Chapter 8

Autumn of 1860, Changdeokgung Palace — Huijeongdang Hall

I followed Queen Dowager Sinjeong, Lady Jo, into Huijeongdang.

Two senior court ladies from Daejojeon walked ahead of us, and inside the audience chamber sat King Cheoljong, the twenty-fifth king of Joseon.

My first impression was that he did not look much like a king.

He had grown up in Ganghwa Island, cutting trees and working the fields. He had been king for more than ten years, yet the eyes I saw belonged to a man who had been prevented from accomplishing anything by the Haedong Kim clan.

His eyes were gentle.

“Your Majesty, is this the child?”

Cheoljong asked Queen Dowager Sinjeong.

“Yes, Your Majesty. He is the eldest son of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung. He is the child I have told you about several times.”

I prostrated myself on the floor.

“I, Yi Jae-myeon, respectfully pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

Cheoljong looked down at me for a moment.

“Raise your head.”

I slowly lifted my head.

I met his eyes while maintaining the exact balance I needed: I could not appear intimidated, but neither could I look threatening.

“How old are you?”

“I am thirteen years old, Your Majesty.”

“I heard that you sold briquettes at Chilpae Market, that you built salt fields along the western coast, and that you even stopped the epidemic.”

“I did not stop it myself. I merely had people boil their water before drinking it.”

Cheoljong laughed.

“Haha!”

“You are quite humble.”

I lowered my head.

Cheoljong was not a bad man.

If anything, he was kind. Before becoming king, he had lived among ordinary people, and because of that, he understood their suffering.

But kindness alone was not enough to rule a kingdom.

The Haedong Kim clan knew that.

That was why they had chosen Cheoljong.

And that was why he ultimately died without ever being able to accomplish what he wanted.

I feel sorry for this man.

But there is nothing I can do about it.

Cheoljong glanced at Queen Dowager Sinjeong for a moment before looking back at me.

“I have heard about you from Her Majesty many times. Now that I see you myself, I understand why.”

I lowered my head.

Cheoljong looked down at his hands resting on his knees, then quietly opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I have no children.”

Cheoljong’s voice became quieter.

“My concubines did bear children, but I lost all of them at an early age. Yet when I look at this child, I find myself feeling differently.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Where is this going?

I kept my head lowered and listened carefully.

“What would you think if I made this child my adopted son?”

Thump!

For an instant, my heart seemed to sink.

The senior court ladies of Daejojeon opened their eyes wide.

Queen Dowager Sinjeong’s mouth opened slightly before she quickly closed it.

I prostrated myself on the floor.

“Your Majesty, I am deeply honored, but I am not worthy of such a position.”

“I decide who is worthy.”

Cheoljong slowly turned his head toward Queen Dowager Sinjeong.

“Your Majesty, what do you think?”

Queen Dowager Sinjeong remained silent for a moment.

Her eyes moved rapidly as she calculated.

If Yi Jae-myeon became Cheoljong’s adopted son—if he became the king’s son—the succession situation would change.

The board the Haedong Kim clan had carefully arranged would be shaken.

“If that is Your Majesty’s wish, how could I possibly oppose it?”

Queen Dowager Sinjeong lowered her head.

I remained prostrated on the floor and closed my eyes.

I hid the pounding of my heart.

Outwardly, I was merely a thirteen-year-old boy too overwhelmed by the king’s grace to know what to do.

But inside, calculations were already racing through my mind.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

No. There is absolutely no reason to refuse.

This is a complete jackpot.

Cheoljong’s adopted son.

A prince.

Three years from now, when Cheoljong died, even if the Haedong Kim clan tried to place Yi Myeong-bok, my younger brother, on the throne, the situation would be completely different if an adopted son of the king already existed.

The battle over legitimacy would be an entirely different one.

---

Autumn of 1860, Hanseong — Reception Hall of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung heard the news that evening.

A court eunuch had come from Changdeokgung carrying a letter conveying His Majesty’s wishes.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung read the letter twice, then remained motionless for a long while.

Scratch, scratch.

He held his brush, but all he did was scrape it against the inkstone.

No words were being written.

He didn’t even notice when I entered.

“Father.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung raised his head.

His eyes were strange.

