Chapter 9: The Eyes that no longer Look Back

“I will not force labor.”

“Seek out workers by raising the wages, and any shortfall in manpower is to be filled by the Ministry of War.”

“The Ministry of War must also respond to the Ministry of Public Works’ requests without fail.”

“Instead of just receiving a salary while doing nothing, wouldn’t it be more rewarding to at least do some shoveling?”

Since they had enjoyed a peaceful reign without war for several years, Gangcheon told them to earn their keep this way, prompting the Minister of War to raise his voice in protest.

“Your Majesty, the duty of the Ministry of War is to protect the nation, so how can you…”

“Then should I start a war for you?”

“That is not what I meant… The soldiers’ training schedules are completely packed.”

“However, if you suddenly deploy them for construction like this…”

“By Imperial decree, all soldier training is prohibited for one month.”

“The Ministry of Public Works shall calculate the necessary number of personnel within the day and request them from the Ministry of War.”

“See to it that the construction of Dorim Stream is also completed within a month.”

Only then did the Minister of War quietly bow his head.

In the brief silence that followed, a dark shadow slithered into view behind Gangcheon.

Sensing the presence of Yoon Seok-hwan, the leader of the Black Shadow Unit, Gangcheon glanced back, and the man delivered his report via telepathy so others could not hear.

[Your Majesty. It is reported that the Empress has awakened.]

[The Imperial Physician must have struggled desperately to avoid death. How is his condition?]

[It is said the physician is currently performing an examination. A detailed report is yet to come.]

“We shall conclude today’s assembly here.”

Gangcheon rose from the dragon throne and called for Manchul, who stood below the dais.

“Manchul, I shall have breakfast with the Noble Consort.”

“Also, send word to the Empress’s Palace.”

“If the Empress is capable of moving, tell him we shall have lunch together at his palace.”

As Gangcheon wove through the officials lined up in the Great Hall, he smiled at the thought of boasting to the Empress about the events of the previous night.

‘I wonder if that block of wood will finally flush red.’

The expectation felt somewhat enjoyable.

When he arrived at the Consort’s Palace, Noble Consort Jeong Sirak was waiting for him with a sulky, pouting expression.

However, upon seeing the ten bolts of red silk from Yeonan that Manchul had brought right on cue, he leaned gently into Gangcheon’s embrace.

“Your Majesty, why do you give me such a precious gift?”

“Are you not my precious Consort? It is only natural to give something precious to a precious person.”

“Your Majesty’s grace is as vast as the sea.”

Gangcheon lightly patted the back of the beaming Sirak and headed toward the table where breakfast was laid out.

“Play the zither for me. After we have eaten, of course.”

“I shall do so.”

Gangcheon finished his breakfast while receiving Sirak’s attentive service.

While he sipped cold tea to cleanse his palate, Sirak brought over a seven-stringed zither and asked a question.

“Your Majesty, what melody would you like to hear?”

“Let us hear ‘High Mountains and Flowing Water’ for the first time in a while.”

With a radiant smile, Sirak moved his small, white hands and plucked the strings.

While the melody he had played on the day they first met flowed slowly, Gangcheon quietly closed his eyes.

The banquet hall where the red plum blossoms had been in full bloom vividly appeared in his mind.

It was the celebration of his enthronement held after Gangcheon became Emperor.

The moment the musician, who was said to have been summoned to the palace on the recommendation of the Minister of Rites, played the first note, Gangcheon had been captivated.

Intoxicated by the peony scent emanating from the man with his shy and bright smile, Gangcheon hadn’t even known how the day had passed.

[Your Majesty. Word has come from the Empress’s Palace.]

In the middle of recollecting old memories, Gangcheon slightly knit his brow at the sudden telepathic message.

[Speak.]

[The physician has completed his examination, but the Empress’s condition seems somewhat strange.]

Gangcheon opened his eyes and looked at Sirak, who was playing the zither with a clear tone.

When their eyes met as he plucked the strings, Sirak smiled shyly.

Gangcheon smiled back at the deepening grin, which looked like a budding flower slowly blooming.

[Explain in detail.]

[It is said the Empress’s memory is not intact.]

What kind of nonsense was this now?

Gangcheon unconsciously arched an eyebrow, but when his gaze met Sirak’s, he narrowed his eyes into a soft look.

[The Empress reportedly has no memory of the state marriage whatsoever.]

‘He certainly tries everything.’

[The physician’s diagnosis?]

[It seems they suspect the excessive fever has caused a state of mental confusion.]

Gangcheon narrowed his eyes and watched Sirak’s fingers on the strings.

Then, he quietly closed his eyes.

[Leave it for now.]

After conveying the message to not be disturbed further, only the sound of Sirak’s zither filled the Consort’s Palace.

Listening to the music, Gangcheon let out a silent, hollow laugh.

‘Truly a man who never finds a way to please me.’

Just when he had felt a spark of pity, the man was now out of his mind.

‘Perhaps it really is better to depose him now.’

