Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Yeongjo Comes (2)
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Calm down.
I turned off the skill first.
I couldn't let myself be overwhelmed by the judgment of a cowardly traitor like Shin Sukju.
Looking at it with clear, realistic eyes, all that was left was one dignified old man and his entourage.
Of course, by the time I knelt before the palanquin, it was tightly screened with bamboo blinds, so I couldn't see his face anymore.
The king spoke from within it.
"As the royal procession entered Hoseo, it bestowed many graces upon every village it passed. But now I hear that in Jiksan, the magistrate personally oversaw the meticulous provision of supplies and tents to avoid troubling the people—unlike elsewhere—so it is only right to grant special favor here."
Yeah, 'bestowed many graces,' sure. He had no choice.
I heard all about it. He issued a stern reprimand to the army in Suwon and had Deputy Magistrate Yi Yisu conduct a strict reinspection of the troops. How badly must they have rampaged?
But here, I made sure none of that happened.
By controlling the grain and goods and offering just the right amount as tribute, we wrapped it up with far less than outright plunder. My gains were substantial, but yours—without losing the people's hearts—are even greater.
Come on, then. Hand over that special grace.
Gold? Silk? An official post?
But a moment later, what I received through the eunuch was a single sheet of paper.
Not an edict appointing me Chief State Councillor, but a seven-syllable quatrain poem penned by the king himself.
I held back my anger and read the poem.
Thinking of the Jeongyu year brings tears? Why the sudden sentimentality?
Ah, I remember now. The Jeongyu year was when Gyeongjong was ordered to serve as regent for Sukjong.
You're saying you're the rightful successor to Sukjong and Gyeongjong? Got it. Must've been tough picking a year that packs a double punch in such a short poem.
Did I ever oppose that? Old man, why complain to me? You can hash it out face-to-face in the afterlife. Though I suspect Gyeongjong would just shove a live king crab straight down your throat.
Hold it in. I haven't gotten everything yet.
I set aside the king crab bit and fulfilled my duty.
Just like a Korean office worker seeing the chairman's scrawled calligraphy from calligraphy class. Praise its lofty intent and superb rhythm.
Yeongjo spoke.
"Ah! My heart swells, and tears flow first. Even this young junior official shares the weeping emotion—truly profound. Bestow the four characters 'Recalling the Past, Stirred Emotions' separately; engrave them on fine wood and hang them in the office."
Buy the 'fine wood' with my money, the 'young junior official's'? You're not providing it, the aged top official?
Having received two utterly useless sheets of paper, I lingered, unable to let go.
But seeing the eunuch gesture for me to scram, it really was over.
Should I snipe him from afar? Or if my pal Sado Seja takes the throne and opens his snubby folder to me, maybe aim for Chief State Councillor?
Contrary to Kim Unhaeng's ominous thoughts, King Yi Geum genuinely believed he had granted a true special grace.
By Joseon standards, Yi Geum was slightly more in the right.
The poem and inscription Yi Geum issued in Jiksan matched the original history's Yeongjo exactly.
Originally, the poem went to his accompanying retainers, and the inscription to the temporary palace in Cheonan.
But this time, they went to the 'Jiksan acting magistrate' and the 'Jiksan county office.'
A history-altering favor born of Kim Unhaeng's cunning flattery—impossible to deny.
Other counties saw past exam approvals and prisoner releases—measures someone would appreciate.
But there was a reason for that disparity.
Those 'graces' compensated for the damages inflicted en route. In Jiksan, however, Kim Unhaeng's meticulous preparations ensured no such incidents occurred.
The biggest factor? The roads.
The man who fully overcame Joseon's dismal roads and floored it was the sole 'fastest monarch' in this land's long history.
Not even Yeongjo's procession, Training Command included, could match that speed.
Yet in this Jiksan alone, it was a true high-speed lane—like the glories of the Manchu wars reborn.
Though Kim Unhaeng had cleared the homes and offices, the procession didn't even need to overnight here. The roads were that good.
