Chapter 191: Why Was Seonjo Like That?
Yi San-hae was certainly no ordinary man.
It had not been mere luck that he had survived the savage Gichuk Purge despite belonging to the Easterners.
And was he not the one who had seized the post of Chief State Councillor over Jeong Cheol, the leader of the Westerners?
There was a reason for everything.
“Daegam Jeong Cheol. It is I, Yi San-hae. I would like to see you regarding yesterday’s matter.”
Immediately after meeting Kim Gong-ryang, Yi San-hae sent word to Jeong Cheol again.
Jeong Cheol, whose mind was already burning with impatience, asked the servant who had brought the short scrap of a note, “Where is your master now?”
“He should be passing nearby.”
“Nearby?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
As he listened to the servant’s words, one of Jeong Cheol’s brows arched upward.
Was this not the very Yi San-hae who, until recently, had shaken his head whenever the matter of Geonjeo was raised?
It was a little suspicious that he was suddenly stepping forward like this.
“Here.”
“Yes, sir.”
At his call, the attendant waiting behind him answered.
“Where is the Chief Royal Secretary, Yi Hangbok?”
“He said yesterday that he was going to Cheomjeong Baek’s residence. From what I’ve heard, he has not yet returned.”
“Mm. Is that so...”
Jeong Cheol tilted his head with an unhappy expression.
It would be better if I could discuss it with Hangbok first... hm.
Still, it was not hard to understand.
He knew very well how eagerly Yi Hangbok had been waiting for the return of Baek Kang Hyeok and the diplomatic mission.
Well, Daegam Yi San-hae must also be pushing Geonjeo urgently because of the unsettling movements of the Japanese.
The thought that Joseon might lose to Japan did not exist in his mind in the slightest.
Up to now, the Japanese raiders had been little more than a nuisance, never a true threat to the country.
One example of that was the fact that Ryukyu and Tsushima, which could be called bases of pirate activity, were paying tribute to Joseon.
Still, war always brings mishaps.
And he thought that making no preparations at all for that would be arrogance.
The preparation Jeong Cheol believed in was Geonjeo.
He believed that once the heir was fixed, the court would become more stable.
Being a straightforward man, he believed others would think the same.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
“Yes.”
Following the servant’s guidance, Jeong Cheol went to Yi San-hae.
As the servant had said, Yi San-hae was in a pavilion near Jeong Cheol’s house.
He had even prepared a simple table of drinks, which made it seem that he had already expected Jeong Cheol to come.
“Daegam Jeong Cheol.”
Yi San-hae called to him with a gentle smile.
Since the purge, it was the first time Jeong Cheol had received such hospitality, and his heart warmed considerably.
So he let down his guard and went toward Yi San-hae with a hearty laugh.
“Daegam. For you to come all this way...”
“I thought long and hard over what you said yesterday. And as a result...”
“As a result?”
“Daegam Jeong Cheol was right. Though His Majesty is still strong, I came to think that deciding things in advance would be a good thing.”
“Ah. That is fortunate. Very fortunate.”
Jeong Cheol’s expression showed sincere delight.
At that, Yi San-hae poured him the drink he had prepared in advance and urged it upon him.
“Here. Cheongju, the kind you favor.”
“Oh, this is excellent. I will not refuse.”
Was Jeong Cheol not the sort who could never turn down drink?
And what was more, it was wine offered with a smile by Yi San-hae, a man who had always seemed difficult to him.
There was no way he could refuse.
“Come, have another cup.”
“Yes, yes. The wine is good.”
The two men traded cups like that, their faces gradually reddening.
Jeong Cheol’s face was decidedly redder than Yi San-hae’s, but that had less to do with liquor capacity than with their states of mind.
This should be enough now.
Yi San-hae, who had been quietly watching Jeong Cheol’s face for some time, made up his mind.
Then he spoke carefully.
He even wore an expression of considerable difficulty.
“However, Daegam.”
“Speak.”
“This may be stating the obvious, but I am an Easterner, and Daegam is a Westerner, is he not?”
It was not something that even needed to be said.
Each of them was effectively the leader of East and West.
Of course, Ryu Seong-ryong, the representative of the moderate Easterners, was absent.
