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# 353
Taejonbirok Volume 15 Episode 3
Chapter 83: The Lazy Man Gets an Official Position (3)
“Do I look like a coward?”
“No, but there’s still one missing.”
Wei Yanhu looked at the emperor quietly and said.
“It’s a good method. From the perspective of protecting the seedbed, it’s a great method. But what about the people?”
“…….”
Wei Yanhu's face was completely different from before.
The face that had been blank but somehow warm was covered with a layer of coldness, giving the impression that the person had changed.
'How could that kid make a face like that?'
Yi Wang-ya was so flustered by Wei Yan-ho's change that he even forgot that he had to point out his rudeness.
“Isn’t the way of a king to come from the people? How can a king who has lost his people still be a king?”
"sometimes……."
Wei Yanhu did not listen to the emperor.
“If Your Majesty takes the initiative, we might be able to reduce the amount of bloodshed even by a single drop. But are you saying that you will just watch from behind because of the ancestral shrine and all?”
The emperor did not answer.
He was at a loss for words in response, but he didn't think that Wi Yeon-ho would understand his thoughts.
“If that is Your Majesty’s choice, then that would be fine too.”
Wi Yeon-ho smiled broadly. But his eyes were not smiling at all.
“I will use the authority you have given me well. However, I will never again stand in Your Majesty’s way. May you rest in peace for eternity.”
Wi Yeon-ho bowed deeply on the spot, got up, and went out without saying a word.
“Hey, this guy!”
“Leave it alone.”
“Your Majesty.”
“It's done.”
The emperor shook his head quietly.
“What he said is not wrong either.”
“How could that rascal understand Your Majesty’s thoughts on the well-being of his country and the nation? He says this because he doesn’t know how much of a difference there is between maintaining the name of the nation and changing it, and how many more people are sacrificed in the process.”
“I’m just saying that because I’m scared.”
"your majesty!"
“I don’t know. Is it because he really thinks so, or is it because he’s really scared? It’s strange, brother. If it were me in the past, I would never have hesitated. I would have just thought of showing those who challenged the imperial power an example. But now that I’m healthy… I’m scared, I’m scared.”
"your majesty."
Lee Wang-ya swallowed his sigh.
Those who have not experienced the invasion of the Demonic Cult do not know.
That fear.
That fear.
How could those who have not experienced the horror of seeing this vast continent swept away in an instant know?
“He will also know. Why His Majesty had no choice but to make this choice.”
“……No. He shouldn’t know.”
"yes?"
The emperor said bitterly.
“If he finds out, it means he has learned the fear of the Demonic Cult. He shouldn’t know. And he has to laugh at me until the end.”
"your majesty……."
“He’ll do well. He’s different from me.”
Yi Wang-ya looked at the door through which Wi Yeon-ho had exited with wavering eyes.
'What is the true form?'
The difference between the usual, indifferent Wei Yanhu and the Wei Yanhu I saw now was too great. It was as if two people were living in one body.
'No way.'
That won't happen.
That's not going to happen.
***
“Wow! Phew!”
Wi Yeon-ho spat on the floor.
“It’s so dirty, just like that!”
I should have listened to my master when he said the palace was dirty.
“They say that if you listen to your master, you will get rice cakes even while you sleep.”
If you had just listened quietly and done as you were told, what pride did you have that made you expect more and only end up seeing dirty things?
Wi Yeon-ho sighed deeply and looked back.
“Tsk.”
But the more I looked at it, the more upset I became.
This was not the place for him.
The palace, crowded with people who were only concerned with their own safety, was not a place for him. Just looking at them made him feel uncomfortable, and just standing there made him feel sick.
“I have to go home.”
Now that I've done everything I had to do.
“If I come back here, I’m not human! What the heck!”
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Although Wi Yeon-ho was openly irritated and vented his discontent towards the royal family, those passing by did not dare to question Wi Yeon-ho. Who would dare to question a junior officer of the highest rank?
But there were people who would talk to him even if they couldn't find fault with him.
“Why are you so angry?”
“Huh?”
Wi Yeon-ho turned his head.
Moon Yu-hwan was smiling brightly at him.
“So that’s what happened.”
Moon Yu-hwan nodded as if he understood.
“That's what I said.”
Wi Yeon-ho, who had climbed up onto the eaves to avoid people's eyes, tilted his head after finishing explaining everything to Moon Yu-hwan.
“But can I tell this story?”
“Haven’t you already done it?”
“I see. Well then, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
It was a quick decision to give up.
Moon Yu-hwan let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Wi Yeon-ho.
“Yeah. What’s already happened can’t be helped. But why are you so angry?”
“But he is the emperor. The emperor is like a father to all his people. Where is there a parent who would turn his head away, whether his children are hurt or not, just to save himself?”
“That’s right. There is no such parent.”
“But Your Majesty is doing that.”
“No. It’s completely different.”
"yes?"
Moon Yu-hwan shrugged his shoulders and answered.
“Why is the emperor the father of all people? He didn’t even give birth to him.”
"omg?"
Wi Yeon-ho opened his mouth wide.
“That’s what happens when you study abroad. It’s called military-independent.”
“That just means be loyal to it.”
