Despite the scale being larger than expected, Hyang could only curse under her breath, knowing she had to accept reality.

As she recalled the lessons and assignments from the 21st century, she glared at the papers where she had noted down what she deemed important.

Soon, she nodded her head vigorously.

"Alright! I will show the taste of the people's joy... no, the essence of capitalism and modern administrative organization!"

The next day, as dawn broke, Hyang busied herself.

She went to the Painting Institute to order the creation of a chart and then headed to the Military Equipment Bureau to request the making of a loudspeaker.

The drafts Hyang presented made the master craftsman scratch his head.

"It looks just like a funnel."

"Yes, it does. Will it take long to complete?"

"I'll have it ready by evening."

"Thank you."

With the physical preparations for the presentation finished, Hyang diligently rummaged through the classics and Western books.

"To shape the institutions of the 21st century into the forms of the 14th and 15th centuries of the East and West, and to wash the sources with the classics of Confucianism..."

As she organized her thoughts, Hyang circled the term 'small government.'

"If we have a Q&A session, this part will spark controversy, and if there isn't one, this will be the point where petitions flood in. To be honest..."

Hyang trailed off, leaning back in her chair and stretching.

"Ugh!"

"Your Highness! What is the matter?"

"Nothing."

Startled by her own outburst, Hyang sent the attendant away and muttered softly.

"Damn it! Everything the Crown Prince does is fine, but this is the problem. There’s no privacy, no privacy..."

Grumbling, Hyang tapped her finger on the circled 'small government' and continued.

"In the 21st century, what was called a classic 'small government' would be seen as a 'huge government' by these gentlemen."

As she pondered, tapping the problematic word with her finger, Hyang reached a conclusion.

"Still, it can't be helped. This issue must be pointed out and addressed. Otherwise, I will find myself back in the chaotic Joseon I once knew, with nothing having changed."

Resolute, Hyang began to organize her structure.

"Let's push the military-related issues to the back. If I bring them up all at once, they will surely get buried..."

As she set aside military issues, Hyang gazed at the map hanging in her study.

"After all, a very big event will happen next year..."

Five days later, attendants rushed to the Six Ministries to convey the King's command.

"All officials above the rank of Samjang must attend?"

"Yes."

"Huh~. Just..."

The Prime Minister barely held back the words 'just a nine-year-old' and nodded.

"I understand. I will do as instructed."

"Your Highness, it seems it will take quite a long time, so those below the rank of Dang Sang-gwan are to bring their own chairs."

"Their own chairs?"

"Yes."

"I understand."

Once the attendant left, the Prime Minister clicked his tongue.

"Tsk! What is this world coming to!"

Though he clicked his tongue, a royal command was a royal command.

It was a command that made sense given the circumstances that required such a decree.

Chairs were prepared in the palace for discussions with the King, but the number was only sufficient for the higher-ranking officials.

Thus, the lower officials had to bring their own chairs.

However, the Prime Minister's clicking of the tongue was not due to that.

"What on earth are they trying to do by putting a nine-year-old in charge... Instead of letting the child handle it, the King should do it himself... Ugh!"

The Prime Minister stopped mid-sentence as the attendant delivering the King's command hurried down the corridor of the State Council.

There was nothing good to be heard by the attendants.

In the Gyeongbokgung Palace's Geunjeongjeon, a buzz filled the air.

Following the King's summons, officials above the rank of Samjang gathered in Geunjeongjeon.

"Oh~ Chahyeong! It's been a while!"

"Isn't this Park-hyung? It's been a long time! When did you come back from the outer regions?"

Though they had all passed the state examination at the same time, their different workplaces or appointments as local governors had made their meetings infrequent.

They greeted each other warmly.

Meanwhile, those who had continued to work in the Six Ministries quietly sat down and chatted.

"Isn't this the Crown Prince's presentation of his views?"

"Yes, it is. What a waste of time..."

"Shh! There are many listeners."

"Let them listen. Among those gathered here, I believe many share my sentiments."

"Shh! Quiet!"

"Hmph! Ahem! Cough!"

As the person next to him kept warning him, the official who had made the controversial statement continued to clear his throat, expressing his discomfort.

A moment later, the attendant announced the King's entrance.

"Your Majesty~. Please enter~."

At the attendant's call, all seated officials stood up and bowed their heads.

Entering with the officials' respect, the King ascended to the throne.

"Everyone, please take your seats."

"We obey your command."

As the officials sat down, they all looked at the King.

"Everyone knows that the Crown Prince has presented many opinions. You are also aware of their brilliance and great utility. However, these opinions are like branches sprouting from a single trunk. Without knowing the root properly, one cannot make a proper judgment. Therefore, I have asked the Crown Prince to present his views today. The reason I summoned you all is that the Crown Prince is still young. While his talents are well-known, his youth may lead him down the wrong path. Thus, I hope those gathered here will listen carefully and guide him so he does not stray."

"We obey your command!"

At the King's words, the officials bowed their heads and responded in unison.

A moment later, Hyang entered Geunjeongjeon.

The attendants who accompanied her temporarily set up a platform and hung the chart on it, securing the loudspeaker with a metal rod.

With all preparations complete, Hyang stepped onto the platform and bowed deeply to the seated King.

"I, the humble one, have received such an opportunity through my father's grace, and I am truly grateful."

"Yes, do well."

"Yes."

