As soon as Woo clicked his tongue, the grand hall instantly froze solid. It was the first time Woo had clicked his tongue since ascending the throne.
Consequently, all ministers tensed up, immediately prostrating themselves on the floor while shooting sideways glances at the Minister of National Defense.
- That damn mouth of his!
- Why did he have to say that there!
“Minister of National Defense, I will ask you.”
At Woo’s voice calling his name, the Minister of National Defense squeezed his eyes shut, and the ministers’ suspicions turned into certainty.
- Just as I thought!
- Why bring up unnecessary words!
In the ministers’ judgment, the Minister of National Defense’s remark was disturbing Woo’s mind. While the ability and experience of the Grand Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor Emeritus were worthy of respect, it was clear that the current proposal regarding the canal should not be accepted.
The astronomical budget required if construction proceeded according to the proposed specifications was a problem, and the solution to it was also a problem. As the saying goes, “Too many boatmen make the boat go to the mountain”; the more countries involved with conflicting interests, the further swift and smooth processing of issues would drift away.
First of all, even the canal in the report jointly drafted by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Land and Development was of an enormous scale that could be considered beyond limits. Therefore, all ministers judged that the Minister of National Defense had spoken out of turn. Even the Minister of National Defense himself thought so. However, Woo’s reaction differed from the ministers’ expectations.
“Minister of National Defense, I will ask you.”
“P-Please ask, Your Majesty.”
“Did the Ministry of National Defense express any opinion during the drafting process of the report I received this time?”
“N-No, Your Majesty.”
“However, reflecting on what the Minister of National Defense just said, I believe the Ministry of National Defense should have intervened when drafting the report?”
“T-That is…”
“The Emperor Emeritus told me, ‘Where the Empire’s people and the Empire’s interests exist, the Imperial Army must be present. Even if it is difficult to be right next to them, they must be nearby. This is something that must be kept. Only then will the Empire’s people not suffer difficulties, and the Empire’s interests be protected.'”
“Those are c-correct words.”
“And he added this: ‘This is something all those who manage and command the Imperial Army must keep in mind.’ Did you keep this in mind?”
“I kept it in mind.”
“Then why did you remain silent when necessary? Every minister knew about the Suez Canal matter. You must have known it too, and if you kept those words in mind, you should have volunteered to intervene first. Yet why did you remain silent?”
“T-That is…”
At Woo’s rebuke, the Minister of National Defense broke out in a cold sweat searching for an answer, but no easy answer came. Seeing the Minister of National Defense like that, Woo’s expression grew even fiercer.
“Why was that? I personally think you knows the reason. Did you not want to make an enemy of the Ministry of Finance? Did you think that needlessly intervening in a project requiring an astronomical budget and antagonizing the Ministry of Finance would cause trouble later? Since I also had tug-of-wars with the Ministry of Finance regarding budgets more than once or twice during my days as Crown Prince.”
“T-That is not it.”
“Even if you say no with words, didn’t your actions say otherwise? Minister of National Defense, do you place the Ministry of Finance above me?”
At Woo’s question, the Minister of National Defense was startled and bowed his head deeply, raising his voice.
“N-No, Your Majesty! This subject has never harbored such disloyal thoughts! Please understand!”
As soon as the Minister of National Defense finished speaking, the Minister of Finance bowed his head and raised his voice.
“Your Majesty! It is true that this subject’s ministry has many disputes with other ministries over budget issues! However, this is merely an expression of loyalty for Your Majesty and the Empire; we have never looked down on other ministries or acted arrogantly! Please understand!”
However, Woo’s reaction was utterly cold.
“Then, what is the reason for excluding the Ministry of National Defense when drafting this report? Isn’t it the current Ministry of Finance that is rumored to have ‘people more versed in military tactics, strategy, and military science than most generals’? If they possess such insight, they should have been able to reach the judgment of the Minister of National Defense, even if not the level thought of by the Grand Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor Emeritus? Or an opinion that the Ministry of National Defense’s words should also be heard would have emerged. Yet, looking at the list of drafters of this report now, there are names of officials from the Ministry of General Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Land and Development, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no Ministry of National Defense. How did this happen?”
At Woo’s point, the Minister of Finance bowed his head and answered.
“This subject was incompetent and could not oversee properly! Please forgive me!”
“Tsk tsk! Prime Minister!”
At Woo’s call, the Prime Minister tensed up and answered immediately.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“The Empire’s Prime Ministers have come from the Ministry of General Affairs for generations. What is the reason?”
“T-That is… I believe it is thanks to the high regard successive Emperors have had for us.”
“Wrong. It is because of the work the Ministry of General Affairs is entrusted with. If the Royal Secretariat is my hands and feet, the Ministry of General Affairs is my avatar. Examining state affairs on my behalf and finding decent answers is the Ministry of General Affairs’ job. What is state work like? Rarely does one ministry take charge and do it from beginning to end. Most state work requires at least two or three, and at most almost all ministries to join forces to find an answer. Is that not so?”
“It is so.”
“When working together like that, it is natural for conflicts to arise between ministries. Every time this happens, stepping in to prevent disputes and make things run smoothly is the Ministry of General Affairs’ job. Correct?”
