I Don't Even Want to Look at Your Face, Brother! -1
Clomp. Clomp.
Yu Gyeong forced his lagging steps forward and thought, This is why... a person must keep a pure heart.
He lamented. The price for taking out yesterday's frustration on the ministers was catching up to him like this!
Had the ministers done anything wrong in today's state affairs? Not particularly. They had simply come up with the construction plans they considered most urgent using the suddenly available budget, and argued among themselves for their own justifications. The ministers could be said to have diligently done their jobs.
I'm being punished...!
If he had continued the state affairs with calm criticism instead of venting on the ministers, this moment would have been delayed by an hour or two. In that time Minister Sama Gyeong-hwi would have absorbed Hyeok Gi-rin's anger, and Yu Gyeong would have been able to face a somewhat calmer Hyeok Gi-rin.
The very thought of using Sama Gyeong-hwi as a shield was far from a pure heart, but unfortunately there was no one around Yu Gyeong to point that out.
Arriving at the Gungcheong Hall with the heart of a cow being led to the slaughterhouse, Yu Gyeong heard:
"Your Majesty, I shall guide you to the training grounds."
"...The training grounds... you say?"
Yu Gyeong's voice trembled of its own accord. Not a room, but the training grounds?
"Kyaaaaak!"
Crash! Bang! Bang!!
Just as they were about to enter the training grounds, a death scream and the sound of someone tumbling rang out! The palace maid guiding Yu Gyeong and Yu Gyeong himself both halted their steps.
Gulp.
The palace maid and Yu Gyeong swallowed dryly once and hurried forward.
What Yu Gyeong saw upon entering the training grounds was the upright back of Hyeok Gi-rin standing nonchalantly, and Eastern Depot Director Sama Gyeong-hwi crumpled pitifully on the floor.
The black Eastern Depot uniform that commanded both envy and fear at a glance had long been marinated in dust! It made clear he had rolled across the floor more than once or twice.
"Has Elder Brother arrived?"
At his sister's cold tone—one he was hearing for the first time—Yu Gyeong shuddered once.
Gulp.
Sama Gyeong-hwi, writhing on the floor, raised his head to look at Yu Gyeong. Sama Gyeong-hwi's eyes were dead. With the eyes of a fish dragged up onto land, Sama Gyeong-hwi's mouth opened. A silent cry with only his lips flapping. Yu Gyeong had never learned lip-reading, yet somehow he understood what Sama Gyeong-hwi wanted to say.
Ru...n... a...way...
Having left his final will, Sama Gyeong-hwi dropped his head as if his strength were gone and moved no more.
Seeing that appearance of Sama Gyeong-hwi, Yu Gyeong squeezed his eyes shut.
Ah, I'm dead today!
"It is a bit regrettable that Elder Brother has not learned martial arts."
Yes, this elder brother has not learned martial arts. So how about not clenching your fists and talking with words instead?
Yu Gyeong thought only inwardly, unable to voice it as he watched her repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists.
"After working up a good sweat, a healthier spirit would have taken root. The Director seems to have cleared his head a bit, but it is truly regrettable that it cannot be so for Elder Brother."
Perhaps from moving her body, Hyeok Gi-rin looked a bit refreshed as she gazed at Yu Gyeong with a cool smile. Receiving that gaze, Yu Gyeong felt his body trembling involuntarily.
"What on earth were you thinking to pull such a stunt?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"What benefit was there for Elder Brother in trapping Master Ho that you would do such a thing! Even if Elder Brother is the master of this Imperial Palace, to personally disrupt the laws of the palace and...!"
Yu Gyeong hung his head low. In fact, regarding the matter of Ho Cheon-an, even with a hundred mouths he had nothing to say.
"That day, you spoke so positively about gambling. So with the heart of wanting to show you how dangerous gambling is..."
"Elder Brother. I have already long passed the age of twenty. How long will you treat me like a child?"
"But..."
But he could not help worrying as if she were a child left by the water's edge. The very fact that she had given her heart to Ho Cheon-an was a source of worry and concern for Yu Gyeong.
"I don't know how I should face Master Ho the Nangin from tomorrow! What should I say! Should I say that to instill a sense of caution about gambling in me, Elder Brother and the Eastern Depot Director stepped forward to try to ruin Master Ho?"
"...."
"You complained about how busy state affairs were, yet you had time to personally step forward and lure Master Ho! And last night, what was that? You said you needed rest because of accumulated fatigue, yet you went to personally watch Master Ho in distress?"
Yu Gyeong remained silent with his head hung low. Hyeok Gi-rin huffed and raged, yet felt her heart weaken at that appearance.
Even if she hated him, Elder Brother was Elder Brother.
Just as Yu Gyeong cared for Hyeok Gi-rin, Hyeok Gi-rin also cared for Yu Gyeong. If Hyeok Gi-rin did not sincerely think of Yu Gyeong, she would never have left the comfortable nest of the Imperial Palace to live as a person of the Murim.
He must have been thoroughly fleeced by Master Ho last night.
She had not heard the detailed story of yesterday, but it was clear without seeing and known without hearing. The one who entered the heart of the enemy camp and brought back gold bars in bundles was Ho Cheon-an, and when it came to gambling he easily deceived even Transformation Realm experts and matched Profound Realm experts.
Since it was a gambling den that Yu Gyeong had stepped into and the Eastern Depot had organized, they must have prepared a grand gambling den... but the side that got thoroughly cleaned out would have been Yu Gyeong's side, and given Ho Cheon-an's personality, he would not have just let it go.
"Elder Brother."
Shall I scold him only up to here. While tussling with Sama Gyeong-hwi, my anger has roughly subsided. Cleaning up this situation will also be an ordeal from Yu Gyeong's perspective. If that much, the punishment should be sufficient.
