A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 381

381. Interrogation

The three warriors who had appeared before General Bahadur knelt, replying in hushed voices.

“We searched the lord’s private chamber and office, but found nothing that could be considered problematic.”

“Is that so?”

Bahadur stroked his goatee and frowned.

“So, he’s quite the incorruptible lord, just like the rumors say? This is troublesome. I need to bring back something that will impress the Seventh Prince, no matter what…”

The power struggles within the Imperial Palace were currently fierce. Even this suppression of the rebels was an opportunity that the Seventh Prince’s supporters had barely managed to secure amidst the other princes’ checks.

Therefore, he had to bring back results that exceeded expectations. Only then would his position be secure. In this brutal power struggle, falling behind even by a step could endanger not only his position but also his life.

“That’s why loyal lords are such a pain. There’s no room to find fault.”

Bahadur muttered to himself, unable to hide his discomfort.

“Should I kidnap and kill one of his daughters and frame it as the rebels’ doing? The lord would be blinded by rage and seek revenge.”

A regional lord does not have the authority to conduct military operations. To avenge his daughter, he would have no choice but to actively cooperate with the central suppression army.

“The Maharaja [a title for a great ruler or king] has five daughters. Which one should we choose?”

“Tsk.”

At his subordinate’s voice, Bahadur frowned as if he found the suggestion pathetic.

“Can’t you even tell a joke? I was just saying. And if we were to do it, it would obviously have to be the youngest daughter. That way, the impact would be greater, wouldn’t it?”

In fact, he had already carried out a similar scheme before. So, if there really was nothing to find fault with in this territory, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t repeat the same thing.

“For now, search around the lord more thoroughly. If we dig around, something might come up.”

It wasn’t just that something might come up; it had to come up. Something to grab the lord by the neck and shake him with. If there wasn’t anything, he would create it.

“Ah, and summon the Mutasibs [religious law enforcers]. Since we’re interrogating foreigners, they might be of some help.”

The ‘help’ he was talking about probably wasn’t in a good sense.

At Bahadur’s words, the three warriors bowed their heads to receive the order. And soon, they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

“I’ll go too.”

At the voice that suddenly rang out, General Bahadur turned his head. It was the old man, ‘Sheikh’ [an honorific title, often used for a wise or respected elder], who was standing behind him.

“Sheikh, you’re going too?”

At the unexpected question, the old man silently nodded. Bahadur tilted his head slightly, as if he couldn’t help it.

“Well, do as you please.”

The old man seemed satisfied with the answer and said nothing more. Bahadur couldn’t guess what Sheikh was thinking, but he didn’t need to know anyway.

“What a wonderful world it is. To be a follower of the Tianzhu [ancient name for India] religion and play king in a palace like this…”

Bahadur clicked his tongue as he looked at the Maharaja’s garden spread out before him. Although it was a small palace inside the fortress, the Maharaja’s authority in this region was almost that of a king.

“Should we just set it on fire?”

Bahadur said it as if it were a bad joke, but his eyes were gleaming with a chilling energy.

The old man ‘Sheikh’ silently watched Bahadur in the silence.

* * *

As darkness fell on the fortress and torches were lit one by one, Son Bin and his party stood in the courtyard of the fortress, waiting to be interrogated by the lord.

Son Bin was relieved to see Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah unharmed. Hwang Bang-ju had also come out and was waiting for Son Bin and his party.

He hadn’t expected to be interrogated at this hour, but the weather was much cooler than during the day, which made it understandable. The atmosphere of the warriors on guard wasn’t too serious either.

“But where is the lord?”

Son Bin asked Hwang Bang-ju. Son Bin and his party were standing with the warriors in front of a large building, but there was no sign of the lord.

“Who knows? Maybe he’ll come out from there?”

Hwang Bang-ju said, looking at the building in front of him. He didn’t seem to know either.

Whoosh.

It was then. Lights lit up on the second floor of the building, and people began to appear. When Son Bin raised his head, he saw that a splendid seat had already been prepared on the second-floor railing.

Step, step.

First, the elderly lord with a gentle impression sat in the center seat. It wasn’t a chair, but a platform where he could sit cross-legged.

After that, a middle-aged man with a not-so-good impression came in and sat next to him. He was a man with sharp eyes, wearing a thick cloth with fancy decorations on his head and a curved sword on his waist.

The reason why his first impression was particularly bad was that Son Bin noticed him looking up and down at Sa Su-yeon for a moment with gleaming eyes.

After that, three men with gorgeous clothes and a desolate expression, like officials, sat down in a slightly distant place.

But the person who caught Son Bin’s attention most was the old man who came in next.

The old man, wearing a particularly large white cloth on his head and a black coat like a monk with almost no decorations, also sported a white beard.

“Are these the foreigners who were in the village of the commoners?”

The lord, Maharaja, said, looking down at Son Bin and his party standing in the courtyard. The lord’s servant standing next to him replied in a respectful manner.

“Yes, that’s right. The one standing in front is said to be a merchant, and the one next to him is said to be a scholar from the Central Plains [ancient China]. The women next to them are said to be the scholar’s wives.”

