HLCOB C69

Chapter 69

 

After being separated from the Emperor, Cai Yong began to put some weight back on his face.

 

Moreover, the Crown Prince, who at first had been so dull-witted that he could drive one to the point of tearing one’s hair out, had begun to apply himself diligently to his studies and was visibly improving. The occasional discussions of literature he had with Choseon were also a source of great delight to Cai Yong.

 

Thanks to that, Cai Yong finally felt as though life was worth living again.

 

“Your Highness, what is agriculture?”

 

“If one tends the land, the realm shall be at peace, but if one neglects it, the grievances of the people shall grow. Thus, agriculture is a matter of governing the state.”

 

“Precisely, Your Highness! That is exactly right!”

 

It was not only Cai Yong. The Crown Prince’s reputation among his other tutors had begun to improve markedly as well. At first, Cai Yong simply enjoyed it without a second thought. He merely assumed that the Crown Prince had finally taken an interest in learning.

 

Yet as time passed, Cai Yong began to sense something peculiar.

 

It was a peculiar quality that only someone who had personally experienced Jaeheon could perceive.

 

“If the reason the people rise up as bandits is because they have lost their land and can no longer pay their taxes, then why does the state not distribute land among the people?”

 

“……”

 

The Crown Prince’s perspective on learning was gradually becoming different from that of ordinary people.

 

“That reminds me of something, Your Highness.”

 

What had been the reason Cai Yong was so shocked when he first encountered Jaeheon?

 

Had Jaeheon not broadened Cai Yong’s vision, which had been buried beneath the constraints of reality, with a single poem? Yet, strictly speaking, the Crown Prince’s perspective was different even from the one that had given Cai Yong such a fresh shock when he encountered Jaeheon.

 

“Your Highness’s words resemble the Zhou dynasty’s system of land distribution, the Well-Field System. And there was a sage who advocated following the example of this very system. Do you know who that was, Your Highness?”

 

“Are you speaking of Mencius, Master?”

 

“Indeed. Do you also know why the Well-Field System advocated by Mencius never became widespread?”

 

“To implement it, the state would have to divide and oversee the land individually. I suppose it is because the authority of the state does not extend sufficiently into the provinces.”

 

“That is not the only reason.”

 

Cai Yong was certainly speaking with the Crown Prince.

 

And yet, it did not feel as though he was conversing with the Crown Prince at all. More precisely, it felt as though he were conversing with Choseon, who sat beside the Crown Prince, grinding ink.

 

“The Well-Field System requires the cooperation of the feudal lords and powerful local clans who possess land in the provinces.”

 

“So, are you saying there is no way to make it work…?”

 

“It would be more accurate to say that no solution has yet been found.”

 

The Crown Prince grew dejected and sighed.

 

“Phew. I understand, Imperial Tutor. I shall study a little more and speak with you again once I have thought of a solution.”

 

And with that, the lesson came to an end.

 

Yet Cai Yong could not stop thinking about Choseon.

 

He had heard that, because there were many of the Crown Prince’s tutors who were wary of Choseon, she did not attend to the Crown Prince during any lessons other than Cai Yong’s. Even so, Cai Yong could not shake the feeling that Choseon had been the one teaching the Crown Prince.

 

After all, had Cai Yong not occasionally asked Choseon to compose poems and literary pieces for him? Even from those alone, it was evident that Choseon’s talent was every bit as great as her elder brother’s.

 

“Choseon.”

 

Thus, in the end, Cai Yong stopped Choseon as she was about to leave the palace and asked her,

 

“May this old man ask you just one thing?”

 

“…Yes. Of course, Lord Cai.”

 

Choseon replied with a slight bow.

 

“Do you remember the discussion you had with His Highness during today’s lesson?”

 

“…Yes. I remember.”

 

“Then may I ask for your opinion?”

 

At Cai Yong’s words, Choseon’s eyes widened before she glanced around cautiously.

 

“……”

 

Was she not the very person who had managed to live peacefully in the Imperial Palace without causing any disturbance, despite entering it herself?

 

In other words, she knew the political situation well enough to understand that she needed to keep a low profile.

 

“It is all right. I shall not tell anyone, and this old man has no friends to whom he could tell it in the first place.”

 

It was the truth.

