I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 164

< The Scene of Adultery 1 >

Jo Gwang-yun surveyed the five men, his gaze settling on the most robust and handsome among them.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-six, sir.”

“Married?”

“I was, at seventeen…”

The man scratched his head, his voice trailing off.

“You were? What happened? Did you run away?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

They were all loners, men without families, whose disappearances wouldn’t raise any alarms. In seeking men who wouldn’t be missed, most had abandoned their farms, living hand to mouth.

“What did you do after running away?”

“Well… I just wandered around.”

“With your looks, you probably lived off women.”

Taking it as a compliment, a grin spread across his face.

“How many children did you have when you left your hometown?”

“Three, sir.”

“You must have had a good relationship with your wife.”

“Not at all. If we got along, would I have run away? She was so ugly I only touched her when I was drunk… But somehow, every time, she got pregnant.”

He was robust, handsome, and fertile.

“Perfect.”

Jo Gwang-yun chuckled, and the man blinked, confused.

“Sir?”

“It means I have a short but well-compensated job for you.”

At Jo Gwang-yun’s gesture, the warriors led the other men away.

“I’m serving a precious person, and she’s attended by two physicians. You just need to run errands for those physicians.”

“Doesn’t sound too difficult, sir.”

“There’s only one catch. You won’t be able to leave that place for a while. It might feel a bit confining.”

“How long? Surely not years? I can’t do that…”

“A month? About that.”

The man grinned.

“A month is nothing… If you pay me well enough, I’ll even do jail time.”

“I’ll pay you well.”

Jo Gwang-yun tossed him a pouch of jingling silver.

“I’ll give you another one like this when you’re done. Enough?”

The man opened the pouch, checked the contents, and his mouth stretched wide in astonishment.

“My goodness. I’d do it for a year for this much. Hehe.”

“Go on out. The men outside will tell you what to watch out for. Remember it well. You’ll be leaving tomorrow or the day after.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The stud bowed, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

* * *

The scenery around the hot springs, where spring flowers were beginning to bud, was breathtaking.

The four guards at the entrance frowned as they watched the approaching cart.

“What’s that?”

There were no houses nearby, so the cart was clearly heading towards them.

The guard tightened his grip on the long spear.

“Who goes there?”

A middle-aged man quickly ran forward and bowed deeply at the guard’s shout.

“I’m from the Jo Clan. Please lower your guard.”

“The Jo Clan? You mean Jo Gwang-yun’s estate?”

“Yes, sir.”

The guards, assuming it was supplies sent by the Jo Clan for Consort Yang, relaxed their vigilance.

The man pointed to the cart and said,

“I heard that Consort Yang is here. I’ve brought a small token of appreciation for the guards who work tirelessly day and night for her.”

“Huh? Not for the Consort, but for us…?”

“Consort Yang uses the Imperial family’s abundant supplies, doesn’t she? Jo Gwang-yun always says we should take care of those who suffer in the shadows first.”

The guards were touched. But one of them narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping in.

“Jo Gwang-yun isn’t in the capital right now. He wouldn’t know that the Consort is pregnant or that she came to this hot spring. What’s going on?”

The man smiled smoothly at the guard’s questioning.

“We sent a messenger pigeon with the news, but he probably hasn’t received it yet. But I can handle this much. The Jo estate wouldn’t function if Lord Jo had to direct every little thing himself.”

“Ah… I see. I’ve committed a discourtesy. Forgive me.”

“Not at all. It’s natural to be suspicious for the safety of the Consort. Don’t worry about it.”

The man continued politely,

“And please, check the cart’s contents yourself. If you find anything prohibited, let me know, and we’ll take it back.”

The man gestured to the men pulling the cart, and they all removed the covering.

“Please check.”

The guards eagerly inspected the cart. And the Jo Clan did not disappoint.

The carts were full of liquor barrels and meat.

“Huh? What’s this…?”

It was surprising because a cold air was rising from the meat-filled cart.

“It’s still chilly in the mornings and evenings, but it gets a bit hot during the day. I covered the meat with ice to prevent it from spoiling.”

Judging by the thickness of the ice, it was prepared in the middle of winter and stored in an icehouse [a structure used to store ice year-round]. Even high-ranking officials could barely get one or two pieces in the middle of summer, but they used dozens of them just for the guards, once again realizing how enormous the Jo Clan’s wealth was.

And the thought that they used that precious ice for them created a sense of loyalty they didn’t even have before.

“To prepare even this precious thing… I’m amazed by the attention to detail.”

Even his tone had changed, now laced with respect.

“Please move it inside quickly.”

One of the guards rushed inside.

Soon, more than ten guards poured out, and a military officer who seemed to be the leader of the guards stepped forward.

“The Jo Clan prepared this?”

“Yes, sir.”

The officer glanced over the cart and nodded to the guards.

“Take only the meat. No alcohol.”

The guards’ faces were filled with disappointment when he forbade alcohol.

At this moment, the man from the Jo Clan spoke up.

“Right now, skilled warriors from the Azure Dragon Gate [a martial arts sect] are spread out within ten li [approximately three miles]. If any suspicious person appears, they will capture them and bring them to you, sir. So, you can relax a bit. If you don’t like the Azure Dragon Gate warriors, we’ll withdraw them immediately, though.”

“The Azure Dragon Gate? You mean that martial arts sect related to Jo Gwang-yun?”

