< Episode 25: Gapjin Gyeongjang (甲辰更張) (3) >
The second faction was centered around the Minister of Taxation and the Ministers of Personnel and Works.
"Don't you think we'll need to bring writing materials in five days?"
At the Minister of Taxation's words, the Minister of Personnel stroked his beard.
"Will writing materials really be necessary?"
"They must absolutely be brought."
"Isn't this merely the political views of a nine-year-old child?"
At the Minister of Personnel's counter-question, the Minister of Taxation explained his reasoning.
"Of course, His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed only nine years old. Because of this, some say that behind all the Crown Prince's actions and words stands His Majesty. However, I do not think so. The Crown Prince is a genius sent from heaven, and an astonishing one at that."
"Is there a reason to think so?"
When the Minister of Personnel asked for the reason, the Minister of Taxation's eyes gazed into the distance.
"There are several reasons. First, do you remember the day His Majesty raised the rod against His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"How could I forget that?"
"That His Majesty raised the rod means that His Highness the Crown Prince's strange behavior was entirely new to him. That is why he was so greatly enraged."
At the Minister of Taxation's words, the Minister of Personnel immediately rebutted.
"That can certainly be interpreted that way. But is it not unreasonable to claim that all other cases are also the Crown Prince's independent thoughts? Consider the Crown Prince's age. He is only nine. Would it not be more appropriate to view that day's events as a mere coincidence?"
"Those who don't know would find it easier to think that way. But have you been to that famous study in the Eastern Palace?"
"I have not. Have you, Minister?"
"There was a time I went because the Crown Prince asked me to procure books and told me to take the list. While there, I entered the study and looked at the books. Each one was thoroughly worn from use, and passages deemed important were marked with red lines. That's not all. Some books had papers inserted between pages, and on those papers were written in detail how to apply things when introducing them to Joseon. And the handwriting was not His Majesty's."
At the Minister of Taxation's words, the Minister of Personnel's expression grew serious.
"Which means..."
"We are looking at someone truly fearsome. Someone with both intelligence and executive ability, backed by power."
"Hah..."
At the Minister of Taxation's words, the Minister of Personnel let out a groan that could have been admiration or lamentation.
The third faction consisted of young officials from the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor-General.
"What do you think?"
"Never mind thinking—shouldn't we immediately submit a memorial? The Crown Prince is only nine years old! What is state administration? It is moving the nation. State administration carries such weight, yet what could a mere nine-year-old possibly understand? This is His Majesty making fools of us, his subjects!"
"But as one can see from this Gold Brush, shouldn't we acknowledge the Crown Prince's outstanding ability?"
"What I regret most is this Gold Brush! I should have opposed its mass production! Because of it, from His Majesty above down to the lowliest clerks, everyone thinks only of wealth—I cannot contain my outrage! How is this any different from the Yuan Dynasty? Why did our Joseon even rise!"
As if unable to contain his anger, the young official's fist trembled, and those nearby seemed to sympathize.
"Let us go quickly! We must write the memorial at once!"
"Let's do that!"
As the young officials moved in a crowd, a small number of young officials gathered separately behind them. Most were historians from the Office of Annals Compilation who recorded the historical chronicles.
"Brother Yi, what do you think?"
"Brother Jang, I'm not sure. From what I've observed so far, I couldn't find anything wrong with the Crown Prince's words..."
A historian who had just finished his shift at the hall interjected into their conversation.
"Is the behavior of the Office of the Censor-General and Office of the Inspector General anything new? It's the same now. They simply believe they must find fault to raise their own standing. Let's move. We have work piling up, don't we? And with five days ahead, we need to prepare in advance."
"Let's do that."
The historians who had been criticizing the officials of the Office of the Censor-General and Office of the Inspector General hurriedly made their way to the Office of Annals Compilation.
And the eunuchs and court ladies quietly observed this scene.
* * *
The ministers' reactions were immediately conveyed to Sejong through the eunuchs.