Wi Yeon-ho's eyes trembled.
What is this guy? Is he a pseudo-Confucian scholar?
There's no way someone called the Three Great Scholars would do that…
“Is it okay for a scholar to say something like that?”
“Studying abroad is a discipline. Academia is always changing and different opinions emerge. Do you know what the blind spot of a discipline that seeks truth is?”
“……If I knew that, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
“The truth is always changing.”
"omg……."
Wi Yeon-ho looked at Moon Yu-hwan as if he found it absurd.
“What does that mean?”
“That’s true. Truth is always changing, and we must seek the truth. Doesn’t that mean we must follow what changes? That means it’s impossible to see the end of learning. The moment you think you understand a single phenomenon, doesn’t that phenomenon change? In the end, it will never end.”
"ah!"
“The study that is commonly called Confucianism is not something that continues to learn the same concepts. It has been like this since Confucius first established the concept of Confucianism. Is it only like this since then? Confucianism was first created based on the concepts of Zhougong. Zhougong must have also created his own studies based on previous concepts. In the end, everything is bound to change.”
Wi Yeon-ho nodded as if he understood.
“But what does that have to do with this?”
“The relationship between a ruler and his subject is like this. The ruler should be like this, and the subject should be like this. These are just principles that were established in the past. Truth changes, so wouldn’t principles change?”
“……That’s right.”
“After all, people have no choice but to act for their own safety. They are bound to pursue their own interests. Whether it’s a subject or a king. After all, even a king is human. But how can they live only pursuing ideals? Isn’t what Confucius is talking about now the conduct of an ideal king? People cannot be ideal.”
Wi Yeon-ho frowned as if he didn't understand.
“Are you saying that we should understand that they don’t do what they should do because things change? Does that mean that we should understand that even if an evil person does evil, the concept of good and evil is a concept that can only be applied to the present era?”
“That could be the case.”
"to?"
“But that can’t actually happen, right?”
“Why?”
“Because my heart won’t allow it.”
“…….”
Moon Yu-hwan smiled brightly.
“The world changes. And so does learning. The circumstances surrounding you will also be different from now. If you stand in a different place, you will see a different place, and if you see a different place, your thoughts will naturally change.”
“But there are some things that shouldn’t be shaken.”
“What is that?”
Wi Yeon-ho seemed to think for a moment and then said.
“Good or evil. Even if times and circumstances change, these are things that should not change.”
“That’s right. In the end, that’s what learning is all about. The absolute truth that never changes no matter how the world changes. Just having that kind of mindset is enough to call Confucius a great scholar.”
“Hey, I’m not a scholar.”
“Haha, what’s so special about being a scholar? If you study, you’re a scholar. What’s so special about studying? If you seek what’s right and find the truth, then that’s studying.”
“…….”
Wi Yeon-ho covered his head as if he was dizzy.
“I don’t know. It’s difficult.”
“It’s not difficult. The answer is already out there, so what’s difficult about it?”
"yes?"
Moon Yu-hwan smiled brightly.
“Didn’t I tell you? Even if the world changes, even if the situation changes, there are things that should not be shaken. The actions of the king are nothing more than a change in the situation. So you just need to think about what you have to do.”
“……Why does it go like that?”
Moon Yu-hwan said with a serious face.
“The above Confucius.”
"yes."
“Don’t lose your right mind.”
Wi Yeon-ho was momentarily overwhelmed by Moon Yu-hwan’s spirit. The current Moon Yu-hwan was neither a scholar nor an official.
He was a senior who shared his life experiences and a teacher who taught me.
“The world will change. And it will shake. That is what troubled times are like. It is a world where what I believed to be right turns out to be wrong, and what I believed to be wrong turns out to be right. In such a world, what would be important for the emperor to save his own body? What is important is for Confucius to keep to his own path.”
“…….”
“If the emperor is a tyrant, will he not do what he should do? If the emperor is a wise ruler, will he do more than what he should do? No, no. Isn’t the important thing to keep one’s own path?”
“……You did well in your studies.”
“Why?”
“Otherwise, you would be a fraud. I don’t understand a single word you’re saying, but I feel like I need to buy something.”
“Hahaha, then I guess I’ll have to find something to sell.”
Wi Yeon-ho suddenly got up from his seat.
“I know what you mean, but… I don’t know what I should do. Everyone tells me that the world won’t leave me alone, but I don’t know what that means. I just want to go home and live a lazy life.”
“Then that’s the way to do it.”
"yes?"
“Don’t forget. I’m talking about that feeling of wanting to live a lazy life. Maybe that’s your true heart.”
"yes?"
“If you can maintain that one heart even when the world shakes, your path will be revealed. Don’t forget that you are a lazy person.”
“…….”
Moon Yu-hwan smiled broadly and turned around.
Wi Yeon-ho shouted at Moon Yu-hwan, who was walking away from the eaves.
“But I have a higher position?”
“Haha, is that so? Then next time, I will treat you as my superior. Be careful on your way, Master Woo-sa.”
Wi Yeon-ho looked at Moon Yu-hwan, who was waving his hand and walking away, with slightly uncomprehending eyes.
'I feel like I learned something… … .'
What he had learned was unknown to him now.