Chapter 351: Brothers

“No matter. Master Kim is such a hero, why would he care about such things?” Choi Hyeon-taek said nonchalantly. “Miss Kim is a lady from a great family, she won’t care about such trivial matters. Besides, Master Park, you need a reliable person in your inner household. Otherwise, when your wife arrives, there will be no one to serve her.”

He then hinted that Master Kim knew about this, and he could accept without worry. Park Deok-hwan thought it over. Since she was an illegitimate daughter, her status in the family wouldn’t be very high. He didn’t need to overthink it. Besides, the woman was truly alluring, so he accepted with some reluctance.

Park Deok-hwan saw Choi Hyeon-taek off and then sent for his brother to come home. Besides discussing his marriage, he had other plans. Park Deok-maeng was a translator, often by the Chiefs’ side, and knew a lot of inside information. He wanted to find out who had been badmouthing him to the Chiefs recently and also to warn his brother that someone might be plotting against him.

Signs of “official power struggles” were already faintly emerging among the “collaborators” on Jeju Island. Feng Zongze, suffering from a lack of suitable cadres, had appointed a large number of collaborators, and some of the negative effects were gradually becoming apparent. A large number of old personnel had been absorbed into the new government’s administrative structure, and some of the political characteristics of the old regime had come with them.

Now that Park Deok-hwan was the “Supervisor of Bows and Arrows,” he had naturally become a thorn in the side of many. To protect his position and the benefits that came with it, he planned to have a serious talk with his brother about today’s events.

“I’m exhausted…” Park Deok-maeng dragged his tired body back from outside the city.

He had spent most of his day acting as a translator for Chief Nick at the stables outside the city. Nick was known among the Chiefs for his boundless energy. Park Deok-maeng even felt he didn’t need sleep. One day, he had been translating for Nick’s training of the grooms until midnight. The next morning, before dawn, he was called out again to translate, having slept for less than two shichen (four hours). He was groggy and just wanted to sleep.

Park Deok-maeng felt that being a translator for Nick was not only more tiring than for other Chiefs, but also more tiring than when he was a government slave “on official duty.” Back then, it was mindless work. Now, not only did he have to follow him everywhere, but he also had to constantly think about how to translate many words he had never heard before. It was truly exhausting.

Due to his busy schedule, he mostly stayed in the dormitories at the supervisory camp and didn’t return to the mansion his brother had bought. Today, just as he returned to his dormitory, a public security soldier came to tell him that his older brother wanted him to come home tonight no matter what.

Park Deok-maeng hurried home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, a maid came to greet him and took his satchel.

“Do we have guests?” Park Deok-maeng saw a pair of women’s shoes on the stepping stone outside and found it strange. His brother had been planning to get married, but he wasn’t married yet, and he wouldn’t bring a prostitute home.

“They belong to the new maid,” the maid said.

“A new maid?” Park Deok-maeng was a little surprised. Just then, he heard his brother’s voice from inside the house:

“Is that you, my worthy brother? Come in quickly!”

Park Deok-maeng walked in and was surprised to find his older brother drinking with a strange young woman. He was already a little tipsy.

He was about to bow when Park Deok-hwan waved his hand. “Sit down. Let’s have a good talk, just the two of us.”

“Yes, sir.” Park Deok-maeng sat down respectfully.

Although Park Deok-hwan had had a few drinks, his mind was clear. He immediately told Jang Seong-seol to withdraw. He then told his brother about what had happened with Feng Zongze that day, asking him to pay more attention to what was happening around the Chiefs, especially to see who was speaking ill of him. He specifically mentioned that Kim Yong-ju might be making trouble behind his back and asked if Park Deok-maeng could find an opportunity to give Kim Yong-ju a “black brick” (frame him).

Park Deok-maeng remained silent, listening to his brother’s mix of narration and complaint. Only when he mentioned Kim Yong-ju did he speak:

“Kim Yong-ju is highly regarded by the Chiefs,” he said cautiously. “They even want to send his daughter, Kim O-sun, somewhere to ‘study’ and come back as a female official…”

“Nonsense!” Park Deok-hwan blurted out, and immediately broke into a cold sweat. How could he call the Chiefs’ affairs “nonsense”? If someone overheard and reported it, the crime of slandering a superior was not a small one.

He quickly looked around and whispered, “What’s the point of having a woman as an official? She’s so ugly!”

Park Deok-maeng nodded and whispered, “You’re right, brother. But he is very trusted now. What you’re asking is probably very difficult to do…”

He hesitated, wanting to express his own opinion. Since his brother had become the Supervisor of Bows and Arrows, his social engagements had increased, his house had gotten bigger, and his lifestyle had become more extravagant. And now, a woman who was not his sister-in-law had mysteriously appeared.

Remembering that the two of them had once only wished for a full stomach every day, a roof over their heads, and a wife, Park Deok-maeng couldn’t help but feel that his brother had changed too much.

