Chapter 418: Plotting an Assassination-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 418: Plotting an Assassination-1
Knock, knock.
Someone tapped on the door.
"Who is it?"
Tang Jin-seol spoke, her expression twisted with spite.
"Madam, it is I, Dang-yeon."
"Enter!"
Creeeeeak.
As soon as Tang Jin-seol gave her permission, a woman with a frail impression entered the room.
"What is it?" Tang Jin-seol asked, her sharp eyes flashing.
"A letter has arrived from the Tang Clan."
Dang-yeon held up a neatly folded letter as she spoke.
"What?!"
Upon hearing those words, Tang Jin-seol’s face brightened. The letter she had been waiting for so desperately had finally arrived.
"Give it to me at once!"
Snatch.
Tang Jin-seol lunged forward and snatched the letter from her hand.
Crinkle.
She unfurled the parchment immediately and began to scan the contents with frantic speed.
Dart, dart.
Her eyes moved incessantly, bulging as if she refused to miss even a single character.
.
.
.
.
After some time had passed—
Rip!
Tang Jin-seol did something unexpected. She tore the letter she had been reading to shreds.
Dang-yeon watched, her jaw dropping in shock. She seemed stunned by such a sudden outburst from the usually refined woman.
"Eeeeeeek!"
Tang Jin-seol grimaced with pure rage, tearing the paper again and again. The letter contained utter nonsense that she simply could not accept.
"Expelling Jang Sun-woo?! By whose authority?!"
Her fury boiling over, Tang Jin-seol raised her voice and shrieked.
Flinch.
Dang-yeon trembled at the scream. An ominous aura was beginning to radiate from Tang Jin-seol’s body.
"A man can make mistakes while navigating society! How can they use that as an excuse to kick him out?! Don't you agree, Dang-yeon?!"
Tang Jin-seol glared at Dang-yeon with a piercing gaze, demanding an answer.
"T-That is... true."
Dang-yeon nodded her head in frantic agreement. Of course, as a woman, it was a statement she couldn't possibly agree with in her heart, but she knew her life would become miserable if she didn't play along. She spat out words she didn't mean.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Tang Jin-seol cursed repeatedly. The situation hadn't just turned bad; it had spiraled into the absolute worst-case scenario.
Jang Sun-woo, whom she had trusted as her greatest ally, had been expelled from the Tang Clan and had sided with Lee Ye-seol. This was the same Lee Ye-seol who was already the darling of the elders and veterans because of her status as the legitimate daughter.
This was a problem. A massive problem.
The balance of power had been completely shattered.
Joo So-yang, the mistress of the Cheonmu Alliance, already enjoyed the fervent support of the elders. Her reputation as the daughter of the previous Alliance Leader moved their hearts. Furthermore, since she officially held the position of the Primary Wife, she was naturally popular with the elders who valued legitimacy and prestige.
In such a situation, even Jang Sun-woo—the greatest talent under heaven—had defected to that side.
How on earth was she supposed to resolve this?
"To hell with it all."
Tang Jin-seol scowled deeply. The thought of the collapsed power balance sent a wave of immense irritation through her.
After fuming for a while, her expression suddenly hardened. She had finished her calculations.
"Dang-yeon."
Tang Jin-seol called out in a calm, measured tone.
"Y-Yes!" Dang-yeon replied, startled.
"Go to Buryeon Pavilion and request the use of Meeting Room 3."
"Meeting Room... 3?"
"Yes. Something urgent has come up that requires discussion. Do it as quickly as possible."
"Understood!"
Dang-yeon nodded quickly, turned around, and hurried out.
Slam.
Once she was gone, Tang Jin-seol stood up. She realized she couldn't afford to just sit idly by.
*
Meeting Room 3
Several beautiful noblewomen, each possessing her own unique charm, sat with haughty expressions.
"Oh my, what brings Madam Hwangbo to a place like this?"
