The Clan Lord let out a sigh.
“Seong-geol. It’s time you admitted it.”
“That’s forged! They forged my handwriting, I’m telling you!”
Moyong Seong-geol refused to admit it to the very end.
Looks like it was finally my turn to step in.
“Allow me to say something.”
“What is it?”
Everyone’s attention snapped to me.
“The money inside that pouch looks like what Young Master Moyong Seong-geol paid that martial artist in exchange for his help. Is that correct?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“That’s quite a lot of money.”
Only then did the others finally pay attention to the money that had spilled out with the pouch.
Ten gold taels.
An ordinary person would never even get to see that much gold, so it was an enormous sum.
“The Moyong Clan must be quite wealthy. To hand out that much money as spending money, even to a direct descendant…”
“That’s not true.”
Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol stepped forward and denied it.
“There’s a fixed amount we receive as spending money. It’s nowhere near that much.”
“Then where did that money come from?”
At my question, Moyong Seong-geol panicked and shouted,
“I, I saved it!”
But no one believed him.
And why would they? Considering how freely he spent money, there was no way he could’ve saved that much.
“A bribe?”
“…”
“More importantly, you said it was money you saved. Which means it really was money you gave him, doesn’t it?”
“!”
As Moyong Seong-geol stood there speechless, the Clan Lord let out another sigh.
“Seong-geol. That’s enough.”
“Father…”
“Did you really think I knew nothing about the people you’ve been associating with?”
“…”
“You did something you never should have done, and as an adult, you’ll bear responsibility for it.”
At those words, Moyong Seong-geol glared fiercely and protested.
“Yes, Father. I’ll take responsibility. But what did I do that was so wrong? Is trying to become the Young Clan Lord really such a terrible sin?”
At that, the Clan Lord clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“You’re mistaken. I’m not condemning you for trying to become the Young Clan Lord. I’m condemning you because, in pursuit of that goal, you did something you never should have done.”
“So what exactly are you accusing me of…”
The Clan Lord walked up to him and whispered quietly.
“Didn’t you bring in the Unorthodox Sect?”
“W, what are you…”
“The people you were close to, the ones who funded them, they’re people from the Unorthodox Sect.”
“…!”
Moyong Seong-geol’s face went rigid.
“So stay quiet while I preserve what’s left of your honor. If you keep making a scene, you’ll lose even that pitiful scrap of dignity.”
“…”
Listening to that exchange, I let out a dry laugh inwardly.
So the Clan Lord really had known all along.
Moyong Seong-geol collapsed into his seat, looking as if the sky had fallen on him.
“I will now deliver judgment!”
At the Clan Lord’s words, every gaze turned toward him.
“First, Yeon-jung!”
“Yes.”
“I have decided to take into account the circumstances that forced you into this matter. In addition, neither the Young Clan Lord nor Eun Seo-ho, the great hero who suffered because of this, wanted you punished. They said your only crime was being used.”
That’s right.
He was used, nothing more.
Of course, some would still criticize him and say that no matter what, he never should have helped harm another person.
But when a man’s son is dying, and there’s a way to save him, what father wouldn’t be tempted to cross a line?
And the one who exploited a father’s desperation to come after me was Moyong Seong-geol. That made him the real piece of filth.
“Therefore, I order you to remain in service to the Moyong Clan for ten years, receiving only twenty percent of your original monthly pay.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
A severe pay cut.
It sounded harsh, but compared to what he’d done, it was actually an incredibly lenient sentence.
“And Moyong Seong-geol.”
The Clan Lord glanced at Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun before continuing.
“This matter is directly tied to the Moyong Clan’s honor! And the crime of bringing in outside forces is graver still! Therefore, Moyong Seong-geol is stripped of all rights as a direct descendant.”
Now it was over.
This removed the biggest risk factor, making sure I wouldn’t repeat the same path as in my previous life.
The punishment was carried out immediately.
In Yeon-jung’s case, they first allowed him to go see his son.
Of course, he was accompanied by guards who would keep watch on him.
As for Moyong Seong-geol, he was thrown out of the residence in the inner compound where he’d been staying and moved to the outer compound instead.
He’d only been allowed to stay in the inner compound because he was a direct descendant.
On top of that, countless other rights were completely stripped from him.
Considering everything he’d done while trying to seize the Clan Lord’s position, I didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for him.
.
.
.
“So you’re heading back tomorrow?”
