The Eldest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan Protects Her Family

Chapter 37: A Twisted Plan

 
The newly appointed Information Hall Leader froze, unable to answer the Blood Demon’s question.

The Blood Demon smiled, his expression suggesting he hadn't expected much from him anyway. His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
The discovery of the Yeonjudan's location, the neutralization of the Tang Clan's carefully collected poisons, the revelation of the Blood Cult's presence to the Martial Alliance… all orchestrated by a single person. A single person had disrupted three of his carefully laid plans.
Could this be a mere coincidence?

A series of coincidences was no longer coincidence, but fate. There had to be a reason why this name, Tang Sohwa, had resurfaced, a name he had buried deep within his memories.
He chuckled softly, turning to the Blue Blood Unit Leader. "This unexpected delay has given us some time. Let's review the information gathered by the Information Hall. I, too, need to re-examine my memories.” His voice hardened, the laughter fading. “I need to understand what I missed, whether the Information Hall has been… negligent in its duties.”
The Blood Demon loathed disruptions to his plans. In his long, almost immortal life, he had rarely experienced such setbacks. He eliminated any potential obstacles, any threats, before they could materialize.

And now, the name Tang Sohwa was etched into his memory.
He would proceed cautiously, carefully realigning his twisted plan.

* * *
 
Sohwa paused as she entered her embroidery room, hearing soft laughter from within.

“Hee hee, that’s just how Elder Sister is.”
Her eyebrows rose at the familiar, playful voices. As she stepped inside, she saw the twins, Yehwa and Yuhwa, standing before her embroidery frame.
Instead of rushing towards her as they usually did, they simply turned their heads, their gazes fixed on her.

Yehwa pointed at the crimson silk stretched taut across the embroidery frame. “Did you really make this, Elder Sister?”
“Yes,” Sohwa replied, nodding.
Yuhwa covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with admiration. “It’s even better than Madam Jin’s. I want to learn embroidery from you, Elder Sister.”

Instead of answering, Sohwa approached them, standing between them. Her gaze fell upon the red silk. Though she had only just begun, the embroidery was… passable.
It was thanks to Namgung Hyeon, in a way. After Yeon-a’s death, he had, in a fit of rage, cut off all funding to Sohwa. So, she had secretly sold her embroidery to support herself.
Sichuan embroidery was highly valued in the central plains, and her work, created during the tumultuous period after the Sichuan Tang Clan’s downfall, was especially prized. Even the Namgung Clan members, defying their Patriarch’s orders, had lined up to purchase her pieces.

Thanks to her tireless efforts, her fingers raw and blistered, she had managed to amass enough funds for her final plan. Her embroidery skills had proven useful, even in death. And now, they were proving useful once again.
Lost in thought, she felt a gentle poke in her leg.
“Elder Sister, next time, ask Father for some Chokgum silk. It would be perfect for embroidery.”
Chokgum was a renowned silk produced in Sichuan. Yuhwa, surprised by her sister’s audacity, gasped. “Chokgum? That’s too expensive!”

“Tsk tsk, you don’t understand. If someone can afford Chokgum, they want something even more extravagant on top of it. It’s a display of wealth.”
“Huh? Who told you that?”
“I can’t remember. Someone from the Treasury… I can’t recall his name.” Yehwa frowned, scratching her head, then gave up. “Anyway! I heard the Western aristocracy goes crazy for Sichuan silk. Imagine the price we could fetch for Chokgum embroidered with Choksu!”

“Double?” Yuhwa wiggled her fingers, and Yehwa made a face.
“At least twenty times the price.”
“Isn't that… price gouging? That’s bad.”

“What’s bad about it? Elder Sister works hard on her embroidery. She deserves to be compensated fairly!”
Sohwa winced at her sister’s casual endorsement of exploiting her labor. Yehwa, however, simply beamed and clung to her arm, her eyes shining. “Just wait, Elder Sister. I’ll make you rich.”
“Elder Sister is already rich…”

“Silly! You can never have too much money!” Yehwa cut off the timid Yuhwa, who quickly hid behind Sohwa.
A bittersweet smile touched Sohwa’s lips. ‘They’ve always been like this.’ Two faces, two completely different personalities. Though their paths in life had diverged, their fates had been tragically similar.
Yehwa was perceptive and shrewd. Unlike Yuhwa, who was content with simple pleasures, she always sought the best, the most advantageous path.

