Gwon Ram and Han Myeong-hoe (7)

The power of education is truly tremendous.

It has the power to turn even someone born a psychopath into an admirable person who contributes to society.

Because I believed that, I decided to reform Gwon Ram and Han Myeong-hoe and put them to good use.

"Now then, from this moment on, I shall give you two your first lesson."

At my words, Gwon Ram tilted his head and asked,

"Isn't studying about opening a book, reading the words, and learning what the sages had to say? But we don't have a single book with us right now."

"Studying isn't necessarily limited to learning the words of the ancient sages. Learning how the world works is also studying, and discussing how the world works and what we think about it is studying as well."

Studying must never stop at simply accumulating knowledge.

If someone is satisfied with that and merely repeats it, they are liable to become an exam specialist who is good only at memorization.

Such exam specialists may become the sort of people who have no value outside exams, or they may even become villains.

If you visit a high school in Gangnam, you will find students who, judging by their mock-exam scores, are more than capable of entering a top-tier university, yet lead school bullying because they received no proper character education.

Or they may be unable to adapt to the company where they found employment and be forced to resign because of maladjustment, or they may be swindled because they know far too little about society.

I once watched a fellow civil service examination passer date and marry a woman who, even to someone as clueless as me, was obviously "an extremely dangerous woman," and ruin his life.

The lesson I took from that experience was this.

Specialized knowledge is important, but one must also learn the knowledge necessary to live as a human being.

"Therefore, I intend to teach you from time to time how the world works and help you become scholars with sound character. A teacher I have specially invited will teach you the Four Books and Three Classics separately starting tomorrow."

"Yes, Master."

If I had my way, I would teach them all the Four Books and Three Classics myself while instilling in them an understanding of what it meant to be a proper human being...

However, since I hold office, I do not have all that much free time.

When preparing for the civil service examination, one generally has to study for ten to thirteen hours a day, so how could I possibly hold on to these boys and teach them for that many hours?

So I planned to fulfill my role as their teacher by coming on days off or whenever I had free time and instilling in them the proper way to live as human beings and sound values.

"Now then, from this moment on, answer me freely and without hesitation. Why in the world do you study?"

Han Myeong-hoe answered my question first.

"To rise in the world and bring honor to my family name."

"That is also a correct answer, but is it really what you want?"

Very few people in this world actually like studying.

The same goes for doctors, lawyers, judges, and people in all kinds of specialized professions, as well as those who studied fourteen or fifteen hours a day while preparing for the civil service examination.

I was the same during my school days; the moment I sat at my desk and opened a book, I was seized by the urge to do anything but study.

However, the reason I could suppress that impulse and somehow devote myself to studying was... because I wanted to become a fine person like the civil servant who had helped me.

Without that motivation, I would never have been able to devote myself to studying so wholeheartedly.

"I heard from an inspector that you are very attached to the wet nurse who raised you. I hear you are especially grateful to her because, when you were born prematurely after only seven months and everyone thought you would die, she wrapped you in her warm, tender care and raised you with great attention. Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Wet nurses were highly respected by aristocrats in both Europe and the East.

Because, in place of their busy birth mothers, they personally nursed them and changed their diapers,

they were the ones who raised them from infancy until they reached adulthood.

Therefore, even in Joseon, a master who thought nothing of beating slaves over trivial matters would still treat his household's wet nurse with care.

When the wet nurse who raised them died, they all wore mourning clothes for three months, exactly as they would when a close relative died.

Among them, Han Myeong-hoe must have been particularly grateful to his wet nurse, since she had saved and raised him despite his frail birth and the uncertainty of how long he would live.

"If you memorize the Four Books and Three Classics within the next four years, I will ask an inspector to burn the slave registers belonging to your wet nurse and her family."

"Are you serious?"

"Myeong-hoe, isn't she the person you regard as your mother? As your teacher, this much I can do for you. Of course, if you fail to memorize the Four Books and Three Classics within four years, this offer will be meaningless."

We often make the mistake of assuming Han Myeong-hoe was unintelligent after reading records saying that he disliked studying and instead enjoyed wandering from place to place...

By the time he reached adulthood, Han Myeong-hoe reportedly possessed enough learning to reasonably aim to pass the civil service examination.

But perhaps, as a boy, Han Myeong-hoe neglected his studies because he had no motivation or reason whatsoever to work hard at them.

I thought he would do well if I simply gave him the right motivation.

'Even if he can't memorize them within four years, if he makes a bone-crushing effort, I'll use that as grounds to persuade his uncle.'

Han Gi would probably die next year, so I supposed I would have to persuade Han Myeong-hoe's maternal uncle after that.

