Rumors and Reentry

Two months after breaking off my engagement with Namgung Hwi, I returned to Hefei, and just as always, the city was absolutely overflowing with people.

Actually, that was a massive understatement.

“Young Master, are you quite all right?”

Watching me settle into a seat on the second floor of a tavern after barely managing to cut through the dense crowd, Yeo-ui could not conceal his intense worry. I dismissed his concerns with a casual wave of my hand.

“Don’t even get me started. I honestly thought I was going to be swept right back out of Hefei’s city limits.”

If it hadn’t been for the two of them flanking me, I might genuinely have been carried away by the sheer human tide.

Gazing past the balcony railing toward the city gates, I lowered my eyes to trace the main road that connected directly to them.

“There are far too many people.”

It was enough to leave me utterly speechless.

I was certain it hadn’t been anywhere near this chaotic before I left for my travels.

As I shook my head in disbelief and averted my gaze, Yeo-ui, who had been busy unpacking our belongings right beside me, chimed in immediately.

“My thoughts exactly, Young Master. Even just two months ago, the crowds weren’t anything like this.”

“Should I go scout around and look into the situation?”

The moment I showed a shred of curiosity regarding the current state of affairs, Jin-cheong reacted instantly. Interrupting his unpacking, he reached for his sword, fully prepared to head out, but I shook my head to stop him.

“There’s no need. If we wait just a little while, we’ll inevitably find out anyway.”

“Are you perhaps travelers from outside the province?”

Just then, an unfamiliar voice drifted over.

Wondering who it could be, I turned my body toward the source of the sound and spotted a middle-aged man sitting at the very next table, looking right at us. Because the distance between our tables was so short, I tilted my veiled hat slightly forward to obscure my features, just in case I might be recognized.

“We are, indeed.”

“Judging by your reaction, it seems you haven’t heard a single bit of recent news regarding Hefei.”

The man addressing us stroked his goat-like chin. Observing his thoroughly pompous demeanor, it was entirely obvious that he was dying to share some piece of information about the current situation. After a brief moment of deliberation, I cupped my hands in a polite greeting.

“Has something occurred that would cause such a massive influx of people into Hefei?”

“Well, you see…”

The man stroked his beard a few more times before picking up his teacup. Watching him take a slow sip to moisten his throat, I focused all my attention on the words that finally began to pour from his mouth.

“As you must know, Hefei is a city with a highly developed commercial market. Consequently, it has always seen a vast number of people passing through, but lately, everyone is flocking to Hefei for an entirely different reason.”

“An entirely different reason? I must admit, I am quite curious.”

“I am certain you have heard of it. The great Namgung Clan—the undisputed pinnacle of the Five Great Noble Clans—which makes its home right here in Hefei.”

“…Ah.”

Just hearing those words alone allowed me to guess exactly what topic he was about to bring up.

As I let out a quiet sigh, dismayed by the fact that the gossip was persisting far longer than I had anticipated, the man carried on with an expression brimming with excitement.

“Furthermore, this very city houses Mangeum Bank, which happens to be the single greatest banking institution in the entire country.”

“…Yes, I am well aware.”

Considering that this very body belonged to the youngest son of that exact banking family, I could hardly claim otherwise. Raising a hand to signal a silent halt to Yeo-ui and Jin-cheong, who were both currently sucking in sharp intakes of breath, I listened intently to the ensuing words.

“At one point, the youngest son of Mangeum Bank and the Young Master of the Namgung Clan were betrothed to be married. …Though that relationship was completely dissolved two months ago.”

Hearing the definitive end of the relationship between myself and Namgung Hwi being spoken aloud by a complete stranger felt incredibly bizarre. Suppressing the sudden turbulence in my emotions, I composed my mind and leaned my upper body closer to the man’s table.

“An engagement between families of such stature is surely not something that can be broken easily. There must have been a profoundly grave reason to justify dissolving the betrothal entirely?”

“In the beginning, the youngest son of Mangeum Bank spent his days constantly dogging the footsteps of the Namgung Clan’s Young Master. Because of that, the prevailing rumor was that the Young Master simply grew utterly sick and tired of him, leading to a unilateral termination of the engagement.”

“Hmm?”

“But in truth, there was an absolute reason why the youngest son of Mangeum Bank had no choice but to constantly chase after the Young Master. For you see, this one specific attribute of his is truly, devastatingly exceptional.”

