Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 642 Hysteria
The sedan chair carrying Li Erzhan, who was also the judge of the Ministry of Rites, the judge of the Ministry of Justice, and the chief supervisor of training, stopped in front of Dunhua Gate.

"Lower the sedan chair!" the lead sedan chair bearer shouted, and then he and the other three sedan chair bearers slowly bent their knees, preparing to lower the sedan chair to the ground.

"No need to get down, no need to get down, just go straight into the palace gate!" A slightly shrill voice came from the side, but it did not interrupt the sedan chair bearers' actions.

Li Erzhan recognized the voice immediately. He lifted the curtain and emerged from inside: "Chief Jin, why have you come in person?"

To ensure the seclusion of the royal harem and the certainty of the royal bloodline, the Three Han states adopted the eunuch system from the Central Plains dynasties early on. However, compared to the Central Plains dynasties, the number of eunuchs in the peninsula regimes has always been smaller, and their functions have been relatively limited.

Generally speaking, Joseon Dynasty eunuchs were only responsible for managing palace affairs, including food, cleaning, relaying orders, and guarding the inner palace. They did not directly participate in court politics and their political power was extremely limited. They never developed a powerful institution like the Directorate of Ceremonial, which could rival the Grand Secretariat. Even the head of the entire eunuch group—the Chief Eunuch—was merely a steward of inner palace servants, far from the position of the Minister of the Interior.

"This servant greets Judge Li." Jin Tidiao trotted up to Li Erzhan and gave a slight bow.

"Chief Jin. What brings Your Highness to the palace?" Although Li Erzhan was still the head of many important government offices such as the Ministry of Rites, the Training Director, and the Uijinbu, his tentacles outside Hanyang had long been severed by the combined efforts of Park and Ryu.

“This servant doesn’t know either, please go ahead,” Jin Tidiao shook his head and waved his hand to invite Li Erzhan back to the sedan chair, but Li Erzhan interrupted him before he could make a move.

"You don't know?" Li Erzhan's heart jumped. Although the chief eunuch was far inferior to the Grand Eunuch of Ceremonial, Chief Eunuch Jin was still someone close to the king. It was strange that he had come out to greet him personally without explaining why.

“This servant truly does not know,” Director Jin explained proactively. “Earlier, Lord Wenchang rushed into the palace to request an audience and held a secret discussion with His Highness. Afterwards, Lady Jin instructed me to send someone to summon all the gentlemen to the palace.”

"Liu Wenchang requests an audience?" Li Erzhan astutely picked up on some key information. He then briefly examined himself. Li Erzhan was certain that he hadn't recently done anything that would arouse suspicion.

"He requests an audience." Jin Ti Diao nodded.

"Is Liu Wenchang still in the palace?" Li Erzhan asked.

“Yes, Prime Minister Park is here too,” Director Kim said. “Please go in quickly, His Highness is waiting for you in the government hall.”

Li Erzhan did not immediately return to his sedan chair, but instead asked, "When did Minister Park arrive?"

"Just now. You should go in quickly, His Highness looks terrible, it must be something bad." Director Kim, however, sensed something subtle—when Park Seung-jong came over just now, he didn't ask a single question.

“I’ll go in now,” Li Erzhan said, still not moving, “but before that, I’d like to ask one last question. Besides the three of us, who else did His Highness summon?”

Jin, the supervising officer, gave a wry smile. "And there's also Zhang, the assistant judge, and Li, the counselor. But they're still on their way."

"Thank you for informing me, Supervisor Jin. I will come to thank you another day." Li Erzhan bowed to Supervisor Jin, then turned and got into the sedan chair.

"You're too kind, sir." Jin Tidiao returned the greeting with a bow, then beckoned a palace attendant. "Bring Prince Guangchang into the palace!"

"Let's go." Li Erzhan lowered the sedan curtain and tapped the wooden frame lightly.

At this moment, Li Erzhan was completely unaware that in a three-story restaurant not far away, several pairs of unfriendly eyes were watching him and his sedan chair from afar.

--------

Hwajeongdang, the king's sleeping quarters, was originally named "Jeongshinjeon" (正寝殿). In the seventh year of the Tianshun reign (1641), Jeongshinjeon was renamed "Sungmundang" (重文堂). In the nineteenth year of the Chenghua reign (1641), Sungmundang was destroyed in a fire. After its reconstruction in the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign (1600), it was renamed "Sumundang" (修文堂). In the twentieth year of the Wanli reign (1601), during the Imjin War (Japanese invasion of Korea), Changdeokgung Palace was burned down by rioters, and Sumundang was also destroyed. In the thirty-seventh year of the Wanli reign (1608), King Gojong (Yi Hun) ascended the throne and rebuilt Changdeokgung Palace. Six years later, Changdeokgung Palace was largely rebuilt, and King Gojong moved from Gyeongungung Palace to Changdeokgung Palace. This ill-fated sleeping quarters then underwent its third name change.

