Chapter 9

## Chapter 9 — My Name Is! (1)

Then the magistrate's next move was obvious.

"I ask the defendant's representative."

"...Y-Yes!"

Jeongmu's emotions were in turmoil.

I... lost without even being able to fight back? To some beggar scholar from the countryside?

The difference between the skill of oejibu in the capital and the countryside was like heaven and earth.

Jeongmu had only been considered a third-rate oejibu in Hanyang.

Yet out here in the provinces, even the old tricks already worn out in the capital were enough to make people treat him like the finest oejibu in Joseon.

But in disputes involving fraudulent agreements, nine times out of ten, the other side would attack defects in the agreement and drag the matter into an ugly mud fight.

Jeongmu had never even heard of an approach like this.

If we'd fought under a standard legal framework, I could've won a hundred times out of a hundred! What kind of strategy was that?!

"...Defendant's representative! Answer!"

"S-Sorry!"

Jeongmu had become so lost in thought that he hadn't heard Kim Jiseok properly.

He hurriedly apologized.

"Defendant's representative, state the defendant's position regarding the plaintiff's claim."

"..."

It was phrased as though he had a choice.

But there was really only one thing he could do.

If he denied Kang Doyul's argument, the court would begin investigating who wrote the agreement.

That would turn the entire case into a filthy mud fight.

And there was a high chance Jeongmu's lie would be exposed.

With his pride crushed, Jeongmu forced a smile.

"...H-Haha. It seems I misunderstood some of the circumstances because I did not personally witness everything. If Elder Park himself says that was what happened, what could I possibly add?"

Kim Jiseok stared at Jeongmu for a moment.

Then he slowly spoke.

"...I deliver my judgment."

Damn it... Damn it!

Jeongmu glared at Doyul in fury.

You bastard... Before I return to the capital, I will destroy you.

"The positions of plaintiff and defendant now coincide, and after reviewing the arguments, there is no disagreement that the written agreement claimed by the plaintiff is invalid. However, even if it was merely a drinking joke, it cannot be said that Ppaengi committed no wrongdoing when he wrote such an outrageous agreement involving precious royal tribute goods merely to tease an illiterate servant."

Kim Jiseok gave Doyul a deliberately intimidating look.

Then he smiled.

"Therefore, the lawsuit between plaintiff and defendant shall be treated as though it never occurred. However, Ppaengi, who boasted before Dolmok and created such an insolent written agreement, shall receive five strokes with a switch."

"Thank you!"

Doyul bowed to the magistrate.

Five strokes with a switch...

What kind of era was Joseon?

It was a country where justification mattered so much that even someone who captured a tiger in the mountains and presented it to the royal court might still receive three very gentle strokes for harming a sacred mountain lord.

In other words, receiving only five strokes with a switch was practically the same as being found innocent.

"Y-Young Master! As expected of you!"

"S-Scholaaaaaar!"

Ppaengi, who had supposedly been trapped in the latrine, appeared the moment the trial ended.

Tears streamed down his face as he bowed repeatedly before Doyul.

"You're the only one I can trust! Th-Thank you! Thank you!"

Doyul smiled.

"Goodness... Before you go receive your punishment from the magistrate, you should probably wash away the smell first."

This was Kang Doyul's first perfect victory since arriving in Joseon.

***

"Scholar...! What should I do in a situation like this?"

"Give me a moment."

After the lawsuit ended, Doyul became busy.

He bought meat as ingredients to prepare food for sale...

The meat visible on top was fine, but underneath it was rotten and unusable.

Under Article 375 of the Civil Act, the seller would be required to provide goods of average quality.

In other words, proper edible meat.

Of course, modern civil law had no direct force in Joseon.

But Doyul could still preserve the legal principle.

"Why don't you complain that the meat was defective and demand proper meat?"

"Goodness, do you think I haven't tried? He played dumb and claimed he gave me perfectly good meat! Then he said it was my fault for failing to inspect it properly! On top of that, he's still demanding all the rice I agreed to pay him. What am I supposed to do?"

...Of course, Joseon people were rough enough that knowing the legal principle did not necessarily solve the dispute.

