Episode 637 Stories from the reign (12)
Five years later.
“Hehehe.”
A look of pride appeared on Zhu Qing’s face.
“I heard it from Chairman Jwa. “I heard that the person who passed the state exam this time is such a great talent?”
“That’s right. This past exam was one of the most difficult in the history of the empire, and we passed all of them with pride. “All the civil servants who saw his answer were speechless.”
“Is it that much?”
“When Seung-sang Zuo looked at the answer sheet, he couldn’t help but admire the sentence, which was worthy of being called the best in the history of the empire.”
“I’m really looking forward to this. “I wonder where such a talented person was and has only just appeared.”
“You will be able to see it for yourself soon.”
“Hehe, that’s right.”
A bright smile appeared on Zhu Qing’s lips as he buried his back in the chair.
“There have been a lot of luxuries lately. Finally, a crown prince has emerged to succeed me, the lives of the people have greatly improved, and the military is growing stronger day by day, so I have no worries about my future.”
“Wouldn’t this mean that Your Majesty’s virtue has reached heaven? “I salute you, Your Majesty.”
“How can I just let such a good feeling pass by? “For today, I will put aside national affairs and get really drunk.”
Zhu Qing laughed and shouted.
“Call King Taejang to Hwangsokjeong.”
After a while.
“your majesty.”
“Oh, is Emperor Song here?”
“The imperial palace is coming. “How about refraining from using personal names?”
“Haha! “I am the emperor of the empire, so why can’t I call my younger brother whatever I want?”
Zheng Zhongbaek smiled.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“It’s good. very good.”
It was great to hear Zhu Qing’s laughter.
Five years have passed, but Zhou Cheng has not aged at all. She seemed to have gotten younger, perhaps because she lived with such motivation.
On the other hand, the remittance bag has not changed much from five years ago. If we were to look closely, the difference would be that the dignity of the great lord of Sapa disappeared and a noble and aristocratic atmosphere emerged.
King Taejang’s money transfer bag.
Song Sang-baek, who had reigned as the fear of the martial arts in the central plains under the nickname Sura-je, is now the head of the imperial palace’s strongest secret elite army and the highest-ranking noble in the empire who has been granted the title of king directly by the emperor.
“Hasn’t it been quite a while since we’ve seen each other like this?”
“It’s been less than a month, Your Majesty.”
“Hehe, was that all that happened?”
“I thought His Majesty had finished all the construction work recently, but looking at times like this, it seems that wasn’t the case.”
“what? ha ha ha!”
Although everyone in the world looked up to him, he was comfortable with Zhou Qing.
And it was a great joy to Zhu Qing to see Zheng Zhengbaek like that. Zhu Qing was also found to be quite easy-going for an emperor.
“Now, this is the wine that was brought in from Shanxi. “I heard this batch is the best ever. Let’s taste it together.”
“Good.”
The two people drank alcohol leisurely.
“Wow, that’s very good.”
“Is that so?”
“hmm? “It doesn’t seem to suit Songje’s taste.”
Zhong Zhenbaek shook his head.
“I could clearly see that it was a delicious drink. However, after decades of living in the powerhouse, it seems that the discernment between high-end and low-class has become dull.”
“haha! “Does my younger brother, who reigned as the absolute leader of the Sapa martial arts group, say such things?”
“Even back then, I preferred cheap alcohol to high-quality alcohol.”
“You’re so quirky, too.”
Several rounds of glasses were passed around like that.
“Have you heard about the guy who passed the state exam this time?”
“Rumors are already spreading within the palace. “There was a lot of talk here and there about him being the best writer in the history of the empire or a rare genius.”
“Huh, did you?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“I heard it for the first time this morning from Jwa Seung-sang.”
“It looks like His Majesty has been very busy lately.”
“That’s right. But… … .”
Zhou Qing stroked his chin.
“How can it smell?”
“Do you mean the smell?”
“Before I came here to Hwangsokjeong, I looked into the hometown of the guy who passed the civil service exam.”
“Where is it?”
“He’s from Yunbu, Guangdong Province.”
“It’s Guangdong Province… … .”
Jang Geum-baek smiled.
“I guess that smell wasn’t that bad.”
“But it wasn’t very good.”
Zhu Cheng clicked his tongue.
“I knew he was a very playful person, but he truly has a knack for surprising people. “I wish he had given me a hint in advance.”
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“I guess it was to prove my abilities.”
“Hmph, did I see past exam answer sheets? “All I have to do is keep my mouth shut.”
“Hehe, it looks like they didn’t think that way. Still, it seems like they put a lot of effort into sending outstanding talent, so I feel relieved.”
“Tsk.”
Zhou Qing rested his chin. It was a look that did not suit the dignity of an emperor at all.
“Anyway, he is very lucky. “The great scholars of the empire are willing to send a talented person who is unanimously praised as a rare genius. There must be at least ten geniuses like him in Shingyo.”
“I don’t know how many there are, but I’m sure there are talented people who can compete with him.”
“Is that what you think too?”
“yes.”
After a few drinks, I felt like I was getting used to the scent.
Song Sang-baek said, licking his lips.
“The Heavenly Demon is someone who never lets down his guard. “Well, it’s not like I can even be called a person anymore.”
“haha.”
“Relationships can go wrong at any time, so I think you don’t have to worry too much, Your Majesty, since we are trying to prepare for something just in case. As you know, the Heavenly Demon Church’s forces will never move unless we touch them first.”
