Chapter 19

The morning assembly in the Main Hall had concluded, yet the atmosphere within the Imperial Palace remained electric.

“Did you hear?!”

“I rushed into the palace the moment I caught wind of the report!”

News of the victory in the North swept through the corridors like a wildfire. Wherever people gathered—in huddled clusters of three or five—the same story dominated the conversation.

“The Grand Young Master of the Sword Clan…”

“I have heard the name Yeon So-hyeon unusually often recently, but this…”

Among the gossiping masses, one group reacted with particular intensity: the military officers responsible for guarding the Imperial Palace and the capital.

“Is it certain?” asked an old man with a long, flowing silver beard. “Is it confirmed that the Grand Young Master of the Sword Clan, Yeon So-hyeon, has won?”

The middle-aged generals surrounding him nodded immediately. “It is certain, Admiral.”

“Reports have been pouring in through various channels for some time now.”

“The vanguards of Wudang and Mount Hua suffered devastating damage. Although the exact casualty list is not yet confirmed, it is said that several masters of those sects were killed or severely injured.”

Despite wearing the same uniform, the silver-bearded old man commanded a distinct reverence from the other generals. He was Admiral Lee Yeom-ik, a famous general who had served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Sea Fleet of the Central Plains Empire, achieving historic victories against Western naval forces.

“I admired the rumors that his martial arts had already crossed the Wall…” The middle-aged generals clicked their tongues in amazement. “But to be adept in military strategy on top of martial arts, and politics on top of that?”

“Truly, an absurd figure. That Grand Young Master.”

Listening to their praise, Admiral Lee Yeom-ik laughed hollowly, his expression troubled. “Hoho, indeed…”

He sought confirmation once more. “Is it absolutely certain that the Grand Young Master led the victory? Surely Moyong Woon-jeong, the Great General Regent of the North, was present? Is there a possibility she commanded the battle?”

He knew of Moyong Woon-jeong, the woman known as the God of War among the northern tribes. Such a victory was well within her capabilities, which would have made the news easier to digest.

“No, sir,” a general answered promptly. “It is said the Grand Young Master commanded directly. The official report to be submitted by the Northern Great General’s Estate clearly states this.”

Admiral Lee Yeom-ik closed his eyes and stroked his beard. “Yeon So-hyeon.”

The generals focused less on the victory itself and more on the name attached to it. There was a reason for this tension.

“I opposed it so vehemently during the discussions to entrust such a heavy responsibility to a boy with shallow experience.”

Admiral Lee Yeom-ik, currently the Emperor’s Chief Military Advisor, had been the fiercest opponent of Yeon So-hyeon’s appointment as Subjugation Commander.

“The Chancellor earnestly asked me to lend my strength, but I refused his request in a single word.” Lee Yeom-ik looked up at the sky, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. “But a victory…”

The surrounding officers held their tongues, watching his reaction closely. If the Grand Young Master continued to build merit, Lee Yeom-ik’s political standing within the Imperial Palace could be jeopardized.

“…Then,” one general spoke cautiously, “will you pressure the government troops stationed in the North to make cooperation with the Grand Young Master difficult?”

Others might lack the capability, but Admiral Lee Yeom-ik possessed enough influence to orchestrate such sabotage. If Grand Young Master Yeon So-hyeon’s suppression campaign failed, it would validate the foresight of the Admiral who had opposed him from the start.

“…Obstruction, you say.”

Admiral Lee Yeom-ik was renowned for his fairness and integrity. However, the fate of a leader often required dirtying one’s hands to protect their subordinates. He closed his eyes, organizing his chaotic thoughts while stroking his beard. The generals licked their dry lips, waiting in silence.

Finally, the Admiral’s wrinkled eyelids snapped open, revealing a steadfast gaze.

“…No.”

“Sir?”

“We will not do such a thing.”

Some faces brightened at his integrity, while others immediately darkened with concern.

“But, Admiral! Political enemies in the palace may use this suppression campaign to oust you.”

Despite their worries, Lee Yeom-ik’s will was ironclad. “Are we not generals who have led armies in the field?” He scanned the faces of those who had expressed dissatisfaction. “Without exception, we all have experiences of struggling with military operations due to political games from the Imperial Palace. Do you not remember?”

The dissenters shut their mouths. During the Northern War, bureaucracy and political infighting had turned winning battles into defeats. They had seen fellow officers stripped of their uniforms or exiled for failures manufactured by politicians.

“If the Grand Young Master were incompetent, it might be different,” Admiral Lee Yeom-ik said. “But can you, in good conscience, hold back a young commander who has started a difficult war with a victory?”

No one dared to answer.

“Hoho.” Seemingly satisfied, Lee Yeom-ik smiled. “I intend to go to the Chancellor now and devise a plan to support the Grand Young Master from the capital, even at this late stage. Who will accompany me?”

Just as the generals prepared to volunteer, a voice cut through the air.

“Generals who should be protecting His Imperial Majesty, the Imperial Palace, and the Capital…”

It was an unusually androgynous voice, sharp enough to make the hair stand up on the necks of battle-hardened veterans.

“What sort of plotting are you doing in a place like this?”

