I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 170

< Discovering the Emperor's Heart 5 >

“Is the Imperial family so impoverished that it must accept money from its subjects? If so, why did all the officials in this room eagerly accept the lands bestowed by the supposedly impoverished Imperial family?”

The Emperor was resorting to such unreasonable arguments because he wasn’t getting the answer he wanted.

Wei Zhongxian prostrated himself.

“Your Majesty, please execute this disloyal subject.”

As if on cue, all the officials prostrated themselves and shouted in unison.

“Please execute us.”

The Emperor looked down at the officials and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. You treat bribes so lightly. Is it any wonder the common people point fingers and curse us? The court itself is a hotbed of all sorts of corruption, irregularities, and malfeasance.”

Yoon Ju-seong didn’t miss a single word the Emperor said. The Emperor was the kind of person who waited for the words he wanted to hear to come from the mouths of his subjects, not his own.

Surely, the words he wanted were hidden within the Emperor’s speech.

‘Treat bribes so lightly.’

The Emperor sees the money that Ju Sang-bang gave to Prince Pyeongwon as a bribe.

Yoon Ju-seong spoke respectfully and cautiously. He had to understand the Emperor’s true feelings accurately.

“Your Majesty, I, Yoon Ju-seong, dare to speak. A bribe is something given in expectation of a favor. If Prince Pyeongwon expected a favor from Ju Sang-bang, then it is a bribe; if not, it is a private matter between a father-in-law and his son-in-law. Therefore, I believe the presence or absence of an expected favor should be determined first.”

Under normal circumstances, the officials would have risen up in outrage at such audacious words, but now they were all just watching the Emperor’s every move.

The decision of whether it was a bribe or not rested solely with the Emperor.

And the Emperor did not hesitate to make that decision.

“Where in the Imperial family and the court is there room for private matters? A single word is a matter of state, and every action is an official duty. Is that not so?”

The faces of all the officials, including Yoon Ju-seong, who had lit the fuse, turned ashen.

The Emperor regarded even his own brother as a corrupt individual who had received bribes.

Wei Zhongxian suppressed his burning anxiety and racked his brain.

Prince Pyeongwon must not be implicated in bribery. The bribery accusations must end with Ju Sang-bang alone.

If Prince Pyeongwon, who had been dragged in unnecessarily, was also implicated in bribery, then this case would not be over. Only one name had been revealed among those who had shared the bribe.

There was no guarantee that a second or third name would not come out, so Ju Sang-bang would have to name names again. That would not do. It had to end here.

Wei Zhongxian bit his lip once and opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, Prince Pyeongwon holds only a minor post guarding the Imperial library. He is not in a position to give or receive favors from court officials. I believe it is merely a courtesy from an official to a member of the Imperial family.”

Everyone was prostrate, so they could not see the Emperor’s expression, but the chief eunuch, who had only slightly lowered his head, did not miss the fleeting smile that crossed the Emperor’s lips.

Wei Zhongxian, you’ve been caught.

That was the thought that flashed through the chief eunuch’s mind as soon as he saw the Emperor’s smile.

“Head of the State Affairs Department.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Are you saying that Ju Sang-bang offered money to my brother merely as a courtesy? The money earned from salt, the source of taxes, belongs to the nation. Stealing the nation’s money weakens the nation. Is weakening the nation merely a courtesy? The nation’s strength is my strength. Are you saying that you value Prince Pyeongwon’s well-being more than my strength?”

All the officials in the hall understood the Emperor’s intentions, and Wei Zhongxian froze on the spot.

The Emperor intends to strike his brother first.

No one knew how far it would go after that, but what was certain was that Prince Pyeongwon’s life was in the Emperor’s hands.

“Your Majesty, my thoughts were short-sighted. Please execute me.”

Wei Zhongxian banged his head on the floor of the hall, but not a single official came forward to help him.

This was no mere shower; it was a hailstorm of thunder and lightning. Stepping forward would mean dying together.

