Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 33



Only Krnovel

33. Fallen Angel (4)

Myeong-gyeong was also embarrassed. Right now, Myeong-gyeong was judging Zhuge Yan as a very good person because she had eaten something delicious. If it was childish, it was childish. It was a judgment that was truly like a reed.

“Isn’t it something you can just deliver a letter to?”

“That’s right. Can’t you even ask for that much?”

Zhuge Yan also agreed with Ming Jing’s words. However, since I knew exactly what Zhuge Yan would do, I could not just watch.

“No. You can’t.”

“under.”

It seemed as if he could hear the sound of tendons rising from Zhuge Yan’s temples.

“Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“What is it? I am a disciple of the shaman. I cannot just stand by and watch something happen that will harm the shaman.”

Zhuge Yan flinched slightly at my assertion, but raised his voice again.

“A loss? Do you know what the letter says and say such things?”

“Aren’t you suggesting we go into business together?”

“That’s right. How is that a loss? If you partner with Jegal Se-ga, the size of the business will grow and the profits will increase.”

“What can I say? If you figure out the secrets of your business, your customers, and the secrets of running an organization, you’ll just run away.”

Zhuge Yan was speechless. He must have been struck by the truth.

Myeong-gyeong just shook her head left and right between Jegal Yeon and me. She probably didn’t understand a single word of what was being said.

With great difficulty, Zhuge Yan turned his head away from me.

“Master Myeonggyeong. Don’t you have any control over your disciples who are using such foul language?”

“Zhuge Se must manage the foreign affairs well. It is useless to try to steal other people’s business without any business ethics.”

“Do you have any evidence that I ever thought that?”

“If you were honest, why didn’t you send it directly to the non-partisan group? Why did you go to the trouble of secretly following them and delivering the letter to us?”

“Tea, really. It’s amazing. You’re saying I followed you?”

“You didn’t follow me, but you had a letter ready to go to the non-partisan faction? Please be moderate.”

Ming Jing and Zhuge Yan were both surprised. Zhuge Yan bit his lip as he realized his mistake.

In fact, if you think about it a little, it was so obvious. If it were the Zhuge Yan I knew, he probably wouldn’t have made such a careless mistake. However, even Zhuge Yan, who was known as a man of iron will, was still young at the time. He made such a mistake because he was too focused on his thoughts.

“Tsk tsk. So if you’re going to do it, do it properly… … .”

As soon as I heard the groan, a cold shiver ran down my spine. As soon as I felt the cold metal on the back of my neck, I shut my mouth.

“If you insult Lady Jegal Se and Lady Ahn any more, I will cut you down.”

It was the guard who had been watching us from the second floor earlier. When we got there, Myeong-gyeong, who had been watching silently, also drew his sword.

“How dare you threaten a non-partisan person?”

Myung-gyeong’s sword was pointed at the guard warrior. Of course, if the guard warrior and Myung-gyeong fought, Myung-gyeong would lose. Even I, who was ahead of Myung-gyeong in terms of immediate movements, could not detect the guard warrior’s movements.

But right now, real fighting skills weren’t important. The cause was.

A tense situation. There was silence as we explored each other, and then I opened my mouth.

“Make a bet with me.”

“What kind of bet are you talking about?”

I grabbed a nearby glass of water, turned it upside down, and emptied it. Then I targeted the letter lying on the desk and took a picture.

“I will bet everything that this letter contains a personal request to give something to the Gokjeongukju. What will you bet?”

“What if I want my life?”

“You too will have to risk your life.”

My gaze met with that of Zhuge Yan in the air. Naturally, it was Zhuge Yan who got down first.

If there had been no such request, it would not have been conveyed to us personally in this way.

Sweat was seeping from his skin, and even his breathing was noisy. Zhuge Yan closed his eyes, shivered, and spoke in a weak voice.

“Won-ah. Put your sword down.”

“miss.”

“Even if you put the knife down.”

The warrior called Won lowered his sword. Both Won and Zhuge Yan were blushing with shame and humiliation.

