How To Kill A KingCh89 - They Were Warned

The chief bowed low. He wore a blue hanbok, more extravagant than the other scholars’, and had his greying hair in a topknot. He looked much the same way as before, though he looked as if he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. “Your Highness, I hope you have found our Academy welcoming thus far.” 

“Please rise,” Min-jun said, stepping closer. He didn’t get very far before the Chief stumbled back in fear, nearly falling back over his desk. The jar holding the Chief’s ink brushes toppled over, spilling the brushes over the desk and onto the floor.   hpwcNR

“A subject like me should keep his distance from Your Highness,” said the chief. His gaze shifted to Min-jun’s companions. “Lord Sun, a-nd who is the lady?” He gave a pointed look toward Mai. 

“My ward,” Min-jun said. “She was curious about the Academy. It’s not a problem to have her here, is it?”

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With the King’s threats still fresh in the Chief’s mind, he had no choice but to agree. “No, of course not, Your Highness.” Was it the King’s threats from the day before, or the lingering of his sword sweeping down, that made the Chief tremble like this? Both, probably. The King brought them to their knees so easily. It was strange he had not shown this face to Min-jun yet, instead putting his faith in the off chance that Min-jun’s heart could be swayed.

“The Chief of the Royal Academy is truly wise,” Min-jun replied. “I’m glad to see you’re as tolerant as you are righteous.”  0u3J25

The Chief’s face drifted somewhere between anger, fear, and uncertainty. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Min-jun was going to get nowhere if they feared him like this. Well, to be fair, they feared the King, not Min-jun. Images of the King slicing through Sanhae and the assassin flashed through Min-jun’s mind. They had good reason to be afraid of the King, and Min-jun likely couldn’t compete with the terror they’ve been struck with. Perhaps, it was better to have the King take care of this much for him. Yet Min-jun had hoped to accomplish this on his own. 

Truly? Did he want to earn the respect of these men he barely knew? To earn his place next to the King in the eyes of the people? Ridiculous. That had never been on his list of priorities. 

Min-jun shook his head. If it meant he could keep his position, any method should be made use of, including the King’s meddlesome nature. Min-jun would work with what he had.

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Ha-jun’s face flashed before his eyes, a warm gaze and affectionate smile. There was at least one person who didn’t fear the King, who had not needed to be persuaded by anyone but Min-jun himself. At least Min-jun had that going for him.

I wonder what the King had told them.

The Chief placed a piece of paper on his desk. “This is the list of classes held over the next week.” And another. “And a list with the names of all the scholars and instructors who had marched to the Throne Hall.”

“I see.” fAkPIN

When he stepped forward, the Chief held out an arm to stop him. “Ah, don’t exhaust yourself, Your Highness. Lord Sun can take this.” 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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“Well,” the Chief said. “With that out of the way, please attend any lectures you wish in order to get acquainted with the Academy’s ideals.” 

“Right.” Would it be arrogant of him to ask to give a lecture of some sort himself? With how eager they were to keep their distance, he didn’t have many ways to prove himself a proper member of the royal family.  lS9kHA

When Min-jun turned back around to face Sun and Mai, he noticed Ha-jun standing near the door with a cheerful smile on his face. He was there when the King had threatened the scholars, so he must have quite a story to tell. Min-jun needed to know the exact conditions the King had set.

When they were outside of the Chief’s office, Min-jun asked Ha-jun to tell of the King’s lecture yesterday. Ha-jun, to his surprise, gleefully obliged. 

“Well, you see, we were all gathered in the Chief’s office. When we got there, the King was already sitting in the Chief’s place, sipping some wine.” Ha-jun mimicked the action of drinking from a cup.  

. . . KwT74C

There were almost fifty of them crowding the room, all kneeling with their foreheads to the ground. Ha-jun was at the back, eager to watch the show. Who would’ve guessed all this fuss would come about due to a mere consort? The King must be quite fond of him. Pity the consort himself had only the King to defend him, and no trace of a family or title of his own. Then again, with the King by his side, perhaps he wouldn’t need them. 

Ha-jun tilted a bit to catch a better glimpse of the King. He’d only seen him once, at the Civil Service Examinations, but he’d appeared quite friendly then. The picture of a handsome, benevolent King. It was shocking how much the King had lucked out in the looks department. Ha-jun wasn’t ugly by any means, and most would call him handsome in a gentle way, but even he knew the King would outshine him every time. Well, it made sense. He was the King, after all.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Said King didn’t look so benevolent now. Sure, he wore a smile and posed like he was at a casual afternoon dinner, but his eyes told a different story. They were about to be threatened.

“Be at ease,” the King said. “I’d hate to keep you in this position for too long. Elders should take care of their health.” NBoP7p

The Chief, who was at the front of the crowd, spoke first, stumbling over his words. “Y-your Majesty. What brings you here?” 

“I’ve come to make sure we’re all on the same page,” the King said, eyes on the cup in his hand. “You seem afraid, Chief Ni. Is there something wrong?”

“N-No, Your Majesty.” 

The King placed the cup down on the desk. The clanging sound it made echoed through the room. “Good.” mCGgye

A kind King might be a relief to have, but this violent tyrant was so much more interesting. Had Ha-jun not valued his life, he might’ve tried pushing his buttons a little bit. 

“The Royal Academy requires a strong leader, wouldn’t you agree?” the King asked. 

“Of course,” said the Chief.

