I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 198

“W, what is this… !”

Hwanghyo was speechless at the sight of the Empress imprisoned in the prison.

The Empress, gagged and tied to a pillar, slumped like a corpse.

“Who is it? Who did such a terrible thing?”

At Hwanghyo’s shout, the frightened prison guard quickly replied.

“It was the Queen Dowager who ordered it. We are just doing as we were told, sir.”

“What? The Queen Dowager?”

“What safety is there to lie? She told us to gag her to prevent her from taking her own life and to tie her up tightly. And she told us not to give her a drop of water, let alone food, until permission is given.”

“Untie her at once and bring water quickly.”

Hwanghyo’s face hardened.

It is the law of the country not to inflict any torture or harm before opening the interrogation room and starting the investigation. The Queen Dowager’s instructions are just private revenge.

It is said that the resentment of a woman is terrible, but the position of Queen Dowager is not a position where one should take private revenge.

As he moistened her parched lips, the Empress opened her eyes.

“Your Majesty. Are you awake?”

“You… Who are you…?”

“It’s Hwanghyo.”

The Queen Dowager couldn’t speak for a while as she regained her lost mind.

“It seems the state funeral is over. Are you starting the state trial now?”

“No. We are still in mourning.”

“Then why…?”

“I came to tell you something.”

Hwanghyo carefully watched the Empress’s expression and spoke cautiously.

“Chief State Councilor has taken his own life.”

The Empress couldn’t say anything, her eyes wide open.

“All he left was a request not to use the treason politically.”

However, the Empress couldn’t hear Hwanghyo’s added words and fainted again. Hwanghyo clicked his tongue in dismay and ran back to the main hall.

Yoon Juseong asked Hwanghyo, who rushed in.

“What does the Empress say?”

Hwanghyo shook his head and said.

“She fainted as soon as she heard the sad news. But, Minister of the Secretariat.”

“Yes.”

“The Queen Dowager…”

As Hwanghyo told in a low voice what the Queen Dowager had done, Yoon Juseong also frowned.

“It seems the Queen Dowager has a lot of resentment built up.”

“Either way, once the state trial begins, harsh torture will begin, but if she commits something that doesn’t exist in the national law again, it won’t be right, will it?”

“I’ll meet the Queen Dowager now. I have to report the Chief State Councilor’s death anyway.”

Yoon Juseong bowed his head slightly and left the main hall.

* * *

A large white silk cloth with the four characters ‘Tomb of the Son of Heaven’ written on it covers the coffin in which the Emperor lies, like a screen.

The Queen Dowager and Hyunbi in white mourning clothes were sitting facing each other in front of it, and all the concubines were kneeling beside the Queen Dowager with their bodies lowered.

The concubines are leaving the palace anyway.

However, if the Queen Dowager decides to retaliate for the humiliation she has suffered, no one can easily escape. They all just hope that the Queen Dowager will show generosity and allow them to leave the palace safely.

The Queen Dowager said to Hyunbi, who continued to stay in her seat.

“Hyunbi, you’re not feeling well, so go back to your residence and get some rest. There are many women to protect this place.”

As the Queen Dowager glanced around at the concubines, they also opened their mouths.

“Your Majesty, please do so. The generous Queen Dowager has allowed it, so it is not a flaw even if you leave your seat.”

Everyone echoed the Queen Dowager, but Hyunbi quietly shook her head.

“I am very grateful for your concern, but I still have the strength to protect my husband’s last moments.”

The Queen Dowager’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Even if he was your husband, didn’t you not have enough time to keep your affection? How many times did the Emperor visit the sickly Hyunbi?”

Some concubines chuckled at the Queen Dowager’s provocation, but Hyunbi’s expression remained unchanged.

“The concubines will leave the palace after the state funeral, but I will continue to protect the palace and remain chaste for the rest of my life. If there is affection, you remain chaste, and if there is no affection, you don’t have to remain chaste, then how can you call it a marriage? Even if there is no affection, isn’t he still your husband?”

At Hyunbi’s words, the concubines blushed and couldn’t raise their heads.

The Queen Dowager was about to retort at Hyunbi, who didn’t give in, but something else happened.

A eunuch approached the Queen Dowager and quietly whispered in her ear, and the Queen Dowager had to get up and go outside.

“Yes, what’s going on?”

Yoon Juseong bowed his head to the Queen Dowager and reported in a low voice.

“Your Majesty, Wi Chung-hyun has just taken his own life in prison.”

“What, what? Suicide?”

“Yes. He tore his clothes and hanged himself.”

The Queen Dowager received Wi Chung-hyun’s will from Yoon Juseong.

She crumpled the will she had read.

“What a mess!”

Yoon Juseong’s brow furrowed.

A mess?

A mess is a word used when a planned event fails or falls short of expectations.

What plan did the Queen Dowager have for Wi Chung-hyun? Did she have a plan to drive out certain forces in the court, such as the relatives of the concubines?

It’s not hard to guess.

Yoon Juseong brought up what he had tried to ignore.

“Your Majesty.”

“Huh? Ah… Yes. Please speak, Minister of the Secretariat.”

The Queen Dowager, who had been lost in thought, came to her senses.

“Did you order the Empress in prison to be tied up, gagged, and not given a drop of water?”

The Queen Dowager’s face hardened.

“Yes. Is it right to give a traitor water, food, and a comfortable sleep?”

“Your Majesty, you must do so before starting the state trial. If you start the state trial, you will inflict endless punishments… Even then, if your body becomes weak, you will stop the torture. That is the law of this country.”

“Humph. How did that turn out? Didn’t Wi Chung-hyun kill himself?”

The Queen Dowager shook Wi Chung-hyun’s will in front of Yoon Juseong’s eyes.

