GMLS Ch 38

Muryun’s steps quickened as he paced the chamber in agitation.

‘Should I get him out and bring him here right now? No, no. I can’t let my heart weaken. His intention to resign as Captain of the Guard is still quite firm.’

Stopping abruptly, he turned to look at Wi Suhyeok.

“……Have you heard anything about why he is trying to resign from the Captain of the Guard position?”

“That, I do not know. Shall I ask?”

“Yes. Sound him out subtly later. Keep it a secret that I ordered it.”

“I will remember and carry out your command.”

After Wi Suhyeok departed, Muryun sat back down at the tidied desk and attended to state affairs. His mind was entirely filled with thoughts of Yihwa. In the end, he put down his brush before even half an hour had passed.

Muryun summoned the Grand Eunuch. The old official came scurrying over and bowed.

“Put a silk mattress in Yihwa’s dungeon cell.”

The old Grand Eunuch’s eyes gleamed. How could Wi Suhyeok possibly compare to him? If Wi Suhyeok was an earthworm, he was a silk python hanging from the eaves. As the best in the imperial palace at reading situations, he subtly suggested.

“While we’re at it, shall we also bring in things like a bedstead and a table?”

Muryun paused, pretending to think for a moment, then nodded.

“Bring some sweets and sweet rice punch from the royal pantry as well. They were made for him anyway. I’m concerned they might spoil if left alone.”

If they spoil, you can just throw them away. Even while thinking this, the Grand Eunuch did not let it show on his face. He simply smiled brightly at Muryun, who was clearing his throat with a harrumph, and said he would see to the order.

And so, three days passed since Yihwa was locked in the underground dungeon. Yeo Yullyeong requested a private audience with Muryun.

Muryun had certainly ordered silence on the matter, but it was a useless effort against Yeo Yullyeong. Having found out as if by magic, Yeo Yullyeong boldly requested to see Yihwa.

Muryun, who was about to refuse him flatly, hesitated at the memory of Wi Suhyeok’s report that Yihwa had been weeping often until just yesterday. Yeo Yullyeong was not one to miss such an opening.

“Your Majesty, allow me to try and persuade my son.”

“You?”

Muryun’s eyes narrowed. Since he had come like this, it was obvious he knew the reason why Yihwa was imprisoned. But why did it feel so unsettling? He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Muryun did not ignore his intuition.

As he pondered for a moment, a certain hypothesis flashed through his mind.

“You bastard. You knew Yihwa was going to pull a stunt like this.”

“How could that be possible? This subject was also greatly surprised.”

Yeo Yullyeong replied placidly.

Muryun was certain. That son of a bitch knew. He ground his teeth with a grating sound. If he followed his temper, he would have liked to throw them into the underground dungeon side by side. But that was impossible.

In fact, there had been a great deal of difficulty even in imprisoning Yihwa, who was the Captain of the Guard. Relinquishing one’s position is not a crime, so the charge was unclear. If he had to attach a charge, it would be the crime of disturbing the Emperor’s peace of mind.

Either way, there was no justification for putting him in the underground dungeon. It was only possible because it was done quietly and kept under wraps. If Yihwa were to make it a public issue after being released from the dungeon, Muryun would find himself in a very difficult position.

‘Of course, Yihwa wouldn’t do that.’

Just as his simmering heart cooled down a notch-

“Ah, but I do have a guess as to why he tried to resign.”

Yeo Yullyeong smiled. It was a snake-like smile.

He had just said he didn’t know, yet now he says he has a guess as to the reason. Muryun couldn’t tell if that was words or shit coming out of his mouth.

‘Yeo Yullyeong in the underground dungeon? No. I was thinking about it wrong. How could I put him under the same roof as that kind of man? Just sending him into exile on some distant island would be the best of all possible plans.’

The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed, and Muryun nodded with a thoughtful “Hmm.”

“Therefore, if you entrust it to this subject, I will resolve it cleanly for you.”

“First, tell me what this guess of yours is.”

“I am afraid to speak, Your Majesty, but I cannot say it carelessly. How can I, as a father, gossip about my son’s private affairs?”

The iron-willed mouth did not yield even to the Emperor.

No matter how much the Emperor threatened him, Yeo Yullyeong stood firm without batting an eye. In the end, unable to get any information, Muryun decided he would have to start looking for a suitable island starting today and permitted the visit with Yihwa.

⊹ ࣪ 💮⊹₊

Having set foot in the underground dungeon, Yeo Yullyeong was at a loss for words in front of Yihwa’s cell. Even for the great Yeo Yullyeong, this was the first time in his life he had seen such an absurd scene.

A high-quality bedstead with a canopy. A wooden table and a chair with a silk cushion. A three-tiered side table. A water bottle with a delicate orchid painted on it. In the mother-of-pearl inlaid box next to it were snacks like honey cookies and rice cakes.

Judging by the bars as thick as a child’s forearm and the walls stained with dried blood, it was certainly the underground dungeon, yet the furnishings were more elegant than the Emperor’s own bedchamber. Yihwa couldn’t bring himself to lift his head. The presence of the silk cushion he was sitting on was particularly distinct.

“It is a relief to see you seem to be doing well.”

Yihwa fidgeted with the wooden box. The lock was a fish resembling a carp, the symbol of the Yeo clan. The same symbol was engraved on the folding fan Yeo Yullyeong carried.

