Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Rumors I've Heard (2)
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Eoji spoke with a hint of unease.
"I, I, me."
I quickly stopped Eoji.
"No, you don't have to. Eoji."
The corporal punishment in Hamgyong Province, the cradle of wild Joseon spirit, was brutal.
No, since the goal was to extort money anyway, couldn't they just beat them moderately? That's why they rebelled—with local customs like these.
The magistrate was a soldier too, and with Hamgyong Province carrying that overall militaristic vibe (Jurchens lurking about as well), it felt pretty stimulating to me. I hadn't really needed to wield a rod since leaving Mokcheon.
While Eoji wore an expression like 'That's not how you flog someone,' I hid my face behind my fan and turned to Hwang Do-myeong.
"Has Jo Gap-dol not arrived yet?"
"It's about time he returns, but since this is the county office, he might not be able to come in. I'll go take a look... Ah, there he is, coming in."
Jo Gap-dol, the postal runner I'd dispatched to Gangwon Province, hurried across the county office on quick steps.
Then he sidled up to me and whispered.
"After that, a big fight broke out with those inspectors. A couple of servants got hurt. He reported it to the Pyeonggang magistrate, and the household ended up punished. It took us time to get here, so he's probably wrapped up his business by now and is gearing up to leave. Word is, the pressure was intense."
Aigoo.
I get it—Seonsan trauma makes him fly into a rage several times over when lowly folk mouth off. But revealing himself in Gangwon Province, which isn't even his jurisdiction?
Inspector Chae, why not just parade around with a flag blaring 'Secret Royal Inspector'?
Then I'd have to tailor my strategy to match.
I glanced at Yun Pil-deok, who was seated in the county office, bellowing out each stroke of the flogging at the top of his lungs.
Then I spoke to one of the nearby guards.
"Seems the punishments are all fairly done. To avoid any backroom deals, I'll slip away quietly. Keep your mouths shut and pass on my regards to the magistrate."
A messenger of justice who vanishes coolly, expecting no reward. The guard looked as moved as I was.
Pretending to leave like that, I used the excuse of forgotten items to head back to the post station.
After loitering there a while, Yun Pil-deok came looking for me again.
He grabbed my hand and said,
"Even with official duties, I was greatly worried when you left without eating. I wondered if something had offended you..."
Not yet. But if you've guessed that far and come empty-handed, I'll be pretty miffed. You weren't planning to pocket all the confiscated clerks' wealth for yourself, were you?
Sure enough, Yun Pil-deok was a man who communicated through unspoken understanding. He showed me some gold, silver, and jewels.
"The confiscated grain will all go to the throne. It's only proper for a magistrate to aid a traveling inspector with travel funds, but grain is heavy and cumbersome, and cash isn't readily available. Please accept these as a token of sincerity."
Well, he couldn't sweep up assets at light speed. Not all the clerks' wealth was liquid. He'd grabbed what he could in valuables on short notice.
A quick scan told me my cut was plenty. Thanks.
Like that time Lee Ju-guk pitched in during the Wangsimni tiger hunt, once Joseon folk latch on, it's endless.
To stay as far from Inspector Chae as possible, I'd chosen the fastest route on purpose, wrapping up this fruitful meeting with Yun Pil-deok.
Except for one parting gift.
"With such wise magistrates, what need has His Majesty to worry about these eleven counties in western Hamgyong? I won't forget the county magistrate's kindness."
Yun Pil-deok's eyes gleamed.
He got it.
I'm handling these twelve eastern Hamgyong counties, including Goyun (though it's southwest, the terrain makes clean splits tricky, so this one fell to me).
Hamgyong has 23 counties total.
That leaves eleven in the west for Chae Je-gong.
Now, hurry and contact your western colleagues. Cover the intel costs yourself.
With Chae Je-gong blowing his cover in Gangwon, rumors will spread eventually anyway.
So spreading word from here won't change much. I'll pin the blame for the secret inspector's carelessness entirely on Chae Je-gong.
If I play it right, he'll face exactly what the audit team despises most: a perfectly prepped target.
Our group turned northeast once more.
According to Hwang Do-myeong, secret inspectors don't have to strictly follow a set path.
On the contrary, the basics involve deliberately skipping areas or doubling back to sow confusion.
So I decided to bypass all the counties to Hamheung for now.
First, meet the Provincial Observer Hwang Jeong, cash in my crown prince favor for intel. I've got 'gifts' in spades—prepped and ready.
Contrary to Kim Unhaeng's disparagement, Chae Je-gong hadn't been a fool even in his youth.
In a court where the Southerners were nearly extinct, he inherited Ryu Seong-ryong's prestige, entered service, and ultimately led the Southerners' revival under King Jeongjo.