“You fool!” Seeing him hesitate and refuse to answer, Park Deok-hwan put on his “older brother” face and began to scold him sternly. “You can’t even handle this small matter! What kind of translator are you?”

Park Deok-maeng dared not make a sound. He had been raised by this brother and was very afraid of him. Although he felt this matter was not entirely appropriate, he didn’t dare to bring it up to his face.

After losing his temper, Park Deok-hwan calmed down a little. “You know how hard it was for us to get to this point. The Chiefs came, and our lives turned around. Now is the time when the Chiefs need people. Working hard and trying to please them is one thing, but we also need to protect ourselves! Otherwise, no matter how hard we work, it will all be for nothing!” He tilted his head back and drank another cup of wine.

Park Deok-maeng could only say, “Your teachings are wise, brother,” but in his heart, he didn’t quite agree. In his view, his brother’s high-profile lifestyle was already a bit taboo. Among the current “collaborators,” no one was this blatant.

But he didn’t dare to say more and just listened as his brother continued to talk about his marriage. This was the first time Park Deok-hwan had told his brother about Hwang Wun-u’s proposal of marriage to Master Kim’s illegitimate daughter.

“Brother, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?” Hearing his brother’s words, although Park Deok-maeng was a little afraid of him, he felt the matter was too important and had to speak up.

“What’s inappropriate about it?”

“This Master Kim is still a second-rank official of the court. Although it’s a nominal title, he’s still a man of the Joseon Dynasty. Brother, you are now an official of the Great Song. Won’t there be a problem…?”

“What’s the big deal?” Park Deok-hwan said dismissively. “Master Kim is also invited to this meeting. Besides, his second-rank title is just an empty one. He’s also a big horse breeder. Didn’t you say the Chiefs value horses highly? If I build a good relationship with him, won’t Jeju Island become the Great Song’s horse farm? I’ll even be credited for it.”

This line of reasoning seemed to have some merit. Park Deok-maeng was still a young man with limited experience. Although he felt deep down that something was still not right, he didn’t say it out loud.

Seeing that his brother clearly didn’t approve of his marriage, Park Deok-hwan also lost some of his enthusiasm. He called for Jang Seong-seol to bring in the food. They ate together and then went to rest.

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That same night, in the backyard of a large shop in Jeju City, another banquet was in progress. At the table, besides Choi Hyeon-taek and Hwang Wun-u, was Jo Myeong-gwi.

The three men drank in small sips and spoke in low voices.

Hwang Wun-u stroked his beard, seemingly lost in thought. After a long moment, he said, “So he didn’t refuse?”

“He put on a little show, but after I said a few words, he accepted. That kid is greedy enough!”

“Greed is good. He’d even scoop money out of a pot of boiling oil,” Hwang Wun-u laughed. “Did he seem to like Jang Seong-seol?”

Choi Hyeon-taek quickly replied, “I think he liked her very much!”

“Good, good,” Hwang Wun-u nodded repeatedly. “Tomorrow, you go find her. Tell her to put in more effort, to gain his trust as soon as possible, and to get a firm hold on him!”

“She knows how to handle such things!”

Jo Myeong-gwi, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke up. “This person is greedy for money and women, so he should be easy to control. I’m just afraid he won’t be reliable when it matters most.”

“That’s why we placed Jang Seong-seol by his side,” Hwang Wun-u said. He then looked at him with a probing gaze and asked, “What does Master Kim say now?”

In fact, when Choi Hyeon-taek went to the peninsula, his ostensible purpose was to sell goods. But he also had another mission: to contact Joseon officials on behalf of Kim Man-il.

As a major local landowner, although Kim Man-il had taken advantage of the brief chaos after the government’s collapse to seize many horses from the government pastures and make a fortune, he had no intention of submitting to the new “Wo-Kun” (Japanese pirates).

It wasn’t that he was particularly loyal to the Joseon Dynasty, but under Joseon rule, he was very comfortable on this island. Although there were a few officials and some necessary socializing expenses, and he had to contribute some horses every year, other than that, the government didn’t bother him at all.

Now, this group of “Wo-Kun” had taken over. Although they kept calling themselves the “Great Song,” Master Kim believed they were just Japanese pirates in disguise.

After arriving on the island, this group of “Wo-Kun” didn’t loot or burn. They just engaged in massive construction projects and constantly brought over people from the Ming Dynasty on large ships. They began to build roads, survey land, build stables, and were also conducting a census and sending people to inspect the pastures all over the island… All these actions showed they had other plans. Recently, he had heard from Park Deok-hwan that the “Wo-Kun” were preparing to summon all the villages on the island for a meeting, and the major households had to send representatives. Master Kim couldn’t help but feel great anxiety about his property.

He was the well-known richest man on the island and had many horses that the “Wo-Kun” coveted. Could they be planning to target him? Although Master Kim was not very loyal to the court, the Joseon Dynasty would at least not take all his wealth. But this group of “Wo-Kun” of unknown origin was another matter entirely.