Upon hearing it, Noah hands Vinnie a scroll, announcing that he will give him five thousand ren a year, assuming he takes five hundred in general, though he has a condition: the vice minister won't accept bribes while Noah is here. The wise prince wants to live up to the emperor's expectations, so he will do whatever it takes.
Seeing Noah's honesty and enthusiasm, Vinnie assures Noah that he doesn't need the extra money and that he will stop accepting bribes. Noah should be suspicious of any ulterior motives. However, he decides to let it go, and hopes that Vinnie will work for him with pure honesty.
Later on, Oscar arranges a grand celebration for Noah. The eighth prince is happy, since after Henry, Noah is the second minister prince in all of the emperor's fifty-year reign. When Oscar notices that his little brother looks uneasy, he asks the reason. Noah clarifies that it isn't that, and that he is just thinking about why the emperor appointed them as ministers.
Oscar believes that this happened because Noah is very dear to the king. Noah can't completely rule that out. In Henry's case, he had the legitimate reason of suppressing the rebellion. Noah doesn't have that kind of record. Thus, maybe it is natural to conclude that the king is showing him favoritism.
In that instant, Noah turns to Oscar, wanting to know if he has any idea that the empire nearly collapsed at one point. He elaborates that it happened because of the empire's system of choosing a crown prince to rule, because the emperor's successor is determined at birth. The princes who were not the crown prince idled their lives away, and domestic stability was drastically shaken. Following that introspection, the empire now grants every prince his own fief and ensures they get a proper education.
Oscar is confused. What does that have to do with this? Immediately, Noah asks whether Oscar doesn't think appointing him as a minister goes far beyond mere education. It dawns on Oscar, and he abruptly stands up. It is pretty evident that the king wants to make Noah the crown prince.
Just then, Oscar's man comes with some information. He has received a report from a eunuch he has bought off. The emperor intends to name Oscar minister prince of finance at tomorrow's morning assembly.
On the other hand, an army of soldiers has arrested a hundred and sixty-seven people, including Keats. They intended to pressure the king into abdicating, and, once he was deposed as emperor, have the crown prince assume the throne. They confess to the very plot the king's intelligence indicated. And now everything is being reported to the king.
The king assumes that the crown prince is involved in this matter, believing that he can no longer wait, as Albert has been crown prince for thirty years of the emperor's fifty-year reign. Noyce Hill reminds him that there is no evidence of Albert's involvement. Thus, the king assures him that he won't do anything to the crown prince. Though this man Keats will be executed, and that will be the end of it.
With that, he demands to know from Noyce Hill about the update on Oscar's incident. Noyce Hill explains that he sent out a eunuch who is friends with the eighth prince. It would seem Oscar was aware of the situation. He adds that Noah was with him as well. The king believes that it must have been Noah who caught on to his intentions.
According to the report, the king is very puzzled. Which of his sons is worthy of succeeding him? Whatever the case is, he will figure this out if any of them overcome his trial.
A new day begins. Noah learns from Vinnie about the people in the attempted insurrection. All these people are close to the crown prince. At this point, anyone would conclude that this was a revolt led by the crown prince's faction.
Under imperial law, if one of the imperial family commits a crime, there are provisions that ensure their penalty is light. But there is one exception: insurrection. If any imperial member commits such a crime, they will be cut in half at the waist, be they leader or accomplice.
It is like a mystery, considering that so many of Albert's people were involved. How was he not aware of this? Although the crown prince's insurrection and execution would be a massive scandal that shakes the very foundation of the empire.
Curious, Noah asks Vinnie about the king's remarks on this. The vice minister explains that the king suggested focusing on the relevant law and punishing those involved accordingly. That being said, Noah understands the king's intention and decides to pass his judgment.
Later on, Noah meets his father, explaining that he has decided how to sentence the insurgents. From among those who were arrested, the leader will be cut in half at the waist, and the accomplices will be executed. The fact that the king limited it only to those arrested must mean that he currently has no intention of bringing Albert into this.
Upon hearing it, the king is impressed by his work and asks Cruz to add a thousand ren to his annual salary. Noah knows this is not a feat worthy of a reward, and that the king really didn't want to get Albert involved in this.
Moments later, Noah arrives at the Ministry of Justice castle. However, something brutal has happened there. The guards have been attacked, and the intruders are still inside the castle. Instantly, Noah orders Shirley to bring reinforcements. He was about to tell her to ask his brother at the Ministry of Military Affairs to come, yet the timing is pretty suspicious. Hence, he instructs her to gather their own allies only. He clarifies that she is not to let anyone inside or outside the mansion other than him, not even the other princes.
With his weapon, Noah enters the mansion, instructing all the officials to stand down. At the office, Noah runs into a cloaked man who is killing one of the prince's guards. The man immediately kills himself to avoid interrogation. Instantly, a bunch of more cloaked men enter the room. Without missing a beat, Noah knocks them all down. Vinnie is shocked to witness this.
However, he lets Noah know that all the insurgents were killed, which is rather shocking. These men were silenced. In other words, these are Albert's men, the crown prince's men. Realizing this, Noah stabs himself with his weapon, desperately asking Vinnie what the heaviest punishment is for severely wounding a prince. He wants to make it look like these men did this to him.