The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 235

"But... although I am thinking this way, there is no clear evidence. So it's even more of a problem."

He said in a voice that lacked confidence.

"But there must be a reason why you think that way, right? I'd like to hear that reason."

"That is..."

Jeong Yi-hak hesitated to tell me.

And that's understandable, because if what he is saying now were to spread somewhere, there would be no greater disgrace.

The eldest son who is trying to harm his father, and the second son who is turning a blind eye to it.

It is even more of a problem because both of them are officials working in the imperial court.

"Sigh... since I mentioned my older brother, it seems I can't take it back."

"Well. That's about right."

He, after letting out a deep sigh, began to speak.

"My older brother has always been greedy for power. It was my older brother who could do anything for power."

"If it's power, isn't it something he was born with? Although it's been a long time since he retired, he was still a person who served as the chancellor of a country..."

"That is precisely the beginning of the problem."

"Why is that?"

"After my father retired, he completely cut off his ties with the imperial court. He hardly even met the guests who came, except for a few with whom he had been particularly close."

Since I still didn't know what the problem was, I waited for his next words in silence.

"Moreover, it's not just that he cut off people, but my father, after leaving only some of his property, returned it all to the imperial court, or he spent it all on helping the poor people around him."

"Wow... he's a really good person."

Admiration came out sincerely.

Because to be honest, it is true that I was a little disappointed when I first came to Minister Jeong's manor.

Of course, although it is not easy to have such a huge manor in a big city like Chang'an, since it was the manor of a person who had served as a chancellor in the imperial court, I thought it should be a little bigger and more splendid.

Moreover, the level of the martial artists he had hired was all so-so.

Although the Hundred Hands Swordsman is a decent martial artist, the rest are all nothing special.

If it were me, I would have hired much more amazing martial artists even if I had to spend more money in this situation.

So I thought that Minister Jeong either had a frugal personality, or he was a miser...

"Hoho... although he was a good person to others, it seems he was not to my older brother. It seems my older brother, wanting to get a good start from the beginning with my father behind him, took the civil service examination and passed. But since the people who were close to my father were old and had mostly retired from their official posts, and he didn't make any new connections, it would have been no different from starting completely new."

"Your older brother must have been very disappointed."

"Actually, it wasn't just my older brother, but I was also like that at first. Since I took the military examination, not the literary examination, it could be said that it was even more severe."

I had forgotten for a moment that Jeong Yi-hak in front of me was also an imperial official.

"But at that point, my older brother and I made completely opposite choices. Although it is embarrassing for me to say this with my own mouth... I rather thought it was a good thing and decided to show off my abilities even more. Since there was no one who knew my father well, I thought that there would be no prejudice."

"Then what about your older brother?"

"My older brother... began to make the connections he couldn't get from my father on his own. He began to attend all the banquets held in the capital, and he began to expand his connections by gathering rare items from all over the country and giving them as bribes to high-ranking people."

"Wait a minute. Rare items...?"

When I spoke with a little surprise, Jeong Yi-hak nodded his head slightly.

Because the reason I am here right now is all because of a rare item.

"The family heirloom. The Art of War of Wu Zi, I see."

"That's right. Actually, it's a pretty famous rumor among us officials that the Left General, Jin Baek, is very fond of old books on the art of war. To the extent that he has one of the ten handwritten copies of the Art of War of Sun Tzu, which is said to have been written by his grandson himself."

"If it's like that even with a handwritten copy, the original of the Art of War of Wu Zi... he would naturally drool over it."

"My older brother, who had noticed that, seems to have asked my father to give him the family heirloom at first. But my father is said to have strongly opposed it, saying that he would never hand over the family heirloom before a knife was put to his throat."

I'm starting to get a rough idea of this family's situation.

I, who was about to click my tongue unconsciously, barely held it back and then opened my mouth.

"Then I can roughly understand the reason why he is trying to take over the house by winning over the servants and martial artists. If your older brother becomes the head of the family... he will also get the right to do as he pleases with the family heirloom."

"That's right. So there is one hope that has arisen."

"What is it?"

"If my older brother is really the culprit of this incident, if that is true..."

To be honest, although he himself seemed to think that his older brother was almost the culprit, he deliberately added the word 'if' and repeated it several times.

It seemed he was saying that because of his desire for his older brother not to be the culprit and his current situation where there was no evidence.

"I hope that my older brother... planned this incident to threaten my father and make him give up the family heirloom."

"Ah..."

The moment I saw his expression, I instinctively realized why he had such a hope.

'If the current head of the family dies, the eldest son is likely to inherit the position of head of the family.'

It means that he hopes that this incident was not planned to kill his father.

But I did not deliberately say that out loud.

