Chapter 81: Hell Part 3

At dawn the next day, the bugles of departure resounded throughout every corner of Cheongdo Palace.

It was the day Vice General Jeong Seo Tae was leaving Cheongdo Palace to subjugate the higher demonic spirit and its minions.

The departure ceremony for an army of tens of thousands was a grand event in itself.

Emperor Woon Sung personally came out to wish the expeditionary force victory, and all the high officials raised their cups to toast the success of the campaign.

As I sat on the wall and gazed at the might of the army lined up before the Truth Insight Gate, I let out a brief sigh.

“Seol Tae Pyeong, you know how to sigh too. Why? did you want to go on the expedition as well?”

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae who struck my back with a thud glanced at me before he chuckled to himself.

“You need to manage the Hwalseong District. The little guy who wanted to earn more with less work now seems greedy for military achievements. It seems a lot of time has passed indeed.”

“The departure ceremony is coming up soon. Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

“You’re so meddlesome. I’ll take care of myself, so you just manage the Hwalseong District properly. It’s the land I granted you, so you must manage it carefully. Hmm?”

General Jeong Seo Tae laughed heartily with his arms crossed.

Looking down at the Truth Insight Gate, not only were the stationed soldiers gathered, but also a multitude of officials from Cheongdo Palace were there.

The departure ceremony would soon be over, but since it was an important event, it felt like everyone who needed to be there had come.

Given the grand military event, there were plenty of lively rumors circulating around.

One rumor was that if Vice General Jeong Seo Tae successfully completed this expedition this time, he would undoubtedly rise to the position of Grand General.

The palace insiders had already grasped the situation, and numerous positions had been offered to him.

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae had already laid the foundation to rise to the position of Grand General by remaining in the palace and focusing on politics if he wanted to.

Despite the Emperor’s orders, he could have declined the expedition under the pretext of recommending a better candidate.

Nevertheless, Vice General Jeong Seo Tae decided to lead the expedition himself.

He declared he would personally root out the evil demonic spirits threatening the people and devouring the Cheongdo Empire.

He made such declarations, the kind you wouldn’t hear even in a third-rate biography before drawing his sword.

I knew he was a person who could never be stopped, and I also knew that was exactely what got him into this position in the first place.

However, from the perspective of someone who knew his fate… this grand departure ceremony appeared to be nothing more than a huge funeral.

That’s why I couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

He was known for his rudeness and stubbornness, but I still received a lot from him.

“General Jeong.”

“What is it? You, this guy. Ever since you became a high-ranking official, you’ve been acting all serious. Is that what it means to be a big shot? Ugh, your head’s just gotten bigger.”

“……”

“Lowering your voice won’t make you lose your youthful charm. Ugh, it’s unbearable.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Though he was always the same when it came to criticizing people, this time, I couldn’t just laugh it off.

Even Vice General Jeong was startled by my unusual demeanor, but soon he laughed heartily without unfolding his arms.

“Look at this guy, acting like he’s seeing someone off to their death. Don’t slack off and just do your job well.”

General Jeong Seo Tae patted my shoulders and went down the wall to conclude the departure ceremony.

As he did so, he looked back at me with a big smile.

“Let’s have a drink when I get back.”

The daily routine of Manager Ha Si Hwa began with drafting a report to send to the White Princess.

Though she was a subordinate of the Bright Moon General, she was also a person of the Inbong clan. She was never particularly loyal to the Bright Moon General, and her mind was full of plans on how she could use him to secure a position inside the Inbong clan.

Although he was said to be a talent destined to become a general-level official in the future, from Ha Si Hwa’s perspective, it was more important for her to raise her position within the Inbong clan which she was part of. After all, the name Inbong was something she had to bear for life.

Therefore, it was important for her to win the favor of the head of the clan and the White Princess who essentially controlled the Inbong clan. This meant she had to make every effort to ensure they could control the Bright Moon General.

The problem was that Seol Tae Pyeong was an unpredictable person.

He’s someone I can’t figure out how to control…

The very idea of trying to control her own lord was laughable.

However, Ha Si Hwa was exceptionally skilled at navigating relationships between people. She was quick-witted and knew well that Bright Moon General Seol Tae Pyeong would absolutely need her.

The fact that she was swiftly brought in and placed in the position of manager like beans roasted in a lightning storm was because someone was urgently needed for the job.

