My Younger Siblings Are the Greatest Masters in the World - Chapter 76
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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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76.
After parting with Hwa Seonhwa, Seol Mujin soon encountered the Triplets.
“The possibility that Hwanggeum-i’s father is the Third Prince has increased.”
Seol Ryeoseon asked.
“Why?”
“The Third Prince chose Jiyeong sister as the courtesan to sit beside him.”
The Triplets looked bewildered.
“Who’s that?”
It was an unfamiliar name even to Seol Mantong, who had extensively explored(?) the pretty courtesans of Yeonji-ru.
“Jiyeong sister’s nickname is Little Jang Jangsim.”
Seol Mantong made a dismayed expression.
“How many courtesans are there in Yeonji-ru, and he chose Little Jang Jangsim? Doesn’t the Third Prince have bad taste?”
Seol Ryeoseon scolded Seol Mantong.
“That’s not what’s important. If Hwanggeum-i is the Third Prince’s son and that fact becomes known, what do you think will happen?”
“His fortune will bloom brightly?”
“Before his fortune blooms, blood might flow like a river. Nine times out of ten, that’s what will happen. Would the Third Prince’s political enemies just sit still?”
Seol Changho said.
“First, we need to find out if the Third Prince is really Hwanggeum-i’s father. Jang Jangsim said she remembers Hwanggeum-i’s father’s face, right?”
“That is the proper order.”
Seol Ryeoseon, who had been observing Seol Mujin’s complexion, asked.
“Brother, why do you look so worried?”
“If the Third Prince is Hwanggeum-i’s father, it’s natural to be worried.”
Seol Changho said.
“In that case, the Third Prince might become our greatest enemy.”
Seol Mantong asked.
“Why would a father become the greatest enemy?”
“Because it would be his weakness. An unmarried prince having a son with a courtesan? That’s definitely a weakness for someone who dreams of becoming emperor.”
Seol Ryeoseon added.
“Enemies could also take Jang Jangsim and Hwanggeum-i as hostages.”
Seol Mujin said.
“Let’s discuss this again after we’re certain.”
After sending the Triplets home, Seol Mujin went to Jang Jangsim.
Jang Jangsim was in her room organizing Hwanggeum-i’s clothes.
“Mujin-i brother!”
Hwanggeum-i ran to Seol Mujin.
As Seol Mujin hugged Hwanggeum-i, Jang Jangsim asked.
“What brings you to my room?”
“I have something to ask.”
“Me?”
“You said you remember Hwanggeum-i’s father’s face, right?”
“How could I forget?”
Jang Jangsim gazed at Hwanggeum-i and continued.
“They look so much alike.”
“Then you’d recognize him if you saw him now?”
“I suppose so. But why are you asking that?”
“I happened to meet someone who has four moles behind his ear like Hwanggeum-i.”
“Huh? Besides Hwanggeum-i’s father, someone else with such strange moles…”
Jang Jangsim’s face hardened as she spoke.
“Do you think that person might be Hwanggeum-i’s father?”
“I’m not certain. It would be ridiculous to conclude that just because they have similar moles.”
“Where is that person?”
“He’s at Yeonji-ru right now.”
“What? Is that really true?”
“Would you like to check once?”
Jang Jangsim’s hand holding Hwanggeum-i’s clothes trembled.
“You don’t need to be scared. We’ll just check secretly.”
“Do, do we really need to check?”
“What? What do you mean…!”
“We mother and son have been living well until now, so is there really a need for Hwanggeum-i’s father to interfere in our lives?”
Jang Jangsim was quite satisfied with her current life.
In the past, life was so harsh that she even named her son Hwanggeum-i, but now she had learned what satisfaction meant.
“If Jang’s Wife feels that way, there’s no reason to check. Let’s pretend I never said anything.”
As he put Hwanggeum-i down and turned around, Jang Jangsim called out.
“Mujin.”
When Seol Mujin turned back, Jang Jangsim asked in a trembling voice.
“That person… who is he?”
“It would be better if you didn’t know.”
“Still, I should know who it is.”
“I thought Jang’s Wife and Hwanggeum-i had the right to know, but my thinking was shallow. Just forget about it.”
“I want to meet him!”
Jang Jangsim looked at Hwanggeum-i with a resolute expression.
“At the very least, my son should know who his father is.”
Hwanggeum-i asked Jang Jangsim.
“Mom, do I have a father?”
“Of course you do.”
“Who is he?”
