novelraw Chapter 214 : Stories of Beijing
Chapter 214 : Stories of Beijing
Chapter 214: Stories of Beijing
The late autumn chill brushed past the windows of the Imperial Palace, producing a ‘whoosh’ sound.
Amid the officials shivering from the unexpectedly early cold wave, the Third Princess’s Palace remained warm and comfortable. Concerned for the cold of the palace attendants, Princess Peach Blossom had generously provided ample firewood, allowing everyone to stay in a gentle warmth.
Crackle, crackle.
Inside the inner quarters, a brazier burned firewood and radiated heat, while at the center of the room, the fragrance of tea leaves said to have come from the Western Regions spread softly through the air.
It carried a faint reddish hue, and when honey was added, a subtle fruity aroma emerged—an exclusive tribute product of the Eunseong Trading Company.
Princess Peach Blossom lightly rolled up her silk sleeves and tilted her teacup a little further. The soft and subtle fragrance lingering in her mouth briefly allowed her to forget the tense atmosphere of the Imperial Palace.
But as she enjoyed her tea leisurely, her expression turned noticeably displeased at the proposal brought by Cheon Sugong.
“So, Cheon Sugong, your proposal right now is….”
Princess Peach Blossom pointed toward the middle-aged man lying flat in an awkward posture outside the door and continued speaking.
A man who looked so shabby it was hard to believe he had once stood at the center of power—Censor Yang Gunjwa.
“Are you telling me to keep someone with such peculiar inclinations as a close aide?”
Though her voice was gentle, the discomfort within it was unmistakable.
She frowned slightly, clearly unwilling to keep such a beast-loving man under her command.
At this, Cheon Sugong steadied his voice and began persuading her once more.
“I am not asking you to employ him heavily. Merely to keep him as hands and feet in case of necessity.”
“…….”
A calm yet calculating tone.
He stepped closer and continued in a whisper.
“The Office of the Inspector General is an imperial inspection body that even officials tremble before. If used well, it is a sharp blade capable of cutting down opposing forces in a single stroke.”
And he explained that his intention was to place that blade’s handle into the princess’s hands.
“If you command them, it will become a card to pressure the Empress’s faction in the future. Yang Gunjwa may be vile, but with his weakness in our grasp, he will become a loyal dog.”
“…….”
In the current chaotic state of the Imperial Palace, possessing such a blade would indeed be useful against the Empress’s faction.
However, Princess Peach Blossom still watched Yang Gunjwa with hesitant eyes.
“You ask me to overlook the punishment of a man who abducted an innocent courtesan….”
“That is politics, Princess.”
Cheon Sugong answered firmly.
To protect one’s subordinates and faction, sometimes one must weigh interests over ethics.
And among the Imperial Consort Hwang’s family, she was the only one who could engage in such political reasoning.
The Third Prince was too soft for political maneuvering, and the Imperial Concubine, though favored by the Son of Heaven, was too naïve to wield that favor as power.
Of course, that very naivety was precisely why she was favored—a paradox in itself.
“And Princess, as for punishment… he has, unintentionally, already received it.”
Fiddling with her teacup in thought, Princess Peach Blossom looked at Yang Gunjwa as if asking what he meant.
His face, once lifted, was deathly pale. His complexion was dark, sweat-soaked, and his legs trembled anxiously.
“Why does he look so wretched?”
At her question, Cheon Sugong let out a low chuckle.
“That would be because that bastard Dan Mujin….”
“Dan Mujin?”
At the mention of Dan Mujin, the bold yet highly capable troubleshooter, her eyes sparkled with interest.
“He crushed one of that man’s testicles right in front of me.”
“……What?”
At the shocking statement, her teacup nearly slipped from her hand.
The news that the troubleshooter had already inflicted immediate and brutal physical punishment.
“…He truly is a man who gives no thought to consequences.”
Princess Peach Blossom said this with a dizzy expression.
To storm the Imperial Palace’s inspection authority for the sake of a mere courtesan—she simply could not comprehend it.
Let alone daring to harm a Censor’s manhood.
“Could it be that courtesan, Juwol-a, is someone precious to Dan Mujin?”
“…It did not seem so.”
Cheon Sugong slowly shook his head.
“Then perhaps this will become an opportunity for them to grow close.”
A man willing to leap into a death trap for her—such men were rare.
From the courtesan’s perspective, such an act could easily be misunderstood.
“Even I nearly misunderstood once myself….”
She had already had her life saved twice—once from poisoning, once from a Thunderburst Bomb.
So she could not entirely blame such feelings.
“…Pardon?”
Cheon Sugong tilted his head, not understanding her murmur.
Princess Peach Blossom shook her head lightly and changed the subject.
“Well, it seems he has received some form of punishment.”
“Yes. When I threatened that if necessary I would send the troubleshooter to crush the remaining one as well, he became extremely obedient.”
“…Hehe.”
At the absurdity of it all, she let out a small laugh, forgetting even her dignity as a princess.
“Very well, Cheon Sugong. I will accept your proposal.”
As his suggestion was accepted, Cheon Sugong bowed deeply in gratitude.