Thinking so and intending to wrap up this place for now, Hyeok Gi-rin frowned at the unresponsive Yu Gyeong.
"...Elder Brother, are you listening?"
"I... no matter how I think about it, it's difficult."
"What is?"
"Accepting that fellow Ho Cheon-an as a brother-in-law."
Hyeok Gi-rin froze with her arms crossed.
Just now... Elder Brother... said what?
While Hyeok Gi-rin froze from hearing words she had never imagined, Yu Gyeong raised his head.
All the matters had already reached Hyeok Gi-rin's ears. Then was there a need to secretly evaluate Ho Cheon-an? Rather... let us talk openly about everything with Hyeok Gi-rin.
"To be honest, I did not like that fellow Ho Cheon-an as your match! His origins! His martial arts realm! The work he is currently doing! Even the fact that he enjoys gambling! So I plotted something like yesterday!"
"What, what..."
Hyeok Gi-rin's face flushed red like a ripe persimmon. What is this Elder Brother saying?
"Yesterday I directly saw the sight of that fellow Ho Cheon-an gambling. Seeing that sight directly, at least I could not see this fellow as a lowly one doing nangin work, or a playboy who just gambles. Yes, so from today I decided to look at that fellow's character!"
"Elder Brother! What on earth are you talking about!"
"Listen! I cannot yield on this part!"
"No..!"
What is this Elder Brother saying right now! Who likes whom? And imperial son-in-law? From when did he see them as dating with marriage in mind!
Hyeok Gi-rin could not overcome the surging shame and stamped her feet. But ignoring such an attitude from Hyeok Gi-rin, Yu Gyeong poured out his passionate speech.
"I well know that saying such words right after plotting something like yesterday may seem to lack sincerity! But this elder brother cannot stop worrying whether you can truly live a happy life when you and that fellow are connected!"
Yu Gyeong nodded as he poured out his speech. Yes, this was right. In the end, what was the fundamental reason for trying to trap Ho Cheon-an in the gambling den trap? Because he had thought that when that fellow Ho Cheon-an and Hyeok Gi-rin were connected, she would become unhappy.
But was that judgment accurate? Not at all. He had merely been unable to accept the fact that his little sister was connecting with someone, so he caught the person's flaws and forcibly tried to widen those cracks.
But Yu Gyeong also felt wronged.
If she had set her heart on a somewhat decent person, fine. But of all people, a Sichuan nangin, a first-rate warrior, a gambling addict—no, a gambling expert?
Yes, I admit that Ho Cheon-an's gambling skill is truly a realm that looks down on the world. But...
If he were the world's best farmer or the world's best cook, that would be one thing. But why does he have to be the world's best at gambling of all things!
It was something he could not even proudly announce because it was embarrassing. Yu Gyeong briefly imagined the time when Ho Cheon-an and Hyeok Gi-rin were connected, and Ho Cheon-an's talent was revealed.
"I hear the Imperial Son-in-Law possesses the world's greatest hand skills?"
"Don't even speak of it—even a hundred gamblers together could not match him! Truly one against a hundred!"
"They say the way he switches cards is breathtaking. I do hope I might one day witness that talent myself. Hahahaha!"
Just imagining the conversation made his mind reel!
How could anyone easily accept such a fact? The mere fact that Hyeok Gi-rin had set her heart on someone was already a shock to Yu Gyeong, yet the true identity of the Ho Cheon-an she had set her heart on was even more shocking...
"Give this elder brother the time and opportunity to accept the existence of Ho Cheon-an! This time I want to look at that fellow's nature and character and know whether you can truly be happy when connected with him! It may be this elder brother's fussiness...! But this is my true feeling!"
He needed time to accept the person named Ho Cheon-an into his heart.
Yu Gyeong looked with burning eyes at Hyeok Gi-rin, who was stamping her feet and flapping her mouth.
"Have you gone mad! Elder Brother! Master Ho the Nangin and I are not in such a relationship!"
Yu Gyeong briefly made a dumbfounded expression. Now... saying such words? Seeing that expression, Hyeok Gi-rin stamped her feet bang bang and threw a tantrum.
"What is that expression right now!"
"No... just now you beat Sama Gyeong-hwi like a dog on the dog days saying he trapped your husband..."
"That was a natural thing! To do such a thing to a guest who came with me!"
"So that means you like him..."
Seeing Yu Gyeong retorting in a dazed tone, Hyeok Gi-rin was swept by a feeling as if her face were truly on fire. Well! Because Elder Brother is saying strange things! Though Ho Cheon-an appeared in a brief delusion! And she thought he would look after the kids well!
That was really just a fleeting feeling.
"What does Elder Brother know about me to say such things!"
Hyeok Gi-rin glared at Yu Gyeong with fire in both eyes. Come to think of it, the reason she had become conscious of Ho Cheon-an and had strange thoughts was all because Yu Gyeong had brought up marriage talks.
The person who had actually plunged her into anguish was alone beating the drum and playing the janggu, making marriage with Ho Cheon-an a foregone conclusion, so anger surged to the top of her head.
"I really truly hate the likes of Elder Brother!"
"Wh...what..?"
"I said I really hate the likes of Elder Brother! I don't even want to look at the likes of Elder Brother!!"
Hyeok Gi-rin delivered the finishing blow to Yu Gyeong, who was gaping with his mouth open.
"For the time being, do not even set foot toward the Gungcheong Hall!!"
And then she left the place with a whoosh.
Yu Gyeong froze in place like a stone statue of a waiting wife.
I... am hated..? Don't want to see me again..? Don't come looking for me...?
Whoosh.
A single gust of wind swept past the frozen Yu Gyeong and the fainted Sama Gyeong-hwi.