64. I Always Loved You (2)
If it was from the palace, that meant someone from Beijing had arrived. As I hurried back to the head office, I finally recalled the Censorate's Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, thanks to Lord Hyeong's request—I had sent him a letter.
But if that was the case, he wouldn't have come with the Ministry of Revenue Vice Minister. If the Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief had come to Wuhuan, he would have met Lord Hyeong first and reported Vice Minister Jin Mubeok's corruption.
No matter how I twisted and turned my thoughts, no one from the palace came to mind.
Even for me, with my philosophy of "you'll only know once you clash," the palace was a place I hesitated to confront. I caught my breath in front of the head office door and pushed it open.
The attendants were already brewing tea in the office for the Vice Minister and the palace envoy.
My eyes widened the moment I entered. The Vice Minister didn't even register. Next to him sat a stunning beauty with a sword at her waist.
Her elegant black silk robes and hair pinned up with a jade hairpin were breathtaking. Any man would inevitably imagine kissing her upon first sight.
"The Hwi-yeong Merchant Group has grown quite large indeed. To make me wait, no less."
"If you'd sent word ahead, I would have been waiting."
But I had no time to indulge in admiration—I had to deal with Vice Minister Jin. As expected, he seemed here to pick a fight.
"Might the lady beside you be...?"
I trailed off. With looks like that, she could pass for a princess. Princess Joo Eunseol's beauty was renowned as the Number One Flower of the Central Plains.
Of course, hardly anyone had seen Princess Joo Eunseol's face in person. Common folk never got the chance to meet royalty. Even I, head of a major merchant group, had never laid eyes on her.
"Ah, allow me to introduce her. This is Director Yi Hwan of the Dongchang."
"...Pardon?"
I blurted it out without realizing how disrespectful it was to question a palace official. The Dongchang was the palace's secret service, staffed entirely by eunuchs.
Vice Minister Jin scowled immediately, but the one called Director Yi Hwan covered her mouth and laughed.
"Hoho. It's fine. As you can see, my appearance leads to a lot of misunderstandings."
"Ah, my apologies."
I belatedly apologized for my rudeness. Her voice and gestures were unmistakably feminine, yet she was a eunuch.
The moment I thought of kissing Yi Hwan upon seeing her, chills raced down my spine and arms. A kiss with a eunuch? What a horrifying, nightmarish idea. I preferred women over men, after all.
"So, what brings the Director of the Dongchang here?"
I pulled myself together and looked at Jin Mubeok. I wasn't about to be rattled by a eunuch's looks for long. A Director of the Dongchang was no one to underestimate.
She held a high position in the secret service, which specialized in surveillance and arrests. A deep unease began to creep up inside me.
The answer came not from Jin Mubeok, but from Director Yi Hwan.
"I'll explain."
"Yes."
"Do you know of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"
Yi Hwan's words made me furrow my brow. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—a group shunned by the martial world, and the palace had relentlessly worked to eradicate them as well.
"Of course. Didn't they perish long ago?"
"Yes. The palace and the martial world joined forces to drive them out. That's common historical knowledge."
"Indeed."
"That's the overview. Now for the secret part. Can you keep it?"
Yi Hwan smiled with her eyes, a terrifying smile that made my heart and fists tremble.
Her beauty no longer registered. Well, a bit did, honestly. But a secret from the Director of the Dongchang? I shook my head firmly.
"I can keep it, but I won't hear it. Why would I pry into the Dongchang's secrets?"
"Not listening isn't an option. Unfortunately. I asked if you could keep it, not if you wanted to hear it."
Yi Hwan's smile deepened. The air in the room grew colder. The breeze from outside felt like a sharp blade mercilessly slicing my skin.
"...I'll have to keep it, then."
"Good. Lately, movements of Heavenly Demon Divine Cult remnants have been detected across the Central Plains."
The secret hit without giving me time to breathe. I gasped deeply.
I'd suspected as much, but hearing it from someone else confirmed my thoughts—especially from the Director of the Dongchang, making it official.
"Shocking. Wasn't the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult completely wiped out?"
"Yes. A hundred years ago, they were besieged in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains for a hundred days and all killed—or so it's known. But apparently, some descendants survived."
"I see."
My unease amplified. Fine, confirmation that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was stirring was good. But why tell me?
"That look says, 'Why tell me?'"
"Sharp eyes."
Merchants were perceptive, but no match for a professional like a eunuch.
"Because you're suspected of being a spy for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
"...What?"
I let out an incredulous exclamation, but inside, I was in utter panic.
First thought: someone saw me use demonic qi and reported it. But no one was around when I did—I'd checked repeatedly. So not that. Then Mun Ilji? Did he pretend not to notice my demonic qi as a clever act? Thoughts raced.
"Me?"
I pointed at myself, trying to convey maximum indignation and absurdity. But it didn't faze Yi Hwan, whose eyes narrowed in amusement.
