Surviving the Romance Fantasy

“… Refreshments are ready, just bring the tea.”

“…”

“…”

“…Oh, no. It was okay too. “Just get me some cold water.”

It seemed like there was a huge wound in Princess Ahyeon’s heart.

…Anyway, humans were creatures that developed through wounds.

I’m good when I have time (1)

The noisy events inside Cheongdo Palace have come to an end, and before we know it, it has become late fall, with the chill gradually rising.

There have been many annual events taking place within Cheongdo Palace. The majestic and huge Cheongdo Palace was filled with schedules all year round, so none of the members were busy.

‘It’s time to get used to living in Cheongdo Palace… but I feel tired every time.’

The owner of the White Tiger Palace, Deokbi Howol, had such a monologue when she left the Jujak Palace after a tea ceremony held twice a month.

As I was heading to the White Tiger Palace with the maids, I saw the few fallen leaves hanging from the tips of the branches and swaying.

“…”

As I stop for a moment and look at the scenery near the harem wall, I sigh for no reason.

Even though I’ve been having strange nightmares a lot lately, the condition of the owners of the other four major palaces doesn’t look very good either.

To put it bluntly, it felt like there were a lot of people watching Seol Tae-pyeong, who became Hyeongwoljang.

Not to mention Queen Dowager Jin, even Queen Consort Yin often mentioned Xue Taiping when discussing the affairs of the government. On the contrary, Po Hyeon-bi seemed to be at ease, as if she had given up thinking about him a lot.

‘Of course, I didn’t expect that guy to rise in the world so quickly… but I wonder if he’s going to cause such a fuss.’

Ha Deokbi neatly trimmed the ends of his long sleeves, picked up a leaf that had fallen on the floor, and twirled it around by the end, lost in thought.

‘Yes, when everyone is messing around like this… it might be an opportunity to gain more power…’

Ha Deok-bi was a snob among snobs who would do anything to gain even a little more power.

I was just waiting, hiding in the dark, for that opportunity to come.

*

“Hyeongwoljang, Nari. “I would like to offer just one piece of sincere advice, is that okay?”

Hyeongwoljang Seoltaepyeong. Fall of 20 years old.

It’s been a while since I became Hyeongwoljang.

When I reached the 3rd rank of servant, I really felt like I had entered the ranks of high officials, and the time when I felt it the most was when all kinds of opportunists within the Cheongdo Palace came around.

It is rare for a completely new dignitary to appear within the Cheongdo Palace that is not related to any power.

The darkness inside has already festered, because most of those who rise to high-ranking positions have other interests.

I also have a strong ally as the Princess of Cheondo, but her personality is a little different from having a high official who holds real power in the main palace as a confidant.

In any case, in order to raise one’s voice at the party meeting, one had to have many high-ranking officials in his power… so it was necessary to line up no matter who it was.

As a result, calls are coming in from various civil servants, emissaries, and working-level officials at Cheongdo Palace asking for help.

Naturally, most of those whose origins were clearly visible were filtered out, and the only ones left around were those who were trustworthy.

Even if you are on the throne of power, if you take anyone under your command, you will face great repercussions later. Anyone who would be brought in had to be chosen carefully.

As people start to bribe people, the situation becomes more complicated.

Of course, there should be no repercussions, so we clearly established a policy that bribes should never be accepted, no matter what.

never!

what! Even if it means work!

Absolutely no bribes! Don’t accept it! Not only me, but also my lieutenants!

What is truly fortunate is that my associates are not people who can be swayed by such things.

My right arm, who is immediately known to the public, is Adjutant Bicheon, and my left arm is Black Moon Captain Cheong Jinmyeong.

The two of them had outstanding skills and were trustworthy talents who did not hesitate to speak directly when necessary. They were very affectionate people, so after taking them under my command, I took them with me wherever I went.

And, it was the moment when Cheong Jin-myeong, the left arm of the Black Moon Captain, spoke directly to me.

“…I think it would be a good idea to diversify your diet a bit.”

“…”

The place was the restaurant at my home.

I felt this a lot when I started working as Hyeongwoljang, and it seemed like I was greatly influenced by my teacher, Baekseon Lee Cheol-un.

