Investment Must Be Bold (3)
“Clan Lord, do you really have to get the young lord out? Honestly, what benefit does he bring to the clan?”
My blunt question drew a deep sigh from the clan lord.
“As you say, the boy is nothing but trouble. He’s got ambitions that far exceed his abilities, he drove out his own younger brother, and now he’s even trying to kill his own nephew. But… still, he’s my son, and that makes it hard to see straight.”
Ah… so the second son didn’t just leave home—he was chased out.
Wait, does that mean you knew and let it happen?
I was stunned inwardly, but the clan lord pressed on.
“This must be what they mean by a parent’s heart. No matter how worthless or rotten the child, you can’t sever that bond of blood.”
He had a point.
That’s why they call the tie between parent and child heaven’s mandate.
“If you insist on pulling him out, you’ll have to make quite the concession to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I suppose so. Our negotiations with His Majesty are already at an impasse. He gave me two days. If I don’t bring him what he wants by then…”
I’d expected as much, but the Emperor had him firmly in his grip.
His Majesty’s power was near-absolute these days.
Thanks to those fools—the former Minister of the Household and the Minister of Works—he’d even managed to abolish the Gunghyeon Pavilion, and their conspiracy to rebel had quashed any attempts to revive it.
The high officials were all trembling at His Majesty’s every glance.
A single word from him could shatter a clan like the Hubei Peng family to pieces.
Was it because of this situation that he sought me out, even though he hadn’t planned to?
The Emperor? More than possible.
It was my trap, but I didn’t feel the slightest guilt.
Honestly, the clan lord and young lord had brought it on themselves.
I thought back to my previous life.
After the current clan lord died, Peng Mun took over as head.
From then on, the Peng Clan plummeted, the gap with the Hwangbo family growing so wide that revival seemed impossible.
He’d dreamed of the clan’s resurgence, but bad decisions ruined everything.
That’s why I couldn’t hold back from saying one thing.
“Clan Lord, let me speak frankly.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t you think you’re being self-contradictory?”
“What? Self-contradictory?”
“If that doesn’t ring clear, let me put it simply: pick one role—father or clan lord—and do it properly. No more waffling.”
“……”
I continued.
“If you’d done even one of those roles right, would your second son have been driven out by his older brother? Would your promising grandson have fled the clan to escape persecution?”
“……”
“Earlier, when I said we should protect young master Peng, you sounded like a heartless clan lord. Now you’re playing the world’s most doting father.”
I didn’t deny the parental heart he spoke of.
But his words didn’t add up, and that was that.
With every word, the clan lord’s face grew stormier, but I didn’t stop.
“Am I wrong? If so, enlighten me—why?”
The clan lord fell silent for a long stretch.
No surprise—he knew I was right.
“……Then.”
His face sagged like a man who’d seen it all.
“What should I choose?”
“Why ask me? You’ve lived far longer than I have. Isn’t it odd to consult someone so much younger?”
“Embarrassing as it is, meeting you today showed me that age and experience don’t equal wisdom. You’re right. I’m a clan lord who can’t do anything decisively… a failure.”
At least he reflected quickly.
I’d half-expected him to snap and throw me out.
A clan like the Hubei Peng shouldn’t lack advisors…
The moment I looked at him, I saw why.
That tigerish, fearsome face?
Who’d dare give straight talk to that unless they had guts of steel?
Or maybe it was his overbearing aura.
I was an outsider from another clan, but for his own people, it must be intimidating.
“So, in your view, what should I do?”
“Will you seriously heed my advice?”
“Of course.”
Well, he was desperate right now.
The Emperor’s sword was inching toward the Peng Clan’s heart.
I told him.
“Then I recommend choosing the clan lord role. It’s too late to play the loving father now.”
“……”
“You should have done the father bit before your second son left home.”
“Hoo… then… what about Mun, that fool…”
“You have to get him out.”
His brows furrowed at my words.
“What do you mean? Didn’t you just tell me to prioritize the clan? Doesn’t that mean abandoning Mun?”
“Clan Lord, do clan heads ever abandon their own?”
“……?”
“Abandoning him means the Peng Clan won’t protect those bearing the Peng name. How long can a Peng Clan that forsakes the Peng bloodline last?”
The Peng Clan had to endure for Peng Gang-un’s sake too.
“And it gives him ammunition against us, so you must extract him.”
“If not for you, none of this would have happened.”
“Forgot what I said earlier? I just had a little drink.”
“……”
“And in the duel between Peng Mun and young master Peng, the latter won with my aid as reinforcements.”
“The imperial family gets the fisherman’s profit out of it.”
“Better them than the Black Path. Imagine that.”
He spat harshly.
“Damn it, don’t even say it.”
“Spoils go to the victor, right?”
“Fair enough.”
“So formally depose Peng Mun as young lord and appoint young master Peng. Handle Peng Mun per clan rules. And finally, publicly declare that anyone harming the new young lord will face your personal judgment.”
I went on.
“Promise these three things, and I’ll tell you how to get him out.”
The Hubei Peng Clan’s lord, Peng Jin-song, stared at the spot where Eun Seo-ho had been moments ago.
Truth be told, he hadn’t planned to meet Eun Seo-ho at all that morning.
