Chapter 134: Now to the Palace [1] Throughout their time in Suwon, Yeoju stayed in front of Changgwon's grave. No matter that he had been the hero who defended Eotan-myeon and a true Confucian scholar, recently no one had dared go near either his grave or his memorial stele. That was because more than one or two people had gotten swept up in the purge and dragged away simply for saying the wrong thing.
Had not even Busa Kim Yungil, a man of great influence, failed to make it back to the capital and ended up staying idly in Suwon?
"Still, it's a relief to see it's being kept in good condition."
Kanghyeok spoke toward Yeoju, who stood there like a stone statue watching over her husband. Just as he said, the condition of the memorial stele was excellent, so much so that it was obvious someone was sweeping and cleaning it every day.
So there really is a reason people follow the Busa.
He was a man with certain weaknesses. His excessive appetite for women, and the fact that he did not particularly refuse wealth that came his way, were definite flaws. But aside from that, he had a great many qualities that would make those beneath him willing to follow him.
Come to think of it, whenever something happened, he always went himself. That was true when the smallpox outbreak happened, and it was even true when chaos broke out in Eotan-myeon. However one looked at it, those were situations where he might have lost his life or ended up gravely harmed. In his own way, he was a man of loyalty and responsibility.
Yeoju seemed to feel that clearly as well, because she nodded firmly.
"Yes. I can only be grateful to Lord Busa."
"Have you seen him separately?"
"Yes. He stopped by together with Elder Seungmun."
"Ah, Father came too."
"Yes. I was only out of my disguise yesterday, but he still recognized me."
"He would. Father is a man of deep feeling too."
It was only natural that his heart would be troubled when a disciple much younger than himself had died like that. So he had been managing, materially and otherwise, the legacy Changgwon had left behind. Though in truth, it was not much of a legacy to manage in the first place.
"That... friend called Park Gyeongwon. Did you meet him?"
"Yes. He seems like a decent person. He is managing the household very well too."
"Mm. Father said he does not look like the type to stab someone in the back."
"Yes. That is how he seems."
Kanghyeok thought of Park Gyeongwon, the man he had saved in Eotan-myeon. Though he came from a humble family, there was something sharp about him. Originally, he had been hired just to run errands involving Seungmun's books, but it did not seem like he was doing only that anymore.
Since Yeoju is officially dead... it looks like they've transferred some fields and paddies into his name.
As long as Park Gyeongwon did not betray them, Yeoju would not have to worry about surviving when she returned to her hometown.
Though as long as she's traveling with me... it'll be fine anyway.
He was making plans for Yeoju's future in his head when Yeoni came up behind him and spoke.
"Young master, shouldn't we be heading back to Hanyang soon?"
"Yes, we should. Time really passes quickly when we're in Suwon."
"It really does."
Dolseok cut into their conversation. His eyes were red, and it seemed he really did not want to leave his hometown.
"No matter what anyone says about Hanyang and all that, there really is no place like home."
"You hate leaving Okseok that much?"
"That too, but... well, yes."
"What a liar. I know you've been going to gisaeng houses every day. You just don't want to part with that girl Hyangdan or whatever her name was."
Hyangdan was the gisaeng from the house where Kanghyeok had first met Yeoni. She had been in the business a long time and was already rather old, but Dolseok seemed to like her very much. To Kanghyeok's eyes, compared with the gisaeng all over Hanyang, she seemed to fall quite short in appeal. He could not understand why Dolseok was so heartbroken.
What Makbong said sounds like it might be right.
Kanghyeok turned to look at Makbong, who had once again become a star of Suwon's nightlife after returning.
That bastard's gone all gaunt again.
While they had been living in Hanyang, it had looked like he was finally putting some weight on, but in the month since they came to Suwon, his face had shrunk to half its size. Apparently Hanyang was full of experts who rivaled even Makbong. Was it not the place where all the talent in the country gathered? It seemed the masters in that particular field all gathered there too.
Over there, forget two rounds, there were plenty of days he struck out completely. But here...
Here, two rounds was the minimum, and he even managed three.
As a man like that, Makbong had an unusually sharp sense when it came to relations between men and women.
"Dolseok, that bastard. He probably gave his virginity to Hyangdan."
To give one's virginity to a gisaeng. It made him tilt his head at first, but the more he thought about it, the more natural it seemed. In Joseon, having relations with a woman who was not a gisaeng practically meant entering a lifelong marriage vow. And Dolseok was still single. So one could say he had spent his whole life involved only with gisaeng.
Hyangdan was his first love. And first love tends to come with a bit of distortion too. Even someone like Kanghyeok still thought of the girlfriend he had dated briefly in his first year of university from time to time.
Having been struck right in the center, Dolseok jumped. For some reason, he looked from Yeoju to Yeoni as he did.
"H-hey! What do you mean gisaeng house?"
"There's already a rumor going around that Hyangdan is carrying the bead I gave you."
"Huh?"
"That thing was really expensive... and you just handed it over to her? I gave it to you so you could at least buy some land."
"Uh..."
Makbong patted the now speechless Dolseok on the shoulder.
"Now that I see it, you're a real fool for love. Do you think Hyangdan's going to make anything happen with you just because of that?"
"It's not like that."
"But you still offered her that precious jade bead?"
"What about you, then? What did you use yours for?"
"As for me... I got myself a shop in the market."
"Mm."
At times like this, Makbong really was the one who knew best how to secure practical gains. He had already finished preparing for old age.
"Anyway, young master, you really do need to leave now. If it starts snowing again like before, you might end up late."
"Ah, that won't do."
Had he not gone so far as to get an official post just because he was supposed to go to Japan? If he then failed to show up at the appointed place, a warrant would surely be issued at once.
