Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 432

**Chapter 432: The Slacker Intimidates (2)**

Jegal Munin stared at Wei Yanho with bewildered eyes.

‘Captive children?’

Why is he asking that?

First of all, he doesn’t like the word “captive.”

How are they captives?

He picked up homeless children, children who would have starved to death, gave them food and shelter, and gave them work.

He admits he didn’t pay them, but if he hadn’t taken them in, they would have suffered more. How is that a crime?

Why did he take them as hostages?

Otherwise, those ungrateful wretches would have run away.

Understanding the escape is understandable.

Without hostages, spies would reveal the secrets of the Jegal family if captured.

That’s how spies are treated.

If Jegal Munin were captured by the Righteous Martial Alliance, he wouldn’t be tortured. If he dies in battle or is captured, he would simply enjoy life in prison.

It’s not easy to torture someone because it ruins their reputation.

But there’s an exception for spies.

Handling information means infiltrating secret places, and those captured there cannot report their capture. Even if they could, infiltrating means accepting any consequences if they are discovered.

So, they must be prepared for any eventuality.

But why is he focusing on that?

“No, young master, that’s not it…”

“My father is a righteous person.”

“Huh?”

“Although it’s hard to understand. Although I say I’m from a small town, everyone in Guangdong knows the Wei Family of Guangdong.”

“Huh?”

Jegal Munin had a dazed expression.

Why is he straying from the topic?

“He became the leader of the Wei Family of Guangdong at a young age, and he’s handsome. As a young master with the title of ‘Sword of the Righteous Hero’, many women admired him.”

“What do you mean?”

“But, despite that, he’s loyal to my mother, who always nags him. I respect that, so I don’t create unnecessary relationships.”

“That’s not what I mean!”

“Then what?”

“No, it’s that…”

When Jegal Munin hesitated, Wei Yanho shrugged:

“There’s no need to beat around the bush. Pay the back wages to the spies of the Jegal family. One gold ingot per year would be fine.”

“O… one ingot!”

Jegal Munin shouted in horror.

Giving ten gold ingots to one person isn’t a problem. But giving that amount to all the spies?

Even though the Jegal family has a lot of wealth, that would be a great loss.

“Isn’t it fair after exploiting them without paying them?”

“Who pays their spies?”

“The kind Jegal family.”

Wei Yanho smiled:

“It’s better to set an example than to be criticized. Or should you do it by force? It would be better if the leader were arrested. I think the bribe you have to pay would be greater than that. Ah, if I intervene, that old man will come, and then there will be no solution.”

“A stubborn old man?”

“The censor.”

“…Yi Wangya?”

“Yes.”

Yi Wangya, the Second Prince…

Jegal Munin laughed in disbelief.

That Yi Wangya must not be Zhu Lun, right?

“Do you mean Zhu Lun, the head of the investigation department, who is as strict as a sword and an angel of death to the officials?”

“Ah, yes. He’s no longer an official, but head of the investigation department. I’m not used to it, so I make mistakes. Yes, him.”

Wei Yanho smiled brightly:

“I think this is work for the investigation department. I haven’t done anything with my position, so if I do this, the chief will be happy.”

“……”

Jegal Munin’s eyes trembled.

The investigation department!

Although not many people know about it, those who do know how terrifying it is.

After the struggle between the East Palace and the investigation department, the investigation department won and absorbed the East Palace. It’s the only supervisory body that the emperor trusts.

Moreover, Yi Wangya, the head of the investigation department, was like an angel of death to the officials.

He’s famous for punishing officials who harm civilians, no matter the distance.

“Do you also belong to the investigation department?”

“Yes.”

Of course.

Everyone knows that Wei Yanho has the trust of the official. The head of the investigation department.

So… if Wei Yanho tells the Chengdu official that there is human trafficking in the Jegal family, there will be a big problem.

To avoid the investigation department’s investigation, the official will investigate the Jegal family thoroughly.

The Jegal family is no more corrupt than other clans, but where is there no dust?

