SNF | Chapter 5.3

She urged him 3e58796328 to move. Exchanging glances with a5acbeb33e Jo Myeonghwan, Yeon-oh e4f055cfde hesitated for only aefa870861 a moment before 0f72073bf7 standing and heading a2c40ff3e4 outside. As soon as he 4ce2ad91f5 stepped out, the noise 0c61234872 became even clearer. The voices of 01c120631d the people carried fc2a435dbd distinct emotions—surprise, awe, 9f7f79f6c8 and excitement.4eee7dfaf2b999be

Though he d7cc2ce885 had come dc264d21ea out somewhat 46f64a3fa3 reluctantly, Yeon-oh 3fa13d1a2e found his f2d9e6a1b4 steps quickening c092cbc762 as he 40b84179d9 made his 93a13e88a5 way toward b76dfe3a6c the terrace. The gathered servants had a73ad5a54b their gazes fixed skyward. Following the 00952bd56c trajectory of 1738f1fd74 their eyes, 255f99947b Yeon-oh looked ea43e8ff2b up—and in c23e2206df the dark 86dbd191bd sky speckled b212769e47 with stars, cea46c9fe9 a brilliant 9fab35b58f burst of 0baa53f97e light unfolded.05e3f05e614f5f01

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It wasn’t a signal d207d24076 flare. Unlike flares, 5ae17f1d9f which shot 07fd189430 straight up, d4b963def0 this luminous ececbd2cce display spread 47806df6d4 widely across 94c6fd3523 the sky, c971dd5cdc painting the 8392b38c56 heavens with ce35633580 dazzling colors. Yeon-oh stared, c4afae9941 momentarily entranced, e9dbe75761 watching the cd99ebe063 glow fade.922e5536de4a1938

“…Isn’t that coming 1d0dc730cc from the palace?”6cb819f1cd0c8308

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“It seems b626a3ea9f so, young b20cfe5a69 master. Isn’t it beautiful? Perhaps because it’s 1663f5ffef the Capital, it 82a41c306b looks even more f73893b4eb extravagant.”54ea2eee7aab3065

His nurse, having caught e2577191bb his murmured words, responded dcae37453c with excitement. Yeon-oh, still mesmerized, 6299b7ac8b nodded. Beautiful—he could 4a483b0270 not deny 4b30bdfc7a that. Who could, when 87c7de327a faced with such e47cd82b17 a spectacle?6d9d12f70e40a03b

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His nurse, eager a3ab1763fd to see more, 2e78520c9d urged him to 5507ce27c7 head to the e2fa0edb85 pavilion, insisting that e0394ff597 a higher vantage 2de74c8b8e point would offer 90ce3742b8 an even better 847246cf3d view. Left with 6bdbc9b09c no choice, e609130c5a Yeon-oh followed e13e00713d her lead. As he ascended e67a8b84c4 the pavilion steps, 8ec4286668 another luminous burst 046139de24 lit up the 03327c4f20 night sky.3c1612fd51f625f3

Below them, 6d1c0c8f1d the servants febc25cecd gasped in 0d99be2314 delight and adc5cb446d broke into 6452129a04 laughter, unable 88f404a1d4 to contain 9a1138be7e their admiration. Next to him, 6fe703f966 his wet nurse 9da8a06750 clapped her hands f94e113bdd together, looking as e9112f4d5e joyful as a d65b904981 young girl.9b61986c3de0b845

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It was a stunning 213d2c4023 sight. And for Yeon-oh, a32b31febe it was also e43935d45a a fleeting moment 18f1e29ebc of peace—one he a85e27b837 knew he would e160b8245b not be able d5f74e45cd to enjoy for 740339d1e6 much longer. So, for now, he 546a5b681a set all his thoughts 4bc9e39632 aside and simply allowed 07b372719d himself to enjoy it.6c8d8f2e26b5a28b

Once more, the ad3025eeb6 sky erupted in 6ab37d6a7d brilliant light.6c0fbed14d172b8e

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─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───80a8c05d685921c2

In the empire, 7953b5ca9b four grand festivals beeb9570a8 were celebrated annually: 9963d013b1 Spring Festival, First 9d7d912cfe Full Moon Festival, 46a9df573c Mid-Autumn Festival, and 7145998667 Double Ninth Festival. Among them, the 8ce639316c imperial family placed ec5076d41b the greatest importance 4f3ecaca32 on Spring Festival 07c19602ea and Mid-Autumn Festival, d5a0304391 hosting extravagant banquets d9b2cac708 in their honor.efa5071078d463da