“I don’t know yet. We might never know.”
But the will to know bloomed like a flower on Jang Jangsim’s face.
Seol Mujin asked.
“Are you really sure about this?”
It would be a problem if the Third Prince was Hwanggeum-i’s father, and it would also be a problem due to disappointment if he wasn’t.
“He’s someone I was living forgetting anyway. And even if it is that person, I’m thinking whether there’s really a need to continue our connection. I just want to know who Hwanggeum-i’s father is.”
Jang Jangsim swallowed the words “for now.”
“Alright. Change into kitchen worker’s clothes.”
One hour after Seol Mujin went outside, Jang Jangsim came out having changed clothes.
“He might recognize me, should I wear a mask or something?”
“He probably won’t recognize you.”
Though Jang Jangsim might feel hurt, he told her the truth.
“That, that’s right, isn’t it? Nearly eight years have passed, so there’s no way he’d remember a courtesan he spent just one night with.”
That would be the case.
He didn’t even remember coming to Yeonji-ru.
Jang Jangsim followed behind Seol Mujin carrying a large tray.
Since Yeonji-ru operated busily every day, there were no courtesans or workers paying attention to Jang Jangsim.
Seol Mujin, who had climbed up to the third floor, gave Jang Jangsim time to catch her breath.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Of course I’m fine.”
Her complexion was pale.
“It might not be him. Keep your mind at ease. And you absolutely must not be mistaken.”
“That will absolutely never happen.”
The night Hwanggeum-i’s father slept with her remained a special memory for Jang Jangsim as well.
At that time, she had gone to her hometown after hearing news that her father was critically ill.
Fortunately, his condition improved, and when she returned to Yeonji-ru after a month, the guest who welcomed her was Hwanggeum-i’s father.
And three days later, she received news of her father’s death.
She wasn’t particularly popular with guests, so for that reason, she didn’t sleep with any man other than Hwanggeum-i’s father for about three months before and after.
Since she never even held hands with a man after becoming pregnant with Hwanggeum-i, Hwanggeum-i’s father was her last man.
Seol Mujin stood in front of Yeonhwa Room and knocked on the door.
From inside came the sound of a gayageum and pipa playing in harmony.
When the door opened, he saw Ju Cheonmyeong and Yeon Daebang with slightly flushed faces.
“Oh! Seol Podoo came because he missed me! Come sit down.”
As Seol Mujin entered the room, Jang Jangsim followed closely behind.
Jang Jangsim, who was afraid to confirm Ju Cheonmyeong’s identity, kept her head deeply bowed.
Seol Mujin said to her.
“Please clear away the empty dishes.”
“Y-yes.”
As Seol Mujin sat on a chair, Jang Jangsim placed the empty dishes on a tray.
Then she stole a glance at Ju Cheonmyeong.
Ju Cheonmyeong paid no attention to Jang Jangsim and filled Seol Mujin’s empty cup.
“I heard the brewery that makes Seol Baekju belongs to you, Seol Podoo?”
“I have shares in it, but it’s not mine.”
Seol Mujin turned his head and pretended to drink while checking on Jang Jangsim.
She was frozen, unable to take her eyes off Ju Cheonmyeong’s face.
Jang Jangsim’s widened eyes and half-open mouth were certain enough that no questions or answers were needed.
Seol Mujin placed an empty dish on the tray with a sound.
At the clear sound, Jang Jangsim suddenly snapped back to her senses.
“I-I’ll clear the em-empty dishes.”
A plate on the tray slipped and fell toward the floor.
Seol Mujin quickly caught the plate and placed it back on the tray.
Before he knew it, Ju Cheonmyeong’s gaze was fixed on Jang Jangsim.
“Hmm. Haven’t we met somewhere before?”
At the sudden question, Jang Jangsim’s body trembled with a start.
“M-me?”
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”
“I-I must resemble Jiyeong, so that’s probably why.”
“Jiyeong? Ah! This girl?”
Ju Cheonmyeong pointed to Oh Jiyeong sitting beside him and waved his hand.
“No, that’s not it. You’re much prettier.”
When Oh Jiyeong pouted saying “That hurts my feelings when you say that,” Ju Cheonmyeong replied “I’m not good at lying.”
Jang Jangsim somehow managed to gather the empty dishes and went outside.
Seol Mujin wanted to chase after her immediately, but leaving like this would also seem strange.
Ju Cheonmyeong called out to Seol Mujin.
