As soon as Kwon Jiyong reached the imperial city, he immediately parted ways with Zhu Yunhe and met the emperor. The emperor was a close friend and ally and was someone who respected Kwon Jiyong as a higher being. As soon as he heard of Kwon Jiyong's presence, he aborted all his prior appointments and made sure to see him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Kwon Jiyong stood up to greet the old man. 

"No need to be so formal, Young-ah. It's just the two of us."

Kwon Jiyong nodded, and addressed the emperor as his equal, if not a subordinate, and went directly to his point. "Yunhe gongju decided to stay in Joseon to help me investigate some trivial matters in the borders. Forgive me for her late arrival."

"Don't worry. I am pretty sure it was my daughter's wish to stay by your side and help. You know how fond she is of you. Besides, what trivial matters would make you come here personally? I believe it wasn't as simple as you were saying."

"During the stay of your emissaries in our land, one of the King's concubines got murdered. We caught a witness who admitted that he was ordered to lure the victim to the North. He is a member of the growing Jurchen tribe. I believe they were trying to shake the peace of the entire nation. But one more thing that bothers me is that they seem to have been hiding an imoogi. Lady Sun, the King's former concubine, had deep fatal wounds that were caused by sharp talons similar to an imoogi. Besides, at one encounter just recently, the Jurchens we fought with were like being controlled by someone powerful."

"Hmm… Then that's really bothering." The emperor said. "If these Jurchens were scattered in between Ming and Joseon's borders then we must be alert and keep an eye on them as well. Aren't you going to look for the real murderer among the Jurchens?"

Kwon Jiyong knitted his brows, quite displeased. "I have a feeling this was all set up."

"What do you mean?"

"Jurchens are wicked and cunning. They're not afraid of death. For one to admit easily about his crime out of the blue, don't you think it was too easy? They were able to trick one of the high-ranking people in Joseon, but they won't be able to play the same tricks on me."

The emperor nodded at Kwon Jiyong's statement. "This is why you really make me want to fully adopt you into my empire. Why do you have to choose a smaller kingdom such as Joseon to serve?"

Kwon Jiyong didn't answer the emperor's question and decided to stick to more important matters. "I'll be heading back to Joseon as soon as possible. I just wanted to clarify things with you so as not to create unnecessary misunderstanding at the borders. One more thing," Kwon Jiyong took a deep breath and if he was already gravely serious earlier, he was frighteningly solemn about the matter now.

"I do not want my wife or anyone to misunderstand further about me and your daughter. I wish you would consider disciplining her and making her act properly next time we meet again."

The emperor's face turned grim at the mention of his beloved daughter. "What had my daughter done to displease you this much?"

"I pretended not to know in front of her, but I am well aware she hurt herself in order to get my attention. I do not hold responsible for things that do not concern me, but for the sake of our alliance and friendship, I treated her well. I hope nothing like this will happen in the future."

The emperor was taken aback by his remarks. He had known Kwon Jiyong to be a straight-forward man but he didn't know he could even be more brutal with his statement! But he had nothing to rebut his crude words, in fact, he didn't feel any air of vanity and conceitedness in his tone. Kwon Jiyong stated each and every single word a-matter-of-factly.

"Hmm… It seems you really fancy your consort well. Hearing you speak to me like this about my daughter for the very first time made me realize you're really partly a man who could fall for a woman's charms."

"This isn't the first time I have spoken about your daughter though. It was even worse before when she accidentally learned what I really am, and we both know how everyone who discovered my identity ended up." Kwon Jiyong's lips curved up to a chilling smirk. "Just because Zhu Yunhe was an exception before, it doesn't mean she would still be if she makes another offense."

The emperor's smile was completely wiped off his face. Kwon Jiyong's word hit him like a threat, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Kwon Jiyong, our Kwon Jiyong… I suppose you won't destroy our alliance just because of petty things such as this."

"That is why I am telling you my concerns. There is nothing lacking on our part. I hope there won't be any on yours."

_____________________

As soon as Sandara arrived in Hanyang, she personally delivered Kwon Jiyong's message to Yi Sung, as well as his letter of recommendation for Lee Donghae. The young king had nothing but respect for his uncle so he trusted his decisions and didn't dare question it one bit. He then sent more guards to Kwon Jiyong's military estate in the North to make sure to keep their lone witness safe.

After meeting with the King, Sandara decided to visit the queen but the moment she arrived at the queen's quarters, Han Sanggung informed her that Minister Kim was inside.

If this was before, Sandara would already have ordered the palace ladies to announce her arrival. This time, she stuck by her promise to Kwon Jiyong after countless times he told her to stay out of trouble.

"I'll just return later," Sandara smiled at the servants and turned around to leave but just as she was about to take a step back, Minister Kim Byungchul stepped out and greeted her. With a tight-lipped smile and a bow, she returned it curtly.

"This one is also about to leave. Please come in. Jungjeong Mama heard you arrived and is very excited to see you, Mama."

Sandara nodded, surprised by the unusual polite to