Chapter 2
Hyeokryeon Hui, who had been swinging his fists and feet, finally stopped and glared at Cheongun with a face full of irritation.
Hyeokryeon Hui bit his lip, then brought his face close to Cheongun's and whispered.
"I didn't want to say this... but do you know why your father died? I only heard it from my father recently. He died because he was stubborn like you and refused a friend's request."
Lee Cheongun, his face pressed to the ground, gritted his teeth. His whole body trembled.
'Then... could it be?'
Before his mother passed away, she had told him in a voice full of resentment. His father hadn't been killed by bandits, but had died because of a friend's betrayal.
However, she hadn't told him who that friend was.
But now, he thought he knew who that friend was.
He could also understand why his mother hadn't revealed the whole truth.
His mother had probably kept her mouth shut to save him. Because she was afraid he might go and confront them. Then, the man who called himself his father's friend might kill him to bury the secret.
"This is your last warning, Lee Cheongun. If you don't want to die a miserable death like your father, yield. Got it?"
Hyeokryeon Hui, after his low threat, stomped on Lee Cheongun's little finger.
'Ugh!'
After crushing the flesh of his little finger, Hyeokryeon Hui turned away with a cold sneer.
Lee Cheongun gritted his teeth to endure the excruciating pain.
'For someone like me who has nothing, to get revenge... I must become a Yeonjung Samwon. I need power to get revenge.'
Five days later, the two of them left the Cheonhyang Academy side by side, sent off by the enthusiastic farewells of the academy's masters and colleagues.
On the outside, they looked like the best of friends.
But as soon as they crossed the Yellow River and reached a secluded spot, Hyeokryeon Hui shoved Cheongun into a muddy pit filled with filth.
"One last piece of advice. If you don't want to die, just kill time somewhere until the palace examination is over and then go back."
Hyeokryeon Hui gave a sneer at Cheongun, who was stuck in the mud, then turned and left.
After a long while, Cheongun stood up, his face pale, and brushed off his clothes before walking away, gritting his teeth.
His legs trembled.
With every step, pain shot from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.
It felt as if his bones were shattering and about to burst through his flesh.
But he knew that if he fell once, he might never be able to get up again.
Cheongun clenched his teeth so hard they might break and took a difficult step forward.
'Today, you trampled me like an insect, but one day, you will be the one writhing like an insect under my foot, Hyeokryeon Hui.'
* * *
Ten days after Cheongun and Hyeokryeon Hui left the Cheonhyang Academy.
In May, under a lightly clouded sky, the palace examination was held in the imperial capital.
The scholars gathered in the wide courtyard waited anxiously for the exam.
To become a Jinshi, one had to pass the palace examination.
But passing the palace examination was a difficult task, so much so that even Du Fu, known as the Poet-Sage, had failed repeatedly.
The scholars closed their eyes and reviewed what they had learned, trying to recall anything they might have forgotten.
Hyeokryeon Hui looked around at the scholars with a satisfied expression.
'Hehehe, he didn't come. Well, no matter how stubborn he is, he'd want to live.'
He had even revealed a secret that shouldn't have been revealed just to scare him.
He had told him because he knew the man couldn't touch a single hair on his head even if he found out.
'Since I'll be in trouble if this gets out anyway, I'll have to find a chance to shut his mouth for good.'
There was less than half a quarter of an hour left before the gates closed. Even if the man showed up, Hyeokryeon Manor's warriors were standing guard outside with their eyes wide open.
He spread out his brush and ink with a satisfied expression.
As if the time was up, the official standing in front shouted in a loud voice.
"Close the gates! After they are closed, the gates shall not be opened for anyone!"
"Yes, sir!"
Creeaak.
The guards at the main gate began to close the gates.
"Then, from now on..."
As the official in front began to speak again, all the scholars focused their attention on him.
Hyeokryeon Hui also concentrated on the official's words. Because of that, he didn't see a person rush through the half-closed gates.
The person who barely made it inside had his face half-covered with a cloth and quickly sat down in an empty seat at the very back.
The guards clicked their tongues at him and finished closing the gates.
"That person is lucky."
"So lazy... but it looks like his face is badly injured. His hands too. Tsk tsk tsk."
After the two-hour exam was over, the scholars submitted their answer sheets and left the courtyard.
Hyeokryeon Hui also submitted his answer sheet somewhere in the middle.
'Damn it, I couldn't concentrate because I was worried about that guy.'
He wasn't entirely satisfied, but he thought he might at least get the Tanhwa rank.
The young man sitting in the back corner waited until he had left before submitting his answer sheet. Then he stuck close behind another person and went outside, as if they were friends.
The next day.
A notice was posted in front of the Forbidden City.
It was a list of the names of those who had passed the palace examination.
[Jangwon (First Place) Lee Cheongun]
Cheers erupted from the people who were craning their necks like turtles to look at the notice.
"Wow! A Yeonjung Samwon has appeared!"
"What? A Yeonjung Samwon? Really?"
"Who is Lee Cheongun?"
As countless people murmured and mentioned Lee Cheongun's name, one person stared at the notice and bit his lip until it bled.
Veins bulged on his clenched fists.
'This... this penniless orphan with no mother or father dares...! I'll kill him!'
