Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 110

Nine Dragons Chronicle (110)

“I thought you’d disappeared from the palace and died somewhere, but it looks like you’re enjoying a life of luxury here.”

Ju Young-ho’s words dripped with sarcasm, his mood soured by the news that Hwa-rin owned Nine Dragons Manor.

“It may look like luxury, but many covet what isn’t theirs, making life tiring,” Hwa-rin replied.

Hwa-rin poured wine into Ju Young-ho’s glass as he spoke.

“It must be more comfortable than the palace.”

“Are you even asking? Anywhere in the world, even living in squalor, is better than the superficially glamorous life in the palace.”

Both knew well that knives were always hidden behind the splendor of the palace.

“But how did you get out of the palace? You couldn’t see, hear, or even speak, but now you can see, hear, and speak?”

“The Empress and several concubines found it shameful that I was in the palace, so I was kicked out.”

“Your mother kicked you out?”

“I don’t know if the Sang concubine [a high-ranking concubine] was involved, but that’s what happened. His Majesty took pity on me and gave me a bodyguard, a few servants, and a house to live in.”

It was a lie, but Hwa-rin didn’t care since Ju Young-ho couldn’t verify it.

“I didn’t see the point in living like that, so I went up to Jongnam Mountain and jumped off a cliff, but a strong wind sucked me into a cave below. There, I gained a miraculous opportunity to cure my illness and learn martial arts.”

“Gained a miraculous opportunity?”

“Yes. Thanks to that, I can see, hear, and speak. After returning to the manor, I thought running this kind of business would be good, so I opened Nine Dragons Pavilion.”

Ju Young-ho put down his glass after drinking, and Hwa-rin refilled it.

“You managed to get a gambling den permit.”

“I may have grown up quietly, hated, and like a dead mouse, but I’m still His Majesty’s sore finger, aren’t I?” [Meaning he is still someone the Emperor cares about, even if he is a nuisance.]

“Then I should go to another province and start a gambling den like this.”

“If you get the permit, you can do it anytime, right? If possible, do it where there’s a lake. There aren’t many tourists here, so sales aren’t as good as I thought.”

“Really?”

“One way or another, there has to be charm, right? The inside of the gambling den doesn’t have windows to let in sunlight, but the scenery outside should be beautiful to make it worth visiting.”

“I suppose so.”

“By the way, why did you leave the palace with the Eastern Depot warriors, Brother?” [The Eastern Depot was a secret police force during the Ming Dynasty in China.]

Ju Young-ho took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

“Surveillance Token?”

“His Majesty gave Surveillance Tokens to his children and ordered them to investigate the affairs of each province. I’m in charge of Seoseo Province, so I came here. My older and younger siblings were dispatched to their respective provinces.”

“He gave Surveillance Tokens even to the older sisters?”

“Yes. I don’t know what he’s thinking, ordering us to inspect each province, but honestly, it’s a bit annoying. But once I left the palace, it was so good.”

Hwa-rin chuckled at that.

“Are you laughing at me for living away from the palace?”

“How could I? But has His Majesty developed an illness?”

“He’s in good health.”

“Then, is the eldest brother not well?”

“He’s too healthy. He’s mastered martial arts so well that even the Eastern Depot experts acknowledge him.”

“Then it seems the concubines’ influence is at play.”

“The concubines’ influence?”

“To make you the Emperor.”

“You!”

A roar erupted from Ju Young-ho’s mouth.

“No matter how badly I live my life, I still maintain the minimum principles I need to live by.”

“Or perhaps the other concubines have united.”

Ju Young-ho narrowed his eyes. He thought it was possible, given the palace’s infighting.

“Since His Majesty is healthy, he’ll maintain his position for the next ten years. If we make small scratches on the eldest brother from now on, who knows what will happen in the future.”

“So you’re saying we should attack the eldest brother from now on?”

“If we move hastily, we’ll get caught. But if we prepare a ten-year plan and execute it little by little, then changes might occur.”