 

Although many respected Cai Yong for his calligraphy and poetry, few were close to him because of his fiercely independent and uncompromising personality.

 

“Even if I were to tell someone, I would tell no one but your elder brother.”

 

“……”

 

“And one day, there will surely come a time when you need this old man’s help. So speak honestly.”

 

Sensing the sincerity in Cai Yong’s words, Choseon hesitated for a moment before answering his question. Even from the way he treated Jaeheon, was it not obvious that Cai Yong was not someone who harbored ulterior motives?

 

“I think it would be all right to apply His Highness’s idea differently, but only to those among the people who have become bandits.”

 

“But there is no land to give them.”

 

“Then… could they not cultivate new land?”

 

“……?”

 

“I think we could have them reclaim wastelands and then grant them ownership of the land they cultivate. Since wastelands belong to no one, there would be no opposition from the feudal lords or objections from the powerful local clans.”

 

It was merely the opinion of a young girl.

 

“…But if you simply hand over reclaimed land to them, what guarantee is there that they will actually farm it properly? And I doubt they would willingly pay taxes either.”

 

Yet Cai Yong’s heart began to pound.

 

Thump—

 

His heart was pounding violently, even though this was not a debate concerning the literature he loved so dearly.

 

“If we made them perform military service in place of paying taxes for a certain period, would that not solve the problem?”

 

Moreover, Choseon seemed remarkably accustomed to this sort of question-and-answer exchange.

 

It was almost as though she had repeated conversations like this with Jaeheon dozens of times. And yet, there was certainly no need in this era to provide such instruction to a young girl. Nevertheless, Choseon appeared to have received precisely that kind of education from Jaeheon.

 

“That way, they could farm during the agricultural season and receive military training during the off-season. Once they became accustomed to obeying the law, they could then be granted ownership of the land. If that happened, the former bandits would also become accustomed to living as ordinary subjects.”

 

Military colonies.

 

A method of recruiting troops in times of turmoil that would not emerge until more than a decade later, among the strategists serving under Cao Cao, was now being proposed by a young girl who had not yet reached the age of intellectual maturity.

 

Gulp—

 

Cai Yong swallowed.

 

If this method were implemented properly, it could provide both the manpower and provisions needed to maintain order in the provinces, which were being thrown into chaos by successive droughts and the extortion of corrupt officials.

 

“But there is a flaw in the system you have proposed. Do you know what it is?”

 

There were problems ranging from the need to recruit personnel to supervise the military colonies to the question of whether the people would willingly cultivate the land.

 

It was not a system without drawbacks.

 

In the hands of a tyrant, it could become a means of exploiting the people; in the hands of a hegemon, it could become a means of raising soldiers; and in the hands of a benevolent ruler, it could become a system that brought stability to the realm.

 

“Yes. I know.”

 

Choseon seemed to understand that as well. She raised her head and answered,

 

“But the Classic of History says, ‘Only the sovereign can bestow blessings; only the sovereign can wield authority.’”

 

It meant that a ruler could bestow blessings upon his people, but could also bring calamity upon them. Choseon’s thoughts aligned perfectly with Cai Yong’s own.

 

Having uttered those words, Choseon looked at Cai Yong.

 

“If it is a system that can benefit the people when used wisely, yet make their lives even more miserable when used recklessly…”

 

The golden eyes Choseon had inherited from Jaeheon shone brilliantly as they met Cai Yong’s gaze.

 

“Would it not be enough for the one who knows how to use it wisely to be the ruler?”

 

Tears gathered in Cai Yong’s eyes, moved beyond words.

 

‘Ah.’

 

The fact that she had hidden even this much was astonishing.

 

Choseon’s talent was different from Jaeheon’s, the talent that had earned him the reputation of possessing the qualities of a true king. It was different from the talent that allowed Jaeheon to devise strategies, lead armies to victory, and ultimately pacify the entire realm.

 

‘So this is why…’

 

The talent to seek out ways to make the lives of an even greater number of people more peaceful.

 

The talent to embrace the realm through benevolence and govern it through virtue.

 

‘Is this why Hwaseo came to Luoyang?’

 

It was precisely the talent that would be most necessary once everything Jaeheon desired had been accomplished.

 

* * *

 

“Let me ask you something.”

 

Jaeheon was seated in his chair.

