Chapter 1007 – #99. The Story of the Three Thousand Concubines and the Emperor (65)
The crown prince had to hide as much as possible the fact that the emperor was not in good condition.
In a situation where the war had just ended, and the chaos was being resolved, the emperor’s poor physical condition could create useless work.
However, it was impossible to hide the fact that the emperor did not engage in any external activities.
Moreover, seeing priests and healers coming and going from time to time, it was impossible to stop rumors from spreading.
However, despite the spread of such rumors, there was less confusion among the soldiers than expected.
The emperor had already gone into hiding several times and then reappeared, and the crown prince was filling the emperor’s position very well.
Emperor Geos assured him that he would not refuse anything offered as long as his life was guaranteed, and his actions showed that he meant what he said.
The crown prince and the nobles had a hard time skepticism about how far they would go to rob the Geos Empire through repeated meetings.
And the Geos nobles and priests who chased after and captured them later also showed a pitiful appearance when faced with their own lives.
They placed the most importance on their own safety, and protecting the country took a backseat.
“Isn’t it absurd? I’m going into exile, so I ask for help.”
“Now that I have come to the conclusion that the Geos Empire is over, I no longer want to live as a noble of this country.”
He seemed to think that it would be better to be the tail of Hyeonmu than to be the head of a turtle.
“I knew that the country was in ruin, but I had no idea that so many incompetent people would gather there.”
“The problem is that the imperial palace’s assets are empty. The empire’s warehouse, which has been maintained for hundreds of years in a rich land, is only this big… I thought Emperor Geos would have siphoned off the imperial assets separately.”
A large amount of the imperial property was consumed in carrying out large-scale national projects, and the amount of property used for the war was also enormous.
“The temple really filled its pockets heavily with this war.”
“That’s right. It’s absurd to see that they took it as an advance payment as if they knew it would turn out like this.”
The imperial nobles couldn’t help but click their tongues when they saw the financial state of the Geos imperial family.
It was true that the Geos Empire was a truly great country.
It was an enormous amount of wealth for something done by just one emperor.
Even if you spent all your time every day spending money, it was an amount that you would think would be impossible to spend until you die.
But surprisingly, Emperor Geos achieved this.
“I can’t believe how scary it is to be an incompetent emperor.”
As the nobles looked at the situation of the Geos Empire, they realized how fortunate they were to be able to lead the country under the current emperor.
If the current emperor had not suddenly appeared, an incompetent member of the royal family who was swayed by the nobles would have ascended to the throne.
‘Now they have been purged and disappeared, but the nobles back then are no different from the Geos nobles.’
If we were lucky, the country would have continued to be maintained, but if we were unlucky like the Geos Empire, the country could have ended up being trampled on like this.
No matter how incompetent the emperor was, I had no idea that he would be able to ruin this much wealth in just a few years of reign.
That’s why who ascends to the position of emperor is a scary thing that determines the fate of a country.
“All national projects would have been halted because we started a war.”
“I was very envious when I started the national project… Who would have thought that a project that I thought would be an unconditional success would fail like this?”
“Still, it wasn’t a good start, was it? I think we’ll definitely be able to recoup the investment once it’s completed.”
Things that the crown prince and nobles needed to discuss were piling up day by day.
There was no sign that everything would be resolved in just a few months.
The problem was that the emperor’s condition was getting worse, and the crown prince was worried about leaving the emperor in the enemy country, the Geos Empire.
“I was wondering if it would be a good idea to send Abama back to her home country. What do you all think about this?”
“Do you mean your Majesty’s home country?”
The nobles were shocked, as if they hadn’t thought about it, and then began to think carefully.
Because of His Majesty’s work, even though negotiations with the Geos Empire were progressing steadily, laughter could not be found among the nobles.
“We can’t keep Your Majesty in a squalid place forever.”
“Your Majesty the Crown Prince is right.”
“There is no reason to object, but…”
The nobles did not seem particularly opposed.
However, there were some areas of concern.
“Isn’t your Majesty’s physical condition the problem? Is it okay for you to move…”
“Rather, I think there is only now. Unfortunately, there is no way to cure Your Majesty’s illness here. In fact, His condition is getting worse.”
“Uhm…”
Recapturing the capital of the Geos Empire was something to be celebrated, but it was a great tragedy that His Majesty the Emperor had to lie down because of it.
