Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Hall of Worthies GPT (1)
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King Sejong looked at the ministers gathered in the side hall and spoke.
"In this world, there are far too many false gentlemen who talk as if they could govern the realm just by speaking, pretending to be sages like Confucius himself, full of nothing but hypocrisy. But in truth, they're nothing more than empty braggarts, utterly useless to the world. Isn't that right, Minister of Rites?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Even lowly idlers claim to harbor ambitions for the blue clouds above and vow to set the chaotic world aright... but far too many of them lie in their rooms, not reading a single character from a book, just idling away and waiting for good fortune to fall into their laps."
In Joseon as well, preparing for the civil service exams was often just an excuse to pretend to be yangban nobility, but in reality, there were countless yangban who couldn't even properly read the Four Books and Three Classics.
Yangban were supposed to study and set an example for the common people around them through their scholarship and virtue...
But with tens of thousands of Chinese characters packed into a single book, reading and memorizing them all was no easy task. That was why there were so many yangban who held grand aspirations but never bothered with actual study.
"Moreover, there are plenty of young people who, in their youthful ignorance, fail to recognize their own inexperience and shortcomings, and simply spout lofty ambitions."
King Sejong himself was 26, still a young man, but his abilities were already exceptional enough to earn praise from King Taejong. Thus, the "young people" he referred to did not include himself.
In the future, the man who would be called the owner of Sejong Farm—known for turning all of Joseon's officials into "graduate students"—saw that most new officials were exactly like this.
King Sejong, who loved all his subjects (officials included), gave them tasks calibrated precisely to what they could achieve if they pushed themselves to their limits, helping them realize the ambitions they had proclaimed upon first entering service.
It was King Sejong's grace to help them fulfill the aspirations they had voiced. Of course, the ministers would call it grinding people like grain in a millstone rather than grace...
But in the Confucian state of Joseon, it was nothing short of the king's immense benevolence.
"Yet those like former Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung, who at a young age harbors great ambitions and puts them into action to benefit the people, are exceedingly rare. Thus, I am truly overjoyed to have gained such a minister. It must have felt like this when King Wen employed Jiang Ziya, or when Liu Bei gained Zhuge Liang."
Kim Dae-bung was only 19 years old. Even assuming he lived to 60, that meant he could dedicate another 41 years to serving Joseon.
Moreover, unlike capable men such as Hwang Hui or Jo Mal-saeng, who had the flaw of being overly fond of wealth, Kim Dae-bung showed no such blemish...
Upon his appointment as the lowly rank-6 Jinhae County Magistrate, he had immediately brought the town's livelihood under control with outstanding ability.
Who could deny that this meant he pursued no personal gain, but solely held ambitions to uphold the ancestral temple and state altar while bringing comfort to the people?
To hinder the abilities and ambitions of such a uniquely talented and incorruptible minister would be a grave sin for a king, one that should never be committed.
King Sejong truly believed this.
And nurturing his talents and abilities was also the duty of a king.
"Where should we send former Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung? Speak freely without hesitation."
At those words, Minister of Rites Heo Jo immediately replied.
"Your Highness, former Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung's abilities are truly remarkable, but he is still young. Shouldn't we have him serve in the Ministry of Rites, handling matters of etiquette, law, and education, so we can teach him the principles and standards he must uphold as an official and as a man?"
Next, Hwang Hui chimed in.
"Your Highness, your servant Minister of Finance Hwang Hui reports. From this incompetent one on down, not a single person in the Ministry of Finance understands the principles of commerce. Even after poring over the reports on how Kim Dae-bung managed the market town, we cannot grasp those subtle truths. Night turns to day as we ponder, analyze, and agonize, yet we cannot arrive at a clear answer... So please, send him to the Ministry of Finance, that our officials may be spared the torment of these unsolved problems."
King Sejong pondered deeply.
Heo Jo's words made sense, and so did Hwang Hui's.
He even thought how wonderful it would be if there were two Kim Dae-bungs.
Then one could go to the Ministry of Finance, and the other to the Ministry of Rites.
"The Minister of Rites has a point, and the Minister of Finance has a point as well."
The other ministers then spoke up.
"Your Highness, Kim Dae-bung is timber destined to become the realm's prime minister. Shouldn't he first learn how to manage people in the Ministry of Personnel? Please appoint him as a secretary there."
"His ideas are remarkably flexible, so if he came to the Ministry of Defense, he would excel at devising new weapons and managing military supplies. And given his prowess as a local official, wouldn't he also handle military farms adeptly?"
