Her Majesty’s Secret Service

077. Anyway, he is from my family. Anyway, then.

[Jang Yong-wi, Daejeong Kim Hyeok-soo, I would like to inform your Majesty the Lord. Between Hash and Jasi, the leader of the bandits, Im Geojil-jeong, and his thirty subordinates attacked Dongpyeong-gwan, killing ten soldiers and wounding seven…

When I interrogated the captured Imgeojiljeong and his subordinates, they testified that they had come to Dongpyeong-gwan after hearing a rumor that it was full of sugar… .]

[Jang Yong-wi, Daejeong Park Il-ho, takes great care to inform His Majesty the Lord. … When the seven were wounded, the English envoys staying at Dongpyeong-gwan drew their swords and joined forces with Jangyongwi’s soldiers to attack Lim Geojiljeong’s group, killing eight and capturing the leader of the bandits, Lim Geojiljeong, and his six subordinates.

A seventeen-year-old boy named ‘Drake’ shot down Lim Geojiljeong, but he used not a bow but a small barrel they called a ‘musket’. This Fuhrer called Musket… .]

At the end of the day, two letters were urgently delivered from Dongpyeong Hall. Because of these two orders, the government was in trouble.

I don’t know if there really was a foreign country called ‘England’ or not, but the fact that Dongpyeong-gwan, which housed an envoy from England and a person who had contributed to saving the people, was attacked was something that was bound to remain as a great burden along with the prestige of the Joseon Dynasty.

“Does this make sense now?”

King Yi Hwan of Joseon was frowning as he read the general message sent by Jang Yong-wi’s two great officials, Kim Hyeok-su and Park Il-ho, at a gathering with ministers.

“Are you all blind? How could no one know while Im Keok-jeong was setting foot in Hanyang? “How on earth does Zhao Panyun handle things!”

“Please kill me, Your Majesty.”

“Byeongpan! How on earth did you train your soldiers, so the Reaper and his party came forward! Even the number of bandits was smaller? What is this… !”

“de… “I have nothing to say.”

It is said that he received help from the envoy, but in the end, isn’t it true that he was unable to properly suppress a group of thieves with his own strength?

Moreover, it was truly shameful to hear that the number of thieves was only half that of Jangyongwi.

As the king shouted at Hanseongbu Panyun, advisor, and military inspector Anwi, the upper chamber suddenly became quiet. An unseasonably cold wind was blowing at Injeongjeon Hall of Changdeokgung Palace, where the mourning ceremony was taking place.

In such a gloomy atmosphere, the voice of Yun Won-hyeong, a powerful figure in the royal court, was heard.

“Your Majesty. “Can I say something?”

Lee Hwan looked at Yoon Won-hyeong, his maternal uncle and Woouijeong and Minister of Justice.

Lee Hwan came to his senses, thinking that Wonhyeong Yoon might do something else, and allowed Wonhyeong Yoon to speak.

“Idol, you? Good. Let’s see if you can hear what I’m saying.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, no matter what the process of capture was, it can be said to be a truly auspicious event for the royal family and government that the two great masters worked hard to capture the traitor Lim Keok-jeong.”

“What? slope?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. As far as God knows, this incident happened because the two major officials came up with an excessive plan to apprehend Im Keok-Jeong. I understand that the two agents sent people to spread the rumor that sugar was in Dongpyeong-Gwan and lured Im Keok-Jeong to Dongpyeong-Gwan.

In the end, Lim Keok-jeong was deceived by the plans of the two great officials and was eventually captured. It is certain that he made a great contribution, but it can be said that his method was too excessive.”

Wonhyeong Yoon gave Jo Panyun a quick glance and then continued talking.

“Jo Pan-yoon, who realized that Im Keok-jeong had entered Hanseong, tried to dissuade the plan in order to capture Lim Keok-jeong more safely and more securely, but in the end, the two great officials pushed ahead and today’s disaster occurred.

Since the merits and demerits of the two magistrates are offset, the compensation should be given to the two magistrates by commending them, and a reward commensurate with the merits will be given to the boy named ‘Drake’ who helped the two magistrates in capturing Im Keok-jeong. How do you feel?”

Lee Hwan thought carefully about what Yoon Won-hyeong’s words meant, and soon realized the meaning and let out a soft exclamation in his heart.

‘Really, let’s just pass this over like that? Huh… You’re amazing, Oesuk. How can you be so lazy? ‘Why don’t you put that little hair to good use?’

‘That’s too much praise. ‘Nephew.’

Lee Hwan exchanged glances with Yun Won-hyeong and then turned his head towards the ministers.

Lee Hwan was prepared that the authority of the Joseon royal family and government would fall once again due to this incident. The fact that Dongpyeong-gwan, the accommodation where envoys stayed, was attacked by a group of thieves was not something that could be ignored.

