Book 11: Chapter 11: Above All Men

Above All Men.

In the past, countless dynasties were created and crumbled as they passed through the continent, but.

The figure it signified was always only one.

It was a term referring to the Emperor of the empire who held hegemony over this continent.

However.

"The Emperor's first step…"

In the word 'Emperor' spoken by the current patriarch of the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families, not a single shred of that authority of being above all men could be felt.

"To think he is taking his first step only after passing his coming-of-age."

Although the patriarchs had reached the conclusion that the Emperor had moved personally to appoint the Prime Minister not a single one among them was excessively tense or anxious.

"Our Emperor has started toddling quite late."

Rather, when someone cracked such a joke, they all even let out fishy laughs.

It was an attitude as if the Emperor was not even in their consideration.

"However."

One patriarch frowned and stroked his beard.

"Spreading confusion with the movements of those old horses, and the Emperor taking his first step personally in the meantime. How on earth did he do it?"

* * *

The Imperial Palace.

'…I have entered the palace.'

An old man with a height and build that could easily be called a giant was moving his feet.

Although it was to avoid the eyes of others it was an Imperial Palace he entered as if sneaking in through the back roads, but.

'…To think that at my age, I would return to the Imperial Palace like this again.'

Why did his aged heart beat so much?

As he walked, the old man raised his pot-lid-like hand and slowly stroked the stone wall of the Imperial Palace.

'…Everything is the same.'

That day.

He had thrown off his official robes and left the Imperial Palace, but.

The appearance of the Imperial Palace was as if it had stopped since that day.

It was welcoming the old man in that very place, in that very state. "……."

He was deeply moved.

Unbefitting of his age, his eyes grew red. "……."

The old eunuch, who could not dare fathom the old man's feelings, until the guidance was finished did not open his mouth even once.

"It is here."

In the Imperial Palace of the State of Zhongyuan, there were one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine rooms, which were incomparable to anywhere else in terms of splendor, but.

The place he arrived at was a small, one-room building used by low-ranking civil officials who were occasionally stranded in the palace due to weather or the like. "……."

The door opened, and the giant old man bent his waist to pass through the low entrance.

An entrance with a low ceiling.

It was meant to make them realize the duty of a subject, that the Emperor was always above everyone.

The old man had to bend his waist excessively due to his height, but. "……."

Even after passing the entrance, he did not straighten his waist again.

Rather, he bent his waist even further, kneeling down completely.

"Long live, long live, long live the Emperor."

The only one in the State of Zhongyuan who could receive that wish for eternal life as a greeting was a single person.

"Your humble servant, Kang Sang, has returned to the palace upon receiving Your Imperial Majesty's call."

In the temporary lodging for low-ranking civil officials, a young man who was sitting quietly cross-legged opened his closed eyes.

"…It has been a truly long time, Prime Minister."

A face that had not even lost all its baby fat yet.

His beard was still sparse and only looked awkward.

He was not a handsome man who would catch anyone's eye anywhere, nor did he possess an unapproachable majesty.

A featureless face.

A featureless build.

Ordinary in every way, he was the Emperor of this State of Zhongyuan.

"We sincerely welcome your return to the Imperial Palace."

* * *

The two moved further into the narrow room.

It was because there was a need to avoid the countless eyes in the Imperial Palace.

This was, to the end, an unofficial meeting held in secret before Kang Sang was formally appointed as the Prime Minister.

"Pushing forward the matter to personally appoint you while avoiding the Empress's eyes made the hair on the end of Our head stand up, and the cold sweat running down Our back would not stop."

The young Emperor said so and smiled awkwardly.

"We felt it at that moment."

Before the gaze of Kang Sang, who was looking up at him carefully, the Emperor confessed his honest feelings.

"The fact that, for the first time in Our life, We took a step with Our own strength."

Kang Sang immediately bowed his head.

"For this old man's lack of ability to make Your Imperial Majesty move your precious body, this is an unimaginably great disloyalty—" the Emperor waved his hand at once as if he found it uncomfortable.

"Cut out the talk of disloyalty, Prime Minister. No more useless formalities."

His actions and expressions were incomparably simple for the Emperor of the State of Zhongyuan, who was above all men.

"We are but a pitiful body who only managed to handle a single task with Our own power for the first time after passing the age of twenty."

Kang Sang bowed his head once more, but he too did not open his mouth further.

"The patriarchs of the Sixteen Families in the Imperial Capital must surely be mocking Our actions right now."

The Emperor smiled bitterly.

