Episode 779
Blood of the Empire (4)
The surprised dignitaries each raised their heads.
“Your Majesty!”
“No, that’s not true!”
“How can Kang Ho’s military father control a country…!”
At that moment, the emperor’s eyes glowed bright blue.
“Is there anyone outside?”
Shake!
The door opened again and Hwang Bo-jeok came in.
“Did you call me, Your Majesty?”
“Bring in the soldiers of the Golden Army. From now on, anyone who uses their tongue without my permission will be sent to prison, regardless of their status.”
“I will honor your command!”
Sigh!
Twenty soldiers from the Jin army were divided in half and stood to the left and right of the dignitaries.
“…!”
The faces of the dignitaries turned pale.
They had already seen Hallym University teacher Cho Chung being dragged away for making a mistake.
No one could have guessed that the emperor, who had lived in debauchery and indulgence in the pursuit of shamanism for decades, would have such fierce boldness hidden behind him. They lowered their heads again.
The emperor clicked his tongue.
“There is nothing wrong with what Yeongaju said. “Where have the loyal subjects like dragons and tigers who dare to die and speak bluntly gone? It is filled with petty people who are obsessed with protecting their positions, and even the scent of Yongjeong cannot go away.”
The atmosphere in the palace became even colder.
“But it is entirely my fault that the imperial family has become like this. “I said I was going to get counseling for the future, but in the end, I was the one who brought about the bad smell coming from their bodies, so I will also be judged by history in the future.”
These were words more frightening than scolding his subjects.
To put it in Kang Ho-sik, it is no different from the meaning of ‘You are trash, but I am also trash for making you trash, so I will pay dearly for my sin.’ Moreover, since the person who said those words was no one else but the emperor, some of the officials who were dissatisfied even though they were scared felt dizzy.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.
‘Very skillful.’
Ilsin’s majesty is amazing. However, that alone was not enough to control subordinates.
Although the emperor is the most powerful person recognized by everyone in the world, he cannot treat his subjects like cows or horses without any foundation.
Based on his majesty, the emperor used a strong tone to pressure his subjects, and at the same time, he used the special nature of his position to silence even the slightest dissatisfaction.
‘If my foundation had been solid, there would have been no need to use this method.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled slightly.
‘But not just anyone can sit on the throne.’
The emperor looked around once again and fixed his gaze on Yeon Hao-jeong.
“The conversation stopped because of the subjects who were ignorant of etiquette. I’ll ask again. “Are you willing to marry my wife?”
“Do you mean to become a member of the imperial family?”
“why? “You don’t like it?”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked up at the emperor in silence for a moment and shook his head.
“Regardless of my likes or dislikes, Your Majesty has already obtained what you want.”
“That’s another interesting thing to say. “Can you explain what you mean?”
“Gangho is largely divided into the White Island faction and the Black Island faction. “We have been fighting each other to the death for over hundreds of years.”
“Of course I know.”
“They couldn’t mix like water and oil, but recently they held hands and became one. “Your Majesty is well aware of the reason.”
“It’s because of external enemies called the Three Religions.”
“That’s right. And they dishonored His Majesty and brought the imperial palace to this state.”
The emperor’s eyes widened.
“Does this mean that the empire and the powerful forces have become one?”
“The Baekdo faction has always been under the empire. Although they did not interfere with each other due to the non-aggression pact, they also played a role in filling the gaps in public order that had arisen after the national power weakened.”
It was a statement with a hidden meaning that black swords were not like that.
The emperor nodded.
“The reason the midfield was not broken and divided was because of you. Jim admits it. You are indispensable to this Central Continent. “In a good or bad way.”
“The White Island faction joined hands with the Black Island faction. And renowned masters from the Baekdo Island will help Your Majesty to punish evil enemies and put their efforts into setting up the imperial palace.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“Even if you don’t have a relationship with a barbarian like me, Kangho Wulin will serve as a strong fence for Your Majesty the Emperor to become the true Son of Heaven.”
At that moment, someone during the management swallowed his saliva.
The sound was very loud. So loud that everyone here can hear.
“….”
The emperor looked at Yan Haozheng with deep eyes.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression did not change. His face was smiling, but his eyes were clear and deep. His eyes were full of strength, as if he would not be shaken even if lightning struck in front of his eyes.
‘What a strange guy.’
The emperor thought.
‘It’s similar, but it’s also very different.’
He said that Yeon Ho-jeong resembled his father, Yeon Wi.
Those words were sincere. Yeonhojeong’s pulpit and unconventional aspect clearly resemble Yeonwi. Aside from the simple words and actions, the atmosphere itself is similar.
However, just because the atmosphere was similar did not mean that the fundamentals were the same.
‘Although his personality is less than half that of his father, his sense of insight is much sharper than that of his father.’
The emperor tilted his head slightly.
‘Are you good at scheming?’
Even if he is known to be incompetent, the emperor is still the emperor. No matter how harsh your temperament may be in front of such an emperor, it is difficult to show an appearance like this.
From the first time he heard the palace, this guy was reading the atmosphere of the palace. And he roughly predicted how he would come out in several conversations.
It is not because you decide to understand the other person. For him, understanding the surrounding environment and people’s words and actions is a daily routine in itself.
