The Critic Murder Case (5)
I took Young Master Namgung Yang to a nearby inn.
No matter how favorably I viewed him or how we'd agreed to do business together, I had no desire to bring him to our Beijing branch.
My trust in him was still insufficient, but more than that, I couldn't stomach the idea of Nangong family members barging into our branch.
Am I being too narrow-minded?
In the current martial world, the Nangong family's prestige pierced the heavens.
Naturally, their affiliates strutted around with insufferable arrogance.
Would people like that look kindly on merchants?
They'd rampage through our Beijing branch as they pleased.
I absolutely couldn't stand the sight.
Besides, this was the family that Nangong Gang, the merchant leader who'd killed me in my past life, belonged to—and the Alliance Leader who'd given the order was their previous family head.
Honestly, I'd love to wash my hands of them...
But as a merchant, I couldn't afford to.
Still, I'd brought him to a top-class inn, at least.
It felt like lying on a pile of firewood with bile in my mouth. Damn it.
I calmed my mind and assessed the situation coolly.
It was clear that someone in the Nangong family had framed Elder Nangong Yeon, Young Master Namgung Yang's spiritual mentor, out of malice.
Moreover, he'd endured years of contempt.
Thus, even as a Nangong family member, Young Master Namgung Yang harbored no fondness for his clan.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
So pulling him to my side for revenge was the right move.
I flashed a gentle smile and said,
"This way."
"Ah, yes."
"I've sent a messenger to the Nangong family estate. Someone will come here to pick you up."
"Th-thank you."
He looked awkward at my words.
He hadn't come to Beijing alone for the Poetry Contest, either.
Of course not—the family head wouldn't have sent him unaccompanied.
Whether for protection or surveillance, he'd have escorts and attendants.
The Nangong family naturally had an estate in Beijing, where Young Master Namgung Yang had been staying.
That was why word had reached them so quickly.
But... with the young master they served locked in prison, shouldn't they at least send him proper meals?
I'd noticed it when I brought those energy pills before.
He hadn't been eating properly.
Honestly, prison food was never good.
They might have given him some leeway as the son of a Nangong concubine, but it wouldn't fill the belly of a growing young man like him.
I could guess the attitudes of his attendants and escorts.
The child of the seventeenth concubine—they'd want to mistreat him, but the family head doted on him, so they couldn't go too far...
They'd serve him just enough to avoid reprimand, and Young Master Namgung Yang wouldn't trust them either.
His siblings might have put them up to harming him.
Ah! Maybe he even told them not to visit the prison. They could poison his food.
Poor guy.
"Before the others arrive, let's talk."
"Ah, yes!"
I'd brought Young Master Namgung Yang to the inn for a private conversation.
Even so, doing it at the yamen felt off.
We entered a guest room.
He seemed a bit overwhelmed by the rather luxurious space.
We sat across from each other at the table.
"First off, we've aligned our stories about your movements that night, which you haven't mentioned."
"Pardon?"
"That night, you went to the nearby Moonlight Pavilion, got rejected by a courtesan, and came back."
He blinked at my words before speaking.
"N-no, but a brothel is..."
"It's the only way to explain why you've kept your mouth shut all this time. Just say you were too embarrassed to admit it."
"...I see."
"It'll be no big deal. Tell them you got curious because the elders around you love women so much. They'll write it off as youthful mischief."
The ones coming this time would probably accept it without fuss.
All his Nangong brothers were notorious womanizers.
"They might invite you to a brothel later, but make an excuse then. Say you were embarrassed at the time and have sworn off women until you achieve your goals."
"Understood."
"Well, if you want to go, that's fine too."
"N-no! I have no such intentions!"
After all the money I spent fabricating that evidence.
Right—this is all an investment.
That said, if Young Master Namgung Yang wasn't the culprit, then who actually killed Poet Na Jeong-su?
A first-rate warrior versed in Nangong family martial arts...
What reaction would the Nangong family have if they learned one of their own had taken a murder commission?
Just then, Seo-u Warrior's voice came from outside the door.
"My lord, men from the Nangong family estate have arrived."
"Ah, tell them to come in."
As I spoke, I sent Young Master Namgung Yang a sound transmission.
- Don't forget our deal. Proceed without mistakes. If you slip up, I'll be in trouble too.
- Understood.
......
The next day.
Jin Yeong Daehyeop came to see me.
"Good morning."
"Yes, good morning."
But Jin Yeong Daehyeop's expression suggested it wasn't such a good morning.
"Is something wrong?"
"Men from the Nangong family have arrived."
"Ah, I see."
"So I told them to come to the yamen. But they want me to go to their estate personally."
"Pardon?"
I was momentarily speechless.
So... they wanted a power play?
Ridiculous.
Young Master Namgung Yang had already been cleared of charges.
If we bent and went to them, we'd get a "Good work" instead of "Thank you."
"No matter that they're the family head's brother, I'm a Gold Guard officer too. Going there would tarnish His Majesty's face... What should we do?"
Hey, Daehyeop.
Why ask me?
Keep doing this, and I'll be in real trouble.
But backing out now would waste all my effort.
After a moment's thought, a clever idea struck.
"Jin Yeong Daehyeop. Do you still have the victim's wound analysis report?"
"Of course."
"Send them a message: 'Analysis of the slain victim's wounds confirms the use of Nangong family martial arts. We demand you appear at the yamen immediately to answer for this. Failure to comply will be taken as the Nangong family abandoning oversight of its members. Henceforth, any Nangong affiliates apprehended will be punished without prior notice to the clan.'"
