Governor Zhuche of Honam.
Zhuche arrived way past noon.
“Haaaam…”
Even though it was so late, Zhuche was yawning, having spent the late hours mingling with officials and notable families who had come to Dongjeongho from various places.
‘I should prepare ahead; the news from the Sogapo Mokjeom might reach the central government.’
Zhuche rationalized his behavior with a plausible excuse, but the truth was that his late arrivals had been a daily affair since taking up the governor’s position. He had been so busy networking with officials and prominent families that he had left all the work to his subordinates while taking the opportunity to enjoy the sights of Dongjeongho.
How could he ever wake up on time when he was busy enjoying the company of guests who came from far and wide every day?
“Ugh.”
Sitting in his office, Zhuche picked up the top-most report from the pile. Perhaps due to the lingering hangover, his head was throbbing, and he couldn’t make sense of the content, so he closed the report again.
“Hey you!”
“Yes! Governor Elder!”
“Let the permits submitted today be solved by each department! Convey that!”
“However… there are matters that require your approval…”
“Shut up! I have important things to think about, so don’t disturb me!”
What important things? He probably just wanted to take another nap.
The aide silently cursed as he left with the reports and documents. As soon as the aide walked out, Zhuche laid back on his bed.
‘It’s about time I received some reaction from the Sogapo Mokjeom.’
It had already been a few days since he hadn’t received a single guest. Not only had he not had any guests, but it was also difficult for anyone to come and go. By now, he must be feeling anxious.
‘Hehe, I’ll let them sweat a few days longer before giving them another opportunity.’
As Zhuche imagined Son Mi-ok pleading with him and pulling So Yeon-hwa into his arms, he finally let his heavy eyelids close.
That’s when it happened.
“Governor! Governor!”
The aide, who had just left, burst into Zhuche’s office making a ruckus.
“Ugh! What’s all this racket?”
“Governor! It’s serious! The inspector! The Seon-an Inspection Inspector is…”
“What! What!”
Zhuche shot up from his bed.
The Seon-an Inspector! The envoy of local officials!
“What nonsense! It’s been less than a month since the inspector visited; how could he come back again?”
“W-well… among the guests at Sogapo Mokjeom, there was an inspector hiding their identity.”
“What!?”
Zhuche gasped.
Of all places, the undercover inspector had been at Sogapo Mokjeom?
“I-I must see the inspector immediately!”
Zhuche hurriedly donned his official cap and shouted. However, the voice that answered him was not that of an official.
“No need for that. I’m already here.”
“Ugh!”
Startled, Zhuche turned around and his eyes widened, then narrowed again.
“…What is this?”
It was the small-framed Hyeok Gi-rin, arms crossed, looking up at him. Zhuche blinked in surprise. Wait, the inspector is a woman? Not only that, but she’s tiny?
Could she really be the inspector?
Doubt crept into Zhuche’s mind.
He thought the situation was strange from the start. Even though Sogapo Mokjeom had invited many people for a feast, how could an undercover inspector be among them?
Yet all doubt vanished the moment he met Hyeok Gi-rin’s gaze.
Zhuche, who had met many eminent figures and officials, was used to such people, but when he locked eyes with Hyeok Gi-rin, he felt as if he were being crushed under a huge weight.
How could meeting a small woman make him feel such overwhelming pressure, like staring at the sun in the vast ocean?
“I am Geum Myeong-wol, Seon-an Inspection Inspector of the Inspection Agency.”
Zhuche instinctively felt that Geum Myeong-wol was not just another local official but a real powerful central figure, unlike those who merely want to build connections.
“C-could it be that you, Inspector, have come here in the midst of your busy schedule for a personal matter?”
“Hah? You genuinely didn’t know? I was present when you sent a private marriage proposal to So Yeon-hwa through an official.”
“That’s a misunderstanding! It’s true that an official carried a personal marriage proposal, but… since I had a similar destination, it was just a small request!”
“Is that so? Then is it also a misunderstanding that you’ve prevented any guest from entering Sogapo Mokjeom after So Yeon-hwa rejected your proposal?”
“I-I just took action to manage the chaos that erupted at Sogapo Mokjeom. The sect managing the local peace carried out restrictions, so it might have been an excessive measure!”
“Hah. You talk slickly, huh? Fine, we’ll see what’s what.”
Zhuche swallowed hard at Hyeok Gi-rin’s icy retort.
This was serious.
How many officials could be dusted off without leaving a trace? Zhuche was so embarrassed by the excuses of officials that he kept his mouth shut, knowing he was a walking pile of dust.
Zhuche felt a wave of darkness wrapping around him.
He envisioned the scene of dozens, no, hundreds of elite imperial soldiers bursting in and exposing all his wrongdoings as they interrogated his subordinates.
“We are commencing the investigation!”
“Yes.”
However, Zhuche’s eyes widened again, not at the rumbling report of the soldiers but at the small response that followed. Could it be… the inspector was not accompanied by the imperial army?
Seeing that the only one following Hyeok Gi-rin was a figure wearing a straw hat and wielding a great sword, Zhuche felt a glimmer of hope reignite.
“Is it only you accompanying the Seon-an Inspection Inspector?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
Really!
