Chapter 137: Gyeonghoeru [2] Just as Kanghyeok had expected, Seonjo reached Gyeonghoeru about ten minutes later.
Since it was the king's procession, there had naturally been a great deal of fuss long before he arrived.
"His Majesty the King approaches!"
A eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs.
With adult lung capacity forced through vocal cords that had never passed through puberty, it was awful to listen to.
Is this what a castrato sounds like?
It was neither soprano nor tenor. The voice was strange, and if he had to keep listening to it, he felt like he might end up smacking the man.
Kim Gyehan's voice doesn't sound like this, though... was he castrated late?
Contrary to what people commonly believed, not all eunuchs were castrated at the same age. Usually they were cut before their testicles grew too large. But sometimes, it was said, the operation was done only after they had become adults.
And in those cases, I heard some of them died. If the testicles were larger, then naturally there would be far more bleeding when they were cut off.
Kanghyeok suddenly felt sorry for the eunuchs.
Poor bastards.
Just as he was thinking how pitiful they were, everyone around him suddenly dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves. Because of that, Kanghyeok was left alone like an island for a moment before he belatedly threw himself down as well.
"Ten thousand years to His Majesty the King! Ten thousand years to His Royal Majesty!"
Because of that, he even missed the moment when everyone shouted in perfect unison.
Fortunately, Seonjo seemed not to have noticed Kanghyeok. He simply strode forward and moved to the center of the banquet hall.
Wow, I really almost got screwed that time.
He had nearly let his thoughts wander for a moment and ended up never thinking again for the rest of his life.
Kanghyeok let out a sigh, rubbing at his startled chest. But if he left it there and did nothing but feel frightened, he would not be Kanghyeok.
After quickly getting over the shock, he secretly lifted his head a little. He was too curious about Seonjo's face.
Let's see... ah, there he is.
It was not difficult to find where Seonjo was seated. First, all he had to do was find Jeong Cheol, the State Councillor whose face was especially red. He was rather short, but because his seat was that much higher, he stood out very easily. Seonjo was seated right beside him.
Is something bothering him?
This was not some chaos like the Imjin War. He was the king in as peaceful a time as could be. Not even the merchants in the marketplace wore such a deep frown. Seonjo had an unmistakably irritable look about him.
That's definitely the face of someone who's uncomfortable about something.
If he had simply been smiling, it would not have attracted Kanghyeok's attention at all. But because he looked peculiarly uncomfortable, it bothered him tremendously.
Driven by the occupational disease he suffered from like an incurable illness, Kanghyeok examined Seonjo's face in detail, to the point that everyone around him seemed to notice that he was staring at Seonjo. Unable to watch any longer, Yeoju jabbed Kanghyeok in the side.
"Ugh."
"What are you doing right now? Staring straight at His Majesty's face."
"Hm? Is it obvious?"
"Obvious? Anyone looking can tell that young master is staring over there."
"Oh."
That would be a problem.
So Kanghyeok forcibly turned his gaze away and recalled Seonjo's face based on that brief observation. As a skilled doctor, he had gathered quite a bit of information in just those few seconds.
It looked like he was... talking to someone.
If Kanghyeok remembered correctly, Jeong Cheol had been on Seonjo's left and Chief State Councillor Yi San-hae on his right. But whenever he listened to the person on his right, it felt as though he turned his body a little more in that direction.
Unilateral hearing loss... maybe?
It could have been an overinterpretation. He might simply dislike Jeong Cheol. But under the current circumstances, that did not seem especially persuasive.
There are even rumors going around that he favors Jeong Cheol excessively.
In a situation like this, it would be stranger to assume Seonjo felt badly toward Jeong Cheol.
Leaving that aside... he was frowning pretty regularly. At one point Kanghyeok had even turned to look behind him. He had thought perhaps the sunlight was stabbing into Seonjo's eyes. But that possibility seemed extremely slim. For one thing, the sun was coming from the opposite direction, and besides that, a eunuch or court lady standing behind Seonjo was holding a shade screen.
Is he in pain? No? It didn't feel like that. Rather than pain, it felt more like discomfort. What is it?
This was something he would have to ask to know for sure. Unfortunately, Seonjo was the king, and Kanghyeok was nothing more than a mere Jikjang of the Royal Medical Bureau. They were not in the sort of relationship where he could simply walk up and ask because he was curious. Even someone as lacking in common sense as Kanghyeok knew that much.
Well... it probably isn't anything serious. Seonjo may have died relatively early, but he's not someone who's about to die right now. He would live at least another ten years without issue. So even if there really was some problem, it was not one of life and death.
Kanghyeok was the sort who believed that obsessing over a problem that could not be solved was the height of foolishness. Following that usual principle, he promptly erased the health problem of the king of a nation from his mind.
Only then did Seonjo's speech begin to register in his ears.
"It is true that our relations with Japan have grown distant since the Three Ports Japanese Disturbance. However, the Yoshitoshi who came from Tsushima this time has shown sincerity by capturing and presenting rebels including Saeulbaedong, and for that he may rightly be regarded with favor."
Seonjo's speech continued for quite a while after that. Naturally, Kanghyeok kept doing other things with his attention, so the next time he truly listened to Seonjo was almost at the very end.
"Moreover, he has personally offered to take charge of guiding the sea route as well, and thus I intend to dispatch a diplomatic mission. I appoint Hwang Yungil, Cheomji of the Jungchubu, as Chief Envoy; Kim Seongil, Sasung of the Seonggyungwan, as Vice Envoy; and Heo Seong, Jeonjeok of the Seonggyungwan, as Recorder. Ensure that there is no discord in communicating with Japan."
