Chapter 155
"Hah...!"
The middle-aged man, letting out a sigh as if the ground would collapse.
The man, wearing an crown on his head and a golden imperial dragon robe., was none other than the father of all the people in the world.
The emperor of the time.
"Your Majesty. This is an unacceptable matter. Eunuch Han is a eunuch of the state who assists Your Majesty and preserves the safety of the imperial court. But not only did a mere ignorant martial artist attack such a eunuch, but he also dismantled the Eastern Depot, an imperial organization. This is a clear act of treason. I implore you to deal with it severely!"
"I implore you, Your Majesty!"
"I implore you, Your Majesty!"
The high and low officials standing by the emperor's side.
That is, the high-ranking officials whom Eunuch Han had recruited, all prostrated themselves and opened their mouths.
At that.
"Your Highness... I have served you with loyalty as a eunuch until now... this old and lowly body. Even if it is harmed, what is there to be sad about? But I cannot stand by and watch the emergence of a traitor who has plotted a rebellion. Please, issue a severe punishment to set the discipline of the imperial court straight and to assert the solemnity of the national law."
Eunuch Han drove the nail in.
The emperor was a benevolent man, but he was not cunning and was a person who was swayed here and there in running the affairs of the state.
Moreover, as several high-ranking officials spoke with one voice, the heart of the weak-willed emperor was moved.
"Hah... I also do not have a different opinion from you. Therefore, I plan to conduct a thorough investigation into the martial artist and the mastermind behind him, who have crippled Eunuch Han and dismantled the Eastern Depot. But there is a procedure for everything. I will appoint Bao Zheng, who is serving as the magistrate of Kaifeng, as a special investigator and reveal the whole story of the incident. Will that be enough?"
The emperor proposed a compromise.
The demand of the high-ranking officials was the confiscation and search of the Moyong family and the execution order of Jin So-ah, regardless of the reason.
But since it was a matter that completely broke the custom of non-interference between the government and the martial world, which had lasted for more than a thousand years, he could not easily accept it.
Instead, the emperor intended to reveal the substantive truth by putting forward his most trusted official, Bao Zheng.
But.
'Bao Zheng! Absolutely not. The moment Bao Qingtian intervenes, I might, on the contrary, be framed for treason!'
The moment he heard the name Bao Zheng, Eunuch Han was inwardly terrified.
Bao Zheng.
He, who was called Bao Qingtian, was the epitome of an incorruptible official, and a bureaucrat whose fame was high as a pioneer who penetrated the deep wisdom and the substance of matters.
In particular, the anecdote of him cutting off the head of an imperial family member, who had raped and exploited the people and sucked the blood of the peasants, with a dragon-headed guillotine a few years ago was known to everyone in the world.
Eunuch Han threw his uncomfortable old body to the floor with a thud and began to plead.
"Your Majesty! That is not acceptable. Although Bao Zheng's spirit is high, the people of the martial world are those who possess the martial arts of a thousand men, so it would be appropriate to form a corresponding investigation team!"
"Hmm... a corresponding investigation team. Is there an organization in the imperial court that can investigate the martial world people who are said to fly in the sky and split the ground? And we can't move the military to investigate a mere martial family, can we?"
"Doesn't the imperial court have the strongest martial force?"
"...By any chance?"
...the emperor asked with narrowed eyes.
Eunuch Han, who had his head buried in the floor, slightly curled the corners of his lips.
"Isn't there the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
"Hah!"
The emperor sighed, and Eunuch Han and the high-ranking officials hid their triumphant smiles.
'Kekeke... if Jin So-ah and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were to clash, it would be a situation of mutual destruction. This is a chance to get rid of the thorns in my side at once! They say a crisis sometimes becomes an opportunity. The old sayings are never wrong!'
This kind of plan was a godsend.
In the first place, Eunuch Han, as the head of the Eastern Depot, had considered the Embroidered Uniform Guard as a sworn enemy.
If his mortal enemy, So-ah, and his sworn enemy, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were to fight, there would be no greater pleasure...
On the other hand.
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard..."
