As Prophet - Chapter 51



Only Krnovel

Episode 51. Reading the Martial Arts Classics

Dalcheon reads the book straight through without even looking at it, as if he had already read it all, or rather, memorized it. He explains the meaning and pronunciation of each letter and even interprets it before having the reader read it. He hums some parts like a song without even looking at the book.

“This time, Cheolmuwoong, read it.”

Since there were only two books, they were putting their heads together. Cheolmuwoong read and interpreted what Dalcheon said.

After half an hour had passed, Dalcheon said he would take a break and went out to the veranda. He was talking to himself. He was moving his mouth around, as if he was training his mouth to move quickly and smoothly.

The kitchen maid who had done the evening work said goodbye and said she would be going home.

“Thank you for your effort.”

The kitchen maid apologized with an apologetic look.

“Oh, yes! How about finding one person? I have to go to Hanyang tomorrow, so I can’t come.”

There’s nothing I can do. Aren’t you a member of the Baek family? Dalcheon glanced at Baek Ui-hyeong and asked.

“What’s happening in Hanyang?”

“It’s the eldest son’s birthday. I received a call asking me to come because we are short on help.”

Dalcheon looked at the kitchen maid and then back at Baek Ui-hyeong.

“If it’s your birthday, shouldn’t you go to the death penalty?”

“Whew, I’m in a hurry… … . It’s a special time.”

Since there was no answer, Dalcheon sent the kitchen maid away. It was no longer possible to tell her whether she was going or not.

“We’ll take care of tomorrow. I’m really sorry for bothering you.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

I used to go to my parents’ house to eat, but since the building was built, I haven’t been going to my parents’ house for a while, and now I have to eat and sleep at the school building. I need a kitchen maid.

“capital punishment!”

“Huh? What?”

“Please find me a skilled slave.”

“Where did that come from?”

“Don’t you know much about the surrounding area?”

“That kind of thing… … . Okay. I’ll tell Mr. Humble.”

“yes.”

“But the Mu-gyeong Chilseo alone consists of 10 volumes and 5 books. When will I ever be able to read them all?”

“I don’t plan on reading the commentary written by the traitor. It just adds to the volume. The original text isn’t that long.”

* The commentary on the Mugyeongchilseo was written by Prince Suyang.

“Traitor?”

“Haven’t you seen the commentary of Prince Suyang?”

“Watch what you say.”

“I heard that this is a country with free speech… … .”

Baek Ui-hyeong grabbed Dal-cheon’s sleeve. This kind of talk is not good. If it leaks out anywhere, people will say that he is bad or unethical. Those who were under Prince Suyang’s command are still in power.

When he speaks like this, it seems like a foreigner is coming to this country for the first time. No, he may truly think of this place, this country, as a different country from the mountain where he lived. He says things like, “It’s half,” and “They lost their homeland and are fighting over a tiny piece of power in a small alley.” He makes fun of Joseon.

“Who do you think your Majesty is a descendant of?”

“That vegetable goes with that rice.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They are the ones who say that they are comfortable here, leaving Yodong and Yoseo behind. They think that even if they give me all my land, as long as I hold on to power, that’s enough.”

“Isn’t it impossible to wage war against the Ming Dynasty?”

“Don’t you think that I led you to think that way? When the envoys came, I didn’t even meet them, and instead scolded them for no reason, or even killed them. Do you think that was because the traitorous Zhu Yuanzhang of the troubled times had a bad personality?”

“Just that much. Anyway, you’re saying you won’t be commenting on it?”

“So don’t worry about the sheep. You can get out quickly. It’s just a matter of how much you focus.”

One worry was relieved, but another worry grew. It was because of Dalcheon’s excessive expression. Can we completely trust them to be students at the academy? I looked back and urged them on.

“It seems like it’s over. Let’s continue again.”

“… … .”

Dalcheon went up onto the floor without saying a word.

And he studied the poem again. Dalcheon read it quickly as if he had already memorized it. Sometimes he explained it by comparing it to related war history, and all the explanations were reasonable. It covered everything from ancient wars to modern wars, and there was not a single thing that did not match the facts.

Baek Yi-jeong brought two more lanterns and brightened up the room. It was an empty school building. I wondered where they got them, but I didn’t ask.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cheolmuwoong was dying. He had never touched a book since he entered the royal palace. He had thought that he would have to take the civil service examination someday because he had entered the secret service, but that was for later. He lived in comfort, not having to do anything right away. He thought that he didn’t have to study because he was recognized for his martial arts and loyalty. He could see the high-ranking officials coming and going from the palace, so he felt as if he had risen to the same level as them. As the prince’s trust deepened, he couldn’t see anything else. It felt like he had become the prince.

At some point, I saw a dividing line under the gaze of the officials. It is almost invisible in everyday life, but if you look closely, I am nothing more than their background. Depending on what I do, I can block them and send them back, but that is not my power. What was most frustrating was that even though I worked for so long, the conditions did not change.

The heads of the royal guards were usually civil servants who held other positions concurrently. Since they entered the royal family through the secret service, there was a limit to how high they could rise. In addition, they experienced invisible discrimination against illegitimate children both inside and outside the home. Discrimination inside the home is understandable, but what is the reason for discrimination outside the home that is completely unrelated?

It’s not that I didn’t know how to write at all, but sentences were difficult. Should I say that I knew the letters but had no literacy? Even if I knew the meaning of each word, it didn’t make sense, so studying hard was useless. And there were few places that taught martial arts. Almost none. So, passing the military service exam by studying alone was like trying to reach for a star in the sky.