In other words, when it came to managing the operations of the Hwalseong District, Seol Tae Pyeong had no choice but to rely on Ha Si Hwa.

This was something she could actively make use of.

Of course, as a subordinate, she couldn’t be overtly arrogant, but if she could skillfully find faults, she could negotiate to get Seol Tae Pyeong to do what she wanted.

It was her specialty to subtly express regret and gradually take control of her superior.

“Bright Moon General.”

“Oh, yes. Manager.”

And so, Ha Si Hwa’s first attempt at a power struggle was to claim that “the environment was not suited to work”.

This was a fundamental tactic in internal power struggles.

“Most of the tasks you ordered have been handled, but preparing to establish a proper government building might be difficult.”

“Why?”

“The process of architectural design involves compromise between conditions and reality. Without knowing what materials and manpower we can mobilize, simply telling me to design a government building is impossible from my perspective.”

“Just use the men who haven’t done military service, and I’ll get you as much construction material as you need, so design it properly.”

“As much as I need… considering the internal situation of Hwalseong, we need to decide carefully…”

“Just ask for as much as you need, for now.”

So Ha Si Hwa requested the maximum amount of materials she could think of, but the next day, Seol Tae Pyeong procured all the construction materials.

As dawn broke, Ha Si Hwa looked in disbelief at the enormous amount of construction materials piled up in the empty lot of Hwalseong and asked in astonishment.

“Ho-How… how did you get this much in one day…”

“I went to the Azure Dragon Market, and they had stockpiles for sale. When I showed them the rough blueprints of your design, the merchants held an auction to sell them to me.”

“You…you used your personal funds? How could you use personal money for official business? The amount must not have been small.”

“Since I’ll be working in the building anyway, is there a problem if I build it with my own money?”

Ha Si Hwa was left completely speechless by that statement.

Soon, Seol Tae Pyeong raised his voice as if to snap Ha Si Hwa out of her daze.

“Manager!!!”

“…Yes…!”

“Follow your dreams…!!!”

“……?”

After shouting this nonsensical stuff loudly, he then quickly went into his house to train in martial arts as usual.

Because of this, Ha Si Hwa had to double or triple the planned size of the government building. This resulted in twice the amount of work.

This was her own doing, so she only had herself to blame.

Similar incidents happened repeatedly while she continued working in Hwalseong.

“It’s impossible to bring in skilled workers from the Jeongseon clan to Hwalseong. We don’t have the means to feed and house them, so we need external support.”

“I’ll go to the Jeongseon clan.”

“Huh…? Jeongseon clan?”

“It’s for feeding and housing their own people, so they won’t be too stingy. The head of the clan is also a generous person, so he’ll probably lend a helping hand.”

When she tried to drive away the skilled workers from the Jeongseon clan with a small trick, Seol Tae Pyeong countered by directly getting the money and handing a pouch of it to Ha Si Hwa.

“Here is the down payment.”

“How… how did you manage to get money from those ruthless people?”

There were rumors that Vermilion Princess, who was determined to do anything in order to thwart the Inbong clan, had given a tip but such matters were of no concern to Seol Tae Pyeong.

“The important thing is that we have the down payment here. The amount should be enough, so proceed with the project to ensure the Jeongseon clan’s skilled workers settle well.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Do you need more money?”

“W-Well… I’ll check the situation first.”

“Alright! Manager!!!”

“Ah… yes!!!”

“If you run into any issues while working, just let me know!!!”

After shouting that loudly, he swiftly headed to Cheongdo Palace for his internal inspector duties. He was exuding such a brisk aura that it almost felt chilling.

Is it because he has strong backing that he can make the impossible possible…?

In the meantime, the Inbong clan and Jeongseon clan were in a covert struggle to gain control of the Bright Moon General.

While the two major powers within Cheongdo Palace were fighting, the value of the Bright Moon General was skyrocketing.

After that, Ha Si Hwa tried to find fault with this and that and complained to the Bright Moon General several times that things weren’t going well, but the Bright Moon General resolutely addressed any issues by confidently confronting the high officials of Cheongdo Palace and securing everything needed.

Indeed… Ha Si Hwa had forgotten one crucial fact.

There is nothing more fearsome than someone who knows their own strength…!

Is this why they say one should work under a powerful figure…?

When she was a government inspector, she had to obtain countless approvals for even the smallest tasks, and all the officials were stingy and indifferent. This made her job a constant struggle.