“The priests’ powers are not helping at all, and the healers have tried their best, but they say everything is ineffective.”
It’s not that therapists stayed still.
The precious medicinal herbs remaining in the imperial warehouse of the Geos Empire were used in abundance and were given to the emperor.
However, the emperor’s body failed to produce any changes, as if mocking the effects of all medicinal herbs.
“What should I do if my condition worsens after moving for too long? Besides, isn’t there a way to improve the condition of those who return to their home country?”
Of course, the crown prince was not unaware of this.
However, the crown prince thought he had to let him go even if it meant taking on such side effects.
“How long will we have to serve Your Majesty in a place like this? And if her condition becomes more serious.”
So, if you really end up in a state where you can’t move.
“It shouldn’t happen, but I think the only way is now.”
“Huh…”
“Okay…”
What can I do if they say I don’t even listen to the abilities of the priests I trusted?
The nobles all agreed, and from that day, preparations for the procession to return the emperor to his country began.
I wanted the crown prince to join the procession, but there was still a mountain of work to be done here.
The Geos Empire could no longer be called an ‘Empire’, but had to become a geo ‘Kingdom’.
The fertile lands adjacent to the empire, especially the largest food producing areas, were taken over by the empire, and they had to send enormous amounts of tribute and maidens every quarter to be recognized for their loyalty as subjects.
In addition, several minor unfair treaties were concluded.
The Empire was able to interfere in the politics of the Kingdom of Geos, and in order to ascend to the throne, one could only ascend to the throne with the permission of the Emperor of the Empire.
‘At this rate, there is no way the Kingdom of Geos can overtake our empire.’
The empire will grow steadily.
In particular, the fertile lands taken from the Kingdom of Geos will be of great help to the growth of the empire.
‘Use the Kingdom of Geos as a stepping stone, and then the temple.’
Abama was seriously injured and collapsed due to the temple bastards’ manipulation.
With his physical condition worsening and showing no signs of improvement, a thorough investigation was conducted into the identity of the unknown power of the priests captured this time.
The priests poured everything they knew into the torture that began without paying attention to the temple.
It was so funny how they only cared about their own safety.
The crown prince was astonished by the facts that came out of their mouths.
It was revealed that the ‘human sacrifice’ that had been guessed through the mouths of the priests was true.
Evidence about the victims was also clearly revealed.
“Were these many people sacrificed because of that explosion?”
Corpses clumsily hidden by priests.
Of course, on the battlefield, corpses like this were nothing, but the sight of corpses with their life force ripped out and eaten was much more horrifying than imagined.
“Ugh…”
The soldiers who were collecting the bodies could not hide their displeasure on their faces.
“It was the priests who did this…?”
“There is no separate devil. The devil…”
It had been so long since they had been unable to swear properly out of fear of the temple that the soldiers could not easily swear at the temple even after the emperor had lost the temple.
However, after witnessing their corruption first-hand, the soldiers now had the courage to criticize the temple without hesitation.
And after learning about the act of sacrificing people to kill the emperor.
The soldiers threw their respect for the temple to the ground.
This was something no human would do, and I no longer want to defend the temple that did such a thing.
These days, there are soldiers who glare at priests or openly click their tongues or swear when a priest walks around.
If the priest hated Ojuk, there was a soldier who refused treatment even when the priest came to heal his painful area and said he wanted to be treated by a therapist.
“Isn’t it because the temple is corrupt and corrupt that God sent His Majesty to us? It has gone beyond the point where he can’t just leave it alone. His Majesty didn’t execute the priests for no reason.”
“Wow! Is that really true?”
And along with the rumor that His Majesty the Emperor was God’s messenger, the rumor that the Emperor was God’s messenger who came to destroy the corrupt temple quickly spread.
The emperor, who is said to be the messenger of God, is suffering greatly.
“What should we do with the captured priests?”
“Isn’t there anything special to say at the temple?”
“They say they are trying hard to prevent rumors from spreading. There are no offers to negotiate.”
I thought that as soon as the war was over, the temple would threaten to hand over the priests and paladins captured.
“It must be because there is something that stings.”
“Although it is a waste of the priests and paladins we dispatched, it will be less of a waste than having them return and settle the rumors that will spread.”
“You can’t cover the sky with your palms.”
The empire will grow bigger in the future.
And the temple that will be at odds with such an empire will soon pay for what they have done.
While deeply regretting the past.