Since things ended up like this anyway, someone had to take responsibility, so I thought about holding Panyun’s advisor, Hanseongbu Panyun, who was neither on Wonhyeong’s side nor his side and maintaining neutrality, responsible, driving him out of Panyun’s position, and planting someone of his own.

Yoon Won-hyeong, who realized Lee Hwan’s intentions, came up with a plan to protect Cho Pan-yoon while establishing the authority of the royal family and government. There was no reason for Yoon Won-hyung to replace Pan Yun.

Lee Hwan had no choice. Isn’t it more important to raise the authority of the court and the royal family than to blow away Jo Pan-yun and add one of your own to the court?

In addition, if Yun Won-hyeong’s plan was accepted, the burden on the English envoys could be alleviated just a little.

Rather than losing face by admitting that the group was harmed by failing to stop a group of thieves, wouldn’t it be better to apologize for the damage caused to the group of messengers due to the two major governments’ overstepping of authority?

“After listening to what my idol said, there is some truth to it. Then, as the idol said, we will give words of praise to the two great officials, Kim Hyuk-soo and Park Il-ho, and the young man named ‘Drake’ from the delegation… . Whoo, top left. Even if we give the bounty to that young man, what should he do with the government position he has staked out?”

At Yi Hwan’s words, Yejo Panseo Jeong Yu-gil took a look and answered Yi Hwan’s question.

“Well, if we give the official position to that young man named ‘Drake,’ then the person named Drake will become the highest-ranking person in the English delegation. Doing so would be disrespectful to the person leading the delegation, so please do so.

At the same time, a person named ‘Lee Yu’ claims that he is Deoksu Iga and is of the bloodline of the Joseon people, so he is also given a government position in recognition of his contribution to saving 65 people as a Joseon citizen.”

“Then what kind of government position would you like me to give you?”

“Since you said you have lived abroad, how about creating a new official position at the Saejeokwon?”

“Wow, that’s a clever idea. Not only do you have no real power anyway… Oh, wait. If you treat him as a citizen of Joseon and give him a government position, he will have to pay a salary, but who should pay the salary to? “If he leaves Joseon, there is no way to pay his salary.”

“Didn’t he himself say that he was from the Deoksu family? “He claims that his ancestors died in a distant, foreign country, so please order that Deoksu Lee in the land of Joseon make a memorial tomb for his parents, and order that the money given to Lee Yu be used to cover the cost of the ancestral rites to be held at that grave.”

“What kind of bonus should be given to the young man in the delegation?”

“That young man is not a citizen of Joseon, so it would be right to follow the precedent of the Jurchen chief.

Lee Yu was given a job as a minister of the 7th rank, and a new discipline called ‘Yinghak’ was established and he was appointed as the person in charge of the study. A young man named Drake was appointed as a minister, but his official position was recorded as Heojik and assigned under Lee Yu. “It would be a good idea.”

“In that case, let Mr. Jwasang take charge of the matter himself and proceed with it.”

“I follow your orders.”

As soon as the issue regarding Im Keok-jeong was settled, the voice of An Wi from the Military Provisional Office was heard.

“Your Majesty, may I have a word with you?”

“Byeongpan you? “Okay, what do you mean?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Although Lim Keok-jeong was the leader of the bandits, he was a man who could not be defeated even when dozens of military officers rushed at him, shooting arrows and swinging spears.

However, it is said that a seventeen-year-old young man used a barrel called a ‘musket’ to shoot down an evil enemy with a single blow, which gives us an idea of ​​the weapon’s usefulness. Why not ask the envoy from England to hand over the musket?”

As soon as the story of Im Keok-jeong ended, the story about the weapon that captured Lim Keok-jeong began.

Due to Im Kkeok-jeong’s attack on Dongpyeong-gwan, the meeting began much earlier than usual, at the beginning of the morning when the roosters began to crow, and ended only when breakfast was ready.

The three major issues decided at the meeting, which was held across the Chojo Peninsula and the Pearl River, were about giving government posts to English envoys, exploring the purchase of muskets, and how to treat the new feudal state called England. .

Since ‘Yu’, who claimed to be the sire of the English royal family, would receive government office as a Korean, the main argument was that England should naturally welcome Joseon as a superior country like the Jurchen chiefs.

In the end, it was said that an envoy should be dispatched to check whether the country called England existed or not, and this story was possible because the officials thought that the country called England also existed, judging by the existence of a president named Musket.

There was not enough time to decide who to send or whether anyone would volunteer, so we decided to discuss it again after meeting the ‘reason’ for coming from England.

I don’t know if anyone would volunteer in a country where they don’t even know where they are or how far away they are.

* * *

A few days ago, Yulgok stopped by Dongpyeong-gwan and wanted to meet someone who claimed to be a descendant of the Deoksu family.

Arriving at Dongpyeong-gwan, Yulgok revealed that he was the 13-year-old son of the Deoksu Lee clan and that he wanted to meet someone of the same clan from a far away place.

