The Man Who Embezzled State Funds
Silver ingots and rice piled mountain-high on hundreds of carts, alongside a colossal haul of copper. I left the task of escorting these massive spoils entirely to the Chungcheong Governor. After all, what I needed wasn't heavy lumps of metal, but the enemy's secret ledger. With the heavy ledger tucked securely inside my robes, I set off for Hanyang with Jincheol and Gaetdong-i, my mind light and unburdened.
"Hehehe...! My lord! My heart is still pounding so hard I think it might burst!" Gaetdong-i, clinging to the back of his donkey, chattered incessantly with a flushed face. Just moments ago, he had been trembling in fear of losing his head at the sight of the weapon crates. But now that the raid had ended in a flawless victory, his adrenaline was surging.
"I thought I would grow old and die licking ink off brushes in some dusty corner of the Ministry of Taxation! To think that a mere low-ranking clerk like me would raid the secret storehouse of the Chief State Councillor's in-laws and expose a national smuggling ring! This is the greatest honor of my family's history!" Gaetdong-i couldn't wipe the goofy grin off his face.
"Even if my head were to roll tomorrow, I wouldn't care! The thrill of unearthing such a massive truth was... it was so electrifying it gave me goosebumps!"
"Well, I'm glad you've acquired a taste for it. But Gaetdong-i," I said, pulling on my reins and looking back at him. "Do you know why they went through the trouble of smuggling tens of thousands of geun of heavy copper all the way from Hanyang to this remote mountain valley in Chungcheong Province?"
"Pardon? Was it not... to forge ledgers claiming they sold it to Ming merchants, and to use the estate as a safehouse to evade the eyes of the Saheonbu?"
"That's only the most basic reason. Capitalism... no, the calculations of truly vicious merchants are never that simple." Inhaling the cool night air, I began to brief them on the astonishing budget embezzlement scheme engineered by the Daedong Merchant Group.
"Their claim of selling copper to the Ming Dynasty was a complete fabrication. In truth, they smuggled the copper bit by bit from Mapo Naru in Hanyang down to Chungcheong, burying it beneath the Yang family estate. Their goal was to completely dry up the copper supply in Joseon's markets."
"Dry up the copper supply? Why would they go to such lengths...?"
"Because His Majesty will stop at nothing to create sundials and new metal movable type." At my explanation, both Jincheol's and Gaetdong-i's eyes widened.
"What do you think happens when the court is desperate for copper, stomping its feet in frustration, and raises the purchasing price twofold, threefold, or even tenfold?"
"Ah...!"
"That's when the Daedong Merchant Group steps in like saviors, saying, 'We shall import copper from the Ming Empire or Japan, though it will be difficult!' and sweeps up the entire state budget. Then, they slowly trickle out the copper they hid in the Chungcheong storehouse, disguise it as newly imported goods, and sell it back to the state."
"...!!" Gaetdong-i gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
"H-how could anyone be so wicked...! To steal goods from the state's own storehouses, only to sell them back to the state at an exorbitant price, robbing the national treasury twice over! That is nothing short of sucking the very lifeblood of the people!"
Jincheol chimed in. "They say a thief with a brush is far more terrifying than a bandit with a sword, and they were absolutely right, brother."
"Indeed. Stealing the state's goods with the state's money, only to sell them back to the state. It's a truly mind-boggling form of creative economy." I let out a bitter chuckle and pulled on my reins. Since the mountain of silver ingots and copper on the hundreds of carts had been left to the governor, our journey was unburdened. Guided by the moonlight, we rode through the night toward Hanyang. Before we knew it, we were crossing Muakjae, a rugged mountain pass just a stone's throw from the capital walls.
"...Brother. Stop." Jincheol, who was leading the way, suddenly pulled his reins and growled in a low voice. His black stallion snorted and stomped its hooves anxiously.
"What is it?"
"Someone is here. Fall back." Jincheol's eyes instantly transformed from those of a man to those of a wild beast. It was the instinct of a hunter who had spent his life tracking and throat-slitting prey in the deep mountains.
Rustle, snap. On both sides of the pitch-black mountain path, where the moonlight was obscured by heavy clouds, masked figures in black emerged one by one. There were at least six or seven of them. In their hands, they held gleaming, razor-sharp hwando swords.
"Sever the head of the Assistant Minister of Taxation, and burn that clerk's pack." The man who appeared to be the leader barked the order. Judging by their clumsy footsteps and the way they gripped their swords, they weren't trained assassins. It was obvious that the merchants who had been smuggling the copper had caught wind of our movements and hastily scraped together local mercenaries from the outskirts of Hanyang.
