The purge extended its grim reach into the dawn of the next day. Young-Sik and his soldiers advanced into the courtroom, their march echoing the triumph of a conquering force. The ministers gasped, their faces pale at the sight of the prince's blood-stained attire. The prince's masters, Minister Im, Shin, and Go, shook their heads in silent horror as Young-Sik's gaze met theirs, yet the prince, consumed by his ambition, paid no mind to the disapproval of his masters.
"How fares the purge, Prince Young-Sik?" The King excitedly asked
In a posture of reverence, Young-Sik shares the sinister account of his quest to eradicate the corrupt and avaricious from Chiongsun. "I have executed them all, sparing only their families, stripped of their riches and rank."
A heavy silence blankets the gathering as the realization sinks in—the ministers they thought were merely absent have met their grim fate.
"Well done brother! Soon Chiongsun will be purged of corruption and selfishness and we have you to thank for it" King Man-Ju said revering his brother's accomplishments
"Your words honor my Your Highness…May I live long to serve you!" Young-Sik replied humbly. He stood up and took his place with the right-wing ministers.
The King sat on his throne and gestured to Minister Im "Minister, I believe you have something to report?"
Minister Im approached the center of the courtroom and bowed before the King as he prepared to share his findings. "I learned yesterday, my King, that the families in the small villages from the province of Gyong have not allowed their children to enroll in the school we have set up, Your Highness."
The King listened with concern but did not grasp the importance of addressing the issue in the assembly. "While it is regrettable that the children from that province are deprived of education, I do not see why this issue is of such importance."
"Your Highness, the reason why the children did not attend school was because they are the ones doing the farming, all the adult males of the village have joined the rebel groups" Master Im revealed
The King's façade turned to shock when he heard what Minister Im reported. "Another rebellion? This could only mean that they plan an uprising"
Minister Lim stepped in "Your Highness, your insights serve you well. We can all safely assume that this means they are planning to sew chaos"
Minister Shin chimed in "For once I agree with head minister Lim, we must put an end to this before it grows out of control"
Nodding the King stood up "Your councils are correct; I will lead the army to quell this insurgency"
"Your Highness!" Minister Gi, stepped in "Your Highness…we can't risk your safety for a small province if we could just send an arbitrator on your behalf"
The Ministers all said in unison "Reconsider Your Highness, please send an arbitrator!" bowing as they shared their concerns
"I will go in your stead, Your Highness!" Young-Sik volunteered "I will put an end to this," he said resolute in his decision. He bowed to the King and excused himself from the assembly.
As the prince strolled out of the assembly minister Lim, leaned towards Minister Gi and whispered "How fares the preparation in Gyong?"
"All goes well Lord Lim, minister Song has increased taxes under the prince's name. Not even he can survive the wrath of an entire province. Once they find out who he is, they will skin him alive" Minister Gi, said confidently "However in the minuscule chance he does succeed, the prince along with the royal family will incur the wrath of the entire nation" Minister Lim grinned upon hearing Minister Gi's report
Upon arriving at his residence, he saw Jin-Ri sweeping the grounds, "I am going to Gyong, prepare what will be needed"
Jin-Ri dropped the broom and followed the prince inside "Gyong province? Are we going to buy vegetables?"
"No, I'm going to quell a rebellion," Young-Sik said with a stern voice, while he took off his uniform
"Rebellion? I didn't know that the people of Gyong were part any rebel group." Jin-Ri thought to himself "Something is off, way off" she continued to mutter to herself
"Bring warm water to the bath," Young-Sik asked Jin-Ri
By the time Jin-Ri walked in with a bucket of boiled water, Young-Sik was already relaxing in the tub. She carefully lifted the bucket and poured the hot water into the tub.
At first, she did not notice, but soon she observed red stains mingling with the water. Realizing it was blood, she hurriedly fetched a clean cloth and asked, "Your Highness, you're bleeding! Are you hurt?"
Young-Sik tried to catch the red liquid with his hands, but it eluded him. "This is not my blood!" he asserted. "It is the blood of those I have slain!"
The events of the previous evening came rushing back. Although she had only witnessed the prince executing the first minister, she was certain the others had also suffered a similar fate. Jin-Ri bravely posed the question to the prince, "Do you have any regrets about their deaths?"
Young-Sik contemplated her inquiry, thinking, "I have taken lives before; I have claimed many on the battlefield. These were wicked individuals who sought to oppress the people, yet why does this particular act resonate so differently within me?"
