Monopolizing Fortunes (123)
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Monopolizing Fortunes (123)
"The life of a lowborn wench can be snuffed out whenever I please."
"You know it well. You should be satisfying my ears even now. Otherwise, I'll cut off your wrists so you can never play again."
"Who could stop the First Prince? Do as you wish."
The First Prince's eyebrows shot up.
"Is that your way of saying you refuse to play?"
"Just as no one can stop the First Prince, no one can break my will."
"You wench! How dare you defy my command! You truly must be begging for death!"
Unconcealable killing intent seeped into the First Prince's rage. Ja Su-yeong barely suppressed her instinctive fear.
"If I die by the hand of the one who will become emperor, there could be no greater honor for a performer."
"This wench keeps wagging her insolent tongue and defying my orders to the very end! Bring scissors and a blade at once! Now!"
A eunuch ran off and returned from somewhere carrying a long blade and a pair of scissors with a keen edge.
"Your Highness, I worry the filthy wench's blood might spatter on you. Please leave the interrogation to us...."
"Silence! How could I hand over such an enjoyable task to you lot!"
The First Prince took the scissors from the eunuch and approached Ja Su-yeong. Her body trembled involuntarily with fear, but she struggled desperately not to show it.
"I thought pretty wenches only wagged their tails coyly, but there are ones with backbone like you too. Wenches amuse me in all sorts of ways."
The First Prince licked the spittle at the corner of his mouth with his tongue. Contradictory emotions of fury and delight were ruling him.
The First Prince shoved the zither beside Ja Su-yeong away with his foot and took its place.
Crouching down, the First Prince brought his lips to Ja Su-yeong's ear.
"How about playing even now?"
"I apologize. Do as you wish."
"Heh heh heh... Isn't this stubbornness greater than that of an eternal loyal subject? Breaking that stubbornness will be a great pleasure too."
The First Prince grabbed Ja Su-yeong's hands, which were folded on her lap, and pulled them. Goosebumps rose and an uncontrollable trembling came over her.
"I thought you weren't afraid, but you're trembling."
"Even a mere creature fears death."
"Then why won't you play? One performance and there would be nothing to fear like this, and you might even receive my favor in abundance."
"Because if I yield to threats and break my will, my life from then on would be miserable. Dying by the First Prince's hand would be better than dying of shame."
"Keh keh keh... A wench who speaks so amusingly! You're truly too precious to kill!"
Ja Su-yeong flinched at the cold sensation on her little finger. The silver scissors were biting into her finger.
"When I was sixteen, I once cut off some eunuch's finger with scissors like this. But that eunuch just up and died. Later I heard from the royal physician that a man with a weak heart can die of shock just from having a finger cut off. But you don't seem like you'd have that problem."
The First Prince's eyes, smiling with a fishy grin, gleamed with madness. This was not mere intimidation; he truly meant to cut.
"But what would happen if I cut off all ten? Then cut off your wrists, pull out that insolent tongue, and pluck out those eyes too?"
As the First Prince put strength into his hand, sharp pain came and blood flowed. Having a part of her body cut off was a horror different from death.
The words that she would play and begged for forgiveness rose to her throat. She wasn't trying to save the nation, and this stubbornness was nothing but foolishness.
Her firm resolve crumbled like a tower built on sand. But she did not utter a word. An overwhelming fear and a tiny remaining sliver of pride kept her mouth shut.
Closing her eyes, she bit down on her molars. If her finger was cut off, she would never be able to play again.
No, she was going to die anyway, so there was no need to worry about playing.
"Amusing. Truly amusing."
The sharp sensation of metal left her finger. When she cautiously opened her eyes, the First Prince's dreadful face was still before her. But the scissors that had been biting her little finger had withdrawn.
"Sending off an amusing wench like you all at once would be too wasteful. Hmm... What shall I do?"
The First Prince sprang to his feet and returned to his seat. Ja Su-yeong glanced at her little finger.
Blood was flowing, but there was nothing wrong with its movement.
"Take that wench somewhere suitable. Let us have a most enjoyable dilemma."
* * *
"Fortunately, she isn't dead."
Yang Su-pan's face was noticeably brighter, but Do Tong-dal's stiff expression did not ease.
"Not dead means she isn't completely safe either, doesn't it?"
"She's still in the imperial palace, so that's true."
"Why is Su-yeong still in the imperial palace?"
"The First Prince has detained her, they say."
Do Tong-dal's eyebrows shot up.
"What does that mean? Are you saying the First Prince locked Su-yeong up in the palace as a plaything?"
Yang Su-pan hastily waved his hands.
"No, not a plaything! Su-yeong apparently acted with such backbone that the First Prince took an interest. But he also felt it would be a shame to just let her go. So it's detention—yes, detention would be the better word."
"So if the First Prince changes his mood, she could die as soon as tomorrow?"
"We have to hope that doesn't happen."
Do Tong-dal wanted to go to the imperial palace right then and pull Ja Su-yeong out. Perhaps because of the memory of freezing to death alone and desolate, his feelings for the people he cherished were as desperate as his own life.
"If this plan succeeds dramatically and the First Prince comes outside, who will carry out the assassination?"
"I have someone in mind for that."
"Is that person stronger than us?"
"Well. Honestly, I don't know how strong you all are...."
"Can we meet them?"
"Is there really a need?"
"I want to know if they're skilled enough to make the assassination succeed."
"Their skill is beyond doubt. They made their name as Shaanxi's foremost military officer."
If they had been Shaanxi's foremost military officer, their skill could be guaranteed. In terms of the martial world, they would be about the level of Shaanxi's greatest master.
