Even though being angry never did anyone any good, Shurei found herself furious this morning.

She had come to the palace to tutor the king, who seemed to have no interest in government affairs.
.... However...!
What's so amusing, Sho?
I was just thinking about how well my plan seems to be working.
His Majesty has begun to learn how to govern, and even took action and saved Consort Hong from danger.

The daughter of the Hong family has certainly done her job well.
To think at all this time, his blatant ignorance and lack of motivation were nothing more than an act!

It seems that the king should not to be underestimated.
Consort Hong, You mustn't!
Well, if it isn't Shurei.
What is the problem?
Forgive me My Lords, but I must request that I be released from the Royal Harem immediately!
And may I ask, what reason you have for such a request?
That man is not a stupid king at all!
He's just pretending to be a stupid king!
And?
I'm returning home now!
Thanks to you, Consort Hong, the king has changed greatly for the better.
The palace is buzzing with talk praising your efforts.
However, if you should leave now, the king will lose interest again, and everything will return to the way it was before.
There's one other rumor that everyone is talking about...
You might want to consider it, it's the one about you and the king spending your nights together.
What? But I...!
We agreed on the reward of five hundred gold coins.
If you want to receive it, I expect you to fulfill your part of the deal.
This is all because I got blinded by those stupid coins. I hate being poor!

Treasure Buried Is Treasure Wasted

I never imagined she’d get so angry.
And then to learn she's only my temporary wife.
I'm crushed!
Why were you pretending to be stupid all this time?
Because I thought it would make Shurei pay more attention to me that way.
Your Majesty, please excuse me, but the truth is, you've been with women before, haven't you?
Quite a few, if I may.
How did you know?!
Mostly I can tell by the way you are when you are with Shurei.
Why have you been hiding it?
I felt that if I were to have children, it would only lead to great trouble and strait for the future.
As in, civil war?
I always thought that even though I'm king now, someone else would eventually take the throne instead.
So in order to avoid the risk of having children, you allowed people to believe that you only like men?

Certainly, before Shurei came, that rumor was enough, it kept those with any power from sending their daughters to the palace as potential consorts for you.
Tell me, Your Majesty.
Have you ever truly been in love?
I can at least give you credit for your taste in women.
However, right now you've got to think, since you’ve upset Shurei, it's up to you to make up for what you've done.
In the meantime, I will be sure to find the source of that poison.
I'll answer to the trust you've placed in me.
I have accepted your purple iris, after all.
Thank you.
The king is starting to look somewhat like a real ruler. What a relief.
It's too soon tobe relieved.
We must find the person who attempted to poison Consort Hong.
Has Consort Hong been advised not to discuss that incident with anybody else?
If it leaks out, it could cause anxiety within the palace.
She will keep quiet regardless, otherwise it would only worry her father.
I wonder who could have done it?
If His Majesty Prince Seien was still here, that stupid king wouldn't need to pretend to be stupid in the first place.
Prince Seien...!
He was always the most outstanding of all the princes.
If he were still here, the fight for the throne might never have happened.
After he was exiled, we lost track of him.
In fact, we don't even know if he's still alive.
So that's what it means to be "crafty".
Even though I work within the palace, I don't involve myself in politics at all.
When I allow you to become the king's consort, It was not so that our family could take political advantage of you.
You knew about everything, didn't you, father?
I first met Ryuki shortly after I started working in the archives.
One day, a young boy turned up here covered in scratches and bruises.
I was shocked to see him, but I treated his wounds myself as best as I could.
He was a rather quiet and solemn young boy.
It was quite a long time before I found out who the child was.
But after a while he finally opened up and started to talk to me about his mother and his brothers, and about the second eldest prince who was the only person in the palace who ever loved him.

