The Gwageo's True Face
In the era before the civil service exams, nobles all kept their own private armies and would spark civil wars whenever they felt like chopping off the king's head over some grievance. But after the gwag eo system was introduced, they traded swords for brushes, and instead of beheading the king, they'd just whine, "Please understand!" That's why kings in China and the East Asian civilizations under its influence adopted the exam system to bolster their royal authority. Of course, they couldn't admit it was to weaken the nobles, so they dressed it up as a way to select talented individuals—a convenient fabrication. That's the real story behind the gwag eo. There has never been a truly fair exam in history that judges solely on merit to pick officials beneficial to the state. Naturally, the claim that even commoners can take it is a lie. How could peasants without money for a single book afford to buy Confucian texts and study for the exams? The gwag eo is an exam by nobles, for nobles, and of nobles—it's rigged in their favor. So as a noble myself, it should work in my favor too... but somehow, it doesn't feel that way.
"All this is mine?"
Yi Bang-ik, my third sister who'd returned home after just a few days, drove an ox cart right into the courtyard. The cart was piled high with books in a chaotic heap like a mountain. Chewing on a blade of grass like some shepherd, she looked utterly carefree.
"Yeah. All yours."
Yi Bang-ik hopped down from the ox with a bounce. The household slaves mobilized en masse to unload the books, but there was no sign it'd be done anytime soon.
"From the Five Classics to prose anthologies, histories, law codes, Li Bai and Du Fu's poetry collections, past exam passers' answer sheets... Oh, and some academy book from Samgaksan Kyobomunjip or whatever, since they were selling it."
"What the hell, buying trash like that..."
"Hey, better than nothing, right? Bang-ul got all sorts of tutors Mom brought back from Gaegyeong, but you've got no teachers, just thugs around you. Figured extra books are better than zilch, so I grabbed whatever I saw."
"Fair point. Did you see Steppy in Gaegyeong?"
"I stayed there a week, but he never showed his face once. Just holed up eating with Mom."
"Our family's such a fucking mess. Then why bother telling us siblings to get along?"
The dun ox let out a lazy golden bellow. Before I knew it, early summer had arrived, with white wild rose blossoms blooming everywhere.
"How's Bang-ul doing at Seonggyun-gwan?"
Yi Bang-ik made a hard-to-describe face. She scratched her chin roughly, looking reluctant to speak.
"She's head over heels for some guy, following him around instead of staying at the academy. I went to Seonggyun-gwan to see her and missed her, then ran into her on the street. Rubbing her chest against his arm, acting all cutesy."
"Is she nuts?"
"Seems like it. Proudly introduced him to me as her boyfriend. The guy's not from a nobody family or anything, but he felt off."
"Woman's intuition?"
"Something like that. Gave me gold-digger vibes."
In my past life, Yi Bang-won took concubines left and right—more than any Joseon king—and when his ministers fought over a gisaeng, he'd just claim her himself to settle it. And here, that same guy gets duped by a gold-digger?
"If shit really hits the fan, big sis in Gaegyeong will sort it out."
"Right. Oh, she told me to give you this."
Yi Bang-ik pulled a brush from her bosom. Top-quality at a glance. Stroking the tip felt luxuriously soft. Shaking it made something rattle inside the cap.
"Bought it cheap from whoever used it before. And she said nail the gwag eo."
"You got tons of brushes—couldn't give something else?"
Yi Bang-ik lightly smacked my head. It stung.
"Is that how you talk to someone who brought you a gift? Anyway, I'm heading in. Study hard."
Yi Bang-ik waved casually as she went inside. I waved back lightly. The unloading must've finished faster than expected—the cart was already empty.
"Whoa."
Opening the door to my room, books were stacked to the ceiling, no room to step. It wasn't a small room, but aside from my bedding and desk, it was all book towers. A quick glance showed they weren't sorted by genre—just random piles. I'd have to reorganize.
"That's why you supervise moves."
The thought of sorting all this made my head spin already. No point starting now; it'd take forever. I just grabbed the top book—the one I'd trashed earlier. Might as well kill time reading it.
I take back calling it kindling or trash. Obscure author, sure, but it's by some scholar with real knowledge. Logically dissects Confucian texts like a former official who got fired and opened an academy. Hardly any flaws. If I had to nitpick, it's the way it trashes Buddhism like a mortal enemy. Might even make a good study guide.
Even using it as a guide wouldn't change the fact that I'd have to memorize this insane mountain of books...
—
Time flowed like a river. Fallen leaves rustled down before I knew it, golden rice ears gleamed in the fields under the sun, and harvest season arrived. As always, the Jurchens came down from the north.
Before the great reclamation of Manchuria, that land was hell for farming—brutal difficulty even alternating crops and herding. So the Jurchens evolved into rice thieves, skipping farming to plunder harvests. These pests crossed the Tumen River into Korea during harvest or winter, or hit northern China, looting grain before retreating to Manchuria. The damage was so bad that every early Joseon king pushed north to civilize them—Sejong's Four Garrisons and Six Commands were part of that. And the general famous for crushing them? My mom, Yi Seong-hye. Once she hit the battlefield, she'd slaughter them wholesale, so unless it was their great chieftain or a madman, Jurchens steered clear of Hamheung.
So Hamheung was 'relatively' safe from Jurchen threats despite being up north. Not the whole Dongbuk-myeon, though.
Whatever chaos the Jurchens caused, I could just hole up here and prep for the gwag eo. Full marks with unbreakable spirit. Let's focus.
I was trying to concentrate when outside got noisy. Mom couldn't be back from Gaegyeong already, so something was up.
"Nobody..."
I opened the door and locked eyes with Yi Seong-hye on her black steed. Fully armored, but she couldn't hide the slight belly bulge. Giant bow and arrows on her back—full battle gear.
Hard to mask my displeasure.
"Mother. Mind if I ask why you're back from Gaegyeong so soon?"
"While I was away, a Jurchen chieftain named Ho Bal-do pushed near Hamheung. She raided Uiju and threatened Gaegyeong, so I got the subjugation order. Pack light—we might have to abandon Hamheung."
She headed straight to the stables without another word. Minutes later, mounted troops poured into the estate—Gabyulcho, the Jeonju Yi clan's private soldiers. Yi Bang-eun led them on a white horse, sword at her side.
Seeing my familiar sisters all geared up felt strangely new. Yi Bang-eun spotted me and rode over. The horse tried to nuzzle my face; I pushed its muzzle away.
"How big is Ho Bal-do's force that Mom's telling us to pack? Too much for Gabyulcho?"
She responded with her usual stoic calm, like handling backlog paperwork.
"Around a thousand. Not insignificant. Since our allies in Uiju fell, she's strong. But don't worry too much—we match that, and Jurchen allies from the north are coming. In a few days, we'll have the edge."
"Got it. Fighting around here?"
"Yes. We'll maneuver on these plains, so stay inside for the next few days. Might be enemy scouts."
"Okay. Anything I can help with while you're home?"
"No. Just study hard. I'm always rooting for you."
Yi Bang-eun rode off. The moon was bright as if it were New Year's. From inside, I could even see Jurchen heads on pikes. Battle was imminent, alright. Maybe sneak out later to watch from afar. What could go wrong?