But even so, at best they would be around Namgung Seol-rin's level, and far below Won Dae-yeon.
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"Let us take on that assassination."
"Huh? You all?"
"Yes. It would be better for someone with superior martial arts to handle it."
"I said they were Shaanxi's foremost military officer. Someone like that is trustworthy enough."
"Trustworthy isn't enough. It has to be perfect."
"But Lord Jeon trusts Commander Yeo Seon-sang so deeply that changing it would be...."
"If he's going to entrust such an important task merely because he trusts someone, then I can't join in a great undertaking with that kind of person."
"What? You're saying you'll drop out of this?"
"If you keep insisting on this Yeo Seon-sang, then know that I'll take Su-yeong and leave."
"Now, now! You can't just be so unreasonable."
Do Tong-dal stared blankly at Yang Su-pan for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
"I think it's best if we withdraw."
"Are you serious?"
"Even if we stake our lives and take only the best path, success is hard. But if you use an incompetent person merely because you trust them, success is absolutely impossible. I'm not foolish enough to stake my life on something that's obviously going to fail."
"How can you think Commander Yeo would fail?"
"This time might succeed. But killing the First Prince doesn't mean the great undertaking succeeds. We'll have to keep walking a tightrope, and if every step is made only on Lord Jeon Su-bang's trust, we'll eventually fall off the rope. The result is all too obvious."
Do Tong-dal's will was not soft enough for Yang Su-pan to break.
"Fine. I'll speak with Lord Jeon. But you all will have to convince Lord Jeon as well."
After parting from Do Tong-dal's group, Yang Su-pan went straight to Jeon Su-bang. As soon as the suggestion came up to replace the assassin with Do Tong-dal's group, Jeon Su-bang's expression soured.
"I've already laid out the entire plan. Do you think it makes sense to change it now?"
"Of course, that's true, but if there's someone better, shouldn't we do it for the sake of success?"
"Who is this better person?"
"Do Tong-dal's group."
Jeon Su-bang made a dumbfounded expression.
"Do Tong-dal's group... those Underworld thugs?"
"That's true, but...."
Jeon Su-bang cut off Yang Su-pan's words.
"Enough. No matter how much Do Tong-dal is leading this plan, a thug as an assassin? Isn't that a dog trying to do a tiger's work?"
"The people with Do Tong-dal are all extraordinary."
"They're still thugs. How can they compare to Commander Yeo?"
"You know well yourself that Do Tong-dal is no ordinary thug, don't you?"
"That's why I'm joining in this undertaking. But even so, I can't entrust this important task to a thug."
Yang Su-pan made one suggestion.
"Then how about a martial contest, and the winner takes on the task?"
"A duel?"
"Isn't martial skill the most important thing in this matter? So to convince both sides, a duel seems to be the only way."
Jeon Su-bang didn't like even that, but if Do Tong-dal pulled out of this matter, all their plans would come to nothing.
"I don't like it from the start."
"They're doing it for success, so think of it favorably."
"Fine. We'll set the meeting place and time."
* * *
Wang Chil, Jo Jin-ho, and Seon Hye-min settled in a place called Muche in Shandong Province. With no connections and unknown to anyone, that location was known only to Do Tong-dal's group and the Beggars' Sect leader Baek So-gu.
The reason they had no choice but to inform Baek So-gu was that they needed to receive messenger pigeons.
When a messenger pigeon came from Baek So-gu, their task was to send it on to Do Tong-dal.
Do Tong-dal had opposed even that as dangerous, but Wang Chil's group insisted they had to do at least that much, so Do Tong-dal had no choice but to agree.
Only by doing that could they know in real time where Do Tong-dal's group was. It was all consideration for Seon Hye-min, who was worried about Jang Yu-seom.
And for the first time, they received a messenger pigeon carrying real information, not the test one they had received before.
"Jin-ho! We need to send this letter to Tong-dal right away!"
Wang Chil came running breathlessly to Jo Jin-ho, who was cooking in the kitchen.
"What does it say?"
"How would I know that?"
"Ah! Right. Brother, you're, well... that."
"That what?"
"Illiterate."
"You brat, what's there to make a fuss about! Read it quickly!"
Jo Jin-ho took the palm-sized paper, read it, and called for Seon Hye-min.
"Madam Seon! Madam Seon!"
Seon Hye-min, who had been sewing in her room, hurried out.
"Has something happened?"
Jo Jin-ho held out the letter.
"There are some difficult characters in this."
Wang Chil glared at Jo Jin-ho.
"You can't read it either?"
"I've only gotten through about half of the Thousand Character Classic, and there are a few characters in here that aren't in it...."
"You can't read it either, and you're calling someone else illiterate! Why, I ought to...!"
"We need to send this to Beijing quickly."
Jo Jin-ho asked.
"What does it say?"
"It says the Beggars' Sect's Elder Hwang is pursuing a figure from the hidden faction he made contact with."
* * *
"What? You're telling me to duel a thug?"
Yeo Seon-sang made a baffled expression.
"Just press them down lightly."
"I think bringing thugs into such an important undertaking was a mistake in itself."
"There was a strong recommendation from Censor Yang, and when I met him, he did seem like an extraordinary person."
"No matter what, that doesn't change the fact that his essence is that of an Underworld thug."
"It might be a good opportunity. Once we put Do Tong-dal in his place, he'll become obedient."
"How about cutting him out entirely? Joining this important undertaking with a thug is too dangerous."
"To kill the First Prince and pin the blame on the Second Prince, their strength is absolutely necessary."
"If we look, there will be other ways. What could thugs possibly do properly?"
"Still, we should make the most of those who are useful. Do as I say this time."
* * *