He’d learned the mess was due to the young merchant’s scheme, and seeing him might make him lose control and swing a weapon.
But…
“Bring me what I want, and I’ll release your son.”
“……What does Your Majesty desire?”
“Figure it out yourself. Must I spell it out?”
“……”
“If you’re stumped, ask that clever boy I quite like. He’s staying with your clan, isn’t he?”
And so he’d summoned Eun Seo-ho.
But he wanted the young man to pay for the headache he’d caused.
And he was curious what had pleased the Emperor, so he tested him a bit.
As expected… no ordinary fellow.
And instinctively, he realized.
Only by heeding Eun Seo-ho’s advice could the Peng Clan avoid ruin.
The young man’s words still echoed vividly.
The more he replayed them, the more chills ran down his spine.
This was all his own doing.
Until now, he’d thought he was leading the clan well.
No one had voiced complaints or offered advice.
So I thought I was a fine clan lord…
No.
“Lucky to wake from the spring dream now.”
He shook his head, recalling Eun Seo-ho’s conditions.
The first was his own prior promise—had to be done.
The third corrected his own mistakes—essential.
The problem was the second.
Handle his eldest son Peng Mun per clan rules.
He recalled the clan’s internal regulations.
Stricter than most, given their proximity to the imperial palace.
Those even slightly involved in treason, or who threaten the clan’s survival, shall have their dantian crippled and right hand severed.
As a father, he’d have to order his son’s dantian crippled and right hand cut off.
He gave a bitter smile.
Truthfully, he still hadn’t decided.
Then Eun Seo-ho’s words resurfaced.
“If I may be bold, Clan Lord, think how history will record you after you’re gone. As the one who strengthened this clan, or the one who led its fall?”
His late father, the previous lord, had often told him:
Build a strong clan.
It became his lifelong goal.
But he’d never had the qualities to lead it strongly.
Suddenly, he recalled words from his second son—the one who’d left home, no, been chased out.
“Father, why say such things… why torment me like this?”
The first rebellious words from a son who’d always been obedient.
And then… it happened.
“No, I can’t repeat that mistake.”
Peng Jin-song steeled himself and bellowed outside.
“Who’s out there?”
“Yes! You called, sir?”
His aide entered at once.
“Contact the Enforcement Hall. When Peng Mun returns, prepare to execute punishment immediately!”
“Punishment, sir?”
“Cripple his dantian and sever his right hand.”
“Really… pass it on like that?”
“Yes. And…”
Peng Jin-song continued.
“For attempting to harm kin, add a hundred lashes.”
“Pardon? Then young master Peng Gang-un…”
“That was self-defense.”
The aide bowed at his resolve.
“Understood.”
“And add another hundred lashes.”
“Why?”
“It was Mun who harmed that child.”
Peng Jin-song bit his lip. It was a punishment he should have issued long ago.
The day after I met the clan lord, he formally deposed Peng Mun as young lord and appointed young master Peng in his place.
A sign he’d accepted my proposal.
True to my word, I told him what the Emperor wanted. The next day, Peng Mun and his entourage returned to the Peng estate.
One of young master Peng’s men—a former herald—brought the news, and we hurried to the main gate.
Escorted by Peng warriors, Peng Mun looked unscathed from his time in imperial custody—perfectly fine.
Then the clan lord approached from that direction.
“Father! Your son has returned.”
“You’re back.”
“Yes, Father. I heard from Uncle. You worried and worked so hard to get me out… I’m sorry for causing you trouble. It won’t happen again.”
He still didn’t grasp the gravity.
The clan lord’s face hardened, and he thundered.
“You, who live by the Emperor’s grace, dared draw arms against the Gold Guard—utter disloyalty!”
“……”
“You hired assassins against your nephew. And harmed your own brother.”
“What? I did no such thing!”
“Deny it with evidence right here?”
Whoosh—!
He flung the evidence I’d given him at Peng Mun’s feet. Mixed in were things I hadn’t provided.
Proof of harm against the second son, no doubt.
Peng Mun’s face drained white.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
“……”
“Thus, as clan lord, I sentence you to a hundred lashes twice over—two hundred in total!”
“F-Father!”
“And!”
The clan lord caught his breath, resolute.
“Your dantian shall be crippled, and your right hand severed!”
“I’m the Peng Clan’s young lord! How can you do this to…”
“As of yesterday, the young lord is Gang-un, not you.”
Peng Mun’s face twisted demonically.
He snatched a nearby warrior’s sword and swung at young lord Peng Gang-un.
“Die!”
It happened in a flash.
Clang!
Thud—!
“Gahk!”
But his desperate lunge failed.
His swing was blocked, a kick to the gut sent him crumpling.
The blocker was young lord Peng Gang-un’s new guard—a man who’d saved his dying mother when he couldn’t afford medicine and been taken on as retainer.
“Drag him away and execute!”
“Yes!”
He was hauled off by the others.
Soon, the crack of lashes and groans echoed. His dantian was intact, so he wouldn’t die from the whipping.
But after that stunt, all arrogance gone, the clan lord showed no pity.
He’d just tried to kill his grandson right before his eyes.
So, young master Peng—no, young lord Peng Gang-un’s issue was settled?
As relief washed over me, a strange sensation made me whip my head around.
Huh? This energy?