Chapter 639: The Joseon Ruler and Ministers' Change in Attitude

Song Xiang's business was done, but Zhang Yu's was just beginning. Compared to the harem, the rules here were far more numerous.

The food and wine in the palace were laid out, and the banquet officially began.

Zhang Yu sat in the lower seat behind the old Prince Fu, his face showing nothing.

The old Prince Fu, by contrast, wore a beaming smile, as if he were quite enjoying himself.

For the old Prince Fu, he truly had never imagined he would have such an opportunity in this lifetime.

When he left Henan, the old Prince Fu had thought he might be placed under house arrest. Unexpectedly, after arriving at the capital, he received no such treatment. Instead, no one restricted his movements—he could do whatever he pleased, even eat, drink, and amuse himself freely in Beijing without anyone interfering.

The people below, though they felt he had been deposed and his royal title stripped and given to his son, still treated him with great respect—after all, the bloodline was right there.

He never expected that this mission to Joseon would fall into his lap. Setting aside what the future might hold, just being able to get out and travel was already good.

Moreover, once he arrived in Joseon, he might even be able to become a Grand Emperor Father. This filled Prince Fu's heart with satisfaction.

Things indeed unfolded as he had predicted—Joseon truly treated him as an honored guest.

The old Prince Fu was in excellent spirits, pondering how he would enjoy life next.

Zhang Yu, sitting off to the side, was not in such a good mood. He glanced at the Joseon king and the Joseon ministers attending nearby, a hint of hesitation in his heart.

Though these people smiled brightly and spoke courteously, there was something in their expressions and tone that was hard to fathom—a weariness laced with helplessness, and also a trace of sinister ruthlessness.

Very strange.

Mind you, this feeling had not existed before—originally they had been very enthusiastic.

This faint sense of aloofness now made Zhang Yu hesitate, but he soon understood.

As a clever man, deducing cause and effect was an essential skill for Zhang Yu.

When he first arrived, the Joseon king and his court had not held this attitude—they had been extremely warm. Now they had suddenly switched to this demeanor, which could only prove one thing: something was going on.

Between his arrival and now, something had happened that these people found hard to accept.

What had Zhang Yu done since arriving in Joseon?

Nothing. He hadn't even started anything—it had all been plans. That was the reality of the situation.

The only thing Zhang Yu had done was send Song Xiang to see Queen Inmok, and to treat her illness.

Presumably, this was the very thing that had incurred the displeasure of the Joseon ruler and his ministers.

It seemed the rift between the two sides was far from small—or rather, during the years Queen Inmok had been ill and in poor health, these ministers had done quite a lot, and what they had done was likely something Queen Inmok would find deeply displeasing.

So the Joseon ruler and his ministers only hoped Queen Inmok would die quickly, rather than recover.

That was the root cause of their attitude toward him. With this realization, Zhang Yu understood, and then he smiled.

The things you are unhappy about and dislike are precisely the things I am very happy and very pleased to do.

Of course, Zhang Yu also understood that if he were not an envoy of the Great Ming, he certainly would not enjoy such treatment. Forget stirring up trouble—if he even revealed such a thought, he would probably be dead already.

Raising his wine cup, he took a quiet sip, then nodded with satisfaction.

This was fine Great Ming wine.

It seemed the Joseon king had truly put thought into this—though he wondered whether the man would have something to say to them later.

Sitting on his throne, Joseon King Li Zong's expression was grim.

Matters having developed to this point, he was perhaps caught somewhat off guard.

The arrival of the Great Ming had been anticipated, and his son going to the Great Ming was nothing unacceptable. After all, if his son spent a few years in the Great Ming, he might gain even greater support from them, which would benefit his future succession to the throne. Moreover, with his son away, there would be fewer father-son conflicts—it could be said to kill two birds with one stone.

But with the arrival of the Great Ming envoys, what happened next was not what he wanted to see.

The Great Ming people had actually gone to see Queen Inmok, and even wanted to treat her illness?

That grandmother of his—Li Zong knew her very well. If her health truly recovered, who knew what changes it might set off?

The ministers who had originally supported his grandmother's coup—he had spent these years suppressing them and refusing to employ them. They had gone to see his grandmother too, but her health was poor and she lacked the strength to act.

If his grandmother's health improved, they might not necessarily stir up trouble. The most critical thing was his grandmother's own intentions. In previous years, though Li Zong had shown her surface respect, he had done plenty behind her back.

With a complicated expression, he glanced toward the Great Ming side. Li Zong felt helpless. Who knew what the final outcome would be?

If the Great Ming side could not cure his grandmother, then all would be well—everyone happy, both sides at peace.

If not, then things would have to be discussed differently.

This banquet could have been dispensed with—after all, both sides had come to discuss matters, and a banquet should at least come after the talks concluded.

But Joseon King Li Zong did not want to discuss matters. Right now, he only wanted to stall for time. Until news came from Queen Inmok's side, he did not want to do anything.

Having discerned the other party's intentions, Zhang Yu stopped thinking about other things and settled down to eat and drink in peace, watching the Joseon palace women dance.

