Chapter 250 Rescuing My Brother-in-Law

Chapter 250: Rescuing My Brother-in-Law

Though she felt a bit uneasy, Jie Hualan did her best to offer advice.

“You’re proposing marriage by placing white wine on a duck dish and offering a ring? Are you out of your mind?”

“…….”

Well, I did use a bit of an extreme expression.

Anyway, she reminded me of something important.

“Formality isn’t all that important.”

“Then what?”

“What matters most is the heart.”

“……”

“If you think about what she likes or recall memories just the two of you shared, you’ll naturally find a good way.”

Thanks to that, I remembered the core point I’d forgotten.

‘Right, it’s about going back to the beginning.’

What matters is an unyielding heart, never the formality.

Even if I hadn’t made it big like I have now, even if I hadn’t become a master, Myohyang would have definitely liked me.

Clang clang clang clang.

Holding that realization in my heart, I entered the kitchen and began chopping.

Sizzle.

I neatly sliced various vegetables and boiled them with leftover meat scraps to make a rough broth.

Thump! Thump!

I took some readily available flour from the store, added water, and kneaded the dough.

It was coarse flour, ground without a milling machine, but it didn’t matter.

Pang! Grind. Grind.

No matter the state of the flour, it turned into a smooth dough full of gluten before the Jeonwangshimssamtu.

Now all that remained was making the noodles.

No need for advanced techniques like hand-pulled noodles or knife-cut noodles.

Simply fold the dough neatly after spreading it wide, then slice it thinly with a knife.

The knife-cut noodles made this way were added directly to the broth just prepared, without boiling them separately.

The broth instantly turned cloudy due to the undissolved starch.

This is by no means a good cooking method.

It’s the kind of sloppy cooking a beginner might do.

But.

Slurp.

“It’s done.”

This is the very first dish that thirteen-year-old Myohyang made for me when I was nine.

“Oh? Why noodles? Don’t you usually dislike them?”

When I brought it into the room, Myohyang, dressed in comfortable clothes, looked down at the bowl with a curious expression.

“I tried making them. I’m not sure if they’ll taste good.”

After examining the contents, she flushed.

“……These are the noodles I made for you the very first time.”

“You remember?”

“Why did you bring something like this? It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing about it? It’ll be delicious, I’m sure.”

“My skills were clumsy back then. The ingredients weren’t great either.”

“This is the first dish my sister ever made just for me. So what if it’s a bit messy or a little bland? Try a bite before it gets cold. The broth might be weak, but the noodles themselves are absolutely perfect.”

“Well then, for the sake of her effort, I suppose I’ll give it a try?”

Slurp.

“Oh my? This is delicious.”

She murmured her admiration after tasting the noodles.

The broth, practically watery, couldn’t possibly be tasty.

It was just that the MSG of nostalgia had been added, making it taste good.

“Right?”

“Yes, you can actually taste a certain depth of flavor from such meager ingredients.”

“I added a secret ingredient.”

“A secret ingredient?”

“Heart.”

She smiled brightly, finding it amusing.

“Phew… What’s that?”

“I’m serious…”

“Alright. I’ll believe you.”

After eating a few more bites, Myohyang set down her bowl.

“Did you eat your fill?”

“Yes, thanks to you, my belly’s so full I’ll sleep like a log tonight.”

“That’s all thanks to my big heart thinking of you.”

“You’re right. If I ate twice, I’d get all plump and round.”

“Hmm, that won’t do…”

“Huh? What is it?”

“You’re supposed to eat my heart for the rest of your life. How could you get fat after just two meals?”

“Huh?”

Myohyang is no ordinary woman. When commanding subordinates, her charisma radiates; when drafting business plans, she’s sharp enough to give Zhuge Liang a run for his money.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to stand out in the upper echelons where all manner of schemers run rampant.

But today, she blushed and bowed her head as if she were nothing more than an ordinary woman.

“Th-that means…”

He grabbed her flustered hand.

“Let’s get married.”

Whoosh.

Hearing the proposal, she gasped in shock, let go of my hand, and began to weep profusely.

“Ah, no… Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

I thought it was a done deal, but the reaction was really bad. Wondering if I’d been too careless, I leaned in, and she let out a long sigh.

“It’s too late. How long do you think I waited?”

She said, wiping away tears.

“I’ll take good care of you from now on.”

“Likewise.”

He embraced her tightly.

Jinmujon is finally getting married.

* * *

The outer walls of Nine Dragons City boast four renowned sights.

One is the beautiful Nine Dragons Lake. Two is the unparalleled grandeur of the North Gate. Three is the Honghua Pavilion, overflowing with beauties.

And the fourth, the most recent addition, was the Xichuan Trading House.

The sight of twenty warehouses and ten three-story pavilions densely packed across a plot of land exceeding four acres demonstrated that the scale of the Seocheon Trading Company was beyond imagination and that its wealth was immense.

And gathered in the most secretive place of that very Seocheon Trading Company, beneath the Wujeon Hall, were three women.

“I kept my promise. Now it’s Sister Miao’s turn to help me.”

“I must reiterate, I cannot sway the Master’s heart. I can only praise the Princess to him or create opportunities for the two of you to spend time together.”

“That’s all I need. I’ll handle the rest myself. You’re not planning anything shady behind my back, are you?”

“Who in the world would dare deceive Princess Cheong? Don’t worry. I have no intention of monopolizing Lord Munju, the hero of the realm, either.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

That was Myohyang and Jeokhwa.

“Wait, why did you bring me along when I have absolutely nothing to do with this…?”

