I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 163

“Even though it’s late, would you mind if I came in for a moment?”

“Aren’t you the type to barge in whether I allow it or not? Hurry and close the door before the servants wake up.”

Jo Gwang-yun strode into the room.

“Please, sit down, State Physician Jo. You must have something urgent to say, so I won’t bother with tea. I don’t want to wake anyone.”

“I’m grateful enough that you’d even receive an uninvited guest. Your presence is more refreshing than tea itself.”

As Jo Gwang-yun settled in, Su Tae-ui closed the book he was reading.

“So, what brings you here when you’re supposed to be heading to Fujian Province?”

“Let me begin by expressing my gratitude. You know why, don’t you?”

“Those fellows ran straight to you, State Physician Jo.”

“Because they’re afraid.”

“And you aren’t afraid, orchestrating such a bold scheme?”

“Why would I be afraid when I have someone like you, a great man, subtly and overtly assisting me? Hehe.”

Jo Gwang-yun chuckled softly and then asked, “But how did you know I was behind this?”

“When I heard that Consort Yang was pregnant, you were the first person I thought of, State Physician Jo. How many people in the Central Plains [historical region of China, often considered the cradle of Chinese civilization] can make the impossible possible?”

*He’s no ordinary person. He’s so straightforward.*

*To speak so openly about the Emperor being unable to have children?*

“What do you mean by ‘impossible’?”

“Why ask when you already know? You know it’s impossible for His Majesty and Consort Yang to conceive, so you orchestrated this, didn’t you?”

“The Empress has given birth, though.”

“Hmph! Who knows whose child that is, claiming it’s His Majesty’s bloodline?”

Jo Gwang-yun unconsciously glanced towards the door.

It was the first time he had felt intimidated while talking to someone. His words weren’t just straightforward; they were blunt.

*At this rate, he felt like he would be leading his family to ruin for insulting the Empress and the Emperor.*

“Goodness, I’m almost too scared to speak freely.”

“Knowing that full well, aren’t you planning to use the same method as the Empress, State Physician Jo? The hot springs aren’t for recuperation but for conceiving, aren’t they? Am I wrong?”

Now, he was genuinely surprised.

*To see through the whole situation with just a false pregnancy!*

“Why did you pretend not to know when you knew everything?”

Jo Gwang-yun was eager to hear the answer.

“Everything is just my speculation. Speaking based on speculation is nothing more than slander, isn’t it? The only undeniable fact is that it’s not a pregnancy, nor is it a cold. Ah, the cold is a bit ambiguous. She did cough, after all. In the end, what’s certain is that it’s not a pregnancy… What would I gain from telling the Emperor that? At most, the two physicians would be guilty of misdiagnosis. A little scolding, and it would be over.”

*Nothing to gain.*

Jo Gwang-yun liked those words.

*That’s right. There’s no need to act without reward. In any situation, one must make a cool-headed judgment and choose the option that maximizes personal benefit and gain by using the situation.*

However, a risky choice could lead to great losses, including one’s life.

People say ‘high risk, high reward,’ but most only think about the high reward. Isn’t that just gambling?

*It’s extremely rational to consider the high risk before the high reward. But Su Tae-ui seemed to have thought about the high reward first.*

“But the moment you condone that misdiagnosis, you put yourself in a very dangerous position. If Consort Yang fails to conceive, you know what will happen, don’t you?”

“What more could happen than being labeled an incompetent doctor who can’t even diagnose a pregnancy? But what happens if it succeeds? This time, you tell me, State Physician Jo.”

“It might not end with just being an incompetent doctor. The day it’s revealed that Consort Yang’s child isn’t His Majesty’s bloodline, you will have participated in something akin to treason.”

“The foolish Wi Chung-hyeon and the Empress weren’t caught, but the clever State Physician Jo will be? I don’t think so.”

Jo Gwang-yun felt a strange sensation while talking to Su Tae-ui.

