Madman
To cut straight to the conclusion: Hui-yeom had no real intention of using this incident to slap the Namgung Clan across the face.
Even if he tried to press the attack over something like this, the only heads that would roll would be those of the underlings who had carried out the work. The Namgung Clan itself would take no real damage—he would only succeed in making them angry.
So when he explained the rough outline of his plan and said he only meant to put a little scare into them, Sama Yun stared at him exactly the way one stares at a lunatic and asked,
“What reason do you have to do all that if you’re not even declaring war on the Namgung Clan?”
“I have one.”
Hui-yeom looked at Sama Yun and explained with patient kindness.
“Yun-mae, who is the last person in the world you’d ever want as an enemy?”
“Well… someone you can never beat?”
“Eh, let’s set that kind of person aside.”
“Among people you can beat? Then someone who can deal me a fatal blow? Someone I’m certain I won’t walk away from unscathed if we fight?”
“Those kinds of opponents aren’t people you’d want as enemies either, but if necessary you can still make them enemies. If you don’t get hit, you’re fine, right? As long as you can rationally calculate and predict, you can read their moves and respond.”
“Then who is it?”
“An opponent who does unpredictable mad things.”
Sama Yun’s expression twisted slightly. Hui-yeom gave a soft snort of laughter.
“You look like you don’t buy it, so let me put it this way.
‘Someone whose every action defies prediction,
someone who plays like they won’t tolerate even a tiny loss, then at the decisive moment throws out a suicidal gamble no one saw coming,
someone whose motives, ideology, and logic are all unknowable—someone who destroys everyone around them and themselves with self-destructive moves that shatter every expectation.’
Would you want to roll around in the mud fighting a person like that?”
“Just hearing it makes me want to wash my hands of them… They’re the kind of people I never want to meet in my entire life.”
“Exactly. Opponents like that completely wreck the calculations of people like us with their unpredictable behavior.
Anyone who leads an organization is bound to fear these kinds of madmen more than anyone else.
They’re more afraid of the madman in the marketplace than of the greatest master under heaven—because you can at least calculate the greatest master’s principles of action.
The greatest master has no particular reason to kill you, and you might even be able to negotiate. But the madman in the marketplace might decide he wants to kill you at any moment, and even if you knew, negotiation would be impossible.”
“An interesting opinion. But what does any of that have to do with the current situation?”
“I intend to put on a whole big show so that, over at the Namgung Clan, the name Dang Hui-yeom looks like exactly that kind of madman.”
Only then did Sama Yun understand his intent.
“So you’re going to seize on this as a pretext, scream about deceiving the sovereign and so on, and put on a grand bluff as if you’re about to wage all-out war against the Namgung Clan?”
“And how do you think the Namgung Clan will react?”
“They’ll decide there’s no need to dance to a madman’s tune, so they’ll quickly cut loose the underling who arranged this and try to end it there.”
“Is that all?”
“…No. They’ll start thinking of Dang Hui-yeom as some kind of unpredictable mental case, and unless something special comes up, they’ll make sure not to collide with him. That’s what you’re aiming for.”
“Correct.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but… do we really need to go this far just to pick a fight with the Namgung Clan… Ah. Well, sooner or later, right?”
“Exactly. The grain-merchant affair and this latest incident are still only at the level of personnel managers. As long as we intend to advance into the Central Plains commercial world, a future where we have to go at it hammer and tongs with the entrenched Namgung Clan is already waiting for us.
And since we’re allied with the Sama Clan—enemies of the Jegal Clan—there’s even less room for compromise.”
“Heh heh. Let’s work hard together and yank out the foundation stones of the Jegal Clan!”
“Could you not say such terrifying things with such a warm, sunny face?”
“What are you talking about? The real lunatic is the one who just because we booked a few boats first, slaps a ‘deceiving the sovereign’ charge on us out of nowhere…”
“Hm? Yun-mae, I think your pretenses just slipped a little.”
“Must be your imagination~ Pretenses? Only Young Master Dang would say something like that.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. Ohoho.”
“Ahaha.”
“…Hey, Ye-eun.”
“Yes?”
Dang Su-jeong, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, muttered, and Ye-eun answered.
Dang Su-jeong said,
“I don’t really know about these things, but… is this what dating is usually like among the descendants of martial clans?”
“…How would I know?”
Honestly, I want to know what’s going on inside those two’s heads too.
That was what Ye-eun thought.
When Dang Hui-yeom first came to him brandishing an imperial plaque and claimed that the Yangtze Shipping Guild—and the Namgung Clan behind it—were obstructing his journey to Beijing, Chongqing County Magistrate Yi Gang-ok felt his mind go completely blank.
Of course Yi Gang-ok himself had nothing to do with the matter, but the mere fact that such an insolent affair had occurred inside the county he administered meant the sparks could fly in any direction without warning.
And the other party was Dang Hui-yeom, who in Sichuan was practically worshipped as a living god?
The same Dang Hui-yeom who had just recently taken the head of the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commissioner?
