Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 157

There was a Go board placed there, and His Imperial Highness Eun was sitting with his mask on.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Thanks to your treatment, the pain has eased a bit. But it’s not gone, so it’s troublesome.”

“That’s…”

“…Yes. You said it’s only possible with surgery.”

His Imperial Highness Eun seated Jin Cheonhee across from him.

“I heard you’re quite skilled at Go. Would you like to play a game?”

“I can only play with a few point handicap against my master. How did you know about what was said outside?”

“When walls have ears and ceilings have eyes, how could I not know?”

Somehow, it seemed like the man behind the mask was smiling.

Tak-

“If you’re not going to play, I’ll make the first move.”

The first stone touched the tengen (center point).

Jin Cheonhee sat across from His Imperial Highness Eun. He then picked up a white stone.

“Alright.”

Tak-

The black and white stones connected like intertwining branches.

After playing an even game for a long time, His Imperial Highness Eun said:

“It seems I’ve won this time. But seeing that it’s only by one point, you didn’t let me win on purpose, did you?”

Jin Cheonhee replied:

“How could I? I don’t have that kind of ability.”

“Tch, let’s play again.”

Dissatisfied, His Imperial Highness cleared the Go stones.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“What kind of bet?”

“If I win, I’ll take off this mask. How about that?”

“Shouldn’t it be that you reveal your identity if I win?”

At those words, His Imperial Highness Eun laughed.

“If that were the case, you’d lose by one or two points again. You don’t seem interested in knowing my identity anyway.”

“You knew and still asked?”

“Seeing that you’re not trying to think deeply despite having sufficient clues and being able to guess, it’s quite irritating.”

Tak-!

The black stone touched the tengen again.

“Since you’re not playing, I’ll go first.”

“I haven’t even answered yet.”

“In war, speed is also a skill.”

Jin Cheonhee placed a white stone before answering.

Tak.

“If I win, let’s play with Cheongok next time.”

“I’ve heard that Little White Dragon’s Cheongok skills are unparalleled.”

***

They continued exchanging stones for a long time.

Eventually, His Imperial Highness Eun said:

“It’s jangseung (eternal life).”

In Go, it refers to the continuous repetition of the same moves. This results in a draw for both sides.

“It seems you deliberately wanted a draw.”

“How could I intentionally lead to jangseung? It just happened as we played.”

Jin Cheonhee answered nonchalantly. His Imperial Highness Eun grumbled in response.

“I didn’t know Little White Dragon was this petty. Well, it’s fine. It was enough time to grasp your nature.”

Saying that, he brought his hand to his mask.

As the mask slowly fell away, Jin Cheonhee immediately prostrated himself, not looking at the face.

“Raise your head.”

“How could someone as lowly as I dare to look upon your noble face?”

“…You don’t lose even a single word. I really want to make you my person. So I’d like you to be able to see my face.”

“…”

“Seeing how stubborn you are, it seems you’ve already guessed my identity to some extent. If so, you probably already know the outcome in your head.”

His Imperial Highness Eun added one more thing.

“I hope you understand that there’s meaning in me not using my ability to verbally order you to raise your head.”

Finally, Jin Cheonhee raised his head.

It was a handsome man with a face resembling Feng Juha.

He had a pale complexion more suited to a civil official than a military one, but his clean-cut features were memorable.

“I am Feng Ha-eun. Do you know Feng Hae-geum?” Juhua

Feng Hae-geum.

That’s the name of the Emperor of the Hua Empire.

On the other hand, he had never heard the name Feng Ha-eun before.

Feng Ha-eun said:

“Feng Hae-geum is my twin. We complement each other. We’re each other’s stand-in, so to speak. That’s why our sister Feng Juha placed us on the throne as Emperor.”

Two Emperors.

A secret that didn’t appear in the novel was revealed like this.

Feng Ha-eun sneered.

“We don’t have many people we can trust until we ascend to the throne. Our mother also died protecting us, caught up in the struggle for the throne, and our sister resents us for it. However, that’s why it had to be us even more. Even if one is assassinated, there’s another, so a reason was created for the Hua Empire not to fall.”

‘Feng Juha said they were useless puppets.’

He said she resents them, and judging by his tone, she might still have some emotional knots left.

‘But is that all?’

Even now, Wangya Ju was standing in the snow, protecting her younger sibling.

It might be right that she’s protecting him simply because he’s the Emperor.

However, from the perspective of someone who had observed Wangya Ju for a long time both in the novel and in reality, it seemed that it might not be just that.

Feng Ha-eun sneered.

“After the previous Emperor passed away due to illness, there were so many things that happened. I thought it would get easier once we reached the top, but that was just another beginning.”

Jin Cheonhee slowly organized what His Imperial Highness, no, His Majesty, before him was saying.

