Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 67



Only Krnovel

67. I always have you (5)

“That guy is scarier than I thought.”

“That’s right. It’s my first time seeing it too.”

Wang Song and Hyeong Seong were both amazed. The last appearance that Muk Hwi Young showed was not at all like usual. However, they could tell that it was not something that had been hastily put together, but rather a form that had been completed long ago. That’s how skilled and natural Muk Hwi Young’s appearance was.

“That’s amazing. It’s not easy to have such a variety of appearances at that age. Usually, you have to have a lot of experiences to develop such a multifaceted side.”

“Yes. It’s really difficult to be cool when you’re cool and warm when you’re warm.”

“I’ve met a lot of people who are called giants, and they all have something in common, you know what?”

“Please ask.”

“Their warm appearances were all different, but their cold appearances were all exactly the same. Especially when something of theirs was taken away, they seemed to become the most intelligent and cold-hearted.”

“I see. Merchants are usually the type of people who get upset when their stuff is stolen.”

“That’s what makes them different from ordinary merchants. Didn’t you see that before? No matter how many times I provoked them, they just laughed and moved on. I guess merchants aren’t people who depend on money.”

“Are you comparing the current Hwiyoungsangdanju to those giants? He’s still a rookie who hasn’t even been in the top ranks for half a year.”

“That’s why it’s funny. That’s why I came here.”

Wang Song smiled. Hyeong Seong nodded. When he was curing the people’s illnesses and rising to the status of a god of Hubei, I thought he was just a disciple of the Wudang faction with a strong sense of justice, but he suddenly created a merchant group and became a merchant, and now he is showing the appearance of a cold merchant. As a fellow human being, it was an undeniable fact that he was an interesting character.

“Anyway, you should prepare your will. If you do as that friend says, you’ll be quite busy.”

“I will do so.”

The plan that Mukhwiyeong presented was much more radical and unconventional than what Wang Song had proposed. Hyung-tae-seong sighed inwardly. He simply could not understand how things for the people could turn out this way. Now, a storm was about to strike the quiet Hubei Pojeongsa.

The very next day, Wang Song, the Ubudo Inspector of the Dochalwon, revealed his identity and visited the Hobukpojeongsa. His business was to inspect corruption.

***

The eunuchs were leaving the Hwiyoungsangdan like an ebb tide. However, they could not immediately begin their work. On paper, the search was not yet over.

Of course, people were relieved that the eunuchs who had been a thorn in their side were no longer visible from the Whiyoungsangdan.

Even the people who had been given paid leave to rest came out one by one and helped organize the documents. It was difficult for Jo Chung-heon to handle it alone because it was so upside down. From my perspective, there was no reason to stop people from coming out voluntarily. I was grateful, but I think it was the highest salary in the industry that motivated them.

“You are amazing, my lord.”

“What is it?”

“I never thought you would drag even the Elder of the Office of the Inspector General, Ubu Do-o-sa, into the room. As expected, you won’t just sit back and let it happen.”

I just smiled faintly. In Jo Chung-heon’s eyes, I could now see respect rather than admiration.

“The people of Hubei are in chaos right now. Isn’t it rare for the Dochalwon to openly criticize high-ranking officials and declare corruption? There are rumors that the Hwiyeongsangdan is behind it.”

“I guess so.”

To be exact, they were just scratching each other’s itchy spots, but to people, it would look like the Hwiyoungsangdan was carrying the Dochalwon on their backs. That wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

“I guess you knew about this when you were working as a member of the Hubei Provincial Council last time.”

“yes.”

“I wasn’t surprised. If I had known that the Lord Danju had a connection with the Dochalwon, I wouldn’t have been so anxious.”

“Haha. Sorry for not telling you in advance.”

“It’s just a joke that my classmates are acting funny. Isn’t it a well-known fact to everyone in Muhan that I searched the Hwiyoungsangdan after hearing the words of the Hojo Chamjeong?”

Jo Chung-heon was talking excitedly. It wasn’t just Jo Chung-heon, but other people who came to work at Whiyoungsangdan were talking about it too.

This is what the Ubudo Eosa of the Office of the Inspector General declared that he had come to investigate the corruption of the Ministry of Taxation. Usually, the Office of the Inspector General would quietly deal with the corruption of high-ranking officials in order to maintain a good relationship with the Ministry of Taxation, and even if there was a case where it was inevitable that there would be a lot of noise, he would present clear evidence to prevent gossip from spreading.

