People Grow the Most When They Get Beaten (3)
Gunsajeon.
Namgung Je-cheon was spending another ordinary day as usual.
Druruk.
Someone came to visit him.
He looked up to see who it was, and Namgung Je-cheon's eyes widened.
"Master?"
Namgung Ilro had made a rare personal appearance at the Gunsajeon.
He had rushed here the moment he heard the rumors that morning.
"Have you finally made your decision?"
His voice was filled with urgency.
And beneath it lay another emotion: worry.
Not knowing his master's true feelings, Namgung Je-cheon nodded vigorously without hesitation.
"Yes."
"I had my doubts, but it's real."
With this choice, Namgung Je-cheon might live a completely different life from here on out.
The youngest young master...
The path ahead of him.
Would be a thorny one.
Namgung Ilro asked in a voice thick with concern.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?"
If there was even the slightest hesitation in that answer, he planned to give his disciple a good thrashing and talk him out of it.
Once you took that path, there was no turning back—but it wasn't too late to pull out now.
Respecting his disciple's choice was part of being a master, but so was scolding him for heading down a path to failure and setting him straight.
Hesitation on the road ahead would be poison.
From now on, the opponents Namgung Je-cheon would face were on an entirely different level.
The three direct descendants of the Namgung family.
They had already built their own factions, and their power dwarfed the youngest young master's.
"Yes."
Namgung Je-cheon replied as if it were no big deal.
Namgung Ilro let out a hollow chuckle.
"All right. I must have interrupted your busy work for nothing."
It had all been needless worry.
There wasn't a trace of fear in his disciple.
"No, it's fine. You're always welcome, Master."
"Thank you. Well then, I'll be off."
At that moment, Namgung Je-cheon looked up from his letter and called out to Namgung Ilro.
"Master."
Of course I should offer him some tea now that he's here. It's been ages since I last saw my disciple's face—time to savor it.
Namgung Ilro turned back with an expectant smile.
"Do you have more to say?"
"Yes."
In that instant, Namgung Ilro was startled.
A flicker of concern had appeared on his disciple's face, which had shown no worry just moments before.
Namgung Je-cheon sighed inwardly.
Haa...
For now, he was handling all the Gunsajeon's affairs on the surface, but officially, his master was still in charge.
To bring in a new person, he ultimately needed his master's permission.
"I'd like to bring someone on board."
The unexpected words made Namgung Ilro's eyes fill with curiosity.
Especially since it was his own disciple saying it.
And he knew better than anyone—he had taught him himself.
How discerning Namgung Je-cheon's eye was.
Ordinary talents wouldn't even catch his interest.
So who could this be that he wanted in his personal space?
I wonder who it is.
Namgung Ilro had heard rumors about the top exam graduate from the Choi family being exceptionally bright.
And the runner-up from the Gu family was said to have ingenious ideas.
"Planning to make them the Gunsajeon's junior staff?"
That's probably what they'd become if hired.
But the answer he heard shattered Namgung Ilro's composure.
"I'm thinking of giving them the title of Vice Military Strategist. It'd lighten my workload too. From now on, I'll have to stick close to the youngest young master quite a bit, won't I?"
"Heh..."
Who on earth could impress that kid so much?
At this point, Namgung Ilro couldn't help but ask directly.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"You're not going to steal them away, are you?"
He's wary of me? Now I'm even more curious.
To Namgung Ilro, this went beyond mere approval.
Namgung Je-cheon seemed utterly captivated.
Just like when he himself had first seen Namgung Je-cheon.
"Haha, even if this master of yours is incompetent, would I steal my disciple's find?"
"In that case, I can make an exception and show you. Speak of the devil—they're coming now."
"What?"
Footsteps approached from behind.
Sararak.
The soft rustle sounded like it came from a woman's skirt.
A woman?
Namgung Ilro turned to see a demure woman offering a polite bow.
"Greetings to the Namgung family's military strategist."
Even in a simple greeting, she exuded remarkable refinement.
This isn't something forged overnight.
It stemmed from rigorous upbringing since childhood.
Not from a martial family.
This was the aura of high nobility.
Who is she?
Namgung Ilro racked his brain for daughters of high officials he knew, but none matched the woman before him.
"Very well. Raise your head."
"Yes."
Upon seeing her face, Namgung Ilro's eyes widened.
Namgung Je-cheon watched with amused interest.
"No, you're...! One of the youngest young master's maids, aren't you? Your name was..."
"Ihyang, at your service."
"Right! But how are you...? No way—you bewitched our fool of a Je-cheon, who only cares about himself, is kinda cute if you stare long enough, but a bit crazy too! Heh! Now that I look, you are stunning! Oh my—me, me! ME!! This is why I've lived this long! I object! I object to this marriage!!"
Namgung Je-cheon stifled a laugh at his master's unprecedented antics, holding it back with all his might.
"Kkuk!"
But he couldn't hold it in forever, and a chuckle escaped.
Namgung Ilro bristled.
"Laughing? You think this is funny? You dared to conduct a grand affair behind your master's back?!"
Ihyang's face had been flushed red, her head bowed low since earlier.
Unable to stand it any longer, Namgung Je-cheon shot to his feet and grabbed Ihyang's hand.
"Heavens!"
"Oh my!"
Two startled exclamations crossed paths.
Then Namgung Je-cheon spoke.
"Allow me to formally introduce her to you, Master. This is Ihyang, a maid of the Namgung family. She passed the scholarly exams at around ten years old, like me, but family circumstances prevented her from pursuing her ambitions. Setting aside her maid background, she's someone I want to teach personally. Borrowing your words, Master, she'd become your grand-disciple."
