Monopolizing Fortunes (122)
Monopolizing Fortunes (122)
Ja Su-yeong's cold yet composed voice rang out.
"I am not a courtesan who sells laughter or her body, but an entertainer who sells music. Though I may be a lowly entertainer, I have never once broken the principles and propriety I must uphold in life. I earn as much money as I need here, so please keep those two hundred nyang for yourself, sir."
Seeing Ja Su-yeong's resolve, it seemed not even two thousand nyang, let alone two hundred, would move her.
"Heh-heh! What a rigidly upright courtesan we have here."
If persuasion wouldn't work, there was no choice but to use the whip. Regrettable, but necessary.
"If you insist on being stubborn, I can drag you there by force. I guarantee you will suffer for it."
"You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink."
Gong Ju-seon spoke in the most menacing voice he could muster.
"This is not a mere threat. If you do not go, you will die. Without a doubt."
From the way Ja Su-yeong's expression stiffened, it was clear she took the threat seriously.
Even so, Ja Su-yeong did not bend her will.
"Keeping my principles no matter what includes staking my life on it. If you wish to hear my performance, tell him to come to the pleasure house."
"Heh-heh! What a frustrating woman. Do you know who it is that summoned you?"
"I suppose I would find out if he came to the pleasure house. If he does not come, I have no interest either."
Gong Ju-seon realized from Ja Su-yeong's firmness that threats would not work.
Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to take her by force. The First Prince might choose to leave the imperial palace, but such a thing would never happen.
Gong Ju-seon rose to his feet and spoke as if to himself.
"You're doing something you'll regret."
* * *
"So you just came back?"
At Bae Bong-sik's question, Gong Ju-seon wore an awkward expression.
"She refused to come. What could I do?"
"You should have dragged her here!"
"And if I dragged her here and she refused to perform before His Highness the First Prince, what would you do then?"
That would be just as troublesome. Not only Ja Su-yeong, but the head of whoever brought her could go flying as well.
Gong Ju-seon offered one solution.
"How about we ask His Highness the First Prince first? If we tell him the truth and then bring her, even if the courtesan is killed, those of us who brought her won't suffer for it."
"That's the only way."
Bae Bong-sik reluctantly made his way to the First Prince. He was certain to hear unpleasant words, but it was better than dying.
When he spoke of Ja Su-yeong, the First Prince's expression twisted violently, just as expected.
"So you failed to bring that wench?"
"I fear that ill-bred wench might commit some discourtesy before Your Highness."
"Heh-heh-heh...... How could a maggot of a courtesan commit discourtesy before me?"
"In the outside world, there are often creatures worse than beasts. How about simply killing that wench who disregarded Your Highness's gracious favor?"
"That would be no fun. Bring her here first. I want to see her acting stiff-necked even after I summoned her."
"I fear she may offend Your Highness's mood."
"We can decide what to do then."
"Then, as commanded, I will seize that wench and bring her here."
* * *
"Yes. They came looking for me."
At Ja Su-yeong's words, Yang Su-pan's face brightened.
"Are you certain it was someone from the imperial palace?"
"I wouldn't know that. It's not written on their forehead."
"Well, true. Still, it must be them. There aren't many madmen who summon an entertainer elsewhere and try to force a performance."
"Could I really die?"
At that question, Yang Su-pan stiffened. It was the question he had been worried about all along, and Ja Su-yeong had asked it.
"It's not impossible. No, to be honest, I'd say it's about fifty-fifty."
"You didn't say anything like that when you brought me to Beijing. That I'd perform before the First Prince and perhaps even have to share his bed......."
Ja Su-yeong trailed off, then continued as if sighing.
"As I thought, the only person in this world worth trusting is Coordinator Do."
"I'm sorry. But if we succeed, there will be a reward worthy of it."
"I can't give up now."
Yang Su-pan, who had been hesitating, spoke.
"If it truly seems impossible, just follow the First Prince's wishes."
"Then we fail."
"Your life comes first. If something happens to you, Tong-dal will absolutely not stay still. He'll probably try to kill me."
"Surely not. Coordinator Do thinks of Censor Yang as his own brother."
"If something happens to you, that bastard would even......."
At that moment, the door suddenly burst open.
"Tong-dal!"
"Coordinator Do!"
Do Tong-dal strode into the room and stood beside Yang Su-pan. His face, looking down at him, was clouded with undisguisable fury.
"Censor Yang."
"Wh-what brings you here?"
"What is the meaning of this?"
Ja Su-yeong hastily stepped in.
"It's not Censor Yang's fault! I said I would do it!"
"He shouldn't have dragged you into this in the first place!"
Yang Su-pan hung his head.
"I'm sorry. There was no other way."
"No matter how few options there were, this is wrong! Su-yeong, let's go."
Ja Su-yeong shook her head stubbornly.
"No. I'm not going."
"Don't be stubborn. You could die."
"I know."
"You know that, and you still intend to go through with this?"
"Because this is the only way I can help you, Coordinator Do."
"I don't need your help. If this was something that required even your help, I shouldn't have started it in the first place."
"I heard the plan too. You know as well as I do that this is the best option."
"We can find another way. So you're out."
"Look here, Coordinator Do......."
"Censor Yang, shut your mouth!"
"R-right."
Under Do Tong-dal's gaze, Ja Su-yeong spoke with a resolute expression.
"What am I to you, Coordinator Do?"
"You're...... someone I hold dear."
He could not choose the word love. In truth, across both his past life and this one, Do Tong-dal still did not understand the emotion called love.
"Everyone has things they hold dear. Some people cherish flowers, some cherish the dog they raise, some cherish a necklace."
