Benevolence and Bitter Memories
"Hieek!" Trembling with fear, the child somehow managed to squeak out an answer before throwing himself flat onto the dirt ground again.
I've angered the Alliance Leader of Cheonsaryeon! I'm going to die! My head is going to be crushed!
Yeongso could see that not only the child, but every single passerby in the area was thinking the exact same thing.
Yeongso gently nudged Banya's arm.
"So, what I mean is... there was a... difficulty... that I hadn't considered. Territorial disputes among beggars... Rotten bastards. Fine. I will have it corrected starting tomorrow."
Banya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After taking a moment to rein in his surging temper, he questioned the child.
"How much do you make a day begging like this?"
"There are m-many days when I don't earn a single penny."
"If there was a job that paid three pennies a day and provided room and board, would you take it?"
The child's and Yeongso's eyes widened at the same time. Yeongso was the first to speak.
"Isn't three pennies far too little for wages?"
It was a pittance, not even enough to buy a bowl of noodles from a street stall. At best, it might buy a single cucumber at the market—and only if the merchant was willing to sell them individually.
Yet, the words that came out of the child's mouth were entirely different.
"For someone like me, it would be a b-blessing. Cough! But who would ever hire a beggar like me...?"
"Come to the western gate of Cheonsaryeon at dawn tomorrow. I will instruct the guards."
Banya walked over to a nearby fish porridge stall and handed the owner a sliver of silver no larger than a fingernail.
"I am paying in advance. Remember his face and let him eat whenever he comes... understand?"
Not a harsh command, but a polite request? Was this truly coming from the mouth of the Alliance Leader of Cheonsaryeon? The stall owner doubted his own ears but reached out a trembling hand to accept the silver.
"You heard me, right? Get up and fill your stomach."
"Thank you, thank you so much, Alliance Leader!"
"But only eat one bowl for now. If you stuff a starving belly all at once, you'll die."
The Alliance Leader and his wife departed. When the tension finally broke, the child's legs gave out, and the stall owner had to help him up.
Steam rose from the bowl of fish porridge, which was packed with white fish meat. The child stared down at the bowl in disbelief for a long moment before finally picking up his spoon.
"Is it really safe for that kid to go to Cheonsaryeon tomorrow? Doesn't it just mean they're going to kill him tomorrow morning instead of right now?"
"But he paid for the porridge in advance. He told the owner to let the kid eat whenever he wants, so doesn't that mean he intends to keep him alive?"
"What's a sliver of silver to the Alliance Leader of Cheonsaryeon?"
"True... But I guess people really do change after a near-death experience."
"Tsk! I still don't believe it. How many times has he done something like this only to change his mind the next day? He is the very definition of 'sole ruler of heaven and earth,' after all."
The onlookers whispered among themselves as they watched the wide-eyed beggar child gulp down the porridge. Some said the boy would die tomorrow, others said he wouldn't. Some argued Hwa Banya had changed, while others fiercely disagreed. But amidst the sea of conflicting opinions, everyone agreed on one thing regarding Baekri Yeongso:
"The Alliance Leader's wife is the only pitiful one!"
About seven or eight minutes after they parted ways with the beggar child, Banya suddenly clenched his fists and ground his teeth. He was biting down so hard that the muscles in his jaw visibly twitched.
Yeongso, who had been about to clap with a bright expression, met her husband's gaze and quickly realized. Now is definitely not the time to clap.
"I should have just killed that tiny little rat..."
The gentle curve of Yeongso's lips froze. It-it's fine. When it comes to virtue, actions matter more than intentions. Even if Banya secretly wanted to tear the beggar child limb from limb, he hadn't scolded him, had fed him, and had even promised him a job. In any case, this counted as a good deed.
"I should have killed him. I should have killed them all. If I had just slaughtered those brats who kicked up all that dust, I would feel so much better..."
Unable to contain his boiling murderous intent, Banya glared at Yeongso.
"Were you... perhaps about to clap just now, wife?"