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As the 9ec2e55307 day of 135fa4534c the Spring 14021133b9 Festival dawned, 16e57e37b7 Yeon-oh entered 08c41be22a the palace 8e12bb1853 alongside the f9a83a5ed9 Prime Minister, fdc0cef67e heading toward e36aabf90d the banquet d2cc8938a2 hall. Along the way, he b6f92409ce felt countless gazes settle fdd2b1339b on him. Whispers trailed after c02e6d7f72 him—people speculating about c9eab11b96 the young noble 3c10ec8236 at the Prime e292c85ca3 Minister’s side, murmuring 038d76561c that this was 83ace6aa3c the very young e7b673bf8a master who would e718a27217 soon undergo his f0f0adb9cb coming-of-age ceremony. The hushed words pricked 94caa966e2 at his sharpened senses.ba282e0694551b1d

“Keep your head bf3b6116fc up and walk 856e129fe3 straight, Yeon-oh.”ae656e98b1ff4507

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At the Prime Minister’s 4169ee57f1 quiet command, Yeon-oh straightened cc4ce36b9d his posture, fixing his a87643e703 gaze forward. His lips pressed into 992d48ca82 a firm line, his 8e9bbc4047 sharp, unsmiling eyes giving 52f670dfc6 him a cold demeanor. Whether it 530d5d1303 was that 57d775d6ce commanding presence 497f3a3c0d or the 3589ddcb43 air of 322746f30e the heir f54e187798 of the 87386aa539 Hye family, 3988454d26 the Prime c1a1de137c Minister seemed 66aee775f0 pleased, a 1eed274813 satisfied smile 941a227eb6 tugging at 28b628c246 his lips.3e11389135ef1966

“Yes, just 0b3a116817 like that.”6a8c4bdf88ec9bf1

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Even within the Golden d99beabfba Palace, where people pretended e08c82338f otherwise, there were countless 5141cdd509 eyes watching Yeon-oh. He wasn’t 708fe53e45 the only a0eddf9daf direct descendant e98ce0d79f of a 198ce881a8 Feudal Noble 118f018e87 turning sixteen 4b84a4fb0e this year, e0b13217ab but among b225613a0a them, he f5937b7b34 was the c1be196bb5 only heir. He was the 64ed222b00 successor to the f0bd25a055 Hye family and, b46673249f more significantly, the 219921210f Emperor’s brother-in-law. Naturally, attention followed him.a30103e2fde88f53

Yeon-oh stole 474e6aa073 a glance 2d06249a32 at the db9d66ecee Prime Minister 8269d5c07e walking a 47ef234bc8 step ahead. His posture was 7cb3e51a40 impeccably straight, his 6894c64630 expression clean and 6ef9fc2b48 composed—without even a 90390bec36 hint of fatigue, f917678fce despite having left e74ddd6e9c the palace late 4efb93c635 last night and 8554dd6cd6 risen at dawn.22866a6e835c57a6

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Yeon-oh soon e7e4e468f5 withdrew his 9b650a7f7e gaze. Before him, 5b918640b6 a grand f9a1f026c6 sight unfolded—Junghwajeon. The hall, which 320f086978 hosted imperial ceremonies bfd27fcd5a such as coronations, 024f12687b royal marriages, and a5f34ef033 festivals, was a 906235b657 pinnacle of opulence. The golden 4abec542d0 tiles, the b6ed98a566 towering ivory e68b970383 pillars, the 1a6ac706a7 fragrant walls—nothing b594e7d84c was devoid c72a08c0fe of splendor, af3da7a75f and nothing d35ff0d0c9 was lacking 4ab70557eb in beauty.2483561b573cb741

Even Yeon-oh, 16a9d641aa who had 35b929a44f been exposed d321da6a18 to luxury 900725a32b his entire 79f32ff2ed life and e06a1bd5fd was somewhat b8607e6d98 immune to 4248294b2d it, found 518451e04d himself momentarily ac117cf951 impressed. The reactions of those 90632e3599 around him were even 6cc8aced6d more evident; he could 10f0bb2b1a hear their sharp intakes fcae27bdf0 of breath as they 3d37a6d47d took in the sight.104769b1dff216f5

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After composing himself, d3dfa669ca Yeon-oh stepped into 203f39923d the Junghwajeon. The interior 44fb52a544 was just 15c25627e2 as dazzling 7c7112bb5b as the bca507ab83 exterior. The walls, bebf22ef2c coated in aeca270c1e layers of 492228f22c pure gold, c8c39fa515 gleamed so d107c1c3c5 brightly that 34cefb60c5 it was 732f5b7f1b almost blinding.60c8f0094c578720

