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Crown Prince Munhyo’s mother, Consort Seong, had already arrived there.
“How are you feeling? Is there anything that feels uncomfortable?”
Jeongjo’s face was full of laughter as he looked at the crown prince with a gentle smile.
When the Crown Prince was on the verge of death, King Jeongjo could not sleep due to anxiety and pain he had never experienced before.
It was completely different from my usual sleepless nights of wrestling with books and taking care of affairs.
It was a different feeling from when I witnessed the death of Crown Prince Sado, King Jeongjo’s father.
‘As expected, it’s different from the image of Jeongjo we see in movies and dramas… … .’
Jeongjo was often depicted as enjoying archery and being skilled in both civil and military affairs, but in person, he had a square mouth and sharp chin, making him look a bit plump.
That is understandable, as King Jeongjo rode in a palanquin even when moving around the palace, and his activity level was low due to his habit of sitting and reading books until dawn, not to mention when attending to state affairs and eating.
‘Even in Ilseongnok, it says that Jeongjo didn’t like to move… … . Hmm, just looking at his face, he doesn’t seem like a scholar at all.’
“Yes, I don’t have any pain at all. It’s all thanks to the care of Grandma, Dad, and Mom.”
“Hahaha! Do you know how much the royal concubine here was worried because of you? Never again will something like that happen. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“Even if we give in to everything else, you must never be sick, Your Majesty. Do you know how unfilial it is to leave this world before your mother?”
Crown Prince Munhyo’s mother, Consort Seong, fainted as soon as she saw her son’s death.
I never wanted to experience something like that again, not even in my dreams.
“As Abama said, such a thing will never happen. Little one, I will enjoy the life that Heaven has bestowed upon me and be filial to Abama.”
“Hahaha! Yes, that’s right. For the sake of the ancestral shrines and the people of this country, the Crown Prince must remain healthy. Seeing you healthy brings me immense joy. Moreover, since you regained your health, rain has fallen from the sky. All of this brings great joy to this country.”
It hadn’t rained for a while, so it was difficult to even plant rice seedlings.
Because of that, King Jeongjo attended and held several rain-making ceremonies.
“Your Highness, I wish for nothing more. Just remain healthy as you are now. That is the true filial piety you show your mother.”
The eyes of Seong-ui-bin, who looked at the crown prince with an expression full of love, became moist.
I was so happy and grateful to see my dead son come back to life and recover his health.
“I will engrave it deeply in my heart.”
“The Crown Prince seems even more determined after going through such a difficult time. I will grant you whatever you wish today, so if there’s anything you want, just ask.”
Although he was a child who had suffered a serious illness that threatened his life, every word he spoke was clearer and more powerful than before.
Before Crown Prince Munhyo became ill, King Jeongjo was secretly worried because his speech was a bit slurred.
‘It’s a good opportunity. I wanted to quickly meet Bak Je-ga and Jeong Yak-yong, who could bring about change in Joseon… … and Lee Ga-hwan, who was called a genius… … .’
“I want to go to Gyujanggak and freely read all the books I want to read. And I want to freely exchange stories with the Chogye scholars there.”
Prince Munhyo was looking for an opportunity to form a relationship with the Silhak scholars he had been thinking about.
“What? Are you dissatisfied with the teacher who is teaching you now?”
“No, that’s not the case. While the Elementary Learning and Mencius are important, I wanted to address the mysteries of what I saw in my dream in this gathering of the leading scholars of this nation.”
“Things you saw in your dreams? What were they?”
Jeongjo asked with a curious expression at Crown Prince Munhyo’s words.
‘You should understand if I just give you a vague explanation, but you insist on asking questions.’
“I don’t know how to explain it myself, so I’d like to look at the books stored in the Chogyemun Library and Gyujanggak to figure out what it is.”
Kyujanggak started out as a royal library and grew into an institution for academic research and Joseon policy.
Here, scholars who supported King Jeongjo’s reform policies were trained and a breath of fresh air was blown into Joseon.
Moreover, Park Je-ga, who was born to a concubine who was looked down upon, was leading the cultural revival by appointing Yu Deuk-gong, Seo I-su, and Lee Deok-mu as inspectors of the Gyujanggak.
“Hahaha! I can’t believe how the Crown Prince resembles me so much. When I’m curious or don’t know something, I stay up all night and read books. If that’s what you want, then do it.”
King Jeongjo thought that Crown Prince Munhyo’s thoughts and intentions were noble and beautiful.
Even though it had only recently been since I had recovered from my illness, I still wanted to be close to books because they seemed to resemble me.
“This is a serious matter. What if His Majesty the Crown Prince becomes so absorbed in his books that he forgets to sleep? He needs a good night’s sleep to stay healthy.”
Lady Ui-bin Seong also welcomed the Crown Prince’s intentions with a bit of humor.
“Don’t worry. I have already engraved your words in my heart. Like Abama, I will be both civil and military, and I will never lose my health again.”
“Hahaha! The Crown Prince’s intentions are truly admirable and I like them. Hahaha!”
Jeongjo, who always suffered from overwork and took care of state affairs until dawn, had never laughed as much as he did today.
* * *
Several people were gathered at the house of Gu Seon-bok, the training captain of the training center, who was hearing the sound of a bird dropping down.
Gu Seon-bok was the first military commander to be appointed as a general in 1757, and was finally promoted to the commander of the training camp in 1765. He took turns in commanding the military with his cousin Gu Seon-haeng, demonstrating the influence of a family with many contributions to the country and a long history of officialdom.
Even after King Jeongjo ascended to the throne, he took turns with Hong Guk-yeong as the commander of the training force and commander of the royal guard, and most of the military leaders revered Gu Seon-bok, who had taken control of the military, as King Mujong.