Yeongso shook her head quickly and demurely pressed her hands together as if in prayer. Her delicate, jade-like hands were instantly concealed beneath the long sleeves of her noble robes.
Banya glared at his wife with fierce eyes before letting out a heavy sigh.
"I'll die of sheer frustration long before I ever manage to complete ten thousand good deeds..."
Yeongso looked up at the sign of the restaurant. The three characters for "Chunyangru" were carved in elegant calligraphy. The letters gleamed in gold against a vibrant red background, and the border of the sign was intricately carved with flowering branches, making it exceptionally lavish.
And usually, a restaurant with a sign this blatantly extravagant sold far more than just food.
"Wife, why do you hesitate?"
Banya, who was already a few steps ahead, urged her forward.
Though she was the wife of the notorious Alliance Leader of Cheonsaryeon, Yeongso was a young lady raised in an entirely different environment from her husband. A well-bred lady like her would never dream of entering such a place; in fact, she had been taught never to even go near them.
"Alliance Leader, why have you brought me to a place like this?"
"What kind of place do you think this is? Don't be so frightened, take a look inside, wife. Up to the second floor, it is just an ordinary restaurant."
Yeongso peeked inside. It seemed Banya wasn't entirely lying. She could see several women dining with companions, and even families with children.
Even as Yeongso hesitated at the entrance, female patrons who had finished their meals were leaving Chunyangru, cheerfully sent off by the waiter.
"See? I told you so."
"Then why are we..."
"Is there any other reason to visit a restaurant? We came to eat, of course."
Banya took her hand and pulled her along. They had never shared such an intimate relationship, but having passively gone along with his lead, she now found herself walking arm-in-arm with her husband.
Once they were seated, Banya ordered with practiced ease. Yeongso was secretly surprised to find that every dish he ordered was one of her favorites.
As soon as the waiter bowed and left, another waiter arrived to set down the complimentary side dishes: peanuts roasted in spicy seasoning and tangy pickled radish.
"The atmosphere is much livelier than I expected."
"The food is delicious too. You'll see once you taste it. The chef here is one of the best in Nagan."
"Were you a regular?"
"This place is run by Jeokhwa Palace. While the first two floors are a normal restaurant, the third floor consists entirely of private rooms where courtesans entertain guests. Once the mood is set on the third floor, patrons pay extra to go up to the fourth floor, which is filled with bedrooms."
Banya skipped any further explanation of what those rooms were used for, assuming she would understand without him having to spell it out.
"The real problem is the Annex in the back. Most of Chunyangru's revenue comes from there. I only went there once..."
Yeongso's grip tightened around her chopsticks. Seeing this, Banya let out a soft chuckle.
"If you kill me again, you really won't be able to become an immortal."
"Who said anything about killing you?"
"What a pity. Since I realized I can't commit suicide, I was secretly hoping that dying by your hand again might yield a different result."
Banya quickly added that he hadn't gone there to indulge in 'such activities,' but rather to shut down the Annex's operations.
"My late mother came from the Chunyangru Annex. As soon as I ascended to the position of Palace Master of Jeokhwa Palace, I did two things. First, I castrated my biological father. Second, I banned all business in the Annex. Because I knew exactly what went on in there... and I loathed it."
Banya's smile twisted.
"But it seems that once I died, that bastard Hwa Mujin restarted the Annex business."
"I had no idea there was such a history..."
"You are the treasured daughter of a noble family. Such filthy stories would never reach your ears. Besides, you rarely went outside even after marrying me."
It was rather absurd hearing that from the very person who had given her no choice but to stay indoors. He was the one who would fly into a murderous rage if she so much as looked at another man. Yeongso had simply wanted to prevent the innocent youths of Nagan from dying.
"But what exactly happens in the Annex?"
What on earth could possibly take place there to make even the infamous Hwa Banya recoil in disgust? Just as she was about to listen to his answer—
"Thank you for waiting!"
The waiter brought out five dishes all at once. Then, he placed a wine cup shaped like a flower in full bloom only in front of Yeongso.