“A ten-year plan… So you’re saying I could become Emperor?”

“If the biggest competitor, the eldest brother, falls, wouldn’t chaos ensue? If you’re fit to succeed the eldest brother, it’s possible.”

The words ‘fit to succeed’ made Ju Young-ho laugh.

“You’re saying nonsense. How can a wretch like me compare to the eldest brother?”

In fact, Ju Young-ho liked, trusted, and followed the eldest brother, Crown Prince Ju Mun-hyeon. He followed Ju Mun-hyeon’s words so well that he would listen to almost anything he said.

“Anyway, be careful. If you’re in danger while traveling through Seoseo Province, come to me immediately, or if that’s not possible…”

Hwa-rin took out two small nameplates from his pocket, just in case, and gave them to him.

“Place those nameplates where everyone can see them in the place where you are.”

“These nameplates?”

“Yes.”

“Haha. It seems you want to act like a martial arts eccentric now that you’ve left the palace.”

“You can think of it that way. Give the other one to the eldest brother. And tell him exactly what I said a little while ago.”

Hwa-rin’s expression showed that he wasn’t joking.

“What is your identity?”

“Didn’t I say I gained a miraculous opportunity? It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, but if your life is in danger, try it, even if you think you’re being deceived.”

“Alright. I will. Pour me a drink.”

Hwa-rin filled his empty glass with wine.

“Are you happy?”

Hwa-rin looked at him at Ju Young-ho’s question. He felt very different from the Ju Young-ho he used to know.

“What are you talking about?”

“Living like this. Living as a commoner, away from the identity of a prince.”

“I haven’t left the identity of a prince.”

“Really?”

Hwa-rin showed Ju Young-ho the Nine Dragons Token, which represented his identity.

“I’ve only ended my relationship with the palace.”

“Ended your relationship with the palace?”

“Yes. When His Majesty sent me out of the palace, he said something to me.”

“His Majesty?”

“Yes. The world outside the palace is made up of other worlds that come together to form a large world.”

Ju Young-ho listened to Hwa-rin’s words, brought the glass to his lips, and tilted it.

“The martial world where thugs run rampant, the commercial world where money is everything and shows the naked nature of people, the scholarly world where everyone pretends to be aloof but can’t do anything alone except read, the official world where people flatter and try to climb higher to seize great power, and even the lives of the common people who are oppressed, robbed, ignored, and have nowhere to turn even when they are wronged.”

Hwa-rin refilled Ju Young-ho’s empty glass and continued to speak.

“Outside the walls of the palace, there are these worlds, and there are kings who rule these worlds.”

“Kings?”

“In the martial world, there is the Martial King, in the commercial world, there is the Commercial King, in the scholarly world, there is the Grand Scholar, and in the government, there is His Majesty the Emperor.”

Ju Young-ho nodded.

“But unfortunately, there is no king for the common people. Anyone called the king of the common people will soon be called a traitor and accused of plotting treason.”

“I see.”

“His Majesty told me to go out into these worlds and become a king in the world I choose.”

“Become a king in the world you choose?”

“That’s right. As His Majesty’s son, living under someone else and bowing down is something His Majesty’s pride cannot tolerate, so he told me to go to any world and become a king.”

Ju Young-ho’s heart began to beat at the word ‘king.’

“So, have you decided which world you will be king of?”

“I have.”

“What world will you be king of?”

“The martial world.”

“The martial world… You might not be able to achieve it.”

“I also plan to put someone else forward and make him the king of the commercial world, the Commercial King.”

“Make a Commercial King?”

“The martial and commercial worlds are inseparable. They are in a symbiotic relationship, so I think it’s not bad to have someone I want become the king of the commercial world.”

Ju Young-ho felt envious for the first time of Hwa-rin, who spoke so confidently of his intentions.

“Do you think you can achieve it?”

“It will take time, but I’ve learned over the years that it’s not impossible.”

“It’s not impossible?”

“If you don’t become weak and fall into the convenience of trying to compromise with reality, I think it’s possible.”

