“You’re a bit slow on your feet.”
So irritating!
What connection could there be between the clues I heard from Master Ma Mun and Im Ha-yeon? As Geumun Hyang-ju glanced casually at Simun Hyang-ju, my curiosity was getting the better of me.
“If you really made me feel moved, you should’ve brought over some courtesans in a flower palanquin. It’s too much for someone who’s already forgotten her age and ran around until her soles were sweating. I shouldn’t have given out that pricey information for free.”
“……Next time, come to me when you have some free time.”
“Hehe. What if you personally receive me… Okay, okay! Can’t say much more.”
As Geumun Hyang-ju frowned, Simun Hyang-ju waved his arms as though he was shocked.
Looks like they’re closer than I expected.
“What do you mean by that cursed agreement? Why is that damn promise crawling out again after ten years?”
Geumun Hyang-ju, still with a frown, asked Simun Hyang-ju.
“That damned agreement made a damned incident.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Anyone trying to do something impossible must be crazy by now.”
What the hell is he talking about? I can’t keep up with the tempo of this conversation!
“Uhm… What is this cursed agreement?”
I cautiously asked Simun Hyang-ju to explain the situation.
“Where should I start? Do you know what Moji is?”
“I know. Isn’t it the place where the Hao Munju is?”
“Right. The Moji Agreement is the promise made by Hao Munju to the Hyangju in Moji.”
“Is it a promise from Hao Munju?”
What on earth is this Moji Agreement? What does it have to do with Im Ha-yeon, and why were the courtesans of the gyobang massacred?
The essence of the Moji Agreement that came from Simun Hyang-ju’s lips was unexpected.
“Wangju. The right to become a disciple of the Hao Munju and rule over the Hyangjus. It’s an agreement concerning that Wangju position.”
———-
“Have you ever thought it was strange? There’s a branch leader at the branches, but there’s no branch leader in Wuhan, where the Hao Mun is headquartered, only Hyangjus.”
Before I could even digest the information about Wangju, Simun Hyang-ju immediately shot a question at me.
“I thought it was because the influence was so vast that you operate it in segments.”
Knowing that a person who was a courtesan, gambler, coachman, and shaman in Hubei couldn’t supervise everything, I thought it was run by several Hyangjus in an oligarchic system.
“Originally, there was a Wangju above the Hyangjus.”
Geumun Hyang-ju said while shaking out the ash from the pipe.
“Exactly. As Geumun Hyang-ju said, there was a position, Wangju, that reigned above the Hyangjus like branch leaders in different cities. The Hyangjus had to obey the words of the Wangju, and all the information and power of the Hao Mun would be consolidated into that one position.”
“Then why is it gone now?”
“Do you know what happens to the Hyangjus of the Hao Mun?”
“I assumed if you’re prominent like Simun Hyang-ju, you’ll be elected.”
The Hao Mun is a gathering of those with lower lives. Being the Hyangju isn’t just about having high martial arts skills.
The influence of former Hyangjus, reputation, standing within the Hao Mun, and abilities in their respective fields are all necessary. Many factors must be combined to become a Hyangju.
“Right. Whether it’s Ma Mun or Geumun, when a former Hyangju retires, the one who excels in their field gets elected as the new Hyangju. But Wangju was different.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was a position for disciples of the Hao Munju. Isn’t that funny? After decades of hard work to get to the Hyangju position, you’d have to bow for the gestures of some young kid.”
“No wonder there must have been a lot of discontent.”
It would be like a lifelong employee getting promoted to an executive position, only for the chairman’s young child to come down and boss them around.
“Exactly. So, Hyangjus who were unhappy ten years ago gathered and rebelled.”
“I’ve heard about that in passing.”
“Even though there were more experts on the side of Hao Munju, there were just so many dissatisfied people. After a prolonged civil war, Hao Munju decided to use some tricks.”
“Is it the Moji Agreement?”
“Exactly. Anyone who receives consent from four out of five Hyangjus can rise to the Wangju position. Furthermore, those who rise to the Wangju position will be granted the right to become disciples of the Hao Munju. That’s what the Moji Agreement is.”