“Correct.”
“That is why the Prime Ministership is entrusted to a former Minister of General Affairs. Selecting suitable ministries to solve the immediate problem and assigning tasks is the Prime Minister’s job. Isn’t it?”
“That is indeed the Prime Minister’s job.”
“Then, shouldn’t the Prime Minister have stepped forward first and included the Ministry of National Defense in this Suez Canal matter as well? What kind of region is Suez? Have you forgotten how much profit the Empire reaps from there?”
“This s-subject was incompetent…”
“Hmph! Incompetent?”
Woo scoffed and cut off the Prime Minister.
“Not incompetent, but negligent! Since you only have a few more years to work before retirement! You just want to live leisurely, spending today like yesterday and tomorrow like today, don’t you!”
“N-No, Your Majesty! This subject has absolutely never harbored such disloyal thoughts! Please understand!”
“Understanding, my foot! You say no with your mouth but act otherwise, so what is there to understand! The Emperor Emeritus told me this: ‘The inside of the Empire may seem like a reign of peace, but reefs jut out from anywhere. Never relax your mind! And if the inside is like this, how would the outside be? In general, rulers must approach examining the country with the mindset of walking on thin ice every single day.’ Yet, look at your behavior now! You are moving not as if walking on thin ice, but as if walking on a well-paved highway. Can I, and the subjects of the Empire, live with peace of mind trusting such ministers!”
At Woo’s rebuke, starting with the Prime Minister, all ministers had no choice but to bow their heads.
“Please forgive your subjects’ incompetence!”
“Please pardon our sins!”
“Before asking for forgiveness, shouldn’t you have not created a situation to ask for forgiveness!”
“We apologize!”
“For what reason were you given honor, high salaries, and shared power? Yet is this what returns! Is it this kind of thing!”
At Woo’s rebuke, the Prime Minister stepped forward and pleaded.
“There will never be such a thing again! Never! So please, Your Majesty, appease your anger!”
Scoffing roughly, Woo ordered the ministers.
“Rewrite and submit the report on the Suez Canal. I will give you three days. You must verify the validity of the proposal submitted by the Grand Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor Emeritus and accurately determine whether to accept it or not. If yes, clearly write how much more the budget will increase, and what the pros and cons are of involving Ming and Japan. The same goes for the opposite case. You must write the reasons clearly so that even a child could understand immediately!”
“We will do exactly as commanded!”
“Keep in mind that I gave you three days!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“And, organize and submit records on various policies and tasks carried out by two or more ministries joining forces! The period to examine is three years before my enthronement and after!”
At Woo’s order, the Prime Minister asked cautiously.
“Um, Your Majesty. The part three years before enthronement was already inspected last time?”
“Wasn’t the last inspection a ministry-specific inspection? This time it is joint tasks, so the nature is different! Do not make hasty excuses! That is why I called you negligent!”
At Woo’s rebuke, the Prime Minister pulled his head into his shoulders and answered.
“I will organize and submit it as quickly as possible.”
“I will give you fifteen days!”
“But, Your Majesty…”
“Fifteen days!”
“I will organize and submit it within fifteen days.”
“Tsk! That is all for today!”
As Woo clicked his tongue and left the court, the Prime Minister and ministers exited Geunjeongjeon Hall with exhausted faces. And the scribe who recorded all this added the following words:
- The scribe says:
- Catastrophe has struck the Street of Six Ministries. However, since this is a self-invited catastrophe, who can be blamed?
***
As the scribe said, catastrophe struck the Street of Six Ministries.
“What kind of bolt from the blue is this!”
“Even a bolt from the blue has limits!”
The grand officials who entered Geunjeongjeon Hall with peaceful faces just this morning returned with faces fit to be carried out as corpses. Seeing this, the officials felt a chill down their spines and an ominous premonition began to creep in.
- I’ve never seen faces like that before!
- This is big trouble! Who caused an accident again?
And what followed made the officials even more anxious.
“Sir, the Minister calls for you.”
“…Phew~. Understood.”
The summoned executives entered the Minister’s office with the feelings of a calf being dragged to a slaughterhouse. As soon as the executives entered the Minister’s office, the surrounding officials tensed up, wondering how loud the shouting would be. The louder the shouting from the Minister’s office, the bigger the sparks that would fall on them.
However, only murmuring noises came from the Minister’s office, no shouting. The officials became even more anxious at the unusual situation. A while later, the faces of the executives coming out of the Minister’s office were just as wasted as the Ministers’ faces.
“Go to the Office of Records immediately.”
“The Office of Records?”
“Yes. Go, find and pack all records of policies and tasks where our ministry collaborated with other ministries. Up to 5 years before His Majesty’s enthronement. I give you five days.”
At the executives’ order, the subordinates wanted to ask ‘Why?’ but had to forcibly hold it back. The expressions of the executives giving the order now were too bad.
- One wrong move and they look ready to raise hell and drag us all down to death!
Grasping the atmosphere, the subordinates immediately withdrew from their seats and escaped to the Archives.