.
She was referring to the plundering by imperial forces that had been occurring repeatedly.
“When anger exceeds a certain threshold, restraint becomes difficult. When an army deviates from righteousness and commits unnecessary mistakes, this becomes one of the reasons Wu Zi spoke of why an army should not be raised. For an army forever requires the lifeblood of the people.”
Pung Ha-geum asked.
“Does the Minister of Revenue believe the Suksin Tribe cannot be annihilated?”
“Yes. It will be impossible. The wilderness is vast, and our people are unaccustomed to it. Now we merely attack scattered nomads and burn their encampments. This only accumulates resentment, and ultimately becomes no different from the five states of the Sun family example cited in the memorial.”
“Hmm….”
The beaded curtain of the imperial crown swayed with a rustling sound.
The Emperor’s expression remained hidden, yet it was clear that Han Yi-jeong’s remonstrance had stirred his heart considerably.
After a moment, Pung Ha-geum spoke.
“Very well. Then what is Jin Cheon-hee of the Baekrin Medical Guild, who submitted the petition, doing?”
The Court Attendant hastily replied.
“I am most humbly ashamed to report, Your Majesty…”
“Hmm?”
“He is planting potatoes, as far as we know.”
“Potatoes? Do you mean those potatoes I’m aware of?”
“Yes. He is planting them in various colors across the furrows, and it is reported that he has hired laborers by distributing wages to those who do the planting.”
Potatoes, potatoes.
The court murmured.
“Surely he’s not actually farming himself?”
“How could a Minor Sect Leader of such a prestigious family concern himself with mere potatoes…”
“Potatoes are what commoners eat to fill their bellies, are they not?”
“Hiring laborers, no less. That land would be far better suited for raising horses.”
Amid the bewildered murmuring of the officials, Pung Ha-geum burst into laughter.
At the Emperor’s laughter, the officials startled and fell silent.
After laughing for quite some time, the Emperor spoke thus.
“He truly is an eccentric, just as I’ve heard. The Veiled Madman. What a fitting epithet.”
The Emperor had been able to laugh for the first time in a long while.
He spoke.
“Since he seems to have his own convictions, open the granaries and send him more potatoes.”
“Your imperial grace is boundless.”
This was Jin Cheon-hee’s debut in the imperial court.
Watching this, Han Yi-jeong thought to herself.
‘Regardless of anything else, that doctor would be absolutely delighted just to have potatoes mentioned.’
He was that sort of person.
And it seemed His Majesty had developed some curiosity about Jin Cheon-hee.
* * *
“Hmm, my ears are itching for some reason. Is someone talking about me?”
Jin Cheon-hee scratched his ear.
At last, the work at Seonmok had come to an end.
‘I’ve done everything I could.’
It was not something I could do twice.
I had laid the foundation for a new venture and taken every possible measure.
In the process, I had exchanged with several nomadic tribesmen who harbored resentment toward the Suksin Tribe.
Of course, it was not a formal apprenticeship. I had merely opened the first trade.
From now on, sheep pelts would be regularly exchanged for agricultural products.
Moreover, I would regularly hire them as laborers to tend the potato fields.
‘It’s quite vast, I must say.’
Here I was, not raising horses on this expansive land but growing potatoes instead—truly an eccentric pursuit.
Additionally, I allocated a budget to establish the groundwork for future trading posts that would facilitate commerce with the Western Continent, and to actively recruit merchants fluent in the Western Continent’s language.
To accomplish this, I myself had to roll up my sleeves and work tirelessly.
While I was at it, I also tended to the local people’s sentiments and enlightened the war refugees from Seonmok about the greatness of potato stew.
Before I knew it, I had won over the hearts of the people so thoroughly that I wondered if I should run for parliament.
Come to think of it, it was certainly shocking that a minor sect leader of a great family would till potato fields alongside the poor and drain infected boils.
In modern terms, it would be like a chaebol heir directly operating a tractor in Gangwon Province while providing jobs to villagers, working the fields together, cooking meals himself, filming mukbang content with the villagers, and bringing doctors to treat them when they fell ill.
If this were modern Earth, the first thing people would say is, “Is this bastard aiming for the presidency?”
Considering this era has neither direct nor indirect elections, it’s a cultural shock in itself.
But people are all the same.
If this happened in modern times, the first request would surely be for regional development.
Pave some roads! Build a large hospital!
Develop the infrastructure—lay down some railroad tracks!
It was exactly the same here.
The people of Seonmok made the same requests.
