Hongdu - The King's Men - Chapter 43
Time flowed swiftly like water rushing through a winding valley.
The wind had eased considerably in just a few days.
Fresh green buds began to form on the once bare branches.
Spring was rapidly approaching here in Paju as well.
Scholar Jeong stood on the raised floor of the outer quarters, looking down at the village.
He stretched his lips into a smile, thinking of the vast plains that would one day be his and the foolish villagers.
“Master.”
Goo the steward approached behind him as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Park the hunter has brought a wild boar.”
The house was filled with the strong scent of oil.
He was stunned when he heard that the undercover royal inspectors visiting the village had demanded a feast.
Then he thought that perhaps this was some kind of test.
Otherwise, how could they make such a unilateral demand so boldly?
Yes, they must surely be testing Scholar Jeong.
To see how generous he truly was.
To confirm if he was indeed the unparalleled hero who had saved the village from poverty.
Scholar Jeong resolved to willingly comply with their test.
And so, he threw open the doors to the storehouses.
Of course, this time it was the storehouses near the servants’ quarters.
After all, this was food he himself might eat. So naturally he excluded the northern storehouse.
“Has enough food been prepared?”
“Yes, as you instructed, but…”
Goo the steward, who knew his master’s true nature well, found today’s generous attitude utterly unfamiliar.
“I think catching a wild boar might be going too far.”
Knowing Goo’s concern, Scholar Jeong let out a chuckle.
“Don’t they say these fellows are testing my capacity? So I must show them. Just how great a man I am. So you just do as I say without complaint.”
“Yes, I will do so.”
“By the way, have the guests not arrived yet?”
No sooner had Scholar Jeong asked than the sound of panting breaths approached.
“Master, the guests have arrived.”
A male servant announced the arrival of the guests.
“I see.”
Scholar Jeong walked with slow steps towards the inner courtyard.
After today, word of his good deeds would reach the palace.
If all went well, the king might even bestow a reward in recognition.
If that happened, his wealth and fame would spread throughout Joseon.
It was a profitable venture for the price of one feast.
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“Wow!”
Yoo Chi Sung exclaimed as he entered Scholar Jeong’s mansion.
In the center of the inner courtyard, gisaeng were showing off their dance moves to music on a stage.
Yoo Chi Sung, who had been mesmerized by the beautiful dance, suddenly began sniffing the air.
“Let’s see, let’s see, what is this smell?”
He clapped his hands together.
“Pan-fried meat, fried pollock, and skewered meat, goat meat, oh my, I even smell roasted wild boar.”
Yoo Chi Sung kept licking his lips as he listed the identities of the smells.
“You can tell what foods they are just by smelling them.”
At the praise from those around him, Yoo Chi Sung waved his hand dismissively.
“This much is nothing. I just know because these are dishes I eat every day.”
“As expected!”
“But where should we sit?”
At Yoo Chi Sung’s words, those around him and Hong Woo Geon and Lee Gyo Young looked around.
Just then, Scholar Jeong, who had entered the inner quarters, greeted them.
“Please come up to the main hall over there.”
As the guests were heading up to the main hall following Scholar Jeong’s guidance…
“Hey, isn’t there one more empty seat?”
A youthful voice cut through the crowd.
Everyone’s gaze turned towards the main gate of the mansion. Standing there was someone who should not have been there.
‘Your Majesty?’
Recognizing the king in his disguise, Hong Woo Geon’s mouth fell open in shock.
The attendants were equally surprised.
Though his clothes were different, how could they forget the king’s distinct beauty?
Hong Woo Geon’s expression was mirrored on the faces of the attendants.
Observing the two, Scholar Jeong asked with genuine curiosity.
“What’s the matter? Who on earth is this person?”
There were countless ways to describe beauty.
But no words seemed to come to mind to describe the beauty of the man who had just entered Scholar Jeong’s house.
The man possessed a beauty that was difficult to express in human language.
Perfect harmony and wondrous beauty.
No matter what adjectives were placed before it, they fell short of describing the man’s beauty.
Those who saw the man lost their senses for a moment.
By the time they came back to their senses, the man was already seated at the table of food laid out on Scholar Jeong’s main hall.
“Who… are you?”
Scholar Jeong asked the man, unable to speak casually.
The man’s attire was extraordinary.
But even more imposing was the dignity emanating from him.
The man possessed an unapproachable nobility.
It was not something deliberately created, but something that arose from an innate noble nature.
Scholar Jeong instinctively lowered his body.
“I am…”
Just as the king was about to answer Scholar Jeong’s question…
“He is a guest I invited.”
Hong Woo Geon cut off the king’s reply.
“A guest?”
“You’ve prepared such a grand feast, wouldn’t it be good to have many guests?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
At Hong Woo Geon’s quip, Scholar Jeong’s expression became sour for a moment.
But soon a broad smile spread across his face.
Though there was an uninvited guest, there were now four potential royal inspectors.
If even half of them became inspectors, he would gain several powerful backers.
They were truly a windfall of good fortune.
Scholar Jeong welcomed the man gladly.
However, Lee Gyo Young and Yoo Chi Sung still wore puzzled expressions.
