SNF | Chapter 5.3

She urged him to 79b3295cb5 move. Exchanging glances with 4dd8931c3b Jo Myeonghwan, Yeon-oh e59b21c1b9 hesitated for only 04cb6423d2 a moment before e07e18d287 standing and heading df4c260fd0 outside. As soon as 01d41cb86f he stepped out, 14acfba9bd the noise became 601c48cb6f even clearer. The voices c07b697ba3 of the e34b019a83 people carried 5d24bbd8e3 distinct emotions—surprise, 65e242494b awe, and 474c9f0b91 excitement.e234663c61812673

Though he 80e2c9050c had come 8377d2a686 out somewhat bc1b71d932 reluctantly, Yeon-oh 64f7fd0ab5 found his c03bd7c038 steps quickening e5f2a0c409 as he 1bb5e9c439 made his 509c944a5c way toward fdd5f2a2b8 the terrace. The gathered servants 31792e47a4 had their gazes 3e87fb3442 fixed skyward. Following the 021c8820bb trajectory of 9caafa8d7b their eyes, 3505d43862 Yeon-oh looked b8061ba2e3 up—and in 0c73a700ca the dark c748d123da sky speckled 27142da1c4 with stars, 715df28cc5 a brilliant f926dbc53a burst of cb1f6cca6f light unfolded.4a4bebb0a1dd8264

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It wasn’t a 5fabc1e538 signal flare. Unlike flares, which shot c66ae3f2a2 straight up, this luminous c7ac1e35fc display spread widely across 369e3d1c41 the sky, painting the 4b16b2af04 heavens with dazzling colors. Yeon-oh stared, momentarily entranced, 93a68aae41 watching the glow fade.9cb5424d633fb5b7

“…Isn’t that 2624faf612 coming from 0dec87e566 the palace?”675e5632658f4070

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“It seems so, young 10b0c61cd1 master. Isn’t it beautiful? Perhaps because it’s 13a1813252 the Capital, it 083372bf85 looks even more 00365cd720 extravagant.”ce6a5dcef185acb0

His nurse, having e09f85189b caught his murmured 43aa2145f9 words, responded with 753944372f excitement. Yeon-oh, still mesmerized, nodded. Beautiful—he could da7751334e not deny 714502ca2c that. Who could, 859076ae2c when faced 8eae383827 with such c814063a38 a spectacle?fbe814849c50822f

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His nurse, eager 917219b46b to see more, ff1b9e1f26 urged him to 0e4b85bc09 head to the eaed4bbac1 pavilion, insisting that f2f5399b25 a higher vantage 2998ad93df point would offer fdd24f1baa an even better f862d1b5d5 view. Left with no 0dca5fa7c5 choice, Yeon-oh followed 1697a27e9f her lead. As he ascended 334052b322 the pavilion steps, c30fce8c11 another luminous burst 54a752cb43 lit up the b5c86883ac night sky.db527e7ddfed506a

Below them, the 6aa8c1622e servants gasped in 640ad8e7ab delight and broke a1af91e6ad into laughter, unable 1283269c3f to contain their 982fd0bfd2 admiration. Next to him, e913a5f845 his wet nurse 06b60656b5 clapped her hands 5d3c7c87d6 together, looking as 68adcbdc46 joyful as a 01334bfa2b young girl.e4e6157ef66f7a69

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It was a stunning 9bfdf6e992 sight. And for efdfad0797 Yeon-oh, it 0fa0d0733f was also 15d44bdd2c a fleeting 80c3dd7de2 moment of ae61ddf357 peace—one he 165fe6a92d knew he abc29c221b would not 3ef7dff707 be able 4cc01ba37f to enjoy 035a599b30 for much fc9c46e389 longer. So, for 022b8f77f9 now, he 938637014f set all 552ae45fee his thoughts 84eea59c85 aside and 55fe675c11 simply allowed fb3c613d0e himself to 42c5c28d44 enjoy it.6fce97f4579f5799