The emperor's anguish deepened.
Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a royal guard, it was necessary to be cautious in dispatching them as an investigation team for a mere martial family.
But.
"Your Majesty! Please give your gracious consideration!"
"Please give your gracious consideration!"
"Please give your gracious consideration!"
The high-ranking officials once again joined their voices and continued their earnest appeal and denunciation.
"Phew... I will meet the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, considering your intentions."
"Your grace is boundless!"
"Long live, long live, long, long live!"
"Long live, long live, long, long live!"
"Long live, long live, long, long live!"
***
Late in the Hour of the Rooster (5-7 PM)—
Jin Won-tak, having received a summons, had an audience with the emperor.
Jin Won-tak.
He was the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and was evaluated as the one who had risen on the fastest track to success among all the officials.
That public evaluation was not false.
Because the position of the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a position full of power, and because Jin Won-tak was originally a commoner, far from being a noble, and a person who had come from an orphan background.
Jin Won-tak was a person from Deokyang-hyeon, Sichuan, who had lost his parents in his youth, and to make matters worse, his younger sibling had also gone missing, so he had lived in despair for several years.
But with his outstanding five senses and perseverance, and furthermore, his extremely intelligent brain, he had studied literature and martial arts and had passed both the civil and military examinations, and had been promoted at a high speed, becoming the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the young age of thirty, a legendary figure in the bureaucratic world.
Therefore, the emperor also firmly trusted such a Jin Won-tak.
"Head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jin."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I am about to entrust you with a mission, will that be alright?"
"If it is Your Majesty's command, I am prepared to cross even the Bukmang Mountains."
"Hoho! You are a truly loyal subject."
"Your Majesty..."
"Head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jin. Do you happen to know anything about the martial world?"
"The government and the martial world are on non-interfering terms. I know nothing about the martial world."
"But this matter is coincidentally related to the martial world."
"What...?"
"Well, you see..."
The emperor conveyed the contents of Eunuch Han's report to the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jin Won-tak, in detail.
At that.
'Jin So-ah... I have received a report before that he is the best talent of his time who is shaking the martial world. But... why that name of all names?'
Jin Won-tak had already heard the name 'Jin So-ah' once before.
Because So-ah's fame was so great that rumors had spread regardless of the martial world, the private sector, or the government.
'Jin So-ah...'
Jin Won-tak inwardly chewed on that name.
"Your Majesty. I will do my best to investigate the Moyong family and Jin So-ah as soon as possible."
"Do so. But! The matter must not escalate into a full-scale war between the imperial court and the martial world. Do you know what I mean?"
"I will keep that in mind. I will handle all matters on the basis of logic, evidence, and the national law, so Your Majesty need not worry."
***
Liaoning, Moyong Family Estate—
"Chief Steward. Have you been well?"
"Don't even mention it. It feels like even ten bodies would not be enough. Because Young Master Jin has started such a big business... Fortunately, there is a helper like Lady Yuk, but the chairman and the elders are busy with the various affairs of the family, and I am in charge of the administration and finance."
"But isn't it good to be busy? In the past one or two years, there will be no martial family whose power has grown as much as the Moyong family, even if you search the entire martial world."
The chief steward looked at the man who was smiling in front of him and could not shake off the suspicion of 'why on earth is this human being like this?'.
The man was the owner of the Daewon Bank, who had once helped the Moyong family with the bold decision of an 'interest-free loan'.
'Hmm... why did he suddenly come and flatter me? Is he trying to tell me to deposit money? Hoho.'
What else could there be for the owner of a bank to come to a martial family and flatter them?
'Indeed. He must have heard that not only did we pay back the huge sum of 1.5 million silver coins overnight, but we are also expanding our business. Even if I were the owner, I would be drooling over our family.'
But the chief steward soon realized that his prediction was wrong.
"Chief Steward."
"Please speak."
"Yesterday, a bank note was deposited at our bank from the Qinghai Manju-jang."
"A bank note?"
"Yes. A huge sum of a whopping 2 million silver coins!"
