Chapter 985

Episode 986: The Clear-Eyed Madman (10)

Michelangelo’s expression was a mixture of determination and confidence at the same time.

-It’s not often you get the chance to touch a masterpiece like this! I will definitely take it!

-yes! You have to be as good as me to tinker with a masterpiece like this! no! It’s impossible without me!

Seeing Michelangelo’s expression like this, the official cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“Cut hum! Taesangtae, who was in charge of supervising this mill, said that the following conditions must be observed.”

The conditions stated by the official were as follows.

-Materials used for repairs must be the same as those originally used.

To put it simply, places where granite is used should be replaced with granite, and places where marble is used should be replaced with marble.

-The use of materials such as cementum or rebar is not permitted.

-Do not change the structure from when it was first built.

“Hmm...”

Michelangelo’s expression became very serious after hearing the conditions stipulated by the scent.

‘From what I looked at earlier, it was full of granite...’

Michelangelo thought for a while and asked the official.

“Can you hire the imperial masons?”

“We will spare no effort in providing all support if necessary.”

“........”

Michelangelo, who had been silent and thinking about those words again, opened his mouth.

“I will take care of it. I will go back to Seoul, pack my bags, and come back.”

“That’s how I’ll report it.”

* * *

As the person in charge of the work, Hyang confirmed the report from Gyeongju and reported it to Hyeon. After carefully checking the report, Hyeon asked Hyang before putting the seal in the payment column.

“It’s not that I don’t believe in what the Great Emperor is doing, but will this Michelangelo really be able to do it well? Even though he is young, isn’t he too young?”

“He’s definitely young.”

Hyang nodded at Hyun’s point. Michelangelo, who took on the job now, was in his early 20s. But he didn’t seem to care much about the scent.

“It is true that it is a historic place that has been around since the Silla era, but isn’t it a place only Buddhists visit? There won’t be any major problems.”

After the center of power left Gyeongju, it began to decline, and Seokguram Grotto was greatly damaged by the policy of pro-Confucianism and suppression of Buddhism that had continued since the founding of Joseon. Although local officials and local officials made some repairs, they were limited to a level where no further damage was done.

Therefore, Hyang was looking for a suitable excuse to present to the Board of Audit and Inspection and the private Confucian scholars.

-Although it is a Buddhist building, it has been in existence for over 700 years. It is our responsibility to manage it well and leave it to our descendants.

Thanks to the active advocacy of incense and Michelangelo’s own proactive intention, Michelangelo was able to become the person responsible for the repair of Seokguram Grotto without much noise.

“But why did those friends come?”

Michelangelo, who was about to gather his students and workers and begin work, looked at his fellow painters gathered around him and expressed doubt. In response to Michelangelo’s doubts, the eunuch who came down on behalf of the incense explained the situation.

“Those painters will leave pictures of everything you do while they work. And the officials next to me will leave sentences about all the steps you take. And when all the work is done, the records and pictures will be published in a book. “I will tie it up. Then, future descendants will also know how you worked here.”

“Haha! This is a heavy weight on my shoulders!”

Michelangelo laughed heartily at the eunuch’s explanation.

‘My name will remain in the book! Then you can never do it sloppily!’

“Okay! Then, what we’re going to do today is start with a more detailed survey.”

“I need to polish this before that.”

“yes?”

Michelangelo, who was stopped by the eunuch, turned his head in the direction indicated by the eunuch with a slightly annoyed face.

“Huh? A rock I haven’t seen before?”

There was a large granite boulder standing in the area pointed to by the inner coffin. Seeing Michelangelo tilting his head, the eunuch said something.

“This is a task given by the Great Emperor. Carve that rock and make a plaque.”

“You mean the plaque?”

“That’s right. And the names of everyone who participated in this work will be engraved on the plaque. From the Tae Sanghang at the top to the apprentice masons below, everyone’s names will be engraved in Latin and Jeongeum. Except! At first, the name of the plaque “I will make it and after everything is done, your name will be engraved on it!”

Michelangelo’s face became serious as he heard the scent conveyed by the eunuch.

‘This is a test and a warning! The test is to see how well I can handle granite, not marble, and how cool I can make it! And it’s a warning that if you don’t do your job properly, you can be kicked out at any time!’

“When should I finish by?”

“Wouldn’t the sooner be better? Because the really important thing is Seokguram Grotto.”

At the eunuch’s words, Michelangelo took out charcoal from his bag and walked in front of the granite rock.

“Let’s get started right away.”

‘Pass with flying colors!’

Meanwhile, the eunuchs and officials who were watching from behind looked at each other and talked in low voices.

“As expected, he is a talented person chosen by Tae Sang-taeng. As soon as he heard a few words, he immediately recognized the hidden meaning.”

“That’s right. I have a lot of work to do in the future, so I’m looking forward to it.”

When they heard the message from Hyang, the eunuchs and officials had thoughts similar to those of Michelangelo. That’s why I was satisfied with Michelangelo’s reaction. However, the reason why Hyang gave this message was for a different reason.

“I remember briefly seeing Michelangelo engrave his name on the famous Pietà, right? Hmm... If the character I know is the type of person he is, he would do that to the original Buddha in Seokguram Grotto. In that case...”

Perhaps ? The Hyang was worried that Rado might commit a misdeed at Seokguram Grotto, so he took precautions in advance.

“If you had your name engraved on the front door, you wouldn’t do anything crazy!”

Although it was an order given for a simple reason, those who heard it interpreted it differently based on examples of what Hyang usually did.