Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 638 First to Obey Heaven's Will
Ju Hong's question stunned everyone present, and the small tea room fell silent for the third time that day.

In fact, even when he was reading the proclamation alone, Li Gui had already noticed that it didn't mention who would inherit the throne. Li Gui had even briefly considered the possible candidates for the new king. Then, Li Gui stopped thinking about it further.

For Joseon, which had experienced the Japanese invasion and subsequent restoration, its suzerain state, the Ming Dynasty, possessed virtually limitless political authority, along with irresistible military power. Now, the emperor could send troops to punish the king, depose him, and appoint whomever he pleased. Once the emperor had chosen a new king, vassal states like Joseon had no choice but to comply. Li Gui couldn't think of a solution, so he simply buried his head in the ground, pretending not to see it.

"Alas!" After a long silence, Li Gui let out a long sigh. "Gentlemen, who do you think this Protector Yuan will appoint as the new king after he enters Hanyang?"

"Perhaps it hasn't been decided yet? So it's left blank." Shen Jingyu really didn't notice that the proclamation didn't specify the candidate for the new king. His instinctive reaction after reading the proclamation was relief and satisfaction. Since the emperor had already sent troops to punish them, they no longer needed to do the job of "restoring order," which could cost them their heads at any time.

“Impossible,” Cui Mingji replied. “All the current signs indicate that the new emperor of the Celestial Empire is definitely not the cowardly, lustful, and incompetent ruler described in rumors. How could such an emperor, when considering the important matter of deposing and installing emperors, only think about deposing them and not about installing them?”

"Then why wasn't it written in the manifesto?" Shin Kyung-yu countered.

“Perhaps they think it’s only natural.” Cui Mingji looked at Gu Hong and Han Junqian, then at Li Gui, his expression surprisingly complicated.

"What do you mean by 'it's only right'?!" Gu Hong lowered his voice, but his tone was still intense.

“The king may be immoral, but the state is innocent.” Cui Mingji raised his head and glanced at the gold chain first. “Shu Zheng said earlier that Queen Dowager Zhenyi was the rightful successor consort appointed by the late emperor. Then isn’t the current Crown Prince also the rightful Crown Prince?”

"Hiss!" Gu Hong and Han Junqian both gasped at the same time.

"Does Ziqian mean that the emperor will install Yi Chu after deposing the rebellious King Gwanghae?" Han Junqian's voice trembled.

Cui Mingji didn't reply, but looked at Li Gui: "Master Mozhai must have thought of this long ago, right?"

Li Gui leaned gently against the armrest, supporting his head with his entire palm. "The one who wavers between the Celestial Empire and the traitors is the rebellious King Gwanghae, not the Crown Prince. And Kang Hong-rip and Kim Gyeong-seo weren't chosen by the Crown Prince to be the Grand Marshal and Deputy Grand Marshal."

“It can be either!” Ju Hong interrupted Li Gui, his eyes wide.

"what do you mean?"

"Of course, we'll try to pin the matter of Jiang and Jin on Li Chu!"

"This is a frame-up!" Li Gui was surprised that Ju Hong would say such a thing in public.

"What do you mean by framing someone? Even if we succeed, we won't say anything good about that deposed prince!" Gu Hong looked at Han Junqian, clearly seeking support, but Han Junqian just shook his head noncommittally.

"Times have changed, and the idea of ​​raising an army to rebel is no longer possible," Li Gui sighed again.

“The path of raising an army to rebel is not feasible, so this method must be used!” Ju Hong said excitedly.

“It’s impossible,” Cui Mingji interjected. “Once that guardian enters the capital, he will inevitably interrogate Jiang and Jin to confirm the king’s crime of treason. Once they are in court, those fabricated rumors and false evidence will crumble on their own.”

"Then kill them! No, we don't need to lift a finger. Just let the rebel King Guanghai kill them to silence them!" Gu Hong said to the crowd with a ferocious expression. "Yu Ru, everyone! Let's not interfere in the affairs of the Righteousness Bureau. Let the rebel king kill them to silence them!"

"Renfu, you've gone a bit mad," Li Gui said, shaking his head. "We can discuss the throne later; let's focus on that now."

"What do you mean by 'considering things over'?" Ju Hong, his blood boiling, began to speak recklessly: "Yu Ru, have you forgotten your vow and are you thinking of switching sides?"

"Alright! Let's talk this out, no need to shout." Han Junqian tugged at Gu Hong's sleeve and forcefully intervened: "With everything unclear right now, taking our time to plan might be the best course of action!"

“Where is there any chance for us to continue our lineage?” Gu Hong clenched his fists. “If the emperor really makes Yi Cho the king, then Prince Lingyang will have no chance of inheriting the throne.”