As he uttered the phrase ‘this one specific attribute,’ the man gestured with his hand, sweeping it up and down in front of his own face.

I nodded in immediate agreement as Namgung Hwi’s striking appearance naturally materialized in my mind.

To be fair, with a face of that caliber, if he were to simply walk down the street in the real world, countless talent scouts would have practically shoved their business cards into his hands, begging to know if he had any interest in becoming a celebrity. If he had ever actually debuted, he undoubtedly would have enjoyed an astronomical level of popularity.

Even I had spent my time constantly following him around, utterly mesmerized, and on more than a few occasions, my heart had genuinely skipped a beat—so that really said all that needed to be said.

Perhaps encouraged by my clear interest in his tale, the man’s voice grew even louder.

“I realize it might sound like boasting to speak of such things to a traveler I’ve only just met, but I happen to possess a direct connection to the Namgung Clan. Consequently, I receive highly accurate information straight from the source.”

Big deal. I happen to be the actual subject of that gossip.

Even so, I was genuinely curious to know exactly what kind of stories had been circulating during the time I spent away from Hefei. Suppressing my mounting irritation, I continued to cater to the man’s ego to keep him talking.

“…Is that so?”

“Young Master.”

Perhaps reacting to my slightly delayed response, Jin-cheong called out to me immediately.

I brought my index finger up to the front of my veiled hat.

“Shh. We are in the middle of a conversation.”

While I appreciated his protective instincts, satisfying my curiosity was my absolute priority right now.

Having successfully restrained Jin-cheong, I turned back to the man to prompt him further.

“Possessing such a direct connection makes your words far more credible. If you wouldn’t mind, could I hear the rest of the story?”

“Ahem, cough! Well, since you ask, I suppose I can share. My connection is actually quite extraordinary. The cousin of the close friend of my younger brother’s dearest companion happens to be employed within the Namgung Clan.”

“…….”

Maybe I should just cut this conversation short right here and now.

Staring at the man as my interest cooled instantly to below freezing, I worked hard to control the slight tremor running through my lips.

Given the absurd length of that connection, even if this man kept babbling, the contents would likely be nothing more than a heavily distorted, highly dramatic retelling of the facts I had personally experienced.

Just as I was calculating the perfect timing to check out of the conversation, the man seemed to late realize how ridiculous he sounded and self-consciously stroked his beard.

“Ah, it seems I’ve digressed a bit too far. Where exactly was I?”

If he had been just a moment later, I would have canceled my food order on the spot. Turning to face the man, who was clearly showing a renewed desire to talk, I offered a blunt reply.

“You left off at the part where the youngest son of Mangeum Bank followed the Young Master of the Namgung Clan everywhere, leading to many rumors that Namgung Hwi had simply grown tired of him.”

“…Ah, right, I remember now.”

It seemed he hadn’t anticipated that I would boldly utter the actual name of the Namgung Clan’s Young Master. Caught off guard, the man carefully scanned the attire and appearance of myself, Yeo-ui, and Jin-cheong before letting out a quiet sigh.

“Sigh, well, you are merely travelers, so I suppose there’s no harm in it. Ahem! Since I’ve already spoken this much, I might as well tell you the whole story.”

“Please do.”

“Contrary to the rumors I mentioned earlier, it is said that there is a completely separate hidden truth behind the broken engagement between the Young Master of the Namgung Clan and the youngest son of Mangeum Bank.”

“A separate hidden truth?”

It seemed the core of the matter was finally coming to light. Leaning even further toward the man, my eyes widened as his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.

“They say the Young Master had another secret lover. I heard that is the real reason the engagement was dissolved entirely.”

…Well, look at that. It turns out his brother’s friend’s cousin was actually tracking closer to the truth than expected.

While I was reeling in surprise at a statement that pierced straight to the core of the facts, the man continued without a pause.

“They say that very lover is currently residing within the Namgung estate. What’s more… there are even rumors that the secret lover was present right at the very location where the engagement was broken off.”

“That… that is truly unimaginable.”

I had fully expected him to be spouting nothing but baseless gossip, so it was genuinely startling to receive such highly accurate information. With my trust in his words now significantly elevated, I focused intently on what came next.