Yi Geum had considered those circumstances and granted Jiksan nothing beyond honor.
Who compensates loyalty and filial piety with cash? Some even do three years' mourning hourly?
Strictly speaking, only honor. Yeongjo had meted out precise, sufficient reward.
This was Joseon. Yi Geum's faint sneer—"You're not ready yet"—seemed to echo in Kim Unhaeng's ears.
Of course, even such a Yi Geum wasn't everyone's monarch and father.
The realm was vast. There were men who could teach him loyal filial duty.
After much deliberation, I shelved the assassination plot and kept gathering intel even after Yeongjo departed. He'd pass through here on the way back anyway.
While trampling Chungcheong's people on the advance—rewarding yangban with exam passes irrelevant to the masses—Yeongjo bathed in Onyang and set off again around late September.
Hm? Seems quicker than expected.
And unluckily, the procession arrived in Jiksan at evening this time. Despite my autobahn, they overnighted here.
Of course, the officials and people of Jiksan—drilled like a real campaign since Yeongjo's first visit—responded swiftly. No one got beaten half to death, no women dragged off, no homes looted.
And that's when I finally learned (for a price) why Yeongjo had turned back so fast.
Around September 15th, when the procession first passed Jiksan, word reached the king: Qianlong was sending an envoy to celebrate his empress's investiture.
They hurriedly appointed Hong Bonghan in Seoul as reception chief to save face, but a king gallivanting while an envoy arrived looked bad.
The envoy was due at Mohwaguan early October, so Yeongjo decided to return before September's end.
This was... the Son of Heaven?
The emperor's timing was pure art.
Yeongjo must be tasting the exact frustration I'd felt toward him.
This fizzy thrill. Long live, long live, hurrah!
Meanwhile, Yeongjo—Onyang hot springs turned into a quick shower—boiled inside, unable to smash that Jurchen chief's bald boulder-egg head.
Didn't witness it, but gotta be. I would've too.
Incidents like this call for quiet reflection and repentance on one's usual failings, but Yeongjo straight-up 'Yeongjo'd.'
Decided to vent elsewhere.
Suddenly pissed mid-bath, he granted old Noron heavyweight Lee Taejung the post of Assistant Magistrate of Military Affairs and summoned him.
September 20th—five days after Qianlong's notice.
Why venting?
Lee Taejung was in Jindo.
Yeah, that famous dog island.
FYI, Yeongjo sent him there too.
Whether Lee Taejung wanted the post was irrelevant. As Sejong said, since when was occupation a choice in this Joseon?
Failing to arrive from Jindo on time wasn't like a newbie late to an interview. It was defying a royal command.
Sure, Joseon history's full of scholars ignoring appointments. Lee did it plenty.
But one truth pierces modern and ancient alike.
You don't punish the guilty. You just find guilt in whom you want to punish.
Plus, Yeongjo explicitly warned: since he was leading an army, laggards would face military law. Thorough bastard.
But Lee Taejung wasn't some random mob.
Even contemporaries admitted he lacked real talent. Yet his unyielding integrity and purity—enduring lifelong exiles—earned respect.
First time seeing him today, but we're closely linked.
He fiercely advocated for the Four Ministers, starting with my clan uncle Kim Changjip, and stormed against the Soron like Noron's Lu Bu.
Mistook Yi Gwangjo for Lee Kwangju? Mixed fengshui into his Jucheo Guard king assault—kinda dim Lu Bu vibes—but a diehard Noron partisan.
And among them, a fervent Anju Kim ally. Rebuked by the king with "What makes you think you're Kim Changjip's son?"—irreplaceable for our house.
But that meant, regrettably, he was exactly the factionalist scum Yeongjo loathed most.
Gapsan, Uiju, Jindo, Yeongam, Heuksando—scarce any province without his exile stamp.
Exile genius, basically.
True to form, Lee Taejung deployed his mobility like a pro.
A tad late, but synced arrival in Jiksan with Yeongjo. How'd he manage?