It had to be said, these palace women danced very well. From this alone, one could see that this Joseon king knew how to enjoy life better than the Great Ming emperor.

The Great Ming emperor he served was hard to characterize. But Zhang Yu knew he was an emperor who aspired to become a sovereign of millennial greatness.

He spent money where it should be spent, and absolutely never where it should not. Look at the palace furnishings—they were still the originals. As for keeping palace women for music and dancing and such, His Majesty had no interest whatsoever, and the ministers could not see such things even if they wanted to.

The entire atmosphere of the Great Ming now was one of frugality and martial valor.

As the saying goes, what the superior favors, the inferior will imitate. His Majesty favored martial valor, favored frugality, favored loving the people—so those below, whether they liked it or not, had to do the same. Thus, the Great Ming's shift away from extravagance was nothing new.

Seeing these palace women in the Joseon royal palace, Zhang Yu truly felt as if a lifetime had passed, and at the same time he understood some of His Majesty's current thoughts and actions.

Soon, someone walked over from behind and went directly to Joseon King Li Zong's ear.

Li Zong glanced at the newcomer.

This man was called Zhang Xuan—his trusted confidant, and the one who brought him reports.

It seemed there was news from his grandmother's side. This made Li Zong both pleased and somewhat anxious.

Zhang Xuan lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, there is news. The Great Ming imperial physicians said they are confident they can cure the Grand Queen Dowager—it will only take a few months."

Upon hearing this, Li Zong's expression grew complicated.

To be honest, he did not really want his grandmother to die. If she were not to die, the best outcome would be for her to remain in her current state—unable to manage anything, yet still serving as a deterrent.

But if his grandmother were alive and well, that would be troublesome. Once her health was robust, she would very likely start meddling in affairs. That was not what Li Zong wanted to see.

Turning to glance at Zhang Yu, Li Zong made up his mind. This matter had begun.

Li Zong waved his hand, signaling Zhang Xuan to withdraw.

After Zhang Xuan had left, Li Zong stood up, raised his wine cup, and said with a smile: "May the friendship between the Great Ming and Joseon last forever! Gentlemen, drink to the full!"

Instantly, cheers erupted all around, along with the clinking of wine cups.

The atmosphere of the banquet grew even more heated.

Zhang Yu drank along with the others, then lowered his head and watched the King of Joseon, trying to discern something from Li Zong's expression.

Li Zong was this delighted — could it be that things had turned out on that end? The imperial physicians of the Great Ming had failed to cure Queen Inmok of Joseon?

If that were the case, he would likely have to resort to Plan C.

After staring at Li Zong for a while, the expression on Zhang Yu's face relaxed.

Although this King of Joseon concealed it well, Zhang Yu still spotted the telltale signs. Clearly, things had not gone as Li Zong had anticipated — the imperial physicians of the Great Ming were quite capable after all.

Zhang Yu drank his wine unhurriedly.

It was not he who needed to be anxious now. He held ample initiative and could afford to wait slowly, without any hurry.

The banquet soon came to an end.

Zhang Yu was not anxious.

The King of Joseon, Li Zong, was the anxious one.

After the banquet concluded, Li Zong had people attend to the Old Prince Fu. After all, this Old Prince Fu of the Great Ming had drunk a bit too much — he probably could not travel tonight, so arrangements had to be made for him to stay in the guest quarters.

Four women were sent to attend to the Old Prince Fu, while Zhang Yu was invited to the side.

In this room, Zhang Yu met Li Zong, along with the minister accompanying him.

This minister's name was Zhang Shunyao, a very famous figure among the young hardliners of the Westerners faction in Joseon.

Only after arriving in Joseon and obtaining intelligence had Zhang Yu gained a somewhat clear understanding of Joseon's political landscape.

The political struggles in Joseon were nothing short of fierce. It all began with the conflict between Sim Ui-gyeom and Kim Hyowon.

Sim Ui-gyeom, Third Inspector of the Board of Personnel, turned against Kim Hyowon for opposing Kim's appointment to the key post of Personnel Selector, thus forming the Easterners faction led by Kim Hyowon (Kim Hyowon's residence was located in Geoncheon-dong, east of Hanseong) and the Westerners faction led by Sim Ui-gyeom (Sim Ui-gyeom's residence was located in Jeong-dong, west of Hanseong).

In the twenty-fourth year of King Seonjo's reign (1591 CE), the issue of installing the Crown Prince served as the trigger, sparking a confrontation between the moderates and hardliners within the Easterners faction — namely, what became known as the Southerners faction and the Northerners faction.

After the Japanese invasion ended, the Northerners faction took power and subsequently split into the Greater Northerners and the Lesser Northerners. Thereafter, the Greater Northerners, who supported Prince Gwanghae (Yi Hon) in ascending the throne, gained ascendancy and further divided into the Bone Northerners and the Flesh Northerners.

Because of their role in helping King Injo overthrow Prince Gwanghae (the Injo Restoration), the Westerners faction — which had been in decline for a considerable time — rose to power, and that is the current King of Joseon.