"Well... for now, there is one easy way to catch that evidence."

"Evidence...! What is that method?"

I, who was about to say the thought that came to my mind, had the words stuck in my throat and couldn't get them out.

'If I just catch one of the servants or martial artists who were manipulating the formation I saw earlier and beat him up, he'll spill the beans...'

Because it is clear that the one who ordered the manipulation of the formation is the eldest son, if I just get him to say that he ordered it, even if I have to torture him, everything will be solved.

But how can I say that in front of an imperial official. And in front of a military official who is called an imperial soldier?

"That... for now, I don't know how much you've heard from the head steward, but what was tormenting Minister Jeong was not a real assassin, but a formation."

"I heard that story."

"A formation means that someone is manipulating it, right? But I found the people who were manipulating it."

"Th-Then isn't it that you've found the culprit?! If you catch him..."

"Didn't I say 'people' a little while ago? It's not just one or two."

"Yes?!"

"Many people. And it seems they are doing it in turns."

He had an expression that was beyond dumbfounded and seemed as if it would collapse if he were touched just a little.

And that's understandable. Because if you take my words literally, it means that all the people in the house have participated in the act of driving Minister Jeong to his death.

"It's not that desperate of a situation yet. Because I don't know if they are doing that, knowing that they are manipulating the formation."

"Ah...! Even if it's something my older brother ordered, if they are doing it without knowing why!"

"Although they are following the eldest son's words, if they know that it is something that harms Minister Jeong, won't they be able to stop now?"

His expression brightens.

To be honest, I am skeptical about that method.

Because if they are not doing it without knowing, but are doing it knowing, there is no good in letting them know that we have grasped the truth to some extent.

If we fail to persuade them, and the eldest also realizes that what he is doing now is useless, then he might use even more severe methods.

He might even really hire an expensive and capable assassin.

"I will talk to everyone. That what they are doing now is killing my father. That they must stop immediately."

"Rather than just saying that, wouldn't it be better to think a little more? For now, how many people can you say for sure are on your side, Captain?"

"To be honest... other than the head steward, there is no one I can say for sure."

"Then the situation is very difficult. Because it is possible that they will all say that they will never do such a thing again in front of you, and then they will report the current situation to your eldest brother."

"I... I trust the people of our family."

"I don't trust them."

“……”

"It's not that I'm saying I can't trust them simply because I'm not a member of this family. Let's say they were really manipulating the formation without knowing anything. But don't you think that even if they have a head, they have passed the point where they would know that Minister Jeong is in pain every time they do something? It's been half a year since Minister Jeong started to suffer."

"That... seems to be true. Then what should I do? Should I catch a servant or a martial artist and torture them? To make them confess that it was my older brother who ordered it..."

I, who was about to nod my head without my realizing it, barely held it back and said to him, "No. Rather than that, how about calling the culprit of this incident directly."

"The culprit? But my older brother hasn't come home for a long time. I think he doesn't even show his face, as if he wants to show that he didn't plan this incident."

"Then we just have to give him a reason why he has no choice but to come."

"What is that reason?"

"A bait. If you give him what he wants the most as a bait, he'll probably... take it hook, line, and sinker?"

"May I ask for an explanation?"

"Of course. In the first place, this is a plan that cannot be done without your help, Captain. And I also need the cooperation of the head steward and Minister Jeong. I will talk to those two well."

I, bringing my face close to him, and deliberately lowering my voice, began to tell him the plan I had come up with.

Although it was very simple, Jeong Yi-hak, at that method that he had not thought of, could not speak for a long time.

***

The next day. The Jeong family was very noisy from the morning.

Because a misfortune had occurred at the Jeong family at dawn.

"Oh, my. Oh, my! Father...!"

Because Minister Jeong had suddenly passed away during the night.

The sound of Jeong Yi-hak, the second son of the Jeong family, wailing mournfully was enough to touch the hearts of all the people around.

The other servants and martial artists who worked at the Jeong family could not hold back their sadness.

Because they knew well how benevolent and good a master he had been.

They, swallowing their sadness, began to move diligently.

Although sadness was overwhelming, a funeral had to be held.

They, for the sake of Minister Jeong who had suddenly passed away, and for the sake of Jeong Yi-hak who had shed so many tears that he had no more tears to shed, began to move even more busily.

But there was one person who was busy in a slightly different way from preparing for the funeral and preparing food.

'I have to be the first to deliver this news.'

He, after scribbling the news of Minister Jeong's death on a cloth, sent it by carrier pigeon.

That person, who was already smiling brightly, not knowing what kind of reward he would receive, soon returned to his original place and began to pretend to be diligently preparing for the funeral.

(End of Chapter)