Sprouting and Growth (11)
Yi Yeon looked over the memorial and crumpled it without a second thought.
“What a load of nonsense!”
Right now Joseon was a nation overflowing with talent.
There were still some country bumpkins who only knew Confucius and Mencius, but
‘If you don’t know how to change with the times, there’s nothing you can do about it.’
With movable type that could be made easily and printed in batches, the court immediately compiled and distributed news of major events the moment they occurred.
Important policies were posted at every government office across the country using patbals, so it was impossible not to notice that the world was changing.
‘If they still refuse to follow, then I’ll have to let it go.’
As summer drew to a close, the cicadas in the fields were already loud and lively, and Yi Yeon headed toward the Geunjeongjeon.
“Your Majesty, greetings.”
“Everyone, please be seated.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The ministers smiled and settled their bottoms onto the long chairs arranged before them.
Yi Yeon had ordered long benches made for his ministers, inspired by the ones commonly seen in English churches, considering their endurance.
He had wanted them tilted like the British parliament, but he knew he would get pushback from the ministers who thought their sight lines would be higher than the king’s, so he settled for starting here.
With cushions provided, the ministers’ faces were positively glowing.
As the meeting dragged on, their ankles would start to ache and their knees would twinge, but that wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
They just didn’t know it.
Even if the king said something strange, a long shelf-like board was fixed behind the chairs, so they could no longer lie prostrate and shout “I await your gracious inspection!”
On the board sat a “meeting agenda” printed with the movable type.
That was why the ink smell filled the entire audience chamber.
After several agenda items were handled according to the schedule, Hongdam, the Minister of Finance, rose and stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, I shall begin with the salary matters.”
“Very well.”
The ministers whispered among themselves.
For days the Minister of Finance had been poking into the entire Six Boards, so they had asked why and received the answer that personnel would be supplemented.
Yet the report started with salaries.
“You’re finally giving us raises?”
“That’s what it seems.”
“He promised bountiful harvests again this year, so he must be compensating us early.”
“Our sovereign is truly a sage king.”
“That’s for sure.”
The ministers were already sipping from a kimchi soup when Minister Hong cleared his throat.
Even so, the chatter continued nonstop.
Unable to hold back any longer, Yi Yeon raised a hand to stop them.
It was about salaries, after all.
But Minister Hong, unable to contain himself, suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet!”
Only then did the ministers fall silent.
“First, I will report the change in salary disbursement dates. Currently we disburse salaries once every three months, but from now on we will pay them on the fifteenth of every month.”
Once again the ministers started talking over one another.
“What? You mean we have to go to the Gwangheungchang every month to receive our salaries?”
“Yeah, it’s so annoying.”
To collect their salaries, each minister had to bring the proper paperwork to the Gwangheungchang, have his identity verified personally, and then take the money home.
Standing in line and all.
That was why complaints never stopped.
Again Minister Hong shouted, “Enough already! Please shut up!”
The chamber quieted once more, and Minister Hong spoke firmly.
“From now on, you will never have to go to the Gwangheungchang. We will pay in coins. So if you need anything, just take the coins you receive and either head to the Gwangheungchang or visit the market stalls to purchase what you want.”
“Ah…!”
The ministers’ faces lit up.
“It looks like coin circulation is finally beginning.”
“No wonder the minister stepped forward—he must have been preparing to implement it.”
The ministers were about to start buzzing again when Minister Hong shot a look at Yi Yeon and pouted.
Up until now the king had been steering the meeting himself.
But starting today, the relevant ministers would take charge.
That was why the back-and-forth chatter never ceased.
Seated in the rows of chairs, only turning their heads to listen,
Yi Yeon thought, ‘That’s exactly why we needed the “minister’s bench.”’
Thud!
The sound of the king striking his throne with his fist made the ministers fall silent at once.
“If you have anything to say, raise your hands. Hands! Otherwise we may never finish this meeting.”
“We are deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”
Yi Yeon rubbed his forehead, thinking that if he kept making such faces his wrinkles might appear, and said, “Continue.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The minister had done his homework thoroughly.
