“Looks like the son-in-law our daughter brought home has finally managed to turn your father’s heart, huh?”
Kang Yoon-ho’s return to meet his father took half a day while Jeong-gal Hyang anxiously fidgeted in her room.
The one who came to deliver the news wasn’t Kang Yoon-ho but her mother, Jang Young-young.
“Really?”
“Your dad has softened up, but I can still see him trying to hide it from your mom. Our son-in-law is quite the talker. Who knows, our daughter might get married next spring!”
“M-marriage…!”
Married to Master Kang, no less.
What if something goes awry in the morning? As countless unhappy thoughts swirled in Jeong-gal Hyang’s mind, rays of happiness started to light up her imagination.
“Of course, there are still hurdles to overcome…”
‘His main wife!!!’
She would become the main wife. She’d win over Sister Ha-yeon. Defeat the sickly fiancée in the Tang Family. She would be Master Kang’s only primary wife!
Her mother mentioned something different, but Jeong-gal Hyang’s imagination sparked to life.
“一 Man Geum-jeon. Master Kang’s main wife! Madam Jeong-gal serves!”
“How did everyone sleep through the long night?”
“Long night, you say? Madam! Were you looking for your husband last night?”
“I guess he missed me too much while on business. His love has become so overwhelming that I’ve been struggling lately.”
“Please, tell us more about your stories! It’s been months since we last saw him!”
“Ah, no! Oh dear. What can I do if he only looks for me every night? I suppose I’ll tell you about my special mistress.”
“Thank you!”
“Uh, uh!”
“Madam of the Tang Family. Are you still not feeling well? I’ll specifically order some medicine from the Jeong-gal Family.”
“As expected from the main wife of Man Geum Battlefield! Thank you for your grace like the heavens!”
Main wife. Such a delightful sound.
“Hehe! Perfect!”
Right. No matter how far Sister Ha-yeon gets ahead. No matter how the Tang Family’s fiancée waits near the finish line. She was the direct descendant of the Jeong-gal Family. Isn’t this what it means that her martial law is different?
She would be Master Kang’s only main wife. Jeong-gal Hyang found herself unable to contain her smile.
“Hyang.”
“Hah! M-mom!”
Except for her mother’s one remark.
Jeong-gal Hyang suddenly realized that her mother was looking at her with concern.
“Haaa… My daughter. I don’t know what you’re imagining, but things don’t always go your way. Stay sharp.”
“Y-yes, I know.”
Things don’t go as intended.
That’s right. Her mother was right. She shouldn’t let her guard down. Even if she became the main wife, things might not turn out as she wishes.
‘For example…’
“This is bad! Another daughter!”
“Madam, how many daughters do you have?”
“Ahh… Th-that’s…”
“What can we do? It’s a matter of the field. Ugh. I just felt a kick. Hey you! Come here and touch it!”
“Madam! Is that true?”
“I’m sure it’s a boy this time.”
“Are we talking about our second son? Honestly! If it weren’t for the Jeong-gal Family, that girl would never be the main wife!”
“Yes. I understand. Your love is for me.”
“Nooo! Master Kang! Don’t gooooo!”
It seems like the world’s affairs never go as planned.
“Not being able to give birth to a son, ultimately being shunned, and being stripped of the position of main wife! The worst possible scenario!!!”
It was terrible. It felt like losing the whole world. Jeong-gal Hyang clutched her chest and cried out.
“…My daughter, does she often act like this in front of her son-in-law?”
Jang Young-young, watching her, subtly asked Jeon Gil-san, who stood nearby.
“Isn’t that just daily life?”
“Even though she’s the daughter I bore with pain, she seems awfully happy holding hands.”
She thought her daughter would hold back in front of the man she loves. But apparently, that wasn’t the case. Jang Young-young looked at her daughter in wonder.
“Strictly speaking, she was dragged along.”
“…”
“W-well, of course, she held hands the whole way. Auntie.”
In a moment, Jeon Gil-san realized he wasn’t speaking to an aunt but the head of the Jeong-gal Family, quickly correcting himself.