Think of him as the ace who dragged a perpetually losing third-rate sports team to the national semifinals single-handedly. No way he was dumb.
Even in his current youth, he bent flexibly to the times when needed, ignored elders' collective pressure with guts when required, and pushed through self-sacrifice.
Seonsan was the same. Kim Unhaeng mocked him for throwing weight around without real backing, but Chae had used his connections.
His relative, Royal Instructor Kwon Gi-yeon of the Crown Prince's Tutorial Office, defended him. But Yi Hoon, Chief of the Office of Inspectors and Fang's patron, carried more weight.
In the end, the commoner Fang who struck Chae Je-gong was punished too.
Though mutual punishment in a gentry-commoner brawl basically meant the gentry was at fault.
Point is, he wasn't the simple brute punk Kim Unhaeng imagined.
Chae Je-gong's misfortune came from external variables, not internal flaws.
Or more bluntly: 'Kim Unhaeng.'
First off, his clan's dominance in lower Offices of Inspection twisted his career path unlike history.
The incident blew up while he was a Censor in the Hall of Publications, drawing ridicule like '9th grade losing land (lol)'—worse than historical snark.
Without Kim Unhaeng, he'd have lingered in Gangwon, returned, and gotten the Hoseo secret inspector gig.
He could've built his ascent in warm, prosperous Chungcheong, surveying the even tax system's pros and cons like a capable inspector.
That is, if not for Kim Unhaeng.
"Urk... Hic..."
Leaning alone against a wall in some Goyun house, knees to face, Chae Je-gong swallowed his rage in a crouch.
Yes, Kim Unhaeng was half-right about why he revealed himself in Gangwon.
The Fang incident had made him unable to stomach lowly folk's defiance.
But Chae Je-gong wasn't some rash king using that as justification. He had rational grounds.
Like Kim Unhaeng, he'd sniffed out his rival dispatch.
And reached the same conclusion: reach Hamheung fast.
As I Geum assessed, their wits were evenly matched.
Just their directions diverged sharply.
And that 'direction' cleaved their fates.
Simply put, Chae Je-gong lacked Kim Unhaeng's cash and earning savvy.
So he risked exposure, flaunting inspector prestige for comfy lodgings, horse feed, meals. Poor condition meant inevitable delays.
Rumors? He'd outpace them.
Chae's choice blended Southern practical learning and youthful daring.
He wasn't wrong. As the fastest monarch proved, control speed to control time—and fate.
But Chae wasn't 'fast enough.'
Kim Unhaeng's 'one step ahead' in Goyun decided it all.
Goyun folk sneered at the inspector brazenly demanding 'urgent duties'.
'Oh, an inspector? They're as common as stray dogs these days.'
'Two inspectors in one county? Nice fake badge.'
'If you're here on rumors, should've come sooner. Party's long over.'
'Do all secret inspectors shout their title now?'
No one offered him a bed.
The county magistrate ignored him, soldiers turning him away at the gate.
Forcing into offices? That'd make it official inspection—messy paperwork if reported outside jurisdiction.
Anxiety bred mistakes, mistakes bred haste—a vicious cycle.
Finally, exhausted servants fled amid fights, scoldings, hunger, fatigue.
No food left. As a scholar, Chae didn't carry cash personally.
Even Kim Unhaeng, who'd laid the perfect trap, would've been shocked.
Against expectations, Chae teetered on elimination at stage one: Goyun.
Late March, but northern nights stayed frigid.
Chae hugged his legs, shuddering.
"What... what did I do wrong to end up like this..."
What fault bore the farmer swept away with crops in flood, or the fisherman capsized to the afterlife? Just curse entanglement with Kim Unhaeng.
Suddenly, unfamiliar voices.
"What's that gentleman doing out there at night?"
"Gentleman? Looks like a beggar who stole a hat and plopped it on."
"Hey, Changdae. Illiterate as you are, how's your tongue so brazen? Emulate your master—sense the refined scholar's aura beyond garb."
"All I smell's a foul stink. Drunkard by looks. Better flee before trouble. Didn't you say to catch up with your brother-in-law quick?"
Chae Je-gong's head snapped up.
First in view: two horses.
A young gentry lad Kim Unhaeng's age and his foul-mouthed servant peered down from horseback.
Secret inspectors nominally rank from Junior Grade 2 to Senior Grade 3—observer-level on paper.
But few impeach observers upon reaching their yamen.
Observers mostly oversee regions directly (barring special audits like Pyeongan or Jeolla).
They monitor magistrates too—like standing inspectors. Pointless to audit anew.
But chiefly, observers are or were central high officials.
