Chapter 667: Grand Prince Bongnim

The Ming capital was in an uproar — some panicked, some excited, all sorts.

At this moment, Joseon's Hanseong was the same — some panicked, some delighted, equally in an uproar.

A new Ming envoy had arrived — this news spread like wildfire through Hanseong.

The previous Ming envoys had already piqued their curiosity, but after this period of time, they had come to understand that the people the Ming sent were easy to get along with — smiling at everyone they met, and handling matters with great tact.

That Prince Fu was scattering silver everywhere, and being with him was very pleasant. Everyone exchanged pleasantries daily, eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves. Prince Fu never tired of it, and neither did they — the two sides got along very harmoniously and affectionately.

But this time, the Ming envoy who came was different — reportedly, he had come to fight.

The man who came this time was called Sun Chuanting, a famous general who ranked among the top in the Ming. Since he first took the field, every campaign he fought was won, every battle victorious — whether in Liaodong or in the southwest, he always came out on top.

This time he had brought a great deal of fine Ming equipment, said to be a gift for Joseon.

A storm suddenly swept through Joseon's officialdom — every military commander wanted to get this batch of equipment under his own command, and so did the factions those commanders belonged to.

For a time, the Joseon court was fraught with tension. The Ming side had barely arrived and nothing had even been discussed, yet they themselves nearly came to blows.

Of course, factional strife was Joseon officialdom's specialty — when there was nothing to fight about, they still fought and struggled; now that there was something, naturally they fought and struggled all the more.

At the same time, something unexpected happened. The elders faction suddenly rose to prominence, delivering a great shock to the court.

Ever since Queen Inmok had fallen gravely ill, the elders faction had been quiet for a long time. Who could have imagined that this time they would rise again?

Aside from their own machinations, the bigger reason was that Queen Inmok's illness had been cured.

The imperial physicians sent by the Ming had worked wonders. After several months of recuperation and treatment, Queen Inmok's health was not only restored, but better than ever — her complexion was rosy and radiant, and she walked through the palace with a noticeably lighter step.

With Queen Inmok in this state, the elders faction naturally looked like they were about to stage a comeback.

This displeased the King of Joseon greatly — he felt utterly stifled inside. But there was nothing he could do; he couldn't very well lay a hand on his own grandmother, could he?

The King of Joseon had no choice but to endure, watching the elders faction leap and scurry about.

The only good way to deal with the elders faction was to gain the Ming's support, and obtaining this batch of weapons was the best way to do so.

During this period, the King of Joseon had repeatedly sought out Zhang Yu, constantly inviting him into the palace for banquets under every pretext imaginable — but the real reason was only one: he hoped Zhang Yu could help persuade the newly arrived Ming envoy.

Zhang Yu naturally agreed with a smile every time, deflecting with flawless tai chi.

As if he would actually agree to the King of Joseon's request — that was impossible. Moreover, even if he did agree, Sun Chuanting would never consent to such a thing; that was not how the Ming did business.

In the Ming's plan, these weapons were to be given to the elders faction — and not just to the elders faction in general, but to the elders faction that supported the Second Prince.

This way, the elders faction and the young Turks faction would fall out. After the two sides finished fighting, divisions would emerge within the elders faction — one supporting the Grand Heir, one supporting the Second Prince — and then they would fight. At that point, the Ming would support the Second Prince in rebellion.

Under these circumstances, the Ming would never agree to the King of Joseon.

The residence of Grand Prince Bongnim.

As the second son of the King of Joseon, Grand Prince Bongnim's residence was naturally built with great elegance, and it was more than spacious enough — occupying two entire streets.

Today it was not particularly lively; there were not many people about.

A carriage appeared silently at the gate of Grand Prince Bongnim's residence.

A man stepped down from the carriage, looked around, then strode through the main gate.

The gatekeeper seemed to have known this man was coming — without any idle talk, he led him inside.

Soon, the gatekeeper brought him to the study and withdrew.

A wooden shelf on the wall slowly swung open, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The man was not surprised — he walked into the secret chamber with practiced ease and sat down on a chair.

Before long, the sound of the wooden shelf turning came again from the secret passage, and another man walked in.

The man who had arrived first stood up and said respectfully, "I pay my respects to Grand Prince Bongnim."

This Grand Prince Bongnim was not old — somewhat younger than his elder brother.

Looking at the Park Jeong-yang before him, Grand Prince Bongnim said, "Didn't you say you wouldn't come over for a while? Why have you come again?"

"Because I just received an astonishing piece of news." Park Jeong-yang looked at Grand Prince Bongnim, his face still full of disbelief, as if the news was something he truly had never expected.

Grand Prince Bongnim looked at Park Jeong-yang and asked with a frown, "What news could shock you so?"

"It's simple — I just received word from the Ming side: our Crown Prince may never come back." Park Jeong-yang looked at Grand Prince Bongnim and said.

Grand Prince Bongnim looked at Park Jeong-yang in disbelief and asked, "Is what you say true or false?"

