“Yuk Yunseo.”
Jang Munyeon’s face immediately hardened as he spoke.
“Do you truly mean to oppose us to the very end? This incident clearly occurred because the commoners ran wild and seized the relief funds on their own. That is why matters have come to this—”
“Why do you assume it was the commoners’ doing?”
Yunseo cut him off at once.
The court fell silent for a moment.
Yunseo’s gaze was fixed squarely on Jang Munyeon.
“Did Your Excellency see it yourself?”
Jang Munyeon’s mouth was stopped for an instant.
He had not expected it either.
That a young censor who had only just taken office would so openly contradict him.
But he had no intention of backing down so easily.
Jang Munyeon let out a derisive snort.
“Hah.”
He flicked his sleeve and said,
“I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. In all worldly affairs, there are signs.”
Yunseo’s eyes narrowed.
“Is that so?”
He asked calmly,
“Then why not tell us, here and now… what those signs are?”
The air in the court gradually grew taut.
Yunseo had no intention of yielding even an inch.
He knew well that the moment he backed down here, neither he nor Wolhwa would be able to take even one more step forward in court.
Jang Munyeon’s eyes flashed.
“What else could they be but thieves?”
He spoke with a sneer.
“Those who steal tremble in fear and try to shift their crimes onto others. Those lowly commoners are precisely the sort of people with such hearts.”
He immediately turned toward Wolhwa.
“Your Majesty.”
Jang Munyeon bowed his head.
“During the years this old minister has managed the court, there has not been a single instance of corruption or malpractice.”
At that moment—
Yunseo opened his mouth again.
“Even if that was true of Your Excellency…”
His gaze swept over the ministers in court.
“Can you guarantee that it was true of every other official as well?”
The court stirred once more.
No sooner had those words fallen than one official stepped forward.
“Your Majesty!”
He spoke urgently.
“The censor is correct. There are certainly treacherous officials within the court.”
He immediately named one person.
“Hwang Jeonghyeon is precisely such a man!”
It was Hwang Jeonghyeon, who was already imprisoned.
As soon as the words left his mouth, several ministers submitted memorials one after another.
The details of the bribes Hwang Jeonghyeon had received during his tenure were revealed one by one.
The amount was, astonishingly—
Three hundred thousand nyang.
The moment that figure was confirmed, the atmosphere in court changed completely.
Wolhwa’s gaze slowly turned cold.
She slowly looked at Yunseo.
“Yuk Yunseo.”
Her voice rang out clearly.
“From this moment on, I entrust this case entirely to you.”
The court stirred at once.
Wolhwa’s next words followed.
“If you investigate anyone and uncover corruption—”
Her eyes flashed.
“Should they refuse arrest, I permit you to execute first and report afterward.”
The court was thrown into complete uproar.
Jang Munyeon immediately stepped forward.
“Your Majesty!”
His voice rose.
“How can you make such a hasty decision! If this man arrests people recklessly, the nation will fall into chaos!”
Wolhwa’s gaze turned to him.
Her eyes remained cold.
“If he arrests people recklessly—”
She spoke slowly.
“Then that would mean I am a foolish monarch.”
The court held its breath.
Wolhwa’s voice continued in a low tone.
“In that case, my throne will not last long either.”
Her gaze swept past Jang Munyeon and the Duke.
“But. If those he arrests are all criminals—”
A faint smile appeared at the corners of Wolhwa’s lips.
“What will you do then?”
The ministers standing on the empress’s side all knelt at once.
“Your Majesty is truly wise and discerning!”
“We are deeply moved!”
The court stirred once again.
In truth, Wolhwa had calculations of her own.
First.
It was to confirm whether Yunseo, whom she trusted, truly had the ability to handle this complicated situation.
Second.
It was to turn the gazes of Jang Munyeon and the Duke toward Yunseo.
If they began keeping each other in check—
Then, in the midst of it, she as emperor would gain time to move.
Of course.
This also meant pushing Yunseo into danger.
But the Wolhwa of now had no other choice.
Three million nyang in relief funds.
It was by no means a sum that could be passed over lightly.
—
After court was dismissed.
Yunseo moved immediately.
First, he headed to the Ministry of Revenue and demanded the records related to the Hoenam flood disaster.
How the relief funds had been distributed, which officials had been involved.
He had to check every document.
However—
Contrary to expectations, matters proceeded far too smoothly.
The Vice Minister of Revenue and the Hoenam military commissioner had already organized the relevant documents.
The papers placed before Yunseo were astonishingly neat.
As if—
Someone had prepared them in advance.
Yunseo slowly turned through the documents.
And he thought to himself.
This is…
Too fast.
As if.
Someone had already known he would come.
