Monopolizing Fortunes (106)
Monopolizing Fortunes (106)
But there was no backing out now. Watching Hwangmi Dal trudge off with Wang Du-sik, Do Tong-dal broke into a beaming smile.
"Feels great to shake off that leech of an old man!"
Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"Did you make that promise on purpose?"
"Of course. I knew that old man would bite. Heh heh heh...."
"Seems more like you sent him off to raise a tiger. What are you going to do if Wang Du-sik actually gets stronger than you six months from now?"
Jang Yu-seom picked up on Namgung Seol-rin's words.
"It doesn't seem entirely impossible. Not if the person teaching him martial arts is the Alliance Leader of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance."
"Even if I were to lose, Protector Jang is here, and Protector Namgung and Protector Won are lined up right behind him, so what's there to worry about? Protector Won especially is a wall that Wang Du-sik couldn't climb even after ten years of training under the Alliance Leader."
Namgung Seol-rin murmured, "So he did have it all planned out," and the other two nodded.
"We got rid of the wart, and that wart is even making his subordinate stronger. We're digging a ditch and catching a crawfish at the same time."
"That cunning little brain of yours, seriously."
"Life sure is comfortable. Right?"
They headed lightheartedly toward Hangzhou, where their home was. Once they reported to Wang Chil and sent Red Tiger Society people to take over the three places they had seized, this expedition would be wrapped up.
It had been an impromptu campaign, but it had been a fairly enjoyable journey with decent gains.
"Next time, should we cross over into another province instead of Zhejiang?"
At Do Tong-dal's muttering, Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"Are you planning to devour the whole night of the Central Plains?"
"It would just take time. It doesn't seem all that hard."
Unless there was a colossal martial force like the Nine Great Sects behind the Underworld, military strength wouldn't be an issue. And with Yang Su-pan around, he didn't have to worry about the authorities either.
If they simply strolled along as if sightseeing, everywhere their feet touched would become Red Tiger Society territory.
"Should we take this chance to tour the Central Plains? About three years of wandering should do it. What do you think?"
"Can you manage it?"
"If I put my mind to it, I'll come up with something."
Well, this was Do Tong-dal, so he would surely find some clever solution. But the dream of touring the Central Plains was dashed by one person who had been waiting for them.
"What took you so long?"
"Huh? What brings Censor Yang all the way here?"
"You'll have to come with me to Beijing right now."
"Me? Why?"
"I'll explain on the way. Hurry and get ready to leave. No, we can pick up whatever we need along the way, so let's depart at once."
Yang Su-pan took Do Tong-dal by the hand and went outside. A four-horse carriage was waiting outside the headquarters.
"No, but I should at least know what this is about...."
"I said I'll explain on the way!"
If Yang Su-pan had come in person, it must be a matter of considerable importance and urgency.
The people left behind watched with dumbfounded expressions as Yang Su-pan dragged Do Tong-dal away.
Only after the carriage had departed did Yang Su-pan bring up the business that had brought him to Hangzhou.
"His Imperial Majesty's condition is not very good."
"When has that old man ever been in good condition?"
He wasn't a tyrant, but he fell far short of being called a sage ruler. At best, he was an unremarkable emperor and nothing more.
"It seems he won't last more than a few months."
"He's dying?"
"Yes."
"Then you should be taking the physician in black, not me."
"Do you think the imperial physicians' medical skills could possibly be inferior to those of the physician in black?"
He could have wagered one of Wang Chil's balls that they were. Though he felt like he'd wagered it before.
"If His Majesty passes away without naming a crown prince, this country will plunge into chaos."
"And what does any of that have to do with me?"
"I want you to take a look and see who will become the next emperor, the First Prince or the Second Prince."
Do Tong-dal, who had been staring blankly at Yang Su-pan, asked.
"What kind of nonsense is that? How would I know something like that?"
Of course he knew. In the end, the emperor had named the First Prince as crown prince, and for a time a whirlwind of purges had swept through Beijing.
