“I am merely a scholar; I know nothing of medicine.”
“Well, whether it’s medicine or sorcery, what does that matter to Taejeonggong? What matters is that Lee Jae has recovered after being near Baek Munhak, Taejeonggong fears him, and His Majesty deliberately sent Baek Munhak to Lee Jae’s side.”
“Do you now understand why I want to support Lee Jae and why I specifically brought Baek Munhak into this plan?”
‘Possibility.’
If the King took Lady Yeongeon into the palace to check Dan-gyeong, then her son Dan-ye must also have been a tool to restrain Dan-gyeong.
But in the end, the King chose Dan-gyeong as Taejeonggong, not Dan-ye.
At that moment, Dan-ye must have realized that his own ‘possibility’ had become faint.
If Dan-gyeong were to ascend the throne, she would never spare Lady Yeongeon, who had opposed her, nor Dan-ye, who had once been considered a strong contender for the crown before Taejeonggong was confirmed.
Dan-ye would have no choice but to push Dan-gyeong aside and place someone else on the throne just to survive.
Dan-yoon had supported Dan-gyeong from the beginning, and it was too late for him to aim for the throne again.
In contrast, Dan Lee Jae was still young.
He was a son whom the King cared enough for to immediately assign a scholar like Chae Gong as his teacher.
Though he had a reputation as a troublemaker, that was mostly due to being influenced by Dan-yoon, and could be excused.
Even if they were to oust Dan-gyeong, he had the cause of “avenging his mother” on his side.
If only he could make up for his weak education, and if the powerful Jin clan, which stood behind Dan-ye, would support him in terms of political power…
And if the King could live for just a few more years…
Then the ‘possibility’ of a different successor to the throne…
…might exist.
“What do you say, Baek Munhak? Join hands with me, and let’s create the next King together.”
Of course, it would mean risking their lives.
From the moment Sahyeon entered Pasa, his neck was as good as hung at the Yeonju Gate.
But now, Dan Lee Jae’s neck would be hanging right beside his—that was the real problem.
“The most important thing is Lady Yeongeon’s will, isn’t it?”
“Haha, that can be handled after Lee Jae becomes King. He’ll be registered as her adoptive son and raise her to the rank of Grand Empress Dowager.”
The King’s consorts and consorts of princes held no titles and could not intervene in politics.
But among them, only one—who bore a child that became King—could be elevated to the highest position of Grand Empress Dowager.
The highest rank in the royal household.
A seat that could ‘advise’ the King.
Lady Yeongeon, who had to suppress all her ambitions when she became consort, now sought to realize her dream by becoming Grand Empress Dowager.
If someone like Lady Yeongeon were to become Grand Empress Dowager, it would be a shadow throne in itself.
But that was something that could be dealt with after the throne was secured.
Sahyeon’s turbulent eyes gradually calmed. In the air, his gaze met Dan-ye’s.
He licked his dry lips and brought up his final question.
“Why did the eighth prince’s mental illness arise in the first place?”
If it was a real illness, it might just be temporarily stabilized now, but it could relapse.
“Isn’t it said that those who are born with ‘those eyes’ are mentally fragile? And yet he was raised in the household of the Grand General. The Grand General has a way of tempering people.”
“Didn’t he even take his only son to war as a child, treating him like a soldier, and that boy ended up suffering from madness for over a decade, ultimately hanging himself?”
“I heard that Lee Jae was also taken to the battlefield at some point. Maybe he was similarly brought along and ended up with an illness. Though it’s hard to fully blame the Grand General…”
Dan-ye stroked his smooth chin and gave a bitter smile.
“About the smell Lee Jae perceives—it’s said to be the stench of rotting corpses.”
Sahyeon knew that smell all too well. Just imagining it made one gag—a foul stench beyond description.
If that odor came at random, would lotus incense help?
He might even accept burning charcoal up his nostrils if it would.
“Maybe he was traumatized at the battlefield. Or, some say this: memories from infancy remain deep within the mind and can drive people to incomprehensible behavior.
Perhaps he still remembers his mother’s death.”
That was likely Dan-ye’s wishful thinking.
And the reason he added such words was to subtly influence Sahyeon—to plant in him a sense of sympathy and vengeance toward Lady Jaya while he stayed by Lee Jae’s side.
