The Crown Prince was already out in the courtyard, waiting for us.
Taoist Cheong-su approached the Crown Prince and respectfully bowed.
“This humble Taoist greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live a thousand years! A thousand years! A thousand thousand years!”
“Rise.”
“Your Highness's grace is boundless.”
Once Taoist Cheong-su had risen, the Crown Prince spoke to him.
“It's good to finally meet you. Are you the Taoist who'll be overseeing this rite?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I am Cheong-su of the Maoshan Sect.”
“I'll be counting on you. I haven't been able to sleep properly at all lately.”
“You must have suffered greatly. My abilities are modest, but I will do everything in my power to help.”
“You have my thanks.”
Taoist Cheong-su once again rang his ritual bell as he slowly circled the courtyard.
It did a fine job setting the proper mood.
Well, look at that. He was a much better actor than I'd expected. I was impressed.
Before I knew it, darkness had completely fallen, and the rite began in earnest.
“Please bring me something that belonged to the deceased.”
At that, Eunuch Jang brought over a box and placed it on the table.
Taoist Cheong-su opened the box himself.
There were clothes inside.
Taoist Cheong-su picked up a bottle that had been prepared beside him and poured its contents over the clothes.
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
Normally, it should have been liquor, but since we couldn't use alcohol right now, we'd substituted tea instead.
He then lit the candles, burned incense and placed it in the censer, before beginning to chant scriptures in earnest while ringing the bell.
I pretended to concentrate on the ritual while quietly observing the people around me.
Aside from my companions and me, everyone gathered here belonged to Chaotian Palace.
Besides the people Eunuch A-jeong had told me about, I spotted several others whose Qi felt less than pure.
Might as well clean out every last one of them while we're at it.
How much time had passed?
Jingle, jingle, jing…
Taoist Cheong-su's hand stopped in the middle of ringing the bell. Everyone watched him with tense eyes.
“A-jeong… Was the dead eunuch's name A-jeong?”
I answered him.
“That's right. Taoist, you truly are remarkable. We never once told you the deceased eunuch's name…”
“He is standing before me right now, desperately telling me his name.”
At that, Palgap pressed even closer against my side.
Come on, Palgap.
Doesn't this make it look like we've got our roles completely reversed?
And Palgap knows this entire ritual is just an act… Wait, no.
I never told him.
I scratched the back of my neck and looked back at Taoist Cheong-su.
The Maoshan Sect specialized in Walking Corpse arts and sorcery, and among the arts they practiced were techniques for exorcising spirits.
Judging by that alone, they might not seem very different from shamans, but there was one enormous distinction.
The Maoshan Sect did not serve spirits, which meant its members never became spirit mediums.
Most of the techniques used by the Maoshan Sect were ultimately founded upon martial arts.
And their purpose was not personal profit, but preserving peace in the world.
Returning those who died far from home to their native soil was one part of that mission.
That was why, even when the imperial court cracked down on shamans, the Maoshan Sect had been able to avoid becoming a target.
Given all that, it was only natural that the people watching this ritual believed the performance was real.
Taoist Cheong-su looked into empty air with a sorrowful expression and spoke.
“Oh dear! You fell from a cliff and died.”
“That's right.”
I deliberately put on a grief-stricken expression.
“If I hadn't told him a spirit herb was bearing fruit there, he never would have gone near that cliff.”
“But he says he bears Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho no grudge. He says his death was simply his fate.”
“No! If only my martial arts had been a little stronger… Ngh!”
I lowered my head as though overcome with anguish.
Doesn't resent me, my ass.
He died after being tortured by me. How could he possibly not hate me?
Well, Taoist Cheong-su and I had cooked up this entire performance together anyway.
“He says he's glad that you survived, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“As expected, Eunuch A-jeong's heart remains noble even in death.”
Taoist Cheong-su turned toward the Crown Prince.
“He says he is deeply sorry that he failed to bring Your Highness the fruit that would have granted you a long and healthy life.”
The Crown Prince looked genuinely saddened.
“To think you're still carrying that regret with you! You foolish man…”
The Crown Prince's acting was definitely first-rate too.
It was good enough to make me wonder if members of the Imperial Family received acting lessons behind closed doors.
“But I still don't understand why he keeps appearing in my dreams and lamenting that he died with a grievance.”
Taoist Cheong-su rang his bell several more times before answering.
“He says it is because he died before he could repay Your Highness for all the grace you showed him.”
“How unfortunate…”
Just then, Taoist Cheong-su's expression darkened.
“Eunuch A-jeong says there is something he must confess. In truth, he had been secretly receiving orders from the Murim Alliance.”
