Monopolizing Fortunes (230)
Monopolizing Fortunes (230)
"I'm not even a martial artist, so why would you blame yourself over something like that?"
"You only say you're not a martial artist with your own mouth. Your disciple here, Sect Leader Jang, is the head of the Righteous Chivalry Sect! Is the Righteous Chivalry Sect some common, run-of-the-mill minor sect? It's grown into a force rivaling the Five Great Clans now! So whether you like it or not, you're as good as a martial artist yourself!"
"Why are you getting so worked up over something so trivial?"
Baek So-gu tried to retort, then struck his own chest.
"I should just keep my mouth shut! Ugh! How frustrating!"
"Just tell me exactly where Won Jin-u lives."
He wanted to stubbornly refuse, but it seemed like he'd end up in trouble if he did.
The thought also crept in: 'There's no harm in getting on the good side of the world's greatest master.'
"I'll have it delivered to you by the end of today. But......"
Baek So-gu clicked his tongue, his gaze shifting toward Yeon Ja-yeon.
"Isn't this a pleasure house? Why is there no liquor here, only bland tea?"
"What kind of liquor would you like?"
"When you come here, it's Sagiju, of course. Ssseup—!"
Just saying the name made drool run down his chin.
"Of course I must serve it. This is the inner quarters where honored guests stay, so it's a bit unsuitable. Shall we move to the pleasure house side?"
"Shall we? I don't need any courtesan. Though I wouldn't refuse a drink poured by Mistress Yeon herself. Hehehe......"
"Don't even think about passing anything to my wife."
The moment Do Tong-dal finished speaking, a servant's voice came from outside.
"Madam, His Excellency the Minister of Revenue is here to see you."
"We're supposed to see each other at the imperial palace the day after tomorrow. That Lord Yang, really."
When Yeon Ja-yeon said to show him in, the door opened and Yang Su-pan's face appeared.
Everyone started to rise to greet Yang Su-pan, then froze as if by magic. It was because of the person entering behind Yang Su-pan.
"Your Majesty!"
At Do Tong-dal's call, the others hurriedly dropped to their knees. They already knew the face well, having seen him once at Do Tong-dal's wedding.
Ju Hyeong-seon was also a little flustered because he hadn't known there would be so many people here.
"Ah, my sudden visit must be making all you heroes uncomfortable. Everyone, please rise."
As Ju Hyeong-seon spoke, he tried to turn his gaze away from Jang Yeon-seon.
Everyone stood, and when Ju Hyeong-seon took a seat next to Do Tong-dal, they perched on the edges of their chairs.
Yeon Ja-yeon, as the host, spoke politely.
"I am overwhelmed that Your Majesty would visit such a humble pleasure house."
"Not at all. I'd thought I should stop by sometime since it's the pleasure house run by Tong-dal's lover, but finding the time wasn't easy. Since Tong-dal happened to be here as well, I figured it was a good opportunity. It has a sense of refinement compared to the pleasure house I went to with Tong-dal in Hangzhou."
"You honor us with such words."
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"Seeing you come all the way here, it seems the imperial palace has been feeling quite stifling."
No matter how vast the Forbidden City was, it could not be wider than the world outside where people lived. For a diligent emperor like Ju Hyeong-seon, not one lost in wine and women, the imperial palace must sometimes feel like a prison.
"The imperial palace isn't exactly a place of amusement. Nor is it a perfectly comfortable home. It's the seat you worked so hard for, and that I fought tooth and nail to sit on, but it's very different from my ideals."
"Still, isn't it thanks to Your Majesty becoming emperor that the people are even a little more at peace? An emperor is someone who must live for the people, not himself."
Ju Seo-in also chimed in to support Do Tong-dal.
"It's because you became emperor, Brother, that we stopped this Mongol invasion without harm to the people. Imagine if those butcher bastards, the First and Second Princes, had become emperor. My husband wouldn't have gone to war, and by now the rivers and mountains of the Central Plains would be ravaged by the northern barbarians."
"Hahaha! Hearing you say that is a comfort. I'm glad I came here."
"Is that really the only reason you're glad you came?"
Do Tong-dal's gaze slid toward Jang Yeon-seon. Ju Hyeong-seon unconsciously looked at Jang Yeon-seon, then hurriedly turned his head away.
