episode_0173

“What…? Who are you missing?”

JoJo’s expression distorted.

Of course it has to be that way.

When planning this coup, Jang Yang was the one who had to be killed along with Geon-seok.

Yang Yang.

He was a figure equivalent to the leader of the Ten Sages and an old monster who boasted enormous power.

He was a nobleman who had been referred to as his father by the previous emperor, Emperor Ying.

As such, he was also a person who had to be dealt with using this opportunity.

But I missed it.

What on earth happened while we were holding the stone?

Perhaps Jojo had a similar question in mind as I did?

Jo Jo, who was covering his face with his palm and repeatedly washing his face, as if trying to straighten out his crumpled expression, soon asked Won So.

“So, how did that happen?”

“… It seems that the Empress Dowager had some business to attend to and was nearby when we just passed through the gate of the imperial palace.”

The moment those words flowed into my ears, the scene that naturally began to be pictured in my mind was that of an old man with a bloated physique, having heard from his subordinates that the imperial palace gate had been breached, and marching towards the Queen Mother’s Hall without even looking back.

And since Zhang Yang entered the Empress Dowager Hall like that, there was nothing we could do but one thing.

“So what do we do now? Are we going to gather in front of the Empress Dowager Hall and have a group chat? You want me to give you that guy?”

“…I can’t leave him alone, so what can I do? If you can’t decide, you have no choice but to use that method.”

“Principle You probably already know that, right? As soon as the situation becomes like that, you won’t be able to touch him anymore.”

“I guess so. If the members of the Cheongryu faction, including myself, raise a petition as a group, the Empress Dowager will not be able to remain stubborn until the end, but she will do whatever it takes to prevent him from being executed.”

“Yes, the moment the power to keep us in check disappears, there will be no possibility of the second prince ascending to the throne as the Empress Dowager wishes.”

What can I say?

We weren’t the ones who hit first.

Because they were the ones who hit me first.

Originally, as soon as Emperor Ying passed away, the Sipsangsi were planning to collude with Empress Dowager Dong to place the second prince, Liu Xie, on the throne.

And to that end, he summoned General Hajin, who was bound to be the biggest obstacle in the process of carrying out the work, into the palace and tried to get it done… The plan, which seemed to succeed at first glance, ultimately ended in failure when one of Geon-seok’s lieutenants secretly visited Ha-jin and complained about it.

In fact, there were circumstances behind the fact that we were able to raise an army and overcome the gates of the imperial palace.

but… Even if it was an act that was close to self-defense, the essence itself was not much different from treason, so the political burden that we had to bear was enormous, so we had to take advantage of this opportunity to completely oust those bastards… .

Even if you miss it, you’re missing the biggest thing.

They say that if you’re unlucky, you’ll break your nose if you fall backwards, so why should Zhang Yang have been near the Empress Dowager Hall at that time?

“What about the others? I’m sure the others also missed it…”

“The only thing I missed was Yang Yang.”

“Ha… I don’t know whether to call this a good thing or a worse thing.”

It was definitely as Jojo said.

Geon-seok, since we have already taken orders, it would have been great if we had succeeded in wiping out the remaining Sipsan City, including Jang Yang. However, since the others are all dead and Jang Yang is the only one left alive, it is unclear what will happen to the power structure of this palace in the future. Because I did it.

At the very least, the eunuch forces who felt a serious threat to their survival following this incident will gather together under Zhang Yang.

Was it because the future was clearly visible to me?

Jojo’s face was grave as he said the worst.

As if he was predicting the trouble that would soon come.

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To begin with, we failed to kill Yang Yang.

After performing a group performance that was close to a choreographed dance in front of the Empress Dowager Hall, they succeeded in putting him in prison, but as soon as Zhang Yang entered the prison, Empress Dowager Dong showed her discomfort and began to protect him.

In order to safely place Liu Bian, the son of Empress Xia, on the throne, the cooperation of the Empress Dowager, who can be said to be the eldest member of the imperial family, was essential, and therefore we could not go against the Empress Dowager’s wishes any further.

