The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 65

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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 65

Chapter 65 — To Speak the Truth

The next day, in Biweol Hall.
With officials from each ministry observing, the interrogation commenced. Go Mi took the lead in the questioning, while Tae-su and Yeom Yoo-gwang stood bound in rope restraints before her.
As expected, Tae-su denied all accusations.
He claimed that every item he’d received from Yeom Yoo-gwang was a gift with no quid pro quo, and Yeom Yoo-gwang echoed his defense.
The Crown Prince’s faction officials let out derisive snorts.
“To treat a provincial administrator as a criminal on mere circumstantial evidence? By such logic, who among those sitting here could claim innocence?”
“Bring forth conclusive proof, Investigator, or cease this farce!”
Go Mi, having anticipated this very response, didn’t so much as flicker an eyelash.
The Crown Prince’s supporters surged to his defense.
“It seems bribery is your daily business? Two gold toads, each worth more than a hundred silver taels, are called gifts? Preposterous!”
“There is quid pro quo! There most certainly is!”
“Whether there is quid pro quo shall be determined through proper interrogation — refrain from interference and keep your silence!”
“Your own voice grows louder!”
“What did you say? You? Guard that tongue of yours!”
As both sides raised their voices, continuing the interrogation became impossible.
‘And these creatures squander the people’s tax silver all the while.’
Yi Hwan found it absurd. Watching the Crown Prince’s faction officials openly attempt to obstruct the proceedings kindled a quiet fury in him.
Then the rear of the hall stirred. Yi Tae-ji, the Crown Prince’s brother, stepped into the interrogation chamber.
Yi Hwan fixed his gaze upon him.
‘Seeing him in person, he looks far crueler than he does in memory.’
Though Yi Hwan had never laid eyes on him before, his knowledge of Tae-ji through another’s memory had painted him as a man of the darkest stripe.
Yi Tae-ji sneered at Go Mi.
“The Lord of Biweol Hall has become an Investigator? Since when did that position become open to anyone?”
“I merely serve at the Crown Prince’s command,” Go Mi replied.
Before Tae-ji could continue, Go Mi turned toward Yi Hwan’s position and issued an order.
“Bring forth the witness!”
“Yes.”
Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae disappeared into the inner chamber. Every eye tracked their path.
Tae-su and Yeom Yoo-gwang exchanged uneasy glances.
Tae-su spoke quietly.
“Could there be someone detained on your side?”
“None that I’m aware of. And on yours, Tae-su?”
“My nephew who went to seek out Wang Ji-gyeong hasn’t returned. But don’t worry. That boy…….”
Tae-su’s eyes flew wide. Yeom Yoo-gwang’s head snapped reflexively toward the doorway through which Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae had vanished.
Someone was being dragged forth.
Clad in prison garb with disheveled hair obscuring their face, identity was impossible to discern — yet Tae-su’s reaction made it plain this was his nephew.
“You fool! What in heaven’s name happened? Why are you…….”
It was indeed him.
Jang Soo, who had visited Wang Ji-gyeong’s residence, sat in silence before Tae-su and Yeom Yoo-gwang.
Go Mi’s interrogation began. After a long silence, Jang Soo suddenly gripped his voice and answered at a crucial moment.
“I only followed Tae-su’s orders. I never embezzled a single won of the bribes received from the Yellow Dragon Guild on multiple occasions.”
“Then you claim you delivered all of it to Tae-su?”
“Some I gave directly. Others I placed at a location where we kept a slush fund. There’s a ledger there — if you check, you’ll find the proof!”
Tae-su’s eyes stretched wide as they might tear from their sockets.
“You wretch! Can’t you shut that mouth of yours? What nonsense are you spouting now!”
“Gag this man’s mouth!” Go Mi commanded.
“Yes!”
Cheol Mu-ok strode forward and shoved a gag into Tae-su’s mouth.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
Go Mi turned back to Jang Soo.
“You called it bribery yourself — explain your reasoning.”
“How could over a million silver taels in goods possibly be construed as a gift? Even a child would laugh at such a claim.”
The hall erupted in murmurs.
At Jang Soo’s words, even the Crown Prince’s faction officials stirred visibly.
Anxiety flickered across Yi Tae-ji’s face, and Yi Hwan watched it play out with a faint smile.
[That should be enough.]
Through Soul Transmission, Yi Hwan sent the signal, and Go Mi turned to address the ministers.
“After thorough investigation, we have found no evidence that bribes flowed upward beyond Tae-su. Therefore, I request that heavy sentences be imposed upon Tae-su and Yellow Dragon Guild Leader Yeom Yoo-gwang.”
In that instant, Yi Hwan saw it.
Relief washing over Yi Tae-ji’s eyes.
And it was not only him. Several ministers exchanged glances, their faces betraying the same relief.
Of course, they were from Yi Tae-ji’s faction—men relieved that the matter had not reached him.
That was when it happened.
“The Crown Prince enters!”
Everyone in the hall rose. Yi Tae-ji, unable to avoid it, slowly got to his feet.
Crown Prince Yi So stepped into the interrogation chamber.
The sentencing fell to him.
Yi So swept his gaze slowly across the ministers, then turned to Go Mi and spoke.
“The Inspector will prepare a written summary of their charges and submit it to me. I shall pass sentence once I have reviewed it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Yi So left the interrogation chamber at once.
Before departing, Gwan Ji-baek flashed Yi Hwan a subtle smile.
[You have done well, Prince.]

