Chapter 219
Chapter 219
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: Will You Stay With Me?
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“Who the hell are you?”
Yu Gwang’s reaction revealed his usual personality perfectly. Having always relied on the Empress as his backer and acted with utter arrogance, he didn’t even register the mild-mannered middle-aged man before him.
The middle-aged man strode inside. Following him were warriors clad in snow-white robes.
Yu Gwang’s guards sensed the odd atmosphere and simultaneously placed hands on their sword hilts.
The middle-aged man stared straight at Yu Gwang and continued.
“Everyone, disarm and come outside, now.”
“......What?”
“I’ve been ordered by those above to execute any who resist on the spot, so comply quietly.”
Ching! Ching! Clang!
Yu Gwang’s guards drew their swords in unison.
“Wait!”
Yu Gwang stopped his guards. He rose slowly and asked.
“Who is this ‘one above’ you speak of?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince. He will soon ascend the throne, so think of it as an imperial edict and obey.”
“......!”
Yu Gwang’s eyes widened in shock, nearly splitting open. The Crown Prince ascending the throne?
That was when it happened.
“How dare you flap your loose tongue before him!”
One guard aimed his sword at the middle-aged man’s throat.
In that instant, one of the white-robed men behind him moved.
Slash!
They barely registered a single streak of light before the guard’s head fell limply to the ground.
Thud!
“What do you think you’re doing!”
“I warned you beforehand that resistance would mean immediate execution.”
Tremble...
Yu Gwang’s eyes shook. His guards, overwhelmed by the white-robed men’s presence, didn’t dare move.
Click!
Yu Gwang sheathed his sword.
“Everyone, sheathe your swords.”
“Commander!”
“I said sheathe them!”
“......Understood.”
Click! Click!
The guards sheathed their swords. For them, already overpowered, they were swords they couldn’t even swing.
“We’ll escort you by carriage.”
Yu Gwang ground his teeth as he stepped outside. As he did, he asked the middle-aged man.
“What do you mean, His Highness the Crown Prince will soon ascend the throne?”
“His Majesty has announced his abdication. The coronation will take place in three days.”
“What...!”
“Ask His Highness directly if you have questions.”
The middle-aged man gestured toward the carriage. Yu Gwang boarded in a daze.
Only then did he realize.
It wasn’t the Empress who had summoned him to the Imperial Palace—it was the Crown Prince. And the promise of the Grand Commander-in-Chief position was a lie.
In that moment, he recalled the war with the Zhao Kingdom, when he had refused to support the Western Legion where Crown Prince Yi So was stationed.
‘Her Majesty the Empress was said to have the overwhelming advantage, so how in the world did this happen?’
Self-reproach for neglecting intelligence flooded him.
But even greater was his anxiety that he might die at the Crown Prince’s hands.
Yu Gwang covered his face with both hands in the carriage. The middle-aged man sat across from him.
Thud!
The carriage door shut.
Rumble!
Crack!
Lightning struck.
The world outside flashed white for an instant, bleaching even the man’s pupils.
* * *
Golden Army headquarters.
Yang Ji-mong headed not to the prison, but to Yi Hwan’s office. He hoped it was all just a dream. If this was a nightmare, he wanted to wake up as soon as possible.
But it was harsh reality. He had failed to kill Yi Hwan, and now he was captured.
Anyone in such a situation would contemplate death. Yang Ji-mong was no different.
“Sit there.”
“......”
Yang Ji-mong sat across from Yi Hwan.
Yi Hwan’s body still reeked of blood. Yang Ji-mong bowed his head, recalling his overwhelming power and cruelty.
“Any other factions in on it?”
“......None, sir.”
“I’ll believe you.”
Yi Hwan turned to Cheol Mu-ok.
“Investigate the Grand Marshal’s residence immediately. Haul in anyone suspicious and seize any items.”
“Understood.”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae exited.
Yi Hwan leaned back and stared at Yang Ji-mong.
“Impressive record. Embezzled state funds meant for flood relief, committed adultery with your friend’s wife and got her pregnant, then killed the couple out of fear of exposure and buried them in the wild mountains?”
“......!”
“But you know what? Your father had been carrying on with that woman for years already. So that child might not even be yours. If so, you killed your own sibling too.”
Tremble...
“Want me to recite more?”
Yang Ji-mong shot to his feet and prostrated himself flat on the floor.
“Spare me! If you just spare my life, I’ll do anything! N-no, I’ll give everything!”
“Sounds like you’ve got quite the hidden fortune. But what can be done? I’m not particularly in need of money.”
“......!”
“Mu-gwan.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“Throw this one in the prison and tell them no water until I say otherwise.”
“Understood.”
“Gr-Great Prince! Mercy!”
Thwack!
“Quiet.”
Kim Mu-gwan grabbed Yang Ji-mong by the scruff and dragged him out like a sack.
“Great Prince!”
As Yang Ji-mong was hauled away, Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong entered. Hwa Ryeong pinched her nose at the thick stench of blood.
“Care to wash up?”
Poke!
Go Mi jabbed Hwa Ryeong’s side and said.
