The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 185

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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 Warrior Emperor, Episode 185

Chapter 185 — Yang Chan’s Self-Reproach

The Official Road leading to the Imperial Palace teemed with travelers. With the season bringing festivals from all corners of the realm, the influx swelled the crowds until the carriage could barely maintain its pace.
Ju-tae spoke without enthusiasm.
“Looking at this, I almost pity the soldiers at the front. War or no war, it’s all grinding hardship for them.”
“That’s what soldiers are for—”
“Enough. My stomach turns hearing righteous words. Let it rest.”
A soft laugh escaped.
“But when does that fellow return?”
“Gong-sun Tae?”
“Yes. He’s been gone quite a while, hasn’t he?”
“His destination lies far enough that his return will take some time yet.”
Cheol Mu-ok recalled Gong-sun Tae, sent on an errand to a distant place, and his brow furrowed slightly.
‘By now, might he have found them?’
Those who would become the military strength Yi Hwan absolutely needed. Cheol Mu-ok desperately hoped that Gong-sun Tae would return with them.
It was then.
“Why is this so slow?”
Yi Hwan’s voice emerged from within.
“There are too many people on the road, my lord. It appears we shall be delayed considerably.”
Snap!
Yi Hwan thrust his head through the carriage window and gazed out at the throngs crowding the Official Road, his brow tightening.
“Should have gone on foot instead.”
“Are you in a hurry, my lord?”
“Never mind.”
Snap!
‘Have you noticed?’
‘Noticed what?’
‘Lately, our lord’s temperament has grown quite grave. Before, he seemed to treat the affairs of the world lightly, but now even his words and the light in his eyes have changed.’
Cheol Mu-ok nodded silently. In truth, he too had sensed this shift in Yi Hwan.
‘I prefer him as he is now.’
‘Well, I do as well.’
Clop-clop-clop.
The carriage continued at a maddeningly slow pace toward the Imperial Palace.

* * *

Yang Chan followed Yi Hwan’s carriage from some thirty paces behind.
He wished to draw closer, but the crowd was far too dense to allow it.
Neigh!
His horse tossed its head sharply, sensing he was not its true master, occasionally shifting restlessly beneath him.
“I’ll return you soon enough. Bear with me a little longer.”
Yang Chan soothed the animal’s mane gently, calming the anxious creature.
“Hahahaha!”
“Hehehehe!”
Laughter rang out unceasing from the crowds.
Yang Chan watched them and remembered those who had perished in Bamboo Village.
They too had once lived happily like these people, before Seo Nam Wang’s tyranny had driven them to that forsaken place.
‘Damn it all……’
As his heart grew heavier, Yang Chan drew a deep breath.
Then it happened.
A commotion erupted behind him.
“Get out of the way!”
“Ahhh!”
“Move, move!”
Yang Chan turned to see riders charging through the crowd with reckless speed.
Though the Official Road was choked with people, they drove their horses straight through without hesitation, and in their wake, several people stumbled and fell in panic.
‘Surely not.’
Yang Chan, struck by some sudden thought, exhaled a low sigh and fixed his gaze on Yi Hwan’s carriage.
The carriage continued its unhurried progress some thirty paces ahead.
“There! There he is!”
“Seize him!”
The men rushing forward shouted, pointing at Yang Chan. The moment Yang Chan had dreaded was becoming real.
At the sudden commotion, the carriage window opened and Yi Hwan thrust his head out.
‘It’s finished, then.’
Yang Chan stared at Yi Hwan for a moment, then wrenched his horse’s head to the left and bolted into the field, breaking into a desperate sprint.
“The bastard’s fleeing! After him!”

* * *

Thud-thud-thud!
Yang Chan cut across the field and plunged into the forest path. When he glanced back, his pursuers had grown in number.
A sharp impulse to simply poison them seized him, but he could not. It was Yang Chan’s creed never to kill without certain cause—without genuine blood debt between them.
Crack-snap!
Branches lashed his face, but Yang Chan did not slow. Only after nearly an hour of relentless running did he manage to lose his pursuers.
“Go now. Return to your master’s house.”
Yang Chan sent the horse away.
Without so much as a backward glance, the horse galloped toward the city.
Whoosh!
Yang Chan stood with his body given to the wind, gazing northward. Far in the distance, the Imperial Capital sprawled in a haze.
He stood vacant for a time, then resumed walking. After a long trek, he arrived at the marketplace district in the city where he had stolen the horse.
He went first to a cloth merchant’s shop, where he purchased a fresh long robe and bamboo hat to conceal his body and face, then headed toward the Song Residence.
By chance, he had to pass the stable where he’d stolen the horse, but Yang Chan did not avoid it. With new clothes and a hat pulled low, there was no risk of recognition.
A crowd had gathered around the stable. As he passed by, he caught snatches of whispered conversation.
“In all the world, how could they slaughter innocent people so brutally?”
“Innocent? Come now. If someone loses a horse belonging to Yi Hwang-ja’s own people, it’s a grave crime worthy of death!”
“What are you saying? No matter how you look at it, a horse cannot be worth more than a human life in any civilized land!”
Yang Chan stopped and stared at the crowd. His eyes widened when he glimpsed several corpses covered with straw mats among the people.
‘Surely not……’
Yang Chan approached an old villager.
“Elder, what happened here?”
“Don’t ask. Someone stole a horse and fled, but wouldn’t you know it—that horse belonged to Yi Hwang-ja’s retainers. So the stable hands who managed the place were put to death unjustly. Six of them, no less.”
“……!”
There were three corpses visible beneath the straw mats.
“Six people…… dead, you say?”
“That’s right. Three more lie beyond there.”
The eyes hidden beneath Yang Chan’s bamboo hat trembled faintly.
‘I killed them.’
Yang Chan turned toward the place the old man had indicated. Indeed, three more corpses lay stretched in a row.
Was it the weight of their injustice, their resentment?
All three lay with eyes wide open, unblinking.
Yang Chan could not tear his gaze from the dead for a long while, his heart hollow with grief.
In his haste to pursue Yi Hwan, he had not imagined such consequences could follow. That very urgency had stolen the lives of innocent people.
It was then.
“Father!”
“Elder brother!”
“Father!”
Several men and women pushed through the crowd and collapsed upon the corpses, their wails breaking free. They must have been the families of the dead.
Unable to bear witnessing further, Yang Chan resumed walking.