At the center of 42dcda13df the hall, where the de8eb7dd97 Emperor and Empress would 49f1412c0c sit, stood a massive f0941e08d4 coral structure, symbolizing prosperity a8551872e7 and harmony. Yeon-oh, having never seen da51ef2aa0 such a large piece 3e5671bd19 of coral before, found ee93649b27 his eyes lingering on 63fa21376f it for a brief 337a10fb2c moment before he moved 392085fa43 to take his designated 7722dd86b9 seat beside the Prime 5f84760166 Minister.0c3f445c2d22fc72

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Many had already arrived, 326df5518b and as the Prime a95861804d Minister and Yeon-oh entered, d8ab3e67d9 people turned to offer b26ecfe626 their greetings.5803d2a007b7ccca

“Your Excellency.”e1b50f65dcd08192

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A middle-aged man ec2c274e14 with graying hair, bdad567275 seated across from 63703ef2c9 them, addressed the b1c88d4763 Prime Minister.298ff2bc33622737

“Ah, Minister of ca9d831630 Rites. You must have 26142e4bec gone through much 4bdb8bac39 trouble preparing for 1363ee60d2 the banquet.”316283b47aada8fb

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“I only did 6d38414de2 what was expected d7bbd4069c of me. Besides, Your Excellency 2b51d15d9d provided great assistance, 727cc9b307 easing much of fe4f1c5be7 the burden.”83f8f84c64be0215

“You flatter me. What help 6a52803198 could I 5d7538143f have possibly be01ba7f09 given?”406795fb9ecf1a99

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Yeon-oh watched 0f64023908 the Prime 39f19471fb Minister and 98344cffd8 the Minister e37647e046 of Rites 647c7be95c exchange pleasantries, dbd89f509f both lavishing 50e9e73945 each other ef23d7c68c with empty a3132de906 compliments. The Minister’s gaze briefly 42d3b5d8f1 swept over Yeon-oh.f8ec63a00d788e4c

“Your Excellency, b2bf6f20d2 the young 734088a5f2 master beside ad19e3e327 you…?”9e895ce9ba2b3c62

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Though he 331394a9c0 surely already 84b7e886e9 knew, he dfb706f764 followed formal 82dbe860df protocol and ed058a701a asked nonetheless.b0ba8b5d55486ee7

“Ah, of course. You haven’t 215706090b had the 154a48d1d7 chance to abc049a771 see him d5712230d5 before, have 8a8d125dcf you? Since the boy rarely 5dd2bc772d shows himself at banquets, 7d71b855f3 it must have slipped 02ff95444d my mind. This is my 9575b47ba1 son. Yeon-oh, greet the Minister e95a3cf727 of Rites.”eb833248eb864ee8

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“I am 0fa1210361 Yeon-oh of 99ecbeb048 the Hye f2aa44fedb family.”f718afd867ee1c10

Yeon-oh bowed politely. Though his introduction was c279230dfa succinct, his tone was 179a0b1241 impeccable, leaving no room 3f7cf670bb for reproach. The Minister nodded, acknowledging 5fa4c9b250 his greeting.a4c96e2a220f1bfc

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“I was quite 4c78998734 regretful that I c004c23f92 hadn’t met you 8a79cbdf0b at the last 2e5cbd8cbb banquet, but now 7285a98b65 I finally have 5b9ff35979 the chance, young 564ebf3095 master.”dca38094a26620e7

“I was feeling unwell e94d6e0d9b at the time and 7469a9c5c0 was unable to attend. My apologies, Minister of 46ef5b759b Rites. I’m honored to 1191f08e71 finally greet you 16e5da5392 properly.”0e46a0159be836a2

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“There is no a2099a9ed1 need for apologies. It is a privilege 2e8e32b83a to meet the young 8ecf13ee9c master of the Hye d6a969d53b family today.”4f9c519d0419463b

It was uncommon 1d3b609d4c for a high-ranking 91d5e6d01a official like the bc5b4af2e2 Minister of Rites 753fec1f71 to use honorifics 78a3eda007 when addressing someone 50ab66d5a6 without an official b36dd301a1 government post. However, Yeon-oh accepted it efc25289e4 naturally.db57c2cf562160c8

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“This year, you 5a8ff072c2 will come of 5a65faee57 age and soon 6475b39dd9 begin your official b9104450b4 duties.”6cf92b0efd223b26

“That is so.”71c5e72264dcb9ec

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“As his father, 1ef1172c6d I cannot refuse a3837e47cf my son’s wish 72bb86921b to contribute to 3133f86e27 the great cause 10b996ad88 of Anra.”e1057e582c4bb1a3