The emperor's swift and decisive deposition of the king was undoubtedly a good thing for the vast majority of people who lived in constant fear and even suffered annihilation in the bloody clan struggles. However, for relatives like Han Jun-gyeom and Gu Hong, who wanted to advance further and seize the credit for their role in the coup, it was not necessarily a good thing. Even if the guardianship ended one day and the Ming army left Korea, it would be difficult for those who intended to launch a coup to forcibly usurp the throne while bearing the label of "acting against Heaven."

"Don't be in such a hurry." Han Junqian pushed Gu Hong back into his seat, but remained standing facing the crowd. "Didn't I just say? We can also start with the Queen Dowager! The rebel king killed his brothers, imprisoned his stepmother, was unfilial and disrespectful, and his ascension to the throne was illegitimate. If we use this as a pretext, we might be able to strip the entire line of the rebel king of Gwanghae of their right to the throne!"

"That's right! We've killed two birds with one stone!" Gu Hong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stood up again. "We shouldn't go after Li Erzhan. Let that rebel king kill Jiang and Jin. Then we'll welcome the Queen Dowager and ask her to take charge. As long as we can get the Queen Dowager's support before the guardian envoy arrives in Hanyang, the Jeongseok movement will have a great chance of success. You are all loyal ministers who have followed the emperor!"

“The idea of ​​welcoming the Queen Dowager is certainly good, but there must be priorities. We can deal with the Queen Dowager issue later!” Lee Gwi frowned, looking up at Han and Gu, who were standing in a row. “As I just said, with our current strength, even if we gather all our forces together, it’s impossible to break through the blockade and enter Gyeongun Palace. For now, we should focus on gaining the favor of that Supervisor Yuan. If we can’t get his support, it will be meaningless even if we can persuade the Queen Dowager to support Prince Lingyang!”

"Why worry about being weak!" Ju Hong was still excited: "After that proclamation spread throughout Hanyang, it will inevitably cause widespread unrest. As long as we take advantage of the instability of the people and unite to start an uprising, we will definitely be able to break through that paper-thin defense line!"

"What's the rush? The training supervisor is still in Li Erzhan's hands!" Li Gui was getting impatient, and his tone became increasingly harsh. "If we don't take Li Erzhan under control in time, even if we break through Qingyun Palace's defenses, we'll still be dead! The enemy will be at our gates in the next couple of days. If we die before that, we'll truly become a laughingstock!" Li Gui became more and more agitated as he spoke. "And that so-called framing is pure fantasy, a superfluous addition! Killing two birds with one stone? Do you really think that just because Jiang and Jin are dead, they won't be able to find out the truth?"

Ju Hong's face turned red instantly, and even the darkness of the night could hardly conceal his flushed complexion.

"Lord Han, Lord Ju, Lord Li!" Just as the argument was about to erupt, Cui Mingji raised the candlestick beside him and walked into the middle of the crowd.

"I believe that Li Erzhan must be controlled, otherwise the training supervisor will definitely hinder us. At that time, asking the Queen Dowager to leave the palace will become empty talk." Cui Mingji first affirmed Li Gui's statement, and then said to Han and Gu, "Moreover, I also believe that for Prince Lingyang, the most important thing at present is not to welcome the Queen Dowager out of the palace, but to go to the suburbs to welcome that Supervisor Yuan. In this way, Prince Lingyang can stay away from the inevitably chaotic capital and show his face in front of the Supervisor as soon as possible, thus occupying the righteous position of 'obeying the will of Heaven'!"

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The next morning, all the gates of Hanyang opened on time. A donkey cart that looked somewhat decorated but not particularly luxurious slowly approached Dunyi Gate, the southwest exit of Hanyang.

"Stop." Several guards yawned as they walked to the donkey cart and gently knocked on the frame. "Who's inside?"

"No one's here, empty carriage." The coachman, dressed in hemp clothing and wearing a straw hat, chuckled and turned to lift the curtain. The soldier who had asked the question turned his head and scanned the carriage. "What are you two doing driving an empty carriage out of the city?"

"Of course, it's to pick people up," the driver said with a smile.

"Who to pick up?"

"My young nephew."

"Which family are you from?" the soldier asked casually.

"The Park family of Zhongcheng." The pale-faced young man sitting in the passenger seat raised his head and looked at the soldier.

"There are many people with the surname Park in Zhongcheng. Which Park are you?" The soldier wanted to ask more questions, but was stopped by the leading soldier.

"Why are you spouting so much nonsense?" The leading soldier glared at the junior soldier, then quickly put on a smiling face and bowed to the coachman and the pale-faced young man, saying, "Sorry to have kept you both in vain, please go ahead."

