“Is that so?”
The corner of Wolhwa’s lips slowly rose.
“Then that is good.”
Her gaze swept sharply across the entire court.
“I, too, had something to settle today.”
A faint disturbance began to spread throughout the court.
“One million nyang of silver has vanished without a trace.”
Her voice sank heavily.
“Should we not clearly investigate the reason?”
She shifted her gaze toward Yunseo.
“Yuk Yunseo. Speak.”
Yunseo bowed his head.
“I shall obey Your Majesty’s command.”
He turned his gaze toward Yunseol, who stood beside him.
Yunseol moved immediately.
She extended the ledger she held in her hands.
“This is the evidence.”
Wolhwa silently accepted the ledger.
Her fingertips touched the paper.
One sheet.
Another sheet.
The more she turned, the heavier the air in the court became.
Her pupils took on a cold light and sank.
Half of them.
More than half of the court officials had taken money.
The Chancellor and the State Duke’s names were not directly written upon it, but they could not escape implication.
It was clear they were all in it together.
Wolhwa’s hand stiffened almost imperceptibly.
They did this right before my eyes?
Then just how far does the rot extend in places unseen?
Rage welled up from deep within her chest.
But she did not show it.
Wolhwa closed the ledger.
And looked at Yunseo as if nothing had happened.
“What do you intend to do?”
It was a short question, but by no means a light one.
Yunseo raised his head.
“Your Majesty.”
He opened his mouth calmly.
“Cutting off their heads right now is meaningless.”
A taut current of air circled around Yunseo as he paused.
“The people come first.”
His gaze brushed across the court.
“We must recover all the silver they embezzled and use it as disaster relief funds.”
A smile hung at the corner of Wolhwa’s mouth, but her eyes were not smiling.
“Indeed.”
She spoke in a voice laced with cold cynicism.
“Do you think that money still remains?”
Yunseo’s gaze grew cold.
“That is their affair.”
He spoke coldly.
“If they cannot return it, we simply cut off their heads without mercy.”
The court rippled for a moment.
Sounds of swallowed breath erupted here and there.
That money.
How many could truly return it?
Now that they had laid hands on it, none of it would remain.
They had likely spent most of it already.
But Wolhwa wanted to confirm Yunseo’s intentions.
“I shall give them a chance.”
She slowly opened her mouth.
“I shall turn a blind eye to what has happened so far.”
Her gaze gradually changed.
“However.”
In the brief moment she stopped speaking, Wolhwa’s gaze shone sharply.
“You have three days.”
A silence flowed as if the entire space had frozen over.
“Bring all of it within three days.”
Her gaze bore down.
“If not, everyone dies.”
The entire court held their breath, pressed down by Wolhwa’s momentum.
She raised her hand.
“Dismissed.”
After Wolhwa left.
A tearful voice burst out among those who remained.
“Chancellor, my lord. What are we to do about this...”
Jang Munyeon’s face hardened.
“Enough.”
He spat out coldly.
“What unsightly behavior is this?”
But no one stopped.
“We acted for my lord’s sake! If you pretend not to know now—”
In that instant.
Jang Munyeon’s eyes flashed.
“Shut your mouth.”
The flow of air was abruptly cut off.
“Are you trying to shift all responsibility onto me now?”
His voice sank low.
“You know what that means, don’t you?”
Several officials flinched but ultimately did not back down.
“We have no choice either. Must we not live?”
Silence filled the space.
Jang Munyeon raised his hand and covered his face.
He said nothing for a while.
“...Understood.”
Jang Munyeon finally opened his mouth.
“I will find a way.”
And raised his head.
“However.”
Weight settled in his voice.
“If anyone makes foolish moves behind my back, I will be the first to cut you loose.”
At his words, the officials exchanged glances.
And one by one, they nodded.
“Understood. We shall follow the Chancellor’s will.”
They slipped out.
Only Jang Munyeon and the State Duke remained.
The State Duke opened his mouth first.
“What do you intend to do?”
His tone was calm, but unrestrained urgency seeped within it.
“Surely you don’t truly intend to gather all that money.”
He hastily added.
“You know the magnitude of that sum.”
Jang Munyeon raised the corner of his mouth as if scoffing.
“Of course not.”
He spoke without the slightest tremor.
“I have no intention of letting them shake us.”