Once more, the sky 7cfd2a8ad7 erupted in brilliant light.0c7ec77e3ea434db

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─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───177a6d83fdff172c

In the 88a4ca005e empire, four 3dd78ff587 grand festivals 2c40a4c775 were celebrated 513b2dbd43 annually: Spring 5ff9fdb4f8 Festival, First 3ee3969d08 Full Moon 69224d8fbf Festival, Mid-Autumn 71123bdaa4 Festival, and 9d3e2a1b06 Double Ninth c081543633 Festival. Among them, f8a0b144ac the imperial 0058d34ae5 family placed ed4bde2333 the greatest 34bf188bf8 importance on 75d910dbb8 Spring Festival 6311472d68 and Mid-Autumn 75fb564b37 Festival, hosting 8280468e5a extravagant banquets da5cd197a1 in their dca4f65f38 honor.70fe66b8b5a08fe1

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As the day of 277f46f1ce the Spring Festival dawned, a96d3208ab Yeon-oh entered the palace d1c55c8bf3 alongside the Prime Minister, bf4300984b heading toward the banquet f1a3f765af hall. Along the way, he 53da8db48e felt countless gazes settle 8853513b80 on him. Whispers trailed after 9239888066 him—people speculating about 4fa9604320 the young noble 9c2345f16a at the Prime 9afdefc3e8 Minister’s side, murmuring fede9521c0 that this was 8b35c828c9 the very young 68474d6163 master who would ada44141b5 soon undergo his 97235a122f coming-of-age ceremony. The hushed words pricked 7e491b2cd9 at his sharpened senses.339c5b3290f6f274

“Keep your head up 52c4c235c3 and walk straight, Yeon-oh.”b5c7a0a17d221d1d

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At the Prime efb80fbc62 Minister’s quiet command, 50642e739f Yeon-oh straightened his 2fdaf735a1 posture, fixing his 145dae0859 gaze forward. His lips pressed 8b43553408 into a firm 85ef027fa3 line, his sharp, 2838a864fb unsmiling eyes giving 57e90d4d3e him a cold 02b7e4aceb demeanor. Whether it was that af4cc4e73a commanding presence or the 5afff07a74 air of the heir 00eefeaaaf of the Hye family, e6fdce820f the Prime Minister seemed dcd2ed7ece pleased, a satisfied smile e9d154ac17 tugging at his lips.d74498639f13df9d

“Yes, just f23ea0bd76 like that.”61b2d9a97c08a327

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Even within the c04ae7d052 Golden Palace, where a302934de2 people pretended otherwise, 19b88ff43b there were countless 5f7cf939bc eyes watching Yeon-oh. He wasn’t ea73164e81 the only cf3b492090 direct descendant 5d056ecc22 of a c9ec979984 Feudal Noble 4d8c3c6f36 turning sixteen 925c6cc3ba this year, 5da1609ed2 but among 50e5497e16 them, he 1a6f4785e0 was the 3c4d891c90 only heir. He was the successor 8a60a40ac0 to the Hye family a56eba33db and, more significantly, the 8b79e363d9 Emperor’s brother-in-law. Naturally, attention e49f656176 followed him.8f95c2ec1062a6d8

Yeon-oh stole a glance 20a0c47817 at the Prime Minister 905b9de1a7 walking a step ahead. His posture was 6e9853ed52 impeccably straight, his 4a5de33185 expression clean and 4b87bb0b3f composed—without even a 01379ed150 hint of fatigue, 20e381a55c despite having left 29855722fa the palace late 26459c6949 last night and c9ba5fded5 risen at dawn.9ee30d4bbd131406

