It’s about time to accept ‘what is’ instead of ‘what could have been’.

Episode 40.

Dangkise heard about Seung-nyang’s trip outside the palace and prepared to attack her. She totally didn’t expect to see him there but it was a nice surprise since she’s also looking forward to avenge her mother’s death. Wang Yoo had been waiting for Seung-nyang at the temple but he received the news about Seung-nyang’s encounter with Dangkise. Meanwhile, she ran away from the scene but Dangkise was eager to chase her. They engaged in a sword fight (RAWR, I miss their chemistry!) but Seung-nyang was no match for the ex-General Dangkise. He mused that he should have killed her when they were on their way to Yuan back then.

 

But then, she used her hairpin to be thrown right into his left eye. Ouch! That looks super painful and all the blood…urgh.Yoo arrived right on time to fend off the assassins but one of them managed to drag Dangkise away before Seung-nyang could kill him. Yoo’s minion didn’t manage to catch Dangkise and Seung-nyang was even more disappointed that Yoo’s side didn’t find the treasure in the mountain. However, he told her about the song he heard from the kids. Seung-nyang wanted to know the content of the song.

 

Bayan had another visitor that was her uncle, Baek Ahn. She could still remember the original intention of him sending her to the palace, which was to support the court and make his dream come true. Baek Ahn’s dream was to reclaim the land they lost and for that reason, they would need the court’s help. He heard about her failed first night and Bayan admitted that it wasn’t easy to have the Emperor completely enchanted by Lady Ki. Baek Ahn reminded her that Lady Ki had the whole Inner Court behind her and told Bayan to first snatch away the rights to manage the empty Imperial Treasury to be filled later.  She’s not afraid to have Lady Ki, who had defeated the powerful Tanashiri, as her rival since she herself had made enough preparation for it.

 

Seung-nyang was thinking hard about the song but found nothing even after looking at the lyrics. She received the news about the Empress summoning her for a meeting and headed towards the Empress’ quarters as she ran into Taltal. I never thought that he would confront her about the treasure but he did. Wow. Seung-nyang feigned ignorance although he kept asking about the reason she’s so interested in the treasure. She gave her excuse, telling him that her looking into the treasure was simply an act of concern for the country’s asset. Taltal offered to explain to her about the contents of Yeon-chul’s record and she agreed to it, but she knew that she had to be more careful from now on.

 

This was Bayan’s first meeting with the Inner Court staff but they seemed to be boycotting her and showed their respect only to Lady Ki. Bayan acted friendly in front of her and even entrusted the Inner Court meetings to Lady Ki, insisting she did so to help her. Her court ladies were questioning why did she gave such power to Lady Ki, but Bayan said that she felt threatened by Lady Ki, plus the staff didn’t even acknowledge her as the Empress. She acted like she’s going to quit being an Empress and walked away, but she already knew that her court ladies were Empress Dowager’s spies and she’s using them to drive a wedge between the Dowager and Lady Ki. She’s good at fooling people with her two-faced personality!

 

Wang Yoo was also racking his brain trying to decipher the meaning behind the lyrics but to no avail (even with Eunuch Bang’s help of singing the song for him. Heh). He noted that Bi-soo had disappear after he decided to work along with Seung-nyang. Dangkise was still on the loose and Yoo’s soldiers were combing through the capital to find him. Byung-soo and Jo-cham both knew that it would be impossible to move around during the day. Jo-cham suggested that they got rid of Dangkise but Byung-soo intended to keep him alive until they found the hidden treasure. Well..that was so nice of you two.

 

Bi-soo got to know from her superior that their top leader/owner was coming to town and she would get to meet him at last. It was like a secret society headquarters, with all the attending members wearing black cloaks and masks, including the said leader. Bi-soo was introduced to the leader and they wanted to know if the leader knew anything about the treasure; however, he didn’t have any idea about it, much to Bi-soo’s disappointment. Her superior wondered how they should deal with Dangkise and the leader ordered them to spare his life for now. Now I’m really curious about the leader since he didn’t even speak! At the same time, Dangkise was enduring his pain of losing one eye but he had to stay alive for the sake of avenging his family.

