Monopolizing Fortunes (121)
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Monopolizing Fortunes (121)
"Answer me honestly. Is your desire to place the Third Prince on the throne truly for the sake of the people? Without a single shred of self-interest?"
"Yes."
"I find that hard to believe. A thug like you has the heart of a gentleman?"
"I said I have no self-interest. I did not say I was a gentleman. Nor do I wish to become one. Let me ask you instead. Are you a chivalrous hero, Society Leader?"
Baek So-gu had never once called himself a chivalrous hero with his own mouth. But everyone in the martial world called him one, and he himself had never doubted it.
Yet when Do Tong-dal asked if he was a chivalrous hero, he could not bring himself to answer.
"The moment you feel ashamed before yourself, you have already lost the right to call yourself a chivalrous hero. You say that no matter who becomes emperor, the lives of the common people will be the same? Do you think the tens of thousands—no, the hundreds of thousands of beggars scattered across the Central Plains would think so too?"
"......."
"If the plan fails and we incur the emperor's wrath, the martial world will be endangered. If you turn away from the suffering of the common people because you fear that......"
Do Tong-dal paused for a moment before continuing.
"Then a thug will simply have to step forward in place of a chivalrous hero."
Baek So-gu poured himself a cup and drained it in one gulp.
"Damn it! If you had trained in martial arts as diligently as you honed that silver tongue of yours, you would already be the greatest under heaven."
Baek So-gu asked with a serious expression.
"Are you confident you can make this plan succeed?"
"I never make a plan I lack confidence in from the start."
* * *
"Pfft!"
"Why are you laughing?"
"You mean the Society Leader actually fell for that?"
"Of course."
"Surely those words you used to persuade him weren't actually sincere?"
"Of course not."
Namgung Seol-rin wore a genuinely impressed expression.
"Wow! Look at this real con artist."
"But at that moment, I meant it. To deceive someone else, I have to deceive myself first. That's the only way to avoid the disaster of my scheme being exposed because I got goosebumps."
"So what happens now?"
"The Beggars' Sect has agreed to keep watch on Elder Hwang. If they catch the tail of the hidden faction, they'll send word by carrier pigeon."
"Blowing your nose without touching it, huh."
"This is only the beginning. Once we get a lead, things are going to get insanely busy."
As Do Tong-dal stood up, Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"Where are you going?"
"Cheonsangru."
Namgung Seol-rin immediately scowled.
"You're going to drink yourself stupid in broad daylight?"
"I'm back in Hangzhou, so I should at least pay my respects."
"Tch!"
She only wore a sulky expression and did not try to stop him. When he arrived at Cheonsangru, Yeon Ja-yeon greeted him with a delighted face.
Even though he had come after a long absence, there was no trace of disappointment on her face. Yeon Ja-yeon was like a tidy thatched hut that a weary traveler encounters deep in the mountains.
She might not be that to others, but to Do Tong-dal she was. A woman who would embrace him with a generous heart no matter when or in what state he came to her.
"Did the matter you went away for go well?"
Do Tong-dal scratched his head.
"I can't say it went well."
"Why not?"
"Because I came back loaded down with nothing but danger. I'm truly sorry to say this, but I think you should close down Cheonsangru."
"Pardon?"
"Please stay away for a while, until the matter is finished. I'll make sure you don't suffer any losses."
"I should at least know the reason before I go. If I'm running away, I have a right to know that much."
He had no intention of hiding it. It might seem like he was spreading his plan to this person and that, but they were all people he could trust.
"I've taken on a matter involving the imperial palace this time."
The story that began that way went on for over one ke. Since he laid out everything from the plan's origin to how he intended to finish it, there was quite a lot to tell.
Yeon Ja-yeon, who had listened to Do Tong-dal's story without a single question, let out the breath she had been holding.
"That's a grand undertaking that will mean disaster if it fails."
"It will succeed."
"If you're that confident, then I don't need to run away, do I?"
"I always have to prepare for the worst case. If by some one-in-ten-thousand chance it fails, you are my refuge."
"All right. I'll wrap things up as quickly as I can."
"I thought you'd be hard to persuade. This is unexpected."
"Because I mustn't become a hindrance to you, Coordinator Do."
