As Prophet - Chapter 78



Only Krnovel

Episode 78. I Really Hope Nothing Happens

Baek Ui-hyeong thought it was over, but it wasn’t the end. What troubled Baek Ui-hyeong was another question from the king.

“It was said that the Grand Prince was under threat of assassination.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have heard so.”

“So you begged for your life next to the strong man… … .”

“No, Your Majesty. I understand that the Grand Lady is trying to protect herself by enhancing her own military power.”

“It’s unfortunate, but the Left Minister was exiled for that reason not long ago, and the leader of the swordsman who attempted the assassination was executed.”

“I have heard the news, Your Majesty.”

“Is your priest Dalcheon involved in that matter?”

“I only heard it through rumors, so I don’t know much about it.”

“Considering the circumstances, his actions are clear… … . Wasn’t he threatening to make him confess his crimes? That is, the prime minister of Joseon?”

“In Joseon, a criminal is not a human being.”

“So does that mean that criminals can threaten anyone regardless of their status?”

“I don’t know that he threatened anything, but I think that anyone who tried to assassinate the King should be punished by any means necessary. And I don’t know if my priest did it. I don’t think he would have done it, being locked up in the military.”

Baek Ui-hyeong slightly misunderstood the term Wang Chin. He did not blame him for threatening the official, but for trying to assassinate Wang Chin. Perhaps the king assisted in the assassination of the grand prince. It is unpleasant to talk about power after me, but I really don’t like the idea of ​​them fighting each other.

The king took a deep breath and looked back at the minister.

“Tell me.”

“There was no need to question him that day. He was shaking as if he was under pressure. They both did. They admitted everything I asked them and begged me to kill them quickly. In my opinion, they were being threatened.”

“yes.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then should we view this as a threat to the high official, or should we consider it as punishment for the assassination of the royal family?”

“Of course, this should be considered as a punishment for the sinner, but if an innocent official could suffer the same thing later, it would be right to eliminate the danger in advance. I think this is a matter that must secure both, Your Majesty.”

A chill ran down Baek Yi-hyung’s spine as he listened to the conversation between the two. He thought, “So this is how it is.” Right and wrong are not important, but rather, give and take are achieved through negotiation. This is called politics…

The king asked Baek Ui-hyeong.

“What do you think?”

“Your Majesty, this will result in losing a talented person who could be of great help to the country.”

“You’re threatening me again. What help can you give me if you don’t help me?”

“The presence of one enlightened person brightens the world. There is more that is unseen.”

“For the invisible yin yang… … .”

Baek Ui-hyeong buried his head in tears. He felt as if he had seen the past for no reason. This was not the palace, but Bokmajeon.

“I will go to him as soon as I leave this place. I will make him leave this place immediately and go to the mountain, and I will not let him come down again. I hope that you will take into account his achievements in suppressing the Japanese invasion and do not try to cover up unconfirmed crimes.”

“Are you an official or the executioner of that arrogant warrior?”

It’s difficult, really difficult.

“I became a military officer because I wanted to learn martial arts and pass the civil service examination. That’s why I went to the mountains at a late age, and I learned a lot there. I focused on being loyal to my country, caring for the people, and making myself a better person. I came back down because I lacked ability, but thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, I was given the opportunity to become a general guarding the north. So if you tell me I can’t become an official, I’ll gladly accept it. Instead, when the country is in danger, I’ll go to the battlefield in white clothes and fight the enemy. What would an uneducated and ignorant military officer know? If my answers to questions are not suitable for the organized society, then I’m lacking. I’ll study harder and prepare to play a bigger role someday.”

It was an arrogant and uncivilized death sentence, but he said that he would try to become qualified as an official. It was a fresh shock to the king who had only seen officials bowing down before his eyes. He was truly touched by the words that he would step down from the official position he had worked so hard to obtain. A king who could not embrace such a loyal subject would not be qualified. The king waved his hand to stop the minister from saying anything.

“Raise your head!”

“majesty!”

“Go and work for the country and the people! Don’t go around talking about today’s work. Isn’t that right? Shouldn’t officials who fear nothing but the king not tremble in fear of the swords of thugs?”

“I will tell you to go back to the mountain. I will tell you not to come down again.”

“Wow, oh my. That’s not it. I’ll meet you once. It won’t be too late to decide after that.”

The king looked at the two historians sitting far away at the door. The two men, having read his expression, bowed.

“We must make the people rich. We have been promoting the private sector since the beginning of the country, but there are too many people who have returned because they have nothing to eat. It is not right to blame them, but it is also not right to give up the border.”

“majesty!”

“If a commoner like you were to resign, then there would be something wrong with this country. This absolutely must not happen. Forget today’s conversation and go and devote yourself to strengthening the northern border.”

“Your Majesty, I am very grateful.”

I don’t know why things turned around. At what point did they change? An assumption is just an assumption. The truth inferred from it is not the truth. It is only a possibility that it could happen.

Baek Ui-hyeong bowed and came out. Cold sweat was running down his face, and his new official uniform was damp. He thought again that he couldn’t do this for long. Now he understood why Baek Sa-ban worked with a somewhat lacking appearance, but with a rather pure attitude. He must have learned how to live as an official in this world, and that’s how he is now.