Dalcheon was different. He explained things very easily. I had to study on my own, but with Dalcheon’s help, everything was easy. He read, interpreted, and memorized things skillfully. He made us interpret and memorize things. After each section, he had us memorize it and repeat it again before too much time passed. He quickly guided the idiots through the repetition of interpretation, memorization, and memorization.

Since the teacher read it easily, I thought studying wasn’t that difficult. There was nothing difficult about explaining it concisely and plainly. Was studying originally this easy? The essence of the strategies and tactics that were translated into Korean was a list of simple, short-answer, common countermeasures. It was easy words like, “Do this when this happens, do that when that happens.” It’s difficult to translate into Korean, but if it can be interpreted, isn’t studying definitely not difficult?

One strategy is to have the ability but appear to not have it! How easy it is. This applies to military tactics, but isn’t it also a virtue necessary in social relationships between people? It seemed difficult because it seemed like there was some great wisdom hidden in it. You can lure them and make them let their guard down, and then crush them in one breath.

You can tell a good word by looking at its teeth, and you can tell a good person by looking at their heart. This is one of the Mongolian proverbs that was popular in the past. This is no different from the teachings of Wu Jing.

Dalcheon’s words entered my ears perfectly. I followed along, writing letters I didn’t know on the floor with my finger. It was a study that I could never have done alone.

“You have to go home and recite this again. No one memorizes it after seeing it once. If you recite what you understand repeatedly, it becomes yours. And if you repeat what you have recited and savor the meaning of the text, you can grasp the deeper meaning. Memorize it and repeat it. Let’s give up on reciting it twice here, reciting it when you finish, and reciting it again tomorrow morning, and forgetting it. You’re not human, are you?”

“Huh? You give up?”

The crowd erupted in anger at the word “giving up.” Cheol Mu-woong licked his lips at the word “giving up” and asked again. It sounded like giving up on someone. The experience of others giving up on me was not unrelated to my experiences growing up. The biggest reason was that I was born as a concubine, but ultimately, the people around me gave up on me. That’s why I was isolated and lonely even among many people. The life that was given up on was Cheol Mu-woong himself.

“Let’s give up on what we can’t do. It’s something we can’t do even if we have the time.”

“but.”

“I hope that part doesn’t come up on the test.”

“Oh, that’s the part you’re talking about.”

Only then did Cheolmuwoong feel relieved after understanding the meaning of the words.

“Ahem. I heard that there are several places, that is, the civil servants give out test topics. I know all the parts that they would like, so I will tell you the parts that you absolutely must do. Please recite them one by one.”

“Oh, yes.”

Cheolmuwoong let out a shallow sigh of relief. I was worried that even the academy that said there was no discrimination between you and me might abandon me. No matter where I went, I was most afraid of the time when people would realize that I was a bastard and that it was okay for them to discriminate against me.

The night deepened. I was going to rest for a while again, but Baek I-jeong said she wanted to go back first.

“What are you going to do tomorrow? It’s your eldest son’s birthday.”

“I have to go. I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize to me. It’s your grandparents’ birthday.”

Baek I-jeong’s heart softened considerably after seeing Dal-cheon reading well.

“Instead, find a book. Memorization requires repetition, so it is good to have a book. If you want to take it home and memorize it after the lesson, you will need an additional book.”

“All right.”

“I recommend that you don’t go tonight and leave early tomorrow morning. It’s not good to go far at night.”

“Of course. The gates are already closed, so no matter how fast I hurry, I can’t get there.”

“Ahaha, I see.”

“I will go to my parents’ house and then go to Hanyang house tomorrow morning.”

Dalcheon, who was seeing Baek I-jeong off, tilted his head. Mukhyeong, who was cooling his head that had become dizzy from reading the text, asked.

“Why? What’s strange?”

“That’s right. I was wondering why Miss Baek stayed with us so late. Miss Baek isn’t the type to look back on the past. She’s a woman, isn’t she?”

Mukhyeong smiled. There are things that even Dalcheon, with his smart mind, cannot think of. There are things that he does not know because he is still young. Mukhyeong already noticed that she had feelings for Dalcheon. Baek Ui-hyeong warned him not to do that when he was about to return to the mountain, but the human heart is like water flowing down a steep canal. I can do nothing about it. I cannot control it, and I cannot change its direction. Will I be able to finally grasp it after seeing the end?

“Don’t you know?”

“What?”

“Don’t you know why Miss Baek stayed with you so late?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“I work hard, but my swordsmanship is not progressing well. But I keep going. Don’t you know why?”

“Isn’t it a question of will, hope, ability, and circumstances?”

Mukhyeong laughed silently. It is not pure, but lacking. He is a person who has no sense and does not pay attention to the subtleties between people. That may be why people like us are attracted to him. The reason we like such people is precisely because of their purity.

As Mukhyeong was about to speak, Baek Ui-hyeong blocked his way as he passed by.

“Let’s get started. The night is short.”

Dalcheon smiles thoughtlessly.

“It seems that the death penalty is also in a hurry now. Isn’t it because you are in a hurry that you say that the time that is as long as iron hairs is short?”

Baek Ui-hyeong nodded to Muk-hyeong and then stood next to Dal-cheon.

“This time, I have to make it. I have to be one of those twenty-eight.”

Dalcheon turned his body around and went into the room, and Baek Ui-hyeong looked at Muk-hyung and covered his mouth with the tip of his index finger. It meant not to speak. Muk-hyung thought for a moment about the difference between knowing and not knowing, tilted his head, and followed him. Baek Ui-hyeong already knew.