If that caused Lee Jae to abandon his peaceful life as Shinreunghu and stand against Taejeonggong over the next succession… then perhaps—
***
‘Who do they think they’re fooling?’
As soon as he left Sugyeongdang, Sahyeon formed a discreet middle finger under his long sleeve.
Saying he had no ambition for the throne?
Try saying that with eyes that don’t reek of scheming.
Sahyeon had seen someone like Dan-ye before—someone who only ever smiled gently, no matter the reaction.
Yoon Gyuhwa, the emissary from Hahyeon, who had framed Master Chae Gong and caused his death.
People like that never showed emotion, no matter the circumstance.
Unlike truly kind people, they didn’t waver.
Dan-ye was the same. Even when Sahyeon played the fool and said, “Wow! I get to make a king? I’ll rise to Chancellor in no time! How exciting!”, Dan-ye showed no sign of delight.
And even when Sahyeon reacted sharply for the first time, Dan-ye didn’t show any annoyance.
Like a mask baked from clay, he wore his perfectly crafted, benevolent smile.
That side was a dead end.
Dan-ye had seen Sahyeon as a disposable pawn from the start.
The plan was to provoke Lee Jae into confronting Taejeonggong, then seize power once both were worn down.
But the bait was wrong from the start.
Only someone idealistic and pure like Chae Gong would swallow it.
Would a politically savvy person—born in the palace and raised amid succession disputes—really entrust such a grand scheme to a powerless outsider?
It was laughable.
Sahyeon stopped in front of a water basin placed under a palace pillar.
He stared into the rippling fire-prevention water.
Was it his pale hair?
Or his gentle face?
People seemed to see him as an innocent fool.
Even the palace staff didn’t tell him the full truth about Lee Jae’s ‘illness.’
“Hah.”
Well, of course. Sahyeon himself hadn’t chosen a side yet.
Why would they reveal anything deeply secret to someone still undecided?
They had done enough by warning him about the “smell,” out of concern.
Now the scouting was done.
Two choices remained.
He could kneel before Taejeonggong, keep his head down, and earn her favor…
Or, he could actively join Dan-ye’s plan and take on the ‘role’ of using Lee Jae.
‘Neither is easy.’
Sahyeon knew.
The latter was better.
At least on Dan-ye’s side, he would have a “role.”
If he could engineer a clash between Taejeonggong and Lee Jae and ask for recognition afterward, he might draw closer while devising schemes.
Unlike Taejeonggong, whose power was firmly rooted, Dan-ye’s strength relied heavily on maternal relatives.
Once crowned, Dan-ye would likely want to step out of his mother’s shadow and build his own faction.
In that case, Lee Jae would be sacrificed no matter what.
He might not even get to keep the title of Shinreunghu.
A high price to pay for all his wasted years.
‘Why is the King keeping a mentally ill son locked away in Un-gyeong Palace?’
And damn it, why is he so obsessed with making him study?
If he’s ill, send him to Shinreung to rest!
Why send me as his tutor and mess with my peace?
‘Ugh, forget it. I’ve got enough of my own problems.’
Sahyeon shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
He had to go back to Dan-ye and make a counteroffer—right now.
No, I should pretend to think about it a bit more and then… tomorrow morning…
‘Damn it, have I caught my teacher’s indecisiveness?’
Weighing one’s options carefully is a luxury for those who have something to protect.
For prey animals like Sahyeon, survival depends on immediately running the moment they hear rustling.
Hesitating to figure out whether it’s a predator’s footsteps or just the wind could mean failing to dodge the fang aimed at his throat.
So he had to decide right now…
“Are you the Chief Librarian of the Wungyeong Palace Library?”
A heavy, low-pitched voice struck the back of Sahyeon’s head, as if to stir up the chaos in his already tangled mind. Suppressing his surprise with effort, Sahyeon slowly turned around.
The first thing he saw was the black uniform that signified a military officer of the 5th rank or higher.
But since there were no embroidered patterns on the clothes, the rank was likely 3rd or lower.
On the hilt of the sword at the man’s waist, a wolf baring its fangs was carved — a sign of being part of the royal army.
However, since the wolf was silver instead of the black that symbolized the royal family, he wasn’t part of the royal guard, but a member of the capital’s security force, the Dochongwi (Capital Defense Command).