My Younger Siblings Are the Greatest Masters in the World - Chapter 120
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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120.
Wang Cheongyeong, who had regained consciousness, lifted his head and looked around.
When he spotted Seol Mujin, he bolted upright but his legs gave out and he collapsed back down.
“Where is this…?”
Seol Mantong satisfied Wang Cheongyeong’s curiosity.
“Shaanxi Provincial Command Headquarters.”
“Did you kidnap me?”
“You kidnapped us too, didn’t you?”
“Samtaesang allowed himself to be kidnapped, but I was actually kidnapped, wasn’t I?”
“So what?”
“Well, that’s how it is.”
Seol Mujin asked.
“You’re the Vice Gang Leader of Myeoncheonhoe?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“And the Gang Leader Ma-ui is serving as a royal physician in the Imperial Palace?”
When Wang Cheongyeong hesitated, Seol Mantong smacked the back of his head.
“My brother is asking you!”
With pain that felt like his eyeballs would pop out, Wang Cheongyeong hurriedly nodded.
“Y-yes, that’s correct!”
Seol Mujin bent his waist to close the distance with Wang Cheongyeong.
“Is it true that you created Myeoncheonhoe to take revenge on the Demonic Sect?”
Wang Cheongyeong quickly answered before Seol Mantong’s hand could fly at him.
“That’s right!”
“And you could abandon the First Prince if it means you can get revenge on the Demonic Sect?”
“We’re not loyal to the First Prince.”
“Do you and Ma-ui share the same intentions?”
He hesitated slightly at that question, but soon gave an answer.
“Probably so.”
“Probably means you’re not certain either.”
“We’ve never discussed betraying the First Prince.”
Seol Mujin nodded and patted Wang Cheongyeong’s shoulder.
“You’re an honest person.”
Seol Changho asked Seol Mujin.
“So everything this guy has said so far is true?”
“It seems so. But we can’t be at ease. We haven’t met this person called Ma-ui yet.”
“Should we go meet Ma-ui?”
“Since all the work here is finished, shall we go to Beijing?”
By now, Hwa Seonhwa and Go Bongsu would have arrived in Beijing as well.
“We need to meet mother and father too.”
“When will we leave?”
“Let’s decide to leave tomorrow.”
One day would be enough to recover from travel fatigue.
When he met Baek Gangju and told him they would leave tomorrow, he showed a regretful expression.
It wasn’t just for show – you could tell he was genuinely sorry to see them go.
“I’ve sent a report of this subjugation’s achievements to the capital. I wrote in detail about Ch’ŏmsa-nim’s merits, so a great reward will surely be granted.”
“I didn’t do this hoping for a reward.”
“Still, you must accept the reward that’s given. That way, those of us who merely added our chopsticks to the table can benefit too, right? Haha!”
“Please give generous rewards to the five hundred suicide squad members who went with me. And please pay more attention to the families of the soldiers who died.”
“I intend to do so. Hearing the details, you really went through hardships.”
Marching almost non-stop for eight days wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
Even the horses collapsed along the way, so the suffering of the men went without saying.
“By the way, have you heard about the nickname that Ch’ŏmsa-nim has earned?”
“My nickname?”
“Yes. Nation-Saving Guardian Spear.”
“What? No, what kind of…”
To Seol Mujin’s ears, it was an absurd nickname.
He had no intention of saving the nation or protecting anything, yet he got the nickname Nation-Saving Guardian Spear.
“It’s an inappropriate nickname.”
“I think it’s somewhat lacking. There should be an even more magnificent name, but my imagination is insufficient to think of one.”
“That’s enough. By the way, how is your mother?”
A melancholy smile crossed Baek Gangju’s lips.
“I sent her off.”
“I see.”
He had expected as much.
“As you said, she didn’t suffer much. Sigh! Now that I’ve sent her off, I think I only caused her pain with my selfishness…”
“General. What son wouldn’t do the same?”
If Hwa Seonhwa’s life were in danger, Seol Mujin would also be capable of doing anything.
