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.fb72ce99284a57a3

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.7a6103fb8a023c8a

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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.e881d1aae93c9831

Wearing the official hat 7b24a577bc and adorned with the 870c468073 ceremonial flower, Yeon-oh headed ec322551ef to the Eastern Palace a84aae84fc after receiving the royal e1e5a00cc0 decree. Although the offices bf845f2e44 of the Six 1aa3f35084 Ministries were located c1879532e5 outside the palace, f202164a65 the Cheomsabu was 07eddb57cd directly affiliated with 5b26272cb6 the Crown Prince 041c3b4770 and thus attached e59de65496 within the Eastern dbb55043c6 Palace. As Yeon-oh made c3e7f10f9d his way to 20484d7ac0 the Eastern Palace, fd83b775e6 guided by a 6b4a26802f palace attendant, a 688ac2e83f slight tension was 796badfc1a evident on his f79391319a face.f57ca1374d6885bf

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“Your Highness, the Right Censor has arrived.”ca66c587d83708ee

Now that he 4490378ace had achieved success, 31f4a2bc83 he would be e9e2028cc9 called by his ba65d60c79 official title instead 7eafdf1e09 of being referred d65a596e54 to as Young 22ee95c4e2 Master Hye. Right Censor. The title of his db3c9da40b first official position felt 8c4e609264 unfamiliar, so Yeon-oh rolled a46fd5ffef it around in his 696654a284 mouth.c217d2b60421c4ac

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“Let him in.”ca161c41915c4a90

The palace attendant, who 9d6ad5b08f had walked out gracefully, b9bccf8dbf bowed. Yeon-oh followed the attendant cbf943b209 through several layers of 5e30573342 doors and entered the 1679501242 inner chamber. His expression hardened at 53b50b8c5a the unexpected sight.0b160a03fe0d5d05

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“Welcome, Right Censor.”7ae41699e80d3231

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.a41987265cda288c

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“I heard you were the top scorer. It seems a remarkable talent has joined the Cheomsabu.”c823fb9ff8166cac

“Your Highness, what is this…?”86d6fdceda7c38e4

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“Do you really not know?”a010a09f70fdb14e

Yeon-oh, who barely b26256a05b managed to speak, d44b4ae00a asked while scanning 860a48ae40 the feast before cc55d38307 him. The Crown Prince widened aac3e9d11f his eyes, feigning ignorance, e8009c7cd9 and then burst into df12a06b86 laughter.8707159d1c894b40

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“I prepared it to welcome you.”6861fb2f5f78346d

“Your Highness, it’s still early. Moreover, in the office…”71d9f0e19496c345

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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.”32056a07f2865043

“Indeed, Yeon, I mean Right Censor. His Highness is showing great favor.”f509912e3a4b1dee

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Lee Shinwoo, who ff84fd2b91 had been sitting aa8751db86 quietly, chimed in. No matter what 5a0f341c30 Yeon-oh said, there bfe3caa1e7 was no sign d9978d8088 of backing down. Resignation came quickly. Yeon-oh eventually took d1c1897bc5 a seat.b6e119235da53c30

“Your Highness, may I offer a drink to the Right Censor first?”3db80a4a44a58c8d

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“As you wish.”069c930235f39330

“Have a drink. Thanks to you, I’ve been promoted to Left Censor, so I must offer you a drink.”a2302b0e92cf5b1c

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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.cf04bded3d8ab25b

The day before 273787af1a issuing the decree 6d2baf9641 to Yeon-oh, the 805d4ed6c5 Emperor had promoted 83b700f6d9 Lee Shinwoo to 12572a004d the same third ffb90ec944 rank as Left c82d799749 Censor. It was a 94b4592e56 decree clearly mindful e3790eb6b3 of Yeon-oh. Lee Shinwoo was referring 97555347e6 to this point. Yeon-oh lowered his acb7adeb76 gaze and raised 8e5fcf4852 his cup.55c8919e667a24e1

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He brought the full 640fca535e cup close and tilted c0f6865f99 his head back to 264a3bb52a empty it in one 84740ee75c go. The sweet 8933ab3fa6 yet fiery 01a295a210 sensation slid ede342c885 down his 9a2d9a2478 tongue, scraping fc97e9d5fc his esophagus e7e3fac8ac as it 60da6c36da went.bc1b6cdc5461eec7

“The Right Censor seems to handle his drink quite well. Since you’ve received a drink from Ja-seong, you should also accept mine.”db88facb73289ba3

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Yeon-oh straightened his 95f992f62a posture and held 4a64aa8ea2 the cup with c47afb0298 both hands.c83a56a1ce91cae6

“There’s no need to be so formal.”888a844080f96aaf

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The Crown Prince 8b2303c6cd laughed and filled d49e27eec9 the cup to 21e6b86361 the brim with 4fb8586d71 the liquor from b128d11475 the flask.f2537c246fc27ddc