The one who now commanded a legal affairs division staffed by terrifying former high officials, led by Master Bang Un himself?
How could a mere county magistrate possibly handle a case like this?
“Th-there must be some misunderstanding… I’ve met the head of the Yangtze Shipping Guild a few times, and he is absolutely not the sort of man who would do something so reckless… Ah! That is not to say I have any personal connection with that fellow or have ever accepted anything from him…”
“There, there, calm down, Magistrate. Let’s just put on a little performance together.”
When Hui-yeom beamed and casually waved the imperial plaque stamped with the imperial seal, the magistrate had no choice but to nod.
Well, that was how things stood…
The moment he saw Byeon Jun-seop being dragged in by furious guards and flung onto the floor of the county yamen like a sack of luggage, the Chongqing County Magistrate was able to unleash a roar that rose straight from his lower dantian.
“Youuuuu scoundrel!! Do you even know your own crimes!!!”
“Magistrate, this is unjust! I know nothing! What on earth is going on here…!”
When Byeon Jun-seop tried to deny everything, the magistrate’s temples bulged with veins as he shouted,
“How dare you! You plotted to obstruct the path of Dang Hui-yeom, who bears His Majesty’s august plaque and is traveling to Beijing, and you still mean to play dumb?!”
“This humble one has done no such thing!”
“The head of the Yangtze Shipping Guild claims everything was done under your orders! The situation is this clear—do you still intend to deny it to the end?!”
“That was all the doing of Jang Wi-an of the Yangtze Shipping Guild, out of excessive loyalty! That fellow caused trouble out of excessive loyalty to the Namgung Clan, and now that things have grown large he is trying to sell the Namgung name to escape the corner he put himself in!
How could a prestigious house like the Namgung Clan dare obstruct His Majesty’s heaven-like, august will?! I am innocent!”
“Hmph! I never expected you to confess your crimes so easily from the start. Since you still seem unready to confess, why don’t you have a taste of the rod first! You there! Bailiffs, prepare the flogging frame at once!”
Has he gone mad?
Byeon Jun-seop could not understand what was happening at all.
What had become of the principle that officials did not meddle in martial affairs?
No—setting that principle aside, it was no simple matter for a mere county magistrate to punish the steward of a great house like the Namgung Clan this way.
From the magistrate’s own perspective, if the Namgung Clan later bore a grudge and brought pressure to bear, the aftermath would be difficult to handle; he would have no choice but to tread carefully.
Therefore, even in the worst case—if it were true that Dang Hui-yeom truly carried an imperial plaque—the proper level of response would be to lock the man in the jail, notify the Namgung Clan of the facts, demand caution, and then release him.
With an explanation that they had not known about the plaque when they blocked the way, plus a modest amount of bail money collected, the matter would have been closed.
But a flogging frame? A floooogging frame? Did that not mean they fully intended to beat a man until he was crippled?
While he was still stammering “Wh-what…” and unable to collect his wits, the bailiffs’ rough hands bound him to the frame.
And when a bailiff stepped forward carrying a rod that glistened dark red with soaked-in blood, a shout tore out of Byeon Jun-seop’s throat as if he were under a curse.
“D-do you think you will walk away unscathed after this?! After daring to lay hands on me, a steward of the great Namgung Clan?! What has become of the promise that officials do not meddle in martial affairs?! If I leave this place a cripple, do you truly believe you can handle the consequences, Magistrate?!”
Byeon Jun-seop’s threat—that he would use the Namgung name to put the magistrate in a very difficult position—only scraped at the man’s pride.
“The laws of the nation are august! How dare you try to oppress this office in the name of a mere clan! I have heard enough! You there! Beat that man severely until he confesses the truth!”
“Yes, sir!”
“One stroke—now!”
The rod soared into the air. Byeon Jun-seop glared at the magistrate with bloodshot eyes—and at that very moment,
“Wait!”
A sudden shout cut in, and the bailiff’s rod froze mid-air with a dull thok.
Reflexively Byeon Jun-seop’s gaze swung around. Standing there was a handsome youth so refined he almost looked like a young woman, smiling brightly.
Who?
Because the youth was not wearing the deep-green robes that were the symbol of the Dang Family, Byeon Jun-seop did not immediately realize he was Dang Hui-yeom.
“Why do you stop the execution of the sentence, Young Hero Dang?”
Only when he heard those words did he understand that the beautiful youth before him was the very cause of this entire disaster.
So this is Dang Hui-yeom… the insolent brat who stopped the locusts and sweet-talked the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commissioner into dealing our grain merchants a heavy loss?
“I’m not stopping the sentence. I simply believe I can extract a confession if I speak with him first. Would you grant me a little time, Magistrate?”
“Mm… if the principal party himself requests it…”
“Thank you, Magistrate.”
Hui-yeom offered the magistrate a cupped-fist salute, then walked over to Byeon Jun-seop.
Looking down at the man bound face-down, he flashed a grin.
“So it’s you. The little scrap who lives by scavenging the food waste that spills out of the Namgung Clan’s troughs.”
