Several months of silence and apparent peace, but beneath this surface calm, tensions run high. Ling Yue has now succeeded in employing two Hao faction spies as low-level members of her own clan, assigned as handcart drivers to transport goods from the outer palace to the inner palace.
Their job grants them brief opportunities to visit the inner palace and is low-level enough that removing them would be easy for the wife of the Heavenly Demon.
But these details aren't important to Ling Yue right now. She is now certain about Lady Dung-i giving birth. The Hao faction even sent someone from Dung-i's villa to meet Ling Yue's envoy to solidify her confidence. Last month, another son was added to the sect, and now there are succession rivals with age differences ranging from one year to a few months. With all the pieces in place, it's time for the most important move.
"We are going to visit Lady Mi-lin."
"A visit to the First Lady!"
"Why?"
"Our only advantage is time. Someone might leak this information for a few liang of silver."
"Muyan, you're coming with me too."
Muyan, who was busy cleaning her flute, obeyed the Fourth Lady's order. Zhan knew a visit to the First Lady wasn't routine and had an important reason. Lan had already told Zhan about the birth of a new child.
"Lan and I agreed to cooperate, and it seems our mother is more reliable than she appears."
"...!"
"Choi-iee!"
"My goodness, the young master said my name again!"
"Young master, what do you need from me?"
"..."
"Chicken."
"Madam Choi, sorry, but isn't Young Master Zhan's vocabulary a bit strange?!"
"I've been a midwife for many babies. The young master isn't strange, just smart."
"But what are you doing here?"
"Sorry!"
"Weren't you supposed to bring the chicken?"
In the First Lady's villa, the First Lady herself is assessing the situation. With the birth of a new child, the positions of all official wives are now equal, though she still holds a slight advantage.
Mi-lin is the eldest daughter of the Blade Flame clan, one of the important clans of the Heavenly Demon Sect. It could be said they are the strongest swordsmen in the sect, and most of the Four-Armed Demons cohort members come from this clan.
The sect doesn't grant special privileges to this clan's members; they are simply impossible to ignore due to their own power and skill.
Of course, they have a traditional rival and are always compared: the Blade Moon clan.
"My Lady, visitors have come for an audience."
"...!"
"The Third Lady again?"
"No, the Fourth Lady with a companion."
"Guide them in."
Even the humble Ling Yue is afraid of the new child's birth?
It didn't seem like something such a person would do, but people show their true nature in tense situations.
"Greetings to the First Lady."
"Lady Yue, why have you come to see me?"
She asked directly and without preamble, but I cannot answer without preamble either.
"Many events have happened in the sect over the past few months, and I felt the need to consult with someone who has a broader perspective."
"This view you have of a woman who spends most of her time in her villa?"
"If you've come about the birth of the new child, it's better to meet with the mother herself, not me."
"I wish I could, Lady Mi-lin, but to do that, I would have to leave Tai'an."
What is she talking about? This certainly isn't about the Second Lady.
"What are you talking about?"
"A lady from Joseon."
"Dung-i?"
"News of her giving birth reached me through one of my clansmen. Apparently, one of our warriors saw something during a supply delivery."
"It could be a maid's child."
"How can you be sure?"
"Muyan confirms it. She spoke directly with one of the maids and, of course, paid a few liang for their honesty."
"Madam Muyan, I remember you. Do you have anything to add?"
Muyan was nervous but prepared for this moment: "The Heavenly Demon stayed with Lady Dung-i the entire day of the birth."
"So there are other things too, right?"
"The child's name is Geon-ma, chosen from the divine treasure, the sword Geoma."
Nothing about this situation is normal, from the birth to the name choice. So that's why Ling Yue is here. It's unbelievable that she just found out or has only recently found out.
"And what do you want?"
"An agreement between the four wives, but it wouldn't be right for it to come from me. You are the First Lady."
"An agreement?"
"When that child turns five, it will be equal to the start of basic martial arts training."
"We must propose to Dung-i that, in exchange for guaranteeing her and her child's safety, her child should not start martial arts training."
She's giving me such a devilish proposal. I don't think she's finished speaking.
"I completely agree with such an agreement, but this benefits others more than me and my daughter."
Ling Yue was waiting for the conversation to reach this point.
"You have a talented daughter. How wonderful it would be if she learned the swordsmanship techniques of the Blade Moon clan."
"And if her skills are certified by the Blade Moon clan, she would probably have a better position than all the other heirs."
"So what you're offering in return is this?"
"Then I agree."
So she did have a bit of ambition after all.
"No."
"What?"
"This way, things benefit the First Lady more, and my sons and I get less."
"What do you want?"
"The daughter of the Jeagal clan, who was captured in the previous war, will spend the remainder of her captivity in my villa."
"You want a member of the Jeagal family?"
"She's just a child. Why do you need her?"
"She's not just any child. She's a child of the Jeagal clan and can assist in my sons' education."
She's right. Even though she's a child, she's from the Jeagal clan, the greatest strategists and researchers in Murim, and that child could become a valuable asset for her.
"It can be done."
"Thank you, First Lady."
"Ling Yue, I know you've started doing things, but be careful."
"As the ripples in a pond always circle back, so too does every action bring its own return."