The Critic Murder Case (4)
I had no choice but to ask Chun-il again.
"Are you saying Young Master Namgung Yang's life is in danger because he's a suspect in the murder case?"
"Heavens, no."
Of course not. He wouldn't say something like that over a mere suspect status.
"May I sit?"
"Ah, yes."
Palgap, who had been sitting next to me, quickly stood and yielded his seat with sharp instincts, and Chun-il sat down beside me.
"First, let me explain the background. Young Master Namgung Yang is the son of the family head's seventeenth wife."
Seventeen wives already? No, considering Young Master Namgung Yang's age, there were probably far more.
Before my death in my previous life, I'd heard the Namgung family head had around forty wives.
In any case, the family head's womanizing was quite infamous.
But only three were formally recognized as wives; the rest were concubines.
He'd only reluctantly elevated them to wife status after getting them pregnant.
After all, he couldn't just leave the family bloodline scattered outside.
That also meant he'd laid hands on even more women who hadn't borne children.
Even past sixty, he'd taken a twelve-year-old bride, making headlines across the land.
I wonder if he could even remember all their faces.
Chun-il continued.
"From a young age, it seems Young Master Namgung Yang's talents were exceptional."
"Is that so?"
"As you know, the Namgung family's ethos is the survival of the strongest. The strongest direct descendant of the family head becomes the next head."
Ah...
I could guess what was going on.
"Because of his outstanding martial prowess, the family head dotes on him greatly... but that's stirring jealousy and rivalry among his other sons."
"So the other sons are biding their time, waiting for a chance to kill him?"
"Yes. Exactly."
That explained why, in my previous life, Young Master Namgung Yang had thrown himself into trivial hobbies.
If he revealed more of his talents and ended up dead, his mother would grieve, and he'd surely be exiled from the Namgung family.
Honestly, his mother could only live in the Namgung family now because she'd borne him.
Should he die, she'd lose all value and be cast out with a pittance.
Sigh, why are there so many families I just can't stand...?
That story reminded me of Young Master Mun Ju-seong from the Deokhaeng Merchant Group.
He was their seventeenth son.
Hmm, is there something special about the number seventeen...?
I wonder how the inn he's running is doing. I should drop by sometime.
Anyway, now I understood why he'd asked me to keep his cultivation secret.
If word got out that he was a peak expert, his life would become even more exhausting.
Man...
What a world where talent can't even be displayed.
Talent?
A sudden thought struck me, and I asked Chun-il,
"What about Young Master Namgung Yang's talent for poetry?"
"Abysmal."
"Pardon?"
"Even if he entered, he'd be eliminated in the first round."
Come to think of it...
Young Master Namgung Yang hadn't shown much disappointment about being unable to participate in the Poetry Contest.
Then... was the poetry contest just an excuse to come to Beijing?
Members of the Namgung family couldn't leave Anhui Province without the family head's permission.
In that case, his unaccounted-for movements last night were likely his real purpose for coming to Beijing.
"Is there any connection between Young Master Namgung Yang and Beijing?"
"Connection...?"
"Or anything linking the Namgung family."
After a moment's thought, Chun-il replied.
"Ah, now that you mention it, that person is in Beijing."
"That person?"
"The younger brother of the previous Namgung family head, who was exiled from the family."
.
.
.
A short while later.
After finishing the meeting with Chun-il over drinks at Yeji House, I returned to the Beijing branch.
"Young master, it's time to sleep."
"I still have work to—"
Palgap cut in.
"I'll wake you early tomorrow, so you should rest now. Whether you sleep now and rise early, or sleep late and wake at your usual time, your working hours end up the same, don't they?"
"..."
I had nothing to say.
I meekly washed up, changed into nightclothes, and lay on the bed.
"Hoo—!"
Palgap extinguished the lamp and left.
Lying in bed, I mulled over what Chun-il had told me today.
The younger brother of the previous Namgung family head...
That would make him the Martial Alliance Leader's younger brother and Young Master Namgung Yang's uncle.
Ah!
I suddenly recalled hearing about him in my previous life.
His name was Namgung Yeon.
I didn't know the details, but he'd committed some grave crime and been expelled from the family.
Naturally, his martial arts had been crippled—his dantian destroyed.
Exiled like that, he'd lived in Beijing until dying of old age.
He's still alive...?
Hmm?
That's impressive longevity for someone whose dantian was crippled.
Martial artists live longer than common folk due to cultivating inner energy.
But once crippled, the backlash weakens them, leading to early death.
Considering that, Elder Namgung Yeon's long life was remarkable.
Did he have some special method?
In any case, if Young Master Namgung Yang had met Elder Namgung Yeon last night, it made sense why he'd keep his mouth shut.
Meeting a family criminal!
That alone warranted severe punishment.
This seemed the most likely scenario. Should I probe it?
The next morning.
As I finished breakfast and prepared to head out, Jin Yeong Daehyeop visited me.
"Greetings, Daehyeop. Good morning."
"Yes, good morning."
"Visiting so early in the morning—what brings you?"
He nodded at my question.
"Someone's coming from the Namgung family."
"Pardon? From the Namgung family?"
"Yes. They've sent the family head's younger brother as their representative, and he should arrive tomorrow."
Of course. Even as a bastard son, Young Master Namgung Yang was a Namgung family member and one of the current head's favored children.
It made sense for them to dispatch someone personally.
Then Jin Yeong Daehyeop would handle him.
Not the family head himself, but his brother—no need for anyone higher than Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
"So, how's the investigation progressing?"
"I'll summarize the situation and visit you this afternoon."
"Understood."
I hurriedly headed to the county office.
Time was short.
