I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 174

The words continued to echo in my head.

– Please tell everyone to leave so you can quietly enjoy the tea’s fragrance. They must be tired from the long journey, so allowing the servants to use the hot springs will make them all happy. Order me to wait outside until you have finished your tea.

“I… I will do that.”

The Empress Dowager, not knowing what telepathy was, blurted out a response.

“Pardon? Your Majesty, what did you command?”

The eunuch, hearing her mutter to herself, asked cautiously.

“Ah, no. I wish to savor the tea quietly by myself, so everyone leave. Ah… you all must be tired from the long journey, so soak in the hot springs and relieve your fatigue.”

The eunuch was overjoyed that the Empress Dowager had allowed them to use the precious hot spring water.

“Absolutely not, Your Majesty. How dare lowly servants use the hot springs that Your Majesty will use?”

“Just do as I say. I know well the hardships you have endured serving the most humble person in the Imperial Palace. Even my personal wealth is meager, so I haven’t been able to take care of you properly, which has troubled me. Although it is not mine, isn’t this hot spring something I can use as I please right now? This is my way of taking care of you, so don’t worry about it.”

The eunuch and palace maids prostrated themselves on the spot, some even shedding tears.

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty.”

The Empress Dowager turned to the two men who had brought the tea.

“Would you two wait outside for a moment? I will call you again when I have finished my tea.”

“Is that alright? Please take your time.”

Everyone quietly withdrew, leaving the Empress Dowager alone.

As she was alone in the empty chamber, the voice echoed in her head again. It was different from before.

– Your Majesty, do not be alarmed. I will reveal myself.

The Empress Dowager swallowed hard.

The door quietly opened, and Jo Gwang-yun, dressed in military attire, silently entered and knelt.

“I am Jo Gwang-yun, here to greet Your Majesty.”

Finally, they met.

The Empress Dowager wanted to see his exact appearance, but she could only see his form due to the screen, which was frustrating.

However, she was a member of the Imperial family to the core and could not ignore etiquette. She did not remove the screen.

“Finally, I meet my benefactor. I am truly pleased.”

The Empress Dowager spoke in a whisper, lest the sound should leak out, and Jo Gwang-yun smiled slightly and said,

“Your Majesty, you may speak as you normally would. I have blocked the sound in this room from leaking out.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened.

“The two men waiting outside are martial artists. Their martial arts are so profound that they have blocked the sound with their internal energy. I also have some skill, so you can rest assured.”

“Then the strange sound that echoed in my head earlier…”

“That is correct. It is called telepathy, and you can think of it as whispering. However, others cannot hear it, even if they are right next to you.”

“That is truly amazing. No, I should say it is extremely useful…”

The Empress Dowager clicked her tongue and then regained her senses. Now is not the time to be listening to martial arts and admiring them.

“Ah, right, what am I saying… Anyway, I want to give Jo Subu [a respectful title] a bow of gratitude.”

“I am unworthy of such words.”

“No, no. All I can give you is my humble gratitude. I wish I could give you a great gift, but I am just a poor old woman in the back palace, so please forgive me for only being able to convey my feelings.”

Although her face was not visible due to the screen, the Empress Dowager’s gratitude and tears were clearly felt in her voice.

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, did you have something important to tell me?”

Jo Gwang-yun slowly opened his mouth.

“My sister, Consort Yang, is due to give birth soon. Are you aware of this?”

“Of course. Even though I am confined to the back palace, I still hear about my daughter-in-law giving birth to a grandchild.”

“Yes. Then you can guess what will happen after that, can’t you?”

“I am just a foolish woman. Please tell me, Jo Subu.”

“His Majesty has already cast out his younger brother, Prince Pyeongwon. This is because he may become an obstacle in the succession.”

“Why is His Majesty, who has been quiet until now, suddenly doing this…? Ah…!”

The Empress Dowager could guess the Emperor’s intentions when she combined Jo Gwang-yun’s reason for wanting this meeting with Prince Pyeongwon.

“Jo Subu, you are predicting that the Emperor will try to make Consort Yang’s child the heir.”

“Empress Dowager’s insight is truly amazing.”

The Empress Dowager’s face flushed slightly at Jo Gwang-yun’s compliment.

“I always thought that only the succession by the eldest son would prevent discord. However, His Majesty seems to be more concerned with the one he favors.”

“If Jo Subu’s nephew inherits the throne, what greater fortune could there be?”

“It is not something to be simply happy about. Consort Yang is, after all, a concubine, and as long as the Empress, the legal wife, and her brother, Wi Chung-hyeon, a court official, are firmly in place, she will only be in danger. I still fervently hope that a daughter, not a son, will be born.”

The Empress Dowager was silent for a while.

When she spoke again, she did not mince her words.

“The reason why Jo Subu secretly seeks to meet me, who has been relegated to the back palace, is because of Consort Yang’s child who will be born.”

“That is correct.”

“I will not forget your kindness, but how can I help that child? I am just a neglected old woman in the Imperial Palace without power or people…?”

“When there is power, people gather.”

Jo Gwang-yun had to awaken the Empress Dowager, who was speaking weakly. She did not yet know her own power.

“Your Majesty is the highest elder of the Imperial family. Because Your Majesty has not recklessly used the authority of that position, everyone in the Imperial family has forgotten that the power even exists. Just like the Empress Dowager.”

