It happened so naturally that no one even had time to stop Geum Mookhwan from sitting in the middle seat. As soon as he sat down, he unfolded a bamboo slip.
“What is this nonsense right now?”
The first to break the silence was Elder Lee Cheongmyeong. Geum Mookhwan didn’t even look away from the bamboo slip as he answered.
“This meeting is invalid. If you want to hold a meeting, bring more Elders, or we can do it next time.”
“The Youngest Master has no right to interfere with the Elderly Council.”
Lee Cheongmyeong glanced sourly at the surrounding Elders. The other two Elders still looked interested.
It was embarrassing to be mocked by a brat barely past ten years old.
“Leave immediately.”
“Or what?”
Geum Mookhwan replied naturally.
“The Direct Descendants have the right to participate in all meetings held by the Samga. That’s their right. They just haven’t exercised it until now.”
As he said that, Geum Mookhwan flipped over the bamboo slip he had been holding to show them. It was an old, worn-out slip with its binding strings almost frayed away.
On it was written: Hwanggeum Family Jangrohoeui Gyuchik.
It explained, just as Geum Mookhwan said, the minimum number of attendees required for an Elderly Council meeting and the Direct Descendants’ right to participate.
“According to this, a meeting can only proceed when at least the minimum number of Elders or Elder-equivalent people are gathered.”
Faced with Geum Mookhwan’s evidence, Lee Cheongmyeong fell silent. In fact, most of the Hwanggeum Family’s rules were established when the Samga was first founded, about two hundred years ago.
Currently, the Family’s rules were more like customs evolved from those original regulations to suit the Family’s circumstances.
So Lee Cheongmyeong had no way of knowing, nor needed to know, these archaic laws. But Geum Mookhwan just went ahead and used them.
“… How absurd.”
Lee Cheongmyeong slowly rose from his chair.
“Then shall we fill the number of Elders and proceed?”
“Don’t speak as if you’re doing a favor by stating the obvious.”
“Heh. Hehehe.”
At Geum Mookhwan’s firm reply, Lee Cheongmyeong let out a deflated chuckle. He knew that pushing hard here would only make himself a laughingstock.
“Once the number is filled, we’ll start.”
Saying that, Lee Cheongmyeong left the meeting room. Geum Mookhwan covered his mouth with his long fingers and watched the door as Lee Cheongmyeong exited.
***
At first, it was laughable to see someone who didn’t even bother to get involved now throwing a tantrum. Picking a fight with Geum Mookhwan, who had no power to back himself up, was just a waste of manpower and time.
But when he became this annoying, the story changed. Regardless of power, if the youngest scion caused trouble like this, the Elders of Jingjeongwon would inevitably become uneasy. In the end, Geum Mookhwan looked like he was playing his own trap.
“Such a disrespectful brat.”
The Elders of Jingjeongwon were on a different floor from the meeting room. Lee Cheongmyeong descended the stairs as slowly as possible.
Since the Elders in Jingjeongwon were all veterans, rushing down the stairs would only announce one’s impatience.
He steadied his breathing and carefully placed his heels on each step.
Lee Cheongmyeong opened the door to where the Elders were.
“Is the meeting already over?”
One Elder, who was playing Baduk near the doorway, asked without even turning his head.
It was lucky that he showed that much concern. They couldn’t have missed someone entering, but all the Elders continued their work without glancing up.
“At least those who follow the orders of Cheonjuseong would glance over occasionally.”
“Hold on, everyone stop working and listen to me for a moment.”
Lee Cheongmyeong cracked his knuckles. Only then did the others look toward him.
“Right now, we can’t proceed because the minimum number isn’t met. Could some of you participate?”
“Since when have we ever followed such rules?”
“The Youngest Master brought up old regulations to cause trouble.”
Lee Cheongmyeong gritted his teeth as he spoke. The Elders either laughed it off or ignored him.
“If the Youngest Master is acting like this, he must believe in something.”
One Elder said as the sound of a Baduk stone striking the board rang crisply through the room.
Looking over, Lee Cheongmyeong saw it was a lone Elder playing Baduk—Yang Cheolmok, known as Myeongmyeonghaegeom, who played daily wager matches with Elder Yeosangwoo upstairs.
“Well, this situation is getting interesting.”
Yang Cheolmok laughed to himself and resumed his game, apparently replaying the moves he had been playing with Yeosangwoo.
“Heh. Everyone’s quite cunning.”
Lee Cheongmyeong smiled softly, but even with that laughter, the Elders silently continued their work.
They all must have known this would happen sooner or later.
Though they shared a common goal, they were not a unified group. They only knew the affiliations of the few most active Elders; the others were shrouded in shadows and hidden motives.
In this tangled web, secret identities were like weapons. Sharp edges always drew stones thrown their way.
Especially now, with the Youngest Master running amok and no one knowing what was behind him, they had no choice but to watch carefully. Though the Hwanggeum Family might seem like a dying institution, even the richest families lasted for three generations after a downfall. They must be hiding some reserves.
Lee Cheongmyeong glared at Yang Cheolmok, who seemed to be deliberately drawing attention to the situation.
“Thank you for your wise insight, Elder Yang.”
“It’s nothing. But now I wonder who will help this Elder here.”
“How about Elder Yang himself helping?”
Lee Cheongmyeong suggested, and Yang Cheolmok grinned.
“I have a bad relationship with Cheonjuseong.”
At those words, all the Elders flinched. Lee Cheongmyeong immediately shouted.
“Elder Yang Cheolmok!”
Everyone here knew that Lee Cheongmyeong was acting under Cheonjuseong’s orders. He was too proactive to hide it.
