Chapter 26:
Incognito Journey (1)
“What do you make of this?”
“It’s unmistakable, Your Majesty.”
Summoned urgently in the dead of night, Doseungji Im Sung-jae examined the paper repeatedly before responding. “This is yew paper, the finest quality produced by the Joseon Paper Office.”
“A butcher possessing paper meant for the court… What do you make of this?” Yeonsangun asked, his brow furrowed.
After a moment of contemplation, Im Sung-jae spoke slowly. “Butchers are descendants of Tatar nomads who settled in our land. Though they’ve lived here long enough to speak our tongue, they cling to their barbaric customs and habits. Even common folk shun mingling with them, avoiding intermarriage.”
“I’m aware of that much,” Yeonsangun said.
“What’s concerning is their wandering nature. They don’t farm and are known to roam, committing robbery and theft more than a few times.”
“Robbery… So, the disappearance of Hongmun-gwan official Lee Jang-gon…”
“It must be the work of butchers who ambushed him as he left the palace, stealing his possessions. He was last seen at Geonchunmun, which aligns with the direction of the cattle market,” Im Sung-jae said, his tone already convicting the butchers.
His reasoning wasn’t baseless. Historical records from early to mid-Joseon note that over half of the hundreds of robbery and murder cases were attributed to butchers.
“I shall order the guards to apprehend them at once,” Im Sung-jae declared.
“That’s absurd! There’s no evidence!” Ji-yeong interjected, unable to stay silent.
Im Sung-jae glared at her, brandishing the yew paper. “No evidence? What is this, if not evidence? If we don’t act quickly, the butchers who attacked a court official will escape.”
Ji-yeong fell silent under his sharp rebuke, but a nagging doubt lingered. The image of the butcher woman, Bong-dan, and her father from earlier that day flashed vividly in her mind—the graceful, dance-like precision of Bong-dan’s knife as she butchered the ox. Could they really have ambushed Lee Jang-gon and stolen his goods?
Yeonsangun, too, seemed hesitant, his brow still furrowed. “What does the Captain of the Royal Guard think?”
Also summoned, Captain Shin Soo-hyuk cautiously offered a differing view. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but my thoughts differ slightly from Doseungji’s…”
Im Sung-jae’s face soured at this. Shin Soo-hyuk, known to be close to Lee Jang-gon, how could he say such a thing?
“You were close to Lee Jang-gon, were you not? And yet you speak this way?” Im Sung-jae said, his eyes narrowing.
“I say this because I know him well,” Shin Soo-hyuk replied calmly.
Lee Jang-gon, the missing Hongmun-gwan official, and Shin Soo-hyuk, the Captain of the Royal Guard, seemed an unlikely pair. A civil official managing documents in the palace’s library-like Hongmun-gwan and a military officer leading the royal guard had little reason to interact. Yet, they shared a bond: martial prowess. Lee Jang-gon possessed extraordinary martial skills, rare for a scholar. Their occasional sparring matches were so impressive that rumors of their prowess spread through the palace.
“He’s a natural-born general. How is such a man a Hongmun-gwan official?” Shin Soo-hyuk had thought the first time they crossed swords. Lee Jang-gon’s fluid, unyielding swordsmanship was awe-inspiring, even to Shin Soo-hyuk. As the saying goes, friendship through martial arts. Over time, they became close confidants.
The idea that someone as skilled as Lee Jang-gon could fall to a mere butcher’s ambush was hard to accept.
But Im Sung-jae persisted. “Who knows? If butchers planned a robbery and ambushed him, even someone as skilled as Lee Jang-gon would be helpless.”
After a long pause, Yeonsangun finally spoke with resolve. “Then there’s only one way to confirm this.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. I shall order the immediate arrest of butchers in Hanyang—nay, across the realm—”
“At dawn, I shall go myself,” Yeonsangun interrupted.
“What… Your Majesty?” Im Sung-jae’s eyes widened in shock.
“I will leave the palace in commoner’s garb at first light. Prepare accordingly.”
Stunned by the sudden declaration, Im Sung-jae scrambled to respond, prostrating himself. “Your Majesty, please reconsider! To risk your sacred person…”
“This concerns the court’s dignity. There’s no need for a spectacle. Besides…” Yeonsangun’s face grew serious, his decision firm, not a whim. “There’s something I must find—something I must see before anyone else. Captain, prepare to depart.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Shin Soo-hyuk replied, bowing promptly, as if already prepared.
“And… Head Cook.”
“Yes?” Ji-yeong’s eyes widened.
“You, too, prepare to go.”
“W-Why me, Your Majesty?”
“Would you have me starve outside the palace? Have you forgotten my command to serve me meals daily?”
This maddening king… Serving him in the palace was taxing enough, but following him outside? What kind of ordeal awaited her?
“I-I have pressing duties in the kitchen…”
“There’s the former head cook, isn’t there? She’s far more experienced than you, so there’s no need to worry. No more excuses—prepare.”
Without waiting for her response, Yeonsangun turned to Im Sung-jae. “Doseungji, you stay and handle matters here. Ensure the Geumsabok are ready to mobilize in an emergency.”
Im Sung-jae swallowed hard, visibly tense. The Geumsabok, an elite cavalry unit handpicked from the capital’s guards, were unmatched in speed. This meant preparing a rapid-response team for any crisis involving the king.
“I obey Your Majesty’s command,” Im Sung-jae said, bowing quickly, perhaps relieved to stay behind.
“Since you’ve received your orders, you’re dismissed. Gather quietly in the courtyard of Gangnyeongjeon at dawn tomorrow.”
…
The next morning, at dawn, in front of Gangnyeongjeon.
