novelraw Chapter 173 : The Scheme
Chapter 173 : The Scheme
Chapter 173: The Scheme
The imperial palace, veiled in silence and darkness, lay under the cover of midnight.
“Ju Gachi, how are preparations for the garden banquet coming along?”
The Won Yuhwe (園遊会)—a royal banquet held in the palace garden where every member of the court gathered.
Typically, preparations amounted to dressing up the attendants and weeding out potential troublemakers.
But tonight, the “preparations” undertaken by two members of the royal family meeting in secret were anything but ordinary.
“Yes, everything is proceeding smoothly,” Ju Gachi replied.
At the gathering where the Son of Heaven himself wished to see everyone’s faces, they were irreverently scheming something.
“And the procurement?”
The Empress asked, scanning him with indifferent eyes.
“We’ve secured everything we need. Byeok Jinsang was remarkably cooperative.”
Though the man had no clue what fate might await him later.
For now, thanks to the false ambitions we’d planted, he was drunk on power, thinking he held his clan in his hands.
“Smoothly, you say…”
Despite hearing that things were going well, the Empress's expression remained skeptical.
Faced with eyes that never fully trusted him, the Second Prince lowered his head deeply and clenched his fists tight.
“……”
No matter how hard he tried, the Empress’s gaze—always judging by the Crown Prince’s standard—remained full of discontent.
And because of past failures, he had seemingly lost even more of her trust.
“What’s the status with the Byeok Clan matter?”
“That too is progressing without issue.”
But complaints or pleas were not options for him. All he could do was promise to give his all and prove it with results.
He knew too well that the more he sought affection, the colder his mother’s gaze would become.
“Um, may I ask… what exactly do you plan to do with all this?”
What were they plotting?
To that question, for the first time in a while, the Empress’s indifferent face curved into a faint smile.
A twisted smile, laced with malice.
“If poison doesn’t work, one must simply try another method.”
The previous assassination attempt had failed. Now, she planned to try something else—not poison this time.
It seemed the Empress intended to wipe out the Imperial Concubine Hwang’s family during the garden banquet when everyone was gathered.
Ju Gachi’s face stiffened further as he heard this.
“B-But if we do something like that in front of the Son of Heaven and all present… won’t we immediately be branded the culprits?”
It was not just bold—it bordered on reckless. Denying it wouldn’t convince anyone.
Even if they used someone like Byeok Jinsang as a scapegoat, once the Son of Heaven suspected them, it was over. In the palace, his word was both law and verdict.
The Second Prince glanced up at his mother with fearful eyes.
“His Majesty has many enemies. Don’t you think so?”
“…I’ve heard the throne above all is a lonely one,” he replied.
A place his older brother nearly ascended once—lonely, friendless, surrounded only by foes. That, he’d heard, was the fate of the Son of Heaven.
“Exactly. There are those who hate him both within and beyond the borders. So if one day, someone were to target him and set off an explosion… would it really be so surprising?”
Cold and emotionless mass destruction weapons. Black-powder weapons, deadly even to masters if caught off guard.
But even if the Son of Heaven were eliminated in such a way, it would only bring chaos to the Central Plains. There was no guarantee they’d seize the vacant throne.
“Don’t tell me… you intend to disguise it as an assassination attempt on His Majesty and use it to target the Third Princess and Third Prince?”
Unlike targeting Imperial Concubine Hwang directly, an attempt on the Son of Heaven’s life could be blamed on countless suspects across the land, allowing them to slip through suspicion more easily.
And in the chaos of the explosion “aimed” at the Emperor, the family of Imperial Concubine Hwang would be “coincidentally” swept up and killed.
“This is the sibling slaughter he wished for. We’ll show it to him, up close. Don’t you agree?”
A response from the Empress, so cold it bordered on madness, as she called it her duty as the discarded one.
“……”
The Second Prince swallowed dryly.
Having watched the Crown Prince writhe in agony for years, had his mother finally been consumed by something?
If anyone were to ask, “How far will she go?”—her ghostly expression suggested she would answer, “To the very end.”
“My son, Ju Gachi. Naturally, you’ll help your mother with this, won’t you?”
But how could a son refuse his mother?
Spoken with the same warm tone she used for his older brother, the Second Prince found himself nodding before he realized it.
“Yes, of course. Please trust me. I’ll handle everything so you needn’t worry…”
Just as he was about to make a vow—to frame the Byeok Clan and exterminate Imperial Concubine Hwang’s family for his mother—
KWA-RURURUNG—!