The white-clad man who came out of the room collapsed on the steps below. The eunuch who followed him grabbed him, but he could not stop the large body from collapsing. He let go of the thing that was about to collapse along with him, and he sank down with a thud, closing his eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“No. Just a moment… … I’ll be back in a moment.”

I don’t remember how it came out. I only remember that the May sunlight reflecting off the yellow dirt floor in the front yard was dazzling.

* * *

Baek Ui-hyeong left the palace and went to the Ministry of War to find Baek Sa-ban. When he told Baek Sa-ban everything he remembered from the conversation in the Pyeonjeon, Baek Sa-ban sighed. This kind of conversation was not good. The court was already in a state of turmoil due to the assassination. There were many who refused to even acknowledge the fact that he had confessed. Needless to say, those who said that would not happen were on the Crown Prince’s side.

The fact that the king already knew that it was a case of intimidation confused Baek Sa-ban. Many officials recognized that confessions made under duress had no evidentiary value. Nevertheless, they did not stop prosecuting the criminal because the case itself was a very serious case of treason.

“What can I do? The milk is already spilled, and I now know that Your Majesty knows the truth that I tried to ignore!”

“I desperately wanted to resign and leave.”

“What you said last was very good. That will do. Go to Hoeryong and work to protect the country. Don’t even think about coming back for the time being.”

“What will happen to the priest?”

“His Majesty has said that he will see you in person… … Oh my, this is truly a big deal. How can someone who is above all people acknowledge another power? When I say arrogance, I am not referring to arrogance in social relations. I am referring to the relative perspective of the power above all people. That guy is definitely not arrogant. What a humble young man he is.”

“Yes.”

“In other words, it also means that His Majesty’s will is leaning towards the Crown Prince. It is very difficult to change a decision that has already been made. I will punish attempts to kill the Crown Prince, but I have no intention of changing the foundation of the nation. That is how you should understand it.”

“The Grand Princess simply wants to live. She has no intention of ascending to the throne.”

Baek Sa-ban laughed bitterly.

“Do you really see it that way?”

“Yes, you say so, and you are trying to escape the world and save your life.”

“That’s right. I value a person’s will and direction more than their words. If there’s another alternative, there must be a purpose. They may hide it and say no, but I don’t think they’re the same deep down. If it’s really as Grand Princess says, why did the Crown Prince’s people try to kill him? Just showing them a better side is a huge threat to them.”

“There is no war.”

“I just hope it ends quickly.”

“Are you done?”

“That’s what it means. Every word is careful.”

“Whew. Then can I go to my post?”

“Did you stop by the Samgunbu?”

“Yes. I stopped by yesterday, or the day before yesterday.”

“Nothing special?”

“Yes. Just one in 330.”

“Good luck. Take care of yourself… … . Oh, and keep in touch with the school office. That would be good.”

“That was the problem.”

“If Your Majesty’s position is the highest power on earth, then Prince Dalcheon is the best martial artist in the world outside of the world. I don’t know anything about martial arts, but isn’t he the best in the world?”

Baek Ui-hyeong sighed and headed to Yangju. Before going to his assigned post, he stopped by once more to tell Dal-cheon everything that had happened in Pyeonjeon.

But this guy just laughed bashfully and didn’t say anything. No matter how many times I emphasized it, it didn’t matter. I was explaining seriously, but the other person didn’t seem nervous at all, so I felt like I was going to burst. Does he really not know the world…?

“Be careful.”

“What can we do? If something happens… … .”

“What do you mean, if it comes down to it?”

“All you pathetic Three Han thugs, just sweep them all away.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Cunning men may come to strike at your weak points.”

“I won’t forgive you.”

Your thinking is too immature. You can do that in an unmanned world, but you shouldn’t do that in this society. Dalcheon looked up at the high sky with a truly arrogant gaze.

“Your Majesty, don’t worry at all. I heard that there are about 5,000 people receiving salaries. Of those, 4,500 are soldiers, and 500 are government officials. Of those, 300 are local officials… … Even if the 200 in Hanyang were to fly high and high, what would they do? I only hope that they won’t make the country any more chaotic and will embrace the people. If they don’t even do that… … .”

Dalcheon didn’t say anything. Baek Ui-hyeong realized once again that the arrogance that Pyeonjeon was worried about was more than they thought.

“He is a good man of this land. I have come this far thanks to his grace, but I also have a sense of responsibility. Do you know that it is not for power? If you look at it over a long period of time, it is a momentary power. With that power, we should completely restore the country, but it is now divided into three pieces. Rather than sitting back and focusing on internal fighting, it is a truly important mission to restore this country that has been divided into three pieces. We really should not do that.”

The three pieces refer to the Liaoyang and Yeodong controlled by the Ming, and the Three Hans of Joseon. That may be why they looked down on the Hanyang court. They thought that they had lost the meaning of Joseon because they had been meddling with a country that was not even half their size for so long. They called the people who remained in Liaodong and Liaoxi barbarians and forgot the great meaning of the old Joseon.

“I really hope nothing happens.”

“Nothing is wrong. I won’t do anything rash, so don’t worry at all. Your Majesty, stay healthy. I’m truly proud of you for being a general who protects the country.”

“Thank you.”

Baek Ui-hyeong hurriedly left for his post after greeting the school staff.