Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Secret Royal Inspector Kim Dae-bung (1)
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King Sejong the Great had summoned me late at night.
Was this a green light? Hell no. A green light my ass—this was a seriously bad sign.
To be precise, for those ambitious types itching for promotion, it was a golden opportunity, an auspicious sign that the rope for climbing the ladder was about to drop. But for me? It was a harbinger of a massive bomb dropping right on my head.
"I've decided to get back to work for the sake of the kingdom and the people... but that doesn't mean I want to take on a damn bomb."
All I wanted was to clock in on time, clock out on time, maybe take five to seven days of leave under the excuse of visiting my grandparents' gravesite, go on a little outing with Gyeol, and that's it.
The last thing I wanted was to end up like Prime Minister Hwang Hui, Maeng Sa-seong, or Jang Yeong-sil, constantly whining, "Please, let me resign!" while getting worked to the bone.
Why did King Sejong the Great have to drive his officials so hard?
Ah, thinking about it, I remembered that while His Majesty loved paperwork and documents, he hated exercise and never did any.
"He's holding up now because he's still young..."
Once he got a bit older, all sorts of adult-onset diseases would come crashing down on him.
Before that happened, I needed to find a way to force him into some exercise.
Separate from his selfless dedication to the kingdom and the people, he needed to stay healthy until the very end.
Daily workouts at set times would be good for his health, and if he exercised right at quitting time, it might even help all us officials, myself included, get off work on schedule.
As I let my anxious mind wander with idle thoughts to tamp down the dread, an eunuch had already led me to Gangnyeong Hall, where King Sejong the Great awaited.
"Lord Su-chan, Their Highnesses are waiting for you."
"Did you say two Highnesses?"
"Yes, two Highnesses."
King Taejong and King Sejong waiting for me together? What the hell did they want me to do? If I'd known, I would've popped a calming pill on the way.
Suppressing my tension, I stepped inside, and King Sejong and King Taejong greeted me with warm smiles.
Facing those deep, knowing smiles...
A chill ran down my spine, my legs starting to tremble faintly.
How many work bombs were they planning to drop to smile like that? I couldn't even imagine.
King Taejong grinned at me. A smile that raised goosebumps on its own.
"Kim Su-chan."
"Yes, Retired Supreme King Your Highness."
"Do you know why I approved your resignation memorial and allowed you to retire to the countryside?"
"I truly have no idea, Your Highness."
"Because looking at you reminds me of my younger self."
Just hearing it gave me a headache.
For King Taejong to say, right in front of King Sejong, "Seeing him brings back memories of my youth."
How brutal was that?
It was so savage it conjured images of some king stacking up freshwater crabs and dried persimmons, using them for child-rearing quantum physics experiments.
Of course, that brutality was only from my perspective, as the one being ground down. To anyone else, it'd be a heartwarming pot of emotional stew.
Looking at King Sejong the Great listening quietly from behind, you could tell at a glance.
His Majesty was beaming, his mouth curved up to his ears, just like how I smiled at Gyeol.
"I passed the civil service exam at a rank of seventh in the military track, one year younger than when you passed. Just as Chief State Councillor Ryu Jeong-hyeon bullied you, I too was tormented by the powerful clans of the previous Goryeo dynasty when I was in office. That's why you don't feel like just another official to me."
Judging by King Taejong's expression, his words seemed utterly sincere.
I was still planning to stick around in office just a bit longer, then resign at the right moment and enjoy retirement life...
But staring at that smile, I had a bad feeling I'd end up like "Hwang Hui" or "Jang Yeong-sil."
I hadn't done anything wrong, so what justification did they have to squeeze me dry until I dropped?
"Even in the previous Goryeo, during my time in office, the powerful clans' floggings were so harsh I secretly wiped away tears, and when superiors dismissed me as the son of a military man who passed young, it wasn't easy to endure."
At this point, it was more than a little scary—it was downright terrifying. What were they laying the groundwork for? What did they want me to do?
Ah, right, at the end of my memorial, I'd written about that stuff.
Corrupt officials falsifying measures and weights to embezzle taxes, exploiting hidden lands to dodge taxes, sinking fake tribute ships, and all that.
To catch those things... uh, I'd suggested implementing some system to His Majesty. I knew what it was, but I didn't want to think about it.
Whether my head was filled with ominous dread or not, King Taejong continued.
