Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Heo Yeop Shouts Again
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12. Heo Yeop shouted once again with all his might.
"Young master, it's time to head to the academy."
"Yeah, I'll be right out."
Kreeeung!
At the sound of Dori's voice from outside, I stretched with all my might and got up from my seat.
Staying up late for so long to write had left my whole body stiff and sore.
Five years old is still just a baby, after all. Gotta sleep at night.
Anyway, that exhausting routine was finally over today!
I grabbed one of the two books on my desk and flung open the door.
"Dori, where's Father? Has he gone to court yet?"
"No, sir. The master is still in the receiving hall."
"Then let's stop by on the way."
Perfect.
Time to offload it quick.
As Dori and I headed to the receiving hall, I saw Father adjusting his official robes, preparing for court. I hurried over and said,
"Father, good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, Gyun, my boy. And you?"
"Yes! I'm just about to head to the academy. But, um..."
"Hm? What's the matter?"
At Father's question, I fidgeted with my hands and held out the prepared book.
When Father had permitted me to write pulp fiction, he'd laid down one condition.
The work, once finished, would first undergo his personal inspection.
With the family's reputation on the line, it seemed he planned to review it himself.
"What's this?"
"Well... it's the next volume I mentioned before. I split it into first and second parts, and this is the first part."
"What?!"
Father looked furious, his eyes flashing as he gasped in shock.
Tch, I get it. The son of a yangban family, frittering away his time writing trashy novels—how crushing must it be for his father to have to inspect it personally?
Lingering here would just earn me a scolding.
I quickly shoved the book into Father's hands and chose to make a run for it.
"I'll head to the academy now—it's about that time!"
"..."
I bolted.
Heo Yeop stared back and forth between his fleeing son and the book in his hand for a long while before snapping to his senses.
"Hey, Haksae! Are you there?"
"Yes, Master!"
"Go to the palace right now and tell them I'm feeling ill and can't attend court today."
"Pardon? Suddenly? Ah... Understood."
At the same time, Heo Yeop stripped off the official robes he was putting on and tossed them into the room.
"Oh, before that, tell Aunt Eonyeon to bring a basket of whatever snacks are left."
"Right away, Master."
A moment later, Heo Yeop entered his room, arms full of snacks and the book, grinning from ear to ear.
- Jang Geum had received An Sung-jae's recommendation and entered the Gourmet Unicorn Tournament in the Ming capital.
- True to its reputation for selecting the greatest chef of the century, the tournament's rules and scale were extraordinary. It lasted a full year. Twenty chefs, rigorously selected from each region, faced off one-on-one every ten days. A win earned three points, a draw one point, and a loss zero. After thirty-eight matches total, the top four scorers claimed the Gourmet Unicorn title, while the bottom three lost eligibility for future tournaments.
- After explaining all the rules to the participants, emcee Eom Jeon-geum announced the start of the tournament in a booming voice.
- Let the!!! Gourmet Unicorn Tournament!!! Begin!!!
"Well now, befitting a capital tournament, what a grand scale."
A whole year long.
Just looking at the systematic rules—using the promotion-relegation format to meticulously rank the twenty participants' skills—revealed the tournament's storied tradition and prestige.
The Ming chefs taking part must be quite formidable.
"But our Jang Geum is no ordinary chef either."
Heo Yeop recalled the taste of the Golden Fried Chicken he'd eaten before.
No matter how skilled the Ming chefs were, they couldn't easily replicate that divine flavor.
Go get 'em, Jang Geum. Show those Ming folks the prowess of Joseon.
Cheering her on inwardly, Heo Yeop turned the page.
And his expectations crumbled in just one page.
- My dish is Golden Fried Chicken.
- My dish is also Golden Fried Chicken.
"What in the world?"
- Copycat Chef Kagashi. Known as the Draw Master Kagashi.
- He possessed the special ability to perfectly replicate any dish after seeing it once, steadily accumulating draw points to challenge the tournament year after year like a seasoned veteran.
- You couldn't tell them apart blindfolded.
- The dishes are both excellent, but how to rank identical ones?
- Then it's a draw. Kagashi versus Great Jang Geum: first match is a draw!
"This is ridiculous!!"
