Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Return to the Imperial Palace
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Mun I-jong had no sooner returned to his office than a report came in.
“The leader of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Group, Yeom Yu-gwang, was summoned to Golden Army headquarters and has since vanished without a trace.”
“Isn’t that man locked up in prison?”
“No, Your Excellency. Not long ago, Her Majesty the Empress released him after consulting with the court ministers.”
“I see. Then why did the Golden Army summon him?”
“The report doesn’t specify a reason. Our agents are looking into it, so please wait just a moment.”
“Did this happen after the Fourth Imperial Prince returned?”
“Yes.”
Mun I-jong furrowed his brow.
“Her Majesty releases Yeom Yu-gwang, and no sooner does he return than they summon him? What is that bastard up to now...?”
“That’s not all. They’ve shipped off every one of our generals who were stirring up unrest within the Golden Army to the Northern Legion.”
“Sending Golden Army troops to the front lines as reinforcements violates imperial law. Did the Fourth Imperial Prince do this?”
“It’s not a transfer, just a deployment, so there’s no issue.”
“......”
Mun I-jong couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
The agitation campaign was the one he had poured the most effort into. It would take time, but if it succeeded, he could shake the entire Golden Army and topple Yi Hwan from his position as commander.
That was why, before departing for the battlefield, he had entrusted the key role to his most reliable subordinate.
“The war ended with Qin Kingdom’s intervention, throwing everything into disarray. If the Great Prince had returned just a little later, we could have seized control of the Golden Army.”
At his close aide’s words, Mun I-jong’s gaze sharpened.
“Didn’t I tell you not to call him ‘Great Prince’ in my presence?”
“......My apologies.”
Mun I-jong leaned deeply back in his chair, interlocking his fingers.
“Picking out only our men and sending them to the Northern Legion means they’ve figured everything out... How’s the pay grievance campaign faring?”
“With the ringleader generals and the captains who sympathized with them all shipped off to the Northern Legion, it’s fizzled out. But more than that, the Fourth Imperial Prince’s promise of a pay raise starting next year was the real blow.”
“A pay raise? We started the pay grievance campaign precisely because the Golden Army didn’t have the funds for that! How does he plan to pay for it?”
“Well, the Fourth Imperial Prince requested an additional three million taels for the Golden Army’s budget, and Her Majesty approved it, making the raise possible.”
“Her Majesty approved the increase?”
“Yes. It’s confirmed.”
Mun I-jong could hardly believe it. Why would the Empress of all people grant Yi Hwan’s request?
His aide immediately addressed his doubt.
“She must have feared that refusing the budget increase would leave the Palace of Illusory Flowers to bear the full backlash of the pay grievance campaign. After all, poor pay was the very weakness we targeted most aggressively.”
Tremble...
Mun I-jong’s eyes quivered.
But soon, he let out a hollow laugh.
‘In the end, our scheme has only boosted that bastard’s standing.’
Despair gave way to rage.
Yi Hwan, the enemy who killed his son.
At first, he thought he could eliminate him easily, but they were the ones on the back foot.
‘It’s not that I underestimated him. He’s simply greater than anyone anticipated, leading to this outcome. In that case...’
Poisonous intent filled Mun I-jong’s eyes.
‘From this moment on, I’ll treat you as my greatest foe, Yi Hwan.’
* * *
“Where’s my ear pick?”
“Right here.”
Lately, Yi Hwan’s ears had been itching frequently. Go Mi stared at him as he dug into his ear, nearly bursting into laughter.
‘Does he really need to concentrate that hard on...?’
Yi Hwan’s expression while picking his ear looked just like a master focusing on some profound technique.
Pop.
“Continue.”
Go Mi promptly resumed her report.
“No need to worry about the Zhao Kingdom army. Jo Yun is demanding contributions from local magnates to pay the reparations to Qin Kingdom, and it’s causing quite a stir.”
“They’re pushing back?”
“Yes, especially from the magnates allied with Jo Yun’s political enemies. The backlash is severe.”
“Excellent.”
Yi Hwan picked up the ear pick again.
Go Mi delicately furrowed her brow.