* * *

Two days earlier.
Yi Hwan had personally interrogated Jang Soo, Tae-su’s nephew.
Of course, before the interrogation, Yi Hwan had reviewed Jang Soo’s background and confirmed what he suspected: the young man harbored considerable resentment toward his uncle and harbored great ambitions for advancement.
“If you tell me everything truthfully, the gold you received from Wang Ji-gyeong’s residence will be forgotten. And I’m giving you fair warning—if you stay silent out of some misguided loyalty to your uncle, you’ll end up bearing all the blame yourself.”
“……!”
“And what do you think will happen then?”
Cheol Mu-ok chimed in.
“Beheading, wouldn’t you say? Or perhaps worse—I’ve seen men executed for far lesser offenses. If luck turns against you, beheading might not be the worst you’d face. Boiling Execution is quite within the realm of possibility.”
Jang Soo’s face drained of all color.
Boiling Execution was the process of placing a condemned person in a cauldron and cooking them to death. In practice, it amounted to little more than being immersed in lukewarm water before being removed—but afterward, one was treated as dead, stripped of all honor in a form of Dishonorable Sentence.
But in the present Yen Kingdom, they did boil you to death in earnest.
The Emperor’s iron will to stamp out corruption left no room for mercy.
Yi Hwan added casually, “We have no interest in small fish like you. Truth is, you’re in no position to refuse your uncle’s orders anyway, are you? So if you confess truthfully, you’ll walk free immediately. The Crown Prince himself has guaranteed it.”
“The Crown Prince has guaranteed it?”
On cue, Gwan Ji-baek entered.
With his Face Mask removed, Jang Soo recognized him at once.
“His Highness already knows all the facts. He has guaranteed that if you speak truthfully, no charges will be brought against you.”
“Is that truly so, General?”
“Believe me.”
Among the younger soldiers, Gwan Ji-baek was something of a legend. Before entering the Crown Prince’s service, he had written an unbroken record of victories across countless battlefields—he was quite simply the living embodiment of Yen Kingdom’s military legacy.
When such a man told you to believe, you believed. Jang Soo crumbled entirely, and confessed even things that Go Mi had failed to uncover.

“Haha!”
Yi So laughed without stopping.
Gwan Ji-baek, watching Yi So’s delight, felt a fresh wave of gratitude toward Yi Hwan.
Yi So asked, “What is your thought? What punishment would you wish upon them?”
“I cannot speak to Tae-su’s fate, but Yellow Dragon Guild Leader will seek a pardon the moment the Empress returns. Can that be prevented?”
“Even the Empress cannot issue pardons lightly. A pardon is the Emperor’s absolute authority alone. She knows well that to tamper with such matters rashly invites backlash.”
“Then should we not impose the maximum sentence possible? And have the market rights and trade routes that were seized from the Song family returned to their original owners. As for the illegal evidence of the Yellow Dragon Guild’s crimes—Biweol holds those records, so there should be no difficulty there.”
“Yes, that is as it should be.”
Gwan Ji-baek asked carefully, “What of Wang Ji-gyeong? Is he not a villain every bit as black as Yellow Dragon Guild Leader?”
“Use barbarians to control barbarians, as they say.”

