The Minister of Revenue lay unconscious, foam bubbling at his mouth.
Unlike the Minister of War, who had been a martial artist, the Minister of Revenue was a civil official, so he fainted much faster.
The Minister of War, who had been watching from the corner, could not bear to look any longer and turned his head.
Remembering what had happened to him, terror flooded his entire body. He clamped his hands over his ears, turned toward the wall, and trembled.
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy looked at him and thought:
The Minister of War would never be able to refuse the Emperor’s orders again.
Then he looked at Jeok Wigang.
Their meeting had seemed accidental, but it was not an accident.
He thought Jeok Wigang was a divine man sent by heaven for His Majesty and for the peace of this country.
*****
That evening.
The Minister of Revenue was answering Zhu Seogi’s questions in a brisk voice, with all his heart and soul.
“Are you truly short on budget?”
“No, Your Majesty! We can do it! I will gather my people this instant and have them work through the night if necessary. The budget proposal will be processed by tomorrow!”
“You said earlier that there was none.”
“I have committed a crime worthy of death!”
“Why did you say there was none?”
“Th-that is...”
The instant he began watching their reactions—
“Hm? Your answer slowed down. Your Majesty, it seems his education is not finished yet. Give me just a little more time...”
Before Jeok Wigang could even finish speaking, he desperately began explaining the reason.
“I-I was practicing austerity to make myself look good to the next person in power!”
“To make yourself look good?”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty! The imperial palace may be in chaos now, but in the end, someone will seize power. If I fail to properly give that person what he wants, would that not be the end of my life? So I saved, and saved, and saved again!”
“You did it to survive?”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty! Please believe me!”
It made sense.
Winning favor with the next person in power would have been more profitable than winning favor with the current powerless Emperor.
“I understand. For now, let us put out the urgent fire first.”
“Yes, Your Majesty! I will prepare the military budget this instant and send it to the front line!”
“Is merely sending it enough?”
“Th-that is... Ah, no, Your Majesty! We must also conduct an audit to determine whether the budget is being used properly. B-but since the situation is urgent, that part may be omitted...”
“No. The work must be done properly, should it not? I will send someone for the audit myself.”
“I-if Your Majesty does so, this subject will prepare the budget.”
Zhu Seogi nodded and said,
“You must be busy, so you may withdraw.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Unlike when he had walked in proudly before, he now bowed his head and slowly backed out.
His broken legs had been fully healed by Jeok Wigang, so he was able to leave without issue.
He came outside and was about to hurry away.
That was when a voice rang inside the Minister of Revenue’s head.
—Keep doing exactly as you did just now. Otherwise, I will turn living into hell for you.
Fear crawled up from the tips of his toes, and he barely managed to nod.
—Good. Go.
Once permission fell, he hurried away.
And he thought:
The imperial palace’s true power had been decided.
It was Jeok Wigang.
Just as he had expected, the budget was now being spent according to the wishes of the true power.
Thinking that, he ran with all his might.
The remaining Minister of War expressed his gratitude to Zhu Seogi.
“Thanks to Your Majesty, the morale of the military will rise.”
“I am glad. The matter was handled smoothly.”
Was that really handled smoothly?
It seemed to have been handled by force.
“By the way, whom does Your Majesty intend to send for the audit?”
The Minister of War asked carefully.
Since audits were a sensitive issue, he intended to send word asking them to look kindly on things if he heard who was going.
“I intend to send Compiler Jeok.”
The Minister of War lowered his head.
Because that was not someone he could persuade.
I am sorry. I hope you skimmed only a little if you could help it.
The Minister of War silently sent his condolences to the generals who would be on the battlefield.
*****
Only after the Minister of War left did Zhu Seogi tell Jeok Wigang what had happened during the day.
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy, who stood beside him, said with a flustered expression,
“Is... is that true, Your Majesty?”
“It is. They came in a whole crowd, said what they pleased, and left.”
“This subject will request punishment on behalf of the Hanlin Academy!”
When the Lecturer prostrated himself, Zhu Seogi said,
“Enough. Well, it is not as though this has happened only once or twice.”
“Your Majesty...”
Jeok Wigang said,
“Later, this subject will educate them properly so they can never do such a thing again.”
“Hahaha! Will you do that? Thanks to you today, Compiler Jeok, I felt as though a ten-year-old blockage had finally gone down.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. I am only ashamed that I showed Your Majesty an unseemly sight.”
“No. I know very well that Compiler Jeok did it for my sake. How could I think of it as unseemly?”
“To hear Your Majesty think so is an immeasurable imperial grace.”
“What do you think, Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy? What do you think their next move will be?”
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy thought for a while, then spoke with a grim look.
“They will either assign him work no scholar could endure and make him leave on his own, or they will exhaust him by forcing difficult tasks upon him one after another.”
“What sort of tasks would those be?”
“They might make him clean the imperial palace archives, or have him seal memorials and documents into envelopes. And there is one duty scholars hate most of all. That is being dispatched to the battlefield to audit the military.”
“A military audit?”
“Yes. Even for those of us with experience, auditing the military is no easy task. Lack of cooperation is common, and at times, they do not hesitate to intimidate us. What would happen if a newly arrived novice were sent to such a place? The military would think they were being looked down on and treat him however they pleased, or they would send him to the actual battlefield and make him suffer every hardship they could. In the end, a novice scholar who knows nothing would merely suffer to death and return.”
