He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 9

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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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Grassroots Market Economy (2)

When you hear the name Kim Man-deok, you’d probably think of the famous female merchant Kim Man-deok from Jeju Island.

However, the person who appeared before me is a middle-aged man in his forties with a bushy beard.

It’s not that I’m the type to be disappointed by such things…

But it does feel a bit awkward to see a merchant with that name being a man. The only Kim Man-deok I know is a woman.

“Since the newly appointed Magistrate governs with enlightened politics, it seems His Majesty’s grace reaches even a mere merchant like myself.”

“This Magistrate is merely someone who just passed the civil examination and was appointed as county magistrate. Such words are rather burdensome for someone like me who lacks both experience and maturity.”

“Not only do you allow the common people, but even us merchants to trade freely, and you’ve even established a market for us. I never could have imagined even in my dreams that such a county magistrate would come to our county.”

In Joseon, when meeting someone of high rank, it’s always good to start the first sentence with flattery.

Even the memorial petitions submitted by ministers and scholars always start with this first sentence.

‘I bow twice respectfully and take up my brush in gratitude for His Majesty’s grace.’

And below that, they write at considerable length about how wonderful the current king is and how much the people’s lives have improved, even making up facts if necessary.

Therefore, just because he said such flattering words about me doesn’t mean I can dismiss it as mere flattery.

Because it’s natural in Joseon.

And what I quite like about this man is… in Joseon, when asking a yangban for something, you must always bring a precious gift.

Instead of offering me a gift, he purely intends to make his request through entreaty. Anyone else would call this impudent and immediately smash his earthenware pot.

For us, it would be like going to ask your father-in-law for his daughter’s hand while showing up empty-handed – even more rude than that.

He must be so confident because he believes he can persuade me with only the logic and evidence he’s brought. Either that, or he’s crazy.

“For someone as inexperienced as This Magistrate to govern tens of thousands of people as magistrate, there’s no method other than working diligently. If the people’s lives improve in that process, it would be entirely due to His Majesty’s virtue.”

In Korea, there’s a certain game player that people worship by ambush. When you unexpectedly see that person’s photo, you must worship them and shout hurray calling them the god of gaming.

In Joseon, the king is exactly that kind of figure. Any yangban, no matter what they’re talking about, must suddenly perform surprise worship of the king out of nowhere.

Otherwise, they might be branded as reactionary elements lacking in loyalty and patriotism.

That’s why I said it like that.

In truth, reducing the burden of tribute tax and making life easier for the people was possible purely because I was capable.

“This Magistrate has several lawsuit-related documents that must be processed right now. So please get to the point quickly.”

“Magistrate, you have opened a large market where not only merchants but also common people can do business. And you intend to collect very little in market fees as well. So this market you’ve created will become a huge market where merchants from not only Jinhae County but also neighboring Dongnae County and surrounding counties will all gather within just a few months.”

Right now in Joseon, all proper markets held anywhere except Hanyang are illegal. The reason is absurd.

It’s because they’ve believed for nearly 500 years in the insane notion called “suppressing commerce and encouraging agriculture” – that common people should only be faithful to their proper duty of farming, and since commerce is a necessary evil, it should only be permitted to the minimum extent.

So if there’s a large market open for all the county people to come, not just a very small market in a village?

Government officers immediately rush over from the government office, cause a ruckus and overturn everything, then relocate the goods that were being sold as merchandise into their own pockets.

But if there’s a marketplace directly permitted by the government office? All the people in the surrounding area who want to do business will flock there.

“I’m truly deeply grateful to the Magistrate for allowing us to do business freely… but the problem is that there are too many who view this unfavorably.”

Confucian old-timers view merchants like this: people who don’t work, just spread out their stalls and sit there quietly, exploiting the farmers who work diligently.

Strictly speaking, the merchants of this era are indeed people who have lost any sense of decency…

But even considering all that, does it make sense to oppress business itself and prevent it? This is why those temple bastards were able to cause such chaos.

But the high officials of the Royal Court above me, the scholars stuck in rural corners of counties, and the rural scholars who would later be called Sarim – those who had difficulty advancing because they didn’t participate in Joseon’s founding – most of them truly think that business itself is something only those crazy about living idle lives would do.

What Kim Man-deok is worried about is that this type of people will cause all sorts of chaos demanding the marketplace be abolished, and submit petitions to prevent ‘business’ from happening. That’s what he’s concerned about.

“Although Jinhae County isn’t experiencing a famine right now, if we show His Majesty how the common people’s lives improve even a little by bringing wild vegetables, firewood, and straw shoes to sell to each other, His Majesty will gladly permit the market. And if anyone submits a petition saying This Magistrate is wrong, I will risk my life to speak directly to His Majesty that this is the path for the people. After all, what could be worse than death?”

They don’t kill a county magistrate who passed the civil examination with top honors just for opening a market arbitrarily. Instead, they’d dismiss him and have him return after 1-2 years.

Others would just be happy and rush back barefoot when told to return…

But I would make all sorts of excuses and absolutely never return to government office. If I got dismissed for doing work for the people, wouldn’t I have done everything I needed to do?

And then I’d marry a beautiful wife. It would also be nice to take concubines using my family’s wealth.

Having served as a county magistrate, I’d live my whole life as a respected elder in the county. Wouldn’t this be true slow life healing?

After hearing my words, Kim Man-deok knelt down. Then he suddenly pressed his forehead to the floor.

“As expected, the Magistrate is a wise magistrate with the capacity of a king.”

Then, without giving me a chance to humbly say that wasn’t the case, he held out a neatly folded piece of paper.

“This is a document listing the items and quantities I will sell when the market opens. When I begin trading in the marketplace, I will submit account books organizing the list of goods I put up for sale in the market. And I will offer 10% of the value of sold goods as tax to the government office.”

Kim Man-deok is incredibly wealthy. While he may not be a trillion-won rich person like Korea’s major conglomerates, he’s certainly someone with personal assets worth billions at the very least.

The assets of the trading company he owns must also be enormous. He would have many goods to put up for sale in the marketplace as well.

But offering 10% of sold goods as tax to the government office? That would be tremendous help to the government finances.

The problem is what scheme this bastard has in mind for doing this…

“What do you want?”

“Isn’t it because merchants like myself being despised and looked down upon doesn’t help the country? Even when doing business, we only pay a small stall fee. We don’t pay any of our remaining profits as taxes. Since we don’t bear any burden for the country like farmers do, we’re like parasites.”

Until that detestable country called the British Empire introduced taxes like ‘income tax’ and ‘consumption tax,’ merchants paid endlessly little tax compared to their income.

The reason is simple. With just a little document manipulation, it was very easy to reduce sales figures.

Also, even the merchants of the Edo shogunate era, whose domestic commerce scale was larger than Western powers, actually paid taxes that were pittance compared to what they earned.

The daimyo are said to have extorted money from them like taxes by pressuring them with ‘interest-free, non-repayable’ loans.

Since Joseon’s merchant management techniques were inferior to the Edo shogunate, I didn’t expect merchants to pay proper taxes from the money they earned through business.

“If you make a living in the country of Joseon, it’s proper to pay taxes, but if you don’t pay them while freely doing business, who would view us merchants favorably?”

… What’s with this person. Is he a loyal subject? Since the king happens to be King Sejong, perhaps this gentleman could become like Jang Yeong-sil someday.

Jang Yeong-sil would swing his hammer and this gentleman would click his abacus beside him.

“So in order to do big business in the future, I want to show that merchants also help the country by paying taxes.”

“What made you think this way?”

“When I first came to the Dongheon, I intended to pay taxes and ask for help so that this Jinhae-gun marketplace wouldn’t be harmed even when other magistrates come. However, since you harbor such great intentions, I too want to support your noble will like Mi Zhu of Xuzhou helped Emperor Zhaolie (Liu Bei).”

… What I said was ‘If this doesn’t work out, I’ll retire to the countryside. I’d be happier retiring anyway.’ But this person is so sincere and upright that he seems to have misunderstood my words…

“You won’t become wealthier just because I pursue my intentions.”

“I’m confident that you will become a great pillar of the nation in the future. Then couldn’t I also follow you and become a great merchant?”

A smile formed on Kim Man-deok’s face. It wasn’t quite sinister, but it was a capitalist smile shown by someone steeped in greed.

“… If you would only permit it, I will properly regulate the Jinhae County Merchants so they don’t pull any tricks.”

A merchant who voluntarily steps forward to pay taxes and live like a human being.

Of course you can trust me. It would be strange if you didn’t trust me.

“Very well.”

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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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