Even If Flowers Bloom on a Broken Branch - Chapter 59

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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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59.
Chae Eun-oh was staring at Hong Ran with wide eyes, as if she could not believe her ears. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.
“This is…”
“What is the meaning of this insolence?!”
It happened simultaneously.
A thunderous roar completely drowned out her faint, whisper-like voice. Startled by the loud shout, Hong Ran flinched, and Jinpyeong pulled her behind his back as he glared fiercely at the eunuchs.
“You cannot even restrain those who enter without permission? Has my palace truly become this lax?!”
“W-We beg for your forgiveness, Your Majesty.”
The eunuchs bowed their waists in a frantic panic. Their faces were deathly pale.
Jinpyeong’s eyes gleamed savagely.
“This is a private space where no one is permitted to enter without my consent. I utterly fail to comprehend why you bastards are still standing here!”
“We have no excuse, Your Majesty.”
It was the Queen’s sudden intrusion. Furthermore, since she had arrived in a state of absolute, towering rage, there was likely no reasoning with her.
Even so, they could not lay a hand on her precious person, and the most they could do was try not to be pushed back, but they ultimately failed to stop Chae Eun-oh as she blindly forced her way inside.
The situation was as clear as day.
‘How dare you thrust your hands out like that? Are you mocking me?!’
Chae Eun-oh could push past them, but the soldiers would never have dared to touch a single one of her fingers. They had desperately hoped she would not come all the way here, but she had spectacularly shattered that expectation.
“Please execute us, Your Majesty!”
The soldiers fell to their knees and begged for punishment, and Jinpyeong drew the sword resting beside their knees. It was a volatile, touch-and-go moment where it felt as though someone’s head or limbs might be severed at any second.
“Sob…!”
A sudden burst of crying erupted. It was a sob that sounded as if it had been bottled up for a long time before finally snapping, causing Jinpyeong to freeze in his tracks.
When he turned around, he saw Hong Ran covering her mouth with both hands. She was closing her eyes tightly, pressing down hard on her lips to prevent any sound from escaping. Large, heavy tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.
As Hong Ran wept breathlessly, Jinyul spoke quietly.
“She is someone who just made the greatest resolution of her life. Having experienced a succession of bewildering events while in such a fragile state of mind, it seems she has plunged into shock.”
Jinyul slowly looked toward Hong Ran.
“After all, every single one of these occurrences defies common sense.”
Not only had her master changed in an instant, but she was now bound to spend the rest of her life in a palace she had never dreamed of even visiting. Moreover, it was by the side of a man who was the ultimate enemy to her sovereign master.
On top of that, even the Queen had just barged in like a bull with its tail caught on fire, so it was only natural that she lacked the fortitude to endure it.
“I-I am frightened.”
Hong Ran sobbed. She was genuinely shaking like a leaf. At that sight, Lee Yeon unconsciously took a step toward her.
Right then, Jinyul spoke to Lee Yeon as if he had only just remembered something.
“Do you believe that what transpired outside the palace walls might have left this person with a profound trauma?”
“Pardon?”
Lee Yeon blinked, but she quickly caught on and smoothly played along. Her expression darkened in an instant.
“Undoubtedly so. Since the tip of a blade actually brushed against her throat, it must have been an absolute terror.”
“What on earth do you mean by that?”
Jinpyeong demanded at Lee Yeon’s words.
His gaze remained fixed on Hong Ran, who had turned utterly pale.
“The tip of a blade?”
“I am deeply sorry to report this, Your Majesty, but someone previously kidnapped this woman in an attempt to harm her.”
Jinpyeong’s face hardened. He looked at Lee Yeon, silently prompting her to continue.
“I requested assistance from the Grand Prince, and His Highness did not delay for even a moment, setting out immediately to rescue her.”
Lee Yeon looked over at Jinyul.
“If the Grand Prince had not saved her at that exact moment, this woman would never have even had the honor of meeting Your Majesty. His Highness barely managed to block a sword that was aimed straight for her heart.”
“Who dared commit such an atrocious deed? For what purpose?”
“He was…”
Lee Yeon trailed off mid-sentence.
It had not been intentional, but the timing was truly exquisite. Since she had not anticipated the Queen barging in like this, it wasn’t a trap she had deliberately laid out, yet everything was aligning perfectly. And Lee Yeon was not foolish enough to let an opportunity sitting right in front of her eyes slip away.
Misinterpreting her silence, Jinpyeong urged her forward.
“The Grand Princess Consort shall report it immediately.”
“He was a man who operated a usury business. He was a malicious villain who saddled those who borrowed money for their livelihood with debts so impossible to repay that they were ultimately forced to give up on life.”
Lee Yeon spoke while looking directly at Hong Ran.
“That man kidnapped her upon seeing me take in this woman’s family, intending to demand an exorbitant ransom. He believed the matter had gone awry the moment the Royal Decree was announced stating that Your Majesty would not recognize me as your legal wife, and so he attempted to murder her.”
Jinpyeong stiffened. A flash of anger crossed his eyes as if the emotions of that time suddenly rushed back to him.
‘Is she seriously daring to blame me right now?’
If things had followed their natural course and Lee Yeon had become the Queen, none of these tiresome matters would have ever taken place.
