Two years later…

“Good morning Jung Min. How are you today?” The merchant at an auction house asked.

Jung Min looked at the elderly man and smiled. “I’m doing well, sir. Do you have any news for me today?”

The elderly man stared at him for a moment, then said, “Apart from the usual, there is something that might be useful to you, but I’m not so certain about it.”

Jung Min raised a brow. He wondered what it could be?

The merchant gave him a list of a few illegal goods that he recently came upon illegally, of course, and a token.

Jung Min looked at the token. It was a red tassel, something used when he communicated only with a certain ex-lover of his.

He raised a brow, then looked at the merchant. The elderly man was minding his business as he collected items for a package that was to be picked up later.

Looking back down at the token, Jung Min thought, ‘Why now? Does she want to blackmail me again?’

An hour later…

Jung Min arrived outside the home of his ex-lover and could hear moaning. Sighing, he knocked on the door loudly and the moaning stopped.

There was some ruffling going on behind the door and after a moment, a woman draped in lavender coloured robes opened the door. Her cheeks were red, while her eyes were slightly swollen. 

When she saw that her guest was Jung Min, she beamed happily, but it only made Jung Min frown as he saw that she was missing some teeth.

“Ah-Min, you’re here? How come?” She asked as she stepped out onto the patio.

He stared at her up, then down and back and said, “You left your token with the merchant. I assumed it should be important.”

She had to think about it first, then nodded, “Oh that, it was a few months ago. I forgot.”

He watched her as she rubbed her head, embarrassed. They used to be so in love, but he was sure she was possessed by something because she could never get enough of being with other men while she was with him.

“So, what did you want to tell me?” He asked.

“Oh,” she snapped from her thoughts as she looked at him. Thinking it through, she said, “I just… I know I wasn’t supposed to go through your private stuff while we were together, but I did. There were these missing people posters of those two men between your stuff in the box and I saw them. I don’t know if you foun…”

“Wait, wait, wait, what people?” Jung Min asked, confused.

The woman stared at him and recalled her memories clearly. “There was a letter also saying that it was important for you to find the one with the headband more than the one with the scar on his face.”

Jung Min had to think carefully about what she was talking about. He always made it clear to her that she shouldn’t mess with his things, but it seemed like she still didn’t listen.

As he was thinking of this headband, someone popped into his mind. His gaze snapped towards her as he asked, “The name on the poster, do you remember it?”

The woman tried to think about it, but nothing came up. She shook her head, disappointed.

“And the man from the poster, where is the scar?” He asked, making sure since he now had a suspicion.

“Across the corner of his right cheek,” she answered with no hesitation, and almost looked proud.

Jung Min’s eyes widened. “Where did you see them?”

“At the fisherman’s port. Actually, they came into town recently too. The other man was walking with a girl and they went to the seamstress but I haven’t seen them since,” she said as she recalled the little girl who was beautiful.

“The fisherman’s port?” He repeated.

She nodded her head saying, “Yes, they got onto a boat heading for…”

*

“I don’t know really,” Changling said as he bounced his daughter on his knee.

Qinghe was staring at the bouncing ponytail as he said, “I said to my wife that if she doesn’t give me a daughter, I’m leaving her.”

Changling burst out laughing, and so did Qiang Wu.

Qiang Wu groaned when he saw how Changling’s daughter puked all onto the floor at Changling’s feet.

The maid-in-waiting walked over and smiled at Changling apologetically saying, “Thank you, your highness, I’m sorry that you have to do this.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, as long as she’s doing better now. Right Tian Shi?” 

Hwang Tian Shi nodded her head, but they could see that she wasn’t okay and just wanted to sleep.

“Take her back and rest. Report to me if anything else happens,” he said.

After the maid-in-waiting left, Qinghe asked, “Do you see yourself having more children with her?”

He shook his head. “I’m considering taking in a consort. I can’t have Haeun going crazy around Tian Shi, too.”

Qiang Wu raised a brow. Not a single day went by that he didn’t remember his best friend. He even named his son after Youxian, but Changling seemed to dislike this and renamed him.

Qinghe saw someone walking towards them and raised a brow. What was it now? 

The man stopped beside Qinghe, bowed to all of them, and whispered something in Qinghe’s ear.

Qinghe stared at him, confused, then the realisation hit him and he nodded his head. Dismissing the man, he looked at the two brothers and said, “I need to leave now. Duty calls. Ah-Ling, don’t forget your manners when you head to court. Qiang, be sure to remind your brother later.”

Qiang Wu chuckled and nodded his head after sneaking a glance at Changling’s frown.

When he left, Changling sighed. Things were boring in the palace when his brother wasn’t around and he didn’t have anyone around except for Qiang Wu because everyone married out.

Looking at his brother, he said, “You are not allowed to listen to him.”

“He’s older than you, hyung,” Qiang Wu said, defeated.

*

“If you knew of this information, why did you not come to me sooner?” Qinghe yelled at Jung Min.

Jung Min, although he was talented, he wasn’t much in Changling’s eyes. In fact, Changling didn’t even like him and because of that, he couldn’t move up in ranks and instead had to find a job outside of the assassination guild.

But Jung Min always tried his best to impress Changling.

Qinghe felt bad for him, but what could he do?

“Was I supposed to come to you without any evidence?” Jung Min asked. He wasn’t surprised that Qinghe was angry at him, at least it was him and not Changling.

Changling would’ve stabbed him already.

Qinghe paced back and forth before Jung Min, who was holding a portrait for Wulin, Youxian and a girl. On top of the portrait, there was a book of registered marriages and in it, it stated that Youxian and Wulin had gotten married not long after arriving on Talchulhada Island.

Stopping in his steps, Qinghe asked himself, “Wulin was Changling’s most loyal follower. How did Youxian manage to convince him to run away with him?”

Jung Min stared at Qinghe and thought about Wulin. Wulin had quite the reputation, but he was almost a ghost as well.

It really was a mystery how Youxian could’ve convinced him.

“I must tell Changling, he’ll know what to do,” Qinghe said. He was tired of doing Changling’s dirty work and cleaning up after him.

Youxian was a case that he couldn’t understand. If Youxian hadn’t come into Changling’s life, who knew what their relationship would be like?

Two brothers who were sexually intimate. He was certain that everyone would’ve known about it.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Jung Min, saying, “You did well, Jung Min. I’ll give credit where credit is due.”

Jung Min shook his head. “Oh no, don’t worry about it. I’m just more than happy to help his highness with this.”

That was just a lie. He didn’t want Wulin coming after him.