Chapter 510
Chapter 510
Chapter 510. Heir (4)
I sent Warrior Changun to inform Master Jinyoung of this fact.
In the meantime, Palgap used Geumryeong’s saliva to treat Namgung I-in.
The effect was extremely good, so Namgung I-in’s wounds did not leave even a trace.
And after putting the clothes we had taken off him back on properly and laying him on the bed, we wiped away the bloodstains cleanly.
As for the scent of blood, we opened the door to ventilate the room and covered the remaining smell with the incense from the brazier.
It was incense that Member Hahwa had brought, and perhaps because it was meant to be used in places like this, it was very effective at erasing smells.
But we did not treat the wound on his shoulder.
That wound needed to be there to lend credibility to the claim that he had attacked me and I had counterattacked.
A little while later.
Dadadadada!
The sound of a group of people running could be heard. And then,
Bang!
The door of the detached house opened, and Master Jinyoung hurriedly entered and shouted.
“Young Captain Eun Seoho!” (Master Jinyoung)
“Yes, I am here.” (Eun Seoho)
He ran over to me and examined me here and there.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?” (Master Jinyoung)
“As if I would be injured by an assassin who is only at the level of a first-rate warrior.” (Eun Seoho)
“Well, that is true.” (Master Jinyoung)
Master Jinyoung stroked his chest in relief.
“I heard that the assassin who killed Poet Na Jeongsu attacked you.” (Master Jinyoung)
“That is correct.” (Eun Seoho)
I pointed to the bed with my hand.
“I knocked him unconscious and laid him over there.” (Eun Seoho)
Seeing that place, Master Jinyoung clicked his tongue in amazement.
“You really have a fine temperament. If it were me, I would have tied him up and hung him upside down from the ceiling.” (Master Jinyoung)
At those words, I smiled silently.
In truth, we did something even worse than that.
Master Jinyoung ordered the subordinate who had come with him.
“Drag him to the county office!” (Master Jinyoung)
“Yes!” (Subordinate)
“Ah! Since he may try to kill himself, I think it would be best to bind his four limbs.” (Eun Seoho)
Because I had healed even his shattered wrists completely.
At my words, Master Jinyoung nodded.
“Let us do that.” (Master Jinyoung)
“Ah! And please tell His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty will probably be quite pleased.” (Eun Seoho)
---
Namgung I-in opened his eyes at the feeling that something was shaking his body.
Clank.
The foreign sound in his ears, the somewhat uncomfortable posture.
And the musty smell and such told him where he was.
A prison.
“Haak!” (Namgung I-in)
And at the same time, memories surfaced.
He had attacked the detached house of Chunmong Pavilion to kill Eun Seoho and silence him, only to realize it was a trap.
So he had tried to kill himself, but he had been stopped and lost consciousness...
When he woke up, Eun Seoho had said with a smile on that handsome face,
“There is something I am curious about, so I would like to ask for your cooperation.” (Eun Seoho)
The fact that both of his wrists had been broken was cute by comparison.
The interrogation disguised as torture that began then dug even into his most sensitive areas.
“I feel as though there is more.” (Eun Seoho)
“There is nothing more! I said there is nothing!” (Namgung I-in)
“No, that does not seem right...” (Eun Seoho)
When Eun Seoho glanced aside, the guard warrior beside him twisted the sword he had driven into his thigh.
“Kkaaaaaaak!” (Namgung I-in)
He had no way to not speak, because somehow, they knew there was something he was hiding.
Like that, unable to endure the pain, he repeatedly fainted and woke, over and over.
He resolved again and again.
That he would never let this pass.
Though he had done something that stained the name of the Namgung Clan, he was still a member of the Namgung Clan.
The ones to interrogate him should have been the Namgung Clan.
Not a lowly merchant.
‘How dare a lowly merchant lay hands on my body?’ (Namgung I-in)
Separate from the punishment he would receive, he intended to inform Elder Namgung Geonji of this and make Eun Seoho be punished as well.
But...
Something felt strange.
‘Why does it not hurt?’ (Namgung I-in)
He had clearly been in so much pain that he had fainted and woken several times, yet now he felt none of that pain at all.
Though the place where he had been counterattacked when he attacked was throbbing.
After examining his body, he had no choice but to widen his eyes.
‘Th-this cannot be! It makes no sense!’ (Namgung I-in)
Because there was not a single trace of torture left on his body.
If this was the case, he could not claim to Elder Namgung Geonji that he had been tortured.
As he was reeling in shock like that, he heard someone’s footsteps.
And soon, the ones who appeared before him were Elder Namgung Geonji and Young Master Namgung Yang.
And behind them was Young Captain Eun Seoho.
He smiled brightly at him, and at that smile, Namgung I-in bit his lip.
---
I saw Namgung I-in in the prison.
The moment he saw me, his eyes widened, and his body trembled, showing that he was quite furious.
But what to do?
