Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 37



Only Krnovel

37. My heart is beating (4)

When I was a merchant, it became a habit for me to wake up at dawn to buy things. I maintained that habit even when I became a merchant who didn’t have to move around so much.

But today, I must have been quite tired, judging from the warmth and direct sunlight I felt before I opened my eyes. It was quite different from the cool morning air that I usually feel when I wake up.

“Many people are waiting.”

“Then, do you force a sleeping person to wake up?”

I opened my eyes to the sound of Myungkyung’s poisonous voice.

I looked to the side and saw Myeonggyeong blocking people in front of the door.

The managers who saw me wake up over my shoulder spoke up quickly.

“Prince Mok, Prince Mok has risen.”

Only then did Myeong-gyeong turn around and look at me, due to the managers’ fuss.

“Aren’t you going to sleep any longer?”

“I slept a lot.”

“You said you worked until dawn yesterday.”

“I think it’s noon now. If I sleep too much, my head will hurt.”

“Don’t overdo it. If you overdo it and it goes wrong, how can I face my teacher?”

That would be something I should have said, but since Myeong-gyeong was obsessed with her own ‘death-worthy’ actions, I decided to just let it go.

“But why did the managers come?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, haven’t I told you several times? Right now His Majesty is waiting for Prince Mok.”

I jumped up at the manager’s words. The chief inspector was waiting for me. It was probably Jin Mu-byeok, the chief inspector of the Ministry of Taxation I had seen at dawn.

Even when I was the head of the Whiyoungsangdan, I couldn’t easily deal with the fact that I was being treated badly. But now, when I have nothing to do, I’m being made to wait.

“Just tell that guy named Chamjeong to come.”

Myungkyung said something ridiculous. The managers also looked at her in disbelief.

I immediately got my clothes and hair straightened. As I was about to go out, Myeong-gyeong followed me.

“The executioner can stay here.”

“Yes. Your Majesty, only the Confucian scholar Mu spoke.”

Myungkyung’s eyes lit up at the movement to exclude her.

“Why do you believe in these people who keep pushing the priests until dawn and send them away alone?”

“I’m fine.”

“Priest, are you saying that you will not follow the death penalty now?”

Myung-kyung was full of energy. Her determination not to give in twice was evident in her pursed lips. I smiled awkwardly as I looked at the managers.

“Managers. Please tell them that my execution will go with me.”

“… … Ahem. I wonder if His Majesty will permit it.”

Myeong-gyeong glared at the managers as if she was going to eat them. Her gaze was so fierce that the managers avoided her.

In the end, Myeong-gyeong and I went together. Cham-jeong gave his permission.

I went into the room where the truth was. There were two familiar faces and one unfamiliar face in the room. The familiar faces were Jinmubyeok and Hyungseong, a career man.

The important thing was that the unknown face was sitting in the center between Jinmubyeok and Hyeongtaekseong. That means that the unknown person was taller than Jinmubyeok.

“You came.”

First, Jinmubyeok rose and greeted me. Since my identity as a warrior is stronger now, I played a lottery.

“I’m sorry. I made you wait because of me.”

“Haha. You can wait a bit. Aren’t you the benefactor of Hubei?”

“Are you even going to be a benefactor?”

“There are even people who call you the God of Hubei right now.”

I just laughed at the awkward nickname.

And yet, I continued to be concerned about the stranger. He was looking at me with a weary gaze, as if he was exploring me.

No matter how much I looked at him, he was someone I had never seen before. Of course, I couldn’t help but not know the high-ranking officials at the time. Could I have met a high-ranking official at the time in my previous life? I must have been working as a low-ranking servant at a high-ranking office somewhere.

Then an unfamiliar face opened its mouth.

“My name is Wang Song, and I am the Right Deputy Inspector of the Royal Inspectorate.”

I was surprised. The position of Dochalwon Ubudo Eosaman was a high-ranking official of the 3rd rank.

Although he was only one rank higher than the third-rank Hojo Chamjeong, the power he possessed was incomparable. This was because the Ubu Do Eosa of the Office of the Inspector General was not under the Pojeongsa but under the imperial palace.

More importantly, the Dochalwon was an inspection agency. The Dochalwon was the grim reaper of the officials. Even there, the deputy head was the Ubudo Eosa.

“I meet the King.”

“Nice to meet you. Is that a priest next to you?”

Myungkyung immediately convulsed and tried to open her mouth, but my hand was faster than her. I grabbed her mouth and shook my head.

“No. It’s the death penalty.”

“Death penalty. Looks like the distribution was messed up.”

I let go of Myeong-gyeong only after she calmed down.

After that, the usual story began. From how he could accurately see the symptoms that even doctors couldn’t see, to what his father does. It was just a simple household survey.

However, even though it was a simple census, it felt like an interrogation when the Inspector General asked the questions.

“You should be rewarded for stopping a potentially major epidemic.”

My eyes sparkled. Yes. This is what I came here for.

“Is there anything you want?”

“Hmm.”

I pretended to think, as if I hadn’t expected to be asked this question. But I came here thinking only of this.

“I don’t know what to say since it’s so sudden… … .”

“Heh heh. Think about it slowly.”

Wang Song smiled kindly. But I did not let my guard down and carefully opened my mouth.

“There is a reason why I originally came here to Pojeongsa Temple.”

“Oh, what?”

“I originally came here to report the establishment of the upper division. However, I couldn’t report it because the career position was vacant.”

“top?”

Wang Song was taken aback by the sudden remark. Jin Mu-byeok and Hyeong Seong, who were sitting with him, were the same.

“Could a disciple of the shamanist faction create a superior?”

“It’s okay because I’m a lay disciple.”

“Ah, you’re a disciple of the common people. Then, now that you’ve regained your experience, I guess I can report you.”