1. The Emperor in the imperial capital is actually two twins taking turns as each other’s stand-in.
2. Wangya Ju knows this fact and placed them both on the throne.
3. The relationship between the siblings is ambiguous because Wangya Ju’s mother died because of the twins.

Jin Cheonhee asked:

“Then is the other brother in the imperial palace now?”

“That’s right. That guy’s ability is specialized in reading and manipulating others’ memories, so he’s more suitable for playing the role of Emperor than I am.”

It’s a good ability for seizing power.

One handles memories, and the other handles actions.

“It must be incredible when the two of you combine your powers.”

At Jin Cheonhee’s words, Feng Ha-eun burst into laughter.

“It’s as you guessed.”

Jin Cheonhee rubbed his chin.

Feng Ha-eun continued:

“Our sister is immune to our twin abilities. She knows how to break them. Or rather, it’s a method that only she can use even if others knew about it.”

“…?”

“There’s such a thing. Anyway, our sister made a pact in exchange for placing us on the throne. If our reign is inadequate, she’ll behead us at any time.”

He laughed softly and then narrowed his eyes, looking at Jin Cheonhee.

“Well, seeing that she’s even calling a physician for me, it seems my reign isn’t inadequate.”

He let out a bitter smile.

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me all this.”

“I thought it would be better to have no secrets if I’m going to make you my person anyway. Besides, since you keep trying to slip away like a loach, I thought I should grab you and drag you deep into the mire. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone try so hard to escape, even using jangseung.”

He fiddled with the Go stones.

“I’ve played countless games, but I’m dying to know why jangseung, which I’ve never seen before, appeared now.”

Jin Cheonhee calmly replied:

“I think it’s an auspicious sign.”

“Jangseung as an auspicious sign, huh. Yes, there are scholars who interpret it that way. But why did such jangseung appear only now?”

“…”

In the silence, only the sound of Go stones clashing could be heard.

Clack-

“Even if it was a trick you played, it means you’re that clever a talent, and even if you saw jangseung by chance, isn’t that also an auspicious sign?”

He was arrogant. He was someone sitting at the pinnacle of the empire, with everything moving around his center.

Jin Cheonhee looked at the Emperor before him with a slightly different sentiment.

In the novel, he was mentioned as a virtuous Emperor. Not greedy and not lazy.

That’s why Wangya Ju helped him become Emperor.

The phrases written in the novel had never been false.

However, there were many times when different truths were seen in places not written about.

Since it was said he had no backing, he must have been exposed to countless conspiracies, and the fact that he survived meant he was intelligent and vigilant.

‘And with such abilities, it must be difficult for people to approach him.’

An Emperor with the ability to manipulate actions and read and manipulate memories.

It was clear as day that while he would be able to filter out corrupt individuals and efficiently suppress rebellions, there would also be great fear and wariness.

‘What a difficult position.’

Jin Cheonhee finished organizing his thoughts.

“I know that Your Majesty has been doing your best to reign for the Hua Empire.”

The Hua Empire that Jin Cheonhee had observed was like that.

Of course, there were gaps in public safety and there were injustices. However, it wasn’t difficult to find food anywhere, and people trusted the government offices.

This was rare even throughout human history on the Earth he had been on.

Especially, the fact that people didn’t have to worry about starving to death was only a tiny fraction throughout human history.

To have achieved this with this level of technology meant he had done as much as humanly possible.

“However, I’m just a mere physician and don’t know the difficult circumstances of the imperial palace. If you decide to undergo treatment, I will help, and if you refuse, I will leave.”

“Hehehe. How brazen. Clearly drawing the line while saying you’ll do your duty as a physician.”

He chuckled softly and then put his mask back on.

“Treat me as His Imperial Highness Eun here.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll entrust my treatment to you.”

Jin Cheonhee bowed deeply. His Imperial Highness Eun said:

“Have you ever thought about becoming my imperial physician? All the power in the world would be directed towards you.”

“A shark must live in the sea, and a frog must live in a pond. Even if you throw a frog into the sea, it wouldn’t survive a day.”

“I’ve never seen someone kick away even the position of imperial physician.”

“Hahaha.”

“You even have the audacity to laugh. Good grief.”

He clicked his tongue, looking at Jin Cheonhee as if he were a strange creature.

It was understandable.

Since ascending to the throne, he had only met two types of people.

Enemies or allies.

Whichever side they were on, they were all desperate to gain the Emperor’s favor.

Allies would want to gain even a small official position under the Emperor, while enemies would find it easier to stab him the closer they got.

Jin Cheonhee said he liked the Hua Empire.

He also acknowledged that the Emperor had worked hard.

Nevertheless, he drew a clear line.

“You see me as a patient before an Emperor.”

“I apologize.”

“Yes. This is why my sister is so desperate to get her hands on you.”

He looked at the falling snow outside and then said:

“I’ve heard there are many extraordinary people in the martial world, but you’re the best among them.”