Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Beans Planted Where Beans Grow (3)

Kim Jwageun House.

Once this house was more like a palace than a palace, more like a court than a court.

But even that Kim Jwageun who controlled the world had his head broken and died, and his family members all scattered somewhere. Even not having the corpse pickled into jeotgal after limbs torn would be luck for Kim Jwageun.

“Wow. There is no bed here?”

“Joseon people don’t use beds.”

“Didn’t use in Hong Kong?”

“Chinese people use beds again.”

“Right next door country but culture so different?”

“Right? Like Mexico and America different?”

“Well. Southern country bumpkins also said the world they live in is different from us. If countries different even more.”

Now since I have sufficient discernment I did not say ‘what sound South is country what just America is country’.

- Already did several times.

Because got pinched in the side every time. The hand is really spicy. As expected a girl who lived in the country much more combative.

Elizabeth whether excited seeing the completely unfamiliar Joseon house ran around all directions sightseeing, and I gave an on-the-spot briefing about Joseon-style house structure like sarangchae anchae haengnangchae.

It was then.

“If turning here- uh, this pillar.”

“This pillar?”

“See the slash here?”

She slightly bent her waist and stroked the marks slightly dug in various places on the wooden pillar.

“When I was young, marks marked saying measuring height.”

“Wow! I also have this at home. This is universal common. Who did it?”

“...A person who is not here now.”

Kim Jwageun.

Stupid human.

Looking at these marks, his last appearance with face all red not hesitating all sorts of personal attacks toward me becomes blurry in my head.

Instead only the middle-aged uncle who was listening with ears while pretending not interested in the Western stories the foreign kid was chattering comes to mind.

The yangban who shamelessly chattered that the guest child kept at home is also proficient in learning because he is proficient in Neo-Confucianism.

The human who was the richest in this country yet most interested in plans to earn a few coins.

If a petty person act like a petty person and prioritize one’s own lifespan, how good was power that he was so greedy.

There were so many ways to live.

Why necessarily ran only in a straight line toward death.

Don’t know.

Idiot-like human.

If just quietly stuck the head and came to London I would have bought delicious cucumber sandwiches and eel jelly and done all the tour guide myself from Westminster to Thames shit water.

- If knew that future would definitely have committed suicide? Perhaps Kim Jwageun who experienced that future sent a radio wave to his past self saying don’t live miserably and quickly die?

As expected not knowing elegance beast ghost breaking all others’ fun. Eeeing.

I should also be careful not to become like that.

Must end thinking like that.

In commemoration of receiving this vast Kim Jwageun House the memorial for the original owner ends here.

Dead Kim Jwageun was much more helpful to me and Heonjong, and this country than living Kim Jwageun.

Now the time to strive to make Joseon a civilized country not ashamed anywhere.

“Lizzy?”

“Look here a bit. Seems a flower bed but all trampled. Have to decorate all from here again. Should have brought some flower seeds.”

“Perhaps was there something you thought of changing a bit while coming to Joseon?”

“Many. First want to build the house anew.”

Western-style house. That is also important.

Since Joseon also opened now Western-style houses and building demand will explode. Just building a Western-style brick factory money bundles are guaranteed.

But such small businesses if entrusted to trustworthy and conscientious private companies, for example excellent places like Lee & Gladstone Company will somehow proceed on their own not a thing for the Joseon government level to do.

So to borrow technical terms.

<​Privatization> is precisely the best choice Joseon can use!

- Greed will burst this guy.

Is this poor country then trying to do everything state-run one by one? Isn’t that greed?

Joseon people’s obsession with state-run, public is enormous. They think if the state and court can’t control the country perishes. Must first inform the virtue of privatization and make them feel the power of the invisible hand for state policies to be caught a bit rationally is clear.

Next reform plans to innovatively develop Joseon.

While also costing little money, little effort.

The most developed country in the world the British Empire has very rich experience in such things too, and I am of course prepared to inform this to Joseon.

- What on earth trying to do.

First must secure financial resources.

To lead this country with no proper industry and just farming to a member of excellent modern society money must circulate a bit in the country.

- Hmm...

The best is fixed.

Selling high value-added products and growing the country’s pie itself...

- That?

Yes. That.

- Right. Ideas coming out of Anglo-Saxon heads can’t be proper things. I who expected even briefly was wrong!

As expected that is a bit not?

- Unless making the whole country a den of drug addicts let’s put it away...

Eh. I wasn’t sincere either. Just because the jar ghost’s reaction was too perfect tried once.

Anyway can’t have fun with that high value-added product good for the body and mood improving. Even Indian products won in price competition are Chinese products, even plastering all of Joseon’s eight provinces with poppy farms absolutely can’t win.

With the one-dimensional mercantilism meta of just selling expensive things and seeing trade surplus there is no answer in front of the continent’s spirit.

So.

Have to take and repay.

***

Letters in this era are practically the only means of communication. Telegram has to pay money by character unit so with this really must compress only the absolutely necessary words as much as possible and send.

Conclusion.

Joseon people who came to London now entrusted me at least dozens of letters per person. The mail ship that only goes back and forth letters didn’t become money for nothing.

“Fortunate that everyone is living healthily.”

The letters the Ganghwa brothers sent to the king are literally about greeting level. From the beginning no particular acquaintance between them and Heonjong so of course full of praise for the king’s favor... what else would write when sending a letter to the king?

On the other hand the petitions sent by officials including Jo Byeonghyeon Joseon’s first overseas resident minister were truly endless.

Joseon Catholics who came and went to Europe before them.

Europe’s view on Joseon and the Far East.

Admiration and astonishment at dazzlingly developed Europe.

And even current affairs policies worth introducing immediately.

“What suggestions did they make?”

