Chapter 10

Winter of 1860, at the Foot of Mount Inwang, Hanseong

It was nearing sunset when Gang-soe, one of the servants of the residence, entered the hunter’s village at the foot of Mount Inwang.

In Mak-soe’s hands was a large jug of liquor.

Three or four hunters were sitting beneath the eaves of a low stone wall. The moment they saw Gang-soe, their eyes filled with suspicion.

“What do you want?”

Gang-soe stopped and spoke.

“I heard there’s someone looking to buy tiger skins. A cloth merchant in the Hanseong area.”

The hunters exchanged glances.

“We don’t sell skins.”

Gang-soe took the jug of liquor from Mak-soe and set it down beneath the eaves.

“Then this is simply a gift.”

One of the hunters looked at the jug.

Gang-soe turned as if to leave.

“Wait.”

The oldest hunter among them spoke. He had a bushy white beard and sharp eyes.

The white-bearded hunter looked Gang-soe up and down.

“What brings you here from Hanseong?”

“I’m looking for tiger skins. I’ll pay a proper price.”

“Tiger skins have to be offered to the government. They aren’t something we can sell just like that.”

“I’ll take care of that part myself.”

The white-bearded hunter studied Gang-soe from head to toe.

The hunters were men who dealt with wild beasts, so they were quick at reading a person’s physique. The white-bearded hunter’s eyes paused for a moment.

“You’re no ordinary strong man.”

“I’m just a little bigger than most.”

The white-bearded hunter gave a faint chuckle.

“Sit down. Have a drink before you go.”

Gang-soe sat beneath the eaves.

The liquor went around, but the hunters were naturally men of few words, and Gang-soe was quiet as well.

Only after two rounds of drinking did the white-bearded hunter speak.

“What’s your surname?”

“Gang.”

“Are you from Hanseong?”

“Yes.”

“Who do you belong to?”

Gang-soe thought for a moment.

“I serve at the residence of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung.”

The white-bearded hunter’s eyes narrowed.

“Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s residence?”

“Yes.”

The hunters exchanged glances.

News of the proclamation of Waneun-gun’s title had spread into every corner of Hanseong, and even the hunters had heard at the market that Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s eldest son had become His Majesty’s adopted son.

The white-bearded hunter slowly nodded.

“Come again sometime.”

It was neither a refusal nor an acceptance, but Gang-soe understood that it was enough.

“Yes. I’ll come again.”

Gang-soe rose.

“I’ll bring the skins myself. I’ll pay more generously than the market price.”

The white-bearded hunter nodded.

Gang-soe left the village.

Mak-soe followed him and asked quietly,

“Will it work, older brother?”

“It will.”

---

That Same Night, Near Uiju Road in Hanseong

The place Gwi-dong visited was a small tiled-roof house near Uiju Road.

The owner was Oh Cheon-seok, a jungin who had once worked as an interpreter. He had learned the trade when he was young but eventually quit and now worked as a broker dealing in various goods.

There were rumors that he also handled goods that did not pass through official trade channels.

Mak-soe brought Gwi-dong there and waited at the entrance of the alley.

Gwi-dong knocked on the gate and took a small note from inside his clothes.

It had been written beforehand by Gak-sim, and the name of someone Oh Cheon-seok knew was written on it.

“Who is it?”

“I’ve come on an errand. I have something to ask you about trade routes for goods coming from Qing China.”

Silence followed for a moment.

Gwi-dong slipped the note through the crack in the gate.

After a short while, the gate opened.

Oh Cheon-seok looked down at Gwi-dong.

When he saw the eight-year-old child standing before him, a look of disbelief briefly crossed his face.

“What does a child want to ask me about?”

“I’m here on an errand. An adult sent me.”

Oh Cheon-seok held the note in his hand and thought for a moment before telling him to come inside.

Inside the room, Gwi-dong asked,

“Do you know of a trade route for goods traveling from Qing China through Joseon and on to Japan?”

“What kind of goods?”

“I’ll tell you what kind later. I’m asking first whether such a route exists.”

Oh Cheon-seok stared at Gwi-dong for a long while.

“Where did you come from?”

