“Everyone, rise.”
Wolhwa’s voice was calm, yet the majesty of an emperor contained within it did not waver in the slightest.
Supported by Yunseo, she slowly descended the ship’s steps.
The welcoming ceremony stretching from the pier to the temporary detached palace was so lavish it bordered on excessive.
The streets had been washed with clear water, and a long red carpet had been laid out.
On either side of the road, honor guards and military bands stood in flawless formation.
The common people were kept at a distance under strict control, and only their faint cheers could be heard.
Rather than a welcome that had arisen naturally, it felt closer to a play meticulously calculated and staged by someone.
Yunseo watched it all in silence.
It was splendid.
But there was no warmth in it.
This bustling city, once the capital of countless dynasties, had not prepared a place of rest for the empress.
It shone brilliantly on the outside, but in truth, it was closer to a golden cage meant to confine the emperor.
The temporary court convened in the main hall of the detached palace, renovated from an old royal clan residence.
It was not as majestic as the former imperial palace, but it was more than sufficient to symbolize imperial authority.
Yet once the court assembly began, what was revealed was not loyalty, but the division of power.
“Since Your Majesty has only just arrived in Jiangnan, it is only proper that you first tend to your august health.”
Chancellor Jang Munyeon, the true holder of authority in the court, spoke first.
A veteran minister who had served three emperors.
Outwardly, he put loyalty forward, but there was a clear intent hidden within his words.
“The affairs of personnel appointments, finance, and the military are exceedingly complex. However, your subjects have already arranged the candidates, so Your Majesty need not worry about any vacuum in state governance.”
The names he called out—
Each and every one was either a disciple of the Jang family or a member of the Jiangnan gentry.
The core authority of state affairs passed into their hands in an instant.
Then the Duke stepped forward.
“The matter of guarding Your Majesty’s safety and reorganizing the military system is also urgent.”
He naturally placed his own son and nephew in key posts.
Military authority, too, was divided without much resistance.
Wolhwa tried to speak several times, but Jang Munyeon gently redirected the topic with remarks such as, “Such is precedent,” and, “Your Majesty has already endured great hardship.”
In the meantime, Yunseo’s name was also brought up.
“Martial Guard Yuk is deeply loyal, and his achievements on the battlefield are outstanding as well. As he rendered great service in protecting Your Majesty amid peril, I request that he be promoted to deputy commander of the guard.”
It sounded like a splendid position.
A rank equivalent to the senior fourth rank.
But that position was little more than an empty shell.
The guard had already been seized by the Duke’s close aides, and no command authority over troops was granted.
It was merely an honorary post meant to bind Yunseo to the emperor’s side.
A high-ranking bodyguard.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Anger boiled up in Wolhwa’s chest.
But she did not reveal that emotion.
“So Yunseol, daughter of General of the North Soyeol.”
A subtle stir passed through the court.
“As a descendant of a loyal and valiant military house, she rendered service on the journey south. In recognition of that loyalty, I shall admit her into the military affairs office, grant her an officer’s title, and have her concurrently serve at the emperor’s side to discuss military matters.”
The position was low.
But she had set foot in the military affairs office and gained the right to participate in military discussions.
And she had also been granted the qualification to remain by the emperor’s side.
It was the first wedge Wolhwa had driven into the military.
Yunseol stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
“So Yunseol shall humbly receive Your Majesty’s grace.”
The Duke’s gaze wavered for an instant, but in the end, he did not object.
He had judged that a single female martial artist with neither foundation nor faction would pose no threat.
But Wolhwa did not stop there.
“Duke.”
Her gaze fixed straight upon him.
“I hear that recent military expenditures have been excessive. Submit the detailed ledgers. I shall examine them personally.”
It was a probing move aimed at a fissure in power.
But the Duke laughed heartily.
“All of it was used for urgent military necessities.”
He turned his head and looked at Jang Munyeon.
“You know this as well, Chancellor, do you not?”
Jang Munyeon calmly stroked his beard and replied.
“It is true. Since Your Majesty is not yet accustomed to the administration of Jiangnan, it would be proper to entrust such detailed affairs to your subjects.”
The two were perfectly in step.
A power alliance interlocked without a single crack.
A stifling heat rose from deep within Wolhwa’s chest.
This was her court, yet power had already left her hands.
In Jinling, she was closer to an ornament seated upon the throne than an emperor.
She possessed authority, but no power to wield.
It was then.
Yunseo, who had been standing quietly as though guarding the empress from behind, spoke in a low voice.
