Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Schrödinger's Crown Prince (2)
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Skill activation is hard to explain in words.
It's like trying to describe how to move your arm.
Talking about the brain and nervous system is just a post-hoc explanation of the result, not the method.
No one decides to fire an electrical spark in their neurons right now when they lift their arm. You just do it.
But my current state was like my arm had suddenly vanished.
The skill didn't activate.
Just in case, I took three steps back, but there was no sudden warping of space teleporting me to the capital, no slowing of time around me—nothing like the power of Ancestor Lee Yeon. My stride and speed were exactly as usual.
For a split second, my brain panicked, but it soon latched onto one clue.
'Wait, a special skill?'
The other skill I'd drawn from the barrel, Shin Sukju's Resolve, wasn't an active or passive skill. It was a 'special' skill.
I'd thought that just meant it came from the barrel.
But Shin Sukju's Resolve had another oddity: you couldn't activate it for a week after drinking alcohol.
In other words, it had activation conditions.
Did this 'Lee Yeon's Speed' have conditions too?
What were they? An attempt to flee to China? Devastating the wartime cabinet with abdication waves? Won Gyun's golden mean? What did I need to do?
Whatever it was, I couldn't do it right now.
Because Gu Seonbok was pointing his baton at me while extending it.
The Royal Guards had swiftly closed the distance and were now entangled in close quarters. Every soldier with a musket was being forced into melee.
And naturally, us high-and-mighty officials didn't have matchlocks or anything like that.
Buoyed with overconfidence, Gu Seonbok bellowed.
"Traitor Kim Unhaeng! Show us that Dog-Beating Stick technique you brag about!"
What the hell was that? How do you even do it?
And if it's a stick technique, Eoji's right there beating your soldiers with my bow.
Why pretend you don't see Eoji? Is he too tough, so I'm the easy mark? Or does that not count as a stick technique but archery?
Gu Seonbok's next shout sounded like the rapid-fire rap indictment of treason coming from Jangbok behind me.
"Let's duel, commander to commander! Come out!"
Crown Prince, Your Highness. That guy's calling for you.
But the Crown Prince couldn't actually step forward. In fact, when he couldn't contain his rage and tried to unleash the Hundred-Man Beheading Sword, Kim Seong-eung hugged him around the waist to stop him.
What to do? Toss Jangbok at Gu Seonbok and grab the Crown Prince to run?
Without Lee Yeon's Speed, fleeing alone on human legs would be foolish. Anyone could see my escape, so it'd be pointless.
But as it says, those who follow Heaven survive, those who defy it perish.[順天者存 逆天者亡, <Mencius>]
According to Mencius, the will of Heaven is the will of the people.
Thus, Heaven had not abandoned me.
Former Dutch East India Company armorer Uyst van, one of the Dutchmen who hadn't fled through Dongdaemun but stayed in Seoul.
Not because he couldn't find the way, but to find Kim Unhaeng.
Without sticking close to Kim Unhaeng, who guaranteed their safety, they'd never know which blade would claim them in the capital's chaos.
And Uyst had seized not just firm protection for his life, but a chance at Act Two.
He was fluent in Joseon speech now. From overhearing, the man Kim Unhaeng served was a prince.
Uyst grasped the situation immediately.
In Europe, where fratricide and regicide were staples of the elite, a son usurping his father's throne was hardly gossip-worthy.
Life happens—a son might slip a long-sleep pill into his father's wine to hasten inheritance. In Italy, arsenic was called "inheritance powder," a time-honored custom.
Putting it together, Kim Unhaeng was the next-gen power player siding with the prince faction. The Dutch sailors were at the vortex of the power struggle.
And given Kim Unhaeng's viciousness, they couldn't just trust him and sit tight.
That bastard would use them up then purge them without hesitation.
Here, they had to earn merit themselves. Right in front of the prince's eyes.
The prince seemed more conscientious than Kim Unhaeng and open to Westerners.
On that calculation, the ten or so Dutch sailors led by Uyst burst from the stable (which Kim Unhaeng had designated as a wait spot, embarrassed by Hong Mojeok) shouting war cries as they charged.
Bare-chested, red paint streaming down, swinging sticks and buckets—it evoked their ancestors facing Roman legions two millennia ago.
This wasn't a proper field battle; it was ultra-close quarters inside a building.
Among them, the Dutchmen's assault from the stable completely caught them off-guard. Now it was clear why northern barbarians used naked warriors.
The Joseon troops recoiled in horror at their grotesque appearance alone. The ambushed Royal Guards fell in confusion to buckets shattering on their heads or sticks jabbing their groins.
The Dutchmen who seized swords faltered at a few lightsabers without blades but surged with momentum regardless.
To prevent friendly fire, Uyst shouted in Joseon speech.
"Protect the prince!"
In raw combat power, the Dutchmen weren't much.
No proper firearms, and Kim Unhaeng hadn't even given the slaves meat side dishes, leaving them malnourished.
But the warhorses, well-fed beyond the Dutchmen, were different.
Uyst had no suicide charge in mind. He'd released all the horses, leading with the beasts.
