The Imperial Palace.
“Your Majesty, they have entered the palace and are heading this way.”
“…Understood.”
Though the Emperor’s reply was calm, Kang Sang’s sharp eyes did not miss the tension etched on his face.
“Your Majesty…” Kang Sang began cautiously, studying the young ruler. “…There is no need for you to meet those old demons personally.”
Old demons. The former patriarchs of the Sixteen Imperial Families were the very architects of the Emperor’s fall from power. Even Kang Sang, who had seen and endured all manner of hardship during his two terms as Chancellor, found the prospect of facing them again distasteful. How much worse must it be for the young Emperor, who had been nothing but their puppet in his childhood?
“This humble servant can meet with them first, and then I may relay their words to Your Majesty—.”
“No.” The Emperor shook his head, his expression firm. “No, Chancellor. That will not do.” A single bead of cold sweat trickled down his brow. “I must face my own fears. I cannot remain a ‘boy emperor,’ hiding behind someone else’s back forever.”
“…”
The Emperor clenched his jaw. Yeon So-hyeon, the Grand Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan who had been in seclusion for so long, had returned. The Star of Heavenly Slaughter had risen again in the sky. He had to face his own destiny. He had never once met Yeon So-hyeon in person, but the Emperor could guess the depth of resolve and pain with which the man was forging his own path.
I, too, can do this.
Kang Sang saw the Emperor’s hands clench into tight fists. He straightened his own robes and took his place by the Emperor’s side, his back ramrod straight. The old man’s giant frame seemed to transform into an iron fortress. “This humble servant will protect you, Your Majesty.”
“…Thank you, Chancellor.”
“They are in the same boat as us now. They are shrewder than anyone and will not dare to act disrespectfully.”
“…One can only hope.”
Just as Kang Sang was about to reply, the voice of the old eunuch came from outside. “Your Majesty, fourteen of the former patriarchs of the Sixteen Imperial Families request an audience.”
The Emperor answered in the most solemn voice he could muster. “Let them enter.”
***
In Luoyang, the day was drawing to a close. The light of the setting sun streamed through the window, bathing the room in a crimson glow.
“Grand Young Master,” Gong Liang said from his wheelchair. “As you know, this old man trusts and supports your plan completely.” He was a man who would leap into a fire with a bundle of sticks on his back if Yeon So-hyeon asked it of him. “However,” he continued, his hands gripping the arms of his chair, a desperate wish to rise and run to the Imperial Capital clear in his heart, “…I worry that those old demons will once again make a mockery of His Majesty.”
The sunset was as deep as the shadows it cast. Gong Liang, lacking internal energy, could not make out the expression on Yeon So-hyeon’s face, silhouetted against the light.
“You need not worry, Elder.”
But Gong Liang sensed that Yeon So-hyeon was smiling, a chilling smile wreathed in shadow. “I have their leashes pulled tight.” Yeon So-hyeon held up his hand. “They can no longer break free by their own power.”
Though it was just an empty hand, bathed in the light of the setting sun, for some reason, in Gong Liang’s eyes, it seemed as if Yeon So-hyeon, sitting in a corner of Luoyang, was holding a set of strings that stretched all the way to the Imperial Capital.
***
The Imperial Palace.
The light of the setting sun flooded through the open door.
“…”
“…”
The young Emperor and the old Kang Sang stood speechless. The old demons had not even entered the room. They were kneeling in the small courtyard, their heads bowed to the dirt floor.
“Your Majesty…! Have us killed!”
The one crying out was none other than Gongsun Na-gang, the very eunuch who had once served the young Emperor most closely.
“Have us killed!”
Following his lead, the other thirteen former patriarchs threw themselves onto the dirt, their voices raw with supplication.
“In the past…! Our own lives are not enough to atone for the grave sins we committed against Your Majesty!”
“Punish us for our insolence to Your Majesty and our blasphemy against the Imperial Court!”
“Punish us!”
One would think they were the most loyal vassals in the world. Kang Sang could only shake his head with a bitter internal smile. What in the world did the Grand Young Master do to these old demons…? In the past, to them, the Emperor had been nothing more than a symbol of imperial authority, a symbol of the noble bloodline they themselves lacked.
“Have us killed!”
He had some inkling of an idea. The Grand Young Master must have given these men, who were all but exiled to Mount Beimang, a taste of the sweetness of power again. But what was truly astonishing was… They are moving as if they are a single body. These men had spent their entire lives tearing at each other’s throats. Some of them were mortal enemies. I was prepared to have to stop them from destroying the plan with their own rivalries… But somehow, as if by some sorcery, Yeon So-hyeon had managed to bind them together like a pack of hounds.
Just what is the Grand Young Master…?
It was a profound question, and a shock, for both Kang Sang and the Emperor, who knew nothing of what had transpired between Yeon So-hyeon and these men.
“Your Majesty! We beseech you—!”
The Emperor waved a hand. “Enough!”
At his command, the wailing of the old demons ceased instantly.
“…”
“…”
Even their movements stopped. It was like watching a pack of hounds trained to the peak of perfection.
“We understand that you regret your past actions,” Kang Sang said, stepping forward with a grateful glance at the Emperor. “However, We do not believe that you are so regretful as to offer your own lives.”
The old demons flinched. It was the truth. They had started this to regain their positions as patriarchs. What use was power if they were dead?
“That is—!” Gongsun Na-gang began to protest, but the Emperor cut him off.
“We did not give you leave to speak.”
It was not the forced bravado of a boy, nor the weak, hollow voice of memory. It was the voice of the Emperor of the Central Plains.
