Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 128



Only Krnovel

128. For the Emperor (2)

I just rolled my eyes and looked around.

It was too simple for a king’s office. There was only a wooden bookshelf and a desk. It was neat, but there were no sculptures or paintings hanging, so it felt empty. The upper chamber of the Cheonsu Sangdan was much more splendid.

In my previous life, I have met the royal family and feudal lords. I have even met the emperor. The emperor would sometimes call in the lords of the great chamberlains and ask for their opinions.

‘And yet.’

I’m nervous. At least I thought I wouldn’t be nervous. I have experience.

And in my experience, the royal family and the lords often felt offended when I showed them courtesy. I even emphasized several times that I and the royal family were just the same.

According to the imperial law, the emperor is said to have received the bloodline of heaven, but don’t we all know that all emperors of the past were sons of men?

And this is an additional thing, but people in positions of dubious status often have a strong sense of privilege and are loud in their voices… … . This is not relevant now, so let’s leave it aside.

“Have a seat.”

Anyway, in my opinion, the King was a man as sharp as a blade. Is there anyone among the royal family or the feudal lords who exudes such a level of courtesy? At least, there is none among those I have met.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Your Majesty.”

“Okay. I’m sick of those empty promises.”

The King waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

“What about the stuff?”

The King didn’t seem to be very interested in me. It couldn’t be otherwise. From the King’s perspective, I was just Yeo Bul-jin’s errand boy.

But the reality is different. I came as a merchant selling goods to the King.

I carefully took out the items Yeo Bul-jin had entrusted to me from my bag. There was a seal on the small box.

“Let me show you the items first.”

Yeo Bul-jin didn’t tell me what to sell, so that means I’ve never seen the item he’s selling before.

The box opened with the sound of a seal being torn. As soon as I saw what was inside, I bit my lip and curled it inward. At that moment, I couldn’t control my expression.

“Good.”

The King nodded his head happily, not caring about the messenger’s expression.

Taegeuk Hyegeom.

The season of the shamans was in the ship.

* * *

“What choice do you think Mukhwiyoung will make?”

“What would a swordsman like me know?”

“You must have learned something by following me around and looking over my shoulder.”

Moon-won smiled awkwardly. At least he knew that Yeo Bul-jin would not ignore Mok Hwi-yeong. Yeo Bul-jin usually did not mention ordinary people.

“Can I just state my personal opinions?”

“then.”

“If you’re on the side of the King or the Grand Duke, there’s no reason to panic. Even if you’re close to the Shaman faction, that’s just for show. Perhaps the one who went to the Shaman faction as a disciple was sent by the King.”

“continue.”

“If it’s someone on the Grand Duke’s side, there won’t be any problems. He’ll just deliver the Taegeuk Hye Sword to the King without a hitch, and that’ll be the end of it.”

“Then why did Hongwon leave me?”

“Rather than trying to find out, I think he wanted to let you know. He would have been scolded if he had kept it a secret, so he told you subtly. So that the owner would not be so shocked.”

“I guess so.”

Moonwon took a moment to catch his breath and continued speaking.

“The problem would be if the silent monk was not on the King’s side or the Grand Duke’s side.”

“I guess so.”

“If it really has a deep connection with the nonpartisan faction as we found out, it would be very disconcerting. It would probably just refuse to sell it.”

Yeo Bul-jin nodded. They had already investigated everything about Mok Hwi-yeong. Since Hao-mun and Gae-bi spent money like water, they knew what time he was born, who his childhood friends were, and where his mole was.

As a result of their investigation, the relationship between Mukhwiyeong and the Mudangpa was not limited to business. Although he was a lay disciple, he was close enough to call other disciples his death brothers, and he also maintained a smooth relationship with the Taoist priests who distributed the audience.

In that situation, what would happen if you realized that the item you were selling was the Taegeuk Hye Sword?

“Then you have to choose the silent sword. After all, you can’t keep flaunting yourself in front of the King. That’s the Yongdamhohyeol (龍膽虎穴) that a merchant can’t get out of alone. There’s no way the King would just let you go after seeing the Taegeuk Hyegeom in front of him.”

“I guess so.”

“In the end, you have no choice but to hold back tears and sell it. Or you can rebel until the end and die.”

Yeo Bul-jin nodded as if she liked it. That was exactly what Yeo Bul-jin was thinking.

You can roughly guess whether he is on the King’s side or not, but the priority is to sell the Taegeuk Hyegeom bomb to Muk Hwi-yeong.

If that were known, Mukhwiyoung would have been kicked out of the party immediately. The fact that he sold it, regardless of the process, is important.

“Tsk tsk. The spirit was good though.”

Yeo Bul-jin clicked her tongue. Of course, she was curious as to why Muk Hwi-yeong was doing such tricks.

Why did he take Yeo Hong-yang’s side and try to shake things up by taking the initiative himself? However, Yeo Bul-jin had no intention of just letting it go.

Rather, this was a counterattack. Mukhwiyoung’s intentions were not important at all.

“There are too many people in the Central Plains. Aren’t there?”

Yeo Bul-jin looked out the window. The sun was setting in the west.

* * *

I quickly regained my composure. At least I know when to come to my senses and when not. And this was the part where I had to come to my senses the most after my regression.

Yeo Bul-jin must have wanted to separate me from the shaman faction to some extent. That way, the Huiju merchants could take my place.

The Non-Party Party may open its doors to Sanggye again, but it is relatively easy to reopen a door that has already been opened.