Zhuche’s fist clenched at the aide’s report. If it were a formal inspection, there would be over a hundred personnel, at the very least, with dozens accompanying them, even at the minimum.
Why would undercover inspectors move with a large entourage when they were supposed to go unnoticed by local officials?
Those inspectors knew full well that such a large number would raise suspicion among the local powerholders.
It was inevitable to have that many personnel for proper investigative activities.
There’s a saying that even a stray dog eats half of what it finds at home.
How much more would it apply to local officials wielding power? Even if the inspector held immense authority, to the common folk, they were just a passing rainstorm, while they faced the same familiar local officials every day.
It’s obvious that local officials wouldn’t cooperate during the inspection, and inspectors would have to gather evidence against those officials in hostile territory with no connections.
That process couldn’t be handled with just a handful of subordinates, so most inspectors thought that conducting investigations would be better with dozens or even more than a hundred people accompanying them.
But only two were deployed for this investigation?
“Quickly tell the officials to actively cooperate with the inspector! There are only ‘two’ of you involved in the investigation! Understood?”
“A-Understood…!”
The aide nodded eagerly after grasping Zhuche’s intent, then left. As Zhuche watched the aide leave, he couldn’t help but think of Hyeok Gi-rin and the martial artist following her.
‘Now that I think about it, that guy wore a straw hat and carried a great sword, so he must be a Brain Knife Outcast.’
Realizing the identity of Ho Cheon-an, Zhuche couldn’t help but laugh at Hyeok Gi-rin. She certainly appeared the most imposing and noble among those Zhuche had seen. However, despite being noble and carrying the title of inspector, she was alone.
The governor was the head of local officials, and from an inspector’s standpoint, he was the biggest, hardest opponent. What could she achieve against such an adversary alone?
Not to mention that the only ally she had was a martial artist who knew nothing about the world of officials, so in Zhuche’s eyes, it was simply laughable.
If the inspectors realized that only two people were conducting the investigation, they would surely know where to align themselves, whether it be with the governor or the inspector.
Even if they investigated, nothing substantial would come out, so Geum Myeong-wol would have no choice but to swallow her humiliation and leave.
“Hahaha! Inspector Geum Myeong-wol! Go on and try hard against the Brain Knife Outcast! I wonder what kind of great things you can hold in those tiny hands!”
As Zhuche laughed, he failed to recognize a crucial point.
He underestimated Ho Cheon-an, whom he had dismissed as an ordinary nobody, when in fact, he had a crazed genius for strategy and could pull off unexpected ideas that no one could foresee, like a bomb.
*
Hyeok Gi-rin and I immediately began our investigation throughout the officials.
“Well, the governor is just an ordinary guy.”
“Oh, is that so? If something unusual were to come out, wouldn’t the Vice-Minister also be in trouble?”
“Hahaha. That’s what I believe.”
Of course, this didn’t mean we were achieving anything. All the officials were just keeping tight-lipped.
As expected, they probably looked down on us investigating alone.
“Should we request some reinforcements?”
After continued inquiries yielded no results, Hyeok Gi-rin muttered.
“Let’s save that as a last resort.”
To be honest, if Hyeok Gi-rin pretended to be a princess instead of using her current disguise, simply saying, “Brother, do this,” to Zhuche, he’d probably crumble into dust.
But handling the situation that way would deal with Zhuche, who had proposed to So Yeon-hwa, yet it would create resentment between the local officials and Sogapo Mokjeom.
No one would dare harbor resentment against a decision from the central government, so it would be likely for the arrows of resentment to turn towards Sogapo Mokjeom, the root cause of the incident.
Ultimately, it was Zhuche’s own doing, but to restore the fractured authority of the officials, they would push the resentment towards Sogapo Mokjeom.
But what if I, the inspector Geum Myeong-wol, who had connections with Sogapo Mokjeom, or So Yeon-hwa’s companion, stepped in?
In the future, local officials in Honam might think, “Ah, if I touch Sogapo Mokjeom, those two will come and turn me into dust.”
Thus, Hyeok Gi-rin and I needed to take down Zhuche.
“Got any good ideas?”
“Yes, there are always ideas.”
To be frank, dealing with the officials had never been a pleasant experience.
Just look at what Zhuche was doing. The way he tried to take someone else’s woman by abusing his power made me want to slice him in half. Even now, past noon, he was reeking of alcohol and hadn’t even bothered to prepare any documents, and on top of that, he hadn’t even worn his official cap properly.
Could there be an official who didn’t know how Zhuche was conducting himself?
Surely, everyone knew better than anyone else.
Yet, even with that knowledge, they kept their mouths shut and played dumb.
Before coming here, I had intended to deal with Zhuche as neatly as possible, but seeing the officials’ attitudes during the investigation made me want to go on a killing spree.
“However, it seems we’ll have to dance a rather deadly dance; are you okay with that?”
“Oh.”
At my question, Hyeok Gi-rin’s eyes widened for a moment before she smirked.
“I quite like that thought.”
It seemed Hyeok Gi-rin was heated too.
“Alright. What can I help you with?”
“First, gather the imperial army of Honam.”
When the officials looked down on us for only having two investigators, Hyeok Gi-rin and I began to think of how many we needed to take along so that their faces would go pale.
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