“There were various stories.”

My house busy repairing here and there and newly building.

Thought there would be no guests coming for a while, but I underestimated the person called Heungseon-gun Lee Ha-eung.

Honestly since tired briefly considered whether to say get lost a bit, but the person who came with Heungseon-gun was too big a shot.

Prime Minister Bak Gyusu.

Since the Chief State Councillor personally came saying let’s see the face once what can one do. Have to open the door.

After exchanging greetings, serving coffee airlifted from London and dessert brought from Hong Kong even if not saying for face they looked very liking. If building Western-style bakery or cafe money will be made. Memo memo.

“Lord Aseul.”

“Lord what. How would I hear such words.”

“If a person of your level it is words worth hearing. Since Joseon’s future is like a candle in the wind wanting to seek advice from the person ahead for this country to newly advance, so if speaking without reserve it would be good.”

“How did the British Empire become so strong? What are the laws and systems that led that strong prosperity?”

Hmm.

Both people’s eyes full of expectation very full.

Then shall we throw one by one from things that far transcend their imagination first.

“The secret of the British Empire is precisely in the parliament.”

“What is parliament?”

“All subjects of the empire who possess sufficient learning and wealth have suffrage. They elect members who will represent the region they live in through a system called election, and in the parliament where these members gather discuss the country’s major affairs and propose new bills.”

“······.”

“······.”

Pause.

Coffee and dessert get sucked into the two people’s mouths.

Not because wanting to eat but to buy time to think.

“We also if commoners anyone can take the civil service exam and go out to official path.”

“Separate from official posts. To pass a bill majority consent is needed, so most members belong to an organization called party. Each party widely informs voters of their political views and appeals for support-”

“How is that different from factions?”

“Not only yangban but listening to all subjects, and national power is quickly input to the most urgent military state affairs. Above all, problems that would cause extreme confrontation or even civil war in other countries are smoothed by the ruling party changing through election. The best system to pacify public sentiment.”

“This... is difficult to introduce now.”

Would be. So took out the one with the biggest shock first.

“Other... tell some other.”

“The judiciary must obtain independent authority and legitimate rights must be guaranteed to all subjects.”

“Joseon also similarly-”

“Not so. The British Empire government cannot detain subjects’ persons or seize property in any case unless legitimate reason by law.

In Joseon unless a yangban with power no one works hard. Because obvious that whether clerk or magistrate or court will be exploited by some powerful authority.”

Speechless.

The reality of Joseon was not being able to say anything even hearing such sounds from a foreigner.

“But in the British Empire no matter how lowly a person if diligently working and gathering property cannot recklessly trample it, so all the people become rich and with the single-minded determination to give better life to children everyone works diligently and sincerely and made a strong country.”

“What relation does that have with judicial independence?”

“Because there must be the belief that if I suffer unjust things the country will relieve.”

“This also... seems to need time.”

Second rejection. This is completely Heosaengjeon.

“Even after hearing the two most important systems that led the British Empire’s prosperity both saying difficult I am rather flustered. If saying difficult even after seeing the correct answer how shall I help?”

“Didn’t say not doing. Said time is needed.”

“Aseul-ah. From the beginning only took out things difficult to introduce to Joseon first, right?”

As expected Lee Ha-eung. Because teacher immediately sees through the disciple’s tricks.

“Because both infringe on the strict authority of the throne?”

“...You directly report to His Majesty and see. I don’t want to become jeotgal.”

Heungseon-style jeotgal.

A bit curious about Heungseon pollack roe jeotgal, but the moment putting in the mouth that dirty-tempered uncle will immediately break my neck is clear so endure for now.

“Today Britain agriculture declined and commerce and industry greatly prospered and its national power pierces the sky. Wheat and barley are extremely common and cheap, but objects produced in Britain’s factories are precious so buying foreign grain is much more profitable.”

“Even abandoning agriculture the country runs you say?”

“Simple principle. If can buy rice enough for all Joseon people to eat sufficiently from China and Japan, wouldn’t the people be able to do more valuable work instead of farming.”

Perhaps because already got hit hard on the head twice they did not separately refute. Not people whose heads hardened enough to be bound by words like agriculture is the great foundation of the world.

“Therefore for Joseon to prosper must make the yangban who have wealth and power in this country build factories and do trade rather than farmland.”

“To do so there must be the guarantee that the court does not extort those factories.”

“Accurate.”

“Words are easy, but is disposing of land and building factories an ordinary thing? Moreover if everyone tries to sell land of course can’t receive proper price what about that?”

Even after entering the express lecture removing all car and cannon already followed up to here. As a private tutor truly extremely pleased.

“Isn’t it a thing the country buys?”

“What?”

“Anyway all land in Joseon is the country’s, right. Have the court purchase all land in bulk and give that money to landlords to build factories.”

“That money falls from the sky?”

“Distribute to tenant farmers farming and have them repay the land price over a long time.”

Land reform.

If Heonjong who broke all the powerful’s heads it might be possible.

“This... seems doable.”

“Since the wish of people begging and eating is obtaining land to put a plow...”

Moreover this is a thing that touches Joseon’s Confucian ideal.

If saying make a parliament it is openly doing traitor moving, but if saying must redistribute land and return to farmers this is the fundamental among fundamentals in the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.

“If doing this <​land reform> there is one more thing obtained.”

“What is that?”

“Bank.”

Central bank.

Aside from stamping new silver coins or gold coins that can circulate even in overseas markets instead of unusable Sangpyeong Tongbo, there must be a proper bank to pull leverage.

The minimum condition for taking and repaying is established.

19th century British people firmly believe the budget must always be surplus but 21st century Koreans think a bit differently.

Originally investment is done with debt.

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Author's note

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