“…”
Gongsun Na-gang and the others fell silent. Kang Sang continued in the Emperor’s stead. “We do not have much time. Present to His Majesty the news you have brought.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s strategy of illusion and reality had succeeded, but it was only a matter of time before the current patriarchs, the de facto rulers of the capital, learned of this secret meeting.
“…Your Majesty.” Gongsun Na-gang bowed until his forehead touched the ground. “This old man asks for your sanction to dispense with the imperial protocols we must observe in your presence.”
“Granted,” the Emperor nodded immediately.
Gongsun Na-gang went straight to the point. “Your Majesty, what do you believe the Imperial Court needs most at this time?”
***
In Luoyang.
Yeon So-hyeon explained patiently to Kang Ho. “What the current Imperial Court, and His Majesty the Emperor, need most is prestige.”
“Indeed…” Kang Ho nodded. “Having been regarded as a puppet for so long, to the powers of the Central Plains, the Emperor and the Imperial Court have become nothing more than symbolic entities.” And that was why what they needed most was authority and trust—prestige.
“In that case,” Yeon So-hyeon posed a question, “what does His Majesty need to regain that prestige and gather his forces once more?”
“An achievement,” Kang Ho answered without hesitation. He remembered all the lectures his grandfather had given him on the politics of the capital. “And it must be an achievement so great that it sends a message to the entire Central Plains that the Emperor is no longer a puppet.”
***
The Imperial Palace.
“Does Your Majesty remember the great project of your late father, the previous Emperor?” Gongsun Na-gang asked.
“How could We ever forget it, even in Our dreams?” the Emperor replied with a bitter smile. “It was my father’s lifelong wish to expand and maintain the waterways of the Yangtze River, and to distribute the wealth monopolized by the powers of Jiangnan to the entire southern region.”
“But the project was beset by great difficulties and never made any real progress.”
“That is correct.” The Emperor nodded slowly. “First and foremost, the Tang Clan of Sichuan and the Duan Clan of Dali were the problem.” These two clans, who had been at odds for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, were like oil and water. Their history of resentment, hatred, distrust, and animosity was the first great gate barring the project’s path.
“That problem,” Gongsun Na-gang said with a long, deep bow, “has been resolved, under the leadership of the Grand Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan.”
“What…?!” The Emperor was stunned. “You do not mean you have brought a proposal on how to resolve it, but that he has already resolved it?!”
Kang Sang, who knew the details of the deal between Yeon So-hyeon and the two clans, bowed his head in confirmation. “Yes, Your Majesty. That is so.”
Gongsun Na-gang produced a letter from his robes and presented it to the Emperor. “This is the agreement between the Tang Clan of Sichuan and the Duan Clan of Dali.”
The old eunuch took the letter and respectfully delivered it.
“How can this be…!” The Emperor’s hands trembled as he read the document. Had not even his father given up on reconciling their relationship? For the Grand Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan, who had been in seclusion until just recently, to have solved such a problem… If it were not I, who knows of his childhood, no one would ever believe this…!
Watching him, Gongsun Na-gang smiled. “Under the Grand Young Master’s mediation, they have entrusted the supervision of the project’s progress to us. Therefore, we beseech you,” another former patriarch stepped forward, “grant us your sanction, so that all our future efforts and achievements may be used to elevate Your Majesty’s name!”
“Grant us your sanction!”
In essence, they were asking the Emperor to declare the project’s commencement and claim its glory as his own.
“…There is no doubt. This will be the cornerstone upon which We can announce to the Central Plains that We are the Emperor, and establish Our prestige.”
“That is so, Your Majesty,” Kang Sang said with a bow. “Although this one achievement will not be enough to set everything right—.”
“—It will be the beginning,” the Emperor finished, unable to hide his excitement. “A start that will allow me to recall my loyal vassals and allow those loyal to me to build their power…!”
“Indeed…! You are wise, Your Majesty,” Gongsun Na–gang said, not bothering to hide the look of joy on his own face. For the old demons, this was a great step forward in reclaiming their own positions as patriarchs. A situation that was good for the Emperor, and good for them. It was the best of both worlds. Incredible, Grand Young Master. Truly incredible! He had been in awe ever since hearing the plan on Mount Beimang, but to see it now, implicating the Emperor himself and reporting it in his presence, he could only feel a fresh wave of admiration.
“Wait. But…” The Emperor’s expression hardened as a thought occurred to him. “The problem with the Tang and Duan Clans was only the first great difficulty. The second, if I recall correctly…”
“At the time,” Kang Sang said, “the second great difficulty was the powers that effectively controlled the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.”
The Emperor nodded slowly, his face grim. “I have heard that they have since united into a federation and created a new power. Their name, I believe, was…”
“The Heavenly Wicked Hegemons.” The name of the super-federation born from the union of the four great powers that had once dominated the Jiangnan region. “Their name is the Heavenly Wicked Hegemons, Your Majesty.”
At the name, the Emperor’s face grew even harder. “In the past, even when they were divided, they cared only for their own profits, and their loyalty to the Imperial Court was minimal at best.” And that was when the Imperial Court still had some semblance of power. Now that its prestige was in the dust, it was a different story entirely. “For them to have united… I do not believe they will cooperate with this project willingly.”
If the Heavenly Wicked Hegemons had not been soundly beaten by Yeon So-hyeon’s father, the Great Supreme Retired Patriarch of the Sword Clan, shortly after their formation, they would have used their near-monopoly on overseas trade to become a power of unimaginable scale by now.
“Your Majesty, do not worry.” Kang Sang smiled.
“Don’t tell me…?” The Emperor’s eyes widened at the smile.
Kang Sang nodded. “That problem, too, is one that the Grand Young Master of the Sword Clan has already begun to resolve.”