"I thought many times about quitting office and retiring to the northeast frontier (Hamgyong Province), but thinking of Grand King Taejo, who rejoiced more than anyone at my exam success, I endured to the end."
Records say Grand King Taejo Lee Seong-gye was overjoyed at Yi Bang-won's exam success.
So thrilled he had people read the pass certificate aloud multiple times and bowed toward the Goryeo palace.
"That's why I allowed your brief retirement, hoping you'd do the same. And as I expected, even in retirement, your concern for the people led you to foresee obstacles to implementing the Bangwon Law and submit that memorial, did it not?"
"This humble servant merely strives to uphold the ancestral temple and state altar and to serve Your Highness's grand vision to the best of my meager ability."
King Sejong and King Taejong burst into hearty laughter. Their smiles eerily resembled professors cramming STEM grad students with 14-hour days of research and study.
"Your Majesty."
"Yes, Father."
"Time to get to the point."
At King Sejong's gesture, an eunuch approached me carrying an edict, a standard measure (yucheok), a royal horse tablet, and other items.
The moment I saw them, I nearly screamed.
Given the atmosphere, even if I committed the crime of lèse-majesté by yelling, they might coolly forgive me...
'Oh dear, lèse-majesté means we'd be justified in killing you. But we're magnanimous.'
'You sinned? Just work twice as hard like Hwang Hui!'
They'd say stuff like that and wring me out like a dry rag for sure.
Staring at that horrific "secret royal inspector full set," I couldn't hold back a mental shriek.
King Sejong the Great set the tone.
"I am still young and lacking in ability, so I am inadequate to properly inspect whether the Bangwon Law truly benefits the people evenly."
In historical dramas, kings are always calling themselves "gwa-in."
But in actual Joseon records, kings used "gwa-in" only in two cases.
When they were furious enough to say, "Alas, my virtue is insufficient; I should just die," or when a massive problem arose and they needed to show heavy remorse.
This situation leaned toward the former.
It meant there were so many wicked deeds by bad guys scorching His Majesty's heart that he wanted to say something like that.
"Thus, Kim Dae-bung, you must patrol the eleven counties and districts of Gyeonggi Province in my stead and widely investigate if any wicked magistrates are exploiting the people."
"I shall obey the royal command."
I had just one gripe about King Taejong and King Sejong.
They worked their officials way too hard. That's it.
Nothing else. If I exaggerated a bit, what they aimed for was exactly what I'd stake my life on too.
Especially the Bangwon Law—I'd long thought it was something I had to make happen, even if it killed me.
"You must also check if the new farm tools are being properly produced and used by the farmers, and investigate any foul play by wicked yangban and clerks in land surveys under the Field Measurement Law."
The greatness of the Field Measurement Law goes without saying. In 1804, they piloted it in three villages in Hwanghae Province...
The area of tax-exempt lands, palace fields, and official farms doubled at minimum compared to before measurement.
Of course, land didn't magically appear.
It just proved it was an outstanding method for accurate surveying.
The eunuch handed me the edict, horse tablet, standard measure, and other items.
"Open the edict once you're outside Dongdaemun Gate."
They'd already spoiled the contents, so I could guess what was inside without reading.
Well, like it or not, no choice now—I'd have to play secret royal inspector.
First, I needed to round up some helpful people.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Some TV shows portray secret royal inspectors as extreme jobs, like putting your life on the line.
I saw one claiming a survival rate under 30%—utter nonsense.
The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty record 613 dispatches of secret inspectors, with only three actual deaths.
Quite the opposite: Magistrates, unaware at first, would pull out all stops to escort inspectors safely once they knew.
If an inspector died, it could be seen as rebellion in the worst case.
Then the magistrate's clan gets exterminated, clerks beheaded, and local yangban barred from exams for life.
Ah, sure, they'd preemptively destroy evidence and fudge records of corruption, but still.
"So no worries about getting assassinated on the road."
The problem was protecting myself from bandits who didn't care who I was, or Joseon's mascot—the giant cats (tigers)—and such.
Plus, securing manpower to spot irregularities and gather evidence.
For road trip grunt work, flashing the horse tablet at post stations would fill the ranks.
But finding someone to review admin docs and audit? That was urgent.
In times like this, only one option.
Blood is thicker than water, and in Joseon, family ties were reliable in most cases. So, off to find Kim Man-deok, like a father-in-law to me.
He'd surely hook me up with good people. My success meant his too.