Chapter 20

Chapter 20. A Name That Cannot Be Spoken

If one followed the road north from the capital, Hongyang, by carriage, they would eventually reach the Jin family's estate.

Black silk curtains hung around the mansion, which gave off the impression of a solid fortress. Armed private soldiers stood guard around it under strict security.

Jin Sangwon, the head of the Jin family and its most senior elder, was a man with an imposing build and eyes as fierce as a tiger's.

His presence was so intimidating that even hot-blooded young martial artists found it difficult to casually approach him.

Sangwon sat on a thick cushion, reading through stacks of petitions and documents that he had been unable to deal with at the royal palace.

For a long time now, he had effectively ruled Hui Kingdom in place of the incompetent King Nampyeong.

Hui Kingdom's national strength declined with each passing day, while all sorts of bizarre incidents occurred both inside and outside the country.

Even Sangwon's power alone was not enough to deal with everything.

As his eyes moved indifferently over the words written on the paper, exhaustion was clearly visible on his face.

A short while later, his second son, Seopjun, requested an audience.

Judging by the traces of the outside air still clinging to him, he seemed to have come here immediately after leaving the palace.

Seopjun lowered his voice, saying he had something important to discuss.

"I heard that during this year's Fifteenth Festival, they intend to hold a funeral for Crown Prince Namhyun, who disappeared."

It had already been ten years since Crown Prince Namhyun vanished without a trace.

At this point, for the sake of the nation's future, a new heir was necessary.

"The other families will certainly be paying attention to this as well. In particular, Family Head Haemora will probably try to involve herself in the birth of the next heir somehow."

Among Hui Kingdom's Five Great Noble Families, the Hae family had once been the weakest.

However, after gaining King Nampyeong's favor, they had risen rapidly.

Through black magic, the Hae family supported King Nampyeong's bizarre behavior and ghostly games, casting a dark shadow over the royal palace.

Seopjun seemed to feel a growing sense of crisis over that fact.

"But does the Jin family really need to do the same?"

He continued,

"Why should we wait for an insane king to produce another heir while continuing to share power with the other nobles?"

Seopjun's lips moved as he prepared to continue.

His true intentions were finally beginning to surface.

"We could open a new world according to our own wishes."

Sangwon quietly stroked his beard.

As the most powerful man in Hui Kingdom, Sangwon stood above ordinary people as though he were a man among men.

Countless people came before him to confess their circumstances and troubles.

Whenever they did, Sangwon simply listened without revealing what he himself thought.

He never dismissed someone's words simply because they were insignificant, nor did he try to calm them even when their emotions became heated.

By doing nothing more than listening quietly, people would eventually reveal their own weaknesses by the time their story reached its end.

Then Sangwon merely had to move the final piece on the board.

Even now, the desire hidden within his second son's words reached him clearly.

"Open a new world, you say?"

"I've never understood what Father has been hesitating over all these years. So..."

At that moment, the sound of light footsteps crossed the wide corridor of the inner residence.

"It seems we have an honored guest."

Apparently having some idea who it was, Sangwon lowered his eyes and listened for a moment.

He placed the scroll in his hand down.

"I was beginning to grow tired of reading petitions anyway. This is good timing."

The wooden door opened.

The person who appeared was none other than his eldest son, Seongha.

More surprising than the fact that Seongha had visited the Jin estate for the first time in a long while was his appearance.

He had taken off his priestly robes and put on the black robes of the Jin family—the very clothes he had always hated so much.

Against the black silk clothing, his pale and handsome face stood out even more.

Sangwon became rather curious about his son's intentions.

"You crossed a thousand li through the heavens and even visited Cheonhui Kingdom, yet you didn't stop by to greet your father afterward. I was almost disappointed."

At first glance, Sangwon's greeting seemed gentle and affectionate.

There were many who respected and followed him precisely because he never acted recklessly and always kept his strength hidden.

Seongha merely gave a quiet scoff.

Ever since childhood, whenever Seongha had faced countless threats against his life, Sangwon had done nothing but silently watch.

And once Sangwon decided blood had to be spilled, he became utterly merciless.

That side of him was not something Seongha could easily erase from his memory.

It had been a very long time since the Jin family's father and sons had gathered together in one place.

A completely different atmosphere surrounded each of the three men.

"Continue what you were saying."

Sangwon gestured toward Seopjun.

"Are you telling your father to start a rebellion?"

"We already have more than enough justification. Isn't Father already the one truly ruling this country?"

Seopjun's desire for domination was growing stronger by the day.

Simply enjoying power as a great noble was no longer enough to satisfy him.

It almost seemed as though his thirst could only be quenched by crushing others beneath him and spilling their blood.

"You seem unaware of the price a subject must pay when he carelessly covets his king's throne."

Sangwon continued calmly, his expression completely unmoving.

"A dragon can be tamed well enough for a man to ride upon its back. But beneath its neck is a one-ja-long scale growing backward, and whoever touches it will die."

"..."

"It is a lesson that everyone who seeks to seize power beyond their station should remember."

As Seongha listened, a question rose inside him.

Had Father truly never dreamed of taking the throne even once?

Just how much of Sangwon's loyalty toward that mad king was genuine?

"If someone truly possesses the qualifications to rule others, countless people will naturally clear a path for him."

"..."

"But a man who tries to force others into submission will spend his life fighting everyone he meets until, eventually, he finds his path blocked by an obstacle as great as Mount Tai."

It was the harshest advice Sangwon could give Seopjun.

"Remember what your father has told you."

Seopjun's face flushed red.