“That’s actually a bit of a problem.”

“What?”

“When you originally reported the top, wasn’t the minimum capital a thousand nyang?”

“yes.”

“I originally had it, but recently I suddenly had to spend some money, so I ended up with less than a thousand nyang.”

I bought the talent called indomitable, and two thousand nyang flew away in an instant. So now, all I had left was five hundred nyang. Of course, five hundred nyang was not a small amount of money.

Jinmubyeok looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Well, still, a principle is a principle.”

I quickly looked at Wang Song’s expression. I don’t know what Wang Song is thinking, but judging from the fact that he didn’t stop Jin Mu-byeok, he seemed to be thinking similarly. If he could do it here, I was just going to say thank you, but in a situation like this, the one who quickly changed his stance was the merchant.

“Ah. Of course, I’m not asking for any favors regarding the capital. The principles must be upheld.”

“I see. I guess I misunderstood.”

“No. I said something that could have caused a misunderstanding.”

Although there is a Ubudo Eosa, the position of the Chief Inspector is high enough. Here, I must not stand out to anyone.

“When it comes time for me to raise capital again, I will probably be in the non-partisan group or have difficulty coming to Muhan. So I wanted to ask if I could get approval to report through Jeon Seo-eung.”

Phew. I thought it was an impromptu idea, but it was really good. Jinmubyeok nodded with a big smile.

“Well, to that extent, it’s possible.”

“Just give me the approval now.”

At that moment, Wang Song intervened. Jin Mu-byeok spoke as if he was embarrassed.

“But there is such a thing as a principle. If Muhan Sanghoe finds out about this, they will be a bit offended.”

“Since when has the government been mindful of the merchants’ opinions when doing its work?”

Jin Mu-byeok quickly lowered his head at Wang Song’s unpleasant tone.

“The subordinate made a slip of the tongue.”

“Are the documents required for authorization ready?”

“Oh, yes. I prepared that in advance.”

I took out the document I had written in advance according to Wang Song’s words.

“I’ll accept your career.”

“yes.”

I handed the documents over to Hyung-tae-seong as Wang Song had said.

But something felt off. Why did the Ubudo-eosa of the Dochalwon come to the Pojeongsa of Hubei in the first place? And why did the Ubudo-eosa of the Dochalwon interfere with the internal affairs of the Pojeongsa?

But it’s still uneasy, and it’s none of my business. In this Central Plains, there are far more cases of people dying because they know something than because they don’t know.

I got what I wanted, so I got up and tried to leave. But Ubudo-osa wouldn’t let me go easily.

“But the silent Confucius.”

“yes.”

“How did you know that the law on individual distribution was abolished?”

I had to do my best not to let my expression break down for a moment.

I once prevented the Shanxi merchants from making excessive profits by knowing in advance that the Gaejung Law would be abolished and the Saekjeokjeol would be implemented in the market in Yichang. Does that mean that the Ubudo Inspectorate of the …

“The topic of conversation suddenly changed.”

“Is this a difficult question for even me, the Chief Inspector of the Office of the Inspector General, to answer?”

“It’s difficult. It’s so sudden.”

“It seems like there aren’t any influential people among your father, mother, or relatives. I’m really curious as to how you, a mere disciple of a shaman, knew about it.”

“That was the main point.”

“To be exact, I found it by luck. I heard from the Shanxi merchants that a disciple of the Wudang faction named Mo Huiying was setting up a fish market, and I remembered it, but then suddenly the name of the Hubei god of medicine was Mo Huiying. Mo Huiying is not a common name.”

“Then, did Your Majesty the Ubudo come all the way to Muhan to see me?”

“The position of the Inspector General of the Dochalwon is not one of leisure.”

Wang Song smiled. I had to read his expression without staring into his eyes.

“I was just curious. I wondered if you knew anyone in the palace who knew about the policy in advance.”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Even if I were to blame you for leaking palace secrets?”

“I have never done anything that breaks the law.”

“You’re too soft. That doesn’t matter. Just put me in a place where I might be guilty.”

I know. Why don’t I know? That’s why officials are scary. But I couldn’t say anything. Because no one has ever leaked confidential information to me.

“I won’t say.”

“Oh, I see.”

The way Wang Song looked at me was breathtaking. He was the kind of person who could strip off the clothes of the officials and cut off their heads with just a single gesture. I, a mere commoner, was nothing more than a fly in front of him.

“I’m joking. How could I arrest an innocent person? I’m the one who arrests officials, not civilians. There are other people who arrest civilians. Like the Jinui Guard or the Dongchang.”

“It was scary, even though it was a joke.”

“Haha. I apologize.”

Wang Song laughed heartily. I feel cold sweat running down my back, but he really is a very comfortable gentleman.

“If you ever come to Beijing, come see me. I will treat you very well as a token of my apology.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

I forced a smile. In any case, just meeting Wang Song face to face was a meaningful meeting. I know of tens of thousands of things you can do just by getting to know the face of a third-rank official. He might actually be a good person.

“But don’t act rashly. I don’t want to see you in the Ministry of Justice.”

No, he’s just a scary person. He was warning me just now. He was telling me not to use state secrets for personal use like last time.

That’s how I ended my meeting with the scary Ubudo-osa. My honest wish was that I would never have to meet him again.

As there was an order from the Ubudo Eosa of the Dochalwon, the registration of the upper class was carried out quickly. Even though there was quite a waiting list due to the vacancy of the senior class, my upper class was established first.

“Hehehe.”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the badge proving that I was a merchant.

Hwiyeongsangdan (Hwiyeongsangdan).

I could now officially use this name. I had my old title back.

The upper class of Whiyoungsangdan, Mukwhiyoung.

Of course, it was full of shortcomings, even though it had the same title. However, it was exciting in its own way.