The Puppeteer's Journey North
The winter in the year Hong-wi vanished was unusually bitter. There were no few people who claimed the heavens themselves were grieving the fate of the boy king.
When Suyang heard that such rumors were spreading, he merely snorted.
"If the heavens truly favored that child, they would have granted him a warm winter instead. At least then he'd be spared the worry of freezing to death wandering the mountains and fields."
Meanwhile, wild, unfathomable rumors were spreading like wildfire about the strange disappearance of Prince Nosan, Hong-wi.
Some swore that the boy confined in Yeongwol had finally lost his mind and died wandering the wilderness. Others believed that men plotting his restoration had spirited the prince away.
But the prevailing opinion held that Suyang and his faction had murdered him — and that alone, no one dared say aloud.
Months passed, and despite the swirl of rumors, not a single clue emerged to reveal what had become of Hong-wi. Little by little, the people's interest began to die down.
Suyang came to realize the situation was not nearly as bad as he had feared. It had certainly been a shock that Hong-wi, whom he had dismissed as still so young and inexperienced, had dared to escape at all. But his own position remained as solid as ever, and his trusted men were fully prepared for any contingency.
First, he dispatched Gwon Ram, Minister of Personnel, and Shin Suk-ju, Left State Councillor, to Ming China under the pretext of the Winter Solstice Embassy. The embassy was a routine diplomatic mission sent every year, but on this occasion the envoys' ranks were exceptionally high — high enough to raise eyebrows.
Suyang instructed Gwon Ram — the man he trusted most and called his own right arm — and Shin Suk-ju, the finest diplomat in the realm, to keep a careful watch on Ming's every move, lest Hong-wi have slipped into their territory.
Furthermore, following Han Myeong-hoe's advice, Dochechalsa — the special post of Supreme Provincial Commissioner — was dispatched to the two northern provinces alone: Pyongan and Hamgil. Once again, Suyang's trusted collaborators were appointed: Gu Chi-gwan, Vice Minister of War, and Park Won-hyeong, Minister of Punishments.
Yang Jeong, who had come up to Hanyang, was reappointed as Provincial Military Commander of Hamgil Province and sent back. He was bitterly disappointed, but upon hearing the full account of what had transpired, he had no choice but to turn his heels back toward Hamgil.
Suyang did not neglect to secure his rear, either. He had refrained from sending Dochechalsa everywhere, but every provincial military command was staffed, without exception, by men he could trust. Even former Minister of Rites Hong Yun-seong, who had just lost his mother, was appointed Provincial Military Commander of Gyeongsang Province at Suyang's insistence.
Now was no time for mourning. Of his most powerful confidants, only Hong Dal-son, retained as Minister of War, and Han Myeong-hoe, newly appointed Minister of Personnel, remained in the capital.
"I assumed you would send me out to the provinces as a Dochechalsa this time, but since the Chancellor must hold the central military power, I was hardly surprised that you kept me on as Minister of War... and yet."
"If I send all my closest men out to the provinces, am I to run the country alone?"
Suyang tipped back his wine cup as he spoke.
"That may be so, but it is all but certain that Prince Nosan has fled to the northern border — to Hamgil Province, in particular."
"Of that, there is no doubt."
"None whatsoever."
Han Myeong-hoe had hardly been idling. From his post as Senior Royal Secretary — in effect, the king's chief of staff — he had thrown his every effort into tracking Hong-wi's movements.
Han Ga-ryeong had claimed he could not locate Hong-wi either, but even if that were true, Han Myeong-hoe had his own methods.
Ever since one of Hong Dal-son's men had been ambushed in Wonju and robbed of three horses, Han Myeong-hoe had surmised that they had headed north. The three southern provinces were a possibility, but with Suyang's grip growing ever firmer, no refuge there would have stayed safe for long.
Hong-wi was simply too great a prize to ignore. Interrogating everyone around him was indispensable as well. The only person spared questioning was Lady Song; all the rest died in droves under brutal torture.
Then a clue emerged — from Lady Song's maidservant. However discreet a noblewoman might be, she inevitably let slip things to her own servants, and the maids of aristocratic households were quick-eyed creatures besides.
"She... the Lady says... to prepare... warm winter clothes, well and fully... she is going... north... no... mother..."
