The Cruel Imperial Family Episode 6

[Episode 6] The Reversal of the Noose and the Cruel Judgment

 

A few days later, the cunning deception of the imperial family, cornered, began to reveal its ugly true colors in earnest.

 

The next day, news channels and major daily newspapers throughout the Korean Empire were simultaneously plastered with provocative headlines spread by imperial press controllers.

 

[Special Advisor: Minseok Group declares a complete halt to national funding after failing to monopolize the royal family's cultural heritage project!]

 

[Controversy over the endless abuse of power by conglomerates that undermines the dignity of the Korean Empire's imperial family!]

 

Empress Min Si-eun is suspected of privatizing the power of the Ministry of the Interior, backed by the immense power of her family.

 

Emperor Yoo Jong-seok, standing at the emergency press conference, was perfectly acting as the face of a victim.

 

Amidst the barrage of camera flashes, he stepped onto the podium with a deliberately sorrowful and anguished expression and deeply bowed his head towards the people.

 

Dear citizens of the Korean Empire, as emperor, I express my dismay and deep regret regarding the current situation. The Minseok Group, which they believed to be the pillar of the Korean Empire's economy, even tried to manipulate the inherent authority of the imperial family, the symbol of the empire, with its massive capital. "Their arrogant greed has already gone too far to simply overlook and overlook them simply because they are the family of the empress, the head of the inner court."

 

 

Jong-seok's voice was trembling slightly.

 

It was a meticulously calculated, abominable performance.

 

"Even if the imperial treasury is empty and I have to drink dew to survive, I will not kneel and surrender to the tyranny of a chaebol who holds a handful of power, selling off the noble honor of the imperial family. People, please protect the imperial family!"

 

 

His false tearful performance perfectly resonated with the public's emotions.

 

The people, who had no way of knowing the truth, were enraged, and public opinion quickly began to boil in a direction that criticized the arrogant empress who hid behind the ruthless conglomerate Minseok Group, who oppressed the imperial family, and her father's powerful capital, and insulted the emperor.

 

 

At the same time, in Shin Ari's luxurious detached palace, Shin Ari, who was watching the large TV broadcast that filled the walls, downed the finest red wine in one gulp and burst into a maniac burst of laughter as if it were exhilarating.

 

 

Hahaha! You foolish people! "It's so ridiculous that when they stand on the stage like that, pretending to be pitiful and shedding a few tears to stimulate patriotism, they just bark like a dog or pig on a leash, no matter the truth."

 

The lower-ranking court ladies standing beside Ari knelt flat and flattered her, trying to please her.

 

"As expected, Your Majesty's strategy is reaching the heavens. Your Majesty, now that arrogant Empress, facing public criticism, will weary herself, cast off her crown as Empress and fall away."

 

No! That alone isn't enough for me.

 

Ari smiled coolly and loudly placed the empty wine glass on the marble table.

 

Her snake-like eyes flashed cruelly.

 

"Minsi, that ruthless bitch is not someone who would crumble to nothing more than public opinion. She has endured under my feet for 14 years, so I must personally and painfully break the wings of that dictator one by one. I will shatter the things she trusts and relies on the most, making her shed tears of blood herself."

 

The place where Ari's malicious gaze stopped was the old 'nanny,' who had been by Si-eun's side like a shadow for her entire life, the only person that came to mind.

 

What if the nanny who manages all the household members of the Empress's residence and is especially responsible for preparing the Empress's herbal medicines, were to be mixed with deadly medicinal ingredients? And what if "fabricated evidence" is found in the nanny's room that there is a dirty conspiracy by the Minseok Group to drive the Empress mad? Ari was trying to figure out a trick.

 

Did you get the medicine I secretly ordered yesterday?

 

Yes, as you instructed, it is a colorless and odorless poisonous plant secretly brought in from the upper reaches of the Western Regions. "Even a tiny dose can gradually dry up a person's blood and cause terrible hallucinations, ultimately driving them mad."

 

"Very well, when you prepare the empress's herbal medicine tonight, be sure to mix it in without the nanny's eyes. Also, don't forget to hide the residue of this poisonous plant under the floorboards of the nanny's old quarters. If you eat the medicine sent by the arrogant empress to her parents to protect herself, and collapse while foaming at the mouth, and realize that the horrific culprit is the nanny you trusted and followed like a mother for your entire life, haha, it will be quite an interesting spectacle."

