Watching the Comedy from the Front Row
Geunjeongjeon Hall. Even before the morning assembly's drums echoed, the air in the royal court was as taut as a drawn bowstring.
"Today is the day we must break His Majesty's stubbornness. If that cursed tax reform, the Gongbeop, is enacted, the very foundation of us landowners will crumble."
"Do not worry. Do we not have the Chief State Councillor on our side?"
The ministers of the Gwanhak Faction, gathered for the morning assembly, huddled in small groups, confidently predicting their victory. Their eyes constantly drifted toward the very front of the civil officials' line, where Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui stood with a rigid expression.
His usual upright posture was nowhere to be seen. The old politician's face was so gaunt he looked as if he had aged ten years overnight. Dark, bruised shadows hung heavily beneath his eyes.
"Ah, good heavens. Look at the Prime Minister."
"He must not have slept a wink, spending the entire night agonizing over the arguments to oppose His Majesty and block the Gongbeop."
"What tear-inducing loyalty. We must aid him today and fight to the bitter end!"
The ministers nodded solemnly, utterly convinced that his state was due to the "deep agony of an elder statesman defending their righteous cause." However, standing at the very back in my position as a senior third-rank Dangsang-gwan, my perspective was entirely different.
Agony, my foot. His brother-in-law is locked in a dungeon and his son is about to lose his head. How could he possibly sleep?
I swallowed a smirk and quietly kept my mouth shut, preparing to enjoy the greatest political show in the history of Joseon.
"His Royal Majesty is entering!"
Soon, King Sejong ascended the throne, looking down at the assembly before speaking in a heavy, resonant voice.
"We shall address the Gongbeop, a cherished reform We have harbored for ten years."
The moment had arrived. The eyes of the solemn ministers flashed in unison.
"Despite the absolute justice of this law, which taxes land based on its fertility and the quality of the harvest, the court's opposition has been so fierce that We have not been able to take a single step forward. Chief State Councillor."
Sejong's gaze locked directly onto Hwang Hui.
"As the leader of all officials, what is your stance?"
Every minister held their breath, their eyes fixed on Hwang Hui's lips. They expected him, as he always did, to block the King's unreasonable demands with arguments as immovable as a mountain.
But when Hwang Hui stepped forward, the words that left his mouth struck the court like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky.
"I, your humble servant Hwang Hui, fully support Your Majesty's grand vision."
"...!!"
"M-My Lord! What kind of jest is this?!"
The silence of the hall shattered as shocked cries erupted. The Right Assistant Councillor, a core figure of the Gwanhak Faction, broke ranks and rushed forward, his face pale with horror.
"Prime Minister! How can you say such a thing? The Gongbeop imposes excessive taxes on landowners, which will ultimately oppress the literati, the very foundation of our nation!"
"We beg you to reconsider, Your Majesty! This cannot be!"
Just as the ministers began to swarm like angry hornets, threatening to turn the hall into utter chaos—
"SILENCE!"
Hwang Hui's thunderous roar reverberated through Geunjeongjeon Hall. A cold, sharp light flared in the eyes of the old tiger who had looked so haggard just moments ago. The shouting ministers flinched and instantly shut their mouths.
Hwang Hui glared at the Right Assistant Councillor.
"Oppress the literati, you say? How is it oppression for those with vast lands to pay more, and those with none to pay less? You turn a blind eye to how the powerful have falsified land registries and hidden their estates, draining the state treasury, yet you dare speak only of the welfare of the nobility!"
Without a single tremor in his voice, Hwang Hui ruthlessly trampled the very cause of the political faction he had led for decades.
"His Majesty's intent is not to squeeze the blood of the people, but to replenish a failing treasury and save the nation—a truly royal path! How dare you attempt to block the path of a sage king for the petty profits of mere landowners!"
It was an overwhelming display of political mastery honed over decades. The miserable father forced to comply to cover up his son's treason was gone. In an instant, Hwang Hui repackaged himself as the ultimate champion of righteousness, a selfless statesman sacrificing his own class's privileges for the future of the nation.
The ministers who had been about to protest found themselves utterly speechless, trembling before the grand concepts of the "royal path" and "loyalty" that Hwang Hui had invoked. The eyes of the Gwanhak Faction elders shook wildly, having been betrayed in the most flawless, logical manner by their own leader.
Standing in the back row, I watched this breathtaking show and shook my head in sheer admiration.
Wow, look at this old man. He's being blackmailed into submission, yet he still manages to spin it into a massive political victory. No wonder he's held onto the Prime Minister's seat for over a decade.
Even as he severed his own limbs with the blade Sejong had handed him last night, he used that very sword dance to elevate his own political authority. He was a master politician.
"The Prime Minister's loyalty truly illuminates the future of Joseon. Since the Chief State Councillor holds such a view, there is no longer any justification for the court to oppose the Gongbeop."
Sejong, seated upon his throne, drove the final nail into the coffin with a highly satisfied smile. A heavy silence descended upon the hall, so profound that not even the ragged breathing of the ministers could be heard.
But Sejong's offensive did not end there. The King glanced at me standing at the very end of the line, then spoke again in a solemn, authoritative voice.
"Since we are on the subject of the state treasury, We must also address a long-festering rot that We cleared from the capital last night."
"A... a rot, Your Majesty?"
"We speak of the Daedong Merchant Group and their backers, the Yang family, who illicitly embezzled and hid tens of thousands of catties of copper—military supplies that should have been used for the defense of Joseon."
In an instant, the faces of the ministers in the hall turned pale. The Yang family was the in-laws of the Chief State Councillor, Hwang Hui, who stood right before them. Furthermore, the Daedong Merchant Group was the massive financial engine that laundered and managed the Gwanhak Faction's slush funds.
