Monopolizing Fortunes (214)
Monopolizing Fortunes (214)
Refusing a request over a law of no great importance was no way to honor a meritorious subject.
Ju Hyeong-seon said it like a sigh.
"Even if I concede a hundred times over and set the law aside, I still can't disregard Tong-dal. And what of the three women marrying him? May they be disregarded simply because she is the Second Imperial Princess?"
"Don't worry. I'll handle that myself."
Ju Hyeong-seon had no choice but to permit it. If he refused, there was no telling what sort of incident Ju Seo-in's temperament might cause. Sending Ju Seo-in off as well and making Do Tong-dal a Prince Consort at this opportunity might even turn misfortune into a blessing.
"If you persuade Tong-dal and the three women, I will take charge of the ministers."
"Thank you."
Ju Seo-in went straight to find Do Tong-dal. Do Tong-dal was in the middle of diligently removing his makeup.
"Why not just hold the ceremony with this face?"
Namgung Seol-rin said that with an expression like she was dying of amusement. Yeon Ja-yeon chuckled.
"There'd be no groom, just four brides."
"Hurry up and take the makeup off."
Ha Su-ran asked.
"Have you learned all the makeup techniques? If you're clumsy about it, you could get found out."
"The mood here is remarkably free of concern about me going to kill Prince Yeongun."
Namgung Seol-rin said.
"If you said you'd kill him, then Prince Yeongun is as good as dead. The only useless thing under heaven is worrying about Tong-dal. Isn't that right, sisters?"
Yeon Ja-yeon and Ha Su-ran nodded.
"Of course. There's no one in the world as capable as our groom. His Imperial Majesty himself is coming as a guest, after all."
Do Tong-dal shook his head from side to side.
"I should've kept my mouth shut."
They all said that, but Do Tong-dal could read the worry that had surfaced on their faces.
When the makeup was about half removed, a maidservant's voice came from outside.
"Th-the Second Imperial Princess has come to see you."
The maidservant stammered under the weight of the princess's station. Namgung Seol-rin muttered.
"I was wondering why we hadn't seen hide nor hair of her."
Yeon Ja-yeon pressed a finger to her lips, then told them to show her in. The door opened and Ju Seo-in entered.
Seeing the scene inside the room, Ju Seo-in stopped short in surprise. Three women removing one man's makeup was a strange sight by anyone's reckoning.
Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"What brings such an esteemed person all the way here?"
At the sharp question, Yeon Ja-yeon poked Namgung Seol-rin in the side and offered a proper greeting.
"We greet the Imperial Princess."
Ha Su-ran and Namgung Seol-rin also reluctantly offered Ju Seo-in a greeting. The most uncomfortable person in the room was Do Tong-dal.
Ju Seo-in, who had been staring blankly at Do Tong-dal, asked.
"You're Tong-dal, right?"
When Do Tong-dal nodded, Ju Seo-in suddenly burst out laughing with a puff!
Sometimes laughter begot laughter for no reason at all. As Ju Seo-in cackled, the other three women also raised their voices in turn and laughed at the top of their lungs.
Only Do Tong-dal, now a laughingstock, could do nothing but grumble, "Hurry up and take this makeup off."
Ju Seo-in, having barely managed to stop laughing, said.
"What a shame. I should have seen you properly made up."
Before awkwardness could creep into the space left by the bout of laughter, Do Tong-dal said.
"Thank you for attending my wedding."
It was meant as "I'm getting married now, so give it up."
"Thank me? It's my wedding too."
No one understood what Ju Seo-in meant.
"What do you mean by that...?"
"I just received His Imperial Majesty's permission. I'll be taking a place as a bride as well. That's all right, isn't it?"
"What?"
Namgung Seol-rin shouted in outrage.
"Who gave you the right!"
Ha Su-ran raised her voice too.
"How can anyone decide something like that on their own!"
Even Yeon Ja-yeon grew agitated.
"Imperial family or not, this is simply improper!"
Despite their fierce reactions, Ju Seo-in's expression did not change in the slightest.