“Won’t digging too deep be harmful?”
“Do you know what’s the hardest thing in the world to endure?”
“The itchy ear, right?”
“Exactly. Go on.”
Go Mi pulled something from her bosom and held it out. It was a tiny message tube.
“She gave me this.”
She meant Hwa Ryeong.
Yi Hwan opened the tube and unrolled the paper inside. It was brief, but it contained the news he had been waiting for.
“The Empress must be having a rough time. Heh heh heh.”
“What...?”
“The Palace of Illusory Flowers has decided to set the Golden Army’s budget at three hundred thousand silver taels starting next year. They rushed the decision before public opinion turned against them.”
“But wasn’t that already a done deal?”
“There’s a world of difference between an official announcement and an unofficial one. The Empress knows that, which is why she made it public.”
“Maybe she’s just taking credit for it herself, since she’s granting it anyway?”
“That’s exactly it. By the way, the Second Prince and Third Prince have returned to the palace?”
“Yes. They arrived on the same day. Oh, we confirmed the Second Prince’s losses: twenty-five warriors believed to be affiliated with Red Moon were killed.”
“Any leads on the culprits?”
“Not yet. Rumors say the Palace of Illusory Flowers is launching a major investigation on their own, separate from the Second Prince’s efforts. We should prepare countermeasures in case they try to frame the Crown Prince or the Great Prince.”
“Got it.”
Yi Hwan stood and donned his outer robe.
“Heading into the palace?”
“The Crown Prince is coming, so I should go. Have the Moon Lord come along too.”
“Understood.”
At the main gate of headquarters stood a carriage, along with Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae. Cha Jung-kyeong and Song Cheon-mu, who had been sitting in the driver’s seat, hopped down upon seeing Yi Hwan emerge.
Cha Jung-kyeong opened the carriage door.
“Please, get in.”
Yi Hwan eyed him.
“You seem to like it here.”
“Yes. Very much.”
In truth, after two days of pleading with Yi Hwan, Cha Jung-kyeong had stayed behind instead of returning to the Southern Legion. After enlisting in Zhao Kingdom, city life was a rare treat, and he savored every day.
Moments later, the carriage departed for the Imperial Palace.
* * *
The Third Prince Yi Seong-ji emerged from the Palace of Illusory Flowers, his expression unusually grave and hardened.
“A man’s wounds from the battlefield are like medals. Don’t take it too hard.”
That was what the Empress had said upon seeing his face, ruined by the ambush.
‘Of course. But at least you could have pretended to feel some sympathy first.’
What angered him was the Empress’s attitude. During their entire conversation, she hadn’t shown even a flicker of concern.
‘To me, it was a life-or-death situation, but not to my mother, apparently. Is that why you treated me this way, suspecting my brother was behind it?’
A chill hung in the air where Yi Seong-ji passed.
“Hail!”
The warriors guarding the Palace of Illusory Flowers’ main gate saluted him.
Beyond the cloud bridge, Yi Seong-ji’s master and one warrior awaited him.
Gong Ya-un, Yi Seong-ji’s master, gazed at his rigid face and let out a quiet sigh.
The warrior spoke.
“Your Highness doesn’t look well.”
“He’s always like that after visiting the Palace of Illusory Flowers. But today, he seems even darker than usual.”
Moments later, Yi Seong-ji crossed the bridge.
Gong Ya-un couldn’t bring himself to ask anything.
“Let’s go home.”
“I heard the Crown Prince will return soon. Will you still leave?”
“I’ll see my brother another time.”
“Very well. Please board the carriage.”
As Yi Seong-ji moved to enter the carriage, he paused and looked ahead. Gong Ya-un followed his gaze.
Yi Hwan was walking not far away.
He was heading toward the Crown Prince’s Palace, at an angle where he wouldn’t see Yi Seong-ji unless he turned his head.
“Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of this war is the Fourth Imperial Prince.”
Yi Seong-ji turned to him.
“Why do you say that?”
Gong Ya-un continued.
