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Join the Server“I heard you intend to behead the Minister of Public Works once more.”
Executing a dead person was a punishment reserved for those who committed high treason.
Haeryeong did not believe the Minister’s crimes warranted the desecration of his remains.
Was this not merely a way for the Emperor to make an example of him?
Was it truly necessary to go that far?
The man had already endured days of torture and was unable to find peace even in death; had the Emperor’s rage truly reached a point where he would disturb a dead man’s rest?
The Emperor quirked an eyebrow, finding Haeryeong’s intense gaze curious.
“That is what I have decided.”
“The execution shall be carried out within the next few days.”
Haeryeong briefly wondered if there was any point in a mere Empress like himself speaking up to the Emperor.
Yet his lips opened of their own accord.
“A reign of terror cannot endure, Your Majesty.”
“History shows that no tyrant has ever lasted long.”
Haeryeong studied the Emperor’s face after blurting out the thoughts he had been harboring.
Without a hint of offense, the Emperor let out a chuckle.
“Was cursing me with your eyes not enough?”
“Now you call me a tyrant to my face.”
It was indeed excessive.
Even if it was the truth, he shouldn’t have spoken without thinking twice.
Haeryeong lowered his eyes and bowed his head upon the bed.
“Is it not the duty of the Empress to ensure Your Majesty does not stray from the path of benevolence?”
“Therefore, your servant earnestly begs of you.”
“Bestow a punishment befitting the crime, but allow the dead his eternal rest.”
The Emperor let out a small hum.
As Haeryeong prostrated himself further at the sound, a cool voice drifted over him.
“Disobeying an Imperial command is no different from high treason.”
“We believe the punishment fits the criminal.”
Haeryeong’s shoulders shivered at the thought that he had truly offended the man.
Regret for his reckless behavior washed over him, but there was no turning back.
Furthermore, desecrating a corpse was simply too extreme a measure.
Since the body was a gift from one’s parents, was it not customary to return it to them even in death, regardless of the person’s crimes?
Disobeying an order was grave, but it hardly qualified as high treason.
Haeryeong slowly straightened his arms and lifted his bowed head.
His flickering gaze caught the Emperor’s smirking face.
He had expected rage, but he found the man smiling instead.
The Emperor was truly a man whose moods were impossible to gauge.
When their eyes met, the man’s gaze silently questioned his actions.
Haeryeong composed himself and spoke in a steady voice.
“Please do not be too angry at my counsel.”
“I only wish for Your Majesty to become a wise and legendary ruler.”
“One should hate the crime, not the man.”
“Surely the death of the Minister is enough to pay for his sins.”
“Excessive punishment only plants fear in the hearts of the people, so I beg Your Majesty to weigh my sincere words carefully.”
He squeezed his eyes shut after speaking.
They say even good advice has its limits, and having spoken such unpleasant words repeatedly, he could practically envision the Emperor’s explosion of rage.
‘You foolish thing.’
‘Did dying once make you this bold?’
‘You are hurrying your own end.’
Gangcheon focused on Haeryeong’s trembling arms.
Because he was wearing only a single layer of thin inner clothing, his shivering was even more apparent.
He found it both laughable and fascinating that an Empress who was so clearly terrified would still push such an argument.
‘Was he always like this?’
Looking back, the man did occasionally speak the truth.
Usually, he would bow his head the moment Gangcheon looked displeased, but it seemed the matter of the Minister was something he could not let slide.
Just like when he had insisted he could not be kissed in the courtyard.
He had every right to be angry, yet he didn’t feel the rage he expected.
Was it because the man was right?
No, it was likely just because it was a novel experience.
Ever since he ordered the audit of the six ministries, the officials had been cowering, and no one had dared to object even when he ordered a posthumous beheading.
They likely feared that defending a traitor would lead to their own executions.
Gangcheon certainly would have ordered the deaths of anyone who dared to step forward.
Since it was about making an example, the more heads rolled, the better.
Only then would the survivors remain obedient for a while.
Yet the one who actually stepped forward to counsel him was not an official who saw the Minister daily.
It was absurd that an Empress, who had barely seen the Minister’s face a handful of times, was the one lecturing the Emperor on the proper path.
Gangcheon scanned the shivering Haeryeong, whose eyes were still squeezed shut.
