Chapter 10: The Collector’s Interest and the Silent Battle

Young Tae Ryung may have been born the third prince, but from the moment of his birth, he surpassed his brothers and was overwhelmingly superior in every aspect. He was a man obsessed with rare things—especially things that were one of a kind. Once he set his sights on a goal, he never let it go, whether it was an object, a throne, a nation, or a person.

It could be said that his personality played a major role in placing the thirty-seven-year-old emperor on a foundation already comparable to the greatest emperors in history.

“I am a believer in taking what can be taken.”

In truth, as the Emperor of Horyu, there was nothing he could not possess. Even if he indulged in his desires a little, it did not harm the nation, so his ministers did not bother to dissuade him. However, Su Jae Mun, who had watched the Emperor since childhood, felt a flicker of sympathy for Song Bi Yeon.

“…Do you wish for him to be loyal to Your Majesty?”

At that, Young Tae Ryung tilted his head slightly. He recalled those blue eyes that had stared straight up at him with indignant fury while kneeling in the mud. A faint smile touched Young Tae Ryung’s lips.

“That would be nice as well.”

“If he were to swear loyalty as early as tomorrow, what would you do?”

In an instant, the smile vanished from the Emperor’s face. He looked as if he had just heard a nightmare, his expression turning cold and utterly bored.

“The mere thought of it makes me weary.”

Then, he spoke sternly to Su Jae Mun.

“Do not do anything unnecessary. I want to enjoy this for as long as possible.”

“…May I ask one more thing?”

“The General has many questions today. Speak.”

“I thought you intended to use Song Bi Yeon as a strategist. Why did you appoint him as the Princess’s teacher?”

The Emperor burst into laughter.

“Does the General not know my intent, which even Noble Consort Ju has guessed?”

“I am not speaking of the external succession struggle. I wish to know Your Majesty’s true heart.”

The Emperor gave a thin smile.

“Originally, I intended to gather them and have him teach both at once so he could adjust to this place. But then, did he not suddenly bring up the topic of ‘The Successor’ himself?”

Su Jae Mun had heard of this. Song Bi Yeon had allegedly claimed in front of the gathered ministers that “the Emperor had entrusted him with the education of the successor.” It was impossible to describe how shocked everyone—especially the Noble Consort’s faction—had been when they first heard that.

In the Horyu Imperial Court, that word was currently a taboo. The Emperor stood up, stretched his limbs lightly, and spoke.

“What incredible confidence. If Eun Hwi’s personality were fiercer than Eun Su’s, I would have sent Song Bi Yeon to him instead. Regardless of what I do, the world outside will create its own meaning anyway.”

“Then….”

“He is a man who will eventually be used as my person, so he must learn the proper boundaries. I want him to learn them in advance so that I do not accidentally kill him.”

Su Jae Mun swallowed hard. In the end, it meant he had sent him to the Princess first to buy time for Bi Yeon to become accustomed to the Emperor’s presence. Tae Ryung’s interest in rare things was this impulsive and driven by curiosity. Yet, if even that fleeting interest were to fade, it was hard to say how long Bi Yeon would survive here.

“Is Your Highness perhaps a genius?”

“I hear that often. Is that the end of your flattery?”

“It wounds my heart that you misinterpret my sincerity.”

“Since the teacher’s prose is so poor, the student’s heart aches as well.”

The Princess smirked, lifting one corner of her red lips. Bi Yeon wore a look of exhaustion. Eun Su lifted her fine brush from the paper with a refreshed face. The tip of her brush was stained red, while Bi Yeon’s was stained blue.

On the table lay a large sheet of paper with horizontal and vertical lines drawn at regular intervals. The two were playing a game where they took turns drawing circles, trying to get five in a row. The paper covered half the table, but they had drawn so many circles that from a distance, it looked like a dense mess of red and blue dots.

“Must you go this far?”

“If I do something, I must do it well. No matter what it is.”

Eun Su spoke triumphantly. Bi Yeon nodded as if he understood. Indeed, the Princess was incredibly competitive and highly capable. She possessed such skill that Bi Yeon felt ashamed for having been disappointed on the first day.

‘She might actually hold her own in the competition.’

With that thought, Bi Yeon’s mood seemed to brighten a little. In truth, he had been in shock for a while after hearing that most of the Princess’s other teachers remained the same, with only a few exceptions.

