The Story of Hong Gildong (9 page)

The official, accompanied by policemen, entered Minister Hong's house and relayed the order, causing turmoil among the family members. The minister and his son submitted themselves to the royal command and followed the officers to their headquarters.

When the inspector reported the arrest to the king, the monarch sat on his throne at Injeong Hall
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and ordered Hong
mo
to be brought before him to be reprimanded. “I hear that the outlaw Hong Gildong is your son. As someone who worked for the country as a high-ranking statesman, you must have heard stories of his deeds. Even before I sent out the order to capture him, you should have taken it upon yourself to bring him in and so relieve the country of its worry. Yet you and your son pretended to know nothing. How can you call yourself a statesman of principle?” He then stripped the minister of his title and put him in prison.

Afterward, he ordered Inhyeon to be brought before him. “I hear that Gildong is your half brother. If you want to prevent calamity from falling upon your family, go and apprehend him quickly.”

Inhyeon prostrated himself with his brow on the ground and spoke. “Ever since my lowborn brother murdered people and left home in exile out of disloyalty and lack of filial piety, we had no news of him for many years. We did not even know if he was alive or dead. My aged father has fallen ill because of this,
and he is now on the verge of death. I have learned that Gildong has committed crimes against the country and is deserving of death, so it is just that my father and I should be executed ten thousand times. But I beg Your Majesty to reconsider this matter and please spare my father the punishment for the crimes committed by his son. Grant him mercy and I swear to bring Gildong before you, even if I should lose my life in the effort.”

As he made obeisance to the king countless times, the monarch was impressed by his filial piety as well as his eloquence. So he had Hong
mo
released and reappointed him as state councilor of the right. He then granted the third minister
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the governorship of Gyeongsang Province and gave him a year to apprehend Gildong. Inhyeon bowed deeply in gratitude before taking leave of his sovereign. He went home, bade farewell to his parents, and left to take up his new position.

After traveling for about ten days, he arrived at the provincial center of Gyeongsang. There, he composed a notice and sent it out to every town. It read as follows: “Once a person is born into this world, it is essential to abide by the five relationships.
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And at the center of the five relationships are the king and the father. To disobey a king or a father is an act of disloyalty and an abandonment of filial piety, for which there can be no forgiveness. Because of your actions, our father, in his gray-haired old age, has become a criminal in the eyes of the country, and so there is no end to his tears. His Majesty, in his fury, imprisoned him but granted me the position of governor so that I may bring you in. If I should fail to carry out His Majesty's order, then all the illustrious achievements of our ancestors will come to nothing as our entire family is destroyed. Would that not be a tragedy? Gildong, I ask you to think of the welfare of your older brother and father and surrender yourself quickly so that you can prevent calamity from falling upon our household and ill repute upon a hundred generations of the Hong.” He had the notice transcribed and posted everywhere.

Meanwhile, Gildong ordered the false Gildongs to send
their soldiers back to Hwalbindang and surrender themselves at the administrative center of each province. The governor,
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after he dispatched the notice, naturally found himself beset by anxiety, so he suspended all public works and spent his days in a melancholy state.

One day, he heard a great noise from the south gate, and a soldier reported to him. “A youth on a donkey has come with tens of servants at the outer gate. He begs an audience with Your Lordship.”

The governor thought that strange, so he ordered the east side gate to be opened. “I don't know such a person. Who could it be?”

The youth came forth riding his donkey in a dignified manner and went up to the governor's seat to present himself. The governor did not recognize him at first, but after looking carefully at him for some time he realized that it was none other than Gildong. He dismissed everyone around him before taking hold of Gildong's hands.

He wept as he spoke. “Ever since you left our household and disappeared without a trace, our father could hardly eat or sleep because of you. He has been much reduced in health because of his sorrow and worry over you. Yet you have acted without filial piety, leading outlaws and causing trouble in our peaceful land, all because of your dissolute nature. His Majesty, in his wrath, has ordered me to arrest you, and made me the governor here so I can fulfill his command. If I should fail to do so, I will surely receive the punishment due to a traitor, so what can be done about this? As the old saying goes, ‘One can avoid a calamity sent down by Heaven, but there is no escape from a misfortune one has brought down upon oneself.' So think on this deeply and go to Gyeongsa
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to face the judgment of Heaven. If you do not, then our entire family will be destroyed.” As he finished speaking, tears flowed down his cheeks like rain.

Gildong bowed his head and spoke quietly. “I have come because I heard that my brother was in danger, so I already know everything you are saying. I tell you that all this could
have been prevented if only I were allowed to address my father as Father and my older brother as Brother, despite my lowborn status. But there is no use discussing what has already passed. Arrest me tomorrow and send a report of my capture to the king before dispatching me to him.”

He then closed his mouth and would not answer any question he was asked.

The next day, the governor sent his report. He then put Gildong's neck and feet in cangues
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and had him secured inside a prisoners' wagon guarded by tens of soldiers. As stories of Gildong's powers were renowned, people from every town came out to see him as he was transported through the roads.

Meanwhile, the king at Jangan was puzzled to receive reports from the governors of all eight provinces that each of them had captured Gildong. As none could tell which prisoner was the true Gildong, there was much talk of the mystery in the royal court. When soldiers from the provinces arrived with eight different Gildongs in cangues, people could not find a single thing in their appearance to tell them apart. After they were all firmly imprisoned, the king was informed of the development, which amazed him. He sat down at the Office of the Royal Secretariat
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with his entire court to personally interrogate the prisoners.

