He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 35

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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 Written Memorial (6)

Lee Bang-won raised his iron mace.

Kim Dae-bung, who had risen to oppose the will he had established.

It was to eliminate him who had stepped forward to block his great cause of saving the common people through currency.

Even though his body wasn’t what it used to be due to his age, he wasn’t so weak that he lacked the strength to lift an iron mace.

So all that remained was to strike down Kim Dae-bung’s head. With this one action of mine, I can sternly warn all those who oppose currency.

Those who oppose currency, those who refuse to use currency. All of them will meet the same death as Kim Dae-bung.

Implementing righteous policies for the people is the natural duty of a ruler.

Therefore, when a ruler has carefully devised the righteous path the people should take, but ignorant people in their foolishness refuse to take that path and try to go down the wrong road.

Sometimes it’s absolutely necessary to boldly cut them away so they can go down the righteous path.

Just like when he made Sim On drink poison, just like when he nearly wiped out the entire Yeohung Min Clan.

This is what he must do for Joseon, to grant a better future to those living in Joseon.

“If your will is truly such, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Just as he said this and was about to strike down with the iron mace, Lee Bang-won’s movement hesitated.

It wasn’t because he disliked or feared killing people.

Lee Bang-won loved poor and vulnerable people more than anyone.

He even forgave the ‘children who unknowingly cursed three princes while playing with balls inscribed with the names Yangnyeong, Horyeong, and Chungnyeong.’

Even though sorcery (curses) in Joseon was clearly punishable by death, and when the target was royalty, it was supposed to be treated as equivalent to high treason.

However, when the target that needed to be killed was family, he killed even family. He even killed Jeong Do-jeon, the minister his father loved and trusted most, who could be called the pillar of Joseon.

Lee Bang-won was a man who felt no guilt about killing those who needed to be killed.

The reason such a man hesitated was.

For a moment, Kim Dae-bung before his eyes seemed to look just like Jeong Mong-ju, whom he had killed.

Goryeo’s greatest civil official, the man his father Lee Seong-gye feared and was more wary of than the kings of Goryeo.

Lee Bang-won had never seen such spirit and loyalty since the founding of Joseon until now.

No, if we’re talking about spirit alone, there was exactly one more person. The man who burned himself for an ideal Confucian state, Sambong Jeong Do-jeon who declared he would make Joseon a nation of Neo-Confucianism and laid the foundation of Joseon.

Even the renowned ministers who illuminated King Sejong’s era would pale in comparison to these two men.

Was that the reason? Lee Bang-won decided to swallow his pride. To embrace Kim Dae-bung, a man like those two men, someone he had wanted to obtain more than anything else.

“Currency will make Joseon prosper. The Yuan Dynasty succeeded in greatly expanding their nation by using paper money. I am certain of this because I personally witnessed in Dadu how great paper money was. Joseon will undoubtedly prosper greatly by circulating currency.”

The eyes of the ministers who had directly witnessed the early days of Joseon, that is, the founding process of Joseon, widened as those memories were still vivid.

Lee Bang-won, who wielded an iron mace to beat Jeong Mong-ju to death, the man who mercilessly brought down the iron mace of purges on any opposing forces, had declared he would “purge.” That meant the person was definitely going to die.

It was all too natural. So Hwang Hee, Heo Jo, and the other subjects all thought Kim Dae-bung would soon be beaten to death by the iron mace.

His actions filled with loyalty and sincerity had moved even the other ministers…

Even if he died, they were planning to do their best to ensure no harm came to his remaining family.

Seeing the abnormal situation where Lee Bang-won stopped his movement, they couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

‘There was only one person, except for one, who tried to persuade until the very end while holding an iron mace.’

The man who tried to persuade until just before striking down with the iron mace at Seonjuk Bridge, Jeong Mong-ju.

“I am not saying that Retired King’s sacred will is wrong. However, to implement currency, markets must first be established in all counties of Joseon. And commerce must develop. All the common people must find trading with Five Seung Fabric and white rice so inconvenient that they cannot bear it.”

At Kim Dae-bung’s words, Lee Bang-won this time acted unreasonably.

“Bend your will. Your Majesty and I will use you in a very important position.”

