Chapter 83: Two Minds in the Rain

“Are you aware of what happened last night?”

Su-yong, seemingly caught off guard by the blunt question, shifted his wide eyes back and forth before bowing his head.

“Yes. I have seen it and heard of it.”

“I see. Then I find myself wondering why you are still here.”

“His Majesty has not yet rescinded his command.”

Haeryeong burst into a laugh despite himself.

“And what command would that be? To keep spying on me?”

Su-yong let out a heavy sigh.

“I am referring to the command to be Your Highness’s hands and feet.”

He looked up directly into Haeryeong’s eyes and continued.

“I find it difficult to understand what misunderstanding lies between the two of you… but it is a fact that His Majesty cherishes Your Highness. Therefore, please do not provoke His Majesty’s anger too much.”

‘Cherished, my foot.’

Haeryeong swallowed the sarcastic retort he wanted to spit out and exhaled a sigh instead.

“That is my affair to handle, so you need not concern yourself. More importantly, I have a request.”

“Please, speak.”

“Bring Chang-i to me. I wish to see his face one last time.”

“One last time…? What do you mean by that?”

Haeryeong offered a quiet smile as he looked at the man’s bewildered expression.

“His Majesty was so enraged; how could hawking even be possible now? Before I become even more of a prisoner, I intend to return Chang-i to the sky. Bring him to me.”

Su-yong, still appearing confused, trailed off his words and stammered.

“But… His Majesty has not yet decided on such a course… are you saying you will release Chang-i now?”

Haeryeong grew weary of his constant questioning.

With an expression more drained than before, Haeryeong turned his head toward the closed window.

“Is His Majesty not inherently a man without mercy? What more could I expect from someone who left in such a rage?”

Was he not the one who commanded Haeryeong to live more wretchedly than the dead?

Haeryeong had decided to give up on everything now.

If he lived doing exactly as he was told, perhaps he would be discarded eventually.

Like a non-entity, like a ghost.

If he simply continued to draw breath, would the end not come eventually?

Instead of just obediently bringing the bird, Su-yong shook his head with that same bewildered look.

“I shall go and ask His Majesty first. It is not an urgent matter, is it? What if you do something unnecessary and His Majesty grows even more incensed?”

“His Majesty will never be satisfied with anything I do anyway.”

Su-yong drew a deep breath as if he were the one feeling suffocated.

Seeing his expression, Haeryeong also let out a sigh.

“I can tell just by your attitude how much His Majesty has looked down on me.”

Haeryeong turned away from Su-yong and waved his hand dismissively.

“His Imperial Majesty likely has no interest in me anymore. So, you should return to your original post as well.”

Su-yong’s flustered voice drifted from behind him.

“Your Highness, I have overstepped. An uneducated man like myself mistook Your Highness’s generous heart for familiarity and made a mistake, so please forgive me.”

Leaving him be, Haeryeong sought out Iryeon, who would be waiting outside.

“Iryeon, are you there?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Did you call for me?”

Iryeon opened the door and stepped in, but her eyes narrowed sharply when she spotted the flustered Su-yong.

Though he had been coming and going in secret, this was the first time she had actually seen him.

Furthermore, a member of the Black Shadow Unit being alone in the Empress’s inner chamber was a breach of court etiquette.

Seeing Iryeon’s aura turn ominous, Haeryeong thought the timing was perfect.

“Send that man out and bring some tea. Let us have a cup together.”

Even if he was “sent out,” he would likely just hide nearby.

Still, Haeryeong directly signaled that he no longer wished to deal with him.

Once Su-yong was gone, he intended to tell Iryeon about everything that had happened.

Since he had already confessed to the Emperor, was it not time to tell her as well?

He had felt stifled by deceiving Iryeon all this time, so perhaps this was for the best.

Haeryeong watched Iryeon approach Su-yong and then pressed a hand to his forehead.

She, and the other court ladies, would surely feel hurt once they learned the truth.

While Haeryeong sighed in his complicated state of mind, Iryeon scolded Su-yong in a low voice and drove him from the room.

“Have you lost your mind? Even as a member of the Black Shadow Unit, how dare you frequent the inner chamber while His Highness is alone? How do you intend to take responsibility if some foul rumor starts because of your recklessness? Leave this place without being seen, immediately. Hurry!”

Having been thoroughly reprimanded by Iryeon, Su-yong could not hide his troubled expression and bowed his head deeply toward Haeryeong.

“Regarding the hawk, I shall seek His Majesty’s permission and return. Please forgive this man’s transgression.”

Before vanishing, he stared intently up at Haeryeong’s face and slumped his shoulders.

Haeryeong met his gaze but offered no reaction.

He didn’t care what Su-yong thought of him.

The problem was how the man acted in his presence.

Especially since he was someone who knew of every conversation shared with the Emperor.

The man claimed to be uneducated and ignorant of court etiquette, but Haeryeong wondered if that was truly the case.