‘Wives’ was what Hwang Bang-ju had made up. In this Tianzhu, it was considered inappropriate for young men and women who were not married to travel together.

Of course, after obtaining the consent of Son Bin, Sa Su-yeon, and Dang Wol-ah, no one was embarrassed. The quick-witted Hwang Bang-ju was already sure that the three would agree.

The Maharaja nodded. At a glance, Hwang Bang-ju looked like a merchant, and the young man next to him clearly looked like a scholar who had studied, judging by his clothes and impression.

Rather, the people who caught the Maharaja’s attention were the two women: Sa Su-yeon, who was so beautiful that even the Maharaja, who was already familiar with beautiful women, was surprised, and Dang Wol-ah, with her slender figure covered in a veil, was also very unique.

Swish.

The Maharaja raised a small, gold-decorated cane and pointed it at Son Bin and his party.

“Why did you stay in the village of the commoners?”

It was actually very unusual for the lord to ask foreigners directly. However, the fact that Son Bin was a scholar and had two women as wives clearly showed that he was of a high class among foreigners, so the lord did not hesitate to ask directly.

“It is a great honor to meet the wise and benevolent lord.”

It was not the scholar Son Bin who answered, but Hwang Bang-ju. Hwang Bang-ju showered the lord, whom he was seeing for the first time, with all sorts of compliments, and then told him how he had come to pass through this place.

“…Therefore, we only stayed in that village to relieve the fatigue accumulated from our long journey, and we had no other intentions at all. It is all because we were ignorant of the customs here, so I earnestly hope that you will be generous and understanding.”

Hwang Bang-ju’s words were quite fluent. In addition, the fact that there were occasionally archaic expressions mixed in, unlike a merchant, added to the lord’s trust.

Hwang Bang-ju, not missing the sign, smiled broadly and took out his secret weapon.

“This is something we accidentally obtained in the land of the Jang tribe [a remote tribe or region] during our travels…”

Hwang Bang-ju, who was speaking, gestured to the warrior next to him. The warrior frowned but soon took out an object wrapped in a red cloth and held it in his hand. Hwang Bang-ju had entrusted it to the warrior when he entered this place.

“The land of the Jang tribe?”

The lord Maharaja showed interest. Blocked by the Great Mountains, Seojang was a rather mysterious country even in Tianzhu. Although it could not be compared to the valuable goods pouring in from the developed civilization of Pasa [Persia] in the west or maritime trade.

Tap, tap, tap.

The warrior immediately went up to the second floor through the outside stairs, knelt down, and raised the object with both hands respectfully.

Rustle.

The servant took off the cloth. Then, a small incense burner with intricate patterns was revealed. In terms of delicacy or sophistication, it was inferior to those of Tianzhu, but the incense burner stood out with its unique Seojang patterns.

“This is our small gift to show our respect to the lord, so please accept it.”

Hwang Bang-ju said, putting his hands together as if he were praying.

“Hmm, I see. So that’s how it happened.”

The Maharaja said that and gestured lightly to the servant. The servant took the incense burner from the warrior’s hand and covered it again with a red cloth.

The Maharaja, satisfied with the foreigners’ manners and explanation, looked at the faces of General Bahadur and the Mutasibs.

The Mutasibs with desolate expressions were looking down at Son Bin and his party with their unique sharp eyes, and General Bahadur was taking out a small knife and trimming his nails as if he had no interest.

The old man ‘Sheikh’ sitting next to the general was also silent and said nothing.

“Then this matter…”

The Maharaja was about to end the interrogation of the foreigners, but suddenly, he thought of the existence of Dang Wol-ah, who was wearing a veil.

“Is that woman a Muslim?”

That was a question that was largely conscious of the Mutasibs and General Bahadur. Hwang Bang-ju replied in a respectful manner. No, he was about to answer.

“Of course not.”

The person who spoke was General Bahadur. As the lord Maharaja looked at him with a puzzled expression, Bahadur, who had been trimming his nails, slowly rose from his seat.

“That’s just covering her face, and there’s nothing that fits the rules set by the great prophet. And above all.”

Swish.

Bahadur raised the knife he had been trimming his nails with. Bahadur threw the curved Tianzhu-specific knife with a large handle and blade as it was towards Dang Wol-ah with all his might.

Thwack.

“Gasp.”

The lord Maharaja gasped in surprise. But the more surprising thing was what happened next.

The knife, cutting through the air with a sharp sound, rushed towards Dang Wol-ah, and at that very moment, her white fingers accurately grabbed the blade.

Thud.

The knife thrown by General Bahadur stopped right in front of Dang Wol-ah’s veil. The handle, trembling thinly as if it were stuck in the wall, clearly showed how strongly Dang Wol-ah had grabbed the blade.

“Hmph.”

General Bahadur sneered as if he knew it would happen.

“A woman with such skills, the wife of an ordinary scholar?”

Step.

Bahadur slowly approached the railing. He put his hands behind his back and looked down at Dang Wol-ah with an arrogant expression.

