He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 47

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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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What I Truly Want (1)

 

Ryu Jeong-hyeon’s impeachment was cleanly wrapped up, and the Bangwon Method was also about to be implemented soon.

 

Therefore, I was able to return to my hometown Yanggu County with a very comfortable mind.

 

“This place is probably more rustic than Jinhae, right? Still, the water is clear and the scenery is beautiful, so it’s a good place to live.”

 

Jinhae County has many residents because Dongnae County, the center of Joseon-Japan trade, is nearby, and it’s a region where both fishing and farming can be done simultaneously.

 

On the other hand, my hometown Yanggu County, Gangwon Province has the advantage of being relatively close to Hanyang, with waterways connecting all the way to Hanyang, but…

 

Since Joseon’s commerce hasn’t developed much yet, it’s far from being such a well-developed place.

 

“This girl would be fine even with Samsu Gapsan if it’s where My Lord goes.”

 

“Thank you for saying that.”

 

“My Lord is the kindest person to me among all those this girl has met in this world. Now this girl cannot live without My Lord.”

 

In Gyeoul-i’s eyes as she said this, I thought I saw the shadow of some beautiful girl from a game saying ‘Daebung is going to die together with Gyeoul now,’ but…

 

This must all be due to the stress and fatigue I gained from being tormented by government office.

 

Have a simple wedding ceremony and immediately… hmm, no. It’s still too early.

 

I don’t know why this Joseon Scholar fellow is so impatient and easily excited.

 

This is all because I’m a 22-year-old young man with overflowing vigor and vitality.

 

It’s definitely not because I’m someone who likes lewd things, beautiful women, or beautiful women with large breasts.

 

“See that mountain over there? That’s Gobang Mountain, and halfway up Gobang Mountain there’s a wonderful waterfall. It’s famous for having very beautiful scenery and cool water. So when summer comes, we take Seogwa (watermelon) there and dip it in the waterfall water before eating it. How sweet and refreshing that Seogwa will taste then. Winter, let’s definitely go there.”

 

“Yes.”

 

While chatting with Winter and slowly heading home, I noticed the Common People who were threshing barley.

 

“Oh my, Mr. Kim. How long has it been since you got married, and you’re already out of strength? Getting squeezed dry by your wife at night must mean you have no energy during the day, huh?”

 

“Are you jealous?”

 

“No, not jealous at all. Just wait and see, you’ll also tremble in your knees like me just from your Woman saying ‘I put all the kids to sleep today.'”

 

“Oh my, isn’t that because you have no strength in your back? It’s a bit awkward for me to say this, but your weak back strength is quite famous in our village. How weak must your back be to lose at Ssireum to Uncle Gapdol from the next village who’s 40 years old during Dano festival?”

 

We tend to think that Joseon took a very sexually conservative attitude throughout its early, middle, and late periods, but…

 

Actually, that only applies to yangban, middle class, and well-off Merchants.

 

Common people relatively often divorced after marriage if they didn’t get along with each other.

 

This was because they had no honor to lose from divorce, and even if restrictions like civil service examination bans were imposed, it didn’t matter to them at all.

 

Naturally, they also talked about sexual matters quite boldly.

 

Gyeoul-i, who had no immunity to such stories, turned her head away sharply with her face flushed red like an apple.

 

Though Gyeoul looked incredibly cute like that, what concerned me more right now was… the sight of those people threshing over there.

 

“Threshing like that must be terribly inconvenient.”

 

They were holding bundles of barley by hand and striking them against logs called Gaesang, or laying out Geojeok mats and beating them relentlessly with Dorigae flails.

 

That was the best threshing technique available in this era, but…

 

If they made and used things like Holte or Foot-operated Threshing Machines, they could work several times more comfortably.

 

If they could finish their work quickly and then go to the mountain to gather wild vegetables or collect wood to sell at the market, they could live much more prosperously than they do now.

 

That sight kept bothering me.

 

I wanted to go over to where the farmers were and ask if threshing with Gaesang wasn’t inconvenient… but that wouldn’t be right.

 

It would only be meaningful if I made Holte or Foot-operated Threshing Machines for them and then told them to use their old Gaesang as firewood.

 

If I asked whether it was inconvenient without providing a proper solution, it would only serve to make them aware of the inconvenience.

 

If I had still been in office, I would have gone to find Jang Yeong-sil by now to explain the Foot-operated Threshing Machine and worked on production and distribution…

 

No, that’s not right. Let’s not rot my brain with such thoughts.

 

I resigned, didn’t I? Since I resigned, I can now live freely and comfortably.

 

“…”

 

Seeing that my expression wasn’t good, Gyeoul-i beside me asked.

 

“Did you think of something unpleasant?”

 

“No, it’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it. Let’s just go.”

 

Saying that, I walked toward the house where Father was staying, carrying a slight feeling of unease.

 

**

 

When I returned home after 2 years, Mother welcomed me very warmly.

 

“Dae-bung has come. Yes, I heard you suffered much hardship at the Royal Court…”

 

“It’s all in the past, Mother.”

 

“You who care for even the ailments of mere slaves, how much mental anguish you must have endured dealing with those who engage in slander and scheming by submitting impeachment petitions…”

 

Mother was on the verge of tears as soon as she saw me.

 

Whether it’s 21st century Korea or 15th century Joseon, a mother’s worry for her child seems to remain unchanged.

 

While not taking care of her own health, if I, who am young and healthy enough to recover from most illnesses after a night’s sleep, so much as cough once, she would fret and fuss, calling for a physician and brewing medicine – that’s our mother.