 

Ari smiled cruelly and licked her red lips.

 

The emperor intended to strike down Si-eun's family from the outside and carve out Si-eun's limbs from within. It was a perfect diversionary operation.

 

 

However, there was one fatal fact that Ari, blinded by greed, overlooked.

 

Min Si-eun was unaware that behind her back, there wasn't just her father's money supply, but also the true master of the Imperial Household's inner court, the most experienced and cruel old lion, 'Daebima,' standing as a reliable shield.

 

 

That late night, in the study of the Empress's hall, where silence had settled, in the heavy darkness, across from Si-eun sat a brilliant secretary of the Minseok Group, who was wearing glasses, and a woman dressed in a black suit with a sharp expression.

 

 

It was Secretary Kim, who was the Queen Dowager's closest aide and held the top intelligence network in the inner court.

 

 

"The Empress's inner court has received intelligence."

 

 

Secretary Kim began a secret report in a calm but sharp voice.

 

 

It seems that Shinari's side is planning to play a prank on Mama's herbal medicine. Our spy has accurately captured the circumstances of one of her lower-ranking court ladies, who is a subordinate of her, smuggling highly poisonous plants from the Western Regions. The target is probably the nanny. "It's a shallow trick to frame the nanny by adding poison to the medicine, cut off the mama's limbs, and seize control of the inner court."

 

Si-eun's gaze sank as cold as a glacier in the North Sea.

 

The nanny was not just a simple servant to her.

 

In the icy castle of a bleak palace where a storm of blood was blowing, she was the only one who shared her body heat with Si-eun from childhood, a noble figure akin to a biological mother.

 

"Ha!" Shin Ari, how dare you touch my person? "I knew they would try to take my life with a clumsy poison, but I never imagined they would have such a terrible plan to use the nanny as a shield. It seems that vulgar roots can't hide their stench wherever they go."

 

"What should we do, Your Majesty? Should we immediately arrest that sly court lady at Naesusa and arrest her with brutal torture?"

 

"No."

 

Sieun raised her hand to stop them with a cool and elegant smile.

 

If they carefully set a trap over there, you should pretend to step on it willingly so that the foolish prey can feel at ease and jump into a deeper, darker pit on its own. "Bring the herbal medicine to me as usual, and give the nanny a heads-up so she won't be surprised. Leave the poisonous weed residue in the nanny's quarters as is."

 

 

At Si-eun's bold instruction, Secretary Kim and Secretary Han briefly held their breaths, but soon understood the meaning and nodded simultaneously.

 

At that moment, Secretary Han took out a thick file from his briefcase and placed it on the table.

 

 

And regarding the fake slush fund fabrication case that Her Majesty leaked to the press. It is said that His Majesty hid a 'key witness' in the underground safe house of the Naesusa under the pretext of protection in order to completely shift the embezzlement of a massive 500 billion won national treasury onto our Minseok Group. "We plan to present that witness at the special imperial audit tomorrow morning to testify to the world about a completely fabricated false ledger."

 

"Who on earth is this great witness?"

 

"I am a man named 'Park Dong-sik,' a mere low-ranking accountant in the Imperial Treasury."

 

Park Dong-sik?

 

As soon as he heard that ordinary name, a strange and bitter smile spread across Secretary Kim's lips as he stood upright beside him.

 

Sieun also opened the file to check Park Dong-sik's photo, then let out a small, incredulous laugh as if she was dumbfounded.

 

"How far could Yoo Jong-seok's shallow intelligence possibly go? "Well, really."

 

Secretary Kim raised his glasses and added with a sense of satisfaction.

 

"I know, Your Majesty might mistakenly believe that you hold a perfect hand that no one can reverse, but that Park Dong-sik is actually a 'spy on our side' that I planted five years ago under the strict orders of the Queen Dowager to uncover corruption within the Imperial Treasury." "The Queen Dowager personally forgave my debts and gave me a new life after I was about to throw myself into the river due to gambling debts, so there is no doubt about her loyalty."

 

"His Majesty ended up putting meat into the tiger's mouth with his own accord."

 

Si-eun, resting her chin on her hand, muttered softly in response to Secretary Han's cold analysis.

