As Prophet - Chapter 123



Only Krnovel

Episode 123. The activities of Dojeong Lee Ki-moon

Dalcheon called the soldiers into the school building and had them rest. Rice balls and grilled meat were brought out from the kitchen. He had the hastily appointed generals inspect the soldiers’ weapons.

Under the wall, Jin Dong-hee was interrogating the enemy leader. If he didn’t answer the questions properly, he would be hit once every time, but that was not possible. Can you hit someone who is trying to tell a lie and make them tell it right away? That’s what happened to someone who was trying to tell only the bare minimum of facts.

It was unexpected that the rendezvous point after work was the well east of Lee Hyeon. It was a place I stopped by while making a round while staying overnight on my way to Hanyangseong. It was a place where water gushed out, and a wide stone wall surrounded it so that many people could get water at the same time. Even though it was night, there must have been quite a few people. Do they not think about the gazes of the good people?

It was there that they disbanded the soldiers and agreed to pay them the promised money. They agreed to receive ten silver coins per person, and if they brought him a head, they would receive a chest of silver coins as a representative.

Even though he was far away, I could hear him, so I didn’t need to report to him separately. I tempted him by saying that I wouldn’t kill him if he cooperated. I could feel his emotions wavering greatly at the word life. I thought that if I did well, I could put him in front.

The soldiers naturally accepted that this was not the end, and that they had to catch the ringleader who ordered this. They acknowledged the incident itself, not knowing that it was the crown prince or maybe the king. They thought that they had destroyed the ruffians who had come to kill the grand prince, and that the aftermath would be easier than they thought. They had no idea that if they were not careful, they could be mistaken for treason and their entire clan could be wiped out. They could only sigh when they thought about whether it was right to drag these ignorant people into this.

I imagined opening Heunginjimun, breaking down Geonchunmun, surrounding Donggung Palace, and dragging out the crown prince. Heunginjimun could only be opened with the help of those who led this, and entering the palace required a samoh (信符). Otherwise, I might have to fight 3,000 royal guards. Civilian and military officials who wore samo gakdae (a hat with a belt) were not required, but those entering on official business had to wear a samoh gakdae (a hat with a belt with a length of 2 chi 9 pun) and a samoh gakdae (a hat with a width of 2 chi 5 pun).

As Dalcheon was staring into the darkness, Dojeong Lee Gi-moon approached him.

“What are you so worried about?”

“I agree to deceive them, but I’m worried about the specific method. Will we be able to open the Heunginjimun?”

“To pass through the gate, you need a copy of the seal. The left half of the seal is split in two and is kept in the palace, while the remaining half is kept in the vertical office of each gate. It is issued by the Office of the Inspector General, and in times of emergency, the copy of the gate (the seal kept in the palace) can be compared with the seal held by the gatekeeper of the vertical office. If they match, the gate can be opened.”

“We need the advice of the Royal Secretariat.”

“Yes.”

“It’s difficult.”

Lee Ki-moon pointed to the enemy general being interrogated below.

“My guess is that he might have it.”

Dalcheon’s eyes rolled around.

“No, please tell me that in advance.”

Dalcheon’s lips moved silently. Jin Dong-hee, who was interrogating the enemy general, was startled. This was because an incredibly loud sound burst into his ears. He unconsciously turned his head around to find the source of the sound. Dalcheon was visible at the end of the training ground in front of the main shrine.

– ‘Hey, don’t look back. Search his body! See if he has the Gaemunjwabu (開門左符, left talisman)*, that is, a talisman. You need it to pass through Heunginjimun.’

* During the Joseon Dynasty, the left side of the gate opening sign used to open the city gates outside of set hours.

Jin Dong-hee immediately checked the guy’s clothes. Sure enough, there was a doormat. It was the original color of the wood. Jin Dong-hee ran up carrying the doormat.

“Here it is.”

Dalcheon smiled brightly as he watched the road.

“Wow, you were here.”

“Do you know what to say?”

“If I just show you, won’t you open it wide?”

“I must tell them that there is an urgent matter at the palace and that I have come to behead the villain.”

“Ahahaha! Well, what if it’s something like that?”

“At this point, we should assume that the goalkeeper of the vertical axis is on their side.”

“Oh! So you’re saying I have to convince him?”

“If you don’t persuade them properly, you may end up falling into a trap.”

“okay.”

The Dalcheon incident was abuzz. From afar, I heard the sound of the man who had even lost his seat in Gaemun-jwabu spitting out words. I even heard that he had received it from the Eastern Seungji of the Seungjeongwon.

After hearing Dalcheon’s mutterings, Lee Gi-moon explained further that Dongbu Seungji was very close to him as he was the one who taught the Crown Prince.

“Can you hear everything that’s going on down there?”

Dalcheon laughed again. Another charm of his is that he can turn the awkward atmosphere around with the most innocent smile possible. He waved his hand in the air with his fingers spread out. It seemed like he was going to say no, but when he saw Lee Gi-moon’s expression, he confessed the truth.

“Ahaha. I have a keen eye for detail.”

“A master is not only good at using a knife.”

“Ahahaha. It’s not really useful for daily life. It’s a great help when you’re doing bad things. Ahahaha!”

Lee Ki-moon’s face was distorted. The expression of the old man, who was usually comfortable, had changed. It seemed to have become harsh and angular, perhaps because of the flickering torches not far away.

“Then, did you hear the main building’s grumbling earlier?”

“All I heard was that they help moderately and get out when necessary. Ahaha.”

“Oh, oh, oh. Do you still trust me and entrust me with the work after hearing all that?”

