As Prophet - Chapter 52
Only Krnovel
Episode 52. The goal of the crown prince
Dalcheon had them recite what they had studied the previous time and then moved on. He was not a very kind teacher when teaching martial arts, but when studying texts, he had them repeat it several times. It was kindness in its own way. He started reading again and after midnight, the four of them were relieved.
“Is it okay to do it like this? The human mind has its limits.”
Jin Dong-hee spoke as if complaining, and the other three cautiously observed. No matter how necessary the study is, if you push yourself like this, people will get tired. Dal-cheon smiled broadly.
“So it falls.”
It’s the cold hard truth. Three out of four people have already fallen. It’s embarrassing and shameful, and it’s something they want to turn away from.
“Such harsh words… … .”
“So don’t fail this time! I heard that four of our students passed. It’ll turn the whole place upside down. They’ll try to send their children to each other.”
“Is your goal, Lord, to increase the number of students?”
“I want to train capable and loyal military officers who can protect this country.”
It’s like asking a question in the east and answering it in the west, but it means not being obsessed with numbers. That’s why it doesn’t provide an answer.
“So increasing the number… … .”
“To cultivate talent, you need to have a lot of samples. You can achieve a certain level of martial arts, but masters are born with it. You need to look at their bones and their nature. If you teach many people, won’t you be able to produce at least one master?”
When talking about ability and potential, all four of them blinked. It is difficult to evaluate people. Nevertheless, we live in a society where countless evaluations intersect. I can’t help but think about what kind of person I am to him. No, I’m more worried about what if I have poor qualifications.
Cheolmuwoong and Jindonghee, who had not yet learned my qigong and were just starting out, had even more biased thoughts. They were worried that I might lack the skills since I couldn’t do it. And they couldn’t bring themselves to ask me.
If I work hard until I die, can I become a master? It is not a difficult question at all. I know that I can never do it. I am too old to learn Qigong and change my body. Even if I were young, my intellect is not very clear. To avoid being told no and that I cannot do it, we may be wearing the shield of sincerity. If we work hard at something, our shortcomings may not be revealed.
“Do you see the future in young school children?”
Dalcheon realized the gist of the question too late.
“Oh, that’s also true, but our school’s goal is to pass the military service examination. Hahaha! The experts will come from among them. I don’t think passing the military service examination is important. I think you have to be in the top 3 of the class.
In the past, passing the exam did not give you a government position. You know that well, right? You need a family background, that is, a family. I understand the difficulty of not being able to entrust the affairs of the country to someone you don’t know and therefore cannot trust, but there is definitely a kind of discrimination. If you are in the top 3 in terms of ability, you will be given a government position even if you do not have a family background. After that, you will be able to demonstrate your ability and achieve results.”
“A and three people?”
“Yes. I hope that the first place in the first class (壯元, 1st place overall), the second place in the first class (亞元, 2nd place overall), and the third place in the first class (探花郞, 3rd place overall) come from our Yangju military academy. Ahahaha!”
He was also very greedy. He spoke and snickered. It was because there were four of them. It was Dalcheon’s talent. He ignited a strange sense of competition toward each other.
In the case of Cheolmuwoong, since he has a family background, he will have no problem in becoming a government official if he passes the exam. Yangjuhyeon’s secret lover, Jindonghee, is not as good as him, but there is no reason why he cannot become a government official. Baek Uihyeong is a meritorious subject of the Japanese Invasion, so there is no problem either. All he has to do is pass the exam.
It may be that Mokhyeong, who has no family or clan, will not be able to take up an official post. If the Grand Prince gives him power, then maybe. If the Grand Prince guarantees his back, that is. However, in that case, in the end, he may not be able to become more than the Grand Prince’s right-hand man.
Gap and the three of them are competitive and there is a strange tension between them. Dalcheon suddenly starts talking about having to go to sleep.
“It’s already midnight. I’m sure that you, who are skilled in martial arts, won’t get tired from studying this much. But let’s go to bed early, because we have to start studying again tomorrow morning. At dawn, um… … it starts at the beginning of the hour (3 to 5 AM).”
“Huh? How long have you been here?”
“Eat, study, sleep, and study again. Ahaha.”
Dalcheon didn’t wait for an answer, just got up and went to the room across from him.
* * *
They lay side by side in bed. Mukhyeong asked Baek Uihyung.
“Why did you tell me not to tell?”
“It is an impossible and vain hope. The priest, or rather the governor, is the one who should return to the mountains.”
“To live here… … .”
I swallowed the words that said it was necessary to get married and start a family.
“Shh! Your eyes are sharp, so you might be able to hear what I say.”
“Whew… … .”
Turning off the lights doesn’t make you fall asleep right away. The time you’ve spent reading and memorizing doesn’t immediately turn into sleep mode.
“Will I be able to pass the lecture if I do this?”
“It may be a sudden attack, but I trust the priest.”
Sometimes he is a crown prince, sometimes he is a priest.
“Is there some mysterious force we don’t know about that is allowing us to pass?”
“He may be young and inexperienced, but he is a person who is sure about studying.”
“You have great faith in the Lord.”
“Yes.”
Baek Ui-hyung’s voice became lower and slower, and at one moment it turned into a snoring sound.
* * *
I stopped by a bookstore, but I couldn’t find Mu-gyeong. Rumors had spread that there was a special exhibition, and people who were planning to take the military service exam had flocked to buy everything they had. I stopped by a bookstore, but there were only novels, and there was no way Mu-gyeong would be there. When I went home, where preparations were in full swing for a banquet, my father, who had given me a day off, was smiling brightly as if he had been waiting for me.
