Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time Chapter 416

◈ Seocheon’s hem

* * *

Beijing, the metropolis of the noble.

Jeong Yeon-shin stopped walking down the street. He was on his way back after meeting the eunuch, and he felt eyes staring at him intently.

The night in Beijing was bright.

The dim light from lanterns streaming from the straight road illuminated the market street.

Naturally, the figure of a boy staring blankly at Jeongyeonshin from a distance with two servants was also clearly visible.

Appearance: Appears to be about 16 years old.

There is not a single stain common to clothing of this color.

He seemed to be a child of a noble family. His demeanor was different from that of the pedestrians who passed by, keeping their footsteps quiet.

“I guess so…?”

He mutters while looking straight at Jeongyeon-shin. It’s different from Jeongyeon-shin in her younger days.

There was a strange authority in his young voice, which felt natural.

The boy who met Jeongyeonshin’s eyes flinched for a moment. However, he did not back down and instead approached her. He placed one hand on his back.

“Are you the Yeonhwana Island princess?”

“What’s your business?”

Jeongyeonshin replied briefly. The boy who was talking to her brightened slightly.

“I came to express my gratitude on behalf of my parents who are very busy. My family home is at the edge of the outer wall of Beijing, so I heard the rumor that Ma Guangyiju had come to the capital late. As you know, the land is very large.”

The tone was polite yet bold.

Then the boy extended the hand that was carrying the backpack to Jeongyeonshin.

A gesture that seemed a little awkward. There was a golden reed stem in his hand.

“Please accept it.”

He seemed to have never been intimidated since birth, but his conduct was clearly formal.

But it failed to arouse Jeong Yeon-shin’s interest.

While his mind was in turmoil over the Purple Clan, the Beijing aristocrats were no different from the common people.

Perhaps it was because she had been pointed at in a way that reminded her of Zheng Jia Zhang all this time in Beijing. Zheng Yanxin hid her indifference in her indifferent eyes.

“I don’t know what it means.”

“It’s a recent custom. As the sun rises and sets, there are always famines, so people give colorful reeds, ears of rice, or blades of grass as a blessing. Hoping that the future will be filled with good fortune… … .”

Jeongyeonshin took the reed from the boy and held it in her hand. Then she stared blankly down at the stem.

Indeed, just as the boy said, a golden sheen was flowing gently.

Was it preserved using the mysterious secret art of the noble family? It was a greeting shared by people from noble families.

“Thanks to you, our family’s great trouble has been resolved, but my parents were in a difficult position and could not express their gratitude separately. But isn’t that the right thing to do? I thought it would be right to express my gratitude directly.”

“Wuhan at home?”

“My father was appointed to the position of the Qianqing Bomun (千慶保門使), the official in charge of the outer city walls of Beijing. My mother became the governor of Shanxi. Before the death of the Zhuge family lord, he suffered from severe headaches. Every time he visited his parents’ house, he would vent his grievances.”

The position of Cheon Gyeong Bo Mun Sa was an official position that existed only in Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou.

He was a high-ranking official of the royal family who activated and coordinated the earthquakes within the castle when an invasion by powerful people or foreign enemies occurred.

And the Shanxi Province’s turnip. He is the highest local official who rules over a land that is comparable in size to a country of comparable size.

Since Shanxi is right next to Beijing, its influence on the Forbidden City would be great.

Jeong Yeon-shin ran her fingertips over the long reeds. At the time, Ma Gwang-ik-ju was a master of worldly affairs.

“The color is very pretty.”

It was as if he was handling a precious sword. In fact, Jeong Yeon-shin was now known as a peerless swordsman by many, and the boy’s mouth was twitching as if he was about to draw a great sword at any moment.

“I hope you don’t mind the opinions of those annoying people. They are all worthless… and there are more than just people with twisted personalities in Beijing. Maybe it’s because I am the son of a local official, but I appreciate the hard work you and the Shingumdan have done… .”

That was when.

‘Is it a fight? I don’t feel any major commotion.’

Jeongyeonshin suddenly narrowed her eyes. It was because a familiar sound faintly touched her skin. A vibration that sounded like it was coming from iron. It was a sword.

“Good luck. Go home.”

Jeongyeonshin jumped up from her spot, before the boy could say anything.

He quickly walked away from the place where his footprints were, leaving them far behind.

grasp!

There was no need to run long.

After skipping countless tiles with the light gallop of the Ten-Li Guangyo, Jeong Yeon-shin soon landed at the source of the sword.

It was the outer city of Beijing.

A pungent smell drifts into my nostrils. It is the scent of blood from those who have recently died.

Two corpses, eight officers of the Royal Guard lying on the street, a puddle of crimson sand, and the damp wind of early summer.

“… … .”

It became impossible for him to follow the will of the new sword master Yong Huimyeong. Jeong Yeonshin stopped postponing his entry into the palace.