"They must be saying this: 'Now that the Emperor has taken his first step, when will he learn to walk?'" "……."

As the Emperor said even if Kang Sang kept taking the blame upon himself, it would only make the Emperor feel ashamed.

"Furthermore, although We say We handled the task with Our own power, in the end, even that task was merely summoning you to judge and handle the work on Our behalf because of Our lack of ability." "……."

Kang Sang bowed his head even deeper.

A deep part of his chest ached.

The young Emperor in front of him possessed a naturally gentle and good disposition, making him a good person capable of empathizing even with the common people.

If he had inherited the throne at a time when the imperial authority was firmly established he was a figure who would have surely led the State of Zhongyuan into a peaceful reign and become a wise ruler.

"We know ourselves very well."

The young Emperor continued speaking with a self-deprecation smile amidst the old subject's silence.

"If We had become Emperor in a peaceful era, We might have been able to leave at least a single line in history as an Emperor who knew how to look after the people, but." "……."

"Since We became Emperor in this chaotic era, We are nothing more than a person who will be recorded in history as an incompetent, foolish ruler."

"…Your Imperial Majesty."

The loyal subject's voice was filled with moisture.

Outside, the old eunuch, who was using the martial arts of the Imperial Palace to prevent the sound from leaking, bit his lip. "……."

The monarch who knew himself so well and possessed the finest qualities had no power and the minister, who was one of the most competent to assist that monarch better than anyone, had been forced to step down from his post.

And those two people were meeting in the most peripheral, shabbiest room of the Imperial Palace, so how could one not feel pity?

"That is why."

The young Emperor continued with a firm expression.

"When We heard the news that 'that Eldest Young Master' of the Luoyang Sword Family had ended his seclusion and come out into the world again."

A certain kind of determination could be felt in his expression.

"We realized that it was the last opportunity granted to Us."

* * *

Luoyang.

"This is the imperial decree of His Imperial Majesty that I received when I ended my seclusion."

Yeon So-hyeon brought out the Emperor's imperial decree, which had been strictly kept.

Kang Ho, who received it carefully, unfolded it and looked, but.

"…Eldest Young Master. This is just general content, though?"

As Kang Ho said in the imperial decree, written in elegant handwriting, there was only a text to the effect of: 'We hope you will do many things for the State of Zhongyuan in the future.'

"Indeed."

Although receiving the Emperor's imperial decree merely for ending one's seclusion was surprising if the target was the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family, which was called the greatest family under heaven, it could not be seen as a particularly unusual matter.

"It could not be helped."

The one who spoke was Gong Ryang.

"For His Imperial Majesty's decree, there are dozens of people it passes through before it is delivered."

Gong Ryang, who received it from Kang Ho, slowly stroked the decree with his skeletal hand as he continued.

"Unless the current Emperor possesses mighty power, no content can maintain security."

Kang Ho nodded.

"That is certainly true. To think there is even an institution in the Imperial Palace that specializes in handling only His Imperial Majesty's decrees…"

And that institution, without even looking, would surely be dominated by the current patriarchs of the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families.

"In addition, every single move of His Imperial Majesty is fully grasped by the eunuchs."

Kang Ho, who was speaking up to that point, tilted his head.

"If so, how did you exchange contact with His Imperial Majesty, Eldest Young Master?"

Yeon So-hyeon throws the current sixteen patriarchs in the Imperial Capital into confusion and taking advantage of that gap, the Emperor moves swiftly to summon Kang Sang.

That was not something that could be done without closely planning, exchanging contact, and coordinating the timing.

"No."

But unexpectedly Yeon So-hyeon shook his head.

"I was not exchanging contact with His Imperial Majesty."

"…Yes?"

Yeon So-hyeon, who took the decree back from Gong Ryang ripped the paper off the silk scroll in one breath. "……."

A situation where the Emperor's imperial decree was damaged.

Since it was a situation where one could say nothing even if three generations of their family were beheaded if it became known to the outside kang Ho only turned pale and gaped his mouth, unable to even let out a scream.

"…El-Eldest Young Master! What on earth is this—!"

"As expected!"

Before Kang Ho could even ask what on earth he was doing, Gong Ryang widened his eyes and marvelled.

"It was this kind of method…!"

At those words, Yeon So-hyeon held up the silk scroll from which the paper had been ripped, as if telling Kang Ho to look closely.

"Ah…!"

At that sight, Kang Ho also marvelled unconsciously.

"It is darkest right under the lamp."

Yeon So-hyeon chuckled at the reaction of Gong Ryang and Kang Ho and said.

