Aqsa
Stories
24
Chapters
668
Words
7.8 M
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Reading
27 d, 4 h
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Chapter 10 Winter of 1860, at the Foot of Mount Inwang, Hanseong It was nearing sunset when Gang-soe, one of the servants of the residence, entered the hunter’s village at the foot of Mount Inwang. In Mak-soe’s hands was a large jug of liquor. Three or four hunters were sitting beneath the eaves of a low stone wall. The moment they saw Gang-soe, their eyes filled with suspicion. “What do you want?” Gang-soe stopped and spoke. “I heard there’s someone looking to buy tiger skins.…-
279.4 K • Ongoing
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Chapter 9 Autumn of 1860, Unsan County, North Pyongan Province Gang-soe arrived in Unsan County on the eighth day after leaving Hanseong. The only person who had accompanied him was Mak-soe, one of the household servants. Unsan County was a remote mountainous region deep upstream along the Chongchon River. The roads were poor, the marketplace was small, and there were not many people. Gang-soe first went to the county's land-brokerage office. It was a place where land sales were arranged, and an…
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Chapter 8 Autumn of 1860, Changdeokgung Palace — Huijeongdang Hall I followed Queen Dowager Sinjeong, Lady Jo, into Huijeongdang. Two senior court ladies from Daejojeon walked ahead of us, and inside the audience chamber sat King Cheoljong, the twenty-fifth king of Joseon. My first impression was that he did not look much like a king. He had grown up in Ganghwa Island, cutting trees and working the fields. He had been king for more than ten years, yet the eyes I saw belonged to a man who had…
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Chapter 7 Summer of 1860, Hanseong — Outbuilding of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung's Residence It was on the morning of the third day that I called Gwi-dong over and had him sit down. No one at the residence had collapsed, and Gwi-dong already seemed to have guessed why I had summoned him. “Go to the marketplace and find out what is happening. See whether people are boiling their water before drinking it, how many people have died, and if you hear anyone talking about this residence, keep your ears…
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Chapter 6 Winter, 1859 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung's Residence in Hanseong I brought out a plate, filled it with salt water, and placed it beside the window. After three days, the water had been reduced by half. After five days, almost all of it had disappeared. And after seven days, nothing remained but white powder at the bottom of the plate. I wrapped the plate in a cloth. Gaksim had been watching from beside me. “Young Master, what is that?” “The most expensive plate in…
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Chapter 5 That evening, I listened toward the men's quarters. The sounds leaking out from the servants' quarters would have carried all the way to the men's quarters. And if it was Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, there was no doubt he had heard them. As expected, Gaksim quietly approached me. “Young Master, earlier His Excellency started walking toward the servants' quarters, but then he stopped. He stood there for a while before returning to the men's quarters.” I nodded. Heungseon-gun Yi…
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Chapter 4 Autumn, 1856 — On the Way Home from Changdeok Palace Throughout the entire journey out of Changdeok Palace, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung said nothing. He remained silent inside the palanquin, and he still said nothing as they passed through the gate of his residence. I endured the silence quietly. There was no need to hurry. Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung was probably replaying everything that had happened today in his head, wondering whether I had spontaneously brought up the passage from…
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Chapter 3 Autumn, 1856 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Men's Quarters Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung opened the first chapter of the Analects. “‘To learn and, from time to time, practice what one has learned—is that not a pleasure?’ How far have you read?” Without looking at the book, I recited the opening passage. “To learn and, from time to time, practice what one has learned—is that not a pleasure? When friends come from distant places, is that not a joy? If one does not…
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Chapter 2 Autumn, 1856 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong It was deep into the night, but I kept my eyes fixed on the Analects, which lay open on my lap, and continued reading through it for the third time. Moving my lips silently, I engraved each passage into my memory one by one. The Analects consisted of twenty books and contained conversations between Confucius and his disciples, so rather than simply memorizing it, understanding the flow of the text came first. The problem…
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Chapter 1 Autumn, 1856 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong When I opened my eyes, the ceiling was far too low. A young servant boy was kneeling beside me, staring straight at me. His eyes were so round and black that he looked exactly like someone who had just been startled. Where am I? I stared blankly at the ceiling. My last memory was opening a can of beer in front of a convenience store after finishing overtime at work. I could still vividly remember the psssht! of the…
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279.4 K • Ongoing
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