Chapter 10
10 The Royal Kitchen (3)
“If you focus on preparing the dishes listed here, you can’t go wrong.”
Sungjae presented the hastily scribbled piece of paper to Ji-young.
As Ji-young took the paper, she saw only a jumble of scattered Chinese characters.
In this era without dictionaries or computers, there was no way she could immediately decipher the rapidly scribbled handwriting.
Ji-young put down the paper and questioned Sungjae, as if scolding him.
“Are you just writing this and expecting me to understand it? Would you break out in a rash if you wrote in Vernacular Script?”
“What? Vernacular Script?”
Come to think of it, people in this era wouldn’t call Vernacular Script ‘Vernacular Script.’
Ji-young couldn’t think of the right word and just strung together whatever came to mind.
“You know, the thing King Sejong created. Ga, gya, geo, gye, that kind of thing."...Are you referring to the written language?" How does a foreigner like you know about that?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t know about it?”
“…It is not allowed.”
“Pardon?"His Majesty has forbidden the use of the vernacular language."”
“What, what did you say??"It has been quite some time since he forbade the use of written language altogether, fearing that ignorant commoners would write and circulate writings that slander the court.”
Typical Yeonsangun. A move perfectly befitting his tyrant title.
Ji-young sighed lightly.
“Then what are you going to do? Sit next to me and tell me, one by one, what dishes His Majesty likes?”
Sungjae frowned slightly, looking displeased.
But realizing he had no other choice, he began to scribble Vernacular Script next to the Chinese characters he had written earlier.
It was different from modern Korean, but it was readable if she compared it with the Chinese characters and read it slowly.
Seeing him even write the Vernacular Script that His Majesty had forbidden, it seemed that Sungjae’s expectations of Ji-young were not just empty words.
But just as Sungjae needed Ji-young, Ji-young might also need Sungjae.
“For now, I’ll prepare tonight’s Evening Royal Cuisine focusing on these ingredients. But I have a condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“First, ensure that the women who were not chosen today are not punished.”
“What?”
“Jang Nok-su arbitrarily imposed a punishment, saying that all the women who were not chosen would be executed. Surely you can smooth things over.”
Sungjae looked troubled, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded.
No matter how favored she was, His Majesty had personally seen the women of the Royal Kitchen, so they could not be punished without proper procedure.
Even if she tried to follow procedure, it would be impossible without the cooperation of the Royal Secretary, who was responsible for issuing royal commands, that is, Sungjae himself.
“I promise. But you must present a flawless Royal Cuisine Table that captures His Majesty’s heart.”
“Promise me one more thing. A man of your influence should have no trouble finding an object, right?”
“Of course. Our family has been envoys to Ming China several times, so we can acquire items not only in Joseon but also in the Central Plains.”
“Then please find one item for me. If you promise to do that, I will do my best to cook.”
“An item?”
At Sungjae’s words, Ji-young’s eyes sparkled.
“A book. Please find a book called ‘Record of Yearning for the Clouds.’”
‘Record of Yearning for the Clouds.’
When she first saw that book, which was said to have been discovered in a used bookstore in Hwanghak-dong, she thought, ‘How could such a dirty book still be around?’
The cover was tattered and stained black with fingerprints. Mold grew in places, and there were signs of insect damage and tears everywhere.
It was definitely a book with tenacious vitality, having survived all sorts of hardships.
- It’s almost certain that the book was written between the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
That was the conclusion reached by the professor at the physics research institute, who was also a longtime friend of her father, after directly examining the book.
As a result of radiocarbon dating, the book was written around the year 1500 AD.
‘So, it’s definitely a book made in this era.’
The first line of the book was a touching sentence reminiscent of a love letter.
Though I seek, I cannot obtain,
I think of it waking and sleeping,
Long, long is this night,
Tossing and turning.
Sought but not obtained Awake or asleep, I think of you So leisurely, so leisurely Tossing and turning
At first, she thought it was a collection of writings by a scholar expressing his loyalty to the King, a ‘song of longing for the ruler,’ commonly found in the literature of that era.
However, nowhere in the book was there any mention of the author’s identity.
She could only guess that he was a learned scholar, judging from the elegance of the writing.
But what was even more surprising was the content of the book.
As mentioned earlier, the book was not a collection of writings by a scholar, but a Joseon Dynasty cookbook.
In terms of being like impressionistic criticism of food, it was like Heo Gyun’s <The Domundaejak>,
And in terms of introducing delicate and diverse dishes, it was reminiscent of <Sanga Yorok>, <Suunjapbang>, or <Eumsikdimibang>.
However, that book, <Record of Yearning for the Clouds>, was different from any of the books mentioned above.
The unique cooking methods that appeared in that book could not be found in any other book.
That wasn’t the only strange thing.
When she first fell into the Joseon Dynasty and entered the kitchen, she even felt a slight sense of déjà vu in situations very similar to what she had seen in Record of Yearning for the Clouds.
‘There’s definitely something there!’
Her last memory in modern times, the book Record of Yearning for the Clouds, was what came to mind just before she lost consciousness on the highway outside Paris.