Kim Dae-bung was actually someone who had little interest in power. His real dream was to work moderately for Joseon’s development, then return to his hometown with Kim Gyeoul and live comfortably.

However, only he thought that way, and even Kim Gyeoul knew Kim Dae-bung as someone whose goal was to become ‘Prime Minister for life.’

“Wealth, glory, and power are not important. If I can be of even the slightest help in serving the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State, and in fulfilling the sacred will that King Taejo and Retired King harbored – creating a nation where all the common people are joyful – that alone is sufficient. After that, my real dream is to return to my hometown, build a house of a few rooms, and live peacefully with my wife and children in the prosperous Joseon.”

If Ryu Jeong-hyeon or Hwang Hee had said those words, it would have been ‘just a statement wanting to pretend to be poor and incorruptible.’

However, Kim Dae-bung was a true incorruptible official who had received a Merit Stele in Jinhae County and even received Joseon’s first Petition of a Thousand People for extending a magistrate’s term.

His words moved Lee Bang-won’s heart. So he brought it up again.

The content of the memorial petition that Kim Dae-bung had submitted before submitting his written memorial.

Now that his head had cooled down and he thought about it again… doubts began to creep into his mind. He started wondering whether his judgment was truly correct.

“… I hope my words…”

“Currency is necessary for Joseon. However, the current Joseon cannot handle currency. Just as feeding honey to a child who hasn’t even turned one year old, saying it’s good for their health, would cause the child to die suddenly. Joseon cannot handle currency.”

Kim Dae-bung’s words flowed as naturally as water.

“What Your Majesty is trying to do now is like telling a child who hasn’t even turned one and can’t even finish the Thousand Character Classic to take the state examination and pass it. No matter how strictly Your Majesty teaches, that child can never even finish the Thousand Character Classic. Because they are not mature enough to accept the Thousand Character Classic.”

“Your words…”

Lee Bang-won could not immediately find grounds to refute Kim Dae-bung’s words.

Currency is absolutely necessary for Joseon. If currency is used, if currency becomes widely used in Joseon, then Joseon could prosper just like Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty did.

So currency must be used. Currency must be issued to benefit more common people, but some contradiction came to mind.

He knew his thinking was wrong, but when he couldn’t organize in words exactly how it was wrong… Kim Dae-bung’s words continued again.

“It’s perfectly natural for a young child to be unable to finish the Thousand Character Classic, but can it really be called education when parents beat their child’s shins with a birch rod for failing to pass the state examination? No, that is nothing more than abusing a young child.”

Kim Dae-bung threw a direct pitch at King Taejong Lee Bang-won, telling him that what he was doing now was nothing more than child abuse.

His audacity was enough to make the ministers shrink back for a moment. After all, he was essentially asking ‘Does it make sense for someone who claims to have a spirit of loving the people to try to kill the people?’ in front of Lee Bang-won who crushes heads with iron maces.

“I did this for the people, for Joseon… Joseon needs currency…”

Upon hearing those words, Kim Dae-bung quietly bowed with his head to the ground. Then he spoke to Lee Bang-won.

“Rising to Fame and Honor to fulfill one’s aspirations and being loyal to the king and loving the country is human duty. Your Majesty’s intention to spread currency widely throughout Joseon is also absolutely necessary work to develop Joseon. However, when the Royal Court cannot even accept currency as taxes, forcing this upon the people is like beating a child who hasn’t even turned one with a birch rod for failing to pass the state examination. So please have mercy and understanding.”

Lee Bang-won was frustrated. He was frustrated and angry and wanted to refute.

However, he could not refute those words.

Since he himself didn’t completely trust currency and wasn’t accepting taxes in currency, there was no way the people could trust it.

“…”

Tears fell drop by drop from Lee Bang-won’s eyes.

At the same time, he dropped his iron mace.

Lee Bang-won had yielded his stubbornness to Kim Dae-bung’s loyal counsel, who had the spirit of a loyal retainer like Jeong Mong-ju and the backbone like Jeong Do-jeon.

Seeing this, Heo Jo and Hwang Hee muttered.

“To think the day would come when Retired King would stop mid-swing of his iron mace, what on earth is happening?”