Not all Grade 2s equal. No officer equates frontline Yi Sun-sin with camp-follower Dogshit.
Impeach with faction backing centrally, not solo sword dance here.
So upon Hamheung arrival, I made clear: 'Not as inspector, but junior paying respects.'
"Never dreamed you'd be Hamgyong secret inspector, but I've long heard from the Crown Prince of your observer's virtue and character. Meeting you proves the reputation true. Fearing the north's harsh weather might tax your health, I've brought some yang-tonic medicine."
I offered one ginseng root from Yun Pil-deok.
But Hwang Jeong was no pushover.
He ignored it.
"Do secret inspectors reveal names at offices? Probably seniors advised it, but we pick youths for uncompromised integrity. Don't next time."
I didn't flinch.
Instead, I dumped blame on my 'corrupt seniors teaching bad habits' in the Three Offices.
"Your lesson cuts to the bone. Young and foolish, I took Seoul whispers as gospel—my error."
Then scanned him with 'Shin Sukju's Integrity.' Horseback sobriety lately made it possible.
Hm. Yi Tae-jung plus Hong Dae-yong.
Scholarly integrity meets solid administration.
At this point, a Yeongjo-trusted firefighter like Parks Mun-su? No exaggeration.
Damn, tricky type.
Looking sickly from the workload—really no need for ginseng?
I noted his 'next time.'
So 'this time' might fly. I didn't withdraw it if he disliked.
Hwang Jeong said,
"Amusing, what your welcomers said. You're adept at riding, tamed even underlings' horses— all praise their docility. Heard of Mokcheon tiger hunt, but were you originally martial?"
"No. But seasonal hunts are imperial rites; archery and riding are Six Arts. Scholar sending spring-summer to books, fall-winter to hunts—why not emulate the ancients?"
"Fine words flow—you wanted to boast."
Now I was truly flustered.
This guy's ignoring courtesy like Yi Tae-jung, but different flavor. What gain from slapping a black-haired junior head-on?
Hwang Jeong said sternly,
"The gentleman strives to be slow of speech, swift of deed [君子欲訥於言而敏於行, Analects]. All know deeds matter more, few that speech matters most."
I puzzled over his prickliness, then it hit.
Ah, busting his ass fixing exploded Hamgyong, and the king sends two secret inspectors without a heads-up. He's pissed at the throne.
But why me? I hate the king too.
His grudge showed right after.
"Guessing you want spots to impeach magistrates for merits? Crown Prince commands, so I'll tell. But inspectors exist to urge good governance, not torment. Go to Jongseong, Onseong, and Aoji."
"Aoji, sir?"
I flinched, thinking other Joseon Aojis, but Hwang Jeong pressed on.
"Yes. You heard of the rat horde crossing Duman River, gouging children's eyes? Famine and beasts ravage the Six Garrisons gateway. You seem martially gifted, quick-witted, beast-savvy—hear the people's woes, find solutions."
So that's the preemptive strike.
"I'll see if your deeds match words so neatly. If you criticize without fixing, I'll be deeply disappointed."
Couldn't say blaming others is my role.
Inspectors specialize in badmouthing, sure. But if magistrates botch, on-site fixes and proposals are duty.
I bowed politely.
"As you say. But inspectors come and go; northern folk rely wholly on the North Observer. That's why His Highness assigned tough Hamgyong to you, and Crown Prince wrote specially trusting you.
Seals and hats remake easy, true scholars not. From subjects to king, all expect from you. So please preserve your health."
I'd take his venting.
But Six Garrisons mess is observer's fault fundamentally.
Don't gripe too much.
'Subjects to king'—Three Offices could paint you incompetent minister.
Not my power. You might be out of Yeongjo's favor.
Hwang Jeong got it.
No demand to take ginseng back as I exited politely.
I stepped out feeling somewhat refreshed.
Hwang Do-myeong, hearing my tale:
"Then we hurry north. Roads get rough from here."
"No, hurry only to Hamheung. No rush after."
"Pardon?"
Hwang Do-myeong gaped. I just whistled, stroking Pony's mane.
"Now we gather rumors again. Depart after."
Author's Note
1. Chae Je-gong's Seonsan seizure wasn't just 'gimme the land'—more complex. His wife died, no burial plot, so buried in that commoner's ancestral ground. The enraged commoner tracked him down and struck. Both had gripes: Chae for secret burial thinking commoners pushovers, Fang for daring assault in central Seoul. Big issue then, even to the king. Low ranks kept it minor.
2. Secret inspectors did impeach observers sometimes, but consensus held they couldn't target Grade 2+. Yeongjo balked at firing Uiju governor on inspector say: 'Hard to dismiss on mere admonition.'