Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 752

Distributed by Ajit Novel (formerly Ajitun Novel).

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752. The Middle Schooler Emperor (5)

Pilsun chuckled at Jugyeonsim’s resolute answer.

“Now you’re acting like our Hidden Dragon.”

“I’ve always been myself.”

“Yes, a Hidden Dragon is always a Hidden Dragon.”

Pilsun, finishing his words with a smile, crossed his arms and fell into silence. Unlike his usual self, Pilsun wore a serious expression as he silently gazed at Jugyeonsim, who swallowed hard, looking at Pilsun and the other comrades.

As the silence stretched on, Pilsun finally spoke.

“Isn’t it natural for a man to dream of soaring into the sky? Hidden Dragon, can you give us a position second only to you?”

“It’s difficult right now, but as long as I live, Geumsun and you guys will always be by my side.”

“Still Geumsun…”

Pilsun, who had been chuckling, seemed to have made up his mind.

“Let’s share the dream you’re dreaming. What about the other comrades?”

In response to Pilsun’s question, the other comrades, who had been silent, straightened their attire and answered.

“I want to dream together too.”

“It’s not the sky of Seoul, but the sky of Nanjing, but let’s fly 멋지게 [meotjige – stylishly/coolly].”

“Hidden Dragon, if you’re going to soar, you have to do it right. That way, we can fly 멋지게 too.”

As the comrades of the Hidden Dragon Society expressed their participation one by one, Seokjun spoke to Jugyeonsim.

“As Pilsun said earlier, we are imperial citizens. We would never even consider doing anything that harms the Empire, nor would we ever do it. If such a situation arises, I will not hesitate to leave you, no matter how sweet the power may be. Can you promise that you will never do anything that harms the Empire while you are on the throne?”

At Seokjun’s words, Jugyeonsim answered immediately, as if he didn’t need to think twice.

“Didn’t I answer that earlier? I swear to the heavens that as long as I remain on the throne, such a thing will never happen.”

“What about after you die?”

“I can’t honestly be sure about that.”

Seeing Jugyeonsim’s uncertain expression, Seokjun chuckled.

“That’s why I trust you more. Good. Then I’ll join you too.”

“Thank you!”

Jugyeonsim was sincerely grateful for Seokjun’s joining.

-We might be goofing off, but if we get serious, no one can stop us!

Seokjun was the most fitting person for the words that the comrades of the Hidden Dragon Society, including Jugyeonsim, always said.

He had passed the first exam of the Ihak Academy last time with only three months of preparation.

“If Seokjun had the connections, he would be playing in Gyeongbok Palace [main royal palace of Seoul] by now.”

A dragon that cannot ascend because of a small pond.

This was the surrounding’s assessment of Seokjun.

* * *

Under the pavilion where the Hidden Dragon Society was having a serious conversation, several beggars were lying down, scratching their backs.

However, these were not just beggars but disguised agents of the Secret Guard who had come out to monitor the Hidden Dragon Society.

The leader of the Secret Guard, pretending to be drunk while reeking of alcohol, brought a gourd to his mouth and gave an order.

“Relay that an in-depth investigation into the members of the Hidden Dragon Society is needed.”

“Yes.”

As the subordinate who received the order disappeared silently, another subordinate next to him quietly asked.

“Wouldn’t the existing investigation be sufficient?”

“Until now, they were just friends of a discarded prince, but from now on, they are friends and close aides of the Ming Emperor. We need to dig deeper. We need to find out as much as possible about their true selves hidden within that middle school syndrome, starting with the personalities of their parents.”

“Ah, I see. Then I will prepare.”

“Do so.”

The leader, who had given the order to his subordinate, muttered to himself.

“It’s time to take off these rags.”

* * *

When eavesdropping on the public sentiment of the people, the best identity was that of a beggar. This is because few people paid attention to beggars with dirty faces, wearing rags, and groveling.

However, beggars were not suitable for situations where they needed to go deeper. In these cases, they had to change their appearance.

Over time, the Secret Guard had changed a lot. In the early days of its creation, it mainly operated around the gibang [traditional Korean house of courtesans], so the appearance of a geomgye [wandering entertainer] was sufficient.

However, as time passed, they had to obtain information from more and more places. Many of these places were difficult to access in the guise of a geomgye, and the agents of the Secret Guard needed another appearance.

Not only that.

Those who came to steal the Empire’s secrets disguised themselves in various identities and appearances. To find them, the agents of the Secret Guard also needed more and more diverse appearances.

Thanks to this, the field agents of the Secret Guard had various appearances. Some agents were skilled at disguising themselves in various identities, while others operated with only one appearance and identity. The former were often those who moved on the front lines, while the latter mostly operated intermediate bases or targeted the upper class.

Those who retained the earliest appearance of the Secret Guard were the strike forces in charge of armed force.

* * *

In this situation, the members of the Hidden Dragon Society became the subject of surveillance and observation, both overtly and covertly.

The overt presence was the managers of the Management Office.

“The Emperor of Ming has asked to go with you. You’ve heard the story, right?”

“Yes, I have.”

“So, have you decided?”

“Yes, we will go together.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“How can it be easy to pursue great ambitions with friends?”

The manager, hearing the answers of the Hidden Dragon Society members, wore a strange expression.

“You’ll be working in the Ming court, not the Empire. Factionalism is basic, and it’s a place full of all sorts of schemes. If you only think about the heroic tales in bywords [proverbs/idioms], you’ll get your nose broken.”

“We are prepared.”

