I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 188

< Supporting Roles 2 >

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Do Young-jeon was on the verge of exploding, but he displayed remarkable patience.

He had to understand his subordinates’ position. How could they possibly monitor someone with martial skills far superior to their own?

“So, did you at least get a good meal?”

“I was hungry, and they happened to serve a meal, so I ate it.”

“A feast?”

“It was just rice and a few pieces of duck meat.”

“A bit stingy for the wealthiest man in the Central Plains.”

Do Young-jeon continued to make jokes to suppress his anger.

“What should we do? Should we refuse?”

“No. I will meet him. If he promises not to do anything else and not to leave the capital, there’s no need to monitor him. You’ve worked hard.”

As his subordinates retreated, Do Young-jeon took off his official robes. He had to move discreetly, so he couldn’t go around in official attire.

Dressed in thick cotton clothes, Do Young-jeon quietly left the imperial palace.

Standing in front of Jo Gwang-yun’s house, Do Young-jeon spoke to the gatekeeper.

“Go and tell Master Jo that the person he’s been waiting for has arrived.”

The gatekeeper, recognizing him as an official of the imperial family from his arrogant demeanor alone, rushed inside.

Soon after, Jo Gwang-yun appeared, bowing with his hands clasped.

“I am Jo Gwang-yun, Lord Do. I am deeply grateful that you came in person.”

“Let’s go inside. There may be prying eyes.”

He wanted to say there were no prying eyes, but he held back. Wasn’t Seo Ik someone who was cautious to a fault?

Once inside the room, Do Young-jeon turned his head, looking around.

“This is a humble room for a Central Plains tycoon. Not a single painting or calligraphy scroll. No ceramics either. Do you have no appreciation for art? Ah… you’re just an ignorant commoner in that regard.”

He provoked him from the start. What could be the reason?

“To a merchant’s eyes, art like calligraphy and ceramics always looks like merchandise. And merchandise belongs in a department store for customers to buy.”

Looking at Jo Gwang-yun, who spoke with a smile, Do Young-jeon chuckled.

“Being faithful to one’s profession isn’t so bad.”

Do Young-jeon plopped down on a chair.

“Alright, tell me the reason why you made my subordinates look like fools and wanted to see me in person.”

“First, shouldn’t you withdraw your subordinates? They’re just loitering around my house.”

As Jo Gwang-yun spoke cautiously, Do Young-jeon nodded.

“They’re as good as blind anyway, so I will. But you must not leave the capital. Do you promise?”

“Of course. I will not leave this place for the time being.”

“For the time being? So, you have plans to leave the capital?”

“Can I leave the capital alive? That’s only possible when I’m a corpse, isn’t it? I said ‘for the time being’ because I don’t think I have much longer to live.”

It was such a blatant statement that Do Young-jeon frowned.

“Nothing is set in stone yet. No one knows what decision His Majesty will make.”

“Is that true?”

“Of course. If His Majesty had decided to get rid of you, there would be no need for me to meet with you alone like this.”

Do Young-jeon stared intently into Jo Gwang-yun’s eyes and asked.

“Did you want to meet me in person to beg for your life?”

“I may beg for money, but not for my life.”

“What? Hahaha.”

Do Young-jeon burst into hearty laughter. After laughing for a while, he slapped his knee.

“I heard you were a great martial artist, and you even have the spirit of a true man. That’s right. The sight of a man begging for his life is truly unsightly.”

“Thank you for seeing a humble merchant as a true man.”

“Enough with the greetings… Now, what is it you want to say?”

Jo Gwang-yun respectfully addressed Do Young-jeon.

“I hope that you will not presume His Majesty’s thoughts and speak and act based solely on the facts.”

“Isn’t that obvious? How can a subject presume the king’s mind, and how can an official performing his duties speak of things that are not true?”

“I said something unnecessary. Please forgive me.”

Jo Gwang-yun lowered his head slightly and spoke again.

“But when it is absolutely necessary, I dare to say that you should forget your status as a subject or official and think and act in a way that is more advantageous to you.”

Do Young-jeon’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

He never expected to hear such a thing.

He had only assumed that he would be swayed with money and sweet talk.

“For my sake? When will that be?”

“How would I know? But won’t that time surely come someday?”

“Is that all? Is there anything else you want to say?”

Jo Gwang-yun scratched his head, feigning embarrassment.

“There is one more thing, but…”

“Speak. There won’t be another chance like this, so don’t leave any regrets.”

“Then I’ll be frank. The Wi family, who are relatives of the imperial family, will step down from the court, and I will probably lose my life… If His Majesty orders me to be beheaded, I plan to simply disappear.”

Do Young-jeon’s eyebrows twitched.

“Are you defying the imperial decree?”

“Because I have the ability to do so.”

“What? Ability?”

Do Young-jeon had a dumbfounded expression.

“If I take a few gold bars and disappear, can you find me? Even if you do find me, there is no one in the imperial family with the martial skills to arrest or kill me.”

You can’t mobilize the army to catch one person. Even if you issue an arrest warrant nationwide, all you can do is mobilize the constables. In the end, Seo Ik would have to do it, but as Jo Gwang-yun said, even if he found him, he couldn’t do anything.

Seeing that Do Young-jeon, who knew the reality well, couldn’t say anything, Jo Gwang-yun spoke again.

“If you accept, I would like to make this proposal. I will give you a corpse to replace me. If you erase me from the world with that, I will live out the rest of my life in seclusion.”

Jo Gwang-yun finished speaking and observed Do Young-jeon’s expression. His clenched teeth suggested that he was very angry.

Do Young-jeon jumped up and shouted.

