At Hyang's words, the ministers hurriedly tried to argue back, but they had no proper counterarguments.

However, they could not retreat.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince! No matter how much you are the Crown Prince, you cannot recklessly punish the ministers!"

As the Chief State Councilor, who was directly responsible, stepped forward, Hyang immediately retorted.

"Why is that? I too am a servant of His Majesty! The duty of a minister is to speak the truth to the ruler, and the responsibility of a minister is to faithfully carry out the ruler's commands! Yet this person tries to cloud the ruler's vision with clever wordplay, how can I not impeach him as a minister?"

"Your Highness! Your words are too harsh! I do not know the exact contents of the petition, but it is a well-known teaching of the sages that extravagance is the disease of a nation, and we must avoid it! How can you say that extravagance is better than frugality?"

"Their frugality is not frugality, but extortion! Did the sages say to give long profits? Or did they say to suck the lifeblood of the people with high-interest loans? A wealthy person who indulges in extravagance is more helpful than a miser disguised as frugal! At least they distribute their wealth!"

"You must never defend extravagance!"

"Then how will we take the wealth that is sleeping in the landlords' granaries and share it with the people?"

"We can admonish them sharply! Any scholar who has studied the classics..."

"Do they truly not know the classics to commit such wickedness? Do you know what percentage of those among them are graduates of the lower examinations and still say such things? Those who use the policy of tax exemption for those who pass the higher examinations as a means to get rich!"

"It has been a long-standing practice for the landowning scholars to give small rents and long profits! To call this a crime is truly absurd!"

"Just because it has been practiced for a long time, if we leave something wrong unattended, that is a crime! The commoners who become slaves due to high rents and interest are increasing! For the nation to rise, the number of commoners must increase, but now it is going in the opposite direction! And you want to just let it go because it has been done for a long time? And still, the Chief State Councilor claims to be a servant of this Joseon!"

"Crown Prince!"

"Enough!"

As the debate between Hyang and the Chief State Councilor escalated, King Sejong stepped in.

At Sejong's command, Hyang and the Chief State Councilor stopped their argument and bowed their heads.

Looking at the two and the other ministers, Sejong spoke.

"I understand that the two of you have diverging views, but I know that all of this is for the sake of our Joseon. However! No matter how correct an opinion may be, if it goes beyond reason, it becomes a fault! It would be best for both of you to stop here."

"We are deeply grateful."

At Sejong's reprimand, albeit not harsh, Hyang and the Chief State Councilor bowed their heads.

"The Crown Prince shall show that petition to the Chief State Councilor."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"The Chief State Councilor shall read the part of the petition that the Crown Prince did not mention."

At Sejong's command, the Chief State Councilor read the problematic part from the petition and was taken aback, bowing deeply.

"What a shocking matter! Your Majesty! This is merely the personal opinion of this individual, and does not represent the will of the entire State Council!"

"That is why the Crown Prince did not mention it. I too am the same."

"We are deeply grateful!"

At the reactions of Sejong and the Chief State Councilor, the faces of the other ministers were filled with curiosity.

Looking at those ministers, Sejong concluded.

"I will take some time to think about the handling of that individual before making a decision. Let us end here for today."

With Sejong's command, Hyang and the ministers had to leave the council chamber.

The ministers who were friendly to Hyang bowed politely to him as they left, while the unfriendly ones offered only formal bows before turning away.

At the forefront was the Chief State Councilor.

"Hey, Chief State Councilor. No matter what, he is still the Crown Prince. Are you not afraid of future troubles?"

Seeing this, the Prime Minister, who was also part of the Crown Prince faction, warned him, but the Chief State Councilor scoffed.

"Hmph! What is there to worry about when His Majesty is still in good health?"

"Isn't the problem that His Majesty is supporting the Crown Prince?"

"If I quit this position, then that is that!"

"Hey!"

"I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."

With those words, the Chief State Councilor strode away, leaving the Prime Minister clicking his tongue.

"Tsk tsk tsk... He will get himself into big trouble..."

The Chief State Councilor hurriedly headed to the State Council.

Bang!

Roughly throwing open the door to the State Council, the Chief State Councilor looked around and rushed to grab one of the officials by the collar.

"You!"

"Gah!"

As the Chief State Councilor shook the official by the collar, the other officials rushed in.

"Please calm down, sir!"

"Please relax!"

"Don't stop me! This damn fool is going to get us all killed!"

"What?"

Still holding the collar, the Chief State Councilor growled.

"Who do you think you are to talk about abolishing the Crown Prince? Who do you think you are!"

"Ugh!"

As soon as the Chief State Councilor uttered the words "abolish the Crown Prince," the officials around them quickly stepped back.

"Speak! Who do you think you are to mention abolishing the Crown Prince!"

"How can we keep someone who has abandoned Confucianism and is tainted by evil ways in the position of Crown Prince?"

"And so you mentioned abolishing the Crown Prince? You think it makes sense to abolish a Crown Prince who is only nine years old? Did you really think that was reasonable?"

"In upholding the way of the sages, what does age matter..."

"You foolish fool! To change the direction of great power, one must have the right timing, geography, and harmony among the people!

