It all started with a small question.
‘Why did the Head of Guards borrow such a large sum of money?’
I mean, this is a guy who treats embezzlement like it’s breakfast. If he had his own money, why borrow someone else’s?
It didn’t take long to find an answer with Miss Zhuge.
“What kind of nonsense is that?! When did I ever borrow money from anyone?!”
It’s useless for the Head of Guards to deny it. The ledger has already been cross-verified. The money borrowed by Gu Jook went straight into the Head of Guards’ pocket.
“I’ve developed an interesting habit while working with Ho Pil. I think like a criminal.”
I smirked at Gu Jook, whose face turned as pink as a pig when caught in corruption.
“Thinking like a criminal, huh?”
I naturally stood where Mae Hyang had sung moments ago.
Should I start a reenactment for the criminal? Shifting my weight on one ankle, I got into character.
“The criminal panics one day when the Head of Guards says, ‘Pay up by today!’ Seriously?! Who has that much cash on hand?! It’s troubling. What should I do? Who in Wuhan would keep that kind of money in a safe? Ah, right! The Man Geum Battlefield!”
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t borrow money?!”
I heard the furious pig’s grunt, but I didn’t care.
“Head of Guards, you should have said that after you paid the money back.”
Because I’m the knife for pig slaughtering.
“What? No way?!”
“After borrowing such a huge sum, how dare you wipe your mouth clean? Even basic inquiries reveal everything.”
“Ugh…!”
There’s no need to mention the forbidden ledger. The debtor will understand why the information leaked so easily.
“I understand. It must have been an unexpected expense. It’s an enormous sum, after all. But you should’ve at least paid the interest.”
“……”
“Minimum punishment will be dismissal. You might even face exile. Once evidence comes out, you’ll be tangled up with the Head of Guards. Once you’re escorted and interrogated, there’ll be an empty seat next to the Head of Guards.”
In this world, it’s just ordinary embezzlement, but unfortunate circumstances at play.
I heard the Head of Guards must do a good job managing the executioner. If he gets tied up in this mess, he’ll have to live on a deserted island forever.
“That… that can’t be…! It’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! The Head of Guards asked for the money, how could I refuse?! I had no choice!”
Ah, I see. Looks like the evidence is clear now, so he’s pretending to be wronged.
“Seems you had no choice with the land you seized as well.”
As I mocked, the Head of Guards’ expression instantly darkened.
“Cough! You…! Do you think this will end with just this?! You think I can’t deal with a mere Ho Pil?!”
“Your opponent is not me, it’s Inspector Jung Mun-won.”
“Damn…!”
From between Gu Jook’s clenching teeth, a sigh filled with utter despair escaped helplessly.
His opponent was the Inspector acting on imperial orders—Jung Mun-won. Moreover, he had already uncovered the crimes of the Head of Guards—this was a formidable foe by far too much.
Even the mighty Head of Guards couldn’t do anything against a rival like Jung Mun-won, so how could Gu Jook even attempt it?
The color drained from Gu Jook’s face. He must feel like a pig standing in front of the slaughterhouse.
“Of course, if the Inspector has seen my materials, what I’m about to say would happen quickly.”
Shall I become his savior now?
“What do you mean by that? No way?!”
Gu Jook looked at me, eyes wide in shock.
“I’ve already submitted the materials to the Inspector. But, you know how busy they are. They said they’d handle urgent matters first and put it aside.”
I shrugged as if to say, “What’s so surprising?”
“Jung Mun-won hasn’t seen the evidence yet?”
“How ironic.”
I drove the Head of Guards into a corner.
“What do you mean?”
It was time to act.
My heart pounded.
A young man caught in a political struggle. The famed Ho Pil. Two faces are just my appearance from the outside. But showing my hidden ambitions never revealed to anyone else.
“While the materials are in a place only Inspector Jung can access, there’s someone here who can supplement them again.”
Want to live? Then take my hand. But only after paying a hefty price.
In this prime opportunity, I displayed a smile that glimmered with desire.
“…What do you want?”