I was speaking with the Clan Lord in my quarters.
“Yes. I actually meant to leave today, but things got delayed.”
The Clan Lord apologized to me with a pained expression.
“I’m sorry. The fault lies heavily with me.”
“Not at all. Please don’t blame yourself so much.”
“Still, aren’t you not fully recovered yet? Is it really all right for you to be moving around already?”
“That’s true, but work has piled up badly. If it gets pushed back any further, then things will really become difficult.”
“That would be a serious problem.”
“Yes. So I ask for your understanding.”
“Understanding? Of course you must go.”
The Clan Lord nodded, then pulled a pouch from inside his robes and held it out to me.
“This is an apology for what happened.”
“This is…?”
“It’s one of this family’s spiritual medicines. It works especially well for those with a Yin constitution, so I thought it would help you.”
Since I wasn’t actually sick, I considered turning it down, but looking at his expression, I felt like I shouldn’t.
And this spiritual medicine carried another meaning as well.
A request that I keep this matter secret.
Well, I’d already planned to do that anyway. I’d been faking my illness too, and I had no desire to attract the Murim Alliance’s attention for no reason.
“I’ll accept it gratefully.”
“That reminds me, Tae-geol told me. Do you truly have no intention of marrying my daughter…?”
“I’m sorry. There’s already a woman I have in mind.”
From experience, simply saying no didn’t work on people like this.
You needed a reason that sounded convincing.
“There’s no shame in having several wives and concubines, but I worry I’d neglect her if my heart wasn’t in it. I believe Young Lady Yeon-geol should be with someone who truly cherishes her.”
“Thank you for thinking of her so kindly.”
Why did Young Lady Seohyang in Beijing suddenly come to mind…?
Well, it was probably just because I had too much work waiting for me.
After the Clan Lord left my room, Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol came to see me.
We talked for a long time.
And at the end, he finally brought it up.
“As I said before, I will repay everything beyond the promised ten silver taels for the contract fee.”
“I’ll hold you to that. And never let your guard down.”
“Yes. I won’t let my guard down.”
With this, I didn’t need to worry about Liaoning anymore.
The next day, I returned to the Gwangjun Merchant Group with Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun and his wife.
And as promised, the following day, my group and I prepared to leave.
“When you depart, are you riding the River–Crossing Horses?”
At Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s question, I nodded.
“Yes. Those Horses agreed to serve under me, so if I rode different ones, they’d probably get jealous.”
“That does sound likely. Then what will you do with the Horses you rode here?”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to figure out.”
At my answer, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun thought for a moment, then offered a solution.
“If you’re still undecided, how about this? Leave the Horses here. When we make this trip to deliver Horses to the Imperial Palace, we’ll bring your group’s Horses along and leave them at the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Beijing branch.”
“If you’d do that, I’d be very grateful.”
“There’s no need for gratitude. Deputy Merchant Lord Eun is my friend, after all.”
.
.
.
We packed our things and headed for the Gwangjun Merchant Group’s ranch.
“By the way, Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“Are we really taking the River–Crossing Horses with us?”
Palgap’s confusion was understandable. I still hadn’t explained the details to him.
“We are.”
“Well, if we ride back on River–Crossing Horses, the Merchant Lord is going to be completely stunned.”
“He definitely will. Hm, just picturing it makes me smile.”
Before long, we arrived at the ranch.
“Welcome.”
The ranch supervisor and workers greeted us warmly.
“Please guide these people to where their River–Crossing Horses are being kept.”
At Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s words, the supervisor answered at once.
“Yes, right this way.”
The place where the River–Crossing Horses were kept was the most comfortable and well-appointed part of the ranch.
The way the ranch hands looked at the River–Crossing Horses, it was almost like they were gazing at something divine.
I had heard that in this region, just seeing a River–Crossing Horse was said to make your wish come true.
The moment we appeared, the River–Crossing Horses gave a low whinny.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m happy to see you too.”
“Prrr!”
“All right, let’s head back.”
I turned to Palgap and the Escort Guards.
“Each of you, pick one River–Crossing Horse.”
“Pardon?”
“Palgap, you pick one too.”
“Huh? What are you saying, Young Master?”
I answered with a grin.
“They’re gifts.”
At my words, they all jumped in shock and frantically waved their hands.
“N, no! We can’t accept something this valuable.”
“You’re giving us River–Crossing Horses? If these were sold to the right people, the profit would be enormous…”
“We’re really fine.”