But that too was by Yi San-hae’s design.
“Mm. That is so.”
Unable to understand Yi San-hae’s intention at all, Jeong Cheol merely nodded.
Yi San-hae, looking toward him with the same troubled expression, continued with difficulty.
“As you know, His Majesty keeps the Easterners at a distance and holds the Westerners close.”
This was nothing more than Yi San-hae’s own speculation, but to Jeong Cheol it did not sound unpleasant at all.
So he nodded again.
“So for a sensitive memorial such as the matter of Geonjeo, would it not be better if Daegam submitted it first, with me supporting it afterward?”
“Ah, that... yes, that may well be so.”
Was Jeong Cheol not the very man who spoke day and night of his love for the king?
He had even composed things like Samiingok while in exile.
The problem was that he did not see that love as one-sided.
Jeong Cheol believed that Seonjo naturally held him in favor as well.
So he nodded over and over.
As a result, he did not notice Yi San-hae inwardly rejoicing.
“If Daegam will do so, then I and Daegam Ryu will support you.”
“Then nothing could be better.”
The truth was, Yi San-hae alone had still felt somewhat uneasy.
But if even Ryu Seong-ryong, who had remained moderate toward the Westerners after the purge, would step forward, then it was reassuring.
“Tomorrow, when we attend upon His Majesty, I will submit the memorial at once.”
“Ah, understood. Then I shall speak with Daegam Ryu about it today.”
“This has been a most beneficial conversation.”
“I feel the same.”
“Then.”
Jeong Cheol went home, swaying slightly as he walked.
“Come now. Let us hurry.”
Even for a man of hurried temperament, he seemed especially rushed.
That was because he intended to prepare the memorial immediately.
“Now then, let us go as well.”
Yi San-hae also left the pavilion in haste.
Just as the day before, he meant to go to Kim Gong-ryang’s house again.
“Master, you seem to be in very high spirits.”
The servant who had carried the message to Jeong Cheol spoke to Yi San-hae.
As he said, Yi San-hae looked extraordinarily pleased.
His grin nearly stretched to his ears.
It had been such a long time since he had worn an expression like this after the purge that even the servant felt his own mood lift.
“Yes, very pleased indeed.”
Yi San-hae kept smiling as he fingered the note tucked into his robes.
It was a letter he had received that morning.
The sender was, naturally, Kim Gong-ryang, and what it contained pleased him greatly.
“His Majesty is said to be greatly angered. If Jeong Cheol personally submits the memorial, an immediate thunderous rebuke will likely follow. Just see that he submits that memorial.”
Had Yi San-hae not just taken care of precisely that request?
“Come, let us go quickly.”
And so he laughed heartily and quickened his pace.
Meanwhile, the group who had been drinking with Kang Hyeok only came to their senses when the day had passed well beyond noon and was nearing evening.
That was because the drinking had lasted so long, mixed together with fine liquor and interesting talk of what had happened in Japan.
“Good heavens.”
Ryu Seong-ryong was the first to clutch his head.
It had been nearly ten years since he had drunk so recklessly and lost hold of himself to this degree.
Usually that was because of affairs of state, though his hemorrhoids had played a part too.
But the previous night, his attending physician, Kang Hyeok, had reassured him that he was fine, so he had been able to drink without end.
And now he was paying the price.
If he could, he felt as though he would like to smack the back of last night’s Ryu Seong-ryong’s head.
It hurt that much.
“Ugh...”
It was the same for Yi Hangbok, the elegant man-about-town of Hanyang.
He had always believed his capacity for drink was second to none.
Yet he was no match for Kang Hyeok once that man loosened his belt.
“Mm.”
Of course, Kang Hyeok himself was not perfectly fine either.
“Oh dear, Young Master.”
Dolseok was so alarmed that he ran off at once to prepare something for a hangover cure.
If even the two great drinkers looked like this, there was no need to mention Kim Seongil and Hwang Yungil.
Those two still had not even managed to get out of their blankets.
“If we are to attend court tomorrow... then today we had best rest thoroughly.”
Right State Councillor Ryu Seong-ryong muttered while clutching his aching head.
“At this rate, I’m not even sure I can go...”