"Thank you for saying that. Where is Su-yeong? Since I'm here, I'd like to at least see her face before I go."
"Well...... she has stepped out for a while."
No matter how skilled Yeon Ja-yeon was at lying, she could not deceive Do Tong-dal's eyes. Do Tong-dal took a sip of the cold tea in front of him and spoke.
"I don't know why you would lie to me. You know perfectly well that I won't be fooled."
"That's......"
"Normally I might let it pass, but not this time. Has something happened to Su-yeong?"
Yeon Ja-yeon let out a deep sigh.
"She went to Beijing with Censor Yang."
"To Beijing with Censor Yang? Why?"
"I don't know that much."
"She wouldn't have gone without telling you the reason."
"She said it would be better for me not to know."
If Yang Su-pan had gone that far, it was clearly a matter involving the imperial palace.
"When was this?"
"About half a month ago."
It was right after Do Tong-dal had left Beijing. At the time, he had wondered why Yang Su-pan did not attend an important meeting; he had missed it because he had come to Hangzhou to take Ja Su-yeong away.
'Why would Su-yeong be needed for this matter?'
He could not know the details, but if a musician like Ja Su-yeong was needed, the only possibility was a honey trap.
"Did Su-yeong go of her own will?"
"Yes. She even asked me not to tell you."
She must have judged that it would be helpful to Do Tong-dal.
"I understand. Please hurry and close down Cheonsangru."
"Are you going to Beijing?"
"I can't leave Su-yeong in danger."
"Su-yeong is not a child."
"Are you telling me to pretend I don't know?"
Yeon Ja-yeon shook her head.
"Even if I told you to pretend not to know, you would never listen. Just don't blame Su-yeong. We are all women who want to help you in any way we can."
A corner of his chest tingled. In his previous life, he had frozen to death in the snow as a cripple with severed legs, but now he was surrounded by people willing to risk their lives for him.
"I don't want anyone around me to get hurt because of a danger I brought upon myself."
Do Tong-dal stood up and continued.
"Don't worry about Su-yeong. I will protect her no matter what."
After exchanging a few more words with Yeon Ja-yeon while standing, Do Tong-dal left Cheonsangru and went to the headquarters.
Namgung Seol-rin's expression was not good when she heard he was going to Beijing because of Ja Su-yeong, but she could not stop him. Instead, she chose to accompany him.
"Brother."
At Do Tong-dal's call, Wang Chil's hand, which had been reaching for a teacup, stopped. The tone of Do Tong-dal's voice was unusual.
"What?"
"Step down from the position of Red Tiger Society Leader."
"I thought that matter was already settled?"
"Brother, I will survive no matter what. Even if this plan fails. But you won't be able to. If things go wrong and I live while you die, what will become of me?"
"But I know how hard you worked to build the current Red Tiger Society. How can I just quit? Unless you become the Society Leader yourself."
"The Red Tiger Society can be rebuilt anytime. Do you think I can't do it?"
"You would. The you of now, certainly."
"So please go into hiding for a while with Brother Jin-ho."
"You little shit, you're in a death trap and you want me and Jin-ho to just sit around scratching our bellies?"
"You've worked hard until now, so you can live in comfort from here on."
"Fine. Guarding the Red Tiger Society isn't exactly a special help to you anyway, and I shouldn't become a burden because of that damn Society Leader position."
"Thank you."
"Thank you, my ass. I'm the one who's grateful and sorry. But when this is over, you have to call me when you build the Underworld."
"Don't worry. I'll keep you as Society Leader until you're smearing shit on the walls."
Do Tong-dal's gaze turned to Jang Yu-seom.
"Protector Jang, you too......"
"I was planning to hide Hye-min somewhere suitable, but now I see she can just go with the Society Leader."
"With Brother Wang Chil?"
"It would be less lonely for her, and it would put my mind at ease."
"You could just go with them yourself, Protector Jang......"
"From today on, I will move as one body with you, Coordinator."
"Me too."
Won Dae-yeon stated his resolve briefly. They were people who would not listen even if he tried to stop them, and they would be a help, not a burden.
"Understood. Then from now on, we'll move together."
