Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 2

002. What? Murim, you say?

“That’s good.”

The official sitting in front of me said curtly without even looking up.

‘That’s good?’

Yun-hyun frowned slightly.

He couldn’t understand what was good about it.

It couldn’t be good that he had no family, so he assumed it was fortunate that he had a wealthy uncle.

If it weren’t for his uncle, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of taking the civil service examination.

Even though the examination itself didn’t cost money, preparing for it required many things.

The academy tuition, living expenses, travel expenses to the city where the exam was held, the cost of books, and all sorts of miscellaneous expenses were by no means easy to handle.

Above all, not being able to do anything and having to live only with books was a daunting task for ordinary commoners.

Moreover, that period wasn’t just a year or two.

Even for himself, he wouldn’t have dared to take the civil service examination without his uncle’s help.

Rustle.

The sound of turning pages echoed in the quiet hall.

The official who had asked the brief question was silent again, and Yun-hyun had to endure the awkward atmosphere with an anxious heart.

“Have you found a place to stay?”

The official’s dry voice echoed in Yun-hyun’s ears. Even that was welcome, and Yun-hyun replied with a delighted expression.

“I haven’t found a house yet. I’m still staying at an inn, but soon…….”

That wretched inn.

Not only did it leak when it rained, but the terrible food had foreign substances mixed in, and the smell was awful.

The inn where Yun-hyun was staying was, in a word, the worst.

But that old inn is over today.

Now that he has become a proper official, he will proudly buy a house in Beijing.

“That’s good.”

The official said in an extremely businesslike tone.

“Yes? What do you mean…….”

Yun-hyun involuntarily retorted at the official’s words.

And he soon regretted it.

Thud.

The official slammed the book shut in a fit of pique.

And he stared straight at Yun-hyun with sharp eyes.

“Do you know where you are right now?”

Yun-hyun’s shoulders flinched.

There was no way he wouldn’t know where he was right now.

The Forbidden City, the very heart of the continent and the core of power, the imperial palace itself?

The official slowly opened his mouth.

“Our duty is only to uphold the Emperor’s will, so you must engrave in your heart the saying that if the King tells his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die [君要臣死臣不得不死 – a traditional saying emphasizing absolute obedience to the ruler]. Do you understand?”

Yun-hyun swallowed hard.

The official’s words were half a threat.

But at the same time, it was a word that made Yun-hyun realize the enormous significance of this place.

It was a pride born of a heavy sense of duty, and a heartwarming conviction that he had become a member of an organization with great power.

Yun-hyun’s eyes immediately began to sparkle.

But the official didn’t care about Yun-hyun’s reaction.

“Also, you have come here especially because of the Crown Prince’s favor, so you must never betray that expectation.”

Yun-hyun’s face flushed slightly at those words.

The three people who obtained high scores in the civil service examination are specially called the top scholar, second scholar, and third scholar.

They were received in audience by the Emperor himself and given official posts, but generally, they usually became scholars belonging to the Hanlin Academy.

Yun-hyun thought he would go to the Hanlin Academy as a matter of course.

But the Crown Prince directly pointed him out and had him come to Changryong Hall.

It was truly an unexpected success in life.

Because the Crown Prince is the core of power, the very future sky.

“In the future, according to the Crown Prince’s will, you will have to submit a perfect report through in-depth research and review of specific fields, so…….”

Something strange caught Yun-hyun’s ear as he blushed.

“By specific fields, you mean…….”

Yun-hyun, who had started to speak, flinched for a moment.

The official, whose words had been interrupted because of him, was staring at him with a cold expression.

Only then did Yun-hyun realize that this was not an academy where free questions were allowed.

Yun-hyun shut his mouth and quickly lowered his head.

“Ahem.”

The official cleared his throat once and continued.

“The Crown Prince has specially granted you access to Munyeon Hall.”

Yun-hyun’s eyes widened.

Munyeon Hall is the name of the imperial palace library.

It is a treasure trove of numerous books and calligraphy, including the Daejeon (大典) [a comprehensive collection of laws and regulations], the culmination of all knowledge, and a place that anyone who reads books wishes to enter at least once.

The right to enter that Munyeon Hall has been given to him.

Yun-hyun’s eyes widened at this unbelievable luck.

But the official sitting in front of him continued speaking quickly in a businesslike manner.

“Also, you never know when the Crown Prince will call you, so you will be staying in the Forbidden City from now on. When you enter the palace in three days, be sure to bring all your preparations. You may leave now.”

The official’s words were over. But Yun-hyun didn’t move. No, he couldn’t move.

His head couldn’t keep up with the sudden change in the situation.

‘Stay in the Forbidden City……?’

So, that means he will reside in the Forbidden City.

Not anywhere else, but right here, in the Forbidden City.

The official, who was reading the book again, frowned again as he looked at the young scholar who was not moving.

“Go. And don’t be late in three days.”

Yun-hyun finally came to his senses when he heard the official’s cold voice.

“Yes, yes.”

Yun-hyun hurriedly put his hands together and bowed deeply to his superior, whose name he had not yet heard. And he hurriedly moved his steps out of Changryong Hall.

The official, who was staring at his retreating figure with sharp eyes, shook his head quietly and muttered as Yun-hyun went out completely.

“The top graduate of the exhibition, Jin-sa Yun-hyun…….”

The official lowered his gaze to the book. There, Yun-hyun’s name and various details were recorded in detail.

“Later, you can go to Gwangju and help your uncle with his work. He seems to have a good head.”