Folks gossiped: greedy old coot raced for the post with days left.
But that insulted his scholar power.
He skipped the obligatory gratitude bow and stood in the rain before our Jiksan office where Yeongjo was.
Blatant one-man protest.
Not like holing up at home refusing the post.
Risked his neck (no hyperbole) dashing from Jindo to declare—before the king, before the masses—he'd never be his dog.
I get it. Totally. The bastard dog's the king.
But couldn't you do it somewhere else?
Why pick my office for the shitshow?
As I'd sensed before, the stats revealed by the special skill 'Shin Sukju's Integrity' were less fixed values and more like real-time combat power—shifting with circumstance, mood, position, and all.
Lee Taejung stood in the chill autumn rain like a suicide stunt before the king. Royal Secretariat Jo Myeongri—unwillingly in a similar spot persuading him—was the same.
Jo Myeongri's once hefty combat power kept dropping; conversely, Lee—despite rumors of zero talent—swelled ever greater.
His scholar power looked set to crack 9,000. Unless Yeongjo pulls a 'My combat power is 530,000,' that's impressive aura.
I sighed.
One's Royal Secretariat, the other's old Noron heavyweight. No place for my lowly rank and tenure to butt in.
But if Lee Taejung's head rolled here, disaster.
I'd done nothing wrong. But since when did Joseon only punish the actual wrongdoers? No such country even in the 21st century.
I got Yeongjo's appeal ten days back; this is my turf.
Lee's head falls, I'm branded traitor who failed to shield a fellow Noron warrior as the king's frontman.
Excuses like "He was dying naturally, what could I do?" won't fly.
They all know that. Still hunt a scapegoat. Modern folks get it easy.
So I stepped up boldly.
Just watching Lee Taejung now, his power was near-pure scholar power.
Plain talk: no strategy—just raw grit and tenacity holding him up.
Otherwise, why balloon every time the Secretariat urges "Don't rile our nutty king, let's smooth it over"?
So stimulate that grit.
As the Secretariat wearily retreated inside, I sidled up and stood beside Lee Taejung.
A quiet bow to him, then silently shared the rain.
It's fine. Disease Immunity means no pneumonia.
Lee Taejung—who'd stared down the office like steel—finally noticed this odd kid.
"This old exile from the borders doesn't know the new stars. What's your post?"
"A worthless junior graced to act as Mokcheon magistrate for Jiksan. Kim Chungheon—Kim Changjip—is my clan uncle. Name's Unhaeng."
Skip Dad's low rank. Practical guy still clings to jung9p as son hits jung6p.
"Ah, the young Kim clan talent who topped Chundangdae."
Good—no Dog-Beater Stick mention, that's favor. And combat power dipped at Kim Changjip's name.
Strike while cold.
"How dare I boast before a living legend like you, old sir? But before your pure loyalty, I couldn't stay silent—hence my rudeness."
I lifted my face. Apt expression acting fused: teary-eyed loyalist complete.
Good thing it's raining. Flows like tears.
"Foolish and narrow as I am, your fame—restoring our clan from ruin, planting righteous will eternal—I've known since I couldn't speak.
Yet to let such a one wallow in the mud before my eyes? I'd know shame as a scholar and end it myself. Dare to stand beside, share that name at least."
Stoic no-more-talks face, turned head proudly.
Shifted to his diagonal rear, clasped hands, stood.
Lee Taejung mulled long in silence. Then, leaving me behind, sighed.
"No fear in this white head falling. But how let a bright young future die for me?"
Hooked.
Some might call you naive, but I know better.
You lot fear fellow yangban more than the king.
Even if you sniffed my bluff, worst case—Yeongjo lumps me in, punishes both—your life's masterpiece, Noron Four Ministers vindication, turns to mud.
In Joseon, heirs are ancestor avatars (Yeongjo 'cancels summons' free). Lee Taejung destroying Anju Kim? No Noron praise.
Dumped my dilemma straight on him.
Lee Taejung shook wet sleeves, strode to the office.
