He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 49

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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 (3)

A whole month has already passed since I spent my first night with Gyeoul-i.

I have always approached my official duties with the thought that I would resign once I finished whatever task I was currently handling.

When I passed the final examination of the state exam, I approached it thinking I would only serve as an official for just a few years, and when I went to serve as the County Magistrate of Jinhae, I thought I would finish after completing just that magistrate term.

It was always the same during the written memorial and the Bangwon Method…

Looking back now, even if I were to end my official career like this, I wouldn’t have great regrets, but…

“The feeling of regret would continue to remain, wouldn’t it?”

Once the Bangwon Method is implemented, the lives of the Common People will become distinctly more prosperous than they have been until now.

Because the current tax system that imposes an effective tax rate of 30-40% on the poor and applies an effective tax rate of less than 10% to the rich will definitely be reformed.

The rich will pay 16% in taxes, and the actual tax rate for the poor will be reduced to less than 10%.

Just because taxes are adjusted doesn’t mean the income of the poor will suddenly increase dramatically.

However, if someone who earned 2 million won per month and had 1 million won taken as tenant fees, leaving only about 200,000 won each month after paying taxes to the country… now has 600,000-700,000 won remaining even after paying taxes?

The poor Common People would feel as if their monthly income suddenly tripled.

The poor Common People of Joseon will live better futures thanks to the Bangwon Method.

The people of Jinhae County held a feast when I came to the Market and said things like this.

‘With the money I earn selling wild vegetables and straw shoes at the Market, I will feed my children three meals a day.’

‘Even if I endure being a bit hungry now, I plan to buy a plot of land next year and try farming on my own land.’

‘These days, I wake up at dawn and hurry to finish the tenant farming work, then go into the Mountain to gather medicinal herbs. It’s so enjoyable to think about what to do with the money from selling the herbs.’

But what about the Bangwon Method, which will have an even greater effect on the Common People than opening the Market?

Without anyone ordering them, without anyone forcing them, the Common People will gather and shout long live the king.

“With this one thing accomplished, I’ve pretty much done what I needed to do.”

But this time, the toil of the farmers I saw on the way home keeps bothering me.

The sight of them threshing with inefficient Farming Tools like wooden blocks called Gaesang and Dorigae.

If I had Jang Yeong-sil make a Holstein Foot-Pedal Threshing Machine, they could finish their work much more easily and quickly.

Then farming work would become more comfortable, and their quality of life would improve compared to before.

What if I propose this and quickly distribute the Farming Tools that Jang Yeong-sil creates, and even expand repair facilities throughout the country?

Joseon will be able to cultivate rice paddies.

Once the Rice Transplanting Method begins, double cropping will become possible in Jeolla, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang Province, doubling food production.

Other regions won’t achieve double cropping, but rice yields will increase, so food conditions will be much better than now.

Furthermore, surplus labor will be created, leading to the development of industry and commerce as well.

“There’s no one else who can do this besides me…”

Living comfortably in my hometown, I would constantly repeat this thought. I would live with continuous regret.

In that case, it’s better to struggle a bit more.

Furthermore, I need to be a more wonderful man than anyone else in front of Gyeoul-i…

Having finished organizing my thoughts, I immediately submitted a petition to return to office.

I don’t know how much longer I’ll end up working for Joseon, but if it becomes too difficult to handle, I can submit a Resignation Memorial like this time and return to my hometown… so it’s fine.

I haven’t committed any great crime, so surely King Sejong wouldn’t work me to death like he does Hwang Hee, would he?

“Oh, and I should write and send points to be careful about regarding what kind of mischief evil magistrates might commit when the Daedong Law is implemented.”

Although the Daedong Law is a very beneficial law, there are plenty of people in the world who will exploit loopholes to do bad things.

Taxes only have meaning when they are collected properly and sent up to the Central Government without any leakage.

Deliberately sinking Jounson ships, deliberately using oversized rice measuring cups, manipulating documents, hiding the lands of the wealthy, and so on…

Using such methods for tax evasion rather than tax avoidance cannot be tolerated.

“… If I’m going to do this, I might as well do it properly.”

**

Lee Bang-won believed.

He believed that this man called Kim Dae-bung, a Jiphyeonjeon scholar, was a loyal subject afflicted with a disease that made it impossible for him to live without dedicating himself to the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State from birth.

If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for him not to accept even a single bribe except for the ‘gifts voluntarily offered by the people’ when he was the County Magistrate of Jinhae…

And there’s no way he wouldn’t have made any requests despite receiving the favor of all Six Ministries’ ministers when he was a Jiphyeonjeon scholar.

Furthermore, there’s no way he would do something as crazy as impeaching the Chief State Councilor who would be an obstacle to the Bangwon Method immediately after submitting his resignation memorial.

To put it somewhat extremely, just as a man is attracted to beautiful women, he considered Kim Dae-bung to be obsessed with dedicating himself to work for the ‘Royal Ancestral Shrine and State.’