* * *

An hour later, a great chaos descended upon the Forbidden City.

* * *

It is a place filled with golden silence.

A statue of a yellow dragon holding a Yeouiju looks down on the room from the center of the ceiling.

A coiled figure with countless circles drawn with a golden body. Civil and military officials gathered under the yellow dragon symbolizing Taehwajeon (太和殿), the most important palace in the Forbidden City.

A smooth sheen flowed from the red, yellow, and blue silk official uniforms that each of them wore neatly.

Sharp, sharp words poured out of their mouths.

“I am very sorry for being late in coming to the palace, but there is something I must address. The author… How can you have a black-robed warrior from Ip Hwang Seong on a stage to discuss the great and small affairs of the country? I am very confused.”

“You’d better be careful with your words. It’s no exaggeration to say that a Black Sword of the Shingeomdan would be of a higher status than you. I’m afraid that you’ll suffer a misfortune without anyone knowing. These are the people who treat the heads of officials as the same as the heads of martial arts masters.”

“That’s only true for sinners.”

The room becomes quiet as a large woman wearing a red official uniform blurts out.

Immediately afterwards, confused gazes glanced at Jeongyeonshin.

He was standing at the edge of the carpet that divided the palace interior, and he nodded to the eunuch who had just come to his defense.

The eunuch couldn’t answer. That’s because he had to turn his head toward the upper seat in the palace.

“Eunuch.”

It was a dry voice.

The palace was enveloped in silence. The air inside Taehwajeon seemed to be drying out quickly.

From the one sitting on the red-painted metal chair, just below the golden throne, which was empty because no one had ever sat on it.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The eunuch nodded his head.

“It’s a mess. Leave everything. The eunuch will also go out and see.”

The man, lying diagonally on the red throne, spoke.

The pitch-black robe draped over his upper body and the red skirt called Hongsang (紅裳) attested to his status as the crown prince of this country.

A sloppy posture, as if he were using the back of the throne as a bed. It meant that he was not conscious of the gazes of his subjects. He did not even look at Jeong Yeon-sin.

He is the oldest crown prince in history.

This is because his father, the emperor, was a noble and famous mixed-blood and a peerless swordsman who sat on the throne of the emperor for a long time without a hitch.

His father was going to the extent of going around alone to learn Shaolin martial arts and take care of the 108 Arhats, so there was no way the crown prince would be given the opportunity to sit on the golden throne. The crown prince had been the crown prince for decades.

“Those are things I don’t even want to see. You throw out meaningless babble as if it were great advice… Get out of here, everyone.”

The civil and military officials turned away from their seats. No one wanted to talk to the crown prince.

They are high-ranking officials of a country built on the world of martial arts. They must be scholars and masters who are both civil and military.

There was even a rumor going around that the crown prince would be exalted before the emperor, so there was no reason to confront or confront the crown prince.

‘It is just as the lord said.’

Jeongyeonshin thought silently.

“It seems like Daeyoungban is dead… …? That would be beyond the Emperor’s expectations.”

The crown prince mutters.

Beneath his dark, sculpture-like eyes, there was a look of weariness. At first glance, he looked like a deeply enlightened monk.

So, two people were left in Taehwajeon. The crown prince and Jeong Yeon-sin. After a brief silence, the crown prince raised his head slightly and glanced at Jeong Yeon-sin.

“It doesn’t look much like the magician.”

“I’m sorry.”

“… … ?”

The prince tilted his head to the side for a moment and nodded at Jeongyeonshin’s hand.

“What is that reed?”

“I received it from a boy in the market before entering the palace. He said that my mission benefited the family… … .”

“You managed to enter the palace without abandoning me. You must have been out of your mind. How could you have known that Beijing would be in such a state of chaos?”

The prince, who was mumbling, looked down at Jeongyeonshin again. Then he slowly opened his mouth again.

“You came here to ascend to the purple hierarchy, right?”

“I entered the palace because of the dead officials.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke in a flat tone.

Unlike the Crown Prince, with whom he had developed a close friendship two or three times, he did not have much affection for his father, the Crown Prince.

“The death of the military officers. It is indeed very… very regrettable. But what can we do? After all, the world is currently being sustained by the sacrifice of cattle for the greater good.”

“I don’t understand the English.”

“That’s it. You want to climb up to the purple one? Just wait a moment. There’s a test table set up for you.”

Jeongyeonshin suddenly felt something strange.

Even after hearing of the deaths of the officers, even after hearing that it was difficult to find traces of the terrifying martial arts that had completely destroyed their bodies, and even after hearing the news of the disappearance of the Great Yeong-ban of the Royal Guard, the Crown Prince was not particularly shaken.

‘what?’

Jeongyeonshin’s exhalation was slightly interrupted. It was because she had a strange intuition.

