When the military governor regained consciousness, Jeok Wigang was sitting in front of him.
“You are awake?”
“You are? Urgh!”
As if his head suddenly hurt, he clutched his forehead and groaned in pain.
At that, Jung Saheon quickly explained.
“The old brainwashing and the new brainwashing are colliding, causing temporary pain.”
“Can it not be done without pain?”
“I apologize.”
“Does he remember everything?”
“I am not sure. This is my first time changing brainwashing in this way....”
A short while later.
As if the pain had passed, the military governor sighed and lifted his head again.
Unlike before, his eyes looked clear.
The military governor’s gaze went first to Jung Saheon.
“Strategist.... I feel as though my mind has cleared. As though a nightmare that had tormented me for a long time has disappeared.”
“That is a relief. I had been deeply worried because, all this time, you were seeing illusions and acting as though they were reality.”
“Huh.... Is that true? Then... was my killing my son-in-law also an illusion?”
“That... was reality.”
“Mm....”
The military governor swallowed a groan and lowered his head.
“He was human filth itself. You did well. Thanks to that, the people are praising Your Excellency’s fairness and justice.”
“Fairness and justice.... What right do I have to hear such words? When I think of what I did to the people all this time while possessed by something....”
“That was all because an unhealthy qi had settled in your mind.”
As he said it was because of unhealthy qi, Jung Saheon flinched inside.
After all, he was the one who had poured that unhealthy qi into him.
“By the way, Strategist.... Your speech has grown quicker now.”
“I also had my illness treated.”
That was true. He had been beaten to within an inch of his life, and that had cured him.
If he did not speak quickly, he would be beaten, so he had to fix it no matter what.
There was one truth he had realized then.
Nothing was impossible.
He had tried everything imaginable to fix it before and nothing had worked, yet when he threw all his strength into not getting beaten, it was cured.
Should he be grateful for that?
“That is fortunate. Hahaha. To be honest... it was a little frustrating.”
At the military governor’s words, Jung Saheon gave an awkward smile.
If he had said such a thing before, Jung Saheon would not have let it pass.
“By the way, that man over there is... Ah! Dark Dragon Fortress!”
The military governor rose from his seat, gave a fist salute, and apologized.
“I am sorry. It seems I was not in my right mind. Why I acted that way....”
“It appears you remember everything.”
“How shameful. I truly cannot understand why I did such things.... It truly feels as though I was possessed by a ghost.”
“It is all right. I heard everything from the strategist. They said you had a chronic illness. Since you were not in your right mind, I understand.”
“Mm. Thank you. But... are you someone sent by the Fortress Commander of Dark Dragon Fortress?”
The military governor looked around and, seeing Jeok Wigang for the first time, spoke to him.
“No. I came here by His Majesty’s command.”
“By His Majesty’s command?”
“I came because I heard the military governor of Cloud-Sea Fortress was committing tyranny and plotting treason.”
“T-treason! I have never once thought of such a thing!”
“Is that true?”
“It is! I remember that much clearly! I have never once, absolutely never once, thought of treason!”
When Jeok Wigang looked at Jung Saheon, Jung Saheon nodded.
It meant it was true.
“Understood.”
“Show me proof that you are someone sent by His Majesty!”
Being accused of treason seemed to have thoroughly angered him.
Jeok Wigang took the Imperial Command Tablet from his robe and held it out.
The moment the military governor saw it, he hurriedly rose from his seat, performed nine kowtows, and cried long live.
“This subject! Military Governor! Yi Sechang! Beholds the Imperial Command Tablet! Long live! Long live! Long, long live!”
To Yi Sechang, who lay prostrate on the floor, Jeok Wigang said,
“What do you intend to do about the taxes you excessively imposed on the people?”
“I-I will return them all and apologize to the people.”
“What will you do about the troops you secretly raised without His Majesty’s command?”
“I-I will disband them all.”
“No. Why would you disband soldiers you worked so hard to train?”
“Then what should I do?”
“Turn them into an army that follows only His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“From now on, you must become His Majesty’s sword. Do you understand?”
“Yes! If it is His Majesty’s command, I will obey even if it means death!”
“Good.”
Satisfied by Yi Sechang’s answer, Jeok Wigang nodded.
Since he had been newly brainwashed so his loyalty would grow stronger, there should be no need to worry.
If all the other military governor’s offices were turned to the Emperor’s side like this, no one would be able to touch the Emperor.
That aside, were the other military governor’s offices all right?
There was no way to know how many bastards from White Horse Heaven had come down into the Central Plains.
Yet he could not very well go examine all four of the remaining military governor’s offices.
For now, he would return to the imperial palace and think about it.
*****
The next day.
The people who saw the wall notices posted all over Cloud-Sea Fortress looked bewildered.
The wall notices said the taxes that had been unfairly collected would be returned, and that such a thing would never happen again.
“What is this supposed to mean?”
“It says they are returning all the taxes they collected unfairly.”
“Huh.... Are we supposed to believe that?”
“It is written right here, is it not?”
“Isn’t this a fake notice someone posted while pretending to be the Fortress Commander? The Fortress Commander is not the kind of person who would do this.”
“It even has the Fortress Commander’s seal on it, and the soldiers over there are not damaging the notices. It must really be a notice issued by the fortress.”
“Then everything written there is true?”
“I suppose so?”
At first, the people were half in doubt.
“Excuse me. Is that wall notice truly real?”
Someone gathered his courage and asked a soldier.
