He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 37

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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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Daedong Law (2)

Joseon is a nation of excitement.

Everyone suffers from the ailment of being unable to stay still when interesting rumors or events break out.

Especially government officials, nobles, Sijeon merchants, and Hanyang citizens who couldn’t survive without being sensitive to political circumstances and changes were even worse.

Therefore, they couldn’t help but go crazy over Joseon’s first written memorial, the show of ‘If you won’t listen to me, then just cut off my head.’

“Dolsoe, do you know the story of that Kim Soo-chan?”

“Of course I do. If you don’t know about the person who submitted a written memorial saying to cut off his head if they won’t listen to his petition, then you’d be a Japanese spy, not a Hanyang person, right?”

Even if you combined all the citizens living in Hanyang who could read Chinese Characters even roughly, it wouldn’t reach 5%. Of course, compared to other local counties, this was still tremendously high, but in any case, there were few educated people.

However, regardless of being smart, there was no one who didn’t know what currency was.

The reason was very simple. During the time when King Taejong Lee Bang-won was king and King Sejong had not yet ascended to the throne, Paper Currency was implemented… and while noble officials were ‘exempt from regulations’ so they didn’t suffer damage.

For the common people, if they didn’t use Paper Currency and used something else, they were indiscriminately cracked down upon, so if you were a Hanyang person, regardless of the scale of difference, there wasn’t a single citizen who hadn’t suffered damage.

Among the acquaintances and relatives of those having this conversation, there were naturally people who had bad experiences while using Paper Currency.

So Kim Dae-bung, who had risked his life to oppose currency, naturally had to be revered as Hanyang’s hero, wise minister, and loyal subject. He was someone who was prepared to die to stop it on their behalf, so if there was anyone who viewed him badly, that person wouldn’t even be human.

“I heard Kim Soo-chan was released from Jeonokseo (prison).”

“Is that really true?”

“They say Retired King personally went to Jeonokseo and released Kim Soo-chan. And a notice was posted at Gwanghwamun saying they won’t do that Copper Coins thing or whatever at all!”

“… I can believe they won’t do Copper Coins, but how do you know that Retired King went to Jeonokseo?”

“My cousin’s brother-in-law works as a Posol at Jeonokseo.”

“Ah, I see.”

The man had initially accepted it as if it was nothing special. But soon he let out a cheer at the fact that that damn currency wouldn’t be implemented.

“Long live! Long live! I thought Hanyang would become a field of mugwort because of that shitty currency, but now we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“This is all thanks to Kim Soo-chan.”

“We’re saved, we’re saved.”

These two here remembered the time when Paper Currency was implemented in Hanyang. At first, it was good to use Paper Currency because it was more convenient to carry around than rice…

But at some point, you couldn’t even pay taxes with it. So thinking it was useless, the unlucky bastards who got caught trading with rice or Five Seung Fabric were beaten with beating sticks and either died or got seriously ill.

After roughly recovering from illness, they would all be dragged away with their families to serve in the navy, or sometimes sent into exile.

So out of fear, everyone stopped trading altogether, and it wasn’t uncommon for merchants who had been living fairly well in Hanyang, if not exactly living luxuriously, to end up sitting on the ground with nothing.

Of course, now that currency has been suspended, this is completely a story of a different world.

When everyone throughout Hanyang was talking about only this story with one voice, Kim Man-deok, who heard this news, activated his business acumen and insight.

“… You fellows, what are you talking about?”

“Who are you, sir?”

“I am Kim Man-deok, a sipjwa (one of the merchant ranks in sijeon) who sells dried persimmons, anchovies, and paulownia wood utensils on a small scale over there in Unjong-ga.”

The highest rank in sijeon is seonsaeng, next is ojwa, then sipjwa. Being a sipjwa means you’re someone who does fairly big business in Hanyang.

And Kim Man-deok was wearing a silk dopo and even a gat, which would be against the ‘law’ if worn by a mere merchant, as if to display his status and wealth.

The two men who had been speaking casually just moments before suddenly became respectful.

Though Joseon is a class-based society, wealthy merchants can never be ignored.

“I have a somewhat special relationship with Lord Kim Soo-chan, so I’m quite interested in stories about him. So please tell me the story in a bit more detail.”

Dolsoe, one of the two who had just been chatting, asked cautiously.

“Who exactly are you, sir, to say you know Lord Soo-chan so well?”

“Ah, I’ve been very close with Lord Kim Soo-chan since he was the County Magistrate of Jinhae County. When he served as Jinhae County Magistrate, Lord Soo-chan even came to visit my house directly.”

Kim Man-deok wasn’t chatting with these fellows because he had time to spare, of course. He had approached them with a clear intention.

One of those intentions was to ride on the shoulders of Kim Dae-bung, whose stock was rapidly rising in Joseon’s Royal Court and Hanyang, to elevate his own value and position.