 

Ta-hwan was alone without any company (except for his court ladies) and thought that Seung-nyang must had been disappointed since he couldn’t keep his promise to make her his Empress. He suddenly got an idea and called for Golta, but the eunuch was going to be late. Hmmm?? Why why why? But then, Golta arrived shortly after, saying that he was late because his mother was sick. Ta-hwan knocked his head like he used to do but adjusted his dearest eunuch’s headgear afterwards. Bromance alert! He ordered for a shadow play to be prepared since he wanted to make Seung-nyang happy and refused to budge, although Golta tried to persuade him that he had done enough things for his precious concubine.

 

Seung-nyang was working on the treasure hunt when she received the news about Empress Dowager’s visit. The Dowager had heard about Seung-nyang taking over the Empress’ duty to oversee the Inner Court’s meetings, thinking that she’s trying to act against the rules of the court. She wanted Seung-nyang to hand over the Imperial Treasury’s ledger and seal to her since she would entrust them to Bayan’s care. Seung-nyang followed her order without questioning anything and Eunuch Park noted that Bayan was someone they shouldn’t treat lightly. Seung-nyang even lost the rights to manage the treasury, but she was willing to let go of an empty account for something bigger in her hands.

 

Golta arrived at her quarters shortly after, inviting her to the shadow play organized by the Emperor. Seung-nyang gave an excuse that she wasn’t feeling well but Golta persuaded her into attending since Ta-hwan had went great lengths to prepare it for her. Seung-nyang met Bayan on her way there and the latter showed remorse for suddenly causing trouble for her. Seung-nyang assured her that she was okay with it. Suddenly, Ta-hwan appeared and he was excited to see Seung-nyang there. He totally ignored Bayan; although Seung-nyang tried to invite the Empress to watch the shadow play together with them, he insisted that it was only for her. He told Bayan that he would meet her later and took Seung-nyang away from the scene. Her court ladies were thinking that she might had been stood up but Bayan insisted that she didn’t really like shadow play. They still saw her as a clueless, kind-hearted Empress but deep inside, she’s more determined to snatch the Emperor from Lady Ki.

 

Ta-hwan noticed that Seung-nyang seemed to have something weighing on her mind but she didn’t say anything, although he guessed it right that it was something she couldn’t tell him. He’s more than happy to have her with him and held her hands while watching the play. Seung-nyang couldn’t concentrate on the show since she could only think of the song and realized that Ta-hwan had been staring at her. Haaaa. He felt that watching her was more entertaining than the play. He told her to watch the play while he continued to stare at her. Heee. She didn’t have any choice and started to pay her attention on the play but her mind was still full of questions regarding the song. Then, the changing shapes of the shadow play made her realize the secret behind the song as Ta-hwan watched her changing expression. Perhaps it’s something worth to be noted since Golta was also watching Seung-nyang closely.

 

Baek Ahn was looking at the big map of the mainland on his office’s wall and he’s probably thinking about his plan, since he wanted to know the progress of the treasure hunt so far. He wasn’t that happy to hear that Ta-hwan was still spending time with Seung-nyang and sent a word asking for an audience with him at the throne hall. Ta-hwan couldn’t stand it anymore since Seung-nyang seemed to ignore him purposely, although he’s trying to spend more time with her. He thought that she didn’t think about him at all and made a wild guess that she might had hated him for breaking his promise to make her the Empress. Seung-nyang denied it all and she was thinking of telling Ta-hwan about the treasure, but Baek Ahn’s message cut their conversation (which was also a borderline argument) short.