If I hadn’t read those things in an instant, I wouldn’t have been able to carry on such an easy conversation.
The emperor, who was quietly looking down at Yeonhojeong, smiled.
“He told me exactly what I wanted to hear, and his wisdom reached heaven.”
Kangho Wurim will become the emperor’s fence.
Because of this statement now, the officials will never look down on the emperor.
Right now, I was overwhelmed by the emperor’s intense majesty and fierce decisiveness, but the story changed once I left the royal palace.
Regardless of their character, most of them had great influence in each region. It was not impossible to weaken the emperor’s power if one gathered forces and got the will right.
But now that too is impossible.
The power of Kangho Moorim is incredible. If they decide to support the emperor, no matter what the future holds, there will be no one who can immediately undermine the emperor’s authority.
Furthermore, the emperor and Wulin had a big and powerful cause.
Invasion of the Three Religions of Gwangsin.
The emperor maintained his position even though a war broke out right in front of him, and the Murim people protected him and defeated the evil enemies of foreign powers.
The day that even a single finger is pointed at those who fought against foreign enemies and protected this land, a lightning storm will strike.
“In other words, what you’re saying is that Kang-ho is already supporting the luggage, so there’s no need to make a kite by sacrificing his precious wife?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m not sending you a girl’s meal because of my relationship with Kangho Moorim.”
“if…?”
The emperor’s fingers tapped the armrest.
“There are thirteen masters in Gangho’s martial arts world who are said to be living legends, and they are called the Holy Heaven’s Thirteen Pillars, right?”
Seongcheon.
Although powerful people call it that, in reality, the title ‘Holy Sky’ cannot be used carelessly in front of the emperor.
However, neither the emperor nor Yeon Hao paid any attention to that matter.
“That’s right.”
“Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a tectonic shift in a name full of legends and myths. King Gongsun Baekryong is dead, and the evil man named Blood Jade Demon, who disturbed the imperial palace, is now a ruined person and imprisoned.”
“….”
“With two of the thirteen rare masters who were respected by everyone having passed away, Seongcheon’s position was reduced to eleven at once. However, it was said that one of the two vacant positions was filled by a new expert.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s face hardened.
The emperor pointed to Yanhou Pavilion with his hand.
“I heard that you are Yeon Ho-jeong, the eldest son of the Byeoksan Yeon family.”
“It’s just a lie.”
“If there is too much humility, it becomes proportional. “When you humble yourself, you are no different from shouting to the world that your perspective is useless.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“You should care. In order to truly reach heaven.”
“…!”
It felt like I had been hit with an unexpected blow.
The emperor continued speaking while looking at Yeon Ho-jeong, who was flinching.
“It is courageous to go your own way without caring about the eyes and mouths of the world, but a person who ignores the eyes and mouths of the world and believes only what he wants to believe cannot wash away the stigma of being a petty person, no matter how talented he is.”
“….”
“I don’t know what makes you so uncomfortable, but I like it when you clearly recognize the position you have achieved. “Not for anyone else, but for yourself.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was quietly looking up at the emperor, lowered his head.
“I will engrave your heartbreaking teachings in my heart.”
The emperor chuckled.
“I thought he was just a wild man, but it turned out that he was a plotter with sharp wisdom. “I thought you were looking at the world through the eyes of a dangerous schemer, but now you are showing magnanimity that can make up for what is lacking.”
“….”
“I crave you even more.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.
The emperor sighed softly. He also has complex thoughts.
“I became a fool and lived for decades buried in the scent of my husband and women, but I always kept my eyes and ears open to the world. It would have been nice if more attention had been paid to the palace, but that wasn’t an easy task for Jim either. “As I watched the imperial family being ruined by the minute, I felt like I couldn’t survive with my sanity.”
It was a voice that conveyed sadness, sadness, anger, and confusion.
“Thanks to you, I have come to know the world of Kangho better than anyone else. “It was because of my interest in it that a rare expert called the Light Ghost Demon came to my side.”
“….”
“So I know your worth.”
“….”
“A genius expert who stood shoulder to shoulder with the best players in the world before becoming a member of the elite. A rare military commander who destroyed the Nine Zhou Famous Family, which was said to be the best family in the world, and traveled around the world with his soldiers, killing all kinds of evildoers. Not only that, but you also roasted and boiled the leader of the Black Island Four Sects, eliminated the subordinates of the Three Religions, and even became the person in charge of the Alliance of Men and Women, so you stand tall as the most influential person in the river.”
The emperor smiled.
On the other hand, Yeon Ho-jeong’s face was becoming more and more hardened.
“In the future, you will become a giant who can cause an earthquake in the entire martial forest with just one step.”
“….”
“It would be very unfortunate for a politician to say that I don’t know such a talented person.”
“I…”
“I don’t want you to become a member of the imperial family and help me right next to me.”
“…?”
“It’s okay to live in Gangho. “If I think about your character and the character of the Lord of the Houses that I saw here today, even this imperial family would be nothing more than a lake to you.”
The emperor lifted his chin.
“Take your girl and go to Gangho and spread your intentions. “I don’t think it’s a bad offer for you either, since you will have to step up in a situation that you can’t do anything about.”