 

“Do you know why I summoned all of you?”

 

Before Jaeheon stood the officials under his command, lined up in orderly ranks. For a moment, they remained silent, none of them understanding the reason for Jaeheon’s words.

 

“The Inner Court exists to assist His Majesty with the affairs he oversees. In essence, it serves as His Majesty’s hands and feet.”

 

Until now, Jaeheon had not been particularly cold or severe.

 

His official rank had not been particularly high, and since he possessed little real authority, there had been nothing to gain from acting harshly. But things were different now. If he could not handle the officials under his command as he would his own limbs, the tower he had painstakingly built could collapse in an instant.

 

“However, it seems there are those who have taken advantage of that fact to neglect their duties and violate the laws of the state. That is why I summoned you.”

 

At Jaeheon’s words, the faces of the officials lined up in the courtyard of the Inner Court turned uneasy.

 

“W-What do you mean by that, Lord Chamberlain?”

 

“I swear that none of us have ever done such a thing!”

 

“You must be mistaken, Lord Chamberlain!”

 

“How can you do this based on mere suspicion!”

 

As they erupted into a chorus of protests, Jaeheon smiled. The moment they saw that smile, those who had been shouting one excuse after another fell silent.

 

Jaeheon unfurled the bamboo slip in his hand.

 

Snap—

 

Then he began reading aloud the contents written upon it.

 

“The crime of embezzling funds that were meant to be distributed to officials by diverting them through the Chamberlain’s office. The crime of forging documents for the benefit of the relatives of the criminal Wang Fu…”

 

There were no names explicitly attached to the accusations, but the crimes listed belonged to the very officials standing before him. Yet Jaeheon could not finish speaking.

 

“Lord Chamberlain! How dare you slander people like this!”

 

“……”

 

Jaeheon’s beautiful features creased into a frown.

 

Instead, they began to act shamelessly.

 

They had something to rely upon. No matter how favored Jaeheon was by the Emperor, he could not simply strip the officials under his command of their positions. He required the Emperor’s permission.

 

Furthermore, how many officials had approached them, asking them to keep Jaeheon in check?

 

“That is right. I have done nothing but devote my entire being to serving the Han realm…”

 

Yet Jaeheon spoke quietly.

 

“You, not long ago. You were drunk at a pleasure house and spoke irreverently, were you not?”

 

“……?”

 

“You said that the Son of Heaven was so blinded by his obsession with male favorites that he intended to bring down the Han dynasty.”

 

The people Jaeheon relied upon for information were those who worked at the very bottom of society. And the men standing before him were the ones who commanded those people.

 

Therefore, there was very little about them that Jaeheon did not know.

 

Had they merely insulted Jaeheon himself, he might somehow have let it pass. But after insulting the Emperor as well, there was no way for this foolish official to leave here alive. No—had he simply refrained from arguing against Jaeheon’s words, there might still have been a way for him to survive.

 

“…L-Lord Chamberlain! That! I-I did not—!”

 

At a gesture from Jaeheon, soldiers appeared and dragged the official away.

 

As Jaeheon looked upon the remaining officials, who had fallen silent as though a cat had caught a mouse, disgust crept across his face. With a sigh, Jaeheon rolled up the bamboo slip. He no longer considered it worth the effort to read the rest aloud to them.

 

“I shall give you three days.”

 

Jaeheon had no time to waste dealing with men like these in the first place.

 

“Those who fear what is written on this bamboo slip may submit their resignations of their own accord.”

 

Jaeheon knew the future, after all.

 

‘…Before long, Lady Wang will give birth to Liu Xie.’

 

Through Liu Xie, the Emperor would undoubtedly seek to keep both Jaeheon and the He clan in check.

 

Therefore, before that happened, Jaeheon had to ensure that the Empress’s investiture ceremony was completed without incident and make certain that the Emperor appointed the Crown Prince.

 

That would give him legitimacy.

 

The only legitimacy through which Jaeheon could seize the initiative from the Emperor.

 

Moreover, was it not already too late to undo his moves? He was already being forced to play upon the board the Emperor had arranged. Yet no matter how relentlessly the Emperor pressed him, Jaeheon had no intention of retreating.

 

“I shall spare your lives.”

 

At least until the day came when his younger sister could live in a world where she was free to let her talent flourish.