As Prophet - Chapter 19



Only Krnovel

Episode 19. Baekgajang in Yangju

“I want to go to the mountain.”

“Go! I already told Master. So even if you go back, Master will tell you to go down again.”

“Huh? How dare you use such a cowardly trick.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Hanyang is now a place of Bokmajeon. I can’t guarantee the safety of the magistrate Na-ri who goes there without knowing anything. I really need you. That’s why I’ve sent a letter to the elders of the main mountain and told them in advance, so don’t even think about going back.”

“This is my life.”

The word life made Bi-jang chuckle.

“I want to change it to the word ‘our happiness’… … .”

“this.”

“The Baek family has also decided to actively support this. This trip to Hanyang is a long-cherished wish of the family. For a long time, there were no successful candidates in the civil service examination, and even if they did pass, they were only transferred to local government posts, so it was difficult. With this achievement, they are finally going up… … . Hmm, and it seems that Hanyang is also keeping an eye on you.”

“yes?”

“I exchanged it for a reward for the magistrate, Nari, but your inaction has been re-evaluated. I was instructed to bring you up, saying that you are a much-needed warrior. Since you are young, you cannot expect to be given an official position, but I was told that I will use you heavily if you bring me up.”

Most of my life is going by my own will, but most important decisions are made by chance and depend on the decisions of others. And I think that my life is decided by me. But in reality, we can only choose one of the two options available at that time. Three, four, or more possible options are not lined up in a row like a card draw.

“this.”

“What is this?”

“There are no options at all.”

“So, brace yourself and prepare. Didn’t the Master say that you should study the world for at least three years?”

“Master? When?”

“When, when? That’s what I heard when I asked.”

“You’re so busy, when did you go to the mountain?”

“Can you not do important things just because you’re busy?”

“oh my god…….”

Dalcheon couldn’t say anything anymore, and he hunched his shoulders and stumbled out of the Bijangcheong. Oh my! I had already stopped by the main temple to persuade my master, so I had no other choice. Was it wrong to think that I had a choice in the first place?

As I turned around, I could still hear the death penalty’s sinister laughter behind me. If this was the case, then all my worries had been for naught.

* * *

He thought it would take a long time to resign because he was lacking in many things, but it took less than ten days because he had contributed to the last rebellion. He turned down the suggestion of the elders of the county to erect a monument to commemorate him and headed to Hanyang.

It was a simple procession consisting of only two servants of the magistrate who had just taken office and two secret officers. Since it was not a short distance, they prepared horses according to the number of people and headed to Hanyang. Since they were government officials, they used guest houses in each county and post stations on the official road, so the trip was very comfortable. They walked for more than two weeks to take the state examination, but they completed the journey in a few days.

Dalcheon, who arrived in Yangju, was assigned a quiet room on one side of a large house like a manor of a family. It was a treatment incomparable to the room at the end of the servants’ quarters of Bijangcheong. The family members treated him like an important guest of the household, which seemed to be due to the last Imjin War.

When he politely greeted the elder, the magistrate’s father, the elder ran down barefoot, grabbed Dalcheon’s shoulder, and repeatedly thanked him. Embarrassed, Dalcheon lowered his head and turned around, so the magistrate pushed the elder away and went inside. The magistrate’s daughter, Baek I-jeong, whom he had seen before, personally guided him to the room and introduced him to the slave in charge of that area. The slave kept bowing, and the face of the person facing him was so embarrassing.

I unpacked in the room. The floor, which was covered with yellow oil paper, was so clean that it was embarrassing to step on. There was a black wooden sword stand and a human-shaped armor stand. There were several volumes of martial arts on a small bookshelf. A bedding was placed on a small piece of furniture, and it had been newly covered with a cloth. There was also a small stool and a lamp holder, and everything was as clean and shiny as new. It was incomparable to the room of the secret room where only a pile of quilts was thrown.

After unpacking and putting away my personal belongings, I went out and found a slave waiting for me.

“No, you don’t have to wait here.”

“He said to make sure that nothing is uncomfortable.”

“I’m going to look around since it’s my new place to live.”

“I will guide you.”

A young slave who was a little under thirty greeted me politely and guided me to the back room.

“The reason I chose this room is because it is a little small, but it is because of the support here. It is a space where Musa Nari can move around easily.”

The empty space, surrounded by a low wall, lay wide as if it had been prepared for him. The weeds had been removed and the ground had been compacted firmly, so it was clean as if work had been done today. Dalcheon lowered his body and placed his palm on the ground. He could faintly feel the vibration of the new place. People were busily moving around and the various conversations were close enough to touch, but when they stopped, the surroundings were very quiet.

“Are there any houses around here?”

“Yes, there is a village, but it is quite far away.”

“Why are you building a house in a place like this?”

“They say the old man two generations above liked quiet and peaceful places. If you go down there, you can see where the Han River meets.”

“Oh.”

Dalcheon got up and was guided around the house. The servants he met along the way bowed respectfully. He was guided to the Sarangchae, the Haengrangchae, the entrance to the Anchae, and the annex. The long Haengrangchae, which connected the stable and the warehouse, was connected like a wall. The building was built on a stone wall that was built to the height of a person’s waist instead of directly on the foundation stone, making it look sturdy.

“They say the stones placed outside are to prevent intrusion from the outside.”

Dalcheon laughed vaguely. He thought that it was impossible to block the enemy with such a low stone wall, but it seemed that there were people who thought that way.

“Let’s go outside.”