Surprise flickered in the Head of Guards’ eyes, but his mouth was quicker. As expected from someone who has rolled in the political arena for so long, he grasped the situation quickly.
“Well, what can you offer?”
I kicked the container with the public office appointment letters and returned the question with a sly smile.
“Is it because the minor position didn’t suit you? Sure, since you planned to approach me like this, it probably hasn’t satisfied you. Fine, I’ll use all my power to secure you a higher-ranking position.”
“Hmm…”
I don’t need a position.
“Aren’t you satisfied with a position? What about a woman? I will arrange a marriage for you with a daughter of my noble family. With the power of both the position and the in-law family, you can target the position of chief easily later on.”
“I promised a future with a woman who’s not embarrassed by me.”
One from each Zhuge family, Haowon family, Sichuan Tang family, Salmak, and Murong family, if you know what I mean.
“Need money? I’ll prepare a mansion for you in the city I govern. Ah! Mae Hyang seems to like you too. I’ll buy her miracle and give it to you. The more women, the better, right?”
The allocation of courtesans is already full. I shook my head.
“I’ve already told you what I want, yet you keep saying different things.”
The Head of Guards has no sense. Why does he keep stepping on thin ice? I looked at him with a smile.
“What? What did I say? Tell me, and I will grant it!”
A frantic voice spilled from the Head of Guards.
What I want is…
Not a position, nor a woman, nor money. Not such a lowly price for a fleeting relationship.
What I want is…
“I said I want to be your friend.”
“What?”
Stepping up confidently to the Head of Guards, my eyes burned with desire. Let me show you that there’s no petty greed in mine but a burning ambition.
“Head of Guards, could you pour me another drink?”
What’s in my gaze isn’t lowly greed, but the blazing ambition that lies within.
———
I mustn’t misunderstand my purpose.
‘I’m taking the heir exam of the Man Geum Battlefield, not the Inspector exam.’
While it would be good for my interests if the Head of Guards is caught, I need to watch the debtor go to prison and declare bankruptcy. I have to resolve my primary objective first; only then can I help the Inspector too.
“I… I should pour a drink for my drinking buddy. Here you go.”
“Of course, since it’s the Head of Guards pouring, the drink is truly sweet.”
Kang Yoon-ho has risen high. The Mayor respectfully pours drinks with both hands.
“Care for some snacks too?”
What’s this? Offering snacks with his own chopsticks? What a lack of etiquette.
I had no intention of eating snacks offered by a man using his chopsticks. I politely declined and continued to share drinks with the Head of Guards.
“Now that I’ve had my fill, I should get back to my work.”
“Are you really going to help me…?”
The Head of Guards asked me, seemingly unable to believe it.
“What good is a drinking buddy if I don’t help?”
“Why on earth… No! I must have misunderstood you!”
The answer to the question has already been given.
I want to be friends with the Inspector and the Head of Guards in the political arena. Gu Jook finally realized, looking at me with a gaze full of horror.
“I’ll do my job, but you also have things to hurry up and take care of, Head of Guards.”
I’m a black-haired barbarian. My opponent is a far higher-ranking Head of Guards.
It’s a low-tier tactic to clash and oppose the Head of Guards to acquire what I desire.
Trying to gain what I want through negotiation against someone who has the power to skew the scales is merely a mid-tier tactic.
Then what’s the top strategy?
“Something I must hurry?”
“You should repay the money borrowed from the Man Geum Battlefield and erase the debt record first. Isn’t it a priority to eliminate the evidence?”
While obtaining what I want, the best strategy is to make the opponent think he owes me.
“Erase the evidence?”
“Even if I manage to pilfer the materials again, who knows when the astute Inspector would visit the Man Geum Battlefield. First and foremost, repay the debt and erase the record.”
“I wasn’t not going to do it. But that damn guy…!”
“What did the Head of Guards do?”
“No! It was the Shadowless Thief!”
The Head of Guards shouted, gritting his teeth.
“The Shadowless Thief?!”
Why is Im Ha-yeon suddenly coming into this?
“That guy must have stolen the valuables set aside to repay the money overnight!”