“Seol Po… no, Ch’ŏmsa Seol.”
“Yes.”
“I like you.”
“This isn’t a good place for a confession.”
“Hahahaha! I like that you have the guts to joke like this with me!”
Ju Cheonmyeong laughed heartily and continued.
“Don’t test the waters, just come to me. My brothers and uncles are all trash. They’re people who are only eager to satisfy their own greed. Ah! Except for my eldest brother who’s bedridden. That man has been so frail since childhood that surviving was his life’s mission.”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
“You’re going to meet with the others until the end?”
“I haven’t decided whether to jump into this game, and if I do jump in, how far I should go.”
“Being cautious isn’t always good. Sometimes you need to know when to take risks.”
“I have too many dependents for that.”
“Hm? Do you have children?”
“I have younger siblings and various others.”
“I see. You’re worth waiting for.”
Seol Mujin only stood up after drinking the three cups of alcohol Ju Cheonmyeong offered.
Jang Jangsim had returned to her own room.
When Seol Mujin visited, it was after Hwanggeum-i had gone to bed.
“What should I do? Mujin-i, what should I do?”
Jang Jangsim kept repeating those words with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Are you certain he’s Hwanggeum-i’s father?”
Though it was written all over Jang Jangsim’s face, he asked to be sure.
Jang Jangsim bit her lower lip and nodded.
“Are you certain?”
He repeated the same question because this matter was that important.
“There’s no doubt. How could I forget that face? He looks so much like Hwanggeum-i.”
Even to Seol Mujin’s eyes, Ju Cheonmyeong and Hwanggeum-i resembled each other.
If asked to find Ju Cheonmyeong’s son among a thousand children, he would immediately pick out Hwanggeum-i.
Plus the mole behind the ear.
Suddenly he thought, ‘Would Ju Cheonmyeong acknowledge it?’
If Ju Cheonmyeong told them not to talk nonsense and dismissed them, that would be the end of it.
Even if they looked exactly alike and had the same mole, Ju Cheonmyeong’s will could make all of that meaningless.
“Who is that person?”
He couldn’t tell her who Ju Cheonmyeong was yet.
There would be nothing good about Jang Jangsim knowing.
“For now, please pretend you don’t know.”
“Why? If they look so alike and even have the mole behind the ear, isn’t that enough evidence?”
“What if that person says he’ll only take Hwanggeum-i away?”
That possibility couldn’t be ruled out either.
Blood relations might be precious, but what about a courtesan from a one-night stand?
“No! I can never let Hwanggeum-i go!”
“Exactly. I’ll tell you when things become clearer.”
Jang Jangsim grabbed the sleeve of Seol Mujin as he turned to leave.
“Mujin-i, I can’t live without Hwanggeum-i.”
What mother wouldn’t feel that way?
“I’ll protect both Hwanggeum-i and you no matter what happens.”
“Thank you… Really, thank you, Mujin-i.”
Leaving behind Jang Jangsim, who would surely spend this night sleepless, Seol Mujin returned home.
The Triplets, who had been waiting for Seol Mujin’s return, asked simultaneously.
“Is the Third Prince really Hwanggeum-i’s father?”
“It seems so. Jang’s Wife confirmed it.”
Seol Mantong held his forehead.
“Oh no, things have really gotten complicated.”
The Triplets had secretly hoped it wouldn’t be true.
While the Triplets could pretend not to know about Jang Jangsim and her child, Seol Mujin was absolutely not that kind of person.
Seol Ryeoseon said.
“How about giving Jang Jangsim some money and sending her far away?”
At least she wouldn’t get swept up in the turmoil, so that might be a good solution.
Seol Mujin knew that too, but it wasn’t a problem he could decide.
“That’s for Jang’s Wife to decide.”
“Did you reveal to Jang Jangsim who the Third Prince is?”
“No.”
“Good job. Jang Jangsim might get other ideas.”
“Other ideas?”
“She might dream of becoming Empress.”
Seol Changho chuckled.
“She’s not that kind of person.”
“How can you know someone’s heart?”
Seol Mantong also agreed with Seol Changho’s words.
“Does Jang Jangsim have the guts for that?”
At the word ‘guts’, Seol Ryeoseon also nodded.
“True, she’s too much of a coward to harbor such thoughts.”
Seol Ryeoseon said to Seol Mujin.
“Brother, your decision won’t change just because the Third Prince is Hwanggeum-i’s father, right?”
“Haah―! I don’t know.”
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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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