MOSC 30

Wigyeom managed the fields granted by the royal family and, somehow, subtly managed to turn a profit.

His skill was so incredibly marvelous that it was enough to make one suspect he might have experienced a past life.

“Spread the word that the soil of this rice paddy is poor and the rice was all eaten by grasshoppers. Erase all traces before the workers sent by the royal family arrive.”

“Yes…? But that is fraud, sir?”

“Be quiet. Do as I say without talking back.”

In other words, it was embezzlement.

“The royal family must have many events and banquets, right? Use that as an excuse to borrow some of the grain for household use. We can just return it later.”

“Young Master, you will get into big trouble for that…!”

“Shut up. Take out your brain and just do as you are told.”

In other words, it was misappropriation.

“Tell them this fertilizer is an extremely expensive special fertilizer. If we had not used this, the harvest would have been cut in half, so say that the royal family’s share would have decreased by that much and extort more money.”

“M, Master…! Is it alright for a Royal Son-in-law to do this?”

“Damn it, where do you get off talking back. Do you want to die.”

There was no corrupt official like this corrupt official.

Even if one were determined to plunder the national treasury’s taxes, it seemed impossible to do it so meticulously.

At this rate, it seemed he would pull out the very foundation of the country.

Wigyeom, who handled matters he would not have even thought of before as if they were nothing, raised the corners of his mouth like a villain and said to Gyesaeng.

“From now on, do not use your head, just use your body. Then I will bring light to your future as well.”

He must be crazy.

Gyesaeng was horrified.

‘Where in the world is there a son-in-law who extorts his own father-in-law and mother-in-law’s property like that.’

To Gyesaeng, who did not know the circumstances, it was a crazy act.

But for Wigyeom, it was justifiable self-defense.

‘I will empty the national treasury.’

The determined official’s eyes were already crazed.

Wigyeom truly intended to plunder as much of the royal family’s property as he could and give it all to his wife.

Besides, if Wigyeom had only done such shady things, Gyesaeng would have had something to say.

But what he did afterward was even more of a spectacle.

“With the ridge of this rice paddy so high, the water will not pool. Make sure to lower it by the next rainy season. Bill the additional cost of hiring labor to the Sim household.”

“With the farming tools so worn out, the farming cannot possibly be done properly. Replace them all with new ones. Bill that cost to the Sim household as well.”

“The difficulty of farming is the fault of the heavens, not yours, so I will only take half the rent this year. But next year, do not waste a single drop of sweat.”

When dealing with tenant farmers, there was no sage like him.

So one could not openly curse him.

“How can we ever repay this grace…!”

“If you wish to repay it, repay it to my wife. That is all.”

“My lord, thank you!”

“Then do not just thank me, but send a holiday gift to my wife. Farewell then.”

“My lord! We will not forget this help!”

“That is very commendable. Do not forget and spread the word of my wife’s virtue to those around you. I will take my leave now.”

Wigyeom even gave all the credit for this to On.

And so, in a remote region where they did not even know the name of the Sim family’s legitimate wife, On’s reputation grew day by day (?).

That was not the end of it.

On the way back, he stopped by the market and carefully picked out gifts for his wife.

He was also amazing at haggling with the merchants.

When he thought the price a merchant offered was too high, he would lift the edge of his gat and freeze his opponent with his gaze, an attitude that showed he would not lose a single penny, not unlike a wealthy landlord.

In the end, he chose a bolt of high-quality silk and a fragrant pouch imbued with the scent of chrysanthemums and thriftily packed them.

He did not forget the Japanese pepper berries and green garlic suitable for pickling.

“My wife’s appetite will improve a little if she eats this.”

He muttered to himself and personally picked up the basket. That miserly man had his arms full of gifts for his wife.

Then he gave Gyesaeng a sharp glance.

He was telling him to pay the price.

In short, it meant to spit out the money he had stashed away.

‘Is he really a dual personality…?’

Gyesaeng thought with a face that looked like he was about to vomit what he had eaten.

He was curious as to why the man acted like an angel only to his wife and like a demon to him.

‘That man, why did he suddenly become so savvy with money? At this rate, he will find out about the secret ledger I have been building up. Ah, what should I do… should I start the cover-up?’

Gyesaeng’s long-standing retirement plan, in which he had been nibbling away at the Sim family’s assets like an ant’s piss, was also starting to run into trouble.

It was not a lot of money to begin with.