However, once she started working under a renowned military officer, everything proceeded smoothly.

It took less than ten days to begin the construction of the Hwalseong District, and everything from planning work such as building a fence around the farmland to controlling the areas where people gather was also progressing smoothly without any problems.

When she submitted the paperwork to recruit people for mining development, skilled workers flocked from various departments and they were eager to participate.

When she sought places to purchase anvils, bellows, and smelting tools, merchants from the Imperial Capital approached her first and started offering their services.

When she was organizing residential areas for the skilled workers from the Jeongseon clan and the members of the Black Moon Unit, numerous planning ideas sprang to her mind. She had the budget, materials, and manpower to bring all her plans to fruition.

Every task she undertook yielded results…!

There were no corrupt officials who didn’t want to cooperate …!

There were no superiors that schemed to steal her credit…!

On a night when the moon hung high in the sky, Ha Si Hwa, who had stayed up late planning with various blueprints and documents spread out on her desk, suddenly swallowed dryly.

This is dangerous…

Indeed, she had forgotten, but Ha Si Hwa was a technician before being an official.

True technicians were the kind of people who felt joy in demonstrating their abilities, testing their own capabilities, and constantly growing.

I haven’t eaten anything all day… but I’m not hungry…

This is fun…!

This seemed like utter madness…

But the work… it was fun…!

“It’s been almost ten days since we last heard from Manager Ha Si Hwa. What could be happening in the Hwalseong District…?”

“Is that so? I too have received hardly any updates from Manager Ha Si Hwa and have been quite worried.”

Inbong clan head Ha Gang Seok and the mistress of the White Tiger Palace White Princess Ha Wol. The two of them were sitting in the garden and discussing the matter in serious tones.

Surely, nothing bad could have happened to Manager Ha Si Hwa of the Inbong clan. No matter how reckless Seol Tae Pyeong could be, he wouldn’t dare harm someone from such a prominent and powerful clan.

Nevertheless, the fact that contact with Ha Si Hwa had been cut off… left the two of them feeling a strange sense of unease.

“There’s a terrifying rumor circulating about the Hwalseong District managed by the Bright Moon General…”

It was time for a break from the norm.

Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong would occasionally sneak out of the Black Tortoise Palace and wander around the capital’s market like a commoner. If she, who had received the blessing of the divine fever decided to run away, there was no way for even the maids of the Black Tortoise Palace to catch her.

Of course, once she got dressed in the plain commoner clothes she had prepared, no one in the bustling market could recognize her as the esteemed mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace.

This was possible because Po Hwa Ryeong was originally from a commoner background.

No matter how well they dressed in commoner clothes, the other crown princess consorts who had lived their entire lives in the palace and cultivated nobility could not even dream of such a level of stealth. It was difficult to hide the elegance that permeated their every action and expression.

Today, she thought she’d enjoy the breeze for about an hour, so she sat quietly in front of a teahouse in the Vermilion Bird Market and ate some snacks.

“The Hwalseong District? What rumors are you talking about?”

“Yeah. People who get dragged in there suddenly lose contact, and no one knows if they’re alive or dead…”

“R-Really…?”

“Yes. My dad supplies goods to the guards of Cheongdo Palace. He heard the rumors while working.”

While she was enjoying the lively atmosphere of the Vermilion Bird Market, Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong overheard the chatter of young shopkeepers in the market.

Rumors circulating in the market were often exaggerated or completely false.

But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so there was often some truth to them.

When she heard the news about her dear friend Bright Moon General Seol Tae Pyeong, Po Hwa Ryeong listened closely while chewing on a red bean rice cake.

“So… among the Cheongdo Palace officials, the Hwalseong District is feared… what kind of hell is that place for famous officials to disappear without a trace? Even Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong, a former Inspector of the Ministry of Works, and even the Red Palace apprentice warrior who was sent as an aide have all disappeared.”

“Eeek… w-what… seriously…?”

“They don’t disclose internal matters well…. but I heard that it is called hell among the officials of Cheongdo Palace… I don’t know what terrible things they’re doing there, but if you get sucked in that place, your life in the palace is over…”

“…”

Tae Pyeong-ah… what on earth are you up to…

Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong was so taken aback that she couldn’t even swallow the red bean rice cake she was eating.

It seemed the rumors would continue to spread for a while.