He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Breaking the Cartel (5)

This world is not a fairy tale or novel.

So it doesn’t end like in fairy tales or novels where all the villains die and all the good people live happily ever after.

The situation I’m experiencing right now is exactly like that.

If I had my way, I’d want to sweep away all the Sijeon merchants in one go, but if I kill them all…

Joseon’s commerce would be instantly paralyzed.

Just as a person dies if their heart stops even for a moment, the aftermath would deal a tremendous blow to Joseon’s economy.

Even successful companies often go bankrupt or suffer unbearable losses from defaulting on payments just once, even for just one day…

Joseon, with its population of nearly ten million, wouldn’t be much different.

“Sigh, my feelings are truly complicated.”

I couldn’t sleep at all today, so I came much earlier than the usual deungcheong time, and there’s no one at the State Council right now.

So I was expressing these complicated feelings through soliloquy when…

Suddenly I heard a human voice from behind.

“What’s causing you so much worry?”

For a moment I thought it might be a ghost.

There was still one sijin (2 hours) left until regular deungcheong time, so it wasn’t time for anyone to come, yet I heard a human voice.

But fortunately, the voice I heard wasn’t a ghost’s voice.

It was Chief Minister Hwang Hee, who had dumped over 80% of his work on me and achieved the leisure level of a battalion senior sergeant.

“What brings the Chief Minister here at such an early hour?”

“I secretly made and ate hwachae using a lot of sugar that my wife treasures, got caught, and received a scolding. So I just came to deungcheong early – by the time today’s work ends, my wife’s anger should have cooled down. And if I finish work quickly, I can leave early too, right?”

“I see.”

When I said this, Hwang Hee began complaining as if he felt wronged.

“Scribe Kim will understand when you reach my age. There’s no great pleasure left except eating. And here I am, unable to retire from the Royal Court in my old age, suffering from work. So I tried to forget that suffering by making hwachae with sugar, and she gets angry about that. Does this even make sense?”

In Joseon, sugar was considered extremely precious.

In the early Joseon period like now, it was so difficult to obtain that even when the king desperately tried to get it, it was nearly impossible to find.

When Queen Soheon wanted to taste sugar just before her death, King Sejong and Crown Prince Munjong pressured their subjects, but it was such a precious ingredient that they still couldn’t obtain it.

However, after I revitalized the Jeju Island trade (selling the Japanese Pirates’ plundered goods), sugar became quite common.

Previously, with a bit of exaggeration, you couldn’t get it even if you offered the same weight in silver, but now it’s become quite easy to obtain.

The price dropped to about one straw sack of rice for one doe of sugar.

Also, since early Joseon still retained Goryeo’s influence, women’s rights were quite high, so there wasn’t the common notion we think of where men are heaven and women are lowly.

Women also had property inheritance rights, and you couldn’t disrespect the main wife without reason. Nagging was also possible depending on the situation.

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes? You might think I’m resting comfortably and working leisurely, but the Right State Councilor and I always have headaches thinking about state affairs. Yesterday I was going to take sick leave…”

“I didn’t say anything, Chief Minister.”

Hwang Hee looked at me and sighed.

“Setting aside my case, what business brought Scribe Kim to court so early?”

“I heard through my father-in-law about the terrible things the Market Guild merchants are doing. So, thinking about how to handle this kept me awake.”

Actually, I had already roughly outlined how to deal with those bastards.

As soon as I heard the story, I thought, “This is how it should be handled.”

I came to court early to draft a plan and get approval from Jo Mal-saeng or Hwang Hee before presenting it to King Sejong.

And like when I worked as a Secret Inspector, I intended to handle this matter in a way that wouldn’t be officially revealed.

“Don’t they say even a blank sheet of paper is better when held together? No matter how outstanding a talent Scribe Kim may be, there are limits to what one person can do alone. And the position of Chief State Councilor is not so much about taking the lead in work, but more importantly about listening to and organizing the grievances and opinions of other subjects.”

“Then may I ask for your wise counsel, Chief Minister?”

“Of course, speak as much as you like.”

Hwang Hee wore an expression as if he had caught his breath.

Right, so you do have the awareness that you’re dumping everything on me except for the most important matters.

“The thing is…”

I confessed to Hwang Hee all the atrocities committed by the Market Guild merchants that I had heard from Kim Man-deok.

The story about how those so-called great merchants of the Market Guild were trying to monopolize all the land in newly developed areas of Hanyang, and were planning to dominate Hanyang’s commercial district by placing all their relatives there.