"No one would dare think of ripping open His Imperial Majesty's decree."

It was a matter of course.

Who in the world, excluding Yeon So-hyeon would dare think of ripping open a decree, even damaging the paper on which the Emperor had personally left his writing?

Kang Ho read aloud the characters revealed on the silk scroll.

"'Eldest Young Master. Just as your father helped Our father, the late Emperor, help Us this time.'" he wore a dumbfounded expression.

"This means…!"

"Yes."

Yeon So-hyeon nodded.

"What I received was a request for rescue from His Imperial Majesty."

* * *

"No…?!"

Kang Sang asked the Emperor with a dumbfounded expression.

"Just how did you prepare such a method of contact? And how did the Eldest Young Master know about it?"

Since he had only heard Yeon So-hyeon's words that he would coordinate with the Emperor, it was a natural reaction.

At his reaction, the Emperor smiled.

"That method was the one the late Emperor used when contacting his father, the patriarch of the Sword Family."

"…Ah!"

If so, it made sense that Yeon So-hyeon knew that method of contact.

"The late Emperor always had to seek much cooperation from the Sword Family to coordinate various parts of the State of Zhongyuan. But…"

Kang Sang nodded.

"If a single family received too much imperial favor, it would have surely turned into something that was by no means good for either the Sword Family or the late Emperor."

If many requests for cooperation had been made publicly the imperial court's rewards would have had to follow every single one of those matters, adding too much power to the already strong Sword Family.

No matter how deep the loyalty of the Sword Family's patriarch was he himself, who was the Prime Minister at the time, would have opposed it immediately.

"Yes. That is how my father, the late Emperor, and the patriarch of the Sword Family coordinated their steps often. And I simply imitated it."

"Ah…!"

The Emperor smiled.

"As if responding to my request, he shook the Sixteen Families, and I knew that was the signal sent by the Eldest Young Master."

"Indeed…"

And taking advantage of that gap, the Emperor succeeded in bringing in Kang Sang.

'This matter was indeed a combination of the Eldest Young Master's wit and His Imperial Majesty's quick-wittedness!'

While nodding in understanding like that, Kang Sang suddenly expressed a doubt.

"No, wait."

He furrowed his brows as if he could not understand.

"Doesn't that mean the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family ripped open Your Imperial Majesty's decree?"

"It would."

The Emperor nodded calmly.

"Since one has to rip it to confirm the contents, is it not unavoidable?"

Kang Sang wore a bewildered expression.

"I heard that the Eldest Young Master had an intact decree and even showed it to the former patriarchs of the Sixteen Families, though…?"

The Emperor shrugged his shoulders as if it were nothing.

"Well, after ripping it open, did he not just attach another paper to it?"

"Yes…?"

"Imitating my handwriting and pasting it onto new paper would have been no difficulty for him."

"…Even if that were so, is it not impossible to obtain the paper and ink used for imperial decrees from the outside?"

"Indeed."

The Emperor tilted his head.

"Or perhaps, he never ripped it from the very beginning…?"

"Pardon?"

* * *

"You are saying this is the first time you are ripping it open?!"

Kang Ho cried out as if screaming.

"Then just how did you know His Imperial Majesty's request for rescue and prepare everything?!"

Yeon So-hyeon shrugged.

"Since there is a way to see it without ripping it, it was possible."

"Pardon?"

Yeon So-hyeon smiled, recalling his head maid, who had no equal when it came to seeing through things.

* * *

"Rather than that, We…"

The Emperor's eyes shone.

"are amazed by the ability of the Eldest Young Master, who knew We would summon you, Kang Sang, and had you prepare in advance." "……."

Kang Sang wore an expression of being speechless.

Whether it was the Emperor who spoke of damaging and forging the imperial decree as if it were nothing, or Yeon So-hyeon who was suspected of actually doing it.

They were both figures who surpassed general common sense in the same way. "……."

Although he was speechless and although it was absurd, before he knew it, a smile arose on Kang Sang's lips unconsciously.

It was a pleasant smile filled with strong anticipation.

'His Imperial Majesty and the Eldest Young Master, who have never even met each other…'

How could they be in such perfect harmony like this?

When had that young Emperor grown up like this?

'This matter might turn out to be a result beyond my expectations!'

Kang Sang opened his mouth to ask the Emperor one last question.

"Your Imperial Majesty."

It was also a question he had harbored since receiving a letter from Yeon So-hyeon, who had ended his seclusion.

"Why was it the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family?"