I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 80

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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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Chapter 80
“Prostration in Sackcloth?”
Of course, this would not be done in front of Seonwu, who had to hide his identity, but rather after summoning the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner or the Provincial Administration Commissioner.
“Yes, Your Highness. Your Humble Servant’s family has also re-examined our past records and found that while we have never stolen another’s contributions, there were errors in our calculations when paying taxes, leading to some mistakes.”
If the world-renowned Zhuge Clan claimed they missed taxes for decades due to a calculation error, even a passing dog would laugh, but this is how things usually went—if you voluntarily reported and bowed down first, they would properly package it and let it slide.
“Therefore, Your Humble Servant wishes to confess this even now and pay all the back taxes, so please graciously accept it.”
“Huh? You don’t have to go that far.”
“No, Your Highness. Since the Main House has received such grace from Your Highness, how could we leave any deficiencies? Please allow us to serve you with a clear conscience.”
“I already promised Jun that I would overlook your family’s share…”
At Seonwu’s words, the Zhuge Clan Leader was shocked once more.
‘No, is he really being favored?’
His son said that wasn’t the case, but if this isn’t favor, what is?
A person who strictly and thoroughly shook down Namgung had promised that he would overlook that much for the Main House.
It would be different if Jun had achieved a great contribution for King Wuryong, but the reality was the opposite.
The Zhuge Clan had received a great grace from King Wuryong.
If they were grateful for his grace here, they were the ones who should rightfully obey when ordered to first clear their conscience.
Yet, what contribution did Jun make to King Wuryong to even receive a pardon?
Since Absolute Shadow had been sent away for a moment, the Zhuge Clan Leader sent a Sound Transmission to Jun, who was beside him.
[Why didn’t you tell me you received a pardon?]
[No, you told me to just watch. And no matter if I received a pardon, I thought it would be better to clear everything up anyway.]
[That is also true.]
But what he couldn’t understand was why King Wuryong favored his son this much.
The boy himself vehemently denied it, but it made him doubt anew whether he really was a Male Favorite.
‘Mmm, I truly cannot figure this out.’
In any case, he could not remain silent for long in front of Your Highness.
“We are deeply grateful for your pardon, but please allow us to serve you with a clear conscience.”
“To pay forty years’ worth of mistakes all at once would cause even the Zhuge Clan to totter, wouldn’t it?”
“If you allow us to pay it over five years, we would be moved to tears.”
“Hmm, over five years…”
Seonwu thought for a moment.
Even if the country was founded, he had learned through history education that the period immediately following it was quite chaotic for a while.
It settled into the current state of stability about twenty years ago.
That was right around the time he was born.
“Let’s do this. I heard that during the twenty years after the founding of the nation, there were still many battles, so the Wulin was quite fierce.”
“That is correct.”
“I will take into consideration that mistakes were made during that period.”
Since even the Republic of Korea has a Statute of Limitations.
Of course, some Statutes of Limitations are so short that they make people angry…
‘Honestly, that period was a time when the Wulin could cry out that they had a hard time too.’
In a way, since the country could not provide perfect safety, it was also a bit shameless to collect all the taxes.
With this, it’s half.
“And if we want to induce other forces to voluntarily report, we should provide some benefits, considering that even the state failed to look into it during that time.”
“Then?”
“Ultimately, the state will tell them to only correct the mistakes of the past ten years. Then you can collect it within a year, right?”
“If it is that much, it is possible.”
Seonwu nodded his head.
“Still, depending on the scale, there might be some who find even that burdensome, so I will allow up to three years. As long as they voluntarily report ten years’ worth, we will let the rest pass.”
Of course, the Zhuge Clan Leader would discuss the entire forty years while performing his Prostration in Sackcloth, but if the Emperor showed grace and decreed that after voluntarily reporting only ten years, everything else for the forty years would be forgotten, quite a few forces would begin to contemplate.
To put it conversely, those who did not clear their slates this time and got caught later would accumulate a justification where they could say nothing even if they were heavily punished under Gwaessimjoe.
Furthermore, those who cleared their slates this time would have no reason to stand together even if such a thing happened.
In other words, the division of the Wulin would also be complete.
‘Truly wise.’
He sets the country straight, yet considers reality and does not overdo it.
Those who discuss reform and ideals are prone to ruining things instead by trying to go too strictly straight.
And those who only adapt to reality do not bring about any change.
‘To practice the path of The Doctrine of the Mean, he truly has a King talent.’
