Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

When Lee Wang-ya shouted loudly, Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

“Goodness, getting worked up over such trivial matters. For someone of your age to have such severe mood swings… Ah, menopause?”

“Uwaaaaah!”

Moon Yu-hwan jumped up from his seat and desperately held back Lee Wang-ya, who was about to rush at Wei Yan-ho.

“Your Highness, please calm down!”

“Do I look like I’m in a state to calm down right now!”

“Your Highness, maintain your dignity!”

“Ugh… I really want to see the face of whoever taught that bastard, and whoever his father is!”

At this moment, Wei Jeong-han, who was staying up all night worrying about his son in distant Guangdong, had to shudder from mysterious chills for reasons unknown.

But Wei Yan-ho remained calm.

“That’s fortunate to hear. It would have been troublesome otherwise.”

“Troublesome?”

Wei Yan-ho smiled slightly.

“Well, it’s not exactly uncommon for powerful people to break promises and default on promissory notes. I need to prepare adequate insurance measures too.”

“How?”

“Well, that’s… it’s nothing special really.”

But Moon Yu-hwan could understand Wei Yan-ho’s intention. The words Wei Yan-ho had said earlier echoed in his ears.

“It looked expensive.”

‘He was planning to sell it.’

If Lee Wang-ya had misspoken even slightly here, the great disaster of the Censorate’s sacred sword being displayed in a marketplace pawnshop would have occurred.

“Anyway, so… that…”

Lee Wang-ya stuttered several times, unable to contain his anger, and finally turned away.

“Whatever you do with that thing, handle it yourself!”

“Really?”

“But if I hear rumors that you’ve been extorting innocent officials with it, I’ll definitely catch you and give you a severe beating.”

“Tsk.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue as if disappointed.

Realistically speaking, possessing the sacred object of Lee Wang-ya—who was second-in-command of the imperial palace and head of the Censorate—was no ordinary matter.

Government offices wouldn’t dare interfere with most matters, so it was practically like receiving immunity.

Moreover, it was certain that he could mobilize the Imperial Guard to a certain extent in emergencies.

But to Wei Yan-ho, it was nothing more than a pretty but useless apricot.

What kind of trouble would Wei Yan-ho cause, and what would he do with it?

For Wei Yan-ho, a golden sword he couldn’t even sell was worth less than a cool bamboo wife.

“Well, anyway, is this all you wanted?”

“…”

Lee Wang-ya shook his head with a displeased expression, then quietly opened his mouth.

“What family are you from?”

“…”

“Your master?”

“…”

“Are you saying you can’t tell even me?”

Wei Yan-ho smiled quietly.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Wei Yan-ho quietly nodded. Seeing Wei Yan-ho’s reaction, Lee Wang-ya’s eyes darkened.

A dignity that was impossible to imagine from the old man who had been bickering with Wei Yan-ho just moments ago seemed to flow naturally from him.

“Who do you think I am? You know my status, yet you don’t trust me and want to hide your identity in front of me?”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged.

“Well, status isn’t the problem.”

“Then?”

“If there’s a problem, it’s that I absolutely cannot trust someone who puts on such obvious acting.”

“Acting?”

Wei Yan-ho smiled.

“How many seconds would you need to subdue Nok Mok-pung? Five seconds, or maybe three?”

“…”

Instantly, Lee Wang-ya’s eyes flashed intensely.

“What are you saying?”

“No one enjoys clown shows. Especially when I’m forced to play the clown role unintentionally.”

A smile appeared on Lee Wang-ya’s lips.

“I made you into a clown?”

“I did play along as instructed since you fed and housed me out of kindness, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. It felt like a three-year-old child was threatening an adult, and I was acting like I was saving that adult.”

Lee Wang-ya picked up the tea on his desk and slowly sipped it.

Then he slowly set down the teacup.

“When did you figure it out?”

“I thought it was strange. No matter how crazy people are about Go, it doesn’t make sense to travel a thousand li just to play one game. But an excessively large number of people were gathering here claiming they wanted to play Go.”

