This Is Troubling (4)
My words left him visibly flustered, but he shook off my hand and stammered an excuse.
"Th-this is just from spilling tea yesterday! Don't go grabbing at innocent folks for no reason!"
"Do I look like some fool who can't tell if it's soaked from tea or discolored from frost? And how do you explain the ruined fabric?"
"W-well, you see…"
Sweat poured down his face in rivulets.
No escape for you now, but you're still trying.
"You bastard!"
Convinced that Byeong-taek was the culprit, the Pojeongsa swung a fist at him.
Thwack!
"Agh!"
Byeong-taek clutched his face and tumbled backward. When he pulled his hand away, his split lip was bleeding, and two white teeth stained with blood clattered to the deck.
Whoa…
The Pojeongsa packs a punch—must've swung those fists back in the day.
He didn't seem to have any martial arts training, yet one haymaker had knocked out two teeth?
He was that furious, putting every ounce of strength into the blow.
"You know how serious I am about this case, and you pull this crap?"
"F-forgive me, I deserve death!"
"Who put you up to it?"
"P-put me up to it? There's no one!"
Byeong-taek shook his head desperately.
Of course. Admitting a backer would mean he'd taken bribes as the Pojeongsa's deputy—making his crimes even heavier.
But the Pojeongsa's face was ice-cold.
"Do I have to torture you before you confess?"
"I swear, there's no—"
Someone spoke up then.
"My lord, forgive my impertinence, but someone mentioned Byeong Deputy to me recently."
He was another of the Pojeongsa's deputies.
"They said he's been hanging around with folks from the Oseong Merchant Group a lot lately."
At the mention of Oseong Merchant Group, panic flashed across Byeong-taek's face.
So Oseong's the puppet master.
"There've been too many suspicious signs, so I've been investigating on my own. I meant to report once it was solid, but then this happened."
He bowed his head.
"This is my fault for not informing you sooner, my lord."
The Pojeongsa shook his head and gripped the man's shoulder, pulling him upright.
"It's fine. I know you held back to avoid needless strife, Ji Deputy."
"My lord…"
"You just said something suspicious?"
Ji Deputy nodded at the question.
"Yes, my lord."
A thought flickered through my mind.
Stealing artifacts on Oseong's orders? He'd probably done similar things before.
Ji Deputy continued.
"Remember when we got timber for building repairs? We put it out for competitive bidding through the merchant groups."
"Right."
"You emphasized quality over price, so we inspected in person. Oseong was perfectly prepared for exactly what we wanted."
"Yes—their stock was the best, so they got the contract."
"Exactly. But doesn't that strike you as odd?"
As others tilted their heads, I stepped forward.
"No merchant group can prepare perfectly for what the buyer wants—unless they knew in advance."
All eyes turned to Byeong-taek.
"No way?"
Ji Deputy pressed on.
"But the delivered timber was subpar. The master carpenter complained repeatedly, and the deputy in charge ignored it."
"That deputy was this rat?"
"Yes, my lord. And that's not all."
A litany of misdeeds poured from his mouth, leaving the Pojeongsa chuckling in disbelief.
He turned to me.
"Losing that artifact might've been a blessing in disguise for me. If I'd kept this worm around, I'd have faced real trouble."
I gave a wry smile.
In my past life, Oseong had swindled the Pojeongsa's daughter to death. They'd been stripped bare in the fallout—and this deputy would've gone down with them.
But what good did that do? The girl was already gone.
Nothing worse than losing a child. His words rang true.
I clasped my fists in salute.
"It seems Heaven watches over you, my lord."
"Just as you say. To me, it feels like Heaven sent you as a noble savior."
"I'm just a lowly merchant."
"How could Heaven's emissary be lowly?"
He glanced at Byeong-taek and ordered his soldiers.
"Tie that scum to a pillar and gag him."
"Yes, sir!"
I saluted again.
"May I reinstall the artifact now?"
"Of course! Get to it!"
"Then I'll be off."
I headed to the cabin with my guards, opened the case, and reattached the "artifact"—the raccoon trap.
I didn't forget to infuse it with chill qi again, either.
Oseong had no clue.
The Pojeongsa would dispatch troops to them the moment we hit Guizhou.
Bribing insiders for info was common enough.
But Oseong had crossed the line.
From what Ji Deputy said, Byeong-taek had faked documents for them multiple times.
Merchant profits mattered, but there were principles.
We didn't do that stuff out of ignorance.
We avoided it because it was wrong.
A few days passed.
After the artifact theft, I could openly order my guards to watch the case.
They couldn't complain about distrust anymore.