They hoped the relay stations would reopen, and with bandits running rampant, they longed for security to return.
Some even desired educational facilities like private academies.
There were those who danced with joy at the news that a Baekrin Medical Guild branch would be established.
Unlike Wannong, the northern territory seemed to lack infrastructure for a trading hub.
Well, that made sense.
The wealth generated in Wannong and that in Seonmok were worlds apart.
While Wannong had large merchant caravans stationed there, Seonmok only saw small trading groups coming and going.
‘Fine horses are indeed Seonmok’s main specialty, but horses alone aren’t enough. Even Wannong has spices, medicinal herbs, rubies, glazes, fragrant oils….’
Though it served as a trading hub with the Western Continent, the merchants from the West hadn’t yet widely learned of Chokgeum silk.
What’s interesting about this world is that there’s a sea between the Eastern and Western Continents, and in that sea exists a massive whirlpool.
The Western Continent calls it the “Mouth of Chaos,” while we call it “Pangu’s Axe Mark.”
‘How does that even make sense? A whirlpool that eternally sucks in water?’
I couldn’t understand how it was physically possible, but this was a world where such things existed.
When I asked where the water came from to replace what was being sucked in, I learned each region had its own mythological explanation.
Since the Western Continent apparently captures people and has gods elevate them to constellations, I decided not to dwell on it too deeply.
Regardless of what each side calls it, crossing that massive whirlpool is impossible.
So there are two routes: either go south through the Southern Continent and follow the sea routes, or go north through the Northern Continent via sea routes or by walking across frozen glaciers in winter.
The northern route is faster in distance, but merchants from beyond the Western regions naturally travel via the southern sea route.
However, the southern route has a significant drawback.
‘Those damned foreign merchants—these highway robbers…!’
Taking a little profit along the way is understandable.
After all, that’s what trading merchants do.
But there has to be a limit, doesn’t there?
Ignoring merchant ethics and undercutting prices erodes trust in these people.
Of course, by their own account, they risk their lives sailing, so danger is certainly possible… it’s possible, but… even so, there has to be a limit, right?
A tenfold markup?
That’s right—in an era without iron ships or steam engines, such price gouging was certainly possible.
But twenty times markup? Thirty times?
A hundred times?
After inflating prices like this, there were no shortage of merchant families cursing at me for trying to purchase Eastern Continent goods at fair market value.
‘Even if I have to establish a dog sled team in winter, I will carve open the northern trade route.’
I ground my teeth together.
I would make those Western Continent fools unable to attend a single ball without Sichuan silk.
‘Cinderella, the prince, the stepmother, the king—everyone must wear Sichuan silk from now on!’
The Sichuan Tang Family, the origin of silk.
The Gongson Trading Company, which succeeded in opening the Yangtze River and maritime routes.
The Baekrin Medical Guild, which obtained land and trading rights through dealings with the Eunuch General.
These three formed a triangle.
“You certainly harbor resentment toward merchants outside the sect.”
“Yes. They lack merchant’s honor. Merchant’s honor.”
“Hmm, I do hope this venture succeeds… but for that to happen, we’ll need the help of the nomadic peoples, so His Majesty’s favor becomes the most critical variable.”
“Yes. It’s not to my liking, but I suppose there’s no helping it.”
“Man proposes his schemes, but ultimately Heaven decides the outcome.”
My Master smiled faintly.
“Still, it will suffice. If we fail, we have other plans to fall back on.”
“Even if we abandon Western Continent trade, there are other trades worth pursuing.”
“Indeed. That will be enough.”
Thus we two arrived at the Baekrin Medical Guild.
Yoo Ho and Muyue were waiting there.
The return of the Patriarch and Vice-Patriarch.
Yet there was no grand welcome ceremony.
Time was always too precious for such things.
We had servants unpack our belongings and immediately headed to the office.
“Yoo Ho, your report.”
“Last month’s operational status and expenditure records, sir.”
My Master quickly scanned the ledgers and added several instructions.
Muyue handed me a ledger containing information about the white-crowned cranes and green jade situation.
Work awaited immediately upon arrival. My Master spoke.
“Rest today and recover from your travels, Hope. The journey was long, and jumping straight into work could damage your health.”
“What about you, Master?”
At my words, my Master let out a small groan and nodded.
“Very well. Let us both rest today.”
Both Yoo Ho and Muyue’s expressions brightened slightly.
“Shall I bring tea that aids relaxation?”
My Master answered Yoo Ho’s question.
“Excellent. Today we shall drink something that promotes sound sleep.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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