 

Ta-hwan looked at her dejectedly and told her to go back to her quarters. Seung-nyang walked away but she paid attention to Golta’s words: Baek Ahn had requested an official audience at the throne hall. That didn’t sound good to her…Anyway, Baek Ahn was dressed in his armour when he met Ta-hwan. He pleaded Ta-hwan to stop playing around with Lady Ki and told the Emperor that he wished to make his lifelong dream came true, that was to reclaim the land they lost to the other countries, including Goryeo. He wanted to start a military campaign, but Ta-hwan didn’t think it was a good time to organize such campaign since the treasury was unable to feed the hungry citizens, let alone funding a huge military campaign. Baek Ahn told him about the secret treasure left by Yeon-chul and pleaded Ta-hwan to bring back the glory of Yuan Dynasty. Ta-hwan agreed to work with him towards that goal.

 

Guess who overheard them? It was Seung-nyang, who was aware that Baek Ahn’s great plan would cause Goryeo a big problem. That alone made her more eager to find the treasure before anyone else and she successfully solved the clue to the location of the treasure; however, another problem was to bring out the treasure without attracting any unwanted attention. Seung-nyang already heard about Bi-soo helping Yoo but she didn’t know that the person related to the Eagle Group was a woman. She asked to meet Bi-soo at the temple and the latter demanded to know the reason why Seung-nyang wanted to meet her.

 

Yoo and his underlings were not expecting to see Bi-soo included in the secret meeting with Seung-nyang but it’s not the main concern at that moment. Seung-nyang told them that she had found the location of the treasure from the song and showed them a paper with the location written on it. She also alerted them about the military campaign planned to start once he got his hand on the treasure. Yoo knew that it would be impossible without the Emperor’s permission but Seung-nyang informed him with regret that Ta-hwan had agreed with Baek Ahn’s idea. That was enough to make Yoo more determined to take those treasure first. When asked about the reason she wanted to meet Bi-soo, it was because Seung-nyang heard that Bi-soo was against the idea of her working together with Yoo. Bi-soo lost in the argument since there’s no way Seung-nyang would betray them if she had told them about the location. But then, there’s someone that might be the sole reason why Bi-soo was willing to wager her life for…

 

Baek Ahn was passing by a street when an arrow was shot towards his big sedan chair. A letter was included with the arrow and it was from Bi-soo, offering to tell him the location of the hidden treasure if he’s willing to meet her. Taltal offered himself to go in his place but since the merchant group had already recognize his face, it’s better for Baek Ahn to go himself. Suri, Bi-soo’s assistant was worried that Wang Yoo would find out about her betrayal but she had already taken care about it. Baek Ahn went to meet her and she promised to tell him about the location of the treasure if he agreed to do two things: to make the Eagle Group hers by exterminating the current headquarters in the capital and to make a contract (complete with the Imperial seal) for all the things used in the palace to be supplied by the Eagle Group. She handed over the ledger book recording all the details about the members of the merchant group and if Baek Ahn was lucky, he could find Dangkise in one of the places.

 

He wasted no time and headed straight to the Emperor’s quarters to meet Ta-hwan. Ta-hwan was spending his time with Seung-nyang and Ayu, but Baek Ahn asked for her to leave Ta-hwan and him alone for a while. He informed the Emperor about the information he got from Bi-soo and Seung-nyang, who had dismissed the eunuchs, overheard this, realizing that Bi-soo had betrayed them. At the same time, Jeokho was summoned from the mountain to meet Yoo and he was shown several trunks filled with counterfeit money which they seized from the Eagle Group. Yoo was planning to bring those money to the mountain in order to trick those who were also looking for the hidden treasure. However, they received the news about Bi-soo’s betrayal and Yoo ordered for the merchant group members to be captured. Yoo then informed Baek Ahn about the Eagle Group and also Dangkise’s appearance at the capital. Baek Ahn was surprised but he had heard from Bi-soo that the ledger book with the members’ details had been obtained by another person, which was Yoo. Seung-nyang witnessed their conversation and Yoo hinted that everything was under control.