I saw something in them I had never seen before—perhaps shock, anger, or something else entirely.

“Did you arrange this?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“Then how did this happen? Does it make any sense that His Majesty would suddenly declare that he intends to adopt you?”

“I was surprised too. His Majesty said it himself.”

“Did Her Majesty, the Queen Dowager, arrange this?”

“I don’t know, Father.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung slowly stood up and walked around the room once.

I waited quietly.

After a long while, he stopped and looked at me.

Before, his eyes had shown that he believed he could make use of this child.

But now they were different.

For the first time, he fully acknowledged that this child was moving ahead of his own plans.

“Did you foresee something like this too?”

I did not answer.

Not answering was itself an answer.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung let out a long breath.

“Hoo…”

“What will you do from now on?”

I lowered my head.

“I will stay by your side and learn from you.”

It was a lie.

But that was what Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung needed to hear right now.

---

Autumn of 1860, Hanseong — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence

Gak-sim came in early the next morning.

“Young master, the court is in an uproar.”

I closed my book.

“Sit down and tell me.”

“Word that His Majesty intends to adopt you spread throughout the court before even a day had passed. They say the ministers aligned with the Haedong Kim clan began gathering last night. Apparently, the lights in Minister Kim Ja-geun’s reception hall remained on all night.”

It was exactly what I expected.

The moment Cheoljong declared his intention to adopt me, the Haedong Kim clan had no choice but to move.

They had placed a prince from Ganghwa Island on the throne because they wanted to control the succession.

But now Cheoljong himself had decided to create a royal heir.

From the Haedong Kim clan’s perspective, the entire board had been overturned.

“What about the Punghyeon Jo clan?”

“I heard that a senior court lady from Daejojeon, on Her Majesty’s side, has been moving around busily. The elders of the Punghyeon Jo clan seem to have been contacted as well.”

Queen Dowager Sinjeong would have been preparing since last night.

She had been present when Cheoljong made his declaration, and she had openly expressed her support.

There was no reason for her to back down now.

“Keep finding out what’s happening.”

“Yes, young master.”

Gak-sim withdrew.

Now the real game begins.

---

Gwi-dong came in that afternoon.

“Young master, I found out what is happening on Minister Kim Ja-geun’s side.”

“Tell me.”

“They say three senior ministers gathered at Minister Kim Ja-geun’s residence last night. The lights remained on all night, and early this morning they headed toward the audience chamber.”

“Do you know what they discussed?”

“They apparently said it violated the clan laws governing succession. They said it was impossible to take Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s son as His Majesty’s adopted son, and that they would settle the matter in the audience chamber tomorrow.”

It was the move I expected.

The laws governing the royal clan, generational rank, and degrees of kinship were the most plausible justifications the Haedong Kim clan could use.

“What about Queen Dowager Sinjeong?”

“Two elders from the Punghyeon Jo clan visited Daejojeon. They stayed for quite a long time.”

The board would be arranged before tonight was over.

“Well done. Tomorrow, find out everything about the result in the audience chamber.”

“Yes, young master.”

Gwi-dong withdrew.

---

The following evening, Gwi-dong came rushing in, gasping for breath.

“Young master, the matter was settled in the audience chamber.”

I put down my book.

“Sit down and tell me.”

Thud!

Gwi-dong sat down.

“The ministers aligned with the Haedong Kim clan opposed it, invoking the laws governing the royal succession. They said Your Majesty and you were of incompatible generational ranks.”

I smiled inwardly.

Well played, Cheoljong.

“What did the ministers say?”

“They couldn’t say anything. Then Queen Dowager Sinjeong herself entered the audience chamber. She asked whether they were trying to teach her about the laws of succession. She said that determining the king’s heir was the king’s own authority. After that, no one could say another word.”

“What was the result?”

“His Majesty said he would proceed according to his wishes. And…”

Gwi-dong paused.

“You have been granted the title of Waneun-gun, Young Master.”

The room fell silent.

I closed my eyes.

Waneun-gun.

Outwardly, I was still a thirteen-year-old boy who appeared overwhelmed with gratitude.

But inwardly, I was already calculating my next move.

The Haedong Kim clan had lost once today.

But it wasn’t over.

Kim Ja-geun, leader of the Haedong Kim clan, was not a man who simply backed down.