*This man completely disregards the people of the Imperial family. And there’s anger underlying it.*

Having reached the position of State Physician at the age of fifty, and being hailed as a living Hua Tuo [legendary Chinese physician of the late Eastern Han dynasty], is proof that he’s extremely intelligent. But in a world of social status, if he’s a commoner or of illegitimate birth, there’s nowhere else to climb.

The people he deals with are all of Imperial blood. They wield power and control the country simply by virtue of a lucky birth. Whether they’re intelligent, what their character is like, whether they have great capacity, it doesn’t matter. They just need to have inherited the bloodline.

The fact that he, who is intelligent, has to work for those fools and under them because of bloodline seems to be the source of his anger.

To him, whether the Emperor’s bloodline inherits the Emperor’s throne, or whether someone whose bloodline is unknown becomes the Emperor, might not make much difference.

“Even if it’s not discovered and succeeds, there’s only one way a merchant can repay: wealth and glory. Of course, I guarantee wealth and glory even if it fails.”

“You’ll reward me with money whether it succeeds or fails?”

“Is there anything more you need?”

“Failure is unavoidable, but success is a completely different story, isn’t it?”

“Tell me how it’s different.”

“Becoming the Emperor’s maternal uncle… and you’ll continue to maintain your merchant status? You expect me to believe that? Haha.”

“I’m a merchant through and through. If I become the Emperor’s maternal uncle, I’ll just use that power to do even bigger business.”

“I thought you were dreaming of becoming Lü Buwei [a merchant who became the Prime Minister of the Qin state and was rumored to be the father of the first Emperor of China]… You’re less ambitious than I thought. Just a big merchant.”

“Lü Buwei slipped his own bloodline in. I’m not doing that.”

“Why not? Consort Yang needs a man’s seed anyway. If that seed is yours, you’d be becoming Lü Buwei. Consort Yang isn’t sharing blood with her brother. Besides, she’s an incredible beauty. Honestly, you must have harbored some dark thoughts at least once… Hehe.”

It was still difficult to judge whether that lewd smile was his true self.

“That’s why it’s even more impossible. The moment Consort Yang carries my seed, she’s no longer a stranger. I might be swayed by affection. To become a great merchant, you can’t be swayed by affection, and you shouldn’t create situations that would lead to that in the first place. And…”

“Is there another reason?”

“As the child grows, traces of the parents will appear on the face. If my face appears, everything will collapse.”

“Won’t traces of another man appear? It’ll come out anyway. The Empress’s son is still young, so it’s hard to tell, but watch. Soon, it will be revealed that the child’s biological father isn’t the Emperor.”

“That’s why I’m going to choose a very handsome man. Consort Yang is a beauty, and the owner of the seed is also handsome. The child born between them will be incredibly handsome, right? Then everyone will just say they resemble their mother, and no one will say they don’t resemble the Emperor.”

Su Tae-ui clapped his knee.

“You’re truly thorough. It’s such a pity that someone as clever as you is only interested in business.”

“What can I do? My capacity is only that much. Haha.”

At the mention of Lü Buwei, Jo Gwang-yun guessed what Su Tae-ui wanted.

Even if the Empress’s son becomes the Emperor, Su Tae-ui will sufficiently maintain his current position. His current position isn’t protected by the Emperor but by his skill. Until he gets old and his hands tremble so much that he can’t perform acupuncture.

The reason he’s rejecting a guaranteed position and choosing this risk is because of his ambition, which isn’t satisfied with being just Su Tae-ui.

Jo Gwang-yun is also a commoner.

When a commoner becomes the most powerful person in the country, he will have made a significant contribution to Jo Gwang-yun’s rise to power, so he will demand his share.

“Great man, if you don’t want money, let’s think about the reward for success later. At least I’m not such an untrustworthy person that I would later deny it.”

“A deal made with trust… I suppose it can’t be helped now. I’ll trust you.”

“I’ve never betrayed trust so far. Then.”

