Chapter 40

“……So.”
The woman took a sip of the rich, aromatic tea and set her cup down, contemplating the ripples in the water before turning to the woman across from her.
“After all, isn’t Mrs. Tang to blame for this mess?”
The woman across from her was none other than Tang Miyan. Tang Miyan shook her head.
“Don’t make me feel so bad. Mrs. Mo Yong.”
The woman called Madame Mo Yong was none other than Mo Yongye, the mother of the Third Duke Namgungal and the third wife of the current Namgung Mu Baek.
Mo Yongye shrugged her shoulders.
“Or else she’d glare at me like that.”
The Sichuan Tang family and Mo Yongxue family, both women of their respective families and both unattached, were jockeying for position in the Yixi River, but a man stood between them.
“It’s true that the patriarch is unusually angry, so don’t do anything about it.”
“It’s true that Mrs. Mo Yong also had an affair with the four elders.”
“Collusion. ……Ha, what a poor choice of words.”
Mo Yongye and Tang Miyan’s gazes clashed in the air. In their intertwined gazes, it was as if they didn’t recognize each other.
And then.
“Hmph, the Third Duke just said that the Spearmaster has just reached the fourth star.”
“Alas, I heard that the Second Duke’s Heavenly Wind Sword Technique is still at the third star.”
This led to comparisons between my children. For them, life as a mother was bigger than life as a woman, and life as an unattended woman was bigger than life as a mother.
“……I’m sorry if I interrupted you, but if you two have enough to argue about, I’ll get up.”
It was Ms. Baek, the mother of Namgung Wall and the fifth wife of the current Namgung Mu Baek. The two women fell silent at her response.
Into their eyes, Ms. Baek stepped in.
Their reaction was that it was ridiculous that she, who came from a humble background and had no voice, was now mediating between them.
But.
“…… Mrs. Baek is right.”
The two women’s eyes lost their strength at Elder Sun’s words. Even Elder Gu and Elder Ten who stood behind Elder Sun.
When all the other elders lost their strength, only the three who had remained neutral stood behind Jia Zhu, holding their ground.
And those three elders were none other than Mr. Bai. Naturally, Mr. Bai’s words had more power.
Tang Miyan and Mo Yongyue could only muffle their complaints, knowing that the fifth duke was still only a child and would not be able to participate in the proper competition for the family name.
There’s nothing she can do about it, she told herself.
“Elder Sun, please tell me.”
“Yes, Mrs. Bai.”
Elder Sun bowed lightly to Mrs. Bai, then took over the floor and continued.
“You have all seen what trouble a divided Southern Palace can cause.”
Nan Gong Yue Yul coughed in vain, then spoke up.
“There was even an incident that you wouldn’t believe was aimed at the …… family’s Confuciuses.”
Mrs. Pang continued.
“Some were so blinded by greed that they crossed a line they shouldn’t have.”
Elder Nam Gung-soon said.
“A family that fails to overcome its divisions and greed will surely go through a process like this, and usually meet its doom. Do you remember the Danmokse family before?”
The Sixth Dynasty, formerly the Seventh Dynasty.
The Southern Palace family.
The Sichuan Tang family.
The Mo Yong family.
Hebei Fang family.
The Jiegals.
The Huang Bo family.
And the Danmoxi family.
Of the seven great families, there are only two where only the sword is used to rule.
There were only two families, the Southern Palace and the Eastern Palace.
As such, the Southern Palace and Dantian were more competitive than the others, but Dantian’s family was not.
“Unable to overcome my greed, the other princes joined together to kill the Grand Duke, which led to an angry Danmoxe giving the word to kill all the other princes.”
That was the problem with a family connected only by blood. Things that wouldn’t have happened in a clan were trapped in the expression of a tight-knit family.
“It’s because we hate each other.”
The words of the first elder, Nangong Yue, caused everyone to look pensive. Some of the people who had watched the Danmoxe Family’s path to destruction shuddered in horror.
“Who can argue with fair competition, with refining oneself without overconfidence, and with a sense of purpose.”
Nangong Yue’s gaze swept over Tang Miyan and Mo Yongye. They turned away, unable to meet his deep, crystalline gaze.
Although her tone was full of compassion, it sounded like she was scolding them.
“The patriarch has spoken. Second Duke, and Third Duke.”
The Lady of the Southern Palace’s gaze flicked to Tang Miyan at the mention of the Second Duke, and then to Mo Yongliu at the mention of the Third Duke.
“There are three places where battles are fought in the name of the Southern Palace. The Green Forest, the Shoujian, and the Great Wall.”
For some reason, Tang Miyan and Mo Yongye looked uneasy at what Elder Sun was about to say.
“There was an order from Jia Zhu to go to the Yangtze River front to face the Shui Enemy, and to the Yunnan front to face the Great Shield. The Great Duke has gone to the Green Forest, and the others have been ordered to compete accordingly.”
Tang Miyan and Mo Yongye looked at each other in disbelief. They were only thirteen or fourteen years old, and he was sending them to their deaths.
As they were about to protest, Nangong Yueyul calmly continued.
