Why does it always turn out like this?! (1)
“Chief Eunuch.”
Do Hyeon glanced behind him. Bang Hwi, who had caught up and was now standing right behind him, bowed his head.
“Can we… really let them go like this?”
“…”
“If you give the order, we can still seize them……”
“Are you capable of that?”
“….Pardon?”
Seeing the sneer that tugged at Do Hyeon’s lips, Bang Hwi bit his lip hard.
“It would not be easy, but it should be possible if we mobilize the Eastern Depot’s full strength. No matter how powerful they may be, one hand cannot prevail against ten, and has that not remained true throughout the ages?”
“True enough.”
Do Hyeon replied with his gaze fixed straight ahead.
“But word would spread throughout the Imperial Capital. That something massive had happened, enough to put the Eastern Depot on alert. Perhaps those rumors might even reach the ears of someone who must not hear them.”
“That……”
Realizing that Do Hyeon was right, Bang Hwi bowed his head without a word.
“There is no need to fret.”
Perhaps sensing that Bang Hwi understood in his mind but could not accept it in his heart, Do Hyeon spoke in a calm voice.
“The situation has already gone beyond the point where a few meddlesome individuals knowing about it could make any difference.”
There was nothing they could do now.
At this point, even Do Hyeon himself could not turn the situation around. Whoever they were, that would make no difference. He had only a vague suspicion of their identities, but even if their standing proved so exalted that it surpassed anything he could imagine, nothing would change.
“…Chief Eunuch.”
Yet Bang Hwi seemed unable to accept that explanation alone.
“…Forgive me if I speak out of turn, but this is not like you, Chief Eunuch.”
Do Hyeon’s cold gaze pierced Bang Hwi. Though he shrank back in fear, Bang Hwi resolutely continued speaking.
“One must always guard against complacency. A single tiny crack can bring down a dam, and one poorly painted eye can ruin an entire painting. Anyone who fails to guard against the one oversight in a thousand careful deliberations is unworthy of drawing a salary from the Eastern Depot.”
“…”
“Was it not you, Chief Eunuch, who always… always said those words? Then why, in this matter alone…”
As he spoke, Bang Hwi suddenly flinched and looked at Do Hyeon. As though he had realized something he had overlooked.
“Chief Eunuch, could it be…”
“Enough.”
But Do Hyeon fixed Bang Hwi with a stern glare, as though he would permit no more. Bang Hwi hastily bowed his head.
Walking on in silence, Do Hyeon glanced back. His gaze was directed not at Bang Hwi following behind him, but at the place he had already left behind.
“I suppose I am human too.”
“…”
Bang Hwi could not understand what those words meant at all.
But one thing had become clear: Do Hyeon had not revealed everything about the situation to those people without giving it any thought.
‘Just what is the Chief Eunuch thinking?’
Just then, Do Hyeon’s low voice reached Bang Hwi’s ears.
“If you have the leisure to entertain idle thoughts, devote all your efforts to defending the Imperial Capital. You must not overlook even the slightest suspicious movement.”
“Yes! Chief Eunuch!”
As Bang Hwi prostrated himself, Do Hyeon walked away without so much as looking at him.
At the same time, his hand instinctively went to his throat. The thought of the assailant’s sword pressed against it somehow drew a hollow laugh from him.
“Someone who would dare hold a blade to the throat of the Chief Eunuch and joke so casually about it…”
Well. Thinking back on all the rumors he had heard from Gangho, would it be too hasty an assumption to say that only one person came to mind who was capable of such a thing?
“This is hardly a place where he could change the course of events.”
Do Hyeon neatly erased the two syllables that had surfaced in his mind.
❀ ❀ ❀
Creak.
Jwa Gohak opened the door of the shabby lodgings and stepped inside.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Seeing Hwasan’s disciples leisurely packing their belongings and Chung Myung holding a liquor bottle in hand, Jwa Gohak instinctively pressed a hand to his forehead.
Throb.
