I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 50
After chatting casually about this and that for quite a while, Seonwu casually asked a question.
“What brings you to this area anyway?”
“I came for a formation maintenance job requested by the Namgung Clan.”
“Oh? Don’t they have their own formation experts over there?”
“Of course they do. But this particular project is so intricate that it’s difficult for them to handle without our clan’s assistance.”
“I see. Do you have any other plans after that’s finished?”
Seonwu asked cautiously.
Right now, he was a prince, and Lee Jun was his subordinate.
As a candidate for the successor of the Zhuge Clan, Lee Jun was no commoner, but he still lacked the power to defy an imperial decree.
Therefore, Seonwu carefully chose his words to ensure his question wouldn’t be perceived as a forced command.
“Why? Want to travel together?”
“If it’s alright with you.”
“Man, why are you suddenly acting so cautious? It doesn’t suit you at all. Just say, ‘Hey, let’s travel together from now on.’ That’s more like you.”
“Haha, well, I figured you have your own duties and position within your clan to consider.”
Lee Jun nodded.
In fact, he did.
There were other rivals competing for the position of the next clan head.
If he brushed all that aside to roam the Wulin with Seonwu, he would simply fall behind in the competition.
Of course, once Seonwu’s identity was revealed later on, being close to King Wuryong would become a great network in its own right….
Even so, it was highly unlikely that someone who abandoned the clan to wander outside at his own whim would be appointed as the clan head over those who stayed behind and contributed.
However….
“It’s fine. Let’s travel together.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I want to help you with what you’re doing. It will surely improve the rule of law in this country. It’ll be rewarding for me as well.”
Having worked as a legal professional in his past life, he had personally felt many flaws in the system.
Although he had drawn a line in his mind back then, believing that a lawyer could only do so much within the system, he was far from ignorant of the various contradictions.
‘But in this life, if I assist this guy, I can accomplish so much more.’
Correcting the laws of the world.
Compared to that, what did the position of the Zhuge Clan’s head matter?
It wouldn’t be a waste to spend this life helping his friend achieve what he couldn’t do as a lawyer.
And….
“Heheh, in exchange, you have to give me a good position later, alright?”
Even if he couldn’t become the clan head, he would surely receive a decent official post in the Imperial Court, right?
“Naturally. If I fail to plug you into the central Imperial Court, I’ll at least give you the highest position in the Prince Mansion.”
“Oh, then that makes me the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Henan Province?”
“Sure, or even the Regional Military Commissioner.”
“My constitution suits being a Provincial Administration Commissioner more than a Regional Military Commissioner. Consider that seat reserved by me.”
“Then, it’s a deal?”
“Yeah, let’s do it!”
The two clinked their cups together with a sharp clink, sealing their resolution.
“For now, please wait until I finish the formation maintenance so I can wrap things up responsibly.”
“I was actually planning to visit the Namgung Clan anyway. I was just pondering what excuse to use to sneak a peek inside, so tagging along as your friend feels completely natural, doesn’t it?”
“Heheh, right. We can just say we crossed paths on the road and became traveling companions. However, I have no way of showing you places that are confidential to the clan.”
“I don’t expect that much. It’s enough if I can see a reasonable amount.”
“Great. I should be able to manage that much somehow. Leave it to me.”
Tilted their cups once more, Seonwu shared stories of what had happened in the previous two counties before arriving here.
After listening to the whole story, Zhuge Jun spoke.
“Hmm, hey. You did well, but if you’re going to establish the law anyway, why not take it one step further?”
“Huh?”
“Yama’s Debt, the loan sharking. The relevant legislation for it is currently completely inadequate.”
At Lee Jun’s words, Seonwu dispelled his intoxication and straightened his posture.
Since he had discussed various topics with Lee Jun in their past life, Seonwu had accumulated a considerable amount of experience regarding law, regardless of his own profession.
Moreover, having received education in Imperial Monarchology in this life….
The moment Lee Jun gave him a clue, his thoughts immediately advanced.
Moving past the limitations of being just a ‘Chivalrous Xia’.
Even if laws existed, they were useless if officials were corrupt, but having a law in place first provided a legal basis for crackdowns and forced people to watch their step.
And the part that was currently lacking was….
“I need to place a cap on interest rates.”