Back then, there had only been ominous rumors, and since it had nothing to do with Do Tong-dal's life, he hadn't paid it much mind.
"Just tell me what you think."
"It'll be the First Prince."
"And your reason for thinking so?"
"He's the First Prince. Wouldn't it be stranger not to think so?"
"That's true, of course, but the Second Prince's faction is no pushover either. What do you suppose it means that His Majesty still hasn't named the First Prince as crown prince?"
"It means the First Prince is a piece of trash."
"Hmph! He's no sage ruler, that's for sure."
"It's not like the Second Prince is outstanding either."
"Oh? How does a Hangzhou thug know the affairs of the Forbidden City so well?"
"You said the Second Prince's faction is no pushover. If he had good qualities and that kind of power, he would have already pushed the First Prince out. That's why the emperor is racking his brains over it too."
Since Do Tong-dal could infer ten things from one, he was easy to talk to.
"Right now the First Prince is a step ahead because he's the eldest, but in the end, the final victor is decided by His Majesty."
"That's right."
Do Tong-dal stared vacantly at Yang Su-pan. His eyes were sending the question, "Then why are you dragging me to Beijing?"
"I want you to look at the First Prince and the Second Prince and tell me which one has the face of an emperor."
"Huh? Huhhh?"
"Didn't you know that Minister Jeon Su-bang would rise in the world from his physiognomy alone? Recognizing the heaven-sent face of an emperor should naturally be far easier than that. So look at those two and tell me who will become emperor."
Do Tong-dal could only gape like a fish, unable to get a word out. He couldn't very well say, "I just know the future!"
"You're planning to decide whether to side with the First Prince or the Second Prince based on my judgment?"
"I can't say I'll follow your opinion entirely, but it will be an important point of reference."
"Why are you entrusting your fate to me, Censor Yang! How burdensome!"
"It's not the first time I've entrusted my fate to you."
"Back then, if things went wrong, I only lost money. But this time, if it goes wrong, my head flies off! Not figuratively—my actual head!"
"It's a life you saved, so I won't hold a grudge."
"This man just keeps piling on the pressure."
"All you have to do is meet the two of them and tell me who will become emperor."
Do Tong-dal answered as if sighing.
"Fine."
There was no need to even meet them; the answer was already clear. He could just say the First Prince, as in the original history, so it was an easy problem.
'Because of me, the fates of Hangzhou and a few people changed, but there's no way that could have affected the emperor. I'll take this chance to tour Beijing for free. While I'm at it, should I take over the Beijing Underworld too?'
* * *
Jeon Su-bang stared at Do Tong-dal. He had been surprised to hear he was only nineteen, and in person, he looked like a green boy who still had fuzz under his nose.
"A Hangzhou thug, you say?"
"That's right."
"Hm. And a thug like you is supposedly so skilled at physiognomy?"
"Physiognomy is merely a matter of possibility. Isn't the most important thing a person's own will?"
His answers flowed like water.
"You've heard from Censor Yang how important this matter is, I take it?"
"I will do my best."
"Your best is not enough."
"As they say, do your best and leave the rest to heaven. I can only do my best."
Jeon Su-bang let out a hollow laugh. Jeon Su-bang could confidently say that he held power second only to the emperor himself.
Because of that, the people placed before him usually couldn't even lift their heads properly and trembled constantly.
Yet the thug before him wasn't trembling at all—he was as composed as a merchant holding the hilt of a knife.
Just as he'd heard, the fellow had guts.
"I've arranged a meeting with the Second Prince for tomorrow, so steel yourself and wait."
"So soon?"
"Why? Do you need time to prepare yourself mentally?"
"What would I have to prepare? I'm merely concerned that rushing might ruin the matter."
"Are you worrying about me right now?"
"If I have been rude, I beg your generous forgiveness."
Yang Su-pan, who had been watching, hastily stepped in.
"This fellow is a perfectionist by nature, so he spoke out of turn. Please pay it no mind, my lord."
"If his talent is great enough to justify such words, then it's fine. But if not...."