“Are you feeling unwell? Want me to check your pulse?”
“…..I’m fine. This is not an illness.”
“What do you mean? If you’re in pain, you must be ill.”
“I used to think so too. Before I met you lot.”
“What?”
“No. No, it’s nothing…”
Saying anything would only give him heartburn.
Jwa Gohak glared daggers at them all before speaking.
“Why are you still here? The way you were talking, you made it sound as though you would leave at once.”
“Of course we were going to.”
“Were going to? Have you perhaps had a change of heart? So you do have a conscience after all, and it seems it began to prick you once you turned away?”
“What’s he on about?”
Chung Myung and the other disciples of Hwasan grimaced as though they had spotted a bug.
“……Then?”
“We have to get paid for our work. When we asked for our wages, they said they couldn’t pay us right away and told us to wait another day.”
“You’re telling me that, even in the midst of all this, you were planning to collect those few measly coins?”
“What? A few measly coins?”
Chung Myung’s gaze grew incomparably sharper than Jwa Gohak’s had been a moment before.
“Look at that! Just listen to how this pampered rich boy talks. What? A few measly coins? That might be pocket change to you, but to us, it’s precious travel money to get back to Shaanxi. It’s not like you’re going to pay us yourself.”
“Ugh.”
Realizing once again that a verbal altercation would yield nothing but hurt his feelings, Jwa Gohak shook his head without answering.
“So, what about you?”
“….What do you mean?”
“You must have reported the situation to your superiors. What did they say?”
Jwa Gohak seemed to glare at Chung Myung for a long while before letting out a sigh.
“I have sent word. Orders should arrive by tomorrow at the latest.”
“Oh.”
Chung Myung shrugged.
“Then we’d better run away before tomorrow comes.”
Jwa Gohak squeezed his eyes shut. Then he forced himself to speak despite his reluctance.
“Listen, Chung Myung Dojang.”
“What.”
“…Is there truly nothing that can be done?”
“Nope. Nothing.”
“If you esteemed Taoists would lend even a little help, we might be able to prevent innocent lives from being lost.”
“Uh, no. Even if we help, it won’t change anything.”
“……Please, don’t say that.”
“Damn it!”
Without another word, Chung Myung kicked Jwa Gohak in the side.
“Aaack!”
As Jwa Gohak let out a bizarre shriek and slammed into the wall, Chung Myung jabbed a finger at him furiously.
“Those ink-stained bastards may be some of the most shameless people under heaven, but this bastard takes it too far. Hey, you punk! If you had a shred of conscience, you wouldn’t ask fewer than ten people to fight an army! You snake-hearted bastard!”
“Th-That’s not what I meant.”
“And is that some ordinary army? You said it yourself. It’s the most fearsome army under heaven. What, do you think I’ve got ten lives to spare? You expect me to go charging in to stop people like that?”
“…”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue with a look of disdain.
“This is the Imperial Capital in the first place, so of course you should have stationed a separate force here to defend it. Just how badly have you been running things for the capital to end up completely defenseless, to the point where it’s about to get beaten down by a general from its own country? Isn’t this all a mess you people made!”
Jwa Gohak felt wronged. Utterly, terribly wronged.
The officials had done their best in their own way. But no matter how sound their counsel might be, there was nothing they could do about the whims of a single individual. This was no failing of theirs, but a fundamental limitation that no nation in the world had ever managed to overcome.
And besides, Jwa Gohak had not even entered government service yet. As a mere Confucian scholar, how could he not feel wronged?
“Anyway, cut the nonsense. If you spout that kind of nonsense one more time, I’ll pour actual ink down your throat.”
“Ha……”
Just as Jwa Gohak was vigorously rubbing his face, someone spoke.
“But, Dojang.”
“Hm?”
Yu Hanbin, who had been watching silently until now, tilted his head and spoke.
“Why are you running away?”
“What are you talking about, you brat! This place is going to become a battlefield?”