Zhou Qing smiled in satisfaction.
It was really nice to hear the word ‘we’ uttered by Geum Baek. It speaks of the greatness of the Heavenly Demon God Religion, but at the same time, it means that Song Sang-baek himself has accepted that he has become a member of the imperial palace.
“Anyway, it’s a gift, and since you sent such a talented person, I think we should prepare something in return.”
“You probably don’t want to.”
“He is a person who can achieve anything under the sun if he puts his mind to it, so I don’t plan on giving him a special gift. However, I heard that Commander-in-Chief’s health has worsened a lot recently. “He’s thinking about sending some medicine.”
“Yes, that would be appropriate.”
“Well, if you think about it, he’s just so indifferent. “He doesn’t have a loyalist like a full-fledged soldier, so you let his body get damaged like that.”
“Isn’t there a reason?”
“It’s probably one of two things. “Either I was too busy playing to pay attention, or it was an intentional rumor.”
Zhong Zhenbaek’s eyes sparkled.
“You made it up?”
“If you think about common sense, there is no way the general’s health will deteriorate, right? “He is not the type of person to leave his people in that much pain.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“If this is a made-up rumor, there are two possible interpretations.”
Zhou Qing emptied his glass and said.
“first. “I wanted to see the empire’s reaction.”
“hmm.”
“How can I touch the Heavenly Demon without even realizing it? I am the greatest power and ruler on earth, but the Heavenly Demon has already ascended to heaven and rules over all things. However, he just reigns and does not rule. In other words, the real power leaders of the organization called Heavenly Demon Church are the general military and a few others.”
“you’re right.”
“From what I saw before, the military commander was also good at dealing with false accusations. If he wants something, he is a person who will use any unconventional tricks. Ho Yo-seong, if it’s that person, I think he can do something like spread false rumors and see our side’s reaction.”
“Hehe, there are people from Protestantism in the imperial palace, so why go to such lengths?”
“Of course, it’s just a possibility. “For some reason, I thought that might be the case if it were a total military unit.”
“Then what do you think is the second reason?”
“Succession.”
Song Sang-baek’s hand, which was raising the glass, stopped.
“Heir… … .”
“Was it four or five years ago? “I once had a drink with the Heavenly Demon.”
“Oh, I remember.”
“Cheonma said that at that time. I mean, they picked some pretty smart guys. It was said that they were talented people who could sufficiently share the burden of the general military in two or three years. As you know, if such an evaluation came from his mouth, it would be the highest praise of all praise.”
“So something like that happened.”
Zheng Zhongbaek stroked his chin.
“Heir… … .”
“Of course, even if the position is truly passed on to the successor, it won’t be right away. Actually, I don’t think there’s any need to spread false rumors that you’re sick. Rather, it will be Protestantism that is looked down on due to such rumors.”
“So does he.”
“However, if the policy had been changed, it would be a different story.”
“Policy?”
Zhou Qing smiled.
“Cheonma said so. “The one who truly rules the world is not the one who appears on the outside, but the one who hides in the shadows and observes the world.”
“… … .”
“If the Heavenly Demon Church also chose that route… … “I think it’s quite a possibility.”
“Hehehe.”
Zheng Zhongbaek said as he filled Zhu Qing’s cup.
“To be honest, I am at a loss because I cannot be sure of any of what Your Majesty said.”
“I too am ambiguous. “I’m just saying this because I thought it might be the case.”
“But if the general military is truly thinking about retirement, it is a difficult thing to ignore.”
Song Zhongbaek hinted.
“If I do this, where will Sosin go?”
“Yes? “You?”
“yes.”
Zhou Qing said in confusion.
“Man, do you know how far it is from Yesh to Shinkyo when you say that?”
“Hehe, I don’t know what your Majesty thinks, but I am confident that anyone except Soshin and Cheonma can handle it.”
“Oh, how can you not know that your skills are the best in the world? However, wouldn’t it be a needless effort to go 10,000 miles to check just that one thing?”
“The imperial palace is a truly nice place. Moreover, since His Majesty is here, how could he turn his attention to the central plains? However, since Sosin is also a wild man who grew up in the wind of the wilderness, he sometimes misses the smell of wild grass.”
Zhu Qing lost his appetite and walked away.
“It seems the imperial palace was stuffy.”
“Hehe, no. “This is where I will bury my bones for the rest of my life, so why use my own home only because I feel stuffy?”
Zheng Zhongbaek looked up at the sky.
“but… … There are times when I miss you. If the imperial palace was my second hometown, then the world was my hometown itself.”
Zhou Qing smiled.
“Are you still greedy?”
“Is that possible? There is His Majesty, and there is the Heavenly Demon. “When I first served as the leader of the Iron Blood Castle, I was just satisfied with that position and had no intention of doing anything in the world.”
“I see.”
“That’s right. but… … .”
Zheng Zhongbaek closed his eyes.
“The world itself remained a good memory for me.”
Zhou Qing, who was looking at the remittance bag with a smile, raised his glass.
“Please come back in three months. “If you don’t come back in there, I will be very disappointed.”
Zhu Qing emptied the glass completely and looked in front of him.
Before I knew it, the remittance bag had disappeared.
“Wow, that person makes me feel bad like this every once in a while.”
martial arts,
