He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 62

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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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Secret Royal Inspector Kim Dae-bung (13)

 

Lee Bang-won was a father who loved his children more than anyone else.

 

That’s why even when his eldest son Prince Yangnyeong committed all sorts of eccentric acts, he protected and defended him until the very end.

 

Because Lee Bang-won’s heart for his children was so profound, he never took Kim Dae-bung’s words lightly.

 

“Royal Physician Kim Ho-il must answer my questions without a single lie.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Kim Ho-il, the head of the Royal Medical Bureau and the most outstanding physician among the royal doctors, trembled at Lee Bang-won’s words.

 

No, it would be stranger if anyone didn’t feel fear in this situation.

 

Lee Bang-won was wearing a black gonryongpo, and on the low desk right in front of him lay an iron mace.

 

“Report in detail what His Majesty’s current health condition is like.”

 

“His Majesty is somewhat corpulent, but there is no major hindrance to his movement. Though he works a great deal, he gets minimum sleep and eats sufficiently… His physical condition only requires careful monitoring, and is not in a state that would warrant the Retired King’s concern.”

 

“Hmm, indeed so.”

 

After hearing this much, Lee Bang-won immediately reached his hand toward the iron mace.

 

Seeing this, cold sweat poured down Kim Ho-il’s entire body like rain.

 

It seemed like his head might be smashed at any moment.

 

“If you answer honestly, I will grant you great rewards and will not hold you accountable for any crime. However, if you report even the slightest falsehood, I will charge you with deceiving the monarch and punish you most severely.”

 

“Yes, King Taejong Lee Bang-won.”

 

“I ask again. What is His Majesty’s health condition?”

 

“As a royal physician, I could not report what I was not certain of, so I dared not mention it… but His Majesty’s royal body is not in a very healthy state.”

 

“Report specifically.”

 

Kim Ho-il caught his breath and spoke carefully.

 

“His Majesty enjoys fatty meat and consumes large amounts of royal meals. Due to this, his body already has accumulated much fat, and if this condition is left untreated for long, there is a high possibility that serious diseases like diabetes will appear.”

 

“Diabetes.”

 

“Yes, that is correct. However, corpulence does not necessarily lead to diabetes, it merely increases the probability of its occurrence. I could not report with certainty.”

 

Being a royal physician is a life-risking profession.

 

Of course, even in Joseon, there were no cases of executing royal physicians for failing to cure difficult diseases when the king fell seriously ill.

 

At most, they would briefly send them into exile that was more like a journey under the pretext of punishment.

 

However, if a Royal Physician’s misdiagnosis led to the king’s death, they could be executed, and in the worst case, they could die on charges of treason.

 

Furthermore, even if the king or royal family members weren’t seriously ill, speaking prematurely about potential illness could result in their head being separated from their body for speaking wrongly.

 

“Please kill me, Retired King.”

 

Though Lee Bang-won had somewhat foreseen this situation, he was angry at the Royal Physician for not properly reporting to him and King Sejong. However, he could understand his position as well.

 

So he decided to show mercy.

 

“… Your crime deserves death, but I shall specially give you a chance to atone through meritorious service. What would be best?”

 

“His Majesty does eat a bit excessively, but he is still young. So until his body returns to normal, simply reducing his meals moderately and moving his body more would be sufficient.”

 

“What about something like hunting?”

 

“Hunting involves much use of the lower body while riding horses and moves the entire body, so it would be excellent exercise for His Majesty who suffers from severe overeating.”

 

A smile appeared on Lee Bang-won’s face.

 

Until now, he had to argue with the somewhat vague logic of being worried about His Majesty’s body becoming obese, so he couldn’t go hunting very often…

 

Now the finances had become abundant too.

 

If he argued it was a national policy that had to be done unavoidably for His Majesty’s safety… wouldn’t even once every two weeks be possible?

 

“What do you think about His Majesty reviewing state affairs until late every night?”

 

“Though His Majesty’s intention to personally review all matters while staying awake until late at night is very admirable, as a physician, I don’t think it’s very good for His Majesty’s health. A person needs to sleep at least 3 time periods (6 hours) to 3 and a half time periods (7 hours) per day to maintain bodily health. Since His Majesty doesn’t even sleep 2 and a half time periods (5 hours) per day, it will strain his body.”

 

King Sejong resembled Lee Bang-won in that he greatly indulged in women’s company.

 

In other words, 5 hours per day was his official bedtime, and his actual sleep time would be about 3 hours per day.

 

“As a father, I shouldn’t just watch my child overexert himself and harm his body. I seem to have been too complacent. I must correct this.”

 

Lee Bang-won was in a good mood.

 

While caring for his son’s health, he now had a legitimate reason to take even his grandsons hunting once every two weeks.

 

With age, he wasn’t what he used to be and his body was already feeling stiff, but now he could do various exercises daily using King Sejong as an excuse…

 

What a wonderful thing this was.

 

‘Indeed, Kim Dae-bung is a loyal subject for all ages.’

 

While other subjects knew King Sejong’s physical condition wasn’t good but couldn’t report it for fear of having their heads flattened by an Iron Mace, he had reported it like this to prevent future disasters.

 

There is no such retainer in this world.

 

“It just so happens that it’s time for the government officials to leave their posts.”

 

Lee Bang-won immediately went to find King Sejong, who was handling official business.

 

His face was full of smiles.

