Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Secret Royal Inspector Kim Dae-bung (11)
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It took a full six months from the time I was dispatched as a secret royal inspector until I finally returned to Hanyang.
It wasn't a short time by any means, but considering how much time I'd burned in Anseong County, it felt like I'd come back pretty quickly.
That was probably because I'd set a proper example in Anseong County.
"The officials and clerks serving under you as inspector—no, as county magistrate—must have had it rough, my lord."
"I'm not that bad, am I?"
I never made them work overtime unless it was a real emergency.
Instead of insulting their dignity or cursing them out when they made mistakes, I kindly explained exactly how I would handle it.
When giving orders to my subordinates, I always tried to be as concise and clear as possible.
For example, if there was a readability issue with the font in an electronic document, I'd say something like, "Change it to 10pt Batang font."
Thanks to that, our secret inspector team only pulled all-nighters during the land surveys and deed preparations for implementing the commutation law in Anseong County.
Otherwise, I just demanded they focus solely on work during office hours.
"You have an uncanny ability to pinpoint each person's limits, my lord, and you push them right up to the edge. I was shocked at first myself—when I realized I could handle two days' worth of documents flawlessly in a single day."
"I just helped you make the most of your abilities, Man-deok."
Kim Man-deok let out a sigh as he looked at me, then slowly shook his head.
"You'll definitely rise to Chief State Councillor someday, my lord. And you'll bring prosperity to Joseon. It was truly an honor to serve at your side."
"If I'm sent out as a secret inspector again, would you come with me?"
Kim Man-deok's expression changed abruptly at my words.
He must have suffered a lot serving as my attendant during the inspection tour.
But I'd rewarded that hard work handsomely in Anseong County, and I'd even secured six new high-caliber hires for his trading company—without him having to pay a dime in wages...
Wasn't I a pretty decent boss?
I worked them hard, sure, but I took good care of them too.
"Shouldn't you hurry into the palace and report to His Highness that 'your duties as inspector are complete and you've returned safely'? Go on, my lord. We'll take our leave now."
Kim Man-deok gathered his group and quickly vanished toward the Unjong Merchant House.
Seeing them go left me feeling a bit empty, but that would be a lie—I shook it off, cleared my head, and headed toward Gwanghwamun, where King Sejong was.
Curfew hadn't started yet, but since court business was done for the day, the gate was firmly shut.
Even so, as I approached, the gate opened on its own.
I must have made quite a name for myself running around so much.
Everyone, from the gatekeeper on down, recognized the face of a mere junior grade-6 official and opened up right away.
"...Am I going to end up like Hwang Hui?"
A foreboding thought crossed my mind, but I shook it off.
They say words can become seeds, and bad thoughts have a way of turning real eventually.
Just thinking about becoming another Hwang Hui was dangerous in itself.
I hadn't committed a single 'crime' by Joseon's standards, after all.
Once I reached a reasonable age, I could retire comfortably and enjoy my later years.
Hwang Hui had been worked to death because of all his serious sins and karma.
"I'm different. Totally different."
With no weaknesses to exploit, what were the odds I'd be ground down until I was 60, 70, 80, or even 90?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Guided by an eunuch, I was summoned to Manchundae Hall in Gyeongbok Palace.
I'd expected King Sejong and King Taejong both waiting with beaming smiles, welcoming me back for a job well done.
But only King Taejong was inside.
"Your Supreme Highness, I hope you've been well."
King Taejong received my greeting with a deeply pleased smile.
Looking at that smile and gentle expression, it was hard to believe this was the real Iron Fist King Taejong.
"Thanks to you, the court's tax revenues—which were always short and causing headaches—have nearly doubled. Poor commoners are faring better than before; they're singing praises instead of worrying about starvation. Problems that plagued me my entire life are being resolved like this, so these days, my body and mind feel truly at ease."
"I am deeply grateful, Your Supreme Highness."
"Seeing you before me reminds me of the joy and satisfaction Emperor Zhaolie Liu Bei must have felt upon meeting Zhuge Liang."
Zhuge Liang was the epitome of a loyal minister.
