“Let’s see how much your skills have improved in all this time.”
“N-not at all.”
“Oh, come on. When you were acting so full of yourself earlier, you looked stronger than before. Let me have a look.”
Ye Yahyeon wanted to cry.
Even when all four of the Four Divine Demons had been together, they had not been a match for him, so how was Ye Yahyeon supposed to handle Jeok Wigang alone?
Before, at least he had comrades getting beaten with him, so even if it hurt, there had been some consolation. Now he had to endure all of it completely alone.
“You’re not moving? Then I’ll have to make you move.”
The sight of Jeok Wigang walking toward him slowly brought old memories rushing back with brutal clarity.
Fine. If I’m getting beaten either way, I might as well resist as much as I can!
Whether he got beaten this way or that way, the pain would be the same.
If he charged in, at least he could lose his temper.
Getting beaten quietly would be unfair.
Ye Yahyeon’s eyes turned red.
At that, Jeok Wigang grinned.
“You should have come at me like that from the start.”
Lightly ignoring Jeok Wigang’s words, Ye Yahyeon rushed in fast.
At the same time, his pitch-black outer robe fluttered upward, and something poured out rapidly, changing into gold.
“Black Heaven!”
RATATAT—
SWIIIIISH—
The pitch-dark outer robe was covered in black steel needles.
Countless steel needles surged up in every direction.
The rising steel needles flew toward Jeok Wigang with enough force to seem as though they could pierce through anything.
As if that were not enough, the absurd skill that made every single one of those countless steel needles contain sword aura was thrown in for good measure.
If it had been anyone else, this technique would have turned him into a hedgehog, or he would have died after being poisoned by the extreme venom on the steel needles.
It could not be dodged either.
Until they struck the opponent, Ye Yahyeon would control the countless steel needles.
WHUMP-WHUMP-WHUMP—
There was nowhere to dodge the steel needles that had blackened every direction, so Jeok Wigang simply took every one of them head-on.
A black shape in human form stood there.
“You definitely got stronger than before.”
Damn it.
As expected, it had not worked.
When Ye Yahyeon moved his index and middle fingers together wildly, the steel needles covering Jeok Wigang’s body shot up into the air all at once.
“Black Heaven Ten Thousand Convergence!”
The steel needles that had risen into the air gathered into one mass, then spun violently as they flew toward Jeok Wigang.
KAKAKAKAKAK—
The steel needles rotated fiercely, trying to pierce through Jeok Wigang’s body.
Then something entered Ye Yahyeon’s eyes.
“Huh?”
From the beginning, he had known he could not pierce Jeok Wigang’s body.
But his clothes were different.
Jeok Wigang had no inner qi, so he could not spread a sword aura barrier, and because of that, he could not protect his clothes.
So after he finished enjoying himself with the Four Divine Demons, he had usually been nearly naked.
But now?
His clothes were perfectly intact.
Which meant?
Something was blocking Ye Yahyeon’s attack.
And it was powerful, too.
Jeok Wigang had said he learned sorcery, so it seemed he had used that to spread a defensive barrier.
“Is that sorcery?”
“Hm?”
“Your clothes are intact.”
“Oh! Yeah. That’s right.”
At the sight of Jeok Wigang admitting it so easily, Ye Yahyeon frowned.
Damn it.
He was already a monster.
How strong was his sorcery, then?
Suddenly, Ye Yahyeon became curious about that.
“Big Brother... I’m curious about the sorcery you use.”
WHIRL—
Since he realized attacking was meaningless, he withdrew the steel needles as he asked.
“You’re curious?”
“Do you have offensive sorcery too?”
“I do, I suppose? But it’s not that strong. Just enough to please the eye?”
Was that really true?
“It doesn’t compare to this.”
At the sight of Jeok Wigang holding out his fist in disappointment, Ye Yahyeon nodded.
If it was stronger than that fist, that would truly make no sense.
“Then should I show you just a little?”
That day, Ye Yahyeon saw it.
A meteor falling from the sky toward him.