The Golden Fried Chicken was Jang Geum's lifelong masterpiece, even borrowing her stepmother's power.
To copy it in an instant!
And the prowess of the other participants that followed far exceeded Heo Yeop's imagination.
- Next matchup: Siwoo, culinary genius from remote Maturi Island in Zhejiang Province! Versus Joseon's Great Jang Geum!
- Siwuuuuuu!!!
- And right as I say that, contestant Siwoo draws his Tigerblade! A kitchen knife forged from the ribs of a great tiger he slew with his bare hands!
- Siwuuuuuu!!!
- He tenderizes it! Contestant Siwoo pounds a young cow's udder with the Tigerblade!!
- Siwuuuuuu!!!
- Using his innate strength to fell tigers barehanded, he softens the tough udder meat masterfully. Perfectly capturing that paradoxical chewy-yet-tender texture.
- Great Jang Geum's beef dish is perfectly grilled and delicious too, but... compared to Siwoo, it's just too ordinary.
- No helping it. Bad matchup. Victory to Maturi Island's Siwoo!!
- Siwuuuuuu!!!
"Gasp."
Creatures like this exist in the world?
Catching a tiger barehanded? Grinding its ribs into a kitchen knife? Using it to tenderize ingredients?
How could Jang Geum possibly beat a monster like that?
- Third matchup: Pufferfish expert Tang Hwaryeong of the Sichuan Tang Clan! Versus Joseon's Great Jang Geum!
- Having failed to win her first two matches, Jang Geum finally played her trump card.
- Shepherd's Purse Soup, made by handpicking the finest shepherd's purse from mountains near Beijing—a dish filled with memories of her late mother in heaven. Yes, this should do it!
- But contrary to Jang Geum's hopes, the judges were merciless.
- Great Jang Geum, you haven't grasped the basics of cooking. The lands of Joseon and Ming differ, as do the waters—how can you mimic Joseon fare with Ming ingredients? What a disappointment.
"Oh no! That's right."
It was exactly what An Sung-jae had pointed out in the previous volume.
An utterly indefensible blunder.
- And Tang Hwaryeong, facing off against her, looked coldly at Jang Geum's Shepherd's Purse Soup and said,
- Shepherd's Purse Soup? How dare you enter this in a Gourmet Unicorn Tournament! What are you even cooking for?
- My Sichuan Tang Clan has staked our lives on becoming Gourmet Unicorns. Do you know how many Tangs died perfecting this pufferfish dish?
- Listen well, Great Jang Geum.
- To me, cooking is killing.
"Heavens!"
Killing?
How could she utter such a savage word?
Yet Heo Yeop had no choice but to acknowledge it.
No matter how skilled the tournament chefs were, he'd thought Jang Geum—who had overcome countless culinary duels—could prevail somehow.
But no.
"Even their resolve was on another level."
- Jang Geum wandered Beijing's night streets alone, feeling utterly desolate. Had it been hopeless from the start? She'd poured her all into it, yet ended up at the bottom. Truly miserable.
- Leaving aside her opponents' overwhelming skills, the language barrier, mismatched flavors, and cold stares from foreigners created a loneliness even the battle-hardened Jang Geum couldn't endure.
- She was like a single flower trembling alone at the foot of a vast cliff.
"Indeed. Life in a foreign land is lonely."
Heo Yeop, who had visited Ming several times as an envoy, understood her feelings well.
The chilling gazes, as if looking at barbarians, had been nearly unbearable for him too.
She had to push through.
Turning the page with deep concern, a butterfly fluttered down to land on that lonely trembling flower.
- Eek! Wh-what are you doing!!
- A man snatched Jang Geum from the night street and pulled her into his arms, pressing a finger to her lips.
- Shh. Let's fellow Joseonites help each other out.
- Jo... Joseonite?
- Search! He's around here somewhere... Tch, lucky bastard!! Not this way! Check the other side!! That gambler must've cheated somehow!!
- Once the commotion died down, Jang Geum finally looked up at the man. Beneath his deeply pulled-down black hat, thick brows and sharp eyes gleamed, making her breath catch.
- I'm Min Jeong-ho, a Joseonite. Thanks for the help. Say, if you're free, care to grab some tea together?
