Ruthless Teachings
"As a pitiful woman who lost her younger brothers, you can gradually build your strength while receiving sympathy."
Is there any woman as pitiful as one who has lost her blood kin? Especially if she loses both of her cherished younger brothers—how would people see her? A man might be different, but for a woman, it's more than enough to earn pity.
"If the emperor looks down on me, I'll drive him out of the palace and turn the imperial palace into my own office building."
If the emperor, unlike my father, thinks he can handle me easily, I won't depose him, but I'll kick him out of the symbolic imperial palace and give him a small one instead. The emperor is nothing more than a cultural and religious figure—nothing more, nothing less.
"Ah. Ahahaha. Hahahahaha!"
Choi U was laughing like a madman. To see his daughter plotting to kill her own brothers and find it amusing. He's a real psycho. I must never show him mercy. That's the only lesson I'm learning from this man.
He's a total psychopath.
"Does it please you, Father?"
"As expected of my daughter. Truly brilliant."
Father didn't hold back on the praise. He was saying things that would shock any normal person without batting an eye. That's how terrifying power is. It blinds even family members. What can you do? I have to say things like this to satisfy Choi U.
Honestly, even I'm getting chills saying this myself. How could I think like this? It's all because of this Choe family. And of course, I have no intention of actually sending my brothers away like that. They're practically children I raised from young—how could I just discard them? Giving them minor positions should suffice.
But... if those two die, would I be sad? Is there any reason I should grieve? Thinking about it, I've been using them all along. Sure, I act like the kind older sister on the surface, but from the start, I've been exploiting them. I just wanted to keep them under me so they wouldn't turn into thugs like in the original history.
In that process, if they cross the line again, would I really spare my brothers? Even if I'm using them, is there a guarantee I won't kill them? In truth, there's no real reason to save them or kill them. I've never truly loved them as a sister—it's all been fake affection. Would I even grieve if they died? Why should I? Which one is the real me?
The daughter of the Choe family, born into love and adoration, raised as a woman? The one who treats those around her kindly, occasionally acting wild but still feminine, cherishing her foolish younger brothers? Or the one wearing a mask to change history, pretending to love and cherish her brothers?
Is there any reason to love my brothers? It's closer to the latter. In fact, I've been using this body and everything around me to my advantage. That's the inevitable conclusion. I've only ever used the position I have. I've never been sincere with anyone around me.
Even my gentle treatment of Injun was to preemptively bring a future variable who might wipe out the Choe family under my control. My maid Chunsim is just proof that I'm a proper lady.
This isn't the time to curse Father.
As I stepped out of the chamber and looked at the sky, it was perfectly clear. Unlike my filthy inner thoughts. Reaching this truth brought a hollow laugh. Of course. I've played the cute Choe daughter all this time, but I'm even more ruthless than Father. Everything is just a mask layered on top.
I keep cursing Father, but I was going to bend history and do whatever I wanted with those two. I'm no different from him. If my foolish brothers die fighting for their big sister, that would be ideal.
I'm so pathetic for making such judgments. If only I'd been born into the royal family, I could've swept away the Choe regime without a second thought, Father or not. Accepting my repulsive self honestly didn't feel good at all.
"My lady."
Park Songbi had come looking for me as I left the chamber.
"Yes, General?"
"Don't take His Excellency's words too deeply to heart."
I tilted my head, not understanding. Right. Is this a test too?Park Songbi is one of Father's closest aides.
'Of course, General. I was just trying to please Father. I'll follow my own path.' That would be the safe answer.
"Even so, Father didn't actually kill his brothers, did he? That's reality. Those two aren't promising material anyway, and I have a duty to protect this family."
So I'll just thoroughly disguise myself. Born as the daughter of a powerful minister's family, I have to endure a lot. Living like an ordinary woman is out of the question. I'll keep practicing the cute daughter act while using the mountain spirit to my advantage.
Around this time in Mongolia, discussions about conquering Goryeo were in full swing. The revelation that the assassination of Jegoye was linked to soap had a big impact.
"We must send an army to Goryeo."
Otchigin argued fiercely in particular. The reason was the Jegoye assassination, but that was just a pretext. He suspected a military threat from Goryeo on their eastern border.
"Sending an army all the way to Goryeo is too much. And didn't they send envoys to explain to our Khan and offer large quantities of soap?"
"But they're just buying time. If we don't show military action over our envoy killed crossing their border, how will Goryeo or other countries view us?"
"Didn't you see the army escorting the envoy delegation that brought the soap? Their elite quality can't be ignored. Even if we expedition, we need to wrap up one front first."
That's why they needed to act now. The army escorting Goryeo's envoy was elite with no gaps—a force to watch closely.
"A petty little country that reveres Jin as its suzerain. Why are we making such a fuss, Great Khan? Give the order. Goryeo doesn't pay proper tribute, harbors remnants of Jin Jurchens and Khitans— we must conquer them."
