Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter Twenty-Seven
“That was probably the plan. But another faction muddied the waters. The people who attacked Byeol-gung are genuine bandits. They were commissioned to kidnap the princess, or so I’ve heard.”
Gyesan, who had been watching, interjected.
“So you’re saying the bandits moved first, before the false flag operation could even begin, and that’s what caused this mess?”
“The soldiers who came with us left to carry out their mission. They were waiting a short distance away. The plan was to fabricate evidence first, then move.”
“To frame the Jin Clan, right?”
“Yes. But while the soldiers left and Byeol-gung was empty, the bandits broke in. They meant only to kidnap the princess and escape. Yet they killed every court lady and soldier in the palace and still couldn’t find her.”
“Because we ran.”
Yongyong snapped his fingers once.
“Exactly. They wasted time searching Byeol-gung. Around that time, some soldiers realized something had gone wrong and came to check. They clashed with the bandits, and the bandits were completely wiped out.”
Samcheon’s eyes sharpened.
“Whoever commissioned them knew the entire schedule.”
“That would be a reasonable conclusion.”
Gyesan, listening to their exchange, recalled the face of the man who had fired arrows at Samcheon.
“Then the people tracking us—they’re from the Baekje Army?”
“Yes. I’ve ended up eliminating Baekje soldiers. The princess will need to explain this carefully.”
Yongyong jested as if frightened.
“They were trying to kill Samcheon.”
“Once the princess is secured, the original plan can proceed. Orders were given to kill everyone remaining in Byeol-gung. That includes the court ladies.”
“…Everyone except me?”
“If a court lady survived when the princess was kidnapped, it would raise suspicion. To keep the false flag operation from unraveling, they probably meant to keep only one or two as witnesses.”
While Gyesan gaped, unable to accept the reality, suspicion accumulated in Samcheon’s eyes.
“How did you know all this, Yongyong?”
“I had some serious conversations with people I encountered while searching for you two. I couldn’t understand the situation either.”
“I still don’t understand it.”
Gyesan murmured.
Samcheon kept his mouth shut, his gaze fixed on Yongyong. Feeling it, Yongyong offered his characteristic boyish smile.
“You’re thinking I chose a good escort, aren’t you? So what would you like to do now? Shall I see you both to Sabi-seong?”
“Let’s sleep tonight and worry about it tomorrow. My head won’t work.”
Samcheon yawned at the end of his reply. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion.
“Yes. We’re both too tired.”
Gyesan agreed. Now that she mentioned it, they both looked pallid.
Yongyong rose to let them rest and asked Samcheon, “Is your ankle all right?”
“Yeah. The medicine you gave me—the pain’s gone.”
“That’s good. Don’t forget to apply it again tomorrow morning. Should I leave a lamp lit?”
“No. I want to sleep soundly.”
At Samcheon’s words, Yongyong extinguished the lamp and withdrew.
“Sleep well.”
The door closed, and only Gyesan and Samcheon remained in the darkness.
Once Yongyong’s presence had completely vanished, Samcheon sat up. Gyesan rose as if she’d been waiting and moved close to him.
Gyesan leaned near Samcheon’s ear and whispered in a small voice.
“Could Yongyong have faced all those people alone?”
“Not alone, I’d think. There were times when torches went out in multiple places simultaneously.”
Not once, but many times. If Yongyong hadn’t used the Body Division Technique, someone else had to exist.
The bandits had been mopped up early, so it meant there was another person holding back the soldiers.
Gyesan murmured.
“He doesn’t seem like a bad person, though…”
Samcheon thought the same. If he’d meant harm, there were plenty of chances. But—
“Even if he’s not bad, people lie. He might have another purpose.”
“That’s true. He might have ulterior motives.”
Suspicion without cause would be unfair, but with their lives in danger now, they couldn’t fully trust him.
“The way things stand, the princess will be reported missing. She was attacked in Jin Clan territory, and court ladies and soldiers did die in significant numbers.”
Now that she said it, that was the reality. In the end, things unfolded according to the king’s will.
“Could he have been sent by His Majesty?”
Something like a special escort, just in case. But in this scenario, there’s no explaining why Samcheon was left alive.
Samcheon felt his head might split.
He wanted to trust Yongyong but couldn’t.
“Yongyong…”
“Should we leave?”
Gyesan’s cautious question eased Samcheon’s anxiety. If they had to doubt all along, it was better to part ways.
“We’ll leave the remaining commission fee and a letter.”
“A letter?”
“There was paper and a brush laid out on the table.”
Gyesan blinked. She knew paper was expensive.
“How much does staying here one night cost?”
Samcheon also shook his head. He had no idea what renting a high-class inn used only by magistrates and nobles would cost.
Yongyong, who said he’d take up escort work to provide for his older companions, had rented a place like this without a care.
“I really can’t trust him.”
Though the future seemed bleak and fatigue weighed like a mountain, Samcheon forced his heavy body to stand. It was still time to move.
Once he’d prepared to leave, Samcheon carefully opened the door without making noise. They slipped into the darkness and climbed over the inn’s wall.
The streets at dawn were sparsely populated. Samcheon, who had been to Jeonghyeon-seong before, led the way. They entered a small inn on the outskirts of the city.
Yongyong, watching from a distance, tousled his own hair. Suspicion had cost him the chance to stand by their side.
As he stood there dazed, he felt a presence approaching.
Yongyong turned with a dispirited face.
“I got fired, Wolya.”
Wolya, standing beside him, gazed at the shabby inn’s gate and spoke.
“It seems so.”
Yongyong held out the letter Samcheon had left behind.
Yongyong, thank you. See you again sometime.
One corner of Wolya’s mouth rose.
“I don’t think I did anything wrong?”
“In a situation like that, anyone would have to suspect.”
“That’s true enough.”
Yongyong knew that, but he felt a bit hurt all the same.
“The rumors are fact. Gyesan cares deeply for Cheonkwan. They were more like family than princess and court lady. She cherished her like blood.”
“What kind of person does Gyesan seem to be?”
Yongyong answered without difficulty.
“A bright little thing with some Swordsmanship skill. But she’s not foolish—she knows what matters. If she keeps growing like this, she has the makings of a capable martial artist.”
“That’s generous praise.”
“I was being stingy with it, actually.”
Yongyong remembers how Gyesan shielded Samcheon with her body. It was clumsy, awkward concealment, but her desperation came through loud and clear.
In the end, Yongyong had to admit that Gyesan was cut from different cloth than the princesses he’d seen before. At least for now.
Wolya, who had been deep in thought, spoke at last.
“Then she’s better than her father, at least.”
“Was the king really such a wretch?”
“He staged cockfights for a long time.”
“That settles it. What happened with the bandits?”
“We cleaned them up. They had collected quite a bit of gold. Their mission was to kidnap the princess, then kill Cheonkwan before her eyes. After that, they were to send someone to take custody of Gyesan.”
“So it was the Hae Clan, not the Jin Clan?”
“A court lady from Yeonhwa-gung was said to have been in Jeonghyeon-seong recently, so I ordered an investigation. Results should come soon.”
“What do I do now? I don’t think I should show my face to Cheonkwan.”
“It’s better to stay with the merchant house. Cheonkwan might come looking for you first.”
“Understood.”
Wolya ruffled Yongyong’s disheveled hair.
“Good work.”

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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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