Chapter 1522: Where the Great Han Envoy Is Stationed

The Goryeo court had fought internally for so many years — round after round of blood purges, no one knew how long they had lasted — that deep conflicts and bitter hatred had long since accumulated between the factions. Even the two men sitting here had hands far from clean of their political enemies' blood. Yet political enemies could never be completely wiped out; there would always be some malcontents lurking in the shadows. Ordinarily, these people were nothing to worry about — they had lost power, after all — but if these hidden figures seized the moment of the Central Plains Crown Prince's visit to run to him, spread rumors, stir up trouble, and deceive the Crown Prince, that would be a terrible disaster for both of them.

On this matter, at least, the two men's positions were perfectly aligned.

"Your Majesty, your servants will assuredly support Your Majesty and will never allow petty villains to exploit any opening to create chaos," Kim Jin-guk once again gave his assurance. "Since the Central Plains Crown Prince is said to have an excellent temperament, he is surely not one to listen only to one side and believe it. As long as we servants carefully wait upon the Crown Prince and satisfy his every request, he will presumably see the wholehearted sincerity of Goryeo from top to bottom and will not take seriously the deceptions of petty villains."

"What I fear is that those who wish to deceive him are not only the petty villains on Goryeo's side…!" Yi Hon sighed pointedly.

Kim Jin-guk's words caught in his throat, for he keenly sensed that this matter was far from ordinary.

"Could Your Majesty be saying…" He gestured with his finger toward the empty air, "that they might act against Your Majesty and Goryeo?"

"Exactly. What I fear is that they will use the Central Plains Crown Prince's visit to Goryeo as an opportunity to repeatedly pour slander into his ears, until they finally hoodwink his sacred hearing, so that they can use the fox's might by borrowing the tiger's authority, act ever more brazenly, and in the end… in the end, meddle in my family affairs!" Yi Hon said with deep anguish.

This "they" naturally referred to the Great Han envoy stationed in Goryeo. Ever since intervening to restore Yi Hon to the throne, the Foreign Affairs Department had left an envoy mission in Hanseong, responsible for handling all Great Han affairs in Goryeo. They had also carved out a district in Hanseong as the legation quarter, which was practically like an independent kingdom.

Not only that, but the Great Han envoy mission, headed by Ambassador Shi Gaoyi, relying on the Central Plains' power and the favor of having restored the throne, had always acted with overbearing arrogance, repeatedly interfering in Goryeo's state affairs. They had also forced the Goryeo monarch to acknowledge that any dispute between a Chinese person and a Goryeo person fell under the envoy mission's jurisdiction. Consequently, when adjudicating disputes between Chinese merchants and Goryeo merchants, they invariably favored the Chinese merchants. They had even compelled the relevant Goryeo government offices to contract out a vast ginseng field to Chinese merchants for harvesting at an extremely low price, forbidding Goryeo people from entering without authorization. All of this naturally caused widespread resentment and complaint throughout Goryeo.

In the beginning, because he had just been restored to the throne and needed support, Yi Hon could only swallow his anger and endure in silence. But after a few years, once his foundation had gradually stabilized again while the envoy mission's conduct grew ever more unrestrained, he began to offer limited resistance to the envoy mission. Although his resistance was not particularly resolute — for fear of breaking the vase to catch the rat — it still angered everyone in the envoy mission. Once, when Ambassador Shi Gaoyi had an audience with Yi Hon face to face, he even uttered threatening words such as "A ruler must not forget favors and betray righteousness" and "Your Majesty has a chronic eye ailment and should not overtax yourself."

The Central Plains Crown Prince was young and could not yet fathom the depths of things. If he were deceived by the envoy mission and spoke a few words that the envoy mission then used as an imperial sword, and then the envoy mission did something untoward — what then? Could anyone possibly hold the Crown Prince accountable afterward?

Under such circumstances, it was only natural that Yi Hon could not help but be anxious.

"The envoy mission are outsiders, after all. In Goryeo's affairs, the Central Plains Crown Prince will still have to rely on Goryeo's own people to get things done; he surely won't let the envoy mission handle everything," Kim Jin-guk said, his confidence now somewhat greater compared to Yi Hon's anxiety. "As long as we servants devote ourselves wholeheartedly, then…"

"You, my beloved minister, can devote yourself wholeheartedly — but can others not do the same?" Yi Hon suddenly gave a cold laugh. "I fear there are plenty of people begging for the chance to sit in your seat and mine and devote themselves wholeheartedly…"

Such icy words made Kim Jin-guk feel as though he had fallen into a frozen abyss. "Your Majesty means… the envoy mission is… is colluding with certain ministers?"

"I'm afraid so." Yi Hon nodded, then let out another long sigh. "The enmities of those years — many have still not forgotten them. And the merit of enthroning a ruler — plenty of people are eager to earn that…"

Yi Hon was now a crippled man, and advanced in years. It was impossible for him to have more offspring, and his only son from before had already been ordered to commit suicide. Therefore, who would inherit his throne after his death had become a matter of grave concern to everyone in Goryeo, high and low.

Through certain channels, Yi Hon had learned that some Goryeo ministers were secretly conspiring with the envoy mission, colluding to support a member of the royal clan as his successor, and that some within the royal clan were also stirring restlessly, very eager to secure that great throne for themselves or their sons.

Although the envoy mission stayed within the designated legation quarter, which ordinary Goryeo people were forbidden to enter, various signs suggested that the envoy mission was indeed engaged in some kind of conspiracy regarding this matter. Goryeo's factional struggles had lasted for generations, each side utterly ruthless to the other. If a faction of ministers succeeded in installing their chosen heir, heaven only knew how Yi Hon and Kim Jin-guk would fare then — very likely one would die a sudden, violent death, and the other would be directly ordered to commit suicide by the new ruler.

