Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 168

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Chapter 168

“Ah, so you were hiding here.”
Gwak Bong let out the words like a groan.
“Constable Captain Jeong Han-sul.”
Jeong Han-sul was the constable captain who came to collect his monthly cut, and Se-hwa knew him by sight.
“Se-hwa, Gwak Bong. I’m placing you both under arrest on suspicion of manufacturing and selling Chunmong powder.”
The fact that they were being charged not just with sales but with manufacturing as well made it clear someone had set them up.
“Do you have evidence?”
“Evidence? We have plenty.”
As Gwak Bong moved to strike down the constables pouring in, Se-hwa spoke.
“Let’s go to the County Office first.”
With their level of martial skill, dealing with the officials would be nothing, but she couldn’t ignore the consequences that would follow.
Gwak Bong’s face, bound in the binding rope, looked ready to explode at any moment. Especially when the constable binding Se-hwa kept tapping her on the rear, she nearly snapped the rope in two.
As Se-hwa was being dragged out of the Oseong Pavilion while bound in rope, she spotted a familiar face.
“Inspector Bae!”
Inspector Bae Chang-seon, who occasionally came by the Oseong Pavilion to gamble and always left with a fat purse, was at the scene.
Bae Chang-seon dismissed the constable captain and constables, then turned to Se-hwa.
“How did you become enemies with the Daseong Merchant Association in Shaanxi Province?”
“The Daseong Merchant Association in Shaanxi Province?”
“Yes. Their lord seems to have connections to some very high-ranking people. It won’t be easy to get out of this. There’s nothing I can do about it, I’m afraid.”
Things seemed to be taking a difficult turn with whatever Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions were doing.
“I see.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”
“Could you at least let us send word to the Oseong Jang-won?”
Se-hwa called one of her sharp-witted workers and had him carry news of what had happened at the pavilion to the Oseong Jang-won.
Though Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions were away, the Oseong Jang-won was the only place they could trust right now.
Because the worker rode a horse, a quarter hour didn’t pass before Hang Ju-sa-ung learned of the incident at the Oseong Pavilion.
“The Daseong Merchant Association? Are you certain?”
Gap-chil, who had come with the message, nodded at Go Seo-bang’s question.
“Yes. The pavilion mistress was quite clear that I tell you so.”
Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions had gone to collect money, but now trouble from Shaanxi Province had blown back onto the Oseong Jang-won.
Gang Seo Samak, having no clever solution at hand, convened an emergency meeting. In attendance besides himself were Eun Bi-yeon, Sang Nam-jae, the couple Go Shin-ji and her husband, and Gong Seong-tak.
Though they couldn’t know how matters stood in Shaanxi Province, what had happened at the Oseong Merchant Association and the Oseong Pavilion needed immediate resolution.
“Just wipe them all out.”
O Tong-su posed the question to Eun Bi-yeon, who had spoken.
“The officials?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“If you kill the officials, the army will mobilize.”
“Then we kill the army too.”
“You mean to fight the army?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
O Tong-su saw from Eun Bi-yeon’s expression that she wasn’t speaking carelessly.
True to form, Eun Bi-yeon rose as if about to leave right then.
“No. We can’t solve it that way.”
“Why not?”
“Because we can’t become enemies of the state.”
“So why? Are you afraid of them?”
Gong Seong-tak also rose to follow Eun Bi-yeon.
“I’ll lend my strength too. We can worry about the rest later—let’s just get the people out of there first.”
If left to their own devices, these two would truly assault the County Office.
O Tong-su spoke hastily.
“The army isn’t particularly frightening, but if we kill the soldiers, Master Geom U-bin will be furious, won’t he?”
Eun Bi-yeon and Gong Seong-tak immediately sat back down.
“The lord angry is a bit frightening.”
“Right. When U-bin gets angry, it’s scary.”
Using force against an official was hardly a simple matter.
“I suppose I’ll have to send word to the Master and the other seniors in Shaanxi Province.”
