He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 32

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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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Currency and Jibusangso (3)

Chief State Councilor Ryu Jeong-hyeon, who had made his name widely known as Joseon’s foremost financial policy expert.

The policies he implemented were truly innovative.

Xunzi taught that by collecting fewer taxes from the people and having the state practice frugality (not spending money and being economical), everyone could become wealthy, and he sought to directly reflect this principle in Joseon’s economic policies.

He abolished the policy of providing lunch to civil officials, court eunuchs, clerical staff, local clerks, and government slaves working in the government offices so they wouldn’t go hungry during work, claiming it was too expensive.

If they were hungry, couldn’t they just make their own lunch boxes at home and bring them to eat?

Furthermore, he believed that only government officials needed to receive salaries, and considering soldiers as ‘beings who just needed to be fed and kept alive,’ he argued that giving them salaries was a waste of finances that should be saved.

“A traitorous villain like Kim Dae-bung has appeared and is ruining the proper atmosphere of the Royal Court, so I’m truly worried about the court’s future.”

He had worked hard to reduce unnecessary expenses in the Royal Court. Meanwhile, he thought it was unacceptable to give officials’ supplementary income source, their ‘salary,’ in old grain… so he changed the regulations to give New Rice instead of Old Rice.

While New Rice and Old Rice were both the same rice, considering that 2 seom of Old Rice cost the same as 1 seom of New Rice… receiving salaries in Old Rice would effectively reduce officials’ salaries, which was unacceptable.

“The treacherous Kim Dae-bung is blinding the eyes of Retired King, His Majesty, and the Ministers, so how can this not be lamentable? Even this old loyal subject must step forward and offer loyal counsel.”

Of course, offering loyal counsel also required careful consideration of timing, method, and content selection. Just as when starting to study classics, one doesn’t begin with the Four Books and Three Classics but starts with the Thousand Character Classic.

To eliminate the treacherous Kim Dae-bung who was clouding the king’s wisdom, he had to proceed step by step.

Only then would the common people focus solely on agriculture without turning their attention to other matters, and farmers who had no land of their own and were always short of food would borrow money from him at high interest.

That way, he could collect high interest, and even better, farmers who couldn’t afford to pay interest would become his slaves, further increasing his household wealth.

While he was pondering how to eliminate Kim Dae-bung without any repercussions, one of his slaves cautiously approached and reported.

“Master, the Assistant Curator from Jiphyeonjeon has come to see you. Shall I send him away?”

There was only one Assistant Curator from Jiphyeonjeon who would come to see him. The excellent talent expected by his family for generously offering all kinds of loyal counsel, Jeong Chang-son.

Normally, it would be impossible for a mere 9th rank junior official to come directly to meet the Chief State Councilor… but Ryu Jeong-hyeon was very fond of young men, or more precisely, young people who had the right intentions (by Ryu Jeong-hyeon’s standards).

“So Jeong Hyo-jung (Jeong Chang-son’s courtesy name) has come to visit. Bring him here, and prepare a simple refreshment table.”

“Yes, Master.”

Jeong Chang-son offered Ryu Jeong-hyeon a greeting that was flawless in terms of etiquette.

“Chief Minister, I apologize for visiting so urgently without prior notice.”

“If Assistant Curator Jeong has come so urgently, you must have something urgent to tell me, mustn’t you? And right now, all the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon and those calling themselves ministers of the Six Ministries are being deceived by traitorous villains and treacherous subjects like Kim Dae-bung, treating the Way of the sages lightly… but I know well that only you are walking the righteous path in Jiphyeonjeon.”

To put his words plainly, Kim Dae-bung is a scoundrel who will become a treacherous minister like the Five Traitors of 1905, and the officials who follow that bastard are no different from Pro-Japanese Collaborators who abandon Joseon to pursue their own selfish interests.

On the other hand, he was also laying the groundwork to praise himself and Jeong Chang-son as loyal ministers who fight to the end for the nation’s independence.

Otherwise, someone who holds the position of Chief State Councilor wouldn’t have called ‘Kim Dae-bung’ a treacherous rebel and villain in front of a low-ranking official.

“That bastard Kim Dae-bung boldly declared that the Retired King’s policy of creating and distributing Copper Coins would absolutely fail. How can a subject categorically state that a policy the Retired King is putting his heart and soul into promoting will fail before it even begins? Though he may have passed the civil service examination as the top candidate at a young age and fortunately succeeded in benefiting the people of Jinhae County, isn’t he truly arrogant and presumptuous beyond measure?”

“Hehe, our Assistant Secretary Jeong is full of youthful vigor.”

“Forgive me, Minister.”

“Boiling with passion is a privilege of youth, and guiding it properly is the duty of the elderly. I know that your anger stems from your inability to tolerate injustice, so how could I reproach you?”

Ryu Jeong-hyeon, the worst budget-saving addict of the Joseon era and the ‘great loan shark’ who would later even cause a scene with Prince Hyoryeong’s son-in-law for not repaying money, and Jeong Chang-son, the old-fashioned man who would say before King Sejong that the common people are like pigs and dogs who cannot be enlightened.

These two got along perfectly. Ryu Jeong-hyeon genuinely liked this young man.

So much so that he wanted to take him under his wing and elevate him if possible.