Taking the girl's rambling words before she died under torture as his thread, Han Myeong-hoe deduced that Hong-wi and his party had gone north. And once a single thread was caught, the tangled skein slowly began to unwind. Testimony surfaced from Uiju relay station that three men presumed to be Hong-wi's party had changed horses there.
"Which means the Dochechalsa post in Hamgil Province is the most important of all."
"And you would leave Pyongan out?"
"If I were Prince Nosan, I would choose Hamgil over Pyongan."
"Why so?"
"Pyongan lies on the route of our embassies to Ming, so the court keeps it closely watched. Hamgil, on the other hand, still has vast stretches beyond the reach of administration, and the roots of the traitor Yi Jing-ok cannot be said to have been fully torn out. Many of the local magnates there turn a deaf ear to the court's authority — and the Jurchens beyond the border are a problem in their own right."
"True enough. The Moryeonwi chieftains showed the boy remarkable favor, I remember."
Suyang's brow furrowed as he recalled the attitude the Moryeonwi chieftains had displayed toward Hong-wi at that hunting party on Cheonggye Mountain long ago.
"So Hamgil is the crux of the matter."
"It is — but Pyongan also bears watching. Should the prince's band submit a plea to the Ming envoys passing that road... we would find ourselves with a serious headache indeed."
"Ahh..."
Relations with Ming had of late become a thorn in his side. The Ming court, with thinly veiled insistence, kept demanding to know whether Hong-wi's 'abdication' in Suyang's favor had been voluntary or coerced, and was postponing his investiture as rightful King of Joseon. They had even declared they would send envoys to interrogate Hong-wi himself about the whole affair.
Ming's suspicion — that Suyang had wrenched the throne from his nephew by force — was, in truth, accurate. But such conduct gravely undermined the dignity of the King of Joseon.
"Exactly. It grates on my nerves most exceedingly, those Ming dogs. When you think about it, didn't the Yongle Emperor himself seize the throne from his own nephew? For them to interrogate us over Hong-wi now is nothing but spitting in their own faces."
Suyang growled low in his throat.
"They mean to tame Your Majesty, I should imagine."
"Ha! No doubt."
Suyang conceded the point. Ming, having its own precedent of an uncle usurping a nephew's seat, would find it burdensome to make too much of such a thing — yet they pressed the issue anyway, hoping to brandish Confucian legitimacy and bring Joseon to heel while the chance was theirs.
"There are moments when I could do as the old Tatars did and take their emperor hostage! It infuriates me to death. If Jeonggyeong and Beomong handle this properly, I'll want for nothing more."
Han Myeong-hoe merely smiled. Gwon Ram (Jeonggyeong) and Shin Suk-ju (Beomong) would have arrived in Beijing by now. The mission was nominally to offer solstice congratulations, but its true purpose was to reconfirm the investiture matter and to spread the story that Hong-wi had recently fallen gravely ill and could not receive Ming's envoys. If word of Hong-wi's flight leaked to Ming in the present climate...
"Yes — Pyongan will be well handled. I-ryul will see to it."
"With Commissioner Gu in charge, there is nothing to fear. He is a man of both letters and arms."
Gu Chi-gwan, Dochechalsa of Pyongan Province, had never been part of Suyang's original inner circle. But he was a supporter of Suyang alongside Shin Suk-ju, and his exceptional ability had earned him enormous trust — he had particularly endeared himself by sweeping up the Six Martyred Ministers affair without a loose thread.
Han Myeong-hoe agreed on that score.
"However — Minister of Punishments Park, whom you've appointed Dochechalsa of Hamgil, might serve better in some other post. The bulk of his career has been spent in the central ministries."
Park Won-hyeong, newly assigned as Dochechalsa of Hamgil, was solidly Suyang's man and not without ability. But his record consisted almost entirely of civil posts in the capital; he had never held a provincial appointment in his life.
Civil officials were often dispatched to provincial posts — that was common enough in Joseon, and even in Goryeo before it. Even so, considering the volatile state of Hamgil Province, Han Myeong-hoe judged Park Won-hyeong's credentials rather thin for the task.
"That's precisely why I kept my Yang Jeong on as Provincial Military Commander there."
"That may be, but—"
"So what is it you're proposing?"
Han Myeong-hoe looked Suyang squarely in the eye.
