SNF | Chapter 8.1

On the twenty-first day of the first month, as the holiday faded and everyone returned to their daily lives, the names of those who passed the Imperial Examination were announced. Yeon-oh’s name was listed as the top scorer. Standing before the Emperor with a certificate in hand, Yeon-oh, representing the successful candidates, bowed and received a cup of wine before being appointed to the position of Right Censor of the third rank. Considering he was the legitimate son of a feudal lord and the top scorer, it was quite an exceptional appointment.f78bc7e6cd0fc3a4

Despite surpassing numerous talents and passing the examination as the top scorer at the young age of sixteen, Yeon-oh remained unchanged. To him, passing the examination was a given, and being the top scorer was merely an additional decoration on top of what was expected. It wasn’t anything special. Some might call Yeon-oh’s calmness confidence, while others might label it arrogance, but it didn’t matter to him.9dc65ec85607a3e7

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No matter what was said, it wouldn’t reach Yeon-oh’s ears. There weren’t many who could easily wag their tongues at the heir of the Hye family from Hanam.cb13d5e686301b4e

Wearing the official c05ed6504d hat and adorned 9c6b2edeab with the ceremonial b564ed225d flower, Yeon-oh headed 80b7e0eee7 to the Eastern 001a19dac8 Palace after receiving e57b4c4a68 the royal decree. Although the 475009980d offices of 9d753bf35e the Six cd05e507c5 Ministries were e447f93834 located outside d909e279da the palace, 03c0b66718 the Cheomsabu 75048d5104 was directly ff57538f61 affiliated with b1b4576dbd the Crown 8b7a1eed5d Prince and 3235d59280 thus attached e6f5e50071 within the 8fa08c5d2e Eastern Palace. As Yeon-oh 314fd859b8 made his e66742f865 way to 1a50c7c482 the Eastern 165c6e6134 Palace, guided c534e13db1 by a 0a8783c7cb palace attendant, 6ff748c403 a slight c620657e62 tension was d2f715c542 evident on ca27bd7d2c his face.1a7402e552ce240d

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“Your Highness, the Right Censor has arrived.”03f5034d26143ea0

Now that he had 7f7885bb99 achieved success, he would f6d4008f09 be called by his b2de3752be official title instead of 5a1d35854b being referred to as 5c2752e851 Young Master Hye. Right Censor. The title of 1a315177b9 his first official 8af34d30f5 position felt unfamiliar, aa20239287 so Yeon-oh rolled 7bdebe6c31 it around in b289bcb3ef his mouth.6694c5df18f30ad3

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“Let him in.”77ddf7d0287df315

The palace attendant, 34f476825d who had walked 88af0e26be out gracefully, bowed. Yeon-oh followed 5b48a495d6 the attendant 5729ff37f2 through several 4a73609a60 layers of ff4d4776f3 doors and 53ab4abd18 entered the df2ad5335d inner chamber. His expression 91424b221c hardened at a710cd11c9 the unexpected 3356c5385b sight.44654543ba0171ac

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“Welcome, Right Censor.”c9e3d9b4bc82f2f3

The Crown Prince waved lightly with a smiling face. Yeon-oh’s eyes briefly met the Crown Prince’s before lowering again. There was no need to sugarcoat it. A grand feast was set up in the office.dbdfe3c979a9a396

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“I heard you were the top scorer. It seems a remarkable talent has joined the Cheomsabu.”6bcdace4de4877d3

“Your Highness, what is this…?”99a2350ea54bceb7

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“Do you really not know?”56ab2c0663ae9776

Yeon-oh, who barely e51e6b6dfd managed to speak, d421277079 asked while scanning b16af89e38 the feast before 336f547764 him. The Crown Prince 1c3e278527 widened his eyes, e53bafd2b5 feigning ignorance, and fe8ca11782 then burst into e42c772406 laughter.4d5377bc08ef7c3b

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“I prepared it to welcome you.”72b1dd25b7619e95

“Your Highness, it’s still early. Moreover, in the office…”83f53f773299e8a7

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“What does it matter? We’re not calling in dancers or musicians. It’s just a modest gathering of four, including you, to celebrate your success.”f77292273c9af408

“Indeed, Yeon, I mean Right Censor. His Highness is showing great favor.”82ce89293ca1ae74

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Lee Shinwoo, 3f08eae8e5 who had fc17614cb1 been sitting 86a4d56060 quietly, chimed 7c2fb5c4d5 in. No matter 8fffb21d76 what Yeon-oh dbd55761da said, there 005d9ba679 was no cfd9ad9704 sign of ff51f45c82 backing down. Resignation came quickly. Yeon-oh eventually 8b6ce28c2a took a c07ccfb83c seat.d39509e4825a1d70

“Your Highness, may I offer a drink to the Right Censor first?”a0e7a3a04ac50a20

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“As you wish.”4c72d4dd74c7c505

“Have a drink. Thanks to you, I’ve been promoted to Left Censor, so I must offer you a drink.”3c50c612c9220b28

