Chapter 682: The Great Ming Applies Pressure (Happy Valentine's Day! Just Kidding!)

Since the person is already here, driving her away now would only make it look like we're trying to cover something up.

The old Prince Fu could only listen quietly, hoping that Zhang Yu wouldn't say anything he shouldn't.

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Originally this had nothing to do with us, and since this is an internal matter of Joseon, we shouldn't get involved. But some things have implicated us, and not getting involved isn't an option."

"Oh, what things?" The old Prince Fu raised his head to look at Zhang Yu, asking with some confusion.

The old Prince Fu didn't care much about this Joseon business. But with things having made such a stir these days and everyone outside talking up a storm, it wasn't a matter of whether he cared or not—he'd heard bits and pieces regardless.

The old Prince Fu didn't know what this had to do with the Great Ming. It seemed the Great Ming had no interests entangled in it, and Joseon wouldn't dare do anything to people of the Great Ming anyway.

Let them make their own trouble—who would dare do anything against the Great Ming?

"These people have been colluding with the Japanese pirates." Zhang Yu looked at the old Prince Fu, speaking with some helplessness in his tone: "Regarding this, I'm sure the old Prince has heard something as well. In the Great Ming, what is the crime for colluding with the Japanese pirates?"

"The crime of having one's household confiscated and one's clan exterminated." The old Prince Fu pondered for a moment before saying, "But they are Joseon people after all, not people of our Great Ming. If we intervene, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"That's not quite it." Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "If this were peacetime, we indeed shouldn't interfere, and Joseon would indeed be handling things on their end."

"But right now the Great Ming is at war with Japan, and Joseon's troops are also over there, and the situation is rather deadlocked. Today the General Staff Office sent word—they're worried that those colluding with the Japanese pirates in Joseon might send information over and make contact with Joseon's army, and might stir up some trouble."

"The General Staff Office hopes that we can put in a word with the Joseon king, asking them to finish investigating the case as quickly as possible—find out who's been colluding with the Japanese pirates and arrest them promptly. Most importantly, they need to determine whether these people have leaked military intelligence, especially anything concerning the Great Ming. On this point, the old Prince should also know, it's very important."

After hearing this, the old Prince Fu's expression turned serious.

This was indeed very important. If someone here had colluded with the Japanese pirates and leaked information about the Great Ming, then this matter did concern the Great Ming. On this matter, the Great Ming would certainly have to reach out a hand and intervene.

"Originally this humble official didn't pay it much mind either, but it's been so long and the case still hasn't been cleared up." Zhang Yu let out a helpless sigh, then raised his head and said, "It seems the Joseon king has run into some difficulty on his end. Why not have the Prince go see him and convey the Great Ming's stance?"

"Also, if he has anything he needs our help with, let him speak freely. We can do our best to assist."

"Indeed." The old Prince Fu nodded and said, "Then I'll go to the palace immediately to meet the Joseon king, explain the matter clearly, and at the same time have them finish investigating the case as quickly as possible."

"Then I'll trouble the Prince with this." Zhang Yu said hurriedly.

"Lord Zhang is too polite with such words. I am, after all, a Prince of the Great Ming. Doing what's good for the Great Ming is simply what I ought to do. There's no time to waste—I'll go right now. I'm afraid I can't keep Lord Zhang company."

"Official business comes first." Zhang Yu said hastily. "Besides, I'm the one who came to ask the Prince—I only hope the Prince won't hold it against me."

"What are you saying, Lord Zhang? I have an unshirkable duty." The old Prince Fu stood up, speaking with a grave expression.

"Then this humble official will take his leave and return to await word from the Prince." Zhang Yu also stood up, bowed to the old Prince Fu, and turned to walk out.

The old Prince didn't dare delay. He changed his clothes and entered the palace.

After Zhang Yu received word that the old Prince Fu had entered the palace, a somewhat amused expression appeared on his face.

Song Xiang, standing beside him, looked somewhat helpless.

"Why do you keep making that face again?" Song Xiang shot him a glare and said, "You have such a fine face—don't make expressions like that. The more you look like that, the less you look like a good person."

"A good person?" Zhang Yu laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "What is a good person? What is a bad person? People like us can hardly be called good people. Besides, only children distinguish between good and bad—adults only look at pros and cons."

Song Xiang rolled her eyes at Zhang Yu and said, "You always have these twisted arguments."

Zhang Yu smiled but said nothing.