A disciple of the Hao Munju can become the Wangju, and someone who rises to the Wangju position can become a disciple of the Hao Munju. It was a good negotiation plan to calm the rebels.
“Why is that a trick? Isn’t that exactly what they wanted?”
If you were a disciple of the Hao Munju, it would mean you could also claim the right to become the next Hao Munju. Isn’t it a big concession from Hao Munju?
“Just because you get consent, it doesn’t mean the one who was a Hyangju can become the Wangju.”
“Wait…”
Such great interests can sometimes lead to disputes.
“The rebel factions started fighting against each other. This included Hubei.”
Just as I thought.
“Can I ask what happened?”
Did Simun Hyang-ju want me to provide the answer? His gaze shifted toward Geumun Hyang-ju, who was puffing on his pipe.
Maybe he thinks Geumun Hyang-ju can explain better than he can. With a sigh, Simun Hyang-ju opened his mouth with smoke.
“Phew. That old woman got greedy. The previous Geumun Hyang-ju wanted to become the Wangju.”
Geumun was the leader of the rebel faction.
“Ma Mun Hyang-ju lost his son and grandson as hostages during the fight, and I resisted but ended up losing my wife to poisoning. The previous Do Mun Hyang-ju, seeing the situation, joined forces with her.”
Simun Hyang-ju replied casually, but a momentary sadness flashed in his eyes.
“……”
Once again, the Hao Mun is truly a faction of factions. They were undeterred by kidnapping, murder, poison, or crime.
“While that old woman was chasing after the whereabouts of the other missing Hyangjus, she consolidated the power within the Hao Mun and suppressed the previous Geumun Hyang-ju.”
“That’s right; I smashed that old woman’s head.”
Geumun Hyang-ju with just one corner of his mouth raised and wielding a pipe looked frighteningly amusing.
Ten years ago, was Geumun Hyang-ju in the process of succeeding to the position of Hyangju?
“But what does this have to do with Im Ha-yeon?”
I get the connection between the Moji Agreement and the rebellion from ten years ago. But it seems Im Ha-yeon’s matter has nothing to do with it.
Simun Hyang-ju shrugged at me and continued explaining.
“After that, it became a daily routine for the Hyangjus to be at odds with each other. For example, I know that Kang Yoon-ho is the illegitimate child of Tang Family Head, but other Hyangjus won’t know until I reveal it. They hide the information. So, as the Hao Munju, additional measures were necessary.”
“From the Hao Munju’s perspective, having a Wangju makes supervision easier, so they added one more clause. If there is the consent of the majority of branch leaders who aren’t Hyangjus, then they can recommend a Wangju.”
Geumun Hyang-ju also chimed in.
Hold on, branch leaders? I distinctly remember that before being attacked, the branch leader of the Hao Mun was affiliated with Geumun.
That means…
“If Do Mun Hyang-ju is aiming for the Wangju position, then the attack on the branch must have been to change branch leaders.”
Was it a physical campaign to secure the majority? If so, the situation makes sense.
“That’s strange. Recently many branches have changed to Do Mun, but they haven’t surpassed the majority.”
Geumun Hyang-ju agreed with my remark and glanced at Simun Hyang-ju.
“We received information from Ma Mun. It seems like they’ve been carefully seducing other affiliated branch leaders from Do Mun for a long time. It seems they recently surpassed the majority.”
“……To have pulled off such a scheme secretly.”
Geumun Hyang-ju scoffed, seemingly astonished.
“To keep from being noticed that Do Mun Hyang-ju is trying to take the Wangju position, their plan must be to silence Im Ha-yeon.”
Power is like a drug; once you taste it, you follow the chase for power until death.
The absolute power of the Hao Mun in Hubei. Wangju.
Once they surpass the majority, they can become Wangju. If they become Wangju, they can command the Hyangjus at their fingertips, and they might have the possibility of becoming the next Hao Munju.
For Do Mun Hyang-ju, it must have been a crazy gamble worth taking.
