Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

The Hanrim Grand Academy member who had always looked down on him with an arrogant expression was now being violated by his hands. Though he had lived a life with nothing to envy in the world, coming to this place somehow made him feel small.

At first, he had simply tried to take Moon Eun-ji because it was ordained.

He believed that someone with his background could take any woman if he set his mind to it.

But Moon Eun-ji was different.

She paid no attention to his background.

She always rejected him and looked at him with contemptuous eyes. It was a humiliation he had never felt even once in his life.

‘That ends today.’

Today she would kneel before his feet.

And she would pay the price for rejecting him.

It didn’t take long for everyone in the academy to be dragged before him.

Watching Moon Eun-ji’s face at the front, glaring at him with provocative eyes, gave him an indescribable pleasure.

He could see people running frantically from a distance. Among them were the figures of Moon Yu-hwan and Moon Eun-ji.

“What are you doing!”

Moon Yu-hwan shouted with an angry face.

Nok Mok-pung briefly savored Moon Yu-hwan’s angry expression.

Watching the face of someone called the Three Excellence Grand Scholar, who always maintained composure, contort with anger was a sight that stirred strange emotions.

“Hmm…”

Nok Mok-pung paused for a moment before speaking.

“I received intelligence that there were suspicious movements at the Hanrim Grand Academy.”

Moon Yu-hwan shouted.

“Suspicious movements!”

Nok Mok-pung shrugged once and spoke.

“I heard information that influential people from across the nation have been coming and going from the Hanrim Grand Academy recently. Intelligence that influential figures from the Central Plains, including former prime ministerial families, are gathering one by one.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Tsk tsk, can someone called the Three Excellence Grand Scholar be this slow to react? What do you think it means that people with both military power and political authority are constantly coming and going to one place?”

Moon Yu-hwan’s face turned slightly pale.

What Nok Mok-pung was saying now was all too clear.

“Are you saying we plotted rebellion?”

Nok Mok-pung waved his hand.

“Oh my, I didn’t say such a thing…”

Nok Mok-pung’s eyes narrowed.

“The Grand Scholar is the one speaking. Could it be that you have something to feel guilty about?”

Moon Yu-hwan’s face trembled.

Rebellion!

What kind of absurd talk was that?

He wanted to shout immediately, but once the word rebellion was mentioned, getting excited was taboo.

“You must also know why people are gathering at the academy! All these people have gathered to play Go with the person residing in the academy.”

“That’s right!”

“Release me! We are innocent!”

Voices erupted.

Nok Mok-pung clicked his tongue.

“You want me to believe that all these people traveled that far distance just to play a game of Go?”

“It’s true! You must have heard the rumors about the Hanrin Go Saint!”

Nok Mok-pung was relaxed.

Since he had no intention of listening to them from the beginning, it was natural that he remained relaxed no matter what they said.

“Rumors? I’ve heard the rumors. But such rumors can be fabricated easily, can’t they? And that…”

Nok Mok-pung looked around and tilted his head.

He had tried to mention Wei Yan-ho by name, but couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Where did that guy go?”

The black-clothed man standing behind Nok Mok-pung spoke.

“Who are you looking for?”

“That guy called the Hanrin Go Saint or whatever. Where is he?”

The black-clothed man’s expression hardened.

“There was no one else in the academy.”

“Hmm…”

Nok Mok-pung clicked his tongue as if disappointed.

“Did he escape? Or did he leave earlier? It would have been impossible to escape after we arrived, so he must have left earlier. Lucky bastard.”

Nok Mok-pung cleanly abandoned his interest in Wei Yan-ho. Though he had unpleasant memories with that guy, there was no need to ruin his mood over such a bug-like creature.

“Anyway, that’s fine. If you’re all innocent, you’ll be released soon. After investigating the academy, if there are no problems, I’ll release you and apologize.”

That’s when it happened.

“Found it!”

A black-clothed man came running urgently.

Nok Mok-pung smiled.

“Found it?”

The black-clothed man approached Nok Mok-pung and reached into his chest.

When the black-clothed man’s hand emerged again, it held a booklet.

“What’s this?”

The black-clothed man answered.

“It’s a joint petition.”

Nok Mok-pung opened the book.

Inside were the names and seals of various people.

“Hehehehe.”

A cruel smile bloomed on Nok Mok-pung’s face.

“Well, well, with evidence like this, there’s no more room for excuses.”

Moon Yu-hwan’s face turned deathly pale.

“A joint petition! This is the first we’ve heard of it!”

Nok Mok-pung mocked Moon Yu-hwan.

“Are you still saying that when such evidence is right before your eyes?”

“We are…”

The strength left Moon Yu-hwan’s voice.

The situation was obvious.

Nok Mok-pung had come with this intention from the beginning.

The fact that he held a fabricated joint petition in his hands was proof that he had prepared from the start.

In other words.

No matter what righteous words Moon Yu-hwan spoke, Nok Mok-pung would obviously ignore them.

“We didn’t!”

“We’re innocent!”

“I, I didn’t know! I didn’t come here for this!”

Shouts erupted from various places.