Claiming he had sent all twenty or so other teachers to the Prince just to bring in Bi Yeon was an exaggeration. However, Bi Yeon couldn’t help but feel gloomy, as if the Emperor had merely attached him to Eun Su as a sidepiece.

The Princess enjoyed archery and horse riding and liked history and law. Bi Yeon wasn’t skilled enough to teach the first two, and he couldn’t teach the latter two because he was from Mokju. Instead, he had tried teaching writing, mathematics, and the geography of Horyu and its neighbors as a test. Eun Su had liked them so much that he began teaching all of them.

However, when her concentration wavered, they played these simple games. The Princess’s competitive streak was so terrifying that if she didn’t win, she threatened not to attend the next lesson. Bi Yeon pouted.

“You only ever ask to play this right before the etiquette lesson.”

“Isn’t it a good thing that your name is becoming famous because of it? They say the man named Song Bi Yeon, sent by His Majesty, gives such magnificent lectures never before heard under heaven that the Princess is highly satisfied.”

The Princess, having won the game, leaned back arrogantly in her chair, almost lying down. Bi Yeon shifted his gaze slightly and spoke.

“……Are you trying to show off to the Prince?”

Eun Su snorted.

“Hardly. Etiquette is simply boring. My talent lies in archery or riding.”

“……If Your Highness says so, then it must be so.”

It was a reply that seemed to accept her word easily. This time, however, it was the Princess who looked at him suspiciously and asked.

“What made you think that?”

Bi Yeon cleared his throat. It seemed he had expected her to ask.

“Previously, Your Highness mentioned that the elder brother of Noble Consort Ju—the Prince’s mother—is Grand General Ju Il Gon. The Ju family, a long line of martial nobility, were the primary contributors to His Majesty’s ascension. Their influence was so difficult to ignore that His Majesty took Noble Consort Ju less than a year after marrying the late Empress.”

“……I did say that.”

“On the other hand, Your Highness’s maternal family has produced civil officials and scholars for generations, and your late maternal grandfather served as the previous Chancellor. You also said that currently, your maternal uncle is being kept on the borders due to General Ju’s pressure, leaving you lacking supporters in the palace.”

“And?”

“I heard a rumor that Ga Hyeon Gu, the Minister of Rites who also serves as your etiquette teacher, is particularly harsh in his evaluation of you. So I looked into it and found that he has a poor relationship with your maternal family, the Seon clan. The Ju family, lacking influence on the civil side, would not have missed this chance to pull him to their side. Therefore, if Your Highness appears to be on good terms with me or praises me, it will be reported to the Noble Consort and the Prince through him immediately. They will be irritated and anxious because they cannot confirm the truth of who I am, despite their curiosity.”

To Bi Yeon’s effortless answer, the Princess asked back composedly.

“Is it not possible that I simply received a scolding because I am poor at etiquette?”

“If that were the case, he would have lectured you quietly, ensuring rumors didn’t spread among the palace maids.”

At that, the Princess, who had been leaning comfortably, suddenly snapped her head toward Dong Baek, who was standing behind her. Dong Baek, standing as silent as a shadow, shook her head slightly with a wronged expression. Eun Su let out a small sigh and turned back to Bi Yeon.

“You figured all that out from just that much?”

“……I didn’t ‘figure it out.’ I merely speculated, and Your Highness just confirmed it.”

“Ha!”

Eun Su laughed. Her expression was one of genuine admiration, as if she were seeing something very strange.

“I must admit, your intuition is extraordinary.”

Bi Yeon looked at the Princess for a moment and continued.

“I told you this before, but as much as Your Highness is curious, you are not good at managing your facial expressions. You reveal your inner thoughts too quickly. Unless you have another intention, if you admit to the other person’s words so readily, it will be difficult to hold your ground in a fight later.”

“……I’m beginning to see how you became a Chancellor.”

Bi Yeon replied with a smile.

“I still have much more to teach you. I hope you do not grow tired of me.”

The Princess let out a hollow laugh. She looked dumbfounded.

“Just how did you get a reputation for being a loyal subject of Mokju?”

At that, Bi Yeon, who had been answering fluidly and slyly until now, flinched and fell silent. That was exactly what he wanted to know. He had never once thought he loved Mokju enough to die for it. He had simply lived his life as best he could. Yet, when he came to his senses, he had somehow become a loyal subject of the ages—and right as the nation fell, at that.

However, instead of admitting he didn’t know, Bi Yeon maintained his relaxed expression and changed the subject.

“I shall leave that as your homework.”