“Forgot that I even had power…?”

“That is correct. When the Imperial family is stable, only His Majesty’s authority is visible. There cannot be two suns in the sky.”

The Empress Dowager understood Jo Gwang-yun’s words.

“You mean that when the Emperor passes away, my authority will shine like the sun.”

“That is correct. Even if His Majesty has appointed a Crown Prince, the Crown Prince needs the Empress Dowager’s decree to ascend the throne.”

She had truly forgotten. It was because the Emperor was still standing strong and seemed like he would remain that way forever.

But nothing is forever. Especially not for humans.

“So? Can you tell me what I should do? I have heard that Jo Subu is truly wise, so much so that even the Emperor acknowledges it.”

“You flatter me.”

Jo Gwang-yun bowed his head once more and said,

“I apologize for the presumptuous words, but Your Majesty must crouch down even more than you are now. No matter how noisy the Imperial family is, you must never get involved.”

She had been crouching down until now. No, she had been living as if she were dead. What more could she crouch down?

A sigh naturally escaped from the Empress Dowager’s lips.

Jo Gwang-yun did not miss her sigh.

“I promise you. Someday, I will make it so that Your Majesty can enjoy true blessings as the highest elder of the Imperial family.”

She wanted to ask when that would be.

However, she was too ashamed to ask someone who had helped her family and offered to help her as well, as if she were pressing him for debt.

“I will definitely remember your precious heart. But Jo Subu, as I said earlier, how can I help Consort Yang or her child?”

“If Your Majesty does not forget that you are the highest elder of the Imperial family, you will surely be able to save their lives. The specific details are not that important.”

“Do not forget my status?”

“That is correct.”

“I will keep your advice in mind.”

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty.”

Now the message has been delivered. All that remains is to make the Empress Dowager completely dependent on him. Along with perfect trust.

“Your Majesty, may I show you a harsh sight in this place?”

“What do you mean?”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened at the absurd words.

“I must catch the rats that have been attached to Your Majesty.”

“What? Rats? Are you perhaps referring to spies?”

“That is correct.”

Jo Gwang-yun spoke to the outside without receiving the Empress Dowager’s permission.

“Gu Seung, did you find them?”

“Yes, Master.”

“How many?”

“Two.”

“Bring them in.”

The door opened, and Gu Seung came in carrying clothes. He carefully placed two sets of clothes on the floor and placed something on top of the clothes.

“What… what is this?”

The Empress Dowager stammered, not knowing what was going on as she looked at the gold and jade ornaments that Gu Seung had brought out, which looked expensive at a glance.

“I investigated the clothes of the servants who had taken them off to take a hot spring bath.”

Gu Seung replied briefly, and Jo Gwang-yun touched the expensive ornaments and said.

“The fate of the servants in the inner court is tied to the fate of the master they serve. I am sorry to say that I know that Your Majesty’s treatment in the Imperial Palace is terrible. But how can the owner of these clothes have such valuable ornaments? They must have been playing the role of the Empress’s rat. Do not trust anyone who works in the palace. They can be bought with money.”

“How could this be.”

These words replaced the Empress Dowager’s miserable feelings.

She finally understood why no one came to her chambers, and why even the ministers who had served the late Emperor had stopped visiting.

The Empress had eyes and ears, so no one came.

If anyone even tried to exchange literary greetings with the Empress Dowager, it would immediately reach the Empress’s ears and they would soon be out of favor, so everyone was protecting themselves.

Jo Gwang-yun carefully spoke to the shocked Empress Dowager.

“Can you find out who the owner of these clothes is?”

How could she not know? Aren’t they the people who are always around her?

The Empress Dowager nodded weakly.

“Perhaps they are maids who came with you from your private residence when you first entered the palace?”

The Empress Dowager could not come to her senses. It seemed that this man in front of her knew everything.

“How did you know?”

“If I were to plant a spy, I would have seduced the most trusted person. That way, even if they showed suspicious behavior, no one would even suspect them.”

The Empress Dowager painfully realized that she had been living like a bird in a cage, knowing nothing.

“Also, the slaves from your private residence must have always longed for the good old days when they served Your Majesty when the late Emperor was alive. So they would have been more easily swayed by expensive jewelry and money.”

The Empress Dowager’s self-loathing began to turn into anger towards the traitors.

“I will kill those bitches right now…!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

Jo Gwang-yun watched the Empress Dowager’s reaction.

“I fully understand Your Majesty’s anger, but we cannot kill them right now. There are many eyes watching, so the Empress will notice when you return to the palace.”

“So you’re saying I have to just watch?”

“No. Traitors must be punished with death. However, I will get my hands dirty.”

The Empress Dowager was speechless at Jo Gwang-yun’s resolute attitude.

“First, send these two out. I will take care of the rest. And I will send a woman through my private residence to protect the Empress Dowager’s safety. A smart woman with excellent martial arts and quick wits.”

“Send them out?”

Jo Gwang-yun waited until the Empress Dowager, who was still unable to grasp the situation, had calmed down a little, and then told her what to say and do from now on.

He felt a little sorry for making two innocent women spies, but he had no choice if he wanted to keep the Empress Dowager in his arms.

End