Chapter 14
Chapter 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: 태왕 남생 14화
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I donned the official robes my wife had meticulously pressed and donned the blue official hat worn by bureaucrats. At the main gate, family retainers and escort warriors lined up in an endless row.
Even my father, Yeon Gaesomun, was there. The sight left me dumbfounded, and I turned to Go Jeong-ui beside me.
"It looks like a damn triumphal parade."
Go Jeong-ui replied indifferently.
"It's the first day, so they're making a fuss."
I wanted to smack him one, but I held back. I climbed into the prepared carriage and headed for the Central Administration Bureau.
I'd spent the past few days diligently studying the New Annals I'd received from National Academy Scholar Lee Mun-jin. Thanks to that, I'd gleaned more information than what appeared in the Records of the Three Kingdoms or the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms. By this era, the old tribal wealth of groups like the Gyeru Division had faded away. Terms like "Eastern" or "Western" were more administrative distinctions now.
But the power of the noble cliques centered around the Great Men was enough to threaten royal authority. Especially in certain departments, there were customs where the king couldn't even appoint officials.
"Without appointment rights, a superior isn't really a superior."
The Central Administration Bureau, which could be called the core department, had been under royal control since the reign of Yeongyang Great King. Yeon Gaesomun had placed his eldest son there.
'Is it to raise me strong? Or a conciliatory move to stay close to the royal house?'
The Yeon clan, referred to as the Eastern house, was a rising noble family. Naturally, they'd clashed with the royal family and other nobles.
But the Yeon clan had survived somehow. Conflicts had mostly been quelled during my grandfather Yeon Taejo's time. Yet from the records and the atmosphere around me, they clearly weren't resolved.
'They've just sunk beneath the surface.'
And now, with the Tang Dynasty's rise, tensions were bubbling up again.
'The Tang stabilized faster than expected.'
No one could have foreseen Tang Taizong Li Shimin's emergence. When the Sui invaded, Yeongnyu King had fought alongside Eulji Mundeok but then pursued a peace policy. The problem was it was too subservient and failed to deter invasions. Still, I understood Yeongnyu King's mindset.
'Even I'd hesitate to gamble a nation's fate twice.'
But to avoid becoming the traitor of history, I had to eliminate him. Historically, he'd made the wrong choices, hastening Goguryeo's fall. Lost in such thoughts, the carriage came to a stop. Go Jeong-ui pulled aside the front curtain.
"We've arrived at the Central Administration Bureau."
The Central Administration Bureau was inside Chang'an Fortress, shaped like a gourd, right next to the royal palace—separated by just one wall. That showed its importance; it handled nearly everything. From market oversight in what was also called Pyongyang Castle to intelligence operations. Its core was the Confidential Bureau, which reported only to the royal family and high ministers.
"It's like the National Intelligence Service in modern times."
That was where I'd be working. Assigning menial tasks to the Yeon clan's heir could be seen as an insult. I could see the main gate bearing the plaque "Central Administration Bureau." As I walked toward it, I spoke to Go Jeong-ui trailing behind.
"You'll be doing the work, right?"
"Of course. You just sit there, Master. Or lie down if that's too much."
"For real?"
"It's just words. Don't forget you're the Yeon clan's heir."
I considered smacking him but held back. Meanwhile, Geom Mojam and the escorts surrounded us like we were entering enemy territory.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Aren't you too tense?"
"It's my job."
"If they all rushed us, six guys couldn't hold them off."
"There are more up top."
I glanced upward at that. Something flitted past on the sloped roof.
Following the long, winding wall, we reached a building with a "Confidential Bureau" plaque.
"Smaller than I thought."
Considering the power it wielded, I'd expected something grander.
In front stood rows of low-ranking officials in white robes and white hats.
'What a lavish welcome.'
As I approached, they bowed in unison.
Among them were men my grandfather's age. These were the junior officials handling the actual work.
Nobles like me oversaw them from above. Lately, they even delegated to clever retainers or servants from their households.
'The nation's future worries me.'
Unaware of my thoughts, Go Jeong-ui looked around excitedly.
"Excited?"
"Of course. This is where we manage the court's secrets."
Seeing his enthusiasm, I envied how he seemed oblivious to tension.
I entered the building amid their greetings. Unlike Joseon-era hanok, it had a central courtyard.
"Doesn't feel like a government office."
The courtyard featured a small pond surrounded by flowers and trees.
Someone stood before the opposite building, clad in flowing robes and a red hat. He looked mid-forties, with sharp eyes. A necklace of jade and gold marked him as high-ranking even from afar.