“I heard around here that the Fourth Imperial Prince beheaded Zhao Kingdom’s fierce general Han Seom. Not only that, but his overwhelming ferocity in battle shocked everyone. Because of that, the Southwest King reportedly requested a meeting with him first, over Gwak Chung-mu, though Qin Kingdom’s intervention prevented it.”
“I see.”
Yi Seong-ji stared at Yi Hwan heading toward the Crown Prince’s Palace with sunken eyes.
“From now on, you should view the Fourth Imperial Prince as a rival. Even setting everything else aside, he commands the hundred thousand Golden Army. It’s a force you can’t ignore.”
Yi Seong-ji said nothing.
Then he opened the carriage door.
“I’m tired. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
* * *
Yi Hwan walked toward the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Dressed not in princely robes but Golden Army uniform, quite a few people didn’t recognize him.
Go Mi asked,
“Shouldn’t we stop by the Palace of Illusory Flowers first?”
“No need. She wouldn’t be happy to see me, and I’ve no desire to go.”
“Still, protocol demands...”
“What protocol is owed to a mother who tried to kill her son?”
“......”
Yi Hwan’s eyes subtly shifted as he was about to say more. He spotted Yi Tae-ji emerging.
They were headed in different directions and at a fair distance, unlikely to cross paths, but close enough to recognize each other.
Their gazes clashed across the empty space.
Yi Hwan gave a cold smile.
Yi Tae-ji glared fiercely before whipping his head away.
‘He’s boiling with rage. Heh heh heh.’
Yi Hwan kept walking and soon entered the Crown Prince’s Palace.
The warriors bowed their heads.
The Crown Prince’s Palace buzzed with preparations to receive Yi So.
Yi Hwan entered the annex where he always met Yi So.
“I’ll take a nap, so wake me when he arrives.”
Slam!
As Yi Hwan closed the door, Ju Tae grinned and said,
“He looks far too at ease.”
“He’d sleep even before Yama, King of Hell.”
“True enough.”
Go Mi stood.
“I have somewhere to go for a bit.”
“Safe on your own?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
* * *
Go Mi headed west through the Imperial Palace.
The western side featured a vast forest, a highly secretive area off-limits to those of low rank.
Of course, with the inspector’s rank granted by Yi So, Go Mi had no trouble entering.
She showed her inspector’s badge to the warriors at the forest entrance and went inside.
The forest interior was like any other.
But thanks to meticulous maintenance, it felt like strolling through a grand garden.
How far had she walked?
After cresting a low hill, a small pavilion appeared. A figure stood atop it.
Hwa Ryeong.
She flashed a bright smile at the approaching Go Mi. Go Mi asked in a flat tone,
“How did you get in here?”
“My rank doesn’t allow it, so I snuck in, naturally. Don’t worry—no one saw me.”
Hwa Ryeong beamed.
Go Mi disliked that smile.
“Why did you want to meet?”
“Isn’t there only one reason I’d call you?”
“Let’s make this quick. The Crown Prince will return soon, so I need to get back.”
“Hmm. When will we ever get close?”
“Do we need to? Get to the point.”
Despite Go Mi’s icy demeanor, Hwa Ryeong didn’t drop her smile. She continued right away.
“The Empress has put the Great Prince in her sights. She might already have started investigating his surroundings, so tell him to be careful. Some truly frightening people are on the move.”
“If you know who they are, start there.”
Hwa Ryeong shook her head.
“The Empress has a secret organization known only to her. I’ve only heard rumors, so I don’t know the details. But it definitely includes East Depot agents and Golden Imperial Guard elites. I wouldn’t bet against Moon Pavilion being involved either.”
“Is this sincere?”
“Take it as friendly advice: better safe than sorry. By the way, has the Great Prince entered the palace?”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
As Go Mi turned, Hwa Ryeong asked,
“Any chance I could stay with you?”
Go Mi turned back.
“What do you mean?”
“I might have to leave the Palace of Illusory Flowers. Her Majesty doesn’t seem to suspect me, but my gut feeling is off.”
“I’ll ask the Great Prince.”
“Thanks.”
Go Mi walked away through the forest. Hwa Ryeong watched her back and let out a quiet sigh.
“She really hates me, huh.”