Chief Royal Secretary Yi Hangbok was just as dramatic.
To think that these great ministers, the core and future of the country, should look like this.
Of course, the man who had put them into that state was Kang Hyeok.
A sigh came out on its own.
“Good heavens.”
It was a scene that made the phrase “the knot must be untied by the one who tied it” come to mind.
So Kang Hyeok decided to resolve it himself.
“Then, elders, please sleep here again tonight.”
“What? You mean to drink again? Didn’t you say drinking for a hangover is a sign of addiction or something of the sort?”
“No, no. I’m not saying we should drink. I’m saying I’ll give you IV fluids.”
“IV fluids?”
“Yes. Think of it as a water injection.”
“What kind of bizarre method is that?”
Though Ryu Seong-ryong grumbled with his mouth, he had already decided to do as Kang Hyeok said.
Since the day Kang Hyeok cured his hemorrhoids until now, he had not disappointed him even once.
“All right then. What must I do?”
He was already rolling up his sleeve and preparing to lie down.
Looking at him, Kang Hyeok grinned.
Every country in the world had its own unique hangover remedies.
But medically, the strongest cure for a hangover was still IV fluids.
Especially IV fluids with sugar in them.
“If you just take one of these, that will do.”
“And what about me?”
At Kang Hyeok’s words, Yi Hangbok looked aggrieved.
It could not be helped.
There was only one IV bag in the house-call bag.
Once the bag renewed after midnight, it would become usable again.
“Please wait just a little. I’ll have to make another one now.”
“I see. Ah, I’m dying.”
“All right then, Daegam Ryu, this will sting a little.”
Kang Hyeok tapped his arm a few times, then inserted the needle.
And he began infusing the fluid.
The effect was remarkable, so much so that in not even a full hour, Ryu Seong-ryong’s face had almost returned to its usual state.
“This is extraordinary. The effect is so good it feels as though I’ve been bewitched.”
“Please hurry and give one to me too.”
Yi Hangbok, whose face was still pale as a sheet, whined.
In the end, he had to wait until midnight, and only then did he receive the IV and fall asleep.
Thanks to that, everyone except Hwang Yungil and Kim Seongil was able to head to court in a refreshed state.
Ryu Seong-ryong laughed heartily, looking as if he had never suffered at all.
“My, my, Cheomjeong Baek. They say clothes make the man, and in your case you look like a State Councillor.”
Hearing that from a real State Councillor felt very strange.
Kang Hyeok did not even know how to respond.
So he simply laughed.
“Ha ha.”
“Come. It is your first court attendance since returning, so we cannot very well be late.”
Ryu Seong-ryong had not forgotten Hwang Yungil and Kim Seongil either, the two men swaying weakly behind Kang Hyeok.
They answered in badly cracked voices.
The problem was that there had not been enough IV fluid for them.
“Yes...”
Kang Hyeok headed for the palace together with the very bright-faced Ryu Seong-ryong and Yi Hangbok, and the very dark-faced Hwang Yungil and Kim Seongil.
That sharp contrast remained long after they had been granted audience with Seonjo.
But once Jeong Cheol stepped boldly forward, that was no longer the case.
Everyone’s faces turned darker than ever.
“Your Majesty. I, your subject Jeong Cheol, have something to say.”
“Speak.”
“I humbly submit... is it not now time to discuss Geonjeo in earnest?”
“What?”
Seonjo, who had already been given severely distorted information on the matter, replied with clear displeasure.
But Jeong Cheol, trusting in the support of Yi San-hae and the others, did not flinch.
“Though there are many princes, they are all sons of concubines, and there is much anxiety over who shall become the heir. If the matter is settled now, I believe future disorder in the court will be lessened.”
“Hah.”
When the matter of sons of concubines was raised, Seonjo’s expression twisted badly.
That was because Seonjo himself had been the son of a concubine.
He forced down his anger and looked around at those assembled.
“Is this also the will of the other ministers? Or is this Jeong Cheol’s decision alone?”
At that, Jeong Cheol looked toward Yi San-hae.
Yi San-hae nodded and stepped forward.
With words in his mouth that Jeong Cheol could not have imagined even in his dreams.