“Lord Yuk.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue and the Hoenam military commissioner both immediately bent deeply at the waist and offered their respects.
“We have already organized the materials you were seeking. Inside are all the records of the relief funds being distributed. Please examine them yourself.”
Yunseo looked down at the documents for a moment, then lightly shook his head.
“That is not what matters right now.”
He pushed the documents aside and asked,
“Who were the officials escorting the relief funds?”
The two men’s faces hardened for an instant.
“And why.”
Yunseo’s gaze slowly turned cold.
“Despite so many problems occurring again and again, was no report sent up to the court?”
A brief silence flowed.
The Vice Minister of Revenue and the Hoenam military commissioner exchanged glances.
Then they soon wore troubled expressions.
“Surely you know as well, my lord.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue sighed as he spoke.
“Whenever a great disaster occurs, vicious mobs always look for an opportunity. This time as well, such people caused trouble.”
He continued.
“As for the officials escorting the funds being unable to report to His Majesty… in a way, it is understandable.”
Yunseo’s brows slowly rose.
“Understandable?”
There was a chill in his voice.
“Are you saying such matters may be covered up simply because they feared for their lives?”
Yunseo struck the table.
“Then how many more wronged souls must this world produce!”
Yunseo spoke coldly.
“Bring those officials here at once. I will verify it myself.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue bowed his head.
“…That cannot be done.”
Yunseo’s eyes flashed.
“What do you mean?”
He asked slowly.
“Don’t tell me… you mean to say they are all dead?”
The Hoenam military commissioner let out a deep sigh.
“That is correct.”
His voice sank heavily.
“We feel the same as you, my lord. But it is a truth that cannot be hidden.”
He slowly continued.
“They were all attacked during transport. Some had their legs broken… some lost their eyes… and some even had their tongues cut out.”
The Hoenam military commissioner’s face darkened.
“In the end, not a single one survived in any proper state.”
Silence flowed once again.
Yet Yunseo’s expression grew even calmer instead.
“How strange.”
He murmured softly.
Then he gave a faint laugh.
“In that case, it is all the more strange.”
Yunseo’s gaze turned toward the two men.
“Did you not say such incidents had already repeated several times?”
He continued slowly.
“And yet the two of you never reported it to court even once.”
Yunseo’s eyes flashed sharply.
“Is that truly what ministers of the court should do?”
The two men’s faces hardened for an instant.
Soon, a brief glance passed between them.
The Vice Minister of Revenue spoke first.
“We have no intention of hiding anything from you, my lord.”
He bowed his head.
“We know full well that we bear responsibility too. That is why we submitted memorials several times requesting to resign from our posts.”
Yunseo’s gaze narrowed.
“And yet?”
“Chancellor Jang Munyeon and the Duke said we were without fault.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue said,
“And so we were ordered to continue carrying out our duties.”
The moment he heard those words—
Yunseo’s gaze deepened.
As expected.
The Duke and the chancellor were both entangled in this matter.
Otherwise, why would Jang Munyeon’s faction have been in such a hurry to subjugate the commoners?
It was then.
The Vice Minister of Revenue and the Hoenam military commissioner simultaneously took a step forward.
“Lord Yuk.”
The two men spoke respectfully.
“You have risen to the position of censor at such a young age, so you must surely possess extraordinary talent.”
The Hoenam military commissioner smiled.
“Since you have come here in person today… we will prepare a place. Why not share a meal with us?”
Yunseo shook his head when he heard those words.
“There is no need.”
He spoke calmly.
“Right now, there is a mountain of work piled up.”
Yunseo rose from his seat.
“I will handle the urgent matters first.”
He said as he walked toward the door.
“When I have time later, we can speak then.”
Once Yunseo left, the two men’s expressions turned vicious in an instant.
The Vice Minister of Revenue’s face twisted in an especially blatant manner.
“Look at that bastard.”
He ground his teeth and muttered,
“Trusting in nothing but the empress’s favor, he struts about so arrogantly… He truly looks down on us.”
The Hoenam military commissioner quickly checked their surroundings.
“Keep your voice down.”
He said quietly.
“This matter must be reported to those above.”
The Hoenam military commissioner’s expression sank heavily.
“It is undoubtedly suspicious.”
He spoke slowly.
“That man… is absolutely not someone who will withdraw like this.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue glared at the Hoenam military commissioner.
Then he pointed a finger at him.
“Do not get any foolish ideas.”
His voice was cold.
“You know very well what kind of person the Duke is.”
The Vice Minister of Revenue’s eyes flashed.
“If you so much as think of siding with someone else—”
He spoke in a low voice.
“You would be better off dying right now.”
Although the sound of Yunseo’s footsteps had already vanished in the distance, the crack he had left behind—
Little by little, quietly.
Had begun to shake them.