For a moment, I was struck speechless.
What? He drove his brother to his death? What in the world did that mean?
Young Lord Maeng Cheon continued.
“The Young Palace Lord I’ve come to know is a discreet person. And I know you won’t let this go unless I tell you the truth… so I’ll explain.”
“I’m listening.”
“The truth is, I’m the younger of a pair of twins. And whenever twins are born, one of them is forbidden from being raised within Zhurong Palace.”
Ah…
Come to think of it, I had heard about this before when Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin was teaching me.
According to one theory, twins represent two fires.
Two fires together form the character 炎.
It can signify a great blaze, but it can also mean suffering.
Perhaps for that reason, whenever twins were born in Zhurong Palace, discreet and trustworthy people were chosen to raise one of the children outside.
Usually, the younger twin was the one sent away.
“My brother was an incredibly kind person. He often came to visit me and play with me.”
“…”
“But I think it was around seven years ago when his complexion began growing worse and worse. I pressed him for answers several times, but he never told me anything.”
“…”
“Then, five years ago, while my eldest brother was away at North Sea Ice Palace for the conference, I was suddenly summoned to Zhurong Palace. There, Father gave me devastating news. My brother was dead… and I was to take his place.”
Then when he said his brother had been driven to his death, could he have meant…
“Did he take his own life?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“Father never told me the details, but I learned the truth through the people assigned to my residence. I even learned who had driven him to make that choice.”
“…”
No words of comfort came to mind.
Anything I said would only sound hollow or insincere.
“My eldest brother’s torment drove my twin brother to his death. And Father summoned me here to conceal the truth. As you know, suicide is considered an unbearable disgrace in Zhurong Palace.”
“Do you resent your father?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I wasn’t allowed to live in Zhurong Palace and had to remain outside, but my life was comfortable and prosperous. Father and Mother couldn’t visit often, but whenever they did, they showered me with affection and made sure I lacked nothing.”
“…”
“And Father made that choice to spare my brother the disgrace of being remembered as someone who took his own life. Why would I object to that? It’s what I would have wanted as well.”
“Then why do you say you don’t want to become the Young Palace Lord?”
“I already told you. I don’t want to grant that man’s request.”
“So you don’t actually hate the position itself.”
“No.”
“Then the solution is simple.”
At my words, he tilted his head and stared at me.
“You’ll obey if your father commands you, won’t you? In that case, you wouldn’t be granting Young Lord Maeng Hyeon’s request. You’d merely be following your father’s order.”
He blinked.
“Uh…”
“I’m right, aren’t I? You said you held no resentment toward your father.”
“That’s true, but…”
“To be honest, when I said I would persuade Young Lord Maeng Cheon… Hmm, may I call you that?”
“Yes. I don’t mind. Twins born in Zhurong Palace are given only one name between them.”
“I see. In any case, I didn’t agree to persuade you for that man’s sake. I did it for Zhurong Palace.”
Naturally, it was also in my own interest, but saying that aloud would be a bit much.
“Isn’t Zhurong Palace North Sea Ice Palace’s greatest rival? It would be a shame to lose such a worthy opponent.”
“…I see.”
“Still, although Young Lord Maeng Hyeon committed many wrongs, I didn’t think any of them were severe enough to deserve death…”
I gave a bitter smile.
“But it seems he did commit a crime worthy of it.”
Still, could the Palace Lord truly have been unaware that his eldest son’s torment had driven his second son to suicide?
Of course he knew.
Even so, he must have kept it hidden because revealing the truth would only expose his second son’s disgrace.
In other words, stripping Young Lord Maeng Hyeon of his position as Young Palace Lord hadn’t been an impulsive decision.
The Palace Lord had endured far more than I realized.
I spoke to Maeng Cheon.
“Young Lord Maeng Hyeon probably won’t live much longer. Even so, I believe he should know what sins he committed before he dies.”
At my words, he nodded.
“I feel the same way.”
The next day.
I received a reply from Master.
Master was pleased by everything I had uncovered, but the letter also carried a tangled mixture of emotions.
Regret and longing for the Palace Lord of Zhurong Palace.
Relief that I had identified the Blood Cult as the culprit, as well as fury toward them…
However, since we still had no idea what organization the Blood Cult was masquerading as or which powers it had joined forces with, Master warned me to remain vigilant.
Master also said he would visit Zhurong Palace before long.
I’m looking forward to seeing those two meet.
.
.
.
Several days later.
The Palace Lord of Zhurong Palace returned.
Naturally, the campaign had ended in a crushing victory.
The severed head of the Black Lotus Gang Leader was impaled on Outer Chief Administrator Hae Dal-man’s spear.
And just like that, the Black Lotus Gang that had once plunged Yunnan into terror during my previous life ceased to exist.
“You’ve been through a great deal.”
At the greeting from Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin and me, the Palace Lord nodded.
