Chapter 79: Jaehae Guho Gyehoeg (The Disaster Relief Plan)

The very first thing I had to do was to list the names of the people and their roles in society who were affected by the flood. But my movements were restricted in this household and there was so much going on now that I knew I couldn't sneak out, not even to my washerwoman job that I had previously before Dal found me a new one. The second step of the plan was to open up the granaries for the people, but that was also a problem in itself. Our nation wasn't exactly known for its generosity and there were one too many corrupt officials in charge of such places that would only seek to pocket profit from this when they could. Riots would surely break out due to food shortages due to officials pocketing food in a panic when they were already well supplied for months on end...including Nam-Jeon himself...if got Nam-Jeon caught up in this, then i could find a way to oust him for his crimes against my family. No matter how lowly our statuses were, my father still held a high position after his death and that couldn't be ignored...

But what about Seon-Ho? Well, he should be out of the home at that point, but that didn't guarantee that he wouldn't be pulled down with his father. i mean, he did deserve a little punishment but not on that scale... "...Just put the stakes on me! Break into Bang-Won's artillery and hand over the weapons! That will become proof of his treachery against his father's new law to banish private armies and my father will be too busy devising a new scheme to realise that I will hand over Yeon to you!...Weapons. Private armies that were banned by the Emperor himself...he wanted my brother to catch the third prince in the act of rebellion and supposedly end the task that his father had given him earlier than planned...no, I would think about that later. Let me come up with a plan first before i even thought about that...

The third part would be for the Emperor himself to encourage sharing by imperial decree...wealthy and honourable households should be forced to assist local authorities in the disaster relief and should be monitored closely...I was unfamiliar with the palace and its people son would leave that for Seon-Ho to decide himself who he could trust with this job. And they could set up food stalls...but the concubine now had a reputation for poisoning food served to servants so he would have to delegate this task to somebody else. He and Dal haven't been the same since their last argument and I doubt that Sung-Rok would be up to the job...so should i do it? What other way could i expose myself and shed light to Nam-Jeon's crimes? As far as i was aware, the servants all liked my food so I could only hope they could help me vote in my favour for this to happen. Now, back to the granary issue...they should increase the supplies by increasing food supplies elsewhere in disaster free areas. And whatever was left over should be shipped over for the victims of the flood. Yes, that was a good plan, for a draft at least. I still needed to go over every part of the plan before it was perfected. But it was morning time now and i needed to get some sleep. i may not even have the time to see the Young Master off, but I had to get this to him quickly...even if it had to go to the palace myself. Surely such an important matter such as this one would give me the right to turn up in such a place despite all of the threats that loomed about my existence...or if i could meet the third prince in person...my eyes were falling heavily from sleep and I found myself curled up in bed above the same hole that Seon-Ho had poked through my window. Seon-Ho, please forgive me for anything that happens to you when it comes to my brother. I cannot protect you all of the time...maybe your only punishment would be to go through what you made my brother go through. And maybe it will give you a chance to think about what you really want and if your future truly lies in the bloodthirsty palace or not.

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It had been a very long night and i was so upset that i hardly managed to draft my plan in time. By the time i returned to Yeon's quarters I managed to catch a glimpse of the Young Master bending down and stroking Yeon's hair rather lightly before he did the same thing to her lips. Just what the hell was going on here? What was he doing? I had never witnessed him getting so close to anyone else before, he still didn't let Hui-Jee touch him often when he had time to see her. I still felt apprehensive about exactly what I had missed out on last night, but I would rather let Yeon get some sleep before we had that conversation. I was just about to head out and get some sleep myself before I took notice of a piece of parchment that the Young Master briefly looked at with an amused look on his face before he walked out silently. I really couldn't believe it; he must have been riddled with jealousy when he saw the plan that Yeon had made for me. It really was a damned good plan without any visible flaws; al this time i thought that Yeon only knew how to deal with tricks from other women and that was it. Never in my wildest dreams could i have imagined that I would come across a woman who was rather well-versed in literature, history and politics as she had cases from the past to back up each step in her plan. But she was subtle about it, as she must have known what would happen to her if she were found more intelligent that her male counterparts. She informed governance in light of history without direct reference to state affairs. Seo Yeon, no wonder why you have brought someone as cruel as the Young Master Nam himself down to his knees. No wonder men are falling for you left, right and centre. You would be a fine jewel in anyone's crown. And she was incredibly humble; the way she took simple decorations in a bowl of water to make them last longer and give out more fragrance was simply genius. I do not know what was more attractive about her at this point; her mind or her body. But I wanted both, before the Young Master took her from me and defiled her in every way possible before using her until she had nothing left to give. Now all i had to do was to make it to the palace and ask for an audience with the Emperor himself before the Young Master embarrassed herself.

