Episode 220
“Do you want to know the true intention?”
“yes.”
“You’re saying something incomprehensible.”
Dokgokju shook his head once and lifted the teacup to his mouth.
Judging from the different colors in his eyes, it seemed like Longjeong tea suited his taste.
“I want to ask you one thing.”
“What do you want to ask?”
“Why did you not reveal it to those around you, even though you knew that Master Shi had joined hands with the Demon Cultist?”
“What makes you think I know that?”
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you really knew.”
“······I guess I’m old too. “I can’t believe I got caught in such shallow water.”
I put down the teacup and drew a smile on my face.
The verification process was simpler than I thought.
Of course, I was confident before asking the question.
“You have a big liver. “How dare you think of teasing me?”
“I thought it was strange. “It seems like you are choosing to go too far in circles, rather than your goal being to place a princess around the palace.”
There were many aspects of Dokgokju’s behavior that were not understood.
This did not mean that he cared for his granddaughter and tried to put her on the throne of the palace, ignoring her wishes.
People who force other people’s lives for their own gain are widespread even in the central plains.
The doubt I felt came from the fact that Dokgokju’s actions did not match his ambitions that were known to the outside world.
The first time I felt uncomfortable was when I had drinks with Woo Hwayeon a month ago.
[What kind of conversation is productive?]
[······?]
[If you threatened me by telling me to help you get to the top of the palace, if you coaxed me by saying I would reward you greatly if you cooperate with the plan. Do you think Sohyup would have listened to my story?]
A statement that cannot be made without monitoring the other brothers’ every move.
This was a passage that showed how wide and dense Dokgok’s information network was.
Then I thought.
Perhaps Dokgokju already knew that Prince Shi had made a deal with Demonicism.
‘Up until that point, it was just a suspicion.’
After accepting the proposal of the Beast Palace Lord, his doubts gradually turned into confidence as he met with the executives of the palace.
Woo Hwayeon’s influence within the palace was greater than expected.
The elder who had previously fought with Confucius was also a member of Wu Hwayeon’s faction.
To be precise, he joined hands with Dokgokju, the person behind Woo Hwayeon.
[Now, wait! I belong to the faction of the Four Confucius…!]
When the first preliminary match was held.
The reason I eliminated all the contestants, including those who belonged to Sakongja’s faction, was not simply because I wanted to show off my power.
It wasn’t even a mistake that I made because I couldn’t recognize the other person as an ally.
[What were you thinking when you did that? What should we do if we eliminate the same team?]
[Because we are on the same side.]
[······?]
[It seems that Confucius, who was watching from the audience, did not notice.]
[What does that mean?]
[I think it would be a good idea to put a little more effort into internal crackdown.]
[······!]
While competing.
I felt a strange sense of discomfort from the middle-aged man who claimed to be an ally.
A gaze as if observing the movements of prey.
The first time I thought it was a coincidence, but as it happened more and more times, I couldn’t help but become wary.
This was the reason why all the contestants except me were eliminated, regardless of whether they were friends or enemies.
Because I couldn’t even trust my allies.
After the match, I searched the body of the middle-aged warrior, who had passed out with a very mortified expression, and took a small bottle.
The bottle contained pitch black poison.
Although it was not comparable to death poison, it was immediately apparent that it was a very dangerous item.
Therefore, I took it to Seo-yeon Tang and had her check it.
‘A warrior belonging to Confucius’ faction carried poison manufactured in Dokgok. ‘It goes without saying what this means.’
One strange thing was why he kept the poison in his arms instead of using it.
Whether applied to weapons or sprayed using a special device.
There must have been plenty of ways to utilize it.
The doubts were resolved when the fourth round of the finals was held.
[I will surrender.]
[If you are going to lose anyway, it would be better to allow you to advance to the next match with your strength intact.]
The man, who was presumed to be Dokgokju’s disciple and follower of Dokgokju’s progress, appeared to give up the match so easily that he lost his temper.
There is no way he wouldn’t know that the next palace lord will be decided depending on who wins the competition.
They even went so far as to throw away medicine after the match was over.
No matter how much I thought about it, I could only think of it as excessive kindness.
‘I did wait for a plausible reason, though.’
It felt awkward somewhere.
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It was strange that he gave his reasons for surrendering without even asking in the first place.
Doesn’t it feel like you’re making excuses?
And, there is one more fundamental question.
Among the contestants, not many were from Dokgok.
It was a competition where the position of the next palace lord was at stake.
It made no sense for Dokgokju, who was trying to enthrone Woo Hwayeon around the palace, to show such an awkward attitude.
‘At least in my eyes, it seemed like the Dokgok side wasn’t very interested in the competition.’
It may be thought that this was because the representative fighter was confident that he would win, but the possibility of this was low due to the nature of the rules requiring continuous battles due to the short event period.
‘More than anything.’
Woo Hwayeon’s attitude was strange.
I had such a conversation with Changin Dojang before.
[You’d better be careful.]