Would they send me to the Uigeumbu?
That was the only judicial office he could think of, which made it all the more frightening. Kanghyeok shook his head, then climbed onto the horse Yeoni had led over.
Unlike the trip here, when they headed back, their baggage was very light. They had given away all the gifts, so it really felt as if they were returning with nothing but themselves.
"Then let's go. Yeoju, are you all right?"
"Yes. I've already said all my farewells."
"Good. Let's go. To Hanyang."
At Kanghyeok's words, the rest of the group followed without complaint. Only Dolseok looked back at Suwon as though he still had regrets. But even then, he did not break away and run back.
Older Sister Hyangdan. Dolseok will earn more money and come back.
He merely kept making those useless vows to himself.
The road back to Hanyang was, as expected, far from short. And because it was winter, it was quite cold too. Naturally, their pace slowed, and in proportion to that, irritation rose.
"It's damn cold."
By contrast, the expressions of the rest of the group, who were walking on their own two feet, were calm. Only Kanghyeok, riding alone on the horse, shivered. Because he was not exerting himself, he only felt the cold more sharply.
"It would be much better if you walked."
Yeoni, following behind, muttered with a sullen face. Because it was grumbling she had repeated several times already, the reaction was poor.
"I said I don't want to walk."
"Honestly... young master, really. You're not a child, so why..."
"This brat, even the way he talks."
Kanghyeok belatedly smacked Dolseok on the back of the head for his cheeky remark. For some reason, even when the brat acted just as impudent as usual, it felt different when it was him. It was like he scratched at the deepest, most irritating place.
"Oh, over there... there's a tavern at the entrance to that village."
Makbong, who as usual was walking out in front, pointed toward the tavern.
"Then let's stop and rest."
Kanghyeok turned toward the tavern as though that were the most obvious thing in the world. This too had already happened several times, so no one in the group objected. Compared with Kanghyeok's pointless grumbling, stopping at a tavern was at least something pleasant.
But as they got closer, something felt odd.
"It's too crowded."
Just as Makbong said, the tavern was packed with people. And it was noisy too. Then Dolseok nodded with all his strength, as though he had figured something out.
"Ha... don't tell me there's another epidemic going around? Our young master's basically a plague god."
"What do you mean plague god?"
"Isn't that right? In my whole life, I've seen three outbreaks, and two of them happened while traveling with young master."
"It has happened a bit often... but don't tell me it's another epidemic?"
If it turned out to be an epidemic again this time, he would feel like even the nickname plague god was unfair. But the closer they got, the more obvious it became that this situation was very different from illness.
The first to realize that were Makbong and Yeoni. The two quickly drew the swords they carried around like extensions of their own bodies.
"It looks like bandits have come in. Someone seems to be fighting them... and their skill is quite good."
"Really? If we join in, do you think we can win?"
Kanghyeok asked what he considered the most important question. Of course, bandits attacking a village was a bad thing. And if someone died or got hurt in the process, it would pain him too. But a pained heart was a hundred times better than going there and getting hurt himself.
"Since Dolseok shoots a bow pretty well too... there's absolutely no chance we'll lose."
"Mm. Hey, you've already drawn yours too?"
"When else would I get to use what I learned from Lord Kim Simin?"
Was this not the same fellow who, at times like this before, would already be trembling and hiding in the back? Unexpectedly, he stood there with a bearing that was downright dignified, bow already in hand. With an arrow nocked and the tavern in his sights, he looked ready to drop one or two men on the spot.
But instead of drawing fully, Dolseok turned to look behind him.
"This is strange. Why are the Japanese on the village's side?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"No... it looks like the Japanese raiders are protecting the village..."
"The Japanese...?"
Just hearing it said out loud, Kanghyeok could not make any sense of it. In the end, he had no choice but to ride closer. Then he immediately understood what Dolseok had meant.
There really is a Japanese here protecting the village. No... should I call him a samurai? Why is he alone?
He did not have very good feelings toward Japanese men, especially Japanese men carrying swords. But even so, he thought this was a rather unusual situation. So for the moment, he decided to help him.
Even if he is Japanese... with Yeoni and Makbong, that should be more than enough.
And Dolseok was holding a bow and acting cocky, which seemed to mean he really could shoot. Judging from all the game he had hunted so far, his skill was not bad at all.
Having made up his mind, Kanghyeok gave the order. Being high in status really was good for things like this. He could stay back while telling the others to fight.
"Whether he's Japanese or whatever, we have to help first. Go in. Be careful."
"Yes, young master!"
The moment the order fell, Yeoni charged at the bandits like a flying tiger. Makbong jumped into the fight a bit later. But the first to bring down an enemy was Dolseok. He had clearly learned properly from Kim Simin. Every time he loosed an arrow, one man fell to the ground.
This bastard's actually pretty good?
The Japanese man surrounded by the bandits was no slouch either, so the situation was quickly brought under control. Leaving behind casualties amounting to more than half their number, the bandits hurriedly fled. Thanks to that, Kanghyeok was able to ride up to the tavern with a thoroughly relaxed expression.
The samurai stood there awkwardly, unable either to sheath his sword or to turn it toward them. Seen from up close, his upper body looked heavily overdeveloped, which made his lower body look relatively weak. For all his size, his nervousness was obvious.
So Kanghyeok spoke first.
In the fragments of Japanese he had picked up through games.
"Who are you?"
It was only a simple bit of Japanese, but the samurai looked quite startled. After all, he had just heard Japanese spoken in the middle of Joseon. He hesitated, stepping back as he answered,
"I am Sayaga, who serves Lord Yoshitoshi. Who are you?"
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