Frankly speaking, merchant A who has some influence in Hanyang’s sijeon can be ignored. However, no one would be able to ignore a merchant who receives the favor of Kim Dae-bung, the loyal subject who saved the people of Joseon from the hell of currency.

With this purpose, Kim Man-deok had deliberately followed Kim Dae-bung from Jinhae County. Since it was time to harvest what he had invested, he naturally had to spread rumors.

“Is that really true?”

“What would I gain by lying to you fellows when I’m serving as a sipjwa in Hanyang’s sijeon? And what kind of person is Lord Kim Soo-chan that I would dishonor him with lies?”

Dolsoe’s friend also actually needed something to talk about. So what Kim Man-deok needed (to provide talking material about his friendship with Kim Dae-bung) and what they needed perfectly matched each other.

“Wait, did Lord Kim Soo-chan really serve as Jinhae County Magistrate?”

Kim Dae-bung’s name is more famous than ministers like Ryu Jeong-hyeon, Hwang Hee, Maeng Sa-seong, and Heo Jo as of this point in time.

Before the written memorial incident, he had only made his name known somewhat in the Royal Court, and his recognition was so low among the people of Hanyang that they didn’t even know such a person existed.

It was because of the limitations of his rank as a 6th grade official. So the information about him was at most just ‘he opposed currency.’…

The eyes of those who had received new information sparkled brightly.

“Even from his days as Jinhae County Magistrate, his heart for thinking of the people was truly deep. He reduced taxes for poor people, didn’t accept bribes, and devoted all his efforts to save those suffering from grain loans.”

“Indeed, they say a tree destined for greatness shows promise from its first leaves, and Kim Soo-chan is truly remarkable.”

In any era, merchants are good at adding a little seasoning for promotion and sales.

Kim Man-deok was naturally someone who had mastered the art of adding seasoning – there were no parts that differed from the facts, but he was skilled at creating a slightly more stimulating flavor.

“Is that all? His Majesty also views Kim Soo-chan favorably and entrusted him with important work at Jiphyeonjeon. From what I’ve heard, even the ministers of the Six Ministries discuss important matters with Kim Soo-chan.”

“His Majesty couldn’t fail to recognize such an excellent person.”

“In the first place, it was His Majesty who selected Kim Soo-chan as the top candidate after seeing his answers in last year’s special examination, and it was also His Majesty who immediately sent him as Jinhae County Magistrate.”

Thanks to using rhetoric that praised both the king and Kim Dae-bung simultaneously, the idea of an excellent king and an excellent future minister was naturally planted in their minds.

Kim Man-deok smiled slyly as he watched things proceed as he wanted.

Kim Dae-bung becoming a minister was already a foregone conclusion. No, he would surely rise to Chief State Councilor as well.

However, to become Chief State Councilor, one must not only be capable, but also be good at politics and not be too hated among the people.

The current Chief State Councilor, Ryu Jeong-hyeon, master of creating financial deficits, sits in that position because Lee Bang-won specially appointed him for fiscal austerity… under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have risen to that position.

‘He’s someone who receives harsh criticism even from the Hanyang Sijeon.’

So Kim Dae-bung must not be allowed to become someone who receives harsh criticism. Moreover, while his own personal interests were more important, wouldn’t the country improve if someone like Kim Dae-bung became Joseon’s Chief State Councilor as soon as possible?

Kim Dae-bung was someone who found serving the country the most enjoyable thing in the world, so surely if he advanced quickly with his help, he would be happy to have more work to do.

In the process, he would also gain great benefits, so later becoming the master merchant of Sijeon wouldn’t be just a dream, would it?

Of course, Kim Dae-bung himself just wanted to introduce the Bangwon Law (Daedong Law) and quickly resign from office… but Kim Man-deok had no way of knowing his thoughts.

No, a person who wanted to resign moderately couldn’t work so diligently.

Surely he wanted to become Chief State Councilor more than anyone, but his spirit of putting public service before personal gain was so strong that occasions when he wouldn’t bend his beliefs for ‘loyalty to the king and love of country’ often appeared.

“In Jinhae County, he was someone who served the people with utmost sincerity, and in Hanyang, he’s someone who risks his life to submit petitions thinking of the people… if such a person rises to higher positions, wouldn’t the country’s situation improve even more?”

“That would be so, wouldn’t it?”

Kim Man-deok gave them project promotion funds – no, small gifts – telling them to spread good rumors.

“These are dried persimmons made in Jinhae County. They taste really good.”

“Oh my, you didn’t need to bring such things.”

“I’ll give you about one mal (18L) each, so share them around for people nearby to taste.”

With even a little bribe slipped in, the rest proceeded smoothly.

Before long, rumors about what an excellent administrator Kim Dae-bung was spread throughout Hanyang.

Kim Dae-bung himself was greatly dismayed when he learned of this fact.

“… No, this won’t work. Now I can’t resign from the Royal Court…”

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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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