It was because of Yehwa that Sohwa had learned Choksu embroidery. Yehwa, determined to exploit the Western market, had started a Chokgum silk business. And on a few select pieces, she had added Choksu embroidery. As she predicted, the embroidered silk had been a huge success.
To meet the demand, she had recruited (or rather, coerced) every embroiderer she could find, including Sohwa.
Sohwa gently stroked Yehwa’s head. The embroidery skills she had learned from her younger sister had enabled her to finance her revenge against the Namgung Clan. In a way, Yehwa had made it possible.

Startled by the unexpected gesture, Yehwa looked up. “…What?”
“Just… proud of you.”
Then, she felt a tug on her other hand. Yuhwa, clutching her hand, was subtly guiding it towards her head, a silent request for affection. Sohwa, seeing her transparent ploy, obliged, gently stroking her hair as well.

Yehwa frowned. “Why are you copying me?”
“J-just because.”
“Sii…” The twins, suddenly competitive, began vying for her attention, their heads bobbing beneath her hands. It had annoyed her in her youth, but now, she found it endearing.

To stop them from ruining their carefully styled hair, she changed the subject. “So, what brings you here?”
“We were bored. You weren’t coming, so…”
“Mother told us not to disturb you, but seeing you working on such a large piece, we thought… maybe you weren’t that busy after all?” Unlike the hesitant Yuhwa, Yehwa looked at the embroidery, her lips pursed in disapproval.

Sohwa had been deliberately avoiding them. They were a painful reminder of her past life, a source of anxiety she wanted to keep at bay. And yet, here they were, stirring up those buried emotions.
She discreetly withdrew her hands, the lingering sensation of their small heads beneath her palms a bittersweet ache in her heart.
The memories she had tried so hard to suppress resurfaced.

In her past life, the twins had grown into renowned beauties, their status as direct descendants of the Sichuan Tang Clan, combined with their beauty, attracting countless suitors.
Yehwa, aware of her position and privilege, had used it to her advantage. Always interested in business, she had persuaded their father to arrange a marriage with the eldest son of a prominent merchant family with ties to the Imperial Court. She had used her position to benefit not only the Tang Clan but also the entire Sichuan economy.
She had always been clever, a source of pride for the Tang Clan.

However, the Tang Clan's businesses had begun to decline, and Yehwa hadn’t escaped the misfortune. Her husband, returning from a trading expedition, had been robbed and killed. Though it had been a political marriage, she had clearly loved him, judging by her decision to take her own life immediately after receiving the news. In her final letter, she had told them not to mourn her, that she had lived a full and happy life, experiencing all the joys the world had to offer.
“Elder Sister?” Yuhwa, noticing the sadness in her eyes, reached out and took her hand. Sohwa tightened her grip, holding her small hand protectively. Yuhwa smiled shyly.
Unlike Yehwa, Yuhwa had never been ambitious. That was why her choice had surprised everyone. They had expected her to accept a marriage arranged by their father. Instead, she had eloped with a young, wandering martial artist, a man who had caught the eye of one of the elders, who had suggested bringing him into the Tang Clan. He had seduced her, and she had left without a word, a single letter explaining her decision.

He had managed to evade the Tang Clan’s pursuit for two years, a testament to his skills, despite his seemingly insignificant reputation.
Two years later, they had found her in a brothel in Guangdong. Her lover had apparently sold her. Though they hadn’t found him, they had brought Yuhwa back.
Sohwa remembered her sister’s fate with a deeper ache in her heart. Whatever had happened there, Yuhwa had lost her voice, her ability to speak. They had tried everything to help her, but nothing worked.

Though she wanted to find that man and tear him apart, he wasn't her target in this life. He had already paid for his crimes. Their father had found Yuhwa, and the man had disappeared without a trace. And their father hadn’t pursued him further. Everyone understood. He was either dead or living a life worse than death.
The twins’ tragedies didn't seem connected to the Blood Cult or the Demonic Cult. And even if they were, she could prevent them, as long as she kept them away from those two men.
As long as the information she possessed remained accurate.

She looked at the unfinished sketch, rubbing her stiff neck. The buried fear, the suppressed memories, threatened to resurface. She wanted to eliminate that vagrant, that “Hamgu” or whatever his name was, and ruin the Bright Sky Merchant Group, preventing them from ever interacting with her family. Her resolve to avoid disrupting the timeline wavered.
A dejected voice from the window interrupted her thoughts. “Yehwa and Yuhwa are here too?”
“Brother!”

Tang Hak was standing at the window, his body slumped against the frame, his usual energy gone.
“What’s wrong, Brother?” Yehwa frowned, her eyes filled with concern.