“I did that because I knew this kind of accident would happen. Are you daring to blame me now?”

“I am not blaming Your Majesty’s wise actions. I am just telling you the procedures stipulated by the national law.”

“Procedures?”

“Yes. If you were worried that the Empress would commit suicide, you should have called the Jaehyung Cheopchaesa [officials in charge of prison administration] and ordered them to tie up the Empress and gag her. That is the national law.”

She was speechless at the words to go through her servants instead of doing it herself.

The Queen Dowager thought of Hyunbi a moment ago.

It’s not time to show off her power yet. Putting Yi Hwangja on the throne is the priority.

Slowly, slowly.

“Now that I listen to you, Minister of the Secretariat, you are right. I am not yet familiar with state affairs and national law, so I made a mistake.”

The Queen Dowager took a deep breath and said with a smile.

“Minister of the Secretariat, if I make this mistake again in the future, you must not hesitate to give me stern advice.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

Yoon Juseong quickly bowed his head. And he was a little worried about the Queen Dowager, who was already talking like an Emperor.

* * *

The Emperor and Yang Ryeo-cheong’s funerals were just the calm before the storm.

As soon as the funeral was over, the Imperial Palace had to deal with the pending sharp issues, and so did Jo Kwang-yun.

The first thing he encountered was a report that the unpleasant matter was over.

“I’m back, Lord Jang.”

Goo Seung, who had traveled a long way, bowed his head.

“You’ve worked hard. How did it go?”

“I took care of it without leaving any traces, but I had no choice but to take care of both of them.”

“Both husband and wife at once?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Were the two of them always together?”

“No, I pretended that they had abandoned their life of exile and eloped…”

“Eloped?”

“Yes. They took all the precious jewels, money, gold, and even clothes from the house. Anyone would think they had escaped from a place that was no different from a prison.”

It seemed better than King Pyongwon disappearing alone, so he didn’t say anything special. However, there was something to confirm.

“What about the bodies of those two?”

“I buried them deep in the Cheonsan Mountains [Heaven Mountains], where no one goes. I buried them so deep that no wild animals could smell them, so no one will ever find them.”

“What did you do with the jewels and clothes you took?”

“I burned the clothes and threw the jewels into the Irtysh River just in case. I threw them in the middle of the river, so they will be buried on the riverbed forever.”

“Why didn’t you bury them together? Why bother?”

“If the jewels were with them, they might be able to identify the body if it was ever found.”

It means that he crushed their faces so that they could not be identified.

He liked the clean finish.

“It must have been quite valuable. What a waste.”

As Jo Kwang-yun said jokingly, Goo Seung smiled.

“The person who now holds the world in his hands… is being petty. Haha.”

“Not yet. Why are there so many people blocking my way… It’s disgusting. Hehe.”

“Just tell me. I’ll sweep them all away.”

Goo Seung also knows. The people blocking Jo Kwang-yun’s way, like King Pyongwon, will only cause bigger problems if they are dealt with secretly.

“Let’s take care of the royal physicians first.”

“Royal physicians? Are you talking about the two royal physicians who took care of Yang Ryeo-cheong?”

Jo Kwang-yun nodded his head.

“Go and tell them I want to see them.”

As Goo Seung’s eyes sparkled, Jo Kwang-yun waved his hand.

“I’m going to send them far away so they can live comfortably. They have done enough to deserve that much.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Goo Seung bowed his head and left.

* * *

“Now that the state funeral is over, the two of you should submit your resignation.”

The two royal physicians couldn’t even lift their heads in front of Jo Kwang-yun. They only thought that if they made one son, they would have a solid foundation in the imperial family, but they never expected that their son would rise to the throne so quickly.

Now that Jo Kwang-yun has become an imperial uncle, the royal physician is not in a position to dare to make eye contact.

“Does resignation mean leaving the Imperial Palace?”

“Are you going to continue to be doctors? Didn’t I promise you? I said I would let you live in luxury so that no one would envy you.”

“That’s true, but…”

The two royal physicians who were kneeling were trembling.

“Are you afraid?”

At Jo Kwang-yun’s direct question, the two royal physicians’ bodies were completely stuck to the floor.

“Lord Jo, no… Lord Jo, I will never talk about the past. I will take it to the grave, so please spare my life.”

“That’s right. I don’t need luxury or money. Of course, I will submit my resignation and leave the capital. I will put a lock as heavy as a thousand pounds on my mouth, so don’t worry.”

They vaguely thought that the death of the Emperor and the death of Yang Ryeo-cheong were Jo Kwang-yun’s big picture. Otherwise, there was no way that the two of them would die at the same time, and the Empress and Wi Chung-hyun would be in such a state.

“You know that I have one foot in the Murim world [martial arts world], right?”

“Of course.”

“Among the Murim factions, there is the Beggar Clan, which gathers hordes of beggars. Their eyes monitor the entire Central Plains [the central region of China].”

“I know it well.”

“And if you combine Jo Ga Jeonjang [Jo family pawnshop], Jo Ga Department Store, and Changryongmun [likely a powerful organization], which I rule, it will be an information network that is as good as the Beggar Clan. In other words, I know who is saying what and where; it’s in the palm of my hand.”

The royal physicians understood exactly what he meant.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jo Kwang-yun smiled and said to them, who were constantly bowing their heads.

“Organize your assets and leave far away and settle down anywhere. If you go to that Jo Ga Jeonjang, they will give you as much money as you want. Use that to build a large manor and bring in young and pretty concubines. You can live the rest of your life like an Emperor. However, you must hide the fact that you were a doctor.”

“Thank you for your Lordship’s grace.”

“I will keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life and be careful not to be seen by others.”

They, who had been thinking of killing and exterminating their family, got up and bowed deeply when Jo Kwang-yun said that he would keep his first promise.

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