The Emperor's Errand (3)
The masked assailants surrounding us numbered nearly twenty.
A clear aura of the unorthodox paths emanated from them.
"I'll get straight to the point. Hand over that letter."
"Letter? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb! We know you have it."
That meant they had a spy in the palace. Or perhaps they'd simply guessed after seeing me enter.
"No, this is frustrating! What on earth are you talking about?"
"The letter the Emperor entrusted to you!"
They clearly weren't friendly toward the Emperor.
Which meant I couldn't just admit I had it.
"What do you mean? Why would His Majesty entrust a letter to me? I'm hardly worthy of such a grave duty."
"You really don't have it?"
"No, this is driving me insane!"
"Hmph. Looks like he really doesn't."
"What should we do?"
"Doesn't matter. He knows about us now, so we can't let him live. Kill them!"
"Yes, sir."
They charged at us in unison.
They'd been given a chance to live, and they'd thrown it away just like that.
We were outnumbered, but we had three peak experts and four first-rate warriors.
Did they really know nothing about me?
The incident in Luoyang wasn't exactly a secret, and anyone with even a passing interest in the martial world should know about my skills and those of the Seo-u Warrior.
Could they really be that clueless?
Or maybe they just hadn't connected the dots.
Either way, thanks to them, I now knew they were after the letter I carried—and that there was a spy in the palace.
So.
"Try to take them alive if possible. But don't push yourselves and get hurt."
"Understood!"
A fierce skirmish erupted, filling the air with chaos.
Naturally, my guards' skills were superior, tilting the battle in our favor.
By the time several of their masked foes lay defeated without a single injury on our side, a horn blared and constables swarmed in.
"Damn it! Retreat!"
Abandoning their fallen comrades, they fled with astonishing speed.
The lead constable rushed over to us, breathless.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, we're fine."
"Thank goodness you're unharmed. That said... I'm sorry, but you'll need to come with us to the station."
I nodded at the constable's words.
It was a hassle, but procedures were procedures.
Back in Beijing, when rebels had ambushed me by surprise, I'd been with the Gold Guard champions, so they'd handled everything without me needing to visit the station.
But this was different.
The constable glanced at our subdued foes and barked orders.
"Bind them!"
"Yes, sir!"
At least most of the ones we'd taken down were still alive, making captures possible.
"Oh, and gag them while you're at it. They might bite their tongues."
"Good call."
The constable relayed the order with an approving nod.
And so we headed to the station.
The magistrate, Ji Hyeon, spotted us arriving with the constable and hurried over in shock.
We knew each other, after all.
"What happened?!"
"We were ambushed by masked men."
"Ambushed?!"
"Yes, about twenty of them. They attacked us but fled when the constables arrived. Fortunately, we captured a few."
Eyeing the gagged and bound prisoners being dragged in, Ji Hyeon clicked his tongue.
"Even so, attacking the heroes of the Yongbong Tournament—Seonhyeopmirang and the White Crane Sword Bear? That's suicide."
The captives' eyes widened at his words.
From their reaction, they truly hadn't known who I or the Seo-u Warrior were.
"I hate to impose, but could you draw up the statement?"
"Of course."
Only after completing the paperwork could we finally head to the pavilion where the banquet was underway.
"What happened? We were worried when you were so late."
I gave the Eun branch manager an awkward smile.
"Just some business to handle."
No need to mention the ambush and sour the mood.
No one was hurt, anyway.
"I see."
I smiled as if all was well and scanned the interior of the pavilion.
The merchant group members were enjoying the banquet, watching the courtesans dance and play music.
No alcohol, of course.
But the food was delicious, and with the courtesans' company, it should be fine.
Eumgwa—sweet fruit nectar made with water, honey, and dried fruits for color, tartness, and fragrance.
I approached them and asked,
"Enjoying the banquet?"
"Ah, Young Division Leader!"
"Come, have a cup. It's incredibly good."
"Yes, one for me."
I took a cup of eumgwa and sipped. Delicious indeed.
"Then enjoy yourselves. I'll be off. Branch Manager, come with me."
The Eun branch manager replied promptly.
"Yes, sir."
No banquet was fun with superiors around.
Better to give them space.
And without alcohol, the risk of drunken mishaps was low.
Though sober fools could still cause trouble...
That would work in my favor.
I could intervene before things escalated.
"Enjoy in moderation, then head back."
As I descended to the first floor, the pavilion madam greeted me courteously.
Small wonder—after the alcohol ban tanked their sales, a massive banquet like this was a godsend.
"Thank you for choosing our pavilion."
"Your food is always excellent, so it was an easy choice."
"Our compliments to the chef."
Of course.
He was a former imperial palace chef.
Though no one knew that yet.
It came out later, and when questioned about abandoning such prestige, he said,
"What's the point of making delicious food if those enjoying it can't savor it properly?"
