Chapter 1577: Changing Horses

These words moved Li Ke completely.

Indeed, compared to what he stood to gain, the risks he had to take did not seem great. If he truly chose to do nothing, that would be letting a golden opportunity slip away.

He drew a deep breath, his resolve now utterly firm.

"Does Lord Kim already have a candidate in mind?"

"Lord Jeongseong has finally seen the light!" Seeing that the other man had at last taken the bait, Kim Sin-guk was overjoyed. "As for candidates, though they are hard to find, there are always two or three. Who we choose is not important; as long as we push one onto the throne, that is the merit of having installed a new ruler. The new sovereign will be deeply grateful to us and will at the very least put us in important posts... When that time comes, Lord Jeongseong, will you still need to fear for your safety?"

"Tell me quickly. Exactly which candidates can be used." Li Ke deliberately turned his face away, unwilling to look at the other man's smile any longer. "This is also for Goryeo's sake. If the state remains without an heir for too long, I fear it will harm the country."

"Of course, of course." Kim Sin-guk burst out laughing. "Lord Jeongseong is loyal and devoted to the state, a true model for the royal clan."

The Crown Prince of the Middle Kingdom, the subject of their discussion, had by now also awoken from his slumber and begun his daily schedule.

He was lodged within Gyeongbok Palace. Although Gyeonghoeru Pavilion was a structure rebuilt after the Japanese invasions and had only been hastily tidied up for the occasion, it was considerably more comfortable than where he had been staying before. The Goryeo palace eunuchs waited on him with the utmost trepidation, and he did not refuse their excessive hospitality.

However, he knew he had not come here to enjoy such treatment.

Early that morning, the chief envoy of the mission to Goryeo, Shi Gaoyi, and the deputy envoy, Zhang Daoyan, along with Zhao Song—who had accompanied the Crown Prince and was temporarily staying at the mission—arrived together at Gyeongbok Palace.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince, the three officials hurriedly bowed in salute.

"Dispense with formalities." The Crown Prince waved a hand, gesturing for them to sit, then looked directly at Deputy Envoy Zhang. "Deputy Envoy Zhang, Chief Envoy Shi has been in Liaodong all this time, and you have been holding the fort in Goryeo. What is the general sentiment among the Goryeo people?"

"In reply to Your Highness the Crown Prince," Zhang Daoyan sat down with great deference, leaning slightly forward, "these past days, sentiment throughout Goryeo has been quite fervent; both scholars and commoners are very stirred up. One could say the whole nation is astir—after all, the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire gracing Goryeo with his presence is an unprecedented grand event. They all wish to behold the heavenly countenance..."

"Let's be more practical, Deputy Envoy Zhang. Spare me such talk in the future." The Crown Prince was unimpressed. "Though I have not been in Goryeo long, I have long heard that there is some discontent with our dynasty among the Goryeo people. Moreover, when I entered the city, I saw for myself: although some wealthy households and commoners lined the streets cheering, they were merely enjoying the spectacle. Most of the officials and scholars were indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with them... From this, it is clear that talk of 'the whole nation astir' is only good for fooling our own people."

While riding in his palanquin into Hanseong, the Crown Prince had been carefully observing the scenes around him and naturally had gained a rough understanding of the current mood in Goryeo. He was certainly not going to be fobbed off by a few words.

"Your Highness..." Zhang Daoyan's face immediately turned awkward at being rebuked to his face.

"Enough, no need to beg forgiveness. Just speak truthfully; do not fear my anger—I will not be angry." The Crown Prince shook his head slightly. "It is perfectly normal that they do not like us; there is nothing to be angry about. Our dynasty is the suzerain state; our outward expansion inevitably brings pressure to bear on the smaller surrounding countries. Even if we are restrained on the surface, they will ultimately be resentful in their hearts. Should we stop expanding our power just because they are resentful? No, they may dislike us, but we must still act in Great Han's own interests. At most, we put on a bit of a show to placate them. This is also my Imperial Father's intent."

Though it was somewhat strange for him, as the Crown Prince of Great Han, to say such things in person, everyone here was on their own side, and he saw no need for so many scruples.

The Great Ming had emphasized magnanimity toward its tributary states, stressing the demeanor of the Celestial Empire, and had gone out of its way to treat them generously—so much so that it repeatedly harmed the national interest. In the end, when it faced destruction, none of these tributary states lifted a finger to help; some even turned against it. The Emperor of Great Han had often reminded the Crown Prince of this lesson, and the Crown Prince himself deeply agreed.

