C11 Part1

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

The Emperor had made sure that this was all done in secret. He made sure Heon hadn’t caught on. Afraid that Heon would act once he found out, the Emperor had deliberately sent him to the frontlines of battle to avoid this very situation.

The Emperor had gathered allies who would support the Crown Prince, but Heon had already swallowed half of them. In addition, the strongest supporter of the Crown Prince, Lee Moon, had not only vacated his position but his life was also in danger.

“Isn’t this for the sake of SeoMoon as well? This servant is also working towards that goal, so you should accept it, Your Majesty.”

“You!”

Heon gazed at the Emperor as he struggled to stand up. Then he got to his feet.

“Send in the royal physician.”

The doors opened, and a royal physician entered with his head lowered. Seeing that a royal physician had already been prepared without his call, the Emperor snorted in disbelief.

“It seems that Consort Yu was not the problem. Ahaha.”

As the Emperor burst into laughter, Heon turned his eyes to the person who entered with the royal physician. Once the Emperor’s love for the Consort had cooled, he had taken Consort Yeong as his main paramour. Her eyes met Heon’s as she approached the Emperor.

“I believe you should take the medicine prepared by Consort Yu in small doses. I don’t know what kind of medicine my mother would serve Your Majesty, but you will not be able to hold me down by using her.”

Heon bowed to the trembling emperor and exited the bedchamber.

* * *

Three years ago, the duke would never have imagined that this would be the result when Heon had held out his hand that fateful day.

“Congratulations on your victory once again.”

“Thank you.”

Back then, Heon was merely a general who dwelled in the battlefield. What could this stuffy man possibly do in the world of politics? However, because their current situation was not good at the time, he had decided to ignore these thoughts and do as Heon said.

“Are you going to keep Lee Moon alive?”

Although they were both moving in the same direction, the duke still found Heon uncomfortable and could not confidently call him an ally.

“We can use this chance to bring Lee Moon down completely. Why would I keep him alive?”

“Lee Moon can still be of use to us. And the Crown Prince has lost his influence, so the moment we take Lee Moon down, he is as good as gone.”

“What pointless reason do we have to keep Lee Moon alive?”

Heon glanced at the duke.

“If Lee Moon hadn’t been the second prince’s teacher, we would not have been able to succeed thus far.”

The duke caught his breath when he saw Heon’s calm eyes. Neither the Consort nor Heon’s late father was like this. Could a man change this much just because his wife had left him? The duke shook his head.

Heon was probably like this from the very start. It merely came up to the surface with the absence of his wife.

“If we slit Lee Moon’s throat now, it will cause many problems. How would you go about navigating that disaster,Your Excellency?”

“That is why we must get rid of him carefully.”

“I do not know His Highness the Crown Prince, but I do know His Majesty. He may even be waiting for us to do it.”

The duke shut his mouth at Heon’s words.

Although Heon wasn’t wrong, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I will take responsibility for Lee Moon. I will keep my eye on him.”

When Heon cut off any further discussion on the matter, the duke swallowed the bile rising in his throat.

The one who held the ultimate authority within the Palace was not the Emperor. It was the duke and the Consort. However, he could not enjoy their current position of power.

While it was true that their power was still growing, the greatest problem was that it was all flowing towards Heon. When the duke prepared a secret plan ahead of time, Heon would catch on and move first.

The duke’s followers voiced that this was probably for the best since Heon’s interests seemed to align with theirs, but the duke felt that, at this rate, Heon would swallow them whole before they could reach the pinnacle of power.

“And don’t you think it’s time for you to move up, sir?”

“What do you mean?”

“Lee Moon’s position is now empty. Who else can take it?”

The bitter taste in his mouth suddenly disappeared.

Shocked beyond words, the duke could only stare as Heon continued.

“Don’t you think it’s a position worth taking at least once in a man’s life?”

“Then shouldn’t you desire that position as well?”

“For a person my age with my experience, it would be an impossible feat. And what I desire is not the position of prime minister. But if you do not want it, tell me who else is suitable for the job.”

Everyone knew that Heon hated JaeHoon with a passion due to his role in the disappearance of his wife.

The racing thoughts in the duke’s head suddenly came to a stop. Although he was still suspicious of Heon, the title of prime minister was too sweet to dismiss.

If he refused the offer, it would only be filled by someone who followed Heon. He needed to take advantage of the opportunity when it was offered to him.

“If you give me that position, I will do my best for the nation of SeoMoon.”

Heon gazed at the ecstatic duke.

The gains would be as great as the bait. It was the only way he could get results with a hundred percent certainty. Of course, this was the largest bait he had thrown, but this was what it took to catch someone like the duke.

“Your Excellency, Chief Commander, Her Highness the Consort has arrived.”

When Heon heard the servant mention the Consort, his eyes trembled. The duke did not miss this.

Although he had allied himself with them in order to catch the Crown Prince, there was no way the deep hatred he held for the Consort had disappeared overnight.

“Guide her in.”

As soon as the door opened, the Consort entered with a young maiden. Heon did not spare a look at the Consort. Instead, his eyes narrowed when he saw the maiden.

“I heard that you were with Heon and came here to meet with you both. We’ve recently received some good tea, so why don’t we enjoy some refreshments together?”

Heon had already gotten what he had come for. There was no reason for him to stay any longer. The duke and the Consort could enjoy the refreshments on their own. Heon got up from his seat. Just as he was about to announce his departure, the maiden behind the Consort began to approach him.

“My name is SoHee. I introduced myself to you last time. Do you remember me?”