“…”

“The plan was probably already in place, but then I appeared. And I became an unexpected chess piece. Or in this case, should I say Go stone? Anyway, in that situation, Nok Mok-pung appeared and chaos ensued. At that point, I had to decide which side to follow.”

“Why?”

“Because Nok Mok-pung’s words were more likely to be true. Even if the invitation was fake, when someone with Lee Wang-ya’s status is secretly gathering influential people from across the realm after spreading various smokescreens, it’s hard to think of that situation as pure friendship building.”

Lee Wang-ya nodded.

“The most likely scenario is definitely treason.”

“Then why did you help us?”

“Because that girl called me.”

“…”

“If I hadn’t been caught, I really was going to just run away. But that girl seemed to truly know nothing. So I couldn’t turn away. I didn’t want to make her experience the feeling of being betrayed by someone she trusted. My master told me not to make the mistake of looking up while failing to look down. Intent is important and the world is important, but if you can’t see people, it’s all meaningless.”

“So you acted so ambiguously in the middle to test my reaction?”

“Because I felt disgusted.”

“Hahahaha!”

Lee Wang-ya laughed heartily.

“Then let me ask one last question.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you telling me this story?”

“…”

“If what you say is true, had you left this place pretending to know nothing, you would have received great rewards and gained enormous power. But if you know everything, the situation changes. In the worst case, you might not leave here alive. So why are you saying this here?”

Wei Yan-ho sighed and opened his mouth.

“Because I want to sleep with my legs stretched out.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hate being tied down. Then I can’t sleep well. If you roughly pass over complicated things, later they’ll torment you several times over. So it’s better to be clear about things. I’ll ask directly. Are you plotting treason?”

Lee Wang-ya looked at Wei Yan-ho quietly with cold eyes.

“If I answered yes, what would you do?”

“Then I could finally sleep with my legs stretched out.”

“Even though I’m plotting treason?”

“I’d wish you success?”

“Hehehehe.”

Lee Wang-ya laughed as if absurd.

“Do you have no loyalty to the imperial family?”

“I haven’t received anything from His Majesty the Emperor, so there’s no reason to have such a thing. Rather, since Your Highness at least gave me gold, I’d prefer to support Your Highness.”

“Do you know that what you just said alone constitutes treason?”

“Then Your Highness would also be guilty of treason.”

“I could escape through the power of authority.”

“I suppose so. However, giving your sacred object to someone guilty of treason would be something you could never cover up. Isn’t that right?”

Wei Yan-ho slyly pulled out the golden sword from his robe.

Lee Wang-ya quietly looked at the golden sword, then burst into loud laughter.

“Kuhahaha! I knew this bastard was cunning, but now I see he exceeds my expectations.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

“Acting dignified now won’t work on me.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Lee Wang-ya sighed deeply.

“I took the wrong approach. I should have been a bit more dignified from the start.”

“True nature always shows through.”

Lee Wang-ya nodded.

“Yes, you’re right. But I swear on my life, we were not plotting treason. We were simply… gathering forces to oppose that bastard Nok-gi.”

“I see.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Who said it wasn’t?”

Lee Wang-ya sighed.

“As you said, while observing the situation, you appeared. Your extraordinary Go skills became a good opportunity to advance our plans more quickly, and I used that as an excuse to gather these people. The problem was that Nok-gi also noticed this.”

“Yes.”

Lee Wang-ya smiled slightly.

“Do you know why Nok-gi sent Nok Mok-pung?”

“I wonder?”

“To make me kill him.”

Lee Wang-ya lightly savored his tea and continued.

“Not to catch me, but hoping I would kill Nok Mok-pung. At least he would have wanted me to subdue and escort him. Then Nok-gi could use that as an excuse to frame me for treason.”

“Hmm?”

“The fact that I’m hiding my martial arts and have gathered all these people would somehow be revealed in the process. No, he would have revealed it somehow. Nok-gi has that kind of ability. So I couldn’t act in that situation. Nok-gi shrewdly struck at that precise point.”

“…”

“That’s why I couldn’t stop Nok Mok-pung until the very last moment. If I had moved in any way, Nok-gi would have used that as an opportunity to frame me for treason. Having called all these people to my estate, no excuse I made would have worked. That’s when you stepped forward.”

