🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 36
“Something about this just doesn’t sit right with me.”
At Ji Won-hyeong’s words, Yeon-hwa nodded in agreement.
“Of course it doesn’t. A letter of accusation was left in a warehouse that only we use, at a time when no one was around.”
Even Hu In-jeong, who had recently become a new member of the warehouse group, found it unsettling.
“Do we really have to investigate it ourselves?” he asked worriedly.
Yeon-hwa answered without hesitation.
“We are the Inspection Unit. Passing along a report that came to us to another organization would betray the informant’s intentions and undermine the very legitimacy of our unit.”
And if they buried the letter and a problem surfaced later?
It was obvious they would never escape responsibility.
So the three of them began their investigation—officially as inspectors, with an investigator assisting them.
“So basically, the junk warehouse—the place that collects worn-out supplies and abandoned items within the Alliance—is secretly committing corruption,” someone summarized.
The junk warehouse was a department Yeon-hwa had only heard mentioned before. They repaired discarded items to reuse or resell for small profits and handled the internal disposal of sensitive waste so it wouldn’t leak outside.
According to the anonymous report, the warehouse had been disguising usable items as scrap and siphoning them off, even letting items meant for destruction slip out into the world…
This was no minor accusation.
Among the three who divided the work according to their abilities, Hu In-jeong’s task was to get acquainted with the warehouse’s junior officials.
Though his martial skills were lacking, he was sociable and a smooth talker, and soon he was on “big brother–little brother” terms with them.
Ji Won-hyeong took on a more complicated task—investigating the surrounding circumstances of the junk warehouse as an organization.
Thanks to a few connections arranged by his lord, he could gather information discreetly without directly targeting the warehouse.
Outwardly, Yeon-hwa seemed the most idle, spending her time quietly in the warehouse as usual.
In reality, she was the anchor, ensuring the other two could move as planned.
“What’s the young lady doing these days?”
“What else? Holed up in the warehouse again.”
“Did they smear honey in there or something?”
“Just leave her be. Apparently there are plenty of interesting books and things to look at in there. She’s not the first person to get buried in that place.”
“Fine, but what about the other two?”
“Why are you so interested in them? Don’t tell me…?”
“No! She’s already engaged! And even if she weren’t, someone like me…!”
Hearing the noisy chatter outside, Yeon-hwa shook her head and set down what she was reading.
Her mere presence there helped divert people’s attention, so she couldn’t move around freely.
After a short wait, Hu In-jeong arrived, followed by Ji Won-hyeong.
Hu In-jeong reported first.
“There are definitely suspicious points. The warehouse officials frequent a certain street and gossip about all sorts of things.”
But there was one place—just one—that no one ever mentioned.
“Everyone has different tastes, so it’s normal to favor different places. But when they all wear out the same street… and only one particular inn is never mentioned—that’s suspicious, isn’t it?”
They probably avoided talking about a problematic place on purpose, but combined with other circumstances, that very silence became the key.
“We should definitely keep a close eye on that inn,” Yeon-hwa agreed.
Ji Won-hyeong added, “I received word from my senior midway and looked into the Mansik Inn in advance. It’s operated by the Uiyeong Merchant Guild.”
Yeon-hwa looked puzzled—she’d never heard of them—so after a brief hesitation, Ji Won-hyeong explained:
“They’re based in Uichang and run trade caravans, but they’ve never made a big name for themselves. However, their young guild master, Sa Won-ho, is affiliated with the White Tiger Corps.”
“The White Tiger Corps? Could he…?” Yeon-hwa worried he might be connected to Yu Geon-myeong.
“No. Rather than being on good terms, they’re said to be extremely hostile.”
“There are people who don’t get along with Young Master Yu?” How awful must they be?
Ji Won-hyeong gave a weak smile.
“Do you remember the joint training exercise where Young Master Yu almost suffered a serious accident?”
“Yes. I heard about it after my engagement ceremony.”
“The one who took the lead was Oh Min-gi from the Yangryuk Merchant Guild, but someone else secretly instigated and encouraged it—Sa Won-ho.”
“Then Sa Won-ho and Oh Min-gi must have been close before that?”
