ERDIKG 02

Chapter 2

Autumn 1856, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

It was deep into the night, but I did not lower my gaze. With the Analects spread across my lap, I continued my third complete reading.

Moving my lips silently, I etched each passage into my mind one by one.

The Analects consisted of twenty books, containing conversations between Confucius and his disciples. Rather than simply memorizing the words, it was more important to understand the flow of the conversations.

The problem was grasping both the pronunciation and the meaning simultaneously.

Memorizing only the words would not be enough to pass Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s test. He was an intelligent man who could distinguish between simple memorization and genuine understanding with a single question.

I need to master the meaning as well.

A servant was nodding off in a corner of the room. My own eyelids were growing heavy, so I pinched my cheek with my fingers.

Pinch!

It stung, but the pain cleared my mind.

I turned the page and came across the passage:

A gentleman devotes himself to the fundamentals. Once the fundamentals are established, the Way naturally emerges.

It went on to ask whether filial piety and respect for elders were not the foundation of benevolence.

I paused briefly at the passage.

I converted each passage of the Analects into a scene and stored it in my mind. By connecting the context of the situation in which Confucius had spoken those words with what his disciple had been asking, I could remember the entire conversation rather than each individual character.

It was a modern memorization technique, not something scholars of the Joseon era used, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

The children of Joseon spent years learning the Analects, reading each line aloud under the instruction of their village-school teachers, sometimes even enduring beatings until the words became ingrained in their bodies.

That method was not wrong, but it was different from modern memorization techniques.

Remember through context. Create connections. Group information into meaningful units.

The Analects was only the beginning.

If I compressed the Great Learning, Mencius, and Doctrine of the Mean into my modern brain as well, then at least in terms of scholarship, I would be able to stand on equal footing with anyone in this era.

That was the first key to moving Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, and the second key to catching the attention of Queen Sinjeong, Lady Jo.

Pulling the blanket over myself, I muttered inwardly.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll move Father.

One Day’s Journey West of Hanseong, Entrance to a Gyeonggi County

Before dawn had even broken, Village Headman Park was dragged out by three government constables.

The reason was simple.

He had been farming a field that was supposedly owned by the Haedong Kim clan as a tenant farmer. Even though he had already handed over seventy percent of this year’s harvest, the constables were now demanding that he surrender the remaining thirty percent as well.

“His Excellency has raised this year’s tax. Open the granary immediately.”

“My lord, then how will my family survive the winter? The only grain we have left is what we set aside for seeds.”

“Seed grain or whatever else you have, just hand it all over.”

Park fell to his knees and begged, but the constables paid him no heed. They smashed open the granary door.

While the constables entered with sacks and scraped up every last bit of grain, the villagers silently watched from behind their fences.

Not a single person dared to step forward.

They already knew what would happen if they did. They would either be dragged away by the government constables and beaten, or their entire storehouse would be looted.

The Pungcheon Jo clan was no different.

In a county south of Hanseong, a steward of the Pungcheon Jo clan collected additional money from tenant farmers, claiming it was payment for gongmyeongcheop.

A gongmyeongcheop was an honorary office certificate sold by the government in exchange for money. To tenant farmers, however, it was nothing more than a useless piece of paper.

Yet in households that could not afford to pay for it, their daughters were taken away.

The sound of a child crying continued for a long time at the entrance to the county before eventually falling silent.

The sky was clear, and there was not even a breeze.

Yet the village was quiet.

Not peaceful.

Exhausted.

On one side of the government office courtyard hung a portrait of His Majesty the King, but none of the passing commoners raised their heads to look at it.

No one asked who the king was or what he was doing.

There was no point in asking.

Nothing would change.

Autumn 1856, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

Immediately after completing my morning greeting, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stopped me.

“Jae-myeon, sit down for a moment.”

He took a copy of the Analects from the cabinet and placed it in front of me.

It was the same book I had been reading the night before.

“How far did you read?”

“I finished it.”

His hand stopped for a moment.

Slowly, he raised his head and looked at me.

“You finished it?”

“Yes.”

“Last night?”

“Yes.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stared at me for a long while before opening the book and pointing to a random page.

“Read from here.”

I did not even look at the book.

I simply recited it from memory.

“A gentleman does not seek to fill his stomach when eating, nor does he seek comfort in his dwelling. He is diligent in his work and cautious in his speech. When he encounters the Way, he corrects himself accordingly. Such a person may be said to love learning.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s eyebrows slowly rose.

He opened another page and pointed to another passage.

I recited that one as well.

I did not stumble.

I did not get a single character wrong.

When Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung closed the book, silence descended over the study.

“When did you memorize all of it?”

“I memorized everything last night.”

“In one night.”

“Yes.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung said nothing.

Yet within that silence, I could sense something being calculated rapidly in his mind.

I’ve passed the first stage.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung pointed to a passage with his finger and asked,

“Hak-i-si-seup-ji bul-yeok-yeol-ho. What does this mean?”

“It means, ‘To learn something and practice it from time to time—is that not a joy?’”

“Does it simply mean that studying is enjoyable?”

I pretended to think for a moment.

In reality, I already had my answer.