Soon, I arrived at the county office and went straight to the prison.
"Young Master Namgung Yang."
"Seonhyeopmirang Daehyeop. You've come again."
No time to waste, I got straight to the point.
—Did you meet Elder Namgung Yeon?
"...!"
His face stiffened at my sound transmission.
Yes, that was the right answer!
—And your real reason for coming to Beijing was to meet him? The Poetry Contest was just an excuse.
"..."
I clicked my tongue and shook my head at his lip-biting expression.
"Tsk tsk."
"...?"
I sighed.
—Revealing your emotions so easily—how do you plan to survive in the Namgung family?
—I... see.
I explained the situation to him.
"Tomorrow, someone from the Namgung family is arriving."
"What?"
"The family head's younger brother is coming."
He gripped the bars and sent a sound transmission.
—Pl-Please, I beg you! Never mention that, no matter what!
I stared at him silently, then asked,
—Then tell me why you met him.
—That's...
—If you won't even say that much, I'll have no choice but to reveal all your secrets. We can't punish an innocent man, can we?
"..."
After agonizing briefly, he nodded.
—Understood.
—By the way, I'm a merchant. I'm very skilled at discerning truth from lies.
I smiled faintly.
—So don't even think of deceiving me from the start. I have a nasty temper—if you do, I'll truly expose everything.
He flinched at my words, his body trembling.
Hmm? What's with him suddenly?
Young Master Namgung Yang sent a sound transmission.
—Actually, the reason my uncle was expelled from the family was because he was accused of massacring a nearby village. But I know it was a frame-up.
He explained the past events to me.
Before his talents had blossomed, as a child, his uncle had been a sanctuary where Young Master Namgung Yang could breathe freely.
Learning martial arts from him, he'd improved by leaps and bounds, even earning the family's expectations.
Not official, but an informal master-disciple bond.
Then one day, Elder Namgung Yeon was accused of the village massacre, leading to a family trial.
Worried, Young Master Namgung Yang had sneaked into the prison where his uncle was held.
—There, I heard the truth from him. He was pursuing a Black Path figure and stumbled upon the village. Going there was a trap.
—So he was framed?
—Yes.
He continued.
—But Uncle told me to keep it secret, known only to me. Speaking out would lead to the same fate for me.
"..."
—And if possible, he asked me to visit before he died. He had something vital to pass on.
—So you met him?
—Yes. But I can't say what he passed on.
—Understood.
His eyes widened at my ready acceptance.
—Why are you looking at me like that?
—I thought you'd press me further...
I chuckled.
—Asking about secrets between master and disciple goes against the ways of the martial world, doesn't it?
He scratched his cheek at my words.
—Thank you.
Still, this meant I couldn't use that incident as evidence.
Sigh, just as His Majesty said?
I sighed inwardly as I looked at him.
His bright, sparkling eyes held hope and passion for life.
In my previous life, I'd heard he'd lost all drive, obsessing over useless hobbies until the family head gave up on him.
Perhaps in that life, he had no way to come to Beijing and never met Elder Namgung Yeon?
Discouraged by his situation and worn down by his brothers' threats, he'd lost his fire.
But now things were different.
I'd organized the Poetry Contest for Poet Song Lok, and this time it was open empire-wide.
Among the Namgung family, he seemed quite promising.
Moreover, earning a favor from one of their members wasn't a bad idea.
Even as a bastard son threatened by his brothers, with that talent and those eyes...
The pure energy emanating from him even lifted my mood.
A talent full of potential.
—Young Master Namgung Yang.
—Y-Yes.
—Care to make a deal with me?
Young Master Namgung Yang let out a sigh.
He couldn't fathom how things had come to this. But it wasn't entirely bad for him.
Being alone in the prison had let him organize what his uncle, Namgung Yeon, had passed on.
And his uncle had earnestly warned him.
"You must not trust your granduncle."
His granduncle—the former Namgung family head and current Martial Alliance Leader.
A spiritual pillar of the Orthodox Faction martial world. It made no sense not to trust him, so he'd asked why, but Namgung Yeon just sighed.
"Just this once, don't ask for reasons."
Young Master Namgung Yang hadn't pressed further.
It felt like he absolutely shouldn't.
'Still... how exactly does he plan to resolve this?'
He stared at where Eun Seo-ho had been moments ago.
'What a mysterious daehyeop.'
How had he known? He'd uncovered the secret of that night Young Master Namgung Yang wanted hidden.
Truth be told, he'd planned to lie about meeting Namgung Yeon.
But Eun Seo-ho's warning had sent chills down his spine.
Instinctively, he'd realized ignoring it would bring dire consequences.
So he'd told the truth.
Honestly, he'd expected Eun Seo-ho to dig even into what Namgung Yeon had passed on.
But he hadn't.
Just proposed a deal.
"I'll get you cleared of all charges."
"Is that what you mean?"
"No. I'll clear you without revealing that secret."
"Is that possible?"
"Of course. But it's a deal. In exchange, you must fulfill what I ask."
"Wh-What do you want?"
"Help me when I need it."
"That's all?"
"Yes."
"..."
"Your family's envoy arrives tomorrow. You don't want to look pathetic in front of him, right?"
"Of c-course."
In the end, he had no choice but to sign the contract Eun Seo-ho drafted right there.
How many hours had passed?
The sun had already set when the guard approached him.
"Young Master Namgung Yang. You're free to go."
"Pardon?"
"You've been proven innocent. Congratulations."
He couldn't grasp how, mere hours after signing, he'd been exonerated.
Dazed as he emerged from the prison, Eun Seo-ho greeted him warmly.
"You've been through a lot."
For some reason, that gentle smile made his body tremble involuntarily.