"It's nothing, just routine business." The fair-skinned young man smiled warmly and took out a few Wanli Tongbao coins from his pocket. "Take these and buy some wine."

The soldier in the lead immediately brightened up. "Tang coins" were high-quality copper coins, far more valuable than the copper, iron, or even zinc coins minted in Korea itself. Just these few Wanli Tongbao coins could be exchanged for a large number of Korean Tongbao coins of varying quality or privately minted inferior coins at a money shop.

The soldier in the lead's eyes lit up, but he dared not reach out. Although they had stopped the carriage to ask for a few tolls, the fact that the other party so casually pulled out so much "Tang money" made him uneasy. He had heard more than once about powerful people rewarding others with silver and gifts, then reporting the theft as retaliation. Holding these few "Tang coins" in his hand was truly solid evidence of a crime.

"You think it's not enough?" The pale-faced youth tossed the Wanli Tongbao coin in his hand lightly.

"I wouldn't dare," the leading soldier shook his head repeatedly.

"Then take it." The pale-faced young man flipped his wrist. "Don't keep my young nephew waiting."

"Then, this humble servant will respectfully comply." The leading soldier knelt down, making a gesture of receiving the offering.

"Hehe." The pale-faced youth released his grip, and the Wanli Tongbao coins clattered into the soldier's palm. "Please give my master's regards to General Jin."

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the leading soldier kowtowed again to the "Park family's" donkey cart.

"Let's go." The pale-faced young man patted the coachman on the shoulder.

"Yes." The driver licked his lips and waved the reins.

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"Phew!" As the carriage drove away from the barbican, Gu Hong, disguised as a coachman, also let out a long sigh of relief. "Your Highness, you shouldn't have talked to him so much."

"What's there to be afraid of? They don't even know me." Li Zong shrugged indifferently.

“What if he summons that General Jin?” Ju Hong said.

“That General Jin has never even visited our house. Besides, don’t I still have this?” Li Zong lifted the corner of his robe, revealing a wooden waist tag engraved with the character “Pu”.

“This pageboy's waist tag is, after all, a forgery,” Ju Hong said.

"A mere seventh-rank military officer, having gone through countless layers of connections to get close to Park Seung-jong, how could he possibly know a lowly page like me? Hiss." Lee Jong took a deep breath, then stretched languidly, before slumping down in dejection. "Phew! Uncle, do you really think I still have a chance to sit in that position?"

Gu Hong paused for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "It's definitely possible! Guanghai killed his brothers, imprisoned his stepmother, and was unfilial and disrespectful. His entire lineage should not inherit the throne."

“But Father is neither the eldest son nor the legitimate heir. Uncle Ba is still alive. Even if Uncle Er’s royal line is abolished, the Celestial Dynasty will still make Uncle Ba the new king, right?” A sense of weariness mixed with fear gradually welled up in Li Zong’s heart. Although he had dealt with the soldiers who came to question him with a calm and collected demeanor earlier, he had actually tossed and turned all night and had not been able to sleep at all.

“Your Highness need not worry.” Gu Hong said in a low voice, “I have already thought about this matter. Prince Rencheng is also born out of wedlock, and his age is below that of Prince Dingyuan. In terms of etiquette, we can completely cite the old precedents of the Imperial Ancestral Temple for our argument.”

“But that’s not the same thing at all. The old rule of the imperial dynasty is that the throne passes from brother to brother!” Clearly, Li Zong had also considered this possibility while tossing and turning. “If the second uncle’s royal line is abolished, the imperial dynasty will definitely follow the rule of father to son succession and let the eighth uncle succeed to the throne.”

"Succession by the younger brother upon the death of the elder brother." Ju Hong gasped. Then, a convoluted and cruel idea flashed through his mind. "Then let's go with the flow, first put that rebellious prince on the throne, and then..."

"Uncle! You..." Li Zong was startled.

"That rebellious crown prince has no son. Killing him will allow Your Highness to succeed to the throne through the precedent of brother succeeding brother!" Gu Hong now looked like a hungry wolf ready to devour someone at any moment.

“Oh, have you forgotten? In terms of seniority, I am the elder brother.” Li Zong pointed to himself.

Ju Hong was stunned. "This..."

Li Zong shook his head with a bitter laugh, his voice trembling. "According to the rules of propriety, I have absolutely no chance of succeeding to the throne!"

"Don't worry, Uncle will definitely..." Just as Ju Hong gritted his teeth and was about to say something, a rapid sound of hooves came from the direction of them, and the carriage rushed into Wangjing like the wind.

(End of this chapter)