Besides, now that she thought about it, what was really strange was the last dish in Record of Yearning for the Clouds.
[World-Returning Meal]
The name of a bizarre dish with the meaning of ‘returning to the world.’
But the last page where the recipe should have been written was cleanly cut off.
Perhaps,
It was an absurd thought, but perhaps the cut-off page of the book,
‘Maybe there’s a clue to returning to the original world written there.’
Of course, Ji-young knew it too.
There was no basis or logic for all these assumptions.
But all these situations of suddenly falling into the Joseon Dynasty were also without logic.
Something beyond logic and reason must be at work.
For some reason, Ji-young had a strange conviction.
If she found Record of Yearning for the Clouds, she felt confident that she could return to her original world.
“…I also promise that. I will have that book found.”
Sungjae’s voice, which she heard again in front of her, awakened Ji-young from her reverie.
“But you must capture His Majesty’s heart with this Royal Cuisine Table. If you fail to do so, I cannot guarantee the book, let alone your life, or the lives of the women who gathered in the Royal Kitchen.”
Sungjae firmly warned her and left the Royal Kitchen with a cold rustle of his robes.
She understood the situation well enough.
Now that things had turned out this way, she had no choice but to focus all her attention on the Royal Cuisine Table to be presented to the King.
Ji-young slowly searched her mind for the knowledge of court cuisine she had studied.
‘I think the Royal Cuisine Table presented to the King is served five times a day.’
The earliest one is the Early Morning Meal. Generally, dishes that are easy on the stomach, such as Galtang, rice gruel, or porridge, are served.
After that, the Morning Royal Cuisine, which corresponds to breakfast, is served.
Around 1-3 PM, a simple Jang-guk or refreshments are served for lunch, which is called the Daytime Table.
When the King finishes his work and leaves the office, the Evening Royal Cuisine, which is dinner, is served.
And at a late hour, a small table of food is served, which is called the Night Snack Table.
This presenting meals five times a day must be an enormous amount of hard work.
But among them, the one that required special attention was the dinner, the Evening Royal Cuisine, which Ji-young had to prepare from now on.
Because it was the most lavish of the five Royal Cuisine Tables.
She had almost died just a little while ago, but now she had to cook again right away.
Ji-young was already sighing deeply at the overwhelming fatigue.
Several cooks came with a huge tray.
“This is the Large Round Tray, which is the main tray, and the Small Round Tray and Desk Tray, which are side trays. The Evening Royal Cuisine is served with a total of twelve side dishes on these three trays.”
“…What? Twelve side dishes on three trays?”
A large, heavy tray that could be used as a table for four people, and two side trays to be placed next to it.
From now on, she had to fill these three trays with Tribute goods from all over the country.
All for the King alone.
For a moment, she felt dizzy.
“W-wait a minute…”
Ji-young opened the Royal Kitchen door and quickly ran outside.
In the past few days, she had almost died several times since coming to the Joseon Dynasty.
She barely managed to survive by showing off her cooking skills.
Now she had to prepare the King’s Royal Cuisine Table.
Moreover, she was now responsible for the lives of the women who had been conscripted with her.
“Ugh! Damn it, what the hell am I doing!”
As she screamed, banging her head against the outer wall of the Royal Kitchen, she suddenly felt a presence behind her.
When she turned around, she saw a short, hunched-over old man with white hair sweeping the yard.
He had been staring at Ji-young as if he had discovered a rare animal.
“What, what are you staring at?”
Feeling embarrassed to have been caught in such a pathetic state, she blurted out the words, and the old man smiled bashfully.
“In my 50 years of working in the palace, you’re the first person I’ve seen shouting like that.”
“Haa… I was going crazy, so I did that.”
Ji-young sighed again.
She could handle one dish, but how was she supposed to prepare the entire Royal Cuisine Table for that tyrannical Yeonsangun?
The old man, who had been sweeping, nodded as if he understood the situation and grinned.
“Oh, so you’re the new palace maid who came to the Royal Kitchen. I heard that you’ve already given Jang Nok-su a big blow, and the rumors have already spread.”
“Rumors… spread?”
“Ah, in the palace, one word turns into a hundred.”
After saying that, the old man suddenly continued with a nonsensical story as if talking to himself.
“Oh my, now that I can’t see the deer poop I used to sweep every day, I don’t know what to do.”
“Deer… poop?”
“Those were the deer that the late King kept in the backyard and cherished, but His Majesty caught the last one today.”
“He caught the deer he was raising?”
“Tsk tsk… What a pity. That big, precious one…”
The old man swept away, humming a tune of unknown origin.
He seemed to be an internal slave (a slave working in the palace) in charge of cleaning, but he seemed to be a little out of his mind.
Suddenly, something flashed through Ji-young’s mind like lightning.
‘That’s right. Maybe… that might be able to capture the King’s heart!’
Ji-young, who burst back into the Royal Kitchen, began to shine like a star.
“Cook, light the fire in the stove and prepare the Evening Royal Cuisine as usual. And…”
“…And?”
“Tell them to bring the deer that His Majesty caught today to the Royal Kitchen.”
