The death of the emperor.
When an emperor died, it was said that the world collapsed.
The Son of Heaven, Gyeongmun Emperor, has died.
It was a brutal assassination committed by the Guardian, whose mission was to protect the emperor.
The incident was wrapped up just a few days ago.
To summarize:
The Guardian had long harbored treacherous intentions to assassinate the emperor.
They led sorcerers skilled in sinister arts to manipulate the emperor like a puppet.
Finally, they dared to commit the heinous act of assassinating the emperor, leading the Embroidered Uniform Guards and Eastern Depot to join forces and eliminate the rebels.
In this way, both the Seven Great Immortals and the Guardian were eradicated in one fell swoop.
Many others were also involved and perished as well.
Even while the masses were mourning the dead emperor, the executions continued.
“Ohh, ohhhh, Father—!”
The Imperial Crown Prince, already grown, was clad in mourning robes and wailing uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down his face as he pounded the floor in grief, looking utterly heartbroken.
His hair was disheveled, falling into a tangled mess.
“The filial piety of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is truly deep.”
Similarly, King Gye-yeong, also dressed in mourning robes, muttered softly.
There was a hint of ridicule in his voice.
The Imperial Crown Prince had not been on good terms with the late Gyeongmun Emperor, so this was expected.
It was laughable to see him acting so affectionate only after his father had become a corpse.
Even seven days after the Gyeongmun Emperor’s death, his body had not yet been buried.
There were still many ceremonial rites that needed to be carried out for the emperor’s funeral.
Had the weather not been cool, the stench of decay would have long escaped the sealed coffin.
“I heard he hasn’t eaten for seven days now,” the Senior Grand Secretary, Seong Yeok-ju, commented.
Now, aside from the imperial family, the most powerful person in the Forbidden City was none other than the Senior Grand Secretary.
The former Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, Bu Yeong-hu, had been imprisoned, and a new commander had taken his place. Even the voice of the Eastern Depot’s Admiral Grand Eunuch, Hu Gyeong, had weakened.
“Seven days, you say? His filial piety surpasses my imagination. But for someone like that, the Imperial Crown Prince seems even more corpulent than the late emperor.”
“Haha.”
Surely, the Imperial Crown Prince must have been enjoying late-night feasts, celebrating his ascension to the throne.
Even as he insulted the Imperial Crown Prince, King Gye-yeong’s expression was not unpleasant.
In fact, from his perspective, there was nothing to complain about.
Though he was a monarch, King Gye-yeong was soon to be newly appointed as an imperial prince in recognition of his contributions during the recent events.
And that was not all. His son, who had been kidnapped and almost lost, had returned safely.
They had also wiped out all of the Seven Great Immortals, which had brought chaos to the nation.
Of course, during this time, the shocking event of the emperor’s death had occurred, but it had been handled well.
All the forces of the Third Prince, who had tried to seize the throne, were slaughtered.
The Third Prince himself would likely live out his life in confinement, only to one day die from poisoned food.
“Senior Grand Secretary, how about we talk for a moment?”
“Certainly.”
King Gye-yeong and Seong Yeok-ju headed toward Yongzhao Palace together.
All the ministers they passed along the way bowed deeply.
It was clear that the power structure of the imperial court had been newly reorganized around these two men.
For those in power, power was not a luxury but an essential element of life.
It was like blood. It felt as if the cold, old blood in their bodies had been replaced by fresh, hot blood.
Once inside the inner chamber of Yongzhao Palace, King Gye-yeong closed the doors and windows.
“To think that the entity known as the Heavenly Demon had embedded itself in His Imperial Majesty’s blood and eventually resurrected.”
Although this had been kept tightly under wraps, there were those who knew the truth behind the events.
King Gye-yeong and Seong Yeok-ju were among them.
They were the very ones who had hidden everything and twisted the narrative to their advantage.
“The Crown Prince’s Teacher’s strategy is truly exceptional. As expected, he is indeed your grandson, Senior Grand Secretary.”
“...No, that is not the case.”
Though Seong Yeok-ju had once sought to deny his blood relation to Yi-gang, he did not do so now.
Yi-gang had accomplished so much.
He may not have been able to save the emperor, but that was not something to blame him for.
“To have the presence of mind to shift the blame onto the Guardian.
“If rumors had spread that it was the work of the Demon Cult or that the Heavenly Demon had been resurrected, it would have only caused more chaos.”
Yi-gang had detected that something was amiss and ‘muddied the waters.’ As a result, much had changed.
Not only did he provide a reason for the Grand Army of the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Five Military Commissions to withdraw, but he also created an opportunity to solidify the Imperial Crown Prince’s legitimacy immediately.
“Besides, personally, I owe him a great debt.”
King Gye-yeong had ascended to the Emperor’s Longevity Hall.
There, he had managed to rescue the unconscious Crown Prince.
When the Crown Prince regained his senses, he testified in detail to everything he had seen.
How Yi-gang appeared, how he confronted the Seven Great Immortals, and how he prevented the resurrection of the monstrous Heavenly Demon.
Though Yi-gang had touched the Crown Prince’s pulse during the process, and it was unclear what had truly happened, not everything was fully understood.
That Yi-gang had directly possessed the Guardian or the existence of Zhang Sanfeng were things they could not even begin to imagine.
Yet, what Yi-gang had accomplished was enough to deeply move King Gye-yeong.
“I may have lived in this heartless Forbidden City, but I still know gratitude and righteousness.”
