“Do you think I could ever meet Daejanggun?”
“Daejanggun also favors 8Gongja specially and frequently visits Un-gyeonggung, so you should wait for that time.”
For Sahyeon, the problem was not knowing when that time would be.
“Then where are the other scribes? Why is Teacher No working alone?”
The scribe soon put down the brush and picked up a fine-tipped tail brush, dipping it into the ink ground on the inkstone.
“The old prefer to be here because they love books, but where would the young want to be, buried in a musty archive? Among those who come into Un-gyeonggung, who would want to bury their bones here?”
Sahyeon, being in the same position, had nothing to say.
He applied ink over the deeply carved wooden tablet.
The moment the brush tip touched down, the dark ink spread along the grain of the wood.
The scribe murmured softly in admiration, “Huh, the ink grinding skills of the Jangseogam are no ordinary matter.”
Only then did Sahyeon smile faintly.
“What would you be doing all day beside the teacher?”
The old man’s dry laugh rang out clearly.
The scribe shook his head and began carefully filling the empty spots where the ink had not spread.
Then he spoke, “Jangseogam, do you know that His Majesty has promised some land to 8Gongja?”
“I heard it’s land near Hahyeon’s Shinreung that is to be granted.”
“I once lived briefly at Shinreung in my youth. It’s a fine place. Unlike the land of Pasa, it’s gentle and the greenery is truly beautiful.”
Though it is a border area, since it borders Hahyeon, it likely won’t be much of a threat.
There was a reason why 8Gongja was living so leisurely.
“Gongja is a good person. Though he surely has his difficult sides, how many within this royal family are without flaw? And if he goes to Shinreung, perhaps that ‘problem’ will somehow be resolved.”
So what exactly is that ‘difficult side’ that even the palace officials and the old scribe make a point of mentioning when talking about Dan Ijae?
Sahyeon wanted to ask more but now was not the time to interrupt.
“Jangseogam, teach 8Gongja well. Who knows, you might be able to go to Shinreung together.”
“I have no intention of going to Shinreung, but…”
“Yeonju is not a place where people stay long. Jeonghangung is even less so.”
The scribe’s wrinkled hand brushed across the next piece of the bamboo slip.
“You will soon find out, Jangseogam.”
Sahyeon did not answer further.
In the scribe’s eyes, Sahyeon must have appeared as just a bookworm under Chaegong’s wing, unaware of the complicated world outside.
Of course, that thought wasn’t entirely wrong.
Sahyeon might still be dreaming foolish dreams.
He knew well how pitiful it was that he couldn’t even choose the tree to nest on properly, nor carry out the tasks assigned to him properly, yet he still tried to interfere in the affairs of Jeonghangung.
But the reason he had no choice but to keep struggling endlessly was…
“Baek Munhak, is it?”
Because if he did not do that, he would sink.
Sahyeon quietly put down the ink and stood up.
Taejeonggong and Dankyeong, who had just entered the archive, spotted Sahyeon and gave him a sly smile.
Sahyeon still could not afford to sink.
He did not have the right to rest his mind easily.
***
“Hahaha, yes, Ijae isn’t the type to listen well to his teacher.”
Dankyeong laughed heartily as she strung her bow.
The laugh sounded more awkwardly forced than purely joyful, perhaps because of Sahyeon’s bias toward her.
“Don’t be too discouraged. Several teachers have passed through Ijae. They all returned to Jeonghangung and took their parts.”
Whether Dankyeong knew Sahyeon’s true feelings or not, she comforted him and drew the bowstring.
It creaked sharply as it stretched tight.
The blue veins stood out along her arms.
The arrow flew off the string toward the target.
When Sahyeon turned his head, a red flag fluttered under the hazy sky, signaling a hit.
“Maybe it’s because I’m getting old, but shooting a bow isn’t easy.”
Dankyeong murmured bitterly as she lightly shook her wrist.
Sahyeon pretended not to hear and watched the red flag fluttering in the wind for a moment.
She had only been self-deprecating about how she had not risen to the throne or even secured a stable position as Taejeonggong by her age.
Even if Sahyeon tried to flatter her, saying she was still skilled despite her age or that her position remained secure, she would only see it as flattery.
“Baek Munhak, do you know how to shoot a bow too?”
“My skill is shameful to show Taejeonggong.”
Dankyeong took that as a yes and gestured to a nearby soldier.
Soon the soldier brought a practice bow and handed it to Sahyeon.
“The fifth shoots the best.”
5Gongja Dan-ye. Son of the king’s chief concubine Yeong-eonbuin.
In some ways, he was the biggest threat to Dankyeong’s position as Taejeonggong.
