We moved as fast as we could and arrived at Springview Fortress.
“Who are you?”
“We’re restricting access to outsiders right now.”
When the gate guard failed to recognize me, I made sure I looked thoroughly offended.
“Now that’s just hurtful. Do you have any idea how much money I’ve poured into Springview Fortress? And you don’t even recognize my face?”
Then I pointed at the boxes Escort Guard Seo Wu and Han Seok were carrying.
“Should I just turn around and leave?”
Just then, the fortress gate flew open and someone came running out. He was one of the men from the envoy group.
“H, how dare you! Show some respect to our great benefactor!”
Then he turned to me and gave me an awkward smile.
“Hahahaha! My apologies. There’ve been some unfortunate incidents inside the fortress lately, so security’s gotten quite strict.”
“Unfortunate incidents?”
He nodded, then stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“I’ll explain once we’re inside.”
On the way to the Fortress Lord’s estate, he gave me a detailed account of everything that had happened in Springview Fortress.
“So the estate caught fire, the Strategist’s Artifact shoes burned up, and some man named Jin Dae-cheol smuggled out His Highness, who was being held in the dungeon?”
“That’s right.”
“But… His Highness was in the dungeon?”
At my question, the envoy looked at me with tense eyes, then let out a sigh.
“There was no other choice. We absolutely needed His Highness’s cooperation for our great cause, but he was so unbelievably stubborn… so with tears in our eyes… we had no choice but to do it.”
Hah. “With tears in our eyes,” my ass.
They’d tortured him so badly that everything below the face was wrecked, and now they wanted to dress it up like regret?
But I couldn’t let that anger show.
“Well… I’m sure you had your reasons. Still, this is serious. If His Majesty finds out His Highness was locked up in the dungeon…”
“I know. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to find that bastard Jin Dae-cheol.”
By the time we reached the estate, I was speechless.
“…”
Wow. They really did burn it to the ground. I did ask for a fire, but I wasn’t expecting this much…
He gave me a bitter smile.
“Shocking, isn’t it? The place is in terrible shape.”
Of course, he had it all wrong.
Inside, I was loving every second of this.
“Then where are you staying now?”
“The inner residence burned down, so we had no choice but to move into the outer residence and the annex.”
“Then the people who were originally staying there…”
“What do we care? We sent them elsewhere, so I’m sure they’ll manage.”
I smiled to myself.
Setting the fire hadn’t just been about creating a distraction so I could rescue the Imperial Prince.
I’d had another goal too.
Getting Springview Fortress’s household staff out of the estate.
They’d be much easier to rescue if they were outside.
“Is the Fortress Lord safe?”
He hesitated for a moment at my question, then nodded.
“Of course. He’s perfectly safe.”
“That’s a relief. Then may I see him?”
“He went out to inspect something elsewhere. You can just speak to the Strategist.”
“Then I’ll do that.”
.
.
.
After meeting Strategist Gong Ho, offering a few polite words of sympathy, and handing over the funds,
Gong Ho’s mouth practically fell open the second he saw the money.
“I say this only out of concern, but I think you should keep a very close eye on those funds.”
“Well, obviously. But… you don’t sound like you’re saying that for no reason.”
“Do you remember the man who escorted me here just now?”
“Of course. One of His Majesty’s eunuchs, the one who came here as part of the envoy.”
“The way he looked at the funds I brought was… unsettling. At this rate, the money I brought could end up lining someone else’s pockets.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
I rose from my seat and headed back to my quarters. Still, I guess losing those shoes really did hit him hard.
He looked like death warmed over until he saw the money I brought.
The moment I stepped into the annex where I’d been staying, Palgap ran up to greet me.
“Young Master, you’re back.”
“Yeah. Nothing happened, right?”
At my question, Palgap nodded.
“Nothing too serious.”
Which meant something had happened. Just nothing serious enough to matter.
Palgap filled me in on everything that had happened while I was gone.
So because everyone saw me and my group leave through the gate, no one grew suspicious…
It had worked exactly as intended, but one question still bothered me.
