Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Dungeon of the Hidden Chest (1)
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This winter began with the Crown Prince's measles outbreak.
This wasn't some metaphorical expression about his father committing another atrocity.
The Crown Prince himself, along with the young grandson who had barely survived a brush with death not long ago, the second royal grandson who was just born, and even the Crown Princess—all were struck down by measles at once.
People in this era knew that diseases "spread." They just didn't know why. So, they did implement isolation measures in their own way.
But it was impossible from the start.
Even in modern times, there's all that fuss about cell phones having more germs than toilets. Still, you can't put down your phone if you want to make a living.
The same went here. Servants tending to them or lower-ranking people carrying things in and out had to enter and exit the palace inevitably.
In the end, the Crown Prince fell first, followed by the Crown Princess and their sons.
Measles doesn't have a high mortality rate, and healthy people often recover on their own. But that's easy to say if you're not the one suffering. Among the many epidemics that raged during Yeongjo's reign, this measles outbreak was particularly vicious.
In the worst case, the entire royal bloodline—the three generations from King Hyeonjong, King Sukjong, and their descendants—could be wiped out in one fell swoop.
The royal pharmacy was on constant night watch, and the ministers were in a state of ultra-high alert.
But there's always that one clueless fool.
Seeing Park Mun-su from the Small faction racking up merits daily as head of the quarantine office, Yi Jong-seok—who had returned feeling relieved—ascended to Chief State Councillor. Then, Censor Hong Jun-hae submitted a memorial calling him "the bastard son of a traitor ascending to the Three Dukes."
It was a textbook example of factional strife.
No matter how much a censor, referring to the Chief State Councillor of the nation with the extreme term "traitor's spawn" was tantamount to saying:
"Who cares about the king? I'm only staunchly defending the faction's center."
Yi Jong-seok, in protest—"You courted me even with personal letters, yet you can't even cover for this?"—left the capital.
And Yi Geum, who ended up looking like a boyfriend whose girlfriend heard his backtalk because he couldn't control the court, flew into a rage.
Moreover, the term "eol" (孼, child of a lowly concubine) was problematic too.
Among Joseon's kings, few had legitimate heirs, but Yi Geum had the major weakness of being the son of a dancer.
Even in the heat of factional wars, no one had directly mentioned it. That only made Yi Geum's own inferiority complex fester more darkly.
In his enraged eyes, it even looked like they were mocking him as a lowly eol.
In modern times, the worst you'd get for cursing parents is a game account ban. In Joseon, it was a grave offense punishable by death without guilt. Especially if the target was the king.
But Hong Jun-hae's context wasn't that intent, and the rebuttal was too obvious. Plus, pride made it hard to address directly.
So Yi Geum resorted to his usual protest.
All medicinal soups offered to the king were refused.
To avoid the ministers treating it like the boy who cried wolf, Yi Geum kept signaling that he took this very seriously.
Though nominal, the unprecedented order came: "Dismiss all quarantine officials"—shutting down the court entirely.
And his following words were anything but ordinary.
"With the king bedridden ill, how dare they strut so arrogantly (Hong Jun-hae, showing factional loyalty even in exile, was indeed arrogant), their intentions known even to passersby on the road!"
"Even passersby know (their traitorous intent)."
It was what the Wei emperor's grandmother said about the powerful minister Sima Zhao just before being stabbed to death with a spear.
Of course, Yeongjo wasn't the fool who, like her as emperor, grabbed a spear alone to slay the minister and got himself killed.
Unlike original history, the king had money and an army gifted by Kim Unhaeng.
The advance payments to the Pacification Corps and the Dragon Tiger Regiment weren't for show. Dragon Tiger Regiment Commander Hong Gye-hui, unable to trust even the Royal Guard Command, brought the entire outer regiment to garrison the capital at the king's summons.
The capital's warm atmosphere plummeted to match the season in an instant.
The Liberation Squadron was scheduled to set sail under Park Mun-su's orders as head of the quarantine office, so I had paused my enjoyable moneymaking and was in Seoul.