Jo Gwang-yun lowered his head slightly and was about to get up when he sat back down.

“Oh, one last thing I’m curious about.”

“Please, speak.”

“Does the Emperor know that he’s… inadequate? Everyone suspects it, but it’s hard to believe that only the Emperor doesn’t know. He’s intelligent enough to deduce that much, isn’t he?”

“He’s a man of strong pride, so he can’t accept it. If I dare to guess, it’s probably a slight suspicion. But because of Consort Yang’s pregnancy, wouldn’t he lean towards believing it?”

If the Emperor believes it, then all she has to do is give birth to Yang Ryeo-cheong’s son.

Wouldn’t he love Yang Ryeo-cheong’s son, whom he has affection for, more than the Empress’s son, whom he married for political reasons?

* * *

A giant palanquin carried by as many as sixteen palanquin bearers.

Two physicians, maids, and eunuchs from Haan Palace.

A cart full of food ingredients and utensils to be used at the hot springs.

About thirty members of the Imperial Guard to escort them.

The Emperor, court officials, and women of the inner court, watching the spectacle of them departing one after another, each had different and complex feelings.

The court officials, having finished seeing them off, left the court, but Wi Chung-hyeon headed to Jeonghwa Palace, the Empress’s residence.

The Empress, having dismissed all the servants, began to discuss the future alone with Wi Chung-hyeon.

“What should we do? A pregnancy?”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

“How can I calm down now? I went through all that trouble to barely get pregnant, but that woman is so blessed that she conceived at once?”

“Your Majesty, please don’t even utter such strange words. If we show even a hint of suspicion towards Consort Yang, we’re done for.”

“Suspicion? How can I be suspicious? She hasn’t even been able to see the outside world since entering the palace. Besides, isn’t it the result of State Physician Su’s diagnosis? I can only say she’s lucky.”

“Goodness, how could that luck befall such a lowly thing?”

The siblings resented the heavens.

Wi Chung-hyeon began to soothe the Empress, who was in a bad mood.

“Your Majesty, please don’t think too hastily. Even if she’s lucky enough to be pregnant, a safe delivery isn’t that easy. Just falling, or eating the wrong food once, can endanger the fetus. Even if she manages to give birth with difficulty, it might be a girl.”

The Empress’s eyes lit up.

“You will make sure it happens, won’t you?”

“Your Majesty, I think it’s better to just watch. If we rashly move and something happens to Consort Yang, His Majesty’s anger will be immense, and if the cause is our family, we could be stripped of our status.”

“So you’re saying we should just watch even if that sly woman gives birth to a son?”

The Empress gritted her teeth.

“I don’t interfere in the affairs of the inner court. However, even if Consort Yang gives birth to a son, he’s still a concubine’s child. The Crown Prince will definitely be the First Prince [the Empress’s son]. I will make sure of it.”

The Empress realized that she had been too sensitive.

*Her brother was right. He’s still a concubine’s child anyway. There’s no way a concubine’s child would be made the heir when there’s a legitimate child.*

She had been so wary of the Emperor’s deep affection that she had forgotten her own superior status.

“And there’s also Consort Yang’s brother.”

“Are you talking about that merchant?”

“Yes. He faithfully follows my words now. That’s how he can continue his various businesses. He doesn’t do anything that would hinder his business. He knows very well how dangerous it is to be at odds with me and to oppose Your Majesty. He will always live kneeling before me, and Consort Yang will always live kneeling before Your Majesty.”

The Empress found comfort in Wi Chung-hyeon’s words. And she completely erased her hasty thoughts.

*One makes mistakes when one is anxious and hasty.*

Today, that sly woman looked like she had gained the whole world, but what can never be changed is her status.

A concubine can’t gain the world.

The Empress decided to show a more relaxed demeanor, as her brother had said.

She must not repeat the mistakes she made in her fit of pique at the news of Consort Yang’s pregnancy.

< Congratulations! Pregnancy 3 > End