“MY HYEONCHEOLJUNGGOE IS GONE! MY HYEONCHEOLJUNGGOE!!!”
Not long ago, the mansion was robbed of the precious Hyeoncheoljunggoe by the Shadowless Thief. The Head of the Branch, who had been down for days, finally managed to get up.
“How long are you going to be heartbroken? It’s time to shake it off and get back on your feet.”
The Head of Guards said worriedly to the Head of the Branch.
“Do you know what that is? How can you say, ‘shake it off’? It was my lifeline! I had lost one of the Hyeoncheoljunggoes, trading it to sweep the corruption under the rug! What am I supposed to do about this?!”
“What can we do about what’s lost? We need to make do with what we have. I hear the black market is stirring up trouble, but the whereabouts of the Hyeoncheoljunggoe are still a mystery.”
“SHADOWLESS THIEF!!! Why can’t we catch that scoundrel?! Why are we letting the country suffer from this?!”
“Head of the Branch! This is bad news!”
While the Head of the Branch was lamenting his losses over the big robbery, a guard appeared at the door looking flustered.
“What could be worse than losing a Hyeoncheoljunggoe?!”
Just when his fury was boiling over, what other nonsense did they bring now?
Before the Head of the Branch could question further, a throng of Ho Pil’s men burst into the mansion.
“It’s something even bigger. It might be the biggest thing in your life.”
Amongst the newly arrived Ho Pil gang, a familiar face squeezed through.
“Jung Mun-won? What is the Inspector doing here?”
Jung Mun-won barely restrained the urge to punch the Head of the Branch right there. He pulled out a rope from his sleeve and shouted.
“Criminal Yang Gye-gwang, come out! Accept the summons!”
“…”
Silence fell over the mansion at the Inspector’s ridiculous announcement.
“Pfft. The Inspector says the Head of the Branch should accept the summons.”
“Summons? Tell him to go summon his wife at home instead.”
“Bwahaha.”
“Hey! Inspector! Didn’t you learn anything from last time? Do you even know where you are?!”
“How dare you speak to the Inspector like that?!”
“Speak ‘how dare you’? You’re nothing but a lowly Inspector! What right do you have to act up in the residence of the 4th rank Head of the Branch?!”
Of course, the mansion’s people had a reaction.
Jung Mun-won’s previous false accusations had long been proven untrue. He even almost got fired for trying to frame the Head of the Branch!
To outsiders, it merely appeared that the newly appointed Inspector was back for another round of revenge.
“Jung Mun-won!!! I’m fed up with your slanders! Were the disciplinary actions from the court not enough for you?”
The reprimand from the Head of the Branch hit Jung Mun-won squarely.
“Slander? You dare call it slander?!”
“Thanks to the Emperor’s favor, your life is still intact! Do you think your position and life will remain safe if you cause another incident?!”
Once, the mistakes of a headstrong newbie Inspector could be overlooked. A second accusation would clearly be seen as something personal. Not even the Emperor could protect you in that case.
This was the perfect chance to get rid of the thorn that was the annoying Inspector. The anger the Head of the Branch felt over the Shadowless Thief was now directed at the Inspector.
“Worry about your own life.”
But the Inspector’s reaction was chilling.
“What did you just say?”
Jung Mun-won looked as if he couldn’t spare a moment to see the Head of the Branch’s reaction, pulling out a scroll, he shouted to everyone present in the mansion.
“Head of the Branch Yang Gye-gwang’s corruption is crystal clear! Inspector Jung Mun-won orders the criminal to be captured and sent to the capital!”
“W-Who said such a thing?!”
Something was going wrong.
Even while being threatened, how could he remain so brazen? Could it be that the Inspector had concocted this on his own? The Head of the Branch’s voice trembled with uneasy suspicion.
“It is the command of the Inspector Elder overseeing the management and punishment of the Hubei Province officials.”
The Inspector belonged to the royal inspection department. However, it was not only the central government that oversaw the corruption of officials.
The authorization of the Inspector Elder, the highest rank in the Hubei Province inspection structure, had fallen, which meant it was all over.
“A-An Elder? That can’t be true!”
“There was a whistleblower. They generously gifted me this secret ledger that contains all your wrongdoing in great detail. Thanks to this, convincing the Elder was easy.”
With a smile plastered on his face, Jung Mun-won displayed an old ledger in front of the Head of the Branch.
“W-Why is that in your hands?! The ledger was certainly on that day… Huh?”
“Why? Do you know who the whistleblower is?”
“Say it isn’t so! Y-YOU’VE GOT A HAND WITH THE SHADOWLESS THIEF?!”
“To catch the big thief of the nation, one sometimes needs to partner up with a little thief.”
“Jung Mun-won!!! SHADOWLESS THIEF!!! You scoundrel!!!”
With a chilling gaze, Jung Mun-won looked at the nation’s big thief.
It sounded like slaughtering a pig. A pig that feasted on the tears and blood of the people, growing fat with greed while devouring the commoners.
“I’ll say it one more time.”
He only had one thing to say to that pig.
“This can’t be happening! This can’t be!”
“Capture the criminal Yang Gye-gwang! Bring everyone related to him in!”
*
“Why did you refuse?”
In the mansion’s inner courtyard, Im Ha-yeon asked me as I stood on the grass.
“I have no hobby of willingly walking into hell’s gates.”