“The engagement was dissolved in that manner, but lamentably, it is said that the secret lover is currently receiving treatment that doesn’t even qualify as that of a proper guest within the Namgung Clan. This is despite the fact that he was brought there personally by the Young Master himself.”

That specific detail was something I already knew from reading the original novel.

Yeon Ji-oh, whom Namgung Hwi had brought back, possessed a thoroughly glittering exterior, but he was completely lacking in any real substance.

To put it plainly, the current Yeon Ji-oh possessed absolutely no capability to provide the Namgung Clan with the kind of financial backing that Mangeum Bank once did—at least, not until the story progressed into its final stages.

“However, you see, there is one particular rumor that has been circulating in absolute secrecy of late. This, too, is a piece of information that leaked directly from the Namgung Clan…”

Letting his voice trail off, the man briefly scanned our surroundings before fixing his gaze back on me. I nodded in prompt encouragement.

“If it is all right with you, I would very much like to hear that story as well.”

Given that he had consistently spoken nothing but the absolute truth so far, I felt a considerable amount of faith in whatever piece of information he was about to share next.

Seeing my clear engagement, the man took a sip of his tea to wet his throat once more before dropping the final bomb.

“Currently, the youngest son of Mangeum Bank is said to have gone on a journey to travel the lands following the broken engagement. However, the exact timing of his departure is considered profoundly suspicious.”

“Suspicious? In what way?”

I had literally just gone out to enjoy the absolute freedom I hadn’t been able to taste for years after finally succeeding in my quest.

Right as my eyes blinked in utter incomprehension at a statement I couldn’t even begin to fathom, the man, who until now had merely kept his voice low, began casting furtive glances left and right to check his surroundings. Then, cupping both hands around his mouth to shield it, he gestured with his chin for me to lean closer.

“…….”

What on earth could it possibly be for him to convey it with such an extreme level of secrecy?

I naturally brought my ear right down to the man’s mouth. A split second later, a piece of absolute, unadulterated nonsense struck my eardrum.

“Word has it that the youngest son of Mangeum Bank is actually carrying the Young Master’s child.”

“…What?”

What kind of ridiculous plot development is this?

No, wait, how can a man even get pregnant in the first place? I know this is a BL novel world, but a mpreg setting definitely didn’t exist in the original text!

Confronted with a statement that completely defied all logic, I was left utterly paralyzed by sheer shock. While I was struggling to formulate any kind of coherent response, trapped in a state of dumbfounded stuttering, the man’s stream of absolute nonsense struck my ears in rapid succession.

“This part is a closely guarded secret, but they say the Young Master devised a scheme to firmly secure the financial backing of Mangeum Bank. Consequently, the youngest son was tricked into consuming a secret mystical elixir, which allowed him to conceive a child—only for the Young Master to suddenly acquire a completely separate secret lover right after. The sheer shock of that betrayal allegedly caused the youngest son of Mangeum Bank to suffer a tragic miscarriage, and the rumor whispered in the shadows is that he has currently gone into hiding under the guise of medical recuperation.”

I had certainly heard my fair share of absurd rumors throughout my life, but a piece of gossip this utterly preposterous was a genuine first.

Staring at my entirely dumbstruck expression, the man finally burst into a hearty laugh and pulled back to a normal distance.

“Haha, cough. At any rate, the reason I brought up these rumors circulating between the two prominent families is because it is inextricably linked to why Hefei has suddenly become so crowded.”

Inextricably linked, huh.

I desperately wanted to know what kind of logic could possibly connect those dots.

Actually, no, I absolutely did not want to know.

And yet, I absolutely had to know.

Forcing down the absolute chaos swirling in my mind, I finally opened my mouth to speak.

“…What possible connection could those rumors have to the current situation in the city?”

At that question, the man gave his chin a thorough stroke, took another sip to clear his throat, and locked his eyes directly with mine.

“Did I not just mention the part about the pregnancy?”

No, I think I would honestly be much better off not hearing another word of this.

Right as I was about to explicitly state my refusal to listen, triggered by the profound sense of impending doom brought on by the word ‘pregnancy,’ the man spoke up ahead of me, giving a terrifying, concrete form to my worst anxieties.

“The location where he allegedly consumed that mystical elixir happens to be the lakeside, and the rumor has spread like wildfire that a single encounter there guarantees immediate conception. As a result, countless people who are desperately wishing for a child have completely swarmed into Hefei just to offer their prayers at that exact lakeside.”