The words were addressed to Yunseol standing right beside him, yet the volume was exquisitely judged so that the ministers nearby could hear as well.
“General So. Even sending a single suit of iron armor to the soldiers guarding the northern border wastes months awaiting approval from three departments.”
He shifted his gaze for a moment.
“The speed at which the Jiangnan navy replaces its equipment is… truly astonishing.”
Yunseol understood his meaning at once.
She immediately stepped forward and spoke.
Her voice was clear and distinct.
“Your Majesty, Chancellor, Duke. When I was in the north as a low-ranking officer, I learned well how strict the procedures for procuring military funds are. If such a vast amount of military expenditure has been carried out, then even if the Chancellor has already approved it, it would be in accordance with the law to transfer the relevant documents to the Ministry of War for record-keeping and subsequent audit.”
She bowed her head.
“As I, too, have newly come to participate in military affairs and wish to familiarize myself with the related duties… may copies of the documents be sent to the Ministry of War?”
It was not a direct challenge.
But it was a precise check built upon institutions and justification.
If they refused, they would invite suspicion.
If they handed them over, the Ministry of War would gain grounds to intervene.
Jang Munyeon’s eyes deepened.
He looked back and forth between Yunseo and Yunseol, then smiled.
“Commander So is truly meticulous. Such devotion to one’s assigned duty is commendable.”
He stroked his beard.
“Once the related documents are organized, copies shall be sent to the Ministry of War as well.”
The Duke’s expression stiffened for an instant.
But since justification lay with Yunseol, he could not openly object.
Wolhwa watched the scene and slowly exhaled the breath held deep in her chest.
A small but unmistakable crack.
The court assembly concluded in an outwardly calm atmosphere.
The moment she returned to Jira Palace, her temporary sleeping quarters—
Wolhwa no longer maintained her expression.
She swept her sleeve violently.
A teacup on the table fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
“What a spectacle…! Jang Munyeon… Duke…!”
Her anger burst forth.
Hearing the sound, Yunseo entered and gestured for the palace attendants to withdraw.
Only the two of them remained in the room.
When Wolhwa saw him, she spoke as though finally letting go of the emotions she had barely held back.
“…You saw it all, did you not? How they… look down on me.”
Yunseo quietly stood behind her.
Then he raised his hand and placed it upon her shoulder.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Jang Munyeon and the Duke are forces that have long held Jiangnan in their grasp. A response like today’s was… already within expectation.”
His warm body heat reached her.
Wolhwa’s rigid breathing eased a little.
But amid the anger and pressure she had suppressed, and the fatigue that had accumulated, the poison lying dormant within her body began to stir again.
A prickling numbness spread near her heart, and the color drained from her face.
“Expectation…?”
She turned around and seized Yunseo’s arm.
“Then are you saying that I… can do nothing but stand by and watch like this?”
Her fingertips trembled.
“I know. You, too, must have intentions of your own. …But right now, the only one I can rely on is you.”
Yunseo looked down at her.
Eyes pale, yet unbroken.
He clasped that hand in return.
It was cold enough to chill him.
“I know.”
He spoke quietly.
“The poison inside Your Majesty’s body is surging again. When your emotions grow intense, your body is the first to collapse.”
It was a subtle hint that it had to be controlled in the way only the two of them knew.
A faint flush colored Wolhwa’s cheeks.
But the pain and anxiety rushing over her came first.
Biting her lip, she spoke with difficulty.
“…Yunseo.”
“Help me. …As you did before.”
Her gaze wavered.
“Help me… with the healing.”
Yunseo looked at her for a moment, then silently wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I shall obey your command.”
The two headed into the deep inner chamber where no one’s gaze could reach.
—
That day’s healing was deeper than before.
Their tangled qi and blood interlocked, and her disrupted internal energy was connected once more.
Wolhwa clung to the warmth transmitted from Yunseo as though grasping onto it.
Her anger, her fear, and the Fire-Heart Poison were all poured out, as though melting away within it.
“…Remember this.”
She whispered, her breath unsteady.
“You are… my person. Until I… regain everything…”
Instead of answering, Yunseo pushed his internal energy in deeper.
He stabilized the flow and pressed down the poisonous energy, lulling it into dormancy.
At the same time, his own energy also grew even more firmly tempered.
—
By the time the healing ended—
Wolhwa’s breathing had steadied.
The game in Jinling was only just beginning.
The first move had already been placed upon the chessboard of power.
And—
Upon that board, Yunseo was becoming the sharpest blade.