When the soldiers of the Office for the Deliberation of Forbidden Affairs brought the eight Gildongs before him, they began to argue with one another. “You are the real Gildong, not me,” they said and bickered, even falling upon one another to fight. None could tell them apart so there was much confusion.

The king spoke. “Minister Hong
mo
is sure to know the truth.” And he summoned the minister. “A father knows his son. I have heard that you have one son named Gildong, but today there are eight Gildongs here, so which one is the real one? Point him out.”

Upon the king's command, Minister Hong bowed down and replied, “Because of an unfortunate fate, I have come to commit an act of disloyalty toward Your Majesty, so it is fitting that I should be executed for my crimes. But even now I will do my
utmost to follow the principles of a loyal official. There is a red mark on the left leg of my son Gildong, so I bid Your Majesty to order the eight to be stripped so you may look for it.”

He then turned around and reprimanded the eight Gildongs. “No matter how disloyal and lacking in filial piety you are, do you not see that you are in the presence of His Majesty and your own father below him? You have caused much trouble in the world, so there can be no forgiveness for you even if you should die and become a ghost.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Minister Hong vomited blood and fell in a faint, startling everyone. The king, deeply concerned, ordered his officials to save him, but none could revive him. The eight Gildongs all wept as they watched the scene. Then each of them reached into his clothes and brought out two pieces of medicine that looked like jujubes, ground them down, and put the powder into the minister's mouth. Soon the minister regained consciousness and was able to sit up.

The Gildongs spoke out. “My father achieved much wealth, honor, and glory through the favors he received from the country, so how could I dare commit immoral acts against the land? Because of some guilt I had to bear from my past life, I was born of a servant girl and was not allowed to address my own father as Father and my older brother as Brother. The frustration I felt at my station in life reached deep into the marrow of my bones. So I came to leave the world, to fulfill my ardent desire to live in a mountain forest. But then Heaven saw fit to cast me into an unseemly place where I became the leader of bandits. From the beginning, I have never stolen even the smallest portion of the country's grain or the common people's property. I did plunder treasures being sent by incompetent officials who were squeezing the common people by taking unjust amounts of their goods. They say that the king and the father are one, that just as the people partake of the bounty of the country, the child eats the food provided by the father. Your Majesty, there is no more need for you to worry anymore because I swear to you that I will leave
this country within three years to explore some other land. I beg you to cancel your order to arrest me.”

As soon as they finished speaking, the eight Gildongs collapsed on the ground at once. All those present were astounded and examined the inert bodies, only to discover that none of them were Gildong but only men made of straw.

The furious king struck his throne and spoke out. “Whoever proves capable of capturing Gildong quickly, I will grant him any position in the court he desires.”

Since none possessed the skills to do so, they remained silent.

On the afternoon of the same day, notices appeared on all four great gates of the city that read as follows: “Hong Gildong has never been relieved of his life's frustration, so he begs His Majesty to grant his lowborn subject the position of minister of war.
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He swears to surrender himself if he should receive the favor.”

After the king read the notice, he summoned his officials to discuss it.

They remained silent at first but then spoke out. “Whatever Gildong says, he has done no great deed to merit the position. Even if he had, he should never be made minister of war since he was born of a lowly servant girl. Besides, as the order to arrest and execute him for his crimes has been sent out, it would damage the dignity of our country for him to receive his wish. Whoever finally succeeds in capturing Gildong should be given the same reward as someone who defeated an enemy country.”

The king agreed and sent out such a pronouncement, yet none could get to Gildong.

The furious monarch sent a command to the governor of Gyeongsang Province. “I ordered you to bring me your lowborn brother, but all you did was make some straw men and send them off to cause further disturbance. The crimes you have to answer for have now become even more serious. From now on, do not send me fake Gildongs but only the real Gildong. That is the only way you will forestall disaster from falling upon three generations of your family.”
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After the governor read the letter, he felt so distraught at his failure that he decided to dress up in disguise and go forth to catch Gildong himself. But that night, a youth descended from the crossbeam of his office building and bowed down to him. The governor took fright at what he first thought was a ghost, but when he looked more carefully it was none other than Gildong.

The governor regarded him strangely before rebuking him. “You wicked child. You disobeyed the king's order from above and disregarded the advice of your older brother from below. Are you trying to become an enemy of your sovereign, your father, and your brother? The whole country is in turmoil, your aged parents live in fear, and our entire family is about to be destroyed, all because of you.”

Gildong laughed before he replied, “Brother, do not worry about anything. Put me in restraints and send me to Gyeongsa. But when you pick officers who will transport me to the capital, make sure that they are men who are all alone in the world, without parents or children.”

The governor worried that this Gildong might be another straw man, so he checked to make sure that there was a red mark on his leg. He then ordered Gildong's limbs to be tied up before securing him in a prisoners' wagon. And he followed Gildong's instruction by selecting officers with no families and commanded them to transport the prisoner to the king in Gyeongsa with a report of his apprehension. Gildong seemed unconcerned as he drank spirits until he became inebriated.

As the party approached the capital, some of the officers went ahead to the Office of the Royal Secretariat and reported Gildong's arrest and his imminent arrival.

The king sent out a command. “Mobilize the musketeers of the Military Training Agency
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and station them all over the place. Give them the order to shoot Gildong if he should get up.”

When Gildong arrived at the Great South Gate of the capital, musketeers poured gunpowder into their weapons and surrounded him tenfold before escorting him in.

Suddenly, Gildong spoke out in a loud voice. “I have traveled all the way here in perfect comfort, so the king must know by now that I have been captured and brought to him. Hear me, you officers who escorted me to this place. I bid you not to bear ill feelings toward me even if your work should be rewarded with death.”