Lee Cheongun, his face still half-covered with a dirty cloth, watched the enraged Hyeokryeon Hui from a distance.
His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, but he couldn't go to check the results because of Hyeokryeon Hui.
But there was no need to go and see for himself.
People were cheering and saying his name.
Yeonjung Samwon!
They even said that.
Cheongun clenched his fists.
'I did it! I did it!'
No matter how influential the Hyeokryeon Manor was in Kaifeng, they wouldn't be able to go against the imperial palace.
Having achieved Yeonjung Samwon, he was guaranteed at least a Junior Sixth Rank official position.
Now he could investigate the truth behind his father's death!
If the Hyeokryeon Manor was involved in that, he would never forgive them!
* * *
Cheongun, who had won first place in the palace examination, was appointed as a Junior Sixth Rank Gyeongryeok of the Tongjeongsa.
The Tongjeongsa was in charge of memorials to the emperor and imperial edicts, and the Gyeongryeok was the position responsible for records within the Tongjeongsa. Thanks to this, he was able to frequently meet not only the emperor but also high-ranking officials.
Cheongun used this to his advantage to solidify his position.
He was just a new official who had just entered the imperial palace. He needed a lot of preparation to investigate the truth behind his father's death.
Fortunately, the emperor cherished him for achieving Yeonjung Samwon. High-ranking officials also frequently summoned him to make him one of their own.
That was why he only got a chance to visit his hometown after four months.
The emperor, who cherished Cheongun, was worried that something might happen to him and assigned the Jinyiwei as his escorts.
For Cheongun, who wanted to investigate his father's death, it was an offer he couldn't refuse.
Cheongun, escorted by the Jinyiwei, left the imperial capital and headed straight for Kaifeng.
Three days later.
It was an early autumn day with a rather strong wind.
Cheongun entered the deep mountains of Henan Province with the Jinyiwei.
About ten Jinyiwei, wearing official hats and black cloaks, escorted the mounted Cheongun and hurried on their way. And behind them followed men carrying bundles.
They entered the mountains when the sun was high in the sky. The setting sun was already hanging over the mountain peaks.
Darkness falls faster in the mountains than on flat ground. Moreover, as dark clouds suddenly rolled in and began to cover the western sky, it even felt eerie.
"Your Excellency, it looks like it's going to rain. If we want to cross the mountain before it rains, we should hurry. What do you think?"
When a middle-aged man in his early forties among the warriors wearing official hats spoke, Cheongun, who was on the horse, nodded with a gentle expression.
"Please do so."
"Yes, sir! What are you doing? Hurry up!"
How far had they gone along the long ox-cart road when thunder and lightning struck from the sky.
Rumble! CRACK!
What they had feared finally happened.
The rain, which had been falling drop by drop, suddenly began to pour down like a torrential downpour.
"Your Excellency, what should we do? It doesn't seem like a rain that will stop easily. Shall we find a place to rest nearby and stay for a day?"
"No. It won't be easy to find a place to shelter from the rain. It's better to just keep going, even if it's hard, than to suffer unnecessarily. Once we cross that mountain, the Yangtze River will appear soon, won't it?"
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
The middle-aged man, a Jinyiwei Baihuzhang, gave an order to his men.
"Advance at a fast pace!"
The group began to advance through the pouring rain.
There were few things as tiring as walking in the rain. Their whole bodies were soaked from the rain, and their stamina was quickly depleted.
About half an hour passed like that. After leaving the winding valley, a flat road appeared.
Fortunately, the rain was gradually getting lighter.
The people, who could now walk more comfortably, finally caught their breath.
But then,
Piiing-
A chilling sound of something cutting through the air was heard.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
Three Jinyiwei members who were leading the way were hit by arrows and fell.
"Who are you! Which audacious bastard dares to oppose the imperial palace!"
The middle-aged man roared.
The escorting Jinyiwei members drew their swords and guarded in all directions.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Arrows flew in again instead of an answer.
"They're steel arrows. Deflect them!"
Unlike ordinary arrows, steel arrows were fast and powerful. So it was better to deflect them from the side rather than blocking them head-on.
But at a time when it was getting dark, it was not easy to block the steel arrows flying in the rain.
In the end, two more people were hit by arrows and fell.
"Protect His Excellency!"
The Baihuzhang's roar echoed around.
The surviving Jinyiwei members formed a circular formation with the mounted Cheongun in the center.
Immediately after, groups of masked men poured out from all directions.
The Baihuzhang quickly scanned the men blocking their way.
They were not simple bandits. They were attacking even though they knew they were the imperial palace's Jinyiwei.
'Today will be more ill-fated than fortunate.'
The Baihuzhang gritted his teeth.
The number and power of the opponents were formidable. The killing intent pressed in from all sides.
The killing intent that pricked his skin made his hand, which was gripping the hilt of his sword, tighten automatically.
He took a step forward and shouted at the surrounding men.
"Who are you to dare block the path of the Jinyiwei and attack?"
From among the masked men blocking the front, a man stepped forward.
He was a man of great height and build. But because it was dark and he was wearing a bamboo hat, his face was not clearly visible.
The man slightly lifted the bamboo hat that was pressed down. A blue light shot out from his two eyes.
"Kill them all! Don't let a single one escape alive!"
As soon as the order fell from the man's mouth, the surrounding men began their attack.