The Emperor ignored Wei Zhongxian and shouted at Hwang-hyo.

“Hwang-hyo!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Immediately arrest Prince Pyeongwon and take him to the Sinhyungsa [a prison under the Ministry of Justice]! Keep him confined there until further orders!”

“I shall obey the command.”

Hwang-hyo left the frozen Euihwa Hall, wondering what to do about this incident that had spiraled out of control.

The fact that this incident had started because of Jo Gwang-yoon was now forgotten.

* * *

Jo Gwang-yoon was reviewing documents in the Geumjo [Bureau of Forbidden Matters, a secret investigative agency], but he was also listening for news from the outside.

“Lord Jo! Lord Jo!”

A low-ranking member of the Geumjo burst in, agitated.

“What is it? Has something happened?”

It was time to see if anything had been caught on the bait he had casually thrown out.

Whether it ended with Ju Sang-bang alone, or whether Wei Zhongxian was also caught as a bonus… or even whether Prince Pyeongwon could be assessed.

“It’s a disaster. The court is in an uproar.”

A faint groan escaped Jo Gwang-yoon’s lips.

It wasn’t because he was sorry that Prince Pyeongwon, who was possibly innocent, had been arrested. It was closer to an exclamation of grim satisfaction because he now knew for sure what the Emperor, who was rumored to cherish his brother, actually thought of him.

“Oh dear, how did that happen….”

“That’s what I’m saying. I’m frustrated because I don’t know the details. I’m just worried that another bloodbath will break out in the Imperial family.”

The low-ranking member’s muttering went unheard.

Putting someone in prison is not a big deal. It’s no different from giving a troublemaking younger sibling time to reflect with their hands up and kneeling. This is the Imperial family, so the way they punish and reflect is just different.

If it ends with just a slight punishment, then the most powerful competitor in the future is not the Queen’s son, but the Emperor’s brother.

He inherited the blood of the late Emperor and has the wisdom to lower himself. And he is an adult.

In the event of the Emperor’s demise, he knows how to raise an army and can rally the officials. If he makes up his mind, he will eliminate the Queen and her young child in an instant.

The Emperor knows this well, so he keeps him close and wary.

But wariness becomes tiring when it lasts too long, and the easiest way is to eliminate him without needing to be wary.

Will the Emperor eliminate his brother this time?

He had many questions, so he needed to hear the voices from the scene.

Jo Gwang-yoon said to the low-ranking member.

“I will leave work now.”

“Yes? Ah, please do.”

Jo Gwang-yoon left the palace and waited for nightfall, and when the night grew deep, he headed to Yoon Ju-seong’s house.

Yoon Ju-seong was sitting alone at a simple table with drinks, and he didn’t say anything even when he saw Jo Gwang-yoon coming.

“I heard things are going strangely.”

“Isn’t it surprising?”

“Yes?”

“Wei Zhongxian, and His Majesty too.”

“I wasn’t at court. Please speak plainly.”

Yoon Ju-seong handed Jo Gwang-yoon a glass.

“That Wei Zhongxian really came up with an ingenious plan. Who would have guessed that he would drag in the Emperor’s brother?”

He knew everything, but he chimed in.

“Ah, so that’s why he ordered Prince Pyeongwon to be arrested.”

“Yes. Wei Zhongxian probably expected that if he dragged in Prince Pyeongwon, the Emperor would gloss over it. Anyone would have thought so.”

“But His Majesty overturned the expectations.”

Yoon Ju-seong nodded, receiving the glass of wine that Jo Gwang-yoon offered.

“As if he had been waiting for it, he imprisoned Prince Pyeongwon. Seeing that, I thought to myself, how could His Majesty have been holding back the desire to eliminate Prince Pyeongwon…?”

Jo Gwang-yoon asked what he was really curious about.

“Was he arrested to be punished? Or is it just for show?”

“In my opinion, it’s genuine. At the very least, it’ll be wonjibucheo [banishment to a distant place].”