“We’ve received word that the Third Prince is moving toward Henan. It’s not confirmed, but he might be heading to Mount Song, where the Shaolin Temple is.”
“He’s chosen the safest spot. Mount Song is a sacred mountain the court can’t touch lightly. Have you sent people?”
“Yes. But without cause, we can’t enter Shaolin grounds, so I’ve ordered surveillance of the surroundings.”
“That’ll do for now...”
Yi Hwan drained a bowl of water, then asked something else.
“Did you take what I gave you?”
“Not yet. Things escalated so suddenly...”
Yi Hwan stared at Hwa Ryeong. She raised both hands to her shoulders and grinned sheepishly.
“No time even for meditation and breath control, so I had to put it off. But now that things are settled, I should take it. You’re really not going to tell me what it is?”
“You won’t die, so don’t worry.”
“Come on, I should at least know what I’m swallowing.”
Poke!
Go Mi jabbed her side again.
“I’ll have them prepare hot water.”
“No need. I prefer cold.”
As Yi Hwan stepped out, an officer waited with a fresh suit of armor.
“Tell the chef to prepare some hot soup for the commander?”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan went to the rear yard, donned the armor, and immersed himself in cold water.
Splash!
Blood from the armor bled into the water, turning it red in moments.
How much time passed?
The Crown Prince’s Palace warriors who had gone to arrest Yu Gwang entered.
“We’ve brought Central Army Commander Yu Gwang.”
* * *
Thump. Thump.
Yu Gwang struggled to calm his pounding heart. Ever since entering the Golden Army headquarters instead of the Crown Prince’s Palace, anxiety had choked even his breath.
‘Why did they bring me here of all places?’
That was when the door opened, and Yi Hwan entered.
Yu Gwang shot to his feet and bowed his head low.
“Central Army Commander Yu Gwang pays respects to the Great Prince.”
“Skip the formalities.”
Yi Hwan sat across from him.
“Sit.”
“......Yes.”
Yi Hwan leaned back and stared at Yu Gwang. Yu Gwang couldn’t meet his gaze and lowered his eyes furtively.
“When war broke out with Zhao, why didn’t you support His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Yu Gwang’s heart raced harder, knowing the question he dreaded had arrived. But he had his defense.
“As Your Highness knows, snow had piled up too heavily to send reinforcements.”
“Snow, huh...”
Yi Hwan trailed off, interlocking his fingers. He fell silent for a long while.
The silence unnerved Yu Gwang more.
“Well, it did snow a lot then.”
‘Phew...’
“But Zhao moved troops freely in the same conditions. What do you make of that?”
“......!”
“I hear that area gets heavy snow every winter. Shouldn’t you have trained for it in advance? What say you?”
“We trained every winter, but that blizzard was unprecedented...”
Thwack!
Yi Hwan straightened and slammed his palm on the table. Yu Gwang flinched violently.
“As a subject who stood by while His Highness faced peril, you deserve execution. But considering your contributions to the state, I’ll spare you the extreme penalty.”
“......!”
“Deputy General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“Lock this man up. Until further orders, one meal a day. Demote him to common soldier—no special treatment for his former commander rank.”
“Understood!”
“The Great Prince has no authority to demote me! Only His Majesty and the Grand Commander-in-Ch—Gah!”
Yu Gwang’s voice deflated midway as he remembered Yi Hwan held the Grand Commander-in-Chief rank.
“You should’ve begged forgiveness claiming the Empress’s orders left you no choice. Though in your ignorance of the situation, you never even considered it.”
“......!”
“What are you waiting for? Drag him away.”
“Yes!”
“Great Prince! Great Prince!”
Thud!
Even after the door shut, Yu Gwang’s desperate screams echoed for a while.
Go Mi entered.
“Have you chosen a successor for Central Army Commander?”
“That’s for the Crown Prince’s Palace to decide. Rumors of my influence there would cause trouble.”
Yi Hwan brought his teacup to his lips.
Clink.
“The military is mostly sorted now.”
What remained was how the Empress would respond—and Second Prince Yi Tae-ji.
But Yi Hwan wasn’t worried at all.
‘Her Majesty’s greatest weapon, the imperial edict, is now ours. With that, the tide has fully turned.’
“Great Prince.”
“What.”
“May I ask about after His Highness ascends the throne?”
“I’ll stay by his side until things stabilize. Curious about after that?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing’s set in stone yet. I’ll tell you when it is.”
“Understood.”
“Let me ask you something.”
“Please do.”
Yi Hwan leaned back slightly and asked.
“Even after His Highness takes the throne, will you stay with me?”
“Of course.”
“What if His Highness issues an imperial edict to stay by your side?”
“I would naturally obey the edict.”
‘Well, I had to ask.’
Yi Hwan gave a wry smile.
Go Mi continued.
“I hope no such edict comes.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course.”
What was this? This strange sense of triumph.
“Is it because of my martial arts?”
Go Mi didn’t answer the question.
Yi Hwan set down his teacup and stared into her eyes, then regretted it. Disappointment flickered in them.
Too late for regrets.
“......I was joking.”