Just as one matter was about to conclude, before she could even lift her teacup again, he brought up another issue.
“And there is one more report, Princess.”
His tone was heavier this time.
After glancing around, he stepped closer and whispered gravely.
“We have received information from a spy planted within the Second Prince’s faction.”
After the attempted poisoning incident, she had cautiously permitted the suggestion from the head of the Eastern Depot to plant spies.
And it seemed that spy had now begun operating.
“It is said that the Second Prince recently sent people to Tibet and made contact with a certain faction.”
“…What faction?”
Princess Peach Blossom narrowed her eyes.
“According to the spy, the description of the individual they contacted closely resembled the Right Blood Law of the Blood Cult.”
She inhaled sharply in disbelief.
“The Blood Cult? That cannot be….”
She instinctively denied it.
But as Cheon Sugong insisted the description matched circulating accounts of Blood Cult members, her eyes began to tremble.
“How could that be… would my Second Brother go so far…?”
The Blood Cult—a group branded not only as enemies of the Murim, but of the entire Central Plains. Fanatics who worshipped the Blood-Heaven God instead of the Son of Heaven.
Even if the Empress’s faction was cornered, they would not ally with such zealots… or so she believed.
If the imperial family had joined hands with them, it would shake the very foundation of the empire.
“This is information from a spy who risked their life to infiltrate. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
Cheon Sugong’s voice remained firm.
“…Ugh.”
Princess Peach Blossom felt a headache forming at the Empress faction’s attempts to overturn the board.
The palace situation was not becoming clearer—it felt like sinking deeper into a thick fog.
Friend and foe, schemes, even the will of the Son of Heaven—all of it grew increasingly obscure.
If only she could act like that troubleshooter—charging forward without regard for consequences.
‘Please… let it not be so.’
She prayed inwardly. Yet unease coiled within her heart.
The faint glow from the brazier stretched across her darkened face.
The annex of Cheonhwa Pavilion was a quiet private space that the Pavilion Master had given to Juwol-a.
A place that felt like a home, filled with a woman’s presence and a faint fruity scent.
Not knowing where to sit, I scratched my cheek awkwardly. Juwol-a tapped the bed as if to say I should sit there.
‘Of all places, the bed….’
Tilting my head at her intention, I carefully sat at the edge of the soft bed.
She naturally sat beside me. The sound of silk brushing against silk felt strangely loud.
“…….”
“…….”
An awkward silence settled over the room.
Juwol-a, having called me here, seemed unsure of what to say, merely fidgeting with her lips.
Feels like a girl who just brought a male friend home for the first time.
To think the most famous courtesan in Beijing, known for her eloquence, was flustered like this.
I swallowed a short sigh. Considering my age—even counting my past life—I figured I should say something.
“So… are you okay?”
A clumsy question with the subject omitted.
Still, it seemed to ease the tension slightly.
“Well… I’ve lived as a courtesan for quite some time, but being kidnapped by a Yin Fiend and forced to wear beast clothing… that was a first.”
Her tone suggested she had never imagined such a thing could happen.
Well, who would ever experience something like that in their life?
This was all because of Neung Jinsam’s ridiculous ability to draw out the charm of beasts.
Combined with Juwol-a’s beauty, it had attracted lunatics from all directions.
Of course… I had some responsibility too for introducing her.
“I’m sorry. You got dragged into this because of me.”
She tilted her head as if wondering why I felt guilty.
“It’s not your fault. I did benefit from that painting job, and besides, this request was originally….”
“A fake beast-ear story you made up?”
At my answer, her eyes widened.
“W-what? You knew…?”
When I nodded, her expression instantly turned uneasy.
“How did you…?”
“Ilhong told me. She has quite a wide network.”
At the mention of Ilhong, her mood shifted immediately.
“That sly cat-like brat… seriously….”
Interesting. Ilhong called Juwol-a a fox.
Seems they got along quite well.
“…Ahem.”
Having no excuse regarding the lie, she awkwardly cleared her throat.
But thinking about it, even if it started as a lie, it ended up becoming the truth.
The man actually existed—and even abducted her out of obsession.
“So… even knowing it was a lie, you still came all the way into the Imperial Palace to find me?”
Under the sunlight filtering through the window, her face was colored with surprise—and something else.
“Yeah. If I didn’t go, no one else could.”
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. Her lips parted faintly.
“Why… why would you go that far for me?”
Her voice carried a slight tremor. She clutched the white blanket tightly.
She said that when she realized the pervert she invented was real—and that he was a Censor of the Imperial Palace—she thought everything was over.
No matter how popular she was, no one would dare storm such a place to save a mere courtesan.
“But you really came. To save someone like me… even smashing through the Office of the Inspector General’s gate.”
Slowly, she recalled those events.
Despite the difficulty of the memory, her face was no longer gloomy.
“Master….”
Instead, she smiled faintly as she moved closer to me across the bed.
A subtle orchid fragrance brushed past my nose as her fox-like eyes curved and stared straight at me.
“Could it be… that you’re not seeing Juwol-a as a client, but as a woman?”
A confident smile spread across her lips.
As if she had arrived at only one possible conclusion.