“The tax revenue collected last year, converted to rice, amounts to roughly 1.5 million seok.”
“Whoa…!”
Cheers erupted.
In the early days of Joseon the tax revenue had been around 800,000 to 900,000 seok.
During King Sejong’s time it had hovered around 1 million, but it had been steadily declining even as farmland expanded.
Droughts were one issue, but the bigger problem was bandits.
So the ministers had expected no more than 1 million seok this year.
Even though last year’s harvest had barely topped 700,000 seok, this year they were collecting more than double.
It was hard to believe.
“You are probably wondering why. The answer is simple: because we are not transporting the grain via seoggyeons but storing it locally. You all know what that means.”
“Hmph…”
Every minister let out a sigh.
They all understood the reason.
So it was even harder to believe.
The combined cost of transporting the grain and the embezzlement that had occurred was a full 30 percent.
“Therefore we will not use the seoggyeon system in the future.”
The ministers nodded solemnly.
‘No more bribes coming in, I guess.’
“You all know why our tax revenue fell short last year and our salaries were delayed.”
“Hmph…”
“But from now on that will never happen again. Last year we needed 120,000 seok to pay salaries, but only 70,000 seok had been secured. Now we have more than enough.”
Normally only 10 percent of total tax revenue was set aside for ministerial salaries.
Yet even so, last year we couldn’t pay on time.
Because essential administrative funds and soldiers’ pay could never be delayed, those had to be paid first, and the salaries suffered.
But now, with tax revenue more than double what it was last year, we could afford it.
“This year the salaries to be paid, converted to rice, will be about 120,000 seok. Divided by ten, that’s 12,000 seok. Therefore we need 3 million won in coins every month for salary payments.”
The ministers wondered how the calculation was made, but they couldn’t speak with the king watching them.
“We made that calculation because we confirmed that eggs sold in the markets are roughly 300 per seok of rice.”
“Ah…”
Eggs were still expensive, but they had dropped by a factor of twenty compared to last year.
“And Your Majesty told us to pay salaries in accordance with the reality of the times. So 9th-rank officials will receive 600 won, 8th-rank 780 won, 7th-rank 960 won—each rank above 9th gets an additional 30 percent on the 9th-rank base.”
Currently a 9th-rank official was receiving about 12 seok of rice per year.
Each time a rank was raised, the amount increased by 20 percent, but now they would be given 24 seok, a full 100 percent increase.
“Each rank also gets an additional 30 percent.”
That was why they all let out triumphant shouts.
“Waaah!”
Seeing the ministers cheering, Yi Yeon smiled faintly.
‘No one hates money, after all.’
Once the cheers subsided, Minister Hong spoke again.
“We will also add 20 won per month for years of service. Your Majesty said that because families grow with age, we must adjust accordingly.”
“Whoa…!”
With the loud cheer, the ministers rose to their feet.
They had intended to prostrate themselves in gratitude for the unexpected bonus, but they couldn’t.
While the ministers were still in shock, Lee Jun-gyeong pressed his hands together at his waist and bowed.
“Your Majesty, the imperial favor is boundless.”
The other ministers followed suit and bowed.
“The imperial favor is boundless.”
Yi Yeon nodded contentedly.
It seemed the good bowing posture had finally taken root even in his young ministers.
He waved them back to their seats, then told Minister Hong to continue.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Minister Hong spoke with a smile.
“Your Majesty also ordered that we pay ‘dignity-maintenance allowances.’ This is what Your Majesty meant when he said to treat lower ministers as you would treat them—i.e., higher-ranking ministers should provide for lower ones. From the 9th rank onward we will add 100 won, 200 won, 300 won, and so on each month. In the future, therefore, officials must cover all expenses for the jeonmyeongye ritual, and they must never accept gifts, even if they are not bribes.”
The air in the audience chamber grew suddenly cold.
They understood exactly what he meant.
If Sim Ui-gyeom had been there, he would have objected, but without him the silence was absolute.
Breaking the silence, Minister Hong continued.
“Even with everything Your Majesty has done, if any minister is found receiving bribes or gifts, he will be sent to the mines. Rank will not be considered, and even if there is merit, the punishment will not be lightened.”
