Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 775

“…….”

Yang Cheon, seated in the grand master’s chair and reviewing a report, appeared unusually serious, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

It was a report he had already scrutinized multiple times. And it wasn’t just a single page; it spanned over ten.

He had been absorbed in it, contemplating and rereading it for more than half an hour.

Baek Seo remained quietly prostrate, awaiting his lord’s words. Bu Seon, standing beside him, also sensed his master’s gravity and bowed his head respectfully.

How much time had elapsed?

“…They’re insane.”

The expression on Yang Cheon’s face after uttering those words was peculiar. He seemed a mix of wronged, admiring, and even a touch sulky, which was quite out of character.

“They’re completely out of their minds. I knew they were lurking in the imperial palace, but I didn’t realize the scale was this vast?”

Baek Seo bowed and responded,

“They are indeed dangerous individuals. If they wielded that much control over the imperial palace, they must have been working on it for at least half a century.”

“That’s likely accurate. And for over half a century, the fools in the imperial palace remained oblivious to their existence.”

“…….”

Yang Cheon chuckled.

“Even so, I never imagined the imperial palace would be so thoroughly compromised.”

He could discern from the report that the situation was unavoidable. Given their audacious entrance, the others had no choice but to gamble everything for their survival.

‘No, it wasn’t exactly us.’

Yang Cheon’s gaze fixated on a particular point in the report.

“The Martial Alliance…”

“…….”

“The Alliance explicitly stated that they dispatched an envoy to assist the Empress in ousting the eunuch Woo Heon, who was manipulating the palace, and to restore the imperial palace’s dignity.”

“Yes, that aligns with my understanding as well.”

“If those fellows aren’t trying to deceive us, does that imply the envoy altered their course of action independently?”

“Or, it’s conceivable that the strategist of the Martial Alliance, who orchestrated this, provided them with separate instructions.”

“Of course, that’s a possibility.”

Yang Cheon stroked his beard.

A hint of bewilderment flickered across his face.

“Even if that were the case, if the people on the ground hadn’t responded effectively, they would never have achieved this outcome.”

“I concur.”

“No matter how I analyze it, it’s unbelievable. They went to meet the Empress, got embroiled in a rebellion, seized that opportunity to approach the Emperor and offer direct counsel, and even apprehended the eunuch who was present…”

Baek Seo raised his head and stated,

“As the Vice-Leader mentioned, even with instructions from their strategist, the ultimate execution rested with the individuals on the ground. Given that a young lady from the Jeagal family was among the envoys, I suspect the plan originated from her.”

“A plan?”

The bewilderment on Yang Cheon’s face deepened.

“Can this even be termed a plan?”

“…….”

“This was a reckless charge without any backup. They could have ended up battling the entire imperial palace. This isn’t a plan; it’s sheer folly.”

At that moment, Bu Seon cautiously spoke up.

“It certainly appears that way, but… I considered it from a different perspective.”

“Hmm, very well. Let’s hear your thoughts.”

Despite the formal setting, Yang Cheon held Bu Seon in high regard.

Bu Seon nodded politely and continued,

“We, as well as the Martial Alliance, were aware that the imperial palace was under the control of the Divine Flame cult.”

“That’s correct.”

“Of course, those individuals aren’t foolish, so they wouldn’t have contemplated harming the Emperor. If they had attempted to harm the Emperor, the Empress wouldn’t have been able to amass that much power in the first place.”

“You’re right.”

“In other words, they aimed to make the Emperor a puppet and maintain the empire’s legitimacy. They didn’t intend to touch the last bastion of the people of the Central Plains [The heartland of the empire].”

“That was a natural and reasonable course of action.”

“The issue lies with us.”

“Us?”

“If they hadn’t removed the Emperor but instead made him a puppet, it would have been a perilous situation in itself. If they had mobilized the imperial forces and swept down from Hebei [A northern province] first, we would have been compelled to confront the empire.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.

“Are you suggesting that the martial world could have become a rebel force at any moment?”

“Precisely. In other words, it’s not surprising that they went to directly meet the Emperor to ascertain if he had truly become their puppet, and if so, they were prepared to draw their swords on the spot.”

“…Hoo.”

Yang Cheon sighed and stroked his beard.

“To venture into a place where you could become an enemy at any time, assess the leader’s qualifications, and decide on life or death…”

“That’s my interpretation.”

Yang Cheon clicked his tongue.

“Then aren’t they even more insane? It seems like they’re even more reckless than us, the Black Dao [A term for unorthodox martial arts] and the Demonic Sect.”

Baek Seo shook his head.

“They may appear reckless, but on the other hand, it can be viewed as a brilliant plan. Since they entered the palace through the Empress, they could easily infiltrate, and even if there wasn’t a rebellion, their abilities would have allowed them to reach the Emperor’s residence anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“Above all, it can be seen as a plan that was formulated after recognizing the imperial palace as an enemy from the outset. Otherwise, it’s inexplicable.”

“Heh.”

Yang Cheon shook his head.

“Anyway, it can only be attributed to luck. There were only three of them. Killing the eunuch, seizing control of the area, and then bringing in allies who were secretly working under the Emperor. How could they have planned all of this in advance?”

