Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 212

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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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#212

“Keeping such meticulous records of officials’ movements means you’ve been monitoring them all along, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Senior officials of Rank 5 and above are required to file reports whenever they go anywhere outside their homes and offices.”
“The pavilion too?”
“That has to be hidden through ingenuity. But with the Imperial Guard and the Censorate conducting inspections at random, their movements are relatively well-documented.”
“No privacy at all. Officials truly…… Wait! I’m becoming an official myself — does that mean I’ll be watched?”
“You’re not Rank 5 or above, are you?”
“Phew! Thank goodness. Even if I make merit in this matter, I’m declining any position of Rank 5 or higher.”
They sorted through the documents that Song Jin-myeong and Bong Tae-jung had exchanged. The accumulated records filled roughly two volumes of books.
“They seem to have met more often than family.”
“That’s true. Just to be thorough, I also gathered records of other department chancellors and academicians meeting with each other — but compared to those two, it amounts to nothing.”
“Were they particularly close?”
“No. The Grand Councillor deliberately avoided forming personal connections with officials. He said it carried the risk of showing favoritism toward that person.”
“That hardly explains why he met Bong Tae-jung so frequently. One suspicion from the surname ‘Song,’ another from meeting with a traitor excessively — that adds to four. The sum is four.”
“That’s quite an unusual calculation method.”
“Once suspicion exceeds seven, you must treat the person as a criminal. It’s an investigative technique I learned in the Triad. Heh heh…”
“Where do you make up the remaining three?”
“Once you catch him and beat it out of him, everything comes out. But if the treason succeeds, does the Grand Councillor become Emperor?”
“It wouldn’t work that way. He’d probably set up a puppet royal heir.”
“The way you say it, it sounds like you haven’t identified which one.”
“Not identified — doesn’t exist yet. Once success seemed certain, he planned to approach some suitable royal heir. There’s hardly a member of the royal family who would refuse to become Emperor.”
“Still, there must be some royal heir he had in mind?”
“Probably so.”
“Then we should investigate around whichever royal heir the Grand Councillor visited frequently. A man who insists on not befriending officials, yet visits royalty often — that’s suspicious in itself. And while the heir in mind might not know, he’d certainly have conspired with his trusted subordinates. If someone suddenly appeared saying ‘You can become Emperor,’ would any royal heir accept on the spot? So first, he would’ve connected with retainers the heir could trust.”
“Brother.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re a genius!”
Kang Chan-sik waved his hand dismissively.
“Ah, this much is standard for a Triad lord. Well, I did catch several wanted criminals this way back in the day. Sigh! That’s where my feud with Oseong Jang-won began.”
They turned their attention back to Song Jin-myeong’s past movements, digging deeper.