"How could I joke about something like this?" Park Jeong-yang said hastily.

"Has eldest brother fallen ill in the Ming?" Grand Prince Bongnim asked slowly from his chair, his face still full of disbelief.

"No." Park Jeong-yang shook his head and said, "According to the news I received, a royal lady of the Ming has taken a liking to the Grand Heir — reportedly the sister of the current Ming Emperor."

"The current Ming Emperor dotes on this sister immensely — whatever she wants, star or moon, he gives it to her. After this royal princess took a liking to the Grand Heir, the Ming Emperor wanted to keep the Grand Heir in the Ming."

"Why can't she marry over here?" Grand Prince Bongnim looked at Park Jeong-yang and said, "If she married over, we would treat her very well — we could build her a new palace, and we could even make her our Queen. What's wrong with that?"

Park Jeong-yang said with a bitter smile, "Reportedly, the current Ming Emperor dotes on this sister greatly. The sister was born to a Consort Dowager of the Ming, and this Consort Dowager also very much does not want her daughter to come to Joseon — the mountains and waters are too far."

"The Ming Emperor wanted to grant this Consort Dowager's wish and keep her daughter in the capital. After all the back and forth, the final result they settled on was to keep the Grand Heir in the Ming. Now the Crown Prince cannot return from the Ming, and even if he wanted to come back, it would not be easy."

"This..." Grand Prince Bongnim looked somewhat helplessly at Park Jeong-yang and said, "Then what should we do? Should we tell His Majesty about this? Have His Majesty engage with the Ming properly and strive to bring my eldest brother back? If we do that, wouldn't everything be resolved?"

"Grand Prince, that won't do." Park Jeong-yang shook his head with an expression that said you absolutely must not do this, then continued, "This news has not yet been confirmed — we cannot act rashly! The Ming side has not actually done anything yet; there have only been rumors. If this news leaks out now, it's hard to say what the Ming Emperor might do. That would be even more detrimental to your eldest brother's safety."

"What we need to do now is hold Joseon steady for your eldest brother, so that when the day comes for him to return, Joseon will not have fallen into chaos. Otherwise, things will become very troublesome."

"What do you mean by that?" Grand Prince Bongnim looked at Park Jeong-yang and asked with a frown.

"Grand Prince, don't you know yet?" Park Jeong-yang looked at Grand Prince Bongnim with a shocked expression and said, "The Ming side sent over a batch of weapons, didn't they? Right now many people are fighting over them. Besides the court ministers, the other princes have gotten involved as well."

"What? They dare do such a thing!" Grand Prince Bongnim stood up, his face full of disbelief, and looked at Park Jeong-yang as he said, "How did you come by this news?"

"It's spread everywhere outside." Park Jeong-yang said helplessly, "Everyone at court knows. I am now worried that these people, by acting this way, may harbor treacherous intentions. If the Grand Heir truly cannot return, what these people might do would be..."

"Just now I said I wanted to hold Joseon steady for the Grand Heir. But I am alone and weak — truly beyond my capacity. I beg the Second Prince to take action!" Park Jeong-yang said with utter sincerity and conviction, "I beg the Second Prince, for the sake of Joseon!"

Grand Prince Bongnim looked at Park Jeong-yang in disbelief and said, "How could I do such a thing? If I did, what difference would there be between me and the others?"

"Grand Prince, this is no time to worry about such things. Right now the Grand Heir is in the Ming — distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. If Joseon changes, the Grand Heir can do nothing about it. The Ming side probably doesn't even know what's happening in Joseon — that is why you are needed, Grand Prince."

"When the Grand Heir returns in the future, everything will still be unchanged. How could you be like the others, Grand Prince? Others act for their own selfish gain, while you act for Joseon — how can the two be compared?"

Grand Prince Bongnim sat in the chair, silent for a long while.

He said, "What you say makes sense. I indeed should do this. But there is something I truly do not understand—what are we to do next?"

"We must stop them." Park Jeong-yang said with a grave expression, "We absolutely cannot let them get their hands on that batch of military equipment. We must take that batch of military equipment into our own hands."

"I have already heard from the people of the Great Ming that these weapons are extremely well-made. Once we obtain these weapons, with a little training we can form an elite force. The reason the Great Ming can defeat any enemy around them is largely because of these military implements. If we obtain this batch of weapons, we can possess an elite army. If they obtain them, it will be a shift in power—one side rising while the other falls. So we absolutely must stop them."

"Your servant has some connections in the Great Ming. This matter should be achievable. The only thing to worry about is that the Grand Prince may face some criticism. But for the sake of Joseon, I beg the Grand Prince not to mind it." Park Jeong-yang's expression was grave and earnest, and his attitude was most sincere.

Grand Prince Bongnim seemed moved by his words. He rose to his feet and said, "For the sake of Joseon, I would give even my life—how much less mere empty reputation? Rest assured, do as you must. Whatever happens, I will bear it."