“Ijae shoots well sometimes but always misses at crucial moments, which is really disappointing.”
Was she trying to promote Dan Ijae as a rival to Dan-ye?
Compared to Dan-ye, whose mother kept a sharp watchful eye on him, Dan Ijae, though with no proper guidance, might seem easier to handle…
Sahyeon selected an arrow with a white feather and placed it on the bow.
He took a deep breath and pulled the string.
Beyond the arrow tip was the target, a distant place that seemed impossible to reach just by looking.
As he released the string, the arrow cut through the air.
The red flag waved once again.
“Baek Munhak, you are overly humble.”
Dankyeong smiled pleasantly.
Better than a weakling who trembled before even shooting an arrow.
“I was just lucky.”
She picked up another arrow.
“Having lived long in the palace, I have felt that a clever person cannot defeat a wise person, and a wise person…”
Another arrow hit the target.
“Cannot defeat a lucky person.”
Who exactly Dankyeong thought the ‘lucky person’ was, no one could say.
Though born as the royal family’s eldest daughter of Pasa, she couldn’t say her luck was bad either.
Of course, Sahyeon considered himself lucky.
At least compared to many people living on this continent, he was.
He drew the bowstring again.
The sunlight breaking through the clouds dazzled his eyes.
The arrow left his hand and disappeared across the target board.
Luck without foundation was just a stroke of fortune.
It was bound to be exposed any time.
***
A deep navy blue cloak, like the night sky, carried the cold night air.
When Dan Ijae passed the Hae-si (亥時, the time around 9-11 PM) and opened the door to Gamcheon-dang, the palace attendants who had been dozing curled up on the floor suddenly opened their eyes in surprise at the cold wave rushing in.
Dan Ijae stopped for a moment and looked toward the Mirror Pond.
On a bare tree branch extending over the pavilion roof, a cuckoo sat and called repeatedly.
“Jangseogam said he will come early tomorrow morning.”
Gungwan, thinking that he was looking for Sahyeon, started rambling without even asking.
Dan Ijae looked down at Gungwan bluntly, without much change in expression.
Gungwan curled his lips inward and quietly avoided his gaze.
“Bring some Yeonhwacho.”
“I was really glad you didn’t look for it yesterday…”
This time Dan Ijae couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
It was clearly said for Gungwan to hear, yet Gungwan acted as if he had made a slip of the tongue, patting his own mouth noisily and backing away.
The cuckoo’s round head, which had been quietly glaring at Dan Ijae with shining yellow eyes, suddenly perked up its pointed ears.
It tilted its head for a moment, then suddenly flapped its wings and flew away.
At the spot where the cuckoo had fled, Baeksonggol, with feathers pale in the moonlight, spread its two wings wide and landed.
— Bbyeaak!
The sky over Gamcheon-dang was entirely that guy’s territory, so the cuckoo had chosen the wrong tree to perch on.
Now it would wander the night sky, searching for another branch to rest its body on.
The night wind blowing over the wall suddenly shook the tree where Baeksonggol had landed and passed by.
Despite the freezing air brushing against the tip of the nose, the terrible stench surrounding Dan Ijae did not fade away.
Breathing out white breath, Dan Ijae muttered unknowingly,
“The smell of rot…”
It would have been better if he had never known that this dreadful stench (오취, ocheu) could ever disappear.
The night air was unusually foul.
At least, that was how it felt to him.
“Where else in the world is there such a law? Going out every day at the crack of dawn without a day off and coming back late at night. This will ruin your health.”
Sahyeon splashed cold wash water on his face to stop Ogwang from whining since early morning.
The innkeeper was heating water and nagged him, saying he couldn’t stand waiting, but cold water was better to wake up.
“Even the scholar is stubborn. He says it’s better to hang around here than wait at the palace. And he keeps coming here every three days to drink with the noble lady.”
The ‘noble lady’ mentioned here was the 2nd princess, Danyun.
No one knew why the esteemed princess and the prince came to drink in the middle of this market, but since Dan Ijae first met them at this inn, the innkeeper’s words didn’t seem to be false.
“He doesn’t study even at the palace, so what would he study here?”
“If he has a drink or two and feels good, he takes a puff of Yeonhwacho, lights it up, and takes a hit — except for stamping on the IOU, he does everything.”
“Damn it, what kind of taste does this Yeonhwacho have anyway? Everyone says that just giving the prince some Yeonhwacho solves everything. Ahhwancho (芽幻草) is a plant that grows in the southern mountainous regions. It’s known to have a hallucinogenic effect when chewed raw or smoked when dried.”
“Is it supposed to hypnotize people or something?”
“Do you want to try a puff and see for yourself?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.