The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 326

The Divine Doctor of Primacy (326)

The Hall of Supreme Harmony (皇極殿), the largest structure in the Forbidden City.

Originally called the Hall of Reverence to Heaven (奉天殿), its name was recently changed by the newly enthroned Emperor.

Since then, it had been used as the main hall where he discussed state affairs with his ministers.

Standing before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, awaiting the Emperor’s summons, Ryun So-mil glanced around.

This place was the most crucial point within the Imperial Palace.

Moreover, as it was where the empire’s most important matters were decided, the security was extremely tight.

Every time he came here, he couldn’t get used to the heavy atmosphere.

It was the same now.

Although the clear sky was perfectly blue and high, the atmosphere around the Hall of Supreme Harmony was incredibly heavy, as if gloomy clouds were hanging over it.

Furthermore, the loud voices of the ministers, arguing so fiercely that they could be heard from outside, were already giving him a headache.

‘My fate is truly harsh.’

Dan-ak-seon had returned less than a day ago, yet…

He couldn’t even properly share their stories before being dragged here, a situation he could only lament.

“Um, excuse me…”

Ryun So-mil cautiously spoke to the eunuch standing beside him.

“What is the topic of today’s imperial council (御前會議) that they are exchanging such heated arguments?”

“Heh heh. How could a lowly fire starter (火者) like me know the contents of the meetings presided over by His Majesty?”

Ryun So-mil inwardly scoffed at the eunuch’s self-deprecating words, calling himself a fire starter.

The eunuch had particularly thin lips and a pale face.

Eunuchs were referred to as fire starters or purified bodies (淨身), but unlike their literal meanings, these terms were actually used as insults.

Since one couldn’t openly call someone a castrato, they used such roundabout terms.

However, there were many who had been ruined by being deceived by their smooth exteriors.

Especially the eunuchs belonging to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs (司禮監) were to be treated with caution.

The Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty, originally disregarded eunuchs and bound them with numerous restrictions.

He was wary of the examples of the Later Han and Tang dynasties, which had entered the path of ruin due to the rise of eunuchs in the past.

Therefore, he only used them as mere errand runners for the imperial family and did not even allow them to learn to read.

The Jianwen Emperor, who succeeded him, also continued his grandfather’s policies.

That eventually provoked a backlash from the eunuchs.

Due to their dissatisfaction with their treatment, they eventually participated in a rebellion.

The Yongle Emperor, who raised an army to remove his nephew from the throne, colluded with them and succeeded in the coup.

After that, the treatment of eunuchs, as well as their status, changed greatly.

The Yongle Emperor overturned the Hongwu Emperor’s legacy and began to grant privileges to the eunuchs who had helped him.

He even established the Eastern Depot (東廠), an extrajudicial special agency separate from the Embroidered Uniform Guard (錦衣衛), an organization specialized in surveillance and intelligence gathering, and appointed a eunuch as its head.

The information handled by the Eastern Depot was truly diverse.

Not to mention various conspiracies or the weaknesses of high-ranking officials, there was no information that did not pass through their hands, even including the weather and market prices.

However, the main purpose was to monitor civil and military officials and members of the imperial family, and to punish them whenever they found fault.

Furthermore, the influence of eunuchs in the court was not limited to the Eastern Depot.

Each of them collected information from their respective departments and used it for various political maneuvers, thereby strengthening the Emperor’s power.

Of course, not all eunuchs enjoyed power.

The majority of eunuchs simply remained in low-level positions, quietly doing odd jobs before retiring.

However, some caught the Emperor’s eye or used existing connections to approach the core of power.

Such eunuchs were invariably skilled in scheming and possessed political acumen.

The organization at the pinnacle of them was the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

Even the chief of the Eastern Depot, the Director of the Eastern Depot, was subordinate to the Grand Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

Therefore, eunuchs belonging to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs could not be ignored.

