Jang Munyeon was truly a cruel man.
Yunseo clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at the blood not yet dried in the throne hall.
To drive his blade down so calmly, without the slightest tremor.
The fact that he had acted with his own hands was, in itself, a declaration that he had nothing to do with this matter.
The surest way to silence everyone.
His brother-in-law had committed a crime and died for it.
But the Chancellor was unrelated to that crime.
That was the message he wished to announce to the world.
Wolhwa, too, had calculated countless possibilities, but even she had not foreseen such a decisive and brutal move.
That single move was enough to halt her next move for a moment.
Gripping the blood-soaked longsword, Jang Munyeon’s heart was beating rapidly.
Outwardly he was calm, but beneath that stillness, a raging torrent was whirling.
The impulse to cut down the Empress’s head—and Yunseo’s heart as he stood beside her—in a single stroke.
But he clenched his teeth.
Hard enough to taste blood in his mouth.
It was not yet time.
For now, there was something more important.
Clang.
When he deliberately loosened his grip, the bloodstained sword fell to the floor with a clear, cold sound.
Jang Munyeon bowed his head deeply.
“Your Majesty, I too bear responsibility.”
“I wish to relinquish my post as Chancellor of my own accord.”
The throne hall stirred.
“Chancellor! You must not do this!”
The Duke and the other ministers all dropped to their knees at once.
“Your Majesty, the Chancellor has been unjustly implicated!”
“Whatever his brother-in-law may have done, how can all responsibility be placed upon the Chancellor? This is not fair!”
Wolhwa’s brows drew together faintly.
“How insolent.”
Her gaze swept over the ministers.
“Do you speak only of the Chancellor’s injustice?”
“Then what of the people?”
“The suffering and lives of those who fell to that man’s blade—are they all so insignificant?”
The ministers of the court all held their breath.
With a grief-stricken face, the Duke clasped his fist before his chest in salute.
“The dead can no longer return.”
“But compensation can be made.”
“If silver is paid in reparation and rites are offered to console them, the hearts of the people will also settle.”
He took another step forward.
“If you drive the Chancellor into a corner over this matter, the court will be greatly shaken.”
“Would it not be better to decide on future punishment after observing the Chancellor’s conduct?”
Wolhwa’s red lips pressed tightly together.
Even after witnessing the Chancellor’s brother-in-law lose his head before their very eyes, there was only one reason they still tried to shield him.
They were afraid.
Just as the fox mourns when the rabbit dies, they feared that if the Chancellor fell, they would be next.
Whether civil officials or military officers, many of the ministers in this court were bound to the same rope.
Jang Munyeon sensed that mood as well.
Outwardly, he wore a face of lamentation and waved his hands.
“Everyone, please stop.”
“His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. How could the words of the Son of Heaven be overturned?”
“If you pressure Her Majesty like this, you will only be pushing me into unrighteousness.”
He rose to his feet.
“If it comes to this, I would rather dash my head against that pillar and die.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed toward the pillar.
“Stop.”
As Wolhwa’s voice cut sharply through the space, Jang Munyeon’s steps halted precisely at that spot.
After a brief silence, she spoke coldly.
“This matter ends here.”
“Your brother-in-law is already dead.”
“We, too, will question you no further.”
The ministers’ eyes wavered.
However—
“Though you are spared a capital crime, I will not say you are without guilt.”
“Your salary will be reduced by three months.”
“You will remain at home for one month and reflect on your conduct.”
It was by no means a light punishment.
But for Jang Munyeon, who had kept his life, it was an outcome he could fully endure.
Without delay, he bowed his head deeply.
“I thank Your Majesty for your grace.”
“I will surely reflect upon myself.”
Leaving the bloodstained corpse behind, he walked out as if nothing had happened.
Watching his back, Wolhwa felt it.
Today was only the beginning.
Before the scent of blood could even fade, a more brutal battle would unfold.
After court ended.
Only after the commotion in the palace had completely subsided was Yunseol summoned before the Emperor.
Having heard everything about how the two had gone out in plain clothes, she stood silently for a moment before raising her brows.
“Both of you were far too rash.”
“At this point, provoking Jang Munyeon is the same as driving yourselves into a corner.”