 

Dangkise and Co. were on the run since the Eagle Group was captured and they had nowhere to hide. Byung-soo put the blame on Dangkise for causing the trouble since he’s the Most Wanted Person in Yuan right now. They suddenly saw Bi-soo  and found it strange that walking around like nothing happened when the rest of her group had been caught. Byung-soo and Dangkise decided to follow after her and saw her meeting Baek Ahn. She got the contract and assurance that she would be protected from any harm should the leader found out about her betrayal. Baek Ahn was told that the treasure hidden in a blacksmith shop near the mountain. Dangkise and Byungsoo were disappointed to hear this, realizing that they didn’t see the treasure when it was right in front of their eyes. Dangkise thought that they had to find it before Baek Ahn while Byung-soo seemed to be ready to kill Dangkise since he already knew the exact location of the hidden treasure.

 

Think it was that easy? Nope, Seung-nyang the cunning puppeteer in this treasure hunt had them, her puppets, fooled with her tricks. The blacksmith shop was just a ruse and it was her plan, together with Bi-soo in it. Bi-soo was willing to be the ‘betrayer’ in return of taking over the merchant group and a contract to supply the goods to the Imperial palace. She couldn’t ask for more with that kind of offer. Seung-nyang then wrote down the actual location of the hidden treasure to asnswer Hong-dan’s question.

“The hidden treasure was here.”

*

Episode 41.

 

Seung-nyang was killing two birds with one stone; she didn’t only trick Baek Ahn but managed to fool Dangkise’s side as well. Talk about coincidence. However, Byung-soo was not going to let Dangkise use those gold for raising a new army. Meanwhile, Seung-nyang wanted to know Wang Yoo’s plan regarding the way to bring out the secret treasure and Yoo said that it was like hunting a tiger, they could either lure it out or enter its den themselves. This time, they had no other choice but to use the second option, which was to go to the location where the treasure was hidden. Seung-nyang had the same thought and she planned on starting to move after Taltal had left for the mountain together with the soldiers. She knew that it would cause suspicion if she went out of the palace by herself, so she was thinking of making the members of the Imperial family to go out with her. Yoo was concerned about her safety but Seung-nyang assured that she would take care of it. She ordered Hong-dan to add something to the maids’ food and Eunuch Park to put rats into a well near the maids’ quarters.

 

The soldiers were all prepared to march towards the mountain and Taltal was to lead them. He was about to tell something to Baek Ahn (probably about Seung-nyang’s sudden interest in the treasure) but changed his mind and he planned to tell his uncle after he came back. Seung-nyang tried to persuade Ta-hwan into renouncing his decision of supporting the military expedition with the excuse that Yeon-chul also started off his military activities for the sake of the dynasty but succumbed to his greed in the end. Ta-hwan already made up his mind, as it’s not simply him being greedy; just like how he looked up to his ancestors as his hero, he wanted to be a father that Ayu could be proud of. Since this expedition would bring more advantages to both Ayu and him, he hoped that Seung-nyang won’t hold Baek Ahn against his earlier opposition of her being the Empress and she won’t disagree with his decision.

 

Bi-soo sent Suri to show Taltal the way to the mountain and at the same time spying on Taltal’s side; however, she was captured by the Eagle Group’s leader. Uh-oh, this is not good! She explained that she was the only survivor from Yoo’s mission of detaining the capital branch of the group because they tried to protect Dangkise and in order to save their group, she made a deal with Baek Ahn to make them as the supplier for the palace’s goods and received protection for the group from the Chancellor. Leader-nim, what’s better than getting protected by the most powerful man while raking in immense profit??

 

Yoo had a wooden sword fight with Baek Ahn and this was probably a regular activity for them since Yoo said that it would be the last time they did so. He was planning on returning to Goryeo soon and Baek Ahn thought that he’s finally giving up. I find it funny that Baek Ahn was like, “Ah, too bad you have to leave!” and he invited Yoo to his house on the next day. Yes, smiling Wang Yoo is always welcomed!