If that happens, it would be like developing Hanyang only to hand it over to the great merchants, and in the worst case, they could gain control over all commerce throughout the Eight Provinces of Joseon—such was the warning.

The concern was that within decades, the Joseon Court could find itself at the mercy of Hanyang’s great merchants.

After hearing all this, Hwang Hee furrowed his brow.

And from his mouth came the harshest curse commonly used in Joseon.

“These Goryeo-possessed bastards… treacherous scum who deserve to have their heads cracked open by iron maces and die. They’re wretches who wouldn’t be punished enough even if torn apart by horses.”

Lee Bang-won had used the term “Goryeo-possessed bastard,” and now it seemed this phrase had established itself as a curse in Joseon.

Seeing Chief State Councilor Hwang Hee use it like this confirmed it.

“This isn’t all. The really serious part is separate.”

“There’s something even worse than this?”

“Kim Jang-seok, who runs the largest business among the rice shops, is said to have gathered money from rice shop merchants to monopolize all rice entering Hanyang through Incheon.”

“… You’re saying they monopolized rice of all things?”

Monopolization—in simple terms, it meant they had colluded to buy up all the rice.

If this happened, rice wouldn’t be supplied to Hanyang unless those bastards sold it, so whatever price they demanded would become Hanyang’s rice price.

The market price was 2 bolts of cotton cloth per seom of rice, but if those bastards monopolized it, even if they demanded 4 or 5 bolts of cotton cloth per seom of rice, everyone would have no choice but to buy it with tears in their eyes.

“The Powerful Noble Families of the previous dynasty did exactly that. They monopolized everything for themselves and gave the common people just enough to barely avoid starvation. As a result, all the land throughout Goryeo became theirs alone. Just like the rice shop merchants did, other Sijeon merchants are trying to do roughly the same thing.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I’d like to report them all as traitors and petition for severe punishment, but if I did that, irreversible consequences would follow.”

Hwang Hee let out a deep sigh and lamented.

“It would be like burning down the entire thatched house just to catch one mouse. Furthermore, Joseon’s laws can’t even punish them.”

“Even if it’s not in the law, we could punish them if we wanted to, but it would be better not to set such a precedent.”

In 21st-century nations ruled by law, even if everyone thinks something is clearly a crime, if there’s no ‘precedent’ or ‘legal basis for punishment,’ they’re acquitted.

Judges grit their teeth while pronouncing not guilty verdicts, and the legislature creates new laws to punish such acts.

However, in Joseon, such cases could be severely punished under charges of being despicable.

‘Everyone knows this isn’t good, but they still do it.’

“I think it would be best to give stern warnings to the others, excluding that fellow from the rice market, and let it pass.”

“Yes, I think the same way.”

“The people regard food as heaven itself, yet to play games with food is no different from treason.”

Handling it this way is fine.

However, as long as the organization called the Market Guild merchants exists, there’s no guarantee that such problems won’t occur again in Joseon.

An organization that is thoroughly closed and where positions are hereditary cannot be healthy.

“How about taking this opportunity to abolish the organization called the Market Guild merchants? Then the state would directly manage commerce.”

“… There would be insufficient administrators.”

“We could recommend a few Market Guild merchants who can write some calligraphy to His Majesty, specially grant them official positions to give them a chance to serve their country loyally, and increase the number of people selected in the civil examinations.”

“… The civil examinations are already held once a year, and 100 people are selected each time…”

“We need to increase it more. It’s for the infinite glory of Joseon.”

Hwang Hee nodded and looked at me with a grin.

“Scribe Kim will persuade the Minister of Finance.”

“How could someone of my lowly position…”

“… Then you can become a high-ranking official. Very good, I’ll petition His Majesty to create a third-rank position in the State Council, and all problems will be solved. Yes, it’s been bothering me to see Scribe Kim wearing that Blue Official Robe, so this works out perfectly.”

“I’ll just go and handle it myself.”

“Yes, how nice it would be if you listened obediently like this from the beginning? I wouldn’t have to tire my mouth with words.”

When I was Chief Inspector at Jeonhamsa, I thought it was possible because I was the head of a Subordinate Offices, but in the State Council, I’m just a lowly bureaucrat near the bottom…

To entrust me with persuading the Minister of Taxation.

“I’ll personally petition His Majesty about what we just discussed. While asking to keep everything secret. Now, specifically, how should we proceed?”

I told Hwang Hee how to handle this matter to resolve it without any disturbance.

And just before leaving the court, I was able to receive a Royal Reply granting approval.

So I immediately summoned those fellows called the great merchants of the Market Guild to my Home.

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