Chapter 22

Did you really have to make things this bad?
I shrugged my shoulders in response to Namgung Mu Baek’s reproachful gaze.
Just looking at my uncle, who is now a swordsman, is a position of power that would never be recognized in the category of a criminal. So what is the status of the Changcheon Southern Palace Clan’s head of household?
As the head of the Six Great Families, the best swordsman, and the one who could see all of Anhui Province like a toothpick, it was impossible to imagine how many people could be moved by a single word.
I scolded him as I turned to face the Southern Palace, realizing that he hadn’t turned over this bitter end.
Why did you leave it here?
Didn’t you know about it and just ignore it?
This was a matter that needed to be renewed. Mr. Pang, I wonder if you knew about her behavior at all.
I guessed that he knew and let it go. My guess was.
“It must be political. It’s an untouchable position, so there must be a thousand ways to get involved.”
“I can say that with ease. My uncle is…….”
“That’s it. That’s it.”
If that’s why Mr. An also married the Southern Palace Lady.
According to the elderly lady, the king had five wives. While the Namgungsei’s inherent power is strong enough, to maintain it, they must be able to secure their own interests and persuade others.
The Southern Emperor had no qualms about marrying for the sake of his own power or to further his family’s fortunes. In fact, he used it to his advantage.
His first wife, An, was the daughter of a well-regarded swordsman in Anhui Province, and his second wife, P’an, was the daughter of a prominent upper-class family.
When we say political reasons, we also mean political marriages. Some might say that this was great for the sake of ambition.
I didn’t see it that way.
A hollow man.
I saw it as no different than that.
That’s why I’m standing here, chin up, looking down at the Southern Palace.
You’re the one who made this happen, after all.
Seeing me like that, he didn’t talk much about the events that followed. He merely instructed his elders and leaders to seek forgiveness from those staying in Anhui.
Announcing that the abruptly canceled sword festival would resume in half a day or so, he ordered the unattended men of the Southern Palace within Anhui City to entertain the eyes with sword dances and the mouths of the guests by speaking to each of their hosts. They were told to pass the time.
As I watched the Southern Palace Chief and the others disappear, I swallowed hard as I stared at the spot where the Southern Palace Chief had disappeared.
Whoa.
On the floor of Cheonggangseok. A word from behind my back as I stared into thin air.
“I don’t suppose you’re planning to stop here.”
“Of course not.”
We had only just crossed one pass. I could feel my uncle’s nod from beyond the shadows.
“Look over there. Everyone’s mesmerized.”
Cognitive dissonance.
When faced with an event that is too big to look at and recognize, our thinking circuits shut down.
Young and old. Their faces were not bright as they realized that their joyful festivities had been ruined and the reality of the Namgung family had been realized.
But so be it.
The truth is the truth, even if it’s an uncomfortable truth.
Even if a veiled lie is bright, it’s still a lie.
At least I didn’t want to be the bright one.
“This is the beginning. You go.”
This situation, which was one and the same as confronting and challenging the Namgung Mu Baek, would now be known by all. The Grand Duke had revealed the uncomfortable truth about the end of the Namgung Clan.
The uncomfortable truth that the Grand Duke had uncovered, the end of the Southern Palace Family.
One.
“I will stand behind you. You must continue on your path.”
I realized that this was just the beginning, and that there would be countless more like it.
I nodded at my uncle’s words. He was right, this was just the beginning.
Meanwhile.
The frozen atmosphere was shattered by a bang.
A snap!
A woman stood in the way of Mrs. Peng as she was being dragged, and she swiftly slapped Mrs. Peng’s cheeks.
Mrs. Peng’s cheeks quickly became red and swollen.
The shaken Mr. Ping had no energy to speak anymore, and his gaze remained fixed on the woman in front of him.
It was none other than Ms. Bai, the mother of the South Palace Wall and my mother.
If Duke Tang Miyan was a woman of exquisite and mesmerizing beauty.
Mrs. Bai was a woman of graceful, dignified simplicity.
Tang Miyan’s venomous words were to be expected, but for Mrs. Bai to act like this was something new for everyone in the Southern Palace to see.
Mr. Bai raised his palm once more and swung it across Mrs. Ping’s cheek.
Bam!
“How vicious.”
The Ms. Bai I knew, my mother, was infinitely compassionate and kind. She was the kind of woman who would look at me and smile no matter what happened to her body. When I went to the battlefield, she struggled with her own lethargy, and when I came back from the battlefield, she prepared a nourishing meal for me with her tired and sick body.
She was such a woman. Full of love and warmth.
That’s why I could understand why Mr. Baek was acting the way he was.
“……It’s an expression of love.”