Heon’s eyes sharpened when he heard her.

Heon tilted his head in confusion and glanced at the duke. The duke merely smiled in response.

“She is my youngest daughter. Since you two only met for a short time at the last banquet, it is possible that the Chief Commander does not remember you. Introduce yourself to him one more time.”

“I believe Lee Moon’s position was more than enough to prove my loyalty.”

As he had always done before, Heon showed no interest in women. Having MoonWon as the only woman in his heart was enough.

“I understand your heart very well, but my daughter has reached a marriageable age, and she insisted that she meet with you. What else could I do? All fathers are weak when it comes to their daughters.”

“Since I do not have children, I cannot understand such sentiment.”

Heon’s simple, polite attitude from before had long vanished. His cold, sharp voice pierced through the air.

Although he acted as if he’d changed, Heon’s true self had returned once again.

“I will be taking my leave now.”

Heon glanced at SoHee for a moment before leaving without any hesitation. Shocked by Heon’s unexpected reaction, the Consort ran out after him. Only the duke and his daughter remained in the wide room.

Seeing SoHee’s head hanging low in dejection, the duke raised the cup in front of him and drank the tea.

“Catching that man will be a hundred times more difficult than you think. However, Ju YongUn’s foolish daughter managed to do it, so it’s not impossible.”

He did not believe that his daughter would be able to catch Heon. However, if she did, it would only be a boon to him. If he could get Heon to become a man who was completely on his side, the thorn in his side would completely disappear.

“Do you think you can do it?”

As soon as the duke stopped speaking, SoHee followed after the Consort.

* * *

“Heon!”

When Heon stopped in his tracks, the Consort let out a strained breath. Despite the three years that had passed, the Consort’s face was as youthful and as beautiful as always.

The Consort did her best to smile under Heon’s calm gaze.

“I only wanted to enjoy some refreshments together. I don’t think it warranted your departure, do you?”

“It seems that you have become lax in your diligence. Seeing as how you are doing such ridiculous things again…”

“Three years have passed. No one would judge you for starting anew.”

“......”

“That child, SoHee, has her heart set on you. Don’t you think that this marriage would bring the duke closer to you?”

“‘You must move before I lose the Emperor’s favor.’ That is what you want to say to me, isn’t it?”

At a loss for words, the Consort’s face hardened. After MoonWon left, the Consort’s authority grew stronger, but that was only on the surface.

The Emperor’s favor had clearly started to lean towards the newly inducted Consort Yeong. And the influence she had before was now swallowed up by Heon.

In no time, the Consort was now in a position where she had to receive Heon’s permission.

“Isn’t it something that would be disadvantageous for you?”

“If you would like to find out what my wife has left behind, then continue to behave as you are now.”

He thought she’d always stay by his side. However, when she disappeared, all that was left in her place was the jewelry box she had brought with her when they got married and the two keys that were inside.

On the surface, it merely looked like your average jewelry box. However, when one looked at the bottom of the box, one could see that there was a keyhole. One of the keys fit the keyhole to reveal a secret compartment. The contents inside were completely outside of Heon’s expectations.

When he opened the neatly folded papers, he saw that they were letters written in the Consort’s handwriting.

She had written of the wrongdoings that Heon had already been aware of. But there were also things he hadn’t known.

If the Consort knew that Heon held the evidence that would strangle her throat, she would not have blatantly brought SoHee in front of Heon like this.

“I am your mother. Do you want to kill your mother?”

She was completely on edge. Heon glanced down at her. After a few moments had passed, Heon answered the Consort in a calm voice.

“Ah, I see. I forgot.”

The Consort gasped. Three years had passed since MoonWon disappeared. Heon sheathed his sharp blade and secretly gathered people to him. Deceived by Heon’s soft facade, many approached him with open arms and offered him all the information they had.

However, in moments like these, she could see the same Heon she had known in the past.

“Just be obedient and return to the Palace.”

Heon’s hands fell away from the terrified consort’s stiff body. His eyes left the Consort and went to SoHee as she approached them. Even he had to admit that she had a pleasant voice and a beautiful appearance.

However, his thoughts regarding her ended here.

“It isn’t right to begin something that has no future.”

For the Crown Prince, Lee Moon. For the Consort, power. And for the duke, he had laid a trap.

That was how he had endured these past three years as he prepared everything.

After giving her another glance, Heon turned around. After exiting the Palace, he made his way to a eunuch.

Their eyes did not meet, and there was enough distance between them so that others would think they were merely passing by each other. Heon was the first to open his mouth.

“It seems that the Consort’s judgment is not what it used to be.”

“She is doing it for your sake, Chief Commander.”

“Are you telling me that putting an aphrodisiac in His Majesty’s medicine is her way of helping me? How foolish…”

The eunuch lowered his head even further at Heon’s words.

Either way, the news did not surprise him. His mother wasn’t someone who could change.

“I’m sure he’s not completely unaware, but it wouldn’t hurt to just let it slip a bit.”

“There is also a eunuch from the Crown Prince waiting for you outside.”

This was proving to be a long day. He suddenly felt exhausted.

MoonWon had said that she wanted to stay in the bamboo grove for a long time. How had she felt when she left it? As someone who was responsible for her departure, he had no right to have peace of mind.

“You may return to His Majesty.”

The eunuch lowered his head and obediently walked away.

Left all alone in the open space, Heon tiredly closed his eyes. But this lasted only an instant. When he opened his eyes, they flashed with a cold gleam once again. He began to make his way to the Crown Prince’s palace.

Tired of waiting for more chapters? Check out the FAQ page!