"Your Majesty, I have never once coveted the imperial throne. This is a fact Your Majesty surely knows as well. If I had intended to covet the imperial throne, it would not have been impossible for me to ascend to the emperor's seat."
"Such insolence!"
"How dare you!"
"Your Majesty! Please do not forgive the Prince's outrageous behavior!"
However, the Emperor did not move a muscle. The Emperor, who had been quietly glaring at the Prince, slowly opened his mouth.
"And so?"
Lee Wang-ya, who took a light deep breath, opened his mouth.
"The person I met said such words. He said that people should follow righteousness and reason. That mere ignorant fool said this. He said that righteousness is about believing—believing that if one walks the righteous path, others will follow the righteous path as well. When a scoundrel who has never even set foot in the imperial palace, who has never properly learned Confucian studies, says such things, how could I turn my head away from the truth just to preserve my own life?"
"You speak of truth?"
Nok-gi did not miss that opening.
"Truth is singular. The fact that the person brought by the Prince assassinated His Highness the Crown Prince. Will you turn your head away from that fact? If, as the Prince says, he is innocent, then who should be held responsible for the crime of assassinating His Highness the Crown Prince?"
For a moment, Lee Wang-ya chuckled at Nok-gi's piercing question.
"Don't be impatient, Nok-gi. I'll give you the answer you want to hear."
Nok-gi's face slightly contorted. Lee Wang-ya's attitude, which had become utterly relaxed, was beginning to disturb him.
"Your Majesty."
The Emperor did not respond and quietly waited for Lee Wang-ya's words.
"Wei Yan-ho is innocent. If there is guilt, it lies with me for bringing him to the imperial palace. And! The greater guilt lies with that wicked eunuch who plotted conspiracy using the scoundrel who entered the imperial palace, and based on that conspiracy, damaged His Highness the Crown Prince's sacred body while trying to seize control of the imperial palace."
"Where do you dare speak such nonsense!"
"Shut your mouth, you bastard!"
When Lee Wang-ya glared with an icy aura, even the formidable Nok-gi had no choice but to step back. His dignity as the highest elder of the imperial family who had supported the imperial house was not something even Nok-gi could face head-on.
"My regret is that I failed to stop you from toying with the imperial family as you pleased. Though I am cornered now, even if I become a ghost, I will bite your throat. Remember that."
Nok-gi smiled coldly.
"Are you saying you admit your guilt?"
"Guilt? Hahaha! Yes, it would be guilt. My guilt is stumbling at the end and leaving eternal regret."
Lee Wang-ya turned around and bowed to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, everything is this subject's fault. If punishment must be given, punish me and release the innocent scoundrel. He simply didn't know the ways of the world well. If you punish someone for such a reason, the entire realm will laugh."
"What you're saying is…"
The Emperor's somewhat languid voice flowed out.
"Are you saying the Grand Secretary will take on all of that bastard's crimes? To save him?"
"That is correct."
"May I ask the reason?"
The Emperor's voice remained languid.
"Whatever the reason, he dared to lay hands on the Crown Prince's body. This is a grave crime that should result in the extermination of three generations. No matter that you are imperial family and privately my elder brother, if you receive the crime of assassinating the Crown Prince, you cannot avoid execution. Even so, why do you insist on protecting him? As you said, is it simply to follow righteousness?"
Lee Wang-ya smiled broadly and answered.
"There are two answers."
"Two answers… Speak. I shall listen."
"The first is to uphold righteousness."
"Righteousness…"
"I too did not value righteousness so highly. But meeting one warrior this time, I came to understand righteousness anew. His words were correct. I have made countless excuses until now. To protect the imperial family, to safeguard the imperial house… With such excuses as cover, I failed to follow the proper way that should naturally be followed. At this old age, having gained new enlightenment, I now intend to stand upright. I will no longer flee, seeking only future opportunities without resisting the injustice before my eyes. Please understand my loyalty."
"Good. What is the second?"
Lee Wang-ya, who caught his breath slightly, opened his mouth again.
"The second is a somewhat personal reason."
"Speak."
Lee Wang-ya shrugged his shoulders.
"Because I'm embarrassed."
"Embar… what? What did you just say?"
"Because I'm embarrassed. I mean, I'm ashamed."
"…What do you mean by that?"
"Even though I'm supposedly an elder of the imperial family, the Grand Secretary of the Censorate, and a person over seventy years old!"
Lee Wang-ya chuckled.
"Should I use a young man as a shield to save face and struggle desperately to survive alone?"
"…"
"With such a person holding the position as head of the imperial family, no wonder the imperial house is in this sorry state. I hope that through my death, the spirit of the imperial family will be revived. That will ultimately be my loyalty offered to Your Majesty."
As Lee Wang-ya closed his mouth as if he had finished speaking, the Emperor also did not open his mouth for a long while.
The atmosphere in the inner palace had sunk so low that even Nok-gi, who had been trying to interject based on the mood, could not say anything and had to maintain silence.
Eventually, at the end of that long silence, the Emperor quietly opened his mouth.
"Grand Secretary."
Lee Wang-ya slightly raised his head.
The Emperor's voice was resonating powerfully, unlike before.
To Lee Wang-ya's ears, who had pinned hope on that voice, words fell like a bolt from the blue.
"Do you now dare to belittle me?"