Anyway, regardless of that, Wigyeom was simply grinning from ear to ear at the thought of seeing On again in three days.

‘She must be safe and sound in the main chamber.’

Since he had taken measures to ensure things would be handled smoothly, there would surely be no trouble.

*

…However, the Sim household was already in as much trouble as it could be.

On’s fight against corruption proceeded swiftly, without a moment to breathe.

To retrieve the supplies that Eunuch Gong had diverted, On first raided the warehouse. When she opened the rice jars, silks and ornaments that had been secretly diverted poured out instead of rice.

The court ladies’ quarters were no exception.

When On appeared, the court ladies were startled and made a huge fuss. On discovered a large number of silver spoons in their bedding.

That was not all.

Behind the warehouse, under the jars, even in the crevices of the beds, On picked out the hidden items in a flash with just a glance.

‘Miss. How on earth did you know these things would be here…?’

‘Mogyun. This is what you call being an experienced professional.’

On replied with a wistful look.

It was her palace know-how.

It was a coincidence that such things were On’s specialty.

The places where court ladies would hide supplies were as predictable as could be.

The court ladies who worked under Princess Bonghwa would often resign in droves, unable to last more than half a year, saying they could not live like this.

Although the rule was that when a court lady left the palace where she worked, she had to leave empty-handed, most of the useful items in the palace were traded at high prices or were rare outside the palace. A bolt of cloth, a bag of incense, even a single silver spoon could become the foundation for a new life.

Thanks to that, the princess’s palace had a headache every day trying to catch the supplies secretly diverted by court ladies who had resigned or were planning to resign.

In other words, catching thieves was a daily routine.

And On was the court lady who was at the forefront of solving that problem.

‘…The harsh years of experience living as a hunting dog have made me grow like this.’

On recalled the past days with empty, fish-like eyes.

‘The court ladies under the princess resigned so often that I have become used to this sort of thing…’

The moment she found the evidence, On summoned the man named Eunuch Gong.

Eunuch Gong was a middle-aged man, and perhaps because he was overweight, his blue official robes looked a bit small for his frame, and his face was pale, with slightly sagging jowls under his chin.

Looking at him, Mogyun whispered to On.

‘The one who looks like a pig is full of greed.’

On just cleared her throat with a hmph hmph at Mogyun’s whisper, but inwardly she slightly agreed.

In any case, she was currently impersonating Princess Bonghwa, so she had to observe the appropriate palace etiquette.

‘Wait. If I am pretending to be Princess Bonghwa, should I be acting like a tomboy instead…?’

She was confused for a moment, but there was still a sense of loyalty between a sovereign and a subject.

So On decided to protect Princess Bonghwa’s dignity anyway.

She immediately interrogated Eunuch Gong.

Thud.

She placed the ledger in front of Eunuch Gong.

“What is the meaning of this ledger?”

Eunuch Gong was still brazen up to that point.

‘Princess Bonghwa.’

In fact, when he saw the face of On pretending to be Princess Bonghwa, he could not help but laugh inwardly at her innocent and gentle impression.

‘I heard she was the palace troublemaker who never even practiced her calligraphy, let alone etiquette and family rites, and just caused all sorts of trouble, right? Does such a woman think she can establish discipline in her husband’s family now that she is married? Not a chance.’

Eunuch Gong was from the department that managed finances.

However, the internal regulations of the princess’s palace, which handled the princess’s private life, were a secret area that even the finance department could not access.

Naturally, he did not know Princess Bonghwa’s face.

All he had heard were rumors that Princess Bonghwa was childish.

Therefore, Eunuch Gong looked down on On, whom he was mistaking for Princess Bonghwa, and the Sim family a great deal.

‘The Sim family, who only know how to open books and are blind to the flow of wealth, are destined to fall under my control.’

Noble families were generally ignorant of worldly affairs and considered matters of livelihood to be profane.

Furthermore, the Sim family had received the title of incorruptible officials.

A high-nosed noble master who would not go to the butcher shop himself and would not count money with his hands.

Swindling that type of person was Eunuch Gong’s specialty.

‘Your Highness the Princess. You had better back down before you run out crying.’

Eunuch Gong’s eyes, who had gravely misunderstood Sim Wigyeom and his wife, gleamed cunningly.

“In managing a household, organizing the ledger is not a job that just anyone can do. Especially since Your Highness is a precious member of the royal family, there is no need for you to concern yourself with such trivial matters.”