Lee Wang-ya slowly bowed his head.

“If you felt bad about it, I apologize. I did use you a bit, but I had no ill intentions. And the clown show you mentioned was never intentional. At least I, and Yu-hwan here, were desperate in that moment.”

“I understand.”

“Please believe me.”

“I said I understand.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded.

He couldn’t quite understand everything, but he understood that Lee Wang-ya shouldn’t have moved in that situation.

“But if I hadn’t stepped forward until the end, what were you planning to do?”

“…I would have killed Nok Mok-pung.”

Wei Yan-ho sighed.

“And then?”

“I would have had no choice but to take on the treason charge alone and die. Otherwise, everyone here would have died.”

“Just for hiding your martial arts?”

“That’s right.”

“And you’re saying that bastard Nok-gi sent his own son to be killed to create that situation?”

“That’s right.”

“Is the imperial family all like that?”

“At least it’s not a beautiful place.”

Wei Yan-ho quietly looked up at the ceiling.

Then he nodded.

“I understand what you mean.”

“Will you accept the position of Royal Inspector?”

“I’m telling you in advance, I will absolutely never go looking for work myself.”

“That’s fine. Even if you don’t want it, the world will never leave you alone.”

“Is that a curse?”

“That’s the path of a hero.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Destiny cannot be declined.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard myself called a hero. I usually hear things like rice-waster, bear, snail, turtle.”

Lee Wang-ya unconsciously nodded.

Although he said it himself, terms like turtle or snail definitely suited Wei Yan-ho better.

“Anyway, I’ll take it that you accept.”

“It’s bothersome, but… you were planning to force it on me anyway, right?”

“You wouldn’t like being forced, would you?”

“Sigh.”

Wei Yan-ho got up from his seat.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Do that. I’m leaving today.”

“I sincerely hope we never meet again.”

“I have a feeling we’ll see each other again soon.”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered as if creeped out, then went outside.

Click.

The door closed and after a moment of silence, Moon Yu-hwan opened his mouth.

“How is he?”

“…Beyond expectations.”

Actually, Lee Wang-ya was in a state of shock.

While he had expected Wei Yan-ho to be at a higher level than he appeared, he hadn’t thought he was skilled enough to detect his hidden martial arts.

‘Has there ever been anyone in history who possessed such martial prowess at that age?’

As far as Lee Wang-ya knew, there hadn’t been.

Even the head of the Marshal’s Office, called the greatest warrior in imperial history, wouldn’t have reached Wei Yan-ho’s toes at that age.

“I thought I’d picked up a divine dragon, but I’ve actually brought in a complete monster. If I’m not careful, I might get devoured.”

“Such risk is worth taking.”

“If it were just martial prowess, yes. But his schemes go beyond ordinary. While observing the situation and grasping everything, he didn’t move until the very end. He’s not simply strong. Who on earth raised such a monster?”

Lee Wang-ya smiled strangely.

“Anyway, thanks to him we escaped the trap that bastard Nok-gi prepared. Even if I wasn’t framed for treason, the weakening of the Censorate would have been an unavoidable result.”

“It’s heavenly fortune.”

“Indeed. Heaven is helping us.”

But contrary to his words, Lee Wang-ya’s eyes were lowered, staring at the door through which Wei Yan-ho had left.

‘However, depending on how that fellow moves, not just the imperial family but the entire Central Plains could be shaken. I wonder if I avoided the snake Nok-gi only to call in a wolf…’

Lee Wang-ya decided to trust his instincts for now.

His instincts told him that Wei Yan-ho was at least not a villain.

“If by chance he harbors ill intentions…”

“It’s fine.”

“Hmm?”

“Even if he harbors ill intentions, he won’t have the will to act on them. Only diligent people can do bad things.”

“I… I see.”

Lee Wang-ya stroked his chest.

That was certainly fortunate.

“Anyway, investigate everything about that bastard. Even if we can’t find his dead master, we must discover his family! Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“And if possible, I’d really like to see the man who fathered that bastard.”

And at this moment, Wei Yan-ho’s father, Wei Jeong-han, decided to visit a physician due to the mysterious chills that kept coming.