“That’s what I’ve heard, but now they’re sworn enemies.”
While Oh Min-gi had been ruined, Sa Won-ho remained unharmed, so the resentment from the Yangryuk Merchant Guild must be immense.
“Then is this anonymous report revenge from Yangryuk targeting Sa Won-ho?”
“That seems very likely.”
“If it’s Yangryuk, sending the report to the Inspection Unit makes sense.”
If the situation were investigated, that past incident would inevitably resurface. They probably assumed Yeon-hwa would harbor more resentment toward Sa Won-ho—who had escaped punishment—than toward Oh Min-gi, who had already been punished.
Moreover, Yeon-hwa naturally drew attention wherever she went.
With her at the forefront, pursuing justice in the name of revenge, who would bother questioning the origin of the report?
The report would be quietly buried, and Yangryuk could watch Sa Won-ho’s downfall without any risk.
‘Yes… when you think about it like that, everything fits.’
So why did it feel so unsettling?
Yeon-hwa paused the discussion to reorganize her thoughts.
“Senior, you can leave now. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll inform you of the next steps later.”
Hu In-jeong wanted to stay—he knew more important information would be exchanged after he left—but Yeon-hwa and Ji Won-hyeong were too intimidating to resist.
After he left, Ji Won-hyeong shook his head.
“Is it really okay to keep him around like this?”
“I don’t think he’ll be a problem. And you looked into him separately, didn’t you?”
“Everything he said was true.”
“Then it wouldn’t hurt to involve him in a few tasks. Let’s give him a chance to earn merit. We need someone within the Inspection Unit who can mediate between us and the others anyway.”
Of course, matters concerning her elder brother were not included.
“I understand. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
With that decided, they returned to the main topic.
“Yangryuk didn’t pursue revenge when Oh Min-gi was ruined, but suddenly acted after I joined the Inspection Unit. Maybe they just wanted to use me… but…”
Her position—one that could influence Samryeong and the Namgung clan—was too dangerous to involve lightly.
‘Would people who had already abandoned revenge really escalate things by dragging me into it?’
It made more sense that there was a scheme that only worked if Yeon-hwa herself became involved.
“They can’t be certain they won’t be caught. As long as I’m involved, people from Samryeong will move, and they’ll know what we discover. So what are they relying on to target me?”
No—the premise itself might be wrong.
“From the start, that report exposed corruption at the Mansik Inn. But would uncovering that alone really deal them a heavy blow?”
No.
For this to be a scheme targeting Yeon-hwa, revealing that corruption had to trigger a much bigger disaster.
And when chaos erupted—unless everyone completely ignored the anonymous report—Yangryuk’s involvement would inevitably surface.
Which meant… they must have found someone who could protect them—or at least someone they believed could.
A face came to Yeon-hwa’s mind: someone connected to Yangryuk, someone arrogant enough to think he could influence both her and the entire Namgung clan.
An idiot who believed that because they shared blood—and because he would one day become the clan head—she would have to bow before him, no matter how many times she had defeated him.
A shadow crossed her face, and Ji Won-hyeong grew concerned.
He had been waiting for her to finish organizing her thoughts alone, but the conclusion didn’t look good.
“I think Namgung Hye-chan—my cousin—is behind this.”
Ji Won-hyeong didn’t question her certainty.
“I’ll dig into the eldest Namgung heir’s surroundings. And I’ll find the connections between the Yangryuk and Uiyeong guilds.”
“Good.”
Once she approved, results came surprisingly quickly.
“Ha…! And now the Moyong clan suddenly shows up here?” Yeon-hwa’s eyes widened—rarely was she this shocked.
“We saw Sa Won-ho meeting Moyong Yun-oh, the third young master of the Moyong clan, and handing over items that had been diverted through the Mansik Inn.”
Judging by how smoothly everything was carried out, it had clearly been going on for a long time.
As Ji Won-hyeong explained, the outline of the whole case formed in Yeon-hwa’s mind.
She let out a dry laugh.
“See? What did I tell you? My dear Namgung is an idiot.”
If only he had known when to stop. Instead, after stumbling once, he wasn’t just falling—he was now sprinting straight into the mud.