And he thought the king’s duty was to allow such a loyal subject to dedicate himself to Joseon as much as he desired.

“Do-ya.”

King Sejong answered.

“Yes, His Majesty.”

“Do you know what the king’s duty is?”

“I believe it is to bring peace to all the people.”

“Your words are correct. Now then, if there is a subject whose body burns with passion to bring peace to all the people and cannot bear it, what should be done? I think that ignoring such earnest wishes would be neglecting my responsibilities as king.”

The tyrannical slave master, no, the sage King Sejong who made all his subjects work like graduate students in science and engineering doctoral programs, answered.

“I share the same thoughts as His Majesty. For a capable loyal subject like Kim Dae-bung to be unable to fulfill his intentions would be no different from me being lazy and not doing something that could make the people more comfortable.”

When looking at this person called Kim Dae-bung, the most amusing thing was precisely this point.

He thinks of himself not as an eternal loyal subject but as a selfish aspiring idler, yet everyone around him considers him an eternal loyal subject.

Even Ryu Jeong-hyeon, who had his head flattened by an iron mace and departed this world, might have called him a treacherous subject, but never once thought of him as someone corrupted by personal greed – that says it all.

“Those words are correct. And when Kim Dae-bung was impeached for absurd reasons and felt hurt, and moreover submitted his resignation letter thinking that his remaining in office might harm you or me. You told his parents to persuade Kim Dae-bung not to abandon what he truly desires, to counsel him well so he would return for the Royal Ancestral Shrine and State.”

And not long after Kim Dae-bung returned to his hometown, the memorial petition he submitted truly satisfied the hearts of Lee Bang-won and King Sejong.

They had temporarily accepted his resignation memorial meaning for him to rest a bit in his hometown, but how admirably he had written in detail about the illegal cases that would arise during the implementation of the Bangwon Method and countermeasures, even though they hadn’t requested it.

“There will be cases of trying to discard grain under the pretext that water has accumulated at the bottom of Jounson ships, so unless the Jounson ship was sunk or in a situation where cargo had to be abandoned… if losses of more than 5% of the transported tax grain occur, the captain of the Jounson ship and the magistrate of the county to which that ship belongs should be held accountable.”

This contained two meanings.

The meaning to manage things desperately well so that the loss rate doesn’t exceed 5%, and that they would overlook pocketing less than 5%.

It was a rule made to establish principles while considering the circumstances of those who had no choice but to commit embezzlement or tax evasion due to meager salaries.

Having shown such consideration, the Jounson ship captains and others would also strive to sail as safely and efficiently as possible in order to secure 5% of the tax grain.

Thus, this clause could be used like a kind of bonus system.

King Sejong and Lee Bang-won fully understood the intention.

“Furthermore, that evil officials might try to deceive with weights and measures… this too makes perfect sense.”

The measuring cups used in Joseon have subtly different capacities depending on the government office.

That’s why among the items carried by secret royal inspectors of the secret inspector system established after King Seongjong, there was a ruler called ‘Standard Measuring Rod.’

Secret royal inspectors used this Standard Measuring Rod to check whether the capacity of measuring cups used in government offices was abnormal or normal.

You might think what’s the big deal about measuring cup sizes being a bit large… but one measuring cup commonly used in Joseon holds about 1.8kg of rice, so what if a government office uses a measuring cup that holds about 2.4kg to collect more taxes?

They would collect about 30% more when collecting taxes, and the magistrates and clerks could swallow up the additionally collected portion of taxes without leaving any evidence.

That’s why secret royal inspectors carried Standard Measuring Rods to inspect the measuring cups of government offices.

Kim Dae-bung recalled this fact and wrote it in his petition.

And the most important thing was written at the end of the petition.

“… The Land Survey Method, this is truly an excellent method. To be able to survey land without leaving even a single piece unmeasured. Truly magnificent.”

For Lee Bang-won, who came from a purely literary official background, the mathematics used in the Land Survey Method was far too difficult.

While Lee Bang-won was quite good at mathematics like basic arithmetic, new mathematics for an aged former literary examination passer like Lee Bang-won was another matter entirely.

However, King Sejong, who had mastered all knowledge in both sciences and humanities, was able to quickly grasp the principles of the Land Survey Method.

Thus, the excited King Sejong tried to explain the greatness of the Land Survey Method to Lee Bang-won like rapid gunfire, but…

Lee Bang-won suddenly claimed he wasn’t feeling well and returned to his quarters.

Later, Minister of Finance Hwang Hee and the other ministers of the Six Ministries (literary officials) would receive direct injection of the new mathematical concepts used in the Land Survey Method through the king during royal lecture sessions.

The ministers who emerged from the royal lecture hall cursed Kim Dae-bung with one voice.

As time passed and the full implementation of the Bangwon Method was just around the corner… King Sejong secretly commanded Kim Dae-bung to enter the palace.

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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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