The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 159

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Red Dragon Undefeated – Episode 159

Chapter 159 – The Unseen War (1)

Yi Hwan entered the inn to meet Hwa Ryeong and immediately noticed Jin Chu-gwang sitting across from her. His brow furrowed.
Then Go-mi’s telepathic transmission reached him.
[He is Jin Chu-gwang, the Prime Minister’s eldest son.]
Information about Jin Chu-gwang flickered through Yi Hwan’s mind and vanished. He had already committed all of Go-mi’s gathered intelligence to memory.
Yi Hwan approached Hwa Ryeong with purposeful strides.
Seeing him, she rose quietly and bowed her head. Caught off guard, Jin Chu-gwang turned and his eyes went wide.
He knew who Yi Hwan was.
Crash!
Startled, Jin Chu-gwang jumped up, sending his chair toppling backward. He quickly righted it and bowed deeply to Yi Hwan.
“Your Highness. I am honored to receive you.”
“Your name?”
“Jin Chu-gwang, of the Prime Minister’s household.”
Hwa Ryeong feigned surprise.
“Oh my? The Prime Minister’s family? My goodness, you must be quite the distinguished gentleman!”
“Ah, well, yes, yes.”
Jin Chu-gwang was thoroughly flustered.
Yi Hwan had appeared out of nowhere. And yet didn’t it seem as though he and Hwa Ryeong—the woman who had set his desire ablaze—already knew each other?
“Have I intruded on your time together?”
“Not at all. I only just met him today.”
Hwa Ryeong smiled brightly at Jin Chu-gwang in turn.
“We’ll have to meet another time, I’m afraid. It’s been lovely.”
“Of course.”
Yi Hwan watched Jin Chu-gwang hurry from the inn, then took the seat opposite Hwa Ryeong. Go-mi sat beside him.
“Did you sit with him without knowing who he was?”
“I didn’t know at first, but I figured it out once we began talking. But why did you summon me?”
“There’s work I need you to do.”
Yi Hwan lifted the bottle and poured liquor into the cup Jin Chu-gwang had been drinking from. Hwa Ryeong reached out and snatched the cup away.
“That’s filthy. Please, fetch a clean cup. Excuse me, we’ll need another one here.”
Moments later, Hwa Ryeong poured liquor into the fresh cup the serving girl had brought.
Pour.
“What would you like me to do?”
“We need to silence the Prime Minister.”
At this, Hwa Ryeong glanced at Go-mi before asking:
“Do you know what command the Empress has given me?”
“I’ve heard.”
Yi Hwan drained his cup and pressed further.
“Do you know what the Empress is attempting?”
“More or less. That’s why both sides are courting officials, isn’t it?”
Yi Hwan nodded silently.
“If we bring the Prime Minister to our side, how many votes would that secure?”
“At minimum, ten.”
“With fifty officials eligible to cast votes, ten represents a fifth—quite tempting indeed. Very well. I’ll give it my best.”
Go-mi spoke up then.
“There’s no need to resort to seduction.”
Hwa Ryeong laughed openly.
“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
……
Hwa Ryeong turned back to Yi Hwan and continued.
“I don’t need to approach the Prime Minister directly—I can use that fellow I just left. And I was never planning on seduction anyway. Why would I?”
“Can I trust that?”
“You can. I’m doing this out of gratitude—gratitude that you’ve taken me under your wing. But there is one thing I need to settle beforehand.”
Hwa Ryeong gathered herself and continued.
“If it comes to pass that someone is killed in the course of this, you will handle the cleanup, won’t you?”
“The Prime Minister must not be killed. If he dies, his followers may scatter to the other side.”
“Of course it is.”
Hwa Ryeong smiled and pointed toward the inn’s entrance. Jin Chu-gwang, who had just slipped out of their inn, was entering the one across the street.
Yi Hwan watched his retreating figure in silence, nodding slowly.
“When circumstances demand it, there’s no choice.”
“Good! Then let’s eat something delicious today—plenty of it! No, you should treat us!”
“…….”