The cool sensation on the back of my neck disappeared. I took out the letter trapped in the water glass and tore the seal.

Zhuge Yan couldn’t say anything about my actions.

The content of the letter was exactly as I had expected. It was a proposal for a partnership, and if he accepted, he would like to give elixir to Gukjeon Gakju Cheongsu and his disciples. It was a clear request. I threw the letter in front of Zhuge Yan’s feet.

“There is no excuse.”

“… … To say that we’re taking over the business is too much of an assumption.”

“But it’s true, right?”

“Do you think I’ll be right here?”

“No, that’s not true. But I am sure, and Lady Zhuge knows that I am sure. That’s enough.”

I looked back at Myeong-gyeong. Myeong-gyeong was still too young to follow all of this.

“capital punishment.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Let’s go out. Have you finished eating?”

“……huh.”

I think I was a little worried. But I didn’t have the confidence to face Zhuge Yan and eat here. The other person would probably feel the same.

“I won’t report it to the main office since I’ve gained something. That’s all for now.”

I left the spot holding Myeonggyeong’s hand. The blank expression on Zhuge Yan’s face until the end was truly exquisite.

Certainly, at this point, Zhuge Yan was not worthy of being called a stern, iron-faced man. Even if he had asked for a favor, he would have just refused and raised his voice. She was still young, and was no match for me, who had already mastered the art of a merchant.

“I wanted to eat more of that bear paw earlier.”

Myungkyung confessed belatedly. I chuckled.

“I’ll buy you something next time. This place isn’t famous for bear paws. You have to eat that kind of food at a famous place.”

“You promised, right?”

“sure.”

The expression on Myeong-gyeong’s face, which had been soaking wet, brightened. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw that.

***

Zhuge Yan looked at the door through which Mo Huiying and Ming Jing had exited, then sat down with a thud.

“… … Sister.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

Zhuge Yan responded coldly.

Won lowered his head. Suddenly, he thought of the past Zhuge Yan. At that time, he had no idea that he could speak with such a harsh voice, and he was a kind person to the servants in the family and was called an angel. How on earth did such a person end up like this?

Zhuge Yan, who was still a little angry, let out a gasp. Yuan knew what he had to do at this point. He quickly brought the bamboo leaf tea from Jeom So-i.

“I’ll pour you a drink.”

Zhuge Yan looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and then pushed the glass in. The clear wine filled the cup. As soon as the wine was filled, Zhuge Yan immediately tilted the glass and at the same time, cracked his neck and drank it in one gulp.

“Phew.”

The warm aura of the alcohol spread throughout his body. As soon as the glass was empty, Yuan filled it again. Zhuge Yan emptied it again.

How much did he drink? Zhuge Yan exhaled with a red face.

“hey.”

“yes.”

“Are you ignoring me now?”

“… … How could I ignore you? You are a direct descendant of the Zhuge family.”

Won answered naturally. It wasn’t difficult to deal with since it was the same thing he had always heard.

“I’m so pissed.”

“Just move on. The lord won’t say anything. It wasn’t that important.”

As soon as Yuan answered, his head suddenly turned. It was the drunken Zhuge Yan who had slapped him in the face.

“Original location.”

At Zhuge Yan’s words, Yuan turned his head again.

“I’ll pay you back. I’ll pay you back everything. Whatever it is.”

Although he was drunk and couldn’t speak clearly, Won understood what he was saying perfectly.

Even within the Zhuge family, Zhuge Yan was known as the most toxic. There were countless attendants who would rather leave the family than be targeted by her. That is why the only thing that could protect her was the one who accepted everything.

“There’s that guy named Mukhwiyoung.”

“yes.”

“Take a look behind you.”

Zhuge Yan’s ominous voice filled the room. Yuan felt a little sorry for Mukhwiyeong. Those who were caught by her were never good with words.

In one way or another, Zhuge Yan and Mo Huiying would meet again. And that would be in the near future.

***

Wuhan was a much more prosperous place than Yangyang. Although Yangyang was also a place with a large population, it could not be compared to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei.

