He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 24

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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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Jiphyeonjeon GPT (3)

Honey is practically dripping from the eyes of the Jiphyeonjeon Deputy Director as he looks at me.

To someone who doesn’t know better, they’d mistake him for a boy who’s fallen in first love. His face bears a smile as bright as the sun, and his steps are remarkably light.

A newcomer might think ‘I’m so welcomed that I really need to work hard,’ but I’m not naive enough for that.

Looking closely, there are dark circles firmly planted under the Deputy Director’s eyes, and his skin is rough and haggard from exhaustion. It’s proof that Jiphyeonjeon is suffering from overtime work just as much as the Ministry of Taxation. Even on holidays when officials rest, they can’t even think about going to gibangs or enjoying outings – they probably just slept.

But now that I’ve appeared and it seems like they’ll escape from that overtime work, that’s why he’s welcoming me so warmly.

“Ah, This Magistrate is Jeong In-ji, Deputy Director of Jiphyeonjeon. Since the Director of Jiphyeonjeon is concurrently held by the Minister of Rites, This Magistrate is effectively the chief administrator of Jiphyeonjeon.”

“I’m overwhelmed that the Deputy Director would welcome a lowly official like me so warmly.”

“Haha, it’s only natural for This Magistrate to personally look after talent like Kim Soo-chan. Both the Retired King and His Majesty have great interest in you. Though the Chief State Councilor seems to view you somewhat unfavorably, both the Left and Right State Councilors, as well as all the Ministers of the Six Ministries, have truly high expectations for you.”

“Is that so?”

“As you know, when new officials arrive, regardless of rank, until they complete the ‘myeonsinrye,’ they’re called ‘new ghosts’ and are looked down upon even by clerks.”

Myeonsinrye – in simple terms, it’s a ceremony for new ghosts to be recognized as human beings. Though it sounds complicated, it’s basically like breaking in a private.

When a private first transfers to a unit, a senior sergeant pretends to be a ‘private’ and tells them to report any seniors they find annoying, tells them to go to the PX and buy bullets, and asks if they want any frozen food, then makes them eat until they’re about to get indigestion – it’s an insane culture of military discipline.

In Joseon, all newly appointed officials who passed the civil service exam and officials who transferred departments (sometimes even including ministers) must undergo this myeonsinrye.

Each time it’s held, they have to provide generous meals costing at least 100 to 200 seom of rice, and they must do all sorts of strange things their seniors order them to do. Catching fish in muddy water, having public slaves call out their names mockingly, and so on.

I came prepared for this myself, but is the Deputy Director saying he’ll treat me as a person rather than a newly arrived ghost, so I won’t have to endure the absurdities of myeonsinrye…

“But Jiphyeonjeon isn’t such a senseless government office that we’d treat a capable official like you roughly just because you’re a new ghost. Unlike those Office of Censors fellows who drink alcohol during work hours while submitting petitions.”

Jiphyeonjeon, the Office of Censors, and Saheonbu are all part of the Three Offices, so they must have intense rivalry with each other. He’s suddenly badmouthing the Office of Censors out of nowhere.

“Well, enough of that. That’s your seat over there.”

The seating arrangement is a bit strange. The other Jiphyeonjeon scholars have their desks packed together like in a company office… but why is only my seat so far away?

There are even two chairs arranged there, and the desk is quite large. It’s clearly not meant for one person… I’m very uneasy.

Just looking at that seat, I can almost hear the hallucination of a university professor named Lee Do saying ‘You cannot resign. Forever, until you die.’ Should I brew some medicinal tonic?

“Didn’t you point to the wrong place, Deputy Director?”

“No, that’s definitely Kim Soo-chan’s seat.”

“Yes, I understand. Then what work should I do? Should I research the Four Books and Three Classics with the other scholars or prepare for royal lectures…”

Elder Jeong In-ji looked at me and chuckled heartily.

“That’s the general work that Jiphyeonjeon scholars do. Preparing royal lectures and researching agriculture or technology is what we at Jiphyeonjeon do. But Kim Soo-chan, you’re an exception.”

Just as he said Kim Soo-chan was an exception, the doors of Jiphyeonjeon opened. Then a very high-ranking person wearing red official robes symbolizing a senior official walked toward me. Just how many documents did he bring?

Looking roughly at the high-ranking person’s complexion, he too had dark circles under his eyes carved like tattoos, and his face was close to an earthy color. From what I could see, he had undoubtedly been overworked with overtime even on holidays.

“… Kim Soo-chan!”

When I turned my eyes, Jeong In-ji had already disappeared to where the other scholars were. Ah, I’ve been assigned as the person in charge of handling work from anyone who comes to request ‘policy research,’ whether they’re ministers of the Six Ministries or whoever.

