As Prophet - Chapter 222



Only Noblemtl

Episode 222. The Tyranny of the Ministry of Rites

In the afternoon, the Minister of Rites came. He brought several high-ranking officials, so most of them were out. Doryu, who was in charge of the reception hall, guided them all to the reception hall, and the minister became angry.

“Wait in the reception area? What kind of nonsense is that?”

The young Doryu was startled when the official shouted. Sogyeokseo was an official in the Ministry of Rites, and had suffered hardships due to the strict standards he usually faced.

There are many secret courts in Yejo. Yemunchunchugwan (藝文春秋館), Gyeongyeon (經筵), Seoyeon (書筵), Seonggyungwan (成均館), Tongnyemun (通禮門), Bongsangsi (奉常寺), Yebinsi (禮賓寺), Jeonuigam (典醫監), Sayeokwon (司譯院), Seoungwan (書雲觀), Gyoseogwan (校書館), Munseoeungbongsa (文書應奉司), Jongmyo Office (宗廟署), Saonseo (司?). Office of the Royal Family, Jesaengwon, Hyemin-guk, Aak-seo, Jeon-ak-seo, Saryeon-so, Seon-gwan-seo, Doryu-bang, Bokheung-go, Dongseo Daebi-won, There were countless secret offices such as the Ice Warehouse, Jongyaksaek, Daecheonggwan, Sogyeokjeon, Dohwawon, Gagakgo, Jeonguseo, Sajikdan, Gwanseupdogam, and Seungroksa.

Sudden or important matters were handled by the Panseo, Champan, and Chamui, who commanded the Soksa, but everyday matters were carried out by the Jeongrang and Jwarang organized into the Soksa.

These many secret offices were created to subordinate all power of the state to the king through the high-ranking officials of the six ministries, but most of the work was done autonomously by the secret offices. Only the important functions of Hongmungwan, Yemungwan, Seonggyungwan, and Chunchugwan were discussed with the Gyeomgwan (兼官). The Sogyeokseo was not under their influence, was not related to them, and was a secret office that they wished did not exist. It was a secret office that did not fit their Neo-Confucian ideals and was worse than Gyeokreuk.

Last night, I heard that the king had come, and that the eunuchs were taking care of him separately. Above all, the fact that the Jin people who had led this war to victory were staying there was like a thorn in my neck. They had made great contributions in both strategy and battle in enthroning the new king, suppressing the rebellion, and repelling the Jurchen. And even though many of those who had made contributions together were staying there, the Ministry of Rites pretended not to know. They were the ones who would only briefly show their faces when conducting the unpleasant first rites. I tried hard not to ignore the power they would wield and pretend not to know them. However, I was worried that they might ask me if I had been there when I was the chief minister. This world is uncomfortable in one way or another.

It was a lie, but I didn’t like the way we did what we wanted. All we got was reports, not notifications, that some kind of event was being held. They were annoying and inconvenient things that were attached to the side.

But, even though the judge’s procession was not even visible, he guided them to the reception hall. Why did we even build a reception hall when we had nothing to do with welcoming guests? … The atmosphere became strange, so the judge asked.

“Where is your Majesty… … .”

I feel irritated. It’s because I feel like I’m not being treated well. Government officials tend to be like that. They want to be treated well even for trivial things.

The receptionist’s sign pointed outside. About thirty people, both Taoist and secular, were dancing under the scorching sun. Every time I come here, I feel that it is strange, suspicious, and strange, and that is why I hate it.

“As you can see, I am currently training… … .”

Before the judge got angry, the chief judge quickly asked.

“Then, who is the real person here?”

“He is also up there in front.”

The dark brown uniform that he wore fit him tightly fluttered in the wind. He stood in front of the students studying and watched them sternly, his eyes sharp and sharp. The receptionist’s assistant carefully guided him inside.

“Please wait a moment and I will tell you to come.”

“Okay.”

The judge made an uncomfortable sound and entered the reception hall. Doryu, who was in charge of the reception hall today, walked towards a place called Yeonmujang(?) and reported to Dalcheon, who pointed to Jejo.

“They seem to be looking for you. They say they came from Yejo.”

The maker stopped his dancing movements and carefully took a deep breath. He put his hands together and bowed politely.

“From now on, I will ask you to come during break time.”

“No need to go that far. Anyway, go ahead and do it.”

The manufacturing bowed once more and turned around. Dalcheon didn’t seem to care who came as long as they weren’t looking for him. Some of the Doryu flinched at the word Yejo. It’s a higher-level department. Dalcheon growled softly, putting in his background.

“Where are you worrying about? Come to your senses.”

But the sound burst like thunder in the ears of those sitting in the reception hall. It felt like their eardrums were going to burst. Some covered their ears, others shrugged their shoulders. The students came to their senses and continued studying. Some of the surprised officials of the Ministry of Rites ran outside, but the strong, scorching sun was shining on the training ground.

The manufacturer came in slowly and greeted me politely. This guy greets me differently than others. I feel like he is trying to sell himself as a Taoist.

“Are you here?”

“Yeah, what’s keeping you so busy?”

“Yes, it is the time when the Master guides. I am also joining in the study. I did not know you were coming.”

“Study? What study?”

“What kind of study are we doing? If I had to give it a name, it would be the study of leading.”

“The true man teaches?”

“yes.”

“I heard His Majesty has arrived.”

Finally, here’s the main point.

“Well, he spoke to the real person and left. He encouraged me to work hard before he left. Other than that, I don’t know much about what he said.”

“Hmm. Did you speak to Jinin separately?”

“yes.”

“There are some cultists mixed in there, what are the cultists?”

“These are people who came to learn from the true master. Since they have learned from him before, they are progressing quickly. They have no experience in Taoism, so they are not good at following him, but they are good at everything else.”

