When the Black Moon Rises - Side Story 3

Side Story 3

“Huh.”

Seong Ik-gwon clicked his tongue after hearing those words from the Left State Councillor, who had a frown on his face.

‘What a spirited young lady. Usually, in such a situation, being orphaned, she would be quite frightened.’

“Your Majesty, more importantly, is there a possibility that those celestials might return?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just saying it seems she’s putting all her faith in them. She's turned her back on everyone, consumed by resentment for being abandoned. Even if I’m sincere, if she insists she needs no one but the celestials, there will be no way for me to help her.”

“...”

“What can I say, having put him forth alone to face that enormous disaster? But when I think of how the late Minister of Rites must view me from the afterlife, my heart breaks again. I wish she understood this grief, this desperate desire to avoid further regret.”

“...”

“Therefore, I intend to explore more options, but if she continues to be stubborn, would Your Majesty be able to assist?”

Seong Ik-gwon, who had been listening to the Left State Councillor’s impassioned voice, suddenly looked up at the question directed at him.

‘Hmm? If she continues to be stubborn?’

Certainly, the Minister’s daughter was unmarried and had no remaining family. It was also unclear whether she had any relatives to rely on. Even so…

“That wouldn’t do.”

“Pardon?”

“If that is truly her wish, how can we force her? If that’s the case, I will find another way. You needn't involve yourself, Left State Councillor.”

“...”

“Why do you insist…?”

“It’s nothing. But Your Majesty, you are in a high position, responsible for countless lives; how can you be concerned with a single girl? I'm worried I've needlessly troubled Your Majesty with this trivial matter. A woman understands a woman’s heart best, so I’ll have my wife…”

“Wouldn’t that remind a child who just lost her father of her deceased mother as well? Let’s just leave her be for now. It seems she needs some time, and it’s best to wait.”

“...”

“I’m saying let’s give her some time and not provoke her for now. Let's not cause her further pain by doing something unnecessary in the name of helping her.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the Left State Councillor bowed and left, Head Eunuch Hong quietly approached Seong Ik-gwon and said,

“Wouldn’t it be better to entrust this to him a little longer?”

“Didn't you hear? She was completely unyielding.”

“She’s probably still distraught. The resentment of being abandoned when she needed help the most must be overwhelming her.”

“She will soon realize her situation. How difficult and daunting it would be for a woman to live alone. Your Majesty cannot look after her forever. Wouldn’t it be better if this is resolved through the Left State Councillor?”

Head Eunuch Hong had a point.

Even if she resisted now, changing the approach might persuade her.

However, he still felt she needed some time, so he decided to wait and see… that is, until disturbing rumors about Jung Chihwa began to circulate.

---

“Oh, they say the daughter caused all the trouble, and the Minister of Rites was trying to clean up her mess when he met his end.”

“So that drought… it was the Minister's daughter who caused it? Does that mean the rumors are true?”

“Yes. How else would she have prepared all that grain and medicinal herbs, and dug so many wells in advance? They say she secretly dug over a hundred wells, not just in her house but also around the capital, and hid the grain she procured beforehand.”

“Over a hundred?? She dug over a hundred new wells? I heard about the wells, but I thought it would have been just one or two.”

“That’s why it’s strange. She couldn’t have done that without knowing the drought was coming, right?”

“That's why the Minister gave his life to fix things. Imagine if his daughter’s deeds were revealed. Could he show his face anywhere? He’d be stoned to death.”

“So, to summarize, the Minister’s daughter was indeed friends with those celestials, but something went wrong, and the angered celestials caused the drought. The Minister’s daughter, knowing this, dug wells and hoarded grain all by herself. Without telling anyone, leaving them to die? And the Minister of Rites died trying to fix the mess his daughter created?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“That girl deserves to be punished. How many people died because of her, and she hasn’t even come out to apologize.”

“What, do you think His Majesty will let her get away with this? He’s just busy restoring the capital right now, that’s why he's letting it slide. He’ll soon round everyone up and get to the bottom of this.”

The gazes of those gathered and gossiping turned cold.

The person who had been gathering people and spreading these stories glanced at the locked-up residence of the Minister of Rites and gestured with his chin.

“Let’s keep a close watch. Who knows, she might realize her crimes have been exposed and try to escape in the dead of night.”

And there were those who silently watched the loudmouths.

“Tsk. They seem to be enjoying themselves.”

A tongue-clicking sound came from a dark, narrow alley.

Rough-looking men, each about seven or eight feet tall, stood with their arms crossed and asked someone,

“So, sir. Is there really a way to teach them a lesson?”