A thunderclap struck in succession, followed by a tremor that rippled through the imperial palace.
Through the window, a pillar of fire could be seen rising high from somewhere in Beijing.
Explosions of that scale weren’t common. Judging by the direction, it must have been the Byeok Clan residence.
“…You said you’d make sure I wouldn’t have to worry?”
The Empress’s gaze once more turned icy.
“……”
The Second Prince was struck speechless. His eyes remained locked in the direction of the Byeok Clan, unmoving.
He had been told everything was going smoothly. And yet someone had already foiled their plan.
Grinding his teeth, he glared at the lingering flames that lit up the night sky.
“Who was it… Who dared…”
The day after the midnight scheme.
With dawn came the return of clan members who had fled, thinking the smoke was poison.
What they found upon returning was a new order established within the Byeok Clan.
The masters brought in by Byeok Jinsang were scattered unconscious throughout the grounds, and even their leader had fallen into our hands.
Upon seeing this, perhaps due to sharp insight—or perhaps because public sentiment always leaned toward the siblings—
Most of the clan welcomed Byeok Nara and Byeok Muji’s return with open arms.
Siblings who had grown up among them were clearly more trustworthy than some prodigal son who returned with suspicious strangers in tow.
“Well, then. The remaining issue is how we get the Clan Head out of there.”
The clan was “restored” to normalcy. Elders had gathered to discuss their next steps.
And I, sitting right beside Byeok Nara at the head of the table, was deep in thought on how to rescue the Clan Head.
Meanwhile, murmurs and whispers filled the room without pause.
All eyes were fixed on something sprawled beside me.
“Lady Byeok Nara… what in the world is that grotesque posture?”
Asked by an elder, Byeok Nara recalled a slightly shameful memory and replied,
“It’s called a ‘Grand Bow.’”
“A Grand Bow? What’s that?”
“…I don’t know either.”
Drenched in sweat like he was being punished, Byeok Jinsang lay beside me with both legs sticking straight into the air.
He must’ve felt my gaze settle on him—his eyes nervously scanned those around him before he made a desperate plea.
“C-Can I lower my legs now? This posture is just too painful.”
When he had mysterious masters by his side, he called me a damn meddling bastard and hurled every insult in the book.
Now that he was alone with no one left to lean on, he had become endlessly pathetic.
A guy like this should never be running a clan of this caliber. Ahem.
“You may lower them.”
“H-Huh? Really?”
“Just like I said before, though—your head will roll off.”
I’d told him earlier: if he didn’t do the Grand Bow properly, he’d lose his head.
“You son of a bit—…!”
Choking down a curse that reached all the way to his throat, Byeok Jinsang shot me a murderous glare.
Byeok Nara claimed he’d simply misunderstood in trying to save his younger siblings—but this man had clearly ordered his subordinates to kill us.
Their crimes were on completely different levels.
“You just wait… The one backing me won’t let you get away with this… Ugh.”
How was it even possible to sound so much like a third-rate villain?
Listening to him felt almost fascinating.
“And who is this person backing you?”
At that, Byeok Jinsang clamped his mouth shut again, lips pursed tight. Must be someone extremely high up.
I kicked his trembling side with a thud.
“Guhak!”
Byeok Jinsang lost his balance and tumbled to the floor.
“Oh, he lowered his legs.”
With that, I reached for my sword. Byeok Jinsang, startled, leapt up in panic.
“W-Wait! That was because you kicked me!”
“So what? I said I’d cut you if you came down, didn’t I?”
“T-That’s insane… What kind of demonic bastard are you?!”
A man who sold out his father and tried to kill his own siblings was calling me a demonic bastard?
As I pressed in on Byeok Jinsang, trying to squeeze out the identity of his mysterious backer—
“Hy-Hyungnim!”
Byeok Muji came bursting into the main hall, panting with a frightened face.
By the way, he hadn’t used that term before. But ever since I helped save the clan, he’d insisted on calling me hyungnim.
“What? What is it?”
We’d already dealt with Byeok Jinsang’s masters and faction. Was something still left?
“Th-They’re attacking!”
He was so flustered he skipped the subject entirely, shaking as he spoke.
“Who’s attacking?”
Just as things were finally settling down, someone had to barge in like they owned the place.
Whoever they were, I’d smash them down before they could even get started.
