Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 66



Only Krnovel

66. I always have you (4)

“Oh, oh, I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“… … .”

What the hell are you talking about?

I looked at the journal. The journal immediately translated what I said.

“I don’t know. I got it from a merchant I knew a long time ago,” he said.

“Wow. How do you interpret that?”

“After losing a lot, I got the general idea.”

“It’s poisonous.”

“Try experiencing loneliness once. It won’t even be a ten-thousandth of the pain he’s going through right now.”

Moon Il-ji snorted. Merchants travel around the Central Plains and have had all sorts of experiences, so they can eat even in the face of such horrific sights. That’s what a merchant is.

By the way, it was a bit strange that he received it from a merchant and not from a man in black. Why on earth would a merchant be lonely?

“Which merchant? Where and when did you get it?”

“Ah, it was followed by Suar.”

“It was when I was in Shanxi.”

I frowned. Shanxi. If it’s Shanxi, it’s obviously a place where Shanxi merchants dominate.

If he was a Shanxi merchant, he was closely connected to the imperial palace. The imperial palace would not have overlooked his loneliness, and there was no way to know what route he had taken.

“It must have been about five years ago when he was in Shanxi.”

“It was five years ago.”

I stroked my chin with my finger. The Huizhou merchants are made up of the 15 Huizhou clans, and the Shanxi merchants are made up of four families.

“What is your name?”

“Ugh, ugh, oh my.”

I can understand this even without an interpreter. I could tell from the way he shook his head that he didn’t know. I grabbed his shaking head and looked him straight in the eye.

“Is that merchant’s surname perhaps Jin, Guan, Luo, or Di?”

“Ah, wow, it’s done! It’s done!”

“It was a coffin?”

I nodded as I looked at the text. It was definitely important for people to learn through repetition. After hearing it a few times, I felt like I understood it a little.

“My name is Gwan.”

I spat. If they were Guan, they were the ones who ran Yunjang Merchant Group. As you can see from the name of the group, they were descendants of King Guan.

Even among the Shanxi merchants who value trust, this was a special group. With its unique trust, it was a group that maintained good relations with the Hwiyoungsangdan and me in its previous life. As far as I know, the Unjangsangdan was not a place that would be a lackey of the Demonic Cult.

“My head hurts.”

If it were the Qin Jin Merchant Group (秦晉商團) that pretended to be armed with trust and then routinely hit people in the back of the head, I would have thought so, but I was surprised to hear that the Merchant Group that I was close with in my previous life was mentioned. But it wasn’t like the Black Dragon Gate Master was in a situation to lie right now.

Suddenly, I thought of the head of the upper class of the Unjangsangdan. She is probably currently receiving training as a successor. She was the only female head of the Daebang-level upper class. She was someone who, like me, did not get married until she was in her 40s and was obsessed with work. So the two of us were quite close.

‘I guess I should go there sometime.’

As soon as possible. Honestly, if I had known that the other top was connected to the Demonic Cult, I would have just ended it there. There was no need to track them down and expose myself first.

However, since Yunjangsangdan was my friend and Hwiyoungsangdan’s friend, I couldn’t just sit by and watch. I was afraid that he might be accused of being lonely and receive the ultimate punishment. I wanted to prevent that.

There is no need to be impatient. Even after I died about thirty years ago, the Demonic Cult did not make a move and was only working behind the scenes. It means that they are not ready yet.

“It looks like there’s nothing more to find out.”

I straightened my legs, which had been crouching down, to make eye contact.

“Are you sure you don’t have any questions anymore?”

“Yeah. She’ll take care of it.”

“That’s my job.”

“That’s true.”

A merchant should value non-relationship as much as relationship. If there is no relationship with me, I should not care. It is the same as me not hearing the secrets of my schoolmates.

To be exact, the reason I died in my previous life was because I couldn’t distinguish between a relationship and a non-relationship. I had no relationship with the Demonic Cult, but didn’t I die because of that one elixir?

I left the Black Dragon Gate, no, I left the person who was now the Black Dragon Gate Master.

When he returned to the Whiyoungsangdan, the eunuchs who had been rummaging through the documents had already left work. Jo Chung-heon stayed behind and re-sorted the documents that the eunuchs had mixed up.

“Are you here?”

“yes.”

“Ah. Someone came from Pojeongsa.”

“yes?”

