Let's Create a Legal Department
“Shh.”
Ye-eun motioned for Hwi-yeom to keep quiet and stepped calmly out into the moonlight.
—Siii…
A crimson light atop the wall flickered like a morning star, then suddenly vaulted over the barrier.
As it slowly emerged from the wall’s shadow into the moonlight, Hwi-yeom recognized what that red glow truly was.
A giant spider.
It was a pure white spider the size of a small dog. The crimson light had been pouring from its eight compound eyes.
So spirit beasts actually exist…
But they called it the Human-Faced Spider. Where’s the human face?
Hwi-yeom swallowed dryly and slipped a hand into his robes.
Just in case, he had brought a poison-coated dagger, Tang Thunder grenades, and the Dang family’s secret poison vials—all of which he could feel tucked in his sleeves.
If Ye-eun seemed in danger, he planned to hurl the dagger without hesitation to create distance, then throw a Tang Thunder.
Yet what followed made him unconsciously loosen his grip.
Ye-eun approached the plum tree, casually plucked one of those ice-like plums, and held it out to the spider.
Didn’t they say the branch would snap if you tried to pick those?
Hwi-yeom watched in silence as Ye-eun worked.
The Human-Faced Spider(?) stared at her for a moment, then slowly approached and opened its jaws. Ye-eun placed the plum into its mouth.
—Kiiiiee!
The spider wriggled its abdomen in delight, then leapt up and clung to her.
Just as Hwi-yeom recoiled in shock and prepared to throw a throwing knife, Ye-eun stretched out a hand and stopped him.
“That’s right, that’s right. Good boy.”
As if cradling a child and feeding it, Ye-eun plucked more plums from the tree and fed them one by one.
Once the spider had finished every plum, it hopped down from her with a look of satisfaction, raised its front legs several times in what almost seemed like a bow of farewell, then vanished over the wall into the darkness.
Watching it go, Ye-eun turned to Hwi-yeom—who was still stunned by the bizarre spectacle—and smiled faintly.
“May I explain everything to His Excellency tomorrow during the day, together with you?”
The next morning, the youngest daughter who had slept in the inner quarters woke with a far healthier complexion.
To Bang Un and Hwi-yeom, who were curious about the reason, Ye-eun began her explanation in a quiet, measured voice.
“What was draining your daughter’s vitality was indeed the larval form of the Human-Faced Spider. But there is a reason for it.”
“And what reason is that?”
“The plum tree in the inner courtyard.”
“The plum?”
“Yes.”
Ye-eun pointed to the plum tree, now stripped of its fruit.
“That plum tree is a spirit tree. It draws in the yin energy of this mountain to bear fruit.
And the Human-Faced Spider is a spirit beast of yin power.
To reach maturity, the Human-Faced Spider requires vast amounts of yin energy—which is why the plums of this tree were essential to it.”
“So the stakes, sacred ropes, and talismans planted by that geomancer formed a barrier that kept the spider from approaching the tree?”
At Hwi-yeom’s question, Ye-eun nodded.
“Unable to obtain yin energy, the larva was forced to seek it elsewhere as a last resort.
Specifically, the feminine yin energy your daughter possessed. That is why the Human-Faced Spider drained her vitality, and why she grew so weak.”
“But there are many women in my household. Why did it single out that child? Was it simply because her room was closest to the tree?”
“That played a part, yes. But the youngest lady was targeted above all because she has maintained her purity and chastity. Her yin energy is the clearest and purest of all.”
“…Then how do we stop this?”
“Exterminating the Human-Faced Spider of Xiling Snow Mountain would be extremely difficult. There is no telling how many people might be hurt.
It would be far better to transplant the plum tree to another site rich in yin energy where the spider can come and go freely.”
“And what if the fully grown Human-Faced Spider then comes after my household?”
“It will not. Spirit beasts have no interest in the affairs of men.
We have all heard stories of hungry tigers descending from winter mountains to cause man-eating disasters—but never of a hungry spirit beast coming down to harm humans.
When a spirit beast harms a person, as in this case, the cause always lies with the humans themselves.”
“And why should I believe that? If I leave this monster alone on your word alone and even one of my people is harmed, your life alone will not be enough to answer for it.”
When Bang Un pressed her with icy severity, Hwi-yeom stepped in.
“I give you my word in the name of the Sichuan Dang Family. Should anything happen, our main house will take full responsibility.”
“….”
Bang Un stared hard at Hwi-yeom for a moment, then finally yielded a step.