"The Ministry of Works is currently mobilizing people everywhere for construction projects... but we can't get a handle on how to proceed. If Kim Dae-bung came and distributed the corvée labor evenly among the people, even enlisting the yangban's help, things would become so much easier. Please send him to the Ministry of Works."
If Kim Dae-bung had seen this, he would have summed it up in one phrase.
'The ministers are obsessed with me.'
But in the eyes of King Sejong, who had turned all of Joseon's officials into graduate students, this scene was utterly beautiful. A smile naturally crept across his face.
"With the ministers unable to decide where to send Kim Dae-bung, this meeting will only drag on pointlessly. Compile your opinions and report directly to me."
After King Sejong's dismissal, the ministers rushed straight to the State Council offices.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The six ministers gathered in the State Council offices raised their voices at one another.
The three highest councilors wanted to argue for sending him to the State Council as well, but regrettably, there were no positions there matching Kim Dae-bung's rank, so they held their silence...
"No, Minister of Rites, isn't this going too far? You know better than anyone how our Ministry of Finance officials have been working lately—how could you say that?"
"The Ministry of Rites has vital tasks like setting exam questions and establishing the nation's laws. The Ministry of Justice merely enforces penal codes—the foundation for those is laid by the Ministry of Rites, isn't it?"
"Our Ministry of Finance can't even understand the market town that former Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung created. We need to put out our urgent fire first."
"Haven't we already submitted several detailed reports on how to operate and manage the market town?"
"Minister of Rites, try it yourself. See how difficult it is."
As Minister of Rites Heo Jo and Minister of Finance Hwang Hui argued, Minister of Defense Jo Mal-saeng intervened.
"Ever since the passing of King Taejo, the Jurchens have been eyeing our borders covetously. We keep mobilizing troops to fend them off... but ultimately, to stop them, we must settle people along the borders. For that, we need military farms. Who would be the best person to oversee creating them in the north?"
"Does it make sense to send someone who's only served once as a local official to an even tougher post?"
"Minister of Finance, this is for the good of the nation."
"I'm speaking for the nation too."
The other ministers continued arguing why Kim Dae-bung was essential to their own ministries.
However, unlike the other ministries, the Ministry of Finance—where officials worked from arrival to departure with barely a break, even pulling all-nighters—gradually wore down the opposition with their earnest pleas.
"Ministry of Finance officials are people too, people. I hate overtime as much as anyone... And Kim Dae-bung isn't someone who can only handle finance work..."
At that moment, Jeong In-ji, Deputy Chief Scholar of the Hall of Worthies, appeared.
Hwang Hui scolded him for his late arrival.
"Why are you so late? The other high officials have been discussing where to place former Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung since earlier."
Jeong In-ji smiled at Hwang Hui and the other ministers.
That smile gave Hwang Hui a sudden uneasy feeling.
"His Highness has appointed former Jinhae County Magistrate Kim Dae-bung as Junior Secretary of the Hall of Worthies."
Hwang Hui couldn't hide his shocked expression.
Only by bringing Kim Dae-bung to the Ministry of Finance could they dump the mountains of work that rascal had piled on them right back in his lap, allowing everyone to enjoy the bliss of leaving on time...
It had been all but settled—just a little more pushing, and it would have been certain...
Hwang Hui had planned to lure the innocent Kim Dae-bung under his wing until he himself resigned, milking an easy official life out of him. His happy dream vanished like bubbles in an instant.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's a royal decree, my lord. As the art of war says, the highest strategy is to deceive the enemy."
"...... No, you... How could you do this? After all I've done for you! Deputy Chief Scholar, how could you betray me like this?"
Hwang Hui saw on-time departures and work-life balance slipping away before his eyes, reality crumbling. His vision turned yellow.
He suddenly wanted to submit his resignation.
Jeong In-ji was a seasoned official, if not quite as grizzled as those present.
Thus, he decided to provide an answer that would satisfy everyone, Hwang Hui included.
"The Hall of Worthies researches scholarship and policies to benefit Joseon. All of you here know well our Junior Secretary Kim's—Kim Dae-bung's—loyal heart for king and country... If the ministries bring their difficult tasks to him, he will help as much as he can."
At those words, Hwang Hui—who had been dying—sprang back to life and let out a cheer.
"Deputy Chief Scholar, you're the best. I'll buy you a drink today. On a day as wonderful as this, I should tell all the Ministry of Finance officials to clock out on time."
At the same moment, Kim Dae-bung felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.