Although they are usually in a position where they have to exert a lot of authority, when it comes to meals, no matter how low-ranking they are, they head the table and eat together.

Even Bicheon and Cheongjinmyeong were no exception, so today I was sitting at the wooden table at home and drinking pork soup with them.

Bicheon, who was eating soup next to him, seemed to prick up his ears.

I don’t know, but I think Bicheon also wanted to say this and held back for a few days, but it seemed like he couldn’t say it because he was the other person.

Meanwhile, Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong… strapped on his gun belt with a fierce determination and spoke to me.

Please stop eating soup…

“…”

“…”

When Cheong Jin-myeong, the most serious person in the world, made a mantra with such a solemn expression, I had no choice but to bow my head.

sh*t.

You guys don’t understand my aesthetics either…

“If we want to properly develop the outskirts of the active room, it seems necessary to first wipe out all the low-level demons nearby.”

After a quick meal, I went out to the floor and received a report on the conditions of the active room.

Cheong Jin-myeong, who looked around the active room with the members of the Black Moon, suggested that the basic environment should be improved first.

He always wore a white bandana when working, and he seemed to be more accustomed to hiding his identity. Well, if you’re going to take on various tasks behind the scenes, it would be more convenient to keep your identity hidden as much as possible.

“How long do you think it will take to sort out the lower class?”

“The cleanup itself doesn’t take long, but since the ghost’s den is spread out so many places, considering travel time, etc., I think it will take a month.”

“Well, cleaning up ghosts is a specialty, so I’ll leave it to you. “Instead, the work may be a little slower so there are no casualties.”

“All right.”

I roughly waved my hand at Cheong Jin-myeong, who lowered his head.

“There are quite a few people who want to visit today. Here’s the list.”

Then, Bicheon came over and handed me some documents written in bamboo.

High-ranking people from nearby provinces and owners of famous stores came to have their faces stamped with valuable items.

Most of the time, they just checked the faces and sent them out, but recently, even that was taking up so much time that it became difficult.

“Let’s deal with it all in one afternoon. And if we know anything about tax revenue, we organize it and bring it to you.”

“That is…”

“why? “Is there a problem?”

“It might be hard to get it done in an afternoon. “I’m really sorry, but the speed at which I process tax-related documents is very slow.”

“…”

Certainly, Bicheon was a person who could adapt and handle any task in an instant, but… no matter how temporary it was, it was not a good idea to entrust a military officer with errands such as filing documents.

It was necessary to provide conditions for those below to demonstrate their individual abilities. That was the responsibility of the leader.

“Yes, Bicheon. You are right. “I think we need to bring in a civil servant who is good at paperwork and has an eye for internal affairs management.”

I rested my chin and thought for a moment.

Increasing my position within the Cheongdo Palace meant that I had to hire more lieutenants to handle my work.

It is said that if you have a good character and are good at leading, people will stand in line, but as I had just entered the path of becoming a high-ranking official, it was difficult for me to embrace people without mercy.

There are probably a lot of people who want to do it… but it’s not easy to choose the right person.

‘Yeonri… No, I think I need to consult with Princess Ahyeon.’

Now that the major work has been completed, I think I should visit Cheonryongchae at least to clean up after my disciples or consult about things I need to pay attention to in the future.

The problem is… as authority increases, there are too many eyes to see.

After receiving the title of Hyeongwoljang, he was always followed by attendants, and whenever he entered Cheongdo Palace or Taeseongmun Gate, a nearby military officer even came and escorted him.

At this point, once you enter Cheongdo Palace, it feels like reporting your every move wherever you go. As the weight class increases, it is an inevitable inconvenience.

However, it would be difficult to go to a private meeting with Princess Ahyeon of Cheondo only if it becomes uncomfortable.

Since I have the Cheonryongchae, I can enter and exit the Cheonokjeong inside the Cheonryongchae without any restrictions as long as I show it to the head maid, Yi-ryeong.

However, after becoming Hyeongwoljang, unnecessary protocol treatment became more common, and it became impossible to secretly enter Cheonryongchae.