“…Forgive me. Knowing my daughter’s life and the lives of my household hang in the balance, I spoke too harshly.
You both came here to help my child. Please overlook my rudeness.”
“Not at all, Your Excellency.”
“From what I have heard, it seems I was the one who first seized the Human-Faced Spider’s dwelling. The spider merely sought a way to survive as a result.
To blame it and try to kill it would not be the way of a gentleman.
I give you my word that I will dig up the plum tree and transplant it to a suitable site of power.
Will that suffice?”
Ye-eun bowed deeply at the waist.
“Spiders forget neither grace nor grudge. Surely a day will come when you regard this decision as fortunate.”
“Hmm.”
Bang Un nodded as though it were of little consequence, then turned his gaze to Hwi-yeom.
“But first we must confirm my daughter’s full recovery. I will repay the grace of this matter after that.”
“Of course, Your Excellency.”
The two offered their farewell greetings to Bang Un and set out on the road back to the Sichuan Dang Family.
In the carriage on the return journey, Hwi-yeom asked,
“Ye-eun. You’re hiding something from me.”
“…Yes.”
“Are you going to keep hiding it forever?”
“…Someday.”
Ye-eun’s long eyelashes trembled as she bowed her head to him.
“There will come a day when I tell you everything, Young Master.”
“Is there any reason I should keep by my side and trust someone who will not confide everything in me?”
“If that is truly how you feel, then cast me out.”
“…You’re stubborn, you know that.”
“To be honest, I’m simply sick of the overwork.”
“Honestly…”
Ye-eun’s joke kept Hwi-yeom from pressing further; he only snorted a laugh.
“They say you can’t spit on a smiling face—that’s exactly this.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Forget it. Just promise me one thing.”
Hwi-yeom’s eyes grew deep and utterly serious.
“Do not betray me. Never. No matter what happens.”
It was a strange thing.
By nature Hwi-yeom was the sort who took betrayal as a matter of course.
Humans always chased profit; becoming allies was merely a byproduct of mutual gain.
How many companies had he swallowed through mergers and acquisitions, how many restructurings and mass layoffs had he carried out, on his way to becoming the head of a conglomerate?
It had only been possible because he took people in easily and cast them aside just as easily.
Even when he brought Bak Chang-eon on board, he had defined their relationship not as an alliance premised on loyalty, but as a temporary collusion for mutual interest.
Yet now it was different.
Strangely enough, he found himself hoping that Ye-eun at least would never betray him.
Even if she were promised the power to rule the world, he hoped she would never turn against him.
“….”
Ye-eun met his gaze with eyes just as deep as his own.
Then, after a moment, she smiled with remarkable gentleness and said,
“Yes. I am not the sort of person who forgets grace.”
“Have I ever really done you any favors? All I’ve done is pile work on you.”
At Hwi-yeom’s shamelessness, Ye-eun gave a soft laugh.
“I won’t forget grudges either.”
“Honestly, and this is my First Secretary.”
“Uhu-hu.”
“Hahaha.”
And so, in that gentle atmosphere, the two returned to the Sichuan Dang Family.
Roughly a month after Hwi-yeom and Ye-eun returned home, Bang Un himself arrived at the Sichuan Dang Family, leading carts laden with gifts.
Dang Un-sang received him with the same full ceremony he would show a Provincial Governor, and after exchanging warm greetings they sat facing each other over tea. There Bang Un offered his frank thanks.
“My youngest daughter has recovered her health! All of it is thanks to the Sichuan Dang Family, so I could not stay away.”
“It is an honor to meet Your Excellency Bang Un, whose renown resounds throughout Sichuan.”
“The honor is mine—to set foot across the threshold of Sichuan’s foremost clan…”
Bang Un looked around the Sichuan Dang Family with fresh eyes and nodded in satisfaction.
“Though I have withdrawn from office and become a recluse buried in the countryside, I know full well whose achievement the changes sweeping Sichuan truly are.
The Dang Family has every right to place the word ‘Sichuan’ before its name.”
“Haha…”
“If one had to name the single family in Sichuan that deserves that right, it would not be my Bang family—it would be the Dang.”
“You flatter us.”
“Continue to work for Sichuan’s development and the livelihood of the common people. If there is any area where my help is needed, speak freely.”
“Do you truly mean that?”
Hwi-yeom, who had been listening quietly, jumped in at once. Far from scolding him for the interruption, Bang Un simply raised his brows and laughed.