At the King's words, Hyang bowed her head once more and then rose to face the gathered officials in Geunjeongjeon.

Taking a light breath, Hyang gave a slight nod and brought her mouth to the loudspeaker.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's invaluable opportunity, I have the pleasure of seeing many officials. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"We greet the Crown Prince!"

After exchanging greetings with the officials, Hyang finally began her presentation.

"To begin with, my conclusion is 'Hongik Ingan' (弘益人間). Yes. As you all know, this was the national principle established by Hwanung when he founded ancient Joseon. Furthermore, this 'Hongik Ingan' is connected to the 'Wangdo Politics' and 'Minbon' advocated by the sages."

At Hyang's words, the Prime Minister and the officials from the Office of Special Advisors and the Office of Inspector General nodded with uncomfortable expressions.

The beginning was not something they could easily criticize.

However, the smooth start soon led to a shocking turn.

- "To realize 'Hongik Ingan' and 'Wangdo Politics,' the first priority must be the peace of the people. For the people to be at peace, their 'constant livelihood' must first be secured."

- "However, the situation in our Joseon is such that flat lands are scarce, the mountains are rugged, and people are overly crowded in the narrow plains. Thus, securing the people's constant livelihood is not easy."

- "To solve this, we must not view agriculture as the only means of livelihood but also make commerce and industry tools for it."

- "By promoting commerce and industry and obtaining what our Joseon lacks from outside, we can alleviate the people's poverty."

- "To achieve this, the court must greatly change the current system. Not just a simple Six Ministries system, but broadly divide it into legislative, judicial, and administrative branches, placing the necessary offices and positions beneath them to ensure specialization."

- "The system of local officials also needs reform. It is excessive to have one person handle judicial, administrative, tax, and military duties as it places too much burden on them; thus, we must dispatch officials to manage these separately."

- "The Hyangri system must also be abolished. The unpaid Hyangri will inevitably become corrupt. Therefore, we must abolish the Hyangri system and have paid officials take on the duties."

- "To aid the impoverished people, the court must act actively. For this, the taxation system must be reformed."

(Excerpt)

- "To carry out all the above reforms, the court's finances must be large and robust. To secure finances, not only must taxes be reformed, but we must also develop gold and silver mines to inject into the finances."

- "The first step in tax reform is to unify the taxes. Currently, in our Joseon, there are unnecessarily many miscellaneous taxes in addition to the basic land tax. These miscellaneous taxes easily become the root of corruption."

- "As important as unifying taxes is fair taxation. The prerequisite for this is the simultaneous reform of the land system and the taxation system, which is the best approach."

- "In reforming the land system, the most fundamental thing to remember is that the land of Joseon belongs to the monarch. And we must not forget that 'the cultivator owns the land' is the established principle. However, if this is impossible, reforming the taxation system is the best option."

- "In reforming the taxation system, the most important thing is the fairness of taxation. Fair taxation means that those who gain more pay more, and those who gain less pay less. Therefore, the tax rate should apply a progressive rate."

(Excerpt)

- "Through an expanded administrative organization, the state must be managed, and based on the finances secured through tax reform and industrial promotion, the court must actively engage in poverty alleviation. This poverty alleviation should not be mere relief but should aim to provide hope for the poor to escape from poverty."

- "For the people to escape from poverty, they must have a desire to improve. To this end, the court must provide all necessary conveniences for the people to actively engage. As a basic measure for this convenience, the court must ensure that all people can attain at least a minimal level of education."

- "In this educational process, the most important thing is to instill the belief that there is no distinction between the four classes of society: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Only when there is no distinction between these classes can the people utilize their innate talents and flourish, leading to the prosperity of our Joseon."

(Excerpt)

As the presentation extended, there was a break for a short time (about an hour).

During the break, the King and Hyang shared a meal.

"Truly remarkable. How did you come up with all that?"

In response to the King's question, Hyang answered with a calm expression.

"I referred to the classics of the ancient sages, historical texts, and the writings of Western scholars."

"Is that so? It truly seems your efforts are evident."

"That is too much praise."

The King's compliments continued as Hyang remained humble.

"Honestly, there were many things in your views that I had not considered. Since the founding of our Joseon, many systems have emerged, but there are even more that simply follow what has been handed down from the past. One could say it is a preservation of good customs, but one could also argue it is laziness."

"If those systems and laws were all good customs, there would be no reason for the previous dynasties to fall and new nations to rise."

At Hyang's calm response, the King sighed deeply.

"Ah~. That is true."

After finishing their meal, Hyang earnestly advised the King.

"Father, it is written in the religious scriptures that the Westerners believe in, 'New wine must be put into new wineskins.' It has been 30 years since the fall of the previous dynasty and the rise of our Joseon. One could say that is a long time, or a short time. However, the people's poverty remains unchanged from the previous dynasty to now, so I believe we must proceed with reforms. Sam Bong advocated for reforms, but his reforms were for a select few. We need reforms for the greatest happiness of the greatest number."

At Hyang's words, the King clapped his knees in admiration.

"What you say is indeed correct!"

The historian recording next to the two noted at the end:

- "The Crown Prince's words are radical and extreme. However, the phrase 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number' should not be taken lightly. 'The greatest happiness of the greatest number' is indeed the crystallization of the Wangdo Politics that the ancient sages advocated and the ideals that the scholars have dreamed of."

End of Chapter 26: The Great Change of Gyeongjang (4)