Ch 345: Now, Let’s Get Down To Business

Gun Mo-cho, relegated to the position of carving meat for her, held a spoon and fork. Baek Jin-jin, her mouth oily from eating, was oblivious. The servants merely watched with wide eyes and open mouths. Had they not known that this Miss was the Hong Family’s granddaughter, they would have thought she was a child who hadn’t tasted meat in centuries.

While carving the meat, Gun Mo-cho frequently wiped the oil from her mouth. His eyes were full of affection.

Indeed, he thought Baek Jin-jin was still young. In the past, he would never have paid attention to such a child. However, Baek Jin-jin was not ordinary. When he first saw her at the Mun Guk Gongbu, this bold girl had made a deep impression on him.

Looking back now, it seemed like fate. No matter how things turned, Gun Mo-cho could never escape her grasp.

While a group of servants watched in astonishment, the meal at Hwacheong finally ended. As Baek Jin-jin held Gun Mo-cho’s arm and returned to the study, the servants still noticed oil on her hands. The oil from gnawing on the wild boar bones hadn’t been completely cleaned, yet she so openly held Ninth Prince Your Majesty’s arm. Watching the oil stain his clothes, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. They worried that Ninth Prince might lose his temper and chase the girl away.

However, it was impossible for Ninth Prince to lose his temper with Baek Jin-jin. Not only that, but he did not mind the oil on his sleeves. He thought the lingering scent of the meal added a touch of life to the scene.

In short, whatever Baek Jin-jin did, in his eyes, it was all right and good. Wrong things became right, and bad things became good.

After returning to the study, Baek Jin-jin’s hands were clean, having been wiped on his sleeve. When he smelled his arm, the scent of the roasted wild boar was quite pleasant.

“Do you like vegetable dishes?”

Baek Jin-jin finally asked him.

“You didn’t eat much earlier. Didn’t you like the dishes? From now on, don’t make so much meat; make half as much. I can’t be the only one eating while you just watch. How hungry you must be!”

Glancing at the table, she spotted the snacks the servants had brought in. Baek Jin-jin walked to the table, picked up a snack, and fed it to him.

“Eat quickly.”

Gun Mo-cho took a bite, took a sip of tea, and swallowed before saying,

“I don’t only eat vegetables. It’s just that seeing so many dishes suddenly made me a little full. It’s alright. It’s fine as long as you eat well.”

The girl smiled, her eyes crinkling.

“From now on, I’ll learn how to cook. I’ll learn to cook well for you. Now that we’ve eaten, and settled the matter of Human Relationships and Great Matters, let’s get down to business!”

As Baek Jin-jin spoke, she began to undress.

Gun Mo-cho was startled.

“Wait, wait a minute, what are you doing?”

“Taking off my clothes!”

Baek Jin-jin replied matter-of-factly.

“I had to wear these clothes because I had to show my face at Geumsaenggak while working busily during the day. To get down to business, I can’t be wearing so many layers. It’s hot!”

As she spoke, her outer garment was already off.

Gun Mo-cho seemed a little tongue-tied.

“Get… get down to business?”

Baek Jin-jin was stunned, then snapped back to her senses. Angrily, she stamped her foot.

“What are you thinking? How old do you think I am to think such things? Your Princes aren’t all pedophiles, are they? Gun Mo-cho, let me tell you, I’m only twelve. I’m not even an adult yet. You shouldn’t be thinking like that so soon. I’m not a woman you can just handle as you please.”

Gun Mo-cho felt truly wronged.

“I wasn’t thinking anything. I was just surprised that you were taking off your clothes yourself!”

“Whether I take off my clothes or not, what’s it to you?”

“It’s… it’s nothing to me?”

What kind of logic is that?

“Ah, if I have to say it matters to you, then that’s true too. I’m taking off my clothes to work for you, so of course it matters.”

Gun Mo-cho wanted to cry.

“Speak properly. What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Look at the documents! This outer layer is too cumbersome, so I need to take it off to be more comfortable. Oh, don’t hide it, I’m wearing a skirt underneath. I wore an extra layer of clothing when working busily at Geumsaenggak during the day. Look, the inner layer is proper clothing I could wear outside too.”

He finally turned his head. Peeking, he saw that although she had taken off a layer, she still had an outer garment underneath. Relieved, he let out a long sigh. Damn brat, there’s no need to be so shocking! At that moment, he was worrying about how to explain things to her parents at the Mun Guk Gongbu tomorrow. He had never been so shocked at his age, completely defeated by this Miss.

“What about those documents? You can’t just waste food at your home. You have to work properly, don’t you?”

As she spoke, she walked to the box she had seen before.

“Are they still inside? It’s too late today, I think I can only look at about ten volumes.”

