“General Dan will have to endure the next temptation well, won’t he?”
He had spoken as if he were the composed one, but in truth he was in a state of barely restrained impatience, unable to savor the luscious flower before his eyes. Even so, the fact that he had ultimately gone no further and drawn back was a patience so commendable that praising himself a hundred times would not be enough. Only, it would be hard to look forward to a next time.
“Truly… how much longer can I endure?”
That was what he had thought all the way home, holding Mok-young in his arms. At least by holding him close he could press it down and endure. Paradoxically, holding him fully in his arms gave him peace of mind, so it never reached the point of stirring such a flame .
“Rumors travel fast. The only one who saw that was Minister Hong — has word already spread so far?”
“The coachman was beside you as well. And the other servants, of course.”
“Ah, right. True.”
Hae-gang’s blithe sighs and complacent outlook sometimes drove Seol Yong to distraction , but it was the prince’s long-known nature, and there was nothing to be done. Seol Yong’s eyes narrowed, about to launch into another scolding, when Seung-gyeom, who had been gauging the two, suddenly cut in.
“Come now, if husband and wife are affectionate, what could be more blessed? It’s better than rumors spreading that the wedding night was neglected.”
But in his haste, a careless remark slipped out. Seung-gyeom hurriedly pressed his lips shut and stole a glance at the prince’s mood — and sure enough, Hae-gang, who had been watching Seung-gyeom all along, met his eyes and burst out laughing.
“I know, I know. What everyone else knows, why wouldn’t I know it? I only mentioned it in passing — why so frightened, Minister Yun?”
Hae-gang’s tone was generous, his whole face full of an amused smile.
“If only our Minister Yun hadn’t gone and made a loyal subject’s fuss over it, all would have been well.”
But Seung-gyeom had long known that Hae-gang’s smiling face could sometimes be frightening, so meeting his gaze he could only give an awkward “Ha ha… quite, quite.” Hae-gang’s hand came down on Seung-gyeom’s shoulder and kneaded it firmly. The touch was light, yet strength could be felt in it, and Seung-gyeom carried on with a strained “ah-ha-ha.”
So the rumors hardly bothered him, but the word “neglected” applied to his wife caught his ear — that was Seung-gyeom’s thought.
“Perhaps what he worries about isn’t even the real problem.”
Hae-gang, lowering his hand from Seung-gyeom’s shoulder, said this looking at Seol Yong. He was speaking of drawing close to Mok-young.
He had rested deeply after taking a good dose of medicinal pills yesterday , true, but that was a routine matter. Hae-gang judged it hard to say his body had changed so markedly from that alone. When he woke in the morning he had thought it merely a rare refreshing morning, but after crossing swords with Seung-gyeom just now he could see it more clearly. His body, unlike usual, was far less strained in wielding yang energy — far less burdened by it.
Then there was only one answer. It could only be the influence of the yin energy he had received from Mok-young. The sensation that the heat which had always raged through his body like wildfire had quieted — there was no explaining it except through him. Perhaps it was because it had been only a brief kiss that he had received just this much influence and remained unharmed; in any case, Hae-gang’s heart had grown considerably lighter.
It wasn’t as though he had to keep his distance from his bride forever . Since the matter of Mok-young pushing him away before their wedding night, Hae-gang had had many thoughts on many fronts — but in this moment, no, in that moment yesterday inside the carriage when their lips had met, all those tangled thoughts seemed to burst into flame and vanish into ash.
If a mere kiss could do that, what would happen if he coveted his bride further still?
“The General’s yin energy… might lead me to a better place than I thought.”
Finishing, Hae-gang lifted his head to look up at the sky. They said Northern Wei had stronger yin energy than Namwi, but the weather seemed better in the north. Perhaps it was the same principle as the midwinter sky being uniquely clear. Perhaps the cold wind blew and pushed the dark clouds away so they could not linger.
Whatever it was, Hae-gang found exactly to his liking this bitingly clear day, the loneliness that had hung over it now crumbling away warmly, laced with fragrance . So much so that, very rarely, an almost bright remark flowed from his lips.
Hae-gang was a man who had rarely spared a thought for reaching a better place in a life that was merely endured day by day. The sight of him speaking such words was unfamiliar even to watching eyes, and so even Seol Yong could find no more words — not even a breath — to say to him.
He had to survive. If such a thought drew him on, reckless despite everything — could that be the beckoning of fate?
Or was it merely the helplessly swaying heart of a new bridegroom whose bride pleased him?
