Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 643 A Great Villain Appears as a Loyal One
Zhang Wan was the last to arrive, and therefore the last to read the proclamation. Although it was his first time reading one, he showed no surprise throughout. Zhang Wan was even somewhat smug, because the proclamation confirmed his predictions and anxieties—the Joseon Dynasty under Yi Hun's rule no longer trusted the Celestial Empire.

However, amidst his triumph, Zhang Wan couldn't help but feel regret, because even if his advice was adopted by the king, all of this was still unavoidable.

"Counselor Li," Zhang Wan called softly to Li Tinggui, and handed the manifesto back to him.

Li Tinggui was very frustrated because the manifesto itself was irrefutable evidence, proof that his attempt to defend himself had completely failed. Li Tinggui was a man who liked to keep a diary, so he knew very well that when his contemporaries and later generations mentioned this matter, they would definitely add a "firstly" and then recount his failure in detail within that "firstly".

"Sigh," Li Tinggui mechanically took the proclamation and mechanically passed it to the previous reader, Li Erzhan.

Li Erzhan smelled the stench of blood. "Stripping him of his title" was a decision for the emperor, four words in a proclamation, but in Korea, it meant a complete rewriting of the power structure. Who would ascend to the throne? Who would hang themselves? Only the clash of swords and the bloodshed could answer these questions.

Li Erzhan exhaled a breath of stale air, his lips twitching slightly. He handed over the proclamation, his gaze following the movement. He saw Liu Xifen and Park Seung-jong, two completely different faces.

"Have you all come up with a solution?" Kim Sang-gung's voice came as the proclamation reached Park Seung-jong's hands.

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, and for a moment, no one responded to her. The only one who made a move was Park Seung-jong, who silently put away the manifesto and then silently bent down.

"Sang-sang Park!" Sang-gung Kim had no choice but to call out his name.

"Yes." Park Seung-jong remained as calm as before.

"Please tell me your solution quickly!" Jin Shanggong said anxiously.

"Lady Kim, I still think we should send someone to investigate and clarify the matter before discussing it further." Park Seung-jong remained curled up on the ground, motionless. "Or perhaps, Judge Yoo had already verified the authenticity of this matter before reporting to the palace?"

"Not yet." Liu Xifen shuddered and gave Park Seung-jong a resentful look. "But I think this matter is probably true."

“How come you see?”

"Because the Jianghua Defense Commissioner Yu Hongdian who came to deliver the message is my nephew!" Liu Xifen was already somewhat excited. "He said he personally saw Ming cavalry carrying flags with the character 'Yang' on them."

“In that case, Judge Liu must be confident in his abilities, right?” Park Seung-jong immediately chimed in.

Liu Xifen's resentment instantly turned into anger: "His Highness is asking you a question!"

Liu Xifen's anger made Park Seung-jong realize that he seemed too calm. He quickly mustered all his strength to make himself tremble, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "If the matter is indeed true, then I implore Your Highness to quickly dispatch an envoy, present a petition, and mediate to clear your name and demonstrate the sincerity of our nation's loyalty." After saying this, Park Seung-jong threw out another line of questions: "Counselor Lee, you have done your best to mediate and returned with a complete success. Now that the nation is under suspicion and wronged, will you bravely shoulder the responsibility and clear Your Highness's name?"

"What did Counselor Lee say!" Lady Kim's attention was immediately drawn to him. Lee Hun also looked up at Lee Jung-gu.

Lee Jung-gu straightened up and glanced at Park Seung-jong. However, his eyes held neither resentment nor anger, only a faint sadness. “If Your Highness were to grant me the authority to speak with the emperor, I would certainly seek out the imperial envoy and present him with the credentials to clear my name. But as things stand, it is utterly impossible to clear my name with a mere written petition. I believe that the only way to exonerate myself now is to surrender the traitorous letter and hand over the surrendered general.”

Li Tinggui was speaking entirely against his conscience. In his view, the situation was already beyond repair. Even if the king was innocent, the emperor's envoy would certainly make the king's treason case irrefutable to give the people an explanation. Moreover, deep down, Li Tinggui did not believe the king was innocent.

"You, you want me to hand over Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui to that Yuan Keli?" Li Hui slammed down the proclamation and glared fiercely at Li Tinggui.

Li Tinggui raised his head, meeting Li Hui's gaze without fear. "Only in this way can we have a glimmer of hope."

"Survival? What survival? I think you're just planning to send me to my doom!" Li Hui shouted, turning around abruptly with a fierce look in his eyes, as if he were about to draw his sword. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a decorative sword around the folding chair. Unable to vent his anger, Li Hui could only grab a nearby cushion and hold it high.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!" Lady Kim rushed forward, placing one hand on Lee Hun's chest and the other pressing down on the pillow he was clutching tightly, saying as if coaxing a child, "Counselor Lee has no bad intentions, no bad intentions!"

"Ha!" Zhang Wan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the sight of a monarch nearing fifty years old displaying such disgraceful behavior.

"Your Highness!" Liu Xifen suddenly shouted, "I have a memorial to present!"

“Please speak, Liu Guojiu!” It was Jin Shanggong who chimed in.

