A Merchant's Counsel
"I intended to advise Your Majesty to take up commerce."
"Commerce? Commerce, you say."
Hong-wi tilted his head for a moment, then soon nodded.
"I suppose it's only natural. For a stranger like me, with no roots or lineage, that would be about the only trade available."
"Precisely so."
Jeong Ho-chan smiled faintly.
The reason he recommended the merchant's path out of all the many livelihoods he might have suggested was, as Hong-wi said, because trade was the one occupation that could win over the yeoin tribesmen—people who distrusted outsiders, and Joseon men above all, yet could not entirely do without them.
But there was another reason as well.
The lands of Jianzhou were presently a lawless wilderness with no master, where countless tribes swarmed and squabbled.
The Ming had at least divided Jianzhou into three, calling it the so-called Jianzhou Three Guards, and had empowered three powerful chieftains with the titles of Commander (Jihwisa), Dudu, or Vice-Dudu to govern them—but even these three were at odds with one another.
In such circumstances, the merchants who came and went through Jianzhou were merchants in name only; viewed another way, even the smallest merchant caravan was a small roving military company.
One had to be able to drive off bandits and mountain raiders just to protect one's life and goods, did one not?
More than that, traveling the length and breadth of Jianzhou plying trade offered, depending on how it was done, a way to gather connections and win hearts as well.
"Very well. I shall follow that plan of yours."
"Thank you. As it happens, Lord Yeol Se-ho came along with me today as well, so if I asked him to serve as—"
"No."
Hong-wi shook his head.
"The man took me in when I had nowhere to go and let me pass the winter in comfort. That alone is a great debt I owe him. How could I possibly burden him further?"
Jeong Ho-chan and Cha Gyeong-yeon exchanged a glance.
Jeong Ho-chan spoke again.
"I understand your words well enough, but commerce requires a backer—someone to supply the goods."
"I'll think on that separately. If nothing else, I can always start as a peddler with a bundle on my back. Is there anything a man can't do?"
Jeong Ho-chan and Cha Gyeong-yeon both nodded.
Just then, from a distance, came the sound of Ho-in calling out.
"Your Majesty! Where are you?"
"I'll be along shortly."
Hong-wi answered, then turned back to Jeong Ho-chan.
"And you? Do you intend to return to Joseon?"
"I do. To be granted an audience with Your Majesty like this again—I am deeply grateful."
"As am I."
Hong-wi's smile was bright, but there was a faint trace of loneliness in it somewhere.
After a moment, he turned and made his way back to where Ho-in was waiting.
Cha Gyeong-yeon spoke.
"You told a lie back there."
"Hm. I told no lie. I never once said outright that she was dead."
Jeong Ho-chan shook his head.
"It comes to the same thing. But why conceal it? The fact that Queen Jeonghui is still alive?"
"Sometimes, not knowing is the better medicine. Think on it. If I had told him the Queen was alive, what would His Majesty have done?"
"Well... I suppose you're right."
Cha Gyeong-yeon conceded the point readily.
The fact that Hong-wi was alive and well, and had taken up residence here in the yeoin lands, must on no account come to light.
"And yet, to watch him from so close, clinging to the memory so tenderly, unable to forget..."
"My friend, why have you grown so soft?"
At this point, Jeong Ho-chan decided he needed to steady Cha Gyeong-yeon's heart.
And indeed, somewhere along the way, Cha Gyeong-yeon had evidently been deeply moved by Hong-wi.
It was a far cry from the beginning, when he had dismissed Hong-wi as a sheltered young noble raised within palace walls and trusted him not at all.
"Serving His Majesty is a fine thing, but don't let yourself be swept away. Never forget our ultimate goal—the great cause. There may come a time when we must drive His Majesty forward with the whip, and when that time comes, we must not shrink from it. That is the road that serves him best, and the road to the future. Do you understand me?"
"I understand."
At Jeong Ho-chan's measured words, Cha Gyeong-yeon nodded.
Then it happened.
From somewhere came the sound of clapping hands.
Both men's heads turned at once toward the source of the sound.
"Fine words, both of you."
"Elder Yeol Se-ho!"
Yeol Se-ho emerged from the darkness with a broad grin.
Jeong Ho-chan was the first to speak.
"And how did His Majesty strike you today, Elder?"
"Ahh... a remarkable man. I had heard much from you, but he exceeded even my expectations. Never in my life have I seen a hero of such bearing—and he's barely sixteen, is he not?"