* * *

Manhwa Palace.
As always, the Empress sat enjoying her tea, resplendent in elaborate palace robes and heavy makeup.
When she took her tea, no one was permitted to approach. Her preference for solitude during these moments was something everyone in Manhwa Palace treated with the utmost care.
But today, the Second Prince Yi Tae-ji sat with her. The Empress, savoring the fragrance of the tea, set down her cup and fixed her gaze upon him. “How much longer must I worry over you?”
“Is this about the Third Prince?”
“Did I not tell you to hold back? Yet you’ve gone and done such a thing again.”
The Empress’s voice and eyes were colder than usual. Yi Tae-ji touched the teacup absently, saying nothing.
Clink, clink.
“Those hands!”
He stiffened.
At the Empress’s sharp rebuke, Yi Tae-ji set down the teacup.
Clink.
“With respect, Mother—how can I hold back from someone who cannot be held back? You should have dealt with his faction long ago.”
“Are you afraid of the Third Prince?”
“Fear him? I merely wish to remove obstacles from my path before they become troublesome. Of course, should he come to his senses and submit, I am more than willing to show magnanimity. But if he insists on defiance to the end……”
Yi Tae-ji let his words trail away.
A faint sigh escaped the Empress’s lips.
“Your brother harbors no such ambitions as you do. He is a child who asks only that his station as a prince be assured. He will pose you no threat. See that there is no more bloodshed between you henceforth.”
“Mother speaks without knowledge. That boy conceals great ambitions in his heart. What do you suppose those ambitions are?”
“Enough!”
Bang!
Clink!
The table shook, and the teacup toppled over.
Yet Yi Tae-ji did not retreat.
“Let Mother draw a clear line. If you do, I swear I shall trouble him no further.”
“You will give your word?”
“Yes, I swear it.”
“Very well. I shall see it done. There must be no more blood spilled between brothers. Do you understand?”
“Of course.”
That was when a middle-aged official entered.
The Empress’s brow furrowed sharply.
“I said not to disturb me.”
“I have urgent news to report.”
“What is it?”
The official spoke at once.
“Word has just come that several officials from the Six Ministries have been taken into custody at the Gold Guard Command Center.”
A ripple of tension passed through the Empress.
Her brow curved like a blade.
“What? The Gold Guard has arrested officials?”
“Yes. The details are unclear, so I have sent men to investigate. But it seems the Crown Prince Palace is plotting something, using the Fourth Prince.”
The Empress’s eyes grew colder still.
“That foolish boy thinks he can reach for the heavens now, does he?”
Yi Tae-ji spoke.
“Does the Gold Guard have authority to take officials into custody?”
“Ordinarily, no.”
“There are exceptions.”
The Empress and Yi Tae-ji turned their attention to the official. He continued with care.
“While the Gold Guard has no authority to carry out punishment, should criminal conduct be discovered, they possess the power to take into custody any official from the Prime Minister down. The permissible detention period is ten days. Within that time, if the court presents legitimate grounds for release, or if the sovereign orders it, they must be freed.”
This was a law even the Empress had not known.

