Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 334

**Chapter 334: The Loafer is Imprisoned (3)**

“Your Majesty, I have never tried to seize power. You know this. If I had wanted power, I could have become emperor.”

“Such insolence!”

“How dare you!”

“Your Majesty! Do not forgive Yi Wangya’s crimes!”

But the emperor did not move. He looked at Yi Wangya and spoke slowly:

“So?”

Yi Wangya took a deep breath and spoke:

“I met someone who said that people must follow justice and reason. A simple commoner said that loyalty is trust, and if you follow the right path, others will too. A bandit who has never been to the imperial palace nor studied the classics said that, how could I turn away from the truth to save my own life?”

“You speak of truth?”

Nokgi seized the opportunity:

“The truth is one. The criminal that Yi Wangya brought attempted to assassinate His Highness the Prince. Are you going to ignore that? If, as you say, he is innocent, who should we blame for the assassination of His Highness the Prince?”

Yi Wangya smiled at Nokgi’s question:

“Do not worry, Nokgi. I will give you the answer you want.”

Nokgi frowned. Yi Wangya’s relaxed attitude worried him.

“Your Majesty.”

The emperor waited in silence.

“Wei Yanho is innocent. If there is a culprit, it is I for bringing him to the imperial palace. And! The biggest culprit is that evil eunuch who tried to take control of the imperial palace by using a bandit and harming His Highness the Prince.”

“Such insolence!”

“Silence!”

When Yi Wangya glared at him furiously, even Nokgi had to step back. The authority of Yi Wangya, who had maintained the imperial palace, was something that even Nokgi could not directly challenge.

“My regret is not having been able to stop your manipulation of the imperial palace. Although I am now in a difficult situation, I will kill you even if I become a ghost. Remember that.”

Nokgi smiled bitterly:

“Are you admitting your guilt?”

“Guilt? Hahahaha! Yes, it is guilt. I made a mistake in the end, and I will leave behind a great regret. That is my guilt.”

Yi Wangya turned around and knelt before the emperor:

“Your Majesty, it is all my fault. If I must be punished, punish my fault and release that innocent bandit. He simply did not know the rules of the world. If you punish him for that, the world will mock us.”

“Then…”

The emperor’s drowsy voice echoed:

“You are accepting the blame for that man? To save him?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask why?”

The emperor’s voice remained drowsy:

“No matter the reason, he attempted to harm the prince. That deserves the death of his entire family. Although you are a member of the imperial family and my brother, if you are guilty of the assassination of the prince, you will be executed. Why do you want to protect him? Simply for justice, as you said?”

Yi Wangya smiled and replied:

“I have two reasons.”

“Two reasons… tell me. I will listen.”

“First, it is out of loyalty.”

“Loyalty…”

“I, too, did not consider loyalty so important. But I met a man and learned about loyalty. He was right. I have used many excuses. To protect the imperial palace… I have used excuses to avoid my responsibility. At my age, I want to be righteous. I will stop running away and resist injustice. Please, recognize my loyalty.”

“Very well. And the second reason?”

Yi Wangya took a deep breath and spoke again:

“The second reason is personal.”

“Tell me.”

Yi Wangya shrugged:

“It is shameful.”

“Sham… shameful? What did you say?”

“It is shameful. I am embarrassed.”

“……What do you mean?”

“I am an old man, a member of the imperial family, and a censor – I am over seventy years old!”

Yi Wangya smiled:

“Should I use a child as a shield to save myself?”

“……”

“That is why the imperial palace is in this state. I hope that my death will revive the spirit of the imperial palace. That will be my loyalty to Your Majesty.”

When Yi Wangya finished speaking, the emperor remained silent.

Even Nokgi, who was about to intervene, had to remain silent. The atmosphere was tense.

After a long silence, the emperor spoke:

“Uncle.”

Yi Wangya raised his head slightly.

The emperor’s voice echoed.

