episode_0155

“That…sister…spoke a bit harshly.”

“That’s what I’m saying! No matter how wrong I was! Isn’t there something to say and something not to say?”

I swallowed my dry saliva as I looked at Yu-kyung, who was speaking passionately.

Emperor Yugyeong.

A person who rose to the throne of the emperor at a time when his authority was at its lowest point and dramatically increased the emperor’s power.

That person is this person?

This person who is spitting out his dissatisfaction with Hyuk Kirin is the emperor Yu-gyeong?

“Hehe..”

As I watched the emperor speechless and impassioned, I understood why Duzak had lured me to Cheonsangru.

When two people were talking, the story of me, a fellow customer, would naturally have come up, and the emperor would have been displeased with me for going around gambling houses like a ronin. However, Hyuk Kirin must have spoken quite positively about gambling technology.

Now that I think about it, yes. Where are the common gamblers who teach sleight of hand skills? Gamblers are a group of people who are reluctant to reveal even the most trivial skills… I guess I should have noticed that they showed off their skill with their hands.

Hyeok Gi-rin also knows how to hide sweets, so he probably showed off how to hide sweets.

And what did Yu-kyung think when she saw Hyeok-ki-rin like that? You must have thought, ‘How dare this bastard, a Sichuan nang who can’t be bothered to chew on anything, stretch his magic like this on my younger sister, Hyeok Kirin, the princess of the Great Empire?’

oh.

Suddenly my back started to feel wet.

“Yes, why are you doing this? Your complexion suddenly looks bad.”

“Hahahaha! no! Please continue! So, what did you do for me when I was young?”

“So. I too was prepared to be scolded and my sister…”

There was no lie in Duzak’s words.

Du-jak, or rather Yu-kyung, purely wanted me to lose. To separate Hyuk Kirin from gambling, or to separate Hyuk Kirin from me. If Yugyeong’s plan had gone as planned, I would have ended up falling for the eunuch’s trick and becoming a pathetic bastard who crossed the walls of the palace to gamble and ended up in huge debt.

It’s an ugly sight that would make any decent person fall out of love at once.

ah.

So, I am now teaching the imperial princess a wrong gambling technique, completely destroying the emperor’s plan, and after playing around with the emperor for a bit, I run to Hyeok Kirin and tell him, and Hyuk Kirin says to the emperor, ‘I hate you, brother!’, in a very shocking way. Are you the one who made me listen?

In my head, I remembered Judge Potintin saying, ‘Take Gaejakdu to the throne!’

Is it possible that the pseudonym Dujak was created because he wanted to cut off my hands with Jakdu? Oh, I guess not. Haha, yes, he is a bastard who taught his golden brother how to gamble, but he is also a guest of the royal family and a brilliant acquaintance.

“At that time, I thanked him with a bewildered look in his eyes. That kid who was your brother… no, you? Are you okay? Sweat flows like a waterfall!”

“That’s right. Ha ha ha ha ha! Do not worry! Sometimes the sweat glands open like this out of nowhere! Hahahaha!”

I wiped my forehead with my sleeve and my clothes immediately became damp. As soon as I start sweating, the sweat pours out! I could decorate my facial expressions with acting, but there was nothing I could do to break out in a cold sweat.

After wiping off all the sweat and trying to smile, Yukyung looks at me with a suspicious expression.

Yu-kyung’s eyes were unusual. A look in his eyes that seemed to suspect that he had sensed that he was the emperor. I quickly opened my mouth and changed the subject.

“So, do you plan to reconcile with your sister?”

“Haaa…that’s what I’m worried about. I told him not to come visit me, but if I visit him carelessly, I think he might make me angry again, and honestly, I don’t know what to do.”

Fortunately, Yu-gyeong easily removes her suspicions as the emperor’s mind is only filled with thoughts about Hyeok-ki-rin.

“First of all…yeah. How about writing a letter?”

“You mean a letter?”

“Yes. Since you said that you have a deep friendship with your sister, it seems that your sister is also… verbally abusive… um. Anyway, don’t you care that I said something harsh?”

After saying this, I took a sip of tea and took my time. I’m just saying it as it happens, but I also needed time.

“Okay, keep saying it.”

“Even if your sister had made up her mind to forgive Mr. Duzak even now, wouldn’t she have lost face after what she said? It is difficult to be so angry and then forgive so easily.”

“Hmm….”

I recalled Hyuk Kirin’s attitude while drinking tea. Will Hyuk Kirin easily forgive Yu Kyeong? To be honest, it was half and half. He showed concern when Yu-kyung didn’t come to apologize, but it felt like something was still bubbling inside.

“So wouldn’t it be better to send a letter first?”

“Letter…letter…”

“If you want to show sincerity without meeting face to face, there’s nothing better than writing a letter, right? Also, considering that even if we face each other face to face, the feeling of disappointment remains, it would be better to write a text that excludes emotions.”

This would be better than being impatient and closing the distance all at once.

Yu-kyung thought about it carefully, nodded, and got up.

“I understand. I will try to write a letter right away. Your condition doesn’t seem to be good, so let’s get some rest.”

“Haha. I wish you good luck.”

Yu-gyeong leaves quickly and Samahwi-gyeong looks at me for a moment and then bows. When I think about it, what is that Sima Hui Sutra that is attached to the emperor’s secret journey? Is it Admiral Geumwiwi or Admiral Dongchang? No, it’s just a reception escort. Don’t think too much about it.