He believed Sangwon had just treated him as pathetic and weak.

"I'm not so sure. If the path is blocked, I can simply make one by walking over corpses. Why should the means or methods matter?"

Seopjun gave a strange laugh that sounded as though something were scratching deep inside his throat, making him resemble a beast.

It was an old habit of his.

Whenever he felt humiliated, he would deliberately act even more aggressive in order to suppress it.

His laughter echoed emptily throughout the room.

The second son had suffered for years, not only because he had fallen behind Seongha in rank, but also because he had failed to gain his father's recognition.

At times, murderous intent—or even madness—could be seen in his eyes.

However, Sangwon was not the kind of man who possessed enough paternal affection to interfere with his son's fate simply because they shared the same blood.

His expression was cold as he distanced himself from Seopjun.

"Please read this document."

At that moment, as though deliberately changing the subject, Seongha respectfully handed Sangwon a scroll.

It seemed this was the true reason he had come to the Jin estate.

"It appears State Preceptor Namwan has made an interesting proposal."

Sangwon unfolded the scroll and looked at Seongha with surprise.

"Isn't this a marriage proposal?"

The scroll contained State Preceptor Namwan's suggestion that Huyoung of the Nam family marry Seopjun of the Jin family.

All of this was possible because Seongha had intercepted the letter Huyoung sent to Namwan and replaced its contents with something else.

Now that the matter of marriage between the two families had officially been brought up, it could no longer be easily withdrawn.

"A marriage proposal? There's no possibility that State Preceptor Namwan would send such an important letter to Father through Beopsindang instead of delivering it personally. Something is suspicious."

Until now, his half-brother had always avoided Seopjun's provocations and kept his head down.

Yet now, for the first time, Seongha had appeared after setting up the board himself.

Feeling unsettled, Seopjun immediately tried to deny Seongha's words.

"Lady Nam Huyoung has recently been staying at Beopsindang to help prepare for the Fifteenth Festival. Because of that, the proposal naturally came through me."

"..."

"Unfortunately, as I am a priest, marriage would be difficult for me. Therefore, I thought I should graciously yield such a wonderful opportunity to my younger brother."

Seongha, on the other hand, remained perfectly composed as he reported this to Sangwon.

The thought of tying Huyoung and Seopjun together—two people who had constantly caused him headaches—and trapping both of them in a situation they couldn't easily escape made it difficult for Seongha to suppress his smile.

"She is a kind-hearted and beautiful young lady. I could hardly imagine a more suitable bride for my younger brother."

Seongha spoke with deliberate courtesy.

Naturally, to Seopjun's ears, it sounded like pure mockery.

"What exactly are you trying to pull? Since when have you ever cared enough about my personal affairs to volunteer as a matchmaker?"

"What ulterior motive could an elder brother have in caring for his younger brother?"

Whether the marriage succeeded or failed, Seongha had nothing to lose.

Huyoung had not only shown Seongha unwanted affection, but had also caused harm to Cheongyeon and the other members of Beopsindang.

If she married Seopjun, she would completely become another man's woman.

Then she would no longer be able to play such underhanded tricks.

Furthermore, State Preceptor Namwan would become related to the Jin family through marriage.

That would undoubtedly make it much harder for him to casually pressure Seongha over matters involving the Jin family.

On the other hand, even if Seopjun refused the marriage proposal, that would still provide Seongha with an entertaining spectacle.

The Nam family, their pride wounded, would inevitably try to provoke the Jin family somehow.

And the person at whom their anger would be directed would naturally be Seopjun, the man involved in the marriage proposal.

"Now that a marriage proposal has been made, I believe the matter requires careful consideration."

"State Preceptor Namwan would never lower his head first and propose a marriage without some sort of reason."

"..."

"Most likely, with the matter of choosing the next heir approaching, he intends to join hands with the Jin family."

Seongha finally threw out the last issue.

"We must decide whether this marriage will make us State Preceptor Namwan's backer... or whether we should use this opportunity to exploit their weakness."

"Not bad."

Sangwon, who had been listening to Seongha's words with interest, turned toward Seopjun.

"Since you are the person involved, think carefully about this marriage proposal."

Sangwon remained detached, almost as though this were a marriage discussion concerning someone else's family.

He resembled a beast pushing its own cub off a cliff in order to test whether it could survive.

Seongha no longer wished to deal with Seopjun, who had already been pushed into a corner.

Speaking as though giving an order, Seongha addressed him.

"Little brother, I have something important to discuss privately with Father. Leave us for a while."

His attitude was like that of an elder calmly dismissing someone beneath him.

Sangwon gestured toward Seopjun, indicating that he could leave.

Murderous rage filled Seopjun's face.

How dare he act like my elder brother.

There was one thing Seopjun absolutely could not tolerate.

Seongha pretending to be a member of the Jin family.

He glared at Seongha.

"Come to think of it, I heard the Heavenly Maiden you personally escorted down from the heavens has left on a pilgrimage to the sanctuaries because of opposition from the religious factions."

Ever since they were children, Seopjun had always been able to tell exactly what Seongha least wanted anyone to touch.

And that was precisely why he had always made sure to destroy those things thoroughly.

"I sincerely hope the Heavenly Maiden has a safe journey."

A sinister smile crept into his voice.

"It would be terrible if something unfortunate were to happen to her, wouldn't it?"

Leaving behind that unpleasant warning as though casting a curse, Seopjun turned and walked away.

His footsteps were as loud and heavy as his enormous frame.

As the wooden floor creaked beneath him, Seongha's brow briefly furrowed.