A Bold Move and Its Aftermath
Yeongso chose Madam Dan and Madam Mo as her co-judges. Madam Dan, Dan Myomyo, was a cute beauty in her early thirties with a beauty mark near her lips. Her husband held the highest rank among all the wives' spouses; in terms of hierarchy within the alliance, her husband was second only to Vice Alliance Leader Ma Ryun. Meanwhile, Madam Mo, Mo Paeyeon, was in her mid-fifties and the eldest among the executives' wives. True to her unorthodox roots, she took meticulous care of her appearance, making her look at least ten years younger than her actual age.
"To sit side-by-side with the Alliance Leader's wife on the judging panel is such an honor for Myomyo," Dan Myomyo said with a flirtatious giggle.
For some reason, Yeongso tilted her head, finding the speech pattern oddly familiar. Do all women with repetitive names refer to themselves in the third person? she wondered. Chocho does that too... Perhaps she was making a hasty generalization.
"In return, you must reward Myomyo handsomely. You see, Myomyo wanted to participate in the tournament too. But if Myomyo is a judge, Myomyo can't win first place, can she? And Myomyo won't be able to have the Sword Ghost's manual, will she?"
Oh dear. She was a tougher opponent than Chocho. At least Chocho didn't pout her lips like that. However, because Dan Myomyo had such a charming face, her whining didn't feel unpleasant. Yeongso forced a smile.
"Yes, I will make sure you are well compensated. Once the tournament is over, Madam Dan, you may also choose one item of your choice from the treasury's inventory list."
"Oh my...! Can't Myomyo choose two?" Dan Myomyo attempted to negotiate, coyly shrugging one shoulder. This was something Yeongso had anticipated.
"Very well. You may choose two."
"My goodness...! Since you are being so generous, then..."
"Madam Dan? Two." As Yeongso smiled gently with her eyes, Dan Myomyo bit the tip of her tongue playfully and smiled back.
"Oh, honestly. You make Myomyo worry you'll tell the Alliance Leader. Fine, Myomyo will settle for two."
Yeongso turned to Mo Paeyeon, who was wearing a dignified smile, and explained that she too could choose two treasures later. Mo Paeyeon simply nodded gently in response.
"If you have any questions regarding the martial arts tournament, please feel free to come find me at any time. I look forward to working with you."
Yeongso raised her teacup to show her respect to the executives' wives. The ladies raised their cups in return. Having exchanged courtesies, they drank their tea in unison. A warm sense of satisfaction washed over Yeongso, feeling as though she had taken a step forward.
I must make sure this tournament is a resounding success!
That night, Banya, who had been resting with a hot damp towel draped over his eyes, suddenly bolted upright.
"Dan Myomyo and Mo Paeyeon?"
"Yes."
"You appointed those women as co-judges?"
"Yes."
Yeongso looked at her husband with clear, innocent eyes. "You said it was a good idea yesterday too."
"When did I ever say that?" Her husband's shameless denial without even a twitch of his facial muscles left her somewhat flabbergasted. Exercising her patience, Yeongso replied calmly.
"I asked you yesterday. I said it would be reasonable to choose Madam Dan, whose husband holds the highest rank and who is highly skilled in martial arts herself, and Madam Mo, an elder who is highly respected within the Sapa, as judges, and asked what you thought. And you said..."
"Ah, now I remember." Banya raised a finger, cutting Yeongso off. "And didn't I say this in response? That Dan Myomyo is a sly vixen who sleeps around with other women's husbands, and Mo Paeyeon is a black-hearted hag whose inferiority complex plunges straight down to the depths of hell."
"Banya, really." Yeongso's brow gradually furrowed. "You need to speak of women with a bit more respect."
"Did you just call me by my name...?"
"For the Alliance Leader of Cheonsaryeon to refer to the wives of his own executives as vixens and hags..."
"No, wait, just now..."
"...shows a complete lack of respect."
"Respect or not, I was simply stating facts. What am I supposed to do about the fact that Dan Myomyo is a woman who sleeps with other people's husbands?"
