As Prophet - Chapter 108



Only Krnovel

Episode 108. If you have merit, you can also overcome faults. It was a quiet retreat, but the students who studied together learned about Baek Ui-hyeong. Respect was contained in the glances that passed by, and it was expressed in the form of consideration in everyday life.

“What topic are you talking about?”

“I never received it officially. I just thought, ‘What is this?’”

“Oh, it’s a koan that only exists in our country. Okay. Next time the great monk comes, be sure to tell him and receive the koan.”

“Are you a great monk?”

Yes, there was no great monk in this temple.

“Ahaha! When a great monk settles in one place and becomes famous, the people will flock to him. Then, the Confucian scholars will drive out the monks or send them into exile, claiming that they are bullying the people. It is also common for them to be killed while on their way to exile. That is why there are no large Zen halls, but rather small ones built here and there, and he appears there from time to time. He looks after your studies and also gives you topics to ponder.”

“Oh my god! This is so amazing.”

“It’s something that the outside world doesn’t know. Only we who are experiencing it know it deeply and act accordingly.”

“Oh my god! I didn’t know it would be this difficult. I thought it would just be discrimination.”

“Pride brings cruelty, so we teach humility.”

The 30-year-old monk said that although he did not say when, the great monk would come soon and that he should receive the koan then. Only then would he be able to develop faith in the koan and his studies become solid. Baek Ui-hyeong put his hands together and bowed deeply.

“thank you.”

However, after about nine days of staying in the temple, the magistrate came. Baek Ui-hyeong was studying in the meditation room. The head monk in charge of the meditation room quietly approached and woke Baek Ui-hyeong, who was still as if asleep. He came out without a sound at the silent request and told them that the magistrate had come to see him.

* * *

“What’s going on?”

After a brief greeting and a seat, the magistrate answered cautiously. The magistrate also knew that he had resigned and did not bow any further.

“I heard you were here, but I didn’t stop by.”

“I submitted my resignation. I failed… … .”

“Was it really necessary to go that far?”

“With that kind of mindset, a warrior enters the battlefield.”

“Oh, yes.”

The magistrate swallowed hard.

“By any chance, what happened to the messy students from the other day?”

“Yes, of course I took care of it. I ordered him to be disciplined and to compensate for the crime. But even Manho was harsh.”

“You can bring me to court.”

The magistrate quietly handed over an official document. It was a document with the seal of the Royal Secretariat.

“This is for Manho.”

When Baek Ui-hyeong opened the seal, he saw a letter of resignation that he had submitted, stating that he could not accept the resignation and would go to his post to do his best to protect the country, but that he was to stop by Hanyang before he left. Baek Ui-hyeong placed the document back in the room, stood up, and bowed deeply.

It felt like some invisible standard was protecting him. Even though it seemed absurd and absurd, he felt that it was some principle that flowed through the official society. The magistrate, who did not know the content, looked at Baek Ui-hyeong’s face.

“Your resignation has been rejected. You must go to your post and fulfill your duty of national defense, but before you do so, stop by Hanyang and report the situation to me.”

“Ohhh, thank goodness.”

The magistrate’s expression changed in an instant. It took less than a breath for his slightly contemptuous attitude to return to his original, extremely polite appearance.

“I was about to throw everything away and leave… … .”

“If someone like Manho were to protect the country, wouldn’t people like us in the rear be at peace?”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Wonju approached him, bowing like a slave, and poured him tea. He may have had the intention of secretly listening to the conversation between the two, but he also wanted to look good to the magistrate and reduce the pressure on the temple.

The magistrate glanced at the temple with an unwelcome gaze, as if he disliked the very existence of the temple, and did not even say a word of thanks.

Wonju joined the conversation, rubbing his hands like a careless person.

“As for the paper you mentioned earlier, we sent it in greater quantity than you mentioned.”

“hmm.”

“I’m going to set a date again to prepare it because the amount of food I made and sent you before is not enough. Please give me just a little more time. It’s supposed to be made with the soot obtained from burning pine trees as the main ingredient, mixed with glue obtained from anchovy bladders, but I couldn’t get enough anchovy bladder glue. I’m sorry. I’m ashamed.”

The magistrate’s expression distorted. This is not the place for such a conversation, but he is interfering and ruining the situation. There is a line in Hanyang, so even if you submit a letter of resignation, it will be rejected. His Majesty the King has stopped by and told you to go to your new post. Isn’t this kind of conversation truly pathetic?

“All right.”

“It has to be made in spring and fall. Good quality ink needs to be dried well, but it’s a bit difficult in the hot and humid summer. The drying process alone takes three months, and if done wrong, it will crack and warp.”

“You need to change the position of the drying frame three or four times a day.”

“Nie, Nie, I will do that. But if you give me just a little more time, I will make and offer you the amount I couldn’t make last time in the fall.”

“What are you going to do if you miss your chance now?”

“I would like to request an ending.”

Wonju, who looked like she was going to cry, bowed deeply. Meanwhile, Baek Ui-hyeong bit his lips and turned his head. I see injustice, but I can’t do anything about it. When we make people we have excluded do things that are completely unreasonable, we don’t have even the slightest sense of guilt.

It wasn’t a new thing to make temples do all sorts of annoying work. They harassed them like debt collectors even though they didn’t owe them money. If they didn’t do their work properly, they would harass them even more, and their ultimate goal was to make the monks hate the temple and leave. In this way, hundreds of temples disappeared and became empty all over Joseon. That must be why only temples in the mountains where lazy people couldn’t come remained. The temples that remained above ground had their signboards changed to something else or they were torn down and used as lumber to build other houses.

