As Prophet - Chapter 86



Only Krnovel

Episode 86. The Royal Order to Enter the Palace

After a while, the slaves came to the front of the main building and stood in a single row. The chief inspector shouted at them.

“From today, you are the servants of Yangju Academy! His Majesty has given you a special order. You must do your best.”

“Yes, Nari.”

At times like this, I desperately wished Baek Ui-hyung was here. If he were here, he would have taken care of this kind of thing.

The chief inspector let the slaves speak for themselves. There were kitchen maids, seamstresses, and station slaves called “geupjuno.” Their names were also varied. Gaedong [? 同], Dolsoe [乭金], Madangsoe [馬堂金], Puppy [江牙之], Doyaji [道也之], Gaeburi [介不里], Gopdan [古邑丹], Neupdeok [汝邑德], Jageunnyeon [自斤連], Eorinnyeon [於仁連], etc. Names that did not receive respect in everyday life were listed one after another.

They were government slaves, but their clothes were not very good. It seemed that rather than benefiting from them, we should be giving them the government’s wealth.

“You sent a lot.”

“He said that the land documents would come separately. He said that we should cultivate the land ourselves.”

“Even the land… … Heh heh, I became rich overnight.”

He ordered the slaves downstairs and told Baek I-jeong to take care of them after he finished his busy work.

After checking the water level, I called Dalcheon.

“I checked the item. It is correct.”

When the chieftain who came down behind said he would turn back, an official from the Sabuksi appeared leading about twenty horses. After greeting them at the entrance, he checked the details of the horses that had been handed over first, and then had a slave take them to the stable.

Baek Yi-jeong did her job very well. Her experience in managing the household of a noble family was evident. She checked the names of the slaves, immediately assigned them rooms, and gave them roles. She immediately had them move the items that had just arrived to the warehouse. Even though they were workers, if they were not properly managed in a timely manner, they would have to live with them. Baek Yi-jeong gave them their positions and assigned them roles, big and small, and gave them the work that students and instructors used to do physically.

The school became noisy as more than twenty slaves arrived. He ordered them, who were unfamiliar with seeing military officers for the first time in their lives, to prepare lunch right away and make more food for the increased number of family members.

Dalcheon saw the slaves who had thrown bundles of clothes and bedding into the room and started to move busily. He asked them to send off the official and convey his thanks.

* * *

Seeing slaves working here and there, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. In the afternoon, the army approached Dalcheon, who was still noisy and distracted.

“There’s a lot of stuff here.”

“Yes, it will help. Someone took good care of it. It has just the necessities, nothing more, nothing less. But why?”

“If you had given me rice cakes… … .”

The Grand Prince was careful with his words. He seemed to be careful not to make any presumptuous remarks about His Majesty. He was generous in other matters, but he was particularly cautious when it came to matters related to His Majesty.

“Are you saying that now that I gave you the rice cake, you are going to call me?”

“I think I might have to go in tomorrow.”

“I haven’t heard from you yet.”

“If those who sent the goods report it, they will contact you in the afternoon and tell you to enter the palace tomorrow. Well, and even if they don’t contact you, you should express your gratitude… … .”

“I’m so poor that I don’t have anything to give.”

“Oh my, why are you poor? The fields are full of land, slaves, and goods fill the warehouses. Grain will arrive in a day or two.”

“That’s not mine. How can I express my gratitude?”

“The King has come to visit me in person. I must return the favor. Even if I am not contacted separately.”

“I really don’t like it… … Phew. But I guess what the Grand Princess said is right.”

“Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s hear what they have to say. If you don’t like it, just refuse, right?”

“You’ve sent me so many items, I don’t think I’ll be able to refuse easily. Hahaha.”

“Get ready. The clothes and… … oh, they’re gone.”

“No. You’re not an official, are you? Just wear clean military uniforms.”

“Anyway, get ready.”

While they were talking, the commander of the royal secretariat came running. The post station chief with a red flag on his back came with them, and as soon as he jumped off his horse, he shouted, “It is the king’s order!” As expected, things never go as planned.

The quick-witted slave laid out a mat and had Dalcheon kneel down. Without reading it, he gave him a letter with the seal of the Royal Secretariat, which ordered him to enter the palace by 4 o’clock the next day.

“I will receive your order.”

After exchanging royal orders, the commander stood up abruptly. He turned his eyes to the unique scenery of the academy.

“Was there anything else you said?”

“The Left Vice-Minister said that he would join me if I went to the Royal Secretariat first.”

* Left Vice-Minister of the Interior: The six ministers divided the affairs of the six departments, and the Left Vice-Minister of the Interior was in charge of the Ministry of War.

I was about to ask something, but I stopped. What good would it do? I don’t know him anyway. Instead, I blurted out a lie.

“You didn’t have ‘Left Vice Minister’ written on your forehead, did you?”

“Hehehe, you are an interesting ruler.”

“This is my first time in Hanyang and my first time entering the palace, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to find my way around properly.”

“Please go ahead and ask.”

“I heard a rumor that you are going to cut off your nose.”

“It’s just an analogy, there are very few knife fights on the streets of Hanyang. Just take good care of your belongings.”

When Dalcheon told the commander to drink a bowl of cold water and leave, he sat down on the veranda of the servants’ quarters. He asked Mukhyeong, who had run down upon hearing the king’s order.

“Is this where you prepare for the military service examination?”

“That’s right.”

“Will I pass?”

“This time, three people passed, A, B, and C. It’s a place that’s more famous than you might think. It’s called Yangju Hakgwan… … .”

“Will they accept people like us?”

“Well, I look at both character and personality. You see that guy over there chopping wood with a stick?”

Mukhyeong pointed to the training center’s office.

