Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Stratagem of Sowing Discord
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Paeng Mu-wi, swollen with dreams of becoming Commander.
He was caught in conflict.
‘I must become Commander in a way everyone acknowledges. Only then can I properly lead the army afterward. But those bastards…….’
Paeng Mu-wi disliked Young Ho-chung and Mo Jae-hwang’s methods. Yet he couldn’t refuse for the sake of the clan’s safety.
‘Damn it…….’
That was when a warrior entered.
“The Great Prince is summoning you.”
‘Why is that old man calling for me again!’
After being tricked several times, just hearing that he was summoned made his anger surge.
‘Should I just ignore it?’
Torn between going or not, Paeng Mu-wi steeled his gaze and abruptly stood.
Thud!
‘I’ll play along with your games one last time!’
In the end, Paeng Mu-wi donned his outer robe and stepped out of the tent. Just then, Young Ho-chung was coming out and they ran into each other.
“Where are you off to?”
“To meet the Great Prince.”
“He’s summoned you again?”
“That’s right. I’ll be back.”
Paeng Mu-wi headed alone to Yi Hwan’s tent. Watching him go, Young Ho-chung smirked.
‘After getting burned like that, he still scurries off at the call.’
Swish.
Mo Jae-hwang approached Young Ho-chung.
“The Great Prince summoned him again, I take it?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing what expression he comes back with today. Heh heh heh.”
* * *
Yi Hwan and Paeng Mu-wi sat facing each other.
Today, it was liquor.
“Have a drink.”
“I’m on duty. I’ll gratefully accept the thought.”
“Is that so?”
At this point, Paeng Mu-wi grew slightly tense.
He expected the words: ‘Well, nothing to be done. Off you go then.’ That’s how it always went.
‘If he pulls that again, Great Prince or not, I won’t answer another summons!’
Clench!
Thick veins bulged on Paeng Mu-wi’s hands as he placed them under the table.
“Cold water?”
“I just drank some, so I’m fine.”
Having prepared thoroughly, Paeng Mu-wi was an iron wall.
Yi Hwan leisurely downed a cup of liquor, then interlaced his fingers and leaned back.
“By any chance, has there been no word from the Imperial Palace regarding the next Commander?”
“None.”
“Is that right? From what I’ve heard through various channels, the next Commander has already been decided, and a messenger left the Imperial Palace with the Grand Commander-in-Chief’s appointment letter…….”
“Is that true?”
“Why would I lie to you, General? That said, it’s odd. For a matter like this, even if others didn’t know, the Golden Imperial Guards’ Deputy Overseer should have been informed. Did you truly hear nothing?”
“It must be such an urgent matter that they didn’t contact Mo Jae-hwang separately. If he knew, he would have told me, of course.”
Though he said this, Paeng Mu-wi suddenly felt a chill.
‘He’s right. For something like that, Mo Jae-hwang couldn’t possibly not know. Then why hasn’t he said a word to me?’
His growing dissatisfaction with Mo Jae-hwang fueled suspicions that began to swell uncontrollably.
“It seems I’ve made a mistake.”
Yi Hwan continued.
“Well, there might be circumstances causing a slight delay, so wait a bit more. By the way, they say you’re the frontrunner for next Commander. Have a drink in advance to celebrate.”
“As I said, while on duty…….”
“You keep making me feel slighted?”
Yi Hwan picked up the liquor bottle.
Paeng Mu-wi hesitated to take the cup. He still hadn’t shaken off the nightmare of diarrhea.
But he couldn’t refuse forever.
‘Damn it, whatever.’
In the end, Paeng Mu-wi grasped the cup with both hands and held it out.
Pour.
Thud!
Yi Hwan set down the bottle and glanced at Song Hoe. Song Hoe placed a small golden box on the table.
Yi Hwan pushed the box toward Paeng Mu-wi.
“It’s not much, but accept it as a token of my sincerity.”
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
Paeng Mu-wi opened the golden box.
“……!”
Greed flickered briefly in Paeng Mu-wi’s widened eyes.
Inside was none other than a luminous pearl. One twice the size of ordinary ones.
“You’ll need funds as Commander of the Southern Legion, so use this small amount as a supplement.”
“Why give this to me…….”
“I’ll be direct. If you become Commander, guarantee everything I’ve enjoyed so far. If you promise, I’ll give you another one later.”
‘So it’s a bribe…… Well, with trusted Hwang Ho dead, he’s grasping at straws.’
Paeng Mu-wi swallowed hard the dry saliva rising in his throat. Yi Hwan stared at him and continued.
“Keep it secret from Mo Jae-hwang. If word reaches the Golden Imperial Guards’ ears, I’ll be in trouble, right?”
“Of course. Then I gratefully accept.”
Paeng Mu-wi tucked the golden box into his bosom.
“If we stay too long, those guys might get suspicious, so hurry back.”
“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Paeng Mu-wi stepped out in high spirits.
That was when it happened.
“You should bribe Young Ho-chung and Mo Jae-hwang rather than the Left General. From what I’ve learned, those two have the Left General in their pocket.”
A low whisper like a dagger slipped into Paeng Mu-wi’s ear.
Twitch.
‘What?’
Paeng Mu-wi quickly amplified his hearing with inner power.
Yi Hwan’s voice continued.
“What nonsense is that? Dare to manipulate the Left General? Do you think that makes sense?”
“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. Young Ho-chung and Mo Jae-hwang have joined forces, using sweet words to bend the Left General to their will. Also, Young Ho-chung is staying quiet only because he hasn’t received an official post yet, but I’ve confirmed he harbors ambitions to seize the Southern Legion Commander position once he does. This is information obtained through Moon Pavilion movements, so you must believe it.”