That horse belonged to Yi Hwang-ja’s retainers. So the stable hands were put to death unjustly.

The old man’s words would not leave his mind. And the name Yi Hwang-ja carved itself into his thoughts like a blade.
Yang Chan, having come to this place, had already heard what was unfolding within the Yen Imperial Palace—how the Empress and Yi Hwang-ja coveted the Jade Throne and waged political conflict against the Crown Prince, and how Yi Hwang-ja’s cruelty, emboldened by the Empress’s authority, grew more savage with each passing day.
The figure of Seo Nam Wang and Zhao Yun suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Perhaps they and the Yen Empress, and Yi Hwang-ja, were all cast from the same mold of humanity.
Fury rose in his chest. With it came guilt. No matter how he measured it, the stable hands had died because of him.
Damn it all…….

* * *

Crown Prince Palace.
Gwan Ji-baek greeted Yi Hwan.
“Welcome, Grand Prince.”
“Is he in?”
“His Highness has retired to the main hall, so I’m afraid you’ll need to wait a moment.”
“Is something the matter?”
“The Court’s elder statesmen have come to the palace on rare occasion, and His Highness is receiving them now.”
“Is the Empress in the main hall as well?”
“She likely is. Though she’s stepped back from active office, she still wields considerable power, and Her Majesty would hardly overlook such a gathering.”
Yi Hwan settled into a chair.
“I’ll prepare tea for you.”
“Just one question, if I may.”
“Of course.”
“How many days does the Imperial Ritual last? I confess my memory’s grown hazy—it’s been so long since I attended.”
“Pardon?”
“The details escape me, so I thought I’d ask.”
“Ah, yes. The Imperial Ritual scheduled for next month will span seven days.”
“And during that time, everyone without exception must remain in attendance?”
“That is correct. The Crown Prince, the Empress, all the princes, and the entire imperial family will remain within the ritual grounds. Though I confess I’m curious why you—”
“Since it’s been so long, I wanted to make sure I didn’t stumble over the protocols.”
Gwan Ji-baek smiled thinly.
“The Crown Prince will preside over the ceremony itself, so you need only keep your place. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
“And His Majesty—he won’t be attending either?”
“It appears he won’t, though we’ll have to observe further to be certain.”
At that moment, a servant entered with tea, and the conversation paused.
After taking a sip, Yi Hwan asked something else.
“How is the mood at Court?”
“Still turbulent over the Military Reorganization. The Gold Guard’s elevation of authority dealt them a considerable blow last time, so it seems the Manhwa Palace is pulling out all stops to secure the outcome they want.”
“And our side—how much have we secured?”
“We’ve narrowed the gap considerably, but we’re still at a disadvantage. His Highness is deeply troubled by it.”
Yi Hwan nodded silently and took another sip of tea.
Clink.
“Leave that matter to me—no need to worry. Now, I think I’ll rest. Let me know when His Highness arrives.”
“Very well, Grand Prince.”
Yi Hwan withdrew into one of the side palace’s rooms—a chamber Yi So had specially prepared for him, lined with shelves crammed with books of every kind.
The furnishings had been arranged to resemble as closely as possible the chambers where the original Yi Hwan had lived within the Imperial Palace, for he had always loved books more than rice.
Yi Hwan removed his outer robe and lay back on the bed.
‘I could slip into the Forbidden Area while the Imperial Ritual is underway.’
Wouldn’t that be the safest moment, when the Empress vacates the Manhwa Palace?
Though time remained before the ceremony, Yi Hwan felt no urge to rush. One failed attempt meant he might never gain entry again, so he had to choose the moment with absolute care and certainty.
‘Is the Emperor truly there? And if so, what state would he be in?’
Yi Hwan of course knew what the Emperor looked like. But what occupied his mind was whether the Emperor was in a normal condition—or something else entirely.
The latter seemed more likely. Otherwise, why hide him away so thoroughly?
Then it came.
“My lord.”
Cheol Mu-ok’s voice drifted in.
“Come in.”
Cheol Mu-ok opened the door and entered. Go-mi followed close behind.
“I’ve just met with Miss Hwa. She’s wrapped up matters at the Prime Minister’s residence and says she’s secured leverage that cannot possibly slip away. You need not worry.”
“Good to hear. Has she returned to the Manhwa Palace?”
“Yes. She said she must remain there until you enter the Forbidden Area. She’s concerned that if she suddenly vanishes, they’ll tighten security.”
‘So her mind runs that deep, does it?’
As Yi Hwan processed this surprise, Yi So’s voice came from the doorway.
“Are you in there?”

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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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