“Then welcome, Right Censor.”db4757c1d3bd2668

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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.e2878c394dcafc30

“Your Highness, this is too much. You only care for the Right Censor, ignoring me and Lee Pyeong.”67fad405e5313c2f

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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.”86248ac452fda517

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.73d482d9eb6dff6b

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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.”d36983934d880dcc

“You speak so well, as if honey were on your lips.”c7e86959ed66635f

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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.1c74b6ba2246bbde

“By the way, Right Censor, I heard you mistook Lee Pyeong for me.”be7f8c87c77c2eee

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It seemed the c707825fd4 Crown Prince had 66a1a64ed0 already mentioned how 3a0647f7cb Yeon-oh mistook Yoon 82cad30527 Heekang for him 267ed13ff8 in Cheongrim. When Yeon-oh 65c96baf59 looked at eacf95a9a3 Yoon Heekang, efb2f5521a he was 343ad30985 silently fiddling 8bf7fe0a09 with his eeae353118 cup.f2ccd820d7914ae7

“Even I sometimes get confused from a distance, so how could Yeon-oh not? It’s understandable.”2ed2ffabbd25b8d1

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“Indeed. They do look alike. Someone might think they’re brothers. Right?”a97d801bb70bb9f0

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.4f669c1f17ee5208

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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.7513df7eb1479ec2

Lee Shinwoo, with 46a01b3a34 a flushed face, 955cf8f7e0 had already buried 00942a3f15 his head on 552fa840b5 the table, mumbling 191c0d7f46 incoherently. Occasionally, he would lift c3154da33c his head and say fb601fed55 something, but it was bd13df5d38 an unintelligible string of 7764d84bb6 sounds.be84d8b9797e63cf

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“So, uh… so, like…”b1b7d5ebe18e698c

His unfinished 67997b8c25 sentences scattered a534457452 into the 33aa655fcc air, and 46fc08ddbd unable to 976c69332a find a 94b0e3d003 conversation partner, 16b3b445dd Lee Shinwoo b3a47ec773 repeatedly buried cdf01c2f74 his head 2ce189d5e4 back into 99c6bdb8a0 the table, 0acb4f79bb rubbing it 90c0295385 against the 6fc824a8ff surface.97b962362253940f

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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.f595620c39b0e0fe

“Is he tougher than you thought?”dcb593e933a240d5

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“I’ll take it as a compliment.”5a0b3ee4e7a7fd38

“Of course, it’s a compliment. It’s great to have such a good drinking buddy.”b7db60a4fd2c35cf

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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.7c6acda655df20c6

“Your cousin is always like that, so it’s no fun drinking with him.”21cc0d42dfa5d653

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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.09411f15978a808d

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.421b09d6d1028895

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“Your hyung-nim doesn’t seem to handle alcohol well.”f4c993621a0bbde6

“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.”7dec0b405f17a966

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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.6e386c3b50423e3e

“This is…”67d8ca35afdd595c

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Without thinking, Yeon-oh grimaced 76a766b2c6 slightly as he emptied 1f325e9499 his cup. The drink 9058b462d0 he had ff640df5ac been consuming 29cf13d460 was quite ff3805a550 sweet, making 285ff2f2b4 it easy b03f6a2294 to drink, bad48c3b1f but this a6c5fe15ec one was 270edb7877 too bitter. No, rather than bitter, f332fbf51d it burned his throat.a39def412188b2ad

“It’s a bit bitter, isn’t it? Feels like your throat is burning.”5ce1d7271ecb00e6

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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.dd249ab82ef6b2e2

“I didn’t expect to bring this out. It’s the strongest among the drinks here.”d838c75052f51a0c

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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.62ba6d130102aa63

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.c8b6ddcac610538e

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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.31a7103b01daa9a3

“I’ve truly found a proper drinking partner.”6be9c78cc9a7c05e

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The Crown f369cb99bf Prince spoke e5dfd051e5 with a 0453909fc2 voice tinged 3bfde75796 with laughter ae8b08e162 as he 11ee90349c watched Yeon-oh d8c22e79a5 pick up fd19a278c7 the bottle.9d20da969a0d0133

“Your Highness.”54b6a07ce90b17e3

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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.280079c12a889522

“You’ve had enough. Please stop drinking.”2b7ab6ee82f12922

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With a 03144487c0 calm voice, 2ce9994d6d Yoon Heekang a9d4d6e891 advised the c44fcd4e74 Crown Prince e693013c8a to put b679ae17f6 down his 7181dafa5a cup, then 1188446c23 turned to de28bd6d2a Yeon-oh, who f57070e569 was watching c6bc16854c him.1bc23e3b29d35ada

“The same goes for you, Right Censor. Drinking like this will harm your body.”881e03df2c2e73d5

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“Lee Pyeong, are you only concerned about the Right Censor’s well-being? What about me?”25d9da9236190604

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.d1c541e99e91db12

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“I’m always concerned about Your Highness’s well-being.”cec5285006a6015e