“yes.”

As I passed under the gate, which was not so high that I could clearly see Ansan on the other side, the old slave in the gatehouse bowed again.

I circled along the wall. After passing the long corridor of the wall, I climbed up the wall along the shallow slope of the mountain. When I circled around and returned home, Baek-ui-hyeong was waiting for me.

“How is it?”

“great.”

“Haha. I’m going to Hanyang tomorrow. Do you want to come with me? I need to see Hanyang too.”

“no.”

“why?”

“I don’t have any particular thoughts. If I want to put down roots here, I have to stick my butt in.”

“Heh heh, guy. Let’s have dinner together.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“I will do it at Sarangchae, and I will contact you.”

“All right.”

“You can wear comfortable clothes.”

“Yes, death penalty.”

Dalcheon greeted them and returned to his room. While sitting in his room, he went out to the back room and swung his sword, and a slave told him that it was mealtime.

The first place I went to after coming down from the mountain because I had to learn about society was Bijangcheong, which felt more like a duty room attached to a government building than a home. It was no different from the room where military officers on duty would take a nap. The food was similar to that in the barracks, and although three meals were provided without fail, it didn’t feel like home because it was prepared by government slaves.

The new place was home. It was not that I had not visited other people’s houses while working in the county, but this was the first time I had been to such a large house. There were family members, slaves, tools and workers needed for farming, and horses. The small houses centered around the Sarangchae had their own roles, and it seemed like a kingdom where all my needs could be met. There were even rice paddies and fields around the house, so I felt like I wouldn’t have to seek my needs from outside.

As I went up to Sarangchae at dusk, the family gathered and several tables were brought in. There were a lot of people. Dalcheon was introduced first and the family members were introduced one by one, but I couldn’t hear anyone saying anything. I felt a strong curiosity toward Dalcheon.

“Okay, the distinguished guests have arrived. There is nothing prepared, but please enjoy the food.”

The people sitting around the old man listened intently to his words, and only after seeing him eat the soup did they pick up their spoons. The savory flavor of the long-boiled beef soup clung to my mouth. The radish melted in my mouth, and the taste of the meat chewing in my mouth made me think I was in a rich house. Several side dishes of vegetables were refreshingly chewed in my mouth with sesame oil, and there was even a large plate of bean curds that were only served at banquets. Tofu, which I could not eat normally, was piled up like a mountain on a plate, and there were three kinds of salted seafood that were not easily available in the inland.

Dalcheon’s eyes widened as he ate a three-course meal, or at best a five-course meal. Above all, each and every side dish was delicious. It wasn’t the skill of a government slave who would say that the side dishes were salty and then shout that they were all good after eating them.

“How does it taste? Is it different from Namdo?”

Dalcheon answered the question seeking Baek Ui-hyeong’s consent absentmindedly.

“It’s delicious. Everything is delicious.”

“Whew, that’s right. I don’t know why everyone does that there! It’s the same food.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

I don’t mean to bash the place I used to live, but home cooking in Yangju tricked my tongue.

“It’s really delicious.”

The lady laughed heartily.

“Musa, young master! Eat plenty! I am satisfied that it is delicious.”

“It’s really delicious.”

“Is it okay for me to do this every day now?”

“No. A three-course meal is enough for me.”

The lady glared at the magistrate.

“Three concubines?”

“The Secretariat and the County Office are very frugal.”

“Still, you have to feed the growing young man well!”

“How could I waste the king’s household, mother?”

“Is that so?”

The lady shook her head slightly, then picked out some good items on a small plate and held them out to Dalcheon.

“Bachelor, eat some more of this.”

“No, ma’am.”

“You have to eat. If you eat well, you will grow taller.”

The need for height in life is no different now than it was in the past. Dalcheon is excellent at martial arts, but he is not very tall.

“So, what did you do in the mountains?”

“In the mountains, well, it’s more frugal. You pick vegetables from the field, mix wild greens with soy sauce and oil, and serve them as side dishes. Then you eat them with rice in a large bowl. If you leave any leftovers, you’ll get scolded. It’s important to take out only enough for yourself. Hehe.”

“Tsk tsk. Oh my, that little thing.”

Baek I-jeong glanced at Dal-cheon from the table with the women on one side.

“Instead, there are also herbs that grow in the mountains, um, that help you study.”

“medicinal herbs?”

“Yes. Medicinal herbs are essential for mountain people. Being able to distinguish between poisonous plants is basic, and if you just climb the mountain, you can quickly fill a basket.”

“Oh! You mean like picking wild vegetables?”

“Yes. We dig up wild greens and mushrooms. If we’re lucky, we dig up ginseng, and the rare ones come down to us like bellflowers. Hahaha.”

As I talked about some aspects of mountain life, the attention at the dinner table was focused.

“Rice? Then how do you get rice?”

“We sell the valuable herbs to the author and exchange them for rice. If everyone works together like they are crying in a temple, it won’t take long.”

“Yes, there’s no way you can get rice from the mountains.”

“Rice is expensive. Most people substitute it with mixed grains.”

“Whew, you’ve had a hard time since you were little.”

“No. They eat the things that the spirit of this land produces, so they are strong and courageous. Madam.”

“Jeonggi-ra… … Ahem. Yes, that’s right. Of course it is, since it was born in this land.”

Even though I had just finished eating and put down my spoon, I didn’t think about finishing my meal. It was because of Dalcheon’s answer. Who would get up after finishing their meal when the lady was interested and asked?