I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 157

As Jo Gwang-yun burst into the detached building, the two royal physicians, startled while awaiting the courtesan with the wine table, jumped in surprise.

“Ah, what brings you here, Assistant Jo…?”

“I still have a few words left unsaid. If it’s not too much trouble, may I continue our conversation for a bit longer?”

“Ah, of course.”

The two flustered physicians hastily made room.

“So, what is it that you wished to say?”

“I was wondering today if I could take responsibility for both of your families.”

“Pardon? Responsibility, you say?”

“Yes, by providing each of you with three or four young and beautiful concubines, just like the courtesan we were with earlier, and allowing you to live in a large, spacious manor without any worries about money for generations to come. Of course, you wouldn’t have to bother examining the commoners after your tiring duties to earn a few pennies.”

Stunned by the unexpected proposal, the two physicians sobered up instantly.

“S-suddenly bringing up such a thing… I’m not sure how to respond…”

“You know very well that I’m not one to speak with a forked tongue, don’t you?”

“O-of course. Assistant Jo, you are a man of your word, as heavy as a thousand pounds!”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled at their unease and clapped his hands once.

Again, the door opened, and the two courtesans from before entered respectfully, each carrying a wooden chest.

Carefully placing the chests on the desks, they opened the lids, revealing gold bars with a radiant, yellow glow.

“If you answer my questions honestly today, this gold and these women are yours. And if you continue to fulfill my requests faithfully, I will take responsibility for both of your families.”

The physicians began to alternate their gazes between the gold bars and the women, their eyes fixed on Jo Gwang-yun’s lips.

“Shall we start with something easy? Can you answer my questions honestly, without adding or subtracting anything? Of course, I will take everything said here today to my grave. As I’m sure you both will as well.”

Upon hearing that their secrets would be kept, the two men’s eyes gleamed even brighter.

“Ask away. I will answer truthfully and to the best of my knowledge.”

As soon as the physician finished speaking, the two courtesans scurried out of the room.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Is there any chance that Royal Consort Yang is pregnant? And please, spare me any vague assurances that good news is on the horizon.”

Finding it difficult to answer, the two men hesitated, exchanging glances. Seeing their reaction, Jo Gwang-yun gave a bitter smile.

“I take it that means there’s little… no chance. Is Royal Consort Yang truly without any issues?”

This seemed like an easier question to answer. They nodded immediately.

“She is very healthy. There are absolutely no problems.”

“Then that leads us to the conclusion that His Majesty has the problem.”

The color drained from the faces of the two physicians. Their faces, flushed with alcohol just moments ago, changed in an instant.

“Why? Does His Majesty also have no problems? Then someone must be plotting something. Perhaps poisoning her food or herbal supplements to prevent conception…”

“A-Assistant Jo. What are you saying? Stop making such outrageous claims!”

“Why? Does it sound like I’m insulting the Emperor or slandering the palace maids who prepare the food or the physicians who prescribe the tonics? I’m merely speculating about the reason why Royal Consort Yang cannot conceive. Didn’t I say that anything said in this room would remain a secret until death? You can’t just look out for yourselves.”

Jo Gwang-yun gathered his energy and pressured the two men.

“Now, answer me. Which of the three is the truth? Answer honestly.”

Pale as ghosts, they hurriedly spoke.

“H-His Majesty has difficulty producing offspring… It seems he lacks yang energy [vitality or masculine essence].”

“Are there any physical abnormalities?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“I’m asking if he has everything he needs. Some men have a working phallus but defective testicles. Is the Emperor normal?”

“C-certainly, wouldn’t you think?”

Now, they know that there’s no turning back. They’ve uttered blasphemous words that tarnish the Emperor’s dignity, so today’s events must be taken to the grave.

His testicles are fine, and his manhood is fine. There are no problems with his sex life.

Medical news articles he had read in the past flashed through Jo Gwang-yun’s mind.

Hormonal imbalances, azoospermia [absence of sperm in semen], immune infertility, and so on.

“But then why did the Empress give birth to a son? And as a late child, at that?”

Out of eleven consorts, she was the only woman to become pregnant. No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible.

“Royal Consort Yang is favored, so she doesn’t avoid any dates, but the other concubines only share the Emperor’s bed on days suitable for conception, don’t they? And yet, none of them have produced a child? Isn’t that strange?”

“A-Assistant Jo. What exactly are you trying to say?”

The two royal physicians knew very well that just one more word would be an unforgivable act of disloyalty.

The physicians threw themselves to the floor.

“Assistant Jo. Please, spare us. Even in a private conversation, there are words that should never be spoken.”

“Nonsense. Gossip happens everywhere in the palace, doesn’t it? Surely you haven’t never suspected anything, have you?”

Under Jo Gwang-yun’s pressure, one of the physicians barely managed to open his mouth.

“The Empress’s pregnancy means that heaven has not yet abandoned this nation…”

“The power of heaven? Do physicians who treat people believe in the power of heaven? Or perhaps you suspected that the Empress had committed an act of infidelity?”

The two physicians squeezed their eyes shut while prostrating themselves.

Now, there was truly no turning back. Just being in the same space as someone who had uttered such disloyal words was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations.

The two men sighed deeply and rose to their feet.

They looked for alcohol and drank several cups in a row.