“It’s no use trying to deceive me. I already knew that your aura was unusual from the moment you entered this place.”

General Bahadur’s eyes, looking at Dang Wol-ah, were filled with blatant murderous intent.

But Dang Wol-ah said nothing. She quietly lowered the hand holding the blade and took the strength out of her fingers.

Clang.

The knife that fell on the stone floor made a sound, and Dang Wol-ah’s white hand hid back into her sleeve, as if nothing had happened.

“What are you doing?”

It was General Bahadur’s sharp voice that broke the silence.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch while the criminals are holding knives?”

At those words, the warriors around him all came to their senses. They had been so surprised by the situation that they had not even reacted.

Clatter.

The curved blades all appeared at once, and the sharp tips of the spears were pointed at Son Bin and his party.

Although the knife thrown by the general was already lying on the floor, the warriors, who had seen Dang Wol-ah’s amazing martial prowess a moment ago, were very nervous.

Swish.

Sa Su-yeon was not idle either. She immediately approached Son Bin and Hwang Bang-ju as if to protect them.

She wasn’t emitting any aura yet, but Sa Su-yeon’s expression was stiff.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. We…”

Hwang Bang-ju said, forcing a smile, but his words were blocked by General Bahadur’s voice.

“Misunderstanding?”

General Bahadur sneered, but soon he hardened his face and shouted loudly at Hwang Bang-ju.

“You villains! How dare you try to deceive those who follow the great God and his prophet! How can an ordinary merchant hide his high martial arts skills, and how can a scholar from another country accidentally stay in a village of commoners?”

The general’s voice echoed throughout the courtyard. He looked down at Son Bin and his party with a seemingly angry expression and said.

“There must be a reason and purpose for people like you to stay in a village that everyone avoids! Speak! Who are you, and for what purpose did you sneak into this territory!”

Hwang Bang-ju couldn’t handle General Bahadur’s momentum. Instead of the pale Hwang Bang-ju, Son Bin stepped forward.

Clatter.

The curved blades and spear tips reacted slightly to Son Bin’s small step. Son Bin slowly looked at the warriors’ tense eyes, then raised his head and looked up at General Bahadur.

“I am Son Bin.”

Son Bin spoke in the language of the Central Plains. He thought that speaking clumsy Tianzhu words in a place like this would only worsen the situation.

General Bahadur frowned. He hadn’t expected Son Bin to step forward in the first place, but he couldn’t understand what he was saying because Hwang Bang-ju hadn’t translated yet.

“Hwang Bang-ju.”

Son Bin said quietly. Only then did Hwang Bang-ju come to his senses and translate Son Bin’s words.

“We have no purpose or intention. It is true that these people have high martial arts skills, but that is because the two families are from distinguished martial arts families.”

Looking at Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah, Son Bin wore a soft smile, and he said in a clear voice to General Bahadur.

“We crossed the Great Snow Mountains and passed through the land of the Jang tribe, and also crossed high mountains to reach this Tianzhu. If it weren’t for our martial arts skills, how could we, as women, have endured such a rough road?”

So, it meant that they had such martial arts skills from the beginning, so they were able to come this long way.

The lord Maharaja nodded without realizing it. It was impossible for an ordinary woman to endure that long and rough road.

“Hmph.”

But General Bahadur snorted.

“It must be for your evil purpose. How can you prove that you passed through the Great Snow Mountains and the land of the Jang tribe in the first place? Do you think you can cover our eyes with this incense burner?”

Son Bin felt a sense of frustration as if he were facing a wall. If he was so blatantly showing his will to disbelieve in this way, he wondered if any further conversation would be meaningful.

Wouldn’t it be the simplest and clearest solution to disarm them and leave?

‘But.’

The problem was what would happen after that. It was clear that the village where Son Bin and his party stayed would be harmed in some way.

“It’s no use making excuses.”

Then, General Bahadur said.

“If you interrogate them thoroughly, you will immediately find out what you did in the village. How can you try to cover the sun with your hand?”

“They are innocent.”

It was an almost reflexive reaction, but at Son Bin’s words, Bahadur smiled bitterly.

“Are you defending the commoners now?”

‘Ah.’

Son Bin realized that he had made a big mistake. He shouldn’t have turned the general’s attention to the village.

Was it just a coincidence that the former Jade Dragon’s sneer flashed before his eyes?

Son Bin sighed deeply.

“How can we make you believe in our innocence?”

It was a meaningless lament. The other party would not accept it, of course, and all that was left for Son Bin and his party was to escape this situation by force.

As for the damage to the village, he would have to find other ways to help, unfortunately.

“Have you finally given up your false excuses?”

General Bahadur smiled triumphantly.

“But the way for you to survive is now…”

“One thing.”

Suddenly, a low voice interrupted General Bahadur’s words. The owner of the voice was the old man, ‘Sheikh,’ who had been silent until now.

“There is a way.”

Sheikh said, looking at Son Bin with an intense gaze.

(Author’s words)

Son Bin is unintentionally undergoing face-the-wall training.