He had planned to screw me over, but he ended up eating the shit himself, didn’t he?
“Namgung I-in!” (Namgung Geonji)
Elder Namgung Geonji shouted sharply at him.
“How dare you do such a thing!” (Namgung Geonji)
“......” (Namgung I-in)
He approached Namgung I-in and slapped his cheek hard just like that.
Thwack!
“On top of that, do you know how much trouble the main family has fallen into because of you... because of your stupid actions?” (Namgung Geonji)
Elder Namgung Geonji’s hands were trembling.
It could not be helped, because before coming here, we had met Master Jinyoung.
And Master Jinyoung had informed Elder Namgung Geonji of the Emperor’s will.
“A member of the Namgung Clan brutally murdered a participant of the poetry and prose contest hosted by the Imperial Family within the inner city of Beijing. His Majesty asked whether the Namgung Clan was perhaps looking down on the Imperial Family.” (Master Jinyoung)
“N-no! We do not harbor even the slightest such thought.” (Namgung Geonji)
“Is that true?” (Master Jinyoung)
At that interrogation, Elder Namgung Geonji prostrated himself on the spot and bowed his head.
“I-it is true. This is merely that man’s personal problem! It is absolutely not a problem of the Namgung Clan.” (Namgung Geonji)
Elder Namgung Geonji had always held his nose so high, but now he had realized that it was time to flatten himself to the ground.
Because the Emperor’s words also meant a question of whether they had intent to rebel.
No matter how high the Namgung Clan’s status was in the murim, they could not survive if they became enemies with the Imperial Family.
If the Imperial Family mobilized the Imperial Guards, the Namgung Clan would vanish without a trace.
If even the murim forces that hated the Namgung Clan joined in, what followed would be as clear as day.
In truth, until now, the Imperial Family had simply left the Namgung Clan alone because they had no pretext to pressure them.
But now that such a clear pretext had appeared, there was no way they would let it slip.
“Then should you not show something so His Majesty the Emperor can trust you?” (Master Jinyoung)
“......” (Namgung Geonji)
The method that could not be used because Young Master Namgung Yang had been proven innocent could finally be used now.
In any case, he had suffered such humiliation, and he was in no state to vent it.
But since the very person who had created this situation was here, he could not hold himself back.
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
“Keok! Keuk! Keoheok!” (Namgung I-in)
“On top of that, I! This Namgung Geonji! Such humiliation! Such disgrace!” (Namgung Geonji)
Whether because his anger had not been relieved, or because his own hand hurt, he picked up the whip placed beside him and began to strike Namgung I-in personally.
Crack! Crack!
“Keoheok! Heugh!” (Namgung I-in)
Namgung I-in, who had a gag in his mouth, could not protest properly and had no choice but to take the beating helplessly.
He occasionally sent me glares full of anger, but even so, there was nothing he could do.
So why did you do such a thing?
By the way... it would be a little troublesome if that man died like this.
“Elder, please quell your anger. Master Namgung I-in is...” (Eun Seoho)
“What Master? Just call him by his name!” (Namgung Geonji)
“Yes, then...” (Eun Seoho)
I had wanted to do that from the beginning, but there is a difference between receiving permission and not receiving it.
“Namgung I-in is also an important witness for the county office. We need him in order to find the person who commissioned this murder.” (Eun Seoho)
“Hoo...” (Namgung Geonji)
Elder Namgung Geonji suppressed his anger and shouted.
“So, who is it? Who commissioned you?” (Namgung Geonji)
“He is still gagged.” (Eun Seoho)
I stopped him briefly and glanced at the jailer.
The jailer quickly approached and removed his gag.
“So, who is it?” (Namgung Geonji)
“I-I do not know well either... But I think I may be able to tell if I see the hands and hear the voice.” (Namgung I-in)
“You must find him without fail!” (Namgung Geonji)
“Yes.” (Namgung I-in)
That was true.
Only by finding that culprit could they prove, even a little, that they had no intent to rebel against the Imperial Family.
Then what the Namgung Clan would have to concede would also be reduced.
In truth, the Emperor had intended to use Young Master Namgung Yang’s murder charge to demand that they stop loitering around the imperial palace.
But Young Master Namgung Yang had to be released, and that opportunity had to be given up.
But because I caught the suspect like this, he could now pressure the Namgung Clan even further.
It was only natural that the Emperor would be pleased.
.
.
.
Two days passed.
Even though the first preliminary round had been completed, there were still quite a lot of poets left.
Naturally so, because this time, it was a poetry and prose contest that targeted the entire empire.
And Elder Namgung Geonji had actually planned to return to Anhui if Young Master Namgung Yang failed the preliminaries, but he could not do so.
Because of Namgung I-in.
But because Namgung Geonji had struck him wrong, a problem had arisen with his eyesight.
Because of that, he had to identify the culprit by voice alone, and that was no easy task.
Even if, as a first-rate warrior, his hearing was sharper than that of others.