"Your Highness is wise!" Seeing the Crown Prince speak thus, Zhang Daoyan breathed a sigh of relief. "Indeed, as Your Highness says, the scholars and commoners of Goryeo are all somewhat... somewhat discontented with our country. After all, the former Ming was comparatively more lenient."

"One day, they will grow accustomed to Great Han's ways." Shi Gaoyi gave a faint, cold smile. "Since they wish to venerate the Celestial Empire, how can they merely shelter in its shade without bearing any cost?"

"Chief Envoy Shi is right." The Crown Prince nodded gently. "They will grow accustomed to it eventually, and they must begin to do so now. Last night, when I spoke with the Goryeo king about the matter of the Gyeongsang Province governor, he was still evasive and equivocating, trying to muddle through. Did he think I could not see it?"

"The Goryeo king was overthrown in a palace coup and exiled to a barren island. It was we who pushed him back onto the throne. By all reason, Great Han is his great benefactor—and yet he still has the intention to deceive Your Highness?" Zhao Song could not help but voice his objection. "Anyone in Goryeo may be discontented with Great Han, but he alone has no right to be!"

"Who says otherwise..." Shi Gaoyi, already deeply dissatisfied with Yi Hon, seized this opportunity to further deepen these high-ranking figures' displeasure with the king. "The Goryeo king has always had the nature of a wolf. That is precisely why the Goryeo people could not bear him and drove him from the throne. By heaven's fortune he was restored, yet he still lacks gratitude, making excuses and dragging his feet on what Great Han requires. Your Highness has finally seen it now! It is not that we, your servants, refuse to deal kindly with him; it is truly... truly that he is so stubbornly unrepentant!"

"No matter how stubbornly unrepentant he is, he will not escape it this time. I will make certain he appoints Li Ke as Gyeongsang Province governor." The Crown Prince's expression was calm, but his mind was clearly made up. "And he will not be allowed to make excuses or delay. It must be done as quickly as possible! There must be no delay to the important matters on my side."

Goryeo was full of talented men; he did not necessarily need Li Ke governing Gyeongsang Province to get help. But in the Crown Prince's eyes, this matter had now become a test of Yi Hon's loyalty to Great Han. Precisely because Yi Hon was dragging his feet, it was all the more necessary to make him do things according to his will—to make both him and the Goryeo ministers understand that the world today was no longer the same as in the Great Ming era.

"Your Highness is right; the great undertaking brooks no delay." Zhao Song beside him immediately echoed. "The main army has already begun to assemble in the waters off Goryeo; no further delay can be tolerated."

As Great Han's military machine began to turn, the corps designated to invade Japan had also begun to muster and advance toward Goryeo. Zhao Song's own regiment had accompanied him to Goryeo; part of it was now garrisoned on Taiping Island, and part had already begun to concentrate at Busan.

With the great army gathering, securing provisions was critically important, and the secrecy of the troop assembly also needed to be safeguarded. Both tasks urgently required the cooperation of the local Goryeo authorities. Although the Great Han mission to Goryeo had already dispatched personnel to the Dongnae Protectorate, where Busan Port was located, to coordinate and supervise, it was still one layer removed. Having a high-ranking Goryeo civil official take charge of the cooperation was now a matter that could not be delayed a moment longer.

"In the next few days, I will have them issue the order, and then take Li Ke to the south of Goryeo to assume his post. Brigade Commander Zhao, do not be impatient." The Crown Prince waved his hand. "However, please communicate with the navy and have them assist the army's assembly to prevent any leaks."

"The navy is already doing its utmost to blockade news on the sea." Zhao Song answered immediately. "However, Your Highness, when a great army assembles, it is very difficult to maintain complete secrecy. After all, merchant ships pass through Busan Port and its surrounding waters... Fortunately, most of the merchant ships belong to our country, so we can find ways to have them help with the secrecy."

To maintain its policy of national seclusion, the Japanese shogunate strictly enforced maritime prohibitions, issuing seclusion edicts several times. Besides clauses restricting trading partners, one provision forbade Japanese from going abroad, declaring that any Japanese who had been at sea for more than five years would be barred from returning home. As a result, many Japanese who had been stranded overseas during the Warring States period could no longer return to their homeland, and very few people from Japan itself ventured out to sea anymore.