I frowned. When I think of Pojeongsa, the only thing that comes to mind is that damned Hojo Chamjeong. Jo Chung-heon seemed to notice that and quickly continued speaking.

“It wasn’t the Minister of Taxation who called you. This time, it was the Minister of Justice.”

“Really?”

If it’s true, it’s the form. My face naturally relaxed and a smile appeared. There was only one reason why the form called me.

It meant that now was the time to counterattack.

***

The form continued to shake. In my twenty years of public service, I have never been this nervous. I know it. Whistleblowing is a huge gamble.

“Are you thirsty?”

Wang Song, who was sitting at the top, smiled at Hyeong Seong. Hyeong Seong coughed as the tea got stuck in his throat.

“Ugh, ugh.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Wang Song smiled. Hyung Seong did not let go of his tension even while looking at that smile.

Wang Song. The Ubudo Eosa of the Dochalwon. He is the real power of the Dochalwon who can even bring down a bird. Perhaps the Pojeongsa people do not even know that Wang Song has come. Right now, Wang Song is only a formal guest of the Pojeongsa. In order to maintain confidentiality, he came wearing a bamboo hat. Wearing a bamboo hat is not allowed at the Pojeongsa, but for the first time, he used his power as a councilor to silence the mouths of lower-level officials.

“No, I’m sorry.”

“Let’s talk about it when the head of the Whiyoung Group comes.”

“Yes. But if it’s the corruption of the government, wouldn’t it be a bit much if even the common people found out?”

I thought the format was a little strange. Anyway, the chief of the police station, Ubudo, had come because of the corruption accusation he had mentioned. Then, he could have just talked to me, but he insisted on talking to Hwiyoungsangdanju together.

“Wouldn’t the head of the Hwiyoung Group be the type of person to go around revealing this?”

“Even so… … .”

“I have my own thoughts.”

“all right.”

The position of Dochalwon Ubudo Eosa is a third-rank official position. The position of central government official of the third rank and local government official of the fourth rank are bound to have different weights.

After a while, a slight commotion was heard outside. Wang Song smiled.

“You came.”

Hyung-seong nodded. Even Hyung-seong thought about it, the only person who could have caused such a fuss among the people was Muk-hwi-yeong. He was someone who had been on a roll after defeating Mu-han-sang-hoe and was immediately taken to the abyss by Ho-jo-cham-jeong. Especially since Ho-bu-ni had a bad relationship with Muk-hwi-yeong, the fuss would have been even worse.

“This is Mukhwiyoung.”

As expected, there was a knock on the door from outside and a person came in. Just like a merchant, his expensive clothes and sad expression immediately caught his eye. Muk Hwi-yeong looked at the ceiling above Wangsong for a moment and then turned his eyes away again.

“It’s been a while.”

“Elder Ubudo. How have you been?”

“I can do it. People who look at me usually can’t do it.”

“Thank goodness I’m doing well.”

“Isn’t it true that you’re having a hard time? I checked out some news about Infinite, and it seems like you’re having quite a hard time.”

Muk Hwi-yeong just laughed. Hyung-tae-seong thought to himself that the young man was really great. To be honest, he thought it was unfair that Hojo-cham-jeong had dragged his classmate into it. He should have been indignant and complained in this situation, but he just laughed it off like that. As always, he was a person with a sense of humor and experience that did not match his young age.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, hyung.”

“Yeah. Long time no see.”

Since there was an adult at the head table, the greeting between the two was brief. As he sat down, Muk Hwi-yeong stirred the teacup in front of him.

“The tea has cooled down a lot. I wonder if I came too late.”

“I would have come right away as soon as I heard about it. What.”

“That’s right. I came running.”

“You didn’t even sweat despite running all that?”

“If a person runs and sweats this much, he should start training again.”

“Weren’t you a merchant?”

“I decided to accept both. I felt it would be a waste for someone like me to do just one.”

“That’s not bad either.”

Wang Song laughed heartily. Hyeong Seong stuck out his tongue inwardly as he watched Muk Hwi Young answering leisurely in front of Wang Song. Also, when he reveals his ambitions like this, he seems like a young man. He really was a man with many sides.

“Do you know why I called you?”

“Are we getting to the point?”

“Aren’t we both busy?”

Hyung-seong was in a state of tension again. The person who should be reporting the corruption was Hyung-seong, but Wang Song seemed more interested in Muk-hwi-yeong.

