He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 110

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

The Resocialization of Butchers (1)

After the Great Fire of Hanyang, the Royal Court focused on discussing countermeasures regarding the task of ‘what to do with the butchers going forward.’

King Sejong had tried his best to somehow embrace them and incorporate them into Joseon.

But through this Great Fire of Hanyang incident, he learned that the measures taken so far were far too insufficient.

In Pyeonjeon Hall where the ministers had gathered, King Sejong declared:

“Due to my lack of virtue, I have failed to make the new butchers (a term created by including the hwacheok in the original term ‘butcher’ which referred to ordinary farmers and Common People) into true Joseon Common People. It can be said that because of this fault, the new butchers became rebels, so from now on I wish to correct this error and establish proper policies so that the new butchers can also live comfortable lives as people of Joseon.”

In Korea, the word butcher is used to refer to people who slaughter cattle and pigs.

However, the original meaning of the word butcher was not that, but a term meaning ordinary Common People.

But King Sejong had them called ‘new butchers’ or ‘butchers’ in the sense of including the hwacheok among the commoners.

However, the Common People disliked using this term, asking why they should be on the same level as the hwacheok.

They began calling themselves commoners rather than butchers, and the word butcher became a replacement term for the hwacheok of the Goryeo period.

Thus the word butcher became, in another sense, a term containing the failure and dark history of King Sejong’s hwacheok assimilation policy.

“Until now, we have forbidden them from slaughtering Cattle and horses, and also forbidden them from raising livestock and living nomadically… but when I reflect on it, I think this direction of policy was wrong.”

Joseon’s policy regarding butchers had been the same from the early founding period until now.

It was to deny their way of life of slaughtering Cattle and horses and living nomadically, and forcibly make them farm to turn them into commoners.

However, that method always failed.

To tell them to abandon all the ways of life they had lived for a long time and live a completely new life.

It was because they had unilaterally made demands that were difficult for them to accept.

“Just as laws that seem unchangeable for ten thousand years naturally change when time passes and circumstances change, I wish to change the Royal Court’s policies for dealing with the new butchers – what do you ministers think?”

Northeast Asia is a country that has established Confucianism as its national ideology.

Therefore, the Common People, subjects, and even the king living in this land must uphold the principles of loyalty and filial piety.

So King Jungjong, who ascended to the throne after the Jungjong Restoration, often sent Royal Physicians to the deposed Prince Yeonsan to check on his health, and also sent tonic medicine and delicious food.

Though he had confined him under house arrest, he still had to practice filial piety.

In such a country, changing policies that had been passed down from King Taejo Lee Seong-gye, the founder of the nation and grandfather, would be an extremely burdensome matter for King Sejong…

‘For the sake of Joseon, it must be changed.’

The ministers also agreed with King Sejong’s intention.

If the butchers continued to fail to properly adapt to Joseon society and remained on the outskirts as they had until now, thinking about what might happen in the future was simply too terrifying.

The butchers, filled with discontent, might set fire to Hanyang again, or they might band together to become bandits.

Someone plotting rebellion might emerge, like Emperor ‘Zhu Yuanzhang’ from the neighboring country, who was a terminal patient of distrust disorder and a former bandit leader.

In fact, half of the serious crimes currently occurring in Joseon were being committed by butchers – it was a grave situation.

‘Even to protect my own life, I must make the butchers into proper people.’

For that purpose, it was naturally the right time to need new policies.

“Your subject, Chief State Councilor Hwang Hee, humbly reports. King Taejo forbade them from slaughtering cattle because there was a shortage of cattle needed for farming, and he forbade horse slaughter because many horses were needed to train the military. However, now the Bangwon Method has been widely implemented, the nation’s budget has become abundant, and the people’s lives have become prosperous. Since the situation has changed, while horse slaughter may be another matter, how about partially lifting the cattle slaughter prohibition law and allowing butchers to slaughter cattle?”

“I also agree with the Chief State Councilor’s opinion.”

King Sejong truly loved meat.

To the extent that he couldn’t eat rice without meat.

When King Jeongjong died, Lee Bang-won could gauge how much King Sejong was grieving by seeing him give up meat – his love for meat was that extreme.

So he had a desire to frequently feed the meat he loved to the common people as well.

Just like how parents want to feed their children good food.

“Until now, poor common people who couldn’t afford to raise cattle had humans pull plows instead of cattle when tilling fields. However, now they’re gradually gaining some prosperity, so the people can raise as many cattle as needed in rural villages… There’s no longer a reason to maintain the cattle slaughter prohibition so harshly.”

“And since the cattle slaughter prohibition was often not observed by the people who made various excuses, how about abolishing the prohibition and allowing only those who have received permission to slaughter?”

As Hwang Hee said, there was no need to deprive butchers of their livelihood because of a law that wasn’t being properly enforced anyway.