“Just the amount of trust is enough. They won’t swear allegiance to me. A certain amount of cooperation is not much. Just give them the excuse of punishing the bandits who are trying to assassinate the Grand Duke, and the atmosphere of duty is enough. I don’t need them to be loyal enough to risk their lives for us.”

Lee Gi-moon was inwardly frustrated when he realized that Dal-cheon’s faith in him was very shallow. He wanted to do his best, but only moderately.

“Everyone is like that. We want to get more out of something than we put in. But the world is not made that way. The law of causality is very strict and fair. You only get what you put in. There are many cases in this society where people expect results without effort or hope for success without dedication.

“Because those who don’t have parents envy the movies of those who do. Will envy and jealousy give us another chance in this world of strict causality?”

“I think you’re insulting the main building right now… … .”

“If you know that much depth, there is no great difficulty. Just as they understand people as tools, so do I.”

“I’m just your tool?”

“It means the same thing to the elders of Dojeong.”

“Then isn’t the world too harsh?”

“I don’t think it’s right for the person who made it to say that.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll change my mind now. I actually had a burden on my mind because I mobilized the trainees. I was careful because I knew that if they did something wrong, there would be no way out. I really hoped that they would do their job well without anyone getting hurt or dying, and that the regime would change completely. I’ll change my mind now and do my job faithfully. I’m sorry. I hope you’ll think about my situation. I ask for your understanding.”

Lee Ki-moon was a person with a hot temper. When his clumsy instructions were discovered, he immediately apologized. It is not easy to admit a mistake and sincerely apologize. Sometimes, pride becomes an issue, and sometimes he hesitates because of the burden of compensation. He may lack empathy for the victim’s position, and the resulting differences in perception can make the situation more difficult.

An apology should include reflection, regret, and an admission of responsibility, as well as a promise of future compensation, and it is right to ask for forgiveness. Dalcheon was secretly touched by Lee Ki-moon’s attitude of apologizing and promising improvement right away without backtracking or trying to deny it.

“I understand. It must have been a huge adventure just to get here. In that sense, you absolutely must succeed. It means you must go all the way.”

Lee Gi-moon took a deep breath at the word “end.” Dal-cheon looked at the prince who was sitting alone in a daze. It was as if he was telling him to go and talk. Dal-cheon was the wicked one who took advantage of Lee Gi-moon who said he would do it sincerely.

“I will go.”

“Tell them to kill them all and start a new Joseon. Of course, that won’t happen just because one king has changed… … .”

“But why are you doing that?”

“At the very least, I hope we can avoid invasion by foreign enemies. We have a small army. I want a rich and powerful country.”

“Let’s talk about that later. No, if he is a true warrior of Joseon, he will agree with Jin-in’s will.”

“Oh my, please do something about that guy.”

“All right.”

Lee Gi-moon, who had difficulty refusing Dal-cheon’s explicit request, got up and went into the main hall. The light of the lantern soaked in the darkness flickered in the wind coming through the open door, which seemed to show the indecisive mind of the great general. To persuade is also to persuade oneself. Lee Gi-moon took a deep breath and spoke in front of the door.

“Mom, I’ll go in for a moment.”

The Grand Prince glanced at Lee Gi-mun and nodded slowly. He came to the Grand Prince and bowed deeply. He had been with him all afternoon, so what was he bowing to all of this? However, it was enough to lighten the mood.

“I came in because I thought you might be worried.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you conflicted between humanity and justice?”

“If I had to say so, I guess it could be said that way.”

“You can’t just pull out a sword halfway.”

“That’s important to say.”

“Would you like to stop now?”

The general nodded. Lee Ki-moon agreed with the answer that came out immediately without any thought, worry, or hesitation.

“Me too.”

“yes?”

The Grand Prince looked at him with renewed interest as he was the one who should have told him not to do that.

“I got scolded by Jin-in a little while ago. I said I was going to do it moderately.”

“what…….”

“When I lost the army, I was afraid of the punishment that would come later, so I told him to do it moderately. But it seems he heard me. Maybe it was a story that I couldn’t tell you, but I was really embarrassed. If it was going to happen, I wanted to get out and move myself to a slightly safer place.”

“Whew, who wouldn’t do that? I understand.”

“But isn’t it impossible to tell them to do that?”

“That’s true. Okay, tell me. What do you want the army to do?”

“It’s about destroying the villains, killing my brothers, and even pushing out His Majesty if necessary.”

“Is that possible? Even if it were possible, there is no one around me who can lead the political situation from now on. Everyone is on the Crown Prince’s side.”

“The biggest mistake made by those in power is to focus all their efforts on maintaining power.”

“Shouldn’t that be the case?”

“It’s a gathering of people who want to protect their vested interests. You know, what about the North? They want to leave it as it is, as long as it doesn’t affect their power. They want to leave the foreign enemies who come down dozens of times a year alone.”

“I agree.”

“There is no big reason. We need to change those who have formed a clique and are obsessed with maintaining vested interests.”

“What about the future administration of the country?”

“You just have to pick a new person.”

“Wouldn’t they become like them? I too would be anxious to maintain my throne.”

“You can kill the crown prince and make Your Majesty the new king.”

“That’s a good expression.”

“When a subject says such things, he is risking his life. Because of saying such things, nine clans will be destroyed.”

“I see. I overlooked that weight because it was not the life before me.”

“The Joseon military will agree. His Majesty ascends the throne and dreams of a rich and powerful country… … .”

“Thank you.”

“Mapil is coming now. You must decide by then.”

“Okay.”

Lee Gi-moon said nothing more, bowed again, and then walked backwards as if he were leaving Daejeon. Dal-cheon, who was sitting at the far end of the yard, licked his lips.

“Ugh!”