"Haah. That's troublesome. If you bring me the meat as evidence, I'll help you draft a petition to submit to the government office."

"Th-Thank you!"

From time to time, Doyul added a few words of sympathy after considering the client's feelings.

"You must feel terribly wronged. Still, it's not as though you can mix sand into the rice and repay him the same way, so if you wait a little..."

Flash!

"Gasp! What an extraordinary solution!"

"Excuse me?"

"The rumors that you're the wisest man in the county weren't exaggerated after all!"

"No, what... What are you talking about?"

"Thank you! Then I'll mix sand into the rice and repay that bastard! What a brilliant method! An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth! Hahaha!"

...Of course, because people were so rough, occasionally they found very creative solutions of their own.

With an endless stream of visitors arriving at the house, Donggu finally screamed.

"Aaaaargh! Young Master! Why are so many people coming here?!"

Doyul's home had practically become a gathering place for everyone who felt wronged.

For such a small county, there seemed to be an unbelievable number of grievances.

People kept coming to Doyul for advice.

Of course, officially, there was no reason for them to visit him.

"That's what I'm wondering. I really have no idea why."

"Do you truly not know?"

"...Of course not!"

Ppaengi had apparently spread word everywhere that he won his case because of Doyul.

And now consultations were flooding in through word of mouth.

I received one hundred nyang as the success fee from Ppaengi...

Not only did I make a fortune from one case, clients aren't stopping either.

A servant's monthly pay was a little under ten nyang.

A seom of rice cost around five nyang.

So the one hundred nyang Doyul received was, in modern terms, equivalent to several million won, perhaps close to ten million.

The income was obviously welcome.

But even better was the fact that his reputation within the county was growing.

The magistrate isn't going to ignore this.

The historical drama seemed to revolve around lawsuits.

If every wronged person in the county passed through Doyul before reaching the magistrate, then his connection to Kim Jiseok would inevitably deepen.

Because of that, Doyul carefully selected which cases to accept.

He didn't want to create a bad impression with the magistrate.

"Yes. What brings you here?"

"I ate gukbap at an inn, but it tasted absolutely terrible."

"...And?"

He started speaking informally the moment he saw me.

High probability of being a troublesome customer.

"Naturally, I became angry! So I flipped a table and shouted a little. And now the innkeeper is demanding that I pay for the damage!"

...If Doyul started representing people whose thought processes ordinary humans couldn't understand, he'd probably become close to the magistrate in a very unpleasant way.

"So why exactly do you feel wronged?"

"If she had made tasty gukbap, I wouldn't have gotten angry in the first place! Obviously the innkeeper is mostly at fault for cooking terrible food! So you should explain my injustice for me."

"...Donggu."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Please escort this gentleman out."

"Understood."

"What? You're only an oejibu, yet you dare...!"

Donggu lifted the difficult customer with one hand.

"You should come with me first."

"Gah! What kind of monstrous strength is this?!"

...With no police around, I was worried about what I'd do if troublesome people refused to leave.

I'm really glad I have Donggu.

Even though the customer was much larger than him, Donggu subdued him effortlessly.

Flail! Flail!

"W-Where are you taking me?!"

"To the government office."

Held by the back of his collar like a kitten, the troublesome man dangled as Donggu carried him away.

He shouted angrily.

"The government office?! Put me down right now, you servant!"

"...Ah. Is that so?"

"Yes, you bastard!"

"I'll grant your wish."

Donggu stopped in a secluded alley.

Then he obediently put the man down.

But something about the atmosphere was strange.

"...You bastard! A mere servant who doesn't fear Heaven...! Do you want a beating too?! Let me tell you, in my younger days I was famous for my fists throughout this county..."

"..."

Once he caught his breath, the man found Donggu staring at him with a completely expressionless face.

He grew slightly nervous.

"...W-What are you staring at?!"

"This loyal servant Donggu gained enlightenment from the Young Master's words."

What?

"...Huh?"

"I live to help the Young Master enter government service, rise in the world, and restore his family. But until now, I was short-sighted. I fed the Young Master only with wages I earned working other people's fields. I was wrong."