However, it was still a bit too early.

His affection for Sirak remained unchanged, but the man had only been in the palace for four months.

He could not place someone in the position of Empress who didn’t even know basic court etiquette, let alone how to read.

“Rak-a.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I hear you haven’t even finished the Thousand Character Classic yet.”

Sirak stopped playing the zither with a crestfallen expression.

“I am sorry.”

Gangcheon smiled gently and reached out an arm toward him.

When he rubbed Sirak’s rounded, puffed-up cheek, the Consort pouted petulantly.

“You must work hard. Understood? Only then can I keep you by my side for a long time.”

“I am trying, Your Majesty.”

“Good, then that is enough.”

Gangcheon withdrew his hand, picked up his half-finished cold tea, and signaled him with his eyes.

He meant for him to continue playing.

However, Sirak seemed to have taken offense; he took his hands off the zither entirely, his large, round eyes brimming with tears.

“My heart is hurt, Your Majesty.”

When Gangcheon sipped his tea without replying, Sirak reached out and covered the hand Gangcheon had placed on the table.

“Your Majesty. Will you not even comfort me now? You are angry because I have been neglecting my studies, aren’t you?”

The mouth hidden by the teacup curved into a silent smile.

However, when the teacup was lowered, his lips were firmly set.

“If you are at the point where you admit to neglecting your studies yourself, shouldn’t you be scolded? I have warned you several times already that you must study hard.”

As Gangcheon replied indifferently, thicker tears hung from Sirak’s eyes.

As if the cold reaction was sorrowful, he even began to sniffle as he clung to him.

“I have done wrong. Your Majesty, please show me mercy. I shall devote myself more diligently starting today, so please let go of your anger.”

At this point, it might be better to comfort him, but Gangcheon couldn’t indulge his spoiled behavior forever.

Gangcheon decided he needed to be a bit stricter with him now.

He found it quite unpleasant that the man constantly sang about wanting to be Empress yet put in no effort.

“Send word once you have mastered the Thousand Character Classic. Until then, I shall not visit.”

The tears that had been welling up finally fell and soaked his cheeks.

Wiping the tears away lightly with the back of his hand, Gangcheon smiled as he usually did.

“Did you not say you wanted to be Empress? To do that, you must become a person befitting the title.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Leaving behind the dejected man, Gangcheon exited the Consort’s Palace.

As he boarded the waiting palanquin, Manchul bowed and asked.

“Your Majesty, where shall I take you?”

Gangcheon pondered for a moment before deciding on the Empress’s Palace.

He thought it would be better to see for himself what kind of state the man was in.

The Empress’s Palace, when he arrived by palanquin, was somehow overflowing with a chaotic energy.

Seeing even the passing court ladies bowing with dazed expressions, Gangcheon furrowed his brow.

However, his scowl did not last long.

When he entered the Empress’s bedroom and saw Haeryeong’s expression as he sat blankly on the bed, Gangcheon blinked slowly.

Despite Manchul announcing the Emperor’s arrival, the Empress remained sitting on the bed, staring out the window.

Only after some time passed did his head turn slowly toward where Gangcheon stood.

That expression was noticeably different.

The vacant, unfocused black eyes were as unfamiliar as those of a stranger he was meeting for the first time.

The Empress seemed to feel the same, as he stared at Gangcheon without any reaction.

Then, after a moment, he simply lowered his eyes quietly.

Gangcheon suddenly felt a sense of wonder and stroked his chin with his palm.

Only now did he realize that the emotionless eyes he had always thought were like a block of wood had actually contained something.

He only realized it had been there after the lingering something in those black eyes had completely vanished.

“Ha.”

Gangcheon swallowed a hollow laugh and approached the bed where Haeryeong sat.

“I heard the fever has broken. How are you feeling?”

Haeryeong slightly shifted his lowered gaze to the side and did not answer.

Even if he had lost some memory, a man who had lived as a prince since childhood could not be this ignorant of palace etiquette.

Gangcheon narrowed his eyes and scanned him quietly.

A suspicion that he was acting this way to gain attention began to poke its head out.

Yet, contrary to that thought, a feeling akin to fear could be read in the gaze that briefly flickered over him.

It was hard to see, hidden behind long eyelashes, but the eyes that trembled slightly every time he blinked said as much.

When Gangcheon allowed a smile to form on his face and sat on the bed, Haeryeong’s trembling grew visibly worse.

“Empress?”

At the affectionately feigned voice, Haeryeong gasped in surprise and retreated into the depths of the bed as if hiding.

Gangcheon, who had reached out, looked at his own hand frozen in mid-air and then pulled his lips into a long smile.

“Why such a reaction upon seeing your husband?”

“Yesterday, I even braved the cold water to save your life. If you act like this, will I not be hurt?”

While Haeryeong sat with his lips clamped shut like a clam and trembling, the physician prostrated himself beside the bed.

“Your Majesty, I am ashamed to report, but the Empress’s memory is not intact due to the fever.”

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