“That’s right.”

“What if the Imperial Guards hadn’t followed the Emperor’s orders? It was excessively dangerous and impulsive.”

Bu Seon spoke up.

“If that had occurred… the envoy might have kidnapped the Emperor and escaped the imperial palace.”

“To that extent?”

“It may seem surprising because the opponent is the Martial Alliance, but I believe that even if you were in the same situation, Master, you wouldn’t have acted much differently.”

“Hmm?”

Yang Cheon was lost in thought.

After a moment.

“I’m reluctant to admit it, but…”

Yang Cheon chuckled.

“Yeah, I probably would have acted similarly.”

Bu Seon bowed his head silently.

Yang Cheon’s gaze grew heavy.

“We would have acted the same way, but it’s surprising because it’s the Martial Alliance… If you consider it differently, it implies that the Martial Alliance is also in a precarious position.”

“Yes. I believe so too.”

“Why wouldn’t they be comfortable? Of course, everyone knows that the Three Teachings [A collective term for evil cults] are dangerous, but it’s not something that happened overnight, and there doesn’t seem to be a reason to act so drastically.”

Baek Seo and Bu Seon remained silent, as if they didn’t know the exact reason.

At that moment, Yang Cheon’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s because of the Alliance Leader.”

“Yes?”

“There may be other reasons, but… to gauge their intentions by even touching the imperial palace, and to clearly distinguish between friend and foe… I believe it’s due to the Alliance Leader election.”

Bu Seon asked, puzzled,

“What is the correlation between the Martial Alliance’s Alliance Leader election and the events in the imperial palace?”

“There are two aspects.”

Yang Cheon’s fingers tapped the armrest.

“First, it’s to address the decline in the Alliance’s power due to corruption.”

“Yes?”

“The Martial Alliance has already suffered once from the spies of the Three Teachings. They can’t help but be sensitive to such issues.”

“Of course, that’s true.”

“There are numerous requirements to become the Alliance Leader. It’s not solely about martial prowess and a high reputation. Political power is crucial, so they must have strong allies, and their personal influence must be substantial.”

Baek Seo exclaimed.

“If the candidates attempt to expand their influence by force…”

“Yes, and what works well in the martial world is connections with the imperial palace and government offices. Most forces lack ties with them, but those considered powerful are all involved with officials.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes gleamed.

“It’s different from us. Those things are important to them. But since they are electing the Alliance Leader, they can’t just do it haphazardly, and at least each of them will appear with some influential figures.”

“…….”

“If there are officials from the imperial palace mixed in, it becomes a headache. If they don’t properly cleanse the imperial palace, the risk of choosing a lackey of the Three Teachings as their own person becomes incredibly high.”

“…….”

“But they can’t risk bringing in the lackeys of the Three Teachings just to elect the Alliance Leader. The reason for establishing the Martial Alliance and electing the Alliance Leader is to combat the Three Teachings, and if that happens, the game is over before the war even starts.”

Bu Seon cautiously said,

“If they employ a method to block corruption from the source…”

“As I mentioned, they are different from us. Their way of thinking is different. They all know that such things are merely superficial.”

Yang Cheon smacked his lips.

“I’ve seen enough of it myself.”

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

Yang Cheon leaned back in his chair.

“Well, they may have cleansed the imperial palace due to that intention, but there must be other reasons as well. Just considering the geography, there are numerous orthodox sects north of the Yangtze River. But if the imperial palace is being controlled by the Divine Flame cult and starts moving south, then it’s like their own house is on fire.”

“That’s right.”

“They had no choice but to cleanse it in many ways. And…”

Yang Cheon’s eyes changed.

“It was truly cleansed thoroughly. It must have been more than they anticipated.”

Baek Seo spoke up.

“Although the Vice-Leader has formed an alliance, if the Emperor sides with them, it could be a detrimental situation for us.”

Bu Seon nodded silently, agreeing with his words.

Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.

“That’s likely true. But we have that guy, don’t we?”

“Yes?”

“Deputy Yeon. According to the report, it seems that the Yeon family head has caught the Emperor’s eye, and if his son has connections with the Black Dragon Unit [An elite military unit], there won’t be any major problems for now.”

“Of course, that’s true, but…”

“The problem is what the outcome will be in the power struggle after the war.”

Yang Cheon sighed deeply.

“Damn it, I hope Yeon Ho-Jeong hasn’t forgotten that he’s a deputy of the headquarters before he’s a military commander of the Martial Alliance? If he says something unnecessary in front of the Emperor, we’ll be in trouble too.”

“Surely Deputy Yeon wouldn’t do that.”

“He’s not the type to do that… Aish, I don’t know anymore. His temper is so terrible. I can’t predict him at all, I can’t.”

Yang Cheon frowned and scratched his head.

“He killed the Prince of Bi and even ascended to the Saintly Heaven [A high level of martial arts mastery], so he won’t back down just because he’s afraid of my fist anymore, right? That impudent bastard. Thinking about it makes me angry. There’s a hierarchy, but he’s acting like a king, surpassing all his seniors? Damn it.”