The closing down of the Red Tiger Society was left to Wang Chil and Jo Jin-ho. Since the Red Tiger Society was not disappearing but merely handing over the Society Leader position, it would not take long.
Do Tong-dal returned home late at night and lay down on the bed immediately. When he carefully reviewed how things had come to this point, it all boiled down to one thing.
"The reason I've come this far is entirely because of that man Yang Su-pan."
Relationships that one thought were good fortune turning out to be ill fortune were common occurrences.
"With so many lives on the line, I really need to use my abilities to the fullest. Tonight, I should go over the plan once more with precision. Zzz—! Whew—!"
* * *
Rumors about Ja Su-yeong spread quickly among the pleasure-loving men of Beijing.
"They say Hye-seon's zither playing is that outstanding?"
"It's not just her playing. Her beauty is what they call a flower-moon face; once you see her, you can't take your eyes off her."
"Heh heh heh...... I'll have to have a drink with that wench in my arms."
"Tsk tsk tsk...... To hear Hye-seon play, you have to wait three months. They say her reservations are completely full. If you're any later, you might have to wait a year."
"What? She hasn't even been working at the Beijing Premier Pleasure House for that long."
"That's what makes it so surprising. And on top of that, they say she absolutely never sits at drinking parties."
"A courtesan?"
"She's a musician."
"Still, she's a courtesan."
"If you're dissatisfied, try seating her yourself. There are countless men who offered dozens of nyang of silver to sit beside Hye-seon and were flatly refused. She says she sells her music, not her smiles, or something like that."
"What an impertinent wench. I wouldn't want a bitch like that even if she were free."
"You know Royal Scribe Wang?"
"Is there an idler in Beijing who doesn't know that gentleman? He's the idler of all idlers."
"That gentleman said the same thing as you, and now he's become a regular of Hye-seon's. He goes in and out of the Beijing Premier Pleasure House every day just to catch a glimpse of her face."
"Really? Where did a girl like that suddenly drop in from?"
In that way, Ja Su-yeong was shaking up the nights of Beijing under the name Seo Hye-seon. The people who frequented pleasure houses were not only wealthy idlers.
High-ranking officials were often the biggest patrons of pleasure houses. It was only natural that rumors about Ja Su-yeong reached the ears of such officials.
That day as well, the scream of an old musician rang out through the imperial palace. The crazed voice of the First Prince fell upon the back of the old musician's head as blood streamed from where a wine cup had struck his forehead.
"Fuck! What good is being good at the zither! They say a pretty rice cake is good to eat, but the rice cake I'm looking at looks like shit!"
"Your Highness, please calm yourself."
Even the eunuch who tried to soothe him from the side suffered the indignity of being struck by a fist.
"Is there not a single woman in this vast Central Plains who is both beautiful and outstanding in music!"
Eunuch Bae Bong-sik, who acted like the tongue inside the First Prince's mouth, cautiously opened his lips.
"Your Highness, there is a rumor circulating among the public these days about a certain courtesan."
"A courtesan?"
"Yes. She is a musician, and not only is her zither skill breathtaking, but her appearance is said to be outstanding enough to compare to Xi Shi or Chang'e."
"Have you seen Xi Shi or Chang'e?"
"That I have not, but the rumor is that more than one or two men are lovesick because of this musician."
"You mean she is outstanding in both beauty and music?"
"That is correct."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Pardon?"
"You stupid fool! If there's a woman like that, you should bring her here at once!"
"I shall carry out your command!"
* * *
"I do not know which noble person has summoned me, but I only perform at the pleasure house."
Ja Su-yeong flatly refused the offer of two hundred nyang of silver for a single night's performance at a certain location.
Gong Ju-seon, a guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had come to see Ja Su-yeong while concealing his identity, wore a baffled expression.
No matter how well a courtesan earned, two hundred nyang of silver was by no means a small sum.
"Is the money not enough?"
"It is not a matter of money, but of principle."
"Principle?"
"My principle is that I only perform before guests at the pleasure house."
"A courtesan is someone who performs anywhere and sells her body as long as she's paid. Where does such a strange principle come from?"
Ja Su-yeong's cold gaze fixed on Gong Ju-seon. He felt a chill in a corner of his chest, as if he had earned her hatred.
'She really is beautiful.'
* * *