Ju Young-ho looked into Hwa-rin’s eyes. He could feel that his eyes were burning.

“His Majesty’s imperial aura has passed on to you.”

Ju Young-ho saw in Hwa-rin the aura of a king that he had not seen even in the firstborn, Ju Mun-hyeon.

‘Perhaps His Majesty knew this and sent the youngest out of the palace.’

“You flatter me. I’m just doing my best in what I have to do.”

“Then, if you become the king of the martial world, can this brother live off you?”

“If you don’t hate me, Brother, I’ll welcome you anytime.”

Ju Young-ho chuckled and waved his hand.

“No, thanks. I’ll earn my own living, so you achieve what you want and make His Majesty happy.”

Hwa-rin bowed slightly.

“Have a drink.”

The two men raised their glasses.

“Brother, please tell me about the palace now.”

The palace was such a closed-off place that there were not many opportunities to hear about what was happening inside from the outside.

“The palace? It’s always the same. Just like when you left the palace, all sorts of schemes and plots are rampant. So much so that now there’s talk that even the mice in the Central Palace and the mice in the East Palace are slandering and tearing each other apart.”

“When I was in the palace, I couldn’t see, hear, or speak, so I was excluded from such things, wasn’t I?”

“Ah, that’s right. So now the palace is…”

* * *

“What? The grain merchant from the Travil Kingdom who was doing business with us has signed a contract with someone else and can no longer sell us grain?”

“That’s what they said. The same goes for the others. Four of the five grain merchants we’re dealing with have decided to do business with other merchants.”

“Who the hell!”

Hwa Jeong-soo of the Hwa-myeong Merchant Group shouted at Hwa Jeong-guk, who was reporting, but he couldn’t know either, so he just bowed his head.

“Find out who it is right away.”

“I’ll have people do it. But, Brother.”

“Don’t tell me you can’t find out.”

“It’s not that, but if we continue like this, the group’s money supply may dry up.”

“The money supply?”

The grain distribution, which can be said to be the main force of the Hwa-myeong Merchant Group, is experiencing disruptions, so the financial situation is not very good.

“Putting aside the grain transportation, hiring martial artists cost too much money.”

“Damn it!”

They spent a lot of money to recruit three of the Hundred Great Martial Experts, and hired nearly a hundred martial artists below them, but the grain was stolen, and the cost of hiring the martial artists was spent.

Of course, since all three of the recruited Hundred Great Martial Experts died, they didn’t have to pay the interim payment, but the down payment alone was quite a lot of money, so they couldn’t ignore it.

“So, I was wondering if we should smuggle again…”

A long time ago, the Hwa-myeong Merchant Group was able to make a lot of money through smuggling and human trafficking, and as a result, they were able to jump into the grain distribution business and grow the group.

“No!”

Hwa Jeong-soo answered firmly.

“Brother, don’t cut me off like that, and think about it. We have to pay for the grain, other goods, and the wages of the workers.”

“Ugh…”

Hwa Jeong-soo pressed his head with his fingers as if he had a headache.

“Smuggling and human trafficking are the only ways to make money in a short period of time.”

“What if we get caught? If we smuggle and traffic people again just because it’s a little difficult now, won’t we turn to those things every time it’s difficult in the future? If the tail is long, it will be stepped on. Then the family will be shattered.”

Hwa Jeong-guk bowed his head as Hwa Jeong-soo became furious.

“I’m sorry, Brother. I misspoke without realizing it because I’m too desperate for money right now.”

“How much money do you need?”

“We need about 50 million gold coins right now, and 80 million gold coins next month. Once these two cases are resolved, we won’t need a lot of money for the time being.”

“I understand. I’ll try to get money from the proxy family, so wait a little longer. And Jeong-guk.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“If the family goes bankrupt just because we don’t have money, we can get a chance to rise again, but if we get caught smuggling and trafficking people, we won’t even have a chance to rise again. So let’s be patient and work hard, even if it’s difficult.”