"Yes."
"What's the evidence?"
"Someone reported you."
"Who?"
"Can't say, obviously."
"So no evidence."
Confidence crept into my tone. No evidence meant no fear. I had demonic qi, sure, but I wasn't a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult spy.
"Just suspicions."
"Care to share them?"
"First, the epidemic in Wuhuan. Dongchang investigation found traces of demonic qi at the outbreak source."
Yi Hwan continued.
"Who profited most from the money plague in Wuhuan?"
"Someone profited?"
"Right here. You. You gained the reputation of Lake Lord of Hugang."
I let out a hollow laugh. Director or not, this was ridiculous.
"I was just trying to save people."
"You deliberately spread demonic qi, then cured it yourself with more demonic qi. That's the suspicion."
That stung—half-true. I had treated people with demonic qi.
"Second, the Green Forest Twelve Styles hoarding. You hoarded them, then the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult deliberately released Green Forest Bandits to drive up prices."
"That's a theory with a lot of skipped steps."
"Still, isn't it bizarre—insane, even—for a new merchant group like Hwi-yeong to deal only in Green Forest Twelve Styles? When they should be diversifying to survive."
Yi Hwan smiled. Staring at that face no longer stirred me—not just because she was a eunuch. That pale, pretty smile was chillingly cold.
"It even explains how Hwi-yeong convinced the Black Dragon Sect. A Heavenly Demon Divine Cult expert could wipe out a black path sect effortlessly."
"That's speculation bordering on fantasy."
"Then tell me: why hoard something no one cared about? Risking your merchant group's life on it. You must have had certainty."
I was speechless.
"You won't claim you foresaw the future, will you?"
Yi Hwan openly mocked me. Surely she hadn't come personally for such flimsy guesses.
The Wuhuan Merchant Lord, Vice Minister Jin, or even the Zhuge family higher up must have pulled strings to move the Dongchang. Spy was just a pretext—none of Yi Hwan's words held real "facts."
Yet I couldn't refute. Truth and lies were cunningly mixed, hard to sift.
Treating with demonic qi was true; foreknowing the future led to hoarding Green Forest Twelve Styles—true. Even Black Dragon Sect ties to Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were possible, since Mun Ilji took the antidote.
I shrugged at Yi Hwan's piercing gaze.
"Nothing to say."
"Admitting guilt?"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Then it's troublesome. We'll search the Hwi-yeong Merchant Group. All operations halt during the search."
"By what authority?"
In a flash, a sword flashed from Yi Hwan's scabbard. Even I, used to speed, couldn't follow. The cold blade pressed against my throat.
...An incredible master.
Of course—the Imperial Guard and Dongchang teemed with palace experts. A Director had to be one too.
"Dongchang authority. Any complaints?"
I couldn't even swallow. My Adam's apple quivered against the blade.
"None."
I squeezed out the words.
Only then did Yi Hwan sheathe her sword. The blade's chill lingered eerily on my throat; I rubbed it.
Then Yi Hwan leaned close and whispered in my ear.
"The Dongchang lurks in shadows. Mind your words and deeds unless you want to end up dead in an alley."
"...Duly noted."
"I don't plan to abuse power. Gone are the days of arbitrary arrests, torture, and forced confessions."
Small mercy. And it confirmed their goal: search the merchant group, halt operations. The spy charge was mere excuse.
Still alarming. I needed to check on the Black Dragon Sect and the antidote. If word spread they used it, I could get dragged in. Unfair as a falling roof on a passing crow, but better avoid misunderstandings—like not adjusting your hat under a plum tree.
The search began. Black-clad eunuchs appeared from nowhere, rifling through documents and bamboo slips.
As I watched arms crossed, they dawdled. They even claimed they couldn't finish today and would return tomorrow.
"What a shame."
Yi Hwan flashed her usual eye-smile and withdrew. Jin Mubeok lingered, clucking his tongue softly.
"That's why I told you. Show off too much, and you get targeted."
Jin Mubeok followed her out, leaving the Hwi-yeong Merchant Group in chaos. No way the eunuchs would clean up.
"...Head."
Jo Chungheon sidled up. Merchant group staff, now idle, eyed me.
"Heh."
I chuckled unwittingly. Bureaucratic nitpicking like this was common in my past life. First time from the secret Dongchang, though.
"Chief Clerk."
"Yes."
"Don't come to work for a while. Same for everyone. The eunuchs will camp out anyway."
"Pardon? Then...?"
"Salaries continue, so don't worry."
Staff exchanged glances at my words. I left it at that and shut myself in the head office.
The search had barely ended, yet moonlight already scattered its ethereal glow. I propped my chin on the desk, glaring into the darkness.
This time, caught off guard—no preparation would have helped. But next time would be different.
They still don't know me.
I always repay.
Be it favor.
Or grudge.