I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 53

< Bribes 1 Paid Start >

“He must be quite an important figure.”

Magistrate Yun simply nodded instead of answering.

“A traitor who could ruin the country, then. And in a high position, too…”

He didn’t ask about the people they had to pay off, but he couldn’t help but ask about the person they had to kill.

Magistrate Yun couldn’t answer immediately and wore a sorrowful expression for a while before finally opening his mouth with difficulty.

“No. He is a loyal subject of noble character.”

At first, I couldn’t believe that these words came out of Yun Ju-seong’s mouth, but I was even impressed that he had thought this far.

He judged things not by right or wrong, but by whether they were helpful or a hindrance.

“What’s the reason for wanting to kill a loyal subject?”

“It’s not that I want to kill him, but I want to remove him from the court. When I advance to the central government in the future, he may become my greatest adversary.”

“That’s a rather extreme way to get someone out of the court.”

“That man is not swayed by money or the beauty of women. And his family… that venerable family is an unwavering pillar. Someday, he will surely rise to the highest position.”

He was saying that he was a great guy from a great family.

“He must be quite a figure if you have to eliminate him in advance.”

“He is the first person I have ever admired.”

Jo Gwang-yun didn’t miss the respect that flashed in Magistrate Yun’s eyes.

“For now, don’t abandon that admiration. Hasty judgment will remain a debt in your heart for a long time.”

Magistrate Yun looked relieved at Jo Gwang-yun’s words.

“What is Magistrate Yun’s mark?”

“Mark?”

“Yes. You can’t just hand over money and women and say, ‘This is a gift from Yun Ju-seong,’ can you? Bribery is secretive. There’s a code of conduct…”

“A mark to replace my name…”

“Everyone must recognize it. If it’s a mark that no one notices, I’ll just be wasting my money.”

“’Yellow Cat and Butterfly Painting’. It’s a painting I often drew for acquaintances. The court officials will surely remember it.”

In the future, those who receive money will see that painting in a silk pouch, and those who encounter a woman will see the painting drawn on the hem of her skirt.

“The value of a cat and butterfly will be worth tens of thousands of gold. Magistrate, please remember that.”

With these words, Jo Gwang-yun stood up. The deal was done.

As Jo Gwang-yun quietly bowed and turned around, he snapped his fingers and said,

“Oh, you didn’t mention his name… Who is it?”

“I’ll tell you someday when only he and I are left in the court.”

“Your confident appearance is good to see. It’s different from when you drink alone every night.”

Magistrate Yun tapped the empty liquor bottle and said,

“Today, this liquor was my last.”

As Jo Gwang-yun bowed politely, Magistrate Yun also stood up abruptly and clasped his hands in greeting.

Now, the two had become firmly allied partners.

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun handed the list he received from the magistrate to Jang Cheon-yang.

“Do you know these people?”

Jang Cheon-yang checked each name.

“Most of them are people I’ve heard of. They’ve been court officials for a long time.”

“Do you see any commonalities among them?”

“Commonalities?”

Jang Cheon-yang checked the list again. After thinking for a while, he expressed the commonalities in very appropriate words.

“They are officials who are not perfectly clean, nor are they so corrupt as to be pointed fingers at, but are justifiably tainted by the world.”

“Isn’t that true of all officials?”

“Not all of them are like that. About half of the court officials are either clean or corrupt, one of the two. Did Magistrate Yun give you this?”

“Yes.”

“Ah…! Let me rephrase. The names of people who would refuse bribes and those who would step forward to take bribes will not be on this list.”

In the end, it was a list of officials who wouldn’t cause trouble later.

“There are some names that are unfamiliar to me. These people are either not from families with a long lineage, or they are people directly selected by the Emperor.”

Jo Gwang-yun decided to believe only half of Jang Cheon-yang’s words.

Even if he was from a scholarly background, all he had was what he had picked up in the provinces. Of course, he knew more than himself, but there were clear limitations.

But he would know the names that he hadn’t heard from Magistrate Yun. If Magistrate Yun was afraid of them, they would be widely known among the writers.

“Is there anyone in the court who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Magistrate Yun?”

“Meng Ul, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.”

The name came out immediately.

“Meng Ul?”

“Yes. He is a descendant of a prestigious family that has alternately held positions in the Three Ministries [the six ministries were divided into three groups] for generations. His scholarship is also said to surpass Magistrate Yun Ju-seong, and he is definitely not inferior. And he receives a lot of favor from the Emperor. You can see that he was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices before he even turned thirty.”

Jang Cheon-yang’s eyes were full of envy.

“He may have the Emperor’s favor now, but who knows when the Emperor’s mood will change? It’s something that could change at any time.”

“That might be the case if he didn’t have a family to support him, but his family is so great that even the Emperor can’t treat him carelessly.”

“It’s better to show favor and draw out loyalty from a family that is so great that it’s hard to abandon?”

“Exactly.”

Jo Gwang-yun, who had even found out the name that Magistrate Yun hadn’t told him, began to prepare.

Jo Gwang-yun called Ok Gang-il.

The name Oryun Sect had completely disappeared from Gaebong.

They had hidden in the outskirts of Gaebong and did not come out. Jo Gwang-yun did not interfere much with Ok Gang-il’s business. He knew that the money he was earning had increased tremendously, but he didn’t ask for anything other than the fixed amount.

However, he would occasionally call him in and intimidate him, just like managing a spoiled pet.

“Did you call for me, Lord Jang?”