From the sound of it, my plan would’ve worked fine even if we hadn’t stolen those Artifact shoes.
Then why had Young Lady Seohyang advised me to take them?
I turned it over in my head from every angle, but nothing definite came to mind.
Well, I’d find out eventually.
And it wasn’t like getting my hands on a useful Artifact was a bad thing.
“Tell everyone to gather.”
“Yes, sir.”
Before long, everyone had assembled in my room.
“I’m glad you all made it back safely.”
At my words, Gwon Jik replied,
“There were a few moments when our identities nearly got exposed, but each time, your escort guards helped us get through it.”
Just like I thought, there had been trouble.
Still, they’d gotten through it without incident, so I could hear the details later.
“That’s good.”
I nodded and explained what was happening outside.
“First, His Highness has safely been escorted back to the Imperial Palace. And right now, five thousand Imperial Guards are on their way here.”
“What?”
“Did you just say five thousand Imperial Guards?”
The Embroidered Guard heroes all visibly flinched.
Understandably so.
It wasn’t often that the Imperial Guard was deployed on that scale.
It meant the Emperor was furious.
Then again, if I were the Emperor, I’d have done the same thing.
“They’re expected to arrive in about half a month.”
“But if a force that large is on the move, couldn’t they hear about it in advance and run?”
“That’s why they’re moving in small groups and staying covert. Unless someone has an exceptionally strong information network, they won’t catch wind of it.”
After explaining that, I shifted the subject.
“By the way, did things go well with that man named Jin Dae-cheol?”
At my question, he nodded.
“The two dead men led by that Maoshan Sect Daoist before… were indeed Embroidered Guards stationed here.”
“…So it really was them.”
“Then… what should we do now?”
At Cheong Ak’s question, I calmly answered,
“If we do anything rash, we could draw suspicion. So for now, act like nothing’s happened. Just keep going as you have.”
“Understood. But it’s frustrating to just sit here and do nothing.”
That made me let out a small laugh.
“When did I ever say you should do nothing?”
“Huh?”
“I said don’t move carelessly. I never said don’t do anything.”
I smiled and continued.
“There is something we need to do from now on. We need to plant suspicion among them.”
Just like I’d done a little while ago with Gong Ho.
“Make them start doubting each other.”
After the meeting ended and everyone began to disperse, So Un approached me.
“There’s… something I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Ju Hyeon… is His Highness all right?”
“Yes. His life is no longer in danger.”
At my answer, he visibly relaxed and said,
“That’s a relief. And thank you. I’ll repay this debt no matter what.”
I had saved Imperial Prince Ju Hyeon’s life, sure, but even so, it felt strange for an Embroidered Guard warrior to be this emotional.
I’d only done what I was ordered to do.
What was that about?
But my thoughts didn’t get any further than that. Someone outside was calling for me.
The one who came looking for me was one of the traitors.
His name was… Baek Seon, was it? One of the eunuchs who had accompanied the Imperial Prince, and also one of the envoys.
“What brings you here?”
“There’s something important I need to say. Do you have a moment?”
“As it happens, I do. Please, come in.”
He stepped into my room, glanced at my escort guards, and said,
“I’d like to speak with you alone.”
“Of course.”
I readily agreed and sent my escort guards away.
“Go outside and get some rest.”
At my order, they dipped their heads slightly and left the room. I then sent a Voice Transmission to Escort Guard Jin Yu.
– Watch from above.
– As you command.
Then, outwardly calm, I said to Baek Seon,
“Would you like some tea? I brought some back with me when I went out.”
“Go ahead.”
I brewed it myself and poured him a cup.
“Please.”
He took a sip, then nodded with a satisfied look.
“This is excellent.”
“I’m glad it suits your taste. Now then, what did you want to say?”
At my words, Baek Seon cleared his throat and spoke.
“Do you think this whole thing can still succeed?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You must’ve heard by now. That bastard Jin Dae-cheol smuggled out the Imperial Prince.”
“Yes. I know.”
At my answer, he sighed.