Yi Tae-ji turned to the middle-aged official with a question.
“Without a separate request, detention is possible for up to ten days, correct?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Yi Tae-ji glanced back at the Empress and continued.
“Shouldn’t we move quickly to discern his intentions? Soon we’ll need to pass Mother’s will through a majority vote, but if the Gold Guard keeps detaining officials, won’t that cause complications?”
“I’ll handle it myself. You may withdraw for now. As soon as anything is confirmed, I’ll inform you first.”
“……Yes.”
Once Yi Tae-ji had left, the Empress let her suppressed anger show.
“What in the world were those fools I assigned to him doing, if reports of the officials’ detention only reached me after the fact?”
“Given that the report came only after events unfolded, it seems the Fourth Prince moved with considerable secrecy. Perhaps he’s already sensed that we’ve placed people to watch him.”
The Empress leaned back slightly in her seat.
“It must surely be the Crown Prince’s doing, yes?”
“I believe so as well. No matter how reckless the Fourth Prince is, he couldn’t detain officials without the Crown Prince’s permission.”
“So this is how he means to move against me?”
The Empress’s eyes turned to ice. The middle-aged official opened his mouth carefully.
“If I may be so bold, it seems the immediate priority is to eliminate the Fourth Prince, who now serves as the Crown Prince’s blade. The Gold Guard’s presence in the Imperial Capital and surrounding cities is virtually absolute. If they continue in this manner, there is scarcely any way to restrain them, Your Majesty.”
“That is precisely why we attempted to undermine the Gold Guard’s cohesion through the Purification Movement. Had those fools not failed, the Gold Guard would be firmly under our control by now! My mistake was placing faith in such incompetent wretches.”
The Empress drained her cold tea in one gulp and cried out irritably.
“Bring me cold water!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Empress reclined deeply into her chair and shut her eyes tightly. The middle-aged official held his tongue and waited for her instructions.
Moments later, as the Female Warrior brought the cold water, the Empress opened her eyes. And yet a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth.
‘Has she found the answer?’
Splash!
The Empress drained the cold water and spoke.
“If they intend to move in such fashion, we have no choice but to alter the voting method.”
“What do you mean by that……?”
“As events unfold, should I judge the tide to be turning unfavorably, I will raise the qualifications for officials permitted to participate in the vote.”
The middle-aged official’s eyes widened slightly as he asked.
“You mean to reduce the number of officials eligible to participate in the vote, Your Majesty?”
“Precisely. If we exclude those the Gold Guard has detained from the vote, his efforts amount to nothing but foolish bluster. So whatever he attempts, for now, leave him be.”
“A truly ingenious stratagem, Your Majesty!”
“Yet we must not grow careless. We must significantly strengthen security around our own officials. Distribute all available military strength among them at once.”
“Understood.”
The middle-aged official withdrew.
The Empress rose abruptly and moved to the window. Opening it wide, she gazed toward the direction of the Crown Prince Palace.
“A man I once deemed utterly expendable now wields the Crown Prince’s blade with impunity…….”
The Empress’s eyes darkened in an instant.
In her mind’s eye, the faces of Yi Tae-ji and Yi Seong-ji appeared in succession.
‘Even with their combined strength, it would scarcely suffice…….’
As Crown Prince Yi So worked in perfect accord with Yi Hwan, the sons she had borne were fracturing. If matters continued thus, they might cross a river from which there was no return.
‘Is it truly a matter of setting one’s own house in order first?’

* * *

Several days later, at the Gold Guard Command Center.
Go-mi appeared at Yi Hwan’s office to report.
“We have detained four officials thus far. Of these, two have confessed to their criminal conduct, and two continue to resist.”
“How many days of detention remain for those resisting?”
“Ten days total. Two have passed, leaving eight remaining.”
“Have you tracked the court’s movements?”
“So far, there has been nothing unusual. What’s stranger still is that Manhwa Palace has shown no reaction whatsoever.”
“Is that so?”
It was unexpected. By now, Manhwa Palace should have moved in some fashion.
“The Empress has not left Manhwa Palace these past days, nor has she called officials to her.”
Yi Hwan reclined in his chair, his brow tightening slightly.
“That is certainly strange. By this point, she should have shown some response one way or another.”
“Perhaps rather than focusing on securing the Prime Minister through Hwa Ryeong, we should have her observe Manhwa Palace’s movements instead?”
“It seems observing Manhwa Palace is proving quite difficult.”
“The Protocols of Internal Administration apply there, making access nearly impossible without the Empress’s permission.”
“Of course. The Protocols of Internal Administration are designed to operate in rigid isolation.”
The Internal Administration fell entirely under the Empress’s domain. Thus it was an unspoken rule that even the Emperor himself refrained from interfering in its affairs whenever possible.
Yi Hwan fell silent in thought. Go-mi watched him quietly.
‘Will he find a solution this time too?’
By now, Go-mi had come to trust Yi Hwan’s abilities absolutely. Looking back at the obstacles they had overcome together, each one had been a grave crisis, yet Yi Hwan had broken through them all with an almost frightening concentration and force of will.
What impressed her most—what she admired above all—was the icy clarity he never lost, even in the most desperate moments.
“Go-mi.”
“Yes? Yes?”
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
“Ah, nothing at all.”
“I’ll find some way to handle the Manhwa Palace myself. As for Hwa Ryeong, we’ll have to leave her as she is for now—without support, she’d be far too exposed.”
“I understand.”
“Come, let’s go eat something together.”
“What?”
“Are you too busy again?”
The words ‘Honestly, yes’ rose all the way to her throat, but Go-mi bowed her head instead.
“No, not at all. I’ll come with you.”
Go-mi followed Yi Hwan, managing a wry smile.
‘Sharing a meal—what’s the fuss about?’
Thinking back, she’d once been deeply uncomfortable being alone with him like this. It wasn’t that she disliked him. She’d simply found the situation itself unbearable.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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