Rather, it would be better in many ways to raise even more cattle for slaughter and legalize a certain level of slaughter.

Then the number of cattle would increase, allowing that many more cattle to be mobilized as labor force.

“In fact, Joseon needs many livestock. But in Hwanghae Province and Pyeongan Province, even in counties where people live, isn’t there much land that can be used as pasture? So we could give them some livestock and let them live there, but have their names registered in the county records and also record the types and numbers of livestock they raise. And if we designate living areas for them and prevent them from leaving those areas, wouldn’t that be good.”

The direction of the measures proposed by King Sejong and his ministers was almost identical to what Kim Dae-bung was currently thinking.

Abolish the cattle prohibition decree that was grand in name only but never actually enforced, creating a foundation for butchers to make a living.

Additionally, provide surplus land in Pyeongan Province and Hwanghae Province as pastureland, allowing them to live a controlled nomadic life and giving them a chance to live like human beings.

“Apart from this, if there are any officials who can think of good methods, regardless of their rank, let them submit memorials… but have those memorials come directly to me without going through the Royal Secretariat.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Then King Sejong remembered the former Governor of Hanseong who was currently imprisoned in Uigeumbu and had declared he would donate all his wealth.

“Former Governor of Hanseong Min Jeon took lightly the warnings of Minister of Public Works Lee Cheon and neglected Hanyang’s fire prevention measures. Although he was extremely busy with many duties at Hanseongbu, his negligence in his official duties nearly caused the catastrophic incident of Jongmyo burning down, so his crime is truly grave. Therefore, normally he should be sentenced to beheading or hanging for the crime of nearly burning down Jongmyo through negligence.”

From Min Jeon’s perspective, this was honestly an injustice that would kill him with frustration.

The matters that Hanseongbu had to handle weren’t just one or two things, but dozens, even hundreds of different issues.

Yet to lose his head for the crime of slightly neglecting fire prevention measures among all those duties was too harsh a punishment for him.

However, considering that over 1,000 people died in this fire and 18% of Hanyang burned down, such punishment also had sufficient justification.

“However, Chief Inspector of Jeonhamsa Kim Dae-bung submitted a memorial saying that fires are inherently unpredictable, and the delay in formulating measures was due to other urgent and pressing matters at Hanseongbu. I also sympathize with his words. Before I ascended to the throne, Hanyang’s population was merely 100,000, but now people flock here daily from the Eight Provinces, making it 120,000. So how much more work must Hanseongbu have to do? In such circumstances, I should have held special examinations more frequently to increase the number of successful candidates, but my failure to do so is the greatest fault.”

Cold sweat ran down the ministers’ spines.

Praising Kim Dae-bung while criticizing himself as king wasn’t simply the king reflecting on himself.

It was an indirect but harsh criticism asking what the ministers had been doing all this time.

Therefore, today at the State Council and Six Ministries, a terrible chain of scolding would begin, starting with the Chief State Councilor.

It was a multi-level structure of scolding where the Chief State Councilor would scold the Left and Right State Councilors, then the Left and Right Assistant Councilors would be scolded, followed by the Six Ministry ministers, and then the Six Ministry vice ministers.

“In such circumstances, what qualification do I have to sentence Governor of Hanseong Min Jeon to death? Moreover, he has reflected on his mistakes and declared he would donate all his wealth… how could I not reduce his punishment? Therefore, I will reduce his punishment and send former Governor of Hanseong Min Jeon to exile in Gilsang, Hamgyeong Province after stripping him of his office. And respecting his intention, I will use half of his wealth for relief of the people.”

Gilsang in Hamgyeong Province – sending him there in February when it was already cold enough to freeze to death meant he should shiver in the cold, suffer greatly, and reflect.

On top of that, taking away half his wealth made this quite a severe punishment.

“Also, the Left and Right Assistant Governors of Hanseongbu are not without responsibility in this matter, so I will strip them of their offices as well and send them to exile in Saengnyeong County in Gyeonggi Province and Deoksan Prefecture in Chungcheong Province.”

The ministers were inwardly shocked at this unprecedented situation where both the first and second-in-command of Hanseongbu were completely swept away.

“Chief State Councilor Hwang Hee will temporarily serve concurrently as Governor of Hanseong, and since the Right State Councilor position has become vacant due to his resignation memorial… I will specially promote Jo Mal-saeng, who has achieved great merit as Minister of War, to the position of Right State Councilor of the first rank.”

Hwang Hee, who became the Governor of Hanseong, and Jo Mal-saeng, who was promoted this time, had one thing in common.

They were people who listened very well to Kim Dae-bung’s opinions.

“The Chief State Councilor shall immediately do his utmost for the restoration of Hanyang, and the Second State Councilor shall draft a proposal on how to handle the butchers so that it can be discussed in the State Council.”

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