“That’s why I’m asking.”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung and Baek Cheon tilted their heads in unison. What was this kid talking about?
“Now, listen. Soon the Red… Red, what?”
“The Red Banner Army! The Red Banner Army led by Hwangbo Ung!”
“Oh, right. That Red Banner Army or whatever is going to invade and turn this place upside down. If we stick around for no reason, we might get killed by a stray blade.”
Chung Myung shook his head with a brief sigh.
“You’re still young, so I suppose you don’t understand, but war is truly terrifying. So don’t go acting rashly and let’s hurry home. I’ll find some way for you to enter government service.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.“
“Huh?”
Yu Hanbin thumped his chest in frustration as he spoke.
“What I’m saying is, if the Red Banner Army enters the capital, there’ll be a new Emperor.”
“……Right?”
“Then once one of them becomes Emperor, is that the end of it?”
“Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What I mean is…”
Yu Hanbin extended a finger and pointed at someone. Everyone’s gaze followed his finger.
“What about that ink-stained bastard?”
Yu Hanbin looked at Jwa Gohak as though wondering how they still failed to understand and spoke.
“When the Emperor changes like this, do scholars and officials like him just say ‘So we have someone new to serve. Let’s do our best again. Hehe.’ and carry on?”
“Utter nonsense!”
Jwa Gohak reacted so fiercely that he looked ready to breathe fire.
“A legitimate abdication or succession would be another matter! But how could we condone usurpation! That is not the way of a Confucian scholar! We will fight even at the cost of our lives!”
“See that.”
Yu Hanbin shrugged.
“From the look of it, this gentleman and all those others in Yurim or whatever they are called will be so furious they’ll march on Beijing with swords drawn.”
“……They probably will.”
Thinking of those stubborn old men, he could already picture what would happen. They might well come charging all the way to Beijing with swords clenched between their teeth.
“But can they win? By then, every army will already be following Grand General Hwangbo Ung’s orders?”
“Of course they can’t. Why are you stating the obvious…”
Chung Myung’s head suddenly tilted as he answered.
“Wait a moment. So you’re saying… if the Red Banner Army takes control of the Imperial Capital and replaces the Emperor, Yurim will rise up and fight those bastards in an all-out clash.”
“Yes.”
“But the Confucian scholars can’t win with their own strength anyway, so in the end they’ll all either die or be captured and suffer terribly.”
“Yes.”
“Then…… Huh?”
As Chung Myung followed that line of thought, his jaw finally dropped.
“Then naturally they’ll try to get the captured scholars to reveal who you, Taoist Masters, really are. From their perspective, aren’t you the people who witnessed the truth firsthand and understand better than anyone that all of this is a planned usurpation? They’ll certainly try to silence you.”
A scene appeared in Chung Myung’s mind.
Chief Eunuch Do Hyeon strides leisurely towards the Confucian scholars, their bodies red and raw from brutal torture. Then he says just one thing.
– I will spare whoever tells me the identity of the bastard who held a blade to my throat.
Then, well… Uh…
Baek Cheon smiled faintly.
“There must be at least a hundred people who remember Chung Myung’s name.”
“If we count the people who remember your name, Sasuk, it’ll be several hundred rather than just a hundred?”
“After all the commotion we caused, it’d be stranger if they didn’t know.”
“…”
“Then, uh..”
With an indescribable expression, Baek Cheon looked around at everyone.
“What happens to us?”
“…”
Everyone fell silent.
Chung Myung, who had been listening blankly to their conversation, turned his head listlessly and gazed out the window.
A man’s face gradually appeared against the bright blue sky, then spoke with a gentle smile and an infinitely benevolent expression.
– Well, you’re screwed.
“How can you laugh, you lunatic?! This is all your fault!”
– Hohohohoho.
Chung Myung tore at his hair.
“Why does it always turn out like this?! Why! Whyyyyyyyy!”
It was a sorrowful cry to which everyone knew the answer, yet no one could bring themselves to reply.
________
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