"How did you do it?"
"What?"
Nok-gi's eyes blazed with fury.
"Your Majesty… no, there's no need to address you as such anymore. The Emperor's body is something that can never be healed. No famous physician could ever cure his body."
"Yes. And you even played some tricks on top of that."
Nok-gi's face hardened.
"While his health was poor, it wasn't supposed to deteriorate to this extent. But somehow you've maintained it at such a precarious level that he could die any day. Rather, I'd like to ask you—how did you manage that?"
"Do you think you'd understand even if I explained it to your likes?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Wei Yan-ho laughed heartily and nodded.
"That's true."
"What are you doing admitting that! You fool!"
"Well, what can I do when it's the truth?"
Though Wei Jeong-han erupted in anger, Wei Yan-ho readily admitted it.
It was clearly meant to be provocative, but what could he do when it was the truth? Even if Nok-gi kindly explained everything, it was obvious that Wei Yan-ho wouldn't understand a bit of it.
"Besides, it's not really important anyway. What matters is that you did something to His Majesty's body, and I solved it."
"What sorcery did you use!"
"Huh?"
"It's impossible. Impossible. There's no way that could be possible. Even if you brought the greatest physician in the world, it would be impossible. But you're saying you solved it? I can't believe it!"
Nok-gi's reaction was natural.
All his schemes had started from the fact that the Emperor's body was in poor condition. If the Emperor's body hadn't been healed, no matter what Wei Yan-ho had said, the Emperor wouldn't have taken Wei Yan-ho's side.
That's why he had paid such careful attention to the Emperor's body, which was the foundation of all his plans. Under the single-minded belief that if the Emperor recovered even by a chance in a thousand or ten thousand, all his plans would crumble, he had investigated and confirmed every possible scenario.
He had summoned all the famous physicians in the Central Plains to diagnose the Emperor's condition. But they all shook their heads. While ailments like blocked Nine Yin or Seven Yin meridians might be treatable with elixirs, they repeatedly told him that cases like the Emperor's, where all the meridians throughout his entire body were blocked, would be difficult to cure even if a great immortal descended from heaven.
Yet for Wei Yan-ho, who wasn't even a physician, to have cured it was something that defied common sense.
"Uh…"
Wei Yan-ho scratched his head vigorously.
"There are such cases in the world."
"…What are you talking about?"
"Listen."
When Wei Yan-ho gestured with his finger to his lips, Nok-gi closed his mouth for now. Given the situation he was in, he couldn't die with his eyes closed without resolving this curiosity.
"There are things you have to acknowledge even if you don't want to. Since I've been on the receiving end so much, even if that person said rice could kill you if you made porridge with it, I'd want to believe it was a lie, but when I look carefully, everything he said turns out to be right."
"What are you talking about, you fool!"
"I'm talking about my master. My master told me this—the smarter a person is, and the more they believe in their own intelligence, the more they refuse to accept things that happen outside their common sense. Then they use words like 'sorcery' or 'fraud.' He said that to qualify as his proud disciple, I should hear such words about ten times after going out into the martial world."
Nok-gi's face went blank for a moment.
"Of course, our master is someone who automatically spouts arrogance and lies the moment he opens his mouth, so I just let it slide… but when I think about it these days, everything master says turns out to be right. And right now, Lord Nok… no, Lord Nok is proving it again."
Nok-gi's face contorted.
"So you're saying that while others can't do it, you can, but I can't accept that?"
"It would be nice if everyone in the world could understand perfectly like Lord Nok… no, Lord Nok, even when you speak like crap."
Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.
But that face looked utterly detestable in Nok-gi's eyes.
'What on earth is this bastard?'
His actions are those of a wastrel, and in terms of lacking thought, he could be considered the best among all those he'd seen, yet he breaks through his path in the most absurd ways.
At this very moment, Nok-gi realized that people blessed by heavenly fortune truly existed.
"You've ruined everything."
"No."
Wei Yan-ho wagged his finger.
"I'm a lazy person."
Wei Yan-ho said with a sigh.
"The laziest person under heaven. Have you ever seen a lazy person step forward to do anything? If you had just left me alone, I would have stayed holed up in my room, briefly paid my respects to His Majesty, and gone home. After that, whether things went according to Lord Nok's wishes or not would have had nothing to do with me. But you're the one who dragged someone who was staying quiet into a conspiracy and drove him to be branded a traitor, Lord Nok. So if you blame me for it, I'd feel wronged. Don't you think so?"
Nok-gi was momentarily at a loss for words.
"That young fool's silver tongue…"
"Yes, thank you. I think it's my only strong point."
"…"
Thinking he might collapse from rising blood pressure, Nok-gi turned his head to look at the Emperor. Rather than exchanging words with Wei Yan-ho, it would be better to speak with the Emperor.
"You must feel at ease now that things have gone as you wished, Your Majesty."
"As I wished…"
The Emperor raised both arms to his sides.
"Is it strange that I'm not being manipulated as you desire? Nok-gi, surely you didn't think of me as merely a puppet that moves at your whim?"
