As Prophet - Chapter 102



Only Krnovel

Episode 102. Taebaek and Hanyang

“They want to build a shrine in this town, but it doesn’t seem to be a good place. It’s a mountainous area and not very populated. The land isn’t very large either. How can a shrine be built in such a place? That’s why they’re targeting this place.”

“What are you going to do by making a vow in this mountain? Oh my!”

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll take wood and stones.”

“Whew… … . Even though I know what you’re thinking, I can’t help but just sit by and take it.”

“For now, the task is to procure grain to feed the monks who are studying.”

“Oh, you should have prepared in advance.”

“I did. But they said they were having some kind of banquet and told me to make rice cakes, so I made them and offered them to them… … Hehe. Fortunately, it was said that it was a banquet for the elders of the town. His Majesty told us to treat the elders of the town well as a courtesy. It was supposed to be done once a year, but after a few more, our livelihood was in shambles.”

“You have split the cost with the temple. Is the problem with the county magistrate?”

“It’s not just the magistrate. The so-called scholars are coming around and harassing us. It’s beyond words.”

“Hahaha.”

“There’s a reason why that Jinmok guy was acting up earlier. I stopped him several times when he was about to fight because he was so angry.”

“You said it because you were a monk?”

“Yes. There was a great monk with great powers in the west… … The people followed him, so one of them made a petition. The king could do nothing about it and exiled him to the far south. It is said that he passed away on his way south. I do not know how he passed away. He remained here.”

“He failed to keep it.”

“It seems that he caused trouble by secretly following the exile procession, and the angry soldiers attacked the great monk. From that day on, he suffered from a coma and passed away. So he blamed himself… … I don’t know why the world is like this.”

Young Dalcheon sighed. It was a simple life in the mountains, so having a large temple below would be helpful. It was a small thing, but it was really necessary, and it seemed like it was no longer possible to do that. As he sighed in loneliness, Monk Wonju changed the subject.

“Now, now, tell me a story that is popular in the secular world. Have you beaten up a lot of bad guys?”

“Oh, no. I was the one who got hurt. I ran away because it didn’t work out. I thought there was no point in doing this anymore, so I came back to the main building.”

“You were in the military, right?”

“Participating in the last Imjin War, um… … it gave me an opportunity to think about my duty as a mountain man. So I ran a school, taught children, and helped adults pass the military service examination, but that also made me have to be mindful of the world.”

Dalcheon told a vague story of the past. When he removed specific names of people and places, it sounded like just another old story. It sounded like someone else’s story, an ordinary fact without any human suffering. He talked for quite a long time, and the afternoon sun was setting.

I ate with them at their suggestion to eat before leaving. It was a shabby meal with a little rice in a bowl and a few vegetables on the side, but I ate it deliciously. The new monks I didn’t know were eating in a hurry and leaving, and I felt bad because they seemed to be watching people’s reactions. The monks were also our people, so I felt frustrated. I left the world and went to the mountains, but I couldn’t completely get away from worldly affairs. Their influence reached even here.

“So, what do you plan to do now, my lord? Are you going to live as the master of this mountain?”

Dalcheon smiled brightly.

“That’s what I’m thinking. Ah! I’m planning to stop by Jirisan, where they say there was a great awakening.”

“Ah! I’m curious too. The fact that someone like that came out during these difficult times could be a new opportunity to live in the future. It’s hard to put into words. So it’s hope for us.”

“It is best to hide it well, hide it deeply, and get away from their sight. Don’t show it. I might stab you with a knife to see if you realize it.”

“That’s right. That guy from earlier was like that too, so I’m planning on sending him there. He’s a strong-willed and excellent monk.”

“You seem to be quite old… … .”

“Yes. I am thirty in worldly age. I have been a monk for over fifteen years.”

When Dalcheon tries to pull away, Wonju catches him again. It seems he was bored.

“Do you need anything?”

“I went to the market today and bought a few things. I was trying to buy rice, but the monk I met earlier threatened to take it away, so I couldn’t get it.”

“Hahaha!”

The monk Wonju opened the side door and called outside to have two sacks of grain brought in. Dalcheon declined, but he insisted that he would not starve to death without a few sacks, and gave him a bundle anyway.

“We have received much help from the Master of the City. We cannot turn away from him. Please go and take good care of him and settle down. I will tell you, so if you need anything else, please let me know.”

“thank you.”

“Wooden Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.”

When Dalcheon came out through the back door instead of the main gate, the old man greeted him with a smile.

“Hehehe. I knew you were coming.”

“What are you doing?”

“Stay still. Why are you going?”

“yes.”

“Yeah, come again.”

Bulmokhani followed Dalcheon to the gravel field. He jumped up the mountain in a flash, out of sight. He ran in one breath, a distance that would take an hour or more for an ordinary person to climb, and returned home.

Another day has come to an end. There are so many things to do in a mountain hermitage. He knows that he can’t have everything perfectly. Dalcheon hung the newly purchased items on the ledge under the roof and started studying right away.

I lit a lamp and took out a book, but there wasn’t enough oil. I should have stopped by the oil market, but I forgot. I couldn’t read because I had no oil… … After reading for a while, I turned off the light early and sat down in the darkness.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Seungjeongwon, who had received the report from the county magistrate, immediately reported the news to the Do Seungji. The Do Seungji, who had come out early and was sitting at his study table, let out a sigh. This was because the question of whether it was right to report the affairs of the mountain Taoist priests directly to the king was weighing heavily on his mind.

