Oh, a Prince. That's Pretty Cool.
Oh, a prince. That's pretty cool. That was Cheong's honest impression.
In truth, Jayu had never tried to hide that he came from a powerful house. Cheong, for her part, had never particularly cared. Their unspoken agreement to simply pretend they didn't know each of other's circumstances meant that, as far as Cheong was concerned, she hadn't done anything wrong. The unfamiliarity of the whole "Chinwang" system played a part too. When Koreans imagined rulers in a medieval martial world, they just went "Wow, an emperor!" and stopped there. The finer details—royal estates, actual control over regional territories, command of local armies, holding the highest rank below the emperor himself—were all lost on her. After all, no ethnicity on Earth was particularly curious about medieval China. Even the modern Chinese descendants had burned so much of that history that knowing any of it would have been stranger than not knowing. The only real interest came from the ancient era when Liu Bei and his brothers had run around, and even that only existed because of manga. Without those comics, no one would have cared at all.
So Cheong's reaction was decidedly lukewarm.
“Uh, um. Your Highness the Prince? What should I even call you?”
“Insolent! How dare you fail to show proper etiquette!”
Aigoo. Why did this woman keep yapping?
Cheong shot the noisy woman a sharp glare before turning back to Jayu—Prince Deokhyun.
“Call me Wangya.”
“Ah. Wangya.”
“But what is this? Why did you pretend to be dead? Or wait, was the news about your death during that meal we had together?”
“No, you wench! It is Wangya! Even if you immediately straightened your clothes, kowtowed, and begged for forgiveness it would not be enough! Do you truly believe that a trivial acquaintance gives you the right to act so familiar with Wangya?!”
The woman foamed at the mouth again. But when Cheong actually thought about it, she had a point. No matter how close they had gotten while he was hiding his identity, that didn't mean they could keep acting like friends. If she had to make an analogy, it would be like a chaebol heir showing up on the production floor for a little mood change. In an auto-hunting game, the absurd "production worker culture" of self-directed breaks and mercy dinners would look ridiculous to someone like that.
Once she thought of it that way, Cheong's own mood soured. Had he expected her to clap and cheer, "Wow, you're a prince? Amazing!" the moment he dropped the reveal? Did she look like the type of materialistic person who would come running the second she smelled money and power?
A proper person, upon learning the truth, would at least say something like Thank you for everything until now or I'd like us to remain friends. They would give the relationship a proper closing. Besides, Wangya hadn't stopped the woman at all. That was typical—people in high positions always had others deliver the unpleasant words for them.
Cheong immediately corrected her slouched posture. It was like she had two completely different people inside her; suddenly she looked prim, modest, and perfectly well-behaved.
“This lowly one lacked knowledge and has committed a rudeness against Wangya. Since it was done in ignorance, will you not generously forgive me?”
“Since I came out wearing plain clothes, it is only natural you did not know. I will not mind it, so there is no need for further concern.”
“Yes. Thank you for everything until now, Wangya.”
“Ah. Ahem. Ahem.”
Prince Deokhyun looked flustered as he glanced at the woman. She looked equally flustered. The phrase thank you for everything until now usually signaled the end of a relationship.
“Khem. Chang Yeo-in.”
Chang Yeo-in felt a wave of embarrassment. After all, she had been the one who insisted on testing Cheong. Gyeon No's days were numbered, so the old man made a huge fuss about attaching even one lady to Wangya, calling her "young master" this and that. But that wasn't the opinion of everyone in the prince's household. From what Chang Yeo-in had heard, Cheong was exactly the type of woman who would wag her tail at a powerful family's son. She would definitely pretend to be close once his identity was revealed and aim for a concubine's position. That had been the point of the test.
In the meantime, Cheong had fallen into a completely different kind of shock.
Wait, how can someone's name be Chang Yeo-in? And for a woman! It had to be an alias, right? But how could a woman's alias be "Spear Woman"? For a woman!
At that moment, the unfortunate woman burdened with that pitiful name—or alias—Chang Yeo-in, spoke again. Her attitude had softened considerably, and she sounded awkward.
“Ah, khem. Um. It was Seomun Soje, yes? How can one cast away human relationships so coldly?”
“If you forcibly cling to a connection that was never meant to be, wouldn't it just look like pathetic begging? In that case, it's better to simply keep one bragging right—that I was once called a friend by Wangya in the past.”
“No, it doesn't have to be 'in the past'...”
“Enough. If you have something to say, tell him to say it himself. Using a spokesperson just to embarrass someone. Do you think a girl who's lived without much will lose her mind and run after high nobles the moment she sees one?”
The Tang family members listening nearby turned deathly pale. Cheong's rough analogy between a chaebol heir and a prince was close enough, but no comparison in the world was perfect. This level of disrespect was beyond belief. The prince they had viewed as a lifeline now looked like he might become the fuse to an explosion.
