The Story of Hong Gildong (4 page)

But as much as Chorang wished to have a son of her own, she ended up with no children at all. And so she came to despise Gildong to the extent of plotting his murder every single day.

As Gildong continued to grow, his talents surpassed those of adults and his bearing came to resemble that of Yi Taebaek and Du Mok.
22
People could not help but compliment Gildong on his qualities, so Chorang's jealousy grew. She gathered a great deal of money and consulted with diabolical and treacherous women like shamans and physiognomists
23
on how to harm Gildong.

Chorang addressed them. “If you will bring me peace by getting rid of Gildong, I will reward you handsomely.”

One shaman, out of sheer greed for the wealth Chorang offered, came up with a wicked stratagem. She explained her plan to Chorang. “His Lordship is a superior man of great loyalty to the country and personal piety, but he is so busy with the affairs of state that he is hardly aware of what is going on in his own household. You should take advantage of this. You should consult a first-class physiognomist I know who lives outside Sungrye Gate.
24
She is reputed to possess the power to fathom all the fortunes and misfortunes of a person's past and future by looking at the face just once. You should hire her, inform her of your wish, and recommend her to His Lordship so that she will go before him to practice her craft. She could then pretend to read his fortune and tell him something that would impress him enough to get rid of that boy. If executed step-by-step at the right time, this plan is bound to succeed.”

Chorang was pleased by the shaman's words. “That is the cleverest and most marvelous plan I have ever heard. Go and speak to that physiognomist,” she said and immediately gave her fifty
nyang
25
in silver coins. The shaman took the money, went to the house of the physiognomist, and told her of Chorang's situation. She then offered her the silver coins, which the physiognomist accepted as she too was a greedy woman.

She looked at the money and thought to herself, “I am given this much to start off with. I will surely receive even greater favors when the plan is accomplished.” So she readily followed the shaman to the house of Minister Hong without once considering the consequences of getting involved in such a matter. Chorang welcomed her by serving her spirits and delicacies before revealing her wish. After the physiognomist learned of the plot that was being hatched, she returned home.

The next day, the minister was sitting with his wife when he began to praise Gildong. “That boy possesses the grand features of an outstanding person. It is obvious that he was meant to lead a life of great destiny. It is a pity that he is lowborn.”

His wife was about to reply honestly to the comment, when a woman suddenly appeared and prostrated herself before them.

“Who are you, and what business do you have here?” the minister asked her, noting the strangeness of her appearance.

The woman answered, “Once I lived outside Sungrye Gate, but due to an unfortunate fate I lost both my parents at the age of eight and became an orphan with no one to rely on. I wandered about in all directions without a home to go to, until I met a holy man who taught me the magical art of physiognomy, by which I can read the fortunes and misfortunes of any person. I happened upon the gates of Your Lordship's house, so I have come before you to offer my services.”

The minister's wife wanted to see the woman practice her craft, so she magnanimously invited her to sit with them.

The minister smiled as he addressed the physiognomist. “If you are good at reading people's faces, then I will have the people of my household come before you one by one so you can tell their fortunes.”

The physiognomist was pleased that her plan was coming to fruition as she proceeded to examine the facial features of all the members of the household, high and low, and made critical remarks on their characters and told their fortunes. Her assessments of their personalities were so accurate that she earned
profuse praise from the minister and his wife, who complimented her wondrous skills.

They summoned Gildong and introduced him to her. “This child came to us rather late, and our love for him knows no limit. Look at him closely and tell us of his future.”

The physiognomist examined him for some time before she bowed down and spoke. “When I look upon this noble youth, I see that he possesses the extraordinary features of a grand personage of unprecedented refinement as well as the luminous qualities of a veritable hero. Yet I also detect a misfortune in his lack of proper lineage, which makes it difficult for me to read his future properly. Was he born of your wife?”

The minister nodded in understanding and replied, “He was born of a servant girl, one I love for her simple and honest nature.”

The physiognomist then looked upon Gildong's face again and pretended to be shocked by what she discerned.

The minister found her reaction strange so he questioned her. “What is it? Tell me everything you see.”

The physiognomist deliberately hesitated before answering him. “I have visited countless households of both lofty and common people in the city of Jangan and examined so many precious and noble youths, but I have never seen a person of such phenomenal visage as his. But I fear that I would be punished if I were to tell Your Lordship all that I see.”

The minister's wife spoke. “With your uncanny powers, how could you go wrong in your reading? Lay aside your worry and tell us the whole truth.”

The physiognomist feigned concern that there were too many people around to listen and refused to answer. So the minister got up and took her inside a side chamber, where he bade her speak. “What is it? Tell me everything.”

The physiognomist answered, “When I gazed briefly upon the noble youth's face, I saw not only the magnificent features of a grand personage without equal but also the spirit of rivers and mountains deep in his brow. So I dared not tell you of the truly remarkable nature that I discerned in your son. Joseon is a small
country, so what use is it for him to possess the qualities of a king? If he should grow up to harbor a great ambition that leads him to engage in outright rebellion, that could cause the destruction of your entire family.
26
Your Lordship should take measures to prevent such a thing from happening.”

The minister was so shocked by those words that he could not speak for a while.

When he finally regained his voice he addressed the physiognomist. “If that is true, then it is a great misfortune indeed. But whatever fate may have in store for him, he could never enter the ranks of the nobility because he was born of a servant girl. Perhaps I could forestall calamity by forbidding him from ever leaving this house. And so he would grow old here without ever having the opportunity to cause mischief in the world.”

She replied, “The ancients have said, ‘Kings, lords, generals, and ministers are not made from a special blood,'
27
so his destiny is not something that can be altered through mere human effort.”