"I will work hard."

"All right, then, Ram. Why do you think you should study?"

"I want to become someone like you, Master."

That unexpected answer left me speechless for a moment.

"Thanks to you, my mother can now go to bed peacefully every night. My other brothers and sisters are no longer afraid of nightfall either. That is all because you rescued my sister and me when we fled in the middle of the night."

If I had not intervened, Gwon Je would have continued rising through the ranks as a brilliant but morally ruined man.

He would have compiled the History of Goryeo as well, and ultimately risen to Right Assistant State Councillor.

And in the process, his family would have been victimized by his violence and abuse.

"So when I told my mother about you, she said that the greatest way for me to repay you would be to become an excellent person like you someday."

If Gwon Ram grew up with sound values and passed the civil service examination in that state,

he would become a truly excellent official imbued with a love for the people.

And once he and Han Myeong-hoe established themselves at court...

'With these boys here, an old and incompetent official like me can retire.'

After writing a resignation letter like that, I would leave office and head to my hometown with Gyeoul.

"Your heart is truly admirable. And hearing you say that makes me feel that I must work harder as well."

"What kind of effort do you mean?"

"A teacher must always be someone worthy of respect in the eyes of his disciples. But since you say you will study hard to follow and learn from me, I too feel I must not neglect my own efforts."

A teacher must live up to being a teacher.

That meant I had to stand tall for the rest of my life like an imposing mountain that Gwon Ram and Han Myeong-hoe could never hope to surpass.

It would not be easy, but I had to do my best within my abilities.

"That concludes today's lesson. You may go home now. There is one thing I want you to remember: whenever you study from now on, always keep in mind the reasons for studying that you discussed today."

**

Gwon Ram and Han Myeong-hoe stepped outside Kim Daebung's house after listening to his short lesson.

Just as they were about to part, Gwon Ram stopped Han Myeong-hoe.

"Class ended early, so let's buy something at the market before we go. How about some injeolmi?"

"I don't have any money for that."

"I'll buy. Let's have some injeolmi and each eat a bowl of gukbap before we go."

Originally, there was no such food as gukbap in Hanyang.

However, when Kim Daebung introduced the idea of gukbap to Jinhae Prefecture and Hanyang,

the people who opened gukbap shops in the markets received an explosive response, and it eventually spread throughout the country.

Since Gwon Ram and Han Myeong-hoe had lived as refined young masters of yangban households until then, they had never had a chance to eat gukbap,

but Gwon Ram happened to be carrying some rice he had received as pocket money, and the lesson had ended far earlier than expected...

It was the perfect opportunity to eat a bowl of gukbap with a friend.

"All right."

When Han Myeong-hoe nodded, Gwon Ram dragged him to the tavern closest to Kim Daebung's house.

People did cast curious glances at the two young masters who had come to eat gukbap...

but the two paid no attention and ate their gukbap with great relish.

"Why gukbap all of a sudden?"

"Master is famous for looking after the people's circumstances more closely than anyone else. So as his disciples, we should start with things like this and experience the lives of the people firsthand."

"Do you really think eating one bowl of this will help you understand the people's lives?"

"Then don't eat it."

"Oh, come on, Brother Ram. Why are you being like this with me?"

Gwon Ram chuckled as he watched Han Myeong-hoe back down.

"You really need to start studying hard now, don't you? Until now, you've been too busy running around and playing."

"I thought I really had to work hard, if only for my wet nurse's sake. When I was young, my health was so poor that I would run a fever at the slightest thing and hover between life and death, but every time... my wet nurse stayed by my side without even sleeping and cared for me. That's why I survived instead of dying. I owe her at least this much."

"Same goes for me. Whenever that bastard I hate even calling my father got drunk and beat us, Mother had already been beaten badly herself and could barely help us, yet she always threw herself in the way, soothing us when we trembled in fear and raising us with such love. She must have suffered terribly."

"So we're both agreed that we have to be filial."

Gwon Ram burst out laughing when he heard that.

"Hey, but I only have my mother. You have your wet nurse and your father—two people. You'd better study twice as hard as I do."

"What are you talking about, you lunatic? Did you take the wrong medicine?"

"Ha, I really am glad my father is gone... But honestly, I wish Master were my real father. And don't you think Kim is a much better surname than Gwon?"

Han Myeong-hoe heard that and said exactly one thing.

"What are you, Lü Bu, trying to collect a bunch of surnames? Enough with the nonsense and study."

From the next day onward, the two of them devoted themselves to their studies as though they had become different people.

To achieve their respective goals.