This created a very strange phenomenon: although Japan was now a major trading nation, with enormous annual trade volumes with China and the Dutch, there were extremely few Japanese merchant ships sailing the open seas. They merely allowed foreign ships to come to Japan to trade.

This closed style of trade, however, was quite advantageous for Great Han's military assembly in Goryeo. Great Han only needed to have Chinese merchant ships avoid passing through similar sea areas as much as possible to more or less achieve secrecy.

Of course, total secrecy was impossible, and Zhao Song did not pin his hopes on that. His assessment was that the shogunate, based in Edo in the Kanto region, had very inconvenient communications with the Kansai region. Even if they caught wind of something, it would be difficult for them to react promptly and forcefully enough. By the time they figured out Great Han's intentions, the troops under his command would already be advancing on Kyushu.

"The navy will indeed have to work hard; both transport and blockade require their efforts." The Crown Prince nodded. "Send another message to the navy: from now on, all troops, ammunition, grain, fodder, and supplies transported daily by sea must be compiled into a register and sent together to me. I need to grasp the actual situation in detail, so as not to be caught off guard when the time comes."

"Yes, Your Highness. I shall write to Ganghwa Island today," Zhao Song promptly agreed.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door, and the people inside immediately fell silent.

"What is it?" the Crown Prince asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness, the Chief State Councillor of Goryeo and Lord Jeongseong seek an audience," came a servant's voice from outside.

Kim Sin-guk and Li Ke have come to see me? The Crown Prince was slightly surprised, but he quickly regained his composure. "Have them wait outside for now. I am occupied at the moment!"

"Yes." The servant acknowledged and immediately withdrew.

"Brigade Commander Zhao, since that is the case, there is no time to lose. You should hurry to Busan as soon as possible, take charge of matters there first, and ensure that the troops assembling at Busan can at least rest comfortably." Once the other party had left, the Crown Prince picked up the earlier thread of conversation. "I will have to linger here for a few more days; there are always many tedious formalities to attend to."

"I obey your command." Zhao Song stood up. "I shall leave Hanseong tomorrow, go first to Ganghwa Island, and then take a ship to Busan."

"Very good." The Crown Prince approved, then turned to Deputy Envoy Zhang Daoyan beside him. "Deputy Envoy Zhang, you will accompany Brigade Commander Zhao to Busan when the time comes. You have been in Goryeo for many years and must know quite a few people at all levels. If you assist Brigade Commander Zhao, it should make things considerably easier for him."

"I obey your command!" Zhang Daoyan was overjoyed and hastily bowed to accept the order.

He knew that Zhao Song, Count of Xingyang, was an important general of the current dynasty and a member of the imperial clan, destined to remain a man of great influence. To be able to assist him was truly a rare opportunity.

After giving a few more instructions to the others, the Crown Prince had them retire to an adjacent room to rest, then summoned the two men who had been waiting outside all this time.

"Chief Councillor Kim, Ambassador Li, to what do I owe this joint visit?" After the two men had paid their respects, the Crown Prince asked with some curiosity.

He was currently residing within the Goryeo royal palace. Even with Kim Sin-guk's status as Chief State Councillor, he could not enter at will, let alone bringing Li Ke along. The two of them must have come on a matter of importance to have gained entry—and he could more or less guess what that important matter was.

"I have heard that Your Highness the Crown Prince intends to have Lord Jeongseong appointed as our country's Gyeongsang Province governor. May I ask if there is truth to this...?" Kim Sin-guk raised his head and asked.

"There is indeed. I discussed it with the king at the banquet last night." The Crown Prince nodded immediately. "It seems he has already relayed it to the Chief Councillor? May I ask what Chief Councillor Kim's opinion is?"

He assumed Kim Sin-guk opposed the appointment and had persuaded Li Ke to come with him to decline it. Still simmering with irritation over this very matter, if Kim Sin-guk dared utter a word of refusal, he intended to lose his temper on the spot. Surely these Goryeo people could not withstand it and would have to agree in the end.

"I believe Your Highness's action is profoundly far-sighted, taking both nations into account, and is truly a wise move!" Kim Sin-guk suddenly bowed his head, giving an answer that took the Crown Prince quite by surprise. "I have already expressed my agreement to this appointment to the king and am prepared to expedite the procedures within the State Council to issue the appointment as soon as possible."

