Chapter 10
“Sob…”
The servants who had just been released from Father’s suffocating killing intent began to cry.
Thud!
“Medicine Hall Master Je Hoon-gyeong! I failed to properly train the medicine hall maids. Because of the fire in the medicine hall, the youngest young miss nearly lost her life. Please execute me instead!”
Je Hoon-gyeong slammed his forehead against the ground.
Thud, thud!
“Workshop Master Yeon Ju-seok! Punish me with death for failing to properly manage the coal warehouse!”
The workshop master struck his forehead against the ground twice in a row.
Sir… aren’t you going to crack your head open?
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Guest Hall Manager Myeong Hong-bang! I failed to properly carry out the order of the outer residence overseer to care for the youngest young miss. Please execute me here and now!”
If everyone keeps doing that, they’ll all end up with concussions.
“Outer Residence Overseer Tang Wunsam. I will take full responsibility and end my life here.”
Why are they making this bigger than it needs to be?
Wouldn’t it be enough to promise to do better next time?
Before things escalated further, I quickly shook Father’s shoulder with my small hands.
“I’m the one who suffered, so please let me decide the punishment!”
“You?”
Father looked directly into my eyes, clearly doubtful.
He probably thought someone as soft as me would simply let the matter slide.
“Please.”
Seeing the desperation in my eyes, Father hesitated.
Since he didn’t immediately refuse, I leaned close to his ear and whispered my idea.
When I finished, Father looked utterly bewildered.
“The Tang family is a martial clan.”
“But I’m the one who was beaten by the maids, and I’m the one who almost died in the fire. So please do as I ask. Please.”
Father seemed unable to reject my plea.
He looked toward the department heads.
“…”
But the words didn’t come out easily.
He licked his lips.
After staring at the department heads for a long moment with a disappointed look, Father finally squeezed his eyes shut at my gaze.
“Ahem. The outer residence overseer, the medicine hall master, the guest hall manager, and the workshop master… Every one of you… will write a letter of reflection.”
“…What?”
“A reflection letter!”
The idea I proposed was simple.
Have the department heads write reflection letters.
Father often left the estate while searching for Mother, my sister, and me.
He probably believed the reports submitted by the department heads were fine.
But even if they did their jobs diligently, problems would still occur if there was no proper supervision.
Wasn’t that exactly what had happened here?
If their reflection letters are to satisfy Father, they’ll have to report to him frequently.
That would naturally tighten the system.
Even if Madam Ma tried to interfere, the structure would remain firm.
“Um… Young Miss, may I ask something?”
Tang Wunsam cautiously raised his hand.
It seemed he had never written a reflection letter before.
“Does a reflection letter… not have to be written with ink?”
The medicine hall master, Je Hoon-gyeong, sitting beside him, sighed.
“Outer Residence Overseer, how can a reflection letter written in ink contain true sincerity? It should be written in blood. Cut off the little finger and write with that. I will personally ensure the wound does not become infected.”
“Ah, the little finger? I was considering cutting off a wrist.”
At that moment, the workshop master joined the discussion.
“I will design the tool. Something that can cut more cleanly than a sword.”
The workshop, also called the Iron Hall, was responsible for crafting everything needed in the Tang estate—tools, buildings, weapons, pottery, carpentry, and more.
With the pottery hall, the blacksmith forge, and the carpentry shop all there…
A terrifying device could easily be made before the day ended.
“Please do your best, workshop master.”
“Wait! No, no! That’s not what I meant!”
Why were they suddenly so united over something like this?
I flailed in Father’s arms.
“A reflection letter written in ink can still contain sincerity! If the heart is sincere, that’s what matters. Right, Father?”
I sent Father a pleading look.
Perhaps he understood that what I wanted was harmony.
Awkwardly, he patted my head.
“My daughter desires a reflection letter written with sincerity. Whether it’s written in blood or by biting the tongue…”
No, no!
I shook my head violently.
Father coughed.
Blood letters are unnecessary. Write them in ink. And include plans to ensure this never happens again.”
“Yes! That’s perfect.”
But everyone was still looking at me.
It seemed they were waiting for me to give the order to dismiss them.
I was the youngest daughter of the young master—not the young master myself!
