Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Great Cleanup (2)
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Kim Dae-bung had been an object of interest and close observation for Yi Bang-won for quite some time now.
Though Kim Dae-bung himself was unaware of it, Yi Bang-won had gone so far as to secretly order the judge under the Gyeongsang Province Governor—effectively the deputy governor—to report back on how Jinhae County was being run.
The secret report sent to him by that judge was filled from start to finish with content that defied "common sense in Joseon," leaving him utterly bewildered.
Kim Dae-bung had arrived in the county, immediately checked every official document in the government office on his first day, then smashed up a temple on the grounds that the monks handling tribute goods as proxies had massively embezzled taxes.
He then declared that the excessively collected taxes should be returned to the people and divided them up evenly among everyone.
Even more astonishing was that he had sent tribute goods to the court exceeding 2.5 times the previous amount.
"When I received the report that the tribute from Jinhae County had increased 2.5 times over the previous year, I was truly at a loss for words."
Despite sending 2.5 times more tribute to the court, the people's burdens had lightened, and they were overjoyed...
No sycophantic flatterer desperate for the king's favor, no corrupt official, could possibly fabricate a report like that.
That was why he had ordered the governor to send the judge in secret to verify the situation.
If it turned out to be false, it would be an audacious attempt to deceive the king, and he intended to punish the offender severely to set an example.
"Judge Kim Myeong-hoe's report stated that the people, grateful for the virtuous county magistrate sent by His Majesty, had held a spontaneous feast, and that their lives had improved markedly compared to before."
When Yi Bang-won read Kim Myeong-hoe's report, he was so shocked that he pinched his own thigh, unsure if he was dreaming or awake.
The tribute goods he knew of... In Joseon—no, even back in the previous Goryeo dynasty—tribute goods had always been a tax that tormented the people, yet one that had to be collected forcibly to run the country...
The idea that increasing it by more than double, simply by eliminating corrupt middlemen, could give hope to the people was utterly incomprehensible within his own common sense.
When he pinched his thigh, the sharp pain confirmed he was wide awake.
Overcome with joy afterward, he laughed uncontrollably for more than an ilgak—fifteen minutes.
The emergence of an official named Kim Dae-bung in Joseon... Thinking of his son leading such a talented individual to make Joseon an even better place to live filled him with such delight that he couldn't stop laughing.
"And this time, it's about the market. The market."
In Yi Bang-won's hand was the report personally written and submitted by Kim Dae-bung.
Yi Bang-won had read this report as meticulously as if he were King Sejong himself and had reread it several times when alone.
Finding the passage that had impressed him the most, he read it aloud.
"Before the market was established, a widow who had lost her husband despaired, her heart breaking, because even working day and night she couldn't put food in her children's mouths. But after the market opened every five days, in addition to farming, she used her talent for foraging wild greens, selling what she gathered from the mountains at the market. Now, she can properly feed her children a bowl of barley rice at every meal, and she is overjoyed at this fact. From this, can we not see that for this widow, these are livable times, a golden age of peace?"
It was such beautiful language. More beautiful than the words of Confucius or Mencius.
Since the founding of Joseon, this was the ideal Yi Bang-won had always pursued: giving the people a better today than yesterday. It had been perfectly realized.
"Those words are truly right. So very right."
A smile spread across Yi Bang-won's face.
However, with each step closer to Geunjeong Hall, his expression grew darker.
From within, he could hear the voices of those who preyed on the people, ghosts of the previous Goryeo dynasty who should have died for exploiting the populace for their own wealth and glory.
"Your Highness, while Senior Censor Kim Min-ho's words were somewhat heated, they did not stray far from reason. Privately opening a market is indeed strictly prohibited by national law, and the ancient sage Guan Zhong warned severely that if the people engage only in easy pursuits like commerce, they will neglect their proper duties—farming."
Of course, Yi Bang-won's son, Yi Do, did not yield to such nonsense.
"Guan Zhong himself said this: Only when the people have enough to eat and wear will they understand propriety. To morally transform the people, we must first ensure they can eat and live comfortably. If not, what happens when the people starve? They become thieves or wanderers. Look at Kim Dae-bung. By opening the market, he has paved the way for the people to feed themselves. Now, he can guide them rightly without even wielding the rod."
Yi Bang-won was immensely proud of his son. A mere 25-year-old holding his own in debate against the court ministers without flinching.
That child would one day become a sage king, illuminating Joseon even brighter than he himself had.
"......Still, he needs me for a while longer."
Kim Dae-bung, who had opened the market to feed the people and given them hope.
The opposition to his actions wasn't simply about curbing the rise of "merchants."
His son knew that too but avoided mentioning it to spare bloodshed.
Yi Bang-won's thinking was different. Rotten elements had to be cut away decisively.
"His Highness the Upper King arrives!"
Yi Bang-won strode forward to near the throne where Sejong sat and held up the iron mace in his right hand.
"Your Majesty."
"Yes, Father."
"Right now, I see the ghosts of the previous Goryeo dynasty alive and wriggling before me."
In private settings, Sejong and Yi Bang-won conversed casually. But in official venues like audience halls, they maintained formality.
It was necessary to uphold the authority and power Yi Bang-won had guarded throughout his life.
The ministers' shoulders hunched under the intimidating aura of Yi Bang-won, clad in his black dragon robe and wielding an iron mace; their faces paled, heads bowed low, swallowing dryly in fear. Cold sweat trickled down their backs.
