Ten days later, the Chief Minister reported to King Sejong.

"Your Majesty, the Song merchants have presented thirty pairs of cattle."

"Thirty pairs? Why?" At the King's question, the Chief Minister explained the reason.

"They offered them in hopes that it might help with the cowpox vaccination being implemented by the state."

Upon hearing this, Sejong's face brightened.

"Is that so? I must meet them personally."

"Your Majesty! Meeting with a lowly merchant directly would tarnish your dignity!" The Chief Minister tried to dissuade him, but Sejong snorted and stood up.

"Hmph! That lowly merchant has presented thirty pairs of cattle that even the ministers would not offer! Who is truly tarnishing my dignity, I wonder?"

The Chief Minister fell silent at Sejong's retort, and the King left the throne room with the guidance of the ministers and attendants.

In the large courtyard in front of the throne room, merchants stood in a line.

"Your Majesty has arrived!" At the shout of the attendants, the gathered merchants all bowed deeply and performed a grand bow.

"Rise."

At Sejong's command, the merchants stood up respectfully, hands clasped.

"So, you have presented cattle?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. We heard rumors that you needed cattle for the cowpox vaccination, so we decided to offer them."

"Thirty pairs of cattle is no small amount of wealth. What made you think of such a thing?"

"If there is no one to use wealth, it is of no use, and if the people are not at peace, trade cannot flourish."

The merchant's answer made Sejong clap his knees in admiration.

"A foolish question met with a wise answer!"

Impressed by the merchant's response, Sejong glanced at the ministers who followed him and muttered for them to hear.

"If the people are not at peace, trade cannot flourish. Is that not much better than those who sit comfortably and only speak?"

The ministers had no retort to Sejong's indirect criticism.

After putting the ministers in their place, Sejong turned to the merchants standing in the courtyard.

"So, you offered cattle for the cowpox vaccination?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. We have brought thirty pairs, both male and female, and they are all fully grown. Moreover, none of them have ever suffered from cowpox."

"Haha! Truly meticulous! Indeed! If they have never suffered from cowpox, they will be a great help! You have provided such significant assistance for the nation's affairs; do you have any requests? Do you wish for an official position? Or something else?"

At Sejong's question, the merchant bowed his head and replied, "A lowly merchant like me would not dare to seek an official position. I have merely done what I can as a citizen of Joseon, so how could I ask for a reward? If I have a small wish, it is that my family members all live in Gaeseong. Thus, when you expand the cowpox vaccination, I hope you will start with Gaeseong."

Pausing for a moment, the merchant glanced at Sejong and the ministers before adding, "It is merely a small wish of a lowly merchant who knows only how to trade."

"There is much debate about the effectiveness of cowpox vaccination. Yet, you are confident that it will indeed work?"

"As a father, who would not wish for their child's safety? And since it is a matter decided by your wise Majesty, is there any need for doubt?"

Sejong burst into laughter.

"Haha! Very well! I will issue an order to start with Gaeseong!"

Upon hearing Sejong's confirmation, the merchants immediately bowed down and shouted loudly, "Your grace is boundless!"

"Your grace is boundless!" As the merchants expressed their gratitude, the Crown Prince entered the courtyard.

"Have you come, my son?"

"Yes."

Sejong pointed to the merchants.

"Are they not truly admirable citizens?"

"Indeed, Father. I wish to express my gratitude to them. May I do so?"

"Of course."

"Thank you very much."

With Sejong's permission, the Crown Prince stepped down the stairs and walked towards the merchants.

As he approached, the merchants all bowed in unison.

"We greet the Crown Prince!"

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

The sight of the young child speaking with such formality was amusing, but the merchants were too tense to notice.

The Crown Prince walked up to the merchant and took his hand.

"Thank you very much."

"Oh! To hold the hand of such a lowly merchant! What an honor!"

"These are the hands of those who do their best in their trade; what is wrong with that? Rather, they are truly precious hands."

The merchant, deeply moved by the Crown Prince's words, bent his waist in gratitude.

"What an honor! What an honor!"

"Neither my father nor I will criticize you for working hard. We will not look down on you for being merchants. However, I must ask one thing: please walk the righteous path. As long as you do not seek to gain wealth at the expense of others, you will not suffer persecution simply for being merchants."

At the Crown Prince's request, the merchant replied loudly, "I will keep that in mind!"

After meeting the King and Crown Prince, the merchant returned to the palace with a satisfied expression.

"A wise ruler has emerged. Two wise rulers, in fact."

"Indeed."

"I have heard much about Your Majesty's extraordinary nature, but the Crown Prince is also remarkable. Though our meeting was brief, he is certainly no ordinary person. I had only heard rumors about the talent competition, and thought him merely an eccentric..."

The merchants accompanying him added their thoughts.

Nodding at their words, the merchant turned his body.

"Let us hold onto a little hope. If the palace's master possesses such character, we may be able to traverse the four seas like our ancestors."

"Yes, esteemed merchant."

Walking the path with a pleased expression, the merchant suddenly grew serious.

"Now that I think about it... the Crown Prince is like that, but why is my grandson such a troublemaker! Ugh! It makes my blood boil!"

As the merchant grumbled about his troublesome grandson, someone behind him muttered softly, "It's because the seeds are different..."

"Shh!"

The rumor that "the Song merchants offered cattle to the king" spread quickly.

"Just as expected, it's the Song merchants."

"Who would have thought they were merchants?"