 

“When life becomes difficult, people need to rest sometimes. Even an ox will fall ill and collapse if you make it work all day long – how would a person be any different?”

 

“Mother, thank you.”

 

“… I made galbi-jjim that you like. And…”

 

Mother looked at Gyeoul-i standing beside me and smiled gently.

 

“Is the young lady’s name Kim Gyeoul? I’ve seen her name mentioned often in the letters Dae-bung has sent. Since you haven’t held a wedding ceremony yet, I’d like to give her a separate room. Would that be alright?”

 

“Yes, Madam.”

 

Mother encouraged Gyeoul-i with a kind smile.

 

“Our Dae-bung is quite a tender-hearted child, and I heard he received much comfort thanks to you, young lady. I’m grateful for that. Though you’ll be a concubine due to the difference in status, I will never treat you poorly. Don’t worry too much.”

 

Our household, when I was just born, was quite a rigid noble family, even if not quite to the level of Confucian conservative Sarim.

 

However, since I treated slaves as equal human beings from childhood, or more precisely as employees, and showed them maximum consideration… the household’s atmosphere changed.

 

Mother also stopped mistreating Father’s concubine at some point, and changed to the extent of giving maternity leave to slave couples who had just given birth, calling physicians for them, and even providing medicine to boost their energy.

 

Then Mother took only Gyeoul-i and quietly went somewhere. … What on earth is she planning to talk about?

 

“… It doesn’t seem like she intends to torment her.”

 

This time Father approached me, clearing his throat a few times.

 

“Dae-bung.”

 

“Yes, Father.”

 

Father looked at me and without any explanation, spread his arms wide and hugged me tightly.

 

“You suffered much hardship in your official duties. This father, who couldn’t even pass the minor civil examination, let alone achieve the highest level like you, may not fully understand your struggles. But just hearing rumors about you in this remote countryside of Yanggu was enough to imagine how devotedly you served the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State.”

 

“I simply did my best within what I could do, just as Father taught me.”

 

There’s a saying that even military units look beautiful after you’re discharged. Of course, that feeling supposedly disappears completely just three days after discharge from the military, though they say it’s not the case after going to reserve training once…

 

Actually, my government service life was much better than when I passed the civil service exam and served as an officer.

 

In Jinhae County, the common people brought me expensive abalone without accepting payment, and even erected a merit stele to express their gratitude toward me without me even asking for it.

 

At Jiphyeonjeon, I became a GPT that Hwang Hee worked to the bone, Jo Mal-saeng worked to the bone, and Heo Jo worked to the bone, suffering quite severely from being overworked, but it was still rewarding because I was able to help the country and the people even a little.

 

Later, I succeeded in preventing the emergence of currency that would have ruined Joseon’s economy by using the extreme method of a written memorial, and further succeeded in laying the foundation for implementing the Bangwon Method.

 

In the end, I even dealt with Ryu Jeong-hyeon, who would have obstructed the Bangwon Method in every way and interfered until the very end, by submitting a petition.

 

Submitting the petition about Ryu Jeong-hyeon was truly enjoyable and rewarding.

 

When I was in the military or working at a central government office, I couldn’t even imagine stabbing a superior.

 

After writing my resignation letter, killing off that corrupt official who was blocking Joseon’s development while feeling liberated was absolutely thrilling at the highest level.

 

Frankly speaking, isn’t this what you call satisfaction?

 

“Your government service life seems to have been quite enjoyable.”

 

“It was arduous.”

 

“Where in this world is there work that isn’t arduous? Farmers working the fields according to the seasons, clearing wasteland to expand farmable land – these are all extremely arduous tasks. A scholar’s dedication to learning is also only possible when he suppresses the urge to take comfortable afternoon naps or go sightseeing at nearby famous mountains with friends, and focuses on the studies he must do.”

 

I couldn’t argue against Father’s words.

 

While listening to Father’s words, I remembered something someone had once said.

 

‘For you to become special, you must steadily repeat boring, difficult, and hard work.’

 

True to those words, to enter government service, when my hometown friends were going out to play here and there, I didn’t get swept up in the atmosphere and just kept my books open, reading day and night.

 

I was filled with dreams and hopes that once I passed the exam, I would study very casually from then on.

 

“However, if you devote yourself to farming according to the seasons, you can reap a great harvest every harvest season, and if you do the arduous work of clearing land for several years, you can come to own your own land. If you prepare diligently for the exams, you will pass them as a result. And once you reap those fruits, no… no… the process of striving to reap fruits, that alone is enjoyable.”

 

…I cannot deny it. When I was the County Magistrate of Jinhae, even though I complained about being worked to death, if I were to say that it was only hard and had absolutely no enjoyment…

 

That would be a lie.

 

The common people said their lives had improved thanks to me, and thanked me for giving them hope. Whenever I recalled those memories, a smile would always cross my lips.

 

If the Bangwon Method were implemented, how much happier would the Common People of Joseon become?

 

“You have worked hard enough until now. So rest comfortably and peacefully.”

 

“Yes, Father.”

 

“Since you informed me about Winter through your letters. I have made simple but adequate preparations so that we can hold the wedding ceremony at our house the day after tomorrow. Until then, don’t think about anything and just rest comfortably.”

 

And so I ended up having the wedding ceremony right away… and now I’m facing the most important consummation.

 

Breaking through the long and awkward silence, Gyeoul-i carefully opened her mouth.

 

“My Lord…”

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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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