"It's just a formality, so don't worry. I simply need the status of a married woman. Some other lunatic might come along later demanding to marry me and pull some insane stunt, so this is to prevent that. I won't live with Tong-dal, and of course I don't expect to be loved. If he does come to love me, well, that's Tong-dal's own heart. Hmm... if that happens, I'll give it some thought then."
The four of them stared at Ju Seo-in with looks of utter disbelief.
"Wow—! Would you look at this selfish royal."
Namgung Seol-rin's words summed up everyone's feelings. Had she not been royalty, curses would have flown, and perhaps swords might have been drawn.
Feeling the three women's blade-sharp hostility, Ju Seo-in's shoulders dropped by a hand's width.
"What do I have to do for you to accept me? Should I kneel and call you older sisters?"
"How about you just get lost?"
Yeon Ja-yeon grabbed Namgung Seol-rin's arm to restrain her, then said.
"If you kneel and call us older sisters, as you just said, I'll give it serious consideration."
She thought Ju Seo-in, whose pride reached the heavens, would never do such a thing. But suddenly Ju Seo-in dropped to her knees.
"Sisters, please help me."
"Huh?"
Everyone was flustered. No one had expected Ju Seo-in to kneel. Even Do Tong-dal, who could read minds, had not expected it.
'Was she that desperate?'
He had dismissed it as a joke, as the stubbornness of an arrogant royal who had to have whatever she wanted. But if it were born of arrogance, she would never kneel.
"I'm not used to asking for favors. So I don't know what to do. Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll do exactly that. Just let me marry Tong-dal."
Yeon Ja-yeon asked.
"If all you need is the name of a married woman, it doesn't have to be Young Master Do."
"I'm an imperial princess in name at least; I can't marry just anyone. It also has to be someone I like."
The three women exchanged glances. The shared question of "What are we supposed to do about this?" was written in their eyes.
Yeon Ja-yeon let out a long sigh, then asked.
"Is it really enough just to marry? You want nothing else?"
Ju Seo-in nodded quickly.
"I'll just keep training with the Northern Unorthodox Alliance as before. I want to see what the martial world is like, too. To do that, I need to be Tong-dal's wife, not an imperial princess."
Namgung Seol-rin asked Yeon Ja-yeon.
"Sister, you're not actually going to grant this absurd request, are you?"
"Seol-rin, if you can refuse it, then you try. If even one of us opposes it, it can't happen."
"Of course we should refuse!"
Namgung Seol-rin whipped her head toward Ju Seo-in. She meant to shout, "Stop talking nonsense and get out!"
But seeing Ju Seo-in on her knees, she couldn't bring herself to say it. A member of the imperial family who had likely never bowed her head in her life was kneeling with such sad eyes, and the words simply would not come.
"Damn it! I don't know! You two sisters handle it!"
The matter passed to Ha Su-ran. The face veil covering below her eyes fluttered from a sigh.
"His Imperial Majesty has already permitted it, and she's come this far. How can we say no?"
In truth, the person who felt the most warmth toward Ju Seo-in was Ha Su-ran. They had not lived in close quarters, but they had shared meals under one roof at the Northern Unorthodox Alliance for three years.
Ju Seo-in, who greeted them when they crossed paths and sometimes sparred with them, was simply clumsy with people, not a bad person.
"So the brides really have become four."
Do Tong-dal quietly raised his hand.
"Why doesn't anyone ask my opinion?"
"Your opinion doesn't matter, Young Master Do!"
"You shut your mouth!"
"This is all because of you, Young Master Do!"
Do Tong-dal thought.
'The greatest martial art under heaven is completely useless, I tell you.'
* * *
Before the wedding began, there was a time for introducing the guests. Ordinary commoners would not know of it, but at a gathering of the martial world's luminaries, it was a customary formality.
Everyone had adamantly declined because of one person, so in the end Jang Yeon-seon took it on.
"Next is Minister of Personnel Yang Su-pan, who has made the difficult journey from Beijing!"
At that, exclamations burst out among the crowd.
"Oho! They said Do Hall Master had wide connections, but for even the Minister of Personnel to come—truly astonishing!"
"To come all the way from Beijing, he must truly hold Do Hall Master in high regard."
"Do Hall Master, you really are something. Truly something."