Yeol Se-ho spoke with perfect seriousness.
"I intend to report to the elders that they need not worry—that he is worth watching further. By the way, Ho-chan."
"Yes, Elder?"
"Since I'm here anyway, tell me a little of how things stand in Joseon."
"Nothing of particular note. I spent this winter at the house of Lord Yi Si-ae in Gilju, and I intend to return to Hanyang around spring. I'll plan to probe the situation there when the time comes."
"And the mood among the magnates of Hamgil Province?"
"There is much discontent. Old Yi Jing-ok commanded the loyalty of Hamgil for decades, and to see such a man so brutally cut down... What's more, the court in Hanyang does not trust the Hamgil magnates either, which only deepens the resentment. And Provincial Commander Yang Jeong devotes himself entirely to extortion and plunder, which makes it worse still."
"What of the manhunts? By now Suyang must have sensed that the young king has fled to the northern border."
"No doubt he has. But the searches are steadily losing their steam. Word is that Yang Jeong spends his days merely counting the moments until he can return to Hanyang, and neglects his duties utterly. Perhaps Suyang has noticed as well—they say a Dochechalsa is to be dispatched in his place."
"Is that so?"
Yeol Se-ho smiled slyly.
"Since old Yi Jing-ok's death, the intelligence network Joseon planted in the yeoin lands has taken a heavy blow as well. It will likely take them years to rebuild it."
Joseon had taken the northern threat seriously since the founding of the kingdom.
After the fall of the Jin dynasty, the Jurchens had fragmented into small, scattered tribes, but Joseon had organized units known as chetamin to devote themselves to gathering intelligence on the yeoin.
However, with the death of Hamgil Provincial Commander Yi Jing-ok, and with Suyang's faction purging the Kim Jong-seo–Yi Jing-ok clique in order to seize control of Hamgil's military authority, the intelligence apparatus had suffered in the process.
It would take considerable time to rebuild the chetam network by selecting politically reliable men in Hanyang.
"And in that interval, the young king gathers his strength. I'll speak frankly. I once thought this plan of ours absurd—but seeing Lord Hong-wi today, I find myself thinking it may be possible after all. In him I saw the boldness of the ancient King Dongmyeong and the authority of the Great King of Balhae. I won't say he surpasses them—but then again, who can say?"
Yeol Se-ho smiled.
"Since I'm here anyway, let me ask something. How go things in Jianzhou? I haven't been able to follow events closely since Yi Jing-ok's death."
"Ah, right. A great deal has changed. You're aware, of course, that the real power among the Jianzhou Three Guards is Lee Man-ju of the Jianzhou Guard?"
"Naturally. He must be getting on in years by now."
"They say only the reviled live long—perhaps it's true. He's turned sixty, so he's lived his full share, hasn't he? Some years ago, the Ming granted the title of Vice-Dudu of the Jianzhou Guard to Man-ju's eldest, his Kunaha—that is, Lee Go-nap-hap—letting him succeed his father."
"But Man-ju never gave up real power, did he?"
"No. He's not a man to relinquish power until the day he dies. Still, last year he permitted Lee Go-nap-hap to split off and establish his own household. Elder Eun Pa-seok takes this as a sign that the old man has grown old and is slowly preparing to step back."
"Do you see it that way too, Elder?"
"Man-ju? I don't."
Yeol Se-ho shook his head.
"If anything, I'd say it's a way of responding more flexibly to the shifting situation since Yi Jing-ok's death. In truth, Lee Go-nap-hap hasn't become fully independent at all. It would be more accurate to say he was allotted a corps of elite cavalry from his father's forces and elevated to the position of a vassal general—with a corresponding rise in prestige, of course. Even so, it was a remarkably bold decision for Man-ju. To think that Man-ju would share his authority, even with his own son."
Jeong Ho-chan and Cha Gyeong-yeon nodded.
"The way I see it, the balance of power in Jianzhou will be thrown into great upheaval within five years."
"You think so? On what grounds?"
"First, the Jianzhou Right Guard. For the last twenty or thirty years, Jianzhou has known a measure of stability under the Three Guards system, but word has it that Fancha, the Dudu of the Right Guard, is coughing his last. I have my own men watching him, and they say he hasn't long. When Fancha dies, Tungshan of the Jianzhou Left Guard will seize the moment to settle that old, festering feud and attempt to reunify the Odoli tribe. And then the Three Guards system itself will begin to waver."
