I followed Lady Tang Su-bin out of the annex.
“Our Tang Clan is divided into the Inner Court, the Outer Court, and the Martial Affairs Grounds.”
“Then where am I staying?”
“Of course, the Outer Court. By law, outsiders are never permitted to stay inside the Inner Court.”
“Then… I guess I won’t be able to see the Inner Court today.”
At my disappointed remark, she shook her head.
“That’s not true.”
“Huh? You just said outsiders can’t stay in the Inner Court…”
“As long as you leave before Hai Shi (亥時: 9 PM to 11 PM), it’s fine.”
I understood what she meant.
“So… when you say we can’t stay in the Inner Court… it simply means we can’t spend the night there?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Lady Tang Su-bin nodded.
“That rule applies to anyone not of the direct bloodline.”
I asked another question.
“Then… how exactly do you distinguish between the Inner and Outer lineages?”
She kindly explained.
“The Inner Line refers to the direct bloodline. That means the Grand Clan Lord, the Clan Lord, and their children. Everyone else is Outer Line.”
“I see.”
“If one of your siblings becomes Clan Lord, the others immediately become Outer Line. I think it’s the same for most clans.”
That’s true for the Eunhae Merchant Group as well.
That’s why, in large clans, there are often fierce succession battles.
No one wants to be pushed into the Outer Line.
And everyone wants their own children to inherit the direct bloodline.
Thinking about that… it made me realize how big of a decision it was for Eun Jeong-ho to step down and pass the Merchant Lord’s position to me in my past life.
Still… in our merchant group, anyone of the same bloodline could stay in the Inner Circle.
This place… was far stricter.
“Then… shall we go to the Inner Court first?”
“Yes. I’ll be in your care.”
Lady Tang Su-bin led us down a path between high walls.
The road was wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. It felt like walking down a market alley.
Before long, we arrived at the Tang Clan’s Inner Court.
As we approached, the guards at the entrance crossed their spears.
“Halt!”
“Entry is allowed only with proper authorization.”
At that, Lady Tang Su-bin pulled out her token and held it up.
“I am Tang Su-bin. These people are benefactors of our clan, touring the premises with the Clan Lord’s permission.”
She turned to us.
“Remember the token I gave you earlier? Show that.”
Ah, right.
Before leaving the annex, she’d handed each of us a token made of jade.
She explained it was a special identification token.
When we showed them, the guards uncrossed their spears and stepped aside.
“Our apologies. Please proceed.”
As I crossed the threshold into the Inner Court, I glanced at the jade token in my hand.
So… this was essentially a pass that let you move freely within the Tang Clan.
Not bad.
The Tang Clan’s Inner Court was a beautifully maintained space.
The red-tiled roofs and tall buildings gave it presence, but somehow… it felt peaceful.
She pointed somewhere and said,
“That’s my residence. Would you like to come in for tea?”
Tea… at her private residence, not a guest room?
What was she thinking?
I smiled and declined.
“I’m sorry. I actually don’t have much time. And… I’ve heard the Tang Clan is quite large.”
“That’s true.”
Lady Tang Su-bin nodded, looking a little disappointed, but quickly smiled again and continued guiding us.
The Inner Court was where the direct bloodline lived.
Which meant… there weren’t many residents.
But the scale of it was still enormous.
It took the entire morning just to tour the Inner Court.
But thanks to that… I realized something.
None of the buildings, trees, or rocks in the Inner Court were placed randomly.
It was all… arranged according to formation principles.
In my past life, I’d suffered plenty due to formation traps… so I’d studied them extensively.
That’s why I could tell.
Everything in the Inner Court… was a formation.
It was designed to both block intruders… and prevent anyone from escaping easily.
If worst came to worst, this was where they’d make their final stand.
Lady Tang Su-bin spoke.
“Then after lunch, we’ll tour the Outer Court and the Martial Affairs Grounds.”
“That sounds good.”
“Before that… just a moment.”