“Exactly. Banning human trafficking or setting limits on inheritance between parents and children is quite advanced in its own way, but the part restricting interest rates is thoroughly lacking.”
“How should we go about it?”
A law commanding people to lend to the poor interest-free might sound good in theory, but reality dictated that it would only turn things into an even greater mess.
“I wonder what percentage per year would be appropriate to limit it to.”
“Heheh, is that something we even need to agonizingly contemplate?”
“Ah?”
“You just need to pass down the general framework through His Majesty the Emperor, and let the underlings adjust the specific numbers, test them out, and fix them, right?”
“Pfft, that’s exactly it.”
Power is a wonderful thing.
You just have to order them to do it.
To think he still hadn’t fully internalized this simple truth.
“However, I should write down the points of concern.”
“Indeed. If they fail to properly check and reflect the concerns handed down through His Majesty the Emperor? They wouldn’t dare commit such an act.”
As modern people who possessed knowledge about the side effects brought about by interest rate caps, the two retained those memories.
Thus, through discussion, they were able to write down various points in advance.
“If the interest rate cap is excessively high, it will be useless, and if it’s too low, it will drive the practice underground, causing even bigger problems….”
“We must also consider credit ratings….”
“Taking collection rates and default rates into account, we should differentiate them by social class….”
“Regions must be considered too, and we need to factor in exemptions during times of natural disasters.”
“Is bankruptcy or individual rehabilitation too advanced?”
“It’s too early. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
At the drinking table, two young men whispered about how this country needed such new laws, discussing statecraft.
Normally, this would be nothing more than jobless scholars babbling idly about this and that.
But what if one of those two was King Wuryong, the youngest prince doted on by the Emperor?
That conversation would, before long, ascend directly to His Majesty the Emperor.
“We must also consider the perspective of the lenders.”
“Otherwise, it’s an unrealistic law. A law that people have no choice but to break is not a good law either.”
However, the problem lay in the details, which summed everything up by stating that since there were such-and-such concerns, the specific regulations and figures should be publicly debated and determined by the Imperial Court.
To put this another way?
[I’m just going to point out the issues, so you guys better handle the implementation well on your own. But if the side effects I worried about actually happen, you know what follows, right? Let’s do a good job on our own, shall we?]
…It could be summarized as such.
* * *
Though it was a story from a bit later in time, the letter written by the two men ascended to the Imperial Palace in Gyeongseong.
Should it be called a Memorial to the Throne, or perhaps a letter of greeting from the youngest prince?
His Majesty the Emperor laughed heartily upon reading the text from his youngest, which noted that while the evils of Yama’s Debt and the corruption of officials seen in An’ye County were problematic, the law itself was also lacking, so it would be beneficial to add to it in this manner.
“Haha, look at this. The youngest has personally looked into the lower echelons, discovered such evils, and submitted a proposal to me.”
Receiving the letter handed over by the Emperor, Admiral Lee Dae-yong of the Golden Dragon Guard was filled with admiration at its contents.
‘To personally witness the evils of Yama’s Debt and furthermore suggest a solution for it. He is truly magnificent.’
In truth, it was a thoroughly schematic solution with the specific details left blank.
Meanwhile, it warned that various problems could arise if it wasn’t meticulous, listing a mountain of cautionary points to watch out for, which from the perspective of the working-level staff, meant a literal bomb of work was dropping upon them.
Yet, the Admiral took it as a matter of course.
How could a Prince Mansion lord busy himself with such minutiae?
This level of involvement was already more than enough to be considered Attending to All Affairs of State.
To examine things with such scrutiny alone proved he possessed the King talent that understood the Dao of governance.
‘Though his achievements in Martial Arts may not match the four senior Princes… his meticulousness in overseeing domestic affairs is superior in some aspects.’
“This is truly a great blessing for the Imperial Family, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed it is. I shall hand down the decree to the Imperial Court exactly like this.”
Then the underlings would handle it well.
The work bomb submitted by the youngest prince exploded in the Imperial Audience the very next day.
* * *
“Therefore, upon my examination, though laws exist to manage the evils of Yama’s Debt, they possess deficiencies.”
At the Emperor’s single statement, the ministers prostrated themselves flatly.
‘Isn’t a deficiency in the law a problem for the Ministry of Justice?’
‘If money is involved, shouldn’t the Ministry of Revenue have handled it well?’
