THE KING’S SAHEONBU chapter 9
Meanwhile, back in Miryang (밀양), Pung walked through the quiet village market when a familiar face stopped him in his tracks.
Standing at a merchant stall was one of the very soldiers who had stormed his family home ten years ago.
Keeping a distance close enough to maintain pursuit yet far enough to avoid detection, Pung trailed the man into a state-run gisaeng house.
Marking the location, Pung quietly withdrew and returned home.
That night, around the Hour of the Pig (10:00 PM), Pung entered the Magistrate’s study.
“My lord,” Pung began softly, “what kind of man was my father?”
The Magistrate looked up from his desk, a nostalgic smile touching his lips.
“Your father was a great man—a noble warrior of untarnished honor and integrity. It was right at my doorpost that I first met him, twenty years ago.”
“Twenty years ago?” Pung paused.
“That was the night my brother and I were born.”
“Indeed. The night you twins came into this world, the border almost fell to foreign invaders. Your father and his brother-in-arms held the line and kept us alive. That is why everyone in this town owes him their lives.”
“If everyone respects him,” Pung pressed, “why does no one dare speak his name?”
The Magistrate’s expression grew heavy.
“You were too young then to understand why I had to change your surname. The late King and the royal court branded your father a traitor. In Joseon, speaking a traitor’s name aloud is enough to bring execution upon your entire house.”
Pung stood up, offering a respectful bow, and turned toward the door.
“Where are you going?” the Magistrate asked.
“To find out who truly framed him,” Pung replied coldly.
Returning to his quarters, Pung changed into fitted black robes, wrapped a dark cloth across his face, and retrieved his blade.
Scaling the courtyard wall, he moved silently across the rooftops until he reached the gisaeng house.
Slipping past the outer guards, he glided into a private room where the former soldier sat alone, heavily tipsy on rice wine.
Pung stepped out of the shadows.
“Ten years ago in Hanyang… you were one of the men who raided the household of Kang Mu-shin.”
“Who are you?!” the former soldier shouted, reaching for his waist.
“How dare you break in here—”
“That should clear the wine from your head,” Pung whispered.
Terrified by the masked assassin standing over him, the soldier dropped to his knees, trembling violently.
“P-please! Spare me! I was only following orders! It was the former Chief of the Palace Guard who led the raid! It was a royal decree—we had no choice!”
“Was Kang Mu-shin a traitor?” Pung demanded.
“I don’t know!” the soldier cried out.
“We just cut down whoever they told us to cut down! We don’t ask questions!”
“Where is this former Chief of the Palace Guard now?”
“He… he left state service! He works for a powerful high-ranking nobleman in Hanyang now, but I don’t know which house!”
“Thank you for your answer,” Pung murmured.
With a single, swift strike, Pung cut the man down, vanishing into the night as the body hit the floorboards.
By morning, local guards arrived at the estate to report the murder.
The Magistrate immediately authorized heightened security, ordering both a thorough investigation and an autopsy.
He then walked straight into Pung’s room, finding the young man sitting quietly.
“I know what you did last night,” the Magistrate said plainly.
“And I will not question you, for I might have done the same in your position. But now you must prepare yourself. I am sending you to Hanyang. Once you are ready, you will enlist in the military capital exams.”
Pung sneered slightly.
“I have zero interest in serving the throne that slaughtered my family. If anything, I would rather take the King’s head.”
“You cannot kill a dead man,” the Magistrate replied sharply.
“The King who issued that decree died years ago. The current ruler was your father’s comrade. If you truly wish to clear your father’s name and restore your family’s honor, you must walk a path of real power from within.”
The Magistrate reached into his cloak and pulled out a long wooden box bound in red silk.
Opening it, he revealed a masterpiece of steel—a magnificent sword adorned with intricate dragon engravings along the hilt.
“Your father left this for you, his eldest son,” the Magistrate said softly, handing the heavy box to Pung.
“Before he departed for the capital years ago, he confessed that his heart felt uneasy. He swore off the battlefield, leaving the sword behind to take up the scholar’s brush… but he left this in my care for the day you were ready.”
The Magistrate looked Pung dead in the eye.
“It is in your hands now. You can become the son who clears his father’s name and avenges his family… or you can become a lawless murderer hiding in the alleyways. The choice is yours.” The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Without another word, the Magistrate turned and left the room.
Pung stared down at the dragon-hilted blade, the polished steel reflecting the dark conflict in his eyes.
Meanwhile, across the mountain passes inside the Royal Palace of Hanyang, the two princesses joined their brother, the Crown Prince, at the royal archery grounds.
“Jeonha,” the second princess called out with a play-playful smirk, drawing her bow string.
“Stop that,” the Crown Prince chuckled, adjusting his arm guard.
“People will think you two are the eldest around here.”
“Tell us, Jeonha,” the first princess teased, nocking her arrow.
“Are you still claiming to be the strongest warrior in all of Joseon?”
” No-na,” the Prince grinned proudly, pulling back his bow and landing a bullseye straight in the center target.
“I am without a doubt the strongest man you will ever see in this realm.”
The second princess lowered her bow, stepping closer.
“Then you should definitely meet someone.”
“Who?” the Prince joked, raising an eyebrow.
“Your secret lover?”
“Be serious!” the first princess interjected.
“You really need to meet him.”
“Daebak,” the Prince laughed, throwing his hands up.
“Don’t tell me both of my sisters have fallen for the exact same man?”
“When we snuck out of the palace a few days ago,” the second princess whispered, her eyes wide, “a massive mountain tiger attacked the lower market. And this young hunter… he stepped up and put the beast down like it was nothing!”
The Prince scoffed, shaking his head.
” No-na, I could kill a tiger too!
And what if I tell Ahboji that you two have been sneaking outside the palace walls again?”
“Go right ahead,” the second princess smirked, folding her arms.
“You can’t hunt a tiger with your mouth. Besides, we happen to know you sneak out to the city taverns just as often. You expose us, we expose you.”
Both princesses burst out laughing, clapping their hands together in victory as they turned and walked off the training grounds, leaving the Crown Prince shaking his head in amused defeat.