I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 172

Having received the Emperor’s permission, Jo Gwang-yun met with Yang Ryeo-cheong. His sister was pregnant, and he hadn’t even offered his congratulations yet; if Jo Gwang-yun hadn’t asked, the Emperor seemed ready to issue an imperial order.

To avoid any suspicion, Jo Gwang-yun strolled through the rear garden of Haan Palace with Yang Ryeo-cheong, pretending to engage in casual conversation.

“How is His Majesty? Does he still cherish you?”

“He seems to believe he’s carrying his own seed, so his affection has only deepened.”

“And in bed? Does he still desire you?”

Yang Ryeo-cheong smiled brightly.

“He’s worried about the baby, so he can’t pounce on me, and he’s just stamping his feet like a child. If you look closely, he has his cute side. Hoho.”

“By now, the fetus should be settled, so it should be safe to be intimate, shouldn’t it? What does the royal physician say?”

“The royal physician has staked their life on this child, so they cherish it even more than I do, wouldn’t you agree? They’re always telling me to be careful.”

Jo Gwang-yun frowned as he watched Yang Ryeo-cheong caress her belly.

He knew men’s desires well. He might find her endlessly beautiful now, but eventually, he would seek other women to satisfy his lust. There were plenty of women who would rush to him at a mere beckoning.

Women were lining up, waiting for the Emperor to call on them.

“I should meet with the royal physician. We can’t keep the Emperor stamping his feet forever. Otherwise…”

Yang Ryeo-cheong laughed at Jo Gwang-yun’s concern.

“Brother, haven’t I always told you? Leave matters between men and women to me. We just don’t sleep together. His Majesty enjoys plenty of *great pleasure* every night and sleeps soundly. Do you think I’d let any other woman steal a man in my grasp?”

Jo Gwang-yun was speechless at her boldness.

“Yes, yes. My worries always get the better of me, and I forget. I won’t worry about the Emperor’s favor waning. Haha.”

The palace maids and eunuchs following at a distance couldn’t know what they were saying, so it would appear as a friendly chat between siblings.

Yang Ryeo-cheong glanced back once and then spoke again.

“But brother, what if this child is a girl?”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled at Yang Ryeo-cheong, who was stroking her belly.

“Shouldn’t a son be born?”

“If only it were up to me.”

“You made it seem like you were carrying a seed that didn’t exist, so changing something like gender should be easy enough.”

“Pardon?”

Yang Ryeo-cheong, startled, widened her eyes.

“Listen carefully. If your child is a girl, or even a weak boy, I plan to replace it with a healthy boy. I’m already preparing for it.”

“H-How?”

“We’re searching for mothers across the Central Plains [a historical region in China, considered the cradle of Chinese civilization] who are due around the same time. We’ll gather only the most beautiful ones and wait. If we gather ten or a hundred, finding a boy won’t be difficult. The problem is you.”

“Me? Why…?”

“If we switch the child, it won’t be the one you bore, will it? If you feel any maternal affection…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Yang Ryeo-cheong cut off Jo Gwang-yun’s concerns.

“I’m carrying a child whose seed I don’t even know. Even if I give birth to such a child, I wouldn’t feel any maternal affection. Unless it’s a boy…”

“Then that’s settled.”

Jo Gwang-yun never thought Yang Ryeo-cheong would hesitate. When it came to being ruthless, she was several levels above him.

“Leave everything to me and take care of yourself until the delivery.”

“Brother.”

Yang Ryeo-cheong turned to Jo Gwang-yun with a friendly voice.

“Yes?”

“If it’s a boy, can we put him on the throne?”

“That’s why I’m doing this crazy thing. Otherwise, why would I go through all this trouble? I’ll make the boy the Crown Prince and you the Empress. You and your child will be the most noble people in this country. So, you must calmly manage your body and mind accordingly.”

Yang Ryeo-cheong smiled broadly.

Indeed, a woman must meet a man well. She considered meeting Jo Gwang-yun, rather than the Emperor, the greatest luck.

“I’ll trust only you, brother.”

“Let’s go back inside. Lingering too long won’t look good.”

They returned to Haan Palace. In front of everyone, Jo Gwang-yun bowed to Yang Ryeo-cheong.

“Your Ladyship, may you always be healthy.”

“Take care of yourself too, brother.”

After the greetings, Jo Gwang-yun gathered all the palace maids and eunuchs.

“Take good care of the Noble Consort. In this vast palace, you are the only ones I trust.”

“Of course. We would give our lives for the Noble Consort’s safety.”

Jo Gwang-yun gave them generous amounts of silver and quietly called Cheong-yeon and the other three women.

“I will find the house closest to the western outer wall of the Imperial Palace. Since this Haan Palace is west of the Imperial Palace, it’s just over one outer wall. You’ll be able to come and go without being noticed by the guards, right?”

“It will be possible. Since the Empress’s residence is in the east, the inner court is heavily guarded on the eastern border, while the west is relatively lax.”

“Even in the east, crossing a wall is no problem for us.”

“The three of us are skilled enough in martial arts to easily evade the guards’ attention.”

Jo Gwang-yun was relieved by the confident replies of the three women.

“Good. From now on, I will refrain from entering the Imperial Palace. Instead, you must be my eyes and ears and keep a close watch. Give money to the palace maids and eunuchs throughout the inner court and the entire Imperial Palace. Make sure they report everything, even the smallest details, to you.”

“Yes. We already have many people acting as our eyes and ears throughout the inner court, but we will expand further.”

“If this goes well, you will be the top contributors. Once it’s all over, I’ll grant you whatever you desire.”

“Thank you, Master.”

The three women bowed their heads with tense expressions.

* * *

“How is it? It’s a bit unfortunate for Prince Pyeongwon, but… Haven’t we weathered the crisis without much trouble?”