She looked at me. I tilted my head.
“Do you have something to say?”
“No… I just want to look at you for a bit. It helps me find peace.”
“…Sorry?”
“Looking at handsome men always calms my mind.”
“…”
I was utterly speechless as she clasped her hands together and stared at me.
Behind me, Palgap looked like he was about to die laughing.
If Lady Tang Su-bin’s death had been the work of the Murim Alliance… they probably used the beauty trap strategy on her.
.
.
.
After lunch, we headed toward the Outer Court.
“The Outer Court is where the Outer Line members and the collateral branch families reside. I’ll probably end up living here too someday.”
Hearing that… I realized Lady Tang Su-bin had no intention of pursuing the Clan Lord position.
“There’s no appointed successor yet, is there?”
“That’s true.”
No successor meant every child of the Clan Lord still had a chance.
That included Lady Tang Su-bin.
In scholarly families, that might not be possible.
But in martial clans, it didn’t matter whether the Clan Lord was male or female.
As long as they were strong in martial arts and capable of leading the clan to prosperity, they would become Clan Lord.
That’s the law of the Murim. The strong define justice.
And Lady Tang Su-bin… was a tremendously talented individual.
The title “Scarlet Jade of the Tang Clan” wasn’t something handed out lightly.
She shook her head.
“But I have no interest in becoming Clan Lord. Once a successor is decided, I plan to leave for the Murim Alliance.”
“The… Murim Alliance?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“I have no desire to be tied down to the Tang Clan. I want to venture out into a broader world.”
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
But… I knew how her story ended in the Murim Alliance.
That’s why… I couldn’t bring myself to support her dream.
“Actually… I’m truly grateful for what you did in saving Jo-ung.”
Tang Jo-ung… the youngest son of the Clan Lord.
In other words… Lady Tang Su-bin’s youngest brother.
“As I told the Clan Lord… it was only possible because of the fate that brought us together.”
“I figured you’d say that.”
She smiled softly and continued.
“Of course, I’m grateful you saved Jo-ung… but personally, I’m grateful for another reason too.”
“Huh?”
“Jo-ung… is someone destined to become a pillar of the Tang Clan.”
From those words… I realized who she supported to become the next Clan Lord.
She supported Tang Jo-ung.
In my past life, Tang Jo-ung had been kidnapped.
Because of that, the Clan Lord must’ve focused all his energy on finding him.
Naturally, talk of appointing an acting successor, the Young Clan Lord, would’ve surfaced.
That’s why the Clan Lord’s third son ended up becoming the Young Clan Lord.
But now, with Jo-ung not kidnapped… does Lady Tang Su-bin believe Jo-ung has a chance to become the Young Clan Lord?
But he’s still so young.
Then again… even in my past life, Jo-ung made a name for himself as a martial prodigy at a young age.
If he reached that level despite the long gap when he couldn’t train… then just how extraordinary is his innate talent?
I looked at her.
She didn’t seem bothered at all by the fact that she’d have to leave the Inner Court and live in the Outer Court soon.
Was she truly not bothered?
“I apologize if this is rude… but are you really alright with it?”
“Hm? With what?”
“When the Clan Lord is chosen… all the other siblings become Outer Line. In a way… isn’t that basically being forced out?”
I continued.
“If it were me… I think I’d feel pretty resentful.”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“Well… what can you do? That’s the law. That’s why I gave up on the Clan Lord position early on and worked hard to prove my usefulness.”
“Usefulness…?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“Our Tang Clan is… a rather ruthless place. If you don’t prove your worth, you don’t get a voice.”
“I see.”
“So… over time, my voice grew pretty loud.”
I nodded at her words.
As I turned my head… I caught sight of Escort Guard Lee Pil’s face.
It looked… complicated.
The Outer Court also had a large gate we needed to pass through. Once again, we presented our special identification tokens and went inside.
But the presence of the guards was clearly weaker than those in the Inner Court.
