Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 333

**Chapter 333: The Loafer is Imprisoned (3)**

There are many ways to annoy people.

Hitting or torturing them. But Wei Yanho learned a new method.

This method was gentler than the previous ones, but more irritating.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

It’s not easy to endure the gazes of many people. Wei Yanho considered himself a calm person, but those gazes made him tremble.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jangil, who had been silently staring at Wei Yanho, spoke:

“I don’t blame you.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t blame a chicken for not being able to fly. You don’t curse a raccoon for digging a hole.”

“What are you saying?”

“We thought you would cause trouble in the imperial palace, but it was our mistake to trust you. We should have run away without looking back.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It’s an insult! You bastard!”

Jangil stood up, approached the bars, and banged his head against them.

“How can you be so predictable?! How can you be so predictable?!”

“If you do something unusual, you die.”

“Then just die by yourself! Damn it!”

“Wow, I’m hurt.”

“Ugh.”

Wei Jeonghan consoled Jangil, who was groaning:

“Calm down. I know it’s hard to be rational, but they say even if you’re in a tiger’s den, you must remain calm…”

“This isn’t a tiger’s den, it’s the celestial dungeon! If you stay calm, you’ll lose your mind.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Wei Jeonghan looked at Wei Yanho with furious eyes:

“Damn kid!”

“I’m innocent.”

“Innocent? Innocent?”

Wei Jeonghan threw a shoe at Wei Yanho:

“Crazy brat! I tried to resist, but you hit the prince? The crown prince? You should have hit the emperor!”

“I didn’t know he was the prince!”

“Why do you have eyes? Close your eyes! What happened to you to make you leave the room and cause trouble?”

Wei Jeonghan knew what it meant to “feel consumed by anger.” Seeing Wei Yanho made him feel like he had swallowed coal.

“I thought you would ruin the family, but I didn’t think it would be like this! Betrayal!”

“Why did you turn yourself in? You should have escaped!”

“If we rescue a traitor from the dungeon, we’ll admit our crime. Do you want to live as a fugitive? How will you face your ancestors?”

“The ancestors would prefer you to escape than die. It’s better to live even in a dirty place.”

“Kaaaaaaaaack!”

Wei Jeonghan, unable to contain himself, broke down the dungeon door and ran towards Wei Yanho.

“Guards! Guards! A prisoner is escaping!”

“Come out! Aren’t you coming out?”

When Wei Jeonghan started hitting Wei Yanho’s dungeon, the guards rushed to calm him down:

“Calm down.”

“You mustn’t do this here.”

“You mustn’t leave the dungeon. You mustn’t break the door.”

Wei Jeonghan roared:

“I know! But I want to hit him! Just for a moment! I won’t escape! I’ll only come out for a moment! Aren’t you coming out?”

“Guards! Guards! A prisoner is escaping!”

The prison chief looked at the scene and smiled:

“What a mess.”

What a mess.

***

“It was an unfortunate accident.”

Yi Wangya, the Second Prince, was sweating.

‘This idiot.’

I know. I know.

It’s a ploy by Nokgi.

There was no reason for the prince to be in plain clothes. Nokgi must have convinced the prince to do something fun. And Wei Yanho followed Nokgi’s plan.

If there had been any chance, he should have warned Wei Yanho. But he didn’t expect Nokgi to use that method either.

‘Villain.’

Although Nokgi was bowing, Yi Wangya noticed that he was subtly smiling. He was only smiling at Yi Wangya, not the emperor.

Suppressing his anger, Yi Wangya bowed even lower:

“Wei Yanho is a warrior from the martial world. Warriors from the martial world do not know the rules of the imperial palace. So…”

“Are you insulting His Majesty?”

Yi Wangya frowned when Nokgi spoke:

“Insulting!”

“Why do you say that?”

“What’s wrong with what I said?”

“In this world, everything belongs to the emperor. Even martial artists are subjects of His Majesty. If they enter the imperial palace, they must learn the rules. To say that His Majesty must consider that the subjects do not know the rules is to insult the rules of the imperial palace and His Majesty’s authority.”