"Who's that?"
Go Jeong-ui whispered low.
"Who else? The Chief of Central Administration."
"He radiates presence."
As if he'd heard, the Chief turned and entered the building.
"Guess I should pay respects?"
"Naturally."
Geom Mojam and the escorts stayed put as Go Jeong-ui led the way.
At the building's entrance, Go Jeong-ui stepped forward and bowed.
"Junior Central Administrator Yeon Namsaeng has come to pay respects."
A voice soon called us in, and the door opened.
Beyond the creaking, I saw the Chief seated before dense window bars. Go Jeong-ui bowed and stepped aside.
Figuring I had to go in alone, I proceeded cautiously. As I entered, the door creaked shut behind me. I flinched, and the Chief asked in a low voice from his chair.
"What? Scared?"
"I'm sensitive to noises. Allow me to pay respects."
"Cut the nonsense and come have some tea."
His tone was cold and firm. It gave off a villainous vibe, making me shrink a bit.
As I approached, a back door opened. A boy with twin buns carried in a teapot and poured. Only after sitting did I notice how dim it was, even in the morning.
I thought it might be a blackout, then remembered this was 7th-century Goguryeo and gave a wry smile.
The dimness came from the windows. Small ones near the eaves, barred tightly, let in little light.
"Why make it like this?"
"To block arrows from outside."
It was hard to believe anyone lived in such gloom for that reason. The Chief chuckled.
"Amusing? A few years ago, an arrow from a crossbow flew through a palm-sized window while I was at the latrine."
He removed his red hat, revealing a long scar on the side of his head.
"The physician said if it'd gone an inch deeper, I wouldn't have survived."
Nearly dying mid-shit— the thought was so absurd I almost burst out laughing.
Suppressing it, I changed the subject.
"The room's sparsely decorated. You must be frugal."
There was just a chair and table. No scrolls; it felt dark and empty.
"This space is all I need. No intent to adorn it."
"Ah..."
No more to say. I sipped my tea in silence. As I set down the cup, the Chief spoke.
"I still can't fathom your father's intentions."
"What intentions?"
"Sending you here."
"To learn the ropes, surely?"
"I figured as much. But seeing you stirs other thoughts."
"Like what?"
"Confidence."
He crossed his arms after the curt word.
"Showing me—and the Great King behind me—that his successor is such a man."
"What makes me brag-worthy?"
"You brought Go Jeong-ui. National Academy Scholar Lee Mun-jin's prized disciple."
"Is that so? To me, he's just a chatty kid."
"Heard you met once and took his disciple right away. What convinced that old man?"
"Told him graceful aging matters most."
The Chief laughed, lifting his cup at my joke.
"Now I get why he sent you here."
"I'll stay out of trouble and quiet."
"Hope so. We've enough scandals brewing."
Silence returned. I still couldn't grasp why Yeon Gaesomun sent me here. The inscrutable Chief weighed on me.
'Mountains beyond mountains.'
I'd successfully talked down Nam-geon, who seemed the biggest headache.
But stepping outside the walls, I'd faced a tougher foe. The Great King-controlled Central Administration Bureau's head wouldn't welcome the Yeon clan's heir.
That's why even Geom Mojam looked ready for enemy lines. The tangled politics twisted my face unwittingly.
Still, better than being a nobody dirt-poor thirty-something in Korea.
I was in a position to change history and move the world. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, the Chief asked.
"Heard your recent moves are unusual."
"Me?"
"Met National Academy Scholar Lee Mun-jin, snagged Go Jeong-ui. Went to Sui Captive Village, bent them with words. Even shut up Nam-geon and Nam-san, who climbed every issue."
His grasp of family internals tensed me up.
Reading me, the Chief laughed heartily.
"Don't worry. That's the Bureau's job."
"Eavesdropping inside noble walls?"
"Plots harming the nation and tormenting the Great King brew there."
"That's the Bureau's role."
"Exactly. So I couldn't understand sending you here."
"To study."
"Couldn't you summon people home?"
"Can't see the world from inside walls."
"Do you need to? The walls suffice."
"Know the Tang situation now?"
"Busy sorting Tujue and neighbors."
"Then it's our turn. What then?"
"Show goodwill, they won't antagonize us."
"If they intend war regardless?"
"Premature prediction?"
"Not about right or wrong. Even if they plan conquest, they'll sheath swords now. But in years, they'll swing them—demanding what we can't yield, one by one."
"To avert war, bend pride if needed."
"If that fails to stop war?"