“He is not someone who will fall easily.”
“If things go wrong, you will be surrounded on all sides.”
Wolhwa gave a faint laugh.
“Are you afraid?”
Her gaze gleamed sharply.
“If you are afraid, you may leave.”
Wolhwa’s voice sank low.
“We and Yuk Yunseo will go to the end.”
Yunseol’s brows shot up.
“Do not look down on me so lightly.”
She looked straight at the Empress.
She was not saying this because she was frightened.
She was saying it because, as one who had read the board, she knew where the flow of that board was tilting.
“The current state of the court has already been revealed.”
Yunseol’s voice was calm, but firm.
“The Chancellor and the Duke are holding onto most of the ministers between them. In this situation, breaking away separately and establishing an independent force is nearly impossible.”
The air settled heavily.
Both Yunseo and she herself held only titles in name.
Positions with no authority in hand, only surveillance following them.
To overturn the board with just the two of them was, rationally speaking, close to a vain dream.
“For now, there are only two options.”
Yunseol folded her fingers one by one.
“Conceal your light and wait for the right time.”
“Or gather strength from outside the palace.”
The choice was simple, but neither path was easy.
Yunseo quietly opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty must have seen it today as well.”
His gaze was distant, aimed somewhere beyond the darkness.
“The Chancellor and the Duke always support each other. Bringing down only one of them is nearly impossible.”
“Then what should We do?”
Wolhwa’s eyes narrowed.
“We, too, tried to summon loyal subjects and generals. But the moment We call their names, they disappear by the next day.”
“They claim illness, or keep delaying their entry into the palace.”
“…They must have been threatened.”
“That is not all.”
A faint smile brushed Yunseo’s lips.
“Today, we only pretended to leave the palace, yet how quickly did the Imperial Guards move?”
He added in a low voice,
“The palace’s blade has already fallen into their hands. If the Imperial Guards are in their grasp, then the others need not even be mentioned.”
For a long while, Wolhwa could not continue speaking.
Because both of them were right.
She was already a ruler in shell alone.
If Yunseo had not been there, she would have been completely isolated in the heart of Geumneung.
An Emperor who could approve documents, but could not give commands.
A position where only formal courtesies remained, while power had vanished.
That fact pressed heavily down upon her chest.
For the first time, deep fatigue crossed Wolhwa’s face.
Yunseo quietly approached and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Please endure a little longer.”
There was no wavering in his voice.
“Give me time. I will use my duties to examine the court’s power structure and connections one by one.”
Yunseol immediately cut in.
“I will help as well.”
Her eyes flashed.
“I still have old subordinates remaining. They are people who remember the So Family Army.”
“I will find out the movements within the palace.”
Wolhwa looked back and forth between the two of them.
A brief hesitation passed over her face, but in the end, she rose from her seat.
And then—
The body of the Son of Heaven slowly bent at the waist toward the two of them.
“Help Us.”
It was the first time.
The first time she had set aside her pride.
“Your Majesty!”
Yunseo and Yunseol reached out at the same time and helped her up.
“You must not do this.”
Wolhwa lifted her head.
Her gaze was calm and clear.
“Do not think of Us as an arrogant monarch.”
“Right now, there is no other way. That is why We are asking.”
For a moment, Yunseol closed her mouth.
Because she sensed a thorn aimed at her within those words.
But now was not the time to dwell on feelings.
Yunseol knelt.
“Please give me three days.”
“Within three days, I will grasp the movements of the court and return.”
A subtle light brightened in Wolhwa’s eyes.
“Good.”
For the first time in a long while, a smile spread across her lips.
“If you succeed, We will grant you merit.”
“That is not necessary.”
Yunseol shook her head.
“This matter is also for the sake of finding my father’s enemy.”
“And—”
Her gaze brushed over Yunseo.
“It is only repayment for the grace of saving my life.”
A brief silence flowed.
Outside, the night wind was sweeping past the fortress walls.
The sky above Geumneung was still, but the currents beneath it were already surging fiercely.
Today’s court had begun with one man’s blood.
And three people now steadied their breaths together.
All-out war might still be far away.
But tonight, the three of them had boarded the same boat.