 

Having an argument on the breakfast table is not the best way to start your day and someone should tell the Dowager that, since she brought up the subject of Ta-hwan not visiting the Empress first thing in the morning. She thought that Bayan should got pregnant too and then, they would be able to select the Crown Prince. Ta-hwan wasn’t interested on talking about it, but Empress Dowager couldn’t stand the whispers accusing the new Empress as lacking and such because of Ta-hwan’s action. She proceeded to accuse Seung-nyang of having Ta-hwan to herself and Ta-hwan couldn’t take it anymore; but then, a maid passed out, putting the heated argument to halt.  The maids had all contracted some sort of plague and it would take some time to deal with it, hence Seung-nyang suggested that the Imperial family made a trip outside the palace for the time being. The Dowager agreed and thought of going to the Summer Palace but Seung-nyang didn’t think it was a good idea since Ayu’s fever would make the trip hard for the young baby. She suggested that they tried to find one of the officials in the capital that would be willing to house them…

…and it was no other than Baek Ahn, the current owner of the Chancellor’s house. He was more than willing to do so. First step: done!

 

Bi-soo walked aimlessly around the capital while thinking about what the leader said to her earlier: he decided to give her another chance but that would be the last time her life would be spared. I’m sure she’s torn in between saving her own life or the person she cared about and she happened to stop in front of a stall selling women’s ornaments. She was approached by Eunuch Park, who was there on the order of Lady Ki. Seung-nyang wanted to meet Bi-soo and told her to come to Baek Ahn’s house on the D-Day as the person bringing the Emperor’s gifts for the Chancellor. Bi-soo agreed to do so, but she’s curious about one thing, whether Wang Yoo was only her aide or not. Seung-nyang didn’t find it necessary for her to ask that question but Bi-soo admitted that she liked Wang Yoo. Kyaaaaaaahhh~!!! Seung-nyang was shaken but she hid her feelings, saying that Bi-soo was displaying her lack of respect by asking an Imperial Consort that question. Bi-soo admitted that Seung-nyang was still hurting Yoo since he still couldn’t forget Seung-nyang. She witnessed it all and felt his pain as hers. Seung-nyang recalled Yoo’s wish to spend his life with her and his words telling her to go on her path. She might had realized that Yoo had never gotten over her all this while…

 

 

Dangkise and his men were the first to reach the mountain and they asked Jeokho about the blacksmith shop. That place had been abandoned since it was said to be haunted by the spirits of the dead slaves but they insisted on going there. Jeokho shhowed them the way and after a round of screaming and freaking out over bones and skulls, they found a room filled with chests which held the money and the gold. No one realized that they’re all fake since Dangkise and Co. were too overjoyed with the discovery, but Byung-soo and Jo-cham had started to plan to get rid of Dangkise to snatch the treasure. Dangkise knew that Taltal would try to track them down and decided to take the path in the mountains with Jeokho’s guide. Well, they’re not in the good hands since Jeokho told one of his henchmen to let Taltal know about their path and prepared something that looked like a wick connected to one of the chest…

 

 

Members of the Imperial family were ready to leave the palace and Ta-hwan didn’t expect to have Bayan joining them. The Dowager thought that the Empress should follow them since she was Baek Ahn’s niece and suggested that Bayan was the one who would accompany Ta-hwan there while Seung-nyang should stay at a place nearer to the palace since Ayu was sick. Luckily Seung-nyang was not someone who would give up easily and said that she had the right to go there since she’s Baek Ahn’s adopted daughter. HAHAHA! The Dowager didn’t have any point to argue, plus Bayan thought that it would be merrier with all of them in one place. Ta-hwan didn’t want the fickle argument to continue and urged them to move before pulling Seung-nyang’s hand. Muahahaha. They ran into the detained members of the Eagle Group and Bi-soo’s superior was horrified when he saw someone among the Imperial family and their aides. Hmmmm…I wonder who did he saw? His leader?

 

The Chancellor’s house was lively with the preparation being made to receive the Imperial family and Yoo jokingly stated that Baek Ahn was preparing too much for him. LOL, as if you didn’t know the truth beforehand! He acted like it was his first time hearing that the Emperor and his family would be spending their night at the Chancellor’s house. Yoo wanted to meet Taltal before he left for Goryeo, but the latter was already at the mountain, determined to go after Dangkise after finding out that the treasure had been taken away. It was already dark and Taltal was getting nearer to Dangkise’s location; however, Jeokho lit up the wick and the chest exploded, causing the other chests to be caught on fire. Did they put explosives under those counterfeit money?! Dangkise and Byun-soo cried over the burning money in front of their eyes but that’s not the only thing; the explosion gave away their exact location to Taltal, who wanted them dead. It was Yoo’s order for Jeokho to burn those fake money on their way from the mountain, but Taltal picked up a partially burned money and realized that it was a counterfeit note. Oh noes!

