The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 184

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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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The Red Dragon Martial Emperor, Episode 184

Chapter 184 — The Secret Passage in the Forbidden Area

Manhwa Palace.
The Empress, having taken a solid blow from Yi Hwan, was so enraged that a bitter laugh escaped her instead.
“Ha!”
No one around her dared offer so much as a word of comfort. They all knew that the Empress was most dangerous in such moments.
With her eyes closed, the Empress remained silent for a long time.
In that suffocating quiet, everyone waited with anxious hearts to learn what decision she would make.
How long did they wait thus?
“The Military Reorganization — I must see it bend to my will, no matter what. To do that, I need to devote all my strength to securing those officials we haven’t yet drawn to our side.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Empress’s gaze fixed on one person. Hwa Ryeong sat there.
“What of the Prime Minister?”
“Through the eldest son, we shall soon uncover the Prime Minister’s fatal weakness. Please grant us a little more time.”
“If you’ve already entangled yourself with him, you ought to have results by now.”
“I judged it wiser to wait a bit longer and be certain of our findings.”
Hwa Ryeong did not meet the Empress’s eyes. The Empress possessed the ability to discern lies from a mere glance.
“How much longer must I wait?”
“Three or four days should suffice.”
“Very well. I shall grant you four more days. If you fail to produce results by then, you must be prepared for the consequences.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
‘Damn old crone — she irritates me for no reason at all.’
Hwa Ryeong bowed her head quietly.
‘Only four days left to remain in this place.’
The Empress continued speaking.
Most of it concerned securing officials. Hwa Ryeong slipped out before it ended. The Empress did not object.
“Hmm.”
Hwa Ryeong looked up at the sky and drew in a quiet breath.
She had once loved this place, so fragrant with flowers. She had even believed she would never leave it.
But that was no longer true.
Hwa Ryeong headed not to her quarters, but to the bridge. This too was a place she had dearly cherished.
Female Warriors guarding the bridge stepped into her path.
“Where are you going?”
“The Marketplace.”
“Do you have the Empress’s permission?”
“If you’re curious, go ask her yourself.”
“…….”
“Step aside. I haven’t the time.”
Hwa Ryeong pushed past the Female Warriors and crossed the bridge. As she crossed, she glanced down at the river flowing beneath.
A number of large carp passed beneath the bridge just then.
‘You’ll all be gone soon enough, too.’
After crossing the bridge, Hwa Ryeong made straight for the Outer City. Beyond the Outer City lay the Marketplace directly. The forest unfolded beautifully along the way, and it was a path she frequented.
Hwa Ryeong walked toward the gate, breathing in the scent of the forest, when her eyes sharpened at the sight of figures moving through the wooded path leading from the right side of the Outer City into Manhwa Palace.
‘That’s a place even court officials cannot freely enter…….’
Manhwa Palace possessed an absolute Forbidden Area.
It was a place only the Empress could enter, forbidden to all others without exception.
Yet the figures moving through the forest path were entering the Forbidden Area covertly, their presence stifled and concealed.
‘Who are these people?’
Hwa Ryeong followed them into the Forbidden Area.
How far had she pursued them?
Hwa Ryeong could not hide her shock. Within the Forbidden Area stood a single boulder as large as a house, and when the intruders manipulated something before it, the rock split left and right, revealing a passage beneath.
‘There was such a passage hidden within the Forbidden Area?’
Hwa Ryeong found herself torn — should she venture further inside, or turn back now?
Meanwhile, the intruders were already disappearing within.
‘This is far too dangerous.’
In the end, Hwa Ryeong abandoned the idea.
It was far too dangerous to enter alone without knowing who else might be inside.
‘I should tell the Grand Prince instead.’
Hwa Ryeong committed the mechanism for opening the secret passage to memory, repeating it several times before turning to leave.

