Rebirth of the Thunder God

""We greet the acting family head's mother!""

The identity of the middle-aged woman seemed to be the wife of the Namgung family head, Ouyang Yeonhui.

Baek Seolhwa felt something quite different from her than the feeling she had felt at Namgung Hui's mother's residence before.

It was difficult to describe in words, but should she say it was quite heterogeneous with the Namgung family?

Her appearance was like that, but the atmosphere itself felt like she was wearing awkward clothes.

Ouyang Yeonhui, who had stopped walking, asked a Firmament Guard member.

"What happened to that kid?"

"The vice-leader is interrogating him now."

"When do you think he'll be out?"

"It's about time for him to come out. Shall I show you inside?"

"No. I'll wait here."

Ouyang Yeonhui bit her lip with a very resentful expression.

It might be a natural reaction, as her son Namgung Sang's fingers had been cut off.

And since Namgung Hui was not her own child, she must be grinding her teeth.

A moment later, as the Firmament Guard member had said, the vice-leader Namgung Hyo came out, leading Namgung Hui.

But his hands were free, as if he had put the rope away somewhere.

As expected, Ouyang Yeonhui, displeased by that, immediately found fault.

"Hey, vice-leader. Didn't I tell you? But why didn't you tie that kid up? What if he runs away?"

Namgung Hyo, who had belatedly discovered Ouyang Yeonhui, cupped his fist and said.

"I greet the acting family head's mother! I've interrogated him, and there's no fear of him running away……."

"That's enough. It's not that your opinion is important, but that you should follow the rules. Tie him up at once."

In fact, if we were to follow the rules, it was a matter of the investigator's discretion.

In the first place, the Namgung family was not a government office, but just a family, so what use would the law be?

They moved according to the family rules, and that often ended up at the discretion of the person in charge.

Wasn't that why the positions of leader and vice-leader were created?

But Namgung Hyo did not dare to talk back to the acting family head's mother of the Namgung family.

"Ahem! Fourth Young Master. I'll have to tie you up for a moment. Please bear with it even if it's uncomfortable."

Namgung Hui just nodded his head instead of speaking.

Then he turned his head and looked at Ouyang Yeonhui.

Like Namgung In, she was a face he didn't particularly remember from ten years ago.

But still, she resembled a face that Namgung Hui knew.

‘Right. You have to have protruding cheekbones like this to be from the Ouyang family. It's the face I knew.’

But Namgung Hui tilted his head.

The second brother, Namgung In, clearly did not resemble his father.

If so, he should resemble his mother, Ouyang Yeonhui. Why didn't he resemble anyone?

"You don't even greet your mother when you see her. That's why you committed the patricide of cutting off your brother's fingers. Tsk."

If she was the second wife, she was his aunt.

Besides, since she had officially become the acting family head's mother of the Namgung family, it was natural to show respect to an elder.

But Namgung Hui didn't want to be polite to her.

Because she was someone who was aiming for his life.

"Didn't Father come with you?"

"He'll be here soon. He'll come and receive a full report of your crimes and punish you. I'm very curious if your head will still be held high then."

Ouyang Yeonhui smiled bitterly.

As if Namgung Hui's future would be stained with the smell of blood.

Her words were not a lie, as the family head Namgung Uncheon soon arrived, leading his guards.

At his appearance, all the Namgung family members who were surrounding the area cupped their fists with a loud voice.

""We greet the family head!""

Namgung Uncheon's eyes shone brightly, perhaps because he had safely overcome the Qi Deviation and finished his seclusion.

Such a Namgung Uncheon opened his mouth with a deep and low voice.

"What is all this? Vice-leader. You explain."

"Yes! Young Master Namgung Hui here has killed one of our Firmament Guard members. The time of the crime is estimated to be around midnight last night."

"The place where the Firmament Guard member died?"

"The place is not known for certain, but the place where the body was found is the Fourth Young Master's residence."

"Then there would be no witnesses. There would be no evidence that it was Hui's doing."

Namgung Hyo scratched the back of his head and said.

"Um……. The Fourth Young Master also admitted to the murder."

"What? Then did Hui really kill a Firmament Guard member?"

"Yes……."

Namgung Uncheon looked at Namgung Hui and asked.

"Hui. Don't just stand there, say something. Shouldn't this father hear an excuse to make a judgment?"

"Honey! He has already admitted to the crime, what excuse are you going to listen to? You're too biased……."

"Shut up! This is a public place, so call me family head."

"Hmph!"

Ouyang Yeonhui snorted and turned her head.

But Namgung Hui needed her to turn her head, so he gave Namgung Uncheon a subtle look and spoke to Ouyang Yeonhui.

"Madam Ouyang. Isn't this dagger yours?"

When Namgung Hui held out the dagger he had taken from the assassin, Ouyang Yeonhui turned her head again and looked at the dagger.

Her already torn eyes shone venomously.

"Why would this be mine? I've never even seen such a dagger."

"Ah. Is that so? Alright. Then do you admit to giving the vice-leader Namgung Hyo a bribe of 200 taels?"

"What? A bribe? Are you trying to play a joke on me right now?"

"F-Fourth Young Master! What are you suddenly talking about!"

Ouyang Yeonhui, perhaps because of the experience she had accumulated over the years, was not flustered at all.

On the contrary, only Namgung Hyo showed a flustered expression.

Ouyang Yeonhui just glared at Namgung Hui with sharp eyes.

"Do I look like I'm joking? Then I'll assume that the money that comes out of the vice-leader's pocket has nothing to do with Madam Ouyang."

Namgung Hui, who knows when he untied the rope, quickly put his hand in Namgung Hyo's pocket.