"Wh-what else would there be? I didn't even know Sect Leader Jang was here."
Jang Yeon-seon spoke.
"Master, please stop talking about me. You're making His Majesty uncomfortable."
"You little brat, already taking His Majesty's side?"
"It's not about taking sides. It's simply the truth."
Do Tong-dal let out a long sigh.
"I never thought the day would come when I'd understand how Alliance Leader Hwangmi feels."
Ha Su-ran's mouth was hidden by her veil, but her eyes curved into a smile.
"Then please be kind to him next time you meet."
"That old man is just fun to tease."
"Um......"
The person who timidly raised his hand like a schoolboy on his first day was Baek So-gu.
"When are we going to drink that Sagiju?"
"My apologies. I'll have it prepared right away."
Just as Yeon Ja-yeon was rising, the door suddenly burst open and Wang Du-sik rushed in.
"Brother—!"
As if no one else was in his sight, Wang Du-sik charged forward and threw his arms around Do Tong-dal.
"Ack! I told you to greet people normally! You ignorant brute with nothing but strength!"
Only after striking him on the head ten times with the edge of his hand was Do Tong-dal able to escape Wang Du-sik's rough embrace.
"Brother, you're too much! You arrived yesterday and didn't even contact me!"
"Don't you live here? If you live here and didn't hear that I'd come, that's your fault."
"I-is that so? Hehe! But there are a lot of guests. Some faces I've never seen before, too."
Do Tong-dal pointed first at Ju Hyeong-seon.
"Greet him properly. This is......"
"I don't know who he is, but he looks kind of scrawny. I don't bother with anyone weaker than......"
Wang Du-sik got that far before taking a chin strike from Do Tong-dal and collapsing in a heap. If he'd gone any further, he could have lost his head for insulting the emperor.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. It was the mistake of an ignorant thug. Please be generous and understand."
When it came to anything related to Do Tong-dal, Ju Hyeong-seon's generosity was boundless.
"Thugs are all like that. A thug like you, Tong-dal, is the special one. Haha! But isn't he dead?"
"He's so sturdy that he'll wake up within half a shichen. Shall we move? Didn't you come to the pleasure house to enjoy yourself?"
Do Tong-dal spoke to Yeon Ja-yeon.
"Please send the most beautiful courtesan in the house."
Because of Jang Yeon-seon, Yeon Ja-yeon couldn't readily answer, but Ju Hyeong-seon waved his hand first.
"That's all right. I only came to have a cup of tea with you. Isn't that right?"
Yang Su-pan immediately gave the answer Ju Hyeong-seon wanted.
"Of course, Your Majesty. How could Your Majesty summon a courtesan in a pleasure house? That would be absurd."
Yeon Ja-yeon quickly stepped in.
"Then how about this: those who wish to go to the pleasure house may go, and those who wish to converse may stay here in the inner quarters?"
Do Tong-dal sprang to his feet.
"You come to a pleasure house, you drink. I'm going."
After bowing to Ju Hyeong-seon, Do Tong-dal strode out. 'Then I'll go too,' Baek So-gu said as he left his seat, and 'If our husband is going, so are we,' the women said as they all trooped out.
Everyone had enough sense that in the end, only Ju Hyeong-seon, Yang Su-pan, and Jang Yeon-seon remained in the room.
"Then I should also have a drink with Tong-dal for the first time in a while. You two have your talk."
"Ah...... no, if even Minister Yang leaves......"
Yang Su-pan didn't look back. He'd rather resign his post and retire to the countryside than stay in such an awkward situation.
'His Majesty will handle it well, right?'
Even if things went well between the two of them, that was a worry. No matter how wealthy they were, they were still a merchant family of the Central Plains. There would be fierce opposition from the ministers, and breaking through that wall wouldn't be easy.
"Tong-dal will take care of that."
Since Do Tong-dal wouldn't pretend not to know, he would make it happen somehow.
"Should I get thoroughly drunk on Sagiju for the first time in a while too? Hehehe......"
No one knew what happened between Ju Hyeong-seon and Jang Yeon-seon that day, or what words were exchanged.
Everyone was so busy chattering noisily and bathing in Sagiju that they even forgot the emperor was in the pleasure house.