With that resolve, I pressed for an answer.
“The Imperial Army! They’ve set up camp in front of the Byeok Clan gate!”
“…Hmm.”
Not wanderers or martial artists—but the Imperial Army.
Their unexpected arrival made me groan aloud.
The Central Plains is vast. For centuries, to prevent rebellions and preserve autonomy, power had been divided and scattered across the land—resulting in a surplus of nobles, lords, and generals.
But when power fragments and the center weakens, those who play kings in their own territories inevitably start harboring impure thoughts—like weeds growing wild.
That was why the former Son of Heaven organized a special force: the Imperial Army.
A unit crafted with utmost care to subdue kings, lords, and local strongmen when needed—even in a world where martial artists ran rampant.
“I am Jangson, commander of a Thousand-Household Division in the Imperial Army. Last night, this humble one confirmed—through eyes and ears—an extremely disgraceful incident at the Byeok Clan. I am here to investigate.”
A few hundred troops in gleaming golden armor. One officer stepped up to the front gate and announced himself in a booming, dignified tone.
Byeok Nara, her brother, the clan elders, and our group were all peeking out from atop the manor’s fortified main gate platform, watching the scene unfold.
The Byeok Clan was clearly rattled by the sudden arrival of the Imperial Army.
“Speak. What exactly happened here?”
And perhaps flustered herself, Byeok Nara couldn’t find words in response to the officer’s question.
This was only going to look more suspicious.
So I stepped forward and answered first.
“It was merely a small mistake in warehouse management.”
“…A small mistake? Are you insane? That explosion had all of Beijing in a panic.”
The officer, Jangson, shot me a glare like I’d just spat nonsense.
“Frightened, were you? In the Byeok Clan, we deal with black powder. Explosions of this scale happen now and then. Sure, this one was a bit big—but these things happen.”
I stood my ground without flinching, stubbornly answering back.
Jangson stared at me intently.
“And just who are you? I’ve more or less accounted for the ages and appearances of all Byeok Clan members.”
“I am Dan Mujin of the Dog-Beating Dragon. Today, I was hired as a troubleshooter by Lady Byeok Nara.”
When I said Dan Mujin, his expression briefly wavered. It seemed my reputation had reached the Imperial Army to some extent.
“So the fixer’s gotten a bit famous lately, has he? Got no sense of rank or decorum, yapping like this in front of an Imperial officer…”
I chuckled inwardly. I’d run my mouth in front of the Eastern Depot and Royal Guards. What was one army officer to me?
“Not you—bring out Byeok Jinsang. He’s the clan head. I’ll speak with him directly.”
He had only taken over the clan recently, yet not only did they know that, they were calling him by name.
It struck me as a little… off.
“Boss, you know, even the Imperial Army’s been splitting into two factions lately,” Ilhong whispered beside me.
Not just the Eastern Depot and Royal Guards—now even the Imperial Army was swaying under the Son of Heaven’s erratic rule.
Which meant this guy could be from one of those factions—sent by someone to sniff things out.
Still, he seemed to be here just to gather intel—he likely didn’t know what had really gone down last night.
In that case, best to play dumb and buy time.
“Clan Head Byeok Jinsang is in critical condition after being caught in the flames. He cannot come out immediately. Once his condition improves by tomorrow, he will appear.”
Byeok Nara, regaining her composure, spoke up from behind the platform.
But the officer scoffed, clearly not buying it.
“I’ll confirm it myself.”
“That’s not possible. With bombs and black powder scattered everywhere, there’s a high risk of our secret arts leaking. Please wait.”
“……”
The Byeok Clan was a prestigious house that had produced many promising officials. It held strong ties to the royal court, wealth, and influence.
And most importantly—seeing me and Jo Harang exude dangerous energy at the gate, the Imperial Army hesitated, emitting low grunts but not daring to charge.
“You’ll regret not letting us in today. Mark my words.”
Apparently planning to regroup and return later, the officer left with his troops after leaving behind that chilling threat.
Unlike Byeok Jinsang’s pathetic attempts at intimidation, this guy’s warning landed with real weight.
“They say clan matters are sacrosanct, but boss, you just stick your nose in everything, huh,” Ilhong muttered once the tension cleared.
“You didn’t know? That’s my charm.”
“Pfft.”
She let out a helpless chuckle.
Well, too late now. What’s done is done.
Time to figure out how to handle the aftermath—and prepare for what’s next.