How were these twisted arguments?

This was the great wisdom of life.

Glancing at Song Xiang, Zhang Yu asked, "Has any more news come in?"

"No news yet, but our people saw the old Prince Fu already entering the Joseon royal palace. It looks like word will come soon." Song Xiang shook her head and said, "I'm just worried that the old Prince Fu might mess things up."

"He won't." Zhang Yu shook his head, speaking with certainty: "The old Prince Fu, though his character leaves something to be desired and he's usually quite arrogant, should understand the gravity and urgency of matters. He wouldn't dare delay anything concerning His Majesty."

"Good, as long as you're confident." Song Xiang said after a moment's thought.

"Don't worry." Zhang Yu reached out and took her hand, saying with a smile.

The Joseon royal palace.

The old Prince Fu that Zhang Yu and Song Xiang had been discussing had already been received inside.

Everyone attended to him with utmost care and courtesy—no one dared to be careless.

After all, the man before them was a Prince of the Great Ming.

Upon receiving word, the Joseon king also came out immediately to receive him.

Upon seeing the old Prince Fu, the Joseon king said very politely, "I didn't expect the Prince to come today. Please, come inside!"

The Joseon king made a gesture of invitation as he spoke, ushering the old Prince Fu inside.

The old Prince Fu followed him in, the two disappearing one after the other.

After entering the palace hall, they took their seats as host and guest.

The old Prince Fu glanced at the Joseon king, and the two exchanged a few pleasantries with smiles before the conversation formally turned to official matters.

The Joseon king asked first: "Prince, may I ask what brings you here today?"

"There is indeed something I need to ask you." The old Prince Fu nodded and said, "The recent business outside has caused quite a stir. This matter is something I shouldn't have intervened in to begin with. But the General Staff Office came knocking on my door, and I couldn't very well turn them away."

"May I ask what the Prince means?" The Joseon king asked.

"It's not my intention." Prince Fu shook his head, speaking with a wry smile: "It's the General Staff Office's. You should understand—although I am His Majesty's uncle, I don't hold any real power."

"The General Staff Office is different. The General Staff Office is a powerful department standing alongside the Grand Secretariat, managing the military and political affairs of the entire nation. Even I can't afford to offend them. When they come to me with something, I can't refuse."

"Originally they didn't intend to get involved in Joseon's affairs—it's just that this time the matter has implicated the Great Ming."

The Joseon king looked utterly bewildered and cast a helpless glance at the old Prince Fu.

This matter didn't seem to involve the Great Ming in anything—this was an internal Joseon affair. Why had the Great Ming suddenly jumped in?

"Please enlighten me, Prince." The Joseon king said hurriedly.

Prince Fu nodded and said, "Here's how it is. This time, your affair has made a huge commotion—some people in your country have even colluded with the Japanese pirates, and they're even high-ranking ministers of your court."

"The Great Ming is currently at war with Japan, and you've also sent many men over there. The fighting is at a critical stalemate. This matter has the General Staff Office worried—might someone on your side send information over? If anyone betrays intelligence, it would be detrimental to the war effort."

"Originally, since you were investigating, the General Staff Office didn't pay it much mind. But now, after all this time, you've found nothing at all—they've grown a bit anxious. So they came to me, wanting me to come and inquire."

"If you have any needs on your end, or anything you need help with, feel free to speak up. Whether it's me or the Great Ming, we will do our utmost to help."

As the Joseon king listened to the old Prince Fu's words, his expression turned somewhat grim.

He never imagined things would develop to this extent — the Great Ming had actually reached out its hand?

These days, the infighting within the court had been fierce. What appeared to be an ordinary case investigation had never been anything of the sort.

If the court infighting did not reach a resolution, this case would not progress quickly.

The elders faction wanted to remove Zhang Fu, and even hoped to take down more people while they were at it; his own side wanted to minimize the losses — Zhang Fu could be sacrificed, but no more could be implicated.

The two sides had yet to reconcile their differences. With competing interests at stake, naturally no agreement could be reached.

Still, he had to take the Great Ming's urging into consideration. It seemed this matter absolutely had to be concluded as quickly as possible.

Although Old Prince Fu's words had been very polite, the meaning was clear: the Great Ming hoped to end this matter swiftly, arresting everyone suspected of colluding with the Japanese — better to arrest the wrong person than let one slip through.

This matter was going to be difficult to handle.