Should we call it a brutal suppression? No, the Confucian scholars created a cultural atmosphere where it was okay to do so. It was obvious to Baek Ui-hyeong, who studied poorly, that this kind of evil karma would not be able to continue in the future. Nevertheless, he must survive now, so he bows down and apologizes, and begs for leniency.

Baek Ui-hyeong sat down, half-turned.

“I saw a few monks repairing the bridge in front of the town wall the other day.”

Baek Ui-hyeong already knew that he had mobilized even the students who were studying because there were no people.

“Yes. One side of the bridge collapsed during the last rain and was dangerous.”

“They said to distribute the work fairly, but half of it was from the monks, not the commoners.”

“The people were repairing somewhere else. Ahahaha.”

“Repairing bridges, offering food, making paper, and eating roots to make a living… … Heh.”

“How could this only be the case in this town?”

“Do you think it is okay for this town to do the same bad things that other towns do?”

“All of Joseon is like that, Master Manho.”

“Yes, I know. We all do that.”

It was at that moment that Dalcheon came in while he was making a fuss. Baek Ui-hyeong flinched, and Wonju monk suddenly stood up and bowed deeply. What was the sudden change in his mind after not seeing him even once in the ten days that Baek Ui-hyeong was there? The magistrate looked back and forth between Wonju and Baek Ui-hyeong wondering who this was, and Baek Ui-hyeong explained.

“Wow, you are a true person.”

The magistrate hit his knee.

“Was it not Dalcheon but Wuheo Jinin? The person Your Majesty is looking for?”

Dalcheon had everyone sit down and took out a thickly folded document from his bosom. It was a royal edict. Dalcheon’s official title was written long and the royal seal was clearly stamped on it. It was a high-ranking title, the title of the king’s teacher.

“You see? I don’t owe the county office anything, so please don’t make me do this anymore.”

“yes?”

“I heard on the way. If everyone in Joseon does the same, then I will do the same… … . Well, I will do the same here as I did on the battlefield.”

“Huh? What are you saying… … .”

“It’s nothing special. I’m just going to kill them all and report it to Your Majesty.”

“This is customary.”

“How much does it cost? You don’t know? I’ve never bought it before, and I got it by begging for it, so you don’t know the price, do you?”

“That, that… … .”

“When you return to the capital, please return the money I have paid so far in rice equivalent. The same goes for paper. Please return it in rice equivalent to the land price of Hanyang City Hall. If you collect more from the people to procure the rice, that too will be reported.”

“Where can you find rice in this remote rural area?”

“There is something you have worked on in the fields. You can send it to the officials in Hanyang with that. You can pay with that. I understand that it is managed separately.”

“Whew… … Why are you taking the side of this temple?”

“It is the way of a man to be humble. It is not the way of a man to bow down to those in high places.”

Dalcheon put the paper with his title back in his bosom. Then he turned around and faced Baek Ui-hyeong.

“capital punishment!”

“huh?”

“If I knew this would happen, you might not believe me… … .”

“Was it so?”

“If only it weren’t so!”

Dalcheon looked at the window where the sunlight was shining dazzlingly.

“The king may have changed.”

“This guy!”

The magistrate stepped back in surprise. He thought that he should report this to Hanyang and correct the situation. But did he read that thought? Dalcheon pushed his face toward the magistrate.

“Such words should be reported to His Majesty the King.”

“yes?”

The magistrate was surprised when I said exactly what I thought.

“If the news of a king’s change goes up in the Jang Gye, it means that he will fear the people and govern well in the future. Absolute power becomes corrupt because it has nothing to fear.”

It was unclear whether he meant to submit the report in that manner or not. Baek Ui-hyeong took control of the situation.

“Your words were too harsh. Let the magistrate pretend he didn’t hear it. This is the person Your Majesty is looking for, but he insists on not going up.

However, there are some points that I have mentioned to the magistrate that must be taken care of. If not, it will be fun to see the consequences. I will be leaving for my post, but I will definitely look into it.”

Threats followed threats. The magistrate could no longer bear it any longer and pulled out a card he could use to punish the man.

“I will report to the court just as you said a little while ago. Let’s see what really happens.”

Dalcheon laughed brightly.

“Please, please do so. Especially the part about His Majesty.”

The magistrate got angry and stood up. The monk Wonju followed him, pretending to grab his sleeve as if he had committed a great sin. Baek Ui-hyeong snickered as he listened to the soothing voices as they went all the way to the mountain gate.

“Did you know this would happen?”

“If you don’t, I’ll die.”

“Oh, can’t you fix that bad speech? He may mean nothing to you, but he is a king who is revered and respected by many. Even someone of lowly status should think about how he is viewed by those below him.”

“It was my fault. I admit it.”

“I was really upset that you spoke like someone else.”

“I was trying to prevent myself from being used like that.”

“Okay, what do I do now… … .”

“There is a lot to do. There is also work to do in the mountains. I am thinking of building a new altar. I went to Yodong the other day and saw something.”

“Is this what you mean by offering sacrifices to heaven?”

“I’m just doing my best. It’s my job. And this is just a temporary measure. So it won’t be good in the long run. So… … .”

Dalcheon was careful with his words.

“So what?”

“Hmm… … You should establish merits in the front. If you have merits, you can overcome mistakes.”

“It’s my fault for not being able to take you with me.”

“Hahaha. You’ll do well.”