“How did the Crown Prince come back to life?”
“It was clear that the lady of the palace had put the poison of the pufferfish into the herbal medicine. Furthermore, the sound of wailing coming from outside the hall was heard by several other ladies.”
These were the words of Gu Myeong-gyeom, Gu Seon-bok’s nephew.
He had been appointed the important post of Hwanghae-do Byeongma Jeoldosa at the age of forty, and after serving as the commander of the Left Police Command, the commander of the Three Provinces’ Naval Command, and the governor of Wonju, he was currently serving as the commander of the Left Police Command.
Together with Gu Seon-bok, he took control of Joseon’s military and shook it.
“Myung-gyeom’s words are correct. The court ladies present also heard the Queen and her royal consort wailing. The royal physician who took the Crown Prince’s pulse also said it had been about an hour since she died.”
These were the words of Gu I-gyeom, who was serving as the military commissioner of Pyeongan Province.
He was also Gu Seon-bok’s adopted son.
Those who took control of the military received daily reports on the major and minor affairs of the government through the lower officials dispatched from the training office to the palace.
“But how did the Crown Prince survive? Are we going to have to experience Hong Bok-yeong’s failure again?”
Gu Seon-bok’s face was filled with anger.
A year ago, there was an incident in which the remaining forces, including Hong Bok-yeong, the cousin of Hong Guk-yeong, joined forces with the forest forces to attack the capital and assassinate King Jeongjo.
“That is…….”
Gu Myeong-gyeom had nothing to say.
This is because the servant girl who was sent to the palace herself said that she had put the poison she had given him into the Crown Prince’s medicine.
“I think it would be best to quickly cover this up. No matter how much you try to keep your mouth shut, secrets are bound to leak out.”
These were the words of Jang Eon-hoe, the advisor to Gu Seon-bok and the one who planned all of this.
After killing Crown Prince Munhyo, Jang Eon-hoe plotted to appoint King Jeongjo’s nephew, Prince Sanggye Dam, as crown prince. Prince Sanggye was the son of Prince Eun-eon, who was King Jeongjo’s half-brother.
Previously, when Hong Guk-yeong’s older sister, Won Bin, died young without leaving an heir, he tried to make King Jeongjo’s nephew, Sanggyegun Dam, Won Bin’s adopted son and crown prince who would become the future king.
Hong Guk-yeong, who had been enjoying power because of that incident, incurred King Jeongjo’s hatred and was expelled.
“Are you saying we should kill Sanggye-gun?”
“Yes, the King will certainly be thoroughly scrutinizing the Crown Prince’s surroundings in light of this incident. It would be best to nip in the bud anything that could lead to trouble.”
“I also agree with what Unhoe said. Perhaps it would be better to use this incident as an opportunity to get rid of Eun-eon, whom Daebi dislikes.”
Gui-gyeom took Jang Eon-hoe’s words and said:
“Hmm, does that mean that if we deal with both Eun-eon and Sang-gye, the arrows aimed at us will disappear?”
“If we leak the truth about Prince Eun-eon’s involvement in the Crown Prince’s poisoning plot and deal with everyone involved, we can achieve the desired result. As the Chief Inspector suggested, granting the Queen Dowager’s wishes wouldn’t be a bad idea, either, for the future.”
“If that doesn’t work, then attack the city with the soldiers we have.”
Gu Myeong-gyeom openly spoke of treason.
In fact, Gu Seon-bok also knew very well that one day, Jeongjo’s sword would be turned against him.
He had knowingly or unknowingly supported several treason plots against King Jeongjo, but withdrew from them midway due to lack of justification, and eliminated all those involved.
“Haha! That’s one way. But a treason without a justification is bound to fail. To achieve this, you need the unwavering support of the Grand Empress Dowager.”
Treason without a just cause only provides a pretext for further treason.
If the Crown Prince had died, the Sanggye Prince could have been appointed as the successor and the cause could have been promoted.
“Now we need to bend down for a moment and cut off the tail and destroy the evidence as before.”
“Yes, there will be another chance. As long as military power is in my hands, no matter how great your Majesty is, he won’t be able to do anything to me.”
“That is a matter of course. Who would dare point a sword at you, my lord?”
“I’d rather something like that happen. That way, we can destroy Changdeokgung Palace in one fell swoop without the headache of planning.”
Gu Seon-gyeom responded to Gu I-gyeom’s words without hesitation.
“Hahaha! That’s right. It’s the right approach for warriors like us. Thinking is something only civil servants do.”
Gu Seon-bok seemed to like Gu Seon-gyeom’s words and burst out in a hearty laugh.
It was also a confident look that no one could do anything to him.
“Even if Jeong Hu-gyeom, Kim Gwi-ju, and Hong In-han fall away like rotten persimmons, Your Majesty will surely accomplish His great work. However, it will be easier if you have someone as intelligent as me.”
The bookkeeper Jang Eon-hoe spoke to please Gu Seon-bok.
Jeong Hu-gyeom, Kim Gwi-ju, and Hong In-han were the main culprits who opposed King Jeongjo’s ascension to the throne and had Crown Prince Sado locked up in a rice chest and killed.
All of them fell from power after King Jeongjo ascended to the throne, but Gu Seon-bok enjoyed power as he was appointed to important positions in the Joseon military, including the commander of the training camp, the minister of military affairs, and the judge of the Uigeumbu.
“Yes, you’re right. You can’t compare me to Hong In-han or Kim Gwi-ju, who are both idiots. We value our bloody swords over our brains! Hahahaha!”
Gu Seon-gyeom’s eyes shone coldly as he let out a loud laugh again.