"Your Majesty — send me down to the provinces as a Dochechalsa."
"Ho. Everyone begs for a post in the capital, and you volunteer for the provinces? The ink on your appointment as Minister of Personnel can hardly have dried."
Suyang laughed mischievously — though inwardly, he was deeply pleased. Han Myeong-hoe was, beyond all others, the confidant of confidants, the one who truly understood the depths of his heart.
Han Myeong-hoe smiled faintly.
"Given the choice, this humble servant would prefer the capital as well. But unless the matter of Prince Nosan is settled cleanly, I shall never sleep soundly on a high pillow again."
"Well said! Nor can I."
Suyang nodded. "Ever since that boy fled, my dreams have grown ever more troubled. Lately I've been plagued with skin ailments out of nowhere — it drives me half mad."
Suyang grumbled on. Whether from the gnawing of his conscience or not, he had of late kept dreaming of his dead sister-in-law — Queen Hyeondeok of the Gwon clan, consort of King Munjong and mother of Hong-wi. Without thinking, he scratched vigorously at his hip.
"But I still need you here for now. And above all, there is no telling who in Hamgil can be trusted at present. Yang Jeong is there, true, but Yi Jing-ok held that province in his fist for so long that who knows how deep his remaining faction has taken root. The field must be plowed first — that is why I am sending my Minister of Punishments. And a Dochechalsa's term is only a year or so at most, is it not?"
"I see. I failed to grasp the depth of Your Majesty's foresight."
Han Myeong-hoe accepted Suyang's choice of personnel as sound. Park Won-hyeong would not pass muster if he had to play the soldier, but he would serve well enough for flushing out hidden moles. A Dochechalsa was a temporary post held concurrently by a central official for roughly a year at a stretch, so such a man was fitting.
Suyang smiled.
"Did you truly think I would send you straight into the tiger's jaws? Know that the Minister of Punishments will go down first to plow the field. Of course, it would please me all the more if Hong-wi's whereabouts became clear before then."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I understand."
Han Myeong-hoe bowed his head. "But when you dispatch the Minister of Punishments to Hamgil as Dochechalsa, I wish to accompany him and meet the Provincial Military Commander myself."
"Why on earth? What for?"
"You know Yang Jeong's character well, Your Majesty — and you know how long he has been desperate to claw his way back to the capital."
"Hmm."
Suyang's brow creased. Han Myeong-hoe's point was well taken. The coup merit subjects, with Han Myeong-hoe at their head, were soaring from one powerful capital post to the next — while Yang Jeong alone was left rotting in a backwater of Hamgil. And Yang Jeong resented it bitterly, even if he could not defy Suyang's will.
"Still, he's hardly the sort to go against my wishes. It's been barely three years since I sent him down — what of it? The moment the Hong-wi affair is settled, I'd have recalled him long since."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. But on this occasion, I would like to reassure him firmly, face to face."
"Why leave that to the Minister of Punishments? What need is there for you to go yourself?"
"The Minister of Punishments is a comrade who aided the coup, but he did not take part in it from the beginning, nor did he plumb its depths — and he has served only in the capital. I wish to meet the Commander myself and bind him with a promise. And while I'm at it, I would like to learn the state of Hamgil firsthand. If not now, then sooner or later I, too, will have to go down to the provinces."
"Hmm. True enough."
Suyang judged Han Myeong-hoe's reasoning sound. Blunt, rough-edged Yang Jeong might listen to Park Won-hyeong with half an ear and dismiss him outright — but if Han Myeong-hoe came out in person and spoke even one word, Yang Jeong would not dare twitch.
"This is as good a time as any to rein in his bridle and see whether he's been behaving himself... Very well! Go, and speak with him well."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Han Myeong-hoe bowed and was about to withdraw when Suyang called him back.
"Wait — Jajun."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Suyang smiled warmly.
"There is truly no one like you. You volunteer for the dirty work before I even ask it of you. I am grateful."
"Your gratitude is more than this humble servant deserves."
Han Myeong-hoe bowed low to the floor — and even as he did, he smiled inwardly.
A true strategist understood that offering his lord sound counsel was only half the task. The other half was ensuring that his lord remained ready to listen. In that regard, Han Myeong-hoe was a strategist without equal.