* * *

Gold Guard Command Center.
Yi Hwan finished his Internal Energy Cultivation as he always did, then submerged himself in cold water.
After sweating through the exertion, plunging into cold water washed away the fatigue of the entire day—a sensation he cherished, and perhaps the very reason he never neglected his practice.
Splash!
Yi Hwan draped his arms over the edge of the bath and took a moment to reflect on everything he had accomplished thus far.
Looking back, it had been an endless succession of urgent struggles.
The moment he solved one problem, another appeared; solve that, and yet another would emerge.
‘So far, things haven’t gone badly. But as long as the Empress retains the authority to issue imperial decrees in the Emperor’s name, we remain at a disadvantage.’
The real problem was that even Yi So had no idea where the Emperor was.
Splash!
When his mind grew too tangled, Yi Hwan sank beneath the water.
How long had he been like that?
A human silhouette wavered above the surface.
“My lord.”
It was Cheol Mu-ok.
Splash!
“What is it?”
“Hwa Ryeong has come.”
“Did she say it was urgent?”
“No, my lord. She said only that she had something important to tell you.”
“Is that so?”
Splash!
Cheol Mu-ok draped a large cloth over Yi Hwan as he emerged from the bath, and in doing so, caught sight of a great sword scar. His eyes flickered with recognition.
‘A wound from Cha Jung-gyeong?’
Cheol Mu-ok followed Yi Hwan inside, where Cha Jung-gyeong was just then grinding tea leaves.
Once Cheol Mu-ok confirmed that Yi Hwan had entered his chamber, he gave Cha Jung-gyeong’s head a sharp rap.
Smack!
“Oof! Why are you hitting me!”
“Grind it finely, and with proper care.”
“I am grinding it finely and with proper care, if you hadn’t noticed!”
“Watch your tone, boy.”
Smack!
“Gah!”
The moment Cheol Mu-ok stepped outside, Cha Jung-gyeong’s hands trembled around the mortar, and sparks of fury blazed in his eyes.
“Seriously, now.”

* * *

Hwa Ryeong and Go-mi sat facing each other.
Go-mi noticed that Hwa Ryeong’s complexion was somewhat more drawn than usual.
“You’ve lost weight.”
“I’ve been fasting lately. My body grows heavy, and my mind grows clouded with it. Does it show so much?”
“Only a little.”
Go-mi’s manner toward Hwa Ryeong had shifted noticeably. Had it been before, she would never have been the first to speak.
“How is the atmosphere in Manhwa Palace?”
“Cold. They prepared their scheme only to hand the entire prize over to the Grand Prince—a bitter pill indeed.”
Just then Cha Jung-gyeong entered with the tea, and the conversation paused briefly.
At that moment, Yi Hwan also came in.
Hwa Ryeong rose from her seat and bowed deeply. Then she took her place beside Go-mi.
“What brings you?”
“It’s about…”
Hwa Ryeong explained in detail what she had witnessed. When her account concluded, it was Go-mi who looked the more startled.
“There was such a place in the Forbidden Area…”
“Are you certain you remember how to open the passage?”
“Of course.”
Yi Hwan leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
“A secret passage inside the Forbidden Area…. If I didn’t know of it, that would be one thing, but now that I do, I have to take a look.”
“Isn’t that terribly dangerous?”
“There’s a chance the Emperor himself is there—the Empress’s greatest source of power. If that’s the case, I have to take the risk.”
Hwa Ryeong asked.
“You’ll go yourself?”
Yi Hwan nodded silently.
Go-mi immediately voiced her concern.
“Send your bodyguards instead.”
“What are you talking about? If I understand what’s in there, we could gain a powerful hand for ourselves. I have to go myself.”
……
Yi Hwan took a sip of tea.
Clink.
“For now, I need to think through the timing and method.”
“I’ll help too.”
Yi Hwan looked directly at Hwa Ryeong and asked.
“When are you planning to leave Manhwa Palace?”
“Once this is finished. By the way, have you prepared a place for me to stay?”
Go-mi answered in her stead.
“I’ve cleared out the room next to mine. It won’t be quite like Manhwa Palace, but it should be enough for you to live comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
The three spent quite a long time in conversation. Yi Hwan asked this and that about Manhwa Palace, and Hwa Ryeong explained it all in meticulous detail.
Hwa Ryeong stood up.
“I should get back soon.”
“But you told the Empress you were leaving because of Jin Chu-gwang, didn’t you? Then stay here tonight and go tomorrow.”
“I left something behind by mistake. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Soon after, Hwa Ryeong returned to the Imperial Palace.
Yi Hwan stood lost in thought, arms crossed. Go-mi watched him intently, curious what answer he would arrive at.
Though it was a dangerous undertaking with unpredictable consequences, she believed he would find the best solution, as he had done thus far.
Still, her worry did not fade.
“Go-mi.”
“Yes?”
“Could you manage a Face Mask for Yi Tae-ji as well?”
“It’s entirely possible. But why……”
“To be safe, it would be better to disguise myself as him when I go in. Have it made immediately.”
“Understood.”