Jeon Su-bang let his words trail off, sending a warning to Do Tong-dal.
Once Jeon Su-bang had left, Yang Su-pan clutched his chest and then burst out.
"I told you over and over to be extremely careful in the minister's presence! How can you run your mouth so carelessly!"
"Tch! The ones in need here are those two, not me. And did I say anything wrong?"
"Do loyal ministers lose their heads for saying something wrong?"
"If things go south, I'll run. The world is wide, and there are plenty of places to hide."
Yang Su-pan shook his head.
"Seriously, that nerve of yours is too much. Tomorrow, absolutely nothing like today can happen! Just answer politely when you're asked! Understood?"
"I'll do my best."
"That damn best of yours! Ugh—! How frustrating!"
Yang Su-pan pounded his own chest, but Do Tong-dal was just made that way, so there was nothing to be done.
In any case, the sun rose the next day, and Do Tong-dal was guided to a certain house in Beijing.
It was a house occupying the edge of a quiet residential street lined with tile-roofed houses as grand as whale backs.
They crossed a broad courtyard planted with ginkgo trees and passed through the main hall, and long corridors stretched out on both sides.
They turned right, and in front of the first door they came to, Yang Su-pan spoke in a respectful voice.
"The Censor Yang is here."
Jeon Su-bang's voice came from inside the room.
"Come in."
Yang Su-pan carefully opened the door and entered. Inside the room sat Jeon Su-bang and a young man who looked to be in his early to mid-twenties.
Jeon Su-bang said.
"Pay your respects at once. This is the Second Prince."
As Do Tong-dal hesitated, Yang Su-pan urged him.
"Didn't I teach you yesterday the proper etiquette for meeting royalty? Pay your respects at once."
Do Tong-dal let out a short sigh and said.
"Is it all right to offer royal etiquette to someone who is not royalty?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Do Tong-dal pointed his finger at the young man sitting directly across from him.
"That face is royalty? Let me see...."
When Do Tong-dal stared intently at his face, the young man's eyes wavered uneasily.
"Is he an official of the state? Yes, he is. At best, a senior seventh rank... no, an eighth-rank official. Still, with that noble air about his face, if he curries favor well, he'll rise to senior third rank without much trouble."
Jeon Su-bang, who had been wearing a startled expression, suddenly burst into laughter and clapped his hands.
"Puhahaha—! I half-doubted what Censor Yang told me, but you really are uncanny! Are you saying his current rank and how far he'll rise are all written in his face?"
"Once a person passes twenty, the life they've lived shows on their face. And if you infer the life they've lived and compare it with the principles of physiognomy, can't you roughly see the road ahead as well?"
It was pure nonsense. Do Tong-dal had known from Jeon Su-bang's and Yang Su-pan's attitudes yesterday that the person appearing today would be a fake Second Prince.
On top of that, the man sitting there as the Second Prince was trembling with anxiety. To an ordinary person, he might have looked solemn, but to Do Tong-dal, he looked like a puppy shaking in fear.
It was only natural for him to be afraid when a man with power second only to the emperor had assigned him the role of the Second Prince.
The man Jeon Su-bang had put forward as a fake would naturally be an official, and reading his expression from a few words wasn't difficult.
'Amateurs trying to fool me. Tsk!'
In any case, Jeon Su-bang was satisfied and came to trust Do Tong-dal, so all was well.
"You truly are a friend of extraordinary talent. You have the right to stand tall before me."
Powerful men like capable people. Especially when there is no possibility that they will threaten their position.
Jeon Su-bang sent the young man out and then gave a signal with his eyes, and Yang Su-pan said to Do Tong-dal.
"Coordinator Do."
"Yes."
"You're going to have to become a eunuch."
"What?"
"To meet the First Prince and the Second Prince, who only reside within the Forbidden City, that's the best way."
Do Tong-dal covered the front of his trousers with both hands, his face looking as if he were about to burst into tears.
"Censor Yang, why are you doing this to me?"
* * *