With my bureaucratic experience now decent, I sensed a different side to this incident.
Normally, refusing medicinal soups is a protest holding the king's own body hostage. It's a strategy to frame "disloyal ministers making the king's body suffer."
But combined with the Crown Prince barely recovering from measles, it twisted in another direction.
If the king refuses medicine, the Crown Prince can't dare take it—that would be unfilial. The Crown Prince was rejecting all soups and tonics sent to him (wanting to live).
In other words, Yeongjo was now holding the Crown Prince hostage, not himself.
He figures he won't die from skipping a bit of medicine. At that age, still healthy without major illness, it's natural to feel immortal.
But the Crown Prince, unlike his father, felt the terror of a mortal.
One day, after finishing work and returning home, Se-hwa pulled another letter from the hidden chest. I told her not to, but she seemed to enjoy my reactions.
But Se-hwa's expression was quite stiff.
"A message from His Highness the Crown Prince."
With only Se-hwa watching, I openly scowled.
I didn't want whatever message from the Crown Prince.
The court now had even the Six Ministers and Three Councillors one misstep from a delightful cruise to exile islands.
My choice here was absolute stillness.
Even essential goals were tough now. I'm in a position where getting impeached isn't an option. I'm not a censor.
If the king was in a good mood, he'd overlook impeaching a War Ministry junior, but now even censors get exiled for opening their mouths.
But ignoring the letter would be its own doom.
I sighed and tore it open.
And nearly choked.
"Can you procure more Chinese medicine?"
"Th-that medicine Yeon-i offered before that cured the young grandson. With the pharmacy's drugs unusable for the taboo, he's secretly seeking a miracle cure elsewhere."
Ah, that medicine?
What to do. I don't have any more.
I tried my hardest to look grave.
"But importing foreign substances—how easy is that?"
Se-hwa's face screamed, "What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you boldly set out before and capture that Chinese—no, Japanese pirate ship? Surely you know someone from those sea routes? Sailors could go to China and back quickly."
Sadly, why does Se-hwa assume I'd naturally siphoned off a couple for smuggling routes to foreign countries? Are we filming a crime movie?
"...Those were all pirate scum executed by law, so I learned nothing special."
Even if I did, I wouldn't risk it for the Crown Prince. I'd rather reply, "I checked history—you won't die from measles."
Se-hwa eyed me, then quietly said,
"Yeon-i hinted that His Highness is rejecting all incoming tonics. The Father King shows immense favor, so he can't accept. Just offer medicine, and he'll drop it all."
"We don't lack wealth, do we?"
"It's not about money. When he inherits the throne later, won't this be another token of merit?"
Never had my wife not being modern ached so much.
Anyway, wealth aside, I couldn't flatly refuse. Had to give something.
After huddling and discussing, we decided to pass off Joseon medicine as Chinese.
Measles doesn't care about status, so our house was prepared too.
I packaged the common symptomatic remedy for measles, Shengma Gegen Decoction, decently. Added some fancy-looking extras to sell it as a miracle cure.
No worries about side effects or it not working.
The Crown Prince will be fine. Until the day he enters the hidden chest.
The ones suffering most during the king's medicine refusal protest were, of course, the Royal Pharmacy's Senior and Junior Superintendents. Days and nights rolling on the ground outside, coaxing him to eat.
Appointing ministers ignorant of medicine as overseers had this purpose. The king's tonics were sensitive political issues needing politicians' involvement.
So today too, Senior Superintendent Kim Yak-ro and Junior Superintendent Won Gyeong-ha entered audience, but Yi Geum refused again. Instead, he asked,
"How are the royal grandson, Crown Princess, and second royal grandson (here, the second son, future King Jeongjo Yi San in original history) doing with their measles?"
Pointedly skipping his own son. After Kim Yak-ro gave a rough report, Won Gyeong-ha couldn't hold back.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is just barely improving, but Your Highness's filial piety is so extreme you're refusing tonics entirely. I'm terrified it'll worsen suddenly at the turning point."