Because intrigue and conspiracies were rampant within it, it was impossible to predict who would emerge as the core of power.

“Hey, Eunuch (太監). Don’t be like that, give me a hint if you know anything.”

As he said this, Ryun So-mil subtly slipped something into the eunuch’s sleeve.

The eunuch’s eyes narrowed slightly, pleased by the word “Eunuch.”

Originally, “Eunuch” referred to the head of the department that eunuchs were in charge of, but it was sometimes used as an honorific like this.

Therefore, no eunuch disliked being called “Eunuch.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s a sachet (香囊). This time, very high-quality ambergris came from the Western Regions. I set aside some of the items to be presented to His Majesty and separately kept a small portion allocated to the merchant guild.”

“……!”

The eunuch’s eyes widened in surprise.

Most of them often suffered from incontinence, regardless of their own will.

This was a side effect of castration.

Therefore, they usually carried sachets to hide the smell.

Generally, they mixed medicinal herbs with strong scents such as angelica, cnidium, or mint, but in the case of key power holders like eunuchs, they occasionally replaced them with expensive musk.

However, ambergris was a fragrance that could not be compared to musk.

Unlike musk, which could be obtained through hunting, ambergris was occasionally found on the beach with low probability, so it was entirely dependent on luck.

Its high value was, of course, needless to say.

Above all, from the eunuch’s point of view, there was no better bribe to win the favor of his superiors.

The eunuch, who had been flustered for a moment, quickly regained his composure and looked at Ryun So-mil.

“The work permitted to petty officials like me is extremely limited. Therefore, I dare not speak of such matters.”

“Is that so…”

The eunuch gave Ryun So-mil a sly smile as he tried to hide his disappointment.

Then, he began to move his lips.

Ryun So-mil, who was initially puzzled, soon realized the situation and was startled.

Having had experience leading an intelligence organization in the past, Ryun So-mil had also learned lip reading (讀脣術).

A technique to understand what someone is saying by observing the movements and expressions of their lips.

Therefore, it was not difficult to grasp what the eunuch in front of him was saying.

The other party was also using oral speech (口話), a concept contrasted with sign language (手話), making it even easier to read his lips.

However, the real reason Ryun So-mil was surprised was different.

―…Trying to put out a small fire to prevent a big one, but instead, that fire has become an even greater danger, so the demerit is greater than the merit.

The distance between where they were standing and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was roughly over fifty yards.

Yet, the eunuch in front of him was accurately grasping the voices that even he had difficulty distinguishing.

‘Earth Listening Technique (地廳術)!’

Originally, it was a method of analyzing sounds heard from afar by putting one’s ear to the ground.

However, the eunuch in front of him was not putting his ear to the ground; instead, he was standing upright and translating the conversations inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony into lip movements.

Clearly, there was a secret tradition among eunuchs that they were unaware of.

Ryun So-mil finally realized that he was no ordinary sly fox.

‘The Imperial Palace is a scary place.’

Ryun So-mil inwardly felt a chill down his spine.

It was definitely a place where one could not let their guard down for even a moment.

Nevertheless, thanks to the eunuch in front of him, he was able to grasp what was being discussed at the imperial council.

Then, at some point.

‘These guys?’

Ryun So-mil’s eyebrows twitched.

As he listened to the conversations of the ministers, who were confronting each other from different standpoints, he felt a fire burning inside him.

It was then.

“It seems His Majesty will be summoning you soon, so please tidy your attire.”

At the eunuch’s words, Ryun So-mil composed himself.

Then, after neatly arranging his clothes, he politely asked the eunuch.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask for your name?”

The eunuch smiled quietly.

“Yoon Bong (尹鳳). That is my name.”

“I see. I will remember it.”

Ryun So-mil nodded and followed the eunuch, who had revealed himself as Yoon Bong, towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

* * *

“Subjugating the Blood Cloud Squad, the ominous group from the north, is a great achievement beyond compare!”