So he made a deal with the Empress Dowager on the condition that Yang Yang’s head be attached to his body, and as a result, the first prince, Liu Bian, ascended to the throne.

At that time, it was also the threshold of transition from winter to spring, so I thought that with the ascension of a new emperor, a new era would also begin… .

Exactly one day after the new emperor’s coronation ceremony, something happened.

“Who died?”

“Half.”

“Wait a minute, isn’t that person half-hearted? The person who handed over the information about Sipsan City to us during the winter raid?”

” That’s right, he was Geon-seok’s lieutenant in the past.”

“That person is dead? Suddenly?”

Did you suddenly get over a chronic illness? Or sudden heart attack?

That was the first thought that came to mind, but looking at Jojo’s expression, it seemed that neither answer was correct.

If the cause of death of the person named Ban-eun was a soldier, there would be no reason for Jojo to have such a serious expression.

And, as expected, words that cannot be easily heard flowed from Jojo’s mouth.

“To be exact… he was murdered. And that too inside the imperial palace.”

Cao Cao later added that he had been stabbed with a sword and left in a well in the imperial palace.

“Who was the first to discover the body?”

“They say she is a court lady who works in the kitchen of the imperial palace. I’m not sure if that’s what I heard too. Anyway, the problem is… .”

“What is the problem?”

“These are sword marks engraved on the body. It’s not yet clear who did it, but they say he carved the words on his back with something that looked like a small dagger.”

The moment I heard that there was an inscription engraved on the deceased’s back, the first word that came to mind was none other than ‘warning’.

If the writing had been engraved somewhere other than the back, I would have considered the possibility that it was a dying message left before death, but the back had no choice but to have been engraved by someone else.

Asking Jojo about its contents was an action based on such confidence.

“What was written on the deceased’s back?”

“… Traitor, and punished.”

“Ha.”

As expected, it’s the same.

As the story goes, there is no way a person who once reached the pinnacle of power would give up so easily.

“Aman, you think that was Zhang Yang’s doing?”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for that old monster, there would be no one else who would do something like this.”

“The reason you can’t act hastily is because you don’t have enough evidence.”

JoJo nodded further as if that was also correct.

“Have you interrogated the court lady who first discovered the body?”

“I’ve already sent Ini there. I also asked Wonyang and Myojae to find out if there were any other witnesses.”

For some reason, everyone said they couldn’t even see their noses sticking out today… There was a situation like that.

I was shaking my head for a moment, feeling like I was finally understanding. Then I looked at JoJo, who seemed to be very frustrated with the current situation, and looked at him for a moment, and asked Jojo, who was sighing.

“The evidence. Do you think it will come out?”

“No.”

A tone overflowing with determination, as if it wasn’t even worth reconsidering.

Nevertheless, the reason I didn’t deny it was because I thought that way too.

Considering that the person who planned this incident was a person who was worn out in the imperial palace of Luoyang, which was like a battle of fortune, there was absolutely no way he would have left behind any evidence.

As is always the case with human work, it cannot be perfect, so there is a good chance that evidence that has not yet been collected will be discovered somewhere… .

It would be impossible to use that to tie up with Jangyang.

Even if I were that guy, I would have cut off all the tails leading towards me a long time ago.

Wouldn’t Jojo not know that fact?

Of course you know.

Even though I knew it, the reason you came to me like this… Maybe it’s because it’s frustrating.

There… There must be some purpose in having a conversation with me to guess what that guy named Jang Yang’s intentions are.

“Suhyeon.”

“Huh?”

“What do you think his purpose was in doing this?”

“Well… Isn’t this a warning after all?”

It must have been a moment when I had such a strong feeling that I was following along with Jojo as he intended.

“They both happened to be here.”

An uninvited guest visited the palace where I was staying.

“… Herbal medicine? Why are you here… ?”