"Heh, that rascal Gyun!"
His five-year-old son was already awakening to romance?
Well, the boy had always been unusually precocious since birth.
Still, way too early.
- Put me down first before you talk! And why would I have tea with you?!
- Haha, so you'll wander these night streets alone and lonely again tomorrow? Your back looked so forlorn to me.
- Th-that's...
- Come on, let's have tea together. Eat together, walk the streets together. You know how rare it is in this vast Ming to meet a fellow northerner who speaks your language.
- ... True, but... Fine.
From that day on, Min Jeong-ho stayed by Great Jang Geum's side.
As he said, they drank tea, ate meals, strolled the streets—and her frozen heart began to thaw bit by bit. The sprouts of romance bloomed.
"Heh heh, how old was Jang Geum again? She started at ten, studied under her stepmother, went through culinary duels... twenty-five? Twenty-six? Heh heh, about time for romance. No, she's overdue."
Heo Yeop gave a pleased smile at the spring breeze blowing Jang Geum's way.
And soon, the fourth match arrived.
- Fourth matchup: Dual-Wield Otari!! Versus Joseon's Great Jang Geum!!
- True to her moniker, Dual-Wield Otari gripped kitchen knives in both hands. Crisp, powerful strikes rang out from her cutting board like swinging a bat at a flying ball.
- In contrast, Jang Geum's board was serene. Her cheeks flushed, she handled each ingredient with care, crafting a full-course meal.
- Yes, make food to share with that person. Food we can sit at the same table for, laughing and chatting over.
A moment later, the results were in.
- Otari's dish is superb as always. Creating two flavors from one ingredient—that skill never ceases to amaze. And Great Jang Geum... you've had a change of heart, I see.
- It was...
- No need to explain. The food tells all. You handled each ingredient with delicate care for someone precious, didn't you?
- I'd like to give this one to Great Jang Geum. The desire to share good food with loved ones breathed life into your ingredients. A fine evolution—keep at it.
- It's decided, then. Victory to Great Jang Geum this round!!
"I see! She infused it with life!!"
Heo Yeop slapped his knee and burst out laughing.
When two strangers meet by chance and spend time together, it becomes affection.
Affection builds and builds until they share the same gaze—that's true feeling.
Together, romance.
And romance always begets new life.
Killing versus life.
She'd found a way to counter killing with something entirely different.
It was a path perfectly aligned with Neo-Confucian logic, without a single deviation.
"Well done, Great Jang Geum."
Wearing a proud smile, Heo Yeop turned the page.
- Fresh off her first win, Great Jang Geum ran to Min Jeong-ho, who watched the tournament from afar. He enveloped her warmly in his arms. After lingering there a while, she looked up and said,
- Let's go out for a meal together tonight. My treat.
- Ho? You, the cheapskate, treating?
- B-back then, I really had no money. But recently, some anonymous Joseonite sponsored a fortune... No, I don't mean using that! I have a little saved from Joseon, so with that...
- Tournament chefs cover their own ingredients. Jang Geum had her stepmother's inheritance and meager savings from work, but it was tight for a year-long event. Fortunately, an anonymous Joseonite had recently made a generous donation. Blushing furiously at having her dirty laundry aired, Jang Geum was met by Min Jeong-ho's words.
- Sounds good. I'll eat my fill.
- Y-yes!! I'll just change and be right out! Meet at the main gate!!
Min Jeong-ho watched her retreating figure, until his servant Gapbok grumbled,
- Young master, gambling before, now charity?
- So what? She loves it. Better this way.
- Min Jeong-ho spat with resentment toward his family.
- Wealth squeezed from framing a friend's house—promised even their child's marriage—for treason? Making Jang Geum smile with trash like that is already a huge profit.
"N-no... surely not."
Heo Yeop could scarcely believe his eyes.
Treason.
Jang Geum's clan had been exterminated for treason.
Could the family that framed them be Min Jeong-ho's...?
What devilish twist was this?
Unable to shake off the shock, Heo Yeop frantically turned the page.
A single forlorn sentence greeted him.
- To be continued in the next volume...
Heo Yeop shouted once again with all his might.
"Next volume!!!!!"