Monopolizing Fortunes (125)
Monopolizing Fortunes (125)
"Hahaha! I, Yeo, have truly learned that there is a heaven above heaven! I will train with gritted teeth, so please, be sure to call on me!"
As Do Tong-dal's party was about to leave the residence, Jeon Su-bang called out to them.
"Are you planning to carry out the First Prince's assassination at the pleasure house?"
"It would be the best location, but I can't confirm it right now. By the way, is there anyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who could provide information?"
"Of course there is. There's no shortage of people sickened by the First Prince and Second Prince's madness."
"I need the First Prince's movements once he leaves the imperial palace."
"I'll look into it."
Jeon Su-bang placed a hand on Do Tong-dal's shoulder.
"The fate of this nation and its people rests on you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
That was the answer he gave, but for Do Tong-dal, the safety of the people he cared about came first.
Once they were out of the residence and had confirmed that Jeon Su-bang was well out of earshot, Yang Su-pan burst into the laughter he had been holding back.
"Puhahaha—! That was refreshing. How dare they suspect our Tong-dal."
"There's no shortage of people who've suspected me, Censor Yang. Including you."
"What are you talking about? I've never once doubted you. If there's anyone who trusts you as much as I do, let them step forward!"
The three people walking shoulder to shoulder with Do Tong-dal stepped forward.
"Besides your family."
"Censor Yang, you're my family too. Am I the only one who thinks that?"
"No, no. If I didn't think of you as family, I wouldn't have dragged you into this. And I hope you know that I truly am sorry about Su-yeong."
"You should have discussed it with me before setting things in motion."
"I promise nothing like this will ever happen again."
"And I was cut off earlier, but if the First Prince shows no sign of leaving the palace, we'll have to go in. So please make preparations for that as well."
"Should we disguise ourselves as eunuchs like last time?"
"We'll be eunuchs, and Seol-rin will have to go as a palace maid."
Won Dae-yeon asked.
"We're not actually cutting anything off, right?"
"It's not like it's much use anyway, is it?"
"Still, it'd be inconvenient without it."
Namgung Seol-rin nodded.
"True. Men definitely have it easier."
"Let's have a drink today."
At Do Tong-dal's words, Namgung Seol-rin's eyebrows shot up.
"You're saying you want to go to the pleasure house?"
"We have to do on-site reconnaissance, don't we?"
"That can wait until after it's decided that the First Prince will come out."
"That man could wake up that morning and decide on a whim. So we need to prepare in advance."
"Your excuse is way too plausible."
"Heh heh heh...... I'll have a plausibly good time at the pleasure house too. Ack! Why'd you hit me!"
* * *
"What? Byeon Chi-su was beaten by Hyeong-gwang?"
Hyeong-gwang was the Second Prince's name. Tae-jin answered with a grim face.
"He says he failed to notice His Highness the Second Prince coming around the corner and was late with his greeting."
"And for being a little late with a greeting, he was beaten until his arms and legs broke?"
"That was the stated reason, but it's clearly because of the eunuch Your Highness punished the other day."
Two days earlier, the First Prince had broken the leg of a eunuch the Second Prince kept close.
"That bastard deserved punishment for what he did, so I gave him a fitting one!"
"Since when does His Highness the Second Prince care about such reasoning?"
"Why, that little—!"
Tae-jin stopped the First Prince as he was about to storm out of the room.
"Please restrain yourself. There is nothing to gain from clashing with His Highness the Second Prince right now. If you are the one to start trouble, you may well incur His Majesty the Emperor's wrath."
"So you're telling me to just take this lying down?"
These days, the lives of eunuchs in the imperial palace were truly worth less than flies. The eunuchs serving in the First and Second Princes' residences in particular could not count on seeing tomorrow.
Palace maids were fundamentally the Emperor's women, so they could not be touched, and the easy targets were the eunuchs.
More than a few eunuchs had died under the First and Second Princes' brutal hands, and the rest were living in constant terror.
"This is a matter that will be cleanly resolved once Your Highness ascends to the Emperor's throne."
