It was one of the Inspector Generals, stepping forward from the ranks of officials, his face red with indignation. “We absolutely must not proceed with Her Highness Princess Mi-Reu’s plan!”

  He paused, sweeping his gaze across the assembled ministers and scholars, seeking immediate support. “Her Highness’s plan will certainly bring a great deal of immediate wealth into the government, yes. However, if we look at what has already happened in the past, if we gain a sudden, massive influx of capital, the people will inevitably drown in luxury. This dangerous pursuit of opulence will ultimately lead to tyranny, and the true moral War of the King, the pursuit of virtuous governance will become impossible to achieve!”

  “I, the Minister of Public Conduct, wholeheartedly agree with the Inspector General’s considered opinion,” another minister stated, stepping forward to align himself with the Inspector General . “How can the Royal Palace, the very source of moral righteousness in this nation, engage in the petty, low practice of mere merchants? This will undoubtedly defile Haebang’s dignity and corrupt our scholars!”

  'Damn it! I didn't think about the ideological rigidness of the Neo-Confucianism of this era!' Mi-Reu thought, her internal panic spiking. She forgot that in this era, merchants were placed at the very bottom of the social strata, a moral hazard to be tolerated, not a source of wealth for the King.

  The Inspector General pressed his attack, his voice laced with patronizing disapproval. “It seems as Her Highness, is still a child, does not yet possess a proper understanding of national affairs and high diplomacy. As such, it is entirely inappropriate for her to offer policy. We recommend that she work harder in her studies and learn properly to view governance from a Royal’s virtuous viewpoint!”

  Mi-Reu felt her throat tighten. She had no idea how to counter the scholar’s statements, which were based on centuries of accepted moral philosophy. She began to panic internally, there was no immediate rebuttal for historical moral debates in her head.

  “Father, may your son be permitted to answer the Inspector General?” Gi-Reu asked, bowing his head respectfully to the King, but simultaneously fixing the Inspector General with a straight, challenging glare that belied his age.

  “I will allow it,” King Jin-Ho granted permission immediately, sensing the escalating tension, though Queen Myeong-Hwa looked deeply concerned, fearing her son was about to walk into an ideological trap.

  “The Inspector General claims that if the Royal Treasury gains sudden wealth, the people will drown in luxury and this will inevitably lead to tyranny?” Gi-Reu asked, his young voice clear and steady as he directed the question to the Inspector General while stepping in front of Mi-Reu.

  The Inspector General bowed, accepting the premise. “That is correct, Your Highness. If we look at what happened in previous, less virtuous dynasties, this correlation is obvious…”

  “If we look at what happened in the past, the people had to squeeze out their sweat and blood to maintain that luxury,” Gi-Reu interjected, taking a bold step forward toward the official. “But tell me, is my sister Mi-Reu squeezing the sweat and blood of our people? Is she not telling us to acquire wealth from the outside, from the coffers of a rival nation’s diplomatic delegation?”

  The Inspector General quickly countered, “Even if that foreign transaction brings great immediate results, Your Highness, there is no guarantee that this influx of wealth will sustainably help our suffering people!”

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  “That may be true,” Gi-Reu conceded instantly, tapping his foot: a clear, nervous habit that Mi-Reu recognized as a sign that his young brain was panicking. “Eunuch, bring the book about geography!” he commanded, taking control of the scene. Mi-Reu was totally shocked that her twin was taking the lead in this complex political debate.

  “That book taught to us during our lessons reported to us that the Joseon Dynasty, and the ??i Vi?t Kingdom, harvested more grain per hectare than our kingdom and often had a surplus!” He used the geographical fact as a new point of leverage. “As Mi-Reu had already stated, many of our own citizens are suffering terribly from famine and acute hunger. Therefore, we must use the profits gained from the Ming Envoys to immediately purchase relief grains from those kingdoms for our people!”

  As the court buzzed at the simple, effective counter-proposal, Mi-Reu, amazed but ever-practical, subtly whispered to her twin, “Gi-Reu, those historical statistics in the book are not entirely accurate; they are rounded larger numbers for educational simplicity!”

  “Well, I only have that right now,” Gi-Reu whispered back, the haste in his voice betraying his current strategic desperation.

  “NO!” The Inspector General roared, his patience finally snapping. He looked directly at King Jin-Ho, his posture straightening with fierce, unyielding resolve, as if reciting an oath.

  “I shall borrow the sacred words of the ancient sages, the very foundation of Neo-Confucianism!” the Inspector General proclaimed, stomping his foot heavily on the mat for emphasis. “The True Way of the King means honest poverty! Both for the ruler and the people!”

  He swept his gaze dramatically toward the assembled scholars, ministers, and historians, ensuring his point resonated across the entire assembly. He continued, his voice ringing with zealous conviction: “Being content amid poverty, taking pleasure in acting honestly to build virtue! That is the only righteous path!”

  A sudden, sharp bolt of anger surged not only through Gi-Reu but also through Mi-Reu. Subtly, beneath his regal mask, King Jin-Ho's jaw clenched, a flicker of cold, hidden anger passing through his eyes. Queen Myeong-Hwa, sensing the sudden, dangerous shift in the atmosphere, softly held her husband's hand under the cover of her silk robes.

  “Did… you… Did you truly just say we should be proud of being content amid poverty and take pleasure in acting honestly?” Mi-Reu asked, her voice trembling not with fear, but with a profound, bitter frustration that overcame her usual caution. “Do you truly believe the common people genuinely want to live in poverty, Inspector General? What ‘honest poverty’ are you praising? They are simply poor!”

  She stomped her tiny foot, the sound lost in the vast room, gritting her teeth with barely contained rage. “They die of thirst in the blazing summer, they freeze in the deep winter, and they starve to death every single spring! Under such catastrophic circumstances, what virtue is there left to praise the monarch for? When there will soon be no one left alive to offer that praise?”

  Mi-Reu immediately realized she had gone overboard, directly and rudely disrespecting the fundamental ideology of the nation. She fell silent, unsure how to retreat from her outburst. The moment was ripe for her easy counter, based on her crude manners.

  But Gi-Reu again stepped forward, shielding his twin and taking the focus. “There is a saying, Inspector General: ‘Even a noble will jump over the wall if his child starves for three days!’”

  Turning with passionate intensity to face King Jin-Ho, his voice swelling with raw emotion, he continued, “There is not a single parent who would stay still when their child is hungry!” With a surge of anger swelling in his lungs, he proclaimed, his voice ringing with challenge and truth: “Isn’t the King the father of all his subjects? Shouldn’t he be the very first to do anything for them, even if it means defying tradition?”

  A heavy, absolute silence enveloped the room as Gi-Reu finished his powerful speech, the moral weight of his challenge settling upon every minister.

  “That is the truth,” Queen Myeong-Hwa added gently, speaking for the first time, a soft, encouraging smile gracing her lips. She delivered the final, decisive blow: “Inspector General, quoting the Neo-Confucian foundations of the sages is indeed commendable. But taking them as absolute, unchangeable doctrine is not quite right, is it? After all, the guiding state ideology of Haebang is Ahom-Confucianism, is it not?”