“However, Your Majesty, that has created an even larger Daldan tribe. Trying to put out a small fire to prevent a big one, but instead, that fire has become an even greater danger, so the demerit is greater than the merit.”

“They are our friendly forces. In fact, detailed reports have been sent from the person in charge of Jiayuguan, have they not?”

“How can we trust barbarians? After spending so many years and efforts to weaken their power and drive them north, it is meaningless.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty. This is an act of encouraging the rise of barbarians. You must severely punish Ryun So-mil, who rashly judged and predicted, thereby ruining the grand plan of the court.”

“Ahem! Severe punishment! Minister Ryun is a meritorious subject who has quelled the chaos in the north by receiving His Majesty’s orders! Instead of giving him a reward, what kind of absurd words are those?”

“Enough.”

The ministers, who had been pushing each other to the brink with veins popping out of their necks, stopped speaking as if by magic.

The Emperor, who had stopped the ministers’ remarks with a single word, tapped the armrest of the jade throne with his finger.

“Your opinions are reasonable in their own way, but it is too early to jump to conclusions. Therefore, I intend to listen to Minister Ryun’s opinion directly and make a judgment.”

The Emperor cast his gaze towards the eunuch.

“Has Minister Ryun arrived?”

“Yes. He is waiting outside.”

“Tell him to come in.”

Shortly after, Ryun So-mil, who had entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, prostrated himself on the spot and performed the grand salute.

“Long live, long live, long long live! Minister Ryun So-mil pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Ryun So-mil, who had already grasped the arguments going on here, confidently revealed his eyes and voice as if to show off.

The Emperor, who had been quietly looking down at Ryun So-mil, suddenly opened his mouth.

“You annihilated the Blood Cloud Squad?”

“Everything is due to the greatness and magnificence of His Majesty the Emperor…”

“Enough. But as a result, you ended up inadvertently fostering the power of the barbarians.”

The Emperor’s eyes were already coldly hardened.

“I heard that you and your group played a significant role in that series of events. Do you have anything to say about this?”

The consolidation of the scattered Daldan tribes into a single force had the potential to become a future problem, even if not immediately.

Ryun So-mil’s life would be decided here depending on his answer.

It was then that Ryun So-mil sighed deeply.

“Everything is my fault.”

“Do you mean you admit your fault?”

The Emperor was momentarily taken aback.

He never expected Ryun So-mil to admit his responsibility so readily.

Like most ministers, he had expected him to at least make excuses or give reasons equivalent to them to avoid responsibility, but…

“I am afraid to say, but I truly did not know that the Blood Cloud Squad would be so weak.”

A glint flashed in the Emperor’s eyes.

“The Blood Cloud Squad was weak?”

“If it had gone according to my plan, the Blood Cloud Squad and the Daldan tribal alliance should have exhausted each other’s strength in the final decisive battle and suffered mutual destruction. At the very least, I expected the Daldan tribal alliance to suffer a significant blow and take a considerable amount of time to recover… But when I opened the lid, the Blood Cloud Squad collapsed so feebly that even I was greatly embarrassed to hear the report.”

As he said this, Ryun So-mil subtly cast his gaze towards the Minister of War.

“It is my mistake that I thought they were quite strong because even the Ministry of War has not been able to eradicate them easily.”

The Minister of War, the person in charge of the Ministry of War, flared up at Ryun So-mil’s remark, which naturally implicated the Ministry of War.

“That’s because martial artists joined…”

Ryun So-mil chuckled and cut off his words.

“Even if they are martial artists, there are only about twenty of them. No matter how great their martial arts may be, how can they be compared to the might of the Great Ming army? Moreover, they are not even skilled in horsemanship like ordinary generals.”

“Th, that’s…”

While the flustered Minister of War was unable to continue speaking, Ryun So-mil sighed deeply once again.

“I don’t understand why you haven’t been able to subdue such guys until now.”