In their current position, there was little they could do. Go Shin-ji, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“I’ll handle this matter.”
Sang Nam-jae started in surprise. “You? How?”
“It’s not particularly difficult. Just tedious.”
Everyone watched in bewilderment as Go Shin-ji left the room. When Sang Nam-jae moved to follow, Go Shin-ji turned back.
“You should stay and watch the child.”
“But there are plenty of people to—”
“It won’t take long.”
Sang Nam-jae could only stare as Go Shin-ji mounted a horse at the main gate and rode off.
Though she hated to reveal her identity, it would be shameless to remain idle when the Oseong Merchant Association faced a crisis that she could resolve.
‘I must repay some measure of kindness with this.’
Thinking of the suffering that Se-hwa and the others must be enduring in captivity, the horse beneath her naturally quickened its pace.
Upon arriving at the County Office, Go Shin-ji told the gate guards she had come about the Oseong Pavilion matter.
An official with no real authority could hardly expect an immediate audience with the Provincial Governor.
A man with a scraggly goat beard appeared at a leisurely pace and looked Go Shin-ji up and down.
“You came about the Oseong Pavilion?”
“I’ve come from Oseong Jang-won. Is the Provincial Governor available?”
The curt reply that came flying at him didn’t anger the official so much as leave him flabbergasted.
Go Shin-ji withdrew ten silver coins from her sleeve and held them out to the man.
“Get me an audience with the Provincial Governor within a quarter hour, and this money is yours.”
Ten silver coins—a sum equivalent to five years of the man’s monthly salary.
When the official gulped audibly and reached out his palm, Go Shin-ji closed her hand and concealed the coins.
“The Provincial Governor first.”
Being moved by money rather than authority wounded his pride, but ten silver coins were worth surrendering any pride to.
“C-come this way, please.”
The power of silver. Go Shin-ji walked with an air of command while the official guided her with meticulous courtesy.
After crossing the courtyard and rounding a building called the Hyeyang Pavilion, the official made her wait beside a small pavilion, then entered a nameless building.
He emerged after a quarter hour and held out his hand. When she passed over the ten coins, he slipped them into his sleeve and said, “You’ll have half a quarter hour.”
“I’ll decide how long I need,” Go Shin-ji replied with a cold smile.
The official, conflicted between his pleasure at earning money and his irritation, wore an odd expression as he led her forward.
“Your Excellency, a visitor to see you.”
The official bowed halfway at the door, and the Provincial Governor’s voice followed immediately.
“Send her in.”
Upon entering, she found the Provincial Governor drinking tea while flipping through ledgers.
A bloated man with eyes that curved upward when he smiled, he looked like a perfect specimen of a corrupt official.
Provincial Governor Gwang Ja-pyeong caught sight of Go Shin-ji and looked at her again. He closed the ledger he’d been reading, a smile playing at his lips.
“They should have mentioned she wasn’t just any woman—a rare beauty, in fact.”
Such men were the breed who rationalized themselves with hollow talk of a hero’s weakness for beauty.
“You came about the Oseong Pavilion?”
Go Shin-ji took a seat directly across from him.
“I heard that not just the pavilion staff, but members of the Oseong Merchant Association were also arrested.”
“You heard? What are you suggesting—”
“Quite a bold move. The Daseong Merchant Association must have mobilized a senior official. Who is he?”
Gwang Ja-pyeong studied her intently before sinking deeper into his chair.
“Do you have any idea who stands before you?”
“And do you have any idea who stands before you?”
“A lovely madwoman, it seems. Since my appointment, I’ve heard nothing but talk about Oseong Jang-won. The greatest merchant operation in Hangju, yet they sent no gift of welcome. I was curious what sort of people ran such a prosperous enterprise—and it turns out to be a courtesan, some petty merchant, and a lunatic.”
“So the newly appointed Provincial Governor is the very portrait of a corrupt official—a greedy pig with no sense of propriety.”
The Provincial Governor’s palm came down hard on the table, and the ledger jumped.