"Hah! Isn't the Qinghai Manju-jang a place that is famous as one of the three great medical families of the Central Plains? They say they operate dozens of pharmacies. It is a great blessing to have attracted the representative medical family of the martial world as a customer. I hope that this will lead to the economic revival of the Liaoning region."
"Chief Steward. But, coincidentally, this money was not deposited in the name of the Qinghai Manju-jang."
"Pardon? ...Then?"
"It was deposited in the name of Young Master Jin of the Moyong family."
At the owner's words, the chief steward's eyes widened.
What is this situation again?
No!
Is it another fateful opportunity?
At this point, he should be used to it, but the sum of 2 million silver coins was not an amount that could be dismissed as such, so the chief steward, stroking his pounding chest, asked.
"Chairman. What do you mean by that? Please... tell me so that I can understand!"
Let's calm down, let's calm down.
Let's maintain my dignity as the chief steward of one of the Five Great Families.
No matter how much he resolved to, there was no way he could calm down.
It was money.
They were giving him money.
They were giving him the best thing!
"Chief Steward. Well, you see..."
The owner began to add a rambling explanation.
The gist of his words was simple.
When So-ah had returned to the Martial Alliance after digging up not only the Yeoraecho, which would be used as an antidote for the Ten-Fragrance Tendon Severing Powder, but also countless other spiritual herbs and rare medicinal herbs in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons.
So-ah, in order to repay the grace of Yeon In-hak, the owner of the Qinghai Manju-jang, had disposed of all the spiritual and medicinal herbs.
Yeon In-hak had made ointments, moxibustion, and decoctions with those spiritual and medicinal herbs, and after calculating the price, had sent them to the Moyong family today.
"Hah... hoho! I have nothing to say, nothing to say. It seems that the young master of our family saved the country in his previous life. How can he not only obtain a fateful opportunity wherever he goes, but also create a thousand gold coins! I never expected such a windfall."
A loud laugh bloomed on the chief steward's face.
It was only natural.
Even so, the Moyong clan members were flocking in day by day, and recently, there had been a considerable number of inquiries about becoming an external disciple.
Moreover, not only had they expanded their business, but they had also purchased additional land near the family estate and had increased the scale of their construction, so the unexpected 2 million silver coins were like a welcome rain in a drought.
"Haha. Chief Steward. I predict that if you continue like this, you may become the richest family among the martial families in a few years."
"Hohoho! If that happens, I will have no other wish."
"So, Chief Steward..."
"Yes?"
"How about doing business with our Daewon Bank on this occasion? Our bank, based on its solid financial soundness, is doing its best to protect the blood-like money of our customers and to provide the highest level of interest in the industry every year...(omitted)."
As expected.
This was the only reason for the owner to come to the family estate in person and flatter them.
But why was he talking so much?
The chief steward had to shake his head at the long tongue of the owner of the Daewon Bank.
***
"Wow! This is great. Should I just switch to being a Taoist?"
"Stop it! Do you think anyone can be a Taoist? A wicked brat like you can't be a Taoist."
On the way back to the main office, with a lot of good news.
So-ah got a ride on Jeon Woo-chi's carpet and flew in the sky.
If it were in the past, he would have performed his lightness skill out of frustration, but recently, Jeon Woo-chi's flying skill had improved by leaps and bounds, so it was not inferior in speed to the super-lightness skills and footwork like the Cloud Dragon Eight Great Forms of Kunlun or the Heavenly Demon Divine March of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
But...
Even in the midst of their immortal-like play, So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi were bickering.
"Wicked? Brother Woo-chi. I should be called a living Buddha or a Bodhisattva."
"What about your conscience?"
"What about my conscience?"
"It seems to have grown hair."
"Hehe. By the way, we'll have to fight the demonic beasts soon. Aren't you scared?"
"Scared? My body is itching, itching. I'm imagining tearing off the limbs of the demonic beast brats and smashing their heads."
"Wow! Look at how you talk. Are you a Taoist? I thought you were some kind of gangster..."
"You punk! It's because I'm like you, because I'm like you."
"Kekekek."
"Hahaha!"
(End of Chapter)