That Inspector has connections with the Princess. Whether he does well or poorly now, it’s a settled fact I’ll be cleaning up after the Princess later.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s not like working with the Inspector will grant me an official position anyway. Even if I work hard, I’d just earn some lowly rank.”
Even if one failed to obtain a position through exams, there are ways to earn it through recommendation, but that’s for high level officials, not for a newbie Inspector like Jung Mun-won.
Jung Mun-won has this Ho Pil situation wrapped up. Even if I guarantee that, I’d still need to perform to that extent, and by then the hell gates would probably be right in front of me.
“If you work hard, isn’t it possible to earn a lowly rank? Even at 40, there are plenty who wish to hold lowly clerk positions.”
In a world where the Martial Arts World exists, it’s true that meritocracy is the top value, to some extent. Even a low-ranking official would have to bow to a wealthy merchant.
“Since it’s not a position earned through the exams, you’d be stuck as a lowly official for life, and if you do become an official, you’d have to neglect both writing and business. And most importantly, there’s a reason why you shouldn’t.”
“What reason?”
I deliberately made eye contact with Im Ha-yeon with affectionate eyes before delivering a small confession.
“When you have many people to take responsibility for, you must live without worrying about your daily meals.”
“Ugh.”
Im Ha-yeon covered her flushed chin with her elbow, as if struck.
“After this is over, please help me a lot, Im Ha-yeon. We need to expand the Tea Bookstore and keep developing the inn business.”
Striving to become an official would be over-investment.
Following the Inspector could be one of the rare chances to get mixed up with the Princess. The issue is whether she’s the true heroine or not.
If she isn’t, I’d miss the opportunity to meet the real heroine.
If I must meet the princess, I can build a reputation as Ho Pil before that.
“I’ll work hard too, but if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to request at least the reward for handing over the secret ledger?”
“The rumor that a famous thief has connections with the Shadowless Thief is harmful, and that a black-haired thief was involved in reporting the corruption of high officials could hurt too. For now, let’s focus on Im Ha-yeon’s reputation.”
Right now, the only concern should be the reputation of the Shadowless Thief.
If my name were announced, it’d be nothing but trouble.
*
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“It’s only just the beginning. There are mountains of reports to write today, so I’ll need everyone’s help.”
Jung Mun-won felt a weight lift off his chest watching the Head of the Branch sob like a baby being locked up, but he didn’t show it and instructed his subordinates.
“Shall we have a meal first?”
“There’s too much to do. It’s hard to go out for a meal. Just get me a quick snack on your way back.”
Jung Mun-won felt he didn’t need food, drink, or sleep, but to gather the strength to report all the Head of the Branch’s misdeeds, he couldn’t skip a meal.
“A few days ago, a branch of the Yungi Inn opened near the office. I was planning to order food via Nine Black Qi Hands. Would you like to order anything?”
“Is that the inn owned by a famous Ho Pil? I’ll pay for it. Just order anything.”
“One large sweet and sour pork and for the Inspector, I’ll order spicy noodles.”
“Have you ever seen me eat anything spicy?”
Jung Mun-won’s eyes narrowed.
“Sorry! I’ll order black noodles instead.”
“I’ll be working late tonight, so I’d rather not have something that could dirty my clothes.”
“I’ll order fried rice then!”
“Since you’re a regular, ask for fried rice and some extra black bean sauce and spicy noodle broth.”
“Considering it’s my first order… Alright.”
If he was going to say that, he should’ve just ordered it himself. Last time he even brought the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes with him. It would be absurd to overhear their grumbling, but Jung Mun-won casually brushed aside his subordinates’ gossip.
“I’ll make sure to pour the sauce over the sweet and sour pork when it arrives.”
Imagining the clerk’s pained expression, Jung Mun-won took a seat.
“The report for the Emperor has already been drafted.”
The report contained the Head of the Branch’s extortion and bribery list. A multitude of atrocities written down in detail.
As soon as this report was submitted, even the court officials who partook in the bribes would no longer protect the Head of the Branch.
’It was wise to ally with the Shadowless Thief. But…’
There was something troubling Jung Mun-won.
Having partnered with a little thief to tackle the nation’s big thief, he felt hesitant about being involved with more thieves moving forward.
More so for another reason.
‘Kang Yoon-ho ends up with nothing in the end.’
I am satisfied with my current situation. Please take the lead in catching the big thief of the nation.
Covetousness stirs within him.
How can someone be so selfless in such matters? That kind of talent is buried away in obscurity.
The Ho Pil job was merely a favor from the Shadowless Thief, and once all is done, he’ll resign from the Thief world, leading a life as a simple merchant.
Doesn’t that mean he’s willing to remain as just a merchant?
‘He certainly said he didn’t want his name to be known during this incident…’
Kang Yoon-ho managed to persuade Jung Mun-won to see his perspective, but he overlooked one fact.
The Inspector’s loyalty to the Emperor is far deeper than Kang Yoon-ho could imagine.
Jung Mun-won picked up the brush.
[I, Jung Mun-won, declare that the unearthing of the Head of the Branch’s corruption was not solely my effort. In fact, a capable black-haired Ho Pil played a crucial role…].
Reporting a talent buried in obscurity is a virtue of a scholar and a testament to loyalty to the Imperial family.
Unbeknownst to Kang Yoon-ho, a small gear began to turn.