Admiral Lee Yeom-ik turned with a stiff expression. Standing there was the Head Eunuch of Ceremonial Propriety, Gongsun Taerang.

The man who had recently taken a heavy political blow from the Emperor and the Chancellor now stood before them, followed by an immense retinue of eunuchs as if to physically demonstrate his remaining power.

“Admiral Lee Yeom-ik.”

Gongsun Taerang ignored the other officers and stepped directly in front of the Admiral. “It seems you are confused about the situation, so let me offer you a piece of advice.”

As the Head Eunuch’s face—thickly powdered in white—drew near, a cloying, toxic scent wafted from him. “If you interfere with the work of this Gongsun Taerang and the Sixteen Imperial Families, you will pay a dear price.”

Lee Yeom-ik’s eyelids trembled, inciting the surrounding generals to shout in his defense.

“How dare you…!”

“Threatening an Admiral of the Great Central Plains Empire…?!”

To Gongsun Taerang, the Patriarch of the Gongsun Clan, their outrage was meaningless.

“Remember this, Admiral,” he whispered, his voice a venomous hiss meant only for Lee Yeom-ik. “Grand Young Master Yeon So-hyeon received only a hollow edict with the Imperial Order written on it. He received no military support from the Imperial Palace. He is in a situation where he must procure troops locally and mobilize his own private soldiers.”

It was true. Despite the grandiose title of Subjugation Commander, Yeon So-hyeon had been sent into the tiger’s den with nothing. Everyone knew the culprits were standing right before their eyes.

“Imagine a young general who admires you going into battle without being able to take a single soldier.”

Lee Yeom-ik flinched.

Gongsun Taerang’s mouth stretched into a hideous, gloating grin. “You wouldn’t want such a situation to occur, would you?”

Letting out a bizarre, high-pitched laugh, he tapped the Admiral on the shoulder—a gesture of condescension, treating the veteran commander like a subordinate.

“I hope my advice was helpful, Admiral.”

Gongsun Taerang swept through the center of the group, his eunuchs shoving the generals aside to clear a path. A heavy, suffocating silence settled in their wake.

***

As he moved away from the military officers, the smile on Head Eunuch Gongsun Taerang’s face solidified into a mask of rage.

Damn it…!

The situation was spiraling far beyond Admiral Lee Yeom-ik. There wasn’t a corner of the Imperial Palace where Yeon So-hyeon’s name wasn’t being whispered.

When the mudskipper jumps, even the squid tries to leap!

Until now, most ministers hadn’t dared to oppose the Sixteen Imperial Families; they merely acted as rubber stamps. Even those with influence turned a blind eye, citing the hollow excuse of neutrality. But now, cracks were forming in the iron grip of the Sixteen Families.

The cracks weren’t yet visible to the naked eye, but they were there. And the wedge driving them apart was named Yeon So-hyeon.

Gongsun Taerang felt rage rising to an unbearable level. “Is there no news from that bastard Grand Strategist Sima?”

“According to the latest report, he has joined the Dread King’s direct legions,” a eunuch attending him replied quickly.

It was a small mercy. Only one battle had been ruined, not the entire war. Though, even that fact brought him little comfort.

“News from inside the Moyong Clan?”

“…None.”

Grit.

The sound of teeth grinding echoed from the Head Eunuch’s mouth. His voice dropped lower, freezing the air around him. “And news from the current Patriarchs of the other Sixteen Imperial Families?”

“T-That is…” The eunuch sweated profusely, bowing deeper. “They seem busy dealing with the Old Demons, so proper news is…”

The Old Demons—the former patriarchs of the Sixteen Imperial Families who had been pardoned by the Emperor to work on the ‘Yangtze River Waterway Expansion Project’—were tearing through the Central Plains Empire as if it were their personal playground. The current heads had been forced to scatter across the empire to contain their predecessors.

If only everyone had been in the Imperial Palace as usual, this boy would have been crushed already.

“Damn it! Damn it all!” curses burst from his lips.

Everything was going wrong because of that Grand Young Master of the Sword Clan.

“Huff, huff…”

After venting his anger, Gongsun Taerang turned sharply to his attendant. “You.”

“Yes, yes! Please give your command!”

“Convey this to the Governor-Generals of the North in my name! From this moment on, if even one of them cooperates with that bastard Grand Young Master…”

He raised his trembling white hands, fingers curled into claws.

“I, Gongsun Taerang, will personally go to the North and tear them all to death with my bare hands!”

***

The North, Shenyang.

“You intend to summon the Governor-Generals?”

Moyong Ho, brother and adjutant to Moyong Woon-jeong, asked with concern.

Yeon So-hyeon looked back at him. “Why? Can I not?”

“N-No. Of course, it is not that you cannot, but…” Moyong Ho hesitated, his expression reluctant. “The pressure on them will be immense. Will they properly respond to your summons, Grand Young Master?”

Yeon So-hyeon smirked. “Even so, they will respond. No…”

He turned away, clasping his hands behind his back as he surveyed the city of Shenyang. Traces of fire still scarred the buildings, and corpses were still being cleared, yet a strange vitality born of victory pulsed through the streets.

“They will have no choice but to respond.”