If only his Martial Arts were a bit higher…
The Zhuge Clan Leader bowed his head even deeper.
“Then I shall do so.”
“First, I must get final approval from Imperial Father. I think he will grant it, though. Start as soon as the reply arrives.”
“Yes.”
* * *
Seonwu’s Letter arrived before the Emperor.
Reading it, the Emperor smiled with genuine satisfaction.
“The youngest truly has a talent for governance.”
To value and care so much about minor problems that he or his four older brothers left alone out of annoyance, and to even send a text regarding the solution.
How wonderful is this?
To work so voluntarily for the human world beyond nature.
It is more of a human disposition than a dragon’s disposition, but that too must be another Dao.
“Very well. I shall grant it.”
The Emperor now went out to the Imperial Court and spoke.
“I early on permitted various things to the crowds of the Wulin after the founding of the nation. This was in the hope that they would use their strength for the country and the people. However, some of them violated my will and extorted the people with that strength, so the resentment regarding this has finally reached my ears.”
‘For the Emperor’s words, the introduction is long?’
The ministers listened quietly, feeling quite puzzled inside.
Even if he had work to command, he was not someone who spoke this long.
In fact, even for the memorials submitted to the Emperor, wasn’t he someone who, if they wrote long sentences praising the Emperor according to etiquette since ancient times, would say it was annoying to read and cut straight to the main point?
‘But I know which matter he is referring to.’
There was almost no one under heaven in Zhongyuan who did not know by now that the Golden Dragon Guard was thoroughly shaking down the Namgung Clan.
How Namgung caught his eye and how far they would be punished was a matter of utmost concern.
“The tyranny of the Namgung Clan is truly not just one or two things, so how could what the Golden Dragon Guard investigated be everything, but what has been revealed alone is not just one or two things.”
As he said this, the Emperor gestured, and a copy of the documents describing their crimes, previously transcribed, was placed before each of the high officials.
Although it was a summary, Namgung’s crimes were well organized.
In fact, because information about what level it was had already circulated yesterday, the ministers were not shocked.
‘It must be a rumor spread by the Golden Dragon Guard or Yuelongwei so we would know in advance.’
‘It is barely different from the rumors.’
It must be considered that such accurate rumors were spread so they would know in advance, or so that all under heaven in Zhongyuan would properly know.
‘To steal contributions and take them for themselves, this is truly Deceiving the Sovereign.’
This is truly a capital crime.
The subjugation of Demonic Monsters and the resulting merits were a situation where military law would apply, so it was a much heavier crime than other things.
However, the tax evasion was also too severe.
Honestly, there probably wasn’t even one in a hundred in all under heaven in Zhongyuan who truly reported and paid all their taxes properly.
They reported a reduced population, reported reduced fields, and reported a minimized amount of money earned from business.
This was the same everywhere.
Since the 보호세 that local Martial Artists could take in increased only if the Common People paid less tax to the state, there was an implicit omission and tax evasion in every region.
However, it was still the early days of the nation’s founding, and the damage was not so severe as to reach the end of the previous dynasties.
‘Because we didn’t just leave it that way.’
Even if they couldn’t be called famous officials whose names would be left for a thousand years, they had done enough to say they were not treacherous ministers who only ruined the country and engaged in corruption.
‘Honestly, our family doesn’t report all the money we earn and pay all the taxes either…’
They reported a slightly reduced number of slaves or land.
They reported a slightly reduced amount of money earned by the Sangdan under their command.
‘Still, Namgung is too severe.’
The officials also overlooked a certain amount of human sentiment, but didn’t they filter out those corrupt bastards whose people cried out that they couldn’t live?
If they hid about a quarter, it was understandable.
Since everyone did about that much.
If they hid a half, it was a bit excessive, but one might think they did so relying on the prestige of being the head of the Five Great Noble Families and the Wulin.
Because among the families with some power, there were quite a few who did that much.
But to report only a quarter, what on earth do they take the country for?
It was absolutely not that they were angry because they did more than themselves.
It wasn’t that their stomachs ached or anything.
‘But how did they know Namgung was hiding it like this in the first place and pick them out?’
They hadn’t particularly cracked down until now, so why suddenly now?
Or were they busy blocking foreign enemies in the past, but now thoughts of domestic affairs have occurred to them?
Their imagination had not yet reached the point where King Wuryong was traveling incognito.
“To strip others of their subjugation contributions and also greatly deceive on taxes is truly heinous. Confiscate all of their assets.”
“We receive your command.”
“Also, halve the contributions they achieve for the next twenty years.”