“Here is a question for everyone,” the King said. He propped his elbow up on his knee. “I’ve come to the Academy because you are our country’s greatest scholars, so I expect you to come up with a satisfactory answer.” wXqRWf

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“What are the qualities of a strong leader?” the King asked. “Simple enough, I’d say, but once you try to answer it, you can become quite lost.”

What is he getting at, Ha-jun wondered. 

“Your Majesty,” the Chief said, “according to our teachings, a leader should first and foremost be righteous. His personal and moral values will rule the people serving him.” mAil9T

“Your Majesty.” Another scholar had interjected. “A leader should express confidence and be upright, even in times of great strife.” 

On and on, they went, and the King listened carefully, never interrupting. When all their answers were spent, the King nodded slowly. “It appears you all have a good understanding of the qualities of an effective leader. A person who is righteous, who cannot be swayed by corruption, but is willing to listen to criticism from others. Who puts the needs of the people they’re leading before his own prejudices. Who can put personal attachments aside in order to lead steadfastly.” 

“Does a good leader allow his subordinates to sabotage their rivals?” the King continued. He played with them as a cat played with its food, down to the gleam in his eyes. The room was silent. He’d brought the cup back to his lips. 

“No, Your Majesty,” mumbled the Chief. His job was on thin ice, after all.  H1296r

The King nodded slowly and then tilted his head to the side, his face a mask of ignorance. “Would he allow them to scare their rival off through cruel tricks such as pouring ice water on them, jeering at them, or pushing them down a flight of stairs? Would he allow his subordinates to cause their rival injury in fear that that rival will be successful?”

“No, Your Majesty.” The Chief had been trembling before, but now his entire body shook. Across from him, the King had not moved from his spot. Ha-jun imagined the hatred in the King felt like a great pressure on the Chief’s back. It weighed him down and pressed his face into the cold floor.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“How odd,” the King said. “It seems the Chief has been wrongly accused of plotting against my Consort.” The King stood now, hands disappearing inside his sleeves. “You all clearly understand that such action would be unethical. Surely, men like you are above fearing failure to such an extent.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”  5HqrQM

The room shifted, as the King’s affable facade fell away layer by layer.

“So, you’re a liar on top of being a scheming coward,” the King said, stepping around the desk to pace in front of them. “Look at you now, cowering like pathetic lambs. Are these the scholars I am to entrust our country’s wisdom to?”

“Forgive us, Your Majesty!” they all cried in unison. 

“I should have you all expelled from the Royal Academy,” the King spoke. His voice had not risen, but the anger that had been waiting beneath the surface was clear now. Ha-jun couldn’t tear his eyes away from this disaster waiting to happen. Like watching a storm fell an entire forest of trees. Ha-jun had been right not to go march with the rest of these idiots. ETHqeI

The King continued, “my Consort saved your lives. He is the only reason you still breathe. To think that you’ve all been repaying his kindness with deception and cruelty. It pains me to see you pests crawling in my Palace and my Royal Academy for another moment.”

“But I won’t. My Consort has spoken on your behalf once more and convinced me to keep you here, at least until he is able to convince you of his worth, as if you deserve such courtesy. This time, I expect you to show him the respect he deserves as a member of the Royal Family. If I hear of one misdeed, one scheme, one wrong glance, I will have you all removed from your positions. If you so much as get within six feet of him, it will not end well for you. Needless to say, if he is injured in any way, then you will all be hanged, as is the punishment for harming a Consort.” 

He’d left them all quaking. Ha-jun alone sat with a smile on his face, though inside, he could feel his heart tremble. Truly a fearsome man, and a worthy King. Angering him would be equivalent to poking a sleeping tiger. It would only take a moment before Ha-jun was torn to pieces, before he found himself trapped between snapping jaws.

. . . Vy9Ad

“And that’s what happened,” Ha-jun said, shrugging his arms. Min-jun watched him, unsure if he should trust what he’d said. Was the King truly so dramatic? Had he really said all that for his sake? Yet, he didn’t ask them to grant Min-jun his victory outright. 

‘Did he know?’ Min-jun wondered as he clutched a hand over his heart. ‘Did he know the feelings in my heart before I did? That I wanted to win this without his help?’

Perhaps he should be thankful. The King had just spared him a great deal of humiliation. 

Thankful? His insides coiled, his throat closing up in disgust. Certainly not. PrEzsl

“It is good you did not decide to anger the King,” Min-jun told Ha-jun. “He’s a dangerous man.” 

“Doesn’t seem so dangerous with you, I suspect,” Ha-jun teased. “They say that violent wolf becomes tame in your arms.”

“Rumors,” Min-jun said, walking past him. “I doubt there is anyone who can tame him.”

A/N: Mean Cheol is quite fun to write. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that Cheol’s threats did not disappoint. I tried my best to make him suitably scary, while still keeping him in character. Let me know what you think in the comments below!  wS0sJK

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9 comments

  1. Scholars’ ego got taken down a few levels, bwhahaha. Hopefully it will last long enough for Min Jun to show his worth.

    What’s up with Han Jun? Is he going to use Min Jun to get close to King only or is there a deeper plan ?

    Thank you for chapter

  2. Haha why does Min-jun doubt the king would be dramatic? If Min-jun himself can make the gesture of throwing himself in front of a sword at Cheol’s feet, would the man who was going to cut someone’s head off be outdone by his consort? I don’t think so, he’s not just angry that they’re threatening his precious wife, he’s outraged that he has to defend his decision even though he’s a fair and powerful king. Bring on the overconfident female, I think we’re ready for the next act!

  3. Cheol is so cool! I love how he already knew that Min-jun would want to win by himself, that’s a good husband!