“That works out well. I had to go anyway.”
“Hoh. The Western Depot has not even properly established itself yet... and we do not know when the Eastern Depot will move... Your Majesty, must you truly send Compiler Jeok?”
At the Lecturer’s words, Zhu Seogi also looked uneasy.
“It seems I spoke too hastily without thinking that through.”
“You need not worry. The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard will protect Your Majesty.”
“If you are absent, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard may change their attitude.”
“That will absolutely not happen. If you are that uneasy, I will leave two guards with Your Majesty and take the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard with me on the audit.”
Since the Commander was the one who frightened him most, Zhu Seogi looked relieved when he heard Jeok Wigang would take him along.
He asked,
“Are those guards trustworthy?”
“Yes. They are no different from family to me, and for now, they are strong.”
“Very well. Still, return quickly. I no longer wish to imagine the imperial palace without Compiler Jeok.”
“Understood. I will go and return as quickly as possible.”
“I will trust Compiler Jeok.”
Zhu Seogi intended to believe Jeok Wigang even if he said black was white.
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy bowed his head and said,
“Then this subject will go plant the idea among the Hanlin Academy scholars.”
“Do so.”
*****
When the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy went to the Hanlin Academy, the scholars had gathered and were having a grave discussion.
When he quietly listened to what they were discussing, it was about Jeok Wigang.
They were seriously discussing what they could do to drive him out.
It was absurd.
They should have been discussing state affairs and how to assist His Majesty, yet they were staying this late just to drive out a newly appointed novice because they did not like him.
With the Hanlin Academy, the foundation of the nation, in such a state, there was no way the country could function properly.
A sigh almost escaped him, but he had a task to carry out, so he entered with an unconcerned expression.
“What are you all discussing so late into the night?”
“We were discussing how to correct the manners of the newly appointed Compiler Jeok.”
“Hoh. I heard about it already. They say he is that ill-mannered.”
“That is right. Since His Majesty shields him, he runs wild without knowing how high the heavens are.”
“We must correct his manners properly this time so things will be easier going forward.”
“It would be even better if he exhausted himself and left on his own.”
“Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy, please speak if you have any good ideas.”
“What ideas have come out so far?”
When he listened, they were exactly what he had expected: cleaning the archives, simple clerical work, and the like.
“Instead of that, how about sending him on a military audit? Better yet, send him to the front line and let him taste real hardship.”
At the Lecturer’s words, the other scholars looked shocked.
“How about the front line among all front lines? If he says he is there to audit them, the generals will go wild. They will probably try to devour that man Jeok Wigang whole.”
At the Lecturer’s words, everyone exclaimed in admiration.
“Hoh! As expected! Your thoughts are different ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) from ours.”
“We never even imagined such a terrible idea.”
“With this, there is no need to say another word. He will run away immediately.”
“A man who only read books will lose his soul and flee once he goes to the battlefield.”
“What generals hate most is being caught at fault by bookworms like us, is it not? To avoid being caught, they will send him somewhere harsh no matter what.”
At that moment, one person voiced a worried opinion.
“But since His Majesty is sheltering him, sending him to the very front line may be difficult. It is not merely the front, but a place where actual battle is taking place.”
At that, the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy stepped forward with an expression that said he had already considered everything.
“Do not worry about that. I can persuade His Majesty.”
“How do you intend to persuade him?”
“I intend to tell him that to become a true help, one needs resolve, and there is no place like the battlefield to develop such resolve. And if I say it is a duty one must go through after entering the Hanlin Academy, His Majesty does not know the palace’s work in detail, so he will have no choice but to accept it. Also, if I say it is only an audit and not especially dangerous, he will feel reassured.”
“Ooh! As expected!”
“Amazing!”
“Let us send that bastard out and then bring up the appointment of the Crown Prince again.”
“The Crown Prince must be appointed soon for the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy to have work as well, must he not? Hahaha.”
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy was an official post responsible for royal education.
In particular, he mainly handled the education of a young Crown Prince, and that meant far more than simple instruction. Since he was the teacher of the Emperor or Crown Prince, his political influence was quite strong.
At the mention of appointing the Crown Prince, the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy’s expression stiffened.
“His Majesty is still in good health, and Her Majesty the Empress is also in good health. Let us wait a little longer before discussing that matter.”
“Ahem!”
The scholars supporting Noble Consort Man showed their displeasure, while the scholars supporting the Empress looked as though they had gained a reliable ally.
“Now, now. Let us set aside the headache-inducing matters for later and deal with that man Jeok Wigang first.”
“Let us do that.”
*****
The next day, Jeok Wigang packed his belongings and immediately departed for the front line.
Taecheon and Chu Sohwan were always with him, so their absence this time made him feel strangely empty.
Still, he was not traveling alone. There were three people moving with him, including Jeok Wigang.
Jeok Wigang was the auditor, and accompanying him were two members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a scribe.
The scribe and one of the Embroidered Uniform Guard kept watching someone’s reaction. That was because one of the Embroidered Uniform Guard accompanying them was none other than their superior, the Commander.
And not just any Commander, but Ye Yahyeon, said to be the strongest and most terrifying Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in history.
With him walking beside them wearing an irritated expression, the two had no choice but to keep watching his mood.
That was when it happened.
BWAAK—
“Aoww!”
Someone smacked the back of Ye Yahyeon’s head.