"M-my lord! Assassins! Assassins! Eek...!" Gaetdong-i shrieked, grabbing onto my robes. Yet, even as we were surrounded, a smirk played on my lips.
"Gaetdong-i, just hold onto that ledger. I didn't bring Jincheol along for nothing." The reason I could afford to be so relaxed was standing right in front of me—my brother, who loomed like a massive mountain.
Jincheol drew a deep breath from his dantian and gripped his heavy sword with both hands. Underestimating him, three of the swordsmen lunged forward simultaneously.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Whoosh!Jincheol swung his heavy sword in a massive horizontal arc. There were no elegant forms or flashy techniques. It was pure, unadulterated destructive power—the same force he used to crush the skulls of giant bears and snap the spines of wild beasts.
"Urgh!" "Aaargh!" The leader, who had charged first, saw his sword snap cleanly in two, the broken blade spinning into the air.
"W-what kind of monstrous strength is this...!" A single blow. Seeing their leader disarmed by sheer force and sent rolling miserably into the thicket, the remaining swordsmen froze in sheer terror. For mercenaries who fought only for coin, an overwhelming disparity in power translated instantly to the fear of death. Faced with Jincheol's raw, crushing strength that bypassed all technique, terror flickered in their eyes.
"Anyone who turns their back dies!" Jincheol roared, raising his sword as he lunged forward like a wild beast.
"H-he's insane!" "Run!!" Completely crushed by his overwhelming aura, the swordsmen threw down their weapons and scattered into the darkness.
Jincheol didn't bother chasing them. He stood his ground, exhaling a heavy breath. "Phew..."
"Good work, Jincheol. Are you hurt?" I checked him over for any injuries.
"I'm fine. They aren't trained assassins, just cheap thugs swinging swords for coin. They're no different from wild beasts—knock out the pack leader, and the rest scatter. Still, it would have been a bit troublesome if there were more than ten of them." Jincheol wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned.
I walked over to the unconscious leader sprawling on the ground, searched his robes, and pulled out a plump pouch. Inside were several heavy silver ingots.
"They must have paid a handsome advance to mobilize these mercenaries so quickly. Too bad they didn't get their money's worth." Chuckling, I tossed the pouch of silver to Jincheol. "Take this as your bonus."
"Hehe, thank you, brother. This is exactly why I love being your bodyguard." Having successfully repelled the assassins and even plundered some spoils, Jincheol jangled the pouch with a broad, good-natured smile.
"Let's make haste to Hanyang. Since they've grown desperate enough to make such a reckless move, we must not keep them waiting." I brushed the dust and stray blood splatters from my robes. My steps toward the palace, the very heart of Hanyang, felt lighter than ever.
Late at night, inside Sajeongjeon of Gyeongbokgung Palace. A heavy silence hung over the hall, illuminated by the flickering glow of dozens of beeswax candles. Dressed in a hastily changed red official robe, I prostrated myself toward the high seat. From his throne, King Sejong's gaze locked onto the thick ledger I had produced from my robes.
"You have returned, Assistant Minister. Tell me, have you retrieved the budget I commanded you to find?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." I raised my head and began to lay out the facts in a calm, dry tone.
"I have seized the entirety of the wealth hidden by the Yang family at their grand estate in Chungcheong, as well as the tens of thousands of geun of copper belonging to the Type Casting Office that had vanished from Hanyang."
"...!" King Sejong hurriedly reached out and flipped open the ledger. "This is far beyond what I had hoped for." A look of pure delight spread across his face. However, I threw cold water on his joy, my voice remaining cool and level.
"However, Your Majesty, this is not the end."
"Not the end? What do you mean?"
"The mastermind behind this massive embezzlement of state funds... the ultimate destination of those riches is written on the very last page of this ledger."
King Sejong's brow furrowed. "Who is this mastermind?"
I took a deep breath and uttered the name that would instantly freeze the air inside Sajeongjeon.
"The one who stands above all but beneath only you. It is Hwang Chisin, the eldest son of Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui."
"...!!" In an instant, an indescribably immense aura erupted from the throne. King Sejong's clenched fists trembled. It was rage—but beneath it lay the sheer ecstasy of having finally secured the perfect leverage to seize the leash of Hwang Hui, the leader of the Gwanhak Faction.
In a low, dangerous voice, King Sejong murmured to his chief eunuch, "At once... summon the Chief State Councillor to Sajeongjeon immediately."