The flickering light in his eyes subsided, and his gaze deepened.
“Those who weren’t afraid when lining their pockets are now clinging to me to save their lives.”
He let out a sigh as if exhaling.
“They cannot survive that way.”
He raised his head and looked at the State Duke.
“Find the one who took the most.”
Instead of answering, the State Duke silently gazed into his eyes.
“Dispose of him quietly.”
The State Duke’s eyes narrowed.
“After that, simply dump everything on him.”
The air settled even heavier.
The State Duke hardened his face.
“Do you think that will work?”
He retorted shortly.
“Your Majesty is no fool.”
Jang Munyeon did not waver in the slightest.
“We are buying time.”
He continued calmly.
“It is not about hiding everything.”
He lightly tapped the table with his finger.
“We only need to muddy the greater flow. We will cover some ourselves, and scrape together what is lacking from outside.”
The State Duke’s eyes gleamed.
“The merchants?”
Jang Munyeon nodded.
“Are there not many leeches attached? If we apply a little pressure, they will hand it over willingly.”
The State Duke’s expression eased slightly.
“Then it may be possible. Now is not the time to collapse from within.”
Jang Munyeon spoke indifferently.
“That’s right. The outside first.”
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
“However.”
Jang Munyeon stopped speaking, his gaze fixed for a moment.
“Be careful.”
The State Duke furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean?”
“Yuk Yunseo.”
The name fell clearly.
“That man.”
Jang Munyeon’s gaze sharpened in an instant.
“He is not one to stay still. He may already be watching from somewhere.”
Silence swept through for an instant.
“If they catch us by the tail even once, it is over.”
The State Duke’s face contorted roughly.
A voice laced with irritation burst out.
“Then what are we to do? If neither this nor that works, are you telling us to die here?”
Jang Munyeon smiled faintly.
“Opportunity comes. Even tigers doze off.”
His gaze gradually took on killing intent.
“We seize that moment.”
Jang Munyeon spoke leisurely.
“And end it.”
The corner of his mouth twisted upward.
“We must clearly show whose land this is, mustn’t we?”
—
Meanwhile, Wolhwa summoned two people before her.
Yunseo and Yunseol.
“Today’s affairs.”
She opened her mouth.
“Well done.”
And immediately raised her hand.
One thousand nyang of silver was bestowed.
“Now is the time to use people. Both of you will become busier.”
Yunseo bowed his head.
“It is my role to ease Your Majesty’s worries.”
Wolhwa’s gaze shifted to Yunseol.
“The evidence.”
She asked outright.
“Where did it come from?”
Yunseol tried to speak but paused for a moment.
In that instant.
Yunseo opened his mouth instead.
“From the civilian side.”
He spoke without the slightest hesitation.
“We merely gathered scattered pieces of information. It is no great feat. If it has helped Your Majesty, is that not enough?”
Wolhwa’s gaze lingered long on Yunseo.
Her doubt had not completely disappeared.
But there was something else important right now.
“Enough.”
She spoke as if it were of no consequence.
“Anyway, since you have eased my worries today, I shall be satisfied with that.”
She opened her mouth again.
“The question is whether they can fill the coffers.”
Yunseo raised his head.
“It will be difficult.”
Without hesitation, he spoke as if drawing a definitive conclusion.
“They will not sit still.”
He stopped speaking and sank his gaze.
“The more cornered they are, the more fiercely they will strike.”
Wolhwa’s eyes narrowed.
“So.”
Yunseo stepped forward.
“We must prepare in advance.”
He seemed to fall into thought for a moment before continuing.
“Their options are obvious. They will try to find a scapegoat.”
Wolhwa and Yunseol’s gazes were deeply fixed on Yunseo, not wavering in the slightest.
“If we catch that person, we can sever their flow.”
Wolhwa’s gaze changed.
“We properly catch one and bring them down?”
Yunseo nodded.
“Precisely.”
Yunseo’s movements stopped for an instant.
The composure that had flowed until moments ago was very slightly withdrawn.
“However, if we cut down too many at once, the court will tremble.”
Though his expression did not change, the air shifted.
“If the Chancellor and the State Duke use this to spread rumors, it will not be a purge but a massacre.”
Yunseo did not continue speaking, lowering his gaze for a moment.
His breathing faltered slightly.
“From then on, we will be the ones under attack.”