76 Daedonggye 2 (2/2)
”No, sir. I am not a thief anymore. I washed off.”
”You did not wash off. I made you wash off.”
”Yes, that is true. But anyway it is better not be meddled with the patrol. Even though we did not do anything wrong, they could find some.”
”Heum.”
Ganghyuk could imagine.
Even in the 21st century, that might happen.
In Joseon, such things could happen every day.
Especially to the people like the Flail who did not have power.
”I am ok because I am a n.o.bleman, but they may be…”
He was not a simple n.o.bleman.
His father was a famous man so there were many people who remembered his father's name even in the marketplace in Hanyang.
Many students of his were working in the government.
To let alone Seungmun, Ganghyuk himself had good connections.
He had many acquaintances and their names might make common people tremble.
”By the way…”
Ganghyuk looked at Yeoju who took her breath.
When she heard of the name of Jeong Yeorip, she looked strange.
It seemed that she hid something from him and the suspicion became an a.s.surance.
Byon Sungbok might be high-ranking in Daedonggye.
It was strange that such a person recognized Yeoju.
”Yeoju”
”Yes?”
”Who is he on earth? How could he know sir Changgweon?”
”I am not sure, but…”
Yeoju hesitated to talk.
All including Ganghyuk were waiting for her to continue.
Although there might be a difference in the extent, it was true that everybody was curious.
”His master may be Jeong Yeorip…”
Yeoju stopped again.
”If it were Dolseok or others, he might hit his head.”
Ganghyuk waited, suppressing the curiosity and anger.
Fortunately she did not make him wait for a long time.
Yeoju continued.
”I think he is working under my uncle.”
”Is Jeong Yeorip your uncle?”
”Hiss. Please do not say it loudly. Somebody might hear you.”
”Yes, you are right. Do you know something more about him?”
Ganghyuk murmured his name with a serious face.
”Jeong Yeorip, Jeong Yeorip.”
The man who would be killed as a traitor was the brother of Jeong Changgweon.
He was the uncle of Yeoju who Ganghyuk took care of.
Ganghyuk felt the end of his hair stand.
”I don't know much. My father did not talk about his elder brother much.”
”I see.”
Yeoju did not let her guard down.
She looked around with a stern face.
Although it was midnight when they could not feel any indication of a person being around.
In the yard, there were rough breaths of some people.
”My father always told me that his brother was a dangerous man. He said that his elder brother might be a great man, but he could not follow him because his ideology was too dangerous. As he was not someone like that, I thought I had better follow his opinion.”
Yeoju tried to catch the facial expressions of the person while talking.
She looked at the Flail with anxiety, as she could not trust him.
She seemed to worry if the Flail might disclose it to somebody.
Ganghyuk thought that her worries might be groundless.
'He is ten times more ignorant than me… And he was a thief.'
Ganghyuk thought that he was up to his ears in his own problems.
However, Ganghyuk could not ignore her anxiety.
”Ok. I see. We can talk in the room. Dolseok, you take the Flail and others and take a rest.”
”Ah, yes, sir.”
Because of the fuss, they forgot their plan and lost their appet.i.te, too.
n.o.body thought of fried chicken any more. They followed Ganghyuk's order without complaints.
Ganghyuk went into the room with Yeoju. Yeoni followed them.
”Hugh.”
Her face under the lamp was full of anxiety.
Yeoni saw her face and sighed, too.
”Miss, is your neck ok?”
”Ah, yes. It is a little bit sore.”
”Let's see.”
Yeoni examined Yeoju's neck and gave a sigh of relief.
”It is not really bad, miss. I think it will be ok. The problem is we have caught him. We should not let him go.”
”Don't blame yourself. If it had not been for you, we might have had a big problem.”
Ganghyuk praised Yeoni's distinguished exploits and changed the mood.
”Yeoju. Tell me about your uncle. I think Lee Hangbok has a reason to be sensitive like that.”
Ganghyuk did not have a good knowledge in history, but he was a clever man to improvise.
Considering the situation, Jeong Yeorip might have a problem.
He did not know what kind of b.u.t.terfly effect this incident might make.
It might make Gichukoksa happen earlier. (Gichuoksa; Purge in the year of Gichuk to prosecute Jeong Yeorib. He was falsely accused of treason.)
”I may be prosecuted together.”
Ganghyuk remembered there was the guilt-by-a.s.sociation system. (In Joseon, they prosecuted all the relatives of the traitor, no matter what they were involved in or not.)
”I trust you and Yeoni. I will tell you what I know in full.”
Yeoju started to talk looking at Ganghyuk and Yeoni in turn.
At that moment, there were no better people than Ganghyuk and Yeoni for Yeoju to trust and depend on.
They took care of her from the first time they met till now after she became an orphan.
”My uncle, Jeong Yeorip is a man who addresses Hasabigunron and Cheohagongmulseol.”
She confessed what she knew taking the plunge, but unfortunately Ganghyuk and Yeoni did not know what they meant. Fortunately, Yeoju knew that Ganghyuk did not have good knowledge in Chinese characters. Thus, she started to explain what Hasabigunron and Cheohagongmulseol meant.
Hasabigunron meant that anyone could be a king. He addressed that the statement ”A faithful subject will not serve two kings.” would be applied temporarily when the king died. In other words, we could serve the king no matter who it was.”
”Yes, it sounds dangerous.”
”Cheohagongmulseol… It means that the world is for the public and not owned by a king or anybody. There is no owner of the world.”
”Oh.”
It seemed to be heard as a treason.
Ganghyuk doubted if Jeong Yeorip learned democracy somewhere. How could a person in Joseon think of that?
Now, it became clear to him that Jeong Yeorip was the one who was killed in Gichukoksa.
”Does he address his theories in public?”
”No, but perhaps Byon Sungbok whom we met on the way home might be the member of Daedonggye. Daedonggye must be the organization founded by my uncle.”
”Eum”
Ganghyuk could understand why Yeoju hesitated to talk.
His theories were too revolutionary to talk in public.
It was same to people who had a good background.
Even if just one thing goes wrong, the whole s.h.i.+p could be sunken.
”Yes, we had better be careful. It might be better for you to disguise like this.”
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