And at the forefront was Kim Unhaeng's pony.
The now middle-aged pony locked eyes with Kim Unhaeng and instantly understood its master's will. Snorting, it charged.
Royal Guards struck by the massive horse swung furiously, but without a proper spear phalanx, stopping trained cavalry with swords was tough.
The pony unleashed rage like a wounded beast. Soldiers with bitten faces and shattered ribs tumbled everywhere.
Kim Unhaeng raised his voice.
"Even beasts show loyalty— what are the kingdom's elite troops doing, fed on its rice!"
Uyst failed again to throttle Kim Unhaeng; dodging the musket butts of the prince faction soldiers (Royal Guards) took priority.
The Training Command troops inside the Border Defense Council snapped to when the Royal Guards fell back a bit.
Too scared for swordplay, they fired their guns. The Royal Guards, out of powder, could only get shot and scatter.
Moreover, Training Command reinforcements, alerted to the uproar, were arriving from the rear.
The Royal Guards sobered up abruptly.
A sense of having chosen wrong at life's crossroads gripped them.
Their judgment was spot-on. Failing to decapitate command instantly meant Gu Seonbok's defeat.
Kim Unhaeng's prediction—that lacking tactical insight let them ambush, but overall it was suppression, not battle—wasn't far off.
Gu Seonbok didn't yield to the dire tide.
"Raaargh!"
Battered by soldiers' blades, his body—thick fat like iron armor—was still intact.
Gu Seonbok seized the nearest soldier by the collar and hurled him. As the Command troops hesitated, he became a soaring flying wild boar.
Landing five paces from the Crown Prince, he roared and raised his baton.
"For my country, I'll execute one final act of disloyalty and filial impiety!"
Everyone saw through it: smash the prince's shoulder and take him hostage. Kim Unhaeng wanted to club the idiot prince's head—who burned with chivalrous fury and drew his sword instead of fleeing.
But the mythic duel between Guard Captain and Crown Prince never happened.
Sam bok-i bravely charged—the Sambok Kim Unhaeng had forgotten in the urgency.
A mere human swung baton was yawn-worthy to a hunting hound. The two briefly facing warriors barely registered something black hurtling over.
Since returning from China, Kim Unhaeng had reorganized per Confucian hierarchy.
The smallest yet senior Chobok-i admirably led Jungbok-i and Malbok-i.
Chobok-i clamped Gu Seonbok's leg; Jungbok-i and Malbok-i sank fangs into arm and neck.
"Gaaahk!"
No matter Gu Seonbok's fat padding, the neck had limits. Dropping the baton, he spewed blood and collapsed.
Jungbok-i and Malbok-i, Russian-trained hunters, didn't maul the incapacitated foe. They whirled, bloodied muzzles toward the rest.
The remaining soldiers felt their blood chill.
Uyst couldn't help envisioning the three hounds as Cerberus, guardian of Hades.
And Kim Unhaeng striding forth, shaking his sleeves, like the gatekeeper fleecing shades at Hell's entrance.
"You fools are truly blind moles. Can't you see even the kingdom's upright scholars, barbarians, and beasts submit? This is the ancestral spirits and gods of heaven and earth watching over the Crown Prince. Never since Houji—abandoned in the cold, spared by ox and horse, blanketed by birds—has Heaven's will shone so clear!"
Indeed.
Even Emperor Qianlong, lord of humanity, ruled only 'humans.'
But the Crown Prince commanded non-humans now.
The sovereign born rightful owner of myriad creatures shook the Border Defense Council with his dignity.
Rational Joseonites couldn't deny the evidence. Even allies knelt before the prince.
The Crown Prince fulfilled his role admirably.
Not by drawing sword and calling for march to Namhansanseong, though.
Uyst had hoped for such a rally—hence why Western barbarians were said to lack sires and dams.
In moral Joseon, the first duty was set. Kim Unhaeng's Confucian tutelage left no gaps.
"I'll go to the Queen Dowager's mortuary hall to beg forgiveness for not visiting. The rebels' fate—discuss with the 'Grand King's aides' and commanders. Reappoint Kim Unhaeng as Mutual Defense Commander, but as Propagandist, not rostered. Report to me through him!"
If the Crown Prince stepped up to purge the court himself, rumors of ulterior motives would swirl.
Excusing himself as junior regent limited to mid-rank appointments, he delegated to the sole non-mid-rank 'meritorious' figure here.
Then he unbelted his sword and handed it to Kim Unhaeng.
To Hong Bonghan, Kim Seong-eung, and high officials, down to officers and grunts, the symbolism was crystal clear.
I pondered what to say to the high official before me, then opted for prickliness. I'd taken the prince's sword, after all.
"His Highness hasn't yet ordered the officials to assemble. Why are you here?"
"I'm dismissed, not among the officials, so it's fine."
I regretted not saying, 'Then get lost, civilian.'
This was why I hated Joseon dismissals.
Even if Premier A is sacked for B, A can return on royal whim.
Even without immediate reinstatement, A's friends and kin are still elites. A and B might even be close. Everyone watches both.
One post, multiple sitters. The kingdom runs so smoothly.
