The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family
Chapter 88 –
Even though it was late at night, the imperial palace was as bright as day.
So many people were gathered that it was hard to tell whether it was night or day.
In the center sat one man calmly—
The Crown Prince.
Though he hadn’t officially become emperor, he was already in that position in all but name.
He looked ahead with a bored expression.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Aaaagh!”
Terrifying screams echoed around him.
People covered in blood were now so beaten that it was hard to tell who was who.
Some had used the former emperor to gain power.
Others had simply done their best as government officials.
But to the Crown Prince, it didn’t matter.
He had already decided to remove them all.
To secure his power completely, he had to get rid of every single one of them—no matter who they were.
He had been watching this bloody purge for several hours now.
Growing bored, his eyes wandered—
To a man shaking and bleeding.
Jin Baekryong.
He cried out, begging to be spared, saying he’d confess everything.
But the Crown Prince didn’t even hear his words.
Instead, he chuckled while remembering someone.
“That brat is this man’s bloodline, right?”
“You mean Jin Cheon-woo?” the man next to him asked.
“Yes. When I told him to raise his head, he dared to look me straight in the eye.
It made me want to cut him open just to see what was inside. Hahaha.”
“You seemed to like him.”
The Crown Prince didn’t reply, only smiled faintly.
Jin Cheon-woo’s image still lingered in his mind.
He had actually wanted to meet Jin Cheon-woo before Jin Baekryong—
Because if he didn’t like the brat even a little, he would’ve just killed him right away.
After all, executing the head of a powerful noble family would make a stronger impression than just killing a regional official like Jin Baekryong.
But he didn’t kill him.
The boy’s tone, expression, eyes, and spirit—
They reminded the Crown Prince of himself.
That was what had intrigued him.
Even more shocking, in that situation, Jin Cheon-woo had calmly taken responsibility for everything, all while making sure his family still benefited.
The Crown Prince had met many people in his position, but never someone so bold.
Pushing those thoughts away, he asked,
“Anyway, what about that other matter?”
“If you mean the doctor… we still haven’t found him.”
“You haven’t? Not even a trace?”
“No,” Cheongho replied.
The Crown Prince frowned.
All the people near the former emperor had been killed—
Except one. The royal doctor who had been treating the old emperor.
He had vanished without a trace.
The Crown Prince had planned to handle the old emperor quietly,
But that doctor ruined everything.
He had wanted to tear him limb from limb—but now he was gone.
Then suddenly, he thought of someone.
“Could this be related to him?”
“You mean the one who told us about the secret garden?”
“Yes. Maybe the doctor was his target all along.
That riot when we arrived—it could’ve been his doing to distract us.”
Cheongho’s face turned grim.
If that was true, it meant they had been dancing in the palm of Jin Cheon-woo’s hand the entire time.
Sure enough, the Crown Prince’s burning eyes turned toward him.
“He’s definitely a martial artist. Find him.”
Snap.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Meanwhile, at that same time—
Jin Cheon-woo looked around the nearly empty Unryong Inn, a faint smile on his lips.
It was strange seeing it so quiet.
The place had always been full of people and noise.
But now, not just the inn—
The entire city of Beijing was quiet.
The escort agencies, trading posts, and other businesses—all shut down.
Most of their people had been arrested and locked up.
Business was impossible.
Worse, Jin Baekryong was directly involved in the Crown Prince’s coup.
Rumors were spreading fast, and even if things reopened, recovery wouldn’t be easy.
It would take time.
Still, it wasn’t a bad situation.
Even if those people got out of prison, he had no intention of using them again.
He would just recruit new people.
In fact, this might be better for the Luoyang Jin family in the long run.
“Worked out well,” he said.
He stood in front of a room.
It was where Jin Baekryong had stayed.
Inside were rare, valuable treasures—
Most likely taken from the secret garden.
But Jin Cheon-woo wasn’t interested in that.
He began opening drawers one by one.
Inside were more valuable items,
But he was searching for something else.
After checking the drawers, he looked under the bed, the floor, even the walls.
Eventually, he removed a painting—
Behind it was an ordinary wall.
He knocked.
Thump thump.
It sounded hollow.
There had to be a hidden mechanism somewhere—
But he didn’t bother looking for it.
Instead, he simply punched the wall.
Boom!
The wall crumbled, revealing a hidden space.