“I’m sorry, Nari. “There was an order that no one should approach anyone, even if they were from the same family, until the audience.”

“If nothing else. When will I be able to see my ‘relatives’?”

“Umm… I’m telling you because you said we are from the same family. “You can’t go anywhere and talk about it.”

“Why don’t I know that? “I will never tell you where I am going, so please at least give me some information.”

“The audience is in three days, but in reality, I won’t be able to see you until about a week later.”

When Yulgok was told that he would be able to see his unidentified relative only after about a week, Yulgok nodded that he understood and returned to Woogye’s house.

If I had said one or two months, I would have gone straight back to Paju, but a week was enough time to wait.

“Okay, I guess I should say hello to my relatives at this point. Jae Jong-suk is currently in the royal court, I guess?”

Since Mrs. Shin, Woo-gye’s concubine, was reluctant to stay at Woo-gye’s house for three days, he decided to visit the house of Lee Won-bok, a relative living in Hanyang who was currently working in the royal court.

In terms of relatives, it is Jae Jong-sook, so wouldn’t it be less noticeable if you stay at Jae Jong-suk’s house rather than at a friend’s house?

“No, Yulgok, you can just stay at my house…” .”

“Hehe, I don’t want to be criticized by Jesu. See you next time!”

After leaving Ugye’s house, Yulgok went straight to the house of his relative, Lee Won-bok.

“Jae Jong-suk! This is Yulgok! How have you been?”

“No, Lee, what brought you up to Hanyang?”

“Haha, I originally came to see my friends… . Oh, Jong-suk, you also heard the story about ‘Dongpyeong-gwan’, right? “If you are in the royal court, you probably know better than me.”

“No, did the rumor spread to Paju? Who would have known that the stigma caused by my uncle’s evil deeds would be removed so much? “Aren’t you really happy too?”

When it comes to Won-bok’s uncle, he was referring to ‘Igi’, a government official who was called Lee Hyeong along with Yun Won-hyeong.

Because of Igi’s evil deeds, the Deoksu Lee family was secretly criticized as a family that produced a treacherous traitor, but suddenly their stigma was lifted.

Yulgok looked at his Jaejongsuk with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean? “The stigma has been lifted?”

“Hehe, you just need to know that. “It’s really a good thing, it’s a good thing.”

Yulgok, who had a puzzled expression as he looked at the smiling face of Wonbok, soon realized the meaning behind that smile.

‘Huh. It is clear that he is using our family’s name, but have the adults of the family already decided to accept him as a member of the family? .’

On the one hand, it was Yulgok that I could understand. How many times have you been criticized because of Jaejong’s grandfather Iggy’s evil deeds?

In the meantime, if the story spreads that it was the Deoksu Lee family who rescued the people who were captured during the Eulmyonyeon Rebellion, it would be able to clear up some of the stigma. It was clear that the elders of the family thought so.

Yulgok didn’t really like this behavior, but since it was an adult’s decision, he felt uncomfortable raising his voice.

“By the way, Jae Jong-suk, that… Do you know what your relative’s name is?”

“Oh yeah. You should know now too. We decided to set the age group at 13, the same age as you. I’m not sure about his age, but his name is spelled Euro anyway. “I’ll have to ask later what Chinese characters to use and fill them out.”

As expected, Jae Jong-sook, Won-bok, was said to be the funeral home director now, and it seemed like there was a lot of things I heard about it.

“I mean the reason.”

In this way, the two letters of the name Yu were firmly engraved in Yulgok’s mind.

Footer:

*The Chinese character for Im Kkeok-jeong is Im Geojil-jeong, and it is said that the Chinese character ‘叱’ represents the consonant.

*When you think of Jangyongwi, you might first think of the guard army created during the reign of King Jeongjo, but it is said that there was a unit called Jangyongdae organized by King Sejo in 1459. Originally, it was a unit that only low-income people could enlist, but in 1475, it was renamed Jangyongdae and Jangyongwi, and not only low-income people but also noblemen joined the unit. It was a separate unit that did not belong to the 5th place.

*’Igi’, pen name Gyeongjae, is the great-grandfather of the famous Yulgok Lee I. He played a part in the Eulsa Sahwa brought about by Yun Won-hyeong, and was called 2 misfortunes with Yun Won-hyeong, and 3 misfortunes with a traitor named Sim Tong-won. He is famous for never forgetting his resentment and exacting revenge on anyone who touches him.

*Yulgok Yi I’s father, Lee Won-su, once worked under the influence of his relative, Igi, and tried to obtain a government position by gaining his reputation, but he was stopped due to opposition from his wife, Shin Saimdang. Lee Won-bok is Lee Gi’s nephew and the son of Lee Haeng, Lee Gi’s younger brother and former Left State Councilor.

*The word feudal kingdom used in this episode does not mean ‘prince country’ (藩國), but ‘barbarian country’ (蕃國). There are differences in Chinese characters.