"And when will that be! Fuck! Why won't that wheezing Majesty just give me the crown prince's seat!"
"In the end, Your Highness will gain the world. Think only of the glory of that day."
Tae-jin kept telling him to think of the future, but the rage in his chest felt like it would burst at any moment.
"Damn it all!"
The First Prince stormed out of the room. Sensing the ominous mood, eunuchs and palace maids pressed themselves flat to the ground.
Seething, the First Prince walked with no destination until he came to an abrupt halt. It was in front of the smallest building in the Forbidden City, one named Sangu Pavilion.
"That courtesan is here, isn't she?"
"So I have heard."
"Drag her out at once."
Tae-jin ordered the eunuch following behind to drag Ja Su-yeong out. A moment later, Ja Su-yeong was hauled out of Sangu Pavilion.
The eunuch shoved her roughly to the ground. Ja Su-yeong, who had collapsed, quickly composed herself and bowed toward the First Prince.
"I greet Your Highness."
"Still no desire to play?"
"At the pleasure house, I can play at any time."
"Heh heh heh...... After Hyeong-gwang, now even you look down on me."
The First Prince kicked Ja Su-yeong's shoulder, knocking her over from where she knelt on one knee. As she tumbled helplessly, his kicks rained down on her.
"Even a worthless courtesan looks down on me! Once I become Emperor, I'll kill everyone who doesn't obey me!"
Showering her with every kind of abuse, the First Prince stomped on Ja Su-yeong, radiating murderous madness.
As if kicking her wasn't satisfying enough, the First Prince held out his hand toward a eunuch.
"Club!"
That club, carved round from oak, had killed at least twenty people.
And today, another victim was about to be added. Gripping the club the eunuch handed him, the First Prince spat as he demanded.
"I'll ask one last time! Will you play here, or will you be beaten to death by me!"
It was plainly visible that she was trembling in terror. But Ja Su-yeong did not bend her will to the end.
"My music can only be heard at the pleasure house."
"This stubborn wench dares to defy me, the future Emperor!"
The First Prince raised the club above his head. His maddened gaze was fixed on the crown of Ja Su-yeong's bowed head.
With a single blow, he could crack that head, wrapped in disheveled hair, like a watermelon. The club in the First Prince's hand was just about to come down.
"Elder Brother!"
At that call, the First Prince's movement flinched to a stop. Before he could even turn his head, the eunuchs and palace maids bowed first to the figure who had appeared.
"We greet the Third Prince!"
Ju Hyeong-seon was there. Ju Hyeong-seon approached with hurried steps.
"Brother, what will you do if you kill a palace maid and incur His Majesty's wrath?"
Unlike the Second Prince, the Third Prince Ju Hyeong-seon was not the First Prince's enemy. Rather, he was closer to an ally who needed to be won over.
The eunuch Tae-jin tugged at the hem of the First Prince's robe, who was furious to the top of his head. Knowing Tae-jin's intent in pulling his clothes, the First Prince forced his anger down.
"This wench is no palace maid."
"What? She's not a palace maid, yet she's in the imperial palace?"
"She's a courtesan I brought in from outside."
Ju Hyeong-seon was startled.
"You brought a courtesan in? What if His Majesty finds out?"
It wasn't entirely unheard of for a prince to bring in a woman from outside, and on rare occasions, women who entered the palace became consorts or concubines.
But bringing in a courtesan to spend the night was taboo, as it concerned the honor of the imperial family.
"How would His Majesty find out?"
"As they say, the day's words are heard by birds, and the night's words by mice. And sneaking out is one thing, but disposing of a corpse is all too easily discovered."
"Hmph! What could possibly come of killing one courtesan?"
"Normally, perhaps. But isn't this a critical time? If even one small thing falls out of His Majesty's favor, the consequences could be severe."
The First Prince was a man who could do anything to become Emperor. Put another way, that meant he could endure any desire.
Tae-jin backed Ju Hyeong-seon up.
"His Highness the Third Prince speaks rightly. This is a time when one must be wary even of falling leaves. Please graciously accept the Third Prince's concern for Your Highness."