 

Taltal went back to the slaves’ village and confirmed that the money was fake but he didn’t tell anyone about it, although Suri suspected that something was wrong. His men failed to catch Dangkise and Co., though I don’t think they could run that fast in that dark forest. Taltal heard the kids singing the local song (Eighty Eight Kings?) and he asked for the lyrics to be brought to him. He was confident that the song might be related to the secret treasure and from the lyrics, he found out the location just like Seung-nyang did earlier: Yeon-chul’s house a.k.a. the Chancellor’s house. These two could rule the whole world if they got married, seriously. He decided to go back to the capital and Suri overheard it. At the same time, the Imperial family had reached Baek Ahn’s house and Seung-nyang had already knew where the secret room was since she saw the place marked on the plan of the house.

 

Maha’s nanny couldn’t coax the crying boy and Yoo, who happened to walk by, asked to hold the boy in his arms. Awwwwww (ㅠㅠ) Although his underlings thought that he shouldn’t lay his hands on the prince, they didn’t have the heart to stop him since they knew the truth about the boy’s identity. Yoo held his son, telling him that a man should not cry easily; even if he’s sad, he must held it in like a proper man should do. Ahhhhh~~~ Maha soon stopped crying and smiled brightly to Yoo.

 

And Seung-nyang, who was on her way to meet the others, saw Maha together with Yoo. She looked at them warmly and I can’t take this anymore sobs

 

Seung-nyang praised Yoo for knowing how to handle a child so well and he seemed quite surprised to see her there. Yoo didn’t waste any time to alert Seung-nyang about Taltal finding out about the secret treasure’s location. Seung-nyang didn’t expect him to find out so soon and they had to act faster from now on. She asked whether Yoo knew about mahjong and he heard it before back in Goryeo, hence she explained to him her plan: she would lost all her money in the game and excused herself in the middle of the game. Since everyone would be paying attention to the game, she won’t raise suspicion and they could move without attracting people’s eyes on them. Their conversation was interrupted by Ta-hwan’s presence (that was close!) and he wanted to know what they were talking about. Seung-nyang grabbed the chance and told him that Yoo had asked for a mahjong game and Ta-hwan agreed to it. He put his arm around Seung-nyang, as if showing Yoo that she’s his now. It wasn’t empty talk when Ta-hwan said that he would show his skills since he won round after round in the mahjong game and Seung-nyang lost all her money with the excuse that it was her first time playing mahjong. They agreed to play another round while Yoo and Seung-nyang exchanged nods without anyone else realizing it.

 

Taltal knew that Yeon-chul’s house was the safest place where the secret fund could be hidden and he must not waste any more time. Hong-dan had served the guards drugged food to make them unconscious as Bi-soo had arrived at the house with precious goods on a carriage. Seung-nyang got her chance to leave when Hong-dan told her that Ayu won’t fall asleep and everyone was so engrossed in the game. Taltal went back to his office in the palace to take a look at the Chancellor’s house plan and realized that there was a hidden symbol marking the location where the treasure was hidden. It was inside the library but Seung-nyang didn’t know the exact location of the treasure, but they soon found a secret room which was located on the east of the library. She entered the room and yeah, it was a room full of chests with gold of all shapes. Seung-nyang was the winner of this treasure hunt!