 

"Alright, at the grand special audit tomorrow, we will show the world a very splendid and exhilarating twist. We will weave together the shallow poison trap set by Shinari and the slush fund trap manipulated by the emperor at once, and begin a perfect hunt to cut off their breath."

 

In Si-eun's deep eyes, the light of a cool hunter yearning for blood flashed.

 

Standing silently behind him like darkness, Minhyuk quietly gripped his titanium sword hilt tightly as he watched the beautiful and cruel figure of his lord's retreating figure.

 

Sieun raises her eyes, looks into the mirror, and mutters to herself.

 

"Tomorrow, another bloodbath will sweep through the imperial palace."

 

The next morning, the special hearing on the internal investigation of the royal family, and the audit certificate.

 

Beneath the colossal throne of the king, dozens of meticulous auditors and journalists from media outlets seeking scoops were swarming like clouds, filling the venue.

 

Emperor Yu Jong-seok sat in the seat of honor with a deliberately solemn and heavy expression, concealing the composure of a perfect victor.

 

And next to it, behind the elaborately draped pearl curtains, Empress Min Si-eun, who attended as the head of the inner court, sat still and still without a single movement.

 

Although her expression was hidden behind the curtain, Jong-seok scoffed.

 

It was clear that they were trembling in fear, like an aspen leaf.

 

"Now, I will begin the special inspection of the Imperial Family."

 

Jong-seok's solemn voice echoed loudly through the microphone, echoing through the thank-you room.

 

Today, this meeting is to clearly reveal the ugly truth about how the sacred 500 billion won of the imperial family, the people's hard-earned taxes, flowed into the illegal slush fund of the Minseok Group.

 

"Immediately bring in Park Dong-sik, the key witness and accounting officer from the Ministry of Finance!"

 

The heavy door opened, and a man with a pale face, terrified and pale, walked into the center under the strict escort of the royal guards.

 

Jongseok inwardly cheered.

 

If only the single word "I received the Empress's instigation" came from that naive Park Dong-sik's mouth, Si-eun and the Min-seok Group would immediately be branded as traitors of the empire and completely finished.

 

Park Dong-sik stated that while working at the Imperial Treasury, he directly witnessed the illegal flow of national funds into the Minseok Group's nominee accounts and managed those dirty ledgers. "Is that true?"

 

At Jong-seok's almost threatening, fierce scolding, Park Dong-sik flinched and flattened himself on the floor.

 

The reporters' camera flashes went off all at once, flashing brightly throughout the venue. However, Si-eun, sitting behind the curtain, simply held a warm teacup amidst the commotion and leisurely savored the aroma of the Jakseol tea.

 

Answer! Whose instigated you? Is it the Empress or Chairman Min Hyun-seok?

 

Just as Park Dong-sik was about to open his dry mouth, trembling.

 

"Wait a minute"

 

The heavy door of the thank-you room opened roughly, and the voice of an old woman, with a resolute and unapproachable dignity, instantly overwhelmed all the noise in the hall.

 

Everyone's gaze turned towards the door with shock.

 

Dressed in a black purple, high-quality dangui with her white hair neatly tied up like a hairpin, the woman who appeared with the support of Secretary Kim, was 'Daebima,' the eldest elder of the Korean Empire's imperial family and the previous empress.

 

"Uh... Mommy? "Mother, why is it possible for someone who is not well here to be in this place?"

 

Jongseok, flustered, jumped up from his throne and couldn't hide his embarrassment.

 

The queen dowager glared at her unattractive son with cool and sharp eyes before slowly walking into the center of the appreciation room.

 

The reporters were frantically snapping their shutters at the appearance of the Queen Dowager, a symbol of living power.

 

"I cannot bear to watch this noble imperial family, which I have dedicated my life to protecting with blood and tears, decay and decay due to corruption and shallow schemes, so I have come with this old body, Your Majesty."

 

The auditors and reporters held their breath in unison before the Queen Dowager's weighty authority.

 

The queen dowager coldly looked down at Park Dong-sik, who was lying face down on the floor, and gave an order.

 

"Park Dong-sik, tell the truth with your own mouth. Who is the 'real owner' who ordered the dirty slush fund ledger you allegedly managed and laundered the embezzled money into nominee accounts? If there is even a shred of a lie, I will annihilate your entire family according to the laws of the inner court!"