At the question, a handsome man in shabby clothes emerged from the alley.

The ash-grey robe he wore was tattered from a long journey, but his face, revealed in the light, held an unmistakable air of nobility, preventing anyone from dismissing him based on his appearance alone.

“Are the ones stirring up the people just now the group you mentioned?”

“Yes. They are the ones who stole all of our stored food during the drought. And for some reason, they’ve also been kidnapping people.”

“Kidnapping?”

“After much effort trying to rescue those taken, we finally managed to track them, but they were subordinates of the Left State Councillor, and there were dozens of them like that. We couldn't do anything after that.”

The man responded with a slight smirk.

‘For the Left State Councillor's name to come up in so many people's conversations despite his attempts to conceal it…’

‘Just how many bad deeds has he committed that they can’t be completely hidden?’

When the man remained silent, the large man who had been escorting him answered instead.

“We can’t just leave those untrustworthy bastards alone. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of it. But that aside, isn’t this serious business?”

“What is?”

“The news of Minister Jung's death. Is it true?”

Recalling his master’s undisguised concern upon hearing the news of the Minister of Rites’ failure during the rain ritual one day when the drought was scorching the country, Palbong asked the men,

“Minister Jung? Well. There wasn’t a funeral held at his residence, so we don’t know for sure… He’s certainly missing, so perhaps it’s a rumor stemming from that.”

“But they spoke with such certainty. Surely they didn't kill the Minister as well?”

“Wouldn't that be taking things too far? Besides, I heard the Left State Councillor was close friends with the Minister of Rites.”

The man scoffed at that.

“For those overly greedy for power and wealth, friends are merely pawns to be used.”

The men exchanged glances at his firm tone and asked Palbong,

“So, brother, do you think the Left State Councillor killed the Minister of Rites?”

At that moment, as if lost in thought, the man who had been silent stepped forward. His low voice preceded Palbong’s.

“That’s what we need to find out. But one thing is clear, isn’t it?”

The handsome man’s smooth face contorted.

“The Left State Councillor is desperate to swallow what the Minister of Rites left behind.”

---

“That rumor is spreading again?”

Head Eunuch Hong lowered his head before Seong Ik-gwon, who slammed his hand on the table.

‘Those baseless rumors about the Minister of Rites’ daughter disappeared after the celestial brought the rain, didn't they? Why are they starting up again… No. Wait.’

Seong Ik-gwon’s eyes narrowed.

His thick fingers tapped on the wooden platform as his gaze drifted.

‘Could this… be the Left State Councillor’s doing?’

He had felt something unsettling in the tone of their conversation when the Left State Councillor had returned after his proposal to adopt the young lady had been rejected.

However, the grief he had displayed when mentioning Minister Jung didn't seem entirely fabricated. He hadn’t thought he would resort to such underhanded tactics against his friend’s daughter just because she wasn’t easily persuaded.

‘I thought he was trying to help her, perhaps out of guilt for having protected himself while she was left to face danger alone. Was I wrong?’

No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason for the rumors to suddenly resurface like this after dying down. If they were going to persist, they would have continued spreading, not become quiet and then flare up again.

His eyes narrowed sharply as he continued to ponder. He called out to Head Eunuch Hong.

“What you said before about the Left State Councillor. Did he come to you directly to tell you those things?”

“Pardon? Which words are you referring to?”

“About the daughter. About wanting to adopt her.”

“No, Your Majesty. I happened to see him while I was in and out of the palace. He didn’t see me, but I saw him, and he seemed to be deeply worried about the Minister’s well-being and his daughter…”

Then Head Eunuch Hong, also sensing something amiss, stopped speaking.

“So, every time you happened to encounter the Left State Councillor, he was agonizing over the Minister of Rites?”

“…Yes.”

Come to think of it, even though the Minister of Rites’ family fortune wasn’t what it used to be due to the drought, he still had remaining assets.

Those assets were left to his orphaned daughter.

And on top of that, she had the protection of the celestials and the King's support.

‘Did the drought fry my brain or something?’

How could he make such a blunder unless he was out of his mind?

‘What I intended as help has turned into poison.’

Fortunately, the Minister of Rites’ daughter had firmly rejected the adoption offer, and the Left State Councillor seemed to have decided to wait for her to yield, as there had been no further contact between them.

‘But he might try to coerce her later, using my name.’

This had happened due to his own shortsightedness, so he had to resolve it himself. Seong Ik-gwon immediately rose.

“I have somewhere to be. Follow me.”

And so, he left the palace with Head Eunuch Hong.

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