Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

Anyone with common sense and understanding of propriety wouldn’t fall for such sweet talk.

However, the Wei Yan-ho that Moon Eun-ji knew was someone who had buried his common sense somewhere long ago, and clearly hadn’t possessed any sense of propriety from the moment he was born.

Sure enough, Wei Yan-ho opened his mouth with an interested expression.

“Power and wealth?”

“That’s right!”

Sensing danger, Moon Eun-ji turned to look at Lee Wang-ya.

Understanding the situation from her urgent gaze, Lee Wang-ya hurriedly shouted.

“What are you doing right now! Are you saying that mere power and wealth are important?”

Wei Yan-ho turned to look at Lee Wang-ya with a dumbfounded expression.

Then he bluntly spat out.

“They’re important.”

Nok Mok-pung chimed in agreement.

“They are important.”

Moon Eun-ji weakly groaned.

“They are important.”

Lee Wang-ya’s face turned red.

It seemed he had taken the wrong approach.

In times like this, one must quickly change the subject.

“Ahem! Im-important! Of course they’re important! But if he gives you power, how much will he give, and if he gives you wealth, how much will he give! I’ll give it to you! I will!”

Wei Yan-ho’s ears turned slightly toward Lee Wang-ya.

Noticing this, Nok Mok-pung snorted.

“Hah, what do you think that fellow can do for you? He may call himself the Emperor’s brother, but he’s already given up all his wealth, and as for power, he can barely arrange a single position in the Censorate. If it were my father, Grand Eunuch Nok, he could provide you with wealth and power that anyone in the world would envy.”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Lee Wang-ya with an even more dumbfounded expression.

Lee Wang-ya, thinking something was going wrong, unconsciously looked toward Moon Eun-ji. If there was anyone in this place who could predict that person’s behavior even slightly, it was Moon Eun-ji.

Sure enough, Moon Eun-ji was urging Lee Wang-ya with an extremely anxious expression.

Lee Wang-ya hurriedly shouted.

“It’s not me! His Majesty the Emperor will bestow great rewards upon you!”

Wei Yan-ho’s ears perked up.

“His Majesty the Emperor?”

“That’s right! If you help me, wouldn’t that be preventing treason!”

Nok Mok-pung snorted.

“Helping me also prevents treason.”

Wei Yan-ho’s expression became dumbfounded again.

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Lee Wang-ya stammered for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words.

Unable to watch any longer, Moon Yu-hwan helped Lee Wang-ya.

“How can conspiring with wicked people to fabricate treason be the same as exposing real treason? Didn’t your master teach you about propriety?”

“My master?”

“That’s right! What did your master say? What did he tell you to do in such situations?”

Moon Yu-hwan believed without doubt that a favorable answer would come from Wei Yan-ho’s mouth.

The Wei Yan-ho he had observed so far had only spoken negatively about his master, but when you thought about it, hadn’t he come here to follow his master’s dying wishes?

So it was obvious he would treasure his master’s teachings.

However, Moon Yu-hwan’s thinking was only half correct.

Wei Yan-ho certainly treasured Baek Mu-han’s teachings.

The problem was that Wei Yan-ho’s master, Baek Mu-han, was definitely not a normal person.

“In times like this, my master…”

“What did he say?”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“He said to side with whoever pays more.”

“…What?”

Wei Yan-ho nodded and said.

“My master said that in this world, considering things like propriety and human sentiment only brings back rat-tail-sized benefits and fame that can’t even feed you, so don’t try to live foolishly and virtuously, but grab as much as you can when you can grab it—that’s living properly.”

“Hah, your master knew what he was talking about.”

Nok Mok-pung applauded.

Moon Yu-hwan asked, half out of his mind.

“What did you say your master did for a living?”

“I told you, he was a con artist.”

“…”

He thought it was a joke, but was it real!

What insane master would teach such things!

If Mad Sword Baek Mu-han had heard this, he would have coughed up blood.

Finally, Wei Yan-ho spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“Well, my master’s words are right too. In the old days, there was a man named Jang who lived next to our house, and he lent three mal of rice to his friend, talking about friendship and human sentiment, but before that year was over, that so-called friend had an affair with Jang’s wife and ran off with all the property. I think it’s right to live shrewdly in this world.”

Nok Mok-pung laughed heartily and said.

“You, young fellow, know how to live in this world.”

Wei Yan-ho was weak to praise.

“Hehe, just average.”

Moon Eun-ji glared at Moon Yu-hwan with eyes that looked ready to devour him.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Moon Yu-hwan coughed loudly and stepped back.

He had only made trouble by interfering when he should have stayed quiet.

Lee Wang-ya and Moon Yu-hwan looked at Moon Eun-ji with desperate eyes.

Now Moon Eun-ji was their only hope.

“Hey.”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Moon Eun-ji with dumbfounded eyes.

“What now?”

“You’re right. It’s good to live shrewdly in this world.”

“Good to know.”

“So you should help us.”

“Huh?”

Moon Eun-ji smiled confidently.

“No matter how great Nok-gi’s power and authority are, how can they compare to His Majesty the Emperor? If you want to grab a proper share, help us. If Lee Wang-ya speaks well of you, His Majesty will bestow great rewards.”

“Hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho fell into thought.