“I’m dizzy, priest.”

Myeong-gyeong complained of motion sickness as it was her first time seeing so many people.

“Please be patient for a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“I am the cloth administration officer.”

Each city has a porter who is in charge of the city’s administration. Establishing a store was not a simple matter of selling items.

You had to report to the government office and get approval from the higher-ups. Only then could the real work of the higher-ups begin.

It is not as easy as you think to get approval for the top. You have to verify that you have capital, pay the registration fee, and organize and submit the items you handle. In addition, you have to report if there are any people in the family register who have committed the ten heinous crimes or have criminal records. Naturally, I prepared all the documents on my way to Muhan.

When Myeonggyeong became somewhat accustomed to the large crowds, I visited Hubei Pojeongsa Temple.

“Phew.”

Even though I hadn’t committed any crime, entering the government office was always a nerve-wracking experience.

The martial artists were thugs, but the government officials were also thugs. Depending on who was in charge, the registration fee could be high or low.

As we entered the fort, one of the soldiers approached us.

“Aren’t you master shamans?”

Even though Wudangsan and Muhan are quite far apart, they recognized the Wudangpa’s attire as being from the same Hubei Province.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why are the Taoists here?”

The constable was puzzled. It was true that the Odaese family had many businesses and overlapped with the government office a lot, but Gupaeilbang often intentionally avoided the government office.

“Can I see the inspection report?”

Geommae was a 9th-rank official in charge of checking official documents. The process of obtaining approval from the upper ranks began with submitting documents to Geommae.

“Swordsmith? What is your business?”

“I want to make a top.”

“Top? A Taoist priest from the non-partisan faction?”

Myungkyungdo and the policeman’s eyes widened. The sight of someone wearing Taoist clothing and making a hat was enough to attract everyone’s attention. The people who were each working in the police station also turned their attention to me.

“haha.”

I passed the situation with an awkward laugh. The policeman looked puzzled, but guided us to where the swords were.

Hubei Pojeongsa’s swordsman was also puzzled after hearing what I said.

“You look like a Taoist, but what kind of a master are you?”

“I am not a Taoist. I am just a lay disciple.”

“Is that so?”

Myeong-gyeong seemed to have a lot to say, but she seemed unable to speak loudly because of the officials present.

“But what can we do? They’ve decided not to accept any more top-level approvals from Hubei for the time being.”

“yes?”

“It’s not just the top. Even the registration of the sect is not possible. Even if I upload a document, there is no one to approve it.”

What does this mean? There is no restriction on the number of people allowed to enter a castle. However, if the registration itself is not possible, then I can guess.

“Are you saying you have no experience?”

“That’s right.”

Career was a 6th-grade position that was held by the management of the Career Office, which oversaw registration.

“To be exact, you have work experience, but you can’t go to work.”

“If you don’t show up for work, don’t you usually get fired?”

A large organization like a government office does not take into consideration the personal circumstances of people. If someone cannot perform their duties due to circumstances, they are immediately replaced. However, when I listened to them, I was surprised to hear that they were unable to come to work but still kept their official positions.

“That’s true, but the minister is quite popular. In the first place, the minister requested his own dismissal, but the minister did not accept it.”

“okay.”

In this case, it was one of two things. Either he was someone with really good abilities and popularity, or he was someone with a strong network.

“What is your current career?”

“You must be a very infinite person. How can you not know your brother?”

“Are you a big brother?”

“That’s right. He is a man of integrity who uses even his salary to help the poor.”

At that moment, a name suddenly flashed through my mind like lightning. An uncommon surname, Hyeong, and a man of integrity. I also knew an official like that.

“Are you, by any chance, Mr. Hyeong-tae-seong?”

“What? I knew it.”

The blacksmith burst into laughter. I tried my best to show that I wasn’t surprised, so I laughed along with him.

It felt like the connections and acquaintances I had made in my past life were coming back to me against the river of death. It was a strange feeling. I knew them, but they didn’t know me.

“I know that.”

I smiled.

It was impossible not to know that he was a great man who would become prime minister in the future.