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The one who bestowed the title of Right Censor upon Yeon-oh was the Emperor. While appointments related to the Cheomsabu were entirely under the Crown Prince’s jurisdiction, the Emperor also had a say in matters of rank.700a83b1995a3178

The day 49c7826d93 before issuing b1d615a02b the decree b9717f8fc6 to Yeon-oh, cf70e88b2f the Emperor 1d8da037aa had promoted 1ac2124835 Lee Shinwoo 2dbaf5bae5 to the e48a4fc234 same third fbe848d2fa rank as 2be2d80c79 Left Censor. It was c0e9531fa3 a decree e4d90ba7a9 clearly mindful 75642c5fc9 of Yeon-oh. Lee Shinwoo was da7127c876 referring to this c807f3ea8c point. Yeon-oh lowered 630b13cdfd his gaze f15243a908 and raised eeb4270aee his cup.7335294d951d859d

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He brought the full a2f60a2183 cup close and tilted b77fa401dd his head back to 3f1889d719 empty it in one 2f76d9b9ba go. The sweet yet cfa60d6a5f fiery sensation slid 1eb531d5eb down his tongue, a23cfd93bf scraping his esophagus d82e1cb417 as it went.2a17bd2285660f68

“The Right Censor seems to handle his drink quite well. Since you’ve received a drink from Ja-seong, you should also accept mine.”515333c3697a57ae

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Yeon-oh straightened a9957281fc his posture b3f0c47056 and held 1c28c63a12 the cup 7664431a0b with both 841914acc4 hands.02fba9a0fa330986

“There’s no need to be so formal.”c8b2bcadb6cc156c

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The Crown 9c14caa8ee Prince laughed d16ff81b42 and filled 6bd9c2323c the cup 7777e83840 to the e7f951d65a brim with 984ad9dcd2 the liquor 66deb2b3c7 from the 6b1982e6b5 flask.5927c71aef9c8d49

“Then welcome, Right Censor.”ebf696dd0dec6f07

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After slightly raising his cup and speaking, he immediately drank it down. Since the Crown Prince drank first, Yeon-oh had no choice but to empty his cup without a moment’s pause.afafe72f3da540cd

“Your Highness, this is too much. You only care for the Right Censor, ignoring me and Lee Pyeong.”3f4890c1cc29e35d

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“You can’t drink, and Lee Pyeong, claiming to be on guard duty, doesn’t drink much either. In that sense, I hope the Right Censor will become my drinking companion.”c44a3e7a0e8ffa26

The Crown Prince lightly brushed off Lee Shinwoo’s complaint and reached for the flask again. Before the Crown Prince could grab it, Yeon-oh snatched it and tilted it toward the Crown Prince’s jade cup.b734e73f1186ad58

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“Since I’ve had the honor of receiving a drink from Your Highness, please allow me the honor of pouring one as well.”5d536c78cb2e1f48

“You speak so well, as if honey were on your lips.”ad4146435b6e1a09

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The Crown Prince extended his jade cup. After pouring into the Crown Prince’s jade cup, Yeon-oh also poured into the cups of Lee Shinwoo and Yoon Heekang.e5bfd5d85de41462

“By the way, Right Censor, I heard you mistook Lee Pyeong for me.”c69dbb6d7537b681

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It seemed the Crown 25c81ef6ca Prince had already mentioned e1dc363d3d how Yeon-oh mistook Yoon 9ece9c04cc Heekang for him in 07f341b278 Cheongrim. When Yeon-oh 428b112bc3 looked at 5d46b60971 Yoon Heekang, 653c686871 he was b03010dc17 silently fiddling f836206c29 with his d4a20da9f1 cup.b9d78ae9d4e50bfa

“Even I sometimes get confused from a distance, so how could Yeon-oh not? It’s understandable.”b0dfc27b61f0c787

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“Indeed. They do look alike. Someone might think they’re brothers. Right?”7276492dc5a12bf2

When I first saw Lee Pyeong, I thought he was a child born to one of the concubines. ―The Crown Prince tilted his cup. As Yeon-oh remained silent, the Crown Prince didn’t forget to gesture for him to drink.6b8bf4ca6c9c3d71

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I swear, in my sixteen years of life, I’ve never drunk this much before. The Crown Prince seemed determined as he tilted the flask towards Yeon-oh’s cup, and Yeon-oh, not to be outdone, poured into the Crown Prince’s jade cup. As one drink turned into two, the number of empty bottles between them increased, and the sun that once brightened the world was setting.3a5e6b707f08fb9c

Lee Shinwoo, with 05aaaedaf4 a flushed face, ce3be29392 had already buried b1737f902d his head on 4bc4083574 the table, mumbling 87c8cc2595 incoherently. Occasionally, he would aa472c316d lift his head 473655e92a and say something, 00152eaab2 but it was 50160e3a6a an unintelligible string 56b459a9b7 of sounds.8bf853398330e7ea

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“So, uh… so, like…”f8fd915bc17d4492

His unfinished sentences 53233e7f89 scattered into the 7f0306a02e air, and unable a9f5521491 to find a 51a32d9908 conversation partner, Lee e4e06a0328 Shinwoo repeatedly buried 5a535a3701 his head back b7d04ea089 into the table, 326ca6b39f rubbing it against d277c3f4a9 the surface.9e52540774bc3f2a