"In the courtyard of the Ministry of Taxation, the silver ingots, rice, and tens of thousands of catties of copper they hid are piled high like mountains. This is a clear act of high treason that threatens the very foundation of our national defense!"
Sejong's thunderous voice shook the hall. Then, the King's gaze shifted once more to Hwang Hui, whose face was completely drained of color.
"Chief State Councillor. This is a truly deplorable affair that has occurred within your in-laws' house. As the leader of all officials, how do you believe we should punish these traitors who have plundered the state treasury?"
Following his forced support of the Gongbeop, this was practically a royal command to publicly sever the windpipes of his own relatives and financial backers with his own mouth. The ministers stared at Hwang Hui in sheer horror.
From the very back row, I clearly saw Hwang Hui's shoulders tremble ever so slightly. Yet, when he bowed his head and spoke, his voice was chillingly calm and ruthless.
"...I, your humble servant Hwang Hui, dare to state: embezzling copper, the core of our national defense, is a heinous crime that eats away at the very foundations of the state."
Without so much as a blink, Hwang Hui delivered the sentence.
"The leaders of the Daedong Merchant Group and the mastermind, my brother-in-law Yang, must be sent to the copper mines of Dancheon in Hamgyong Province to rot as slaves for the rest of their lives, thereby serving as a stern warning to all."
He was sending them to the harshest of all wastelands, to swing pickaxes in a dark mine shaft until they died. At this ruthless severing of ties, the Gwanhak Faction ministers turned white as sheets.
"Even if it is a royal command, how can he not show a single flicker of emotion? He truly has neither blood nor tears..."
"Watch your tongue. The Prime Minister has sacrificed his own in-laws to secure his own survival. Look at that terrifying coldness."
The ministers shuddered at the sheer ruthlessness of the leader they had followed for decades.
They're practically writing a novel in their heads.
I had to pinch my thigh hard to keep from bursting into laughter. The man was being dragged by the collar and forced to tear his own flesh apart just to save his son's life, yet these old fools were trembling in fear, mistaking it for some cold, calculated political maneuver. It was a masterclass in collective delusion. There was no comedy quite like this.
In this entire hall, only Sejong and I knew the bitter truth: the miserable reality of an old tiger weeping tears of blood inside to cover up his son's treason and protect his clan.
"Very well. Since the Chief State Councillor's stance is so fair and just, We shall grant your request."
Sejong nodded, wearing the benevolent smile of a gracious monarch. Then, seizing this perfect opportunity where the opposition's mouths were completely sealed, he dropped a massive overtime bomb right onto the heads of the Gwanhak Faction elders.
"With the Prime Minister's support, We shall immediately establish the Jeonjesangjeongso today to handle the practical implementation of the Gongbeop."
A special government organ tasked with surveying every single inch of land in Joseon. Sejong swept his gaze over the Right Assistant Councillor and the other core Gwanhak Faction figures who had been screaming in opposition just moments ago.
"Since you ministers care so deeply for the nobility and the common people, you shall personally serve as the Dangsang-gwan who will travel across the eight provinces to measure the land and assess the taxes. Pack your bags; you depart for the southern provinces tomorrow morning."
"Y-Your Majesty! What... what do you mean by—!"
For the high-ranking ministers who had spent their days comfortably in the capital engaging in empty academic debates, a forced business trip to the harshest terrains of Joseon had just been decreed. It was Sejong's signature, delightfully malicious brand of education: forcing his opponents to personally execute the very policies they opposed.
The hall was instantly filled with the groans and whimpers of the old men.
"This assembly is adjourned."
Sejong rose grandly from his seat, bringing the long royal audience to an end. As the dazed ministers trudged out of the hall one by one, Hwang Hui, who was slowly turning to leave, suddenly paused.
He turned his cold, sunken eyes toward me, standing at the very end of the line. The old politician's murderous gaze flew at me as if to pierce me through.
But instead of avoiding his gaze, I offered him my brightest, most innocent smile, thinking of the hefty 2,500 yang in secret operational funds I had pocketed.
Excellent work, old man. Thanks to you, I've made a fortune.
Hwang Hui clenched his jaw so hard his muscles bulged, then whipped his sleeves and swept out of the hall without a word.
A spine-chilling battle of wills with the tiger at the apex of the civil bureaucracy. I savored the overwhelming thrill of it as I stood alone in the emptying hall.
Now, it was time for the private audience I had been waiting for.
The empty executive chamber. In the space that had been filled with the groans of the ministers just moments ago, only Sejong and I remained.
"Assistant Minister, did you see that? Did you see those stubborn old fools scurrying away like mute dogs?!"
Sejong, leaning back on his throne, burst into the laughter he had been holding back. As if a decade-old clog had been cleared in an instant, a thrilling joy radiated from the King's face.
"A boulder that We could not budge despite ten years of effort, you shattered in a single day! The 250,000 yang confiscated from the Daedong Merchant Group is magnificent, but using the Prime Minister's own mouth to pass the Gongbeop today... you truly deserve to be called the foremost contributor to the transformation of Joseon!"
Sejong showered me with unstinting praise. Any ordinary subject would have pressed their forehead to the floor in tearful gratitude, but I merely bowed calmly and pulled a stack of papers from my robes.
"It is all due to Your Majesty's sacred virtue; I merely earned my keep. However, Your Majesty... it is still a bit too early to raise a toast."
"Hmm? Too early? What do you mean by that?"
"The math does not add up."
"At my words, the laughter vanished from Sejong's face."
[REPORT] The Missing Twenty Thousand Catties of Copper