Zhang Wan was the one who lived the furthest among the summoned officials, and therefore the last one to be led into the Hezheng Hall by the eunuch.

Before even entering, Zhang Wan felt an invisible pressure permeating the entire hall.

The king leaned against the central couch, most of his body pressed against a cushion stuffed with cotton. He was lifeless, his eyes vacant, staring blankly at the painted ceiling, showing no reaction even when Zhang Wan entered. The others who had arrived earlier were all kneeling on the ground facing the king.

The only person standing in the main hall was a woman. Zhang Wan had little contact with that woman, and could even say they had no relationship at all, but he still recognized her at a glance—in such a solemn and suffocating occasion, the only person who could stand next to the king could be the favored concubine, Lady Jin, who had connections both inside and outside the palace.

Jin Shanggong was originally the daughter of a lowly servant, and her real name is unknown. At least Zhang Wan didn't know what her name was. She only heard rumors that Jin Shanggong was called "Jie Shi" or "Gou Shi." However, in Zhang Wan's opinion, it was more accurate to say that she didn't have a real name at all, rather than saying that "Jie Shi" or "Gou Shi" was Jin Shanggong's real name.

During the Joseon Dynasty, it was not unusual for people to have surnames but no given names, as many commoners and the poor in Joseon did not name their daughters. Meanwhile, the higher-ranking Yangban and Jungren often used derogatory terms such as "dog shit" or "hey" to refer to those commoners who had no names.

Logically speaking, after gaining the king's favor and even exclusive affection, Lady Kim should have had a refined reputation, but her reputation was simply too bad.

In his early years, Li Erzhan and Jin Jieshi were in cahoots, forming a corrupt alliance. Li Erzhan wielded power in the outer court, while Jin Jieshi cultivated connections within the palace. It was said that "all appointments, high and low, inside and outside the palace, were made through Jin, who then bestowed her favor. She held immense power, and even the most shameless officials sought her favor." Therefore, despite Jin Shanggong's refined reputation, no famous figures or scholars were willing to promote her.

Zhang Wan considered himself upright and honest, and really didn't want to kneel at this woman's feet. However, with Jin Shanggong standing right next to the king, he had no choice but to hold his nose and patiently walk over to kneel and say, "Your subject, Zhang Wan, the Military Advisor, pays his respects to Your Highness!" Only then did Zhang Wan notice that there was a long, curled piece of paper lying next to the king.

“Zhang Wan.” Li Hui glanced at Zhang Wan. His voice was weak, yet it seemed to carry a certain ruthlessness. “Why are you only arriving now?” Zhang Wan was taken aback, then explained solemnly, “My residence is located south of the city, more than ten li from the capital.”

"Did you go and set up something?!" Li Hui suddenly widened his eyes, and a ferocious red quickly rose on his originally lifeless face.

"What are you setting up?" Zhang Wan was completely baffled.

“Ming army. Yuan Keli. Ha! That so-called guardian, haven’t you already welcomed him into the city! Haven’t you!” Li Hui suddenly leaned forward, his eyes flashing with a murderous glint.

Li Hui did not leave the folding chair, but Zhang Wan was still startled and took a step back. "Your Highness, may I be so bold as to ask, what exactly is going on?"

"What's wrong? You don't know? You dare say you don't know?!" Li Hui's voice was cold and chilling, like the wind blowing from a deep cave in the mountains.

"Your Highness. Those eunuchs who came to summon me didn't tell me anything." Zhang Wan had seen the king lose his composure before, but this was the first time he had seen or heard such a look and such a voice.

"The Ming army has already passed Changtuan and Xiapozhou. Do you, a military officer, still need someone from the palace to tell you this?" Li Hui had completely lost his composure as a ruler and casually grabbed a cushion and threw it at Zhang Wan.

Caught off guard, Zhang Wan took the hit head-on. His initial surprise and doubt transformed into panic. "Your Highness, I am guilty! I beg you to calm your anger!"

Just as Li Hui was about to lose control of his emotions again, Jin Shanggong stepped forward in time. She knelt down at Li Hui's feet, put one arm around his shoulder, and gently patted his back with the other: "Your Highness, please calm down. Every minister present is loyal and wise; they will surely come up with a solution!"