“You’re truly digging your own grave! Did you think I’d overlook madness?”
Go Shin-ji reached into her sleeve, and the Provincial Governor shouted,
“You there! Is anyone outside?”
As his voice faded, a golden Double Dragon Seal appeared on the table.
Any constable inspector would recognize it, and the Provincial Governor—ranking far above such men—could hardly fail to notice it unless he were blind.
As the golden seal lay on the table, the first light that crossed his eyes was greed. But the twin dragon pattern engraved upon it transformed that greed into shock.
……
……
……
“The Double Dragon Seal?”
“Curious whether it’s genuine?”
Gwang Ja-pyeong swallowed dryly, again and again.
“Examine it yourself.”
When the seal was flipped over, the imperial stamp was engraved with exquisite precision.
Forgery wasn’t impossible in principle, but counterfeiting the Double Dragon Seal—a crime punished as severely as treason—had never occurred once in history.
Go Shin-ji spoke.
“Still sitting in that chair. I can’t tell who’s lost their mind.”
Gwang Ja-pyeong, startled out of his wits, rose with surprising speed for his bulk, then dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the floor.
“This humble servant presents himself to Your Highness!”
Thud!
As Gwang Ja-pyeong’s forehead struck the ground with a harsh crack, the door flew open.
“You called, sir?”
The two officials who opened the door stared at the scene before them in bewilderment.
Go Shin-ji sat composed while Gwang Ja-pyeong lay in full prostration—a sight that left the officials confused.
“Provincial Governor Gwang Ja-pyeong.”
At Go Shin-ji’s voice, Gwang Ja-pyeong pressed his face lower still, as if trying to disappear into the floor.
“I await your command.”
“Do you have evidence that the Oseong Pavilion and Oseong Merchant Association acted unlawfully?”
When Gwang Ja-pyeong didn’t answer, Go Shin-ji’s voice turned cold.
“I asked if you have evidence.”
“No, Your Highness. I do not.”
“Then there’s no problem releasing them immediately?”
“None whatsoever, Your Highness.”
After a moment of silence, Go Shin-ji spoke again.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Ah? Yes, yes! I shall execute your orders at once. You there! Release at once the prisoners—no, the people brought in from the Oseong Pavilion and Merchant Association! And return all confiscated goods immediately!”
Gwang Ja-pyeong urged the two bewildered officials to move faster.
“Bring Se-hwa and Gwak Bong from among the detainees. Bring them here.”
Gwang Ja-pyeong relayed Go Shin-ji’s words to the officials as direct commands. The sight of a provincial governor in full prostration spurred them to swift action.
Before the tea Gwang Ja-pyeong had poured had even cooled, an official returned with Se-hwa and Gwak Bong.
The two women who entered the governor’s office spotted Go Shin-ji and exchanged puzzled glances.
“Has Madam Go been arrested as well?”
At Gwak Bong’s question, Go Shin-ji smiled and replied.
“No. I’ve come to take you both away. Everyone else from the Oseong Pavilion and the Association has been released.”
Gwang Ja-pyeong quickly added.
“I’ve issued orders to return all confiscated items immediately.”
“So you have.”
“How did you manage this?”
Gwak Bong and Se-hwa still couldn’t make sense of it.
“I’ll explain the details once we’re back at the Oseong Estate. Is there anyone among the officials you have a particular grievance against?”
Gwak Bong spoke up immediately.
“That bastard who grabbed Se-hwa’s backside!”
“Someone was brazen enough to do that?”
Gwak Bong had memorized not just the man’s face but his name as well.
“His name was Na Jeong-man.”
Go Shin-ji turned to Gwang Ja-pyeong.
“Do you know this Na Jeong-man?”
“I don’t, but I’ll have him brought in at once.”
Her question shifted to Se-hwa.
“Would you like to punish him yourself?”
“There’s no need to fuss over someone like that. A hundred strokes of the cane should suffice.”
Gwang Ja-pyeong’s face went pale.
“A hundred strokes of the cane?”