"Even if that were true!" Yeongso struggled to find a more delicate way to phrase it. "You—you still shouldn't speak of them that way!"
Muttering that he couldn't understand her logic, Banya covered his eyes with the damp towel once more. Excuse me, my selfish husband. We are in the middle of a conversation, are we not?
"I am listening," Banya said, leaning back in his chair.
Yeongso instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth. Did I say that out loud?
"Anyway, my point is, if I were your mother, I would have told my daughter not to associate with women like that."
"...My mother would have told me to keep my distance from you first and foremost."
"I can't deny that." Banya smirked, curling one corner of his lips. "I am indeed the biggest scoundrel of them all."
"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call you a scoundrel..."
"Well, whatever. If you absolutely had to choose two from among the executives' wives, is there really any better option than Dan Myomyo and Mo Paeyeon? Even I can't think of anyone else." Since she had to choose two from a pool of poisoners, wicked women, temptresses, and heartless monsters, his dear wife must have had quite a headache.
Yeongso tilted her head slightly. "They didn't seem like such bad people to me."
"..."
"A little power struggle at the beginning is common in any group."
"..."
"Madam Dan is quite sociable, and Madam Mo was rather dignified. If I can win them over this time, it will be of great help to my future activities as the Alliance Leader's wife."
"I really cannot fathom your standard for what qualifies as 'bad.'" Banya tapped his fingers against the armrest. "Just how atrocious does someone have to be for you to consider them a bad person? Your criteria seem vastly different from the norm."
In any case, that wasn't the important part. Banya warned her that she would have to prepare for the aftermath of offering the Sword Ghost's manual as a prize.
"The aftermath?"
"First of all, your mother." Though he referred to her as his mother-in-law, Banya had never actually met Gang-ssi Buin. As of now, the only member of his wife's family whose face he knew was Baekri Yeong-hyeok. "You might be able to make up excuses for others. But your mother is the only one who knows that your master was the Sword Ghost. She is bound to be absolutely appalled, isn't she?"
As soon as her husband finished speaking, Yeongso let out a soft sigh. That was indeed her greatest concern.
"I haven't forgotten about Mother. But I felt there would be no publicity more effective than using my master's manual."
"You do things that are surprisingly bold sometimes."
"I have already sent a letter to Mother regarding this. She will likely receive it by tomorrow."
Banya pressed his lips together. She couldn't tell if he was holding back a laugh or genuinely worrying with her. Yeongso gave her husband a sharp, sideways glare and asked,
"Is my mother's reaction the only aftermath you are referring to?"
"Of course not." Banya pointed toward the embroidery chest on the other side of the room. "Until the moment the prize is handed over to the winner of the tournament, countless people will infiltrate this place targeting that."
He was referring to the original copy of the Sword Ghost's manual. Yeongso let out a small chuckle.
"I am not worried about that. After all, I am known only to have studied martial theory, not to actually possess any martial arts skills. Would someone like Baekri Yeongso keep such a precious manual close to her?"
People would naturally assume the manual was in Hwa Banya's possession. When she pointed this out, Banya shook his head.
"It seems you intended to use me as a shield. My dear wife, you see only the surface and not what lies beneath. When it comes to the people of the Sapa..." Banya tapped his temple lightly. "...they aren't quite right in the head."
Why must he resort to insults so suddenly?
"Since you initially opened the cover of the small table in the parlor and pulled the manual out from there, everyone will start by searching that very spot."
"Surely not..."
"Next, they will ransack every nook and cranny of Hwining-dang. And if they still can't find it, they will hold a blade to the throat of my defenseless wife and demand to know where you hid it."
Banya removed the now-lukewarm towel from his face. "Which means your sleep will be thoroughly disrupted for the next few days."
"Are you saying the executives' wives I met today... will come to steal the manual?"
"Why wouldn't they? Those women will likely be the first to arrive."
"If they want the manual so badly, they can just enter the tournament and win first place."
Banya suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at Yeongso. His unfamiliar expression flustered her.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Banya did not answer his wife's question. He merely stared at her in silence before slowly shaking his head.
Yeongso flared up slightly. "What is that head shake supposed to mean?!"