It looked to be the final speech. Sure enough, the people around him began raising their hands and shouting again.
"Ten thousand years to His Majesty the King! Ten thousand years to His Royal Majesty!"
Fortunately, this time Kanghyeok did not miss the timing.
"Then enjoy the wine and food prepared by the court. I hope it will serve as comfort before your long journey."
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless!"
The moment Seonjo finished speaking, court ladies began bringing out one table after another. Since the scale of the diplomatic mission was not small, it took quite a while just to set out the food.
As food from the palace, it looked excellent and tasted excellent as well, but unexpectedly, most of it was left untouched. That was because there were not many bold enough to eat at ease in front of the king.
Of course, Kanghyeok was rather far removed from such concerns, and thanks to that he was tasting this and that however he pleased.
"The yakgwa is good."
"Thanks to you, young master, I even get to eat sweets made in the palace. Thank you."
"What do you mean, thanking me for food bestowed by His Majesty? Want to end up in the Uigeumbu?"
"Oh dear."
Realizing his slip, Dolseok clapped a hand over his mouth. Then he quietly began emptying the table. It was rather noisy and lacking in dignity, but it did not stand out that much. That was because the banquet atmosphere was unexpectedly relaxed rather than stiff. There were even court musicians performing music over in one corner.
It felt like an extremely luxurious feast. If one could see what lay behind it, it might not feel quite so luxurious.
So basically, they might die on the way. Like a condemned prisoner being allowed to eat his fill before death.
But Kanghyeok was not particularly shaken. To begin with, he knew the ship he would be riding on was not one that would meet with disaster. There were no records of anything like that happening. If there had been, surely it would have been described somewhere, whether in the Jingbirok or elsewhere. He had not read the relevant books, but he had seen quite a few dramas related to the period.
Just as he was running his circuits of happy rationalization, he felt someone approaching him.
"Scholar Baek."
Fluent, but with a slightly awkward pronunciation.
It was Sayaga.
He had not come alone, but had brought with him the lord he served, So Yoshitoshi.
"Oh, oh."
Kanghyeok first let out a vague exclamation to buy himself time.
If he's a domain lord... that's basically the same as a local lord... Even if he was only the lord of a small city, he had to be at least on the level of a Hyeongam. That meant his rank was above Kanghyeok's.
Having finished his calculation quickly, Kanghyeok bowed deeply.
"I've heard much about you. I am Baek Kanghyeok."
"A pleasure. I am So Yoshitoshi."
Yoshitoshi was a rather large man. In fact, he looked as though he might be even larger than Sayaga, the bodyguard he kept beside him.
The calluses on his hands are no joke either... It would be difficult to build calluses that severe without swinging a sword a great deal. Even Dolseok, who shot arrows every day, did not have them that badly. Which meant he was not the sort of man who ruled only with his mouth.
A man like this has a chronic illness?
Judging only by his build and face, he did not seem like someone with anything wrong with him. If anything, he looked so healthy it was almost excessive.
"When I was ill with stomach pains before, I was indebted to Heo Jun. He said that you were his teacher. Is that true?"
It seemed Heo Jun had gone around praising Kanghyeok to everyone he met. Fortunately, it was proving very helpful in the end. Still, Kanghyeok thought that the next time he saw him, he ought to tell the man to restrain himself.
Teacher, my ass. I've learned plenty from him too.
As for the others, he naturally regarded them as disciples, but Heo Jun was a little different. In his own heart, he thought of him as a colleague. Of course, the answer that came out was not the same.
"That is correct. I have taught him before."
At those words, Yoshitoshi and Sayaga both brightened noticeably.
"To think there is a physician capable of teaching even that Heo Jun... excellent."
"I also heard something from Sayaga... that you have a chronic ailment?"
"Haha. This is hardly the place to discuss such a thing."
Yoshitoshi glanced around lightly, then made an awkward expression.
Watching that reaction made Kanghyeok feel a little sorry. Protecting a patient's privacy was one of the most basic duties a physician had to observe. Perhaps because he had forgotten all those principles after coming to Joseon, he had ended up making a mistake like this.
Maybe he's the type who can't get it up.
If it were that kind of chronic ailment, there was no way he could go around talking about it in front of other people. Not with a status as high as his.
If it's that, then it's easy to solve. And the effect would be incredible. He might even be able to make the man a slave to Viagra. I might even be able to force him to choose between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his dick. If the dick happened to win, then perhaps the whole course of the war might change.
Yoshitoshi, having not the slightest idea that Kanghyeok was thinking such irreverent thoughts, simply bowed his head.
"Would it be possible to ask for treatment on the road?"
"Of course. It's not as though we'll only be together for a day or two."
"Thank you. In that case, I have a few people I need to meet..."
"Yes, yes."
Yoshitoshi bowed once more to Kanghyeok before taking his leave. Then he began conversing amiably with the Joseon ministers.
Watching that, Kanghyeok's head naturally tilted to one side.
Something felt odd.
That man also tilts his body to one side when he talks... what is that? Some form of etiquette I don't know?
That was possible. Court etiquette might work differently. But the more he looked, the stranger it seemed.
No. There's no way some idiotic etiquette like that exists. That's...
It was one of the traits commonly shown by people who could not hear well in one ear.
If that was what Yoshitoshi meant by a chronic ailment, then there would not be much Kanghyeok could do. It would be fair to say that, at present, there was no way to restore a damaged auditory nerve. Why, was that not impossible even in the twenty-first century?
Well, we agreed I'd take a look on the way. I'll examine him slowly then.
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