“What? Is that true?”
The Crown Prince's eyes widened. He looked utterly shocked.
Well… it was certainly shocking news.
“Yes. That is what he says.”
Taoist Cheong-su continued.
“He says he was not alone. There are others inside Chaotian Palace who entered under orders from the Murim Alliance. He wishes to repay even a fraction of Your Highness's grace by revealing their identities.”
“Quickly! Tell him to name them at once!”
The Crown Prince erupted in anger.
“They dared betray Imperial Father and me and act as spies inside this palace? Even having them flayed alive wouldn't be punishment enough!”
Flaying was a punishment in which the victim's skin was stripped from their body, and there were no words to adequately describe how horrific it was.
And right now, the Crown Prince was no longer acting.
Who wouldn't be furious after learning something like this?
He probably hadn't shown his anger when I first told him because he'd been standing in front of me at the time.
That was why the atmosphere around us had become so tense that it felt like walking across a sheet of thin ice.
“So who are they?”
Well, this should be enough.
I drew up my internal power and, just as we'd planned, sent a gust of wind toward the candles.
Whoosh!
The candles went out, and Taoist Cheong-su sighed before continuing.
“Oh no! My deepest apologies, Your Highness. The time allowed for summoning the spirit has run out.”
“What? Then bring another Taoist here at once!”
“I apologize, but once a spirit has been summoned, it cannot be called again for another twenty-four hours.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. We will resume the rite at this same time tomorrow.”
“Then there is no choice. Do so.”
The Crown Prince glared at the people around him and spat out each word.
“When this time comes tomorrow, we'll know exactly who the traitors are.”
And with that, today's rite came to an end.
I could already see people growing unsettled by the Crown Prince's words.
Some fidgeted anxiously, some secretly lowered their heads and bit their lips, while others stared at someone with trembling eyes.
In other words, our little performance was working.
Now they would each act according to their own judgment.
Some would try to kill Taoist Cheong-su, some would attempt to flee, and others would wait for an opportunity while watching how the situation developed.
Which meant I was going to be extremely busy tonight.
* * *
Deep into the night.
Someone was moving in secret.
His destination was a warehouse inside Chaotian Palace.
When he slipped inside, the person who had been waiting there greeted him.
“You're here.”
“I'm sorry I'm late. It took me longer than expected to get here without anyone seeing me.”
“I understand. Sneaking all the way here without being seen wasn't easy for me either.
“Haa… I don't even know what the hell is going on anymore.”
“You and me both.”
“That bastard A-jeong was a pain in the ass while he was alive… and somehow he's still causing trouble after he's dead.”
The truth was, A-jeong had never been much of a colleague.
He had a habit of snatching away work that others were supposed to handle, then getting under their skin by claiming he'd only stepped in because they were too incompetent to do it themselves.
When they'd heard he died in an accident this time, they'd actually been relieved.
Then they'd suddenly heard that his resentful spirit was haunting the Crown Prince, which had been baffling enough… only for him to cause this entire disaster.
Not once did they consider the possibility that Eun Seo-ho had staged the whole thing.
There was a good reason for that. Mount Mao, the Maoshan Sect's headquarters, was located not far from Nanjing.
Naturally, they had heard plenty of stories about the feats performed by Maoshan Taoists.
“More importantly, what do we do now? If that bastard A-jeong tells them everything about us tomorrow…”
“We're finished.”
He thought for a moment before speaking again.
“For now, we'll have to buy ourselves some time. I heard the Maoshan Taoist is staying somewhere inside this palace tonight.”
“I heard the same.”
“If we kill him, that should buy us a little time. We can use that window to contact our superiors.”
“Understood.”
They were Imperial Guards assigned to Chaotian Palace.
That meant they were permitted to carry weapons even inside Chaotian Palace, and both of them possessed fairly respectable martial arts.
What about the others? What are they going to do?”
“Haa, they'll have to handle themselves. They're assigned to different cells from us, aren't they?”
“That's true.”
The two of them were not the only agents the Murim Alliance had infiltrated into Chaotian Palace.
From what they knew, the agents had generally been divided into several two-man cells, but no one knew exactly how many such cells there were.
They were also expected to keep watch over one another, which made betrayal all but impossible.
A-jeong, who had operated alone, had been the unusual exception.
They could not help but fear the Murim Alliance's ruthlessness and thoroughness in planting its agents inside Chaotian Palace.
“Then let's move.”
“Yes.”
Having made their decision, they slipped through the palace in secret and headed toward Taoist Cheong-su's quarters.