The two had participated in the selection on the recommendation of the Left State Councilor. For that reason, they had never met the king face to face.
“Who is this sudden guest?”
“Wasn’t there mention of a guest coming?”
Hong Woo Geon put an end to their successive doubts with one statement.
“He’s a guest who will make what we’re doing legal. So don’t glare too much.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Lee Gyo Young’s gaze towards Hong Woo Geon sharpened.
Watching Scholar Jeong’s reaction, Hong Woo Geon gestured for them to lower their voices.
“Let’s talk later.”
“We’ll need a sufficient excuse.”
They couldn’t ruin the festive atmosphere. Lee Gyo Young hid his displeased expression and took a step back.
Hong Woo Geon let out a sigh of relief and forced a smile. Then he pulled the king to a corner of the courtyard.
[This is the timeline separator]
“What? You knew I was coming?”
The king asked, fanning himself gently with a folding fan.
“Of course.”
“That’s no fun.”
He had come without notice, intending to surprise them, but they already knew he was coming. His excitement was half deflated.
On the other hand, he was curious.
“How did you know?”
The king asked again.
Hong Woo Geon tapped his temple with his finger as he spoke.
“It’s not hard to figure out if you think about it. The undercover royal inspector candidates asked for a feast to be prepared. Someone with strong principles must have submitted a petition.”
“That’s right. Some scholar named Hwang something submitted a petition.”
If it was Scholar Hwang…
It must have been Hwang Sung Gwang, the son of the magistrate of Yaseong County.
“Ah, that inflexible genius would certainly do that.”
Hong Woo Geon nodded.
He had looked so displeased when they asked for the feast to be prepared. So he even submitted a petition.
Hwang Sung Gwang’s integrity couldn’t be faulted.
After all, Hong Woo Geon himself had intended for that integrity to lead to the petition being submitted.
The king’s questions didn’t end there.
“But how did you know I would come here?”
“I threw a feast, and you’re not the type to wait quietly in the palace, are you?”
“Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.”
“We were born on the same day, so of course I know you well.”
“Shh! What if someone hears?”
“Why? Are you worried? A person like that coming on a secret outing to a place like this?”
At Hong Woo Geon’s teasing, the king suddenly pretended to look at distant mountains.
Then, as if he had just remembered, he bombarded Hong Woo Geon with questions again.
“More importantly, what’s your ulterior motive? I told you to find out the cause of the stomach pains, but instead you throw a feast?”
“It wasn’t just simple stomach pains.”
“I knew it, there was something more.”
The king’s expression became serious.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“If you watch quietly, a natural opportunity to step in will arise.”
“So you’re telling me not to ask anything and just wait?”
“If you don’t like it, you can go back to the palace now.”
“You’re telling me to just leave after seeing food piled high enough to break the table legs?”
The king shook his head as if that was absolutely impossible. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he said:
“Ah, I brought some alcohol.”
“Alcohol?”
“The petition said the inspector candidates would prepare the alcohol, so I told Court Eunuch Jang to prepare a few bottles of good liquor. What do you think? Should I have it brought right away?”
“No, that’s fine. Keep that alcohol.”
“You mean we’re going to eat this feast without any alcohol?”
The king asked Hong Woo Geon again.
Just then…
“We’ve brought alcohol here!”
The soldiers from Yaseong County office began unloading barrels of alcohol they had brought on a cart.
“You really prepared alcohol?”
The king gazed at Hong Woo Geon with fresh eyes.
“This is just the beginning, so just watch.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but alright for now.”
Having obtained agreement, Hong Woo Geon went back up to the main hall with the king.
He showed the bottles of alcohol brought by the county office soldiers to Scholar Jeong and announced in a loud voice:
“This is alcohol brewed personally using a family secret recipe.”
“Ho ho ho, when you said you would prepare alcohol, I thought you were just saying that…”
“A man’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. How could I carelessly speak of something I couldn’t do?”
“Even so, how can guests bring alcohol themselves?”
“I brewed it out of gratitude for your kindness in preparing this feast. Won’t you have a cup?”
Scholar Jeong wore a surprised expression.
“An inspector candidate brewing alcohol himself, I’m truly curious about the taste.”
Hong Woo Geon’s eyes gleamed at Scholar Jeong as he licked his lips.
“It will probably be a taste you’ve never experienced before.”
“Is it that extraordinary?”
“Not only is it a family secret recipe, but it’s made with truly precious ingredients. Once you drink it, you’ll never forget the taste.”
“I’m truly curious what kind of taste it could be.”
Expectation and curiosity were mixed equally on Scholar Jeong’s face as he raised his cup.
As he filled Scholar Jeong’s empty cup with alcohol, Hong Woo Geon boasted:
“I guarantee, you’ll experience a taste so thrilling it’s like seeing the next world.”
*
Save yourself from story hunger — the novel below will blow your mind!
[su_service title=”The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)” icon=”icon: star-o” size=”16″][/su_service]
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
[su_heading] NOTE: You’re bound to regret it if you skip this novel. Read the review & spoiler to find out what you might be missing!
Link to read the Review & Spoiler
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