Using a new poison to drive out the old one

While her body was suffering from the effects of the new poison, Woo-hye was able to see for a short time.

It was a workaround that Mokcheon had discovered while searching for a way to cure Na Ryeo-eun’s blindness.

He had first met Na Ryeo-eun in Doha when they were both young, and from then on they had a long-lasting friendship.

But although he was called a friend, Woo-hye had realised that Mokcheon had a deep affection for her mother.

‘If it hadn’t been for the marriage arranged by her family… wouldn’t Mother have chosen to be with Mr. Mok instead?’

If Woo-hye had been allowed to choose her parents, she would have wanted Mokcheon to be her father.

He had cared for her more than anyone else, even though she had grown up without a father’s love.

“Thank you for everything, always, Mr Mok.”

“There’s no time.”

He seemed curt, but the truth was he just wasn’t good at saying sentimental things.

He always played down his actions so that Woo-hye wouldn’t feel indebted.

Woo-hye, her body now weighed down by the invading poison, slowly got to her feet.

She couldn’t waste a second – not when someone had gone so far for her.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The apothecary’s storeroom was connected to another building by a wall.

This building was called Pungwoo-gak.

Outwardly, it was a shop owned by a man named Pungwoo – but Pungwoo was a fictional character created by Woo-hye.

From there, she not only oversaw local affairs in Doha, but also kept a close eye on the wider state of the Cheonhae Kingdom.

As she dealt with merchants travelling along the river routes, an information network naturally developed.

From the beginning, Pungwoo-gak directly ran low-cost establishments such as a modest inn, Mokcheon’s Pharmacy, a small teahouse and a street food stall – places designed to make it easy for anyone to spend money.

These businesses eventually became popular with merchants looking to cut costs.

But Pungwoo-gak’s main business was something else: buying and renting property.

When Woo-hye first arrived in Dohwa, it was a much more barren city.

It happened to be situated on a huge river that stretched all the way to the capital, but there was nothing to see, nothing to eat and nowhere to stay. No one would even think of anchoring their ships there.

But Woo-hye had immediately recognised Dohwa’s potential.

‘This place will make money.’

The only problem was that she had no money to buy land.

‘Luckily, I managed to sell the horse and cart I came with to a local nobleman for a good price.’

Seol Mi-hee had given Woo-hye a fine horse and carriage so that she would not be called a wicked stepmother.

This allowed her to raise seed money and buy land.

Nanny Gye nearly collapsed in anger when she heard that Woo-hye had sold her horse and carriage for a handful of coins.

She still believes that Woo-hye was young and naive at the time and was deceived.

With the money left over from the land purchase, Woo-hye expanded the ferry dock to accommodate larger ships. She also built an inn where merchants could rest after long journeys.

Hiring labour was even easier.

In Doha, where there wasn’t much profitable work and farming was difficult, there were so many beggars that just offering food was enough to get people to work.

Prices had soared in other river towns, so smaller merchant guilds, burdened by high expenses, began to dock their ships in Doha, where costs were relatively low.

As money began to circulate and people began to gather, Doha gradually transformed into a thriving city.

None other than Woo-hye was responsible for transforming what had once been a lazy rural town – where all anyone did was pick peaches and deliver them to the capital – into a bustling place.

However, the people of Dohwa believed that the legendary figure behind it all was a man named Pungwoo.

When Woo-hye arrived at a hidden room in a secret location and rang a bell, a tall man appeared, looking startled.

“Master! You were just here a few days ago – aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Thanks for worrying, Gayu. Nothing much happened in the past week, right?”

The man called Gayu was the practical manager of Pungwoo-gak and Woo-hye’s business partner.

Putting on a pitiful expression as if he’d been waiting for this moment, he exaggeratedly replied,

“Unfortunately, a lot happened.”

“Oh dear.”

Woo-hye matched his exaggerated sorrow with a mock-sympathetic expression and lit a half-si-jin incense stick in the burner—something she used to track the time until her sight would fade again.

“Gayu, bring me Cheong-un’s portrait.”

Gayu pulled out the one labeled Cheong-un from a bookshelf stacked high with portraits.

“This is the man—Cheong-un.”

The portrait had been drawn by a painter he’d hired personally, so it was almost certainly a much more flattering version than reality.

“Not bad.”

“…You think this face is ‘not bad’?”

“Yeah. It’s easy to remember.

Of course, it doesn’t matter to someone like Hyang-eum—she never forgets a face once she’s seen it.”

Hyang-eum furrowed her brow deeply.

“That’s a face I already want to erase from memory.”

The gaudy outfit designed to accentuate his flashy features, the excessive jewelry—it all screamed vulgarity. Just looking at the portrait, one could tell he was a shallow man.

As Gayu handed over a report, he looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes full of curiosity.

“Why are you suddenly checking up on this scoundrel?”