In other words, they would also receive only half the Spiritual Medicine.
‘Forfeiture of all property and half the Spiritual Medicine…’
It is not to the extent that the family faces a Tragedy of Family Extermination.
But it is enough to make them totter tremendously.
They will no longer be the number one family in the Wulin.
Will they even be able to maintain the lowest seat among the five?
‘While Changtian Jianzun, who is in the Realm of Creation, is present, their prestige will still go above the middle…’
A Master of the Realm of Creation was of that level.
However, after his death, they could truly tumble down to the lowest seat.
It was truly a harsh punishment.
But as long as the Imperial Edict fell, it would only be executed.
* * *
The Golden Dragon Guard Admiral read out the Imperial Edict.
“The Namgung Clan…”
To put it in conclusion, forfeiture of all property and the amount of Spiritual Medicine available for acquisition halved for the next twenty years.
The Namgung Clan Leader, Changtian Jianzun, tottered for a moment despite his cultivation realm of the Realm of Creation.
It was a truly rare thing to fail to manage Inner Energy upon reaching that cultivation realm.
“Execute the command.”
“Ho… However…”
“Will you defy the command?”
At the cold tone of the Golden Dragon Guard Admiral, Changtian Jianzun’s Inner Energy boiled right up to the brink of an actual Qi Deviation.
In his heart, he wanted to deploy the Imperial Sword Form just as it was to decide the match with Admiral Lee of the Demon-Subduing Great Power.
However, this was not a judgment that could be overturned by a Martial Sparring.
Behind Admiral Lee of the Golden Dragon Guard stood the Imperial Family.
If he opposed…
If he drew his sword and deployed the Imperial Sword Form…
At that time, it would be a Tragedy of Family Extermination.
Right now, it was only to the extent that the family would decline, but at that time, they could have their Nine Generations exterminated.
“I receive your command.”
Changtian Jianzun ultimately had no choice but to kneel down and bow his head.
And that inflicted a serious internal injury on him.
‘Ugh.’
Even in the past, if an Imperial Edict came telling him to offer gifts, he would kneel down briefly.
However, that could be passed over as having no choice but to revere him as something like the king of the Wulin in front of the Emperor.
Because the Imperial Sword Form also had a Mantra of Enduring Humiliation to manage the mind in such situations.
But this time, it crossed the line that could be passed over with the Mantra of Enduring Humiliation.
How could a sovereign suffer such humiliation and kneel down?
This was not a sovereign.
And if the Sovereign Mindset in the heart breaks, the Imperial Sword Form also breaks.
It was not simply receiving a psychological blow from the fall of the family, but a problem truly arose in his Martial Arts level.
‘Cough.’
The Golden Dragon Guard Admiral also detected such a state of the Namgung Clan Leader, but his gaze was cold.
‘Truly arrogant.’
Because he considers himself a sovereign, he receives an internal injury more than others in this situation.
What would it have been like if another family had received such a disposition?
Of course, since it was such a big punishment, they too would have been bewildered and their minds disturbed.
However, there is no way they would receive as much of a blow as the current Namgung Clan Leader.
One cannot achieve great success in the Imperial Sword Form without possessing the Mindscape of a sovereign.
And for a mere Wulin force to harbor the Mindscape of a sovereign…
Is that not Sacrilege itself, merely not revealing it?
Although they had somehow let it slide until now, saying he was a sovereign limited to the Wulin…
‘Hmph, since his true heart did not stop there, this is why a Qi Deviation comes.’
There was not a single reason to let it slide.
Rather, they should consider it the mercy of the Emperor that they ended it by only confiscating property without stripping his Martial Arts.
“Execute it!”
Watching this from afar, whether it was Namgung or the spies of other small and medium sects in Anhui Province, everyone had the same thought.
‘Namgung is ruined.’
This didn’t mean it was a Tragedy of Family Extermination, but the position of the leader of the Five Great Noble Families flew away into that sky.
The Wulin landscape, especially the landscape of Anhui Province, would shake greatly.
In that situation, the future would differ depending on who gains how much profit.
Everyone moved quickly to report.
* * *
And to Seonwu, a reply returned from the Emperor.
Seonwu smiled and said to the Zhuge Clan Leader.
“He permitted it. Start.”
“We are deeply grateful.”
Planned by the Zhuge Clan Leader.
Sponsored by King Wuryong Seonwu.
Co-starring the Hubei Province Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.
Final approval by His Majesty the Emperor.
The Remote Prostration and Penance Opera began.

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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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