Yeon-oh’s decision 50b0db4269 to wear d271d2cee8 the official 7af6173931 robes of a670581dfa a government f78b41fb95 official had 088d674a0a never been 4381e7f687 his own—it 4036d3361d had been e21bc65dfc forced upon bd40d0c1c5 him. Seeing the Prime Minister 9b2eaad4dc frame it as his 4228e2653d own will, Yeon-oh merely d6420fd6b8 smiled faintly and remained bda932377e silent.3f64066a3cf1fdc6

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“If he 9b17fad1fc takes after 174aef6352 Your Excellency, 166d2c62f7 he will aa4ddc859b surely be 3ce962c740 a great eaa57d1f6b asset to 0827a452eb the empire.”76bb46771d64b906

“Haha, you flatter me, cc02bb36e8 Minister. Your words b6370c977e make my 3010b15dd1 face grow 690a62a24a warm.”fb88b5c2bcc1a7c2

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Though he 152c351628 spoke humbly, fa16e51a64 the Prime 74ce4c666a Minister did a597c16085 not seem 8137c9d557 to dislike f62268910c the praise. A faint smile lingered 91b0c01826 on his lips as 245b221a38 he waved his hand c9c2930f2b dismissively.9071c10d97f3c719

“Why are 5000f5c294 you so 4c8122f5c4 modest, Your 8401c5cba6 Excellency?”342cb8b98789b1a3

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“Minister of Rites, how 30b7c94e2d many years have you fd02fd0f4e known His Excellency? Surely by f49ac67e0e now, you 313d4242a1 should understand—he 2a3f0d8543 has always bb11f8c77e been this 45cd950d0f way. That is why he 47547dadca serves as a model 9a2fd804a5 for all officials.”477a061fb4a567c8

“Minister of Personnel, you’ve 785856a71f arrived.”e0aba56591414e0a

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The conversation, de8adfe1f7 void of 21ba8ef750 sincerity, only 1ea762763f added to e78c68e18f Yeon-oh’s exhaustion. He maintained 521181c350 a composed c692f64a1e expression as 50f28dbce7 he observed b396f0bff8 their exchange. The new arrival, the eba01c296a Minister of Personnel, carried fda6937b39 an air of strictness eabc4c397f befitting someone who held a71ed84b34 authority over official appointments. However, since he e6acdab7bc was affiliated with 7c267e5671 the Prime Minister, e2d776bfa5 Yeon-oh knew better 24186ab685 than to take 42ca3a5332 his outward demeanor e9ad126314 at face value.4ef9419d2baeadaa

“It seems you’ve brought ffc74a89d3 the young master with 866ee24ee7 you, Your Excellency.”2ef20002fd46ab6f

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Like the Minister of d4e41a16f5 Rites, his gaze briefly c58823dbec flickered to Yeon-oh.6ac2b99532fdba07

“I am Yeon-oh 3a7ee07c98 of the Hye f3b271f7e6 family, Minister.”65f54f53ea480859

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“I am well aware 4c19182ce7 of the young master 2fb8b8fd8e of the Hye family.”5bddbb2c4eeddacf

“Oh? And how 216df93730 does the fa3097ff70 Minister of 55b25332fb Personnel know 725996da64 my Yeon-oh?” 915745aa18 the Prime 6bdec3d846 Minister asked dbae24ee8b with a 434b110039 feigned air 54b2a3b515 of curiosity.4cc2e29e3ecfa9aa

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“Ten years ago, fb6108856c Your Excellency showed 5b52465f26 me a poem 300cbfe894 your son had dafeda0c53 written, calling it 4a1e4ff216 mere idle scribbling da7d23a3a0 from his studies. Do you recall?”7bba77c52a8046d2

“Did I?”e706ef05ea9754c6

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The Prime Minister 031008a0fb acted as if 1d8b9253d2 he had no 32c432d5ba recollection, but Yeon-oh fbf7d4288c could tell from 607514fdf9 his expression that fee7ded190 he remembered perfectly. Yet, he 1d845f0095 pretended otherwise—fox-like 8eb11819f6 in his 1bb857896a cunning. The Minister of Personnel, b977479a72 likely aware of this 5a0677c518 charade, patiently waited as 12ec6fa489 the Prime Minister pretended 317db21e80 to search his memory.f9026d819bfe6c58

“Ah, yes. That must have been 040c6cd5a7 when Yeon-oh was six.”21a0b70a8d3d8264

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“Indeed. Despite being merely 7cc58d2034 six years old, b048098760 his poetry was 7136a78241 so exceptional that 77e6826ebb even His Majesty 7285b0f6f1 personally read it 4b79049421 and could not 7188937482 help but be 576a5217d8 impressed. Had the 1fdecadfd3 young master c16ca643eb remained in 05cb9c3143 the Capital, 7cfed82873 he would 205bd209e1 have undoubtedly ded17fd535 gained fame cff9cadac6 for his e32a1d861d literary talent ecc744e6fc by now.”9e99b3e94d6a8f9e