I shook my head.
“First of all, you can’t just hand these Horses over to anyone. You’ve seen their temperaments, haven’t you? If the wrong person tried to ride them, their safety wouldn’t be guaranteed.”
“That’s true.”
“And if I’m riding a River–Crossing Horse while all of you are on ordinary Horses, do you really think you’ll be able to keep up with my speed?”
“…”
River–Crossing Horses were legendary steeds said to cover three thousand li in a single day.
That meant even the finest ordinary Horses wouldn’t be enough.
At my practical explanation, they slowly nodded.
That covered the practical side of things, so now it was time to tell them how I really felt.
“The truth is, the moment these River–Crossing Horses bowed to me, I decided I would give them to all of you. You work hard for my sake, and this is one of the few things I can do for you in return. So please, accept them.”
At my words, the warriors all cupped their fists at once and bowed their heads.
“From this day on, we will serve you with absolute loyalty, my lord.”
The six warriors and Palgap each began choosing a River–Crossing Horse.
Their eyes were shining, and their cheeks were flushed, so it was obvious they were thrilled.
Good. I’m glad they liked them.
Still, considering the River–Crossing Horses’ speed and stamina, we’d be able to get from Hubei to Beijing in just a few days now.
Right then, the River–Crossing Horses suddenly neighed, and Palgap and the Escort Guards shuddered.
“Huh? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“It’s just… it felt like a cold wind blew past.”
“I suddenly got goosebumps, Young Master.”
Did they somehow read my mind?
Ahem. Anyway, out of the ten River–Crossing Horses, I gave one to Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun as a wedding gift.
Of course, I didn’t forget to threaten it and tell it I wouldn’t let it off if it injured Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun while carrying him.
Not me, though. Geumryeong did.
That left nine Horses.
If the six Escort Guards, Palgap, and I each rode one, there would be one left.
That last Horse was for Young Lady Seohyang.
I did consider giving it to Father as a gift, but he rarely had any reason to ride.
A River–Crossing Horse needed to run at least a few hundred li every month or it would get sick.
And giving it to my brothers didn’t work either. There was only one Horse, Brother Jeong-ho almost never rode, and if I gave it to Brother Jin-ho, he’d probably get way too wild with it.
So I decided to give it to Young Lady Seohyang.
She’d be traveling around with me often in the future, and every time that happened, having her ride in front of me would be troublesome in more ways than one.
“Has everyone chosen their Horse?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
I mounted my River–Crossing Horse. Palgap and the Escort Guards mounted theirs as well.
The view somehow seemed a little higher than before.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Travel safely. And thank you again for everything.”
We said our farewells and raced toward Beijing.
But then.
“Ah? Ahhh!”
“Huuurk! Why is this thing so fast?”
“Ugh!”
The Horses were far faster than I’d expected. Fast enough that it almost felt like using lightness skill.
This was going to take some getting used to.
And then,
We accomplished the incredible feat of reaching Beijing in only two days.
Incredible feat… right?
It took two days only because we had to rest at night. If we’d ridden straight through, we probably would’ve made it in a single day.
“Deputy Merchant Lord! You’ve returned?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t look well.”
“I’m fine.”
There was a much bigger difference than I’d expected between moving with your own lightness skill and moving at that speed while riding a Horse.
Unlike us, who were exhausted, the River–Crossing Horses looked completely refreshed.
“These aren’t the Horses you rode out on before. I’ve never seen them.”
“They’re newly acquired. Please put them in the warmest part of the stable. Make sure they’re fed every meal without fail, and give them some sugar too. Otherwise, these little brutes will start chewing on people’s hair.”
“Yes, understood.”
After giving those instructions, I headed to my quarters.
“Are you going to wash up, Young Master?”
“Yeah. But are you all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Horses were way too fast.”
At that, Palgap tilted his head.
Unlike the rest of us, who were struggling, Palgap looked perfectly fine. More than fine, really. He was bursting with energy.
Was that because he was born with the talent of a King of Assassins?
No matter how I looked at him, he was a fascinating guy.
After washing up, I finally arrived at my office.
Creeeak.
The moment I opened the door.
“Ah! Watch out!”
Along with Young Lady Seohyang’s scream, what came crashing down on me was a mountain of documents.
“I, is all of this work I have to handle myself?”
At my question, Young Lady Seohyang nodded.
“…”
Ah… why am I tearing up?
–TL Notes–
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