The reason His Majesty could become the Crown Prince was due to the late king's favor, which provided the right timing, and because there was someone with outstanding qualities to replace the Crown Prince, which provided the right geography. Lastly, it was possible because most of the ministers supported it, creating harmony!

But now, is there any of those three that is in place? Because of your foolish judgment, not only your life but the lives of other officials are hanging by a thread!"

At the Chief State Councilor's words, the faces of the officials around him turned pale.

However, the official who had raised the problematic petition did not back down.

"Even so, how can someone who is called a scholar say that something wrong is right? It is only natural for an official to risk his life in admonishing!"

"Is there such a foolish person!"

While the Chief State Councilor was fuming in the State Council, Hyang, who had returned to the East Palace, let out a long sigh.

"Haah~. This is why I dislike traditional historical dramas... Trendy fusion historical dramas are the best."

As he prepared for his presentation, Hyang anticipated that there would be considerable opposition and needed to prepare.

"I can only respond to their arguments with my own words, but the problem is that their specialty is to bring up ancient stories and twist them."

To win the debate, Hyang set up anticipated questions and searched through numerous classics to find appropriate idioms to use as counterarguments.

Though Hyang boasted an excellent memory through past and present lives, this preparation was not an easy task.

Whenever he grew tired of memorizing and took a break, he continued to mutter.

"Indeed, historical dramas are fusion historical dramas... They don't use difficult words..."

To soothe his weary mind and body from the debate, Hyang moved to his study to prepare his writing materials.

"Damn! Do they think they are the only ones who can write petitions!"

The next day, as the morning assembly began, an attendant from the East Palace visited the Royal Secretariat.

"What is the matter from the East Palace?"

At the inquiry of the minister, the attendant presented a tray containing a scroll.

"This is the petition from His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Gah!"

Hyang's petition was processed as a top priority and delivered to Sejong.

Receiving the scroll, Sejong placed his hand on his forehead and muttered softly.

"This child..."

Sejong had experienced that whenever Hyang moved with determination, it stirred up a storm.

"Haah~."

Sighing, Sejong unfolded the scroll and began to read the petition written by Hyang.

As the contents of the petition progressed, Sejong straightened his posture, and his face turned serious.

Finally, after reading the entire petition, Sejong looked toward the East Palace and laughed heartily.

"Hahaha!"

With a burst of laughter, Sejong felt a weight lift from his chest and handed the petition to the Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister, please read this petition."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Prime Minister's face turned red after reading Hyang's petition.

Following the Prime Minister, the Chief State Councilor also reacted similarly.

"Ugh..."

"Cough!"

Seeing the Prime Minister and Chief State Councilor groaning or clearing their throats, the other ministers could not hide their curiosity, prompting Sejong to call for the Minister of Rites.

"Minister of Rites, deliver the Crown Prince's petition to the Minister of Finance."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"The Minister of Finance should read it aloud so that everyone can hear."

"Yes? Yes..."

Hearing Sejong's command, the Minister of Finance began to read Hyang's petition in a loud voice.

"Your loyal servant, Crown Prince Hyang, writes this petition. Some officials have accused me of following the path of Legalism. They cited the downfall of the Qin state as an example.

However, through the laws of Shang Yang, the Qin became the hegemon of the Warring States period and eventually unified the Central Plains into an empire. Even after that, Shang Yang's laws remain the most fundamental laws, even as the dynasties and names of states changed in the Central Plains.

Ah, throughout the long history of the Central Plains, how many Confucian scholars have strived to fulfill the will of the sages for the completion of benevolent governance? Why did those scholars, who worked so hard, base their legal systems on Shang Yang's laws? Furthermore, was the downfall of the Qin truly the fault of Legalism?

The Qin fell because Qin Shi Huang and his ministers abandoned the right path. They extorted the people, recklessly killed innocent commoners, and abandoned the heavenly way. How could a nation not fall?

(Omitted) A great tree that does not fall in a fierce wind has strong roots, and a well that does not dry up in a drought is deep. This shows that the roots of a great tree spread wide and deep, allowing it to withstand strong winds, and to dig a deep well, one must first dig wide around it.

The methods of seeking the way and governing the state are the same. Our Joseon has just opened its doors, and only thirty years have passed.

Now that our Joseon has just taken root, to grow into a great tree that bears the flowers and fruits of benevolent governance and to become a deep well that quenches the thirst of the parched people, it must grow wide and deep.

Therefore, I believe that for the rise of our Joseon and the completion of benevolent governance, we must widely observe and accept diverse thoughts. How can the Confucians, who have strived to follow the high will of the sages, be limited to only Neo-Confucianism? Likewise, is not the ultimate goal of the various schools of thought the same?

(Omitted)"

When the reading of the petition ended, the court was silent.

The ministers, known for their chatter, did not easily open their mouths.

Such was the shocking nature of Hyang's petition.

As the silence continued, Sejong spoke.

"My child, you are quite clever, aren't you? What do you think, Prime Minister?"

"I... I think so."

Sejong, looking at the Prime Minister with a somewhat reproachful gaze, continued.

"Although the Crown Prince's petition is shocking, I believe there is much to learn from it. Therefore, I would like to hear the opinions of the ministers. Please think carefully and give me your answers."

"I will obey your command."

"Then let us take a short break before continuing."

< Chapter 29: The Changing of the Year (7) > End