The many things that the king had forcefully pushed upon Sanin came to mind again. It was clearly a matter of wrong judgment on the part of the king.

“What should I do?”

The Eastern Seungji asked for my opinion, but since I hadn’t made up my mind yet, I asked back.

“What do you think?”

“It’s an urgent matter, but the order has been given to find the mountain man, and I have submitted a report on it, so it should be brought up as an urgent matter. Discussing this is another matter.”

“Are discomfort about an issue and reporting on work separate things?”

“Yes. Isn’t that the reason for the existence of Seungjeongwon?”

“If His Majesty’s tyranny continues… … .”

The Eastern Seungji cut off the Do Seungji’s words.

“We won’t find it anyway. Even in this report, it says that we almost caught it but lost it.”

“It is certain that it is in the nearby mountains. His Majesty will give further instructions to find it.”

“Are you not planning on showing it at all?”

“That can’t be. Phew.”

“If you put it at the very bottom before the funeral, you might not see it all. Please ask the eunuch in charge of the funeral.”

The Do Seung-ji smiled faintly. Although he looks closely at state affairs, there are many cases where he cannot read everything. In many cases, useless things block the work that needs to be done. Important and urgent things should be put on top, but this is not always the case. It is not uncommon for documents that the king does not want to read to be placed at the bottom. This is usually done when personnel matters are involved, and it definitely has the effect of delaying work.

“Please do so.”

“Okay, I understand.”

The Eastern Seungji took the county magistrate’s report to the Pyeonjeon and secretly asked the Daejeon Naegwan for a favor. The Seungjeongwon reviewed it once, but it was natural for the Daejeon Naegwan to review it again. He even asked(?) to put it at the bottom while deliberately rolling it up to read.

The king, who came out early, began to review the documents and process them one by one. There was still time left until the Sangcham, but he would not be able to read them all. It was because he had a habit of reciting each word out loud, even though he did not have dyslexia. He muttered quietly as if he was talking to himself, but it was bound to be slower than reading with his eyes. The eunuch of the royal palace pushed the documents the king was reading, causing the document at the bottom to roll to the side. He placed them at the bottom as requested, but he made sure that the king noticed them.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

The king tried to stop him from quietly rebuilding the castle. The eunuch of Daejeon would not make such a mistake. There must be a reason.

“Okay. Just leave it.”

I turned over the document I was reading.

“Instruct me to report back on the outcome of this matter.”

“Hey, hey.”

When the king saw him pick up the documents that had rolled aside, the eunuch stepped back from the throne and put a small piece of paper with the words, “Re-report the results,” in it and knelt down in front of him. The king sighed in delight.

“Oh, you found them in Taebaekhyun but you missed them? Just let these guys go! No, no. They’re not the type of people you’d catch like that.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Have you read it?”

When the king asked the eunuch, he put down the document containing the note and bowed down.

“Yes. I only read the beginning.”

“What should I do with these guys? They’re missing me.”

“How can I catch him? He is a master of the ultimate.”

“They say he jumped over the fence and escaped.”

“That’s right.”

“What should I do?”

The Daejeon Naegwan raised his head.

“I already knew where it was. I already reported to you that I was going to Taebaeksan. Yes.”

“Yes, you did.”

“If we can’t chase after him and catch him, how about making him come down?”

“how?”

“I was thinking that it would be a good idea to invite the mountain people and hold a banquet, like the Palgwanhoe.”

“Palgwanhoe? They’ll notice right away. Only other people will come.”

“I am sorry. For now, it would be better to ask the county magistrate to come up with a solution. They say he came down to get what he needs. He will come down again. The reason why the hermits who live in the mountains cannot help but come down is because of the need. You may have just gone and taken care of what you lack, but there will be something else missing. If he comes down again, you must not miss it.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“What can you do with a master? You have to say that you understand everything.”

The answer is not satisfactory. It is not right. Aren’t these managers just saying whatever they want? They are the kind of people who would sell out their wives if it meant avoiding the current difficulties.

“and?”

“I think it would be a good idea to send the Grand Prince.”

“The great general?”

The king frowned. He hated the very idea of ​​calling him a covetous man for the throne. He hated the idea of ​​him being connected to Dalcheon. If the Grand Prince leaves, they will have spent time together… … The king suddenly slapped his knee.

“Where is that death sentence, Baek Ui-hyeong, who passed the military service examination this time?”

“Yes! I went to Hoeryong for my new post last month.”

“I guess I can just call him.”

“There will be strong opposition from the ministers if we remove the commander from the battlefield.”

“Hmm, the front… … . In this peaceful world, where is there such a thing as the front and the rear? Isn’t there also a good system called the Gail?”

“How about ordering Baek Sa-ban to do it instead?”

“It seems like there’s quite a lot of work to do at the Ministry of War… … .”

“If sending the person who had a close relationship with the obstetrician is the answer, how about sending both of them?”

“Ugh.”

The king swallowed his sigh. The eunuch watched the situation closely and then came to a conclusion.

“I will appoint a deputy commander of Hoeryeongjin.”

“Order him to go to Taebaek and find Sanin Dalcheon. I will discuss it with Baek Sa-ban separately.”

“debriefing!”

The Daejeon eunuch stepped back and inserted a note with the words, ‘Hoeryeongjin Cheomjeoljesa Baek Ui-hyeong Taebaek’ into the document and handed it over.