***

“So now Inspector Dan is monitoring the area around that royal heir.”
Kang Chan-sik reported to Geom U-bin and Hyeolpung Saja on his investigative findings thus far.
“You don’t need to report to us in such detail.”
“Still, I felt a report was necessary.”
Do Pyeong-su spoke up.
“Why make it so complicated? Just grab that Grand Councillor and beat it out of him. Wait — you said you have someone in custody, right? Give him the Muyeok Hongdan that Jang Man-dok made, and that’ll do it!”
“We could get a confession, but that person would die.”
“He was involved in treason — he’s going to die anyway, isn’t he?”
Geom U-bin shook his head.
“We cannot provide such drugs to the government. Once we hand over the Muyeok Hongdan, will this end here?”
Seo Seok-san answered Geom U-bin’s question.
“What kind of people is the government? They’ll demand more.”
“The Muyeok Hongdan would become a tool used indiscriminately. In the process, innocent people would die as well. Besides, isn’t the rule that the government and Murim remain like river water and well water — never crossing paths? Unless danger comes to us, let’s refrain from meddling.”
Kang Chan-sik asked.
“Then am I a Murim martial artist or a government official?”
Do Pyeong-su answered without hesitation.
“Fool, you’re a Murim martial artist!”
“But I’m a Provincial Governor.”
“Is a tiger born a dog — or does drawing a line make it one?”
Geom U-bin spoke to Kang Chan-sik.
“Provincial Governor, do as you see fit. But when you return to Hangju, step down from your position as Triad lord. Having a Provincial Governor also serve as Triad lord would be far too strange.”
Disappointment crossed Kang Chan-sik’s face — he had already been thinking along those lines.
“I’ve wrestled with that question myself, and stepping back does seem like the right move. So here’s what I’m thinking—how would Gwak Bong suit you as the next leader of the Association?”
“Gwak Bong, you mean?”
Seo Seok-san posed the question, and Kang Chan-sik nodded emphatically.
“She’s far stronger than I am, and she has the makings of a true knight-errant. I think she’d be perfect for the role.”
With martial prowess like Gwak Bong’s, she’d be the strongest leader of any Triad organization in all of Zhongyuan.
“True enough—it’d be a waste of her talents just guarding the Oseong Pavilion.”
“I’ll ask her directly, and if she agrees, I’ll go along with your wishes.”
“Thank you!”
Kang Chan-sik was in the middle of discussing what he wanted to accomplish once he became Provincial Governor when Dan Jeong-cheol arrived.
He looked thoroughly dispirited, as though something had gone decidedly wrong.
“Well? Didn’t work out?”
At Kang Chan-sik’s question, Dan Jeong-cheol let out a long sigh.
“Your instinct was right. The Chancellor met with Yang Dong-su, the Third Prince’s confidant. The word ‘treason’ never came up, but Yang Dong-su warned him that meeting too often would be dangerous and told him to stay away. The Chancellor said he’s merely stumbled, not failed—he’ll try again another day. And Yang Dong-su spoke as though everything was finished because Ak Cheon-gil is dead, then left the meeting.”
“So the Chancellor’s guilt is confirmed, even if the word ‘treason’ wasn’t spoken aloud. So why do you look like you’ve lost everything?”
“Honestly, I was hoping he wasn’t involved. I didn’t say it, but the Chancellor was someone I respected deeply. Knowing why he committed treason makes it hurt all the more. Ah! Is there any liquor? Some Oseong Wine would be perfect, actually…….”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke up.
“I think this one’s just pretending to grieve so he can get his hands on some Oseong Wine.”
Even as she said it, Yeon Geum-hong poured out the Oseong Wine and handed him a cup.
Dan Jeong-cheol drained two cups in quick succession, then spoke in a thoroughly dejected tone.
“The Oseong Wine does seem to ease the weight of it all. But once you lords head back to Hangju, I won’t be able to taste this again, will I? I wish I knew how to make Oseong Wine myself. Then maybe I could forget this anguish, at least a little…….”
He muttered half to himself, glancing sideways at Hyeolpung Saja, when Do Pyeong-su smacked the back of his head.
“You shameless wretch! Where did you pick up that sales pitch? Listen here! Even a dimwit like me can see right through you! How in blazes did someone like you ever make it as a lawman?”
“No, no, that’s not—I was being sincere, truly—Ow! I’m sorry!”

***

Clang!
As the prison door swung open, a bitter cold swept through. Bong Tae-jung, his neck bearing the mark of a blade, raised his head with effort.
His lips were swollen and split, his nose bent crooked, his eyes so puffed shut they were barely visible—all souvenirs of the torture he’d endured.
Dan Jeong-cheol had learned interrogation techniques from the Imperial Guard, but even the thought of it turned his stomach; he’d never inflicted it on anyone.
“It’s been a while.”
Bong Tae-jung answered with a fit of coughing. Once it subsided, Dan Jeong-cheol continued.
“I’ve found out who you were protecting all through that agony. No one guessed it, so we couldn’t catch him before now.”
Dan Jeong-cheol spoke the three-character name slowly, one syllable at a time.
“Song. Jin. Myeong.”
If Bong Tae-jung’s eyes hadn’t been so swollen, they would have bulged clean out of his skull.
“Your reaction tells me I’m right.”
Bong Tae-jung shook his head desperately, though the motion was agonizingly slow. Dan Jeong-cheol crouched down in front of him.
“I’ve also learned that the imperial kinsman you were trying to enthrone as emperor was the Third Prince. That eight-year-old child, knowing nothing of your conspiracy, will die because of your treason.”
“He…… has done…… nothing wrong.”
“Of course not. But the tempest of treason doesn’t just capsize the sea—it swallows every small boat floating upon it. The Third Prince’s only chance at survival is if you and the Chancellor confess willingly. It won’t be painless, certainly, but banishment might spare him his life, wouldn’t it?”
If Dan Jeong-cheol knew about Song Jin-myeong—and even about the Third Prince—then everything was effectively revealed.
“Ah! Has Heaven truly…… abandoned this realm?”
Dan Jeong-cheol understood perfectly why they had attempted the rebellion.
The previous emperor had died suddenly, leaving the current emperor, who ascended the throne at only nine years old, far too young to rule.
Naturally, Yeom Je-yang, a eunuch who had enjoyed the former emperor’s favor, seized true power, leading to the dominance of eunuch politics.
“The ones committing the greatest villainy…… are the eunuchs, starting with Yeom Je-yang…….”
Dan Jeong-cheol didn’t bother denying it. There wasn’t a soul in the Imperial Guard who didn’t despise Yeom Je-yang.
But personal feelings were personal feelings. The Imperial Guard existed to protect the emperor. One could understand their grievance without allowing treason to pass unpunished.
“Will you confess to all the charges?”