*****
When the Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy regained consciousness, he could not understand what was happening in front of him.
Wasn’t the Commander, who possessed tremendous power, sitting meekly in front of Jeok Wigang like a docile puppy, nodding vigorously at whatever he said?
“You’re awake?”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the Lecturer staggered to his feet and nodded.
“It seems you have become... quite close with the Commander?”
“Ah, he has decided to help us from now on. Right?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
The sight of the Commander submitting as if he had laid everything down was impossible to get used to.
Who was the Commander?
Because his martial arts were so extremely powerful, he did not regard anyone but the Emperor as above him.
That was why the other ministers did not dare touch or provoke him carelessly.
To him, strength took priority over law.
There was no need to shorten their lives by provoking him for no reason.
Everyone simply cooperated with his work in moderation and tried not to provoke him.
In truth, he did not seem to follow the Emperor very deeply either.
How should one put it?
It was more like a relationship of coexistence.
He never stepped forward in any major way, and when the Emperor gave an order, he only quietly obeyed.
In his usual conduct, he lived as though he did not particularly concern himself with affairs of the imperial palace, almost as if he were there and yet not there.
That was why the Lecturer had thought he would not care much about this matter either.
But beyond all expectations, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had moved.
So the Lecturer had lamented.
He had thought well of the man because he did not seem interested in power, but in the end, he too was merely a human being who coveted authority.
One of the people the Lecturer considered most dangerous was none other than Ye Yahyeon.
He was quiet, but because the Lecturer knew very well how strong he was, he believed that if Ye Yahyeon moved, the imperial palace might fall into even greater chaos than it was already in.
He was someone who needed to be watched most carefully, even among the figures requiring special caution.
And yet that very person was showing himself endlessly meek before Jeok Wigang, like a puppy that had met its master.
To think he had subdued so easily a being who seemed absolutely impossible to handle.
In the Lecturer’s eyes, Jeok Wigang looked like a heavenly army sent down from the sky to aid His Majesty.
“Is the reason His Majesty is ill possibly because of you?”
At Jeok Wigang’s question, Ye Yahyeon started violently and waved his hands.
“N-no! It is true that I specialize in poison, but I did not poison the Emperor.”
“Really?”
“It is the truth. Please believe me.”
“Then is His Majesty ill because his body was weak to begin with?”
“That is not it. He has shown symptoms of poisoning from the start. Someone has been secretly feeding His Majesty poison.”
“Hmm.”
“The person I consider most likely is Noble Consort Man.”
“Noble Consort Man?”
“Yes. At present, she is the only woman who has given birth to the Emperor’s bloodline. Before the Empress becomes pregnant, she is frantic to hurry and place her own son in the position of Crown Prince. The reason she poisoned the Emperor appears to be to prevent him from sharing a bed with the Empress and delay her pregnancy.”
“Did you know about this?”
When Jeok Wigang asked the Lecturer, the Lecturer shook his head blankly, his expression making it clear he had known nothing at all.
“To think... that was the reason His Majesty was ill...”
Ye Yahyeon looked at the Lecturer with a pathetic expression.
“This is why you people become targets when you move without even that much information. I even know that the Hanlin Academy itself has split into two factions.”
“That is true...”
“Would anything work properly when you are divided in two, when even standing united as one would not be enough? Do you know how pathetic everyone considers the Hanlin Academy?”
“I did not.”
“Perhaps that is exactly why they paid even less attention to you. To think His Majesty entrusted the Imperial Seal to people like you. That was unexpected. I thought he would entrust it to a stronger faction.”
At Ye Yahyeon’s words, the Lecturer lowered his head deeply.
He had keenly realized just how powerless they were.
Despite having no strength, they had been crying that they would assist His Majesty.
“In a «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» peaceful world, the brush may be a great power, but the imperial palace right now is in a time of chaos. The brush cannot exert power. This is a situation where only those with strength survive. Memorials? What does submitting those accomplish? Do you think those with real power will accept those memorials? This is why people who only bury themselves in books are...”