“Thank you for your patience. I’ll make certain the conference can begin as soon as possible.”
“Understood.”
Then, several days later.
I heard that Young Lord Maeng Cheon had become the new Young Palace Lord.
Good for him.
.
.
.
The middle of the 4th Month.
At last, the conference began today.
Young Lord Maeng Cheon – no, Young Palace Lord Maeng Cheon – and Young Lord Hae Hong sat across from me.
Young Lord Hae Hong had clearly suffered a great deal as well. He had lost so much weight that his face looked gaunt.
Being forced into secluded cultivation must have been difficult enough, and hearing everything that had happened while he was confined must have weighed heavily on him.
“Young Palace Lord, here are the matters to be discussed during today’s conference.”
Yet judging by how calmly he attended to Young Palace Lord Maeng Cheon, it seemed he hadn’t been particularly loyal to Young Lord Maeng Hyeon.
“Then let us begin the conference.”
At Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin’s words, Young Palace Lord Maeng Cheon replied.
“First, regarding the opening item…”
The meeting proceeded as smoothly as flowing water.
Had Young Lord Maeng Hyeon been sitting in that seat, it never would have gone so easily.
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin looked extremely satisfied.
Through this conference, North Sea Ice Palace and Zhurong Palace once again confirmed the boundaries of their respective territories, and the armistice agreement remained unchanged.
Then again, there was no reason to alter it unless something unusual happened.
After the conference ended, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin and I headed back to our quarters.
“I can’t believe everything went so smoothly! This is wonderful.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“The conference five years ago was exhausting. He kept raising the most ridiculous objections over nothing. Honestly, he was only dragging things out so he could keep seeing my face longer… It was infuriating.”
“Hahaha. I see.”
“Still, I can’t help feeling sorry for that young lord.”
I didn’t answer Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin. I merely smiled.
Sorry for him…
I had felt the same way at first, but those feelings had vanished completely after hearing Young Lord Maeng Cheon’s story.
Now I thought Young Lord Maeng Hyeon was simply reaping what he had sown.
Before long, we arrived at our quarters.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
“Yes. Get some rest.”
A banquet was scheduled for that evening to celebrate the successful conclusion of the conference.
“Grrr?”
“Kui!”
“Rrrr…”
The cries of animals – no, Spirit Beasts – came from inside my room.
I sighed and opened the door.
“What are you two doing in here?”
As expected, they were inside my room… Huh? What was that?
A tiger cub?
I was momentarily startled, but the Qi emanating from the cub told me that it was Hwa-sik.
So Hwa-sik usually stayed in the form of a tiger cub.
I had heard that Hwa-sik played an enormous role in the recent subjugation of the Black Lotus Gang.
More importantly, Geumryeong seemed to be explaining something to Hwa-sik.
“Kui! Kui!”
“Grrr?”
“Kui!”
Geumryeong was boasting to Hwa-sik about all the things it had seen.
That made sense. Hwa-sik had spent its entire life here in Zhurong Palace, while Geumryeong had traveled all across the empire with me.
Still…
“Why did the two of you choose my room, of all places?”
“Kui!”
“You’re saying this is the safest and most comfortable place?”
It wasn’t wrong, so I had no rebuttal.
The moment Hwa-sik saw me, it hurriedly rolled over, exposed its belly, and began panting.
I chuckled, lifted Hwa-sik onto my lap, and rubbed its belly. Hwa-sik squirmed in delight.
Are you a dog?
As for Geumryeong…
Heh. It doesn’t get jealous anymore… or so I thought.
Geumryeong might believe it was hiding its jealousy, but its restless tail betrayed every emotion.
I pulled out a silver tael and held it out.
“Here. Eat this.”
“Kui!”
Only then did its tail finally settle down.
.
.
.
Evening arrived.
For the banquet, I headed to the rear garden prepared in front of Zhurong Palace.
Since every member of North Sea Ice Palace’s delegation and all of Zhurong Palace’s senior figures would be attending, a spacious venue was necessary.
I sat in one of the seats of honor alongside Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin and Young Lady Seohyang.
“May the friendship between Zhurong Palace and North Sea Ice Palace endure for all eternity.”
With the Palace Lord’s ceremonial address, the banquet began in earnest.
Pu’er tea, one of Yunnan’s famous specialties, had been prepared for every guest.
Zhurong Palace traditionally forbade alcohol.
Why?
Because they knew perfectly well how hot tempered they were.
If they got drunk and caused trouble, they wouldn’t cause some minor disturbance. They would create a disaster. So they banned alcohol outright.
Besides, the heat of the region made people become intoxicated much faster.
In that regard, they seemed quite different from North Sea Ice Palace.
Snow Wind Palace and North Sea Ice Palace loved alcohol so much that they brewed their own, including Ice Lotus Wine.
Perhaps they needed it to endure the North Sea’s brutal cold.