 

Bi-soo brought the chests out of the house without any suspicion since the guards had been drugged but she ran into Taltal; luckily, he probably thought that the carriage only contained ordinary merchant goods! Seung-nyang returned to her seat and let Yoo knew that the mission was successfully completed. Ta-hwan was bragging about his win in the mahjong game but he’s still bitter when it came to Yoo; he knew that Yoo would be leaving for Goryeo soon and he hoped that there would be no reason for them to see each other again. He wished (in a not-so-sincere way) that Yoo won’t be deposed again in the future. I can’t describe Seung-nyang’s stare at Ta-hwan: was it a judging stare, or a cautious glare? Taltal reached the house and headed towards the library. He found the secret room but it was already emptied without leaving behind even a single coin. Too bad, Taltal….you’re one step too late! The prime suspect was the other person who showed interest in the secret treasure and we all know who it was…

 

The mahjong table turned into a drinking table for the same players except Bayan and the discussion was mainly about the military expedition. The Dowager was glad to have another chance to take a jab at Seung-nyang, asking about Goryeo’s fate during the expedition. Ta-hwan pointed out that Goryeo was a son-in-law state of Yuan and he treated the nation as the dynasty’ brother. Baek Ahn thought that it would be beneficial for Goryeo citizens if Goryeo became one with Yuan and Ta-hwan reminded Yoo to give it a thought once he ascended the throne. It was not easy for Yoo (and Seung-nyang too) to talk about the sensitive matter, but Yoo gave a wise answer: it’s not his place to say anything since he’s not the current king. Suddenly, Taltal’s henchman informed them that Taltal had returned. Seung-nyang was tense the whole time and it didn’t help at all when Taltal kept sending her murderous glare, but he didn’t tell Ta-hwan about the secret treasure inside that very house; he only reported about the burned money, putting the blame on his lacking self. They were disappointed with the outcome and the expedition would have to be delayed for the time being.

 

Yoo met Seung-nyang afterwards to inform her about the treasure that had been divided equally between them. She smiled at him, telling him he had worked hard to help her. He smiled back at her before walking away, and her smile faded a little as he turned his back on her. These two…it was good to see them working together after a while :”)

 

Seung-nyang had another man waiting to meet her: Taltal, who insisted that she followed him to a place. He showed her the secret room and said that it was where Yeon-chul stored his secret fund before it disappeared. He wanted to hear it from Seung-nyang herself, but she denied that it was her who took the money away. There’s no way she would use the evil money and it’s better for the dirty money to disappear. Taltal knew that she was lying and acknowledged that she won this time around, but Seung-nyang was still putting on her innocent mask, saying that she had never planned to defeat him or whatsoever. Taltal gave her a reminder: he won’t be fooled for the second time and he would keep tab on how she was going to spend the money; if she happened to plan something that would endanger his clan, he won’t stand still. Seung-nyang’s words afterwards managed to shake him: she didn’t want to see her respected teacher became someone who put his own clan above the nation and the citizens. Yup, these two need to join forces and conquer the world!

 

Seung-nyang received the news that the gold had reached the palace. Okay, was she planning on keeping it inside the palace? How could they hide it when the gold was delivered during the day? Other people could see those chests from a distance! O.O Speaking of other people, Ta-hwan appeared with Empress Dowager and Bayan tagging along, excited to see what his dearest Consort was up to. Seung-nyang told him that the carriages contained goods for her quarters but that made Ta-hwan even more eager to take a look at them. Red alert!!! Seung-nyang tried to stop him but Ta-hwan thought she was just being embarrassed in front of him. She tried to stop him again and Ta-hwan turned into his serious mode: was it something that he’s not supposed to see? Darn darn darn darn darn!!!!

 

Ta-hwan told her to step aside and Seung-nyang had to obey his order since all eyes were on her. He opened one of the chests to see stacks of gold inside it. His eyeballs almost popped out at the sight of the gold and he glared at Seung-nyang, asking what was the meaning behind this. She just stared into his eyes helplessly but Ta-hwan realized that there are other people around them. He was fast to close the chest and whispered to Seung-nyang to take it away, while Empress Dowager was wondering about the content. All eyes were on Seung-nyang…

…and she opened the chest to show the gold to everyone, giving them a good surprise for the day.

*

What would you do now, Ki Seung-nyang?!

* Sorry for the delay…got myself additional medicine and there’s nothing to worry about (^^,)