Whenever he came to the archives, he was always covered in scratches and cuts.
Even after his mother passed away, his brothers still continued to beat him.
All I could do for that small boy was to be there for him and listen to him.
Shurei.
That man has the highest status, a grand palace and every material thing that would make normal people envy him.
But, when it comes to the crucial, fundamental things in life we take for granted, a mother's love, a tender word, a soft caress, he’s never willing to know them, was joys were never within his reach.
However...
It's all right, now that you're here.
You're closer to him than I could ever be.
Shurei, please take care of king, Ryuki.
It looks like Shurei has figured it out too.
Oh, you're talking about the stupid act that the king's been putting on.
Still, it doesn't seem very likely that she will leave now.
Huh? It's Seiran.
Speaking of which, I wonder if he received a flower from the king too.
Who knows.
Hi, Seiran.
Have you heard the rumor from the ladies in waiting?
You mean the one about Lady Shurei and the king?
Right. What do you think about it?
Well, if you really must ask me,
I think it's only an one in ten chance anything happened.
So composed.
honestly, you're no fun to tease at all.
If you are that confident about the matter ,there must be a reason behind it, am I right?
You've been in a very tempting situation.
Shoka, yourself and Shurei, all three of you living together.
Only Shoka's guarding the treasure, and he isn't much of a guard.
You're a grown man in your twenties at the time of your life.
Come on, tell the truth.
Nothing's going on.
Advisor So!
Oh, It's Shurin Ran, and you're...!
I would like you to be my opponent.
Me, My Lord?
Yes, you.
Advisor So used to be a commander of unmatched prowess.
He has fought in many battles and won great honor.