[What do you mean?]
[I mean Confucius. I think this is someone you should never take lightly. It may sound funny to give advice to someone who is far behind in terms of skill, but…]
[Can you possibly find it funny? I know that Confucius is not someone to be taken lightly.]
[Oh, and I noticed one strange thing.]
[strange thing?]
[When the small cooperatives were holding the preliminary round, I was curious to see how the leaders of the five factions would react, so I took a look. But the princess’s attitude was a bit strange.]
[By princess, do you mean Woo Hwa-yeon Sojeo?]
[exactly.]
[In what way did you feel strange?]
[What can I say, there didn’t seem to be much interest in the competition. I was just looking up at the sky blankly throughout the match.]
[It may be that they are not paying attention to the preliminaries.]
[No matter what, it’s not normal to give at least some attention when a person belonging to one’s own faction participates in a competition. But since there isn’t even the slightest response, I can’t help but feel puzzled.]
Changin Dojang’s intuition was right.
Woo Hwayeon’s indifferent attitude continued even as the finals were being held.
Even when the warrior representing the faction was defeated, he didn’t show any signs of agitation, so what more can I say?
It is unlikely that he showed such an attitude because he believed that the delegation would take him to the central plain.
Because I didn’t give her any definite answer in the first place.
At a time when the doubts were growing bigger and bigger.
A hypothesis came to mind.
Maybe Dokgokju was trying to make me win the competition from the beginning?
By changing my perspective, I was able to resolve all my questions.
Why did Dokgokju know the secret of Sagongja but not tell it to those around him?
Why did they send a small number of people to participate in the competition, as if they were trying to match only the minimum assortment?
Why did the man in black simply declare surrender?
Why did Woo Hwayeon not pay much attention to the competition?
“What the Lord Gok really wants is probably not to have a princess around the palace.”
“Then what do you think my real purpose is?”
“Prolongation of civil war.”
“······.”
“The Beast Palace, caught in an internal power struggle, is gradually losing influence in Nanman society. That must be Gokju’s true goal. “Isn’t that right?”
I knew because I had memories of my past life.
The fight over control of the palace continues for more than ten years.
I was wondering how an internal dispute could last for ten years, but now I think I understand.
It was only after understanding Dokgokju’s intentions that he was able to realize the truth.
‘The one who adjusted the balance of power between each faction to prolong the civil war was none other than Dokgokju.’
Dokgokju did not want to enshrine Woo Hwa-yeon around the palace and exercise enormous power as his maternal relative.
His true intention is to reduce the power of the Beast Sign, which exerts absolute influence in Southern Man society.
If Dokgok were to replace the vacancy thus created, it would not be impossible for Dokgokju himself to reign as the supreme ruler of Namman.
“That’s amazing. “I never thought I could guess that far.”
Dokgokju, who emptied his teacup in one go, burst into laughter.
The energy that slowly erupted encroached on the entire area.
Although I felt quite a bit of pressure, I pretended to be calm and picked up the kettle.
“You must have a lot to worry about.”
“······?”
As he spoke while pouring tea into an empty cup, Dokgokju’s eyes narrowed.
His face looked like he didn’t know what he meant by saying that.
“Gongzi Shi can no longer do business with the Demonic Cult.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Still, isn’t Shi Gongja’s faction relatively weak compared to the other four factions? “It is as obvious as fire that he will fall as he no longer receives the support of the Demonic Cult.”
“······.”
“It would be an unpleasant situation for Lord Gok, who does not want the balance of power between each faction to be disrupted.”
The fall of Confucius.
The upheaval in the power map that will occur as a result.
Balance has a tendency to collapse uncontrollably once it begins to tilt.
In the worst case, the civil war could have ended much sooner than planned.
“If we wait and see the situation, the grand plan that we have prepared for a long time will go awry, and if we take action, there is a risk that our intentions will be discovered.”
“······.”
“I would like to give some advice and suggestions to the owner of Gok, who is probably having a lot of concerns.”
“proposal?”
“Please allow me to take the princess to the central plain.”
“I went around and came back to the starting point. “Can you explain why I should allow it?”
“of course.”
“I will listen. “I warn you, it will have to be a reason I can understand.”
“Sa Gongja, who has fallen on a string, will never turn down the hand extended by Gokju.”
“······?”
“I am telling you to disband the princess’s faction and support the princess. As you may know, I am currently forming an alliance with Shi Confucius. “We will build a bridge.”
“······!”
Dokgokju’s eyes opened wide.
I raised the corners of my mouth and continued explaining.
“A faction that disintegrated due to the disappearance of its leader, the princess. Dokgok, who supported the faction, cries and joins hands with Sa Gongja to eat mustard.”
In this way, the number of factions would be reduced, but the balance of power would be clearly maintained.
Dokgok and delegation.
It could be said that it was a proposal that was beneficial to both sides.
“This seems to be a fairly natural painting. What do you think, Lord Gok?”
martial arts,