“Of course I do. Though the help a mere recluse like myself can offer has its limits…”
He spoke modestly, yet an irrepressible confidence showed in his expression.
And why not?
It’s a rough comparison, but Bang Un’s standing is no less than that of the Thousand-Hand Living Buddha who visited last time. Considering he can exert influence over officialdom rather than the martial world, his reach is actually greater. This is an opportunity—an enormous one!
Hwi-yeom’s eyes lit up as he spoke.
“Then would you consider accepting the post of legal advisor to our Sichuan Dang Family?”
“Hm?”
“Y-Yeom, my boy.”
Dang Un-sang looked startled by the sudden proposal, while Bang Un narrowed his eyes.
“Are you asking me to become a retainer of the Dang Family?”
“No, Your Excellency. Of course not.”
“Then what?”
“An advisor is exactly what the word implies—a position that offers counsel. Rather than a retainer of the Dang Family, think of it as standing on equal footing and providing us with legal advice.”
After pondering a moment, Bang Un spoke as though something had occurred to him.
“In short, you want me to do the same work as a Censor of the Censorate?”
“Precisely. Of course we will provide appropriate compensation…”
“Hmm.”
This was the difference between “ah” and “oh.”
If he were hired by the Sichuan Dang Family and paid a salary, it would look as though Bang Un had entered their service.
But if he remained an external advisor who offered counsel and received an honorarium, there was no problem.
Hwi-yeom continued.
“…It is embarrassing to admit, but you are aware that we maintain close ties—collusive ties, even—with the Provincial Governor. And from that, inevitable corruption arises.”
“Hmm. I too have regarded that with considerable regret.”
“But consider this, Your Excellency. Without it, our Dang Family—mere martial clan that we are—could never protect ourselves.
If we relied on the force of arms we possess as a martial house and clashed with the authorities, we would be branded traitors on the spot. We have no choice but to contest matters through law and principle alone.
Yet in this Jing Empire, an official’s authority sometimes takes precedence over the law itself. How then could we afford to make enemies of powerful local figures like the Provincial Governor, the Judicial Commissioner, or the Regional Military Commander?”
“Well… I suppose that is true…”
“Fortunately there has been no major corruption yet, and the Provincial Governor’s course still aligns with our family’s goal of developing Sichuan, so no great problems have arisen.
But ants swarm wherever the scent of sweetness rises.
As our family expands its enterprises for Sichuan’s sake and grows wealthier as a result, there will inevitably appear those who grow uneasy or resentful of our rising influence and seek to obstruct us—
or those who simply want to seize our businesses for themselves.
If it is a matter of the martial world, we will not lose. But if the opponent is a high official… the story becomes complicated.”
“Indeed. I understand what you mean.”
Bang Un folded his arms and closed his eyes for a moment.
Still in that posture, he murmured quietly,
“Even a sitting Judicial Commissioner cannot be free of the poison of power. Everything he accepted to reach that height becomes the shackles that bind his freedom… Yes. This is work only someone like me can do.”
“Exactly so.”
Bang Un’s eyes gleamed.
“If I summon certain people, can you give them proper treatment as well?”
“Whom do you intend to bring?”
“Men who are just and capable, yet whose lack of background has blocked their path to advancement—or former officials like myself who are merely waiting for the day they die. If I add their influence and connections to my own,
then at least within the land of Sichuan, even the Three Offices—the Provincial Governor, the Judicial Commissioner, and the Regional Military Commander—will not dare to touch the Dang Family lightly.”
“Of course! We promise the finest treatment.”
“However.”
Bang Un’s gaze sharpened.
“If this is solely for the Dang Family’s wealth and glory, I cannot cooperate. The men I know are pedantic fellows who know nothing but to pick at every tiny clause in the legal codes.
They will never become guardians of corruption.”
“Watch the Dang Family from the closest seat. And if the Dang Family ever falls into corruption and walks that path, denounce us.”
At that, Bang Un broke into a bright smile.
“Heh heh. I was fretting over how to repay the debt of my youngest daughter’s life, and now the bond continues in this way. It seems I still have work left to do for His Majesty’s Central Plains.”
“Truly, this is a great blessing for both the Central Plains and Sichuan.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Then I leave it in your hands, Employer.”
“Yes—thank you, Advisor!”
And thus was formed the first legal advisory team in the Central Plains.
Though… the power of this legal team would prove far more overwhelming than anyone imagined.
What work they would one day perform—at that moment, no one but Hwi-yeom knew.