The two ministers exchanged glances that silently argued the other should have done better.
“Therefore, I command you to debate and create additional laws to manage the following points. First, limit the interest rates, but….”
As the Emperor’s words continued, doubts began to surface among the ministers.
‘Isn’t this excessively detailed?’
‘This isn’t the usual manner in which His Majesty the Emperor commands.’
The words themselves were thoroughly reasonable.
The intent to prevent the evil practice of extorting good citizens under the pretext of Yama’s Debt by limiting interest was excellent in itself.
Furthermore, it displayed an insight that pointed out potential side effects with considerable depth, showing he wasn’t simply blinded by righteous intent.
It even precisely highlighted possibilities that they, the ministers themselves, hadn’t even thought of yet.
‘This is absolutely not His Majesty’s usual method of instruction.’
‘Which means, could it be?’
Had His Majesty taken a liking to a detailed proposal submitted by someone else and issued the command again as his own will?
Who could have submitted such a memorial?
‘But given His Majesty’s personality, if an official had submitted a memorial he liked this much, he would have praised and promoted them….’
“How is it? Can it be done?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Good. Do not let this concern be in vain.”
‘Who on earth could it be?’
The ministers were all dying of curiosity, but His Majesty the Emperor did not reveal that this was the youngest’s memorial.
Because at the end of the letter, Seonwu had requested to keep the fact that he sent it a secret.
And when the ministers took that agenda back with them, the bomb ended up dropping directly on the working-level officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue.
“What? We have to take all of this into account and draft a law regarding interest rate limits?”
“Yes. A week should be enough, right?”
“A… a week is impossible! This isn’t just a simple interest cap; the current requirements demand an incredibly delicate design. Who on earth considered so many things in such meticulous detail…”
“It is an imperial decree handed down by the Emperor.”
The working official hiccuped.
“The… the Emperor?”
“So, can you do it? Or not?”
If you can’t even perform this much while receiving a stipend, how about resigning and going home?
“Se… seven days is simply too rushed, Your Excellency.”
“Hmm, true. If we rush and the anticipated deficiencies manifest as they are, it would cause a greater disaster instead.”
“Indeed it would.”
“I will give you a month. Knock your heads together and bring me a proposal within that time.”
A month.
Just thinking about how much data they would have to review and how much pondering they would have to do made the officials feel utterly lightheaded.
Of course, they had mastered Martial Arts to some extent and possessed physical stamina of a completely different tier compared to ordinary citizens, but expending this much mental energy was a separate matter entirely.
A simple law stating that interest cannot exceed the principal could never satisfy these conditions.
“It is an imperial decree, so you must carry it out with all your heart, correct?”
“Naturally.”
But it was an imperial decree.
Writing a resignation letter here saying one couldn’t do it would not lead to retirement, but rather to charges of disloyalty.
In the end, they braced themselves to stay up all night.
This was not a Torrential Rain of Pear Blossoms, but A Sky Full of Work Explosions.
* * *
Paying absolutely no mind to what kind of bomb he had dropped on the Imperial Court officials, Seonwu simply followed the Namgung Clan merrily.
Even if the Zhuge Clan was going there because of Namgung’s request in the first place, Namgung Hyeok-in, feeling uncomfortable that the two were tagging along, asked Zhuge Jun.
“Are those two coming with us as well?”
“We share a common purpose, so we plan to travel together for a while even after this job is finished. However, since I have a request to fulfill, we decided to go together first. They aren’t criminals, so is there any reason they shouldn’t walk this path?”
“Ahem, they must not cause any trouble at the main residence.”
“Do not worry.”
As he said that, Lee Jun added a line strictly to himself.
‘It’s the Namgung Clan that needs to avoid causing trouble in front of that guy.’
Although Seonwu had casually forgotten about them snatching the Qingjuebiao’s horn, unless people change, their behavior remains the same.
If their behavior remained the same, a similar conflict could erupt again at any moment.
If that happened?
‘I’ll just watch and enjoy the show.’
It wasn’t his own clan, so what did he care if the Namgung Clan got brought down a peg or two?
Lee Jun looked back at Seonwu and winked.
Seonwu let out a smirk.
‘The Namgung Clan. I finally get to see it.’
Whether he would merely enjoy the view and leave peacefully, or unleash a wave of disaster before coming out, he wasn’t quite sure yet.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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