Even If Flowers Bloom on a Broken Branch - Chapter 73

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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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73.
The sky had been overcast since morning.
Even the previous night, the clouds had been so thick that not a single star could be seen, and today, dark, gloomy clouds blanketed the entire sky as if ready to pour rain at any moment.
Having entered the palace early to sit in the Saheonbu, Seo Yeo-ro looked out the window and then slowly leaned his back against his chair.
“It will begin soon.”
On his desk, a scroll was neatly laid out. It was a document summarizing the details of his secret personal investigation into Chae Mun, the findings of the Saheonbu officials, and the complaints submitted to the government office.
In the Royal Court, posters had been put up inviting anyone who suffered from usury—not just in the Capital City but in every province—to come forward and lodge a complaint, and many who saw them came to testify and plead their grievances.
‘Because of absurd interest rates, my entire household was ruined.’
‘There are countless cases where the whole family became slaves because they could not repay the interest, let alone the principal.’
‘Not to mention the number of heads of households who took their own lives out of guilt toward their families.’
The officials meticulously compiled and submitted detailed accounts of the suffering endured by the people who could not repay their debts, along with a comprehensive inventory of all the items discovered in Chae Mun’s storehouse, and Seo Yeo-ro had all those details reviewed before reporting them to the King.
And as a result, the King immediately dismissed Chae Mun from his position as the Minister of Public Works and ordered an interrogation on charges of treason.
‘The Minister of Public Works is supposed to be the head of the department responsible for the nation’s finances, goods, public works, and construction.’
The fact that items stamped with the Royal Family Seal came out of his warehouse was nothing short of an abuse of authority.
Furthermore, the double ledgers gradually revealed that he had even inflated construction material costs and public works expenses, and it was confirmed that he was in collusion with the usury business as well.
‘They say the country shakes when maternal relatives grasp the finances, but did he mistakenly believe he held the state treasury in his palm?’
Seo Yeo-ro clicked his tongue briefly.
What Chae Mun had done was not mere embezzlement of kickbacks.
‘Crossing the line is what His Majesty despises most.’
This matter had gone far beyond the limit. His Majesty’s wrath would not subside easily.
Seo Yeo-ro rose from his seat. It was about time for the interrogation to begin.
* * *
Chae Mun sat in a chair at the Interrogation Ground with his hands and feet bound. The metallic scent of blood lingered on each of the four corners of the chair.
“Sinner Chae Mun, raise your head.”
Chae Mun forced his head up.
Having undergone intense interrogations multiple times over the past days, his face was terribly ruined. His cheeks were hollow, his beard grew wildly, and the luxurious dopo he always wore was nowhere to be seen, replaced by blood-soaked clothes that rustled dryly.
Not a single shred of the arrogance he had shown on the day of his arrest remained on his face.
“Your Majesty.”
A sound like a groan leaked from his mouth.
Chae Mun barely managed to lift his gaze to look up at Jinpyeong on the platform. His pupils trembled.
“This servant… has been wronged.”
His voice could barely escape. Having not been given proper water since being dragged here, the inside of his throat was completely parched.
His tongue and the roof of his mouth were as dry as straw, and his eyes were sunken.
“With all the evidence so crystal clear, do you still claim you have been wronged?”
When Jinpyeong spoke, the Euigeumbu magistrate slammed the club held in his hand against the floor with a thud. As that club, vividly stained with blood, struck the ground, Chae Mun’s shoulders flinched.
“The sinner must speak the truth.”
The interrogator unrolled a scroll.
“Do you admit to the charge of unsettling the public sentiment and shaking the foundations of the state by imposing harsh interest on the people through usury?”
“I do not.”
“If so,”
The interrogator raised the scroll. It was the one Grand Prince Jinyul had handed over before his departure.
“How will you refute this?”
A question mirrored in Chae Mun’s eyes. He seemed unable to even fathom what it could be.
The interrogator unrolled the scroll and read aloud.
“‘This servant is a man named Chung, a sinner who engaged in usury under the coercion of Lord Chae Mun.’”