Yeol Se-ho sighed.
"It may even be that Man-ju permitted his eldest's independence with that very moment in mind—deliberately building up his strength in advance."
"How grim."
"That depends on how you look at it. If Jianzhou is merely a haven where one shelters from pursuit, then yes, it's a grim thing. But might not such an age of upheaval be an opportunity instead? That depends entirely on what the young king does with it."
"I see it the same way. But he'll need time to lay a foundation of some substance. How much time do we have?"
"That depends on how long Fancha holds on... but surely he won't die just this instant."
Jeong Ho-chan nodded.
"Elder, could you lend him your support until he has established himself?"
"Ahh, I would like nothing more, but circumstances don't permit. Our own strength wanes year by year—these days we're stretched thin just preserving our own people."
"I see..."
"The elders, too, are all in a mood to protect their own skins. Consider this: even merely taking him in here and providing him a hiding place stirred no small opposition among the elders."
"I understand."
"When I return, I will speak in favor of supporting him. But bear one thing in mind."
"What is that?"
A shadow fell across Yeol Se-ho's face.
"If matters go badly—if Joseon should discover that the young king is here and commit its full strength to a campaign of extermination... the elders would willingly sell him out."
"Hardly a surprise."
Jeong Ho-chan thought of Elder Eun Pa-seok.
For men like him, self-preservation would demand nothing less.
"Exactly. And that is why the young king's ability matters so much once more. In the end, it is he and he alone who must accomplish something."
"Do you believe he is worth staking our hopes on, Elder?"
At Jeong Ho-chan's question, Yeol Se-ho smiled.
"A difficult question. But having met him today, I find myself wanting to believe in him. Hm. Gyeong-yeon."
"Yes, Elder Malyak."
Cha Gyeong-yeon answered respectfully.
"And your view? I needn't ask Ho-chan—he's the very man who devised the plan to take the young king in. But you distrusted Lord Hong-wi at first, didn't you?"
"I did, at first."
Cha Gyeong-yeon admitted it readily.
"But living alongside him these past months has changed my mind."
"Oh?"
"All he lacked was time. With enough of it, I don't believe he would have been so helpless when his throne was stolen from him."
"Or perhaps it was only because the throne was stolen and he had to flee that he could grow into what he is now."
Yeol Se-ho rose to his feet.
"In any case, time will tell. For now... hmm, it's hard to judge—but I'd wager even Yeoljudo has few men his equal."
Cha Gyeong-yeon pondered a moment before answering.
"Perhaps not only in Yeoljudo. Perhaps in this entire age."
After the tiger hunt, Hong-wi found himself taking more and more pleasure in the chase.
"I think I understand now why King Taejo so loved hunting."
He said as much to Ho-in one day.
That day they had taken a roe deer and no fewer than four pheasants.
By any measure, it was a respectable hunt.
"Back in Joseon, I hardly ever had the chance to hunt."
And with good reason—a royal hunt was a costly and burdensome undertaking.
A king's progress was, by definition, a state occasion; the hunting grounds designated for it had to be prepared weeks in advance with meticulous care.
The commoners living in the area were driven from their homes overnight, and since hundreds would be descending upon them, the local magistrates were obliged to feed and provision the entire retinue.
The trouble was that hunts were ordinarily held only in early winter or early spring.
Only then was the game easier to find.
In high summer and autumn, the animals could easily conceal themselves in the forests, and left few tracks behind.
A great host arriving in winter—when every scrap of food had to be stretched—was no small burden on the people.
For such reasons, it was difficult to encourage hunting in Joseon, which in name espoused the people-as-foundation doctrine as its state creed.
Moreover, to the scholars who prized learning above all else, the hunt was a pastime for military men—a form of idle amusement.
Naturally it was viewed with disfavor, and the Confucian scholars never tired of urging their kings to shun the hunt and devote themselves to study.
After Taejong's reign, occasions for a king to go hunting had grown rare indeed.
Taejo, Jeongjong, and Taejong had all acquired the taste in their common days before taking the throne.
Sejong stood somewhat apart from that mold, and Munjong died so soon after his accession that he had little opportunity to ride out either.
Hong-wi's circumstances were no different, and so he had never known the true pleasure of the chase.
Now, at last, he was tasting that joy for himself.