Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

How dare this loafer play with the lady!

Wei Yan-ho observed the young man who had suddenly appeared. A handsome-faced young man, dressed in the typical dress of a scholar, looked at him with anger.

Wei Yan-ho looked away from the young man and asked Moon Eun-ji.

“Who is he?”

Moon Eun-ji did not respond and instead spoke to the young man.

– No, Master Dam. It’s not like that…

The young man named Master Dam shook his hand with disdain.

“Don’t worry, miss, I’ll take care of it.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

But Master Dam was stubborn.

“Damn bastard, I was already on the edge watching you loiter playing Go like a bum! How dare you play with the young lady! Did you think you’d get away with it?”

Wei Yan-ho laughed between his teeth.

“If others play Go or go fishing it’s your business.”

“What’s so special about a pathetic fool who spends all day playing Go and living in idleness?”

Wei Yan-ho looked directly at Master Dam.

“I will convey those exact words to the scholar Moon.”

“What?”

That he’s a pathetic idiot who spends the day playing Go and living in idleness, isn’t that an insult to your master?

At the words of Wei Yan-ho, Dam Jin-gok became a little nervous.

Now that I think about it, wasn’t it playing Go exactly the same thing as his master Moon Yu-hwan did too?

“You are different from my master.”

“How so?”

“You’re a bum! My master likes Go as a hobby!”

“But in the end, you’re both playing Go and loitering, aren’t you?”

“How could you compare yourself to my master?”

Wei Yan-ho snapped his tongue.

Do you do the same thing, but judge people differently? What an exceptional judge you have become!

“You bastard!”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Moon Eun-ji.

“Am I wrong?”

“…”

Moon Eun-ji couldn’t answer easily.

In fact, if genuine intent was examined, it was clearly wrong. How to compare Moon Yu-hwan, whose personal scholarship had reached its peak and was reaching new levels, with Wei Yan-ho, who seemed to be unaware of even the most basic knowledge?

However, based solely on superficial words, it was difficult to state that they were wrong.

Wei Yan-ho looked at Dam Jin-gok with a brilliant smile.

“And if the others are lazy or not, what do you care? Are you my father or something?

“Are you not ashamed to come to this learning room to be lazy?”

“You study because you want to study, and I sleep because I want to sleep. What difference does it make between you and me to be ashamed?”

“How can studying be the same as sleeping?”

“What’s different about them?”

“They’re different, of course they’re different!”

“Okay. I get it, so tell me what’s different.”

“Learning gives you something!”

“Sleeping also relieves fatigue.”

“Ha! Learning allows you to consolidate as such.”

“It’s also hard to stay upright when you’re tired.”

Dam Jin-gok squeezed his teeth.

“Learning can be an end in itself, but sleeping cannot be by law.”

“Learning is an end in itself?”

“That’s right!”

“Then why do you learn?”

“Hmph! What an obvious question! To consolidate myself and, besides, achieve fame and success.”

Wei Yan-ho smiled.

“Fame and success… In the end, you’re just learning to get ahead in life too.”

“Hmph! How could the purpose of fame and success be limited to mere promotion? I will ascend to office and make this country a better place to live.”

“How?”

“How?” you’ll wonder.

“How are you going to make it easier to live here?”

“…”

“If you have studied more than ten years for that purpose, surely you have a plan for what you will do after taking office, right? What systems will you create, what laws will you establish?”

“I will watch that the people live in peace…”

“Oh, not those words. I could invent hundreds of them myself right now, so how about you tell me about specific processes and systems?

“…”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged.

“In the end, you’re only studying because you want to progress too. Or you just listened to what others were telling you about the need to study without questioning it. Maybe you think you’re doing great… Well, from my perspective, you and I don’t seem very different.”

Dam Jin-gok’s face got red.

“How could I be like a lazy man like you! At least I don’t relax like you.”

You’re probably better than me, but did you study more than ten years to become a better person? What a pity, you would have been better than me even without studying.”

“You…”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Dam Jin-gok, whose face had turned red and breathed with difficulty, and abruptly declared:

“If you learn or not, it’s none of my business, but I’d rather you didn’t despise others by believing that you’re doing something great. Your Confucian studies certainly contain teachings about not disparaging others, and, frankly, it’s quite unseemly that someone who can’t even practice the most basic teachings talks about learning.”

Wei Yan-ho left those words behind and turned around.

Dam Jin-gok seemed to be about to say something, muttering angry before spitting curses and leaving.

Moon Eun-ji looked at Wei Yan-ho with a fresh expression.

Wei Yan-ho smiled slightly at him.

“What, you see me with other eyes?”

“Yes.”

Unexpectedly, Moon Eun-ji nodded easily.

“Really?”

“I see you with other eyes. I have never seen such sophistry in my life.”