Thud.

The official closed the book. And silence returned to Changryong Hall.

***

Step, step.

Yun-hyun couldn’t believe it.

A scholar of Changryong Hall belonging to the Crown Prince, permission to enter Munyeon Hall, and an order to reside in the Forbidden City. There was nothing that wasn’t surprising.

He was clearly walking now, but it didn’t feel like his feet were touching the ground.

Step.

Yun-hyun stopped and looked around.

The splendid and enormous Forbidden City was full of amazing sights no matter where he turned his gaze.

The golden double roof was beautifully soaring, and the signboard with golden letters was extremely splendid.

It felt as if the laughter of a beauty would be heard from between the splendid red walls.

‘From now on, I’m going to live here? Right here, in the house of gold…….’

A smile slowly began to spread across Yun-hyun’s face. At the same time, a passage from Gwonhakga [a song encouraging study] flashed through his mind.

―There are a thousand stones of rice in the writing, there is a house of gold in the writing, and there is a beautiful woman in the writing.

It is unbearably boring to tell young people who want to play to lock themselves in a room and memorize boring books and writings.

After memorizing 430,000 characters from the Thousand Character Classic and Monggu to the Analects, Mencius, Book of Changes, Book of Documents, Book of Songs, Book of Rites, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, and Zuo Zhuan from the age of eight, books leading to annotations, scriptures, history books, literature, and poetry that are several times that amount were waiting.

What was most difficult to endure was the countless tests and tests, and more tests over that long period.

Each time, the teachers called this Gwonhakga and instilled hope for the future in the students.

A song that he himself had repeated countless times in his heart.

It was the very song that he had vowed while looking at some scholars who were neglecting their studies and playing with envious or contemptuous eyes.

‘Indeed, there was indeed a house of gold in the book.’

There really was a house of gold in the writing. And such an enormous house of gold.

Yun-hyun lowered his head deeply as if someone might see him. But his mouth was full of unbearable laughter.

He wanted to shout loudly. His heart was bursting with this unbelievable luck.

But he must not make a sound, or even smile brightly. Isn’t this the Forbidden City, the heart of the continent, the most forbidden of forbidden areas?

Yun-hyun lowered his head and quickly began to move his steps. His steps were literally light as a feather.

***

“Hoo.”

Yun-hyun’s long sigh shattered into the blue sky.

The warm sunshine of early summer made even the hard stone path feel cozy, but Yun-hyun, who was walking on it, didn’t have the leisure to feel such sentiment.

“Murim……, what am I supposed to do?”

Another sigh escaped from his mouth as he trudged along the road.

He was wearing a government uniform that everyone envied, and he was walking on the wide road of the Forbidden City that everyone would admire, but Yun-hyun’s steps were just heavy.

When he passed the exhibition [civil service exam] with flying colors, he believed that all the hardships were over.

When he was assigned to the Crown Prince’s Changryong Hall and stayed in the Forbidden City, he felt like he was flying in the sky.

But the dreamlike days were not long.

The ‘research field’ given to Yun-hyun was something he couldn’t even imagine.

“Yes? Murim, you say?”

The official, Sa-ilcheon, frowned at Yun-hyun’s question.

Sa-ilcheon, who belonged to Changryong Hall and was the only official and scholar besides Yun-hyun, was, so to speak, Yun-hyun’s direct senior.

“Yes, Murim. Things like Shaolin, Wudang, and Mount Hua. Haven’t you ever heard of them?”

“Ah, no, of course I’ve heard of them, but…….”

Yun-hyun trailed off.

He has heard of them. Who hasn’t heard of stories of flying in the sky in one step, walking on water like flat ground, and splitting rocks with a single sword?

But he has always thought that it was just the boasting of people who like to talk.

But why does the word Murim suddenly appear in the ‘specific field ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince’?

“Then that’s good. Go and do your work.”

The official turned his gaze as if he had no more business. But Yun-hyun still had business left.

“But why suddenly investigate Murim…… Eup!”

Yun-hyun swallowed his words with a groan.

Because the official, Sa-ilcheon, was already glaring at Yun-hyun with fierce eyes.

Sa-ilcheon said in a cold voice.

“That’s a very presumptuous question.”

His voice was dry and cold.

“If you try to find out the reason, your life will not be long. Keep in mind that the duty of an official is not ‘why’ but ‘how’. Do you understand?”

Sa-ilcheon continued to speak to Yun-hyun, who was unable to answer because he was intimidated by the spirit.

“If you go to the next room, there is His Highness the Crown Prince’s personal library. Start your research based on the books there. I’ll tell you in advance, what His Highness the Crown Prince wants is a perfect, vivid, and living image of Murim. Do you understand?”

Yun-hyun nodded.

But Sa-ilcheon didn’t expect much.

Yun-hyun has no way of knowing the meaning of what he said now.

Sa-ilcheon turned his gaze again as if he was annoyed.

Yun-hyun had no choice but to step back without even saying a word.

And Yun-hyun was shocked again in His Highness the Crown Prince’s personal library.

Because the ‘materials’ there were all terrible.

‘Oh my god…….’

Yun-hyun was dumbfounded.

Books must be the truth of ancient and modern times and the living spirit of the sages.

Therefore, books must always be treated with a clean body and mind and a reverent attitude, and must never be treated irreverently even in dreams.

Nevertheless, Yun-hyun couldn’t help but snicker throughout his time with the books in the Crown Prince’s personal library.