Yi Geum didn't even snort at the plea not to ruin his son while clashing with (Noron) ministers.
"Even if I don't love my son, I can't be unfilial to my ancestors. These faction agitators are all traitors betraying my late brother (King Gyeongjong)."
Then he asked,
"Did the Crown Prince really not take medicine? How can he improve without it?"
The ministers, filled with thoughts like "Not pitying his son but accusing him of sneaking medicine—what kind of monster is he?", missed it, but Yi Geum's insight was spot on.
In fact, the Crown Prince had gotten strange medicine via the Crown Princess and improved.
The only one knowing here was her father, Royal Guard Commander Hong Bong-han.
And Hong Bong-han had no intention of telling.
"Illness sometimes doesn't heal with medicine, sometimes does without—hence 'human life hangs by heaven's will.' By Your Highness and our Small faction's utmost virtue, surely the heavens and gods responded to human sincerity with this blessing.
His Highness took no medicine at all, returned every incoming item without exception—not even a dish entered the Eastern Palace. Even underlings received not a hair."
Yi Geum dismissed the ministers with displeasure.
If the Crown Prince were gravely ill, ministers would panic and surrender for the picture. But this unfilial son wouldn't time it right.
Time for the next phase.
Usually, Yi Geum exuded untouchable pressure and solemnity fitting his status, like Kim Unhaeng felt in Jiksan. But sometimes, he was more dynamic than anyone.
Late October, Yi Geum visited Irung (King Gyeongjong's tomb) and began wailing before the spirit tablet.
"They think I came just for rites, but no. This foolish brother came especially to complain to you today."
The "unbearable edict" that began thus grew increasingly extreme.
"How is this world that sows discord between brothers and drowns loyalty and filial piety in mud? Even with me bedridden, they're busy slandering each other, with no respect for the sovereign. Surely they acted the same when you were critically ill!"
The "bastards" listening behind grew unable to endure. Finally, Won Gyeong-ha stepped forward and "shouted."
"The offerings are all laid out—why not perform the rites? What kind of favor is this?"
"How dare you raise your voice before the tomb! Tombs aren't for such clamor!"
With the king discarding face thus, ministers matched it. Won Gyeong-ha retorted with the vibe of "Can't curse me as your subject."
"Indeed, this isn't a place for such conduct, Your Highness!"
Yi Geum turned back to wail. Thumping the ground, thrashing—not at all like an old man.
"Aigoo, aigoo. Brother! See? They don't see me as king anymore! Let go! I won't rise till this shameful label (inept ruler) is washed away!"
The last of the unvanquished Quarantine Four Heavenly Kings, Treasury Minister Jo Yeong-guk of the Small faction, poured oil on the fire.
"The agitators' heads should all roll!"
Then Deputy Prime Minister Yi Cheon-bo mediated.
"This all stems from censors impeaching the Chief Councillor and defending Hong Jun-hae with nonstop memorials. Just censor petitions, and it's done. As a minister, I'll enforce it steadfastly."
These weren't light words.
Even ministers couldn't control the Three Offices' speech. Not even the king could, naturally.
Whether Yi Cheon-bo blurted in haste or not, it benefited Yi Geum.
If enforced, no more noisy memorials. If not, blame Yi Cheon-bo and silence Noron.
So Yi Geum dusted off and stood.
"You just cleared my grievance."
The ministers gnashed teeth at the shameless drift. Knowing yet falling for it—that's the filth of the world.
Soon, unable to bear the scholarly mobbing, Yi Cheon-bo tried weaseling: "I never said I'd control the Three Offices' speech—people misunderstood."
Yi Geum's mood improved further.
He immediately grilled for the "misunderstander."
Yi Cheon-bo naturally couldn't answer. No such person.
Yi Geum, knowing, hounded till resignation.
Plus, proclaiming ten times a night "Confess the rumor-spreaders," then replacing the Royal Guard Judge for no confessions.