“I’ll tell you that later too.”

Oh Cheon-seok gave a faint chuckle.

“There are routes. You can trade with merchants from Qing in Uiju, and on the Japanese side, you can go through the Waegwan in Busan. If it isn’t an official route, then through Tsushima.”

Gwi-dong nodded.

“May I know where you live?”

“What are you going to do with that information?”

“I’ll pass it on to the adult who sent me.”

Oh Cheon-seok thought for another moment.

“My name is Oh Cheon-seok. I live here.”

Gwi-dong stood.

“Thank you. I may come back again.”

“Next time, can’t the adult come himself?”

“When the time comes for him to come, he will.”

Oh Cheon-seok chuckled and opened the gate for him.

Gwi-dong stepped out and headed toward the mouth of the alley.

Mak-soe emerged from the darkness.

“Did you get what we needed?”

“Yes.”

---

Winter of 1860, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence in Hanseong

Gwi-dong delivered his report.

“He’s a jungin named Oh Cheon-seok, formerly an interpreter. He lives near Uiju Road. He has experience with unofficial trade involving Qing. As for the Japanese route, he says it runs through the Busan Waegwan or Tsushima.”

I nodded.

“Good work. Don’t touch that man. Knowing his name and where he lives is enough.”

“Yes, Your Highness Waneun-gun.”

Gwi-dong did not leave.

“Why?”

“Your Highness, he asked me where I belonged.”

“Did you tell him?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“But Your Highness, won’t he find out later? That I’m connected to the residence?”

“He will.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to tell him in advance?”

I looked at Gwi-dong.

“If we tell him in advance, he’ll try to use us. If he finds out later, we can use him instead. Which is better?”

Gwi-dong thought for a moment.

“It would be better for him to find out later.”

“Exactly.”

Gwi-dong nodded and withdrew.

Several days later, Gak-sim came in.

“Your Highness Waneun-gun, I’ve looked into it.”

“Tell me.”

“If you go about twenty ri west of Sungnyemun, there is a small tiled-roof house that has fallen into disrepair. Its owner died without leaving any descendants, and it has been vacant for more than three years. The courtyard is spacious, and the walls are high, so it’s difficult to see inside from outside. There are few people nearby, so it doesn’t attract much attention.”

“Does the local office know about it?”

“It’s listed in the government records, but no one is assigned to manage it. There is no owner to pay the taxes, so it has simply been left abandoned.”

“Can we purchase it?”

“They say it can be arranged if we pay the overdue taxes in the owner’s place. Twenty-five nyang should be enough.”

It was an amount that could easily be covered with the money I had left.

“Do it. But don’t put it in the residence’s name. Put it in yours, Gak-sim.”

Gak-sim’s eyes widened.

“In my name?”

“Yes. And find out whether there are any orphans around that house. Children who sleep alone on the streets.”

“Your Highness, are you really going to bring those children to that house?”

“Yes. But for now, just find out about them. We’ll bring them in after the house has been prepared.”

Gak-sim nodded and withdrew.

I stared at the lamplight and reviewed everything I had done so far.

I had only just shared the first drink with the hunters.

The opium trade route had been identified by name, but I had not touched it yet.

And the house that would serve as a residence for assassins had now been secured.

There were still three years.

Three years until King Cheoljong’s death.

Within those three years, the seeds I had planted had to take root.

I’m thirteen years old. But there’s no time to rest.

---

Spring of 1861, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence in Hanseong

Gwi-dong came in just after the morning greetings had ended.

“Your Highness Waneun-gun, I have something to report.”

“All right. Sit down.”

Gwi-dong sat.

“It’s about the Han River ferries.”

I raised my head.

“Tell me.”

“The Han River ferries are all separate right now. Gwangnaru, Sambatnaru, Maponaru, Nodeulnaru. Each ferry has different powers and different people in charge. Some collect ferry fees, some help unload cargo, and some extort merchants for protection money.”

“So what do you propose?”

“Whoever controls the Han River ferries can see all the people and goods moving in and out of Hanseong. Which merchant came from where, what goods are coming in, when officials from the local offices are moving around. You can see more at the ferries than you can at the markets.”

