A Harmonious Family
A few months later, a wind of change swept through the Sichuan Tang Clan. Tang Hwi, formerly the Young Master, had become the Acting Patriarch. It was only natural, as Tang Suryeon had become pregnant. In reality, the child was the product of incestuous copulation with Tang Hwi, but to the outside world, it was known as the "child of Namgung Bu-ryun." It was the most believable story, and the easiest for people to accept.
Namgung Bu-ryun, who had gone beyond committing acts unworthy of an orthodox sect member to finally impregnating the Patriarch with his fourth child before descending into idiocy, had left a lasting impression. The members of the Tang Clan could not help but marvel at a man who, until the very end, managed to sow seeds while simultaneously spreading filth. It served as a perfect lesson on what happens when a fool occupies a high position. Since a pregnant woman could not continue to hold the heavy burden of being the Patriarch, Tang Hwi—who had only recently become the Young Master but was already highly regarded for his competence—quickly stepped up to handle the Patriarch’s duties as the Acting Patriarch.
Having already experienced the role three times, Tang Hwi was busy managing the affairs of the clan in the Patriarch’s Pavilion, taking the place of Tang Suryeon, who was busy caring for her own body. "Phew. The work just never ends. I’m exhausted."
"That can’t be helped, can it?" Tang Sua, who had brought a mountain of reports, placed them on the desk and said with a nonchalant expression to Tang Hwi, who was complaining to himself in the Patriarch’s office.
"At least Ga-hui and Ga-in, who would have helped the Young Master, have entered closed-door training. You’ve started so many things, like sending massive sponsorship funds to the Murim Alliance for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering and sending letters to the North Sea, so you have to take responsibility."
"...Among those many things, there’s also the fact that you transferred to the Secretary Pavilion, Aunt."
"I thought that was the fastest way to repay your grace."
Immediately after Tang Hwi became the Acting Patriarch, Tang Sua had submitted a transfer request to the Secretary Pavilion. It was unprecedented for the head of one pavilion to request a transfer to another, but Tang Hwi had accepted it. Seeing that the number of times maids entered and exited the Patriarch’s Pavilion had decreased, she had judged that someone tight-lipped was needed, and she had come to help Tang Hwi personally. She had been asked by the North Sea Ice Palace Master to help obtain an Ice Crystal, but that alone had not been enough to clear the guilt she felt for what Tang Yuseong had done. Tang Hwi had said it was fine, but at least that was how Tang Sua felt. Since she requested the transfer to repay his grace in accordance with the Tang Clan’s family motto, [Repay grace twofold, repay grudges tenfold], Tang Hwi had no grounds to refuse, so he accepted, and she immediately became the Vice Pavilion Master, dedicated to assisting Tang Hwi.
Even in terms of hierarchy, "Young Master" was a sufficient title, but the fact that she lowered herself out of guilt and added "-nim" was part of that same reason.
"Still, it must be comfortable now that I’m here, right? You don’t have to deal with the annoyance of several people from the Secretary Pavilion coming and going."
"Phew. That’s true." Tang Hwi admitted it readily. After all, what could be a problem, physically or otherwise, when a master of the Master Realm was volunteering to be his secretary? Furthermore, Tang Sua, whose maternal family was a branch line while the main family was the direct line, was a social butterfly within the clan, so she was bound to be helpful.
"Anyway, Ga-hui and Ga-in have entered closed-door training, but they say there hasn’t been as much progress as expected. I think I’ll have to delay the date of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering while supporting it so that the two of them can participate."
"There is no other Young Master who would go this far for brothers and sisters who might become potential threats."
"No. Mother was like that too. That’s why Aunt and Uncle became Pavilion Masters without any problems."
"Come to think of it, looking at that, it must be like mother, like son."
Watching Tang Sua nod in agreement, Tang Hwi thought to himself, 'Well, the mother and son were so compatible that we ended up sleeping together.' But that was a remark he could never utter, even if he died.
"I didn’t know the Cheongeuk Trading Company, which suffered damage from Namgung Bu-ryun’s tyranny, would send so many Night-Shining Pearls in the name of the Tang Clan. The ability of the Cheongeuk Trading Company is unexpectedly outstanding. It’s also surprising that they reached out to stay on good terms even after being treated like that."
"That’s all thanks to my silver tongue working well."
"I suppose so. They wouldn’t treat the Tang Clan with a good heart unless they were crazy."
At that, Tang Hwi smiled brightly. In fact, it was he who had handed over a large quantity of Night-Shining Pearls to the head of the Cheongeuk Trading Company. He had handed over a large amount of Night-Shining Pearls as compensation for the damage and made a separate request. He asked them to send most of the Night-Shining Pearls to the Murim Alliance as support funds for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering and to mention the Tang Clan’s name to make the event even grander. Most of it ended up being used for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, but even with just a portion of it, it wasn’t a bad deal for the Cheongeuk Trading Company, as they could build up quite a network of connections. It was a natural flow that the event was delayed to make it even more spectacular as the funds going into the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering suddenly increased.