* * *

The Gold Guard’s midnight work continued.
Yi Hwan conducted a thorough investigation of everyone in the Gold Guard, and anyone confirmed to be connected to the Empress or Yi Hwang-ja was transferred to the Southern Military Unit or Northern Military Unit—a comprehensive reassignment of personnel.
After carrying out these changes and reviewing the results, the numbers were quite substantial.
“It’s almost a miracle that the Empress hasn’t swallowed them all.”
“Since we’ve now rooted them all out, there’s no need to worry further.”
“There may be more. Carry through with absolute thoroughness.”
“Yes, Grand Prince.”
Yu U-seong left the room, and Yi Hwan put on his outer robe and rose.
“Are you going out?”
“I’m entering the palace.”
“I’ll prepare.”

* * *

Whoosh!
The wind blew sharply.
Yang Chan gazed down at the Marketplace from the window of an inn, lost in melancholy.
He had come all the way to the Imperial Capital of Yen Kingdom to verify Yi Hwan’s identity, but so far had managed only to waste time without drawing any closer.
‘Maybe I should just forget it and leave. It was a fate I’d already cast off anyway……’
Doubt washed over him.
The thought of the people of Jok Village, slaughtered so mercilessly, made him want to turn back to Zhao Kingdom at once and exact a blood revenge.
But he could not do so without finding Yi Hwan first. The fate he had believed himself to have shed clung to him with such tenacity—like a bondage from which he could never break free.
Glug.
Yang Chan drank.
Somewhere along the way, the wine he had taken up again had become his only means of soothing the chaos in his mind.
How long had it been?
His sullen eyes suddenly gleamed. A carriage came rushing down from the north of the marketplace—Yi Hwan’s carriage.
Yang Chan drained the remaining wine straight from the bottle and headed downstairs, where he collided shoulder-first with a strong warrior coming up.
“Hey, keep your eyes open!”
“My apologies.”
Smack!
“Does just saying sorry make it right?”
The warrior grabbed Yang Chan’s shoulder. At the same moment, Yang Chan’s hand moved—barely.
The warrior lost consciousness where he stood.
After settling his account at the counter, Yang Chan stepped into the marketplace. Yi Hwan’s carriage had drawn very near by then.
Yang Chan slipped into the crowd and examined the driver’s seat first. Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae sat side by side, driving the carriage. There were no other guards.
‘I need a horse.’
Yang Chan surveyed his surroundings. He spotted a stable behind an inn across the way and made for it. Soon he was mounted on one of its horses, following Yi Hwan’s carriage.
Moments later, the stable erupted into chaos.
“A horse has gone missing!”
“Find the thief at once!”
In the tumult, a middle-aged man and two warriors emerged outside.
“So a thief has stolen my horse?”
“My sincerest apologies. I’ve sent men out—they’ll bring him in shortly!”
Crack!
A gasp tore from the stable keeper’s throat as he was hurled backward and crashed to the ground. The middle-aged man shouted at the two warriors.
“Go! Find him!”
“Yes!”
The two warriors bolted into the marketplace.
The middle-aged man approached the stable keeper, who was staggering to his feet.
“What sort of horse was it?”
Thud!
The stable keeper’s body crumpled to the ground.
The middle-aged man—he was a close associate of Yi Hwang-ja Yi Tae-ji.

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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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