When Liu Xifen arrived at the Hezheng Hall with the proclamation delivered by his confidant, Jin Shanggong was beside Yi Hun. She accompanied Yi Hun as he read the proclamation, her inner turmoil no less than his, though her outward reaction was not as intense as the king's. While Yi Hun was bewildered and at a loss, she even reminded him to summon his trusted ministers for a meeting.

"Phew!" Lady Kim's soothing words were effective, and Lee Hun's body went limp. After the initial excitement subsided, Lee Hun lay back in Lady Kim's arms, feeling utterly exhausted.

Sang-gung Kim frowned and called out with a sigh, "Sang-gung Park."

“Please speak, Lady Kim,” Park Seung-jong replied calmly.

"Have you heard about the Ming army's proclamation?" Jin Shanggong reached for the proclamation, but it was out of her reach.

“I’ve heard about it,” Park Seung-jong said.

"When!?" Lee Hun suddenly perked up again. He abruptly stood up and stared intently at Park Seung-jong like a hungry wolf.

"Your Highness, I only learned of this matter shortly before entering the palace." Park Seung-jong knelt and kowtowed.

"Why didn't you come to report? Why didn't you come to report!" Li Hui roared.

"I believe that the truth of this matter is unclear, and there are no widespread rumors about it in or around Hanyang. I suspect that this may be a fabrication by those with ulterior motives. If we make a big fuss about it and spread it rashly, it will inevitably disturb the palace and even cause panic. Therefore, I intend to verify the facts before reporting to the emperor," Park Seung-jong said calmly.

"Find out? Heh! Heh!" Li Hui suddenly laughed. "I see you've already started preparing to welcome that imperial envoy to the capital!"

Park Seung-jong trembled slightly. If he only considered Yi Hun's questions, directly denying his loyalty would undoubtedly be the best option. However, this was under the watchful eyes of many, and the imperial envoy would indeed come to the capital. A flat denial would only create more problems for himself. He didn't want to be falsely accused by his political enemies of being a staunch royalist who couldn't "repent" due to an inappropriate response.

In desperation, Park Seung-jong couldn't think of a proper way to respond, so he simply kowtowed heavily and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

"Heh, you're wronged? I'm the one who's wronged!" Li Hui, as if possessed, grabbed the proclamation and ripped it open. His eyes darted around, as if he were looking at it, yet also as if he wasn't. "The traitorous slaves have raised their army for forty years, their arrogance is at its peak, our country has only recently recovered from the Japanese invasion, our nation is weak and our army is exhausted! I, I've tried my best to mediate, but only to delay the disaster, to try and preserve the ancestral land and state. What have I done wrong? What have I done wrong?!" Li Hui became more and more agitated as he spoke, until finally he roared hysterically.

Those present were all seasoned ministers, weathered by time. Twelve years ago, there was the rebellion of Prince Imhae; ten years ago, the "Hidden Retreat and Rebuke" scandal; nine years ago, the rebellion of Prince Jinryong; eight years ago, the "Guichou Prison Incident"; six years ago, the "Petition to Depose the Mother" and the "Shin Gyeong-hee Prison." No matter how many dramatic and bloody events had occurred, these veteran ministers had never witnessed the king's frenzied roars and screams as he did today. In their shock, even Park Seung-jong, who had been somewhat prepared, felt as if the ceiling of the court was about to collapse.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Even Lady Kim felt her world collapsing. All her power and status came from the King. If he were deposed, everything she had would vanish, and she might even be branded a scourge and beheaded. But now, she could only suppress her fear and, as before, try to comfort the King, who had always been mired in inferiority, anxiety, and depression. "My lords, please tell me quickly, what should we do?"

No one responded for a long time. After a while, Li Tinggui, who had been silent since kneeling, finally asked, "Gong Jin, what exactly happened? How did things turn out this way?"

"Yes, what exactly happened?" Zhang Wan, still shaken, asked.

Li Erzhan, equally bewildered, remained silent. He simply lay on the ground, glancing at the cushion that had hit Zhang Wan, as if deep in thought.

"Your Majesty, let's show that to everyone." For fear of upsetting the king, Lady Kim didn't speak directly, but instead reached out to take the proclamation from Yi Hun's hand.

Li Hui was already in a daze, and didn't even hear Jin Shanggong's first two calls. He was still gripping the edge of the proclamation tightly, the veins on his hands were bulging, and he could tear it in half with just a little more force, but Li Hui didn't dare to put that extra force on the proclamation.

Lee Hun clutched the proclamation, while Lady Kim could only watch helplessly. Finally, Park Seung-jong came to the rescue, pulling out the proclamation from Paju from his robes: "Gentlemen, look at this one; it should be the same document."

(End of this chapter)