“Yes, sir.”

It was a suggestion to enjoy the meat and alcohol while they took care of the outer security.

The guard officer thought for a moment and said,

“Alcohol is allowed for the daytime guard shift after their duty is over. No alcohol for the night shift. Remember that.”

The guards cheered and moved the cart.

“Tell Lord Jo that we are grateful.”

“I will, sir. Then, I’ll come again in ten days.”

“What? Ten days? What does that mean?”

“How can so few men last with this much? In ten days, the alcohol and meat will surely be gone, so I’ll refill it.”

Providing outer security and an unlimited supply of meat and alcohol meant they could just rest and take care of themselves.

The guard officer thought it was an unexpected windfall but didn’t show it.

“It feels like you’re putting too much pressure on us…”

“Not at all. If I were negligent in protecting Lord Jo’s only sister, I would be scolded. Please accept it as saving my life.”

“If you put it that way… I’ll gratefully accept it.”

“You’re welcome. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

The man slowly returned, pulling the empty cart.

The guards hoped that Consort Yang would rest and leave after not just a month, but three or four months.

* * *

The thirty guards, who had been divided into two shifts working six hours each, were now divided into three shifts working four hours each.

It seemed they judged that there was no need to rotate so rigorously since there were martial artists in charge of the outer perimeter.

Jo Gwang-yun checked the guards and quickly jumped over the wall. It was the middle of the night, but one place was particularly brightly lit: Seungdeok Palace.

He immediately climbed onto the roof of Seungdeok Palace, faintly emitting his energy and waited. If Hongyeon, Cheongyeon, and Jayeon were skilled, they would surely sense his energy.

As expected, Hongyeon, the most agile, appeared.

Jo Gwang-yun gestured to her and jumped down again. Hongyeon bowed outside the wall.

“Greetings, Lord.”

“How is it? Are you doing well?”

“Thanks to you, I’m enjoying the luxury of soaking in hot springs.”

“You know why we came to the hot springs, right?”

“Yes, Lord.”

Hongyeon asked with a tense expression,

“When will the stud arrive?”

“I’ll have him brought in tomorrow. Listen carefully to my instructions and carry them out without a single mistake. When we return to the Imperial Palace, Yang Ryeo-cheong must be pregnant. Only then will this whole ordeal be worth it.”

“Give me your orders. I will definitely do it.”

Jo Gwang-yun calmly explained what would happen from tomorrow, what Yang Ryeo-cheong, the royal physician, and the three women had to do.

Hongyeon was already firmly resolved, but the method was so bold that she felt breathless.

“I’ll be staying near here from tomorrow. If anything urgent happens or an unexpected variable arises, let me know immediately.”

“Sir? There’s nothing here… Where will you be staying?”

“I’ll camp out. It’s okay. I’ve done it countless times when I was a peddler.”

“How will you eat?”

“I’ll bring jerky. If I run out, I’ll catch a rabbit or something. It’s a good chance to practice martial arts too.”

Seeing him not entrusting difficult problems to his subordinates but facing them directly, Hongyeon’s anxiety disappeared as if washed away.

“Please take care of yourself.”

“I can camp out for a year if the job goes well. Don’t worry… Go back now.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Jo Gwang-yun left as Hongyeon disappeared.

* * *

The next morning, Hongyeon and the other two women were busy carrying out the instructions Jo Gwang-yun had given them the night before.

While they were busy, Jo Gwang-yun said to the stud he had brought,

“From now on, you will be mute.”

The man was startled. Did becoming mute mean having his tongue cut out?

“Don’t be alarmed. If I strike your dumbness point, you just won’t be able to speak. I’ll restore you to normal after the job is done, so you won’t be mute forever. Don’t worry.”

Jo Gwang-yun touched the man’s throat.

The man’s face turned red as if he was suffocating, but he soon recovered. The man opened his mouth, but no words came out. Only the sound of his breath could be heard.

Jo Gwang-yun slipped a letter into his chest pocket.

“When you go to the hot spring entrance, there will be guards. Give them the letter, and the royal physician will come out and take you. From then on, just do what they tell you. Most of it will be brewing medicine, so it won’t be too difficult. Do you understand?”

The man nodded.

“Let’s go.”

He led the trembling man to the hot springs. It was better for this much fear to be visible.

To ordinary people, even the people of the Imperial Palace were scary, and the guards with spears were even scarier, so it was a natural reaction.

When the entrance came into view, Jo Gwang-yun pushed the man’s back.

“As I said, if the guards ask for your identity, just hand them the letter. Can you do that?”

The man nodded.

“Go.”

The man glanced back at Jo Gwang-yun, but he was already gone. He took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance.

“Hey, stop there. This is…”

“Wait, didn’t they say the Azure Dragon Gate was guarding the perimeter?”

“Right, they did. Then who is that?”

As the guards looked at each other and blinked, the royal physician rushed over.

“You! Why are you only coming now? Weren’t you supposed to come yesterday?”

“Do you know him?”

The guard asked, and the royal physician said,

“He’s the one who will brew medicine and run errands all night. He’s mute, so he can’t speak.”

“Ah, I see.”

At the royal physician’s gesture, the man hurriedly ran over and bowed.

“Follow me. There’s a mountain of work to do.”

Thanks to the impatient royal physician, the stud safely entered without having to show the letter in his pocket.

< The Scene of Adultery 1 > End