“...”
For a member of the imperial family, especially one about to become an imperial prince, to speak of ‘gratitude’ was no small matter.
Seong Yeok-ju quietly waited for King Gye-yeong to continue speaking.
“Of course, I should provide the promised reward and even more in return.”
“The Imperial Palace’s Medicine Vault...”
“Yes. Even if I send the Crown Prince’s Teacher the treasured sword of the Imperial Palace Armory that he requested, the entire Medicine Vault has already been looted.”
The servants in charge of menial tasks had little connection to the upheavals in the martial world.
It had been a long time since the conflict between the orthodox sects and the unorthodox sects had begun, with the Murim Alliance taking sides against the Unorthodox Union.
Many had died, but things remained quiet here in Xi’an.
After all, none of the Unorthodox Union’s main sects would dare to establish a base near the Baek Noble Clan.
Most battlefields were in regions where smaller sects gathered.
One of the servants, annoyed by the laziness of his companions, scolded them.
“Shut up and just sweep the place properly.”
“Hey, Wang Il. You used to be the laziest one, why are you so diligent now?”
“When the Clan Head returns, where do you think he’ll stop by first? Obviously, here.”
This place was the Small Brilliance Pavillion, where the Young Clan Head of the Baek Clan resided.
Baek Ha-jun was undergoing what they called the ‘Young Clan Head Course.’ He was honing his martial arts skills and cultivating his abilities to prepare for his role as the next Clan Head.
Because of this, there were unpleasant rumors circulating in Jianghu.
As the conflict with the Unorthodox Union intensified, people gossiped that the Vice Alliance Leader’s son had secluded himself in the clan and refused to come out.
“Is Young Master Ha-jun having a hard time?”
“Well... If he steps into the martial world now, his name would quickly spread.”
However, the servants of the Baek Clan were outraged by such rumors.
Even though Yi-gang was making a name for himself, their most cherished successor in the Baek Clan was none other than Baek Ha-jun.
Even though he was carrying a bad reputation for now, they still believed in him.
“No matter how much the eldest son has reformed, Young Master Ha-jun is still the best.”
“Yeah, I suppose that could be true.”
“Just look at his physique. His broad shoulders and how dignified he looks.”
“Hey, hey... Shh!”
Wang Il and the other servants quickly resumed sweeping with renewed vigor.
Warriors were rushing over, and they looked extremely urgent.
At first, it was unclear why they were heading toward the Small Brilliance Pavilion, but soon it made sense.
“What’s going on?”
Currently, the Squad Leader of the Biyeon Squad was at the Small Brilliance Pavilion.
He was stationed there to guard Baek Ha-jun during his seclusion training.
“Squad Leader! It’s urgent!”
“Get to the point, what is it?”
The current Squad Leader of the Biyeon Squad was none other than Pil Hwan.
He was the warrior who had fought alongside Yi-gang against the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger as Neung Ji-pyeong’s subordinate.
And the men who had come rushing over were members of the Biyeon Squad.
They were accompanied by a man in a disheveled state.
“This man is the head of the Chang’an Escort Agency from Beijing.”
“Chang’an Escort Agency? What does the head of the escort agency want?”
“The goods being transported by the Chang’an Escort Agency to our Baek Noble Clan were stolen en route.”
“What?!”
Pil Hwan’s face twisted in frustration.
To think that someone would dare to rob the Baek Noble Clan’s goods in Xi’an—it was almost unthinkable.
Pil Hwan immediately questioned the head of the escort agency.
“Which lunatic did this?!”
“They looked like members of the Green Forest bandits... I’m sorry.”
“Those fools must be insane. Insane, to dare!”
The loss of the goods was less of a concern than the blow to the prestige of the Baek Noble Clan.
Pil Hwan, now curious, asked another question, “But why was the Chang’an Escort Agency from Beijing transporting the goods? We usually work with other agencies.”
“Ah...”
The Baek Noble Clan already had established relationships with multiple escort agencies.
So why had goods been sent through the Chang’an Escort Agency?
“It was... a covert shipment, so I cannot say much. But the client seemed to be an official from the Forbidden City.”
“A covert shipment? An official, you say?”
A covert shipment meant the identity of the item and the client were kept secret.
This kind of service was used to transport important, confidential items, and it was always something of great significance.
The fact that such an item had been stolen made Pil Hwan narrow his eyes suspiciously.
“Could the identity of the goods have been leaked? Was this a planned robbery?”
“Not at all! The Chang’an Escort Agency is thorough! Our security is impeccable.”
“Yet the goods were stolen, and you’re telling me...”
“Cough.”
The head of the escort agency stammered as he added more details.
“The client said the item was being sent to Young Master Baek Yi-gang of the Baek Noble Clan...”
At that moment, a low and cold voice echoed.
“To my brother, you say?”
The head of the escort agency turned his head and flinched in surprise.
A young man stood with the sunlight at his back.
Due to the backlighting, his expression was hard to make out, but his voice was as cold as ice.
The head of the escort agency was startled for a different reason.
The young man’s voice was eerily similar to that of the high-ranking official who had commissioned the shipment.
“My brother’s goods were stolen... by the Green Forest bandits?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Where?”
“Pardon?”
“The location where the goods were taken.”
His tone was that of someone accustomed to giving orders.
“Speak.”
Baek Ha-jun glared at the head of the escort agency with cold, intense eyes.