Zhuge Ju-kyung spoke, her expression suggesting she found the other woman's presence unexpected.
"Is this a place I'm not allowed to be?"
"You've always hated using your head. Seeing someone like you in a meeting room... I can't help but laugh."
Zhuge Ju-kyung spoke spitefully, her face full of mockery.
"What did you say?!"
"Or perhaps you took a wrong turn? The dining hall is out the door and to the right."
"Eeeeeeek!"
Hwangbo Yu-yeon glared at her, trembling with indignation. She already despised the woman, and being openly ridiculed only made her blood boil further.
"Oh, Madam Eon, that's a necklace I haven't seen before."
Moyong Ran spoke up, eyeing the pearl necklace around Eon So-so’s neck.
"My father gave it to me as a gift recently."
Eon So-so replied with a proud expression. It was a necklace made of high-grade pearls. She felt a surge of desire to show it off.
"My, how beautiful. Almost too beautiful for someone like you, Madam Eon."
Moyong Ran spoke with a thin smile on her lips.
"What?!"
Eon So-so snapped, her voice rising in anger.
"It looks like pearls before swine. It doesn't suit your thick neck at all. Now, if it were on a slender neck like mine, that would be a different story."
Moyong Ran didn't hesitate to hurl insults, her eyes crinkling into a mock-sweet smile.
"Are you bragging just because your neck is a little thin?" Eon So-so hissed, her face contorted.
"It's not bragging; it's a fact."
"Then shall we see just how sturdy that 'slender' neck of yours is?"
Eon So-so glared at Moyong Ran with murderous intent. She felt she couldn't let such a blatant insult slide.
"You are all so childish."
Just then, Paeng Ga-ryeon, who had been sitting quietly in a corner of the room, spoke in a frigid voice.
"Are you all aging backward? How can the wives of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader be so utterly lacking in dignity?"
She continued, her tone sounding like a stern lecture.
"The one who throws the petty provocations and the ones who fall for them are equally low-class."
She wore a cold, superior smile.
""What did you say?!""
The women who had been bickering shouted in unison. They were incensed by her attempt to look down on them while acting all refined.
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, Zhuge Ju-kyung burst into laughter.
"What is so funny?" Paeng Ga-ryeon asked, offended. She felt a sharp sting of mockery directed at her.
"How can I not laugh? Look at yourself. How can you say such things with a face like that?"
Zhuge Ju-kyung pointed at Paeng Ga-ryeon’s face.
To put it mildly, Paeng Ga-ryeon’s face was currently in no condition to be seen. On the day she had gone to arrest Kang Ha-yoon, she had been beaten by her until the dust flew like a rainy day. Kang Ha-yoon had hit every single inch of her body.
Generally, in the Murim, it was a basic rule not to touch a woman's face. A scar on a woman's face was a wound so severe it could ruin her life. However, to a completely enraged Kang Ha-yoon, such rules meant nothing. Paeng Ga-ryeon had been pummeled not just on her body, but her face as well.
The result was her current appearance. She was covered in dark bruises, and her face was so swollen it looked like a talking dumpling.
"Hehe... I wonder if our 'brilliant' Madam Paeng knew her face would turn into such a monstrosity when she went to arrest Kang Ha-yoon?"
Zhuge Ju-kyung mocked her, pointing out her ridiculous state.
"......I was merely fulfilling my duties for the law enforcement agency."
Paeng Ga-ryeon’s face turned bright red as she responded to the mockery.
"I had no idea our Madam Paeng was such a hard worker. I thought you were just someone who took bribes for job placements."
"What?!"
"Am I wrong? Didn't you take money to put the second son of the Geumgye Merchant Guild into the Law Enforcement Hall recently?"
"How dare you speak such nonsense! He was admitted through proper legal procedures! Refrain from making such misleading statements! It's beneath your dignity!"
"Hehe... I didn't know our 'brilliant' Madam Paeng was also so brilliant at playing innocent."
Zhuge Ju-kyung continued in a mocking tone.