He will definitely come to settle today’s loss.

---

Autumn of 1860, Hanseong — Outbuilding of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence

Gang-soe came in that evening, the same day my new title had been announced.

“His Highness Waneun-gun, I secured two additional plots of land adjoining the two plots at Gahak-ri. It cost twenty-five nyang from the money we earned selling briquettes.”

I unfolded the documents.

They were two pieces of land adjoining the three main plots on the Gahak-ri hillside.

We had expanded the area where lignite deposits might be found.

“Good work. How much money do we have left?”

“After deducting the residence’s operating expenses from the first profits of the solar salt fields, we have about forty nyang. Including the briquette profits, a little over sixty nyang.”

Sixty nyang.

That was enough money for a middle-class family in Joseon to live on for two years.

It wasn’t a small amount for a thirteen-year-old to be managing.

But compared with the scale of the game I had in mind, it was still insufficient.

“Gang-soe.”

“Yes, His Highness Waneun-gun.”

“Do you know Unsan County in North Pyongan Province?”

Gang-soe thought for a moment.

“I’ve heard of it. I believe it’s a mountainous area upstream along the Chongchon River.”

“There are signs that there is gold in the hills around that area.”

Gang-soe narrowed his eyes.

“Signs? Or is it a fact?”

“Signs. But they’re not signs we can afford to ignore. If the government changes, there is a possibility that the ban on mining will be lifted. We need to buy the land before that happens.”

The Unsan gold mine.

Right now, the hills in this region were regarded as worthless rocky mountains.

No one wanted them because they couldn’t be farmed.

No one in Joseon knew that gold veins ran beneath these remote mountains.

Foreigners would eventually recognize the value of this land.

I had to secure it before they did.

“There is only one thing you need to do right now. Buy up the hills around Unsan County as cheaply as possible. They’re remote mountains where farming isn’t possible, so no one wants them. Buy them in your name.”

Gang-soe remained silent for a moment before nodding.

“How much should I buy?”

“Spend every penny we have. Don’t hesitate over even a single nyang.”

“When should I leave?”

“Within three days. Take Mak-soe with you. Make absolutely certain you bring back the purchase documents.”

Gang-soe was about to leave when he stopped.

There was something else he wanted to say.

“His Highness Waneun-gun.”

“Go ahead.”

“Should I purchase this land in my name as well?”

I looked at Gang-soe.

He had noticed that every piece of land we had bought had been registered under his name.

“Yes.”

“Can’t we register it under Your Highness’s name?”

“Not yet. When the time comes, I’ll take it back.”

Gang-soe asked no further questions.

I looked at him for a moment before continuing.

“There is one more thing.”

Gang-soe narrowed his eyes slightly.

“I know. There are gangs around Chilpae and Ihyeon. They extort protection money from the marketplace merchants.”

“Take all of them under your control.”

“How?”

“You figure it out. I don’t know how you do it.”

Gang-soe stared at me for a moment before nodding.

“Yes, His Highness Waneun-gun.”

“And become friendly with the hunters. You can approach them under the pretext of trading tiger skins. There should be some useful men among the hunters.”

“Why do you want to associate with hunters?”

“You’ll find out later. For now, simply become acquainted with them.”

Gang-soe nodded.

Just as he was about to turn around, I lowered my voice.

“One last thing.”

Gang-soe turned back.

“Find a trade route for obtaining opium from Qing and selling it at the Japanese port closest to Joseon. Don’t do it yourself. Find someone who can handle it. We’re only preparing the groundwork for now.”

Gang-soe’s eyes changed.

This was on an entirely different level from buying land or selling briquettes.

“That would be smuggling.”

“I know.”

“If we are caught…”

“Then don’t get caught. Just prepare the route. I’m not telling you to act immediately.”

Gang-soe remained silent for a while before giving a short reply.

“Yes, His Highness Waneun-gun.”

Gang-soe withdrew.

I sat down and organized my thoughts.

Qing China was currently collapsing under the Opium Wars.

Britain had sold opium to Qing China and drained silver from the country.

The Chinese people had become addicted to opium.

And the result was the war unfolding before everyone’s eyes.

What would happen if the same weapon were turned against Japan?

It’s too early to talk about that.

But the preparations begin now.