"Good work."
After acknowledging the Chief Eunuch, Sejong let out a long sigh.
"Huu~. Why are there so many blocked-minded people?"
Hearing the ministers' reactions, Sejong lamented deeply. The officials had openly staged a demonstration.
'If they had actually moved, I would have met them outside the palace. Quite secretly, too!'
Seeing Sejong's poor complexion, the Chief Eunuch quickly spoke up.
"There were also quite a few who showed favor."
At the Chief Eunuch's words, Sejong smiled bitterly.
"Is that supposed to be fortunate? Indeed, even I often find it hard to believe the Crown Prince is nine years old..."
Sejong, who had been smiling at Hyang's excellence, sighed long again.
"Huu~. For young officials to be so inflexible..."
What disappointed Sejong most was the rigidity shown by the young officials of the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor-General.
The Chief State Councillor's faction also had rigid thinking, but based on their years of experience, they could move somewhat flexibly when necessary.
But the problem was these young bureaucrats. They blindly believed that Neo-Confucianism was their everything.
They believed that thinking and living according to Neo-Confucianism was the only proper path. In their eyes, everything Hyang was pushing could sufficiently be called an evil path.
Indeed, they were clamoring exactly that.
"The nation is going backwards! To value commerce! Why did the Yuan Dynasty fall so! Have they forgotten 'cultivate the fundamental, suppress the incidental'!"
"Huu~."
Sejong sighed long once more and lamented.
"There are no talents. No talents."
It had been five years since he received the throne from Taejong, and over half a year since Taejong's death, but Taejong's shadow still loomed heavy.
He had partially reorganized the cabinet immediately upon ascending the throne, and the ministers followed his words well. But Sejong knew well that in the ministers' eyes, he still appeared a novice. Ultimately, Sejong needed capable talents who would follow his words well.
"It's still too early to call them..."
'They' that Sejong thought of were Hwang Hui and Maeng Sa-seong.
Hwang Hui and Maeng Sa-seong were talents even Taejong acknowledged. But both were caught up in Taejong's royal authority consolidation schemes and faced crises. Though they eventually returned to central politics, the justification to immediately elevate them to the core of power was weak.
"The problem is whether even they can properly control those immature ones..."
Thinking of the young officials with their thoroughly rigid thinking, Sejong placed his hand on his forehead.
"My head aches."
At Sejong's words, the Chief Eunuch wore a worried expression.
"Shall I call the royal physician?"
"It's not that serious. I'll recover with some rest."
Declining the Chief Eunuch's offer to call the physician, Sejong turned his attention to the documents and memorials he hadn't yet processed.
* * *
While Sejong was suffering such headaches, Hyang also heard similar news through a eunuch.
"So the distinction between us and them is roughly established? That said..."
Trailing off, Hyang tapped his fingers on the desk and muttered quietly.
"It's still early Joseon, yet they're already at Taliban level..."
"Your Highness? What did you say?"
"Just talking to myself. Don't mind it."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Having silenced the eunuch, Hyang tapped the desk and fell into deep thought.
'Damn! If they're already at Taliban level, what are they trying to do! How am I supposed to deal with these people whose heads are as solid as the foundation stones of Gyeongbok Palace?'
Hyang felt dizzy thinking about dealing with the young officials, especially those from the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the Censor-General.
After various deliberations, Hyang finally reached a conclusion.
"Eunuch, leave us."
"Yes?"
"There's something I need to organize alone."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
After sending the eunuch away and sitting alone in the room, Hyang clenched his fist.
"Damn! I'll lay it all out without worrying about appearances! Our King Sejong will know how to choose well from among them! I'll start with that, and the rest I'll execute the moment I ascend the throne! If they can't keep up, I'll just grind them all down! Weed out who needs weeding, push who needs pushing, and things will sort themselves out!"
Having reached his conclusion, Hyang spread out blank paper.
"Hmm... where should I start?"