“Yeah. Come to think of it, the Cheonsu Sangdan side said that the errand boy knows the price. It seems like the security is pretty solid.”

The King twisted the corners of his mouth.

“So how much is it?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“what?”

The King responded with a voice of disbelief at my words.

“Are you going to think about it in front of me now?”

“Yes. It’s not set in stone.”

“Haha. Don’t you know who I am?”

“I know. Your Majesty the King.”

“But would a messenger from Cheonsu Sangdan try to bargain with me?”

“I am not an errand boy for the Heavenly King.”

I looked into the eyes of the King. His eyes were filled with the pride that only royalty possesses.

“I am the leader of the Hwiyoungsangdan, Mukhwiyoung.”

“Whiyoungsangdan? That’s a group I’ve never heard of.”

“That could be possible.”

I shrugged. The King, who was sitting in a bored posture, twitched his eyebrows slightly.

“That’s an arrogant tone. But I have no intention of getting on bad terms with the King, so just quietly hand over your belongings and leave.”

“There’s something I’d like to ask you first.”

I know that it is extremely rude to ask this question first.

But I had to know. Why was the King trying to cause chaos in the martial arts world?

“Why do you continue to spread the martial arts of the famous sect to the public?”

At my continued words, the King’s eyebrows twitched and his expression hardened. He had asked a question without being allowed to do so.

“Even being rude to royalty is a great sin.”

“It’s not that unexpected. The imperial family has always tried to dominate the martial arts world. Every imperial dynasty has tried to do so. However, in the past, the martial arts world made great achievements in repelling the invading demonic cult, and at that time, the emperor gave the martial arts world the award of inviolability.”

The King was looking at me with his chin resting on his hand. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I’m moving forward with the momentum of riding a tiger. And once I’m on its back, I can’t do something stupid like stop the tiger here.

“But even after that, some lords and members of the royal family continued to try. His Majesty the King’s actions seem to be part of such attempts.”

“You know very well. But aren’t you the head of the upper class? Shouldn’t you be happy if the power of the martial arts world weakens?”

“I am not just a commoner. I am a disciple of the non-partisan faction.”

“A disciple of the shamanist faction is the head of the upper group? A disciple of the main temple?”

“No. I am a lay disciple.”

“How absurd. A disciple of the common people can enter the kingdom just by donating. Are you trying to stop me now because of that shallow relationship? A young nobleman, me?”

“Yes.”

The King burst into laughter at my answer. To this extent, it was beyond audacity, it was madness.

“Young master, listen. You should know this, since you are a citizen of the empire. The martial arts world is nothing but an organized bunch of thugs. What would happen if they were all subordinate to the imperial army? They would be able to stop the northern invasions that are coming, and even push them back, and occupy everything from the western part to the eastern barbarians.”

“So, are you spreading the martial arts of the famous sect and causing chaos in the martial arts world and draining its power?”

“Your understanding is quick. Even your manners are intelligence. I didn’t think you were a very smart person.”

“It is not my place to get involved in the affairs of the country. However, as a non-partisan, I cannot sell the stolen goods of the non-partisan.”

“It seems like you have a very close friendship with the non-partisan group.”

“Deep friendship is comparable to affection.”

The King nodded. Rather, his expression was slightly more relaxed than before.

“I like people who are loyal like you. People like that are usually loyal. Since it’s my compliment, you can be proud.”

“thank you.”

“But you know, there are things in this world that can’t be helped. For example, meeting someone in the middle of a single-log bridge.”

The King smacked his lips as if he felt regret.

“If you had been an official in Gansu, I would have used you with great care. It is just a pity that we met like this.”

“Are you a murderer? A vassal of a country?”

“I feel sorry too. But what can I do? Sometimes a single drop of blood can stop a basin full of blood. That’s what a leader should look for.”

“I understand. Sometimes there are times when there is nothing we can do.”

“You are so understanding, even though your life is on the line.”

The King smiled bitterly. That bitter smile was sincere.

I was a little puzzled. Why on earth would the King want to start a rebellion? He must be ruining the martial arts world to this extent because he wants to protect the Emperor.

After ruining the martial arts world, is he planning to usurp the throne and eat it? Nothing is known yet.

“Have a nice trip.”

The King closed his eyes. Then, dark shadows poured down from the ceiling toward me. Swords and daggers filled the space where I had been standing.

“Have you learned martial arts?”

A man with a thin voice came down from the ceiling. His appearance was outstanding.

But I am no longer fooled. No matter how thin the voice becomes, it cannot hide the thick Adam’s apple that sways up and down. That man was a classmate, a eunuch.

The eunuch growled at me. As expected, he was a eunuch who was directly guarding the lord, and his movements were different from those of someone in a low-ranking position like Admiral Dongchang of Hubei.

“Your reaction speed is fast. There have been more than a few times when I wanted to kill you whenever you moved your mouth rudely.”

“Congratulations. Now you have the chance to kill.”

I clapped my hands. Then I slowly took out the Songmungo sword from my waist and performed the flag raising ceremony.

“Do you think you can defeat your classmate’s martial arts with the martial arts skills of a common disciple?”

“This is not the martial arts of a lay disciple.”

I held the blade in my palm and drew it. The blood from my split palm soaked the blade. The Songmungo sword had strangely become a sword with a red blade.

As I let out my breath, the eyes of the King and the eunuch widened at the same time.

It couldn’t be helped. What flowed out was not the pure energy of the sect, but a magical energy that gave goosebumps to those who saw it.