“In seven years, seven years to be exact, we will expect to see the Confuciuses, and only then will we begin to compete for the position of Shaoguan.”
At those words, they all stopped talking and fell silent at the same time.
If one were to accept the words of the Namgung Mu Bai, what was the difference between being sent to the front and being immediately eliminated from the competition for the position of Sovereign?
After a moment of silence, Nan Gongyue looked around as if there was nothing more to say.
“Since there seems to be nothing else to say, I’ll conclude today’s meeting here.”
With that, Elder Nangong Yue, Mrs. Bai, Elder Gu, Elder Ten, and the other elders reluctantly left the room, leaving only the frozen Tang Miyan and Mo Yongyue to linger in silence.
“It looks like …… is very small-minded.”
Tang Miyan’s face distorted like a shattered mirror at Mo Yongye’s words.
“That’s not it, that’s not it!”
Tang Miyan’s vicious shout made Mo Yongye stare at her in surprise. It was as if he was looking at a madwoman.
“You’ve just saved the Grand Duke’s life by giving ……, you’ve sided with the Grand Duke!”
“What do you mean, say it slowly.”
Mo Yongye looked at Tang Miyan with an expression of incomprehension. What did she mean by siding with the Grand Duke?
“The Grand Duke was only going in the name of paying the penalty, and his reasoning has made him the same as the other Confuciuses, so it’s like making him the same as the other Confuciuses, so that he can ascend to the cattle capital instead of paying the penalty.”
Mo Yongliu looked at Tang Miyan with trembling hands and feet. If what she said was true, their children would be like duck eggs on the Yangtze River.
“……Fair competition? There’s no way it can be called fair competition.”
Mo Yongye looked at Tang Miyan.
Obviously, the two women who had been snarling at each other earlier had calmed down.
Wu Yue Dongzhu.
Yesterday’s enemy was today’s comrade.
The fire in their shared office was not extinguished until dawn the next day.
* * *
I stretched and shuddered.
“Someone’s been swearing at me, and my ears are itching.”
Seeing me scratching my ears, the old man spoke up impatiently.
“There are many people who want to curse you.”
“Why are you arguing again?”
“What’s the point. Look over there. There are children coming.”
Where the aunt pointed, she saw familiar faces pulling a carriage and three horses. It was Kang Woo-moon and Dong-hwi. They hadn’t rested and were in a hurry, facing the dust and wind.
“What’s so urgent?”
“We’re going to pay for your sins. I thought you were going on a trip or something.”
By the way, have a drink.
I didn’t drink, so the words were like a mountain stream. I coughed a few times and waved to Kang Woo-moon and Dong-hwi.
“Are you guys here?”
“Grand Duke, are you feeling better?”
“Uh, I’m back from the dead, but I’ve been eating well. I’ll be well soon.”
After resting and healing for more than seven days and nights, his body quickly recovered. In addition, the enlightenment he gained from his life and death battle deepened his cultivation and made his body even stronger.
“It seems that you should eat well and rest well. It looks like you guys are more likely to die than me.”
“The Grand Duke looked so dangerous back then…….”
“The Grand Duke suffered because of my inadequacies, didn’t he?”
I scratched my head at Kang Woo-moon and Dong-hwi’s blurred words.
Ah, so that’s why.
I was the reason they had traveled to Jiangsu so desperately.
My heart began to rumble anew.
“Don’t be embarrassed. What’s all the fuss about?”
“You seem to be the one who’s most upset. Are those tears at the corners of your eyes?”
“No tears!”
I yawned. Whatever.
I shrugged my shoulders and then looked up to see Kang Woo-moon and Donghwi giggling.
“Are you guys making fun of me too?”
“……Hoohoo, not really, Grand Duke.”
“I have some good news for you.”
At those words, Kang Woo-moon and Dong-hwi looked at me and Black Ho alternately.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know what’s got the two clans so excited.”
Black Ho also looked at the two young men, as if he couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“The Grand Duke and Black Lake are no longer traveling to the front in the name of punishment.”
“Eh.”
What the hell does that mean?
“I stopped by the Southern Palace’s branch in Jiangsu and heard this story. Be sure to relay it to them. ……They bravely helped to capture Elder Eight, who was about to stain the Southern Palace’s name, and will make up for it by annihilating the Guangdong Seven.”
Unfolding the tightly folded paper, Kang Wumen opened his mouth to speak.
“The full-scale Gazoo Competition will begin in exactly seven years. We will begin the Gazoo Competition immediately after all three Confuciuses have surpassed the terms. It says so. Furthermore, I’ve heard that the First Confucius is headed to the Green Forest, the Second Confucius to the Yangtze River, and the Third Confucius to Yunnan, all on different fronts.”
I chuckled at that.
Seven years later, the Jiazhou race is in full swing.
Namgung Mu Baek had drawn the picture.
Without missing a beat, Namgung Mu Baek spewed out what I had been thinking.
He was a formidable man.
Even so.
I was confident.
I was confident that I could drive out all of the ills that hovered over the Southern Palace, and make it a place where my family, and those with me, could be happy.