“Master Kang!”
“Hey! Kang Yoon-ho, are you okay?!”
As I arrived at the Yungi Inn near the government office, two people who had been waiting anxiously greeted me.
“W-We brought a physician! Should we let them in?!”
“I just had a check-up with the physician. They said I’m perfectly healthy.”
In fact, I felt so light I could almost fly. As I exaggeratedly spun around the guest room, Miss Zhuge finally put her hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad to hear that! I thought something terrible had happened to you!”
I might just cry. Miss Zhuge’s eyes were full of tears. In a moment of mischief, I forced my hand towards her head, but quickly calmed it down and patted her instead.
“What on earth happened? When I received the news, you were locked in prison, and I couldn’t meet you, and the others wouldn’t let me either! How can that be?”
“I made a last-ditch effort. I did something a beast wouldn’t even do.”
There was poison in the wine given to the successor. I briefly explained the situation at that time.
“Is that even possible?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
That’s what I was thinking. From the moment they attempted the assassination, it felt like they crossed a line that should never be crossed.
“I’ve received full authority from the Inspector regarding the Man Geum Battlefield incident.”
“From the Inspector?”
“We need to show that someone messed with the wrong person.”
If they crossed the line, there’s no longer a reason to let it slide. Now that my life and the life of Man Geum-jeon are on the line, we’re in this to the end.
“K-Kang Master?”
Was my expression too angry? Miss Zhuge looked at me with a surprised expression.
“It’s scary when you say that with an angry face… What are you planning? Do you have something else in mind?”
“There’s something I need to confirm before we start. I called for the Head of Guards through someone else.”
“The Head of Guards? Why? Are you suspecting him?!”
“Maybe because the wine contains poison?”
It was the Head of Guards who ordered to bring the Jangwonju for the successor. Given that I collapsed after drinking the poisoned wine, it was certainly worth some suspicion.
I shook my head.
“I don’t believe the Head of Guards, who rushed to obey the order from Lord Jeon, would collude in the assassination. I’m sure he knew I would be the first to drink Jangwonju if I became the successor.”
The one who brought the wine wasn’t the Head of Guards, but another servant. It’s clear that there are others who could corrupt things even within that short time.
“Maybe you don’t know?”
Gil-san. Just a moment ago, you were wondering if I was suspecting anything.
“When I shouted I was the physician, the one who rushed in first was the Head of Guards.”
“The fact that the Head of Guards came in first means…”
Perhaps Gil-san understood the implication, as he hesitated in his words.
“Right. If the Head of Guards had been the plotter, both sides would have been defenseless and then finished it off. But he grasped the situation immediately and hurriedly took out something from Lord Man Geum’s arms while calling for the physician.”
“What did he take out?”
“A wooden box labeled ‘Life-Saving Pill.’ He fed one to Lord Man Geum right away and gave me one as well, saying to take it before losing consciousness.”
“Life-Saving Pill? Huh!”
“Why? Do you know about it?”
“It’s an elixir my father gifted during my grandfather’s sixtieth birthday. He said it could save a life no matter what!”
“So it belongs to the Zhuge family. No wonder it’s effective.”
Thanks to that, I was able to completely dispel the poison.
“Oh! I remember! They went crazy about it being the best gift among the presents for my grandfather’s birthday! Wait a minute?! You actually sounded so sure when you said it!”
Gil-san looked at me with his mouth agape.
“Ha ha. It seems I still had some energy left after dispelling the poison.”
It was a bit of a struggle. After getting rid of the poison, the energy of the elixir went rampant. I had to pour all my mental strength into controlling it before I lost my mind.
“That’s great. I’m so jealous.”
Does this guy think I ate bribes or something to avoid suspicion? I coughed awkwardly and continued.
“Not being suspected isn’t the only reason.”
There’s a real reason for that.
“What else is there?”
“Because you’ve been someone that Lord Man Geum trusted his entire life.”
He’s a man who has a keen eye for judging people.
While he carefully protects his own people, he’s ruthless with those who are not of his blood, and he has been someone that the former Head of Guards has been trusted for a lifetime.
“I see…”
“It seems your thoughts, Master Kang, are correct.”
The two nodded, convinced.
“Then why did you call me?”
“Before deciding on a course of action, there’s something we must first do.”
Now it’s about how we should move. We had a priority before deciding our policy.
Just as I was about to explain to the two of them, there was a knock at the guest room door.
“Master Kang! I’ve brought your father!”
———
“Master Kang! I heard from my son. Are you okay?”
As the former Head of Guards entered the guest room with his son, he immediately looked me up and down.
“Thanks to you, I was able to save my life. Thank you.”
“Thank you as well. If you hadn’t hurried to inform me of the danger, Lord Man Geum wouldn’t have been able to recover.”
“Is Jang Noya safe?”
“Fortunately, we were able to provide emergency treatment in time, and he’s passed the dangerous moment, but we’ll need to observe the situation further.”
The voice of the former Head of Guards wasn’t very bright.
“Is that so…”
I dispelled the poison while still conscious, but Jang Noya, who lost consciousness, would have to rely on the natural effects of the elixir. With his age, I couldn’t guarantee a complete recovery.
“May I know why you called me?”
The situation was getting urgent.