“Honestly, leaving aside a loyal minister like Assistant Secretary Jeong and letting such a treacherous bastard rise to power – this situation greatly displeases me. However, Heaven has helped us. Since his foundation is rotten, he’s overconfident in his abilities and is now digging his own grave, isn’t he?”

“Are you referring to Kim Dae-bung’s grave?”

“That’s right. That bastard is now finding his own death corner. He’s strutting around as if he’s become a minister, and why do you think he was even exempted from Myeonsillye? Isn’t it because the Retired King and Your Majesty favor him? But now he’s opposing currency, which is both Their Majesties’ cherished project – isn’t the bastard crazy with a death wish? Well, opposing it once won’t make the two immediately crush Kim Dae-bung, but…”

Ryu Jeong-hyeon’s eyes sparkled.

“You will inform them through a petition that this bastard opposed the currency policy. Then I too will step forward to restore proper discipline to the Royal Court.”

Kim Dae-bung intended to oppose the currency policy purely for Joseon, for the Common People.

However, Ryu Jeong-hyeon’s purpose was different. Though he too packaged it as being for Joseon on the surface, the reality was different.

Because he knew that if the people of Joseon continued to remain poor as they are now, his own wealth would multiply and he would become richer.

If Kim Dae-bung implemented proper economic policies and the people became wealthy enough not to borrow high-interest loans from him, what would become of himself?

“When dealing with strong-willed loyal ministers, the Retired King either sends them into exile or raises them properly through stern rebuke. Before long, Kim Dae-bung will be exiled to some remote place like Pyeongan Province.”

“…”

“Don’t try to rush too much. When the body grows distant, the heart grows distant too. This isn’t just about romantic affairs between men and women. Even if we can’t stop that bastard’s plan to establish markets in all counties, we should be able to prevent the assignment of officials to manage them.”

Jeong Chang-son was greatly impressed by the Chief State Councilor’s seasoned skill in riding the political tide while avoiding losses himself and sending only his opponents to their doom.

To think he had such a clean plan to deal with Kim Dae-bung, that bastard who would become a future treacherous minister. He too wanted to become a seasoned politician like Ryu Jeong-hyeon someday.

“Indeed, Chief Minister’s wisdom is comparable to Zhuge Liang.”

“Hehe, is this fellow flattering me right now? Well, I don’t mind hearing it.”

A refreshment table was placed in front of Ryu Jeong-hyeon and Jeong Chang-son.

They exchanged stories about their vision of an ideal Joseon in a harmonious atmosphere.

Until late into the night.

**

Kim Man-deok told me.

That losing one’s integrity is like death.

And that one would receive endless reproach not from anyone else, but from one’s own conscience.

I deeply empathized with his words.

What’s more frightening than death is carrying regret with you until you die.

If I had submitted a petition about the currency policy and properly opposed it…

The sight of Jongro Market entered my view. Seeing it reminded me of the market in Jinhae County.

Though much smaller in scale, everyone at the Jinhae County market looked happy.

They were poor common people, but they thanked me for creating the market and shared their precious food with me.

They were so delighted while giving me their most precious food.

I too found their hearts so endearing and grateful that I ate without dignity until my stomach was about to burst.

“When currency is implemented, Joseon will face an economic great depression.”

Of course, the aftermath of the economic great depression that the people of Joseon would experience would be infinitely smaller compared to the world’s great depression.

However, countless people would be killed or suffer death-like agony due to wrong economic policies and faulty currency.

The Annals of King Sejong records a case where the current Chief State Councilor Ryu Jeong-hyeon, when he was the director of Gyeongsi-seo (the agency managing Hanyang markets), beat a commoner to death with a beating stick for being caught not trading with trash coins.

And similar incidents would have been commonplace in local counties as well.

All those who were sacrificed during this period were socially vulnerable, while the wealthy and powerful didn’t suffer even a hair’s worth of harm.

Only the young common people died from the Great Depression.

“I must step forward myself.”

I’m not sure whether I’ll have occasion to return to Jinhae County again or not.

If by some chance I happen to visit Jinhae County…

It would be truly devastating to hear that the people of Jinhae County who thanked me for not stopping the currency policy, who even wrote a Petition of a Thousand People and erected a Merit Stele for me, had died because of that currency.

So I fear I would regret it forever.

“Aren’t you Kim Soo-chan, my lord? It’s not time for deungcheong yet… No, why aren’t you wearing your official robes but white mourning clothes instead? And what is that axe in your hand… and why did you bring a servant carrying a mat?”

“… I have no intention of entering Gwanghwamun with an axe.”

“Well, that’s obvious, but…”

I stopped talking with the gatekeeper guarding Gwanghwamun and had the servant spread out the mat.

I placed the axe on top of that mat.

Lee Bang-won might kill me for opposing the currency policy.

Lee Bang-won and King Sejong are people who look hundreds of years into the future and would literally risk their lives to push through the currency policy.

I too could be eliminated.

However, even if I die, I don’t want to have regrets. That’s how I feel.

“Your Majesty, using copper coins as currency now is the path to Joseon’s ruin! Please have mercy and reconsider!”

The face of the Gwanghwamun gatekeeper who heard my words turned pale white.

Even that gentleman, who is just a military officer, must know what opposing the currency means.

“Please hear my petition! If you will not listen, then strike off my head with this axe!”

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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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