Of course, my multiple reinstatements show it's a safety net to retain talent. Joseon, like another Joseon's 250-member Party Central Committee, runs on a fixed nobility pool.
But if a persecutor of loyalists holds power, trouble brews.
Like Park Mun-su before me.
"The prince hasn't called officials? Of course not—that's for Grand King alone. He hasn't ordered the junior regent to convene court either."
"Precisely. After dealing with rebels, officials resume duties."
"Duties? Packing remnants to follow the royal litter to Namhansanseong while preparing capital defenses against barbarians? Not blocking gates and terrorizing scholars like now."
I scrutinized Park Mun-su's face. Had he gone senile with the king?
But his expression and tone were the same cynical old curmudgeon.
He mocked the king's third chaos theory while advising against openly defying the king's surface commands.
So I gave Park Mun-su our prepared justification.
"No anomalies yet from Pyeongan Governor's reports or beacon fires. Frontier unrest is rebels' eternal ploy to sway the masses.
Gu Seonbok revealed treasonous heart, his brother Guard Captain Gu Seonhaeng complicit. All clear. They spread rumors to force the throne's heir decision, then seized the royal litter for their ends."
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why? Gu Seonbok has cause, fine—but Gu Seonhaeng? What lack drives a martialist into factional rights disputes?"
What nonsense? Paper traitor makes brother auto-traitor. My lord, from 21st-century barbarian lands?
"You're blood foes with Hong Inhan, so he'll say it first: he had no need. Unlike you, he basks in royal favor. Could take your head without this."
I'd just decided: anyone spouting such convoluted denial without deep thought was the traitor. Beat them bound, and confession soon follows.
But not Park Mun-su.
Sure, his character might delight some inwardly at a thrashing, but outwardly he commands many yangban's respect. Awkward for us rallying public will via revolution.
I eyed Park Mun-su's face again.
Then noticed him scrutinizing me.
Oh ho. Lord Yeongseong-gun. Seeking to become my master now?
I revealed the evidence prepped for our side.
"The Queen Dowager's deathbed words permitted abdication. The throne's early regency and six abdication mentions were clear; she endorsed. Traitors panicked—couldn't manipulate the throne freely then."
This implied Yeongjo was already 'freely' puppeted by traitors, lacking kingly vigor.
I could say such heresy because the Dowager vouched for the king's senility.
And Park Mun-su seemed to agree.
"To refute such schemes, find the Dowager's certain secret edict."
My heart raced.
Park Mun-su came to impart vital info. His earlier words tested my worth.
Perhaps she'd entrusted a secret decree to this elder minister.
Good I hadn't forged documents. Hidden in his belt like Emperor Xian?
"Why stare at my gut like that?"
"Ah, haha. Your belt looks splendid..."
"Read books, please. Not just Romance of the Three Kingdoms daily. That's why even Hong Inhan calls you illiterate. Who can the prince trust then?"
What, punk? Show my Hong badge? You pass exams? Board 16th, talking scholarship?
Before losing reason and ordering his arrest, I caught a key fact.
Park Mun-su had just acknowledged me as the prince's proxy.
Not son-in-law Hong Bonghan or military chief Kim Seong-eung.
I spoke deferentially.
"I'll deeply reflect. What lesson does Lord Yeongseong-gun offer?"
"The Dowager saw all. Heard your Yanxing deeds too. Speaking Manchu before the Jurchen Emperor? From poor Spring and Autumn Annals reading—focus on study henceforth."
Seemed like a hint, but rage clouded thought.
As I pondered jailing him for treasonous vibes then interrogating, Park Mun-su shook his sleeves and left.
Calming down, it was clearly Qing-related code.
But Dowager and Qing—what link? Qing's heir methods differ sharply from Joseon's...
Ah.
Without a word to anyone, I grabbed Eoji and Jangbok and raced to Changdeok Palace's Yeongmo Hall, the Dowager's chambers. I barked at the flustered palace women.
"By Crown Prince's order! Rebels might lurk—need to check the roof!"
They parted without verifying with the prince, Eoji guarding the entrance, Jangbok scaling behind the plaque.
Soon, I smirked triumphantly.
Behind Yeongmo Hall's small plaque, a box held a silk-wrapped secret decree.
This throne always hinged on 'boxes' in so many ways.
Like Qing's famed heart-pounding emperor gacha—secret heir designation behind Zhengdian Guangming plaque in Qianqing Palace. Emperor dies, open box: that's crown prince, instant emperor. Verified against other secret edicts to prevent forgery.
Well received, Lord Yeongseong-gun.
I'll save your Noron faction too.
Author's Note
1. Naked warriors are infamous for impact, but likely Gallic tribe/unit, not Germanic—and even their existence is dubious.
2. Park Mun-su placed 16th in military classics (41 candidates, 26th overall?) in King Gyeongjong's era. Passed at 33—solid average.
3. Secret heir placement began with Shunzhi Emperor. Box behind plaque in Qianqing Palace's Zhengdian Guangming; open post-death. Drawer becomes crown prince/emperor immediately. Cross-checked with other secret edicts against forgery.