“He volunteered to torture the Imperial Prince himself. I should’ve grown suspicious the moment he offered. There must’ve been some kind of arrangement between the two of them.”
“Since you’re being honest with me, I’ll be honest too. I’m worried as well. If he ruins everything, the losses won’t be small.”
“Haah, exactly. And we still can’t find him anywhere…”
Of course you can’t.
He was currently in a secret space only the Fortress Lord of Springview Fortress and Yeon Yu-mun knew about.
According to Gwon Jik, he was hanging from the ceiling with the tendons in his arms and legs severed.
Well, he had it coming.
I put on a troubled expression and continued,
“You need to find him quickly.”
“An Embroidered Guard is still an Embroidered Guard, I suppose. He’s hiding like he planned this from the start. We’ve made no progress at all.”
“This is a headache.”
“So here’s the thing…”
He glanced around, then leaned toward me and whispered,
“There’s something I want to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“I want you to eliminate the others here.”
I widened my eyes in feigned shock.
“What are you saying?”
“I’ve heard about you. They say you’ve won His Majesty’s favor, right? Then surely he’d believe whatever you told him.”
“Are you telling me to kill everyone and cover it up?”
“Exactly. Dead men tell no tales. We pin every last crime on them.”
“But that man, Jin Dae-cheol, might make his move first.”
“Then we’ll just say he acted separately.”
He continued,
“So do it. Get rid of the others here.”
I guess having both Jin Dae-cheol and the Imperial Prince vanish had him pretty shaken.
Still, I never expected him to come to me and ask me to kill off his fellow traitors.
Could it be that in my previous life, when the Imperial Prince died under torture, this bastard had been the one behind that plan too?
It was more than possible.
I deliberately put on a grave expression.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll pretend I never heard that.”
“Why?”
“The people staying here are all powerful. They’re beyond anything I can handle.”
“What are you talking about? With your escort guards, it’s more than possible. I’ll help too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re uneasy too, aren’t you? At this rate, we’re all going to be executed by the Emperor!”
What a joke.
If that scared you so much, why did you do this in the first place?
“Even so, I…”
“Then again, you’re a merchant. You don’t move without compensation.”
He continued,
“I’ve amassed a considerable fortune over the years. I’ll give you half.”
I deliberately let my eyes light up and asked,
“How much, exactly? Like you said, I’m a merchant. Merchants like exact numbers.”
“…I’ll give you five hundred gold taels.”
At that, I barely managed to hold back a laugh.
That was a fortune a eunuch could never save up in a lifetime on his official salary.
Just how much had he stolen from Springview Fortress?
And how many tears of blood had the people here shed because of him…
You piece of shit.
But instead of letting that anger show, I pretended to think it over for a moment, then shook my head.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do it.”
“Is the price not high enough?”
“No. The payment is more than enough. But… what if you decide not to keep your promise?”
“You’re saying you don’t trust me?”
“With all due respect, didn’t you already betray His Majesty? Once someone betrays once, they can always betray again.”
“…”
He bit his lip.
Couldn’t even deny it, huh. Pathetic.
“If you gave me the wealth first, or at least told me where it is, then there’d be some trust between us.”
“W, what? How could I possibly trust you with—”
“Then what exactly am I supposed to trust you with?”
“…”
I poured another cup of tea.
He sat there agonizing over it until the tea had gone completely cold, then finally said,
“Fine. I’ll tell you where I’ve hidden my wealth.”
“Then I’ll go there and take exactly five hundred gold taels.”
With that, we wrapped up the conversation, and Baek Seon left.
But not long after, someone else came looking for me.
He was a eunuch too.
Most of the envoys had been eunuchs, after all.
Pretending no one else had come before him, I warmly welcomed him in.
“What brings you here?”
At my question, he carefully said,
“How about joining hands with me?”
“Hm?”
“Eliminate the others for me. If you do, I’ll give you half of the fortune I’ve amassed.”
“…”
What, did they all rehearse this together? How was it exactly the same?
I didn’t think I’d need that plan to sow discord among them after all.
They were already tearing themselves apart.
–TL Notes–
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