Wonjibucheo is banishment to a place far from the capital. Anchi means not being able to leave the house, but bucheo means being able to move freely within a certain area. It is the weakest form of banishment.

Jo Gwang-yoon’s heart was not satisfied with the result. It is safest and most reassuring for the most powerful competitor to die and disappear.

Jo Gwang-yoon downed his drink.

“I got a sharp knife, but I stabbed the wrong person. His Majesty doesn’t seem to have any intention of making this matter bigger?”

Yoon Ju-seong shook his head.

“No. When Ju Sang-bang was caught, His Majesty had already decided to cast out his brother. Either way, Wei Zhongxian achieved what he wanted.”

“I see.”

Jo Gwang-yoon also achieved what he wanted.

Yoon Ju-seong’s drink may have tasted bitter today, but for Jo Gwang-yoon, it was a sweet drink.

* * *

While Ju Sang-bang was in despair over the fact that his son-in-law had been imprisoned, his son-in-law was calmly sitting in prison, waiting for his brother to come soon.

This was his second time in prison.

The first time was when the late Emperor died and the brothers started fighting with swords to take his place.

The throne was stained with the blood of the brothers, and the current Emperor, who took the blood-stained seat, immediately threw the two surviving brothers into prison.

He thought his life was over, and when he gave up on life, the Emperor gave the two surviving brothers official positions.

He also knew why the weight of the official positions was light. It meant that if they just played around, they would have other thoughts, so they should just pass the time doing odd jobs.

Prince Pyeongwon, Guo, lived in a way that did not deviate from the Emperor’s intentions in the slightest.

His brother, Prince Seongwon, was no different. The way he lived was different from him, but they were the same in that they were just living dead.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Yo, Your Majesty!”

Prince Pyeongwon hurriedly got up and prostrated himself when he found the Emperor looking down at him from outside the prison.

“I asked you what you were thinking about.”

“Being locked up in prison like this, I was just thinking about the old days.”

The Emperor smiled, perhaps recalling the past as well.

“I see. You’ve been in and out twice now that you’re alive.”

“I have never forgotten that I am alive thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”

Prince Pyeongwon lowered himself even further.

“Why do you think I kept you and Pyo alive?”

“I believe it is because of Your Majesty’s generous brotherly love.”

“Wrong. Are you just saying flattering things even though you already know the answer?”

Prince Pyeongwon said quietly.

“Because I didn’t take up a sword.”

“That’s right. Back then, some took up swords and opposed me, and some took up swords and stood by my side. But you locked the door and didn’t let anyone in, and you didn’t come out of the house either. Pyo….”

The Emperor smiled, as if he was speechless when he thought of Pyo.

“That guy was just drinking and womanizing at the brothel back then.”

“My brother Pyo and I are just cowards.”

“That’s wrong too. I even killed brothers who took up swords for me because I didn’t know when that sword would turn and point at me. But you two were different. Pyo was just resigned to his fate, and you had the cleverness to know how to survive.”

Prince Pyeongwon waited for the Emperor to come to a conclusion, trying not to show his anxious feelings.

“It’s the same now. As soon as you saw me, you should have appealed to me about your innocence, but you didn’t say anything. You could have insisted on your innocence and argued that it was all a frame-up, but you’re keeping your mouth shut. What should I do with you?”

“I only ask for Your Majesty’s generous disposition.”

Prince Pyeongwon lowered himself as much as possible and only repeated that he only wanted leniency, without saying anything else.

After all, this is politics.

It’s useless to argue about right and wrong, and the circumstances will only be fitted to the Emperor’s decision.

The best thing to do is to rely on the brotherly love of the same blood.

“Go and live in a foreign land. I’ll call you back after about ten years.”

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”

He was curious about where the foreign land the Emperor was talking about was, but he didn’t ask. He was just relieved that he had saved his life for now.

< Discovering the Emperor's Heart 5 > End