“Sigh… In front of the man she likes, she can’t be coy and just does whatever she wants. Whom does she take after?”
Could it be the fact that her father raised and spoiled her? She looks just like someone from her youth. Jang Young-young looked at her daughter with worry.
“She seems to like it.”
“Really?”
Jang Young-young asked Jeon Gil-san with a look of surprise.
“Anything that appears wonderful to me tends to be my match. I don’t really get what’s so great about it.”
Sometimes she feels awkward, but he gazes upon her lovingly. These days, when Hyang gets lost in her own world, Kang Yoon-ho’s that guy manages it well.
With the testimony of those who had watched the two up close, the mother couldn’t help but smile strangely.
“There are people who seem lovable when they express their feelings without reservation.”
“Huh?”
“Not true.”
——
“Did dad put Master Kang in Hongcheonmirijin?”
“Yeah. The Elders’ Council came and put him in before he could be opposed.”
“Ah, ahhh…”
As Jeong-gal Hyang managed to come out of her flights of fancy, she was met with news more shocking than her unhappy thoughts.
“What on earth is Hongcheonmirijin?”
“It’s a formation evaluating the Deputy Head of Family’s qualities.”
Jang Young-young began to calmly explain to her bewildered niece.
“The Deputy Head of Family’s qualities?”
“To give an example, when the previous Deputy Head of Family had to be chosen, the eldest son of the Jeong-gal Family failed to pass Hongcheonmirijin at that time.”
“Usually, the eldest son becomes the Deputy Head of Family, so it’s normal. But the first-ranked eldest son of the Deputy Head of Family couldn’t pass it… What happens then?”
“You already know the outcome?”
The previous Deputy Head of Family was Jeong-gal Hyang’s father, currently the head of the Jeong-gal Family, Jeong-gal Geuk.
“It doesn’t seem like they’re even going to give him the chance to challenge for the Deputy Head of Family. What kind of formation is it anyway?”
“Hongcheonmirijin is a formation that tests the Five Desires and Seven Emotions as discussed in Buddhism.”
“Five Desires and Seven Emotions?”
“Anyone who enters the formation must pass through five chambers of desires called the O-yuk-gwan.”
“R-wealth, fame, appetite, sleep, and sexual desire. They are things people naturally desire as humans. In the five chambers of desires, one is continuously tested.”
As Jeong-gal Hyang broke free from her shock, she elaborated.
“Just hearing about it seems exceedingly difficult.”
“Since they fit the five desires. As humans born, they can’t help but feel drawn to these things. When we feel drawn to the five desires, we say…”
Jeong-gal Hyang looked for brush and began to write on the paper.
Five Desires.
The next two characters she wrote were heart (심) and heart (心).
The first heart touches the five desires. When a person’s heart is ensnared, it becomes a new character. The next written character flows beside it.
A person’s heart becomes ensnared and overflows.
Five Desires. The desire to act most certainly.
“Becomes greed, huh?”
When Jeon Gil-san said that, both mothers and daughters nodded in agreement.
“You are someone who can control yourself and lead us rightly. Are you someone we can believe in and follow? Hongcheonmirijin constantly tests the person who enters.”
“Certainly, a Deputy Head of Family who can lead the great Jeong-gal Family. To possess the qualities to lead a lineage that has lasted for over a thousand years. Passing through all the chambers of desires means that.”
A worry seeped into Jeong-gal Hyang’s voice.
Naturally.
Hongcheonmirijin.
If Kang Yoon-ho manages to pass, he will surely be recognized by her father. The formation he confidently walked into wasn’t just for a son-in-law to be recognized but was one that even the eldest son of the Jeong-gal Family couldn’t guarantee passing.
“Kang Yoon-ho, that guy. Can he really pass? He came to be recognized as a son-in-law; he didn’t come to be recognized as the Deputy Head of Family from the Jeong-gal Family.”
“…”
Jeong-gal Hyang and Jang Young-young. The two mothers and daughters hesitated to answer.
Because the answer surprisingly came from another place.
“The old men didn’t say much, right? If he can pass, it means he’s qualified.”
Everyone’s gazes turned toward the door.