Then, every time you meet Princess Cheondo, you have to take a bath or perform a purification ritual for several hours. Being annoying is a problem, but it is also a problem that high-ranking officials are starting to take interest in my movements.

I had no desire to attract the attention of dignitaries for no reason… If I wanted to meet Princess Ahyeon, I had to find another way.

Then suddenly… my eyes fell on the white hood worn by Black Moon Captain Cheong Jin-myeong.

“…That hood… looks good…?”

“…yes?”

*

Later, Hyeongwoljang, who seemed certain to rise to the rank of general, joined the ranks of high officials.

As soon as the news was heard, various forces within Cheongdo Palace were intent on capturing Hyeongwoljang.

That’s because Cheongdo Palace is a place where new talents rarely appear suddenly.

Personnel of the 3rd rank or so had already been identified, so everyone already knew whose force they were included in.

So, Seol Tae-pyeong, who rose to prominence suddenly, was an unusual person.

In the political arena of Cheongdo Palace, where one must steal someone else’s people in order to increase one’s power, the existence of a high-ranking official who has not yet been recruited by anyone was bound to become a hot potato.

Not only the high-ranking officials at the party, but even the high-ranking officials’ lieutenants had no choice but to keep their eyes peeled and watch the movements of the Hyeongwoljang.

The political trends at Cheongdo Palace are always turbulent like the sea during a typhoon, but if you take it for granted, you will be left behind without even realizing it.

The political world is a place where those who are diligent survive.

That obvious proposition… was also a common story for Ha Kang-seok, the head of the Seal Ha family.

“There was a lot of noise in the party with the story about Seol Taepyeong, the head of the Hungwoljang.”

Deokbi Howol was sitting in the courtyard of Baekho Palace and talking with the head of the family, Ha Kang-seok.

After Queen Ha Chae-rim was dethroned due to an unfortunate accident, the person who could best monitor the dynamics of the palace in the sealing Haga became Deokbi Ha-wol.

Fearing that this would happen, Queen Dowager caused an uproar to keep Ha Deok-bi in check, but in the end, it was Ha Deok-bi who survived.

“is that so?”

Deokbi Ha stroked the tip of his chin with a fan made of soft feathers and tilted his head at Ha Gangseok’s story.

Anyway, whether at a tea party or a party meeting… wherever you go, there is a lot of noise with stories about Seol Tae-pyeong.

The reason why the head of the family, Ha Kang-seok, brought his precious body to visit Ha Deok-bi in person was probably to ask various questions about Seol Taepyeong.

As befits the representative of the Sealing House, the Ha family was an opportunist and a power supremacist.

If he could head to a higher place, he was the kind of person who would use whatever was available.

From now on, Ha Deok-bi no longer feels disillusioned with such a person. There were many people like that in Haga, and Deokbi Ha herself was a woman who would do anything for power.

“I thought he was an extraordinary person, but I didn’t expect him to take power so quickly…”

Ha Deok-bi was lost in thought for a moment.

Starting with the Emperor of the Heavenly Dragons, he was quite involved in various matters, but he was as shrewd as Queen Yin, so it was difficult to find his weaknesses.

“From what I heard, Howol, you have some contact with that executioner. “Even when Ha Chae-rim acted on her own, the head of Hyeongwol defended her.”

“It’s not like we know each other very well. but…”

Ha Deok-bi looked at the end of the fan for a moment and then picked up the words.

“but..?”

“Hmm.. no. “I think I made some assumptions.”

There are several queen concubines who are possessed by Jingwoljang Seol Taepyeong.

It seemed better for Ha Deok-bi to keep that fact to himself.

If opportunist Ha Kang-seok knows this, it is unclear how he will use it to his advantage.

It is better to keep these powerful weapons to yourself. Ha Deok-bi was a person whom even the head of the family, Ha Kang-seok, did not trust.

“Anyway… the vassals and lieutenants of the noble families inside and outside the palace were sending him various things as bribes. “I can’t just do nothing, so I’d like to send a few bundles of silk fabric. What do you think?”

“…well. I think it’s going to be difficult. The man named Hyeongwoljang is not someone who would feel good about accepting bribes. They say they are sending back all bribes.”