Jo Gwang-yun feigned taking credit in front of Wi Chung-hyeon. However, Wi Chung-hyeon’s expression wasn’t bright, considering they had overcome the crisis well.

“I didn’t know His Majesty was so wary of his brother. I thought it would end with a stern scolding. If that were the case, Ju Sang-bang wouldn’t have been exiled all the way to Hainan [an island province of China located in the South China Sea].”

Since the Emperor banished his brother to Xinjiang [an autonomous region of China, located in the northwest of the country], Ju Sang-bang also had to be sent far away to maintain balance. Wi Chung-hyeon seemed to be thinking this way.

“Sir, shouldn’t you at least offer a token of gratitude to this humble one?”

“What? Are you taking credit for ending Ju Sang-bang’s punishment with exile?”

“No, it’s something bigger than that.”

Seeing that Wi Chung-hyeon still didn’t understand, Jo Gwang-yun smiled and said,

“His Majesty has laid the foundation for the First Imperial Prince. He eliminated the potential risks to the succession early on.”

Wi Chung-hyeon said, seemingly displeased,

“Did the Emperor do that for the First Imperial Prince? Or did he do it for your soon-to-be-born nephew? I think it’s the latter…”

Seeing that he knew the meaning of exiling Prince Pyeongwon to a remote area, he wasn’t entirely clueless.

“You’re worrying too much. I will take the lead in the First Imperial Prince’s investiture as Crown Prince, so don’t worry.”

“Will you really? Don’t be too upset if I don’t fully trust you anymore. That’s just how things are.”

Wi Chung-hyeon slid the documents for the salt field development rights across the table.

“Take this. I feel like I’ll get indigestion if I eat this.”

“You think I’m setting a trap.”

“I don’t even want to look at salt.”

“Are you sure? Your followers must be clamoring for money.”

Wi Chung-hyeon began to stare intently at Jo Gwang-yun.

“You can show me your sincerity, can’t you? So that my hands don’t get dirty with salt.”

He wanted to be involved together. He showed a trick to avoid suffering the same fate as Ju Sang-bang later on.

However, Jo Gwang-yun shook his head.

“I can’t do that.”

“What?”

Wi Chung-hyeon’s face turned red.

“Finally, you’re revealing your dark intentions. You were plotting to make me receive bribes from a salt merchant!”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled.

“I have always adhered to one principle while doing business. I deliver large sums of money directly with my own hands.”

“What?”

“I will show you sufficient sincerity. And if you wish, I will also show sufficient sincerity to the officials who follow you like your limbs. However, I will deliver it myself.”

Wi Chung-hyeon was speechless with his mouth wide open.

“Am I a high-ranking official? Do I have a distinguished family? All I have is money earned from backbreaking business. Is it refreshing to take away the only power I have? I should be the one taking credit.”

Wi Chung-hyeon relaxed his expression and chuckled.

“Why? Do you think those officials will become your limbs if you hand them money directly?”

“How could that be? The officials of this country being the limbs of a lowly merchant? I only need to gain one thing. I need them to know that I am an indispensable presence. Who knows? Maybe they’ll say a word on my behalf when I’m in trouble…”

“Even I didn’t help when Ju Sang-bang was impeached. Don’t expect that.”

That’s because no official received money from Ju Sang-bang.

Money, especially dirty money, becomes a weakness the moment a transaction begins. Besides, isn’t the Emperor always wary of his officials? In this era, where the Emperor only needs the name he wants from the mouth of the money giver to have perfect evidence. The Emperor doesn’t bother with the credibility of the confession.

There was no way he could give Wi Chung-hyeon the opportunity to hold the lifelines of several officials.

“Even if I give up on expectations, my thoughts remain unchanged. If you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do. I will only show sincerity to you, sir.”

Seeing Jo Gwang-yun stubbornly insisting, Wi Chung-hyeon sighed briefly.

“I’ll think about it. You may leave now.”

Jo Gwang-yun bowed politely and withdrew.

He knew well that there was no other way to think about it. With Ju Sang-bang’s exile, Wi Chung-hyeon’s faction had to shrink for the time being. To appease them at times like this, he had to throw them plenty of money so they wouldn’t think about switching sides.

There was no way a greedy guy like Wi Chung-hyeon would take care of his followers by depleting his own wealth.

He would think about it briefly and eventually do as he wanted.

Jo Gwang-yun firmly believed.

That when the taste of power and the taste of money fought, money always won.

It remained to be seen which side they would take when Wi Chung-hyeon, who was his umbrella in the court, and he, who provided the money to enjoy luxury and pleasure, clashed.

* * *

“I am deeply grateful that you have responded to my request, even though I am from a humble background. Please, eat and enjoy to your heart’s content.”

Jo Gwang-yun bowed and greeted the dozen or so officials politely.

The officials gathered at the club were all veteran officials who claimed to be Wi Chung-hyeon’s party members. Jo Gwang-yun had invited all the officials on the list he had received from Wi Chung-hyeon.

All of them couldn’t close their gaping mouths in the luxurious club’s private room, with beautiful courtesans and fragrant wine in front of them.

“Aren’t you the only brother of the Noble Consort, the best merchant in the country, and an official whom the Emperor has recognized for his intelligence and entrusted with great tasks? Your humility is excessive. Haha.”

“Are you talking about that? Soon, when Noble Consort Yang gives birth, Chief Jo will also become a relative of the Imperial family. A humble background is just modesty.”

The invitations to this gathering today were not letters but gold.

Money, beauty, and pleasure.

These three things would become a stronger temptation than Wi Chung-hyeon’s power in the future and would become carrots to turn Wi Chung-hyeon’s party members into Jo Gwang-yun’s party members.

End