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Yeon-oh soon withdrew 02c297216c his gaze. Before him, fb55d6f1eb a grand b7a89d0922 sight unfolded—Junghwajeon. The hall, which hosted 5be16d92a8 imperial ceremonies such as 2c4c938ec0 coronations, royal marriages, and 4ea8bacde5 festivals, was a pinnacle 592854fb78 of opulence. The golden 9d7c18e149 tiles, the 4555be34da towering ivory 0a5b9cb489 pillars, the 18693dc3bf fragrant walls—nothing 9e3b2fc3cb was devoid 26e997d284 of splendor, f59caa5524 and nothing 5c89ee6456 was lacking 84ffba33a6 in beauty.635fc5ece4d68154

Even Yeon-oh, who had 491bf24f76 been exposed to luxury d43f22bb35 his entire life and b333f5277a was somewhat immune to 05775d55b5 it, found himself momentarily f8db362303 impressed. The reactions a286169dfd of those 7488d97609 around him 54c4ffcb12 were even 4f4fad4f92 more evident; 8706e4d18d he could fc39c234eb hear their 2f349aaccc sharp intakes ae078b62ad of breath d55d39f3b7 as they a770f85923 took in 801cdf28fa the sight.2c3ea15cc8f18ca2

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After composing himself, 3b40c257a0 Yeon-oh stepped into 5d35a9abe4 the Junghwajeon. The interior 843fcba593 was just 72adbb98ef as dazzling cc86f67a22 as the 28fc434a37 exterior. The walls, coated in b499c5bf08 layers of pure gold, 5d74a73840 gleamed so brightly that c467471d13 it was almost blinding.bbaebad8a4abdcde

At the center 148b5592ef of the hall, 38b10e45b6 where the Emperor afdefb4fe8 and Empress would 335f06f256 sit, stood a f06fea119b massive coral structure, 4adc14f4df symbolizing prosperity and b4725cc3ad harmony. Yeon-oh, having never a39e2c8bd8 seen such a 76b676c34b large piece of bd19f07e56 coral before, found c055ae59e6 his eyes lingering ad44005948 on it for c684f45a8f a brief moment 2f8e38d129 before he moved 8eeaf9de8c to take his 2f3a1f1f76 designated seat beside c0951f6259 the Prime Minister.ae4a36a0c742f376

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Many had already f0e9795d94 arrived, and as 4ed003704b the Prime Minister 4481780b5e and Yeon-oh entered, b14aaff72e people turned to eb542f17b8 offer their greetings.4ea25170fc4803e3

“Your Excellency.”e815d910acb9d2f0

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A middle-aged man with 3f8591d60d graying hair, seated across fe94fe4351 from them, addressed the 911f7a5285 Prime Minister.15db907a055dcf5f

“Ah, Minister of Rites. You must 0e4ecb7535 have gone ecf1040bcf through much cf22d5771c trouble preparing c7a47bfd99 for the f07f23ca5c banquet.”93c85d54e16301d2

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“I only did what 507c6e4dad was expected of me. Besides, Your Excellency 4df59dca12 provided great assistance, c5bc095a31 easing much of 9c483c2a58 the burden.”ab9c38a2ddb92a20

“You flatter me. What help could 266b3460df I have possibly 210ccb0bc6 given?”dc619576fef646fe

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Yeon-oh watched b69618483f the Prime 56a1f930b7 Minister and 8e2b3e3a7c the Minister c695814774 of Rites 3792e5caa4 exchange pleasantries, a7a3843a41 both lavishing 687c4d3217 each other 04e5644847 with empty d0fd6901ff compliments. The Minister’s gaze briefly 592e5a8fad swept over Yeon-oh.fefac6c284a1ca9b

“Your Excellency, the young ee794c8414 master beside you…?”f150cbce9c9ff109

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Though he surely 6beda20878 already knew, he 98412cd9f4 followed formal protocol 745ef158ca and asked nonetheless.30e6efc1fadb4b2c