Yi Wangya, who had found hope in that voice, heard something shocking.

“How dare you insult the court?”

Yi Wangya closed his eyes upon hearing the emperor’s angry voice.

It was over.

Everything.

***

“What…”

Nokgi relaxed in frustration:

“Congratulations, Eunuch.”

The eunuchs knelt before him. Many people had gathered in front of his residence.

Yi Wangya had fallen from grace.

He was arrested and placed under house arrest. As the emperor had given the order, it would not be easy to avoid it. Even if he survived, he would not be able to maintain his power.

The battle between Yi Wangya and Nokgi, which had lasted for decades, had finally come to an end.

“Eunuch, your expression is not good.”

“Hehe.”

Nokgi smiled awkwardly and sighed:

“I am surprised.”

“Huh?”

Nokgi looked out the window. Seeing the officials lining up, he realized that he had won.

With the fall of Yi Wangya, their power had diminished. His power, without Yi Wangya, would be destroyed by Nokgi, and Nokgi would completely control the imperial palace.

People had rushed to get closer to Nokgi.

Although it was a scene he had always dreamed of, Nokgi’s expression was not good.

“It should not have ended like this…”

He felt regret and frustration.

Yi Wangya was dangerous and annoying. He was the biggest obstacle. But that also meant he was a great rival.

“What an unsatisfying end…”

He could not stop Yi Wangya if he tried to escape. He had planned to weaken Yi Wangya’s power and establish his own position, but things had ended unexpectedly.

“Fools.”

Nokgi sighed.

Speaking of loyalty and provoking the emperor was a grave mistake. The emperor would be angry that he was protecting someone who had tried to assassinate the prince.

But the satisfied expression of Yi Wangya, who had made a mistake, bothered him.

‘I do not understand.’

He had never imagined that the political battle of decades would end like this. Not by his strategy, but by his opponent’s mistake.

Nokgi shook his head. Although he was not happy, he had to pretend to be. He was a leader, and he had to reward those who had followed him for a long time. That was the job of a leader.

“Let us drink. Let us get drunk today.”

“Yes! Eunuch!”

Nokgi lowered his gaze as people went to get alcohol.

“Fools. What is loyalty?”

***

“Ugh…”

“……”

“Ugh!”

“Silence!”

When Wei Jeonghan shouted, the guards rushed toward him. They looked at Wei Jeonghan anxiously as they repaired the broken bars.

‘Damn it, why did those guys come into the dungeon?’

‘How do I stop them?’

They were not guards of the imperial palace; how could they control someone who broke the bars, shouted, and came back in?

Nothing had gone right since that child had entered the dungeon.

“Calm down…”

As the guards were watching Wei Jeonghan, Wei Yanho spoke calmly:

“I am thinking. Thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Whether I should escape or not. What else is there to think about here?”

‘Do not say that in front of the guards.’

‘Even if we are weak, we have dignity. If you think about that in front of us, what are we!’

The head of the prison began to sweat.

“Escape? We cannot escape! If we escape, Yi Wangya will be in trouble!”

“But we cannot stay here. If we are executed, why worry about others? Should we die because we worry about others?”

“Let us wait a little longer.”

“What if we die?”

“Why would we die? If they are going to execute us, we will escape then.”

The head of the prison finally spoke:

“Uh…”

“What?”

“We have dignity, so you should talk about that when you are alone…”

“Ah, right. Sorry.”

“No, it is okay.”

“Can you leave? We need to talk about it.”

“…Yes.”

The head of the prison began to cry:

‘I must quit.’

‘I must quit this job.’

At that moment, he heard a *thud* sound, and the heavy door of the dungeon opened.

“Huh?”

The head of the prison squinted.

Who would come at this hour?

When he was about to yell at those who were coming in, the head of the prison closed his mouth when he saw their golden armor.

‘The Imperial Guard!’

Why are they here at this hour?

One of the guards spoke gravely:

“Where is Wei Yanho?”