“How would I know that? There’s only one important thing.”

A smile appeared on Heo Jo’s face.

“Kim Soo-chan is saved now. That fellow is alive.”

Lee Bang-won looked at Kim Dae-bung with dejected eyes.

Then he turned around and began walking with heavy steps.

Approaching King Sejong, he sighed and said.

“We need to examine whether Jiphyeonjeon Scholar Kim Dae-bung’s words are right or wrong, Your Majesty.”

“…”

King Sejong was surprised by Lee Bang-won’s declaration of surrender. However, he did not let it show on his face.

He knew well how significant it was for his father to bend his convictions.

To add words here, or express doubt through his expression, would be unfilial.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After that, Kim Dae-bung was escorted to Jeonokseo (prison) amid everyone’s cheers.

Even the Jeonokseo guards broke protocol and allowed him to walk there on his own.

Naturally, he was assigned the finest solitary cell.

After Lee Bang-won and King Sejong returned to the palace, the common people shouted “Long live!”

**

Several days had passed since the written memorial was submitted.

Lee Bang-won did not attend court sessions and shut himself in his room, continuously pondering whether implementing currency was the right thing to do. He did this because of Kim Dae-bung.

At first, he had been greatly annoyed that Kim Dae-bung opposed the currency policy he had been determined to push through by staking his life on it, and so he had tried to use this opportunity to properly tame him and make him an obedient subject like ‘Hwang Hee’…

But after actually putting him in prison and reflecting on it over and over, he came to realize that what he had been trying to do was no different from driving the common people to their deaths.

“The Royal Court refuses to accept copper coins as taxes, yet tells the common people to trade with copper coins – this is truly an absurd and contradictory policy. Why on earth did I think of such a thing?”

When he thought about it, that was exactly right. When he had issued Paper Currency immediately after ascending the throne, it had circulated reasonably well among the common people. But from the moment he declared that Paper Currency would not be accepted as ‘taxes,’ it literally became garbage.

“I was blinded by my own convictions. What I thought I was doing with good intentions, out of care for the common people, nearly killed them all.”

Tears flowed from Lee Bang-won’s eyes as he realized the cause of his mistake.

Then he sought out and read copies of Kim Dae-bung’s official reports that he had often recommended King Sejong to read.

The story of how all the common people rejoiced when the market opened, that passage about bringing an era of peace and prosperity to a poor widow.

“How fortunate, how fortunate. Truly fortunate…”

If he had pushed through the currency policy and repeated his previous mistakes, it would have been like pushing all the common people into a tiger’s mouth. Even King Sejong would have had the blood of innocent people on his hands.

While a king sometimes must become cruel for a greater cause, taking the lives of innocent common people for something utterly meaningless is an absolutely forbidden grave sin… Thanks to Kim Dae-bung, he was able to avoid committing that sin.

At that moment, what caught his eye was the petition submitted by Minister of Taxation Hwang Hee and several other ministers.

Kim Dae-bung’s words were not wrong, so please reconsider. Though what he did was disrespectful, you must not punish him and dismiss him – such contents.

All of them were loyal words that could touch his reverse scale.

“… Is Sang-on (second-in-command of the Eunuch Bureau) present?”

“Yes, Retired King.”

“Let us go to Jeonokseo for a moment. I need to see Kim Dae-bung there. I must personally release him.”

Sang-on was inwardly shocked at Lee Bang-won’s words that he would not punish Kim Dae-bung but rather release him.

Because the man who was obsessed with establishing royal authority had ended up undermining his own royal authority by acknowledging his mistake.

Thus Lee Bang-won trudged through the curfew-bound streets of Hanyang and had a private meeting with Kim Dae-bung inside Jeonokseo.

And he opened his heavy lips to speak.

“… As you said, I will withdraw the royal command to implement Copper Coins and currency. So answer me as you answered the other ministers.”

Usually the expression “I” is used when a king has made a very, very grave mistake, or when revealing anger.

Now it was the former meaning.

“What should I do for Joseon?”

To his question, Kim Dae-bung answered immediately without hesitation.

“The Daedong Law… collect all Tribute Goods in Rice.”

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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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