"What?!"
"You put a guy who hasn't even learned a lick of martial arts into the Law Enforcement Hall and claim it was a 'proper procedure'?"
"He was hired for an administrative position!"
"A dullard who barely managed to finish the Four Books and Three Classics?"
"......The Law Enforcement Hall focused on his character and future potential."
"We need people who can do the job right now; what 'future potential' are you talking about?!"
Zhuge Ju-kyung raised her voice, her expression saying the excuse was utterly absurd.
"............"
Paeng Ga-ryeon bit her lip hard. She realized that saying anything more would only sound like a pathetic excuse.
"Before you discuss other people's dignity, take care of your own. Madam Paeng, your dignity is as hideous as your face."
Vroooooom.
Suddenly, a murderous aura began to leak from Paeng Ga-ryeon’s body. Zhuge Ju-kyung’s relentless provocations had pushed her past her limit.
"Zhuge Ju-kyung! You truly wish to die!"
"Oh my, are we resorting to fists because you've lost the argument? This is why I can't stand ignorant women."
Even as Paeng Ga-ryeon ramped up her killing intent, Zhuge Ju-kyung continued to mock her, unfazed. Since they were of equal strength, she felt no particular sense of crisis.
"I'll see if you can still wag that tongue once I've driven a blade through it!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon snapped back and immediately gripped the saber hanging at her waist. She felt she couldn't let her anger subside without a fight.
"Fine by me!"
Zhuge Ju-kyung pulled a folding fan from her sleeve. She had no intention of going down easily.
The atmosphere in the meeting room turned explosive in an instant.
"You all seem to have plenty of energy."
Creeeeeak.
The door to the meeting room opened, and a sharp voice pierced through the tension.
The two women, who had been gathering their internal energy, instantly suppressed their auras. The host who had invited them to the meeting room had finally appeared.
"Why stop? Why don't you keep fighting?"
Tang Jin-seol looked at Paeng Ga-ryeon and Zhuge Ju-kyung.
"I welcome fights between the wives. It means one less competitor for me."
Tang Jin-seol wore a cold smile.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
The two women snorted and withdrew their weapons. They had no desire to do anything that would benefit a rival.
"What time is it? Is it acceptable for the host to be this late?"
Moyong Ran glared at Tang Jin-seol. Her irritation had peaked because the person who invited them was tardy.
"My apologies. I hurried as much as I could, but I still arrived late."
Tang Jin-seol replied in a flat tone.
"Anyway, why did you call us all here together? It's not like we're on the kind of terms where we sit down for friendly tea and chat."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon glared at Tang Jin-seol with a venomous look.
"There is something urgent I need to discuss with you all."
Tang Jin-seol spoke with a calm expression.
"What is it? I don't particularly like beating around the bush."
Eon So-so spoke with a dry, hollow expression.
"It is a matter regarding the succession."
Tang Jin-seol scanned the room with a steady gaze.
"Succession?"
"The successor?"
The women asked back, their expressions filled with confusion. They had no idea what she was about to say. They were all rivals competing for the succession of their own children. What could she possibly have to say about it now?
"You all know that Lee Ye-seol submitted her list of supporters recently."
The women nodded. It was a well-known fact. There were still a couple of months left before the competition officially began. Since Lee Ye-seol was the first to submit her list, it was impossible not to know.
"And I believe you all know very well who the key figure on that list is."
She continued, her face clouding with annoyance. Just thinking about it made her blood boil.
"I would like to talk about that key figure."
"Are you talking about Jang Sun-woo?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked in a level voice.
"Yes, that's right. It's about Jang Sun-woo."
Tang Jin-seol looked around the room with a spiteful glint in her eyes and spoke slowly.
"I hate talking in circles, so I'll get straight to the point. I intend to kill Jang Sun-woo."
Her eyes flashed.
"I ask for everyone's cooperation."
Her gaze was filled with an immense, chilling murderous intent.