“Hmph…”
The chamber filled with sighs.
Everyone had heard what kind of treatment awaited those sent to the mines, so they voiced their discontent once more.
Minister Hong, unable to bear the grumbling, spoke loudly.
“Listen! If you are caught taking bribes or gifts, your life is over. Your Majesty said that even if you receive double the salary you do now, committing such acts will never be forgiven.”
The ministers glanced sideways at the king.
But the king was pretending not to hear.
That was even scarier.
He was young but had a firm sense of justice.
The royal princes who had received military titles had been dismissed and sent to the mines after being stripped of their ranks.
So if caught, it was not exile—it was the end of one’s life.
The ministers looked gloomy, but Minister Hong continued boldly.
“The total salary to be paid from now on will be about 300,000 seok. It can be covered with the current tax revenue. But because we have decided to increase the number of administrative officials, we will need even more. However, we cannot yet afford to pay the new recruits. First we must stock up on the rice that is running out.”
The ministers nodded.
They knew the situation well enough.
The tax revenue that had once reached 1 million seok had dropped to 700,000 seok, and we had been dipping into reserves every year, leaving only 200,000 seok left.
“Therefore, we will borrow the necessary funds from the Joseon Bank, which is under royal control. To borrow that, we must issue national bonds.”
“What are national bonds?”
Lee Jun-gyeong, who had been listening right beside Minister Hong, asked.
“Minister Yeonguijeong, do you know what bonds are?”
“No.”
“Bonds are certificates promising to repay borrowed funds by a certain date. Since the country is issuing them, they are called national bonds.”
“Then why are we issuing them?”
“The reason is to establish a system so we can operate the country according to a plan. Only then will there be no chaos when emergencies arise.”
Lee Jun-gyeong nodded as though he understood, then looked at the king.
Though Minister Hong had spoken, it was unmistakably the king’s words.
As expected, the king was feigning ignorance.
“So what exactly do we do?”
“We must start by issuing the national bonds. Since this is a matter of national governance, more than half of those present must approve.”
Lee Jun-gyeong remembered the king’s words at the banquet.
‘From now on, I would like the ministers to analyze and decide rather than me deciding alone.’
Up until now he had thought it was just talk.
But it was not.
‘Truly a sage king.’
Becoming a prime minister and serving such a great ruler had been his dream.
But he had thought it impossible.
He had become prime minister, but his lifespan was short and the young king was far away.
Yet it seemed the dream was coming true.
Lee Jun-gyeong gave a satisfied smile and asked Minister Hong, “How much should we issue?”
“We plan to borrow 10 million won. That will allow us to recruit 1,000 more officials.”
“A thousand?”
“Yes, Your Excellency. We need at least that many to solve the current problems. Moreover, even if we include principal and interest, it won’t exceed 40,000 seok, so the burden is light.”
“Then I approve.”
Upon hearing Lee Jun-gyeong’s approval, the ministers watching the exchange shouted “I approve” as well.
“To be certain, I will ask again. Since it seems most are in favor, please raise your hands only if you oppose.”
A few hands went up, then quickly lowered again.
They had raised their hands before hearing the full statement and had flinched in surprise when they heard the rest, so they had clenched their fists.
“Thank you for unanimously approving. Then, in the name of the nation’s honor, we will issue 10 million won in national bonds.”
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The ministers’ eyes turned toward the source of the applause.
It was the king.
Yi Yeon smiled and stood up.
“When the occasion calls for it, isn’t it best to applaud?”
Only then did the ministers clap so hard their palms stung.
Yi Yeon clapped along for a long time, then raised his hands high and waved them.
The strange feeling of déjà vu from his previous life made him grin, but the mood was undeniably good.
For the first time the ministers had held a meeting among themselves, and the result had passed unanimously.
So they would follow the plan as planned.
‘When else am I going to use this?’
When Yi Yeon lowered his hands, the clapping stopped.
“From now on, frugality is not a virtue.”
The ministers jumped in surprise and looked at one another.
Frugality is not a virtue?
Then what is?
* * *