Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Diverging Joys and Sorrows
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Crown Prince's Palace.
Bad news had reached Yi So, who had been recovering his health day by day.
It was the death of Hwang Ho.
The shock Yi So received was immense.
Hwang Ho was the man in the military whom he trusted the most, a hot-blooded loyal retainer who had fought for him all this time. Moreover, he was someone poised to play a pivotal role in the grand scheme for the greater good.
Clink.
Yi So fiddled with his teacup.
The tea had already gone cold, with not even a wisp of steam rising. Jang Su gazed at him with pity in his eyes.
“Soon, Her Majesty the Empress and the Fourth Imperial Prince’s side will try to appoint a new Commander for the Southern Legion. Without His Majesty’s permission, there’s no way to stop it at present.”
Yi So silently fiddled with his teacup.
Was he lost in thought? Or pondering something?
He remained silent for quite a while.
Jang Su simply watched him. After some time passed...
“What are the chances of the Grand Commander-in-Chief coming over to our side?”
“If the Empress steps in personally, it’s best to assume there’s no chance of the Grand Commander-in-Chief joining us. If we move rashly to win him over and it backfires, we’d just be handing the Fourth Imperial Prince’s side a weapon to use against us.”
“Then what if we prevent the messenger from reaching the Southern Legion?”
“Shall we kill the messenger?”
“It seems like the only way to delay the appointment for now. If we buy time that way, maybe a miracle will happen?”
Both the speaking Yi So and the listening Jang Su wore heavy expressions. It was nothing more than a desperate last resort.
Yi So asked.
“In the Southern Legion right now, is General Jeong Cheon the only one who could replace General Hwang?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What about that boy?”
He meant Yi Hwan. The escort captain replied in a grave tone.
“To speak boldly, I believe it would be impossible for the Great Prince to lead the Southern Legion directly. He lacks experience commanding troops, and the warriors wouldn’t accept him. To them, the Commander is no different from a guardian deity who protects their lives. Wasn’t it thanks to the warriors’ absolute support that General Hwang held onto his position despite all the external pressures?”
Yi So closed his eyes tightly.
A deep shadow fell over Jang Su’s face as he stared at Yi So’s shadowed visage.
A sigh escaped Yi So’s lips.
“In the end, all we can do is hope for a miracle?”
* * *
The face of Fourth Imperial Prince Yi Tae-ji was exceedingly bright.
“To think things are flowing this way again. It seems heaven is aiding us. Heh heh heh.”
“Indeed. Since it’s an appointment due to the Commander’s death rather than a replacement, there’s nothing to obstruct it. Once the Grand Commander-in-Chief returns, we just need to convey our will for him to appoint General Paeng as the new Commander of the Southern Legion.”
“When is the Grand Commander-in-Chief scheduled to return?”
“I checked with the Commander-in-Chief’s office, and they said no later than ten days from now.”
Yi Tae-ji subtly furrowed his brow.
“If I’d known it would come to this, I should have transferred the appointment authority to one of our people long ago, instead of leaving it with the Grand Commander-in-Chief.”
“Have no worries. The Grand Commander-in-Chief is a man who knows where his interests lie, so he won’t refuse our request. Even if he does, if Her Majesty the Empress steps in, there’ll be no issue at all.”
At the advisor’s confident words, Yi Tae-ji feigned a troubled expression.
“With so many eyes watching, I need to wrap this up on my own this time. If I borrow Mother’s power again, not only the other side but even the neutrals will look down on me.”
“I hadn’t considered that far. Then please do so.”
Yi Tae-ji lifted his teacup to his lips.
Clink!
“Once General Paeng becomes Commander of the Southern Legion, the only one who could cause trouble would be Jeong Cheon, right?”
“Once the appointment is finalized, removing Jeong Cheon won’t be difficult. We can’t kill him, but promoting him and sending him to another unit or calling him to the rear would solve it easily.”
“That should do it. Heh heh heh.”
Yi Tae-ji, grinning with satisfaction and baring his teeth, suddenly scowled.
“What about leaving that guy there?”
“You mean the Fourth Imperial Prince?”
“Yeah. Even a puppet like him is still the Great Prince, so he might get in General Paeng’s way.”
Snicker.
The advisor let out a chuckle.
“There’s no need to touch the Great Prince and risk needless misunderstandings. He’s no threat, even with ten or a hundred men. Just leave him be.”
“That’s true, but...”
“If it still bothers you, we can summon the Great Prince to the capital. There’s no shortage of excuses, so no problem there.”
“Forget it. As you say, he’s no threat at all, so let’s leave him.”
Yi Tae-ji rose from his seat.
“Shall we have a drink for once?”
“I’ll prepare the dancers.”
“No, let’s drink quietly today.”
“As you wish.”
Yi Tae-ji stepped out of his residence.
The smile never left his face.
* * *
Yi Hwan and Jeong Cheon sat facing each other.
“If the Grand Commander-in-Chief appoints Paeng Mu-wi as Commander, is there no way to stop it?”
“Yes. The authority to appoint positions in all armies except the Golden Army lies with the Grand Commander-in-Chief.”
“Is the Grand Commander-in-Chief on the Fourth Imperial Prince’s side?”
“No. But he’s the type who prioritizes practical gains above all, so if the Fourth Imperial Prince’s side persuades or pressures him, there’s a high chance he’ll yield. He has many weaknesses, after all.”
At this point, the strong suspicion that arose was, once again, the Emperor. Up to now, the Emperor’s presence had been barely felt. No one had even mentioned him.
Hadn’t even Yi So avoided answering?
Yi Hwan took a sip of tea and continued, staring straight at Jeong Cheon.
“If they seize control of the Southern Legion, the first thing they’ll do is get rid of you, General.”