Nok Mok-pung watched the scene becoming chaotic with a bitter smile.

It was an enjoyable sight.

Then, one of the people who had been quietly bound stood up.

“Nok Mok-pung.”

Nok Mok-pung’s face hardened.

“You are…”

The old man spoke in a heavy voice.

“You’re doing something interesting.”

Nok Mok-pung looked at the old man with a stiff expression.

It was a face he had encountered several times in the imperial palace.

As the head of the Censorate, he was not someone who could be taken lightly.

The power of the position of Inspector General was absolute authority, and his other identity had power that made even the title of Inspector General seem insignificant.

“Second Prince!”

He was someone who had the current emperor as his older brother.

He was none other than Prince Gong Zhu Lun, the younger brother of the current emperor.

“Call me Inspector General.”

The Second Prince commanded in a low voice.

At the words “Second Prince,” all the bound people looked at the old man with shocked eyes.

The one who had received numerous authorities as a prince but cut away all of that with one stroke and entered as head of the Censorate himself for the safety of the imperial family was right here.

“Se, Second Prince!”

“We’re saved! We’re saved now!”

Those here weren’t fools either.

Looking at the situation, they couldn’t not know what was happening.

The presence of the Second Prince, who had suddenly appeared in a situation where they were about to give up thinking everything was over, extended their lifeline.

Nok Mok-pung opened his mouth with a heavy expression.

“If I had known Your Excellency was present, I wouldn’t have acted so roughly.”

The Second Prince nodded.

“I’m not one to be concerned with such things either. So quickly untie these bonds.”

Nok Mok-pung sighed and nodded.

Then he slowly approached the Second Prince.

Nok Mok-pung, who had grabbed the rope binding the Second Prince, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Before that… I have something to ask.”

“Something to ask?”

Nok Mok-pung paused slightly.

“Why did you do it?”

“What do you mean?”

The Second Prince tilted his head.

He couldn’t understand what Nok Mok-pung was saying.

Nok Mok-pung wore a bitter smile.

“Why did you plot rebellion?”

The Second Prince’s face hardened.

Watching the Second Prince’s expression change, Nok Mok-pung let out a giggling laugh and slowly stepped back.

“Did you think I didn’t know you were here?”

“You bastard! What are you saying!”

Nok Mok-pung spread his arms dramatically.

His expression twisted like a comical mask.

“If there are suspicious movements, there must naturally be a center point. What could the Three Excellence Grand Scholar accomplish by starting a rebellion? Does he plan to become emperor himself? The center of the rebellion is you, Second Prince.”

“Don’t move that mouth carelessly!”

The Second Prince shouted angrily.

Rebellion?

Why would he plot rebellion?

“Ah, don’t shout like that. Everything is written in this joint petition. Even with seals pledging loyalty to you so densely packed, you still make excuses…”

“You bastard!”

The Second Prince gritted his teeth.

He had planned this knowing that he was here?

No matter how forged it was, being arrested in such a situation would certainly bring great hardship.

“Your actions have gone too far! If you don’t untie these bonds immediately, I will personally question your crimes.”

Nok Mok-pung made a terrified face and slowly backed away.

“How scary, so scary. I’m so scared I can’t live. So? How do you plan to question my crimes?”

“Hmph, you bastards!”

Nok Mok-pung waved his hand.

“Are you saying this trusting these pieces of trash?”

Thud! Thud!

Before those words finished, corpses fell to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The Second Prince looked at the corpses with bulging eyes. The skilled fighters of the Censorate who had secretly protected him and the warriors of the Imperial Guards had all become brutally mutilated corpses.

“Kahahaha!”

Nok Mok-pung held his stomach and laughed.

“Second Prince, Second Prince! You’ve gotten stupid in your old age! To make such big talk trusting these worthless things.”

The Second Prince shouted with a contorted face.

“Your..your insolence has reached the heavens! Did you think you’d be safe after doing such things! Not just you! Your father, that filthy eunuch, I won’t let any of them go!”

Suddenly, Nok Mok-pung’s eyes flashed.

“How?”

“I’ll report the truth to His Majesty.”

“That’s what I’m asking. How?”

Nok Mok-pung’s eyes gleamed cruelly.

“You seem to be mistaken, but do you think you’ll be able to see His Majesty again? No, do you think you’ll be able to leave this place alive?”

“You bastard…”

“Rebellion is immediate execution! You’re all going to die here.”

“Do you think you bastards will be safe after doing such wicked things? The truth will be revealed somehow.”

Nok Mok-pung clicked his tongue.

“How stupid. So many influential people gathered at this worthless academy, and you were there too. And a joint petition appeared. What do you think His Majesty will think?”

The Second Prince’s face was colored with despair.

Wasn’t it obvious to anyone that they were plotting rebellion?

Even if the truth wasn’t so, with this much circumstantial evidence, it could easily be covered up. They would fabricate evidence and leave no mouth to speak of injustice.

“Kukukuk, thank you. Thanks to you coming here, things were resolved easily. Without father’s foresight, it would have been impossible, but you certainly helped.”

The Second Prince’s complexion darkened to black.

He had fallen into a deep trap from which there was no escape.