Namgung Je-cheon beamed and urged Ihyang on.
"Come on, sis! You know what we planned."
"R-right."
Ihyang shook off her earlier fluster and bowed gracefully to Namgung Ilro once more, as poised as when she first appeared.
"I am Icheon-hwa, eldest daughter of the former Grand Scholar Icheon-hak. Currently known as Ihyang. Greetings, Grandmaster."
Namgung Ilro thought today was full of shocks.
"Icheon-hak? You mean that Icheon-hak?"
The current Ming emperor was Zhu Cengi.
Before him, there had been a king with a brief reign, yet one who accomplished much.
His time on the throne lasted only a year.
But in that short span, he eradicated court corruption, reformed the bureaucracy, restored cabinet authority, and enacted policies for the people.
The one who enabled those feats in such little time was the Grand Scholar Icheon-hak.
Yet the king passed away mysteriously after a year, and his closest aide, Icheon-hak, was executed—his entire family reduced to slaves or killed.
"Are you truly the Grand Scholar's daughter?"
There was another rumor about Icheon-hak: his daughter was the most brilliant mind in the Central Plains.
Ihyang replied respectfully.
"Yes, elder. Father often spoke of you."
"Haha, what a fine day! Days like this call for drink! Je-cheon, lend me this child for a bit. Ihyang, was it?"
"Yes, elder."
"Call me Grandmaster from now on, not elder."
Namgung Je-cheon sensed things veering off course.
"Um... Master? I'll take care of sis myself."
"Come along now! I can't leave you with that rascal—just call me Master."
"M-Master? But I found her first?"
* * *
Around that time, another meeting was unfolding at the Uiyakdang.
Singui carefully handed over a book.
"Herbal medicine is new to you, right? I understand. No one's expected to know this offhand. We'll study it step by step from now on."
Ilhyang flipped through the pages lightly before responding.
"Um, Doctor, I already know all this."
"Huh? You know all of it? How? Herbal medicine takes at least five years of physician work to memorize."
"Well... I've had some knowledge of herbs since before, even if not full medicine."
Singui double-checked the book, wondering if he'd grabbed the wrong one.
It was definitely the Compendium of Herbs.
It contained nearly all worldly knowledge on medicinal plants—its thickness alone rivaled a man's head.
"You know all this? Hold on."
Singui flipped through rapidly and stopped at a random page.
"Explain huangqi."
Ilhyang answered instantly.
"Huangqi grows on mountains or in rock crevices. Its flowers have soft white fuzz, leaves are odd-pinnate with 6 to 11 pairs of leaflets in an oval shape. Its effects are mostly in the roots: expels bodily waste to slow aging, boosts immunity, excellent for osteoporosis and arthritis, coughs, headaches, heat toxins. Especially for diarrhea patients—decocting it works wonders by regulating bodily fluids. It's also good for hyperhidrosis due to excessive sweating."
"Heh... Spot on. How does a mere maid know this? What did you do before becoming a maid?"
Ilhyang closed her eyes, recalling her old haven: a small apothecary.
"I helped my father at Cheonhyebang, a little apothecary."
Singui's eyes widened in shock.
It made sense.
Cheonhyebang was an obscure little place no one knew, but its skill was legendary.
It vanished into history after some unfortunate accident, but Singui remembered clearly.
Excluding himself, it was hands-down the best in the Central Plains for medicine!
Singui grasped Ilhyang's hand.
"What luck! How did such fortune come to me? You've been through so much hardship."
"No, I've been happy serving the youngest young master."
Ilhyang smiled brightly.
* * *
Around that time, Samhyang was...
"Put this child in the Hoegumgak."
Namgung Jeon had come straight to Geum Dondong and now stared in bewilderment.
"What did you just say?"
"Put her in the Hoegumgak. Then I won't make any moves for a while. Or rather..."
Geum Dondong smiled slyly.
"To make it clear to you, Lord: the Tianxia Jeonjangju vows no action for the time being."
"Isn't she the youngest young master's maid? Why? Is she your secret daughter or something?"
"A daughter at my age? Just felt like raising one after ages."
"The former Jeon-gwi taking a disciple? The ghosts would wail. Did the youngest young master ask?"
If so, it made sense.
"Do I look like someone who moves on requests? Don't probe between old rivals. It's purely my whim."
"So I can take it you're siding with the youngest young master?"
"For now, sure."
"Good. Then let me ask the child instead. Think you can survive the Hoegumgak?"
Samhyang had been listening to their exchange.
From the brief talk, she grasped who the man before her was.
Hoegumgak.
Someone who could decide its personnel freely.
And chatted casually with the old man.
Likely the head of the Namgung family's Hoegumgak.
Jeonma Namgung Jeon.
Not even an exaggeration to say everyone in Namgung watched his mood.
Why was the old man trying to shove her here?
She'd pondered it the whole way.
Her conclusion: one.
I have somewhere to go back to anyway.
-Samhyang sis, try being the old man's disciple too. Come back anytime if it gets old.
Samhyang answered boldly.
"Don't worry about me. I might just swallow the Hoegumgak whole."
Amused by her brazen attitude after so long, Namgung Jeon laughed.
"You've brought a fun one."
Geum Dondong grinned back.
"Survive just two years in the Hoegumgak. If you do, you can change a lot with your own hands."
* * *
Around that time, Namgung Daeso was...
"Let's take a break, yeah?"
"No questions asked!"
Thwack~!!!
"Ah~ Shit~ damn~"