"I have never thought of you so lightly."
"I know. But in the end, I'm just an ornament beside you, aren't I? That was fine with me. I could be content with just that. But now an opportunity has come to be something more. A chance to do something beyond being an ornament with my own hands, through my own effort, with my own ability."
Ja Su-yeong continued in a low but resolute voice.
"I'm going to seize this chance to become something more than an ornament to you. Even if it means risking my life."
"Your life is......."
Just then, the door opened and Namgung Seol-rin poked her face in.
"Someone's come looking for Su-yeong, and I'm pretty sure it's the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Get out of here, quickly."
Ja Su-yeong spoke with an urgent expression.
"Please go! Hurry!"
"I can't leave you behind."
"Please go! If we're discovered together, not just me but Censor Yang will die too."
"Leaving you like this is no different from driving you into a death trap. I absolutely cannot do that."
"You don't know whether it'll be a death trap or a path to life."
Namgung Seol-rin, standing by the door, urged Do Tong-dal, "Hurry!" Ja Su-yeong's face turned cold as she spat out in a low voice.
"This is my life. Not yours, Coordinator Do. And it might even be an opportunity for me."
"An opportunity?"
"A chance to stand tall as the musician Ja Su-yeong, wholly on my own, not as your ornament."
"Are you saying you'll leave me?"
"I'd rather become the greatest musician under heaven than remain one of your many women."
At that moment, Yang Su-pan grabbed Do Tong-dal's arm.
"Let's go, quickly."
Do Tong-dal, who had been looking at Ja Su-yeong, turned his body.
"Be careful."
That was all he could say. Though it was because of Do Tong-dal, Ja Su-yeong had made the decision herself.
As they entered the room across the hallway, the sound of footsteps entering the corridor could be heard.
From beyond the door came the sound of Ja Su-yeong and the Embroidered Uniform Guard talking, and soon the guard's voice grew louder.
"Drag that bitch away!"
Namgung Seol-rin grabbed Do Tong-dal's arm as he was about to rush out. Meeting his gaze, she shook her head from side to side.
If he went out now and beat down the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it wouldn't be failing to thread the first button—it would be ripping the clothes apart entirely.
Do Tong-dal had no choice but to lean against the wall and listen to every sound of Ja Su-yeong being dragged away.
"Tong-dal......."
Do Tong-dal seized Yang Su-pan by the collar as he called his name. He gripped so hard that Yang Su-pan's face quickly turned red.
"If anything happens to Su-yeong, I will not let anyone involved in this matter go!"
"Gah! W-we've all...... staked our lives on this."
"Of course we have! Because this is our doing! But Su-yeong isn't!"
"Tong-dal, you're not her father or her husband."
Do Tong-dal turned his head toward Namgung Seol-rin, who had spoken.
"First, let go of him. Are you trying to kill Censor Yang right now?"
When he released his grip, Yang Su-pan coughed as if he were about to stop breathing.
"Just as you made the decision to put the Third Prince on the imperial throne, Su-yeong made the decision to throw herself into this."
"If that man hadn't dragged her in, this never would have happened in the first place."
"The same goes for you."
Well, that was true.
"Damn it! All of this is because of that man!"
Yang Su-pan waved both hands frantically.
"N-no, I'm really just doing this to make the world a slightly better place!"
"Then why are you doing something you never used to do! You should have just kept living as a bribe-loving corrupt official!"
"Right. Why did I do this?"
"That man, I'll just......!"
Namgung Seol-rin stopped Do Tong-dal as he clenched his fist and moved toward Yang Su-pan.
"That's just how chivalrous heroes end up."
"A chivalrous hero! Him? Haah—! A passing stray dog would laugh."
"No one is born a chivalrous hero. Some are raised that way from childhood, and some become one suddenly one day, like an awakening. Like Censor Yang."
Yang Su-pan denied it.
"No, I'm not a chivalrous hero...... I just, with a simple heart, want to make the world a little better......."
"A person who puts such a heart into practice is a chivalrous hero."
"Hmph! He's just coveting the sweet fruit that comes with success."
At Do Tong-dal's words, Namgung Seol-rin smiled.
"That's not a bad thing. Whether it's the self-satisfaction a chivalrous hero feels after a righteous deed, or doing good and earning money, the result of having done a righteous deed is the same."
"Whether that man is a chivalrous hero or not doesn't matter. What matters is Su-yeong's safety."
He could sense that many people's lives hung on Ja Su-yeong's survival.
'She has to be safe.'
* * *
When there is wine, women, and music prepared, naturally there should be merriment.
But no one in that room smiled. The First Prince wore a fierce expression, and the two women seated on either side of him had fearful faces. The two eunuchs attending them were also on pins and needles.
Amusingly, the person with the most relaxed face in the room was Ja Su-yeong, the one with the highest probability of dying.
Seated demurely on the floor with one knee raised, she sat quietly with her gaze lowered.
It wasn't that she wasn't trembling. It was just that she was more practiced than anyone at hiding her inner emotions.
When the First Prince raised his cup, the woman on his left quickly poured wine for him. The First Prince, who had only wet his lips with the wine, spoke.
"You're as fair as they say."
"I am overwhelmed with awe."
"Now let's hear that performance everyone's raving about. Bring that wench a zither."
One of the eunuchs brought a dark-colored zither and set it beside Ja Su-yeong. But Ja Su-yeong did not move a single finger.
"Play."
Ja Su-yeong swallowed hard and spoke.
"I do not perform outside the pleasure house."
"What? Do you know who I am?"
"I have heard that you are the First Prince."
"Then you must also know that I can kill you with a flick of a finger?"
* * *