The Prohibition Decree had made the last few years particularly painful for them.
Still, the famine would soon end, and the Prohibition Decree would eventually be lifted.
I ate my fill and thoroughly enjoyed the feast.
Naturally, Young Lord Maeng Hyeon wasn’t present.
Hmm?
I had noticed it during the conference as well, but Young Palace Lord Maeng Cheon and Young Lord Hae Hong seemed surprisingly close.
Since Hae Hong had been friends with the man who drove Maeng Cheon’s brother to his death, I had assumed Maeng Cheon would despise him too.
As the banquet ended and everyone began leaving, I quietly asked Young Palace Lord Maeng Cheon about it.
“Ah… Young Lord Hae is someone I’m grateful to.”
“What?”
“Even while enduring my eldest brother’s mistreatment, he still looked out for me. And… apparently, he also helped my twin brother.”
So there had never been any bad blood between them.
The next day.
We finished preparing for our departure.
Then, with the Palace Lord, the Grand Lady, and many others seeing us off, we left Zhurong Palace.
At last, we’re returning to North Sea Ice Palace.
However, I had no intention of going there. I planned to head to Headquarters in Hubei instead.
The fleet that would begin trading with foreign nations was due to set sail soon, and I had a great deal of work to do.
After Eun Seo-ho and his companions departed.
Zhurong Palace swiftly returned to its usual routine.
And Maeng Cheon was formally appointed as the Young Palace Lord.
He had represented Zhurong Palace at the Ice-Fire Conference in the capacity of Young Palace Lord so the meeting could proceed without delay, but only now was the appointment made official.
“I hope you’ll become a splendid Young Palace Lord who can support Zhurong Palace for many years to come.”
At the Grand Lady’s words, he answered.
“Yes, Mother.”
“I will always be sorry for what I put you through.”
At the Palace Lord’s words, Maeng Cheon shook his head.
“Please don’t think that way. I don’t resent you, Father.”
“Just hearing you say that is more than enough.”
Maeng Cheon suddenly remembered what Eun Seo-ho had said to him.
— You’ll obey if your father commands you, won’t you? In that case, you wouldn’t be granting Young Lord Maeng Hyeon’s request. You’d merely be following your father’s order.
It had been a blind spot he never noticed.
— Isn’t Zhurong Palace North Sea Ice Palace’s greatest rival? It would be a shame to lose such a worthy opponent.
And then there had been the sincerity behind those words.
In the end, Maeng Cheon decided to obey his father’s command and become the Young Palace Lord.
‘He was a strange man.’
Immediately after completing his investiture ceremony, Maeng Cheon headed to Maeng Hyeon’s residence.
“Oh? You’re here?”
Maeng Hyeon greeted him with a smile.
But to Maeng Cheon, the sight was revolting.
‘He smiles at me now? After everything he did, how can he possibly have the nerve?’
Suppressing those thoughts, he replied.
“Yes, Brother.”
“I heard your investiture as Young Palace Lord was today. Those ceremonial robes suit you.”
“Thank you.”
Maeng Cheon sat down across from him and spoke.
“But Brother, did you know?”
“…?”
“I’m not your first younger brother. I’m your second.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s a common enough story. Twins were born in Zhurong Palace, and the younger one was raised outside…”
Maeng Cheon continued.
“And I was the one raised outside.”
It was a shocking revelation, and Maeng Hyeon had never heard any of it before.
“W–What are you saying…? Then what happened to the other twin?”
If one had been raised outside, that meant the other must have been raised within Zhurong Palace.
“You killed him.”
“What are you talking about? How could I have killed him?”
“He couldn’t endure your torment anymore, so he took his own life. Father concealed the truth and summoned me to Zhurong Palace to replace him.”
“…”
“Did you think I stayed in the library because you bullied me and I wanted to avoid you? I only did that because I didn’t want anyone discovering who I really was.”
“…”
“To be honest, I considered keeping this secret forever. But someone told me that even if you were destined to die, you should at least know what sins you committed before that day came. I agree with him. That’s why I’m telling you now.”
The revelation struck Maeng Hyeon like a crushing blow to the head, leaving him unable to speak.
He had… killed his own younger brother!
“I–I only tormented him a little…”
“It may have seemed like a little to you, but to the person suffering through it, it was hell.”
“…”
“So, Brother, don’t even think about taking your own life. Live out the rest of your days in that body, begging my brother for forgiveness. That is the greatest atonement you’re capable of making.”
Maeng Cheon rose from his seat and left.
Crash!
“Aaaaaagh!”
A wretched howl rang out behind him.
For reasons he couldn’t fully explain, Maeng Cheon felt as though a weight had finally been lifted from his chest.
‘Brother, are you watching?’
It was a day in the 4th Month, and the sunlight seemed to carry the same gentle smile his twin brother had always shown him.
–TL Notes–
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