Yet Father also seemed to be waiting for my words.
“Father, let’s really go eat now.”
“Everyone, disperse! Inform the kitchen to prepare a meal. What would you like to eat?”
“Noodles! And dumplings!”
“Make sure noodles and dumplings are prepared.”
“Yes!”
Even the department heads, maids, and guards who had nothing to do with the kitchen responded together and bowed toward me.
It almost felt like I had become the leader.
Hmm.
This feeling… wasn’t bad.
* * *
“I deeply reflect on my mistakes. I, Je Hoon-gyeong, have neglected the management of the medicine hall…”
“This isn’t right.”
Je Hoon-gyeong crumpled the paper after writing only a few characters and took out another sheet.
There were already more than a dozen discarded pages.
“Medicine Hall Master, this is Gyeon Seong-wi, the chief physician.”
“Come in.”
Gyeon Seong-wi entered the room with a displeased expression.
He could have ordered a junior physician to do this kind of errand. Why make me do it while he sits there leisurely writing poetry?
With a pout, Gyeon Seong-wi placed a stack of documents on the desk.
“These are the lists of medicinal herbs lost in the medicine hall fire.”
Je Hoon-gyeong turned the pages with a heavy expression.
Silence lingered.
Unable to simply stand there, Gyeon Seong-wi spoke again.
“What exactly do you plan to do? Summer is coming soon. Patients suffering from blood deficiency will flood in. We should already be buying ginseng quickly, yet you’ve ordered that merchants not be summoned.”
“It’s the season when ginseng sprouts and flowers begin to grow. Ginseng harvested now has little medicinal effect. Buying it would be pointless.”
“Then at least allow us to purchase red ginseng.”
“That’s impossible. As the head of the medicine hall, I cannot purchase red ginseng from the market. We have no way of knowing its ingredients or how it was produced.”
Je Hoon-gyeong’s words were completely correct.
The medicine hall of the Tang family had one long-standing rule:
Every herb must be the highest quality, and every formula must be prepared perfectly.
But Gyeon Seong-wi believed that sometimes rules had to be broken.
And now it was one of those times.
“Merchants are already coming from outside Sichuan begging for medicine and pills!”
“Do you think I don’t know that? But what cannot be done cannot be done.”
Je Hoon-gyeong’s stubborn attitude made Gyeon Seong-wi furious.
If the merchants turn away because of this, what then?
During the long war, the Tang family’s medicine hall had grown tremendously.
Naturally so—there had been countless dying and sick people.
Because the Tang family studied poison, they possessed extensive knowledge of herbs.
Their medicinal herbs and pills were widely recognized as the best.
As their reputation grew, patients came even from outside Sichuan.
Their medicines sold like wildfire.
And now they wanted to halt business just because the medicine hall had burned?
“Medicine Hall Master, you’re being far too stubborn. The problem isn’t the quality of the medicine right now. A parasite has entered the inner residence. If we don’t take advantage of this chance and secure our own future, both you and I will regret it.”
“What are you talking about? A parasite?”
Je Hoon-gyeong’s expression sharpened.
“I mean the child claiming to be the young master’s youngest daughter. Last night, when she lost consciousness because of the fire, I was called urgently to check her pulse…”
“…”
“That six-year-old child has a dantian.”
Je Hoon-gyeong’s eyebrows shot up like caterpillars.
Seeing he had gained his attention, Gyeon Seong-wi lowered his voice.
“You understand what that means. A child who has never practiced martial arts should not have a dantian. That means she is either a born genius… or a spy planted by another faction. In my opinion, someone planted that parasite to destroy the Tang family—”
“That is enough!”
Je Hoon-gyeong shouted like thunder.
“You call yourself a physician? Not only did you reveal a patient’s secret, but you dare slander the young master’s daughter?”
“I-I’m not slandering her…”
“Silence! If any rumors spread about the young master’s daughter, I will report that you started them. At that point, neither you nor your entire family will survive.”
After shouting Gyeon Seong-wi out of the room, Je Hoon-gyeong pressed his hand against his forehead.
As the head of the Tang family’s medicine hall, he felt deeply ashamed.
From top to bottom, even the most basic principles were being ignored.
Even writing a reflection letter in blood would not be enough.