Chaotian Palace was as familiar to them as their own home, so there was no hesitation in their movements.
A short while later.
They stopped at a spot from which they could see Taoist Cheong-su's quarters.
There was no light coming from inside, so he appeared to have already fallen asleep.
The problem was the soldier standing guard outside.
They were wondering how to deal with him when the soldier's voice suddenly reached them.
“Ah, damn it! What's taking that bastard so long? I'm about to piss myself!”
Apparently desperate to relieve himself, the soldier twisted his entire body from side to side.
“Damn it, I'm really going to wet myself at this rate. Can't be helped.”
Finally unable to hold it any longer, he grumbled under his breath and abandoned his post.
The two men exchanged a look and nodded.
They quickly approached the quarters, quietly opened the door, and slipped inside.
Then they approached Taoist Cheong-su, who lay sleeping on the bed, and swung a sword at his throat.
Thunk!
The instant the blade struck, the man realized something was wrong.
Not only had the sound been strange, but there had been none of the sensation that should have come from cutting through human flesh and bone.
“Damn it! It's a trap!”
He shouted and tried to flee, but it was already too late.
Thud!
Wham!
Both men crumpled to the floor, knocked unconscious by sudden blows to the backs of their necks.
* * *
I looked down at the men sprawled across the floor.
“That makes six.”
“So it does.”
“Looks like we picked good bait, considering how many of them keep biting.”
At my words, Escort Guard Seo Wu chuckled.
“Haven't you always been good at fishing, my lord?”
“Have I?”
Just then, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am approached us while dressed in a soldier's uniform.
“Then should I continue standing guard?”
“Yes. Please do.”
Earlier, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am had noticed those two approaching and deliberately pretended he was desperate to relieve himself before leaving his post.
Perhaps he had inherited some of the talent his parents possessed from their days in a theater troupe, because his acting was genuinely first-rate.
“All right, let's get these two out of here.”
“Yes.”
The other Escort Guards hoisted the unconscious men onto their backs and quietly disappeared with them.
Taoist Cheong-su wasn't actually here right now.
The figure lying on the bed was merely an illusion I'd created using my Illusion Mirror.
Taoist Cheong-su was safely resting in the room beside the Crown Prince's, protected by guards so tight that no one could possibly reach him.
Those guards were none other than Geumryeong and Palgap.
Palgap had been frightened, so I'd coaxed him into doing it by saying Taoist Cheong-su might give him a present if he did his absolute best to protect him.
And so, morning came.
I went to see the Crown Prince.
“This humble merchant greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince…”
“Just sit down.”
“Yes.”
I sat before the tea table and spoke.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Are you mocking me? I was so curious about what was happening that I could barely sleep.”
“You've had a rough night. I'll give you the short report first.”
I calmly continued.
“Six people tried to assassinate the Taoist, and another eight fled in the middle of the night.”
“Fourteen? There were that many? How absurd.”
The Crown Prince let out a hollow sigh, looking thoroughly exasperated.
“I'm afraid there are more.”
“The ones who decided to sit back and watch how things unfold.”
“That's right.”
“Then are we holding the rite again tonight?”
“Ah, no. We aren't.”
“We aren't?”
“No. A play is only entertaining when the plot has some drama, don't you think?”
“That's true.”
“At last night's rite, Taoist Cheong-su said he would summon Eunuch A-jeong's spirit again the following day and reveal who the traitors were. But sometime during the night, he was abducted. In that case, who would the culprits be?”
“The people who feared they would be exposed as traitors.”
“And that's where Your Highness personally steps in to rescue Taoist Cheong-su.”
The Crown Prince thought about my words for a moment, then gave me a knowing smile.
“Oh? So you want to redirect everyone's feelings about the people who suddenly disappeared. And, as a bonus, create a heroic tale about me?”
At the moment, Chaotian Palace was in chaos because more than a dozen people had suddenly vanished overnight.
And since everyone could more or less guess why those people had disappeared, they were bound to feel betrayed as well.
If we added a frantic palace-wide effort to rescue Taoist Cheong-su on top of that, those feelings of betrayal would soon turn into outright anger.
After all, anyone would naturally resent the bastards responsible for making them run themselves ragged.
And once that frustration reached its peak, if the Crown Prince appeared and resolved the entire situation, their anger toward the traitors would transform into loyalty toward him.
“That's exactly it.”
The Crown Prince stared at me for a moment before speaking.
“I'm truly glad you're on my side.”
I smiled as I answered him.
“You can rest easy. As long as Your Highness remains on my side, I'll remain on yours.”
“Now that's a frightening thing to say.”
–TL Notes–
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