If they start looking for trouble, not just a few people will die.

‘What’s going on?’

Jegal Munin realized how difficult it was to deal with Wei Yanho.

The world is fair in a bad way.

Heaven is cruel and doesn’t give everything to one person. If you have an advantage, you also have a disadvantage. Especially, it doesn’t give power.

The Jegal family is an example.

If the Jegal family had the same physical strength as intelligence, it would be the most powerful clan. But in reality, they barely maintain their weak bodies with martial arts.

If the ancestors of the Jegal family hadn’t focused on martial arts and had remained strategists, the Jegal family might have become extinct.

Their weak bodies were their destiny. Sometimes they complained, but they knew that heaven doesn’t give everything, so they were grateful…

‘What kind of person is this guy!’

He has martial skills to face the Jegal family alone, wealth to buy the Jegal family, and power that reaches the heavens.

It’s frustrating.

If an old man had all that, Jegal Munin would admire him. But since it’s someone younger, he’s jealous.

Moreover, what Wei Yanho has has nothing to do with his family. He obtained it with his own power. That’s even more frustrating.

“What are you thinking about?”

“…Nothing.”

“Don’t you have a lot to think about? Will you do it or not?”

“……”

Jegal Munin sighed:

‘They say that the most terrifying power is not wealth or violence, but power…’

Even the Jegal family cannot survive in Central Plains if faced with the investigation department. At other times, he might have avoided it, but now is the time when the investigation department is powerful and ambitious.

There’s no need to face a pack of hungry wolves.

“I’ll pay.”

“You’re generous.”

—But with a condition.

Jegal Munin added a condition:

“I can’t decide this alone. I will inform the leader of your desire.”

“Okay. And!”

“Yes?”

“Don’t distribute the money yourself, bring it to me.”

“…To you?”

“Yes. I must verify that it is paid correctly.”

“Don’t you trust us? I am the young master of the Jegal family. Do you think I would lie?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yanho smiled:

“It’s not that I don’t trust you… it’s that I don’t trust anyone. I don’t even mix the money I earn with that of my family. When my father asked me to hand over what I had, saying that I would spend it all if I managed it myself, I didn’t give him a single coin. Do you want me to trust you more than my own father?”

There’s nothing to say.

What can you say to someone who doesn’t trust even his parents?

You must discuss honor with someone who values honor, why discuss honor with this guy?

“So bring it all to me without fail. I will check every coin. Do you understand?”

“…”

Jegal Munin’s shoulders slumped.

A total defeat.

He had come with every intention of imposing his authority. But in the end, that’s how things ended up.

‘This wasn’t what I had in mind…’

Jegal Munin clenched his fist. The plan wasn’t this. Although it seemed like he was coming in a rage, in reality, his interior was completely serene.

The Jegal family was already in an irreparable situation. Since Wei Yanho escaped and destroyed the family, he could no longer intervene. Moreover, it is rumored that a strange unknown person destroyed his house.

There was only one way to change the situation. He, the young master, must be defeated by Wei Yanho and carried away on a stretcher.

Then, people will feel sorry for them. If they reveal that Wei Yanho is the stranger, everyone in Sichuan will target Wei Yanho.

Although they now hesitate to face Wei Yanho, if the Righteous Heavenly Alliance joins, eliminating Wei Yanho will not be a problem.

But…

Why don’t you hit me, damn it?!

Wei Yanho’s temper is explosive.

Although he seems slow due to his laziness, if one observes his behavior, he does not hesitate to act. He is even too impulsive. He thought he would attack if provoked, how did this situation come about?

Since Wei Yanho plans to use the government, provoking him would be a mistake. People feel sorry for the weak, but not for those who use the helpless as servants. Especially with hostages…

“…Today I will withdraw for now.”

When Jegal Munin was about to withdraw, he heard a cold voice behind him:

“And also…”

That voice sounded like a specter from the abyss. Jeong Munin’s body froze on the spot.