The King of Joseon was somewhat conflicted.

"Your Highness, rest assured, we are already investigating with all our effort," the King of Joseon said. "I believe there will be results soon. As for assistance, there's no need — these are all trivial matters, and I can handle them myself."

"That would be for the best." Old Prince Fu nodded and said with a smile, "Then let us leave it at that."

Though the business was concluded, Old Prince Fu did not leave — the King of Joseon kept him behind to drink together.

Only after they had drunk their fill did Old Prince Fu take his leave.

The moment Old Prince Fu departed, the King of Joseon's slightly tipsy expression vanished without a trace.

Glancing at Zheng Xuhong, who had just walked in from outside, the King of Joseon asked, "How is the matter progressing?"

"Your Majesty, it is mostly done," Zheng Xuhong replied. "Our people have already sent word. This morning, Zhang Yu went to see Old Prince Fu and spoke with him about this matter. It matches Old Prince Fu's account — it was indeed the staff office that came knocking on his door, and Old Prince Fu had no choice but to come to you."

"However, judging from the current situation, the Great Ming's attitude is not resolute, nor do they seem inclined to intervene too deeply. They simply hope we resolve this matter quickly, and that we apprehend the culprits as soon as possible."

"Then what do you think we should do?" The King of Joseon raised his head to look at Zheng Xuhong, asking in a low voice.

On this matter, he found himself momentarily at a loss for a plan.

If he followed the Great Ming's wishes and settled things quickly — cutting through the tangle with a swift blade — that would of course be the best approach, with no complications whatsoever.

But arresting Zhang Fu and the others — that wouldn't do!

The King of Joseon was worried about another matter as well: if the Great Ming's words were to leak out, it would give the elders faction an opportunity to rise up, and then things would become truly difficult to manage.

The elders faction would only become more intransigent, instead demanding even more benefits.

At this thought, the King of Joseon's expression grew even darker.

The elders faction wanted more, and the Great Ming was applying pressure — with both combined, his own side might end up bleeding heavily.

Right now, the one in a hurry was himself, and the one who could not afford to delay was also himself.

Zheng Xuhong's face was grim as well.

Whatever the King of Joseon could think of, he could naturally think of too.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke: "Your Majesty, perhaps we should take Zhang Fu into custody first?"

"How so?" The King of Joseon raised his head to look at Zheng Xuhong.

"Zhang Fu can no longer be protected. Our first priority is to give the Great Ming an explanation. Arrest him to placate them for now. As for Kim Jeong-min and the others, that's even easier to handle — tell them what the Great Ming said. If they keep making trouble, we'll pin the matter on them."

"After all, when facing the Great Ming, they probably don't have the nerve. The Great Ming's intervention now might actually turn into a good thing. Quell the situation as quickly as possible — if they keep stirring things up, that would mean unrest in both court and country. We can strike hard."

The King of Joseon was helpless.

Striking hard was never that easy.

If it really were that easy, things would be simple.

But at this point, he had no particularly good options. Zheng Xuhong's words had actually already moved him.

First, give the Great Ming an explanation. The two sides were currently cooperating well, and the war against Japan was progressing smoothly, though there had been some losses along the way.

The occupied lands went without saying — they hadn't been surveyed yet. Since the war began, all manner of spoils had been flowing in without end. Those were fine goods, greatly alleviating his fiscal crisis.

Once matters with Japan were concluded, he believed there would be another substantial windfall. Moreover, all the land there would belong to him — whether sold off or used for other transactions, it would be a fortune. How could the King of Joseon possibly give that up?

But all of this depended on the Great Ming. At a time like this, he absolutely could not offend them.

If he offended the Great Ming, these things might all disappear.

The most pressing concern was not to provoke the Great Ming over this matter, so nothing was more important than giving them an answer.

That Zheng Xuhong could think this way pleased him greatly.

The King of Joseon nodded and said, "Very well, do as you suggest. Settle this matter as quickly as possible. If Kim Jeong-min and his lot make trouble, have him come see me."

Zheng Xuhong nodded. "Your subject understands. Your Majesty may rest assured — I will handle this matter properly, and there will absolutely be no mistakes."

"I trust in your abilities, my minister. Go." The King of Joseon smiled and nodded. "If anything comes up, you may come directly to me. This time, sovereign and minister must weather the difficulties together."

"Your Majesty, rest assured — your subject will give his all, and die before he stops!"