However, this time, not only was there no clear evidence presented, but the object of the audit was set from the beginning, making it a subject of public criticism. That alone was an unspeakable dishonor for the Ministry of Taxation and the Hubei Pojeongsa.

Jo Chung-heon spoke excitedly, but then his expression darkened slightly.

“But what can we do? If the inspector general turns the Pojeongsa upside down like this, won’t it be difficult to do business in Muhan later?”

“Well, then we can go and see.”

I did relay that to Wang Song. That is not under my jurisdiction. It is a matter for Wang Song and the Seungseonpojeongsa to discuss.

Wang Song was running wild, just as I said. It must have been a terrible experience for both the local officials and the central officials in charge of the local areas to see the people from the Dochalwon running wild like this.

I heard from somewhere that Admiral Dongchang, who was in charge of Hubei, tried to see the Ubudo Inspector General of the Dochalwon several times, but was unable to do so. I never told him that, but Wang Song was behaving in a remarkable manner, as expected of a third-rank official.

Here, Admiral Dongchang, or Lee Hwan, knows very well that what makes him anxious is not meeting him and pressuring him, but not meeting him at all.

“Since it doesn’t look like the eunuchs will be coming back, you should slowly get back to normal work. Of course, be careful. The situation isn’t over yet.”

“all right.”

Jo Chung-heon answered in a bright voice. It would be fun to turn the top back on after it had been at a standstill for almost a month.

“And give me that. The reinforcement report and the reorganized organization chart.”

“Oh, yes.”

Jo Chung-heon immediately handed me the documents. He must have been busy organizing the documents that the eunuchs had turned over for two weeks, but he seemed to have found the time to finish them all. I went into the upper chamber and started reviewing them.

“As expected, as expected.”

I was impressed. Jo Chung-heon’s report was so clean that there was nothing to be touched. As expected, people who are good at their jobs do well.

The basis for the reinforcement and the additional costs were calculated precisely and clearly, and the reorganized organization was also well-founded, so I couldn’t help but nod my head.

“How much would this cost… … .”

I tried to do mental calculations, but when I realized that the amount was larger than I thought, I took out my abacus and started counting.

If the subordinates process good data into information and provide it, it is the leader’s job to compile it and decide on a direction. Here, I calculate all the costs of the buildings to be rented or purchased, the retirement pay for the existing temporary servants, the taxes to be paid to the post office, and the repayment of some of the money borrowed from the disciples that should be paid soon.

“That’s a lot.”

After calculating everything, it was a little over 3,000 nyang. I was about to put the abacus in, but realized that I had not put in the performance bonuses for Jo Chung-heon and the employees, so I threw it away again.

“About three thousand five hundred nyang.”

The amount of money I could spend on my own was about 1,500 nyang. It was disappointing that the amount I could spend was relatively small compared to the amount of money I earned, but it was an inevitable investment for future growth.

I stood up from the desk and headed straight for the safe. One thousand five hundred nyang. It was a small amount of silver to me, but it was actually a huge amount of silver that I could barely carry around.

“It’s always nice to smell silver.”

I spread my arms and took in the scent of the hermitage with my whole body. There is nothing better than a forest bath, a desire for money. Nothing is as restorative to the mind and body as taking a deep breath surrounded by money.

“Okay. Let’s spend some money.”

After finishing my money-grubbing, I clapped my hands. With my clap, the Mujae store that I hadn’t seen in a long time began to appear before my eyes.

***

Lee Hwan was sitting askew on his chair with a cold expression. In front of him, Jin Mu-byeok, the Minister of Taxation, was looking anxious with his knees crossed, not befitting his rank.

“What happened?”

“I didn’t know the inspector would come out like this.”

The rank of Admiral Dongchang is the 5th rank in the central government, and the Hojo Chamjeong of the Pojeongsa is the 3rd rank. Although the rank difference was enormous, Jinmubyeok did not hesitate to bow his head. The position of Admiral Dongchang had power that could not be explained by rank alone.

“Didn’t I say that you are acquainted with the Chief Inspector of the Office of the Inspector General?”

“That’s all I saw when I was in Hubei Province last time. I thought you had good intentions then, but it was absolutely not to the extent of suddenly coming down from Beijing like this.”

“ha.”

Yi Hwan’s beautiful forehead furrowed. Jin Mu-byeok swallowed hard. In Jin Mu-byeok’s opinion, Admiral Dong-chang was the strongest connection he could use in Hubei. But who would have thought he would drag in the inspector here? Jin Mu-byeok’s teeth ground.