And it was the cleaning crew.

“By the way, I was amazed once again by Your Highness’s cunning. Spreading that false rumor about seeking a spouse to lure matchmakers to come voluntarily… I was truly astonished.”

“Sister, didn’t you bribe the most notorious crook in the land? I knew you were no ordinary person from the start, but this move truly surpassed my imagination.”

“Um… Can’t I just go home?”

Myohyang and Jeokhwaran exchanged glances.

It was like watching two wild leopards threatening each other.

“But, bringing up the past is a bit uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t spread it. It’s a rumor that started circulating in the upper circles wary of the Seocheon Trading Company.”

“I’m just wondering if Your Highness’s power could have stopped it.”

“……”

Jik Hwa-ran remained silent. Myo-hyang’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

Seeing her like that, Myohyang smiled softly.

“Still, well… thanks to this, I’m glad I got to see just how deeply the Master thinks of me.”

“This atmosphere is too scary… Can’t I just leave?”

Ugh.

Jik Hwa-ran bit her lip at Myo Hyang’s relaxed attitude.

It was her habit when she was anxious.

“Is there any need to get so worked up? Soon we’ll be living together as sisters-in-law. When that time comes, we’ll have to change how we address each other. Not ‘Princess’ anymore, but ‘sister’.”

Sister?

If anyone who knew Jihwa-ran had heard that, they would have been utterly shocked.

And rightly so, for it’s safe to say that within the current Nine Dragons Castle, no one outside her family could address Jie Hualan so familiarly.

Even Mun Sangma, who held a position second to none in the Nine Dragons City, would address her with half the respect due to a princess.

But that wasn’t what mattered to Jie Huaran right now.

The main quarters of Jeonryongdang now belong to Myohyang.

If Myohyang breaks her promise to help and starts opposing it, Jeokhwaran can never become Jeonjeon’s wife.

On the other hand, if Myohyang actively pushed for it, no matter how indifferent Mujeon might be, she could secure the position of second wife.

Realizing this, Jeokhwaran tempered her momentum.

She realized that to enter the inner quarters of Jeonryongdang, she must not antagonize Myohyang.

“Hmm… When the time comes, I shall properly treat you as my elder sister.”

“What if I provided a way to see immediate results?”

“…Then I’d have to treat you as my elder sister right away, wouldn’t I?”

“Okay.”

Myaohyang, wearing a satisfied smile, looked at the sniffling cleaning station.

“Sniffle, sniffle… I want to go home…”

“Soso. There’s something you need to help with.”

“Sniff, huh?”

“If you succeed, I’ll get your name off the gambling house’s blacklist. Not permanently, of course, just for about a year. Oh, and I’ll make sure you have a solid bankroll too.”

Myohyang’s words made Chososo’s ears perk up.

After all, she’d come to Kuryongseong because she couldn’t enter gambling dens in Hanjung, only to find she couldn’t get in here either.

“So, what do I need to do to help?”

“Do you happen to know someone named Feng Yuhuan?”

The forbidden name came from Myohyang’s mouth.

* * *

A moment later.

After all discussions concluded, Jeokhwaran asked with a startled look.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“What?”

“Making me into… that… plump woman… that His Majesty… likes. Even though we haven’t had the wedding ceremony yet…”

“Huh, what was I expecting?”

Myohyang displayed her chest with a confident expression.

“I looked into the Plumpness Elixir. It’s not nearly as potent as I thought. Above all else.”

“……”

Myohyang whispered softly into Jeokhwaran’s ear.

“Honestly, it’s a bit much for me to handle Lord Moon alone. Personally, I’d like a second wife to come in as soon as possible. Truly.”

“……What exactly are you handling?”

“What else could it be? The things that happen at night. I swear, he’s like a bull on a rampage.”

“A bull…?”

Blush.

The pure mind of Jeokhwaran instantly became tangled.

Myohyang chuckled softly, patting her shoulder as she walked past.

“Well then, see you next time. Hehe.”

Watching Miao Xiang’s receding back, Jie Hualan thought.

Perhaps she would never be able to defeat that woman in her lifetime.

* * *

The wedding preparations were proceeding steadily and flawlessly.

Truth be told, there really isn’t much to do.

We’ll set up house in the place we’ve always lived, no dowry was needed, and the ceremony will be held at the Jeonryongdang Grand Martial Arts Hall.

On top of that, my master personally agreed to officiate the ceremony, so all that’s left is to welcome the bride at the venue.

Ah, but first, we must set the date for the ceremony.

“Hmph. I can hardly wait.”

Sure, we’re already living together, but there’s the matter of feeling, isn’t there?

He longed to dissolve their common-law relationship as soon as possible and become an official married couple.

As I walked along feeling quite satisfied, I suddenly saw Myohyang passing by alone, without any attendants.

“Who… No, that can’t be.”

She was a lady now.

It felt a bit embarrassing to call her “wife” on a busy street, so I quickened my pace to follow her.

After a short while.

Didn’t Myohyang suddenly slip into a large pavilion?

“That place is…”

It was the postal office where letters could be sent and received throughout the entire Central Plains.

Think of it roughly as the official server for Kookook Talk.

The problem was, her expression was filled with worry as she emerged from the station.

“Madam.”

“Oh my!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…”

“Ah, no. It’s my fault for not recognizing you.”

“You look terrible… What’s wrong?”

“Ah, well… I’ve sent several letters to San-i, but I still haven’t received a reply. It’s been more than enough time for them to arrive…”

“Your brother-in-law?”