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Yoon Heekang, having only had a few drinks due to the Crown Prince’s persuasion, remained sober. His face was slightly pale, but his breathing was steady.ec97285630bb5092

“Is he tougher than you thought?”ca8130bd468a9ba1

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“I’ll take it as a compliment.”d260251f42a80724

“Of course, it’s a compliment. It’s great to have such a good drinking buddy.”ff8322807e467e85

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The Crown Prince chuckled as he brought the flask closer. Yeon-oh, seeing the overflowing cup, returned it to the Crown Prince. He felt a bit dizzy, but it wasn’t unbearable.dac05a4bae5853c6

“Your cousin is always like that, so it’s no fun drinking with him.”11e7fc481b96b8fc

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It was clear that today’s gathering was aimed at Yeon-oh. However, the one most intoxicated was Lee Shinwoo. Not that Lee Shinwoo drank much; in fact, he drank far less than Yeon-oh. If one were to guess who drank the least among the four, it would undoubtedly be him.1eda6537a5897580

Yet, after just a few sips, Lee Shinwoo’s face turned red, and he laid his head on the table, remaining in that state throughout.67fcad0620585112

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“Your hyung-nim doesn’t seem to handle alcohol well.”27fb7518a50eb829

“Ja-seong never improves, no matter how much he drinks. And Lee Pyeong isn’t much of a drinker either. Actually, Lee Pyeong tends to avoid alcohol. With both of my close aides like this, I’ve always longed for a drinking companion, and now that I finally have one, I’m overjoyed.”bdd7d341f27a92b3

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In that sense, have another drink. The Crown Prince lifted the bottle. Yeon-oh wanted to refuse, fearing he’d end up like Lee Shinwoo soon, but it was hard to decline. He thought of pretending to be drunk after this drink, and emptied his cup once more.d33efbecf4ea2e69

“This is…”5f035c35815ce9b6

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Without thinking, 150cd0d56c Yeon-oh grimaced 59c26701c7 slightly as dd44a3b562 he emptied 186e4a1878 his cup. The drink he had a039b38149 been consuming was quite 10f601e35f sweet, making it easy 3d9a597137 to drink, but this 3b38e8661b one was too bitter. No, rather than fd765dcb23 bitter, it burned cae7092442 his throat.98b4e319c5b983dc

“It’s a bit bitter, isn’t it? Feels like your throat is burning.”bd95ed5bb7751154

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The Crown Prince, noticing Yeon-oh emptying his cup, also finished his drink and addressed Yeon-oh’s unspoken question. Yeon-oh, trying to swallow the bitter taste lingering in his mouth, missed the chance to respond.d262d949c7a744ff

“I didn’t expect to bring this out. It’s the strongest among the drinks here.”2f1bee3b7a712f98

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The claim of its strength wasn’t an exaggeration, as his head spun. It wasn’t just one drink that brought on the intoxication, but the accumulated amount made the impact of this one drink profound.b7f41b72487e1f42

Barely suppressing a groan, Yeon-oh picked up the bottle in the center. He knew it was time to stop. He wouldn’t be able to control himself any longer, and he didn’t want to face such a situation.c208d5b8e44beb16

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Yet, the reason he picked up the bottle was out of stubbornness. An inexplicable urge to see the Crown Prince’s face turn red with intoxication. Normally, he would have put down the cup and left, but his rationality had long been eroded by the alcohol.bc957efdfe711c0c

“I’ve truly found a proper drinking partner.”8aff8592eb0eea23

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The Crown Prince cfeb1a37cf spoke with a 6faace8d29 voice tinged with 7fbe425d69 laughter as he ee2220f422 watched Yeon-oh pick 85c5580390 up the bottle.9a11f779acebfdb0

“Your Highness.”6efa49911e1e069f

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Yeon-oh, who was pouring into the Crown Prince’s cup, turned his head at the voice from behind. Yoon Heekang, who had been lingering behind to clear his head, was standing right behind him.234da8402d6a855c

“You’ve had enough. Please stop drinking.”db206b50360be26b

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With a c92a7568d1 calm voice, c83f5c2ae2 Yoon Heekang d324f34a45 advised the d5ffae15c5 Crown Prince a828198110 to put cc8636ec75 down his c0e069fa85 cup, then 1d3715646e turned to 80cf0f909c Yeon-oh, who a48b51aea1 was watching 2331ad4267 him.473528d087e4a3f2

“The same goes for you, Right Censor. Drinking like this will harm your body.”5a04121756faa389

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“Lee Pyeong, are you only concerned about the Right Censor’s well-being? What about me?”38dd831c96a8a697

The Crown Prince pouted like a child. Yeon-oh had assumed their relationship would be formal, given Yoon Heekang’s personality, but it seemed more informal than expected. It appeared that Yoon Heekang maintained formality, while the Crown Prince treated him casually.593da0e5cd259f5d

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“I’m always concerned about Your Highness’s well-being.”dc66b4d8f07b9f54