Jin Yeong Daehyeop's eyes gleamed at my words.
"Ha! His Majesty said to come to you when things get tricky, and he was right."
"Pardon? Who said that?"
"His Majesty the Emperor."
"......"
I quietly looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.
Then, lowering my head, I said,
"Then I'll head to the Poetry Contest venue."
"No. Come with me to the yamen. I've already informed the Crown Prince, so you don't need to go there."
You're so thorough in the useless places.
I headed to the yamen with Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
And we drafted and sent a letter to the Nangong representative.
Precisely one hour later.
"Hmph! Ahem!"
A middle-aged man visited the yamen.
"I am Elder Nangong Geonji, proxy for the Nangong family head."
"Welcome. You've had a hard journey. I'm Jin Yeong."
Just as I'd predicted.
They couldn't ignore a letter like that.
So why start a pointless power play?
If they'd just come obediently, they wouldn't look so foolish now.
I swallowed a laugh and bowed.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Eun Seo-ho, sub-leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Hm? What's a merchant doing here? Tsk tsk, can't tell where you belong?"
At his rebuke, Jin Yeong Daehyeop said mildly,
"He's known in the martial world as Seonhyeopmirang."
"......!"
"I invited him to borrow his fame."
I added,
"Overly kind of you, but the Alliance Leader himself bestowed the title Seonhyeopmirang on me."
In truth, I'd been called that before, but details didn't matter now.
Only knocking down that arrogance did.
"I-is that so? Ahem, my apologies."
"No harm done."
Jin Yeong Daehyeop said,
"Shall we go inside and talk?"
"Yes."
We headed to the yamen's reception room, where a maid brought tea.
Jin Yeong Daehyeop spoke first.
"As the letter stated, we found traces of Nangong family martial arts on the victim."
He calmly countered, as if prepared.
"How can you be sure it's our family's arts?"
"Do I seem so incompetent? I've eaten this sword rice for years and crossed blades with countless warriors."
He continued,
"As you know, Nangong family martial arts have distinct traits. We examined closely and concluded as much."
"Hmmm......"
Elder Nangong Geonji let out a groan, at a loss.
"And I believe the Nangong family must take responsibility for this."
"How so?"
"Shouldn't you catch the murderer using your family's arts?"
"......"
After a moment's thought, Elder Nangong Geonji nodded.
"That's something our family must do, of course."
Is that even worth pondering?
Overseeing those who practice your arts is your job too.
I sent Jin Yeong Daehyeop a sound transmission.
- Now.
Jin Yeong Daehyeop nodded subtly and continued smoothly.
"It was hard work clearing Young Master Namgung Yang, who was accused."
"Ah, I heard. You put in quite the effort."
"Actually, exposing the true culprit is the yamen's and my duty—we just did our job..."
Jin Yeong Daehyeop looked at Elder Nangong Geonji and pressed,
"Don't you take anything from this?"
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"Then I'll be direct."
"I'm listening."
"His Majesty the Emperor is just and fair. Even if he finds the martial world encroaching on his domain insolent, he won't persecute out of personal grudge."
Now for the conclusion.
"In short, His Majesty is pressuring the martial world for good reason."
"......"
"So when His Majesty shows mercy, stay out of his domain."
What His Majesty sought from this incident.
A warning: don't get cocky.
"Please convey this without misunderstanding."
They needed to take the Emperor's warning seriously.
He followed through on his words.
If he willed it, hundreds of thousands of imperial troops would crush the martial world.
Wait... is that why they keep meddling in the palace? To control those troops?
It was a wild guess, but it nagged at me.
Thinking of my past life, I couldn't ignore it.
After the Empress died, one consort became Empress, and the grieving Emperor grew lax in state affairs—a chain to seize those troops?
Suddenly, I recalled those Brother Seon-il had eliminated when viewing the past.
The meticulous secrecy of that plan from back then... Chilling.
Wow... scary bastards.
But is that all?
Something tells me there's more to it.
After that conversation laced with power plays and veiled threats, the Nangong men returned to their Beijing estate.
Jin Yeong Daehyeop said to me,
"You worked hard today."
"No need for such words."
"Overdoing it brings equal returns. Thanks to you, we didn't bow to them. If we'd followed their lead, His Majesty would have rebuked us."
Jin Yeong Daehyeop shuddered.
"Ugh! Just thinking about it chills me to the bone."
I knew the feeling.
"Anyway, with Young Master Namgung Yang cleared, the investigation's back to square one."
"True, but don't be too down. It also means we're closer to catching the real killer, right?"
"Fair enough."
"Then I'll take my leave."
I left the yamen and headed to the Poetry Contest venue.
I was the representative of the sponsoring merchant group, after all—no matter how busy, I had to show my face.
With so many Poetry Contest entrants, even the preliminary round took days.
The judges were working hard.
Young Master Namgung Yang could compete tomorrow. Having come to Beijing on that pretext, he couldn't skip it.
"This concludes the third day of preliminaries."
As dinnertime approached, the host declared.
The participants dispersed in groups to eat and chat.
I exchanged greetings with the judges, settled some matters, and only then left the venue.
Then Poet Song Lok approached me.
"S-sub-leader."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I've found out."
His words swept away my day's fatigue.
I didn't know who the culprit was yet, but whoever annoyed me would pay dearly.