Unable to elaborate on palace matters, it only fueled speculation.
Years later, chatting with Prince Jinseung—a friend of mine—the topic arose.
"His words make sense, at first glance."
"Do they?"
"Yes. Palace cuisine involves endless procedures. Every dish's ingredients and methods must be logged daily."
"Isn't that standard?"
"True, but there's more. His Majesty doesn't touch most dishes himself. An eunuch serves portions of selected ones. But any dish chosen three times can never be served again."
"...Poison precautions?"
"Exactly."
Prince Jinseung nodded gravely.
"Imagine his frustration—his best dishes banned for being too good."
I pitied the chef for his stifled talent, but also the Emperor, unable to enjoy fine food freely.
Yet in the end, the chef thrived, and so did his patrons.
Win-win.
I told the madam,
"Take good care of them."
"Naturally."
"And..."
I glanced around and whispered,
"I know about your private stock."
She flinched.
They kept premium liquor for emergencies, secretly supplying Beijing's elite.
But when caught, it blew up—and revealed the chef's imperial past.
Truly unfortunate.
Running a pleasure house in Beijing meant pandering to officials.
Yet the madam took the heat, while they got slaps on the wrist.
She whispered back,
"Shall I... provide some?"
"Don't talk crazy."
"..."
"If anyone wants liquor, refuse absolutely. And if any banquet guests make excessive demands, inform me of their identity."
"Pardon?"
"One more tip: Burn your liquor storeroom."
"..."
"I'll be going now."
I left the pavilion with the Eun branch manager.
.
.
.
Back at my temporary quarters, I washed up and changed into nightclothes. Before bed, I sat at the desk.
I pulled two sealed letters from my bosom.
The Emperor had seemed unusually apologetic when entrusting them.
He knew full well they put my life at risk.
But what could make them worth ambushing me for?
I itched to tear one open, but that would be rude.
The Emperor I knew would have safeguards to detect tampering.
So I set aside the delivery letter and opened the one with personal details.
Riiip.
Recipient: Bang Hyo-myeong
Location: Gansu Province
Gansu Province?
That far northwest corner of the empire?
I'd just arrived in Beijing with mountains of work, and now off to Gansu?
Damn it.
Should've said no.
But who was I to refuse the Emperor's command—no, request?
Haa.
Sighing, I scanned the details.
The recipient was Bang Hyo-myeong of Gansu Province.
If delivering it got me attacked in Beijing, would he be safe?
Maybe even he was in mortal danger from those mystery foes.
Flipping to the back page,
"..."
You must be cursing me right now. But this was unavoidable.
In compensation, I shall provide utmost support for establishing your Beijing branch.
Reading the Emperor's letter to me, I felt a sheepish twinge.
He knew I'd be grumbling, called it inevitable, and offered branch support as recompense.
Eh... fine.
Scratching my ear, I sighed and called for Palgap.
"Palgap!"
"Yes, you called, sir?"
He appeared instantly.
"Not asleep yet?"
"I had a feeling you'd want to depart tonight, so I prepared in advance."
"..."
Wasn't my imagination—practicing the Slaughter King's Legacy manual was turning Palgap into the perfect attendant.
"Shall I summon the guards?"
"Yes. And bring the Eun branch manager and Foreman Jeong Chung."
"Right away."
Palgap sprang into action.
No matter how I sliced it, moving now would catch them off guard.
Soon, the Eun branch manager and Jeong Chung arrived.
I gave them the bare essentials—couldn't elaborate on an imperial letter.
"Sorry to drag you here just to send you off again."
"No apologies needed. Duty calls. Where to?"
"Guangdong Province."
"That's far."
Not really Guangdong, but as they say: Deceive your allies first to fool the enemy.
"His Majesty promised full support for the Beijing branch in return."
"Really?"
"Of course. A round trip to Guangdong deserves as much."
"Fair enough."
"I'll leave it to you two."
That night,
I slipped out of Beijing secretly with Palgap and six guards.
Destination: Gansu Province.
The next day.
A secluded manor in Beijing.
A man rushed in.
"Emergency!"
"What is it?"
"He left last night."
He gnashed his teeth.
"I thought he'd wait days!"
"..."
"We must stop that letter from reaching him. If it does, our plans crumble!"
Meaning all their cat-and-mouse with the Emperor would unravel.
Yet he had a bad feeling that blocking this Eun Seo-ho wouldn't be easy.
'Fell for that fox of an Emperor!'
Last night's assailants hadn't just failed—they'd lost men and barely escaped.
Preoccupied with that, they'd slacked on surveilling Eun Seo-ho. Fatal mistake.
"Did you trace his destination?"
"Yes! He's heading to Guangdong Province."
"Send pursuers at once."