“No. It does not simply mean that studying is enjoyable. It means that true joy comes when what one has learned is practiced and put into action. I believe Confucius chose this as the very first passage of the Analects because he wanted to make it clear from the beginning that learning does not end with knowledge. It must be put into practice through one’s actions.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s eyes narrowed.

“Do you really think like that at nine years old?”

“My father taught me.”

“When did I ever teach you that?”

“In my dreams.”

A brief silence followed.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stared intently at me, but I calmly met his gaze.

After a long while, he gave a quiet chuckle.

It was an expression I had never seen from him before.

There was both wariness and interest in that smile.

“Then what about the Great Learning?”

“I haven’t finished reading it yet.”

“Is there a reason?”

“I read the Analects first because it contains Confucius’s voice most directly. I thought I could understand the Great Learning more firmly by building upon it.”

The study fell silent once again.

But this silence was different.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung put down his brush and crossed his arms as he looked straight at me.

Something was moving rapidly behind his eyes.

The door to the study opened, and a small boy entered.

He was five years old.

He had chubby cheeks and round eyes, and the moment he saw Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, he spread his arms and ran toward him.

“Father!”

Thump!

The boy landed in Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s arms.

For the first time, his expression softened.

It was completely different from the expression he had shown me.

“You rascal. Your older brother is here, yet you have no manners.”

“Is Big Brother okay?”

The second son, Yi Myeong-bok, turned toward me.

His black eyes sparkled, completely devoid of suspicion.

It was Yi Myeong-bok.

The boy who might one day become King Gojong.

I quietly looked at him.

To be honest, he was quite cute.

But I could not allow myself to be swayed by such emotions.

If that boy became king, Joseon was likely to follow the course of history as it had originally happened.

And that could ultimately lead to the same conclusion—the loss of the country to Japan.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stroked his second son’s head.

“Myeong-bok, greet your older brother.”

“Big Brother, are you all better now?”

Yi Myeong-bok approached me and bowed politely.

I smiled and answered.

“Yeah. I’m all better.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried when you were sick, Big Brother.”

He was sincere.

The boy must really have been worried about me.

And somehow, that made me feel even more guilty.

After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth.

“Myeong-bok, do you want me to teach you something fun?”

Yi Myeong-bok’s eyes sparkled.

“What?”

“Between father and son, there should be affection. Between ruler and subject, there should be righteousness. Between husband and wife, there should be distinction. Between elder and child, there should be order. And between friends, there should be trust. Can you repeat it?”

Yi Myeong-bok opened his small mouth.

“Between father and son, there should be…”

He scratched his head and lowered his gaze.

His lips moved twice more, but the words would not come.

“It’s difficult.”

“That’s okay. I’ll teach you again later.”

I said it casually.

But Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had been quietly watching the entire scene from beginning to end.

Autumn 1856, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

After returning to my room, I sat in front of the cabinet and calmly organized everything that had happened in the study today.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had wavered.

Of that, I was certain.

He had not changed his mind yet, but he had begun including his eldest son in his calculations again.

And that was enough.

I did not need to change Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s decision immediately.

It was enough to plant the seed.

The problem was what came next.

The real decision-maker in this game was Queen Sinjeong, Lady Jo.

No matter how strongly Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung pushed for his second son, it would all be over if Queen Sinjeong did not choose him.

I needed a way to approach Queen Sinjeong.

Daejojeon Hall in Changdeok Palace was where Queen Sinjeong resided.

Although the Heungseon-gun family was part of the royal family, they did not have unrestricted access to the palace.

There were occasions when they visited to pay their respects, but those were usually during holidays or royal ceremonies.

I have to target one of those occasions.

I only need to stand before Queen Sinjeong once.

I opened a book.

It was the Great Learning, the natural next step after the Analects.

When I opened the first page, I saw Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s handwriting.

For Jae-myeon to read.

So Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had not always lacked expectations for his eldest son.

It was simply that his own plans had taken priority.

Then I’ll change those plans.

I began reading the first line of the Great Learning.

The Way of the Great Learning lies in manifesting one’s bright virtue, renewing the people, and resting in the highest excellence.

Three guiding principles.

Manifesting virtue, renewing the people, and resting in the highest excellence.

Those were the foundations of governance according to the Great Learning.

And to realize those principles in this country, I needed the throne.

Right now, I was turning the first page on the road toward that throne.

After finishing my evening greeting and turning to leave, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung called out to me.

“Jae-myeon.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll study the Great Learning and Mencius together. Prepare yourself.”

I stopped walking for a moment.

This was the result of one night with the Analects.

More importantly, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung himself had chosen the texts for me.

The way he looked at me had changed.

It was no longer the wariness from earlier.

There was something else in his eyes now.

Expectation.

I lowered my head and answered.

“Understood, Father.”

“I won’t hire a separate teacher.”

I raised my head and looked at him.

“Will you teach me yourself, Father?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No. Thank you, Father.”

As I left the study, I muttered inwardly.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had decided to teach me the Great Learning and Mencius himself.

That meant one of Joseon’s greatest strategists would personally become my teacher.

Perhaps Father himself could even create a path for me to reach Queen Sinjeong, Lady Jo.

The board was slowly changing.