As Jin's Jurchens and Khitans fled to Mongolia, Goryeo actively accepted them, bolstering manpower and military. What did that mean? They were preparing to rebel against the Mongols if the chance arose.
Thus, Temüjin Otchigin earnestly petitioned Great Khan Genghis Khan for the conquest of Goryeo, but...
"Now is not the time, and they sent envoys to explain, so we lack justification. Wait for the right moment."
Genghis Khan refused. If he had pushed for the Goryeo conquest at this point, they might have crushed Goryeo before it could grow stronger, but regrettably, he didn't. Thanks to that, Goryeo bought time.
As the Iron Cannon overseer, I often attended meetings in the chamber and paid close attention to Mongol news.
"No word from the Mongols yet. Hmm."
If they came in force now, Goryeo had trained soldiers armed with gunpowder weapons like the Iron Cannon Byeolcho and secured over 20,000 in the 2nd Army and 6 Divisions—stronger than original history—but we might still collapse in the end. We're not fully prepared yet.
I even considered tipping off the Mongols about Genghis Khan's fall from his horse to cash in on the favor. But they wouldn't listen to Goryeo, there's no guarantee Genghis Khan would spare us for it, and various complications mean he won't last long anyway—that's my dominant thought.
So, when Genghis Khan dies, war is inevitable.
Shwiik—Puk!
The arrow left the string and embedded in the wild boar's body.
"As expected of a heroine."
"Truly His Excellency's daughter."
The Jurchen and Byeolcho Army soldiers flattered enthusiastically. They probably meant it. Lately, I've been hunting with arrows swiftly, even vomiting from the effort. Despite my lacking strength, this body can squeeze out its limits strangely well. Apparently, far superior to my brothers'.
"As expected of His Excellency's daughter."
"Lady Ubong Choe's lineage continues through His Excellency's daughter."
In the military regime era, you need to know how to wield weapons. They all looked favorably. The Jurchens, who secured positions in the Jurchen Byeolcho thanks to me, loved my competitive spirit—so I must look like a battlefield idol.
Of course, the more I stand out, the more uncomfortable some get. Most would question what His Excellency's daughter is doing, but...
And then, one day. Kim Yakseon, whom I should have met much earlier, came.
"Why did you break off the engagement?"
"Wasn't it just talk between families? Nothing was properly settled."
It wasn't even firmly set. Before emerging, I asked for two years, and that's how it happened.
"Even so."
"Why? Do Father's concubines appeal to you or something?"
You love women a ton. Father wants to raise a guy like this as successor. Well, Father has tons of concubines himself.
"What do you mean?"
Did I hit a nerve? His face reddened awkwardly.
"Come to think of it, I hear you like women a lot."
At my words, Kim Yakseon blushed.
"Why bring that up?"
Why? To cut ties with you.
"Simply put, it's this. You seem to love whoring around, so why should I become your wife?"
I have pride even in this body. Why live as the wife of a man who plays around with tons of women? I'd just end up dying as one more woman from history.
"I won't deny it."
He didn't deny it. How could he lie to the daughter of the military regent? But he still seemed reluctant. With recent reforms tilting public opinion and rumors of wealth from soap, probably.
"I'm trying to put it nicely, but it won't work. I'm not that pure myself. I don't want to be tied to one man."
With that, I turned my back on his stunned expression.
Kim Yakseon, devoted to debauchery. Is there any reason to marry him? History doesn't record much about him. From what I saw, he wants to use me to seize power in the military regime. Maybe that's why Choi U's daughter in original history slandered her husband. No love, so affairs make sense. How is such a man the brother of war hero Kim Gyeongson of the Yeomong wars? Baffling.
"Wasn't that too harsh?"
Kim Jun, who had watched quietly, asked slyly.
Harsh? Why should I sleep with a guy like that?
"Next time, if you want to see a wife cheating with a male servant, I could marry and say something like that."
If he's annoying, that's the least I'd do. Pretty humiliating for a man. Father saw him as husband material, so he must be somewhat capable. But still. I don't want kids with him.
"If that spreads, I'd die quietly by His Excellency without a trace. I'm your only male servant right now."
"Oh, then shall we try it? Ah, but you like married women. Too bad."
Joking, but his face hardened coldly.
"I don't know why I'm always pegged as such a scoundrel."
It's fine. Choi U's daughter was a scoundrel originally. Kim Injun might feel wronged, but oh well. You never really know people's true nature.
"No. You'll definitely go after Father's concubines in the future."
No matter how I think, that's human nature. Even if sweeping the Choes was circumstantial, people have tastes. Sure, circumstances, but human instincts exist.
"No, my lady. Please. I'll die like this. And even if you've changed lately, my tastes... Ah, sorry."
Huh, is this guy daring to reject me now? Insolent enough to deserve death.