It was such a fast movement that Namgung Hyo could only watch with a feeling of being robbed blind.

Namgung Hui placed the 300 silver taels he had given him on the floor and said.

"Now. Look. A whopping 300 silver taels came out of the vice-leader's pocket. Where do you think all this came from?"

Namgung Hyo was about to say, 'The Young Master gave it to me!', but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out.

‘Huk! He pressed my mute point while putting his hand in my pocket!’

Namgung Hyo groaned and gestured that his mute point had been pressed.

But no one noticed.

They just thought he was expressing his frustration.

First, since 300 silver taels had come out of his pocket, it seemed clear that he had received a bribe.

It wasn't an amount of silver that a mere vice-leader would have.

His gestures just looked like an excuse.

Ouyang Yeonhui also showed a slightly surprised expression at the 300 silver taels.

But she soon smiled mockingly and quietly opened her mouth.

"You said 200 taels earlier, but 300 taels came out. How come the front and back don't match? You have to be smart to lie. And the limit of silver I can mobilize is 200 taels. 300 taels is money I can never give."

"So you're saying you can use 200 taels as you please. Even though you're not the acting family head."

At Namgung Hui's words, the family head Namgung Uncheon glanced at Ouyang Yeonhui.

Because he had never given her such authority before he entered seclusion.

All the authority was naturally delegated to the young lord, the acting family head.

And since the household affairs were handled by the general affairs office, not the acting family head's mother, she had no reason to use a large sum of silver separately.

"Wife. I don't think I've ever given you such authority."

"Hmph! I'm also a proper acting family head's mother of the Namgung family, don't I have such authority?"

"Hmm……. Then, 200 taels have disappeared without a sound recently. Could it be your doing?"

Namgung Uncheon's eyes were colored with certainty.

Ouyang Yeonhui had also said that she could use 200 taels at her discretion.

And in fact, she was the only one who could take such a large sum of money without a sound.

The young lord Namgung Chan had no need to do so.

Namgung In and Namgung Sang were not even coming out of their residences.

Of course, they didn't have the authority to do so either.

Ouyang Yeonhui glared at Namgung Uncheon with a venomous expression and said.

"Do you have any proof that I did it?"

"Then where did that 300 taels come from? It's not a good story, but it's a known fact that our family doesn't have that much silver to mobilize."

The Firmament Guard members also nodded with dark expressions.

It wasn't just once or twice that they hadn't received their salaries on time.

At least recently, the young lord's business had been doing a little better, so they had received their overdue salaries.

But even so, it was only a few silver taels.

To collect 300 taels like that was absolutely impossible with the vice-leader's ability.

It meant that someone had definitely given him a bribe.

The Firmament Guard members' gazes were not kind, as he had readily accepted it.

"Alright. Then let's say I gave it to him, where did the remaining 100 taels come from?"

Namgung Hui, as if he had been waiting for this moment, quickly continued.

"I gave him the 100 taels."

Ouyang Yeonhui glared at him and said.

"Why you?"

"The Firmament Guard hasn't been receiving their salaries properly, so I gave them some for a dinner."

At the word 'dinner,' the Firmament Guard members looked at Namgung Hui with touched expressions.

In contrast, Ouyang Yeonhui shook her head as if she was dumbfounded and said.

"Ha. Where did you get such a large sum of money? I barely managed to get 200 taels……."

"As expected, these 200 taels are Madam Ouyang's."

Ouyang Yeonhui, realizing her mistake, hurriedly continued.

"Ah, no. That's not it, it was a slip of the tongue."

"Then I must have misspoken too. I gave the vice-leader 300 taels, not 100. I should take it back……."

"You can't do that!"

"You said it wasn't yours, Madam Ouyang. Since I gave him the 300 taels, it doesn't matter if I take it back, does it?"

Ouyang Yeonhui bit her lip and said.

"You bastard. Then where did you get that money……."

"That's enough, wife. It would have all been revealed if we had investigated the general affairs office. Stop it. What was the reason you gave the vice-leader 200 taels? Was it to capture the youngest and interrogate him?"

"Yes. I asked for a favor. I was so wronged that I couldn't contain my anger. The third child's fingers were cut off by that guy, and you just stood by and watched. Didn't you?"

"Didn't you say the third was wrong first? So you used the life of a Firmament Guard member to plot such a thing?"

A volcanic anger erupted from Namgung Uncheon's eyes.

He seemed to be convinced that this whole incident was Ouyang Yeonhui's doing.

Ouyang Yeonhui, with tears in her eyes, pleaded her innocence.

"Husband! What grudge do you have against me to do this?"

Namgung Uncheon, who had vented his anger, this time continued in a pathetic tone.

"Wife. Did you think I wouldn't recognize that dagger? It's a product of the Ouyang Ironworks. Since that came out, it was a clear fact that it was related to you."

As expected. As befitting the head of the Namgung family, his eye for detail was not ordinary.

He had deduced where it was made just by looking at the appearance of the dagger.

Ouyang Yeonhui, as if she hadn't thought Namgung Uncheon would recognize it, showed a flustered expression for the first time.

Besieged on all sides.

Ouyang Yeonhui, who had been hit where it hurts, couldn't answer right away.

Because she was already cornered, she couldn't think of a lame excuse.

Her head was hot.

She rolled her eyes and looked for a suitable answer, but nothing came to mind.

It was then.

Ouyang Yeonhui's guard, who had been watching the situation, stepped forward.

He pressed down the bamboo hat he was wearing and opened his mouth.

"That's enough. Yeonhui. You've lost."

(End of Chapter)