Baek Gangju changed the subject.
“But I’ve been thinking carefully about this rebellion. There’s something strange about it.”
“Something strange?”
“Why did Ju Hyeongwang rush madly toward Henan Province?”
“Didn’t we conclude that he was targeting Beijing?”
“I thought so at first too. But Ju Hyeongwang isn’t such a reckless person. The Ju Hyeongwang I know is a meticulous strategist. Would the Provincial Command Headquarters there just sit still when he immediately arrived in Henan Province? And we would chase after him too. He might win once or twice, but he would definitely be annihilated. The fighting power of the civilians he forcibly recruited is obvious.”
Hearing those words, a picture began to form in Seol Mujin’s mind as well.
“Are you saying there was someone in Henan Province who would help Ju Hyeongwang?”
“That’s what I think. Perhaps it was the Henan Provincial Command Headquarters? Private soldiers have their limits.”
No matter how common civil uprisings were, and no matter how imperial family members rose up like bamboo shoots after rain dreaming of becoming emperor, Ju Hyeongwang’s rebellion this time was utterly reckless.
“Then you should be careful too, General. It’s as if there are enemies right to the north.”
“That’s why I plan not to let my guard down.”
“I’ll also look into it when I go to Beijing this time.”
“I’d be grateful if you would.”
“It’s reassuring to have the General holding the center.”
“Thank you for saying so, but I hope this chaos subsides soon. The people’s suffering is beyond measure.”
“It should.”
Baek Gangju asked cautiously.
“Do you think Samhwangja Jeonha can become emperor?”
“What do you think of Samhwangja Jeonha, General?”
“How could I be qualified to evaluate Samhwangja Jeonha?”
“You must evaluate him. Everyone must evaluate. Only then will the world know who has the qualifications to become emperor.”
“Qualifications?”
Baek Gangju had never thought about the qualifications of an emperor.
It was natural that one of those born as the emperor’s children would become emperor.
Among them, he thought the eldest son would naturally become emperor.
But qualifications?
If someone heard those words, they might report it as a crime equivalent to treason.
“Aren’t qualifications already determined from birth?”
That was the only answer Baek Gangju could give.
But Seol Mujin didn’t let it pass at that level.
“I think this chaotic period, like the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, might be an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“An opportunity for us to choose the emperor with our own hands.”
Baek Gangju felt a shock as if he had been struck in the back of the head with a hammer.
“Choosing the emperor with our own hands….”
“Of course the candidates are limited, but we’re the ones selecting one among them, aren’t we? So we must choose someone who will implement good governance when they become emperor. Don’t you think so?”
Baek Gangju found himself nodding without realizing it.
“That’s why I’m asking. What do you think of His Highness the Third Prince, General?”
Baek Gangju’s answer didn’t come immediately.
His mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Baek Gangju asked to organize those thoughts.
“Aren’t you already on His Highness the Third Prince’s side, Ch’ŏmsa-nim? Then why are you asking me to evaluate His Highness the Third Prince?”
“Because there might be someone among the imperial family who is better than His Highness the Third Prince.”
“What? Are you saying you would betray His Highness the Third Prince if such a person existed?”
“I can’t give a definitive answer, but shouldn’t I at least consider it?”
“Are you serious?”
Seol Mujin spun the tea cup on the table round and round before speaking.
“I didn’t deliberately jump into the middle of the battlefield to make His Highness the Third Prince emperor. It’s because I wish that innocent people would stop dying. I sided with him only because His Highness the Third Prince seemed like someone who could fulfill that wish. But if there’s an imperial family member more suitable than His Highness the Third Prince, shouldn’t I consider it?”
Seol Mujin had to doubt and doubt again his own decisions.
If his power was used to make Ju Cheonmyeong emperor, then Seol Mujin would bear that much heavier responsibility.
Seol Mujin’s anguish was fully conveyed to Baek Gangju.
Seol Mujin’s appearance, thinking purely of people without any desire for advancement or greed for money, naturally created solemnity in Baek Gangju.