“You’re saying that you’re feeding and sheltering them with the country’s money?”

Finally, the reason for coming began to appear. He was nitpicking. He covered his mouth with his hand to prevent the words “no” from coming out. It had finally come. He had failed to come up with a proper excuse. The clever manufacturing quickly made an excuse.

“I heard that His Majesty has approved it.”

“You allowed me to incur expenses?”

The judge strictly distinguished the content of the conversation. The king could not have instructed how the expenses should be divided.

“You gave me permission to study at Sogyeoksa. Of course, you didn’t say anything about who should pay for it.”

“You must have been eating Sogyeokseo’s food for a few days now.”

“Yes. I just added one more spoonful to the rice I was eating anyway. Is that a problem?”

“If we are running a country with unrelated people and wasting the budget, what else could be the problem if that is not the problem?”

The manufacturer immediately realized that this guy had come to cause trouble.

“Actually, it’s just a few meals… … If you have any issues with it, I will correct it immediately.”

“Is that something that can be corrected?”

“Yes. I will stop you from eating right away, and I will demand that you pay for what you ate before. If you don’t pay, the authorities will take care of it.”

It is better not to cause any trouble. This is not the first or second time that this has come up. Some people have started a fight because the flag was visible from outside, and others have reported it to Hanseongbu because it was noisy. When going out, they changed into regular clothes because they thought it was damaging public morals to walk around Hanyang streets in a dobok.

“Please do that.”

“But you may have to bear their wrath. Isn’t that my responsibility? Tell me now and I will deal with it right away.

And His Majesty told me to tell him if there is anything that makes me uncomfortable. I will tell you exactly what I feel uncomfortable about now, so I hope you won’t have any other questions later.”

“Is this person threatening us now?”

“Did that sound like a threat? Is it a threat for a powerless official to do whatever the higher-ups tell him to do? Even though he said he would do whatever they told him to do?”

“No, why this guy.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Dalcheon, who was teaching students, smiled without realizing it. Hearing things that others couldn’t hear was also an uncomfortable part of everyday life. The students who didn’t know English looked at him strangely, so he forced himself to hide his smile. Dalcheon waited quietly to see what the manufacturing would do.

The manufacturing staff outside shouted at the students studying.

“You are demanding payment from someone who has eaten and slept since yesterday, even though he is not a member of the Sogyeokso! The position of the Ministry of Rites, the superior organization of the Sogyeokso, is that the money given by the king to operate the Sogyeokso cannot be used for personal purposes. Although it may be inconvenient, I hope you will consider the position of the Sojik who has no choice but to follow the organization’s orders and handle the expenses. The average cost of food is three nyang, and the cost of accommodation is one nyang when the annual cost is divided and calculated.”

When I told them to wait a moment and started talking loudly, the faces of the officials who were enjoying seeing me embarrassed became distorted.

The students cautiously left the training ground and each counted their money. Yoo Seok-do walked slowly into the reception room. A large man stood blocking the entrance, took out money from his pocket, and threw it in front of the people sitting in the court.

“My food, my room, and my future food and sleep expenses, please pay carefully.”

It was a great effort. The two coins that were thrown were deeply embedded in the tree. Following that, Cheolmuwoong put down the money, silently baring his teeth and growling. The three training center members put down the money, Baek Ijeong and Jin Donghee put down the money, and Mukhyeong also put down the money. They were big because they were unmanned. They smelled of sweat because they came from studying. Yoo Seokdo stood as the representative and leaned on the table.

“Your Majesty has given permission. I will definitely tell you that I have come to discuss the cost. Let’s see what happens.”

The judge’s face twisted into a troubled expression. He had not expected that even Yoo Seok-do would be there. It was a mistake to come without looking into it in detail.

“Go to the palace right now and ask. No, come with me. And let’s hear in front of His Majesty what he has to say about interrupting the training time of the great warriors who contributed greatly to the war just for this small amount of money.”

“No, that’s not what I mean… … .”

“If not that, then what?”

“I was trying to say that the country’s finances should be used transparently.”

“I have paid the money, so please stop bothering me and just disappear. I want to hear Your Majesty’s reply by the end of the day, so please tell me and get the reply. If not, I will consider it as a personal matter and will respond to you privately.”

There is bound to be a thoughtless person in the group. The chief of the Ministry of Rites raised his hand.

“It seems like no one has come out.”

It was clear that he was referring to Dalcheon. Yoo Seok-do pointed to something stuck to the wooden board with his fingertips.

“I told you to count it accurately, didn’t I? It’s gold. Even the real person’s was counted.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“And let’s see what kind of misfortune will befall you when the poor sage leaves because he cannot stay any longer.”

Yoo Seok-do got up. The judge suddenly got up. He is the main character of this incident. It is not a relationship where one can dare speak.

“Don’t be angry. That’s what happened. I just came to see how it was run.”

Yuseokdo turned around and placed Jejae in front of him.

“Is that what you said correct?”

“No. I was really upset that the country had to cover the cost of foreigners coming in to eat and sleep at night.”

“Did you eat rice?”

The judge stood up beside him.

“I didn’t say that. I never said that… … .”

But it was no use. Yoo Seok-do, enraged by the words that he had eaten, crossed over the table, grabbed the chief judge by the collar as he hesitated to step back, and lifted him up. The strength of the man was so great that the chief judge’s feet lifted off the floor.

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant. Please calm down.”

“Your Majesty has entreated me to be good to you and to treat you well, so I have come here on purpose… … .”

The minister stopped Yoo Seok-do.

“We were wrong. We were wrong without even knowing it.”

At that time, Dalcheon came in.

“Stop it, stop it! This isn’t a market place. Well, it shouldn’t be done in a market place. Okay, okay, I’ll have a brief interrogation.”