It was the kind of touching story about loyal servant Donggu that could bring tears to anyone's eyes.

Unfortunately, the customer had no idea why he was suddenly being told any of this.

"Then the Young Master told me this. Sometimes abandoning something small for a greater cause is true justice."

"...A-And? What does that have to do with me?"

"Hand over everything you have."

"...?"

The sudden demand left the man staring at Donggu in disbelief.

"Our Young Master is a true scholar. He says the true duty of a scholar is to help people in hardship. I'm proud that he helps others without asking for anything in return... But."

Donggu looked wistful.

The customer stared at him dumbly.

He's misunderstood something in a very big way.

"Hey! What in the world are you talking about? That scholar helps people for free? He charges fees every single..."

"Someone has to support the household. So this loyal servant Donggu made a decision."

Donggu casually ignored him.

"No, what are you talking about? I'm telling you he takes money every time..."

"Oejibu are definitely bad."

"Would you listen when someone talks?! Your master is literally one of those wicked oejibu... Agh!"

Thud!

Donggu punched the villain who dared slander his kindhearted Young Master.

"But if you think about it, oejibu are bad because they torment good people and take their money."

"O-Ow... I'm dying. A servant is beating me..."

Madness gleamed in Donggu's eyes.

"So... taking money from bad people isn't bad."

The law was far too busy to protect money gained through wrongdoing.

In legal terminology, such a principle was known as in pari delicto, or denial of restitution for an illegal cause.

Amazingly, after deep contemplation, Donggu had reached a legal principle entirely on his own.

...The only problem was that his interpretation was extremely subjective and unusually creative.

"What the hell are you talking about?! S-Someone help! What kind of bandit is this?!"

Thud!

"Watch your words."

"Argh!"

"I'm not a bandit. I'm a righteous outlaw."

"W-What...? I didn't even receive a consultation and you're demanding money! What kind of absurdity is this?!"

"Our Young Master obviously helps people for free. Didn't you know?"

There had clearly been a major misunderstanding.

"N-No, that's not what I'm saying..."

"So if the Young Master remains a true scholar, his loyal servant can take money from bad people and use it for good. That's what the Young Master meant by... abandoning a small thing for a greater cause."

Miraculous logic.

"This loyal servant Donggu will become Righteous Outlaw Donggu at night."

"I-It's not even night..."

He'd heard that the master possessed such bizarre logic that it was astonishing.

Apparently the servant's logic was equally astonishing.

Just in a completely different dimension.

"How is that any different from being a thug?!"

"They say wealth is like dung. If used properly, it becomes fertilizer. If hoarded, it only stinks. So you will become fertilizer helping our Young Master grow into a magnificent tree."

The customer felt like crying from frustration and disbelief.

This had all started because the gukbap tasted bad.

As a wise consumer, he had simply exercised his perfectly reasonable right to flip the table!

Then, feeling hurt because everyone treated him like a troublesome customer, he'd only come for legal advice!

Why was he being beaten by a servant and robbed on top of it?

Unfortunately, regardless of his feelings, he already knew there was no way to clear this injustice.

If he reported it to the government office, that scholar Kang Doyul would probably protect his servant with some miraculous logic and leave him worse off than before.

And after the lawsuit...

"Please cooperate so that Righteous Outlaw Donggu does not become Red-Handed Donggu."

He suspected Donggu's fists might become red with his blood.

"S-Sob... What a righteous man you are. You're right! Completely right! Here, take everything!"

"Exactly. That is correct. The Young Master never says anything wrong."

A short while later, Donggu returned home.

"Young Master. I'm back."

"Yeah, good work... Wait. Where did that money come from?"

"The customer from earlier said he repented of his sins and gave it to me in gratitude."

...Huh?

Doyul felt something was strange.

But he didn't bother questioning him further.

Meanwhile, at Kim Jiseok's government office...

"...Haah. Kang Doyul. What am I supposed to do with that fellow?"

The magistrate's worries concerning the most talked-about young man in the county were growing deeper.