“yes.”

“What does it look like?”

“It looks a little lacking.”

“Originally, if you do too much, it will look like something is lacking. I also passed the civil service exam in the past. I was in office when I came to the conclusion that I needed to study more.”

“Really?”

“The last rank is either resignation or retirement.”

“Oh, that’s a famous place. Yangju Hakgwan.”

“If you try to do it right away, you’ll fail. You have to study in advance to pass.”

There’s a lot going on in the world. That blunt, silent man was trying to get students to join him.

“What about all the slaves? Why are there so many of them?”

“The king has given me a decree that I have been well-educated. I think he wants me to visit the palace tomorrow to express my gratitude.”

“Oh, that was a really great place. Yeah, I think I heard that three people were selected last time.”

Did he think the conversation had reached a ripe point? Mukhyeong handed over the message to Baek Ijeong.

“This person would like to be admitted. Please give me a detailed explanation.”

“yes.”

After all, Baek I-jeong is better in terms of the surrounding areas. He focused on explaining the admission process, the cost of studying, and especially the night classes that allow you to study while working. He bragged that he passed the exam this time by riding a horse and studying while sleeping.

* * *

At sunset, the great army urged Dalcheon to hurry.

“Let’s leave tonight, since we might not be able to get there in time if we go tomorrow morning. There’s a place I know well in Ihyeon outside Dongdaemun.”

“Shall we leave now?”

“Yes. If you sleep in the castle and enter as soon as the gate opens, you can arrive within the time limit.”

Dalcheon sighed and seemed to think. If he just flew away, he could make it on time whenever he wanted, but in order to live here, it would be better to follow the local customs.

I left late in the afternoon, leaving the messy school building to the instructors. Mukhyeong accompanied me.

* * *

Outside Dongdaemun, Ihyeon (also known as Baeogae).

If Chilpae Market was the center of fish distribution, Ihyeon Market was where vegetables grown commercially in Wangsimni and Saljoki Field outside Dongdaemun were mainly traded. Every building facing the street had a stall, and in front of them were endless rows of makeshift houses. On the street, carts pulled by oxen rattled as they passed, and endless crowds of people dressed in white came and went. Each house piled up vegetables and bargained, and most of the customers were poor people.

* Ga-ga (假家): A temporary house built to block the sunlight when holding a battle.

“Wow, that’s amazing! Where did all these people come from?”

As Dalcheon returned to childlike mode, Mukhyeong explained in detail.

“They are refugees. As refugees from their hometowns flocked to Hanyang, a market was naturally formed here.”

“Are you Yumin?”

“Whenever there is a famine, there are those who leave their homes. This is the place they return to after wandering around the eight provinces.”

“Oh, having a lot of people isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“It’s good that I can feed them. I’m from here too.”

“Oh, Mukhyeong was from Ihyeon?”

“In my grandfather’s time, it was Gangwon-do, but it was pushed here. This place has a lot of vegetables. Chilpae has a lot of fish.”

“You said there was a good place to stay.”

“Because there is a market, the entertainment district has also developed. There must be hundreds of bars and brothels. There are hundreds of breweries. They say that tens of thousands of seoks of rice are used to brew alcohol each year.”

“Oh my, turning human food into alcohol… … .”

Dalcheon is an outsider when it comes to economics. He thinks that the people are the ones who need to be fed, not the ones who eat, drink, and enjoy themselves.

“From there, it’s a pork shop. It smells a bit. There are about twenty or thirty of them lined up. It’s cheap and delicious.”

“Pork soup!”

“We sell both meat and noodles.”

The smell of savory soup mixed with the pungent smell of pork. There were so many people that it was difficult to move forward. I left my horse at the stables and walked into the city.

“Here is a bar and a brothel. The scale of the hut is very, very large. There are six or seventy rooms. Ten rooms are guest rooms, ten rooms are stables, three rooms are for food, three rooms are for yeast, three rooms are for wine, and ten or so rooms are for household utensils. They are built in turns and decorated, so it looks like a house like a queen’s residence.”

** Excerpt from 『The Story of Queen Inhyeon』.

“Wow! Six or seventy squares?”

“Let’s go to one of those places. It’s a place that Mom often goes to.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Mukhyeong took the lead, and Dalcheon followed him like a calf, wagging his tail and exclaiming in admiration, while the great prince followed behind him solemnly.

As we passed an alley, Mukhyeong spoke quietly.

“I brought it forward a day because I was worried that I might meet a bandit on my way tomorrow. They wouldn’t know that you were coming today.”

“You probably don’t even know that the Grand Princess is accompanying you. I asked you to accompany me since you said you wouldn’t.”

“They are people who have that much work to do. They make assumptions and move forward.”

“How do you know so well?”

“Because we have been fighting for a long time.”

“You took care of the leader of the Left and Seven Sword Factions, didn’t you? You took care of the leader. And you still have them?”

“It’s the tip of the iceberg. If there’s a reason to do it, anyone can do it.”

Dalcheon tilted his head and his expression hardened seriously. The words, “Why do I have to do that?” bothered him. He was naive. He was ignorant of the ways of the world.

“How could the one person who deserves the death of the Grand Princess be the one who is left alone?”

Dalcheon nodded.

“Oh, I guess I came without thinking and without knowing the consequences.”

The answer was given by the general.

“No. The safest place is where Prince Dalcheon is. I was worried that he might tell me not to follow him.”

“Yes? But why did you say no and take it off?”

“You don’t always get what you want by asking for it.”

“Oh my god! You did that on purpose to make sure I came with you?”

The prince suddenly turned his head and looked somewhere else. Mukhyeong answered.

“It’s still dangerous, especially Hanyang.”