Once one considered the horror of that prospect, it was no wonder Yi Hon and Kim Jin-guk were so terrified.

"This is bullying beyond all bounds, truly beyond all bounds! The succession of Goryeo's great throne has its own ancestral laws and institutions — what need is there for them to interfere!" Kim Jin-guk could no longer contain himself and burst out cursing. "These base scoundrels, their greed knows no satisfaction — how hateful, how hateful!"

Yet he also knew that anger was useless; the most important thing was to find a solution.

"Your Majesty! I beseech Your Majesty to quickly select one or two young children from the royal clan, adopt them as sons, and bring them into the palace to be raised!" He immediately offered this suggestion to Yi Hon.

Since the situation was what it was, the best way to break the deadlock was to strike first and seize the initiative — before they made their move, preemptively establish an adopted son for the monarch as the future heir to the throne. And to accommodate Yi Hon's feelings, Kim Jin-guk suggested finding a young child as the adopted son, so that he would have no worry of being replaced and could continue to rule.

"My beloved minister is indeed a loyal servant of the court — this strategy is truly a state-preserving proposal!" Yi Hon nodded gently. "I have already charged the attendants by my side to separately visit and inquire among the royal clan. Once they have screened and selected candidates, you, my beloved minister, shall join me in deliberation to decide whom to choose."

It seems that although his eyes are blind, his mind is still very sharp, Kim Jin-guk thought to himself.

"I thank Your Majesty for your trust. I shall certainly prove worthy of this charge!"

"This matter is of grave importance — be absolutely sure no word of it leaks out," Yi Hon continued to admonish his minister. "Also, during this period, while you are attending to the Central Plains Crown Prince, you must also keep a close watch to see exactly which members of the royal clan are secretly in contact with the envoy mission. You must ferret out every one of these people who have no regard for their ancestors, and absolutely must not give them any chance to lay a finger on the throne!"

The reason Yi Hon had not urgently sought an adopted son even under these circumstances was precisely his fear of choosing the wrong family and inadvertently benefiting those with treacherous intentions. Shut up alone inside the palace, his eyes and ears were blocked; on this matter, he could only rely on his ministers.

"I receive your decree and will certainly prove worthy of Your Majesty's trust!" Kim Jin-guk knelt to express his gratitude and demonstrate his resolve.

"Human effort is what matters. Although the national fortunes are now in decline, as long as you, my beloved minister, and others serve the state loyally, the day will eventually come when the world's situation undergoes a great change." Yi Hon was growing somewhat tired from speaking. He groped and picked up a cup of tea from the table beside him. "Furthermore, since the Central Plains has neither approved nor disapproved of the matter of the serving woman, we can give this a try. After the Central Plains Crown Prince arrives, you, my beloved minister, must find a way to place a daughter of the royal clan by the Crown Prince's side. If it truly succeeds, it will make things much more convenient — for you, my beloved minister, and for the state…"

"I understand." Kim Jin-guk bowed his head once more.

Although proactively offering a royal clan daughter when someone came to visit was deeply humiliating, at this moment of life-and-death crisis, neither of them could afford to care about such dignity.

Just as the Goryeo monarch and his minister were racking their brains over state affairs inside Gyeongbok Palace, in another corner of Hanseong, a group of people had likewise gathered to discuss important matters. However, compared to the deeply worried monarch and minister, their atmosphere was far more lively.

This was in the northwestern corner of Hanseong. Ever since the Great Han army had brought King Yi Hon back to the throne, this entire area had been assigned to the Great Han envoy mission. Ordinary Goryeo people were forbidden from entering, so the buildings were rather spacious and grand, and the atmosphere was very secluded.

Near the main hall of the legation, there was a residence hidden among ponds, rockeries, and groves of trees. It had previously been the home of a Goryeo minister, but because he had been involved in the deposing of Gwanghaegun, he was executed after Yi Hon's restoration, and the residence was incorporated into the legation's property. Because the environment was quiet and the scenery of hills and water was excellent, the legation's important figures generally chose this place whenever they needed to hold a critical meeting.

Today, because of the news that the Crown Prince was about to arrive in Goryeo, the envoy mission's important figures had all assembled — from the chief and deputy ambassadors, to the secretaries and clerks, and even the senior military officers of the garrison had come without a single absence.

"Gentlemen! His Highness the Crown Prince is about to visit Goryeo in person. For this entire period, you must all be on full alert and get every matter properly sorted out!" As soon as everyone was gathered, the highest-ranking person present, mission head Shi Gaoyi, was the first to speak. "Time is pressing — this cannot be treated lightly!"

"I understand." "This officer understands!" A chorus of acknowledgments rose one after another.

Truth be told, regarding the Crown Prince's impending arrival, these men were both excited and somewhat apprehensive. They were excited at the chance to make an impression before the Crown Prince and avoid being marginalized — or even seeing their careers dead-end — due to long-term posting abroad in Goryeo. They were apprehensive that if they performed poorly in front of the Crown Prince, it would instead jeopardize their future careers. This latter thought was most prevalent among those officials who were not particularly diligent in their work.

But even so, of course no one dared to voice it aloud.

"Good that you all understand." Looking over the hall full of people, Shi Gaoyi spoke in a calm and unhurried manner. "The Crown Prince's temperament, I hear, is very good. But none of you must harbor any wishful thinking. We are handling official duties for the imperial court, and no oversights can be tolerated. If anything goes wrong with the tasks assigned for the Crown Prince, you can figure out the consequences for yourselves!"