King Jin-Ho looked at them, his eyes full of paternal affection. “Tell me, my children, what is it that you wish for?”
Both twins gave each other a side eye before in unison said: "Manage our own finances!” “More Horseback Riding outside the palace grounds!”
Both twins instantly looked at each other with patent disbelief and betrayal. Mi-Reu whispered furiously to him, “Didn’t you say you wanted to horseback ride more outside? Why did you say the money part?” To which Gi-Reu whispered back fiercely, "because you need money to use the System! Didn’t you say you wanted to hold on to your old life memories? Why did you say horseback riding?”
Seeing the twins engaged in their intense, silent argument, a genuine chuckle escaped King Jin-Ho’s lips. “It is truly rare to see you two so thoroughly unsynchronized.” Tapping the arm of the throne, he was about to grant the reward. “Well then, I shall let you—”
A sudden, sharp, and authoritative voice cut through the assembly, interrupting the King.
“I shall object, Your Majesty!”
It was the Inspector General. He took a few steps forward, his head bowing respectfully, but his posture was rigid and defiant. Mi-Reu sighed inwardly 'Here we go again'. Gi-Reu mirrored her frustration. Crown Prince Yi-Joon, however, looked on with keen, intrigued interest.
King Jin-Ho stopped, his expression hardening slightly. “Why do you object to rewarding the Prince and Princess, Inspector General?”
“I understand that you wish to reward their Highnesses, but,” the Inspector General continued, looking straight at the King, “it is absolutely unprecedented to allow them to manage their own personal finances before they come of age! There is a procedure set for the Royal Family. At their young age, they will be susceptible to indulgences and will lose their way of virtue! They will abandon the rigorous path of the Monarch!”
Prince Yi-Joon spoke up, his voice measured but firm, countering the moral argument with logic. “Inspector General, what you state regarding procedure is the truth, but are you suggesting that my siblings unprecedented accomplishments do not mandate an equally unprecedented reward?” He turned to look the official directly in the eye and quoted a well-known axiom: “Plant melons, get melons; plant beans, get beans.”
He pressed this. “Does that not mean, Inspector General, that If there is merit, there must be reward; and if there is fault, there must be punishment?”
“You might be right, Your Highness, that a reward is overdue, but,” the Inspector General replied, desperately standing his moral ground, “to reward them with something so substantial that it breaks established court norms is rather unbecoming for a royal household over a frivolous achievement.”
“Frivolous?” The Minister of Finance, an elderly man raised his voice, came forward with a deep bow to the King. “Inspector General, do you even know the sheer magnitude of wealth Her Highness’s plan acquired for the royal treasury?”
The Minister stated the figure with passionate emphasis. “We secured approximately 10,000 Ming Silver Taels, which converts to around 10,000 Yang in Haebang’s treasury now!” He openly held the ledger, showing the astronomical figure. He finished passionately: “Just because the plan originated from a child does not mean the outcome is frivolous. That income has literally revived our treasury, which was completely unable to support our starving people!”
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The room was stunned into silence. The fact that the usually quiet Minister of Finance spoke out with such passion confirmed to everyone that their state had been far more dire than publicly known. King Jin-ho nodded to himself on the throne.
“Ten—10,000 Ming silver taels?” The Inspector General was utterly flabbergasted. His own annual salary was barely 300 Yang: roughly 200 Ming Silver Taels. The amount was so astronomical, paid for a mere tortoise, that he couldn't believe it was real.
The Minister of Finance continued, solidifying the twins achievement: “The royal budget is still not sufficient for long-term stability, even though it will stabilize the peasants livelihood for a short while, thanks to His Highness Gi-Reu’s quick suggestion of buying grain from the Joseon Dynasty, the ??i Vi?t Kingdom, and the Ryukyu Kingdom. If the famine continues, this reserve will still not be sufficient, but for now, it will quench any unrest and keep our people from going hungry.”
The Inspector General was lost for words. King Jin-Ho seized the opportunity and spoke.
“Do you remember, Inspector General,” King Jin-Ho asked, his voice calm and precise, “when the Minister of Rites had successfully performed the difficult ritual to please the Ryukyu Kingdom delegation, we discussed rewarding him with the Kanawa Hills as private property?”
He tapped the throne again, his voice echoing through the chamber. “You argued then that even if it was not a standard reward and broke court tradition, one must reward one with the same degree of accomplishment they have achieved for the nation.”
A heavy silence followed for a few moments, broken only by Prince Yi-Joon, who stepped forward to deliver the final blow.
“In this court, no one other than yourself, Inspector General, has displayed such wisdom and aided the Royal Court at such a young age until now.” He walked right up to the stunned official. “Do you still believe they are not worthy of such a substantial reward?”
The silence was crushing. Before the Inspector General could stammer out a reply, Queen Myeong-Hwa spoke, her voice measured, cutting through the confrontation with cool authority. “Crown Prince Yi-Joon,” she said, gaining his immediate attention. “What you argue is true, but there is still a valid, justifiable concern embedded within the Inspector General’s words. Be respectful of the wisdom in his tradition.”
Prince Yi-Joon bowed immediately, offering a sincere apology to both the Queen and the chastened Inspector General.
Queen Myeong-Hwa continued, turning her focus back to her husband, the King. “What the Inspector General states regarding adherence to established royal procedure is true, Your Majesty. We must certainly reward the young to encourage them to continue striving for the nation, but we must also ensure we do not entirely disrespect the memory of our ancestors who established these very foundations.”
The Inspector General, who had been sinking into despair, felt a profound rush of life return to him at the Queen’s diplomatic intervention. He believed this was his chance to regain footing and salvage the integrity of the court’s strict protocols.
However, Queen Myeong-Hwa continued, moving swiftly to her compromise. “As such, let us find common ground and compromise. We shall indeed allow the Twins to manage their own personal finances and stipends, granting them the freedom of their reward. However, I shall personally review their bookkeeping and financial ledgers every single month.” She added a pointed, stern look toward the Inspector General, implying that any future errors would be his moral responsibility.
“Hmm,” King Jin-Ho pronounced, stroking his beard and acting as though he were profoundly contemplating the merits of the negotiated solution. After a suitable pause, he announced, “That shall be exactly how we proceed! The Queen’s suggestion honors both merit and procedure.” He fixed the Inspector General with a final, hard gaze. “Do you still have any concerns, Inspector General, that outweigh this resolution?”
The Inspector General, realizing he had been granted an unprecedented concession while still saving face for the court’s moral code, quickly took a step back and bowed deeply. “I do not, Your Majesty! Your wisdom is absolute!”