“That... I am sorry. I did not mean it that way. It was not intentional hiding, so do not be so angry.”
The Tang family members, who had been watching the situation anxiously, finally let out another sigh of relief. He had actually apologized so obediently!
“If it was not intentional, why did you stay silent until the situation reached this point? If Wangya had simply said one word from the beginning that you were alive, wouldn't all this chaos have been avoided?”
“Well... I also heard the news that I had passed away. The substitute who took my place collapsed while I was away, so I needed time to assess the situation...”
Cheong narrowed her eyes.
Jayu broke into a cold sweat, then suddenly thought, Why am I acting like a criminal here?
“Ahem. I am a Chinwang.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Prince. And this is the Tang family basement that just got bombarded. It was completely smashed to pieces.”
“Ahem.” The Tang family head gave an uncomfortable cough and muttered, “It wasn't completely smashed...”
“...Do not think of me as too cold-blooded.”
Jayu shrank back again. The Tang family members thought to themselves: He's completely caught. Totally whipped. Just being swung around however she wants.
Feeling their gazes, Jayu made an embarrassed expression.
“Um. That. We should probably move to a different location.”
The Emperor hated Murim. The hatred passed down since the time of Mucheon-daeje had already crossed the bounds of common sense. He had even gone so far as to pass the throne to the child who hated Murim the most.
No matter how strong a Murim warrior might be, unless they were a giant like Mucheon-daeje who could reach the heavens, they could not survive against hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Soldiers practiced martial arts too. A master's internal energy was not infinite. Once their true qi was exhausted, they were nothing more than a sturdy, skilled fighter. If you simply beat them down with numbers, the damage would be enormous, but it was not impossible to crush them.
Of course, if the damage was too great, the dynasty itself might change afterward, so they could not charge in recklessly. Still, when cautiously removing one obstacle, it was better to remove the most dangerous one. That target had been the Sichuan Tang family. They were living biochemical weapons capable of overwhelmingly shifting the exchange rate between one martial artist and an army of soldiers.
“So that was why my brother sent me to Sichuan. This place, too, is not without its royal troubles.”
A wise man assumes the worst. The Deokhyun Prince's residence had only been established a little over ten years ago. If he had been dreaming of dealing with the Tang family after an assassination attempt since then, he could not afford to carelessly reveal himself.
“I thought I had handled things well enough to stay out of sight, but it seems they still intend to eliminate me.”
That was why he had lived like he did not exist. The "good prince" praised by the people was nothing but an illusion. He simply had not accumulated wealth so as not to stand out, and the grain he distributed to the poor had been purchased with his own funds. By placing people under his influence in key official positions instead of the Emperor's men, he had driven out corrupt officials. It had not been ruling through the virtue of not ruling. He had simply been too afraid of the Emperor to show his face.
“Then... well. It can't be helped if it was to survive. But why are you here?”
“With this opportunity, I thought I could gain the Tang family's cooperation and take complete control of Sichuan. If the officials and Murim of Sichuan joined forces, even His Majesty would have no answer. However.”
“However?”
The prince straightened his posture. Even though he had never learned a single martial art, a natural dignity flowed from him. Cheong realized once again that not just anyone could become a prince.
“Is there truly any reason for Murim to continue existing? His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. He rules the land with legitimate authority granted by the mandate of heaven. In this vast territory, that strict law flows from him. Yet how dare these armed groups arbitrarily claim ownership of the land and exploit the good people?”
Prince Deokhyun taking the side of the Sichuan Tang family was no small matter. The Emperor had already dispatched the Censorate and the Imperial Guards to erase the Tang family. For the prince to oppose that was rebellion. And once that happened, it would truly become treason.
Of course, the Emperor had tried to kill the prince first. But wasn't the Emperor the one who held the right to order death upon the people? Therefore, the reason Prince Deokhyun asked was not mere curiosity, not simply Let me hear your opinion. It was because he had pondered alone for so long without reaching a conclusion. Whether it was acceptable to acknowledge that Murim was necessary to the world and share the authority of rule. It was the final question before an irreversible decision—whether the prince of Sichuan must raise his sword against the imperial family by helping a mere Murim sect.
And so Cheong answered.
“Why are you asking me that?”
Jayu frowned deeply.
“Hmm. Did it not feel like I was asking something extremely important? You—no. Since my friend also helped the Tang family, you have fulfilled your duty as a member of Murim. That is why I ask not my subject, but my friend who belongs to Murim.”
“Member of Murim, my ass. I just helped because the Tang family people seemed like good people. They give out free medical treatment and have a good reputation, don't they?”
“Give out? Was it not simply to advance their own medical techniques? The result happened to be good while they took care of their own interests. Does that make it a good deed?”
Cheong let out a small laugh and said, “If the result is good, then that's enough. Anyway, if other people like it, isn't it a good thing? In my view, the Tang family who act as free doctors are far more beneficial to the world than an emperor whose only fame is his notoriety.”