“Then I should speak honestly as well.”
Baek Gangju, who had taken a sip of tea, continued speaking.
“I have never met His Highness the Third Prince even once. But whether I want to or not, stories about the imperial family constantly reach my ears. They say even the emperor is cursed when he’s not around, so how much more common would gossip about the imperial family be? Based on hearing such stories, my judgment is not different from yours, Ch’ŏmsa-nim.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“His Highness the Third Prince probably isn’t perfect. Honestly, most of those imperial family members are complete trash, and they probably think of commoners as stones that get in their way. But at least His Highness the Third Prince seems different. He is at least human. Didn’t you also see that aspect of His Highness the Third Prince, Ch’ŏmsa-nim?”
Seol Mujin nodded.
“There are probably many people in the world with finer character than His Highness the Third Prince. But what about among the imperial family? If you asked me to choose someone to become emperor, I would pick His Highness the Third Prince without hesitation.”
A smile appeared on Seol Mujin’s lips.
“Hearing the General’s words puts my mind at ease.”
“Since Ch’ŏmsa-nim is on His Highness the Third Prince’s side, my mind is at ease too.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because the possibility of His Highness the Third Prince ascending to the imperial throne is high.”
“How could that be because of just me alone?”
“It will happen that way. No, it absolutely must happen that way.”
***
That place filled with medicinal fragrance was located deep within the Forbidden City, where few people came to visit.
The medicinal fragrance was so thick that even the aroma of the finest snow-scented tea disappeared instantly.
Slurp. The woman who had taken a sip of tea opened her mouth.
“We need to kill the Third Prince.”
Ma-ui Hwangcheonseong’s hand, which had been reaching for his tea cup, stopped with a start.
“What did you say?”
“Don’t make me say it twice when you heard everything.”
The reply from Jang Sowun, the First Prince’s consort whose temper had sharpened from long years of caring for her sick husband, was cold.
Hwangcheonseong lowered his voice considerably.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? Isn’t the Third Prince our greatest enemy right now?”
“Of course we clash at every turn, but killing the Third Prince won’t achieve our goal.”
“We don’t have time. How long will we just sit and watch?”
Hwangcheonseong let out a thin sigh.
‘The first choice was wrong.’
At the time, he thought there was no other choice.
For Hwangcheonseong, who had no connections, the only thing he could trust was his own excellent medical arts.
With those excellent medical arts, he became a royal physician and even gained the First Prince’s consort’s trust.
He believed that if he made the First Prince emperor, revenge against the Demonic Sect would be just a matter of time.
He thought making the First Prince emperor wouldn’t be difficult.
If he just cured the illness, it would be natural for the First Prince to become crown prince.
Hwangcheonseong’s mistake was trusting his medical arts too much.
The First Prince’s illness was not the kind of disease that could be completely cured with his medical arts.
Could it even be called an illness in the first place?
The First Prince, whose innate energy was too weak, had what was commonly called a sickly constitution.
It was truly a terrible constitution that barely sustained life with tonic medicine.
If he had been born not as a prince but in any ordinary wealthy family, he would have already died with such a body.
Even with Ma-ui’s utmost efforts, keeping him barely alive was the most he could do.
The Heavenly General Elixir was the last resort.
So Jang Sowun’s words about not having time were correct.
But would killing Ju Cheonmyeong really be a wise choice?
Killing Ju Cheonmyeong wouldn’t put the First Prince on the imperial throne either.
On the other hand, if they failed and their deed was exposed, all-out war would be inevitable.
A shockwave of a completely different dimension from killing the army that Ju Cheonmyeong was moving would come.
“Your Majesty. Please reconsider. Even if we kill His Highness the Third Prince, His Highness the First Prince won’t….”
Jang Sowun cut off Hwangcheonseong’s words.
“We just need to kill everyone who blocks His Highness’s path! Wouldn’t it be fine if only His Highness the First Prince remains among the imperial family?”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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