“Try to escape if you’re so confident! I’ll show you that you’re wrong. I don’t know how great your martial skills are, but you’re not the best in the Central Plains. There are plenty of people who can subdue someone like you.”

Was he talking about the warriors of the Dark Shadow Gate? Or was he going to mobilize a group of assassins from the martial world? Or… was he just saying it out of wounded pride?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

Even if the sky fell, he had no intention of living in seclusion, fishing and spending the rest of his life. He had already told Do Young-jeon what he wanted to say. When the time comes, act selfishly.

The talk of escaping and seclusion was just a smokescreen to show that he was waiting for the outcome without any other hidden agenda.

As Do Young-jeon angrily flung open the door and left, Jo Gwang-yun hoped that he would remember his words when he needed them.

* * *

Bang Young-young frowned when she arrived at the brothel guided by the warriors of the Changryong Gate’s Gansu branch.

“You’re saying that the Emperor’s brother is staying in this shabby inn? Are you sure you haven’t found the wrong person?”

One of the warriors smiled and said.

“The owner here is a young widow, but she’s a hidden gem. Quite a beauty. Hehe.”

“More than our girls?”

Bang Young-young pointed to the two courtesans who had come with her.

The man grinned and nodded.

“Just a little bit more.”

The eyes of the two young courtesans narrowed. It was hard to believe that a widow from this backwater could be prettier than them, and it was a great insult.

But Bang Young-young knew that the beauty of a courtesan was in the eyes of the beholder, so her eyes gleamed like a hyena eyeing its prey.

Leaving a woman of that beauty in a place like this was like throwing money away.

“Let’s go in first. I have to see for myself.”

The man entered the inn and met the two eunuchs who were assisting Prince Seongwon. The eunuchs checked the beauties waiting outside and rushed to Prince Seongwon.

Prince Seongwon was spending his days enjoying fine wine and beautiful women.

What a wonderful life this was!

Thanks to his well-to-do parents, he was the Emperor’s son and the Emperor’s brother. All he had to do was travel around the Central Plains, taste the local wines, and spend long nights with beautiful courtesans. There was nothing to worry about.

“Your Highness, there is someone who wishes to see you.”

“Who is it?”

Prince Seongwon, who was caressing the widow in his arms, was not pleased with the uninvited visitor who was disturbing his good time.

“Judging by her attire, she seems to be a courtesan.”

“A courtesan?”

Prince Seongwon straightened his posture.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Is she a beauty?”

“A stunning beauty. Both women…”

“Two of them? Bring them in quickly.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Prince Seongwon gently removed the widow and adjusted his robes.

The door opened, and Bang Young-young, dressed in flamboyant attire, appeared and gave a deep bow.

“Your Highness, may you enjoy ten thousand years of prosperity.”

Prince Seongwon’s expression soured as soon as he saw Bang Young-young.

“You might have been a beauty when you were young… Are you still selling smiles now?” [Selling smiles is a euphemism for working as a courtesan.]

Bang Young-young smiled brightly.

“How could that be? I’m like a mother to the women who sell smiles.”

Prince Seongwon’s expression brightened again.

“Then bring in the young daughters you brought with you.”

Bang Young-young slightly raised her head and quickly glanced at the young widow sitting demurely next to Prince Seongwon.

‘Oh ho. She’s truly too good to rot in this place.’

Bang Young-young was planning to take not only Prince Seongwon but also that young widow to the capital.

“Your Highness, I run a courtesan house called Gulakbu in the capital.”

The moment the word Gulakbu was uttered, Prince Seongwon’s expression changed. When he heard the rumors that it was a place teeming with the most beautiful women in the Central Plains, the owner of Gulakbu became an object of envy, even more so than the Emperor.

“How did you find me in this remote place?”

“The owner of Gulakbu wanted to serve Your Highness, so she sent me. She truly cherishes Your Highness’s calligraphy.”

“So? Does she want to get one of my writings?”

“She would be truly delighted if you bestowed such grace upon her.”

“Before that, I have one question. I heard that the courtesans of Gulakbu are the best in the Central Plains. Is that true?”

“Just in case, I brought two of them with me. They’re just average in Gulakbu. Please don’t scold them too much if they don’t meet your expectations.”

As soon as Bang Young-young finished speaking, the two courtesans walked gracefully and bowed to Prince Seongwon.

“Your Highness, may you enjoy great fortune.”

“Enough with the fortune, raise your heads.”

Prince Seongwon’s mouth stretched wide as he confirmed the beauty of the two courtesans.

“How many women like these flowers are there?”

Bang Young-young sensed that she had achieved more than half of what she wanted.

“Our Gulakbu only selects the best courtesans, so there aren’t that many. The number hasn’t exceeded two hundred yet.”

Two hundred of the best courtesans.

Prince Seongwon’s heart was already racing towards Gulakbu. But his situation was not so simple.

“I am here in accordance with the strict will of His Majesty. I cannot leave my post arbitrarily. Therefore, I will share the pleasures of life with you here.”

Bang Young-young said as if she had been waiting for it.

“The owner of Gulakbu is not so careless. She has already taken all the necessary measures so that there will be no problem even if Your Highness leaves this place.”

“Taken measures?”

Bang Young-young took out a letter from her bosom and offered it to Prince Seongwon, who snatched it up.

“Oh ho. Your master has a deep friendship with Lord Wi Chung-hyeon.”

“She has cultivated friendships with all the dignitaries who visit Gulakbu.”

Prince Seongwon was restless, but he didn’t want to abandon the woman next to him. Wasn’t it human nature not to want to let go of either piece of cake in both hands?

< Supporting Roles 2 > End