“Hmm.. I guess so…”

Since Ha Deok-bi had certainly had contact with Seol Tae-pyeong on several occasions, he was able to confirm that part.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t just sit there and do nothing.

Ha Kang-seok quietly rubbed his chin and thought, but then his expression changed and he spoke.

“As expected, I think it would be better to leave this matter to Howell.”

“…yes?”

“From my perspective, it is difficult to gauge what kind of person that Hyeongwoljang is. From what I heard, it seems like he has some kind of connection with the Princess of Cheondo, so it doesn’t seem like he can easily overlook it… If he’s going to recruit her, it would be better for someone who knows a little bit more about him.”

After saying that, Ha Kang-seok took a sip of his tea and then spoke in a more assertive tone.

“You can use any tricks, just try to make him accept our sealing Haga’s bribe.”

“…”

“If we can somehow get rid of the stains on that hangover… there is a high possibility that it will be of great help in the sealing process in the future.”

Ha Deok-bi had difficulty hiding his embarrassment.

The head of the family, Ha Kang-seok, does not easily leave work to others. At a time when he, too, has lost his wife Ha Chae-rim, he needs someone who can represent the rights and interests of the sealed Ha family in her place.

Deokbi Howell was the perfect person to be put in that position.

This is an opportunity to take control of the sealing Haga.

Ha Deok-bi’s sharp eyes, which always seize opportunities, shine for a moment… but soon he falls into trouble again.

Recruit Hyeongwoljang Seol Taepyeong.

What can we do with that man who is upright from head to toe with spirit and conviction?

“Do not choose any means or methods. Howol. “Aren’t you a very attractive person?”

“…yes?”

“I heard it from Yerim, the head maid. That person named Hyeongwoljang once had feelings for you. “It’s all a thing of the past now, but isn’t having a debt of heart a huge advantage?”

It’s okay to use the world of beauty, and it’s okay to separate people from others. Anyway, embrace Hyeongwoljang.

I wonder if this is something to say to the princess of a country, but from the beginning, Seal Haga was a den of people who did not care about such means and methods. These are people who can do anything as long as it is not made public.

‘…’

When you think of Seol Tae-pyeong, a loud voice and spirited attitude usually come to mind.

However, as I trace my memories of Seoltaepyeong… the scene that comes to mind the most is…

– ‘The appearance of Deokbi Ha that I saw at that time literally looked like a fairy had come down to earth. Even when I fall asleep, the image from that time lingers in my dreams, and even when I close my eyes, it seems as if the image from that time is engraved on my eyelids… .!!!’

– ‘That’s right..! That Seol Taepyeong… is nothing more than a lowly third-rate warrior…! From that day on, I have had Ha Deokbi in my heart…!!’

“Heehee…!”

“…Howell?”

“Oh, no. “I was thinking about old times for a moment.”

There are degrees of manliness.

No matter how much of a purpose he had, the man’s ability to come to Baekho Palace, kneel down in front of Ha Deokbi, and suddenly confess to him… I can’t help but click my tongue.

When she thought about it carefully, it was the first time she had ever been courted by a man in that way, so she could only blush and stutter.

Should I call it manly or reckless? Now that I think about it, it was a truly absurd situation, but…

If you think about it carefully… Until then, Ha Deok-bi was clearly in the upper position.

However… I don’t know how things are going in the world…

‘…bring Hyeongwoljang to his side…?’

From Noble mtl dot com

If I wanted to go to a higher place, I had to become an irreplaceable position within the Seal Family and be able to control the entire family.

In order to do that… a person named Hyeongwoljang Seol Tae-pyeong was needed.

‘how…?’

That’s right… there are two sides to everything in this world.

Even a coin has heads and tails, and if there is an uphill road, there is a downhill road.

When morning comes, night comes, when there is the first half, there is also the second half, and when there is a time to eat, there is a time to spit it out…

Life does not always flow in one direction… As with all things, it can happen at any time.

Change of position…

Shift of offense and defense…!

‘ah…’

Deokbi Ha lowered his head and washed his face dry.

In the first place, no one can predict how the world will unfold.