In other words, some of the items here were things influenced by Yeo Yullyeong. For such a person to be so astonished. On one hand, it was absurd; on the other, it was very much like him.

“I had momentarily forgotten that there is another in the imperial palace who thinks of you so deeply besides myself.”

To be precise, he hadn’t known the man was such a doting fool who would make such a fuss. Quickly regaining his composure, he smiled slyly. Yihwa’s cheeks reddened.

Yeo Yullyeong asked Wi Suhyeok to have the Imperial Guards withdraw. When Wi Suhyeok shook his head, Yeo Yullyeong said, “I see,” and backed down obediently. Yihwa and Wi Suhyeok sent him suspicious glances. He wasn’t the type to back down so easily.

“In that case, could you at least open the door? I will go inside to talk.”

“Can’t you talk from here just as well?”

“As a father, my heart aches for my son. As it happens, there are two chairs inside, so I wish to sit and speak at a leisurely pace.”

Before Wi Suhyeok could say no again, Yeo Yullyeong struck first.

“It’s because I think it will take some time to persuade him.”

Persuade.

That was the reason Yeo Yullyeong had been able to enter the underground dungeon, which had been sealed by imperial order. Wi Suhyeok hesitated. Although he had never experienced it directly until now, he was wary of Yeo Yullyeong.

His older brother, Wi Junghyuk, when drunk, would first shower praise on Muryun, and then, when completely intoxicated, would give warnings about Yeo Yullyeong. So he probably thought he had only spoken of Muryun and wouldn’t know he had mentioned Yeo Yullyeong.

‘Suhyeok, you’re also aiming to join the Imperial Guard, aren’t you? Then listen carefully to my words. In the imperial palace, there is a person you should avoid getting involved with if at all possible.’

Wi Junghyuk had glanced around the empty surroundings. The one he spoke of, his voice lowered to a hush, was none other than the Shangshuling.

‘Never be hostile to him, and don’t particularly try to build a friendship. Do you understand?’

He meant to just treat him with indifference, like a cow looking at a chicken. Wi Suhyeok had nodded. He hadn’t taken it very seriously anyway, thinking it was just the ramblings of a drunk man.

Unaware of this, Wi Junghyuk had ruffled Wi Suhyeok’s hair, calling him a good little brother, then, as if remembering something, shuddered and collapsed face-down on the table. As he helped the limp Wi Junghyuk to bed, Wi Suhyeok had thought.

In the past, when dispatched to the south, his brother had been surrounded by dozens of barbarian commanders, yet had taken the heads of three of them. For his brother, who wielded such formidable martial prowess, to be this repulsed by someone. A wariness that hadn’t existed before awakened in that moment.

“Very well. For just half an hour.”

However, the Emperor’s will took precedence over all else. The very fact that Yeo Yullyeong had been sent here meant that Muryun wanted Yihwa to be persuaded.

Wi Suhyeok gestured with his head to the guard standing opposite him. The guard, who had been standing stock-still, approached and unlocked the cell.

The locks of the underground dungeon were made of a special alloy, as were the keys. They did not rust and could not be broken by ordinary impact. Furthermore, their structure was complex, so if a key were lost, the artisan who made it had to be brought in.

Yeo Yullyeong stepped inside the cell. And after confirming the door was closed, he said.

“Heukwol.”

Heukwol appeared stealthily, like a ghost. Wi Suhyeok, while shouting, “Shangshuling!” quickly grasped the situation.

It’s not an escape. That would be the worst possible move. No matter how great that man is, he cannot block all the Imperial Guards here by himself. Then what on earth is he trying to do by bringing that person inside the gate… wait. Inside the gate? Not outside?

Heukwol smoothly held something up. It was the lock and key for the dungeon cell.

Aghast, Wi Suhyeok screamed internally. No, why is that over there! Wi Suhyeok turned to look at the guard in charge of the lock. He was fumbling at his waist in a flurry.

‘We’ve been had.’

CLANG.

Heukwol, having locked the cell from the inside, snapped the key in half.

‘…That’s not supposed to be something that breaks so easily, is it?’

No, that’s not what’s important. Wi Suhyeok’s face, filled with despair, contorted wretchedly.

“Now then, it will likely take half a day for His Majesty to bring the artisan who made the lock, so let’s have a heartfelt father-son talk for the first time in a while.”

His brother had been right. He may not have been quick-witted, but he had foresight. Letting out a groan, Wi Suhyeok ordered the guard who had been in charge of the lock to report the current situation to His Majesty. The guard’s face, already pale, turned deathly white.

No. I can’t let you off. Who told you to manage the key so carelessly anyway. Wi Suhyeok was resolute. The Imperial Guard left the dungeon like a sinner walking to hell.

Yeo Yihwa, who had watched this whole situation unfold, summed up his thoughts in a single sentence.

“Have you gone mad?”

“I appreciate your concern, but I am perfectly fine.”

“Then have you lost your senses?”

“Isn’t that the same thing? Have you, yourself, grown weak in mind and body in just a few days after being imprisoned?”

Right. Even if I were to place first in the civil service exam, I would never be able to win against this man with words. Yihwa lamented, placing a hand on his forehead. Heukwol gently took his other free hand.

—Are you alright?

When he tilted his head slightly to the side, he saw eyes like those of a heartbroken puppy. The face hidden by the mask was gloomy.