It was commonplace for a Queen to bring along those who served her at her private residence, so perhaps he might have encountered Hong Ran much sooner.
‘And who was the one who twisted that destiny?’
It was none other than Lee Yeon herself.
However, that was not the critical issue at hand. There was something in her words that grated on his nerves far more than any annoyance toward Lee Yeon.
The mention of usury, kidnapping, and contract murder thoroughly disturbed his peace of mind.
At that moment, Chae Eun-oh took a step forward. She spoke with righteous indignation.
“Your Majesty. This is an incredibly humiliating matter for me. Why did you summon the Grand Princess Consort in private, and why are you keeping her servant by your side?”
“Then what did you do with the man who kidnapped her?”
Chae Eun-oh froze. This was because Jinpyeong’s question had not been directed at her at all. It was an absolute, flawless disregard, as though he had not heard a single word she just uttered.
Chae Eun-oh’s eyes widened as if she were utterly struck dumb. Lee Yeon likewise feigned ignorance of her presence and answered the King.
“We interrogated him severely and uncovered the mastermind behind it.”
At those words, a somewhat peculiar expression crossed Jinyul’s face. He nodded his head a couple of times and murmured.
“It was quite brutal, indeed. For she gave orders to roll him up in a straw mat and beat him mercilessly.”
“The man confessed as follows: that he too had no choice in order to repay his own debts, and that if he did not offer up the money to the person who commanded him to run the usury business, he would be beaten to within an inch of his life. And the name of the one who commanded him…”
For the first time, Lee Yeon raised her gaze and looked straight at the person standing by the doorway.
“Is Chae Mun.”
An absolute silence descended upon the room.
Not a single person present could utter a single word.
Jinyul and Lee Yeon remained silent, Hong Ran swallowed her sobs, and Jinpyeong doubted his own ears. As for Chae Eun-oh…
“…….”
She was entirely bewildered.
She wanted to deny it, to shout that there must have been some kind of mistake, but her lips simply refused to part. She could not even comprehend how the flow of the conversation had shifted in this direction.
Only after a long delay did Chae Eun-oh barely manage to speak.
“Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding…”
“Listen here!”
The moment Jinpyeong thundered his command, the kneeling soldiers bowed their heads in unison and responded.
With a face carved of ice, Jinpyeong delivered his orders to them.
“Usury is strictly forbidden by law. Go to the Chae Clan residence this instant and conduct a thorough investigation into every corner.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!”
Chae Eun-oh’s face drained of all color. As she frantically tried to rush toward Jinpyeong, the soldiers stepped forward to block her path.
Chae Eun-oh cried out desperately.
“Your Majesty! This measure is far too harsh. How can you act solely on the words of one side…”
“Are you implying that I am uttering falsehoods?”
When Jinyul spoke up quietly, Chae Eun-oh faltered and stopped speaking, her face filled with dismay.
Jinyul glared at Chae Eun-oh with eyes brimming with anger.
“Is the Queen currently doubting the words of this Grand Prince?”
“It is not that, but still—!”
Chae Eun-oh clenched her fists tightly as she spoke.
“Could that man not have spoken a falsehood? Simply to drive the Chae Clan into a corner!”
Her words began to gather more and more desperate conviction.
“Ever since I became the Queen, the factions trying to keep the Chae Clan in check have multiplied. Surely Your Majesty must know as well. You must know just how lonely and isolating the position of the Gukgu is.”
Lee Yeon acknowledged it. She agreed.
‘Because it truly was.’
It was a position where it felt exactly as though a blade were pressed directly against one’s throat.
Lord Seo had been forced to step down from every single front line of government solely because he was the Gukgu, he had to exercise the utmost caution upon caution whenever he met anyone, and he had even suffered imprisonment over a single spoken word.
‘Because of you.’
In the world before Lee Yeon underwent her regression, Chae Eun-oh had taken profound pleasure in trampling upon and humiliating Lord Seo, let alone Lee Yeon herself.
These were hardly words that should ever escape the lips of the very person who had once reduced Lord Seo to such a miserable state.
In the end, Lee Yeon could not help but laugh. It was a faint chuckle that finally leaked out after she had endured, endured, and endured. Jinpyeong stiffened at the sound of that laughter.
“What does the Grand Princess Consort find so amusing?”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Lee Yeon slowly raised her head.
“I merely did so because a method occurred to me that could definitively prove the matter regarding Lord Chae Mun.”
“Prove it?”
“It is a method that can either prove his innocence or prove his guilt.”
Lee Yeon spoke with serene composure.
“I would like to request one witness to be present at the interrogation of Lord Chae Mun.”
Jinyul and Lee Yeon’s gazes locked. He gave her a subtle nod.
“While his testimony will undoubtedly carry the greatest weight, there is not even a pressing need for that. Merely observe Lord Chae Mun’s countenance the moment that witness appears. If he displays any signs of panic, I earnestly implore you to investigate the matter even more meticulously.”
Lee Yeon looked toward Hong Ran. By now, the girl seemed to have regained her composure, staring back at Lee Yeon with flushed cheeks.
“It seems that keeping the man who tried to kill her alive until now was all for this very purpose.”
To completely bring about the ruin of the Chae Clan.
Just as Chae Eun-oh had once done to the Seo family before the regression.

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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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