“I want to hear Lord Suhyeon’s opinion regarding what happened in the palace this time.”

“If you are a strategist, there are many under you.”

“Oh, it’s different from what you hear from them.”

Maybe he didn’t like Yuan Shao’s sudden visit?

Jojo slightly narrowed his eyes for a moment, but it seemed like it was a bit too much to coldly chase him away, and with a sigh, he allowed them to join him.

“So, did you listen? What happened at the imperial palace today?”

“Yes, I heard that one of the ministers working at the imperial palace was murdered.”

“That’s right, Sima Ban-eun is dead. The person who ordered it was most likely an old snake in prison.”

The elemental person who spoke up to that point looked straight into my eyes and asked.

What do you think Zhang Yang’s intention was in doing this?

“Of course it was meant to be a warning, right?”

“Hmm, warning… .”

What kind of answer did he expect from me?

What kind of answer did you expect to get such a blatant, disgusted response?

“I guess you think so too.”

“As I just said before, it’s natural.”

“It’s natural… But will it really work if they give us a warning now?”

Don’t you know how deep the gap is between the eunuch faction represented by the Takryu faction and our Cheongryu faction?

I tilted my head involuntarily at Won Won’s remark, which seemed to be exactly what he was saying.

I was wondering why the story about factions suddenly came out at this time.

“Yes? What do you mean suddenly…?”

“Yes?”

“Well, you seem to have misunderstood what I said, but persuasion and threats are only for those who can benefit.”

It is the hardliners, including Yuan Shao, who are already intent on capturing and killing Zhang Yang somehow.

But making threats against those people?

It would be fortunate if the warning worked, but in the worst case, the eyes of the person who was already very angry could completely turn away.

There is no way that Jang Yang does not know that fact… It would be correct to view this incident as targeting a specific person rather than targeting an unspecified number of hardliners.

“If it is a specific person…?”

“A mother who is always busy worrying about her son.”

“···!”

Yuan Shao’s eyes opened wide.

It was at that time that Jojo’s voice was heard.

“Empress Xia, or are you talking about Empress Xia?”

She was called the Empress until the day before yesterday, so starting yesterday, she was called the Empress Dowager.

How did this murder case appear in the eyes of the woman who was once of lowly status, close to a butcher, but eventually ascended to the position of empress by holding the title of Sipsanshi?

Also… what did you think when you heard that the words ‘Traitor’ and ‘Execution’ were engraved on the back of the body?

I don’t know, but the sight of the dead body, cut by a knife and falling into a well, didn’t exactly look like the future that he and his son would face.

What if you thought that way even for a moment?

It was obvious what she would do next.

They will try to reach a truce with the eunuch forces, either by persuading their son, who is now the emperor, or by persuading their older sister, who has been given the special position of Minister of Baoding beyond the rank of general in recognition of her contribution to the success of the rebellion.

And if that happens, it becomes dangerous…

Was that moment enough to reach the same conclusion as me?

Before we knew it, Yuan Shao’s face had hardened.

Perhaps because of my mood, my skin seemed whiter than usual.

“I guess I have to go back now.”

After being silent like that for a while, Elemental slowly stood up with those words.

Of course, the reason I stood up from my seat was to see her off.

Then Jojo, who was sitting with him, also got up from his seat…

“I’ll be back soon, so I’m waiting for you.”

With those words, he made Cao Cao sit back down and left the room alone with Yuan Shao.

We walked side by side towards the door in the distance, and when we felt that the distance had widened somewhat, we opened our mouths.

“Since you came to me and asked for my opinion, can I ask you a question? Of course, if you don’t mind being rude.”

“Of course.”

“What is the reason?”

“Why?”

Elemental tilts his head as if he doesn’t know what he’s saying.

Her beautifully combed golden hair became disheveled as she moved.

I got to the point while taking in the sight of the other person leaning slightly to the side, perhaps to make eye contact with me.

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“Jang Yang. Why did you let me go?”