Exhausted Josungi Jo Myeongri emerged weak, spotted him.
Jo eyed Lee with faint hope.
Lee crisp.
"Failed the royal deadline—great sin. Cowardly old fool panicked, stood outside unsure how to report.
But now young sharp Mokcheon magistrate enlightened me. Head in now, atone."
Jo Myeongri whipped to me—hitherto office tree #23.
I bowed deepest possible (mud doubles effect), head low silent. No four-leaf-clover "I did good?" flex.
I trust Yeongjo's stats I saw. Won't idiot-harm Lee after this deference.
As if hearing my telepathy, Yi Geum generously accepted Lee Taejung's apt excuse and the Secretariat's fanciful polish.
Original history: instant arrest in Jiksan, ranted at same-age old-timer "Senile already?"
Then swapped Military Assistant for meaningless Five Guards command—"Tail the procession"—pure humiliation.
Interveners barely canceled; imagine his pride shredded.
But now? Different.
Josungi Jo Myeongri's bite spot-on.
Recalled Kim Unhaeng sole Gyeongho magistrate with zero death-march trouble. And Yeongjo's praise/appeal.
Subtly cast Kim Unhaeng as mediator.
Not mere king-pleasing. King's no personal fanboy.
Jo's gatekeeper core. Pro move.
Gives Yi Geum face-shield: "Talent I scouted says so—must overlook."
King gladly deployed it. Lee Taejung forgiven with gracious reply.
Low-rank yet boldly upheld duty, swayed stubborn Lee Taejung, halted mad king's vent—Kim Unhaeng's feat astounding.
But as king, Yi Geum must spread attention evenly; no solo Kim shoutout. Too disruptive for his station.
Underlings lack that burden. Mokcheon magistrate Kim Unhaeng's name spread night-long among night-duty officials.
Including newcomer Lee Taejung.
Before departing, he eyed Jiksan office.
"Chungheon's descendant. Root upright, shoot sturdy indeed. No mediocrity."
Rain neared dawn, nearly stopped. Lee poked mud with staff.
"He'll grace the ancestral hall soon. Can't casually ditch post then. Grandkids really torment me."
1. This chapter's events match history almost exactly minus Kim Unhaeng's intervention (as compared in-text). Key differences:
Lee Taejung's initial protest was at Onyang palace. Here, autobahn sped schedule slightly, so Yeongjo hit Jiksan early—straight to protest there.
Qianlong's envoy notice real; Yeongjo named handler 5 days later, rushed back pre-Sept end. But no proof Lee summon was venting—cut from Jindo magistracy, would've returned anyway sans post.
Annals glitch: granted 'Military Assistant Magistrate,' but Yeongjo rags him as 'Military Non-Standing' (unique). Likely Yeongjo flubbed; stuck with Assistant in-story.
2. Envoy's itinerary doc (visit heads-up) hit official timeline. But Secretariat logs hint prior scuttlebutt. Even Sept 10—pre-15—"If can't time Seoul return, order prep for envoy early."
Yeongjo then dumps on Crown Prince Sado (still regent-ing). Two days to onsen depart—hates canceling? Strong suspicion.
3. 'Jucheo Guard king fengshui attack': Lee impeached Yi Gwangju for tomb on wang (王) vein site.
Point: not tomb, but silencing geomancer. Yi knew taboo, did anyway for ulterior—insolence target.
Still, 18c stretch; Lee ate it. In-story Gapsan exile from this.
Jindo? Not exile—named Jeolla Inspector, no-show, demoted Jindo mag. Then axed. Variant exile. Previously: Uiju gov no-go, Yeongjo 'exiled Uiju.'
Yeongjo philosophy: hates X? Make him grit teeth do X.
Post-this, got royal grandson nanny, provincial overseer, minister—didn't fully trash.
4. Lee Taejung's modern Korea reappraised as paragon: monuments, bios. Oddly, 'merit'-heavy Joseon rated him as in-story: "talentless but grit god." Official annals eval.