And then from his mouth came the words "previous Goryeo dynasty"...
Whenever those words were uttered in Joseon, a bloody purge always followed.
Those who had reveled in power until yesterday could find themselves transformed overnight, enduring all manner of torture until they begged for death.
"Your Majesty, I lived through the era of the previous Goryeo dynasty. Do you know what its people were like?"
"I do not know well."
"Utterly lazy."
Sejong was puzzled by Yi Bang-won's words. If life was hard, shouldn't people work harder and more diligently?
Why call them lazy?
"They would rise in the morning, sow seeds, and weed—but all very sloppily. They farmed very carelessly."
"The people of previous Goryeo and those of Joseon alike are all farmers. Why was that?"
"Because the people of previous Goryeo had no hope."
Yi Bang-won recalled the horrific Goryeo era. It had been utterly miserable and wretched.
"In previous Goryeo, land annexation ran rampant, the military was rotten to the core, and officials focused solely on exploitation. They took nine-tenths—ninety percent—of the harvest. No matter how diligently one farmed, it was nearly impossible to keep enough grain to survive."
"......Is that so?"
"In contrast, Joseon pursues yeomindongnak—governing with joy alongside the people—and strives to reduce excessive taxes on them. As a result, unless famine strikes, Joseon's people can farm and feed their families without great hindrance. Thus, our farmers work diligently, sweating with effort."
Yi Bang-won truly believed this. And he was right.
Unlike Goryeo, Joseon was safe from foreign invasions, and though taxes were heavy, farmers could fill their bellies if not starve to death. By this era's standards, no country was better for the common people to live in than Joseon.
That was why the people worked hard. Because in a land where hard work let them feed their families daily and enjoy simple happiness, they did.
"I hope Joseon can be a country that gives hope to its people. I sincerely hope so."
Sejong's eyes reddened at Yi Bang-won's words.
At that moment, Yi Bang-won glared at the ministers and bellowed.
"Joseon must be a country that gives hope to its people! It must allow them to dream of tomorrow. That is the path Joseon must follow. Yet how dare you claim that Kim Dae-bung, the Jinhae county magistrate who enabled the people to dream of tomorrow and brought hope to a widow the court lacked the capacity to care for, is wrong simply because he opened a market without permission?"
Yi Bang-won ground his teeth. The sound terrified the ministers even more.
"Kim Dae-bung opened the market for a widow who, despite working day and night, couldn't feed her children—and now she can finally give them barley rice. He eased the chronic hunger of people who, unless it was a year of good harvest, always went to bed starving."
When Yi Bang-won first learned of Kim Dae-bung, he had actually disliked him.
The blockheaded scholar had denied the tax system of Joseon, which he and his like-minded allies had built with their lives over a lifetime.
But not anymore.
"Joseon must be a country that serves its people."
Yi Bang-won took a step forward.
With each step, the iron mace bobbed up and down.
"Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung did exactly that."
If Kim Dae-bung had been present, he would have despaired inwardly, muttering, "It's true I acted for the people, but it's also true I stirred up trouble for the court, so I wish to resign and retire to the countryside here."
Unfortunately, Kim Dae-bung wasn't even in a position to be there.
But in Yi Bang-won's eyes, Kim Dae-bung appeared thus:
A Zhuge Liang who skimped on meals because time was precious, oblivious to his body wasting away as he toiled endlessly for the state.
In a word, a loyal subject who wished to serve the nation forever—a lifelong volunteer for Chief State Councillor.
"You tried to slander him with excuses like bandits increasing or the people growing lazy due to serving the people. But in truth, wasn't the petition from Senior Censor Kim Jang-ho really fretting that if the people grow wealthy through commerce, poor household heads unable to feed their families on emergency grain loans alone won't borrow more grain from yangban families at exorbitant interest?"
Chief State Councillor Ryu Jeong-hyeon trembled violently upon hearing this.
Usury was legal in Joseon but frowned upon.
He had amassed vast wealth from it but stayed within bounds, which was why he was still alive.
He knew that one swing of that iron mace from Yi Bang-won could end him on the spot.
"Ah, even in Joseon, the ghosts of previous Goryeo linger. Buddhist monks suck the marrow from the people's backs through tribute goods, and rural scholars worry the people will grow rich and stop borrowing grain from them. What difference is there from previous Goryeo?"
Yi Bang-won sighed deeply and delivered his verdict.
"Strip Senior Censor Kim Jang-ho of his rank and office for submitting such trash. Do not reappoint him ever again."
Every Joseon minister faced dismissal at least once. It wasn't a severe punishment.
But adding "do not reappoint him ever again" meant no return barring extraordinary circumstances.
It was the end of his career.
"The Chief Censor is to identify who informed Kim Jang-ho about Jinhae County and escort that person to Hanyang... No. To preserve order in Jinhae, execute them by beheading there as a special measure. Furthermore, enslave their entire clan as slaves."
Yangban rarely faced execution.
But not just crucifixion—beheading? And enslaving the family? Yi Bang-won viewed this as tantamount to treason.
Wise Joseon ministers did not oppose his judgment.
"And the Minister of Finance is to study the policies Kim Dae-bung is implementing in Jinhae County."
With those words, Yi Bang-won departed the audience hall.