Did you feel it?

The prince, who had been staring blankly at the yellow dragon statue in the sky, lowered his gaze again.

“Do you know the story of crossing the river with one step?”

The story of Master Dharma crossing the vast Yangtze River on a reed. It is said that he used his miraculous powers to ward off the soldiers who were chasing him.

“He did nothing. He didn’t use his martial arts skills on Emperor Yang Wu’s soldiers who were trying to kill him, or on Emperor Yang Wu. He just avoided fighting.”

The prince’s fingertips tapped the armrest of the chair. A slow echo began to fill the Taehwajeon.

“When I was young, I didn’t understand it. How could someone who was the best in the world in terms of martial arts, or perhaps the best in the past or present, start practicing martial arts while avoiding mere soldiers? However, he was a man of broad vision. He knew that since his skills were world-class, he would have to fight against the world once he went out. The many monarchs of the world would not be able to tolerate someone like that.”

“…majesty.”

“Avoid when you must. Do not swing your martial arts skills however you please… Those are the kind of people who are peerless and do not cause chaos in the country. Your maternal grandfather was the only exception.”

The prince continued speaking.

“I heard that you are a rare great master in the world. If so, you can wait like Dharma. In the first place, purple is not a rank that is subject to the will of the imperial family. The common people, the scholars of the countryside, the proud nobles of Beijing… In the end, the world must acknowledge that purple is qualified to swing his sword regardless of his opponent’s status.”

“What’s it like outside right now?”

Jeongyeonshin asked quietly.

Even without that, when the eunuch left Taehwajeon and closed the door, it felt like he was completely cut off from the outside world.

Even now, no energy was felt. Not even the energy of the civil and military officials, like the breath of the past, or the energy of the eunuch of the royal family.

Taehwajeon.

Originally, it was a place where the emperor discussed state affairs. It was more mysterious than the place where the chief of the Daebangpa stayed.

It seemed like some kind of formation had been established.

“Wait a little longer. There are trends in the world, and especially new rumors usually spread from Beijing. Know that if this place doesn’t acknowledge you, you can’t be purple. And some threats, after you’ve personally experienced them, the relief when they disappear is great.”

The voice is like a cold blade. I can guess what he means. He intends to put Beijing in some kind of danger and have Jeong Yeon-sin save this great city.

“I’ve heard that there may be some evil spirits wandering around. Are the deaths of the officers the work of that spirit? Is that the one I need to kill?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked, caressing her empty waist. She left the new sword to Geum Ui-wi for a moment.

Because even in the places where the royal family resides, one cannot wear military uniforms.

The prince nods.

“Even if a little blood is shed… If we are to break the tense atmosphere created by the gathering of the Shingeomdan and create a pretext to bestow you with a purple robe, there is only one way. Did you really think that someone who threatened the imperial authority for even a moment would be granted the authority of a purple robe without any particular reason? However, it is clear that the current imperial family needs a peerless expert like you, so in the end, it is all about destroying the great. To govern a country, you have to look at the big picture. Of course, this is not a country I govern… … .”

A story that feels lifeless.

I don’t know what kind of life he lived in the palace. The crown prince’s voice did not sound like that of a living person.

It wasn’t Jeongyeonshin’s job.

His fingers twitched as he stood on the red carpet. At the same time, the crown prince’s eyebrows, looking down at Jeongyeonshin from the throne, also twitched.

“Are you planning to disobey?”

“It is to save His Majesty’s people.”

“There are no people in the world that I can embrace. Also, you have no sword in your hand. I have heard that your martial arts are unrivaled in the world, but what can a person known as a peerless swordsman do with his swordsmanship?”

Jeong Yeon-sin, who was staring blankly at the prince, touched the reed with one hand. In her head, she constantly wondered if this was right.

Is this okay to do in the face of purple? Won’t I be excommunicated from the Imperial Palace?

Deep reflection continued in the space of time divided into dozens of moments, and that reflection eventually drew the face of a person.

‘Maternal grandfather.’

The old prince clearly called his grandfather. The traitorous and evil Ma Yanjeok is purple. There is no way he could not be a gentleman Jeong Yeonsin.

“If you think I am a stickler.”

He made up his mind.

“This is also a sword.”

In Jeongyeonshin’s mind, a dragon with a fan rose up, coiled around the reed in his hand, and formed a coil.

It was only a moment before the Seonryong Ihwagyeol erupted into a resonating roar from the upper hall. The reed stems that shot up from his palm banged through the ceiling of the Taehwajeon and continued to rise endlessly.

At the same time, the blurred Jeongyeonshin leaped into the air along with the reeds. In an instant, a fierce wind swept through the palace.

Kwaaaaahh …

Pieces of broken wood scattered in all directions along with a hazy cloud of dust. A short murmur of thought escaped from the remaining battlefield.

“also…….”