NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 304. Man Geum Sang Dan (4)
“Did you say that Jeongtak made that guy… … no, the three princes the next Magwangcheonju… …?”
Perhaps because of his surprise, Kang Hae-sang’s voice was quite loud. However, the two did not care at all. In the halls of the Man Geum Sang Dan, where valuable information was constantly exchanged, various formations were inevitably added, so there was absolutely no concern about the sound leaking out.
It’s like a layer of qigong that qigong masters spread out to avoid the inevitable headwind when they are having a secret conversation or moving rapidly with lightness or new techniques, and the room where they are talking right now is the same.
“Yes. Of course, the cooperation of the Chamber of Commerce is essential for that.”
Yoo Seol-ryeon’s eyes, still answering with a seductive voice, curved for a moment. She was hiding her gaze that was certain that the other person would not be able to refuse with a smile.
“My cooperation? What kind of…? No, more than that, what way can we put the Three Princes on the throne of the next Heavenly Lord? Honestly, I intend to oppose it no matter what. Since the Heavenly Lord has already rooted out the lineage of the Buddhist clan, it is safe to say that the advent of the world of magic is a foregone conclusion. Even if we do nothing, the Lady and the Three Princes will be able to enjoy power as they have been until now. Along with my financial power. Furthermore, the Heavenly Lord has already declared that he will determine the successor based on the achievements of the Jeongma Grand Battle. Now, it seems that there is no way for the Three Princes to establish their achievements….”
“I will be honest with you too.”
Yuseolyeon licked her bright red lips sensually as if she had applied blood to them and then said.
“The reason why my family has remained quiet in the rear, including Fujian, up until now is because it was hard to believe that the world of magic would come easily. Of course, His Majesty highly regarded the inaction of the Heavenly Lord who has closed the palace.”
“… … In reality, the Lord has destroyed Namgung Se-ga and the Millennium Shaolin. The advent of the world of magic is a foregone conclusion.”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I changed my mind. The next Magwang Heavenly Lord will most likely become the master of the entire Central Plains martial arts world. If it’s a position like that, then as a mother, I can’t help but want to somehow place my child in that position. I hope Your Majesty understands.”
“Your Majesty, this is not an area that requires my understanding. Grand Duke Hwamu-ryong, Grand Duke Gwakyeon, and Grand Duke Yoo Jeong-tak—the three princes cannot engage in a power struggle over the position of the next Lord of Heaven.”
Kang Hae-sang said decisively.
“In any case, the Lord will appoint the prince of the family with the greatest achievements as the successor in this Battle of Jeongma. Therefore, the only way for the third prince, Yu Jeong-tak, to get his hands on the successor position is to somehow achieve achievements. As Your Majesty knows, immediately after the destruction of the Shaolin clan, Hwasan and Jongnam retreated from Shaanxi all at once, and the shamans have also completely withdrawn from their headquarters. If we fight even one more great battle, the Battle of Jeongma will end much faster than expected with our forces’ victory. As I have already said, the Fujian Yu clan, which was in charge of supplying the rear, will have no way to achieve achievements.”
His words were logical, and his thoughts were like those of a merchant who was good at calculating. In addition, his clear voice had the power to persuade people. I think most people would immediately agree after hearing just a few words from him.
Yuseolyeon didn’t lose her leisurely smile.
“Of course, your Majesty is right, but in my opinion, the situation in Shaanxi and Guizhou does not look so good. Even though Jinling was mobilized, Jongnam and Hwasan retreated without losing a single Hwagyeong master. There must be a reason, but this happened in Shaanxi. Therefore, it is a clear mistake of the Hwa family. I know that they have played a significant role as the vanguard of Ma Guangcheon, but this mistake was too great. Now, I think it is safe to say that Grand Duke Hwamu Ryong is completely removed from the line of succession. What do you think, Your Majesty?”
“… … Certainly, I will admit that there is some truth to what the Grand Lady said. Considering the Lord’s usual nature of only focusing on results, he may not have punished you severely, but he may have completely deprived you of the opportunity that was given to the Grand Duke.”
Please continue speaking━ Kang Hae-sang looked at Yu Seol-ryeon with an expression of interest as if he was listening. Since we have discussed the Shaanxi painter, it was now time to hear his opinion on the Guizhou Guo family.
Yuseolyeon said.
“Even if Guo Zhou Guo Jia is gathering information in his own way, it is highly likely that he is unaware of the painter’s mistake in Shaanxi. After all, the road to Shaanxi is blocked by Sichuan and Hubei.”
“Your Majesty’s words are correct. It would be difficult to directly receive news from Shaanxi from Guizhou without using the common people who can move freely in and out of the territory.”
“On the other hand, you must have heard the news that God destroyed the Shaolin sect.”
“It’s only natural. It seems that the spirit who took the life of the Shaolin abbot went all the way to Guizhou.”
Kang Hae-sang easily caught up with Yoo Seol-ryeon’s thoughts. This was possible because he had already been informed of the information she might have known.
“Then what would Kwak Hwa-young have thought? As the mother of Lee Gong-ja, in a situation where the Jeongma War, which was expected to be a long-term war, seemed to be ending very quickly?”
“… … I must achieve achievements that will not fall behind the Grand Duke’s?”
“Yes. He must have ordered the expedition with that in mind. With Taechangma Guncheonak and Eunryeong—two peerless masters—and a cavalry force of a thousand men with exceptional mobility, he must have thought that Sacheon could be conquered in an instant. Since it was the land where the headquarters of the Jeongcheon Alliance and the clan of the Jeongcheon Alliance’s leader were located, he must have calculated that if he captured it, he could make a great achievement. Furthermore, the headquarters of the Jeongcheon Alliance was stationed in Juksan, Hubei, so he must have thought that Sacheon was no different from an empty house. Furthermore, the only peerless master who could stop them was Danggaju Dokbong Dang Jihye, so he had a good chance of winning.”
