Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Crown Prince Declares a Strike
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That day when Emperor Juwon crushed the skull of the iron-armored bear with his bare hands.
I shuddered at that overwhelming display of power, and at the same time, I was in awe of the meticulous political acumen he showed in handling the corpse.
For a moment, I was smitten by the sight and found myself thinking.
'If I learn under a monster like this, couldn't I become a pretty decent ruler myself?'
But that was just a fleeting delusion born from this five-year-old body, no different from a slave feeling grateful to a master who doesn't whip him.
I had overlooked it.
The eternal truth that a competent boss never lets his subordinates rest.
The morning after the hunt. Jo Yun, the highest-ranking eunuch in charge of the East Palace's internal affairs—the East Palace Chief Eunuch—bowed deeper than usual and handed me a scroll.
"Your Highness... This is the new training manual bestowed by His Majesty."
Jo Eunuch's hand was trembling faintly. It was an ominous sign. I unfurled the scroll with shaking hands.
[Revised Intensive Education Program for Crown Prince Jui-an]
Rise Time: Yin Hour (03:00) → Chou Hour (01:00)
Reason: One must absorb the pure energy of dawn to clear the mind.
Martial Arts Training: Cultivate deep breathing exercises to replenish deficient internal energy, and train under the supervision of the Gold Army Commander in spare time.
Reason: Lacked courage during the bear hunt. Tried to hide due to feeble resolve.
Governance Practice: Summarize 50 petitions → 100 petitions + Draft local finance audit reports.
Reason: Should be proficient by now, so must study more cases.
Tears welled up at the thoughtful inclusion of reasons.
At the bottom, there was even a handwritten note of encouragement.
[Strike while the iron is hot. Paddle when the tide comes in.]
"..."
My grip tightened on the scroll.
The crinkling of paper filled the silent room. Jo Yun flinched in surprise at my crumpling the scroll with the emperor's handwriting, but it didn't register in my eyes.
Is he insane? Wake at 1 a.m.?
I'm still a growing child. Five years old! At an age when bones and brain need to develop, he's cutting sleep time? This isn't early education—it's early death.
"Your Highness...?"
Jo Eunuch called out to me with worried eyes.
Though we'd only met recently, he was someone who always showed concern for my daily life. But he was in no position to defy an imperial command.
I looked up at him with cold, hardened eyes.
"Jo Eunuch."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I'm skipping morning court today."
"Pardon?! But Your Highness, His Majesty will be waiting..."
"No. It's not just morning court."
I slammed the scroll to the floor.
"No studying, no training, no paperwork. Full strike starting today."
The eunuch scrambled to pick up the scroll in shock at my radical declaration, but nothing caught my eye.
"Tell them I'm not going!"
Breakfast time in the imperial palace. The air in the side hall was heavier than ever.
The attending palace maids didn't dare breathe, and the eunuchs broke into cold sweats, glancing nervously.
Emperor Juwon stared at the crown prince—me—who dared glare back at him.
"...Hah, not eating either?"
The emperor asked indifferently. I replied curtly.
"No appetite."
"Side dishes not to your liking? Shall I reprimand the royal kitchen head?"
"No. Life's too harsh; my appetite's gone."
The emperor's eyebrow twitched. He gazed at me steadily.
"Looks like you don't like the new schedule I sent."
"It's not just dislike—this is a death warrant."
I shot up from my seat. Though small in my five-year-old body, the office worker's pent-up grievance inside me was exploding.
"Father Emperor. The human body isn't a machine. It's not something that runs on oil and winding! Who could endure waking at 1 a.m. and grinding till 11 p.m. every day?!"
"Such exaggeration."
The emperor scoffed.
"At your age, I gritted my teeth and focused on training to survive. You whine over a bit less sleep while tucked in silk blankets?"
"That was unavoidable back then!"
"Hah, do as I've done. Above all, a ruler must stay sharper than anyone. If you sleep an extra hour, a thousand subjects might starve. That's the weight of the crown on your head."
'Those who aspire to wear the crown must bear its weight.'
Fine words. But what's the point if the weight snaps my neck?
"That crown's too heavy; it'll break my neck! Subjects matter, but so do I. I'm human too. Minimal sleep and rest are basic human needs."
"Ho. Minimal human needs..."
The emperor's gaze turned icy. He sensed this was no mere tantrum.