So unlike other officials, I don’t need to prepare royal lectures, nor am I assigned to give any lectures at royal sessions.

It makes perfect sense. Though I didn’t want to understand it this way.

The person wearing the red official robes of a senior official was Hwang Hee from the Ministry of Taxation. He signaled for me to sit down.

There was venom in his eyes as he looked at me. One wrong word and he looked ready to kill me outright.

This is why the former county magistrate told me never to act ‘humbly’ when going to the Ministry of Taxation. If I told him that I was lacking and could only do this much, Hwang Hee would probably really kill me.

“Kim Soo-chan, thanks to you, the Ministry of Taxation has been blessed with so much work.”

“I apologize.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Thanks to you proving to King Taejong Lee Bang-won that even heavy tribute taxes borne by the people can benefit them if collected properly, His Majesty the King Taejong, whose health had been severely poor, suddenly regained his health.”

There’s something that social workers, nurses, and doctors all say in unison. One of the reasons elderly people develop dementia and pass away is when their ‘will to live’ weakens.

So when filial descendants see their grandmothers and grandfathers struggling with really trivial household tasks and stop them out of devotion, telling them to rest comfortably, it may look good… but in reality, it can make those elders feel they are useless people, breaking their will to live and potentially hastening dementia or depression.

They often say that watching from the side while encouraging them that they’re doing well and praising them with gratitude is the way to help elders live healthily and for a long time. King Taejong Lee Bang-won was also gradually letting go of his attachments after seeing Sejong govern well…

Could it be that seeing the positive changes in tribute taxes I created, he’s considering introducing currency (which will definitely fail)?

“So you must prioritize helping with the Ministry of Taxation’s work above all else.”

“How could there be any question?”

“And let me make an apology while we’re at it. When you said at the royal examination that Joseon’s tax system was rotten, I thought it was just immature words created by a young man’s impetuosity. So I thought you were insulting the best results that I and other ministers had created by grinding our bones.”

“My lord…”

Hwang Hee looked at me and shook his head. It wasn’t because he was disappointed in me, but because he was acknowledging that he had been wrong.

“You were right. Joseon’s tax system must be changed. Commerce may be a secondary occupation, but blindly oppressing merchants while preaching that agriculture is fundamental and commerce should be suppressed is wrong. It only torments the people.”

“Thank you for acknowledging this.”

“King Taejong seems to be urging our Ministry of Taxation officials because he wants to correct this. He wants to see markets established in every county and the tribute system reformed so that tribute taxes become something that saves the people rather than kills them.”

King Taejong Lee Bang-won was incredibly warm to everyone except those who challenged his authority.

There was an incident where a government official was caught secretly letting his friend stay overnight in the Royal Palace after giving him a tour. This was clearly a grave crime punishable by ‘death,’ but judging that it wasn’t done with malicious intent, he released him without punishment.

There was also a time when a commoner took a wrong turn and accidentally entered the Royal Palace, and he was immediately released as well.

Under any other king, or even in a 21st-century modern nation, such people would have faced at least probation with fines or even several years in prison.

There was also an incident where some lunatic instigated children to play with three balls near the Royal Palace, having written the names Yangnyeong, Hyoryeong, and Chungnyeong on them.

While playing with those balls, when one child dropped the ball with ‘Hyoryeong’ written on it and shouted ‘Hyoryeong has fallen!’, they were caught. By Joseon standards, this could be seen as sorcery (curse), making it high treason that could justify executing not only the children but their entire families.

Under any other king, those children and their families would have faced the full course of Joseon torture before being torn apart and executed without complaint. Furthermore, it could have led to a ‘full course purge of ministers’…

Lee Bang-won simply covered it up because he hated seeing innocent Common People die. Despite it being a perfect opportunity to strengthen royal authority, he threw away that chance by covering it up.

His exploitation of the Common People through currency wasn’t due to lack of love for his people, but probably because of his stubbornness in believing his opinions were absolutely correct.

That spirit of loving the people seems to have been passed down to King Sejong as well.

If I present market expansion policies here, there’s a high probability he’ll bring up ‘currency’… but I’ll risk my life to stop that.

Anyway, even without my intervention, it’s something King Sejong will do soon.

If I stop this, it would eliminate one of King Sejong’s greatest mistakes.

“Now then, tell me quickly. What must be done to expand the markets?”

… I’m someone who can just submit a resignation petition and return to my hometown if things go wrong anyway.

So I can propose innovative financial policies that no one else in Joseon could even imagine.

“We must first assign officials dedicated solely to markets in every county nationwide. Otherwise, it will be unmanageable.”

I’m the first to propose a policy that increases spending to benefit the Common People, aren’t I?

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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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