He pulled up one side of his mouth in a silent smirk.
‘Stiff as a block of wood.’
He could clearly see the man swallow hard through his throat, which was held high as if offering it to the blade.
The sight of that long, slender neck caused Gangcheon’s eyes to narrow.
Was there any reason to go this far for someone else?
He was truly curious.
This was a man Haeryeong barely knew, someone who had never once taken the Empress’s side when he was being neglected.
What did it matter if that man’s corpse was torn apart?
A dead man feels no pain, after all.
Gangcheon could not understand why the Empress refused to back down despite his obvious terror.
It should have been offensive to be called a tyrant and to have someone persist in such stubbornness.
Yet, looking at those tightly closed eyelids, the Emperor felt no rage.
‘If he wants it that much, perhaps I should grant it.’
That was the thought that surfaced.
Since he was not a man who showed joy even when given gems and silks, he clearly wasn’t using the Emperor’s favor for his own gain.
Such a person would have begged for those items long ago.
Furthermore, people like that usually only moved for their own safety or profit.
He didn’t think a man foolish enough to brave the Emperor’s rage for a complete stranger would be capable of such calculated greed.
Then, why was he offering such counsel?
‘Could it be… that he truly wants me to be a good ruler?’
Gangcheon reached out to grab Haeryeong’s cheek, pulling at the flesh that felt as soft as dough.
Haeryeong, pulled along helplessly, snapped his eyes open in shock.
A laugh escaped Gangcheon at the sight.
“What do you think will happen if you provoke a tyrant with such bold words?”
Haeryeong left his cheek in Gangcheon’s grasp and dropped his gaze.
Seeing his struggle for words, Gangcheon loosened his grip.
As he caressed the now-reddened pale cheek, Haeryeong finally spoke.
“The thought of Your Majesty’s rage fills me with terror.”
“However.”
His round eyes slowly rose to meet the man’s.
Meeting Gangcheon’s intense stare, Haeryeong continued in a parched voice.
“If I cannot speak the truth for fear of Your Majesty’s anger, then I have no reason to hold the position of Empress.”
“Heaven bestows the Emperor, and it ordained the Empress to assist him in that role.”
“Is my becoming Your Majesty’s Empress not a destiny ordained by the heavens?”
He let out a small gasp, winded from the rapid speech.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, and tears gradually pooled in his clear eyes.
Though his terror-filled gaze shook like an aspen leaf, the Empress did not stop.
“If I remain silent for the sake of my own safety while holding such a position, I become a person unworthy of it.”
“How could I witness an injustice and remain silent?”
Gangcheon stared at Haeryeong’s lips as they turned white and dry.
Haeryeong followed Gangcheon’s gaze downward, his body shivering.
“The Emperor comes from the heavens, yet he is a ruler over men.”
“Furthermore, while the gods grant a human’s life, the body is born of one’s parents.”
“Surely the Minister’s crime has already been addressed by his death.”
“Since the heavens have reclaimed his life, I believe it is only right to return the body to his parents.”
Gangcheon caught Haeryeong as he tried to kowtow again and pulled him up, replying indifferently.
“The Empress is half right and half wrong.”
“The Emperor’s command is the will of heaven, so how could the crime be anything but grave?”
“Those who commit treason are beheaded and their remains are cast into the fields for wild dogs to devour.”
“Those who rebel against heaven and the Emperor do not deserve eternal rest.”
“Therefore, the Minister’s sin was not settled by death.”
The body beneath Gangcheon’s hands was trembling even more than his eyes could see.
Yet, he spoke so eloquently despite the shaking.
It was absurd, yet it made him laugh.
The piteous shivering was both insignificant and heartbreaking.
Gangcheon was always curious why his heart felt so complicated when faced with this man.
“Are you truly so afraid of me that you shake like this?”
Haeryeong bowed his head deep.
“I only fear disturbing Your Majesty’s peace of mind.”
Gangcheon leaned in and whispered.
“I have no memory of ever being frightening to the Empress; why such terror?”
He already knew from Su-yong that Haeryeong was aware of the old rumors.
Even so, was this level of fear not excessive?
Even without the memory loss, it was too much.
It was true he had no interest in the Empress, but he had no memory of ever being cruel to him.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time
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