"Though they are merchants, look at the results. They say the cowpox vaccination will start from Gaeseong."

As the people discussed the rumors, they began to talk about the local gentry in their village and nearby areas.

"It's not just the Song merchants. Have you heard about the cattle from Gamgol's Kang Jin-sa?"

"Why, what about Kang Jin-sa?"

"They say he has brought five pairs of cattle that have never suffered from cowpox to offer."

"Really?"

"It's not just Kang Jin-sa. They say Choi Saeng-won from Narutgol is also busy looking for cattle."

Hearing this, a farmer cursed.

"What the hell! What is our local gentry doing while all this is happening?"

"It seems he is too busy with his concubine's rear end since last autumn."

"Seriously... he doesn't move a muscle when it comes to his own wealth, but he is busy when it comes to filling his own belly."

"That gentry only spends money when buying silk to cover his concubine's rear end... our fate is truly unfortunate."

As the rumors spread, the gap between the local gentry and the common people gradually widened.

Of course, those gentry who had taken the initiative to offer cattle and had written petitions for the nationwide implementation of cowpox vaccination received the absolute support of the people in their town.

However, such gentry did not make up more than thirty percent of the entire nation.

After receiving reports from the local officials and petitions, Sejong glared at the ministers.

"What did you say before? That the state should not interfere in the small matters of the countryside? That harsh governance is worse than a tiger?"

Under Sejong's reprimand, the ministers of the anti-Crown Prince faction, including the Chief Minister, had to bow their heads.

"We are sorry!"

The ministers bowed their heads, seeking forgiveness, but Sejong could not hide his anger and waved his hand.

"Enough! Prepare for the nationwide implementation of cowpox vaccination."

"Your Majesty, but our finances are not in good shape for such a nationwide implementation."

"Did we not decide to collect taxes from the local gentry to address the financial issues?"

"If we collect taxes without the effectiveness of cowpox being confirmed, the aristocrats will rebel..."

"Shut your filthy mouth!"

Sejong exploded at the continued opposition from the Chief Minister.

His words, not even polite, echoed through the hall, freezing the atmosphere.

Sejong roughly rummaged through the petitions and reports placed on the table.

Grabbing a report, he threw it at the Chief Minister.

"Hypocrisy! Hypocrisy!

I have only heard the term, but now I see it right before my eyes! Do you know what that report is? It is about the cowpox vaccination implemented in Hanyang!

Not a single one of you ministers has not participated in the cowpox vaccination.

Not one!

If you have a mouth, make an excuse! You all have taken the initiative to vaccinate your families but say that the effectiveness is unknown, so do not implement it nationwide?

You hypocrites! Ugh!

I cannot stand the sight of you! I will personally take charge of this matter, so do not open your mouths!

Financial issues?

If there is a lack of funds, I will take the salaries and properties of you ministers and the officials of the Office of Special Advisors! You all will be done after receiving that grand gift a few times! Get out of my sight!"

With Sejong's furious shout, all the ministers, starting with the Chief Minister, bowed their heads to the ground and cried out, "Please kill us!"

"Your Majesty! Please kill us!"

"Get out now!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Ugh! I would rather leave myself!" Unable to contain his anger, Sejong stormed out.

"Your Majesty!"

The ministers called out in unison, but Sejong did not look back and left the hall.

The ministers remaining in the hall all turned their blame towards the Chief Minister.

"How could you, as Chief Minister!"

"How could you not distinguish between what to say and what not to say? Have you gone senile?"

"..."

Under the concentrated fire of the ministers, the Chief Minister kept his eyes closed and remained silent.

However, his red face and trembling beard spoke volumes about his emotions.

Leaving the Chief Minister behind, the ministers sought a solution.

"What should we do now?"

In response to the question from the pro-Crown Prince faction's Minister of Interior, the Minister of Finance replied grumpily, "What else is there to do? We must offer a formal apology! After that, we need to come up with a plan for nationwide implementation."

"That would be the best course of action."

The Minister of Finance glared at the Chief Minister and spoke as if to make him listen.

"My knees are already aching, and now we must offer a formal apology! In this harsh winter! Do you have any sense at all? Ugh! Let’s go!"

"Let’s go."

With the Minister of Finance leading the way, the pro-Crown Prince faction ministers hurriedly exited the hall.

The anti-Crown Prince faction ministers, who had only been observing, soon followed them out, leaving only the Chief Minister, the royal historian, and the scribes in the hall.

The Chief Minister, left alone with his eyes closed, let out a long sigh.

"Hoo~. I have lived too long. Too long."

The commotion in the hall quickly reached the ears of the Crown Prince.

"So, where did Father go?"

"His Majesty went to find the Queen."

"I see. Thank you for your hard work."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After sending off the attendant, the Crown Prince sighed softly.

"Hoo~. Have the ministers in the hall lost their ability to learn? After all they have experienced, they should know how to avoid trouble by now... Or are they still engaged in a power struggle?"

The Crown Prince's doubts were shared by the pro-Crown Prince faction ministers as well.

"Minister! Minister!"

The Minister of Finance, preparing for a formal apology, turned at the urgent call of the Minister of Interior.

"What is it, Minister?"

At the Minister of Finance's question, the Minister of Interior caught his breath and spoke.

"The Chief Minister is writing a petition stating that it is wrong for the King to exercise authority!"

"What?!"

At the Minister of Interior's words, the Minister of Finance stood up in shock.

"Has this man truly lost his mind?"

< Chapter 31: The Offering of Cattle (9) > End