It felt awkward. Ji-yeong kept glancing at her unfamiliar appearance, checking her limbs. She was dressed as a man—an unavoidable choice. A woman traveling in this era could attract unwanted trouble, so male attire was far more practical. With Jang-geum’s deft help, she had tied a fake topknot and donned a horsehair hat, layering a jacket with a short robe and slinging a peddler’s sack over her shoulder. She looked every bit the wandering merchant.
“I really don’t like this look…” she sighed inwardly.
“Head Cook, you must stay safe,” Jang-geum said, her voice tinged with worry.
Then, Yeonsangun appeared before Gangnyeongjeon, and Ji-yeong’s breath caught. Gone was his usual dragon robe, replaced by a jade-green scholar’s robe, adorned with a red tasseled belt and crystal beads dangling from his hat. Beneath the wide brim, his face, if one didn’t know his temperament, could be mistaken for that of a strikingly handsome nobleman.
“What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?” Yeonsangun asked.
“N-No, Your Majesty,” Ji-yeong stammered, realizing she’d been staring.
Beside him stood Shin Soo-hyuk in a navy-blue robe, the hilt of his sword peeking from his folded arms. Ji-yeong recalled seeing him like this at the market before. His presence was essential for the king’s safety.
“Just the three of us…?” Ji-yeong wondered.
At that moment, someone came rushing toward them, out of breath. Dressed in a red short robe and horsehair hat, with a peddler’s sack and a familiar jester’s mask dangling from it, the figure grinned broadly when their eyes met Ji-yeong’s.
It was none other than Gong-gil, the masked entertainer.
“How are you here…?” Ji-yeong asked, stunned.
“I summoned him,” Yeonsangun said.
“Why…?”
“A journey can get dull, can it not? That’s when we need an entertainer.”
Yeonsangun looked pleased with his own cleverness, and Gong-gil played along, mimicking a courtly bow. “Your Majesty, I swear to keep you thoroughly entertained.”
“Your role is crucial,” Yeonsangun said.
Ji-yeong recalled hearing that Gong-gil roamed the palace freely under the king’s special orders. Still, this was absurd.
“What a bizarre group…” she thought, glancing between the two.
A king traveling incognito with a cook and a jester—what an eccentric combination, fitting for someone as unpredictable as Yeonsangun. Oblivious to her thoughts, he spoke.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s depart.”
Yeonsangun and Shin Soo-hyuk, in their scholar’s robes and hats, mounted their horses, while Ji-yeong and Gong-gil, in their short robes and peddler hats, led the reins. To an onlooker, they might seem like wealthy young lords with their servants, off for a leisurely outing.
This peculiar quartet left the palace, heading beyond the capital. Unseen, a shadowy figure lingered behind Hanyang’s walls, watching them for a long moment before vanishing into the darkness.
…
“Landlady, another bottle of rice wine!”
“No more free drinks—pay up first.”
“Come on, have I ever stiffed you? I’ll settle the tab in a few days, so just one more bottle…
“Ugh, you’re hopeless…”
The tavern was as lively as ever. In Joseon, a tavern was a blend of restaurant, bar, inn, and highway rest stop. Positioned at the foot of a pass, it was always bustling with travelers eating or lodging before continuing their journey.
“All this peddling, and for what? Barely scraping by…”
“It’s all because of that lousy king. Always feasting and fooling around with women.”
“Keep your voice down!”
“Did I say anything wrong? All this talk of Chaehong and Unpyeong—the palace is a den of debauchery!”
“This guy’s drunk…”
The inebriated patrons were letting loose, their tongues freed by liquor. Nearby, eating beef soup, sat none other than Yeonsangun’s party, who had come to Yangju after hearing rumors of a group of butchers roaming the area.
“They’ve even set up hunting grounds in Yangju, Paju, Gwangju, and Gimpo, driving people out with restrictions. Is that reasonable?”
“This is bound to cause a revolt someday. What’s next?”
As the drunken complaints grew louder, Shin Soo-hyuk gripped his sword’s hilt, but Yeonsangun waved him off.
“Let them be. They can talk all they want—it changes nothing. But this beef soup… it’s surprisingly good. Rustic, but honest in flavor.”
Even amidst the chaos, Yeonsangun was savoring his first taste of tavern fare, critiquing it like a connoisseur. “It’s different from the Seonnongtang served after rituals at Seonnongdan. Coming out here was worth it.”
It was clear he’d partly come to discover what tasty foods the commoners were hiding.
Suddenly, the noisy tavern fell silent, as if doused with cold water. A group of rough-looking men, clearly not ordinary travelers, barged in without warning.
“Keep drinking, folks, no need to tense up… Why make things hard when we’ll meet in the mountains anyway? No need to tire ourselves out,” said the leader, a burly man with disheveled hair and a scarred face, wielding a gleaming blade. His men looked equally menacing.
“You’ve heard of us, I bet—Cheon Dal-sam, leader of the Salryakgye bandits of Kalbong Mountain. Even the guards flee at the sight of me,” he boasted, sitting on a bench in the tavern’s center, his words a mix of threat and banter.
“But I’m a soft guy at heart, so don’t worry. Just quietly—very quietly—hand over your valuables.”
His men began circling with sacks, collecting trinkets and coins.
The once-lively tavern was now deathly quiet.
“Don’t be scared, ladies, just drink up. But try anything funny, and you’re done for, got it?” Cheon Dal-sam said with a mocking grin.
As his men scanned the room, a couple of them spotted Yeonsangun’s group and shouted as if they’d struck gold.
“Well, well, what do we have here? Fancy folks!”
“Looks like some rich young lords from Hanyang!”
“Boss, come check this out—these guys look loaded!”
As the bandits cackled, a strange smile began to spread across Yeonsangun’s face.