“I knew you’d come. Is it because of the special occasion rather than Grandpa’s birthday?”
“Yes, father.”
“How many people?”
“There are four people, including Mr. Spleen.”
“Oh my, you probably weren’t prepared.”
“I am working hard.”
“I knew this would happen, so I prepared two kinds.”
“Oh! Thank you. Can I take them all?”
“Of course. There is also a Daejeon (Gyeongguk Daejeon), so take it with you.”
“thank you.”
Baek Yi-jeong followed her father in and received a bundle of books.
“How are you, are your studies going well?”
“I’m trying hard, but my progress isn’t that fast. I should have started at a younger age.”
“How can it be easy for a woman to learn martial arts?”
“I am grateful for the opportunity. I don’t complain.”
“How is the governor doing?”
“This job is really perfect for me. I can’t tell you how hard he works. On one side, he builds buildings, and on the other side, he teaches children. He reads martial arts with his students at night, and he does a great job.”
“Yes. They said he was the best warrior in Joseon. I couldn’t believe it, but I found out through the Imjin War. He was truly an amazing person. How lucky we were to be able to serve such a person… … .”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything else I can help with?”
“It seems that things that cost money are hard for the governor. So, he has almost no concept of money. He is always surprised by the difference between what the governor thinks the cost is and what the actual cost is.”
“I already applied… … .”
“We are building it a bit bigger.”
Baek Sa-ban imagined a small school the size of a small seodang and applied through Baek Ui-hyeong. It wasn’t enough, but he thought it would be enough. If you build a small building, children who are all over the place will sit huddled together on the floor and in the room and study, that’s a seodang. A powerful person in the village can give you a house, or they can repair an empty house. It’s just about that size.
“How big is it?”
“Build a main building with nine rooms in front on a wide piece of land, and build long wing buildings on the left and right. In the center is a martial arts hall, and there are two above and below. Build a lecture hall between the martial arts hall and the martial arts hall.”
“Oh! Then, isn’t it almost the size of a vow?”
“It’s even bigger than that. It seems like there’s no other way than to do the hard work myself and save on wages. I study my qigong in the one-room apartment and read the martial arts at night. I’ve already built a kitchen and an armory in the lower wing, but it’ll cost a lot of money when it’s all done.”
Only then did Baek Sa-ban realize that Dal-cheon had done something big.
“Whew, I guess I need more support. Life in Hanyang isn’t easy either… … .”
“The Lord doesn’t only look at his father. He says he’ll build it up little by little… … There are many shortcomings, but the way he’s gradually improving is very impressive.”
“According to the original story, he said he would return to the mountains after about three years. So there must be less than a year left. I wonder what his plans are after starting such a big business.”
The words that there was less than a year left stabbed Baek Yi-jeong deeply into his lungs. Was it really? Was it three years of studying the world…?
“Looking at what you are working and teaching now, you don’t seem like the type of person who would return to the mountains.”
“Really? I guess there will be more.”
“Shall I ask?”
“No, that’s not necessary. I should go and see for myself. It’s my father’s birthday. Help out around the house.”
“Yes, father.”
Watching his daughter leave the room, Baek Sa-ban was lost in thought. Who would teach his daughter martial arts? It was something he would never even think about. Rather than doubting how much she could do, he was more worried about how hard it would be for him to exert himself.
He packs up his books and goes out, then opens them on the veranda and checks them. He doesn’t take them to his room, but leaves them there, as if he’s going to go down to the school building right after the birthday party. It’s not like he didn’t notice his daughter’s strange affection for Dalcheon. It could be. And that kind of time passes. It’s like a passing wind.
He is going to go to the mountains soon, so what can he do? He doesn’t seem like he will give up like the monks and mountaineers who get off halfway and go down. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be like everyone else. If such a person comes in as a son-in-law, the family will be greatly improved. There is nothing he can’t do.
I was thinking that I should go there sometime and was planning to go on the next vacation when Baek Ui-hyung came in.
“Are you okay?”
“There’s a lot of work to do! Phew. I guess I’m finally coming to my senses.”
Baek Ui-hyeong is one of the few people I can talk to freely. Should I say that he is the only person I can talk to about both household and government affairs?
“Are you studying well?”
“It’s a sudden special event, so there’s not much time to prepare.”
“It’s tight! That’s how exams are always. Even if you spend years studying for the past exams, it’s not enough. It’s called the military service exam, but it’s definitely not easy. And isn’t the military service exam highly competitive?”
“I study day and night.”
“I really hope you pass the military service examination this time and become a source of joy for your family. Because of me, you wasted your time helping me with my county magistrate’s work. You should have passed a long time ago, so I’m truly sorry.”
“No. Thanks to you, I learned a lot.”
“At first, I was taken aback when they said they were creating a school to prepare for the military service examination, but then I heard they are so enthusiastic?”
“It’s fun. It feels rewarding… … I’ve been thinking for a long time about what I want to do here, and now I think I’ve found my direction.”
“I didn’t know you had any interest in education. Oh, my. If we can nurture great military officers, it will relieve the country of its worries.”
He talks a lot, but what he is curious about is his past passing. He looks at Baek Ui-hyung’s expression and asks for confirmation.
“Are you confident you’ll pass?”
“Of course. Time is tight, but I will pass this time.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The atmosphere of the banquet hall was ripe. People lined up to see Baek Sa-ban, who had been promoted to Hanyang. Most of them were from the Baek family. Almost all the elders of the family, who were encouraged by the promotion, came.
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