But in my opinion, the fun starts now━Yuseolyeon added with a grin.
“The main force of the Jeongcheon Alliance must have also heard the news of the Guizhou Guo family’s expedition. However, after they joined up with the shaman, they did not move to Sacheon but instead started heading south. To be exact, towards Guizhou. What could be the reason for this?”
“Hmm. This old man also thought about that part quite a bit, but I think it’s probably because he judged that the Guizhou Guo family’s army would be difficult to handle. They might not have figured out that the Eunryung doesn’t openly spread their magic energy, but they probably know that Taechangma Guncheonak has come out. If there are no Hwagyeong masters to deal with the extreme demon masters, it makes sense that they would move towards Guizhou instead of Sacheon. They probably moved in anticipation of a retreat.”
“Yes. Perhaps Kwak Hwa-young may have reached a conclusion that is not much different from what Sang-gong had in mind. Of course, my thoughts are different.”
“What do you mean it’s different?”
“Just as the painter did in Shaanxi, I think the Jeongcheon Alliance may also be plotting a two-way strategy. The leader, Yuan Ming, and the Hwagyeong masters will return to Sacheon, and the remaining troops will attack Guizhou. If things go well, they will be able to completely destroy Guojia’s forces in Sacheon and take Guizhou in one go. I think this plan is more promising.”
“… … Now that I hear it, it is indeed so. I can’t count how many times I’ve been amazed by your wisdom today.”
Kang Hae-sang nodded and spoke. Perhaps because the future of her only son was at stake, Yoo Seol-ryeon was displaying a keenness she had never seen before.
“The important thing is which conclusion Kwak Hwa-young will reach. If she thinks as Sang-gong has instructed, that the Jeongcheon Alliance group currently advancing south is not that threatening – if she concludes that, then it is obvious what choice she will make. She will certainly be willing to take some risks for her son’s achievements. That is the heart of a mother. Far from ordering a retreat, even if she finds out that the Jeongcheon Alliance main force has advanced south, she will honestly tell them to attack Sacheon.”
“Then, the defense of the family… … .”
“Yes. In that regard, since the distance is close, she will probably ask for our help. She probably wouldn’t have thought that both Man-geum-sang-dan and Bo-geon-yu-ga would reject her at the same time. As you said, she is in the rear, so she is likely to think that this is an opportunity to make a contribution. I think she will probably ask for our help while making a fuss.”
“… … Madam. When you said cooperation earlier, did you mean to reject the request of the Guiju Guo family?”
Kang Hae-sang asked with a slightly trembling voice. After a long conversation, he finally figured out what Yoo Seol-ryeon was trying to say. If his thoughts were right, Yoo Seol-ryeon was currently trying to get rid of Gwak Hwa-yeong and Gwiju Gwakga by borrowing Jeong Cheon-maeng’s hand… …!
“Yes, it is as the merchant said.”
Yoo Seol-ryeon said with a meaningful expression.
“If the leader of the Jeongcheon clan is plotting a Yangdongji strategy as I expected, there is a high chance that the thousand-strong army of the Guizhou Guo family that went on expedition will be defeated in Sacheon. If we are lucky, Gwak Yeon, the second son of the Duke of Yi, will be defeated and killed there.”
“… … .”
“Even if he returns alive and well, with the disappearance of his mother, Gwak Hwa-yeong, and the Gwak family of Guizhou, Gwak Yeon will also be far removed from the position of successor to the Heavenly Lord, following Hwa Moo-ryong. It would be like losing his entire support base.”
And then – Yoo Seol-ryeon took a big step forward, grabbed Kang Hae-sang’s hand, looked straight into his eyes, and opened her mouth.
“Isn’t it possible that the last remaining one of the three magic princes, Yu Jeong-tak, a bloodline of the Sang-gong clan, could be appointed as the next Magwangcheonju without any particular achievements?”
“But, Madam. This is a matter that could result in severe punishment if discovered. If you dare to harm the blood of God… … .”
“Oh my. The blood of God… … ?”
Yoo Seol-ryeon asked with a puzzled expression and then burst into laughter.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten what happened to me. If my guess is correct, Hwamu-ryong and Gwakyeon are also not from the Heavenly Lord, but from the bloodline of Geumryeong and Eunryeong. If you look at where they are headed, you can roughly guess who is from whom. It’s also because the Heavenly Lord didn’t easily give the Yeon surname… … .”
“… … .”
Kang Hae-sang was silent. He also had the same thought.
“Geumryeong and Eunryeong – They seem to be trying to make their own bloodline the next Magwangcheonju in this Jeongma Daejeon. But who does our Jeongtak have?”
“… … .”
“I don’t know if it’s because of my impertinent behavior, but Geumryeong has been showing more concern for the painter than for her family. I don’t feel any regret about that either. Because my superior is here.”
“Madam… … .”
“If Your Majesty considers Jeong Tak as your own blood relative, close your eyes just this once and follow my words. You know that if things go well, that child could rule the world.”
At the tone of voice that felt desperate, Kang Hae-sang’s eyes began to shake without hesitation. Unlike the first time, he was almost convinced by her words.
Yoo Seol-ryeon looked at the scene for a moment, then finally said something that would put a stop to it.
“Pushing out the children of Geumryeong and Eunryeong, and finally making the bloodline of Sanggong the next Magwangcheonju – only then can you be called a true Shang King.”