The former Head of Guards seemed to realize that I had summoned him for an unusual reason and asked cautiously about my intent.
“Former Head of Guards.”
I decided to get serious and approach the former Head of Guards with a stiff face.
“Yes.”
“Who am I?”
I’m not asking for my name or anything. I didn’t call for the Head of Guards just for a word game.
How do you see me?
I haven’t been officially announced as the successor of Man Geum Battlefield yet. However, Lord Man Geum did clearly give me the Jangwonju.
At least you should know the truth, right? How will you treat me? From now on, how will Man Geum Battlefield see me?
Am I the black-haired Kang Yoon-ho? Or am I Kang Yoon-ho of Man Geum Battlefield?
I asked the Head of Guards.
“The successor of Man Geum Battlefield. Whatever anyone says, you are the one and only successor recognized by Lord Man Geum Jang Se-gwang.”
There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation in the response from the Head of Guards.
I nodded in satisfaction. Good. I’ve crossed over one hurdle. Now let’s move on to the next.
“From this moment on, can you treat me as the lord of Man Geum Battlefield?”
“Master Kang?”
“Hey! Kang Yoon-ho?”
“Do you wish for loyalty?”
This time it was a question rather than an answer.
“Yes. I do. I need it for what I’m about to do.”
I held the rights of public authority in my right hand. But that doesn’t mean I can just swing it around recklessly.
I need the right to draw a line. I need a justification to protect my own.
Now that Lord Man Geum has fallen, I needed the support of someone who could represent Man Geum Battlefield by serving Lord Man Geum his whole life.
The former Head of Guards looked at me for a while and then smiled lightly before he spoke.
“I cannot pledge loyalty to Master Kang.”
The words from the former Head of Guards were not what I had expected.
“…May I ask why?”
“The only one I have sworn loyalty to is Lord Man Geum. How can I change my master when the person I have served all my life is still alive?”
A loyal retainer who has served only one master all his life spoke to me.
“Even if an unavoidable situation arises where a young king must govern on behalf of the lord, the old retainers won’t refuse to serve him.”
I protested, but at the same time, I clearly sensed it. That smiling face.
“Yes. That’s true. However, there’s no loyal subject who would change their master in half a day.”
No matter what I say, he wouldn’t bend.
“Father!”
Is now really the time for this? His son’s voice mixed with frustration hit his father, but the former Head of Guards just smiled.
“Sir Head of Guards…”
This is tricky. I need the support of Man Geum Battlefield; that would make it a worthwhile fight.
“Whatever Master Kang may say, I cannot pledge loyalty. But from this moment onward, I can give you the loyalty of Man Geum Battlefield.”
“You can’t give your loyalty but you can offer that loyalty? What do you mean?”
“It’s the young ones’ turn to lead in this new era, isn’t it? Yoon-Yeop, come here.”
The former Head of Guards turned around and looked at his son.
“Sir Head of Guards?”
Could it be that the loyalty he speaks of…
“Having received Jangwonju from Lord Man Geum, you, Kang Yoon-ho, the rightful successor, now have someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
“…Who is it?”
I already knew who the Head of Guards intended to introduce. However, this introduction was crucial. I was not being introduced as Kang Yoon-ho, but as Kang Yoon-ho of Man Geum Battlefield.
The former Head of Guards looked at his son as if he was seeing a sturdy pillar and began to speak.
“This is my precious treasure that I have raised my whole life. His name is Jeon Woon-yeop. He’s my son. He may still have a lot to learn, but from the way he speaks of Master Kang with such admiration, he is bound to be a loyal aide.”
“F-Father?!”
The son looked back and forth at his father and me in shock.
“Get down on your knees and greet him.”
A ritual.
An old retainer offers their most precious gift to their new lord. We both understood what this meant.
Jeon Woon-yeop approached me with a serious face and knelt down on one knee.
“I, Jeon Woon-yeop, bow to you, Master Kang Yoon-ho, the successor of Man Geum Battlefield.”
“I am Kang Yoon-ho of Man Geum Battlefield. What brings you to me?”
I asked Jeon Woon-yeop.
Did you come simply to pay respects through your father’s introduction? Why have you bowed to me? What do you want to say?
I, Kang Yoon-ho of Man Geum Battlefield, inquired.
“To always be by my lord’s side when needed, to offer my counsel without hesitation, and to fulfill my duties with lifelong loyalty.”
Just as Jang Noya had prepared me for the future of Man Geum Battlefield, the former Head of Guards had prepared his child for the successor of Man Geum Battlefield.
Jeon Woon-yeop addressed me.
“I, Kang Yoon-ho, hereby appoint Jeon Woon-yeop as the Deputy Head of Guards of Man Geum Battlefield from this moment on.”
New wine requires a new pouch.
I patted my first retainer on the shoulder while looking at the former Head of Guards, who smiled contentedly. The Head of Guards, who cannot bow to me, instead bent at the waist and said.
“Sir Head of Guards, Jeon Yi-gyeom. I will wholeheartedly support you as a father and as the Head of Guards to ensure that my son lacks nothing.”
He cannot give his loyalty but is declaring all his support for Man Geum Battlefield.
He truly is someone Lord Man Geum kept by his side for a lifetime.
“As the successor of Man Geum Battlefield, I will now issue my first command.”