“Love?”
My aunt looked back at me, wondering what I meant, and I blurted out the words as I saw the desperation in Mr. Baek’s expression.
“It’s the way I love my son, my child.”
I wasn’t going to whip my skirt around at my convenience and make excuses for my child, like Ms. Pang did.
For the son that Mr. Baek, who was so non-existent, loves and wouldn’t hurt to put in his eyes.
And it was Ms. Baek who had the courage to shout at the person who unknowingly threatened her son, who had malice for no reason, no matter what anyone said or who cared.
“Don’t come out in the world again. If you do, I will make you regret it.”
After saying that, Ms. Baek hugged the wall of the South Palace and headed to the inner house.
“What a woman…….”
The matriarch let out a short exclamation of genuine admiration. The tip of my nose twitched unnecessarily at his words.
But there was still work to be done.
“……We must do what we must do.”
“Come.”
First, the siblings were treated. Their courage helped bring the situation to a swift end and pierced Mr. Pang’s behavior with a rebuke.
“Please take charge of them and keep them safe.”
When a woman holds a grudge, frost falls even in May.
Ms. Pang would probably remember this for quite some time. The matron was the right person to face her grudge. She may not be able to get out of the black hole now, but she couldn’t have done this all by herself.
“Ms. Pang wouldn’t have been able to sleep with such a high profile by herself, and if Black Lake is right, she’ll have her backers. Take note of the elders who supported X.”
“I heard there’s one who ……s and one who trains.”
“You’re always telling me to move on. I’ll take care of the Black Lake.”
“You’ll have to pay a pretty hefty price. It’s no ordinary matter, is it?”
Mr. Pang, the ringleader, was sent to the Black Tower. Black Ho deserved the same or similar punishment.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
“If I couldn’t handle it, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”
For some reason, I felt compelled to smile at my uncle, hoping he was looking forward to the mess that was to follow.
Before she could say anything else, Nam Gung-ho, who was offstage, stepped forward.
“According to the words of the ……an Great Council, that black horse will have to pay a heavy price, Grand Duke.”
“It’s only natural that those who do wrong should be punished.”
Tenth Elder Namgung Ho looked speechless at my words.
“Mouthless.
Even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn’t have anything to say.
What happened to Mr. Pang was not just an incident or an accident. It was a shadow of the Namgung family, a disgrace that no one wanted to be seen, something that everyone closed their eyes to.
I looked Namgung Ho in the eye and shrugged.
“Even so, you didn’t shy away from the elder, so you can change your mind now. It’s not too late.”
“You’re giving me the bottle and the medicine, Grand Duke. ……And not everyone will think so, and there will be many more who won’t than those who want change.”
“I never thought it was an easy path, or I wouldn’t have taken this step.”
Namgung Ho stared at me for a long moment, and when the stare began to grow uncomfortable, he turned to see First Elder Namgung Yue and left the room.
“……1Elder Namgung Yeoul.”
In my previous life, I hadn’t had much of a relationship with him.
But if Elder Namgung asked me to meet him, there must be a connection.
“Namgung Yeoul. A back room old man with a decent demeanor in a place full of rotten people.”
Coming from the mouth of my aunt, the fact that none of these words were curses meant something else: approval.
I remembered the name Namgung Yeowol.
Jebuck, jebuck.
I turned to see the iron-bladed men approaching, their faces set in stone, their eyes locked with mine. As they looked at Black Lake, the one in charge spoke up.
“Excuse us, sir.”
“No excuse. Of course, but can you give us a moment?”
“Not for long.”
I nodded to the Ironblade, who had spoken unabashedly in front of me, the Grand Duke, and turned to Black Ho.
“I’m fine, sir. Grand Duke.”
“I’ll get you out in a moment, just wait.”
“I can finally be me.”
Black Ho looked rather pleased.
His worried brow made him look several years older.
I was relieved. He didn’t look so regretful.
“I will definitely, definitely go to the Grand Duke’s side once I have paid for my sins.”
“You speak as if you will leave forever.”
“It will be a long time, but I will endure it.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a man of my word.”
Black Ho smirked, perhaps remembering my promise to make sure he paid for his crimes. Then the approaching Iron Swordsmen grabbed him by both arms and dragged him away.
“……You’ve gotten yourself an undeserving child.”
“He’s not undeserving. That kind of loyalty won’t get you anywhere. He’s not the Grand Duke, after all.”
“Ha.”
Leaving the exasperated aunt behind, the familiar sound of footsteps drew a smile to her lips.
Dodo-dodo-dodo-do!
The sound of joyful trotting lifted my spirits.
Wow!
“My brother, the best!”