"How could that be, Your Majesty."
Nok-gi gritted his teeth.
"I know very well that you employed me because you thought it was for the good of future generations. So now you're trying to discard me. Because you no longer need to worry about future generations. Isn't that right?"
"You understand very well."
The Emperor didn't deny it. Even though countless high officials were watching. Having regained his health… no, having recovered his health to an excessive degree, there was nothing left for him to be concerned about.
"I acknowledge that you worked for me."
"…"
"Whether there were conspiracies or other schemes, I must admit that thanks to you, I was able to achieve what I wanted. But Nok-gi… you should have known when to stop. If you hadn't tried to make the Emperor a puppet and monopolize the imperial authority, if you had remained merely a powerful minister, I wouldn't have dismissed you. Greed has no end, and greed always brings a price."
The Emperor smiled lightly.
Seeing the Emperor continuously exuding vigor he had never seen before, Nok-gi squeezed his eyes shut.
A tiger father doesn't beget a dog son.
He was the child of the late Emperor who was like a tiger. And the younger brother of Prince Lee who was more fearsome than a tiger. Such a person couldn't be weak. If not for the immediate health problems that threatened his life daily, he would have been more than capable of becoming a supreme ruler.
That hidden temperament was now beginning to reveal itself.
"…Your Majesty's words are not wrong. It's my fault for not thinking this day would come."
"Good that you understand."
"But Your Majesty."
Nok-gi raised his head. His eyes glared at the Emperor with venom like that of a poisonous snake.
"Even a cornered mouse will bite a cat. Did you think that I, Nok-gi, would meekly stick out my neck just because I'm driven to this situation?"
Seeing Nok-gi's poisonous gaze, the Emperor flinched.
The person before him was the Grand Eunuch of the Eastern Palace. No matter how much protection he had enjoyed, he was someone who had manipulated the world at will. The downfall of such a person couldn't be this simple.
"I know there's someone who moves you."
For the first time, Nok-gi flinched at the Emperor's words. Even Nok-gi, who hadn't lost a trace of composure despite being cornered.
"Yes. Your Majesty would naturally know."
"Then let me ask…"
Dignity filled the Emperor's face.
"Answer me. Is your master greater than the Emperor of the Great Ming? Is your so-called master more fearsome than the Son of Heaven? Are you saying your master is more worthy of the position of master than I am?"
There was only one answer Nok-gi could give to all those questions.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's eyes wavered.
"The Emperor is the most noble person under heaven. But doesn't that nobility come from status? The Emperor is the most noble person under heaven, but conversely, he's merely the luckiest person under heaven. There's no need to be fierce, no need to compete. Especially Your Majesty, who ascended to the throne very comfortably thanks to Prince Yi's concession."
"You, you bastard!"
"From my perspective, having crawled up from the bottom, Your Majesty is nothing but a spoiled brat. You cannot be compared to that person. That person achieved everything through his own power alone. Unlike Your Majesty, who obtained the position of the most noble person under heaven simply because you were born as the late Emperor's son."
"Do you dare disparage me?"
"I'm not disparaging you, but stating facts. How could I dare disparage Your Majesty? However…"
Nok-gi smiled coldly.
"I cannot tell lies either… so this Nok-gi has no choice."
"You, you bastard!"
The Emperor's face trembled violently. As his rage filled the great hall, the high officials turned their faces away and bowed their heads. They didn't want to catch the eye of the furious Emperor.
"What are you all doing! Execute that bastard immediately!"
"Your Majesty!"
Nok-gi straightened his back and shouted.
"Didn't I tell you? From now on, I will bite Your Majesty. It's the worst situation, but I have one method left to reverse this situation."
The Emperor glared at Nok-gi without answering.
"That would be for Your Majesty to pass away. If I say that martial rogues from the martial world attempted treason, and when their schemes were exposed, they assassinated Your Majesty and fled, no one would question it. Especially if those words came from my mouth."
"This… this wicked bastard!"
The Emperor momentarily suppressed his anger.
Not because he thought he should remain calm. It was because he realized that despite such an outrageous statement being made, none of the ministers present were denouncing Nok-gi.
They weren't all following Nok-gi.
They knew too well what kind of person Nok-gi was to think he was making such statements as a bluff. If they sided with the Son of Heaven here, their necks would also roll if what Nok-gi said came to pass.
That's why they were watching the situation for now.
This fact instantly brought the Emperor back to harsh reality.
"You're saying you'll kill me?"
"I didn't think it would come to this. But Your Majesty, you should have thought about it. Why I supported the Crown Prince. Don't worry. Even if a tragedy occurs here, all those involved in this matter will have their entire families exterminated, and His Highness the Crown Prince will become a sage ruler."
The Emperor was about to retort vehemently, but Nok-gi ruthlessly raised his hand to silence the Emperor.
"The conversation ends here, Your Majesty. What are you all doing? Subdue the traitors!"
"Yes!"
At that moment, black-clad figures dropped from the ceiling of the great hall like rain.