“Then I wasted money in the wrong place?”
“Yes. Next time you summon the Left General, recover it, Great Prince.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner!”
“I meant to, but you summoned the Left General, and I missed the chance.”
The conversation ended there.
Paeng Mu-wi’s eyes narrowed to threads.
‘Information from Moon Pavilion movements?’
His face, tinged with doubt, soon flushed red.
‘These fucking bastards dare toy with me?’
* * *
“Looks like he at least got a cup of tea today.”
“Judging by the time, yeah.”
“From his expression, doesn’t seem like it was anything good. Hahaha.”
Young Ho-chung and Mo Jae-hwang watched Paeng Mu-wi return and laughed. To Paeng Mu-wi’s eyes, it looked like mockery.
Of course, before meeting Yi Hwan, he never would have thought that.
‘Yeah. Laugh it up while you can.’
Paeng Mu-wi concealed his inner thoughts and headed to his tent. Young Ho-chung and Mo Jae-hwang greeted him.
“Looks like you got some tea today? Hahaha.”
“We smelled Dragon Well fragrance around the Great Prince’s tent. Did you get treated to that precious Dragon Well tea, General? I’m jealous. Hahaha!”
“Ahem! He was just rambling, so I pretended to listen and left. See you later.”
Paeng Mu-wi went straight to his quarters.
Young Ho-chung and Mo Jae-hwang exchanged glances, snickered, and returned to their posts.
* * *
Cheol Mu-ok asked skeptically.
“Isn’t this stratagem too blatant? Will Paeng Mu-wi really fall for it?”
“If Paeng Mu-wi were in his right mind, of course not. But today’s Paeng Mu-wi is bound to take the bait.”
“What do you mean?”
Yi Hwan picked up the cup Paeng Mu-wi had drunk from and turned it this way and that.
“I slipped something into the liquor.”
“Poison?”
“A kind of aphrodisiac. It clouds judgment and makes emotion control difficult. Once suspicion takes root in that state, it’s bound to grow uncontrollably.”
“When did you prepare such an aphrodisiac?”
“I made it.”
“What?”
Yi Hwan calmly addressed Cheol Mu-ok, whose eyes widened in surprise.
“I learned a few things from that Poison King bastard, and it’s proving quite useful on Paeng Mu-wi.”
“What? Who did you just say?”
‘Oops!’
Yi Hwan hurriedly covered.
“I met a martial artist calling himself Poison King near the capital in the past and learned a few things from him. It can’t be the Poison King you’re thinking of.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yi Hwan brought the cup to his lips.
‘That was close.’
Pour.
Thud!
“Deputy General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“You’re keeping the appointment letter safe, right?”
“Yes. It’s stored securely. Then when do you plan to deliver it to the Left General?”
“When the stratagem has fully taken hold.”
Yi Hwan gripped the cup again.
“Great Prince.”
“What.”
“Have you… done this sort of thing a lot before?”
“This sort of thing?”
“Like taming Paeng Mu-wi with stratagems of sowing discord. To me, it looks like you’ve spent your whole life doing nothing else.”
Snicker.
‘As if. In my era, a single word from me could overturn the world.’
Pour.
Thud!
* * *
A single letter was clutched in Crown Prince Yi So’s hand. It was from those who had left for the Southern Legion to carry out a certain mission.
The letter detailed everything from killing the messenger to why they were staying with Yi Hwan.
The general asked.
“Bad news?”
Yi So handed over the letter without a word. The general couldn’t hide his surprise upon reading it.
“To think the Great Prince shares our thoughts—truly astonishing.”
“He’s doing his best, in his own way. Good thing my younger brother hasn’t caught on.”
“Is it alright for those men to stay with the Great Prince?”
“What’s the problem?”
“As long as their identities aren’t exposed, there’s no issue. But if they’re found out by some chance, it could affect even Your Highness.”
“No need to worry. It’s a face mask crafted by the finest artisan. And even if exposed, those kids can handle the cleanup without trouble, so trust them.”
Yi So walked to the window and opened it.
Whoosh!
A wind sweeping through the deep palace corridors brushed softly across his face.
Just then, a warrior’s voice drifted in from outside.
“Your Highness, another letter has arrived from the Southern Legion.”
The general went out, retrieved it, and returned. Yi So immediately unfolded it.
*I’ll handle the issues here, so focus on finding the person I asked about before. And if you have anything that could help boost my inner power, send some over.*
It was from Yi Hwan.
That was the entire contents.
“Haha.”
Arrogant to the extreme, yet Yi So burst into laughter.
“What’s it say?”
Yi So handed over the letter again.
The general let out a hollow chuckle.
“Even his letters are written like a completely different person.”
“Thinking of that kid somehow lifts my mood. Makes me keep smiling.”
“If you like him that much, why not keep him by your side?”
“I have a feeling he’d refuse. Just a hunch. So I’m waiting for the right time.”
Yi So turned and continued.
“I need to gather things that help boost inner power. Wonder how much I can collect?”
“The Great Prince seems mistaken. Spirit pills aren’t effective every time you take more. Done wrong, they could even backfire.”
“That clever kid wouldn’t not know that. He’s probably planning to give them to his subordinates.”
“Ah…….”
The general realized Yi So’s regard for Yi Hwan was greater than he knew.
‘His trust in the Great Prince has grown stronger since he visited.’
Yi So urged.
“On your way out, stop by the East Depot and check on the progress of what I requested.”
“Understood.”
As the general withdrew, Yi So gazed out the window again.
A fly buzzed in then. Yi So’s eyes flashed faintly, and the fly turned to ash, scattering.
Looking down at his hand, he muttered.
“My dantian has fully recovered, yet……”