“H-how insolent! Even if you are the young master of the Dang Family, to speak that way to a steward of the great Namgung Clan…!”
“Steward, my ass. Are you a Namgung? You’re a replaceable part, livestock the Namgung raise, and you dare put on human airs? I ought to rip out that tongue of yours, wipe the latrine with it, and stick it back in.”
“……”
The thick stream of curses pouring out of that refined, smiling face left Byeon Jun-seop completely unable to collect his thoughts.
Hui-yeom, fully committed to playing the madman, held nothing back.
“Listen carefully. The Namgung Clan tried to block my path and kill me. Me—who had the overwhelming honor of receiving the Emperor’s plaque and was on my way to Beijing.
The reason? Because I stopped the locusts and carried out relief, and the grain merchants of Anhui took losses.
You meant to kill me, then pin the false charge that Sichuan had blocked the relief, that Dang Hui-yeom had fled because he was afraid his lies would be exposed when summoned by His Majesty, and thereby slander both the Sichuan Dang Family and the Sichuan Provincial Administration.”
“W-what?!”
“The goal is the destruction of the Sichuan Dang Family, and there is a political aim of toppling the Provincial Administration as well.
Truly a bold and fearless plan!
And you are the assassin who, in order to carry out that plan, used bribes and threats to bring the entire shipping network of the region, including the Yangtze Shipping Guild, under your control.”
“What kind of nonsense…!”
The story had leapt to absurd heights.
Something he had done merely out of spite, intending only to put the other party in their place, had now become—far beyond simply blocking a plaque in ignorance—a grand conspiracy deliberately designed to deceive the Emperor and destroy an entire clan!
He shouted without thinking, driven by the sheer injustice of it.
“What kind of garbage is that! I only blocked the waterway for a little while thinking I’d give you a hard time! I never even entertained such appalling thoughts!”
“You heard him? The criminal has confessed. He freely admitted with his own mouth that he blocked the waterway.”
Oh no!
Byeon Jun-seop ground his teeth after blurting out his own crime in a moment of panic.
He thought desperately, trying to regain as much composure as possible.
What is this? What the hell does he want? Why is he blowing this up so recklessly? Does he have some clever scheme prepared to frame the Namgung Clan?
By any common sense, there was absolutely no need to make something this complicated over a matter so small!
“Fine, I admit it! I blocked the waterway—that much is true! But claims of assassination, or that I’m plotting something against Sichuan Province, are nothing but this man’s delusions! There isn’t a shred of evidence!”
“Hmm.”
When the magistrate put on a thoughtful expression, Byeon Jun-seop seized the glimmer of hope and tried to persuade him.
“L-let’s end it at this, Magistrate. I went too far with my prank. I will formally apologize to the Sichuan Dang Family and offer appropriate compensation! Is this not a matter between martial houses? If the authorities involve themselves too deeply in an affair between the Dang Family and the Namgung Clan, won’t things become complicated later?
I truly did not know about the plaque! If you blow things up this far over something I didn’t know, the aftermath will be truly difficult to handle.”
“…What do you say to that, Young Master?”
“Hmm.”
“Th-that’s right, Young Master. I was in the wrong. I will prepare the largest and most splendid ship available in Chongqing. You’ll transfer ships when you reach Wuhan, yes? The Namgung Clan will cover every expense until then.
So let’s end it here. The Sichuan Dang Family can’t truly want to make an enemy of the Namgung Clan either, can they?”
“Hmm… then I have one condition.”
“What is it? As long as it’s not unreasonable, I’ll do my best to accommodate you.”
At Byeon Jun-seop’s question, Hui-yeom said,
“I’m annoyed that you delayed me, so since you’re already bound to the frame, let’s just have you take a refreshing five strokes of the rod and be done with it. Hm?”
“?”
For an instant Byeon Jun-seop’s brain understood the words yet refused to accept them, leaving him blank.
What? Is he actually insane?
But Hui-yeom continued chattering with complete nonchalance.
“Ah, the bailiffs have their pride too. They went to the trouble of tying a man up—how can they just let him go? Right?”
“N-no, what kind of…”
“Five is too much? Then exactly four dollars—no, just four strokes.”
“What do you think you’re doing right now! Are we negotiating or not?!”
“Aww, still too many? Then I’ve really been generous this time, okay? Three strokes—heaven, earth, and man—just three.”
“Have you gone completely mad?!”
“Aigoo, are you really going to be this petty? Fine, this is the absolute last offer. Just two strokes—two. Hm? One would be too lonely~”
He really is a madman.
What kind of madman is this, in this world?
Looking at Hui-yeom, who smiled slyly with eyes that even seemed to glitter with madness, Byeon Jun-seop felt a fear of the incomprehensible.
I must not get involved with this man. Staying as uninvolved as possible is the best policy!
That day, Byeon Jun-seop was forced to take two strokes of the rod after all.
…The report that reached the Namgung Clan of Anhui Province—stating that a certain Dang Hui-yeom was an unpredictable madman—arrived only a little while later.