“……”
Why does it feel off in here? Isn’t there an immense threat that a Wangju will arise over the Hyangjus?
“Is there something I’m missing?”
“A Wangju can’t be made just by the consent of the branch leaders.”
Simun Hyang-ju shook his head in denial.
“Didn’t you just say that if the majority is surpassed, they can be recommended?”
“They can only be recommended as a Wangju. The necessity of receiving consent from a Hyangju hasn’t changed. Even if they gain consent from the majority, it’s counted as just two votes. Each Hyangju has the right to vote for themselves, giving them one vote. But how do you plan to fill the remaining one vote?”
“By persuading someone…”
“Ma Mun, Simun, Geumun. All of them are people who sat in the place where they smashed the previous Geumun Hyang-ju’s head ten years ago. They’re all Hyangjus who would cringe at the thought of having a Wangju, so who would nod in agreement?”
So even if the branch leaders are replaced in the internal struggle, it seems there’s no need for the Hyangjus to pay much attention to it. After all, there wouldn’t be anyone to support the Wangju position.
“I can’t understand. I get why they might act like a crazy colt, but why slaughter members of the same sect for a position they can’t take?”
Geumun Hyang-ju, still agitated, frowned and took another puff from his pipe.
“Ma Mun Hyang-ju said he’d be crazy to offer help.”
“Am I relieved to know the whole story now…?”
With the smoke from Geumun’s pipe, a hint of relief filled the room.
As long as that crazy colt is rampaging among us, we can control it. As long as the other Hyangjus don’t agree, Do Mun Hyang-ju can’t become Wangju.
Are they thinking that the situation won’t escalate any further?
Could it be true?
Something feels off.
Did they really commit acts of killing their own sect members without any plan? No matter how sweet the taste of power is, that’s just strange, even for a faction.
While individuals can be simply mad, for a group to collectively lose their minds would require logical madness.
There’s something I’m missing.
“Can I ask one question?”
I decided to poke at the thorn of suspicion aimed at Simun Hyang-ju.
“Go ahead.”
“Why five?”
“Huh?”
“Geumun, Simun, Do Mun, Ma Mun. There are four, not five, Hyangjus, right?”
Currently, the Hyangjus of Wuhan are four. So why is it four votes out of five Hyangjus?
“You mentioned earlier that there’s one more Hyangju who has gone missing.”
“A missing Hyangju?”
“They went missing on their own accord, but they didn’t declare retirement, nor did a new Hyangju get elected, so there’s a friend who’s still holding onto their position.”
“Who is that?”
I feel a sense of déjà vu.
In the drawer of my memory, a long-dormant fragment rises to the surface.
“The leader of thieves.”
“The leader of thieves?”
“The Tumen The master of thievery. The Shadowless Thief.”
“……”
Mr. Wang from the fabric store. The Shadowless Thief who disappeared ten years ago. And Im Ha-yeon’s father.
“An infamous thief, he disappeared all of a sudden ten years ago. Because of that, Geumun Hyang-ju couldn’t gather four votes and couldn’t become Wangju.”
I’m getting closer to the problem.
I steadied my trembling heart and knocked on the door of inquiry again.
“Do you know about Im Ha-yeon’s parents?”
“Huh? Isn’t she the daughter of a courtesan?”
I turned my head to see the puzzled faces of the two Hyangjus looking at Im Ha-yeon.
So, my guess was right.
Was it telepathy? When our eyes met, Im Ha-yeon seemed to realize what I was thinking and nodded affirmatively.
‘I had misunderstood the problem.’
I had misunderstood the examiner’s intent.
Desperately, putting in every effort to find Im Ha-yeon, Do Mun was not merely the act of a criminal searching for a witness.
Since I had misinterpreted the problem from the start, I couldn’t find the answer.
“Perhaps, the Tumen master of thievery has a daughter…”
“Huh?”
The relationship between Do Mun and Im Ha-yeon was not that of criminal and witness.
“If the Tumen master of thievery has a daughter and that child gets kidnapped… then, would the master cast a vote?”
They were in the relationship of kidnapper and kidnapped.