“Probably so.”
Jeong Cheon nodded gravely.
“Do you have a countermeasure?”
“No.”
“You’re just going to take it lying down?”
“No one in this land can defy the laws of the state. All we can hope for now is that His Highness the Crown Prince can sway the Grand Commander-in-Chief’s heart.”
“Hmm...”
“By now, the news should have reached the Crown Prince’s Palace. They may already be working behind the scenes.”
Yi Hwan fell silent for a moment. Jeong Cheon waited to hear what he would say.
After a while, Yi Hwan spoke.
“I’ll find a way to make you the Commander of the Southern Legion.”
“Pardon?”
“We can’t just rely on the Crown Prince’s Palace, so we need to find our own method. But before that...”
Yi Hwan raised his hand, tapped his temple, and continued.
“First, clear the clutter from your mind. I understand your feelings, but that dejected look doesn’t suit you.”
“My apologies.”
Jeong Cheon rose and bowed his head.
“We’ll build your quarters as quickly as possible. Then I’ll take my leave.”
As Jeong Cheon turned to go, Yi Hwan suddenly asked.
“Do you trust me, General?”
“Yes.”
“Not because of my position as Great Prince, but my abilities?”
“That as well—I want to believe in it now.”
Snicker.
“Want to believe, not do believe? You still don’t fully trust my abilities, is that it?”
“Honestly, yes. But please understand that my standards for the Great Prince are much higher than before. May I ask you something in turn?”
“Ask.”
Jeong Cheon took a breath and asked.
“Why did you hide your skills?”
“It’s a damn ridiculous story. One I can’t tell anyone. Understand that I can’t explain it right now.”
“Understood.”
Once Jeong Cheon left, Cheol Mu-ok entered.
“As you commanded, I hung the enemy soldiers’ limbs at their camp gate.”
“Good work.”
Yi Hwan peered outside through a gap in the tent flap. He was now in the new camp on the north side of the gorge. Outside, warriors were busy pitching tents for shelter, while wagons and carts from the existing camp continuously brought in supplies.
Just then, Paeng Mu-wi and Young Ho-chung passed by in the distance ahead.
Cheol Mu-ok spoke up.
“Why not just kill Paeng Mu-wi?”
“If we send another, do we kill him too?”
“...”
“We need a more certain method. Of course, that means dragging things out as long as possible.”
“How?”
“We’ll figure it out from now on.”
Yi Hwan stepped out of the tent. Right beside him, Song Hoe and the others were busy erecting tents.
“Deputy General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“Send a messenger to the Crown Prince’s Palace asking how the matter I requested earlier is progressing.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan headed north of the camp. Cheol Mu-ok followed and asked.
“How long will you stay here?”
“I made a promise with the Crown Prince. To prevent this place from falling into the Fourth Imperial Prince’s hands. In exchange for having the East Depot find ronin for me, I intend to keep it.”
Yi Hwan stopped walking and stared at Cheol Mu-ok.
“I will find the descendants of the Three Kings no matter what. I’m more desperate than you are. So don’t be too impatient.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Great Prince.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
The two resumed walking. But they hadn’t gone far before stopping again.
Go Mi was descending from the ridge ahead. Spotting Yi Hwan, she hurried over and bowed.
“Out for a stroll?”
“No. I was scouting the surroundings.”
“What do you think? Suitable as a camp?”
“I heard you decided it, Great Prince. We’ll simply follow.”
“You can say the right things too.”
“I merely stated my duty.”
Yi Hwan smiled faintly.
That slender frame and beauty still looked out of place with such a stiff tone.
“See you later.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
Cheol Mu-ok watched Go Mi descend the ridge and muttered.
“The more I see her, the more impressive she is. There must be a reason she became head of a covert organization at such a young age.”
“Do you like her?”
“I have no interest in women.”
Snicker.
A wistful light settled in Yi Hwan’s eyes as he chuckled.
*Better to be with my lord than with the world’s most beautiful woman.*
The voice of Blade King Cheol Mu-gwang echoed vividly in his mind, as if spoken right beside him.
*May your descendant be as fine a man as you. So far, I quite like him.*
“Great Prince.”
“What.”
“About those people from the Fourth Imperial Prince’s side staying in the marketplace. Why come all this way and stay there instead of joining the camp?”
“With General Hwang dead, they’ll either join soon or head back.”
“What do you...”
“As you said, there’s only one reason they came here but stayed in the marketplace instead of the camp.”
“You think their purpose was to assassinate General Hwang Ho?”
“That’s what I thought.”
As Yi Hwan nodded silently, Cheol Mu-ok immediately asked.
“Then why did you leave them alone?”
“I wasn’t leaving them alone—I was waiting for them to attempt the assassination on General Hwang. If we capture them in the act, we’d hold the hilt, not the Fourth Imperial Prince’s side. The Zhao Kingdom assassins ruined it.”
“...!”
Cheol Mu-ok was inwardly shocked.
*To think he had this in mind.*
In truth, he had been quite puzzled that Yi Hwan stayed still even after learning the facts through Go Mi’s report.
Cheol Mu-ok gazed at Yi Hwan’s retreating back as he walked ahead. Though doubts about Yi Hwan remained, his trust was growing stronger.
*It may seem trivial in result, but he’s doing what no one else thought of. He even accurately predicted the Zhao assassins would return.*
When setting out to capture the Blood Ghosts’ leader, Yi Hwan had said:
*They left without confirming General Hwang’s death. So they’ll definitely return to check if he’s alive or dead.*
*Even the exact location was spot on.*
What surprised Cheol Mu-ok even more was that. Predicting the precise spot where the assassin would appear in such a vast camp was nearly impossible.
“What are you doing? Come on.”
“Yes! Coming!”