'The Night-Shining Pearls were my private emergency funds left behind by one of my past lives, but... I have to use them when I need to.' It would be a lie to say it wasn’t a waste, as it was a huge sum, but he had no regrets or lingering attachments. If he hadn’t done that, Tang Ga-hui or Tang Ga-in would have been unable to attend the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering due to their overlapping pregnancy and birth schedules. Tang Ga-in still had a chance, but for Tang Ga-hui, this was the last Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
The cycle for holding the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was usually two years, and the eligibility for participation was from 15 to 25 years old. It meant that if she missed this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, now at twenty-four, she would never be able to participate again.
'I must spread it so that everyone in the world knows.' That the did not collapse but blossomed beautifully once again. For that, Tang Hwi was a man who would not find even a thousand gold pieces a waste.
"And the reply you were waiting for has arrived, Young Master."
"Oh. The reply from the North Sea has finally arrived. ...Hmm? You haven’t read it yet?"
When he asked that, seeing the letter without any signs of the seal being broken, Tang Sua shrugged her shoulders.
"Wouldn’t it be logical for the Young Master, the master of the family, to read it first?"
"...Mother is still quite healthy, though."
"It looks like my sister is going to devote herself to raising the youngest child who arrived in her twilight years? At this rate, it should be considered a given that the Young Master will become the Patriarch. Am I wrong?"
"......"
Tang Hwi gave a bitter smile as he couldn’t think of anything to refute. Even in his opinion, the way a master of the Transcendental Realm was so protective of her body gave a strong impression of a "mother." She couldn’t hide her joy as the seeds he had sown bore fruit and sublimated into love.
'That goes for Ga-hui and Ga-in as well.' The mother and daughter who were pregnant with Tang Hwi’s seeds were likely chatting and taking care of their health deep inside the Patriarch’s Pavilion right now.
'Focus. Focus.' Tang Hwi broke the seal of the letter to focus on the work in front of him. Since she had handed it over like this while reporting, it was tantamount to saying that if Tang Hwi didn’t read it, she wouldn’t read it either.
Tang Hwi read the contents of the letter, convinced that Tang Sua’s faint smile meant this was the correct answer.
"Hmm?"
"What does it say?"
"The Young Palace Master is scheduled to visit this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, so I should discuss the matter of the Ice Crystal with her. She says she has been delegated full authority regarding this matter."
"Oh...? Ye-jin unni sent her daughter?"
"Yes."
Tang Hwi nodded calmly to Tang Sua, who had an expression that said she couldn’t believe it. " Han Ye-hwa is participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering."
The North Sea Ice Palace could be considered the master of the North Sea, a barren but vast region. One could say it was practically a kingdom in terms of the North Sea. Nevertheless, the reason the Imperial Court didn’t touch them was that the North Sea was so barren that there was no place to use it even if they occupied it, and it was a group that was half-involved in the Murim. To the Imperial Court, the Ice Palace was a contradictory existence that was annoying if they didn’t eat it, but would cause trouble if they did. Another reason was that the Ice Palace had no particular interest in the Central Plains. But the was participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering in person? Interpreting it a bit aggressively, it could be seen as a small declaration of war that the Ice Palace would intervene in the Murim of the Central Plains.
"It’s surprising. Honestly, there’s nothing good about the outer regions setting foot in the Central Plains, but to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering..."
"The power of the families and sects in the Central Plains is weak compared to the outer regions, but they are those who cooperate while grinding their teeth when it comes to the outer regions."
"They are more sensitive than anyone else about having their rice bowls stolen. If I hadn’t reached the Master Realm, the Qingcheng and Emei sects might have been very annoying. Even now, they might be plotting behind the scenes. It’s a strength and a weakness of the Central Plains, so I don’t intend to criticize them for that."
"Aside from that, the problem is that I have to guess the reason why the Palace Master... why Ye-jin unni sent a letter with this content to us."
"That too. But since the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering has been postponed to next year, we can think about it slowly. Participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering means she will come next year. Let’s think about what the Ice Palace Master’s intentions are while investigating leisurely until then. I will ask Mother as well, Aunt."
"I understand. ...Oh, right."
Tang Sua, who was about to leave the Patriarch’s office, stopped in her tracks as if she had suddenly remembered something and said.
"Come to think of it, Young Master, your fiancée is coming to visit."
"...Ah."
Come to think of it, he had forgotten that it was time to teach formation arts to Jegal Hye, who possessed the Five Elements Body.