The Story of Saiunkoku

Your blocking is good!
General So...!
Your're Seiran, right?
I am.
How old are you?
About , I’ll be twenty-one soon.
Is that true?
Thirteen years ago, Shoka took you in, did he not?
What were you doing before that time?
Well...!
Your skills ain't bad.
You appear to be self taught, but a style of swordsmanship learned while young, does not simply disappear from one's memory.
Your form is very similar to that young man I once knew.
I'm sure the gentleman standing over there has noticed it as well.
He is a general, after all.
I never thought I would live to see that style of swordsmanship again.
Even King Ryuki does not know it, despite me tutoring him the way of sword myself.
That prince always used to call me General So, in the same way that you just did.
Seiran! Perfect timing.
Here, I made white radish cakes.
I just baked them earlier today, the crisp outside and the shredded radish make a great combination, don't they?
They do.
I was hoping that the king would be able to try a few too.
But I got so angry with him. I wonder if he's okay.
I'm sure he's fine.
I guess he must have his own reasons for pretending to be a stupid king, right?
It's not easy to be a king.
I think I understand that now.
That's very true.
Hey, Seiran.
What is it?
Are the men in the Left Urin Army harassing you, be honest?
You have outstanding skills, and you’ve got a pretty face. Now that I think about it, I bet someone like you would get singled out.
My Lady, nothing 's going on.
Then what is it? What is it that's been troubling you so much?
I just can't win against you, can I? Lady Shurei.
Tell me, if something's bothering you, okay?
I'm always coming to you when I want to complain, Seiran, so it's only fair you do the same.
But that'll probably never happen.
You've never done anything like that not even once.
Honestly, how am I supposed to ever begin to repay you for everything you've done for me?
You've already repaid me a long time ago.
Whenever I see you just being yourself, it always gives me more strength and energy.
You really mean it?
Yes, I do.
It's just that you always seem to be on the wrong end of a deal.
What do you mean by that?
Well you're always putting others before yourself.
It's not like that.
You and Lord Shoka are the most important things in my life, so of course I'm gonna think about you two first.
That's just what I'm talking about!
When I see you, the phrase "Treasure buried is treasure wasted" comes to mind.
You just don't realize how special you are, do you, Seiran?
I'm very happy to have you by my side,
but I keep thinking your talents are being wasted.
And sometimes I wonder if one day you'll go far away to a place where you can show those talents.
I'll always be by your side.
Good lord. Why hold a martial arts tournament so suddenly?
Please choose one, eating or speaking?
What the heck is Advisor So thinking?
And he's put you in charge of handling the tournament, hasn't he?
You'll have to make an appearance too, you know.
Wh-What's wrong?
That's it.
This might be a plan to draw out the Black Wolf.
The Black Wolf?
It's said that he was the man who led a group of assassins known as the Wolves of the Wind, they were loyal and trusted servants of the former king
He's a legend and an assassin of unmatched talent.
Rumor has it that he's still alive and it's even possible that he still works here within the palace.
Do you think the advisor may be trying to use the tournament to lure him out of hiding?
Unbelievable!
I somehow doubt that he's going to expose his identity that easily.
He is The Black Wolf.
You're right about that. The Black Wolf is probably the last person you ever expected them to be.
You’ll be entering the tournament taking place the day after tomorrow.
But I...!
Make sure you give it your best.
The spring makes my nose so itchy.
Lord Shoka.
Oh, hello there, Koyu. What can I do for you?
I have a slight problem, you see I've been appointed to preside over the tournament the day after tomorrow.
Oh that's nice!
So I...
Lord Shoka, will you please assist me in preparing my speech?!
I think it would be better if you come up with it yourself.
I'll certainly help with serving the tea.
Lord Koyu!
What is it?
Over there, We have a problem!
You're right. I shouldn't have made Lord Shoka serve tea.
That's not what I mean. Father's tea tastes awful!
Please allow me.
Uh...!
It gives me great pleasure, on a blessed day such as today, under the clear skies and full glory of spring to present this joyous event and share in the happiness of all!
You'd think we were having a wedding ceremony.
He did have a speech prepared but it looks like he's so nervous that he can't even read what he's written.
Koyu Ri!
Get this started, already!
Yes, sir! Then without further ado, let us hereby commence the first Imperial Martial Arts Tournament!
Today your rank is immaterial as you will be competing based on individual skill.
The prize is one hundred gold coins.
One hundred gold.
I wanna enter too.
Very well, then we shall enter and win the reward for you.
Really?!
I would be happy to give you as much money as you want but knowing you, you would never accept on those terms. So, this will do.
If I do this, can you forgive me for deceiving you earlier?
I already did. But do your best to win that money, okay!
Of course.
I never expected the king to compete as well.
And he's made it through to the semifinals, no less.
he was my pupil after all. He won't be defeated so easily.
And now, we will begin our semifinals!
The first match is Shuei Ran versus Bunshin Son.
Begin!
The winner is Shuei Ran.
General Ran certainly is popular with the women.
Sure, the real Shuei Ran is.
The next match is, Ryuki Shi versus Seiran Si!
Although they’re written with different characters, Ryuki and Seiran have the same family name of "Shi".
Who should I cheer for?
But no matter who wins, my family will still get the one hundred gold coins!
Now begin!
This style...!
Why does Ryuki look so distracted?
This sword style...Could it be?
No, that's not possible.
Seiran! Are you...?!
Ryuki Shi!
Congratulations.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
So in the end, General Ran won it all.
I'm really Sorry.
what's the matter, Ryuki?
You weren't really focused on the final match at all.
Ryuki?
Excuse me.
Ryuki?
Seiran!
I once had an elder brother whom I loved very much.
Whenever I was lonely, he would take the time to play with me.
Brother Seien was the only one who would always be kind to me, no matter what.
I loved that older brother more than anyone.
He was always shielding me with his strong broad back.
I didn't cry, even when my mother and other brothers died.
But on the day that my big brother Seien left the palace for good, I cried.
The reason I ignored my duties as ruler was because I was always waiting, hoping for someone to say "Bring back Prince Seien to rule"!
And to think hewas so close!
I am not your brother, Your Majesty.
But, if I were your brother, I would likely say the same thing.
Give up that silly idea of yours at once.
The imperial court has already begun to operate smoothly with you at its center.
Prince Seien is not needed any longer.
That's not true!
If he can see you becoming more and more like a king with each passing day,
I know Your brother would be happy, as long as he could support you from the shadows.
It must pain him not to be able to reveal his identity, but you've still realized that he's near.
That is enough to make him happy.
Seien!
No! That's not enough for me!
Do you think it's all right to say those sorts of things?
That kind of talk will only cause trouble again.
If that ever happened, then Prince Seien, who's now close by, might have to flee.
Have to flee?
In other words, he'll leave you again. Is that really okay with you?
No, it's not!
Then accept the fact that he's somewhere near and just leave it at that.
I guess you're a really good liar, too.
What's the matter?
Were the two of you fighting?
It's a shame that neither of you won the tournament, but I'm not worried about the reward.
What is it?
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
It's just that seeing you makes me very happy.
That sounds like something Seiran would say.
Oh, wait, don't tell me these two are seeing each other?
What's wrong?
Nothing at all!
Lady Shurei, there's something bothering you...
Oh, No, I...I'll just be heading back to my room, okay?
Hey! Shurei!
My Lady!
Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt.
Just Wait a moment!
Please go right ahead!
-My Lady
-Shurei!
She’s certainly acting strange

Next Episode
What is this, I wonder
This distinctive flute music, it sounds strange, and makes you want to cover your ears.
Wait a second! Who are you?!
General Ran's younger brother?!