“Hey, enough nonsense. Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, Ye Yahyeon immediately adjusted his posture and said, “I did so because I thought this chaos would need to be cleaned up quickly for me to spend my days in comfort. If there are more things to worry about, it becomes annoying.”
If that was the reason, Jeok Wigang could understand it.
“Who is behind Noble Consort Man?”
“Chief Eunuch Sado Shin is behind her.”
“What sort of person is he?”
“He is someone who will not hesitate to use any means or methods to achieve his objective. At present, he is the person with the greatest power in the imperial palace after Noble Consort Man.”
“Have you met him?”
“No. I do not meet anyone other than the Emperor. What would I meet them for? It is only annoying, and I do not want to talk to them.”
“Who is behind the Empress?”
“The House of Ouyang and the Nine Gates Command Office.”
“And you?”
“I am neutral. I was merely planning to hand the Imperial Seal over to those who offered good conditions.”
“Are there any other forces staying neutral besides you?”
“The Minister of War of the Five Armies Command. He is also watching how things unfold, but according to information that came in recently, he seems to have leaned heavily toward Noble Consort Man’s side. The moment the Minister of War crosses over, the balance will break, and Noble Consort Man will take control of the imperial palace. As for the Empress, if we assume the worst, she could die, but she will probably be deposed. Still, the House of Ouyang retains considerable strength, so they likely will not be able to kill her easily.”
“Is that so? Arrange a meeting with the Minister of War.”
“Understood.”
“Then take all of those with you and leave.”
“Yes! Big Brother.”
Ye Yahyeon quickly vanished with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“I should see His Majesty.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the Lecturer came to his senses and quickly answered.
“I-I shall guide you at once.”
“Let’s go.”
*****
“Cough! Cough!”
The person coughing continuously in agony was Emperor Zhu Seogi.
His reign title was Changping.
The Changping Emperor, Zhu Seogi.
He had originally been a farmer from a rural village.
Because of that, he had once had a large frame and good stamina.
Now, however, that was only a story from the past.
His body had grown gaunt, as though he had not been able to eat properly, and the area beneath his eyes had darkened from lack of proper sleep.
Zhu Seogi had not had even the slightest desire to become Emperor.
When, one day, people suddenly came pouring in and told him he had to ascend to the Emperor’s seat, he had thought they were joking.
But it had been reality.
Once he became Emperor, he gained wives as well.
Two of them, at that.
One was the Empress, and the other was a noble consort.
The reason he gained two wives at once was because the ministers wanted it.
Because they remembered the hardship caused by the lack of an heir, they wanted to produce a successor as soon as possible.
Originally, there had even been claims that he should take four women, not two, but in the end, it was decided that he would take only two for the time being.
One of them was the daughter of the House of Ouyang, Empress Ouyang Hye, and the other was Deung Hyeryeon, called Noble Consort Man.
Ouyang Hye was noble, modest, and intelligent.
Zhu Seogi fell for her in an instant and sought only Ouyang Hye.
Deung Hyeryeon was always dissatisfied with that.
She had nothing inferior to Ouyang Hye, yet he kept seeking only her, so resentment filled her.
The one who approached her while she carried that resentment was an eunuch from the Eastern Depot.
He told the noble consort that her son could become Emperor, and if that happened, the imperial palace would belong to her.
Greedy as she was, she fell for the sweet temptation of the handsome, silver-tongued eunuch.
The problem was, when the Emperor was so wrapped up only in Ouyang Hye, how was Deung Hyeryeon supposed to become pregnant?
The eunuch had prepared even for that.
On the day they were obligated to share a bed, the eunuch fed Zhu Seogi an aphrodisiac, and because Zhu Seogi ran wild that night, Deung Hyeryeon was able to become pregnant.
Conversely, when he shared a bed with Ouyang Hye, they released poison to keep him from being able to use his strength.
Time passed, and when Deung Hyeryeon gave birth to an imperial prince, the forces that had been balanced on a knife’s edge began to lean toward her side.