It certainly sounded plausible.

Wei Yan-ho looked at Lee Wang-ya as if to confirm.

Lee Wang-ya said with delight.

“I will petition His Majesty to bestow great rewards!”

“Hmm!”

Seeing Wei Yan-ho’s contemplation, Nok Mok-pung laughed loudly.

“Hahahaha!”

Wei Yan-ho turned to look at Nok Mok-pung.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Are you believing the words of such a woman?”

“Well, it’s not wrong.”

“Not wrong?”

Nok Mok-pung chuckled and opened his mouth.

“Have you ever met His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Of course not.”

“If that man had ever met His Majesty the Emperor, he could never have said such things.”

“…Why?”

Nok Mok-pung looked at Lee Wang-ya and said.

“Why would His Majesty bestow great rewards on you? Everyone in the world has a duty to work for the Emperor. Preventing treason is a natural duty, and sacrificing one’s life for His Majesty is also natural. So why would His Majesty specifically value you and bestow great rewards?”

Wei Yan-ho nodded.

That made sense too.

“Have you ever heard in your life that His Majesty bestowed great rewards on anyone?”

“I haven’t heard of it.”

“If such a thing happened, it would be widely announced to gain the loyalty of others. But there’s no such thing. Why? Because it’s too natural a duty, so there’s no need to greatly praise it. Ask Lee Wang-ya there. How great a reward will His Majesty bestow on you? At most, he’ll give you a few majigi of farmland and make a show of it.”[TL/N: A majigi is a traditional Korean unit of land, about the size of a small field.]

Wei Yan-ho looked at Lee Wang-ya with cold eyes. Those eyes were so frigid they gave off a chilling feeling.

“Th-that can’t be!”

Lee Wang-ya tried to deny it, but unconsciously avoided Wei Yan-ho’s gaze.

“Really?”

Wei Yan-ho realized from Lee Wang-ya’s behavior that Nok Mok-pung’s words were not wrong at all.

“That’s how rulers are. Moreover, those who were born royalty never value their subordinates’ achievements highly. Only those who can truly evaluate and praise their subordinates’ work are called sage kings. Do you know why they’re called sage kings? Because they’re rare.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded in agreement.

“That’s certainly true.”

“But my father is different. My father is someone who rose to his current position from a commoner’s status. He’s someone who knows how to value those who help him, and he well knows that generously rewarding talented people brings profit. I never speak falsely. How about it? Won’t you work for my father?”

“Work?”

“That’s right. How about it?”

Wei Yan-ho’s expression became dumbfounded.

“Do I have to work?”

Nok Mok-pung tilted his head at Wei Yan-ho’s unexpected reaction.

Was something wrong?

“Don’t you want to? I could prepare an official position for you, or if not that, I’ll have them create a separate military unit. A military unit like the Black Darkness you just dealt with.”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho’s expression became even more dumbfounded.

“Is there some problem?”

At that moment, Moon Eun-ji struck at Nok Mok-pung’s mistake.

“We won’t make you do work or anything like that!”

Prick!

Wei Yan-ho’s ears shot up.

“I told you! Top-quality meals and rest guaranteed all day!”

“All day guaranteed…”

Wei Yan-ho unconsciously muttered.

“Between getting paid to work and getting paid to play, which is better…”

Others might have chosen the former.

But Wei Yan-ho, naturally, would choose the latter.

Nok Mok-pung realized his mistake.

“I was foolish.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to do it. I’ll still give you the promised reward.”

Wei Yan-ho’s mouth gaped open again.

“Really?”

“There’s no reason to force you if you don’t want to. You can just stay as a guest on our side and help out a little only when needed.”

Wei Yan-ho made a crying face.

“But I have to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because that damn master gave me a lot of work to do.”

“Is that so? That’s fine too. If you just resolve this situation, I’ll give you a reward. It’ll be reduced a little, but you’ll still be able to get wealth that will let you live grandly anywhere in the world.”

Wei Yan-ho was truly amazed. Where in the world could you find someone who would offer such good conditions?

“You’re really generous! You seem like a great man.”

“Hahaha! Only you would say so.”

Nok Mok-pung smiled confidently.

Nok Mok-pung was never foolish.

If he had been foolish, he never would have become Nok-gi’s adopted son, nor would he have been entrusted with the important task of framing the Emperor’s brother for treason.

He knew that persuading Wei Yan-ho now, whatever conditions he had to offer, was the most important thing. Even if he lost massive wealth as the price, what he gained would be several times more.

“Are you really going to believe that person’s words? Once this matter is over, he’ll try to kill you to silence you!”

At Moon Eun-ji’s urgent words, Wei Yan-ho narrowed his eyes and looked at Nok Mok-pung.

Nok Mok-pung sighed.

What a gullible fellow.

Thanks to that, he was benefiting, but he really didn’t like the guy.

“If you can’t trust me, I’ll have wealth brought here right now. We can handle the rest of the matters after that. And since it’s only me here, you can take the wealth and leave leisurely.”

Wei Yan-ho whipped his head around to look at Moon Eun-ji.

“Why! Why!”

“How can you speak such evil words about such a good person! That’s not how you should live life!”

Moon Eun-ji wanted to foam at the mouth and collapse.