Yi Geum wouldn't let seized prey go easily, shown at next court assembly.
Even low officials attend court assemblies.
As War Ministry junior, I went to Myeongjeong Hall as instructed, bowed at my spot.
Just like the old exam. Master of Ceremonies shouts "Kneel and bow," you kneel and prostrate; "Rise," you stand.
But the Master kept silent.
Wondering if he collapsed, I peeked up—just as Yeongjo's voice boomed.
"Despite my repeated edicts, no one confesses—truly lamentable. The Master should wait for a confessor before shouting 'Rise.'"
What?
Then we stay prostrated if none? Who stole lunch money?
Did I study and pass the exam for 90s middle school collective punishment?
Just kneeling and bowed wasn't too bad, but after dozens of minutes, it hurt.
Then one stepped forward.
"If seeking who conspired with ministers, it's this lowly one."
Personnel Minister Jo Jae-ho.
Good, perfect. Confess quick and fly to exile. If I shout now to banish him, does it count core goal complete?
I twisted my ankles for launch prep.
Standing dash vs. seated differs vastly in speed.
Why sprinters crouch. Now, gauge and spring up...
But Yeongjo ignored Jo Jae-ho.
"Minister, who told you?"
"It was so noisy then, I don't know who."
"The one who told the Minister, step forward."
This bastard—can't punish Small faction elites? What now? Ankles at limit.
Luckily, Rites Undersecretary Yun Bong-o and Treasury Undersecretary Jo Tae-eon confessed.
Obvious scapegoats, but hardline Noron, so Yeongjo's eyes turned predator.
"These vile ones I'll interrogate personally."
Ministers couldn't take that.
Not treason, just bad rumor— not needing individual summons; exorcism didn't require that low zeal.
Even Royal Guard Judge Kim Sang-seong resisted fiercely, so Yeongjo retreated. With the clichéd praising courage line.
Ultimately, proved again: no matter how flashy the king's tantrums, united ministers win.
Quarantine law still nascent, no firm results yet (obviously recent); Dragon Tiger Regiment incomplete. Deploying troops to sweep court unthinkable even for Yi Geum.
Leaving assembly, pondering that, a chill hit; I glanced back.
By my count, Yeongjo lost thrice already.
Medicine protest fizzled, Won Gyeong-ha yelled at tomb, now collective punishment failed.
But this dungeon boss Yeongjo wouldn't be so weak.
Surely phase two transformation... next phase.
In the end, I was right.
Yeongjo uttered the famous line.
"Though I'm a sick old man abed, know well the Sword of Taia remains in my hand!"
The Sword of Taia: ancient famed blade symbolizing royal authority. Think Excalibur.
Yeongjo swung Excalibur, exiling Hong Jun-hae to Jeju. Understandable so far.
But next move was pure Yeongjo—striking where unguarded.
Yeongjo promptly discarded the "sword."
Abdication.
Declaring to yield throne to Crown Prince.
Shock was immense.
Precisely, all pretended immense shock. Sixth time—hard to be genuinely surprised. Honestly, just annoying.
But for one person, more than annoyance.
I prayed briefly for the Crown Prince (no religion).
Then packed. To briefly bolt the capital. Even Chief Councillor leaves when miffed; no one cares about me.
But the Crown Prince wouldn't let me.
Author's Note
1. All events this chapter occurred between September and November of Yeongjo's 28th year, but timelines shifted slightly due to Kim Unhaeng's interventions. E.g., Yeongjo's tomb tantrum was late August, not October—he was busy with Pacification Corps and Dragon Tiger Regiment then. Won Gyeong-ha yelling, king asking only about others' conditions skipping Crown Prince, ordering prostration till confession in assembly—all true.
2. Shengma Gegen Decoction was formalized 20 years later in-story by Yi Heon-gil for measles and written in a book. But prescribing it for measles-like fevers was known since King Sejong's era at least. Just poor succession and spread. Kim Unhaeng kept it at home using contemporary knowledge (not future).