Habuk Pengga Swordsman Genius - Chapter 545



Only Noblemtl

545. Betting at the Cheonsujang (5)

All the students turned their heads at once.

They waited for the government office door to open, and for a moment they lost their minds and looked at the scene before them.

They didn’t understand the beggars walking up to them, checking the list of spectators in front.

Someone said with a sigh.

“Oh my, what kind of beggar is holding a brush so tightly? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand it.”

“That’s right. Doesn’t that look like you’re going to die if you drop the brush?”

“Is it possible that these days, people in the open market carry a judge’s pen instead of a stick?”

“That’s right. Looking at the bulging tendons on the back of the hand holding the brush, it seems like that might be the case.”

They laughed at the beggars walking slowly towards them.

Their talk about Judge Pil was clearly a mockery.

The pan-gwan-pil was a weapon that resembled a brush.

Making fun of a beggar who should be holding a club but is actually holding a brush.

As they approached, the beggars did not even glance at the sarcastic scholars.

The beggars walked with their shoulders hunched.

The students became even more curious at the sight.

They deliberately raised their voices.

“There’s no writing brush or ink in that bag, is there?”

“No way!”

They looked at the bundles the beggars were carrying on their backs.

The students tilted their heads.

This is because the loads carried by beggars and those carried by scholars were similar.

It was a bundle that looked like it contained a pen and ink.

One of the students who had been watching for a while said.

“Surely… … those beggars aren’t really taking the exam this time, are they?”

“Look over there!”

The scholar pointed to the beggars again.

It was a place where there was an official who checked the list of applicants.

The beggars were holding up their badges in front of the official in charge of the examination.

For a moment the students looked at each other.

The thing I didn’t understand the most was the badge.

“Since when have beggars been carrying around badges?”

“Haha, that’s true.”

“But… … . I think one of the authors looks familiar… … .”

“What does that mean?”

“The one over there who looks the most haggard,”

“where…….”

“Yeah, that’s right. Doesn’t the author sound exactly like Jang Moon-soo?”

“If it’s Jang Moon-soo, isn’t he the guy who failed the provincial exams time and time again and became a secretary in Habuk Pengga?”

“Yeah, no matter how I look at it, it’s definitely that guy.”

“Why is the secretary of Habukpengga like that? I bet the treatment isn’t that bad.”

“I wonder if he got kicked out and ended up working in the open… … That’s all.”

“Hey! What kind of statement is this about opening up?”

“Now that I think about it, it’s strange.”

They stared intently at the place where Jang Moon-soo was.

What they said was true.

The person they were talking about was Jang Moon-soo, and the group of beggars gathered with him were none other than the secretaries of the Habuk Pengga.

To be exact, the very same secretaries who wrote the contract between Hanbin and the priest.

It was true that they were holding brushes tightly in their hands, and it was true that they showed up looking like beggars.

The students who noticed them observed Jang Moon-soo with amusement.

They recognized that the people around them were the secretaries of the Habuk Peng family.

“The fact that the secretary of Habukpengga is doing that… … .”

“Yeah, isn’t that proof that Habukpangga is ruined?”

“Why is Habukpengga failing?”

“Think about it carefully. Since Habukpengga has fallen, isn’t he doing this to prepare for the provincial exam?”

“Hmm, that’s true! Habuk was already quiet, but this is getting interesting.”

They smiled.

In fact, the rise and fall of other families was nothing more than a fire across the river to them.

At that time, a scholar who was observing Jang Moon-soo, the secretary of Habukpengga, said.

“Wait a minute, they’re coming this way.”

“Hehe, I guess I can’t pretend not to know this… … .”

The scholar, whose words were trailing off, smiled brightly and turned towards Jang Moon-soo, sticking his foot out slightly.

Watching the fire across the river wasn’t enough.

He was thinking of pouring oil on the fire.

That was when.

Jang Moon-soo tripped over the student’s foot.

In an instant, the scholar’s eyes widened.

If you tripped someone, it would have been normal for the other person to fall.

But instead of falling, he just walked forward.

Because of that, the scholar lost his balance and fell down.

When he stretched his leg out, it looked as if Jang Moon-soo had grabbed the student’s foot.

Because of this, the scholar lost his balance and staggered.

At the same time, another beggar-like clerk who was coming from behind caught the scholar.

“Be careful. If you fall like this and break your arm, wouldn’t Hyangsi have lost everything?”

At his words, the scholar raised his head.

The scholar, who had confirmed his opponent, opened his eyes wide.

The beggar following Jang Moon-soo also had a familiar face.

“Aren’t you Jo Il-soon?”

“Hehe, I guess you’ve seen me before since you recognize me.”

The student’s eyes moved around at Jo Il-soon’s words.

I am checking on Jo Il-soon and Jang Moon-soo alternately.

It was because I didn’t understand why the other person would pretend not to know even if I pretended not to know because I was embarrassed.

At that moment, Jang Moon-soo, who was standing in front, looked at Jo Il-soon.

“We don’t have time, so let’s go there quickly.”

“Haha, I see.”

Jo Il-soon nodded.

They went on their way without even looking at the student.

A scholar laughed at that sight.

“What on earth happened?”

The scholar rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue.

Rather than being curious, I was actually just dumbfounded.

They had to pretend they didn’t know Jang Moon-soo and Jo Il-soon.

Just pretending to know Jang Moon-soo, who is a beggar, is a great kindness.