The minister let out a sigh and gave the physiognomist fifty
nyang
as he spoke to her. “I give you this for what you have told me, but do not divulge what you know to anyone. I will punish you if a word of what you have said becomes known.”

The physiognomist expressed her gratitude and left.

From that day on, the minister treated Gildong with strictness and kept a close eye on everything he did. He was ordered to concentrate on his studies and was prohibited from venturing outside. He was also confined to a small cottage in the rear garden, which suppressed his natural spirit. This caused him to weep bitterly in frustration. He dedicated himself to studying military treatises, including the
Six Teachings
and the
Three Summaries
,
28
and mastering astrology, geomancy,
29
and the magical arts of invisibility and metamorphosis. He assimilated all this knowledge so thoroughly in his mind that there was no task that was impossible for him.

As the minister monitored the progress of his son's studies, he became concerned. “He is indeed a special person since his talents are not those of an ordinary man. If he should conceive a
great ambition for himself, then surely misfortune would follow. Our family has served the country with utmost fidelity for generations, adhering to the principles of loyalty and filial piety. But all that could come to nothing overnight if he should commit an action that causes our downfall. What a terrible situation this is. To prevent such a thing from happening, I should have him killed.”

The minister considered summoning his entire family to explain the situation and to order them to quietly get rid of Gildong. But he was moved by his moral sensibility and could not bring himself to do so.

Meanwhile, the alliance of Chorang, the shaman, and the physiognomist met daily to discuss plans to further subvert the relationship between the minister and his son, to continue to slander the latter and bring about his death.

The shaman addressed Chorang. “There is an assassin by the name of Teukjae who is said to possess great skills. You should summon him and consult him on this matter.”

Chorang was pleased to hear this and asked her to bring this Teukjae to her. She gave the assassin many silver coins and told him of what the physiognomist discerned in Gildong's face. She also informed him that the minister considered getting rid of his son but could not do so because of moral qualms. “But I will order you to do the deed at some point in time, and you will go ahead and make it happen,” she said and sent him on his way.

She then went to the minister to malign Gildong. “I have heard that the physiognomist discerned the spirit of a king in Gildong's face. I am afraid that our entire family will be destroyed because of that.”

The minister was astonished by her words and addressed her. “That is a highly serious matter. How dare you speak of it openly and invite misfortune.”

Chorang replied in a concerned manner. “As the saying goes, ‘What is said in daytime is overheard by the bird, and what is said in nighttime is overheard by the rat.'
30
I tremble at the
thought of word reaching the government of what the physiognomist saw in Gildong. If that should happen, none of us would survive. It seems to me that the right thing to do is to have Gildong killed quickly to prevent future calamity.”

The minister replied, “What you say may be right, but this is a matter for me to decide. Do not speak of it to anyone.”

Chorang dared not go on, so she left.

From that day on, the minister treated Gildong with even greater strictness, continuing to confine him to the small cottage in the rear garden and prohibiting him from venturing outside. Gildong felt such sorrow and frustration deep in his bones that he could hardly sleep at night. He spent much of his time at his reading table and mastered the
Juyeok
31
until he gained the power to summon supernatural spirits and control the wind and the rain.

Even though the minister still loved Gildong for his noble qualities and his abundant talents, he periodically thought of the physiognomist's words and became concerned. He thought to himself, “This unfortunate son of mine could one day cause a disaster to fall upon me, bringing dishonor to our ancestors and destruction to three generations of the family. It would be wise to dispose of him to avoid this course, but I just cannot set aside my love for him as his father. So what must I do?” Plagued by such worries, he could neither taste his food nor sleep soundly at night, which made him look increasingly haggard from day to day. Finally, he fell ill. The minister's wife and their son, the assistant section chief,
32
became deeply troubled and spoke to each other discreetly about the situation. They agreed that given the minister's condition, the best thing would be to allay his anxiety by getting rid of Gildong. But they could not bring themselves to do it, so they grieved over the situation.

At this time, Chorang, who continued to malign Gildong, conceived an evil plan and went before the minister's wife and the assistant section chief. “Every day His Lordship's condition grows worse because of Gildong. Keeping the boy alive will
surely result in calamity, but His Lordship cannot bring himself to dispose of him because of his affection for him. So he is tormented by his indecision. In my opinion, you should have Gildong killed and then eventually reveal the deed to His Lordship under the right circumstances, so that he would have no choice but to accept the broken steamer.
33
That would cause him grief, but it would also free him from his greatest anxiety. He would surely recover his health as a result. You should consider this matter carefully.”

The minister's wife replied, “Even if what you say is right, how could we do it?”

Chorang, secretly pleased, answered her. “I have heard that there is an assassin by the name of Teukjae who lives in this neighborhood. He is reputed to be a man of great courage. You should give him a good deal of money to steal into Gildong's sleeping chamber at night and do the deed. That would be a good plan.”

Both the assistant section chief and his mother broke into tears before the former spoke. “I dare not do such an inhuman thing. But then again, this is a matter of the welfare of the entire country as well as my parents. So how could I not do it?” He finally told Chorang to go ahead with the plan, which brought her joy.

She went to her chamber and sent a servant out to summon Teukjae. When he came, she presented him with an array of spirits and delicacies to enjoy. She explained everything that had happened and gave him instructions on what to do. “This order comes from His Lordship and his wife. Tonight, on the third or fourth watch,
34
go to the rear garden and put an end to Gildong's life. If you succeed, I will reward you with a great deal of money.” She then gave him silver coins worth a hundred
nyang
, which pleased Teukjae.