"Jui-an. I've marked you as my successor. An emperor cannot be merely human. He needs the courage to slay bears, the cunning to manipulate officials. Fortunately, you have royal talent, so it must be tempered more. Jade must be carved to become a vessel."
"Carve jade too hard, and it shatters!"
I stood my ground.
"And think of efficiency! Sleep deprivation clouds judgment. Better to sleep well and handle fifty documents with a clear mind than muddle through a hundred groggily. That's true to the national interest."
The emperor's face hardened.
Daring to raise his voice before the emperor—during breakfast, no less, trying to lecture him. Jo Eunuch and the attendants were already prostrated, trembling on the floor.
"...Are you trying to teach me now?"
Dark aura rose from the emperor's body. It was the same absolute force I'd seen at the hunt, when he crushed the iron-armored bear.
The air grew heavy. Hard to breathe.
Survival instinct screamed: Kneel and beg now, or die.
But I couldn't back down. If I did, I'd become this man's accessory, live inhumanely, go mad, and meet an early grave anyway.
"How could I presume? I merely hope."
"For what?"
"Maintain minimal life. Labor without rest is exploitation; it kills motivation. I ask little. Restore wake-up time, one day off per week..."
I slammed my hand on the table and declared.
"Truly minimal. Minimal. If even this is too much, I can't be crown prince."
Silence.
A dreadful hush filled the side hall, not even the drip of a water clock audible.
The emperor stared piercingly.
His eyes shifted—anger? Amusement? Or something else?
Moments later, the emperor spoke.
"Can't do it?"
He picked up his chopsticks. Plain wooden ones, but in his hand, they looked sharper than any sword.
"Indeed. You've grown too complacent. Spoiled rotten, now you climb without fearing your father."
Whoosh—!
The emperor flicked the chopsticks. They grazed my cheek and thunk! embedded in the pillar behind. The thick pillar cracked. A slight miss, and my cheek would've been pierced.
"Close the East Palace from today."
The emperor declared coldly.
"No water, no food until the crown prince reflects. No teachers either. Let him enjoy his precious rest alone in the dark."
Failure.
"..."
"Out."
The emperor averted his gaze and resumed eating. A dismissal.
I bit my lip.
No reasoning with him. This man ruled by force and stubbornness, deaf to the weak's cries—a steel emperor, impossible to talk to. Wonder if anyone's ever tried.
I bowed silently and left the side hall. Legs shaky, but not giving up.
'Fine. Let's do this.'
Back at the East Palace, I bolted the doors. Soso approached with worried eyes.
"Your Highness... What are you thinking? I felt His Majesty's furious aura even here."
"It's fine. As expected."
I flopped onto the bed.
No water? Starve me? Hah, dream on.
"Soso. From now on, summon the eunuchs I name. I'll buy them off and secure a food line."
I gritted my teeth. If father crushes with force, I'll use every trick I have to endure.
This wasn't mere rebellion. It was a desperate struggle for dignity and survival.
At that moment, alone in the side hall, the emperor cleared the table. His appetite was gone too.
"Hah, that kid..."
Jo Yun, the East Palace Chief Eunuch standing by, spoke cautiously with a pained expression.
"Your Majesty... Forgive my impertinence, but aren't you pushing the crown prince too hard? He's just a child whose bones haven't fully formed..."
Despite witnessing the earlier tension, Jo Yun bravely voiced his mind. The emperor gazed blankly for a moment, then replied softly, sensing sincerity.
"Precisely because he's young."
The emperor propped his chin and muttered.
"That boy's too smart. His mind matured too fast. So he deludes himself into knowing all the world's truths."
The emperor's eyes deepened.
"Minimal acts. Living humanely. Fine words. But empire's rule isn't bound by common sense. Sometimes you force the unreasonable, break through with momentum over logic."
The emperor rose.
"I know the crown prince has talent. But no desperation. He needs trials, crises. Overcome them to become a true emperor."
"But... if he goes on a hunger strike..."
"Leave him. A few days hungry, he'll come around. Won't let him die of starvation, and he doesn't seem the type anyway."
The emperor looked out the window. From the side hall, distant skies were cloud-covered.
"...The wind's picking up."
The sudden weather change gave an eerie sense of impending events. The emperor shook his head, chalking it to unease from his son spat.
But he didn't know. A messenger racing from beyond rugged mountains bore urgent news, hastening his steps.