The Crown Prince was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "Chief Councillor Kim is indeed a man of great principle. It is thanks to Chief Councillor Kim's stewardship of state affairs that Goryeo enjoys its current stability. I ask the Chief Councillor to continue to share the country's burdens in the future."

He then turned to Li Ke. "Ambassador Li, for the time being, you will be shouldering a heavy responsibility. Please continue to be as diligent as ever, ensuring both the success of our dynasty's great undertaking and a measure of peace for Goryeo."

"I thank Your Highness!" As Li Ke expressed his thanks, he suddenly knelt back down onto the ground.

At the same time, Kim Sin-guk also left his seat and knelt on the ground. The two men pressed their foreheads to the floor, utterly reverent and fearful.

This scene only deepened the crown prince's astonishment — he could not fathom what those two were thinking. For an instant he wanted to call men in, but quickly suppressed the impulse again.

"What… are you trying to do?" He looked down at the two with a slightly stern expression.

"Your servants have a matter of grave importance to report to Your Highness, and beg Your Highness to see it clearly!" Jin Jinguo, the bolder of the two, spoke up.

"What matter?" The crown prince was even more astonished.

"What your servants act for is the state affairs of Goryeo, and the most urgent state affairs at that." Jin Jinguo slowly raised his head. "The sovereign is now advanced in years, yet Goryeo has never designated an heir. Your servants have been ceaselessly troubled by this, and beg Your Highness to choose an heir for Goryeo, so that our nation's fortunes may be continued."

"Hm…?" This sudden demand left the already thoroughly startled crown prince even more confused. "An heir…? Is that not a matter internal to your esteemed country? What need is there for me to involve myself?"

The matter of installing an heir to replace Yi Hon as Goryeo's sovereign had been raised before in reports to the homeland by the previous envoy head Shi Gaoyi, but the crown prince felt that deposing and enthroning a ruler so brazenly would likely stir a wave of opposition from Goryeo's court and public, and would bring few benefits to Great Han itself, so he had shelved the proposal. He had never imagined that now it would be Goryeo's Chief State Councillor himself who came to broach the subject with him.

"Originally, this is indeed a matter internal to our humble country, only…" Jin Jinguo's expression flickered between shadow and light, until at last he steeled his resolve. "Only the times are now turbulent, the sovereign delays and will not designate an heir early, and moreover the sovereign's prestige within the country is not flourishing — so we have no choice but to ask Your Highness to render a decision."

To denounce his own lord right in front of me? The crown prince felt that the astonishing things were coming one after another.

"Councillor Jin, do you… do you know what words you are speaking today?"

"Your servant certainly knows. Your servant risks the ruin of his entire family to offer this counsel to Your Highness. Should it be spread abroad, your servant will surely be reviled by the multitude." Jin Jinguo's face was full of impassioned fervor. "Yet as Goryeo's Chief Councillor, if I cannot step forward when the altars of state are tilting toward ruin, how could I ever requite the nation's grace? If Your Highness does not take this matter in hand, then before our very eyes… before our very eyes Goryeo will face a great calamity!"

Then, with a deeply pained expression, he laid out the current situation for the crown prince: Yi Hon had restored the kingdom midway through his life and had no heir, yet still delayed in designating one; the royal clansmen throughout the country were already stirring restlessly, all scheming to seize the great throne, and chaos was imminent. To win the crown prince's trust, he deliberately made the situation sound several degrees more dire. "Your Highness, as the crown prince of ****, is in the first place the sovereign lord over Goryeo. Should Your Highness render a decision, it is likely none within our borders would dare disobey. Even if one or two clansmen nurse discontent, they would absolutely be incapable of stirring up major chaos."

Next, Li Ke also raised his head to speak, expounding the stakes with great urgency and earnestly beseeching the crown prince to avert an imminent crisis for Goryeo. "We beg Your Highness to decide the matter for our humble country!"

The moment the two finished speaking, they simultaneously kowtowed again, as if quietly awaiting the crown prince to make up his mind.

Seeing how perfectly in sync the two were, the crown prince understood in his heart that they must have coordinated privately, wanting to use him to select an heir for Goryeo. Though they both claimed to be acting for the nation's sake, the crown prince knew such words were merely for show — their primary motive was surely self-interest.

Then what exactly should he do? The crown prince sank into hesitation.