I looked at Gwi-dong.

He had figured this out on his own.

Gwi-dong continued.

“Gang-soe has already brought the market toughs under his control. We can send those men to the ferries. Some places can be taken without a fight, while others will require force, but Gang-soe will be more than enough.”

He was right.

The markets provided information from within Hanseong, while the ferries provided information coming in from outside.

Merchants coming up from the provinces, officials carrying government documents, rumors coming in from distant places—all of them passed through the ferries.

If we controlled both the markets and the ferries, we could see all of Hanseong.

“All right. Tell Gang-soe. Take control of all four ferries.”

“Yes, Your Highness Waneun-gun.”

Gwi-dong was about to stand when he stopped.

“There’s one more thing.”

“Tell me.”

“The bobusang.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Gwi-dong continued.

“You should build a relationship with the leader of the bobusang. These merchants travel throughout every corner of Joseon. If they become our people, information from outside Hanseong will all flow in. If the ferries are the gateway into Hanseong, the bobusang are the gateway to all eight provinces of Joseon.”

Gwi-dong’s eyes gleamed.

“And the bobusang move goods as well. When we eventually have goods that need to be moved, it will be difficult without these people.”

The ferries, and now the bobusang.

This child was beginning to see the entire board.

“Who is the leader of the bobusang?”

“His name is said to be Park Man-deuk. He leads a bobusang group in Gyeonggi Province. He’s around forty years old, and they say he has a cautious disposition.”

“Where can I meet him?”

“There’s a tavern near Maponaru where the bobusang often stay. They say he visits there frequently.”

“Do I have to go myself?”

“Yes, Your Highness. He isn’t someone who can be dealt with by sending a messenger. You need to meet him personally.”

For Waneun-gun, a member of the royal family, to visit a tavern at Maponaru would be strange.

If I were discovered, it could cause trouble.

“Can we move discreetly?”

“We can ask Gak-sim. She’s good at changing appearances.”

I nodded.

“Then arrange it.”

“Yes, Your Highness Waneun-gun.”

Gwi-dong withdrew.

---

Spring of 1861, Maponaru, Hanseong

Porters had been coming and going at the ferry crossing since early morning.

The sounds of boats arriving and departing mixed with merchants haggling over prices, leaving Maponaru in constant commotion throughout the day.

Gang-soe appeared around midday.

Following behind him were Choe the Pockmarked and Hong, each accompanied by three of their men.

Jeong, the Hunchback, the man who controlled Maponaru, saw Gang-soe.

He had never seen Gang-soe before, but the moment he recognized Choe the Pockmarked and Hong behind him, his expression changed.

He knew who those two men were.

“What’s going on?”

Gang-soe stood before Jeong the Hunchback.

“From now on, I’m in charge of Maponaru.”

Jeong the Hunchback’s face reddened.

“What? Do you even know what kind of place this ferry is?”

“I’ve known it for ten years.”

Gang-soe cut him off.

“So I’ll ask you. Are you going to follow me?”

Jeong the Hunchback looked back at his men.

They picked up their clubs.

Gang-soe did not move.

The biggest of Jeong the Hunchback’s men stepped forward.

Thud!

One blow.

The big man collapsed onto the ferry landing.

That was all it took for Gang-soe to raise a hand.

The remaining men froze.

Gang-soe looked at Jeong the Hunchback.

“Are you going to follow me?”

Jeong the Hunchback slowly lowered his head.

“I’ll follow you.”

Choe the Pockmarked took charge of Gwangnaru.

Hong took charge of Sambatnaru.

Gang-soe went personally to Nodeulnaru, which had a considerable amount of power behind it.

The man who controlled the ferry drew a sword.

Gang-soe grabbed his wrist and twisted.

Crack!

The sword fell to the ground.

And that was the end of it.

“Are you going to follow me?”

The ferry boss dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

Before sunset, all four Han River ferry crossings had fallen into Gang-soe’s hands.

Gang-soe placed one man at each ferry.

Their task was simple: watch the people coming and going, watch the goods being brought in, and if anything suspicious appeared, report it to Gwi-dong.