“If he dared lay hands on me without permission, he deserves that much punishment.”
“He could die from that.”
“Die from a mere hundred strokes? What a pathetically weak man he must be.”
Weak wasn’t the word—a hundred strokes could kill a man twice over.
“An official who commits such depravities deserves that punishment.”
Even at the mention that he might die, Se-hwa didn’t reduce the number of strokes.
If merely touching someone’s backside warranted a hundred strikes of the cane, what punishment awaited officials guilty of more serious crimes?
‘What about me?’
The thought turned inward, and Gwang Ja-pyeong’s face drained of all color.
“I will restore everything to its original state without fail. And if any items were damaged during the course of official business, the county will compensate for those as well.”
Go Shin-ji said this flatly.
“That goes without saying. The Daseong Merchant Association had a hand in this, didn’t they?”
“I, I don’t know the details, I’m afraid.”
“Then who gave you your orders?”
When Gwang Ja-pyeong hesitated, Go Shin-ji’s voice turned to ice.
“Have you forgotten who you’re speaking to?”
“Of, of course not. Nam Jeong-nam, Provincial Inspector of Shaanxi Province.”
A Provincial Inspector held the rank of First Rank official—and even across different provinces, a Rank Seven County Governor found it difficult to refuse such a man’s commands.
But such rank meant nothing to Go Shin-ji.
“The Provincial Inspector of Shaanxi, you say? Fine. Oh, and there’s the matter of the man who robbed me.”
“What? Who would dare—?”
“The one who guided me in here.”
Gwang Ja-pyeong spoke with indignation, as though it were his own injury.
“I’ll have him caned a hundred times as well!”
“What about the ten silver coins?”
“What? Did, did you give him ten silver coins?”
“I’m rather generous with my hands.”
Gwang Ja-pyeong turned and opened the cabinet in his office, rummaging through it before withdrawing twenty silver coins and offering them respectfully.
“It is my way of begging your forgiveness.”
Go Shin-ji, harboring no forgiveness, accepted only ten of them and pocketed the rest.
“Don’t lump me in with the sort of man who accepts bribes.”
“I, I only acted on orders!”
“And who ordered you to accept that bribe?”
“No, I… that is…”
“Don’t forget—a hundred strikes for both of them.”
“I won’t forget, I swear it!”
Se-hwa and Gwak Bong trailed behind Go Shin-ji. Outside, the staff from Oseong Pavilion and the Oseong Merchant Association were already waiting, having been released.
The officials bowed repeatedly to them, offering apologies, while the staff simply stood about in bewilderment.
“Older sister!”
The courtesan Jin Ha rushed toward Se-hwa.
“What on earth happened?”
“I don’t know all the details myself, but it seems things have been settled.”
Bae Do-sang, the Master of the Oseong Merchant Association, asked.
“Then the matter with the authorities is entirely resolved?”
Go Shin-ji, meeting Se-hwa’s gaze, replied.
“Yes. The county office won’t trouble the Oseong Merchant Association again.”
Bae Do-sang, who had been wearing a bewildered expression, let out a soft laugh.
“You’re truly of Oseong Jang-won. To be honest, even while locked away, I wasn’t particularly worried. I trusted that Oseong Jang-won would find a way to resolve it.”
As Bae Do-sang led the Oseong Merchant Association away, one conviction had taken root in him: there was nothing in this world that Oseong Jang-won could not resolve.
Though Oseong Jang-won seemed to have no official ties whatsoever, it had nonetheless bent the very officials themselves to its will.
‘How fortunate to belong to a place that knows no impossibility.’
Go Shin-ji said aloud.
“I have one more place to visit, so please return first.”
Rather than ask where, Se-hwa posed a different question.
“Is the caning the only punishment the official receives?”
“Of course not. That’s why I’m going—to settle things not only with the officials here in Hangju, but also with the Provincial Inspector of Shaanxi who gave the orders.”
Hearing this, satisfaction bloomed across Se-hwa’s lips.
“Then I leave it to you.”
“I’ll return soon.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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