 

**

 

An unexpected visitor came to King Sejong, who was working late into the night at Sajeongjeon Hall to establish policies for the common people.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

“No, what brings His Majesty to see me at this hour?”

 

“I came to climb Bukaksan Mountain together with Your Majesty.”

 

King Sejong flinched for a moment upon hearing the words “Bukaksan Mountain.”

 

The thought of all the hardships he would endure while climbing the mountain was absolutely terrifying.

 

His father Lee Bang-won would probably climb all the way to the summit of Bukaksan Mountain with hearty laughter, but his own bulky body would have to suffer tremendously.

 

Therefore, King Sejong’s face turned pale white like Hwang Hee’s would in the future when he submitted a resignation petition but couldn’t resign.

 

However, he had an all-purpose shield…

 

“I am extremely busy as I must spread the Bangwon Method more widely and distribute markets as quickly as possible. I must devise policies for the common people.”

 

If it had been the Lee Bang-won of before, he would have turned around upon hearing these words, saying it couldn’t be helped.

 

But now it was different.

 

He had received life-risking direct counsel from Kim Dae-bung, the eternal loyal retainer (to be), and even had the royal physician’s guarantee that it was correct.

 

“Your Majesty, Kim Dae-bung, who returned to Hanyang yesterday, advised me. He said that His Majesty’s body is bulky, and if things continue this way, you could develop diabetes in the future and greatly harm your health. So when I checked with Royal Physician Kim Ho-il, he said there was not a single error in his words.”

 

If Lee Bang-won established royal authority with an iron mace, King Sejong defended the royal authority that Lee Bang-won had established through debates based on his vast knowledge.

 

Therefore, befitting Joseon’s greatest intellectual, he tried to overcome the ordeal of mountain climbing by presenting legitimate grounds, but…

 

King Sejong could not find any grounds to oppose his father’s words.

 

‘No, this can’t be happening. I prefer sitting down, reading books, and working.’

 

While King Sejong was flustered, Lee Bang-won began to pull out the most powerful finishing move from the Confucian worldview.

 

“When diabetes develops, not only does fatigue accumulate in the body, but eventually brain tumors can form, and blindness can occur as well.”

 

If it had been just a Royal Physician saying this, King Sejong would have compromised by reducing meat dishes for a few days.

 

However, Joseon was a filial piety supremacist nation where if a child took a beating stick in place of their sinful parents, the entire village would praise it as virtuous conduct.

 

Therefore, King Sejong could no longer resist Lee Bang-won who was pressuring him with righteous arguments and filial duty as weapons.

 

Lee Bang-won, armed with righteous arguments, was King Sejong’s natural enemy.

 

“In the worst case scenario, you might even die young.”

 

If anyone else had said this, the moment they mentioned that the king could die, it would have been called treason and there would have been talk of immediately exterminating that person’s three generations.

 

However, since the speaker was Lee Bang-won, this message had to be interpreted differently.

 

“I do not wish to experience the tragedy of losing a child. So from now on, I will steel my resolve and make Your Majesty move your body vigorously and eat a balanced diet. This is what I must do as a father to protect my child.”

 

King Sejong was moved by Lee Bang-won’s paternal affection, yet felt his vision turning white.

 

Because from now on, he would have to be dragged around by Lee Bang-won, who was armed with perfect justification, and do intense exercise.

 

“From now on, Your Majesty will climb Bukaksan Mountain with me every day when the officials finish their duties, to build strength in your lower body.”

 

“Bukaksan Mountain, you say?”

 

“… Shouldn’t you naturally do at least that much? Even I, who has reached the age of fifty, can easily climb Bukaksan Mountain. And since taxes have become abundant and we don’t need to worry about the budget anymore, let’s go hunting once every two weeks to train your royal body.”

 

As soon as those words ended, the court ladies and Court Eunuchs serving King Sejong brought clothes for him to change into.

 

This was possible because they too had already agreed with Lee Bang-won’s words.

 

Things proceeded swiftly, and Lee Bang-won climbed Bukaksan Mountain with King Sejong, accompanied only by a small guard detail.

 

“… Do-ya! We’ve only been hiking for 2 gak (30 minutes) since we started, how can you be tired already? Hurry up!”

 

King Sejong was truly walking with all his might. Breathing was difficult, and his entire body was drenched in sweat.

 

He wanted to sit down on the ground right away, or even lie down.

 

‘I want to go back to the Royal Palace and see the comics.’

 

‘I want to go home…’

 

However, Lee Bang-won, whose hobby was hunting, was walking as if nothing was wrong.

 

“My knees hurt too much, I can’t walk properly…”

 

At those words, the royal physician stepped forward. Royal Physician Kim Hong-il examined King Sejong’s knees from various angles, then nodded his head.

 

It was a signal that there were no problems.

 

That day, King Sejong completed his climb of Bukaksan Mountain over the course of 1 sijin (2 hours). Half of this time had to be spent resting rather than walking.

 

Naturally, he could only make it to around the middle slopes, let alone the summit.

 

“… Your Majesty, please spare me…”

 

“Do-ya, while it’s good to devote yourself to state affairs, you must have a healthy body to better care for the common people. Therefore, tomorrow and the day after, you must continue to move your body by climbing mountains. Remember this.”

 

The next day, King Sejong suffered from full-body muscle pain.

 

However, his suffering body gradually grew stronger.

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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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