“Uh…”

Yi Wangya groaned.

He couldn’t refute it.

“Furthermore, I heard that that criminal was brought by Yi Wangya. Am I wrong?”

“Yes…”

“The criminal you brought tried to assassinate His Highness the Prince. Is there any reason why you used an irregular method?”

“It’s not like that!”

“Then why?”

“…He doesn’t know the rules…”

*Thud!*

Nokgi slammed the ground hard:

“If he doesn’t know the rules, you should teach them to him before bringing him to the imperial palace. Etiquette is a symbol of loyalty. I don’t understand why you brought him to meet His Majesty if he doesn’t know etiquette. Is there any other reason?”

“Another reason?”

Nokgi looked at Yi Wangya and said:

“If His Highness the Prince had died, what would have happened in the imperial palace?”

“Damn…!”

Yi Wangya shouted in fury.

The emperor had many sons, but only one crown prince. If the prince died, Yi Wangya would become emperor.

“Are you saying that I tried to seize power?”

“I didn’t say that. But you can’t deny that that’s the situation.”

“Damn it!”

Yi Wangya’s beard was trembling.

“Of course.”

Nokgi changed the subject:

“I don’t doubt Yi Wangya’s loyalty to His Majesty. I don’t think someone who gave up his power to serve the imperial palace would do that.”

Yi Wangya felt suspicious.

What was that villain planning?

“But if you continue to protect him, I will doubt you. Do you think your friendship with him is more important than the assassination of His Highness the Prince?”

“Th… that…”

Yi Wangya’s expression darkened.

It was a no-win situation.

If he continued to protect Wei Yanho, he might avoid responsibility for the assassination, but he would be accused of prioritizing his friendship over the prince. It was a matter of loyalty.

If his loyalty was questioned, he would lose his power, and without power, he couldn’t control Nokgi.

His followers would be eliminated, and the emperor would become a puppet of Nokgi.

‘That can’t happen.’

Nokgi was forcing him to choose.

Should he sacrifice Wei Yanho to maintain his influence, or lose his position to save Wei Yanho?

‘No need to think.’

Yi Wangya gritted his teeth.

He had dedicated his whole life to the imperial palace. He had worked for the peace of Central Plains and the imperial palace. Now should he watch as the imperial palace is manipulated by Nokgi because of a child?

That was unacceptable.

He heard Wei Yanho’s words:

“My master said that politicians are evil, so you mustn’t trust them.”

‘You’re right.’

Yi Wangya laughed bitterly.

Although he was angry at that moment, he was also a politician. Sacrificing a few for the sake of many means sacrificing the innocent for a goal. Now he realized it.

“So will you continue to protect him?”

Yi Wangya raised his head.

Yi Wangya felt furious when he saw Nokgi’s confident expression.

‘This time, I will retreat.’

Even if he abandoned him, Wei Yanho wouldn’t die. He was a warrior that few could defeat. He could easily escape. He could let him escape and then restore him. He could do it if he eliminated Nokgi.

He didn’t feel guilty. This was Nokgi’s fault…

At that moment, Yi Wangya felt weak.

‘I see.’

Yes, Nokgi used to do that.

When his followers were discovered and were about to be executed, he abandoned them. He had heard countless curses from those who were to be executed.

They say that those who fight monsters become monsters, and Yi Wangya was becoming like Nokgi.

“Godfather.”

Yi Wangya looked at the emperor. The emperor’s majestic eyes were looking at him.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Answer. Do you think that warrior’s safety is more important than the prince’s?”

It was a direct question.

And a statement.

The statement meant that he wouldn’t forgive him if he didn’t give the right answer.

He hadn’t been serving the emperor for one or two years, so he understood his intention.

Yi Wangya smiled.

He noticed Moon Yuhwan looking at him from a corner of the palace.

‘I don’t need to be the leader. Right?’

When Moon Yuhwan noticed something and reached out his hand, Yi Wangya spoke.