Hyang-eum replied in a despairing voice,

“Because he’s about to become my lady’s husband.”

“What? Seriously?”

Woo-hye answered while flipping through the report.

“Yep. It’s true. So just come to the wedding with Mr. Mok and grab a bowl of noodles on your way out.”

Hyang-eum, looking dejected, sat nearby and shelled some grains.

She wanted to help Woo-hye with something more meaningful, but unfortunately, she had a chronic condition—whenever she looked at written words, she’d start nodding off.

“The fact that I didn’t hear anything about the master’s wedding… that means it was kept extremely secret. Something’s definitely off.”

It was indeed unusual. Gayu was always on top of every rumor circulating among merchants—so missing such a major development was out of character.

Woo-hye soon found the clue in the report.

“Looks like General Seol intends to continue the war. The prolonged conflict must’ve created a need for funds.”

That’s why they rushed to arrange her marriage to Cheong-un of the Taesang Guild—to raise money quickly.

To make things worse, around the same time, there had been word that Prince Ye had returned to the capital just last month, having ended the war in the northwest.

“They’re secretly sourcing military supplies through private merchant guilds? That’s treason!”

The First Prince, whom the Seol family was backing for the crown, was currently the most likely successor to the throne. Unless the tide turned drastically, there would be no stopping the Seol clan.

“If the Seol family produces the crown princess and she bears a son… it’s horrifying to think about.”

Woo-hye shrugged.

“I’m sure Prince Ye will take care of it before it comes to that.”

He was the emperor’s nephew and his most trusted vassal—

A god of war who had led ten years of campaigns without a single defeat.

To anyone who dared to challenge the emperor, Prince Ye Yoon Sangyeong was an overwhelming, immovable mountain.

‘And the man who sent my eldest brother to his death.’

This mysterious figure, said to have spent his days roaming the battlefield and never showing his face anywhere outside the imperial court, was so well-hidden that even obtaining a portrait of him was impossible.

Woo-hye kept rereading the brief line written in the letter:

“Last month, Prince Ye returned to the capital.”

If she wanted to find this elusive man, she would need help from her second eldest brother, Dan Joo-seop, now a general.

But she hadn’t heard from him in over six months.

Woo-hye bit her lip hard.

‘The spies I planted in the military camp said he was out on a mission. He’s always been unreachable during those times, so… this must be the same.’

Having a soldier in the family meant living every day on edge.

Just like her eldest brother, who had returned home one day as a cold corpse—she was constantly afraid her second brother might disappear in the same way.

“……”

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her chest.

Ever since the day she lost both her mother and her eldest brother, this anxiety would hit her without fail whenever she feared something similar might happen again.

She forced herself to shake off the dark thoughts and moved on to the next report.

Fortunately, the moment she laid eyes on it, the ridiculous content swept away her lingering fears.

“…What is this?”

A warehouse-style tavern was about to open in a bustling commercial district?

It didn’t match the area’s business dynamics at all, and the rent was outrageously high for such a venture.

‘Why would anyone try to make ritual liquor here?’

Cases like this weren’t unheard of.

If there had been many people truly knowledgeable about business, they would have all opened stores and made fortunes. But every year, countless would-be entrepreneurs ended up going bankrupt.

Especially those with just enough money to be dangerous.

Because Doha was still growing, it looked like a city full of opportunities.

As a result, many people jumped into business blindly, claiming they wanted to try their hand at it.

And every one of them inevitably failed.

Woo-hye called it entrepreneurial fever.

‘This one will go under within three months.’

She unfolded the city map and pointed at the soon-to-open tavern.

“Keep an eye on this shop. When they give up the business, spread a rumor that the place is cursed because it was used to make ritual liquor and failed. Say it’s haunted and brings bad luck. Then buy it cheap.”

Thanks to a fool who’d come along after a long time, it looked like she’d be able to add to her holdings at a bargain price.

“Understood. But what if this place really is haunted?”

Gayu, who had a particular fear of ghosts and spirits, muttered weakly. But Woo-hye brushed it off without a second thought.

“Just think of it as a shop blessed by a guardian spirit. If it’s spiritually powerful, business will boom.”

“R… right…”

Unfortunately, his master was the type to feel neither pity nor fear.

As Woo-hye burned the report, a sense of unease crept over her.

“Too much is changing too fast. If we’re feeling it here in Doha, the capital must be in total chaos. Gayu, send someone to Akyang and have them investigate thoroughly.”

“Yes, understood.”

“And also… find more people who might know something about Brother Joo-seop’s whereabouts…”

At that moment, the incense burned out completely and the ashes fell with a faint thud.

At the same moment, her once bright vision was swallowed by darkness.

As a side effect of the poisonous needles, even the light and reds she could usually see had completely disappeared.

“Please, look inside for me.”

Woo-hye squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. But it made no difference.

Darkness.

That was all there was.