Ok Gang-il, who greeted him politely, was getting fatter and looked like a prosperous merchant.

“Chief Ok, aren’t you practicing martial arts anymore? Is that really okay?”

“I have many nimble guys under me, so it’s okay. And thanks to Lord Jang’s consideration, there’s no need to fight. A power struggle can only arise if a new sect is formed, right?”

“What if a guy like you comes out and rises up from below? Can you handle it?”

Ok Gang-il smiled and waved his hand.

“I learned something from Lord Jang… I’m not stupid. I’m holding on to the purse strings, so who would betray me? It’s a matter of livelihood. Hehe.”

Virtue, power, money. Among the methods of controlling people, Ok Gang-il switched from power to money. He had realized that money doesn’t betray.

People don’t change because of ordinary money, but a large sum of money that they never dreamed of changes people. Ok Gang-il was no longer a martial artist.

“But Lord Jang, what’s going on?”

When he saw the shadow in his eyes, Jo Gwang-yun smiled and said,

“Don’t worry. I didn’t call you to ask for more money.”

The shadow disappeared from Ok Gang-il’s eyes.

“Get me a woman.”

“A woman?”

“Yeah.”

“The courtesans of Gaebong’s brothels wish to be held in Lord Jang’s arms even once… It can’t be that you don’t have any women…”

His senses were still sharp.

“I need to find a rather unique woman. Among the women you manage, pick out the ones who are beautiful enough to make any man swoon.”

“Of course. And?”

“She has to be able to endure all kinds of perverted acts. No, it would be even better if she enjoyed perverted acts.”

Ok Gang-il realized that what Jo Gwang-yun was looking for was not a woman, but a bribe.

“What kind of guy likes perverted acts?”

“He’s a eunuch.”

“What? A eunuch? Hahaha.”

Ok Gang-il burst into a refreshing laugh.

“Does that eunuch have a lot of money?”

“Tremendous.”

Ok Gang-il nodded as if he knew it.

“Actually, there are quite a few guys like that. They have a lot of money, so they can buy as many women as they want, but when they actually buy women, they go crazy just looking at them. They can’t be satisfied with just rubbing their limp dicks on the women, so they start doing strange things.”

He probably didn’t even have a dick to rub, so he didn’t want to hear any more.

“Listen. I’m not curious about how eunuchs do their nightly activities, I’m curious about whether there are any decent women.”

Ok Gang-il, who had been talking excitedly, cleared his throat.

“Well, there are a few who are just right. But…”

Ok Gang-il began to read Jo Gwang-yun’s expression as he avoided his gaze.

“Because they are such decent women, there are many customers looking for them. The price for one night is also enormous.”

“So? Are you telling me to buy them with money?”

When Jo Gwang-yun glared at him, Ok Gang-il jumped.

“Oh, no. How could I? I’m just hoping you’ll recognize my losses.”

“That’s enough showing off. Go and bring them all here quickly.”

“Yes, Lord Jang.”

Ok Gang-il ran like lightning and brought three women.

“How is it, Lord Jang?”

Perhaps because of the rough life they had lived, the three women’s beautiful faces were shadowed.

Jo Gwang-yun looked closely at the three faces and stepped back.

“Take it off.”

The women, as if all shame had dried up, took off their clothes without hesitation.

After examining their bodies, Jo Gwang-yun gestured, and the women put their clothes back on.

“Send that woman back.”

The woman Jo Gwang-yun pointed to had a body that clearly showed her rough past. There were many scars.

The eunuch is the one who lives in the palace, seeing and touching only precious things. Scars are already cracked porcelain that cannot be used, and especially scars on a woman’s body are a sign that she has been touched by many men.

No matter how beautiful and good at night work a woman is, she is excluded because she has no value as a gift, like a tarnished and cracked rice bowl.

With only two women left, Jo Gwang-yun said to Ok Gang-il.

“This is really important. If we make even the slightest mistake, we may disappear without a trace. So think carefully and choose. Which one is better?”

A rich eunuch, a man with great power to be bribed.

Having caught on, Ok Gang-il approached Jo Gwang-yun and whispered in his ear.

“Could it be for a eunuch in the Imperial Palace…?”

When Jo Gwang-yun nodded, Ok Gang-il’s eyes widened.

Now he was reaching out of Gaebong and into the Imperial family!

He already knew that the Mukdo Association’s financier had gone beyond the level a long time ago, but now that he was reaching for the Imperial family, he knew that he was a person far away.

“Lord Jang. Please give me a moment.”

Ok Gang-il took the two women out and returned after about an hour.

“Lord Jang. Take them both.”

As soon as Jo Gwang-yun heard Ok Gang-il’s words, he smacked his forehead.

Why hadn’t he thought of this?

Doesn’t every man have a fantasy about two women?

He had only thought that the eunuch was castrated. The starting point was wrong.

He had to think of the eunuch as a man with strong sexual desires.

“The two women have to be in sync?”

“No man can withstand their teamwork. Whether he’s normal or castrated, he’ll taste ecstasy.”

When Ok Gang-il spoke loudly, Jo Gwang-yun said to the two women.

“Listen carefully. You’ve already heard who you’re dealing with.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two women answered in small voices.

“If you satisfy that person, you two will end your miserable lives.”

The women’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

“It means you’ll escape from the hell of dealing with smelly men every night. That’s not the end of it. Everything that touches your skin will be silk, and you’ll only eat rice and meat soup.”

The women’s interest was not in silk or meat.

Their hearts, which had been dead, began to beat at the words of escaping from hell.

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