Gun Mo-cho pouted.

“Ten volumes isn’t little. A normal person would probably only be able to look at ten pages.”

“I’m ordinary.”

Baek Jin-jin said seriously.

“You’ll know after you see more. I’m really ordinary.”

Ordinary? He couldn’t agree. She was extraordinarily bold. Where was the ordinary? Ordinary people couldn’t catch Gun Mo-cho’s eye.

“They’re all in the box; check them yourself!”

After speaking, he pointed to his own table.

“That’s the table prepared for you. I moved it yesterday, so it should be perfect for sitting and reading.”

Baek Jin-jin then noticed a small table next to Gun Mo-cho’s large table. Though small, it occupied the same space; only its height was lower. The accompanying chair was also lower, perfectly suited to Baek Jin-jin’s height.

On the table, the writing implements were neatly arranged. All were made of clear quartz, even the brush rest. Baek Jin-jin was awestruck.

“So much quartz, how much silver ingots did it cost? Quartz is rare not only in Dongjin but also across the entire continent. I heard from my uncle that last year, two Madams in the palace even fought over a quartz rose hair ornament.”

Gun Mo-cho chuckled.

“You care about silver ingots too? You can’t hide it. These were made from the same material as that quartz hair ornament. They’re called precious items that made the two women fight, but in fact, they were merely scraps left over from making this brush and inkstone.”

“Made then?”

Baek Jin-jin furrowed her brow at those words.

“For whom were they made? We didn’t even know each other then! For whom were these originally made?”

He couldn’t help but admire the girl’s imagination.

“Made for whom, what do you mean? I didn’t make them! The artisans in the palace received quartz as tribute from Gapo and made these items based on size, and the leftover pieces were used to make the hair ornament. Actually, these were more important, but there were many women in the palace, and seeing the hair ornament, they immediately became jealous, causing that commotion.

These items, which should have been the main focus, were neglected, and Father Emperor was in a bad mood because of the commotion, so he didn’t pay much attention to them. Then, while preparing your table these two days, I remembered these and brought them from the palace.”

Baek Jin-jin was amazed.

“If the Madams who fought over it find out, they’ll probably be furious enough to die.”

Gun Mo-cho didn’t deny it.

“Whether they’re furious enough to die or not is their business; it has nothing to do with This King. Since This King brought out the items, they are all yours. Try them out quickly and see if they suit you.”

Baek Jin-jin chuckled, sat down, picked up the brush, and tested the ink. It felt perfect in her hand.

He didn’t bother her further and returned to his seat to read. She quickly and meticulously began reviewing the Yeomwang Palace documents.

The documents were selected by Gun Mo-cho. Baek Jin-jin didn’t know how to handle cases; she could only acutely sense that the numbers in the ledger were unusual. Therefore, the ones he selected were all cases related to property.

In fact, the evidence related to this was most important. The cases handled by Yeomwang Palace were all major incidents. They even involved the Imperial Family; at the very least, Government Official Rank or above were involved. The best way to make these High-ranking Officials talk was through their property. To pinpoint each one, it was necessary to determine if the source of their property was legitimate.

In other words, entrusting this task to Baek Jin-jin fully demonstrated how much Gun Mo-cho trusted this girl.

And Baek Jin-jin never betrayed his trust. With a pile of documents in front of her, she showed no dislike, quickly skimming through each volume one by one. As she read, she used a brush to record her findings in empty booklets.

Watching from the side, Gun Mo-cho discovered that although she moved quickly, she was extremely detailed. Baek Jin-jin meticulously recorded in which section of which case, which row and column of the original record she had found the problem.

She also recorded the cause of the problem in great detail. Furthermore, she clearly documented how she found the problem, including its cause and result. It wasn’t just that. She even suggested solutions to the problems.

Seeing this, Gun Mo-cho discovered another outstanding aspect of Baek Jin-jin. Her writing wasn’t beautiful; some characters looked like drawings, making it hard to decipher what she was writing. However, she wrote so quickly that before he had finished reading the first line, she was already on her third or fourth.

Gun Mo-cho was astonished. Baek Jin-jin was not only quick-handed but also had an extremely agile mind. In that sense, Baek Jin-jin had not ascended in status by entering the Imperial Family; rather, it was as if the Military Family had found a jewel!

Gun Mo-cho once again admired Baek Heung-eon. One daughter was an unparalleled poisoner, and the other had an incredible natural talent for numbers. What kind of fate had bestowed him with two such amazing daughters? Yet, Baek Heung-eon was not intelligent, raising these two outstanding daughters into enemies. If he had been an affectionate father and they filial daughters, how glorious this Mun Gukgong would have been?

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