Jo Gwang-yun waited for them to speak.

“Assistant Jo. What exactly do you want? What grudge do you hold against us that you would drive us to this point?”

“A friend who has roamed through a field of dung together is more of a true friend than one who has strolled through a flower garden. Now, you two and I have become true friends. And friends should have no secrets.”

“Is this your way of making friends? By pushing us into the abyss of death?”

“If you take my hand, that will never happen. Only safe wealth and glory await.”

Jo Gwang-yun filled their cups with wine.

“Will you take my hand?”

The physicians knew. Jo Gwang-yun had deep connections to the Jianghu [martial arts world] martial world. Judging from his actions today, he must have mastered martial arts that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

This man had uttered disloyal words and suspected the Empress. If they ran to the Imperial Palace and reported Jo Gwang-yun, they might be able to escape the crisis, but they couldn’t handle the aftermath.

If the Jianghu martial artists sought revenge on them, there would be no way to escape. It wouldn’t be strange if their family was utterly destroyed one day.

One path led to certain death. The other path guaranteed wealth and glory.

The only choice for the two physicians was to take Jo Gwang-yun’s hand. They filled Jo Gwang-yun’s cup with wine and raised their glasses.

“From now on, we entrust the fate of our families into Assistant Jo’s hands.”

“I will do my utmost to ensure that you never regret choosing me.”

Jo Gwang-yun also raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.

“Now, shall we have an open and honest conversation?”

That night, the two physicians had a long conversation with Jo Gwang-yun, so they regrettably couldn’t even embrace the courtesans.

* * *

The next day, the two men, having entered the Imperial Palace, first visited the medical records room of the Imperial Medical Office.

“When exactly did the Empress conceive?”

“Let’s look through the records from two years ago. If I remember correctly, the pregnancy was discovered almost two months after conception…”

After searching for a while, they finally found the first pulse diagnosis record.

“Here it is. Let’s see…”

They began to copy the pulse diagnosis record in great detail.

“Huh? But why are there no pulse diagnosis records for two months?”

The Imperial family has their health checked almost daily. Especially the Empress and the Emperor, who never miss a single day.

“Ah, I remember now. At that time, the Empress was at her private residence. Didn’t her older brother pass away?”

“Ah, that’s right. She was so weakened after holding the funeral that she recuperated at her private residence for a while…”

The two men suddenly fell silent.

That thing that all the physicians had suspected at least once, perhaps that act of infidelity had happened at this time.

“Shouldn’t we also check the records of the eunuch? To find out when was the last time the Emperor visited the Empress before her pregnancy.”

“We should. We also need to know the exact date of the prince’s birth.”

The two men suppressed their pounding hearts and spent the whole day searching through old records.

The information they gathered was secretly handed over to Jo Gwang-yun.

Jo Gwang-yun carefully examined the letter delivered by the physician.

Ten days after having a night with the Emperor, the Empress’s older brother died, and she immediately rushed to her private residence.

She cried so bitterly that she lost her strength and fell ill at her private residence.

Wi Chung-hyun earnestly asked the Emperor to allow the Empress to stay at her private residence until she recovered, and he agreed.

It was her first visit to her parents’ home in almost ten years, so he meant for her to rest well.

“Huh? She refused the royal physicians?”

The Emperor, worried about the Empress’s condition, sent royal physicians, but she refused them all. She only said that she had lost her strength and that she would be fine if she rested well and took good care of her herbal supplements, but there was no need to refuse the royal physicians, using the excuse that they had to take care of the Imperial family.

“So, that means her condition at this time was checked by a general practitioner…”

Jo Gwang-yun muttered, checking the end of the record.

The Empress, who had stayed at her parents’ home for two months, only realized she was pregnant when she returned to the Imperial Palace.

There was no doubt that the Emperor was a barren watermelon [infertile], so she must have spent two months at her private residence rolling around day and night with a man who had strong seeds to conceive a child.

“There’s actually a woman with bigger guts than me. Hehe.”

Jo Gwang-yun was convinced that the person who orchestrated this was not Wi Chung-hyun but the Empress.

The need for a child to continue the lineage would have been much more urgent for the Empress, and Wi Chung-hyun was not ruthless enough to commit such a big crime.

If he could find solid evidence, the Empress and Wi Chung-hyun’s family would be finished. But the man who planted the seed would no longer be in this world, and the physician who examined the Empress would think it was the Emperor’s child. Or maybe he was already dead.

Originally, unless you catch someone in the act of cheating, they can always get away with it. Besides, it’s already been over two years, hasn’t it?

As he pondered, something flashed through his mind.

“Wait… Even if I found evidence… it wouldn’t work…”

The current prince must be the Emperor’s bloodline. He must not find any evidence. That evidence would not only prove that the Empress had committed adultery but also prove that the Emperor was a barren watermelon.

Then Yang Ryeo-cheong would not be able to have a child either.

If the Emperor died without a child to pass on the throne, his younger brother would surely take it. There’s no reason to work hard only to give it away to someone else, is there?

The best way is for Yang Ryeo-cheong to have a child and give birth to a son. The problem is, who is the father of the child?

Jo Gwang-yun had the idea that he should use the Empress’s method in the same way. With a more perfect method, a more perfect method that would not be suspected.

He must find a way to have a son in one go and compete with the Empress.

End