Exclamations erupted here and there, and when Yang Su-pan bowed to the guests, everyone rose to return the salute with clasped fists.
Even if the martial world and officialdom did not encroach on each other, like river water and well water, there was no harm in being acquainted with Yang Su-pan, one of the highest powers in the land.
Jang Yeon-seon waited for the commotion to settle, then drew a deep breath.
"Then I will introduce the final guest."
Jang Yeon-seon turned her gaze to Ju Hyeong-seon, who had taken a seat at the very front. When Ju Hyeong-seon nodded with a light smile, Jang Yeon-seon's face flushed of its own accord.
If she had not known Ju Hyeong-seon's feelings, it would have been one thing, but now that she knew, even meeting his eyes was embarrassing.
Thinking, 'There's going to be an uproar soon,' Ju Hyeong-seon shouted in a loud voice.
"His Imperial Majesty has come in person from the imperial palace!"
Ju Hyeong-seon was about to rise when someone burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Sect Leader Jang! You shouldn't joke about the emperor!"
"What's the harm! People curse the emperor when he's not around! Let's see this emperor's face!"
"The face had better match! I know the emperor's face!"
Such jokes flew from all directions because the very idea was impossible. The emperor attending the wedding of a mere martial artist was as absurd as a crane delivering a baby.
The flustered Jang Yeon-seon raised his voice.
"His Majesty is present! Mind your manners!"
At Jang Yeon-seon's cold expression, the laughter died down one by one.
"Is it true?"
"Nah, no way."
"But this isn't the place for that kind of prank."
"I heard somewhere that Do Hall Master is close with His Imperial Majesty."
Amid the spreading murmurs, Yang Su-pan stepped forward.
"I know the people here are heroes of the martial world who do not trouble themselves with empty formalities, but please do not commit any disrespect toward His Imperial Majesty."
When even Yang Su-pan spoke up, the hall fell silent in an instant, as if doused with cold water.
Then Ju Hyeong-seon rose. Jang Yeon-seon's ringing voice fell over the hall.
"His Imperial Majesty has arrived!"
At that moment, everyone in the hall prostrated themselves and shouted in unison.
"Long live His Imperial Majesty! Long live! Long live, long live, long live!"
Some people had flung themselves down in confusion and were simply copying what others did, but considering they were martial artists, it was not a bad response.
Ju Hyeong-seon said with a smiling face.
"My attendance has put the heroes of the martial world ill at ease. But I could not simply pass over the wedding of a man who is like a brother to me, so I ask for the heroes' understanding."
"We are overwhelmed by Your Majesty's grace!"
The first to call out was Jang Yu-seom. When the emperor spoke like that, it was proper to add a response at this point.
The other martial artists also had to spit out the unfamiliar words, "We are overwhelmed by Your Majesty's grace!" in unison.
"Moreover, this is a joyous day on which Do Tong-dal becomes a member of the imperial family, so I ask for your generous congratulations."
When Ju Hyeong-seon said that and took his seat, murmuring arose here and there. It was the ripple caused by the words "a member of the imperial family."
Seated, Ju Hyeong-seon was barely suppressing laughter that threatened to burst out. It was only half, or perhaps a quarter, but Do Tong-dal was now a Prince Consort.
Since it meant he had become a member of the imperial family, he would no longer be able to pretend ignorance of imperial palace affairs.
Ju Hyeong-seon's gaze lingered on Jang Yeon-seon, who was continuing to officiate the ceremony.
'He won't be able to refuse my requests so easily now. Heh heh heh....'
A smile full of self-interest hung at the corner of Ju Hyeong-seon's lips.
In any case, the wedding proceeded. People were bewildered that the brides, originally three, had become four, and the fact that the final bride was the Second Imperial Princess drove them to shock.
In all the history of the martial world, there had never been a single case of a martial artist becoming a Prince Consort. And as if that were not astonishing enough, the man taking the Second Imperial Princess as his bride was taking other wives one after another as well!
Many people wondered whether this did not violate the law, but since the emperor himself was in attendance at the wedding, no one voiced it aloud.
The strange wedding of one groom and four brides nevertheless proceeded smoothly.
* * *