Inside were about ten bank notes, a few books, and some letters.
He took the bank notes and opened the books.
Dusting them off, he flipped through the pages.
They were ledgers showing where Jin Baekryong’s money had gone.
Most entries were linked to powerful people—
But Jin Cheon-woo wasn’t interested in bribes.
Even his father gave and received bribes.
What mattered was the connection to the former emperor.
The letters—written to and from people close to the dead Empress and the former emperor—
Clearly showed their plan to take over the Luoyang Jin family.
This was enough to completely destroy Jin Baekryong.
Even the elders of the family, who usually stayed out of everything, wouldn’t defend him with this kind of evidence.
Jin Cheon-woo collected everything and stepped outside.
Walking down the road, he saw Imperial Guards patrolling the streets.
Even at night, they were everywhere—
With cold eyes, ready to strike at any moment.
Their goals were clear:
- Keep peace in chaotic Beijing.
- Find the missing doctor.
- Maybe hunt down the emperor’s missing allies.
As he walked back to the inn—
“Hey, you brat! You came at the right time!”
He looked up to see Ak Guchun stomping down from the second floor.
His face was fierce, and his clenched fists showed he was really angry.
Chae So-ha and Jang Chuhyung followed behind him, clearly nervous.
“What’s going on?” Jin Cheon-woo asked calmly.
“What’s going on?! You tricked me! You knew I wouldn’t get paid and still gave me that!”
“Haha, so that’s why you’re angry? Just about that?”
“Just that? You scammed me!”
“But you had the chance to get paid. You didn’t take it. That’s not my fault.”
“Wha…?”
“And I said ‘if you get paid, it’s yours.’
I never said you would get paid. You made the choice.”
Ak Guchun looked stunned.
Going back over everything, he realized Jin Cheon-woo hadn’t said anything wrong.
From the start, it had been conditional.
Sure, Jin Cheon-woo knew it probably wouldn’t be paid out,
But Ak Guchun was the one who turned down the chance.
He had no right to be angry.
As Ak Guchun struggled for words, Jin Cheon-woo pulled something from his robe.
“Here. A gift.”
“…A gift?”
Everyone’s eyes widened when they saw it.
It was a Sohwandan pill.
“You… you were planning to give me this all along?”
“It’s good for your body. You’ve worked hard—you deserve it.”
Ak Guchun froze.
Just moments ago, he looked like he wanted to kill someone.
Now he looked like he was about to cry.
Jin Cheon-woo turned to Jang Chuhyung.
“Pack your things. Sell the old carriage and buy a new, better one.
The last one was too small.”
“Are we leaving?”
“Yes. There’s no point in staying.
Besides, there’s somewhere I want to stop on the way.”
“Got it!”
Jang Chuhyung cheerfully ran off to get things ready.
“Ehem. I should go pack too,” said Ak Guchun,
Clutching the Sohwandan tightly and awkwardly following after Jang Chuhyung.
His steps looked light—as if he were excited.
Jin Cheon-woo smiled unconsciously.
When he turned, Chae So-ha, still wearing her face veil, was giving him a sharp look.
“What?”
“Did you really buy that Sohwandan just to give it to him?”
“Yeah.”
She gave an incredulous snort.
She knew the truth.
Ak Guchun, called the Beast Martial Emperor, had a body so strong, that a low-level energy pill like the Sohwandan wouldn’t affect him at all.
It wouldn’t even help his health.
So who was the pill really for?
Jang Chuhyung.
Though naturally strong, he still lacked internal energy.
A Sohwandan could help fill that gap.
And with Ak Guchun by his side, he might even experience a transformation—
Or at least be trained directly in martial arts.
“You sure know how to play your cards.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because Jang Chuhyung is your servant!”
She clicked her tongue, amazed.
With one gift, Jin Cheon-woo calmed Ak Guchun’s anger,
And gave Jang Chuhyung the chance to grow stronger.
Two birds with one stone.
Jin Cheon-woo smiled, shrugged, and said,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Stop talking nonsense and go pack.”
“Sigh… fine. Oh, but earlier you said you had a place to stop.
Haven’t you already gone there?”
“No. It’s farther than I thought.”
“Farther?”
She tilted her head, confused.
They were headed to Henan—what could be farther?
He looked at her, smiled, and said one word.
“Anhui.”
After all, you can’t keep a sleeping dragon hidden forever.