***
Hyeonchungsang , the Emperor’s office.
Mok-young was in audience with the Emperor, Ju Geon-yang. Geon-yang sat before his desk examining documents, while Mok-young stood a few paces before him. He had come to report what he had discussed with his troops at the barracks regarding the bandit matter . He reported the considerable scale of the damage, the numbers of the bandit gang, how they evaded the patrol soldiers to raid the roads and how they responded when they encountered patrols — and added that he would soon dispatch adjutants to survey their true state, and that if need be, a subjugation order might have to be issued.
All the while Mok-young spoke, Geon-yang never lifted his eyes from the documents he was reading. It seemed at first glance as though he were half-listening to Mok-young’s tedious words while skimming the papers, but he was hearing them fully. This manner of Geon-yang was familiar to Mok-young. Only, the long silence even after hearing Mok-young out did not sit well with him. It was an oddly stifling discomfort, shared by Baek Dae-ho, the adjutant standing a step behind Mok-young.
“Bandits are running rampant, so the 1st Corps of the Black Shadow Army has marched out? That will only stir the people’s discontent.”
Geon-yang’s voice was low and calm. But it did not feel gentle — rather, a chill lay within it.
“We will form a detached unit and handle it quietly, without raising a stir.”
“And if the bandit gang is large in scale? Can your detached unit bear all of that?”
Geon-yang spoke on in an unwavering tone, his eyes still skimming only the documents. Mok-young, too, stood unwavering before the Emperor’s rebuke; only Dae-ho’s gaze, watching the scene, flickered slightly.
Whether the bandit gang is large or small, the General will form a detached unit and settle it with as little commotion as possible — what could be the problem with that? If the scale is large, it only means your reign is a mess. Such a thought flitted through Dae-ho’s mind, but he, too, kept a stony face, revealing no displeasure outwardly. True to a trusted aide whom Mok-young cherished, he kept his composure .
“If the bandit gang is large in scale, then indeed our 1st Corps should go and resolve it, should it not?”
“General Dan, you know best what the 1st Corps means to our Northern Wei army. So be prudent. When your adjutants have surveyed the situation and returned, report to me at once.”
“It shall be done.”
The 1st Corps of the Black Shadow Army was the most capable unit, so the mere fact of its moving would create tension — an obvious reality at first glance. If word got out that even the 1st Corps of the Black Shadow Army had been mobilized merely to deal with bandits, there was fear the people’s hearts nearby would grow turbulent.
But the bandits said to haunt Myoaksan were no ordinary bandits. The revealed damage was likely only a fraction; judging by that alone, their lot might be a larger mountain-bandit collective than expected—
Moreover, Myoaksan was like a gateway into Buganseong , the capital of Northern Wei, so its defenses had to be airtight. It wasn’t only about subjugating the mountain bandits; the capital’s defenses had to be inspected as well.
But in many ways, Dae-ho thought sending the 1st Corps of the Black Shadow Army was right. If the goal was to quietly clean up the bandit group in the first place, the most efficient choice was to pick the most skilled from the 1st Corps and form a detached unit. But the Emperor had spoken as though Mok-young were acting rashly and hot-bloodedly, and Dae-ho’s gaze twitched slightly.
It had not been long since Dae-ho, a young officer, had come to serve the General , but over the years he had observed closely: the Emperor seemed to trust Mok-young and yet not trust him. Emperors were all busy scheming for themselves, but there was something about it that grated on their General’s nerves. Do well and it was only expected; make the smallest mistake and it was all treated as Mok-young’s fault. There had even been talk going around — if that were truly the case, Dae-ho clicked his tongue inwardly at how small-minded an emperor could be.
“Are the banquet preparations going well?”
Ju Geon-yang finally lifted his head and looked at Mok-young, asking an out-of-the-blue question. Whatever it might look like to others, Mok-young was an old friend Geon-yang had known for a long time, so he was showing interest in the banquet being held for his birthday. Moreover, that banquet was to be held at Ajungseong. The banquet conceived on the wedding day had been folded into the approaching birthday banquet under a convenient pretext — it made a fine occasion to exchange greetings with those around them.
The banquet had grown in scale, and the guest list with it.
“My parents and elder brother are giving it much thought. They are more meticulous than I, so it should be proceeding well.”
Mok-young was usually indifferent to such matters. He was not the sort to throw a grand celebration for his own birthday. In many cases he had been far away on campaign or shoring up the borders, so he had often spent his birthday thus. So there was nothing strange in his answer — but Geon-yang probed for a gap sharply.
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