I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 189

< The Supporting Characters' Roles 3 >

Bang Young-young, reading Seongwon Wang’s mind, subtly suggested,

“Why don’t you take that woman you cherish with you, Your Highness? She could alleviate your boredom on the way back…”

Seongwon Wang jumped up from his seat.

“What are you doing? Prepare immediately.”

As the young widow awkwardly rose at Seongwon Wang’s urging, Bang Young-young smiled and said,

“Oh my, you’re so hasty. Your Highness, could you spare a moment to write a reply?”

“A reply? We’re leaving now, why a reply? And to whom are you referring?”

“Of course, to the master of the club I serve. He eagerly anticipates Your Highness’s arrival. If you write a reply now, the man waiting outside will immediately ride off. Shouldn’t they hurry to prepare to welcome Your Highness?”

“What is there to prepare? A club is just a brothel anyway, always overflowing with alcohol and women, isn’t it? There’s nothing to prepare separately.”

Bang Young-young stopped the hurrying Seongwon Wang with a smile.

“Your Highness, the club is always overflowing with guests. So, they need to know in advance that Your Highness has departed, to adjust and not accept other guests on that date. How could your esteemed Highness be with insignificant men?”

“Then… all two hundred courtesans… ?”

“Of course. It is the will of the one who manages the club. It is their loyalty to serve only Your Highness while you stay. Two hundred courtesans will always be waiting only for Your Highness.”

Seongwon Wang slumped back down and picked up a brush, as Bang Young-young subtly prompted,

“‘I am coming to you immediately at your call, so be fully prepared…’ Something short like that should suffice.”

Seongwon Wang quickly wrote the message and tossed it to Bang Young-young.

“Truly a divine script,” Bang Young-young exclaimed with excessive admiration, holding the reply. Seongwon Wang was already grabbing the hands of the young widow and two courtesans, heading outside.

Bang Young-young slowly stood up, not forgetting to retrieve the letter from Wi Choong-hyeon that she had given to Seongwon Wang.

When Seongwon Wang came outside, Bang Young-young ushered the two courtesans and Seongwon Wang into the carriage.

“Shall your sister go with me? This older sister has some things to talk about…”

Bang Young-young took the young widow’s hand, put her in another carriage, and handed two letters to the martial artist from Changryong Gate.

“Deliver these to Head Instructor Jo quickly.”

The martial artist took the letters and rode off like the wind.

Bang Young-young also got into the carriage.

The young widow, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, could only blink.

“Now, sister. Listen carefully to this older sister. Your fate has completely turned around now.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“First, I’ll buy that inn. I don’t know if it’s doing well or not, but I’ll give you three times the market price, so hand it over to me, and you can make a fresh start without any burdens. How about it?”

The young widow only stared at Bang Young-young’s sparkling eyes, nodding incessantly, not even noticing the carriage had started.

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun examined Seongwon Wang’s reply. The renowned handwriting drew admiration.

“He was an artist, not just a playboy.”

*If* he were tied to a club full of beautiful women, perhaps he could live the life he most desired.

Now that he had secured two letters and Seongwon Wang, all that remained was to stab Wi Choong-hyeon in the back.

Jo Gwang-yun called one of his men and assigned him a task that wasn’t too difficult.

“Go to Wi Choong-hyeon’s house and say exactly what I tell you.”

“Yes, Head Instructor.”

The man completely memorized what Jo Gwang-yun said and then received a *government pass* (*官牌*, a type of official identification) from him.

“That should be enough.”

“Yes, I’ll be back.”

The man bowed his head and headed to Wi Choong-hyeon’s house.

The old gatekeeper at Wi Choong-hyeon’s house opened the door at the sound of knocking, revealing a haggard young man.

“Who is it?”

“I have a message for Lord Wi.”

“Where are you from?”

“Yes. I am a government official from Jucheon County, Gansuk Province.”

The man took out the government pass from his pocket. The gatekeeper took the pass and ran inside, and when he came out again, he took the man inside.

Wi Choong-hyeon scanned the man up and down.

“You’re a government official?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Who sent you?”

“Seongwon Wang ordered me to rush here.”

At the mention of Seongwon Wang, Wi Choong-hyeon’s face hardened.

“Where is His Highness now?”

“He was in Jucheon County, but he said he would know if I just delivered the message that he accepts your request…”

Accepting the request meant he received the letter. The one *I* sent didn’t come, but a strange one did.

“What happened to the one who delivered the letter?”

The man, not understanding, rolled his eyes before slapping his forehead.

“Ah, are you talking about the messenger who fell?”

“Fell?”

“Yes. The eunuch who served His Highness said so. The messenger fell off his horse and was seriously injured. He said he was sending me instead because he couldn’t move for a while.”

Wi Choong-hyeon’s heart sank at the thought of his subordinate falling off his horse while rushing. But he was relieved that the man had braved his injuries to deliver the letter.

“I’ll ask again. Did Seongwon Wang definitely say he accepted the request?”

“Yes. That’s what he told me to say.”

“Good. You’ve come a long way.”

Wi Choong-hyeon called a servant.

“Prepare a comfortable place for him to sleep. Prepare plenty of food, and give him a bottle of wine too.”

“Thank you, Lord.”

The man bowed his head.

Seongwon Wang has departed. Now, all that’s left is to set the date for the operation and proceed as planned. A smile appeared on Wi Choong-hyeon’s face.

* * *

Hongyeon, Jayeon, and Cheongyeon, who always took turns crossing the palace walls, crossed them together today.

They didn’t know the exact reason for gathering, but they sensed that a big event was ahead.