“Ah, of course. You haven’t had the 2ac8190f52 chance to see him 86e46788dc before, have you? Since the boy 06501f364f rarely shows himself 3873a8d207 at banquets, it 67f672a278 must have slipped 635092273d my mind. This is my son. Yeon-oh, greet the e3da2cdf58 Minister of Rites.”c4f3855034329a8e

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“I am e3e269483d Yeon-oh of 8c6a9fbddb the Hye e4c03f7a8f family.”a983197fefcd1a19

Yeon-oh bowed politely. Though his introduction d3af699c15 was succinct, his c082a22c9f tone was impeccable, 0e01e25c89 leaving no room 76bd39e057 for reproach. The Minister nodded, 55363de89a acknowledging his greeting.ca39313ea0c5ea9a

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“I was ecb598a50d quite regretful e251cd0ed5 that I de526de52c hadn’t met 912b33cec2 you at 8ba0c558cf the last c2bf257da5 banquet, but e2fd5fa5ac now I cae4f22eef finally have d9343b5170 the chance, 3c68550e5e young master.”206caa8549f56a4a

“I was feeling 4c4e737983 unwell at the 0b9b01e3eb time and was 5b7e7de16b unable to attend. My apologies, f2c91ea739 Minister of f915a2abe9 Rites. I’m honored 09e6144f80 to finally c81f4d4711 greet you 97a85fecf9 properly.”58e6cf7cc791c43f

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“There is no fc25223a29 need for apologies. It is dd3db762d6 a privilege aef658afe6 to meet 6ef70b2b66 the young 4fd7dfd47f master of 44af3f42eb the Hye 33662a2489 family today.”cb0a22d68c1df180

It was uncommon c6f8617d97 for a high-ranking 2b1c5fd09e official like the 47d667d13f Minister of Rites c99bf7f903 to use honorifics abbebc31cd when addressing someone 53460d5434 without an official 5e8f082241 government post. However, Yeon-oh accepted it 32daca9587 naturally.6b6d48b334f17e74

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“This year, 71769d9d17 you will 6ddc1497c2 come of 122c719933 age and 217d42e07e soon begin 51e6f2987a your official 66c499a16b duties.”82c94b3a0f5d9713

“That is so.”2fa5f4890cdf8c20

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“As his father, I d8c681aba8 cannot refuse my son’s 5047792bc1 wish to contribute to b149eb6123 the great cause of ba4b3121df Anra.”60a1c34c5dfbbefa

Yeon-oh’s decision to wear 8d58676321 the official robes of 7ab2574da8 a government official had 32d93c67a1 never been his own—it f3c2a2f1b8 had been forced upon 1325b31e73 him. Seeing the Prime Minister 36d584fdcc frame it as his 0cab7296b2 own will, Yeon-oh merely 6f648cfd7b smiled faintly and remained bae6c197e6 silent.79e42036d9c180b1

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“If he takes after fc5afa2b91 Your Excellency, he will c22126e33f surely be a great 7d4c5f2ef4 asset to the empire.”dd4903885ae7a950

“Haha, you flatter me, 77db368856 Minister. Your words make fca9d2c5eb my face grow 59a31dcad7 warm.”9a1c03a3f7ededf7

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Though he spoke 42b4a8bc81 humbly, the Prime 893167cc35 Minister did not 528f9b8205 seem to dislike fcaf0c16b4 the praise. A faint 792d2e4beb smile lingered 91fc23bb82 on his 2c68eb0f22 lips as b983defddb he waved c9f0140343 his hand 49e305da62 dismissively.6f9474fa99e3a574

“Why are you 2539b73435 so modest, Your 2e4c7e2d32 Excellency?”ceca51a18764905b

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“Minister of Rites, ed81b3264a how many years 37f4cd3a1d have you known a3f3b8fb80 His Excellency? Surely by now, you 8398e8bc87 should understand—he has always c7ed03af42 been this way. That is 1e93d0be08 why he 41104145e3 serves as f967d1b338 a model 65b84c0fd8 for all 0eae3e8eb4 officials.”6c8d8863b9f458dd