But Jang Moon-soo pretended not to see them and passed by.

They snickered as they watched Jang Moon-soo walk away.

“I thought it was just a little bit of a mess, but it was a complete mess.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just think about it. How crazy must someone be to do something like that… … . It’s not just his appearance that’s deafening. He’s clearly crazy.”

“Haha, that’s true. Tsk tsk… … But is your ankle okay?”

The scholar looked at his colleague who had crossed his legs.

The scholar who had crossed his legs narrowed his eyebrows.

Because his ankles were numb.

Then a fellow student pointed ahead.

“The door is now open. You have to hurry and move forward to get a good seat.”

“Okay… … .”

He was unable to continue speaking.

I tried to take a step, but my ankles were more than just numb; they were tingling.

In the meantime, Jo Il-soon, who had become distant from his students, asked Jang Moon-soo.

“Are you okay?”

“What does that mean?”

“Didn’t that guy trip you earlier? I was worried you might get hurt.”

“Has that ever happened?”

“Huh, you seem completely unaware of the situation.”

“I didn’t even know who those people were. But you know them?”

“Aren’t they my friends from the same school before?”

“I see… … .”

Jang Moon-soo smiled faintly, then immediately turned his head away and fell into deep thought.

It was true that he didn’t recognize the people he had studied with in the past.

I’m not pretending, I really don’t know.

Jang Moon-soo was that focused.

It was like the principle that if you focus on one branch, the rest of the branches become invisible.

Jang Moon-soo didn’t even know who had tripped him.

I forced my way through without knowing anything.

A lot has changed for the secretaries of Habukpengga in the past month.

They realized that they could see hell in real life too.

The most painful part was not when I was hanging on a rope and reciting the Four Books and Three Classics.

The thing they had the hardest time with was mealtime.

The only side dish they were given was pickled radish.

The horse was not only yellow in color, but also had a strange taste.

I couldn’t get used to the taste until the last day.

But I couldn’t leave any leftovers. When I tried to throw them away, Seolhwa appeared from somewhere and added more radish greens.

With a solemn expression that had no meaning.

Of course, that elixir was a medicinal herb that contained the extreme positive energy of Cheonsujang.

The Red Blood Tiger Squad was also able to achieve peak martial arts by going through the same ordeal.

Although there were many elixirs available in Cheonsujang, it would be impossible to obtain an elixir with a similar effect from outside even if it cost an entire year’s salary for a secretary.

Now I have enough stamina to stay up for several days without getting knocked down, and enough grit to not fall down even from a major impact.

In fact, even if they failed the exam, it could be said that they got everything they needed from Hanbin.

Of course, no one among the scribes was aware of the exact nature of their own transformation.

As the secretaries disappeared to the back to form a line, Jang Yu-jung, who had been secretly watching them, stroked his beard.

He coughed briefly and then quietly entered the office.

* * *

Jang Yu-jung entered the government office and was guided by the officers to the office where the county magistrate was.

Jang Yu-jung came here as an observer.

The reason why he, the most prestigious scholar among Confucian scholars, came as an observer to a mere county was simple.

The purpose was to monitor, not just observe.

Jang Yu-jung was thinking seriously about his bet with Han Bin.

I thought there must be a reason why Hanbin was so certain that the secretaries would achieve success in the provincial exam.

Jang Yu-jung knew Han-bin’s upright personality.

The important thing is that Hanbin is a person who knows how to bend his uprightness appropriately when he has a purpose.

Hanbin was the one who knew how to use appropriate tricks to achieve results.

Jang Yu-joong highly valued even this aspect of Han Bin.

He predicted that although the secretaries would not achieve success in the short term, they would achieve results in other ways.

I didn’t know exactly how it would work.

The only way to stop that trick was for Jang Yu-jung to step in and monitor it himself.

No wonder he said he would take the test himself.

Thanks to this, Jang Yu-jung took on the role of both observer and questioner.

Jang Yu-jung arrived in front of the magistrate’s office.

Rattling.

As soon as the door opened, the officer ran urgently and reported to the magistrate.

The magistrate hurriedly came out to greet Jang Yu-jung.

The examiners who were present also came out to greet Jang Yu-jung in a hurry.

Jang Yu-jung waved his hand.

“There’s no need to be so formal. So let’s just go in.”

“Yes, this way… … .”

The magistrate personally welcomed Jang Yu-jung.

When Jang Yu-jung sat down, all the other examiners bowed their heads.

Jang Yu-jung waved his hand after receiving everyone’s greetings.

At that time, the county magistrate bowed his head to Jang Yu-jung.

“What is happening in such a shabby place… … .”

The magistrate, whose words were trailing off, carefully observed Jang Yu-jung’s expression.

Although he had received a letter in advance, Jang Yu-jung’s visit was a surprise.

At their bewildered looks, Jang Yu-jung continued speaking with a kind face.

“Your Majesty, don’t worry about me and just do your best to make the test fair.”

“Okay, I understand. I will try my best not to cause trouble for you, sir.”

The magistrate bowed his head politely.

This was his true heart.

The fact that Jang Yu-jung, who had not been leaving the Yurim Seowon, came out signified a change in central politics.

It is only four days away from Beijing, where the emperor resides.

It was clearly a meaningful move.

Of course, this was the magistrate’s mistake.

Jang Yu-jung came to Habuk because he was curious about his younger brother’s traces and the people around Han Bin.

The magistrate was very nervous at Jang Yu-jung’s appearance.