Once Liu Bei elevated him, he treated even mealtimes as precious, eating the bare minimum and obsessing over every tiny detail like a paranoid patient.
In the end, overwork aggravated his conditions at the Five Commanderies, and he died.
So King Taejong's words didn't sound like praise to me.
No, they were praise, and encouragement that I'd done well...
'I'll work you like a PhD in engineering.'
Why was I hearing that phantom voice?
"Your Supreme Highness holds this humble servant in such high regard that I hardly know where to stand. But one thing is clear: the commutation law has only just taken its first steps. The road ahead is still very long."
"The road is long, you say."
"Gyeonggi Province is right next to Hanyang, so local yangban or those who hid away without supporting Joseon during the late Goryeo era had little room to scheme. But remote places like the Three Lower Provinces, Pyeongan, or Hamgyong are far from Hanyang, making it easy for corrupt, greedy officials to collude with magistrates and clerks to undermine the commutation law's intent."
Even in the 21st century, laws that apply seamlessly in Seoul, the capital region, or major cities often fell flat in remote rural areas.
A young guy full of naive passion moves to the countryside to farm, and the villagers make excuses to use him like free slave labor.
If a young woman in her twenties moves in, they pressure her to marry some 40-year-old bachelor bachelor, saying she'd fit right in.
Protest that it's sexual harassment, and they'll isolate her completely, making life impossible.
And here? No internet, no TV—just Joseon. What good would complaining do?
"You're right."
At the end of Goryeo, Yi Seong-gye's clan effectively controlled all of Hamgyong Province.
History buffs joke that if you ask who the northern duke in a romance novel is, you can say Yi Seong-gye and get a laugh.
King Taejong had seen Yi Seong-gye during his 'Hamgyong Duke' days firsthand, so he'd empathize even more.
Even when all of Goryeo was a living hell, the Hamgyong region he actually ruled was livable. Why do you think that was?
Far from the capital Kaesong, it enjoyed a degree of political independence.
"If Gyeonggi's cultivated land doubles or two-and-a-half times, Gangwon will see at least that much—probably more. The Three Lower Provinces could jump nearly fivefold, but that wouldn't be surprising. With tax burdens skyrocketing, won't the yangban there bribe the magistrates?"
"...Are you saying we need to send secret royal inspectors to every county nationwide, starting with the Three Lower Provinces?"
"If not, they'll hide massive amounts of land to dodge taxes. And Joseon won't even find it."
Secret inspectors couldn't catch 100% of hidden land. But combining them with the commutation law's surveys? We'd nab about 95%.
Not perfect, but the best we had right now.
"And I'm worried about Jeju Island's tribute goods."
King Taejong's face darkened. Pyeongan and Hamgyong? We could force rice out of them through sheer grit, or accept horsehair cloth as substitute.
But Jeju's land was poor for farming, and it produced ultra-luxury items like abalone, sea cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, and citrus. No wonder the Great Equalization Law never reached there until Joseon fell.
"Do you have a solution?"
"Buy up all Jeju's specialty products—excluding the tribute quota—through the court, and pay for them in rice."
Jeju specialties were rare luxuries unavailable on the mainland. The court snapping them all up wouldn't lose money.
Someone might ask, what about the existing merchants? Those guys were masters of exploitation.
They'd sell dried abalone to starving islanders at 95% off—only if they couldn't get rice otherwise—then throw tantrums refusing to provide it.
If the court stepped in with fair prices, those parasites would lose their footing and get wiped out.
"Chief State Councillor once said that if the court faces difficulties, just call Kim Dae-bung and it'll sort itself out. Indeed, he was right. Pointing out what even I and the officials overlooked, and providing solutions... You truly are the Zhuge Liang of the East Sea."
Zhuge Liang of the East Sea—somehow, it reminded me of the unanimous praise King Sejong got from his ministers.
They called him East Sea's Yao-Shun. So was I the East Sea's Zhuge Kongming? Thanks for the flattery, but the ulterior motive was obvious.
"Your talents far exceed the ordinary, so it feels wrong to apply common standards when you deserve promotion. What do you think?"
...I wasn't in this for fame or rank.
"This humble servant is content to uphold the ancestral rites and care for the young commoners."