Hoo...
He really is no help at all.
As I returned to the Beijing branch and was handling work in my office, Poet Songrok came to visit.
“You have come?” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes.” (Poet Songrok)
“Please sit.” (Eun Seoho)
I held out a sheet of paper to Poet Songrok, who had taken his seat.
“So there are five candidates for the culprit like this.” (Eun Seoho)
That was right.
There were a total of five people who had composed poems and prose containing characteristics similar to those of the poem written on the wall.
“This is rather... strange.” (Poet Songrok)
“It certainly is.” (Eun Seoho)
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
Still, narrowing it down to five from among so many people was something.
Yes, let’s think positively.
Night came.
Feeling stifled inside, I turned my head and looked at Miss Seohyang.
Because she too had not gone home and was working.
“Deputy Gwak.” (Eun Seoho)
“Yes.” (Gwak Seohyang)
“How about taking a walk in the rear garden for a bit to clear our heads?” (Eun Seoho)
“That sounds good.” (Gwak Seohyang)
I went out to the rear garden with her and walked slowly.
Now, the third month was also entering its middle.
As much as that, the wind was on the cool side, but to me, it was merely refreshing.
“You seem troubled.” (Gwak Seohyang)
“Yes. I am.” (Eun Seoho)
At that moment, she smiled gently and recited a poem.
Letting tomorrow’s worries flow away
today’s worries come drifting down.
Tomorrow, and the tomorrow after that as well,
worries drift down without end,
ah, this is life trapped in the mortal world.
At that poem, I smiled.
“That is Yun Ak’s poem.” (Eun Seoho)
“That is right. It is also a poem I learned when I was young.” (Gwak Seohyang)
She continued speaking.
“This poem speaks of a life in which worries never cease. It makes you think, so worries truly have no end.” (Gwak Seohyang)
“Hahaha. That is true.” (Eun Seoho)
“So let us forget our worries, at least while we are taking this walk.” (Gwak Seohyang)
“Pardon?” (Eun Seoho)
“Walking while worrying cannot be called a proper walk.” (Gwak Seohyang)
At her words, I readily nodded.
“That is true. By the way, Deputy Gwak, from whom did you learn writing?” (Eun Seoho)
“I learned from my older brothers. Though my older brothers learned from a teacher invited by our family.” (Gwak Seohyang)
In an impressive family like hers, they invite a separate teacher and teach the children.
But in most cases, this is limited to sons, and daughters are taught by their mother or family members.
It is to avoid showing their faces to men outside the family.
Uh... wait.
A thought suddenly came to mind.
Considering that all five lived in Anhui and were from the same hometown, there was only one answer.
And I felt as though I knew the motive too.
“Deputy Gwak, I am sorry, but let us end our walk here.” (Eun Seoho)
Returning to my office, I wrote a letter in one swift stroke and entrusted it to Geumryeong.
“Geumryeong, this is a letter to my father.” (Eun Seoho)
“Kui!” (Geumryeong)
“I am counting on you. So make sure to bring back a reply quickly.” (Eun Seoho)
Geumryeong hung the letter on his tail and dashed away like an arrow. The reason I sent the letter not to the information unit in Beijing, but to my father, was because Hubei was closer to Anhui than Beijing was.
And a few days later.
When I opened my eyes at dawn, Geumryeong was on top of my chest.
“Ah! Geumryeong is back?” (Eun Seoho)
I sat up, stroked Geumryeong, and untied the letter hanging from his tail.
As I read its contents, a smile rose to my lips.
As expected, so that is it.
.
.
.
That morning.
I sent a letter to Master Jinyoung.
After breakfast, as I was handling my daily work, Master Jinyoung came to the Beijing branch.
“His Majesty the Emperor summons you.” (Master Jinyoung)
“Master, before that, there is something urgent I must tell you.” (Eun Seoho)
I told him all the details of this matter. Because Master Jinyoung, who was in charge, needed to know before I told the Emperor.
At my explanation, Master Jinyoung could not hide his surprise.
“So that is why you said you wanted to see His Majesty the Emperor.” (Master Jinyoung)
“Yes. That is correct.” (Eun Seoho)
“Thank you for telling me beforehand. Let us go now.” (Master Jinyoung)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
I followed him toward the imperial palace.
To me, who had taken the utmost courtesy, the Emperor commanded me to raise my head.
“Your grace is immeasurable.” (Eun Seoho)
“So, for what matter did you ask to see me?” (Emperor)
“In truth, it is because there is something I must tell you regarding this murder case. And I have come like this to request that mercy be shown to the culprits.” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, the Emperor thought for a moment before answering.
“If you say such a thing, there must be a reason worthy of it. Very well, speak. I will take extenuating circumstances into account as much as I can.” (Emperor)
At those words, I clasped my hands and lowered my head as I said,
“This humble merchant will tell you about this matter.” (Eun Seoho)