“Ah…”
Your money has filled the starving bellies of the poor. Thank you.
I never expected that the Shadowless Thief activities, which I had plotted with Im Ha-yeon, would connect to the evidence of corruption.
“I have a hard time repaying a large sum as well. It’s not easy to gather such a large amount.”
I could predict he’d say it’s hard for me to repay. So I gathered a lot of intel beforehand.
“I believe you have considerable property in Wuhan.”
“Umm…”
“What are you hesitating for? Isn’t living the priority? You must hurry!”
I raised my voice, seemingly frustrating like an advisor beside a hesitant lord.
“I understand what you’re saying. But the only things in Wuhan are land and buildings. Both would take ages to sell, so how could I?!”
“I’ll handle it for you.”
I’ve prepared everything.
“You?”
“It turns out that I have a deep connection with Lord Man Geum-jeon. We’re on terms close enough to meet regularly. Just give me the land and building documents, and I’ll evaluate their value and take care of it immediately.”
If you don’t have money, offer documents. I’ve already finished discussions with Man Geum Battlefield.
“Oh… I didn’t know that. Will you really do that?”
“Since we’re sharing drinks like this, I should at least help out a bit.”
The Head of Guards needs to repay the debt to eradicate the evidence, and I’ll package myself as the one helping him avoid that hassle.
It’s neither coercion nor negotiation; it’s something that must be done out of necessity.
“I’ll immediately send someone to your home!”
The pig that was just in front of the slaughterhouse would do anything to survive. It was incredibly easy to maneuver the pig in the direction I wanted.
“As soon as I verify the documents, I’ll head straight to the Inspector’s office.”
“Thank you. Really, thank you!”
I’m more grateful.
————
“Are you really without any greed? You’d give me a position, a woman, or money if I wanted!”
The Head of Guards’ eyes were now filled with reverence instead of mere gratitude.
“Why would I be greedy when I can be a drinking buddy with the Head of Guards like this?”
“Inspector Jung must have also had favorites among those scoundrels.”
Gu Jook muttered, seemingly unable to believe I would betray him, accompanied by a soft sigh.
“I’d rather be drinking buddy with the one who buys me drinks than a person I have to buy for.”
Sure, even rotten acquaintances are good; I want to catch a better one. Subtly flattering the Head of Guards.
“Hahaha! Right! That’s what it was! Now I get it! I totally understand!”
“Isn’t Inspector Jung already bloated from his position as Head of Guards? It’s also a drinking buddy’s duty to ensure he doesn’t get a stomach ache.”
I brazenly made excuses. Mixing desire and ambition, I aimed to appear like a person moving for gain, not truth or lies.
“Are you also getting drunk elsewhere while casually enjoying a drink?”
“The cheap baijiu with Inspector Jung tastes good, but the wine at Hwa Wol Ru is something special.”
As I confessed with a sheepish smile, Gu Jook laughed heartily.
“A man should have such desires! Now that I think about it, I’ve learned a thing or two from you! Yes! It’s good to have many friends in politics! Here! From now on, I’ll keep an eye on your back!”
We’re almost there.
Now I just have to finish the drinking session and get up. But there’s one more thing to resolve.
“Drunkenness is good, but let me solve another worry for my drinking buddy first.”
“A worry?”
“About the paper mill.”
Did you forget why we met in this place?
“Right! The paper mill! I completely forgot about it! What, what are we going to do about the paper mill? Will you disband the protesters?”
I shook my head at Gu Jook’s expectant gaze.
“If I want to be friends with you, Gu Jook, and Inspector Jung, disbanding is rather difficult.”
“Difficult? Then does that mean you have another solution?”
“I have a way for you to resolve the matter neatly without falling out of favor with Inspector Jung.”
“My way to resolve it?”
What I schemed this time wasn’t solely to collect debts from the Head of Guards. I had a headache of my own to resolve.
Now it was time to propose the last solution for both of us. I looked at the Head of Guards with unselfish eyes and opened my mouth.
“Just give the paper mill to me.”