As expected, Jo Gwang-yun dropped a bombshell.

“The Empress is trying to kill the Emperor.”

Even though they were involved in the martial world, the Emperor was the nation itself. And they knew that the crime of treason meant the extermination of the entire clan.

The women, who had been silent for a while, cautiously asked,

“Are we just watching? Or are we participating?”

“We will exploit it.”

*Exploit it.* It was a short sentence, but it contained everything.

“If we exploit it, there will be something we have to do, right?”

“Of course. And it will be a very important task.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“More dangerous than the day the last prince was born, perhaps?”

There was no need for questions.

The life of a child born to a concubine versus the life of the Emperor. Of course, it would be more important and dangerous.

“Then what about Consort Yang… ?”

When they asked again cautiously, Jo Gwang-yun looked at the three women and said,

“You must kill her.”

Perhaps they had expected it.

“Right now, the Empress and Wi Choong-hyeon are trying to poison the Emperor and cover it up as a sudden death. Of course, it’s a lie. They will frame Yang Ryeo-cheong as the one who assassinated the Emperor.”

“But if we get rid of Consort Yang… ?”

“That’s right. It’s impossible for two people to die suddenly in the same place at the same time. So, someone killed both of them, and I plan to make the Empress the culprit.”

“If two people die, everyone will point to the Empress as the culprit.”

Hongyeon nodded and said,

“Since the Empress killed the Emperor, no one in her family will survive. Including the First Prince.”

“Then the Second Prince will naturally become the heir.”

When Cheongyeon said that, Hongyeon tilted her head.

“Doesn’t the Emperor have two younger brothers? Since the Second Prince is still a baby, it seems like one of the two brothers would inherit the throne?”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled and shook his head.

“One is not of this world, and the other will live hidden in a very secret place. Well… he might die too.”

“You’ve already taken care of it.”

“If I miss even one, everything I’ve done so far will be for nothing, and I can’t let that happen. How could I waste all the hard work you’ve done?”

Jo Gwang-yun began to explain the tasks for that day, step by step, to the three women who would be the top contributors to this operation.

“When the Emperor collapses, press Yang Ryeo-cheong’s blood points to block her voice first. Then pour poison into her mouth. She will die.”

“What about the Second Prince?”

“One of you should take the child and go straight to the Queen Dowager. Go and say that the Emperor and Consort Yang have just died, and beg her to save the Second Prince no matter what.”

The Second Prince will be protected by the Queen Dowager. No, he will become a tool for the Queen Dowager to regain power.

“And another one should run straight to bring the Royal Physician. He will reveal the cause of death. The last one should guard Haan Palace. Don’t let anyone inside until the Royal Physician arrives.”

Preserving the crime scene is essential.

“This is what you have to do, and there is only one thing to say. Two people collapsed at the same time. Just repeat this. I have prepared everything else.”

“Yes, I understand, Head Instructor.”

They thought it was fortunate that they were not the main players in the treason. Although they were taking Yang Ryeo-cheong’s life, they didn’t feel much guilt. Rather, they thought that they were saving the country by preventing Yang Ryeo-cheong from becoming the Empress. Wasn’t Yang Ryeo-cheong said to be of devastating beauty? It might be better to eliminate beauty that could ruin the country.

Jo Gwang-yun handed over a letter.

“Deliver this to the Queen Dowager. After the Queen Dowager has read it, it must be burned. Make sure to confirm that it is burned to ashes.”

“Yes.”

Hongyeon put the letter in her bosom.

* * *

Hongyeon hid in the back garden of the palace where the Queen Dowager resided and slowly gathered her energy. After a while, a woman approached Hongyeon, looking around.

“Junior Sister. It’s a message from the Head Instructor.”

Hongyeon lowered her voice and conveyed Jo Gwang-yun’s instructions.

The woman, who had entered the palace as a maid of the Queen Dowager’s family, received the letter and bowed her head.

“I will carry it out without fail.”

The maid ran straight to the Queen Dowager’s residence.

The Queen Dowager frowned as a court lady carrying a teacup on a tray entered.

“Didn’t I say I wanted to be alone? Why are you doing things I didn’t ask you to do…”

But the Queen Dowager stopped speaking when she discovered the letter hidden under the tray. The court lady put down the tray and whispered secretly.

“Jo Gwang-yun, the Head of the Department, sent this.”

Upon hearing the name Jo Gwang-yun, the Queen Dowager hurriedly unfolded the letter, and her eyes widened as if they would pop out the moment she confirmed the first sentence.

『The Empress and her brother, Vice Minister Wi Choong-hyeon, are trying to assassinate His Majesty.』

There were no formal greetings in the letter.

Only the Emperor’s death, the events that would follow, and what the Queen Dowager had to do were written in detail.

The Queen Dowager’s trembling never stopped as she read the letter, worried that someone might hear her heartbeat, but she even felt a strange pleasure.

All the humans who had ignored and despised her would disappear at once. She would be the owner of the imperial family from which they had disappeared. The owner of the imperial family was the owner of this country.

It was like being fully compensated for the time of humiliation she had endured after the late Emperor’s death when she was left alone.

In particular, one sentence in the letter was very pleasing to her.

『No one will be able to disobey the Queen Dowager’s orders.』

She finished reading all the requests written at the end of the letter and put the letter down.

She took a few deep breaths and calmed her startled heart with a sip of tea.

The Queen Dowager picked up the letter and brought it to the flickering candlelight.

Jo Gwang-yun’s plan remained in the Queen Dowager’s mind, and the letter turned to ashes.

< The Supporting Characters' Roles 3 > End