Chapter 37. About Faith
Beneath a clear autumn sky, the golden flag of the Hui Kingdom fluttered in the wind.
Mounted soldiers led the procession.
Behind them came musicians playing instruments.
Carts filled with food supplies followed.
It was a magnificent royal procession traveling toward the Buddhist Holy Land to perform ancestral rites for the previous kings.
Chancellor Jin Sangwon rode an official horse beside the king's carriage.
It had been a long time since he had been able to put government affairs aside and travel outside the capital.
Yet his mind felt more disturbed than ever.
King Nampyeong, ruler of the Hui Kingdom, sat lazily inside the carriage.
His sharply defined face suggested that he must have been extremely handsome in his youth.
Through the hanging blinds, the king listened to music while casually eating snacks.
At first glance, he seemed like a man completely absorbed in pleasure.
But in truth, Nampyeong had little interest in wealth or luxury.
Perhaps Sangwon would have preferred him to be greedy or easily flattered.
At least such a ruler could be controlled with the proper rewards.
Instead, he served a man endlessly hungry for stimulation.
A man who found everything in the world boring and tiresome.
Nampyeong rolled his eyes toward Sangwon.
“This journey to the tombs is terribly boring because you refuse to speak.”
“Should I tell you an interesting story instead?”
The king was clearly looking for an excuse to provoke him.
Most officials became trapped by Nampyeong's way of speaking and ended up suffering for it.
Many were even afraid of being summoned before him.
The king smiled.
“Ancient records tell of a servant who cut flesh from his own thigh and fed it to his lord while they were fleeing in exile.”
“What do you think of such loyalty?”
One of Nampyeong's favorite games was testing Sangwon's loyalty.
He knew perfectly well that deep inside Sangwon's heart...
hatred toward his ruler existed.
Sangwon smiled leisurely.
He had long since mastered dealing with difficult people.
“Despite offering the flesh of his own thigh, that servant was eventually purged and met a miserable end.”
“Perhaps the story teaches us how empty and meaningless human life can be.”
Then Sangwon added smoothly,
“Of course, even if Your Majesty turned away from me, I would accept it as another lesson from my sovereign and remain beside you until the very end.”
His expression did not change even while speaking words he did not mean.
Sangwon smiled.
“I would offer something even greater than the flesh of my thigh.”
His tone and posture remained respectful.
Yet his eyes carried a chilling sharpness.
Then Sangwon deliberately changed the subject.
“Still, Your Majesty visits the late king's tomb every year. Your filial devotion is truly admirable.”
Nampyeong answered casually.
“Of course. As his son, it is only right that I visit Father's grave.”
“I must follow the achievements of a wise king and strengthen the foundation of the royal family.”
The excuse sounded respectable.
But there was another reason Nampyeong visited the royal tomb complex every year.
He wanted to inspect the influence his younger brother, State Preceptor Namwan, had built in the nearby Buddhist Holy Land.
And keep him under watch.
Nampyeong grinned.
“Besides, Father cherished you so very much.”
“Naturally, you should attend every year as well.”
Apparently amused by his own words, Nampyeong burst into loud laughter.
Then he leaned far out of the carriage window.
Officials who witnessed the king sticking his head outside and moving around awkwardly turned away and cleared their throats.
Meanwhile, Sangwon sat upright on his horse.
His posture was dignified and commanding.
Anyone watching them would think Sangwon looked far more like a king than the actual king.
Nampyeong suddenly spoke.
“Just because Father favored you doesn't mean you should act arrogant for the rest of your life.”
“You insolent bastard.”
His vulgar words threw the dignity of the chancellor onto the ground.
Sangwon simply smiled.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Nampyeong...
was a man who should never have been born a king.
The long and bitter connection between Nampyeong and Sangwon had begun many years ago.
It started on the day the previous king, Namcheol, privately summoned the young official Jin Sangwon to the palace.
The golden palace of Hongyang shone beneath a red sunset painting the sky.
The sun hung over the edge of the palace roof before slowly sinking beyond the walls into twilight.
Officials who had finished the evening royal lecture left the palace while talking quietly among themselves.
After three meetings in a single day, exhaustion covered the faces of the older officials.
King Namcheol strongly believed in discussing matters of state.
But recently, his health had begun worsening.
Many were beginning to wonder how long the reign of the wise king could continue.
At that same time...
a young official quietly emerged from behind a folding screen near the royal lecture hall.
It was Jin Sangwon in his younger days.
The king had given him the extraordinary order to secretly observe a royal lecture attended by Crown Prince Nampyeong from behind a screen.
Afterward, palace attendants guided Sangwon to King Namcheol's private office.
Sangwon bowed before the ruler.
When he raised his head slightly, a screen hung from the ceiling.
Only the faint shadow of the king could be seen behind it.
A deep voice sounded.
[I hear that among the officials recommended during the past several years, you possess the greatest ability.]
[What did you think after attending your first royal lecture?]
Even Sangwon, who possessed unusual courage, could not help feeling nervous before the king.
And regarding the lecture...
after finally seeing Crown Prince Nampyeong for himself, Sangwon understood why the king was worried.
He lowered his head.
[I watched the lecture and found myself thinking about the difference between the clever man and the clumsy man.]
“...”
Sangwon continued.
[A clever man exhausts everyone around him, while a clumsy man may bring purity to society.]
[Therefore, one who rules a country should not strive to become clever. Sometimes it is better to be clumsy.]
Silence came from behind the screen.
Sangwon continued.
[A clever man stood at the center of today's lecture, and everyone was watching his expression.]
[It seemed difficult to properly discuss matters of state in such a cold atmosphere.]
King Namcheol had spent more than twenty years establishing the foundation of the Hui Kingdom.
He had become famous as a ruler who expanded trade.
Scholarship, science, technology, and the economy had all flourished.
But if matters continued this way...
he risked being criticized for failing to raise a proper successor.