The next day, while they were suffering from hangovers and headaches, Jang Yeon-seon dropped a bombshell.
"I've decided to date His Majesty."
Do Tong-dal, who had been gulping honey water, spat it out—pfft!
"Master!"
As Jang Yeon-seon accepted a towel from Yeon Ja-yeon, Do Tong-dal shouted at her.
"You've decided to date His Majesty?! What is that supposed to mean!"
"You shouldn't fail to understand what it means when a man and a woman decide to date, Master."
"And a thirteen-year-old dating a man is okay?"
"There are plenty of girls my age with boyfriends, aren't there?"
Are there? He didn't know, having no interest in children's play-acting. But if the other party was the emperor, age wasn't the issue.
"First of all, an emperor can't be someone you just date. You do know you can't just break up with him later, saying it didn't work out?"
"He said it was all right."
"Huh?"
"I got a definite promise. Of course, I could dump him, or His Majesty could dump me."
Jang Yeon-seon held up two fingers.
"We decided to date for two years and then decide whether to marry or not."
"In two years, you'll be fifteen?"
In the Central Plains, where early marriage was common, fifteen wasn't considered too young at all. Many women married crown princes at that age and entered the imperial palace.
The bigger issue was simply that the other party was the emperor, not a crown prince. The fact that Jang Yeon-seon was speaking this far meant she had made up her mind.
"If you've made up your mind, I can't do anything about it."
Yang Su-pan, catching Do Tong-dal's gaze, quickly averted his eyes. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he felt strangely guilty.
"Can His Majesty's marriage really be postponed for two years?"
"I'll have to manage it somehow."
"Where is His Majesty?"
The answer came from Jang Yeon-seon.
"He returned to the palace immediately after finishing his talk with me yesterday."
"So the man ran away to avoid me. Yeon-seon, the other party is His Majesty the Emperor. Never forget for a single moment what kind of existence he is. And make sure you find out exactly what the imperial palace is like over these two years. You've only agreed to date, not promised to marry, so if you decide it's not right, break it off at any time."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Yeon Ja-yeon said with a smile.
"You're nagging too much, unlike yourself, dear."
"Even a whole night wouldn't be enough. I'm holding back a lot as it is."
Do Tong-dal said as he stood.
"I need to go somewhere for a bit."
Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"Where? Didn't you say you absolutely have to attend the imperial banquet tomorrow?"
"I'm going to meet Won Jin-u. I'll be back by the end of today."
No one volunteered to go with him. He was talking about going to Jining in Shandong Province and back in a single day, and no one was crazy enough to accompany him on that journey.
"Be careful."
Do Tong-dal immediately set out for Shandong Province to find Won Jin-u. By mixing the One Step, Hundred Li Walk, which consumed a great deal of internal energy, with ordinary Lightness Art, he was able to arrive a little past noon.
True to its reputation as a city of water, Jining had many rivers and lakes, and the scenery was outstanding. That was why it had been a region frequented by poets and calligraphers since ancient times.
Of course, Do Tong-dal had no eye for scenery. Meeting Won Jin-u, who had killed his own father with his own hands, was bound to be awkward even for someone with no conscience at all.
He had received detailed information about Won Jin-u from Baek So-gu. It wasn't just a casual glance from time to time; Baek So-gu had been observing Won Jin-u's daily routine thoroughly.
As Baek So-gu had instructed, Do Tong-dal went to Yeonju Lake, which was close to Won Jin-u's house. It was a small lake with a picturesque cliff hanging over one side.
Won Jin-u was said to always come here after lunch to fish or paint for one or two shichen.
About six people were fishing at Yeonju Lake. From a hill overlooking the lake, Do Tong-dal focused his enhanced vision and soon spotted Won Jin-u.
Near the cliff, a large rock among the reeds was his spot, and even to Do Tong-dal, who knew nothing about fishing, it looked like a prime location.
Do Tong-dal approached Won Jin-u at an unhurried pace. To Won Jin-u's left was a basket for holding fish, but perhaps due to bad luck, not a single fish was visible.
The long bundle on his right probably contained his painting supplies.
The sound of reeds rustling reached Won Jin-u. He must have known someone was approaching, but his gaze never left the float bobbing on the water.
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