“We are not fools enough to not distinguish between reality and bywords.”

The manager, hearing the answers of the Hidden Dragon Society members, smiled bitterly and muttered inwardly.

‘They all have middle school syndrome…. That serious 허세 [heose – empty boasting/swagger]….’

“Ahem! Ahem!”

The manager, clearing his throat to organize his expression and inner thoughts, got to the main point.

“Submit a copy of your family register and a copy of your academic records from the Samin Academy and the Middle School Academy to the Management Office.”

“Why the academic records, even if we submit the family register?”

The manager added an explanation to the bewildered expressions of the members who had been asked for something unexpected.

“They are going in as close aides to the Emperor, so we need to know whether they are stupid or smart, right? Also, the academic records contain evaluations of your conduct during your studies. We need to know to some extent what kind of people you are so that we can anticipate the future in the court.”

“Ah….”

The manager, seeing the members of the Hidden Dragon Society nodding their heads, came to a conclusion.

“Submit them within three days. It’s an imperial order.”

“Yes. We will follow your command.”

Interestingly, the members of the Hidden Dragon Society did not know that their academic records had already been secretly entered into the Management Office. The intention was to compare the records submitted by the members of the Hidden Dragon Society with the secretly obtained records to understand their character.

While the managers of the Management Office moved in the open, the agents of the Secret Guard moved in the shadows.

Sometimes as customers visiting stores, sometimes as day laborers, the agents of the Secret Guard infiltrated not only the members of the Hidden Dragon Society but also their parents and other family members to understand their character.

And the information gathered in this way was well organized and submitted to Wan.

Wan received the report and exchanged opinions with Sejong.

“…There doesn’t seem to be a problem with their character. In particular, it is fortunate that none of them see becoming close aides to the Emperor as an opportunity for corruption.”

Sejong nodded at Wan’s words.

“I agree. It may be a good strategy to have someone with a bad character blind the new Emperor and mess up Ming, but the new Emperor doesn’t have enough of a foundation for that. If we do it wrong, we’ll end up wasting good cards.”

“That’s right. Now, all that’s left is the marriage issue.”

Sejong immediately responded to Wan’s words.

“Anpyeong is already sending someone, so good news will come soon.”

* * *

While things were progressing like that in Gyeongbok Palace, Geumsun’s house had the atmosphere of a funeral home.

As soon as the rumor spread that Jugyeonsim would become the Emperor of Ming, Geumsun’s house became a funeral home.

“Oh, my fate! That’s why I told you not to hang out with him!”

Geumsun’s mother, hearing the rumor, immediately grabbed her head and lay down.

The whole neighborhood knew that Jugyeonsim was only chasing after Geumsun.

Because of this, Geumsun’s parents repeatedly told Geumsun not to hang out with Jugyeonsim, and sometimes even raised a switch [rod/cane used for discipline].

Even so, the relationship between Geumsun and Jugyeonsim was gradually getting closer, and Geumsun’s parents were burning inside.

“Why did it have to be a Ming person, and a prince at that!”

* * *

Around this time, there were gradually more families in Seoul who had married foreigners.

There were cases where foreign students who came to Seoul to study and imperial women married and started families.

Of course, there were untold stories behind this marriage.

Most of those who came to the Empire to study were energetic men in their 20s. As a result, there were often cases where they crossed the line with imperial women, and at this time, the imperial court stepped in.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to get married or not? By the way, if you don’t get married, we will punish you for raping a woman. Oh, one more thing! The crime of raping a woman in our Empire is a capital crime.”

Most of the students who heard these words chose to get married. Then, the Empire added one more thing here.

“Now that things have turned out this way, how about just becoming an imperial citizen? It’s better to become an imperial citizen if you want to get married and receive proper support.”

In the end, foreign students who married imperial women became imperial citizens.

In other cases, imperial soldiers, merchants, or sailors living abroad married local women. However, in this case, there was not much of a negative reaction.

* * *

In this way, it was not unfamiliar to marry a foreigner, but the problem was Jugyeonsim.

-The son of the Prince of Liaodong who caused the last war.

-A discarded prince.

Because of Jugyeonsim’s background, Geumsun’s parents were burning inside.

The news that Jugyeonsim had become the Emperor in this situation was like pouring oil on the fire.

As soon as they heard the rumor, not only Geumsun but also Geumsun’s parents turned pale and collapsed.

“We’re doomed!”

“Oh, you!”

“Mom, what should I do!”

The desperate Geumsun family hugged each other and cried.

While scolding Geumsun, Geumsun’s parents were expecting Jugyeonsim and Geumsun to become a couple.

-Although there are some disqualifications, Jugyeonsim is abandoned.

-There is no chance of returning to Ming.

-Although there is a difference in status, there is no major problem as long as he cannot return to Ming.

-Since the rumors have already spread, Jugyeonsim is the only one who will take Geumsun.

However, everything was twisted when Jugyeonsim became the Emperor.

-He is not just an abandoned prince but an Emperor. The vast difference in status cannot be overcome.

-The rumors have already spread, so there is no family that will take Geumsun. In the past, she would have gone as a concubine, but now the Empire prohibits concubinage.

In this situation, Geumsun locked herself in her room, and Geumsun’s mother grabbed her head and lay down.

* * *

While the whole house was in a funeral atmosphere, an elderly man visited Geumsun’s house.

“Is anyone home?”

“Who is it?”

In response to the question thrown by the person working at Geumsun’s house, the man revealed his identity.

“Anpyeong sent me.”

“Yes? Just, wait a moment!”