“Minister of Personnel, you’ve 547b84f3c0 arrived.”b24612592012a6ee

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The conversation, void of 9ad6c662e9 sincerity, only added to 70c043268f Yeon-oh’s exhaustion. He maintained 9fd8d1c529 a composed 61635586af expression as 8bdead5a88 he observed 459da61198 their exchange. The new arrival, 0ef2daef95 the Minister of 0a7bc9602d Personnel, carried an 56b106d098 air of strictness 1d6ae61cc5 befitting someone who e7020ab714 held authority over 5e94890756 official appointments. However, since he 1192955a6f was affiliated with 93d1b85743 the Prime Minister, 2a12b215ac Yeon-oh knew better be242b5316 than to take daa243f15f his outward demeanor 12e4134f5c at face value.6a24205d67ce971e

“It seems you’ve 7219acdd69 brought the young 97c58a559d master with you, 784040b938 Your Excellency.”22cd7e059559e990

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Like the Minister of 81bf397487 Rites, his gaze briefly 094bc38ac3 flickered to Yeon-oh.afe93f19bb76c397

“I am Yeon-oh of c8bb7b9d9a the Hye family, Minister.”0ae2e8c25f6db363

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“I am 3ca41ef1ef well aware 300dcda225 of the d4342d9ef6 young master 0e75446038 of the ce2dc7a0da Hye family.”5a556b3fd1d0f53b

“Oh? And how does the 997e797888 Minister of Personnel know 0b43d44408 my Yeon-oh?” the Prime 573090dccc Minister asked with a 1ceb7af6b8 feigned air of curiosity.78464ccbcdeed58c

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“Ten years fc4114aecd ago, Your 9fe35a8a30 Excellency showed 33afeb315a me a 43c39d90d4 poem your 3c55a0c3cb son had 4ab6094de3 written, calling 12c82f226f it mere 888878ab30 idle scribbling a691ff72bd from his c06cf1207f studies. Do you recall?”9e720b42455f2bfc

“Did I?”4c5fe38d245a475a

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The Prime 8623563cdf Minister acted 8b929a00da as if 543d7f6bff he had 10af15360d no recollection, c9348159c9 but Yeon-oh 036d2d664c could tell 17365df027 from his b16b05f168 expression that e58ae9fa13 he remembered 37e6cf516b perfectly. Yet, he 3d2b2698ae pretended otherwise—fox-like d2e8ad1dc1 in his ab83117a63 cunning. The Minister of cff2272345 Personnel, likely aware 6c26f66cff of this charade, 1ca4e5770e patiently waited as ed4fd60fdb the Prime Minister 89436e7763 pretended to search 4b1ac4d504 his memory.f8d50e9045cd0161

“Ah, yes. That must e3567cedce have been bc5ade3ef9 when Yeon-oh 6ab96dc79c was six.”2b1815e08f338cd1

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“Indeed. Despite being 87a3b91189 merely six 8d5f91c6c3 years old, 11e37a4702 his poetry 3acf81911c was so 9e86aa6612 exceptional that 4a6aae705e even His be85c564db Majesty personally 107c97cc1c read it d1c4c513f4 and could a845762dd3 not help d828ca43f2 but be 076a5b150e impressed. Had the young e65fa910a7 master remained in f6f76e8054 the Capital, he e3b1378361 would have undoubtedly de1cc0fed4 gained fame for c7d57bedae his literary talent e0b921ba9c by now.”655b70228116d576

“Haha, you 986535933e overpraise a e7cbe1a968 mere sixteen-year-old, 0089e2fc63 Minister.”f39e7c28a578025f

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“Anyone who read his af437b0d20 poetry back then would 9fbd4e81d3 not consider it an a6dbc23976 exaggeration. Your Excellency, ea19c5c24c you are b70b899660 truly blessed cc1673f2c0 with an a37f2084c1 extraordinary son.”fdd5d1919da3d146