“As a commoner like me, it is burdensome to interfere with government affairs.”

“Then I can go out.”

“But you have to take on the burden and move forward to become a greater person. If you avoid the burden because you are afraid of it, you will just remain an ordinary person.”

“I guess you want to be a big person.”

“It’s still weak, but I dare say so.”

Mukhwiyoung smiled gently.

“To answer your question, it seems that the Inspector General of the Ministry of Taxation, Ubu Do-o, wants to soak the rice in the water.”

“Why did you think so?”

“Otherwise, there would be no reason for you to call me, who has become the enemy of the Minister of Taxation, right?”

“That is correct.”

Wang Song’s eyes lit up. Muk Hwi-yeong’s eyes lit up as well. Hyung Hyeong-seong was still too inexperienced to join in on their conversation.

“Actually, I guess corruption isn’t that important to you.”

“That’s just an excuse from the perspective of the inspector. What kind of group do you think the inspector does?”

“Externally, it is an organization that eradicates corruption among officials and creates a better country.”

“Internally?”

“It is an organization that checks and balances the factions of officials under the direct control of the palace.”

“Excellent. I was right in calling you.”

It was only then that I realized the form. From Wang Song’s perspective, calling Muk Hwi-yeong was a gamble. If Muk Hwi-yeong had not made such a deep impression when Wang Song and Muk Hwi-yeong first met, then there would have been no reason to call them like this.

“The Hojo Chamjeong is just a straw. It is almost impossible for the Hojo Chamjeong of the Hubei Pojeongsa to have influence all the way to the central government.”

“So you came here because of your classmates?”

“If he hadn’t been my classmate, I wouldn’t have come in person. I would have sent at most one inspector. In the end, the Minister of Taxation ended up strangling himself.”

As the secret story began, the voice naturally became quieter. Muk Hwi-yeong rolled his eyes upward.

“Are you amazed?”

“then.”

“There’s an escort drone. I didn’t even notice his presence.”

“Don’t lie. You looked at the ceiling as soon as you got here.”

“Haha. Did I get caught?”

“The people in the temple are bound to have a lot of favors. It would be difficult if they didn’t have an escort like this.”

“I guess so.”

Certainly, the flow of air felt different, even from the physical perspective. Of course, since he wasn’t unmanned, he couldn’t tell if it was a breathtaking sight or something else.

“Anyway, the Dongchangs are in great shape right now. Traditionally, the Jinuiwi has overwhelmed the Dongchangs, but now it’s the other way around, the Dongchangs are overwhelming the Jinuiwis.”

“Is that so?”

“There are many factions within the palace, but the conflict between the Jinguiwi and the Dongchang is considered the most important by the Dochalwon. After all, it can’t be helped since they handle information and have military power.”

“That’s right. So that’s why they’re sending the Hojo Chamjeong and Admiral Dongchang together wholesale.”

“That’s right. Of course, I have no personal grudge against my classmates. I’m just doing what I have to do as a member of the temple.”

Hyung-sung, who had been listening quietly, became slightly scared. He just wanted to expose corruption, but he was worried that he would get involved in the factional fighting among central government officials.

While a 4th-rank official was acting like this, Muk Hwi-yeong, a commoner, just smiled. It wasn’t that he was bold; he was just at a low level.

“I came up with a rough plan. I’m going to connect the corruption committed by Hojo Chamjeong and the requests he received with the pressure on Hwiyoungsangdan, and then I’m going to connect that pressure on Hwiyoungsangdan with my classmates.”

“That’s not entirely wrong.”

“Actually, it’s just speculation. There is a correlation between the two, but it’s hard to see the classmate as being connected to the one who received the request. But, you can make it up.”

“That’s true.”

It’s the same method that Dongchang used to stop the Whiyoungsangdan with just ‘guessing’. Dongchang will fall for his own trick.

“But there is a problem.”

“What?”

“Wouldn’t your classmates naturally rebel and make a fuss?”

“That’s right. But it’s the job of the Inspector General to push that through. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Let me help you.”

At Mukhwiyeong’s words, not only Hyeongsangseong but even Wangsong’s eyes widened.

“How can I help you with that?”

“Hasn’t it been like that since ancient times?”

Mukhwiyoung put his finger to his lips.

“The dead cannot speak.”

The smile of Mukhwiyoung, who still hadn’t been collected, was cold. It was extremely cold.