Ju Hyeong-seon was far from the Emperor's seat, but that did not mean he had no influence at all.
If Ju Hyeong-seon sided with the First Prince, the imperial throne could come a great stride closer.
The First Prince knew that too.
"Since it's your request, I'll grant it."
Handing the club back to the eunuch, the First Prince looked at Ja Su-yeong and said.
"Prepare to leave the palace right now!"
Tae-jin asked in alarm.
"You mean to leave the imperial palace?"
"Didn't this wench say she won't play unless it's at a pleasure house! And killing her inside the palace could cause trouble, but outside the palace, what fault would there be in killing a thousand wenches like this?"
The First Prince bent down and whispered to Ja Su-yeong.
"If your playing displeases me even a little, I'll cut your throat on the spot. Heh heh heh......."
Tae-jin spoke.
"Since no preparations have been made, how about leaving the palace tomorrow?"
"I said right now."
If he said another word, even Tae-jin would be slapped a few times.
"I will ready the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
The First Prince asked Ju Hyeong-seon.
"Will you come along? It wouldn't be bad to see a pleasure house for once."
Ju Hyeong-seon hastily waved his hands.
"I am not suited to such places."
"Well, a bookworm like you at a pleasure house, indeed. Remember that I granted your request today."
"I will keep it in mind."
"See that you do. Hahaha!"
Ju Hyeong-seon watched the First Prince walk away laughing with a cold gaze.
A short while later, Yang Su-pan appeared and bowed his head to Ju Hyeong-seon.
"Thanks to Your Highness, we overcame a great crisis."
He had asked Ju Hyeong-seon for help because he felt he could not possibly save Ja Su-yeong with his own power.
"How could this be only Censor Yang's problem? The immediate crisis has passed, but I do not know whether that courtesan will remain safe to the end."
"Once she's outside, Tong-dal will be there, so it'll work out somehow."
"The opponent is the First Prince."
"The First Prince's opponent is Do Tong-dal."
"Aren't you trusting that friend of yours too much?"
"If I had to choose exactly one person in the world to trust, I would choose Do Tong-dal without hesitation. Because what he can't do, no one can."
"That is remarkable faith. Since my eldest brother says he is leaving the palace, I should have Seo-in begin preparing as well."
"Is it all right to involve Her Highness the Second Princess in this?"
"Not only does she want it, but there's no one else who can do it, is there?"
"That's true, but it seems Her Highness is shouldering too dangerous a burden......."
"Who could break Seo-in's stubbornness? We can only be grateful."
* * *
Upon receiving word that the First Prince was leaving the imperial palace, Do Tong-dal's party moved quickly. They had already completely mapped out the layout of the Beijing Premier Pleasure House.
The problem was that they did not know where the First Prince would try to hear Ja Su-yeong play. Since it was broad daylight, it would also be strange for Do Tong-dal's party to disguise themselves as customers.
Do Tong-dal stared down at the letter he had received from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It contained the news that the First Prince was heading to the Beijing Premier Pleasure House, along with the route he would take.
After thinking it over, Do Tong-dal spoke.
"Should we just kill the First Prince on his way to the pleasure house?"
Thanks to their meticulous preparation, he could picture the route from the imperial palace to the Beijing Premier Pleasure House in his head just from hearing the street names.
"Here, Cheonu Road, Hwangseon Road, and Dosang Road have few passersby, so carrying out the job shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
Namgung Seol-rin said.
"But the original plan was to kill him at the pleasure house, wasn't it?"
"Killing him at the pleasure house isn't going smoothly. There are too many variables. A roadside would have fewer variables and be cleaner."
"It's not because of Su-yeong?"
"It's not entirely absent. At the pleasure house, the First Prince might suddenly try to kill Su-yeong. If we kill him on the way, we can eliminate that risk too. It's good."
Jang Yu-seom spoke.
"Hwangseon Road seems best. Cheonu Road and Dosang Road have few passersby, but both sides are residential, so it's not easy to hide. But Hwangseon Road has forest on one side, making it a good spot for both ambush and escape."
* * *