And honestly, ignoring it after that would've been ridiculous.
Byeong-taek was still tied to the pillar.
Being bound in a public space was torture enough for him.
Not some grunt—a deputy. His honor was in the gutter.
Self-inflicted, though.
"How could someone stoop so low? You knew how much the lord loves his daughter."
"Right? How could you betray Miss Ja-ryeong like that?"
"Traitor to our sweet Miss Ja-ryeong!"
"That scum deserves death for what he almost did to her!"
"Lucky thing! Without Young Unit Chief Eunseon's foresight, Miss Ja-ryeong would've been heartbroken."
"She'd smile seeing this with her own eyes, right?"
I cocked my head at their chatter.
They were angrier about him nearly upsetting the Pojeongsa's daughter than the document fraud or info leaks.
I'd never met her, but their adoration piqued my curiosity.
I waited for a chance and casually asked the man now handling White Tiger duties.
"What's the Pojeongsa's daughter like?"
"Huh? Miss Ja-ryeong?"
"Her name's Ja-ryeong?"
"Ah, yes."
Pojeongsa Dong Hwi, so little lady Dong Ja-ryeong.
"Why do you ask?"
"Bit awkward, but I figured knowing helps me avoid mistakes. Can't exactly ask the lord himself…"
"Fair point."
He nodded and offered.
"I'll answer what I can. What's on your mind?"
"How old is the young lady?"
"Nineteen this year."
Marriageable age for an official's family.
But bedridden—no wedding dreams there.
I nodded thoughtfully and probed gently.
"Sick since childhood?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"Before White Tiger, I was private security for the lord's household. She was healthy as a horse back then."
"Then when…?"
He sighed deeply.
"About three years ago, when she turned sixteen. Sudden illness—now she can barely leave bed."
"I see."
I nodded.
"And the lord's been in Guizhou Province all along, right?"
"Yes. Long stint as Provincial Censor and Chief Censor."
Local official, but Provincial Censor was sixth rank, Chief Censor third.
Pojeongsa was second rank.
High position from the start?
Come to think of it, he was young for Pojeongsa.
Which meant…
"Any imperial blood in the family?"
"How'd you guess? He topped the exam, but he's actually Prince Geonchung's grandson."
So his mother was the prince's daughter.
That tracks.
Two ways to rise young: insane talent or silver spoon.
Surprising, though.
Silver spoons usually skipped studying—yet he aced the exam.
Made sense for Guizhou's Pojeongsa.
Imperial status faded generations down.
Plus, the current emperor seized fortunes but paid stipends.
Grandkids got by; further out, not so much.
So he studied early for his line.
Impressive—I'd missed that.
Explained staying local despite exam success: far from Beijing, watching for unrest.
Rewarded with top posts.
Safer for him too—no emperor's suspicion, no plots.
Guizhou stayed peaceful in my past life; he was competent.
Back to the point…
"Everyone adores Miss Ja-ryeong."
"Naturally!"
He beamed proudly.
"Just seeing her gives you strength. So kind, playful, beautiful…"
I heard nonstop praise for her.
And rage at Byeong-taek.
We floated down the Wu River, preparing to disembark.
Guizhou's capital, Guiyang, was near.
The ship slowed, dock coming into view.
Crew tossed ropes; dockhands secured us.
Creeeak—thud!
A long gangplank bridged ship to shore.
We filed down it.
Large passenger load—disembarking took time.
Half a day to the Provincial Pojeongsa Office, but after weeks at sea, the horses needed rest.
Nine warriors and his deputy rode ahead on ten fresh mounts from the nearby post station— to hit Oseong before they caught wind.
Byeong-taek was stuffed in a huge sack.
To hide him from Oseong spies.
We rested at an inn, then headed out at dawn for the office.
The Pojeongsa's family was at the official residence.
Guizhou after three years?
Last time for Uncle Eun Jo-san's branch.
No direct visits since.
Mi-gwa Merchant Group was nominally independent—really our Eunhae branch.
Thirty percent of Namho Merchant Group's revenue still poured in nicely from that dirty rivalry.
I recalled Father's reply.
Since you're heading to Guizhou anyway, pass my regards to Branch Chief Song-sik in my name.
With Father's request, I'd swing by Mi-gwa after wrapping up.
We arrived at the Provincial Pojeongsa Office.
"You've worked hard on the long journey."
Officials in robes greeted him at the gate.
The Pojeongsa stepped from the carriage.
"You managed the province well in my absence. I'll host a feast soon to honor your efforts."
"Our thanks for your grace, my lord."
Then—
Someone burst from inside, panting.
"Wha—my lord! My lord! Big trouble!"