“A lowly commoner… … .”

Originally, Jin Mu-byeok had some feelings of regret. Jin Mu-byeok, who was supported by Muhan Sanghoe and Jegal Se-ga, had no choice but to pressure Hwiyoungsangdan. However, when it came to this point, Jin Mu-byeok also wanted to sincerely immerse Mukhwiyoung.

Lee Hwan said, fanning himself with his hand.

“Things are more serious than we think now. Hubei Shen is not just some commoner. He is a target of attention who enjoys considerable support in the Infinite. It wouldn’t matter if he was suspected of being a spy of the Demonic Cult, but if there is no evidence to back it up, his words will surely gain more power.”

“I agree with that. It would have been impossible if he had done it alone, but the Dochalwon will support that statement.”

“You know that.”

“There is only one way.”

“What is it?”

“We must kill Mukhwiyeong.”

Yi Hwan’s eyes narrowed. However, Jin Mu-byeok’s eyes were already red with unstoppable hatred.

“If they are your classmates, wouldn’t it be possible to handle it quietly anyway? Of course, suspicions will remain, but since Hubei Shenyi’s mouth is gone, the Dochalwon’s activities will also be weaker. It would also be burdensome for the Dochalwon to simultaneously punish your classmates and Hubei Pojeongsa for one commoner.”

Lee Hwan thought deeply and smiled deeply. Thinking about it, this was his classmate’s main job.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard an opinion I like.”

“Okay. We have to kill them before they make this any worse.”

Yi Hwan smiled as he looked at Jin Mu-byeok, whose eyes were sparkling. Jin Mu-byeok thought that if he just killed Muk Hwi-yeong, everything would be resolved. Strictly speaking, Jin Mu-byeok’s corruption was a separate issue. Yi Hwan thought that Dochalwon would not have attacked Hojo Chamjeong without any basis.

High-ranking officials who always stood out in front and pretended to be intelligent would lose their reason and show their true colors when their necks were at stake. As a classmate, it was a different kind of pleasure to see this side of people.

“Then shall we get up and see?”

“Are you going to do it right away?”

“It would be better to take out the bull’s horns in one go. There are still surveillance posts anyway.”

Jin Mu-byeok smiled as if he was relieved. Lee Hwan also smiled. Although he did not like that official named Jin Mu-byeok, he was in the same boat anyway.

Yi Hwan quietly put on his black uniform and bamboo hat. It was the clothes that his classmate always wore when he was on an assassination mission. Then he waited until night fell. Since Muk Hwi-yeong had no place to stay in Muhan anyway, he slept in the Hwiyoungsangdan warehouse. That meant that Muk Hwi-yeong was defenseless in the middle of the night.

It felt refreshing to break the night and step on the wall and roof after a long time. Soon, Hwan arrived at the warehouse of the Hwiyoungsangdan.

There was no one guarding the warehouse of the Whiyoungsangdan. Since the Jekil Nokrim Twelve Types had all been sold, it seemed that the escort had been taken away as well. Of course, even if there had been an escort, there was no way they could have prevented the assassination of Admiral Dongchang.

Yi Hwan carefully unfolded his Ki Gam while stepping on the silver needle. The Ki Gam of a person who was still and motionless was corrected.

Yi Hwan quietly lifted the roof and entered the ridge. In fact, he could have opened the door and killed him, but he also wanted to give the feeling of assassinating someone for the first time in a long time.

Now all that was left was to fly through the ceiling of the room. Yi-hwan walked slowly, tiptoeing only. A rat quickly passed across the floor, but Yi-hwan did not waver.

‘I told you not to be too bold.’

Yi Hwan briefly mourned Muk Hwi-yeong for ignoring Jin Mu-byeok’s advice. Before he knew it, he had reached the ceiling of the room where Muk Hwi-yeong was sleeping.

“bye.”

The blade, which contained the cold aura of Yi Hwan, flew through the ceiling without a sound. The only vivid sound was the sound of it hitting the floor.

However, Yi-hwan could intuitively sense that something was wrong. He could not hear the sound of the blade cutting flesh. Yi-hwan looked into the room through the hole that the blade had made.

Inside the room, there was a single, small candle burning and a knife stuck in the floor. Lee Hwan’s eyes rolled around in confusion, trying to search the room.

“Please come down.”

Before I could see Muk Hwi-yeong, I heard a voice from inside the room. When I looked in the direction of the sound, Muk Hwi-yeong on the other side was already smiling at the hole in the ceiling.