“Huuuu….”

I stuffed the snack into my mouth and gulped down the cold tea. When sugar was supplied to the head, which was spinning at an incredible speed, and the moisture lost through cold sweat was replenished, only then did the head start to spin.

For now…okay.

We need to reconcile Yu-kyung and Hyuk-ki-rin as quickly as possible. Is it even possible that their relationship will fall apart because of this incident? Yu-kyung is going to catch me and kill me. It’s clear.

Fortunately, I am in a position of advisor to both of them. Hyeok Kirin, there is no one to meet in this palace, so I have no one to consult with except myself, and in the case of Yu-gyeong…well, wouldn’t it be almost the same for Yu-gyeong?

First of all, your meeting with Hyuk Kirin will be a secret, so unless you are someone you really trust, you won’t be able to say that you had an argument with your younger brother. Since court ladies and eunuchs were in a position where they could not present their opinions to the emperor, there was a high possibility that there were really only a few people, other than me, who was involved in the incident, who could consult with peace of mind.

Let’s look at their reactions and try to somehow restore the relationship between siblings.

Yes, wasn’t that what you originally wanted to do? It was a good thing since I had decided to step up for Hyeok Kirin anyway.

It’s just that things that should have been done with a light heart have become more desperate, right?

Somehow I feel like crying, but…

First, let’s take a look at Hyeok Kirin’s feelings after reading the letter.

*** ***

Immediately after dinner, Hyuk Kirin summoned me for tea.

“This morning, I told you that I had a fight with my brother. A letter from my brother arrived today. What is it?”

“Huh. okay. What was the content written?”

“Overall, he apologizes and is reflecting on the fight he had with me.”

Hyuk Kirin’s expression looked very uncomfortable. Although I received an apology, I felt like something had not been resolved.

“Is there anything that bothers you?”

“I don’t know what to say…I received an apology…but the aftertaste is not refreshing.”

“Hehe. I see.”

I also drank a cup of tea and gathered my thoughts. Until now, I thought Hyuk Kirin and Yu Kyung were fighting over Du Jak’s punishment. But in reality, Dujak was Yugyeong.

Then the incident takes a completely different direction. Since Hyeok Kirin heard all of my brother’s reckless behavior through my mouth, he would naturally be embarrassed and angry at his brother for doing this to his fellow companion.

It was natural for Hyuk Kirin to be angry at Yu-kyung.

However, there was something that bothered me, and that was Yu-kyung’s attitude. Contrary to his attitude of reflecting and admitting his mistakes, he seems to have been quite a bit resentful…

But I felt uncomfortable asking this question.

Anyway, it was a situation where Hyuk Kirin could be angry, but it would be a bit unfair to ask him if he had made a mistake by getting angry in such a situation. In the end, it was a situation where he stepped up for me.

So what I chose was persuasion.

“But it doesn’t mean you don’t want to reconcile with your brother, does it?”

“Yes, but.”

Hyukkirin sighed heavily.

“I think this will be a repeat. I don’t know how to express my feelings right now…”

Is what Hyuk Kirin wants to solve the fundamental problem?

“Just complain like you did yesterday. Anyway, you don’t even know who your brother is or the family of the former Hyeok Kirin Daehyup.”

Actually, I know everything. If Hyuk Kirin gives a clue, wouldn’t it be possible to take that clue and match it with the clues from Yu-kyung’s story?

“It seems like you still think of me as a baby.”

After thinking deeply for a while, Hyeok Kirin spoke like that.

“I understand. The last time you saw me was when I was a child. After that, I was away for a long time because of my life at Jeomchangpa. However, he is also a former great disciple of the fortune-telling school and also a transcendent martial artist.”

“Do you want your brother to acknowledge that you have become independent?”

“That’s right! No…maybe not. Honestly, it’s complicated.”

Hyukkirin looked at me with sad eyes for a moment. Well, life as Hyeok Kirin is not easy. Hiding her identity as a princess and living as a woman disguised as a man.

“I hope you respect my decision, but…and the funny thing is, I haven’t come to any conclusion either. Is it too shameless for me to hope that my brother will support me when I still don’t know what to do?”

It was a difficult problem. So much so that I can’t answer it by putting together the clues one by one, like asking twenty questions.

However, even if you can’t solve the problem, you can at least give advice.

“If so, please send me a reply.”

“…Reply, you mean.”

“Yes. Didn’t your brother also muster up the courage to deliver the letter? So, Hyeok Gi-rin Daehyeop, please write a letter with your heart in it. Isn’t it okay to write a letter once, twice, ten times?”

Hyeok Kirin was deep in thought. After so long that even the tea in the teapot cooled down, Hyeok Kirin nodded.

“Yes…I will do that.”

“Hehe. Then, try to make up your mind. I will leave now.”

“….I apologize.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. Ho Rongin. In so many ways.”

Hyuk Kirin was blushing, perhaps because he was embarrassed to say thank you or because he was embarrassed to reveal all the secrets between siblings. I, too, smiled and looked at that innocent look.

“I hope there are good results.”

“…Yes. I will try my best.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked into Hyukkirin’s determined eyes.

Yes, since they were good siblings to begin with, reconciliation would be easy.

Feeling much more anxious, I lay down in bed and waited for tomorrow.