Had it not been over three years since the Emperor ascended the throne?

Had the Black Shadow Unit not stayed by the Emperor’s side and monitored every corner of the palace throughout that time?

They say even a school dog can recite poetry after three years.

Could someone who survived three years in the Imperial Palace truly act that way out of ignorance?

Rather than feeling treated with familiarity, Haeryeong felt he was being looked down upon, and a sigh escaped him.

‘Was it a mistake to think that “what is good is good”?’

‘It’s not as if I treated him with nothing but kindness, though.’

But what did it matter now?

It was his own sin for falling out of the Emperor’s favor.

A lingering sense of unease was added to his mood as he felt he had taken out his frustrations on an innocent person.

****

Meanwhile, in the early dawn before Haeryeong met Su-yong, Gangcheon attended the morning assembly to exchange views on state affairs with his officials.

After finishing the usual inquiries and the preparations for the Founding Festival, Gangcheon finally spoke.

“The Empress has counseled me that beheading the late Minister of Public Works, Shim Young, once more would be an excessive punishment; thus, I wish to hear your opinions.”

Gangcheon scanned the gathered ministers with an indifferent look.

He could plainly see them bowing their heads and exchanging glances with those beside them, yet not a single soul stepped forward to speak first.

Even after some time had passed, no one moved.

Gangcheon propped his chin on his fisted hand and let out a blatant sigh.

Only then did Seong Chun-su, the Grand Preceptor, let out a long sigh of his own and kowtowed to report.

“I, Grand Preceptor Seong Chun-su, report to His Imperial Majesty, the supreme ruler. The crimes of the Minister of Public Works are recorded as embezzlement and negligence of duty. Therefore, it is believed he has already paid a fitting price for his sins through death. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider.”

Gangcheon continued to listen to the words of the Grand Preceptor—Sang-hyo’s father—with a bored expression.

Since the national legal code did not specifically define “disobedience to an Imperial command” as a crime, the charges of embezzlement and negligence were indeed accurate for the Ministers of Public Works and War.

When Gangcheon didn’t offer a specific response, the Grand Preceptor stole a glance upward.

Seeing their eyes meet, he prostrated himself even further and continued in an old, raspy voice full of solemnity.

“Originally, embezzlement alone makes it difficult to escape execution, but is that not a matter for when the criminal is still alive? The penal code of Yeoran does not hold the dead accountable for their crimes. Therefore, would it not be right to reclaim the wealth the Minister unjustly seized from his family and seek no further punishment, Your Majesty?”

Gangcheon stared at him for a moment before shifting his gaze to the others.

“Very well. Are there no other opinions?”

Perhaps thanks to his neutral tone, others finally began to step forward one by one to agree with the Grand Preceptor.

After listening to his subjects’ words without comment, Gangcheon spoke with an air of indifference.

“Following the Empress’s earnest wish and the opinions gathered here, I shall rescind the order for the Minister of Public Works’ posthumous execution. However, all assets unjustly obtained by the Minister shall be confiscated and returned to the national treasury. I shall leave this matter to the Ministry of Justice; execute this immediately and report back.”

Gangcheon rose from the dragon throne, leaving behind the ministers who were collectively praising his “boundless grace.”

“We shall conclude today’s assembly here.”

Stepping out of the Great Hall to the mounting stone, he found the rain that had been falling since dawn still persisting.

Because of the thick dark clouds filling the sky, even the sun had not risen; gazing at the gloomy heavens, Gangcheon’s brow twitched slightly.

“Your Majesty, what shall we do about breakfast?”

Manchul asked the motionless Gangcheon.

Gangcheon stood still as if he hadn’t heard the question, then finally replied after wetting his parched mouth with his tongue.

“I shall eat in the Great Hall.”

As Gangcheon moved, the eunuchs waiting at the door followed behind like a tail.

Walking beneath the umbrella a eunuch held for him, Gangcheon suddenly halted as he reached the palanquin.

“Manchul.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Assign more court ladies to both the Empress’s Palace and the Consort’s Palace.”

When Sirak first entered the palace, he had intentionally halved the Empress’s staff to give to the Consort, so both were likely severely shorthanded.

“I shall do so.”

Gangcheon boarded the palanquin after hearing Manchul’s reply.

He sighed as the palanquin lifted and began to sway, and he closed his eyes.

‘Your servant has no need for such false tenderness.’

The moment he closed his eyes, the Empress’s voice seemed to cut through the sound of the rain and reach his ears.

Even through the previous night, that voice had refused to leave his mind.

Gangcheon opened his eyes slightly and looked ahead.

He watched the rainwater flow along the decorations of the palanquin’s roof before falling in droplets.

‘Was the Empress’s weeping like that as he cried before me?’

Every time a thick, rounded raindrop fell, it felt as though something were weighing heavily on his chest, and a sigh escaped him involuntarily.

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