“…Elder Councilman? What brings you here?”
Jang Young-young could only stare wide-eyed. The visitor was Elder Councilman Jeon Gil-san, the current chairperson of the Elders’ Council.
“Why? Is your little uncle not allowed to come here?”
He wasn’t someone who usually visited such places. However, Jang Young-young swallowed her thoughts as she hardened her expression to the Elder Councilman’s playful inquiry.
“Elder Councilman, this matter should be discussed among the elders…”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
He wasn’t here because of the marriage to the man with black hair. As if to dispel the controversy, Elder Councilman lightly shook his head.
“Then what is it?”
“Cough, well… Can I speak to that child alone?”
“That’s my daughter. Let’s talk together.”
Jang Young-young firmly stood in front of her daughter.
This was significant.
Could it be that Elder Councilman even moved? Being a direct descendant of the Jeong-gal Family, he always mediates opinions within the Elders’ Council, and he isn’t someone who oversteps his position lightly.
For such a person to directly approach their daughter. He could exert pressure under the guise of offering advice. As the head of the Jeong-gal Family, Jang Young-young couldn’t help but feel tense.
The standoff between the head of the Jeong-gal Family and Elder Councilman wasn’t brief, and eventually, a rare look of embarrassment flickered across Elder Councilman’s face.
What in the world was happening?
From Elder Councilman’s exasperated words, Jang Young-young finally realized the reason.
“Is it true that you can get Volume 2 of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes here?”
——
“Here!”
“It’s really here! Thank you! Thank you! I’ve been dying to find out about the next volume and have been up all night!”
Jang Young-young was momentarily speechless at the sight of Elder Councilman lifting the book as if he had discovered a secret document.
“Could it be that the reason Elder Councilman didn’t come with the Elders’ Council today was because of that book?”
“Cough! That’s why I suggested we talk alone! Anyway, now that I’ve got it, it’s good enough! See you next time!”
Elder Councilman seemed to think talking more was a waste of time, disappearing just like that.
“It’s happening! Awesome!”
“I- I really did it!”
“Did you guys plan this? What on earth is happening?”
Seeing her niece and daughter celebrating, Jang Young-young finally realized that the kids had been scheming something.
“I’ll explain it separately. I’ll talk to the head of the Inspection Unit from Man Geum Battlefield.”
As Jeong-gal Hyang called for someone, the head of the Inspection Unit, who had quietly been spectating, entered.
“Did you call for me, Miss?”
“Have you heard the news?”
“I’ve heard that Master Kang will be absent for about ten days.”
It was hard to meet his gaze. But she had to say it. Jeong-gal Hyang swallowed hard and clenched her fist tightly before finally speaking.
“Mr. Inspection Unit. Can you follow what I say from now on?”
“Isn’t Miss Jeong-gal the prospective mistress of Man Geum Battlefield? Just give the order.”
“Ah, mistress…”
Why was this so delightful? Jeong-gal Hyang barely managed to hold back the smile creeping up her face and resolutely continued her serious expression.
“M-Master Kang will pass Hongcheonmirijin.”
It was a voice full of conviction.
“Daughter…?”
Master Kang would definitely pass through.
As Jeong-gal Hyang steadied her inner thoughts, she mused about when he would arrive. She couldn’t just nervously wait around. She mustn’t just languish in the room.
Because Master Kang was surely putting in the effort at this very moment.
“I want to execute the plan Master Kang set up for us.”
Marriage isn’t something one does alone. This time it was her turn to take action.
——
“Hey!!!”
Meanwhile, deep within the hole leading to Hongcheonmirijin.
“Hey!!! Is anyone there?”
A desperate voice echoed from within the pit.
“This rope is fraying!!! The rope is fraying! It’s about to snap!!!”
The rope Kang Yoon-ho was staring up at was barely holding his weight, teetering on the brink of breaking.
“Father!!! This kind of assassination attempt is unacceptable!!!”
Somehow, he hadn’t been able to let go of the rope.
“Help!!! Any Manager or Safety Officer? Patrol Unit!!! Is anyone here?!!!”
“Aah! I’m falling!!!”