How much time had passed since Hyang flipped his switch? The eunuch standing outside the door announced in a loud voice.
"His Majesty the King arrives!"
Hearing that Sejong had come, Hyang rose from his chair, checked his attire, and respectfully greeted Sejong.
"You've come, Father?"
"It's late at night—why aren't you asleep yet? It's not good for your health."
"When there's work to be done, how can sleep be a concern? And Father's health is more important than mine."
"My child..."
Pleased by Hyang's answer, Sejong lightly patted Hyang's shoulder and turned his head toward the desk.
"May I read it for a moment?"
"Yes."
But before Hyang's answer even came out, Sejong had already picked up the papers and began reading their contents.
Seeing this, Hyang pursed his lips and grumbled inwardly.
'If you're going to read before I even answer, why ask? High-ranking people, I tell you...'
Whether knowing Hyang's feelings or not, Sejong, who had been carefully reading the sentences written on the paper, asked Hyang a question.
"Crown Prince. What are these '?' and '!' marks written beside these sentences?"
"They are punctuation marks from the Western barbarians. The '?' with a curled end signifies a question, and the '!' with a straight end signifies exclamation or surprise."
"Oh? With just a simple mark, the meaning of sentences becomes clearer! Hmm... I see, indeed..."
Having learned what the punctuation marks meant, Sejong examined the papers even more carefully.
"Father, would you like to sit and read?"
"My legs were hurting a bit anyway, so let's do that."
Sejong brightened at Hyang's words and sat in the chair.
'Man, lose some weight! You do all that jump rope, so why are you still a pyramid body type?'
Grumbling inwardly at the obese Sejong, Hyang sat across from him.
Sejong spread out all the papers on the desk and examined the contents back and forth, then crossed his arms and glared at the papers.
"Reorganization of administrative structure, differentiation of local government posts, reform of the tax system, reform of the land system... this isn't simply an announcement of political views, is it?"
"My political views are quite simple. It is 'Hongik Ingan' that Hwanung spoke of long ago. Aren't the words of sages, precious as gold and jade, ultimately the same meaning?"
"You are right about that."
At Hyang's words, Sejong nodded his head greatly as if in agreement. Though they spoke of royal politics, the conclusion was simple.
'From the king to the people, let us live in peace.'
"To actually realize that principle, the current system has many insufficient parts. My dream is to fix and refine these deficiencies so that both the royal family and the people can live in peace."
"A good dream. Honestly, looking at what you've written, I'd want to adopt it as policy immediately. But you are only nine years old, and there will be many who will use that to find fault and refuse to listen properly."
At Sejong's point, Hyang shrugged his shoulders.
"That's not wrong, is it? It's true that I'm now nine, and because of my young age, my experience is indeed shallow."
At Hyang's answer, Sejong clicked his tongue.
"Tsk! To prioritize age and experience when discussing the Way and governance is not the intent of the sages..."
"Thanks to that, isn't there something helpful?"
"Helpful?"
"It'll be easier to distinguish those who will truly be of help to you, Father, won't it?"
"That's right!"
With those words, both Sejong and Hyang smiled broadly. It was a heartwarming sight of a father and son smiling together, but if the ministers had seen it, it would have been a scene that made them break out in cold sweat.
Refreshed by Hyang's response, Sejong rose from his seat.
"Go to sleep now. Children need to sleep early to grow well."
"Yes, Father. Father should also retire for the night now. Only when Father is healthy will this Joseon be at peace."
"I will."
Chuckling as he was about to leave, Sejong stopped and looked back at Hyang.
"Ah! I just remembered! For your announcement, I will call not only the senior officials from first rank to third rank upper tier, but also the junior officials from third rank lower tier to sixth rank. Prepare well."
"Yes."
"Rest now."
After seeing Sejong out, Hyang frowned.
"Damn!"
The scale had grown larger than expected.
< Episode 25: Gapjin Gyeongjang (甲辰更張) (3) > End
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