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Beojji. That was what Yeon tasted like and smelt of when I foolishly kissed her in front of everyone, very sweet and fragrant beojji. And that was all that was on my mind, especially after what almost happened last night. i was still confused by the two women in my life and I know i needed to decide soon, but I had other things to worry about at the moment. Hwi was going to realise sooner or later that he would have no choice but to hand over the Prince Bang-Won over to me so he could end this suicidal mission that my father handed over to him and take his sister back. And after what had been going on with us recently, I very much doubted that she was going to forget me anytime soon. She still liked me quite a lot I could tell and surely she would be willing to still meet with me whenever she wanted to...to help me out if she wanted to. Like she attempted to with hat adorable disaster relief plan that she drafted. It was pretty good for a first attempt I couldn't lie, but it wasn't perfected yet and I couldn't risk using it now. I had come up with my own plan and I just needed to see the Emperor about it, although I had to wait in a long line of other high officials who had their own plans. And even if i missed out on this chance, I still had my plans with Hwi that would finally get me the recognition that I deserved. If i mangled to survive the attacks of the third prince's allies at least, and I could not allow Yeon to be anywhere near that sort of dangerous situation. If things went my way and the Emperor liked me enough to keep me by his side; I would expose my father's twisted plot for the Seo's as soon as i could with the Seo's present in the palace so they couldn't be harmed. I was finally ready to turn in my own father before Hwi got himself killed trying to kill the most feared prince of the century or if Yeon got hurt again. And with the servants fully under my control thanks to Yeon, i could kick him out of the home he had worked so hard on deal with the concubine once and for all. And as for Dal, well if he worshipped my father so badly, then he could follow him straight to hell for all I cared. And as for that hellhole of a prison that I had been locked up in my entire life, i was going to demolish it to the ground even if i was temporarily homeless. Or Hui-Jee could take me in for all of the money i was giving her after she got attacked because of me. And as for the Seo's, I know that I would have to give Hwi some time before i could reach to him and make up for the mistakes with the brand new life that I was going to have, along with the riches that were soon to follow.

I was in my office going over some cases I had to make up for as a general inspector whilst snacking on some cherries and simultaneously perfecting Yeon's plan in my head when Sung-Rok burst in with a weird look on his face that I had never seen before. That was when he confided in me that Dal had come to the palace and that he was waiting in line to see the Emperor. I almost checked right there and then; Dal wasn't as clever as he made himself out to be. Yes, he had made good points and plans but he always expected me to carry these out whilst he just laid back. He was honestly the laziest version of my father that there was possible....but hang on a minute. Wasn't he awake all night long cleaning up after the concubine? Didn't he personally lock her in her quarters, call for a physician, receive a lecture and punishment from my father? Where on earth did he get the time to draft a plan in such a small amount of time and become so confident in it that he was rushing to meet the Emperor? Behind my back? He only got a pass at the palace because of me, so i was always alerted whoever he came in. He wasn't much of a reader either, so how could he have possibly...

Yeon. He was in her quarters the night before so he should have returned and saw what she had left for me on her table...no, i could not let this happen. My disaster relief plan was based on what she had drawn up, so I would be accused of plagiarism and be humiliated for the rest of my life if I was known in the palace as a thief. No-one would want to work with me again, I would be ridiculed and shamed even more than what I was used to and I would truly be no use to the society that I had always strived to make a difference in. I had plans, big plans that went beyond just ridding myself and this world of my father. He wanted to control the Emperor and the crown prince after him? Well i wanted to change the people and get them to the point where they would no longer have to rely on a corrupt monarchy ever again.

I had suffered al of the torments that hell had to offer on earth from the moment I was born and nobody, i mean nobody, was going to stop me in my plans to right the wrongs that I have suffered. And if that meant sacrificing more people who stood in my path, then so be it. Killing didn't come to me as easily as it did my father, but for my long contacted plans I could sacrifice anyone...with the exception of a pair of siblings that I vowed to never harm again and the people that had helped them. No, I needed to reach the Emperor before Dal did with his absurd plans that would shame my family before i even had the chance to step up. Dal, you had better savour you're last day on earth, and you had better pray that you never run into myself or the Seo siblings in our next lives.