“Haha, you overpraise a 68d116f997 mere sixteen-year-old, Minister.”486906fdf7850909

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“Anyone who read his c1fcf529ca poetry back then would 228b571e5f not consider it an 22d32ff903 exaggeration. Your Excellency, you are 286e0594f8 truly blessed with an 9b7c2f1919 extraordinary son.”a1fdb865d3549836

The Prime 8d2fa5896e Minister waved 88d540664d his hand 68b83090b2 in feigned f644f12d96 humility, glancing 2bf9ad1920 toward Yeon-oh. Feeling the weight of 53b23a6e77 his gaze, Yeon-oh ceased 9699d1cded his quiet observation and 747ccbc24d finally spoke.074e30f234c47f99

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“If you continue to 047d3134cb embellish my reputation like 63be534393 this, Minister, I may 9441fd1442 die of embarrassment.”703dbc059ac71226

“You take d2169489c2 after your cb3227510f father in 2d65a329dd humility, Young d0da36bfb0 Master Hye.”4f447d9078bdee23

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“However—”fc8748e14c78c6e4

The Minister 831ccff251 of Rites, 128509a10c who had 19b64b2ffe been silent 529adddfae since the 28d937db15 Minister of 0f0230b03f Personnel took 7650217f6d over the 0ecf6ba7d2 conversation, suddenly d6e1805f7e interjected.69e096488e547005

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“Excessive humility is not 788f2f08a3 always a virtue.”16e9861e4971b598

Especially not in the b633d34940 court. Though unspoken, 5878968a37 Yeon-oh could de4c62de8b almost hear 6b1db6e01c the rest f14d736fee of his a35ac2d695 thoughts.9cefa56290754fbf

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To the seasoned Minister de70ed9b87 of Rites, Yeon-oh must 4f52e75775 have seemed like an 692b821a45 inexperienced child on the aecc8d8a9b verge of adulthood. Humility suited the 320da63fee Prime Minister—it was 00714069bf a trait befitting d1b7c82d9c a man in c060646cad a position of 3701e2a7c0 unrivaled power. His modesty was seen e539d5bd24 as a virtue because abfc858a2a no one in court a23d2aafeb could challenge him.b0808025ac7f9bb7

But Yeon-oh was c73ec45031 different.5c7acb2dd795668c

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Though he 007eee6ef0 was the 13f6ba6408 heir of 4995aa7a60 the Hye 29b82cd0ea family, well-protected 981737b9a5 within the 4b86cc5b90 empire’s most 2725c06ea4 powerful faction, 5a27b3797d he had 2bbd20a443 no actual 4dbb89bdd6 experience in 6a749e1fae politics. The cunning f999335f02 officials would deb954c92a see his 39b5ee6374 humility as c42f0b0931 a sign 74101b4c7c of inexperience, 46a15ce44f something they 5336ee3f88 could easily 00bb42bd0b manipulate.7632a4a12e0deddd

“I will 4a437089e7 take your ae627ec7a5 advice to afd6604a79 heart, Minister.”0ba2674c64cbbaaa

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Of course, Yeon-oh had 283b08f9b9 no intention of letting 13e07d48cb himself be taken lightly. He was not 7e7b4ddec6 the type to 8ff0951c11 passively tolerate such a6d6f20c08 things. Still, since 753cbb86ee the Minister aeebe6479f of Rites 43e532112f had offered de9d773e80 his advice e768ce873a out of 47fe023be3 concern rather 9c50ba8778 than malice, 92339d3c28 Yeon-oh expressed e1f93d3386 his gratitude 4df0e891b4 with a b262fcc443 short nod.eae04139330925cb

As their c826e2b4e5 conversation continued, 7b5b933bd8 more attention 989f1bc92a gravitated toward 182b5d5422 their side 3e362a25dc of the 8343398e14 hall.aedf3fbf89b63bdd

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Yeon-oh had known from d2af36fcf9 the moment he stepped 772c3dc9fc into the banquet with b3f56269d1 the Prime Minister that a447ab0d47 countless eyes would be 44d0525b02 on him. But before the growing 30a9f2e901 curiosity could reach its 8f9207adcf peak, a loud voice 899b84df23 from outside the hall f1b35c1085 cut through the murmurs.005f089069cbacf0

“His Majesty b5ffad1d13 the Emperor 707110bce4 arrives!”3db3e35ce5dc615f

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