Jin-Ri felt that Young-Sik needed to hear the truth, so she dared to say "It was different because they were unarmed and unable to defend themselves"
"An evil man is an evil man…whether defenseless or not, they need to be eliminated" Young-Sik answered back. He looked at his court maiden "It would be better if you keep your opinions to yourself, especially if you have no idea how it feels"
Jin-Ri humbly bowed her head and replied "Forgive me, Your Highness…I merely meant…"
"I'm done bathing, please step out so I can change" Young-Sik coldly instructed the court maiden
Jin-Ri bowed her head and said "Yes Your Highness" She stepped out of the washroom and closed the door behind her.
Upon stepping out of the tub and drying off, Young-Sik noticed his reflection in the mirror. He affirmed to himself, "Your actions were justified; do not allow any doubts to creep in!"
On the same day following the assembly, Minister Lim returned home and promptly summoned his daughter. Ji-Hye knocked on the door of her father's study and awaited his acknowledgment before entering. "Father…you called for me?" she inquired as she elegantly took a seat across from him.
Minister Lim stated, "During tomorrow's assembly, Minister Gi and I will advocate for the King to select a new queen at the earliest opportunity. I will ensure your name is included, and you must take all necessary actions to secure your position as the new Queen."
Upon hearing the news, Ji-Hye's eyes shone with anticipation. "Am I to understand that I am no longer promised to Prince Young-Sik?" she asked.
Minister Lim explained, "The only reason you were promised to that bastard is so that we can preserve our waning influences. But now a rare opportunity presented itself, you can be Queen! This is why you must be crowned Queen as soon as possible, to secure our position of influence."
Ji-Hye with an air of defiance, declared, "But I do not wish to be Queen, what I desire is to be Prince Young-Sik's wife."
Do-Yun's blood boiled from what he heard from his daughter, he slapped Ji-Hye "Stupid girl, this is our chance to regain what was lost to us. You can return our family to the throne! And here you are throwing it all away because of love? And to Kim Young-Sik of all people? Don't you want to our family to be revered again?"
Tears began to fall from Ji-Hye's eyes, shocked because her father hurt her "Father please, I don't want to be anyone else's woman except the prince's. I want to be the prince's woman" She fiercely declared
"Enough of your nonsense silly little girl! You will follow what I say or we will both be cast out from our status! Is that what you want to see your father become a lowly beggar?" Do-Yun pushed, pushing his daughter with guilt into obeying what he wanted.
"The prince will protect us, I know of this father" Ji-Jye explained, trying to urge her father to put his faith in the prince
"Prince Young-Sik will kill me first before he even considers protecting me!" Do-Yun yelled at his daughter "If that is what you want, then so be it…let both of us be dragged to hell by the prince!" He told his daughter
Ji-Hye hung her low "What is your wish father?" She asked, relenting to what Do-Yun commanded her
"Tell me how do you plan to become the Queen?" Minister Lim asked his daughter
She dried the tears from her eyes before replying to her father "Do any of the ministers have a daughter they could send as candidates for the selection?" Ji-Hye inquired
"There are three other possible candidates, the other two are from the opposing right wing while the other is the granddaughter of Minister Ung" Minister Lim enumerated to his daughter
Ji-Hye leaned closer, her voice a whisper trembling from the thought that she was no longer going to be Young-Sik's wife. "Inform Minister Ung that he must withdraw his granddaughter's candidacy. Once I take the throne, I will bestow upon her the esteemed title of royal consort as a token of gratitude."
Her father's brow furrowed in contemplation. "Why would Minister Ung turn down such an irresistible offer that would forever bind his bloodline with royalty?" Minister Lim probed, curiosity piqued.
Ji-Hye's lips curled with sobs as she spoke, "I am well aware that your sway over the ministers is unparalleled; he will tremble at the thought of defiance. Moreover, they are acutely aware of the dire consequences that await those who dare to oppose you—honor, status, and perhaps even their very lives hang in the balance." She dried her tears and her once soft voice, became dark and stern, "What I extend to them is purely out of the kindness of my heart."
Minister Lim persisted with his unwavering line of questioning, "What if the granddaughter refuses to yield?"
Ji-Hye's face darkened, her once-angelic features now twisted with malice. "Then I will show her the consequences of crossing me. I am acquainted with her vulnerabilities; I will dismantle her confidence piece by piece."
"Proceed with that, and I will ensure that no minister will support his granddaughter, should they choose to move forward," Minister Lim declared, an evil gleam in his eye, relishing his daughter's treachery.
Ji-Hye bowed to her father and left the room. Outside she staggered her soft features once again showed, she threw herself into her bed sobbing "Forgive me my love, but I have to protect my father" She whispered in the air, praying that Young-Sik would hear her predicament.