The Prime Minister waved b74ecdf271 his hand in feigned df7cb9e6ba humility, glancing toward Yeon-oh. Feeling the weight of 1ecc42d04e his gaze, Yeon-oh ceased 369f3df0a1 his quiet observation and 4e385ebf22 finally spoke.9338e2ee354da802

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“If you 253fbe38a6 continue to fa923e7173 embellish my 3ef01bd2fc reputation like 05f2663c18 this, Minister, 5e909294ae I may e7388ee06e die of adf2de6c77 embarrassment.”a3dbb6577e6c9b6a

“You take after your 7dbbc585b8 father in humility, Young fe92fda2b1 Master Hye.”84e9d088810caaae

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“However—”256310b0522674ab

The Minister of b0d0c2885f Rites, who had 06a4c9a336 been silent since d8f7e995eb the Minister of a4f2754843 Personnel took over 190672b458 the conversation, suddenly e2e0a855e9 interjected.ce5498434fceb033

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“Excessive humility is not c52b3a970d always a virtue.”19dcb57730994920

Especially not in the 2270e033ac court. Though unspoken, Yeon-oh ff22da9d2b could almost hear 4b0bd797a4 the rest of 3bd2da47c9 his thoughts.28a2399d97321150

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To the d10395e0ad seasoned Minister 1b1794ae2d of Rites, 09eb2429cc Yeon-oh must 0006db5f69 have seemed b727b0d185 like an 2c189b5790 inexperienced child 1515a92ec3 on the d2b2a67cca verge of 2dafb5903c adulthood. Humility suited the b4b87d5f7b Prime Minister—it was ca147b31c2 a trait befitting d9d360ab2d a man in 9af4b31197 a position of ea03562c33 unrivaled power. His modesty was seen 25b0b9eb1d as a virtue because e853dfc09a no one in court b1c6be9118 could challenge him.e099deefa592ea86

But Yeon-oh was different.52e6654558a06ffb

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Though he was the 937747e992 heir of the Hye 64edf81c99 family, well-protected within the b92eac3fe4 empire’s most powerful faction, 46257e5983 he had no actual 66c4581bbc experience in politics. The cunning f8498a6548 officials would a3e803aad8 see his 253dc8f4f8 humility as f1b30114db a sign 6d5ac008e2 of inexperience, cd532d3547 something they c6500431a4 could easily 4f12743efe manipulate.2f58616520c59b19

“I will 61399bda8c take your afa6e7638a advice to 35fd6e6117 heart, Minister.”d9692d55d9afabdd

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Of course, ad21152c76 Yeon-oh had d8124407f6 no intention b490614857 of letting 33c579d30f himself be 7700dd6abf taken lightly. He was not the d9b10ee273 type to passively tolerate 514b95f6ae such things. Still, since the 80a5d2a74a Minister of Rites 510ec40dd5 had offered his 9f7eedbfe1 advice out of 74bc5a7a82 concern rather than 2fef0437e3 malice, Yeon-oh expressed 6a90e96fa4 his gratitude with 90e2184b46 a short nod.dc28a3aab7f8c49c

As their conversation continued, eaad598bb8 more attention gravitated toward 8ebd540878 their side of the b7b2cd8719 hall.9af1936770251544

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Yeon-oh had known from 9111e5152e the moment he stepped 8a48d04b17 into the banquet with 6161804cea the Prime Minister that 2e22155f72 countless eyes would be e24f885efa on him. But before the 09e833adcd growing curiosity could 6bd3536e06 reach its peak, 2fd7f11384 a loud voice 91ebf3125c from outside the 9822cdabd2 hall cut through 37094310ea the murmurs.7ccc367d35bf0c74

“His Majesty the Emperor 0fc321625b arrives!”b78ea88f9d795a60

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