***

“I asked you so plainly to keep my name out of it!”
“How can I explain uncovering the mastermind behind the treason without mentioning your name?”
“Just say you received a tip!”
“Then the Imperial Guard will tear the city apart looking for whoever gave that tip, and eventually they’ll figure out it was you anyway!”
Kang Chan-sik clutched his head in both hands.
“So I have to see the emperor again?”
“It’s the second time, so it shouldn’t be quite as difficult, right?”
“Ignorance is bliss. Once you know, you don’t want to go.”
Do Pyeong-su, watching the quarrel between Kang Chan-sik and Dan Jeong-cheol, posed a question.
“Meeting the Emperor bothers you that much?”
“Yes, sir. It’s an incredibly tedious ceremony.”
“Then I’ll make sure you never have to meet him.”
“Sir? How?”
“I’ll kill him.”
“The Emperor?”
“How can a dead man meet you?”
“Master! Even as a joke, please don’t say such things! They say a bird hears words spoken by day and a rat hears words spoken by night!”
At Dan Jeong-cheol’s piercing shout, Seo Seok-san clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“You’re going to get us gossiped about all over the city.”
Dan Jeong-cheol hastily clapped his hand over his own mouth. Geom U-bin, who had been listening to the exchange with a smile, spoke up.
“When do you meet the Emperor?”
“Tomorrow. His Majesty is greatly pleased and says he wishes to meet you soon.”
“Then we can all return to Hangju tomorrow as well. That would be fine, wouldn’t it?”
Kang Chan-sik, hearing the question, started visibly.
“That is to say… you mean to travel with me?”
“Why not? We’re heading that way anyway.”
“W-well, that’s true, but… becoming a Provincial Governor isn’t such an urgent matter…”
“You don’t want to travel with us?”
At Do Pyeong-su’s question, Kang Chan-sik shook his head so violently his neck nearly dislocated.
“How could that be? It will be a pleasant journey!”
“We’ve left the Estate unattended too long. We should go quickly.”
‘I’m finished!’
Compared to traveling all the way to Hangju with Geom U-bin’s group, meeting the Emperor was nothing.
Perhaps because he had steeled himself to it, the second meeting proved far less difficult than he’d feared. Knowing about it beforehand was a burden, but the second time was easier than the first.
“As for a reward for your great service… I shall inform you of it later.”
Dan Jeong-cheol rose from the rank of Rank 7 Official to become a Senior Rank Official in the Imperial Guard—a position held by only two men—yet nothing fell to Kang Chan-sik on the spot.
He had harbored no expectations, but receiving no reward at all still stung.
Geom U-bin offered him consolation.
“He said he’d tell you later, didn’t he? You’ve uncovered treason—surely the Emperor won’t break his word.”
“It’s quite all right. For me, even a Provincial Governorship is more than I deserve. A Triad lord becoming a Provincial Governor—what an honor for the family! Hehehehe…”
That laugh soon turned to a wail. Go Shin-ji, who had decided to stay in Beijing a few more days, had asked, “Won’t you take a carriage?” and Do Pyeong-su had sealed Kang Chan-sik’s fate with his words: “That slow-moving thing? Our two legs are fastest.”
And when Do Pyeong-su added, “I’ll take you along with us,” Kang Chan-sik began foaming at the mouth.

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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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