That brought advantages, such as important duties, but also the downside of being exposed.
That aside, openly revealing this was another matter altogether.
“You’ve made a grave mistake.”
“You’ve made a very big mistake.”
Yang Cheolmok smiled at Lee Cheongmyeong. Whether intentional or not, by mentioning Cheonjuseong, he made it harder for anyone to move further.
If they left now, it would mean openly admitting allegiance to Cheonjuseong. The closeness among Jingjeongwon’s Elders wasn’t high enough to risk misunderstandings and even helping others.
“Elder Yang Cheolmok, whose orders do you take? The Murim Alliance? Or Hae Nam Pa?”
Lee Cheongmyeong seized Yang Cheolmok, who had ruined the atmosphere. He wasn’t going to take this alone.
“Write it down. Think for yourself.”
“To me, it must be one of those two. Elder Yang’s roots are Hae Nam, and he worked for the Murim Alliance. It must be one of the two.”
“Not everyone is being targeted. I just wanted to step away from Gangho for a while.”
Yang Cheolmok said and suddenly stood up.
“Well then, since I’ve made a mistake with Elder Lee Cheongmyeong, I suppose I must help.”
Lee Cheongmyeong sneered. He was certain that, just as no one needed to help him now, he had no reason to send out calls either.
In a place where there were many others who would hunt down two powers fighting each other.
That meant Yang Cheolmok also belonged to some faction.
“Understood. It’s nothing.”
Lee Cheongmyeong bowed, and Yang Cheolmok returned the gesture.
From then on, Lee Cheongmyeong began recruiting Elders. Adding just two Elders who were already practically working together and known to be on the same side didn’t require many more.
Even so, gathering those few was very difficult. The Elders seemed to completely ignore Lee Cheongmyeong’s presence.
Still, there were some who couldn’t refuse when he pushed and begged.
When Lee Cheongmyeong finally found all the participants and headed out the door, he glanced at the resting Elders.
In the past, it might have seemed like a trivial passing scene, but it wasn’t. For a moment he had forgotten, but this was still part of Gangho.
It was natural for the powers to keep each other in check, but he hadn’t expected it to escalate so quickly.
It would have been easier if it had happened when the Samga was almost fully under control.
How had it come to this? Lee Cheongmyeong sighed, closed the door, and left.
thud
Only then did all the sitting Elders simultaneously look toward the closed door.
***
Lee Cheongmyeong also went upstairs without a word. The Elders following behind couldn’t say anything.
The thin relationships among Elders had been laid bare. It wasn’t a surprising shock since they had expected the relationship to break, but the strategy needed to be rebuilt.
“Geum Mookhwan…”
Suddenly, the thought of the arrogant face waiting upstairs came to mind. Thinking back, he was the cause of this change.
At first, Lee Cheongmyeong had dismissed it as madness and paid no attention, but now it was impossible to ignore.
That young boy had actually stirred the surface conflicts in Jingjeongwon. Of course, it might not have been intentional. To do so would have required not only information but also insight gained from years roaming Gangho.
Lee Cheongmyeong and the Elders stood before the meeting room door. Now they would count the numbers, confirm quorum, and return.
creak The door’s hinges squeaked as it opened.
“…You’re here.”
Who greeted Lee Cheongmyeong and the Elders at the door was the Nechonggwan.
But Lee Cheongmyeong didn’t acknowledge the Nechonggwan’s greeting. Because inside was a sight he never expected.
“Nechonggwan.”
“Yes.”
“What’s going on here?”
“Indeed.”
What entered Lee Cheongmyeong’s eyes wasn’t Geum Mookhwan’s arrogant posture but a humble bow.
They were the branch chief of Hwanggeum Sangdan within the Hwanggeum Family’s main house, the Jangju of Hwanggeum Jeonjang, the leader of Pyoguk, and the heads of administrative organizations—Wonju.
None held Elder status due to their own duties but were practically treated as Elder-equivalent because of their long service in the Hwanggeum Family.
They had never attended the Elderly Council meetings, only sending written opinions. Their main duties were busy, and anyway, they all knew how the Jingjeongwon Elders exploited the system.
“Why have you come?”
Lee Cheongmyeong asked them without hiding his displeasure as they received greetings from Geum Mookhwan.
“I called them.”
The reply didn’t come from any of them but from Oejonggwan Gwak Jindo.
“…Why did you call them?”
“Because there weren’t enough people, I just called.”
“Didn’t I tell you to call them?”
“It was taking too long.”
Gwak Jindo rubbed the back of his neck. As Oejonggwan, he had been the center for the Hwanggeum Family’s main house staff for a long time.
But he had been outside, and the main house was already a relic, so there was no particular reason for them to gather or revolt.
Now there was an excuse to assemble. With Gwak Jindo as a solid sword, no one refused to come, and the people gathered easily. In fact, since it was already a known matter, they came as soon as Lee Cheongmyeong stepped out.
From the moment of Gwak Jindo’s call, or rather Geum Mookhwan’s request, the quorum was already decided.
Geum Mookhwan started counting the numbers without the courtesy he showed earlier.
“One, two, three, four… five, six. Exactly six have come.”
The number of Elders, including Yeosangwoo, Lee Cheongmyeong, and Yang Cheolmok, was exactly six as Geum Mookhwan said.
The nearly twenty Elder-equivalents Gwak Jindo gathered meant the meeting’s quorum was already confirmed.
“Shall we begin the meeting?”
Geum Mookhwan smiled as he said it.
Lee Cheongmyeong closed his eyes.
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