“Mmm?”

Moon Eun-ji let go of a hollow laugh.

You say that learning and sleeping are the same because you do both things because you like them…

“Well, I don’t think it’s particularly wrong.

I’d like to take a look at your mind. How can you say those things so safely?

“It’s nothing special.”

Wei Yan-ho laughed between his teeth.

Then he stepped forward, leaving Moon Eun-ji behind. Moon Eun-ji watched the figure of him walk away with a slight smile.

“I see it in a new light.”

The discussion was an essential part of learning.

The Academy always included the debate in its curriculum.

Dam Jin-gok was someone who wouldn’t let himself be beaten by anyone in the debate.

Even if it were a sophistry, it was the first time I saw Dam Jin-gok so unilaterally overwhelmed in a debate.

The more he watched Wei Yan-ho, the more peculiar he found it.

“That young man?”

“Yes.”

The old man smiled softly.

Behind the old man, Moon Yu-hwan remained silent with her hands intertwined.

“Indeed, he’s an interesting young man.”

“He is an extraordinary person.”

“Extraordinary… seems right to me. The question is in what sense is extraordinary.”

“It looks like he’s hiding.”

“Hide?”

“That’s what I thought, Big Scholar.”

At the words of Moon Yu-hwan, the old man nodded. He looked at Wei Yan-ho with a deep look and then smiled.

“Well it can be.”

The elder observed the Wei Yan-ho figure moving away and murmured quietly.

“An interesting child.”

***

The eunuch Nok Gi extended his pale hand to raise his cup of tea.

The fragrance of the Pu-erh tea of Sichuan always reassured him. The aroma of the Pu-erh tea, fermented for many years, brought him the pleasure of the passage of time.

But now he did not perceive well the aroma of Pu-erh tea. It was not because it was of inferior quality, but because his mind was not at peace. The Nok eunuch tasted the aroma of Pu-erh tea for a moment and then opened his mouth slowly.

“What did you say?”

Upon the question of the eunuch Nok, Nok Mok-pung bowed his head deeply.

“It seems difficult, Father.”

Nok’s eyes narrowed.

“Difficult?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderless fool.”

At the words of the eunuch Nok, Nok Mok-pung was unable to respond.

“Did I give you something hard?”

“No.”

“If you can’t even put your hands on a little girl, what can you hope to accomplish?”

“I’m sorry.”

Nok Mok-pung’s face was contorted with a mixture of shame and anger.

“So you plan on giving up like that?”

“…It’s not easy.”

“With all the teachings I have given you, is it so difficult to choose a suitable method among so many strategies?”

“Under normal circumstances, I would not have dared to disturb your peace of mind, Father.

The eunuch Nok bowed his head.

“Are they not normal circumstances? Is there a problem?”

Nok Mok-pung raised his head and continued.

“A strange person named the Genius of the Academy has appeared in the Academy.”

“Academy Genius?”

“Yes.”

I’ve heard rumors. But isn’t he just an ignorant fool who spends his time playing Go?

He is not the problem. The problem is that influential people from all over the country have come to the Academy en masse thanks to him. Being so attentive to his gaze, our movements are too restricted. If we act with clumsiness, we could face a violent reaction.

“Many eyes are looking.”

“Yes.”

“Mmm…”

The eunuch Nok caressed his Imberbe chin with interest.

‘Influential people…’

It was well known that the tea companions of Moon Yu-hwan exercised a great influence even in the imperial palace. Otherwise, someone of the stature of the Nok eunuch would not distrust Moon Yu-hwan. Even without them, it would be a difficult task, but having to plan avoiding his gaze would complicate it even more.

– Then I understand your hesitation.

“I’m sorry.”

“Nevertheless.”

“Yes.”

The eyes of the eunuch Nok became cold.

“Do you think this mission is only for my well-being?”

“…”

Taking control of the imperial palace is a mission that you personally entrusted to me. Not fulfilling it is impossible for me and for you too.

Nok Mok-pung’s shoulders trembled.

I’m not afraid of death, but letting that person down scares me more than death.

– Yes, I understand perfectly.

The eunuch Nok nodded.

“There is no need to doubt. Sometimes tough methods are needed.”

“Rough methods?”

“The Genius of the Academy… that bastard is helping us. If things go like this, that girl doesn’t matter.

Nok Mok-pung bowed his head.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Jojojojo.”

“If there are many influential people, we can use that in our favor. Moon Yu-hwan has dug his own grave.”

Nok Mok-pung did not understand what Nok Gi meant. But he knew well his ability to conspire, having ascended to the center of imperial power as an eunuch. When Nok Gi spoke like this, it meant that he was already prepared to set up Moon Yu-hwan.

The eyes of the Nok eunuch shone coldly.

“The imperial palace will now pass into my hands.”