The guards at the Inner Court felt like sharp frost… biting cold.
“Are the guards for the Inner and Outer Courts part of different divisions?”
At my question, Lady Tang Su-bin nodded.
“Yes, exactly. The Inner Court is guarded by the elite of the elite… the Crimson Camellia Division (丹華隊).”
Crimson Camellia.
It represented the Tang Clan’s symbol… the red camellia.
“Getting into the Crimson Camellia Division isn’t easy. You need a recommendation from the direct line, plus exceptional skill and integrity.”
“I see. Then… who is the Commander of that division?”
“My uncle is in charge. You might know him… he’s called the Crimson Blossom Whip King.”
“Oh! Of course, I know him. Who wouldn’t?”
Crimson Blossom Whip King (赤花鞭王) Tang Dae-jeong.
An unrivaled master of the whip.
His whip was so fast that when it splattered an enemy’s blood, it looked like red blossoms scattering… hence the name.
He was also one of the Clan Lord Tang Gyu-jeong’s most reliable supporters.
But…
He dies soon.
More precisely… he dies after finding Tang Jo-ung, while fighting the Unorthodox Sect under orders from the Murim Alliance.
The news of his death shook not only the Tang Clan… but the entire Murim.
Thinking back… so many good people in the Tang Clan died.
Sure… life and death are unpredictable.
But honestly… this was far too unnatural.
Connecting this with the sudden thought of Lady Tang Su-bin’s death… it became clear.
There was definitely something dirty hidden behind Commander Tang Dae-jeong’s death.
Wait.
A realization struck me like lightning.
In my past life… the ones who kidnapped Tang Jo-ung were acting under orders from the Murim Alliance.
When you look closely… everything in this world is tangled together like a spiderweb, even if it seems unrelated on the surface.
If Jo-ung’s kidnapping was the starting point… then why did the Murim Alliance target Jo-ung specifically?
Because he was young and easy to kidnap?
Because it would be easy to brand themselves as saviors in his eyes?
I found the clue… in what Lady Tang Su-bin had said earlier.
— A pillar of the Tang Clan.
A strong candidate for Clan Lord.
And Tang Dae-jeong… was someone who cherished the Tang Clan deeply.
A man famous for never succumbing to greed or pressure. Always fair. Always righteous.
If a man like him determined that Jo-ung was Clan Lord material… then it was inevitable Jo-ung would become Young Clan Lord.
Could it be… is this how it was?
Let’s call the mastermind… ‘A’.
‘A’ realizes that Tang Jo-ung is destined to become Clan Lord.
‘A’ must stop Jo-ung from ascending.
The Murim Alliance approaches ‘A’ with an offer.
‘A’, with their help, kidnaps Jo-ung.
Then… eliminates those who would support Jo-ung… namely Lady Tang Su-bin and Commander Tang Dae-jeong.
If that’s true… then who is ‘A’?
I focused on one thing.
Why didn’t ‘A’ kill Jo-ung?
If killing him would’ve solved the problem… why resort to kidnapping?
The answer becomes clear… if ‘A’ is one of Jo-ung’s siblings.
Someone who wanted to become Clan Lord… but couldn’t bring themselves to kill their own brother.
Or maybe… they kept Jo-ung alive so they could use him later, once they became Clan Lord.
And Lady Tang Su-bin?
Perhaps her death… was a mistake.
Or… maybe ‘A’ wanted her alive, but the Murim Alliance had reasons to make sure she wouldn’t survive.
In this timeline, where Jo-ung’s kidnapping never happened… the one spreading what appears to be the Tang Clan’s poison throughout the world…
It means the culprit… is one of the Clan Lord’s children.
Ah…
Am I overthinking this?
I shook my head, trying to clear my mind.
Then I looked at Escort Guard Lee Pil.
His expression… was completely stiff.
When we visited the Inner Court earlier… he didn’t look like this.
Ah…
I realized.
This was… my mistake.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt