Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Great Equalization Law (4)
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Chief State Councillor Ryu Jeong-hyeon was extremely displeased with the events currently unfolding in the court.
"Lord Left State Councillor, what do you think of the Bangwon Law?"
Left State Councillor Yi Won had once served as Chief State Councillor himself, and he shared similar convictions with Ryu Jeong-hyeon when it came to financial matters.
Thus, Ryu Jeong-hyeon believed that among the three chief ministers, Yi Won would at least take his side, prompting the question.
Even if Yi Bang-won pushed the Bangwon Law with all his might, if two of the three chief ministers opposed it, they might not block its implementation entirely... but they could certainly delay it.
According to the information he'd received through the royal physician, Yi Bang-won's health had noticeably deteriorated of late... If they could just hold out for a few years like this, the Bangwon Law would likely fizzle out on its own.
'The Bangwon Law cannot be allowed.'
If currency were implemented, Joseon's economy would collapse completely—or so it seemed clear as day even to Ryu Jeong-hyeon's eyes.
That was why, just as recorded in the Annals of King Sejong, he had deliberately enforced 'currency implementation' with absurdly strict standards.
Of course, those strict standards targeted the 'gapsabachi' riffraff and powerless commoners—folks who could be killed without causing much trouble.
He had pushed this obviously doomed policy (the worst kind even for yangban forced to gather their entire fortunes in rice) with harsh severity. He was certain that if he claimed the people were dying because of currency, the benevolent King Sejong would surely halt the implementation.
In the current Joseon, Kim Dae-bung's regional memorial had completely scrapped the currency policy altogether. From Ryu Jeong-hyeon's perspective, this allowed transactions to preserve the value of rice, safeguarding his wealth...
Even so, he had an intensely personal—and utterly selfish—reason to oppose the Bangwon Law.
"The Bangwon Law? The system itself seems pretty solid, doesn't it? Naju pears may be famous, but in reality, orchard operators make up less than one pun (1%) of the population. Most commoners grow rice. So the vast majority have to hustle to buy pears they don't even produce themselves just to meet their tribute obligations... The effort and hassle are enormous."
"That's true. That's why we allowed temples to purchase tribute goods on behalf of the people last year, right?"
"That did lighten the load on the commoners. Households used to shell out two seom of rice each just to buy tribute goods; now it's down to about one seom. But the Bangwon Law cuts out any room for crooked merchants or temples to meddle in the middle... They say collecting just eighteen doe of white rice per gyeol of land will suffice."
This 'sufficient amount' included tribute goods that local magistrates offered as 'gifts' to central officials, relatives, and acquaintances, plus the costs of running local offices, and more.
Ryu Jeong-hyeon let out an inward sigh.
This man wasn't some paragon of integrity either. Back when Yi Bang-won was king, he'd wielded his influence to forcibly take a merchant's daughter as his concubine. So why was he pretending to be so squeaky clean right in front of him? It was baffling.
He must have understood exactly what Ryu Jeong-hyeon meant without needing it spelled out.
Switching the tribute goods system to the Great Equalization Law would reduce the burdens on the people. Then, short of outright famine, the commoners wouldn't starve.
The people knew full well that borrowing from usurers was like carving flesh from their own bodies—so unless their spouse and children were on the brink of starvation, they wouldn't touch it.
Borrowing usury led only to squandering every last bit of property, with the entire family ending up as slaves.
"Reducing the people's burdens sounds good in principle. But if we collect all tribute goods in white rice, how do we transport it all? Lowering taxes and trimming budgets seems like the better path."
"I agree with that view, but His Highness the Retired King has set his will. How could we stand in his way?"
Ryu Jeong-hyeon rose from his seat.
He then exercised a privilege reserved solely for Joseon's man-above-all.
Namely, arbitrarily setting his own quitting time and clocking out.
Strictly speaking, this was not allowed—but Ryu Jeong-hyeon cited illness for sick leave, approved it himself, and promptly left the office.
Back home, he immediately set to work hunting for flaws in the Bangwon Law.
To delay its rollout by any means necessary.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The first thing to catch my eye upon arriving at the Ministry of Finance was the disheveled sight of officials buried in work.
Was it King Sejong the Great's ingenious task assignments, wringing Joseon's bureaucrats dry like grad students?
The officials looked utterly exhausted, but they were still getting the job done somehow, powering through on grit alone.
"...... On-time quitting's off the table again today, huh."
"At least three more days like this, and it's a holiday."
"Then I can finally crash hard. Gotta carve out time for that resignation memorial, though..."
"Still beats being Jinhae County Magistrate. Word is, he's stuck cleaning up after Kim the Vice Minister's mess—fourteen hours a day, no breaks. No holidays either. Can't even build his fortune or booze it up with courtesans like the other magistrates. He's whining that this is hell on earth."
The distance between those officials and me was maybe fifteen meters. Meaning, a newbie had shown up at the Ministry of Finance—they ought to notice me and react somehow.
How deep in the grind must they be to have their minds so frayed they didn't even blink?
Hwang Hui, who'd escorted me here, burst into mad laughter.
"Hahaha, this Bangwon Law."
"Yes, my lord."
"A truly magnificent law—one that lightens the people's load and fills Joseon's coffers. But realistically, it comes with no small share of headaches, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does. Yet what law is eternal or flawless? When the Tang dynasty's Yongjo Code first rolled out, the people dismissed and cheered it lightly. Now it's a cancer gnawing at Joseon's commoners... Laws are like clothes in the end—when they wear thin, we shed them and stitch something better, no?"
"...... You seem to grasp the issues well enough."
"Yes. Quite well."
I was the one who'd drafted the Bangwon Law. Put another way, I knew its pain points inside out.
And my head was stocked with ways to fix or refine them.
Tailoring the system to early Joseon's realities wouldn't be a cakewalk...
But a little hardship on my end could deliver hope to countless people, propelling King Sejong's Joseon even further.
Tons of work ahead, sure—but I'd handle that much and submit my resignation.
From what I knew, King Sejong the Great never mandated lifetime service unless someone committed grave offenses, like Hwang Hui or Jo Mal-saeng.
No crimes on my record, so Yi Bang-won and King Sejong alike would regret it, but they'd approve my exit.
Worst case, trot out marriage—a paramount human affair—as an excuse to bow out. Problem solved. Just don't vow eternal return.
"This subordinate believes the Bangwon Law is the very measure to rescue the destitute folk still huddled in pit houses, gifting them fresh hope."
"You've got ambitions as grand as Dae-bung's burning in that chest of yours. Makes sense—with that fire, you could offer frank counsel fearless before the Retired King's iron mace."
Some historian once noted that in King Taejong's day, most commoners lived in pit houses. But from King Sejong's reign onward, improving fortunes let them upgrade to thatched homes.
Pit or thatch, both humble—but think of it as swapping a powerless five-pyeong rooftop death trap for a twenty-pyeong standalone house.
That's why King Sejong's era is hailed as Joseon's swiftest, steadiest boom time—the golden age everyone idealizes.
Little wonder folks still pine for and revere him five centuries past his death.
Divine jest or sheer luck, I now wield the power and knowledge to forge brighter futures for the masses in King Sejong's time.
I, history major turned civil service exam ace, once dreamed of prime minister greatness à la Joseon's legends—only to crash hard against reality's wall.
"Vice Minister Kim, what in the world are you mulling over?"
Ah, must've zoned out.
"My apologies, my lord. A snag popped into this subordinate's head just now... Got me pondering fixes, but sorting it all out..."
Hwang Hui eyed me like a lunatic.
No, I'd just flagged some routine potential snags, nothing wild.
That's when Joseon's top usurer—who doubled as Chief State Councillor—made his entrance at the Ministry of Finance.
"The Bangwon Law's intent is noble, but... it brings these issues. Have the Ministry review them too."
Ryu Jeong-hyeon flashed a sinister grin, handing over a document with leisurely flair.