Lee Wang-ya quietly closed his eyes upon hearing the Emperor's angry voice.
It was over.
Everything.
***
"Well then."
Nok-gi slumped his body somewhat dejectedly.
"Congratulations, Grand Eunuch!"
The subordinate officials bowed before him. Not only here, but the area in front of his residence was packed with people who had flocked to curry favor with him.
Today, Lee Wang-ya had fallen from power.
He was immediately arrested and placed under house arrest at his home. Since the Emperor had already given such orders, it would be difficult for things to end well. Even if he managed to preserve his life, he would certainly be unable to maintain power any longer.
The decades-long struggle between Lee Wang-ya and Nok-gi had finally reached its conclusion.
"Grand Eunuch, your expression doesn't look good?"
"Hehe."
Nok-gi, who let out an awkward laugh, sighed.
"It's because I'm dumbfounded."
"Pardon?"
Nok-gi turned his head to look out the window. Seeing the officials lined up to the end of the street, he finally felt the reality that he had won.
With Lee Wang-ya's fall from power, Lee Wang-ya's faction was greatly weakened. The faction that lost Lee Wang-ya as their protector would soon be scattered to pieces by Nok-gi's hand, and Nok-gi would be able to completely control the imperial palace.
Those who noticed this fact had rushed over desperately to curry favor with Nok-gi.
It was a scene he had always dreamed of, but Nok-gi's expression as he gazed upon that scene was far from bright.
"This shouldn't have ended like this…"
He seemed regretful and deflated.
It was undeniable that Lee Wang-ya had been a dangerous and irritating existence. He had been the greatest obstacle to the grand undertaking. However, that fact conversely meant that Lee Wang-ya had been his excellent rival.
"Such a hollow conclusion…"
Even if Lee Wang-ya had tried to escape from this matter, he couldn't have prevented it. The result was supposed to be weakening Lee Wang-ya's power and gaining an unshakeable advantage based on that, but the situation unfolded strangely and reached a complete conclusion.
"Foolish."
Nok-gi sighed.
Provoking the Emperor by arguing about righteousness and such was the worst possible move. By protecting the bastard who assassinated the Crown Prince while spouting such righteousness, naturally the Emperor would be angered.
However, Lee Wang-ya's face, which looked relieved even as he was dragged away after making such an incomprehensible move, was making him subtly uncomfortable.
'Incomprehensible. Really.'
Having the conclusion of a political struggle that lasted decades come about in such a way was something he had never once considered. To ruin this magnificent great game not through his own successful schemes, but through his opponent's blunder.
Nok-gi shook his head vigorously. His mood wasn't particularly good, but he had to at least pretend to be happy now. He was someone who led many people, and he needed to know how to bestow the sweet dew of victory upon those who had followed him for a long time. That was the role of a leader.
"Drink up. Let's get drunk today!"
"Yes! Grand Eunuch!"
Watching those who went outside to fetch alcohol, Nok-gi's eyes grew heavy.
"Foolish. What good is something like righteousness?"
***
"Grroooooowl."
"…"
"Grroooooooowl!"
"Shut up! You bastard!"
When Wei Jeong-han lost his temper, the guards rushed over in a group. The guards who approached the thunder prison where broken bars were haphazardly woven together looked at Wei Jeong-han with anxious eyes.
'Damn it, why do guys like that have to come into the thunder prison?'
'What are we supposed to do to stop them!'
They weren't imperial palace guards, and how were they supposed to control guys who tore apart iron bars with their bare hands, came out screaming, then went back into the thunder prison?
Ever since that crazy little bastard entered the thunder prison, it felt like nothing was going right.
"Please calm down for now…"
While the guards were desperately watching Wei Jeong-han's mood, Wei Yan-ho calmly opened his mouth.
"You're worrying about it! Worrying!"
"What worry!"
"About whether we should escape from prison or not. What else is there to worry about here!"
Don't say that stuff in front of the guards.
No matter how much of a figurehead they are, they have their dignity too. If you worry about that stuff in front of us, what does that make us!
Cold sweat began flowing down the guard captain's face.
"Prison break is what prison break is! We can't break out of prison, that's why we're stuck here like this! If we break out of prison now, Lee Wang-ya's position becomes difficult!"
"Even so, we can't keep doing this forever. According to that royal bastard, we'll get executed at this rate. Is there any point in considering others' positions when we might lose our heads?"
"Let's wait a little longer, just a little more."
"What if we die while waiting?"
"Why would we die? If they say execution, we can just break out then."
The guard captain finally opened his mouth.
"Um…"
"What?"
"We have our position too, so could you have such conversations when you're alone…"
"Ah. Right. I didn't think of that. Sorry."
"No, it's fine."
"Then could you go over there? We need to have exactly that kind of conversation right now."
"…Yes."
Tears began flowing from the guard captain's eyes.
'I should quit.'
This damn job, I should quit.
Just then, with a thud, the heavy door of the thunder prison opened.
"Huh?"
The guard captain narrowed his eyes.
Who would come here at this hour?
The guard captain, who was about to yell at those walking into the corridor, quickly shut his mouth when he saw the golden armor they wore.
'Golden Guard!'
Why would they come here at this hour?
Then, one of the Golden Guards who approached them spoke heavily.
"Who is Wei Yan-ho?"