 

Jong-seok was feeling uneasy as cold sweat poured down his spine.

 

Why does my mother ask with such a confident voice?

 

Jongseok was going through something very, very fatally, and was going wrong.

 

"Speak! Isn't it the Minseok Group, the Empress's family? Speak straight!"

 

Growing anxious, Jong-seok shouted with all his might, but Park Dong-sik slowly raised his head and bowed deeply not towards Jong-seok, but towards the Queen Dowager and Si-eun behind the curtain.

 

And he threw out a massive bombshell that would completely turn the arena upside down.

 

"So..." I am wronged! I was merely subjected to the horrific threat to testify by disguising the perfectly fabricated ledger handed to me by a subordinate of Shinari as if it belonged to Minseok Group! The actual owners of the nominee accounts into which 500 billion won of national funds flowed were overseas paper companies disguised under the names of relatives of Shin Ari Mama!

 

"What... what?!"

 

The letter of appreciation was turned upside down as if it had been bombed.

 

The reporters scribbled their pens wildly in their notebooks, and Jong-seok froze in place as if struck on the head with a giant hammer.

 

 

Yes... You rascal! How dare you deceive me, the emperor, and lie?! "Bring out that crazy guy right now!"

 

"Can't we just leave it alone!"

 

The queen dowager's scolding came down like a thunderbolt.

 

Secretary Kim, who had been standing beside her, took a step forward and lifted a thick stack of documents high.

 

This is clear evidence that perfectly supports the testimony of Accountant Park Dong-sik! This is a statement where the flow of funds from ghost companies established under the direction of Shinari Mama matches the serial numbers of the imperial checks that flowed there by 100%! "All of this evidence was lawfully obtained through the collaboration of Secretary Han of the Minseok Group and the Empress!"

 

It was a perfect counterattack against Si-eun.

 

It was the moment when the trap the Emperor had meticulously dug to strike down Si-eun's family turned into a massive noose that tightened around the Emperor and Ari's necks, suffocating them.

 

Jongseok's face flushed red with anger, then quickly turned pale.

 

However, the real twist and hell didn't end there.

 

Bang!

 

The back door of the thank-you room opened roughly, and this time, Kim Min-hyuk, the Empress's chief bodyguard, dragged a low-ranking court lady who was a henchman of Shin Ari like a piece of luggage and threw her into the middle of the thank-you room.

 

Thud,

 

From the court lady's arms, bundles of deadly poisonous herbs, said to have been brought from the Western Regions, poured down in a torrent.

 

* *Chark*

 

Finally, the pearl curtains were lifted, and Min Si-eun slowly walked down from the platform, revealing her dignified and radiant figure.

 

Her cool gaze alternated between the court lady trembling like an aspen leaf on the floor and Jongseok, who had completely lost his spirit.

 

"Your Majesty"

 

Sieun's voice was quiet and elegant, but within it lay a murderous intent more chilling than a sharpened blade.

 

Shin Ari falsely accused my nanny and tried to poison my empress's herbal medicine, but was caught. The embezzlement of a massive 500 billion won in national funds and the attempted poisoning of the queen were carried out by a lowly court lady who fearlessly manipulated the Ministry of the Interior and attempted to seize the empire. "Even so, will Your Majesty still condemn all of this as an abuse of power by the Minseok Group directed at me?"

 

Si-eun coldly gripped the chin of the fallen court lady with her leather-gloved hand and made a firm declaration so that all the reporters and people in the hall could hear.

 

From this moment on, under the authority of the head of the Ministry of the Interior, I order the immediate imprisonment of Shin Ari, a court lady directly under the Emperor, on charges of embezzlement of national funds and attempted assassination of the Empress. "Anyone who obstructs the Empress's authority or protects criminals will be punished for treason, regardless of their rank or status!"

 

The emperor, who had attempted deception amidst his own arrogance and growing distrust, ultimately fell into his own trap and was completely trapped in the grave he had dug himself.

 

Amidst the reporters' shutter sounds pouring down like a downpour, Si-eun standing on the podium and Min-hyuk, who was like a black panther watching her back, exchanged glances in the air.

 

The sound of the second gears of revenge, set to topple the cruel victorious prelude empire, echoed heavily across the gray sky of the imperial palace.