Chae Mun’s face stiffened. He instantly shouted out.
“I do not know him!”
“‘I confess to visiting those who borrowed money every day to collect it, and habitually resorting to violence and intimidation.’”
Chae Mun tried to spring up from his seat, but he could not budge due to the iron chains.
Shaking the chair, he screamed.
“I do not know that man! He is casually using my name on his tongue!”
“‘However, that was because I would be severely beaten to the brink of death if I did not hand over the money to Lord Chae Mun, and when I requested to escape that yoke, Lord Chae Mun ordered me to kidnap and murder.’”
Chae Mun’s eyes widened instantly. He looked as though he could not believe his ears.
Stammering, he asked back.
“W-What did you say?”
“‘He ordered me to capture a woman named Hong Ran, who owed the greatest debt. He ordered me to capture, violate, and kill her. He told me to make her an example to everyone of what happens to those who fail to repay their debts.’”
“A p-pure… lie.”
Chae Mun muttered like a groan. He shook his head as if it did not even warrant a refutation.
“It is a pure lie. I did not even know a woman named Hong Ran. He is framing me!”
As his anger gradually surged, Chae Mun snapped his head up. His eyes were bloodshot.
“He told… he told a lie. Your Majesty!”
When Chae Mun shrieked, the magistrate raised a wooden sword and struck his shoulder.
Thwack! Along with that terrifying sound, a beastly scream erupted from Chae Mun’s mouth.
The interrogator spoke once more.
“Furthermore, the sinner not only used his position as the Minister of Public Works for private gain to fatten his backers, but also stealthily smuggled out items stamped with the Royal Family Seal.”
“Items stamped with the Seal are strictly recorded every time they are bestowed. The fact that they were discovered in your storehouse means…”
Jinpyeong spoke slowly.
“Stealing royal property constitutes embezzlement, and since there is also a possibility that you falsely claimed royal decrees, it is a charge of treason. Moreover, it is highly likely that you built a personal faction by claiming I bestowed them, which can be viewed as an abuse of power.”
Jinpyeong’s eyes flashed sharply.
“Was the power you tasted as the Gukgu truly that sweet?”
Chae Mun’s face, stained with agony, turned white with terror. He realized he had been driven down an inescapable path.
The sharp words continued to pierce him like swords.
“Since the sketch of the man named Chung matches multiple testimonies, and there is proof that the sinner hid the usury ledgers along with an inventory of stolen goods, the sinner can no longer deny it. Furthermore, the signs of treason to move the Royal Court for private ends are undeniable.”
A brief silence fell.
In the wide, cold Interrogation Ground, no one said a single word.
In that fleeting moment, Chae Mun instinctively realized that his life was coming to an end at this very second.
“S-Spare me!”
As the clubs rained down once more, Chae Mun screamed and wailed.
“Please just let me keep my life, Your Majesty!”
The interrogators looked down at him without any expression. There was not the slightest warmth of mercy or sympathy in their eyes.
Jinpyeong asked.
“I will ask for the last time. Do you know the man named Chung?”
“I-I know him.”
Chae Mun nodded, his entire body trembling with fear and pain.
Despite the weather not being cold, a brazier was being lit. Terrifying torture devices came into view one after another.
In the face of sheer horror, he confessed everything.
“He is someone I know. It is also true that I ordered him to collect the money. It is also true that I beat him if he failed to fill a certain amount.”
But I did not order murder! He wanted to scream it out, but those words could not even leave the tip of his tongue.
“Transfer the sinner to the Hyeongjo.”
“…!”
Chae Mun’s eyes flew wide. It was no different from ordering an execution.
The magistrates approached Chae Mun and unlocked the iron chains binding his hands and feet. A hoarse sound burst from Chae Mun’s mouth.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…! Spare me, spare me!”
Chae Mun writhed and twisted frantically, but was struck hard on the head with a club and lost consciousness.
And Jinpyeong, whom he had desperately called out to, had already left his seat long ago.
As if there was nothing more worth watching.

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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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