“Then…….”
Yi Hwan continued.
“Going forward, Wang Ji-gyeong will become the Crown Prince’s Palace’s most reliable source of funds. Legitimately, of course.”
Yi So and Gwan Ji-baek’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Has this already been arranged?”
“A minimum of three million Silver Currency per year. That should prove quite helpful in your struggle against the Empress.”
“Ha—huh!”
Gwan Ji-baek laughed in a peculiar way, so startled he could barely compose himself. Yi Hwan rose to his feet and added one more thing.
“Do look after my sister going forward. Illegitimate or not, there’s only one sister in this world, isn’t there? Then I’ll take my leave with confidence.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“A single day in the Imperial Palace feels like a year…….”
Yi Hwan gathered his sword and headed for the door.
Yi So rose and called after him.
“Youngest brother.”
He stopped.
At the word “youngest brother,” Yi Hwan felt his chest tighten.
“Thank you. I owe you a tremendous debt, truly.”
“If you think of it as a debt, then after you defeat the Empress and claim the throne, repay me with interest and do it properly.”
With those words, Yi Hwan departed the Crown Prince’s Palace.
‘What is this feeling?’
It was a strange sensation.
How to describe it? As though he’d truly felt the bond of real brotherhood with Yi So?
Yi Hwan frowned at the thought.
‘This place is definitely not for me.’

* * *

Two days later.
Yi Hwan sat facing Wang Ji-gyeong.
But Wang Ji-gyeong’s face was downcast.
“Are you really leaving?”
“What choice do I have? The Crown Prince has entrusted me with a grave mission, so I must go.”
“It’s something I should properly congratulate you on, but what am I to do without you? Even locked away in prison, that wretch Yeom Yoo-gwang will surely try to have assassins sent after me.”
“Trust in the three friends I’ve brought in. They will protect you from any assassin. In return, you must treat them with the same devotion you’ve shown me.”
“Of course! Without question. My life depends on it, so I’ll treasure them like an extension of myself.”
Yi Hwan had assigned three members of the Do Wang School as bodyguards to him. Someone needed to remain at Wang Ji-gyeong’s side so that future dealings would go more smoothly.
“Then prosper.”
“Wait a moment.”
Wang Ji-gyeong went to an adjoining room and returned carrying something—a small Gold Box.
“It’s not much, but take it as a token of my sincerity.”
“What is this?”
“Open it later. It will prove quite useful to you.”
“Then I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Yi Hwan turned toward the door.
Many residents of the residence, along with the bodyguards, followed him out to the main gate. The bodyguards seemed as reluctant to see him go as Wang Ji-gyeong himself.
Yi Hwan spoke a word to the young men of the Do Wang School.
“Make those friends strong. It’ll make things easier for you as well.”
“Understood!”
As Yi Hwan mounted his horse, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae followed suit.
“If you ever come to the Imperial Capital, be sure to send word! I’ll be waiting!”
Wang Ji-gyeong walked alongside them for some distance.
To him, Yi Hwan was no mere bodyguard but a nobleman. The gifted fortune-teller had spoken of it.

* * *

Yi Hwan moved at a leisurely pace.
Who was he waiting for? Cheol Mu-ok occasionally glanced back.
“This slow pace doesn’t feel right, does it?”
“That’s precisely why we’re going slowly.”
“…….”
That was when it happened.
Thump-thump-thump!
A lone rider galloped toward them from far behind, dust billowing in the horse’s wake like a gust of wind. Yi Hwan heard only the hoofbeats and smiled faintly.
“So much for becoming a gentleman.”
Thump-thump-thump!
It was Go Mi.
“Forgive my lateness! There were matters I had to attend to!”
She wore Biweol’s robes.
“The Crown Prince bade me deliver this to you.”
Yi Hwan took the Official Dispatch she offered and tucked it into his breast.
“You’re coming with us?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Then shall we be off?”
Thump-thump-thump!

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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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