Then the soldier smiled and said,
“It is real. The Fortress Commander gave the order himself.”
“The Fortress Commander himself?”
“That is right.”
Only after hearing the soldier’s words did the people begin to realize this was genuine.
Even so, they could not simply rejoice.
Because they had suffered so much at the Fortress Commander’s hands, everyone remained wary.
“There is no reason to be happy. Something major may have happened, and he may be trying to pacify us beforehand.”
At someone’s words, the people nodded.
“As they say, one joy may carry one worry. It may be good now, but this could turn into great calamity later.”
“Why use such difficult words? You are making my head hurt.”
“Hm, hm. It is just a saying.”
As the people remained confused even after seeing the wall notice, another notice was posted.
The people thought, of course.
They assumed the good thing had been shown first and the bad thing would be shown later.
However, the people who saw the newly posted wall notice all prostrated themselves on the ground and began shouting long live.
It was a wall notice bearing an imperial order.
It said the one who had ordered the excessive collection of taxes to stop was none other than the Emperor, and because this was an imperial order, such a thing would absolutely never happen again.
“His Majesty has not abandoned us! Long live! Long live! Long, long live!”
Jeok Wigang stood at a distance with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the cheering people.
A smile formed on his lips.
Ye Yahyeon was dissatisfied.
“You are the one who did it, Big Brother. Why are you giving the credit to the Emperor?”
“It is fine. What would I use those people’s cheers for? Right now, the Emperor needs strength. What strength is greater than the hearts of the people?”
It was true, so Ye Yahyeon had nothing in particular to say.
“It seems things have been resolved well here, so let us return.”
“You are leaving without telling the military governor?”
“It is fine. It would only be troublesome. The military governor might come looking for us, so let us hurry and leave.”
“Yes.”
*****
At the news that Jeok Wigang had arrived, Zhu Seogi ran over at once.
Beside him, Taecheon and Chu Sohwan clung like shadows.
They were faithfully obeying Jeok Wigang’s order to remain by him at all times like shadows.
When Zhu Seogi saw Jeok Wigang in the distance, his eyes grew wet with tears, and he ran even faster.
As Zhu Seogi approached, Jeok Wigang immediately tried to pay his respects.
At that moment, Zhu Seogi quickly grabbed him and stopped him.
“You need not do that.”
“Your Majesty. That violates protocol. If you grant someone special treatment like this, power may gather around that person. Therefore, you must treat all people fairly.”
“Hahaha! Scholar Jeok’s nagging remains unchanged.”
“I am overwhelmed by Your Majes— What? Scholar Jeok?”
Jeok Wigang asked again in surprise.
A scholar of the Hanlin Academy was third-rank, the same rank as a Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy.
He had climbed a full five ranks.
“I heard everything. What you did after going to the front line. That is why I raised your office this time. You are now a Compiler-Scholar of the Hanlin Academy.”
When Jeok Wigang looked at Ye Yahyeon, Ye Yahyeon pretended not to notice.
He also saw the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy quietly smiling.
Guessing what had happened, Jeok Wigang let out a quiet sigh and said,
“This is too much.”
“What are you saying? In my heart, I wished to seat you as a Grand Secretary, no, in one of the Three Ducal Ministers’ seats. I restrained myself greatly even with this.”
Jeok Wigang looked at the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy and said,
“What were you doing instead of stopping His Majesty?”
“Ahem! When His Majesty so earnestly desired it, how could I, as a subject, prevent him?”
As he spoke, the corners of his mouth twitched.
Seeing that, Jeok Wigang lowered his head.
He had not been an official for very long, yet he had already become third-rank.
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy was even happier upon seeing Jeok Wigang’s reaction.
This made it certain.
Jeok Wigang had no greed for power.
It was a rank others were desperate to obtain, yet he was making his dislike so obvious.
They had to hold on to him no matter what.
The Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy also inwardly agreed with what Zhu Seogi had just said.
A man so free of greed for power ought to rise to one of the Three Ducal Ministers’ seats.
Opposition?
If anyone used that as an excuse to behave rudely toward the Emperor, hell would unfold for them.
“The Hanlin Academy will not sit still.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, Zhu Seogi smiled and said,
“I will no longer retreat. In every matter, I intend to openly put forward the Emperor’s authority. I will make them carry out my will.”
The weak and dispirited Zhu Seogi had changed.
With his illness cured, his complexion had improved, and perhaps because he had been eating well, he had put on a fair amount of flesh.
Now he looked rather dignified.
His face was filled with confidence as well.
“It seems you no longer need me.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, Zhu Seogi jumped in alarm.
“W-what do you mean? I cannot be without Scholar Jeok. Only with Scholar Jeok beside me can I be Emperor.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Please do not leave me.”
At the sight of him speaking as if pleading with an earnest expression, Jeok Wigang nodded.
At that, Zhu Seogi smiled brightly and said,
“Haha! You just answered that you are by my side now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Hahaha! I have kept our Scholar Jeok standing too long. Come, let us go. I have prepared a feast for Scholar Jeok.”
“Your Majesty, you need not go that far....”
“Come now, let us hurry. I too have not eaten while waiting for you.”
“Understood.”
At Zhu Seogi’s words that he had been waiting without even eating, Jeok Wigang had no choice but to follow.
He sent a voice transmission to Taecheon and Chu Sohwan.
—You worked hard.
—Not at all, young master.
—Not at all, my lord.
—Nothing happened, did it?
Chu Sohwan hesitated for a moment, then said,
—Something did.