Chapter 91: Suspicion
The moment Myeongjeon finished speaking...
the atmosphere in the room froze.
She's not his mother? What does that mean?
Even I was confused.
“...What?”
Jin Gwangung asked again, clearly unable to understand.
“What do you mean by that? Explain it properly.”
Myeongjeon bit his lip hard.
His usual playful expression was nowhere to be found today.
After swallowing a sigh, he quietly lowered his head.
“To be exact... Lady Qin Yueshu isn't my biological mother.”
“Not your biological mother?”
“My mother... wasn't Merchant Group Head Myeong Chiwon's legal wife.”
Jin Gwangung frowned.
“Not his legal wife?”
“No...”
Myeongjeon's voice grew quieter.
“She was his second wife.”
Jin Gwangung looked taken aback.
“Then where is your real mother now?”
"..."
Myeongjeon's expression darkened.
“She passed away.”
He paused.
“When I was young... from an illness.”
"..."
Only then did I begin to understand.
Why Myeongjeon's expression had grown darker the closer we came to the Myeong Family Merchant Group.
And why Qin Yueshu had looked at him with such cold eyes.
So she hated him because he was the child of the second wife.
Myeongjeon's following explanation confirmed my guess.
“As the child of the second wife...”
“I was always considered a ‘spark’ within the family.”
Jin Gwangung frowned.
“A spark?”
Myeongjeon nodded bitterly.
“A spark that could someday ignite a dispute over the succession of the merchant group.”
He continued,
“Even if I was born to the second wife...”
“I was still the Merchant Group Head's son.”
Everyone stared at him with stiff expressions.
No one seemed to know what to say.
Myeongjeon paused.
Then, after steadying his breathing, he continued.
“Merchant groups move according to money.”
“Everything is calculated and weighed.”
His voice was bitter.
“To Lady Qin Yueshu and my eldest brother...”
“I was probably nothing but an eyesore.”
“A seed that might someday cause an unnecessary succession dispute.”
Jin Gwangung let out a long sigh.
“Hmm...”
Then he stroked his chin.
“So how did you end up becoming connected to Kunlun?”
Myeongjeon slowly nodded.
“My old life in the Myeong Family Merchant Group...”
“was nothing but another kind of cage.”
He continued,
“And it was also a place filled with fierce struggles for power.”
Jin Gwangung repeated quietly,
“A struggle for power....”
“I thought that if I stayed here...”
Myeongjeon continued,
“I would eventually be dragged into a succession struggle whether I wanted it or not.”
He smiled bitterly.
“So I thought it would be better to run away.”
“I didn't want to cause conflict either.”
Then his voice softened.
“My father knew that I was struggling.”
“And when I was around eleven years old...”
“an opportunity came for me to enter Kunlun.”
Myeongjeon looked down.
“At the time, my father was acquainted with Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon.”
“Through that connection...”
“I was able to place myself under Kunlun's protection.”
I looked at him quietly.
He must have had a difficult childhood.
For a child to understand the family's power struggle at such a young age...
I could easily imagine how much pressure and hostility he'd endured from Qin Yueshu.
Jin Gwangung rubbed his chin.
“Now that I think about it...”
“the Myeong Family Merchant Group started dealing with Kunlun around the same time you joined us.”
Myeongjeon nodded.
“I heard they began expanding their merchant activities near Kunlun around then.”
“The medicinal herb trade was part of that as well.”
Jin Gwangung stared at Myeongjeon's face.
Then muttered under his breath,
“It probably wasn't merely an extension of their business....”
I thought I understood what he meant.
A repayment for Kunlun taking in a son who had nowhere else to go.
Myeongjeon probably understood that too.
But he likely couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
At eleven years old...
he had practically fled to Kunlun for refuge.
It may not have been entirely against his will...
but the decision had probably been forced upon him to some degree.
To Myeongjeon...
the Myeong Family Merchant Group probably wasn't a nostalgic home.
It may have been a place filled with memories he'd rather forget.
Jin Gwangung slowly nodded.
“Now I understand.”
“I see why Qin Yueshu wants to cut off the medicinal supply to Kunlun.”
His voice became quieter.
“Stopping the herbs isn't simply ending a business deal.”
His gaze moved toward Myeongjeon.
“She's trying to sever their connection to you.”
Myeongjeon lowered his head with a dark expression.
I understood Qin Yueshu's intention now as well.
As long as the Myeong Family Merchant Group continued doing business with Kunlun...
the connection between Myeongjeon and the merchant group remained.
From Qin Yueshu's perspective...
that was probably uncomfortable.
Especially now that Myeong Chiwon was unconscious.
Before long...
the matter of choosing a new successor might arise.
As one of Myeong Chiwon's sons...
Myeongjeon's existence was a connection Qin Yueshu would want severed as quickly as possible.
Jin Gwangung shook his head.
“Hmm.”
“Unless the Merchant Group Head wakes up again...”
“it'll probably be difficult to maintain the existing medicinal supply arrangement.”
Myeongjeon gritted his teeth.
“Tomorrow...”
He looked at Jin Gwangung.
“when you meet Lady Qin Yueshu again, I want to go with you.”
Jin Gwangung frowned.
“You want to come along?”
“Yes.”
Myeongjeon's voice was firm.
“At the very least, I'll beg her to give Kunlun enough time to find another supplier.”
“Hmm.”
Jin Gwangung thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
“Fine.”
“I understand how you feel.”
“We'll speak with her together tomorrow.”
After that...
we exchanged a few more words before returning to our own rooms.
The road from Kunlun to Guanzhong had been long and difficult.
Everyone was exhausted from the journey.
The moment they entered their rooms...
they went straight to sleep.
I also quietly lay down on my bed.
But not for long.
There was something I needed to confirm before sleeping.
I remained beneath the blanket, quietly regulating my breathing.
I waited.
One by one...