“The other day, didn’t Judge Zhang say that burning books and executing envoys would appease the Emperor? So I think it would be better to have Judge Li go to the Uigeumbu (Imperial Household Department) beforehand and kill those two traitors, and then have Judge Li deliver a letter to the Imperial Envoy to present a written defense!” Liu Xifen brought out three people in one go, but he wasn’t finished yet. Immediately afterward, Liu Xifen turned sharply to look at Park Seung-jong kneeling beside him, trying to find common ground: “Prime Minister, don’t you agree?”

Park Seung-jong took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. Under Yoo Hee-bun's earnest gaze, Park Seung-jong gritted his teeth and straightened his posture: "Your Highness, during the previous court audience, I advised against killing Generals Jiang and Kim because the case was unclear and the facts were ambiguous. To easily sentence them to death would be contrary to the law. This advice has not changed in the slightest. Moreover, His Majesty has already sent troops to question them. To kill them now would be like trying to cover up one's guilt, like a guilty conscience. Therefore, I believe that we should follow the advice of Counselor Li, hand over the traitor's letter, and send the surrendered generals to be interrogated by Imperial Envoy Yuan. Only in this way can we demonstrate to His Majesty and the world that our King is selfless and devoted to serving the Great!"

Liu Xifen was stunned, Zhang Wan was stunned, and Li Tinggui was also stunned. They looked, gazed, or glanced, all of them simultaneously but with different expressions, turning their gazes to Park Seung-jong. Of the five people kneeling on the field, only Li Erzhan remained prostrate on the ground like a turtle hiding its head in its shell.

After a brief silence, a cushion flew over with a roar: "Park Seung-jong, you traitorous bastard, are you already planning to betray me?!"

"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation!" Although Park Seung-jong had mustered the courage to go all out, this was all he had to say. Now that he had spoken, he immediately withdrew his words. "This is my sincere advice. If Your Highness does not accept it, you may ask someone else."

"Hehehehe! Very well, very well!" Lee Hun laughed maniacally. "You all saw it, didn't you? You all saw it, didn't you? This is what they call eloquent flattery, a great villain disguised as a loyal subject! Park Seung-jong, Park Seung-jong! You've truly opened my eyes. Guards! Guards!"

"Your Highness!" Upon hearing the roar, Kim, who was waiting outside the hall, immediately rushed into the hall with two eunuchs in charge of guards. "Quickly! Arrest this traitorous and treacherous villain who betrays his country! Arrest him!" Lee Hun roared, pointing at Park Seung-jong.

"..." Director Kim had already heard almost everything he should and shouldn't have heard, so how could he still not understand what had happened? He stood there trembling, staring blankly at Park Seung-jong. The two guards he had brought in also stared at him without moving.

"Get out! Get out now!" Jin Shanggong snapped out of her daze and waved her hands repeatedly at Jin Tidiao. The situation had become extremely tense. If the Chief Councilor were arrested at this moment, someone might lead troops to force the palace before the imperial envoy even arrived in the capital!
Jin Ti Diao still didn't move; he was completely numb.

"Kim Young-ae! Even you, even you are going to betray me?" Lee Hun slumped onto the couch, looking up at Kim Sang-gung, his eyes flashing with surprise and despair.

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and will share life and death with you. I have no other intentions." Lady Kim sat down beside Lee Hun, gently putting her arm around his shoulder and patting his back. "However, with national humiliation looming, angering him will be of no use. It would be better to heed loyal advice and choose wise counsel. Moreover, Minister Park is related to the royal family by marriage and is of the same blood as Your Majesty. He is undoubtedly loyal. Why should Your Majesty doubt him?" After calming Lee Hun down slightly, Lady Kim immediately turned to Chief Inspector Kim and said, "This is none of your business. Get out of here."

"Yes." Jin Ti Diao glanced at Li Hui, and seeing that he had no further comments, he led the two guards out of the palace.

"Heh!" Lee Hui gave a bitter laugh, looking at Park Seung-jong and said, "Wang family by marriage? Close relatives? I think you and your allies are already preparing to depose the traitor and establish the virtuous, aren't you?"

Such a question naturally met with silence and no one dared to answer.

“Park Seung-jong!” Lee Hun shouted.

"Your subject is here!" Park Seung-jong kowtowed loudly.

"Are you already planning to emulate King Sukjong's Lingwu story and enthrone Yi Hyeong?" Yi Hun seemed stunned, yet also as if he had suddenly understood. "Hahahaha! That's not surprising at all! That's not surprising at all! It turns out Heaven had already given us a signal!!"

Li Heng was not only the formal name of Emperor Suzong of Tang, but also the former name of Prince Li Zhu.

Yi Hyeong was born in the 26th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, shortly after the Imjin War (Japanese invasion of Korea). King Seonjo of Joseon considered this an auspicious omen and bestowed upon his grandson the name "Hyeong," meaning "the flourishing of all things" and "the success of all living beings," and held a special ceremony at the ancestral temple to commemorate the occasion. The name "Yi Hyeong" remained in use throughout the reign of the previous king until Yi Seonjo passed away in the 36th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when Yi Hun succeeded him. The new king, Yi Hun, changed the name to "Su" because the crown prince's name overlapped with that of Emperor Suzong of Tang. On December 1st of the following year, the name was changed again to "Yeong."

Park Seung-jong remained calm even after his thoughts were exposed. Instead, it was this vague sense of destiny, a feeling that had been passed down through the ages, that strengthened his resolve: "Since Your Highness speaks thus, then I shall dare to offer my advice, urging Your Highness to follow the will of Heaven."

"Shut up! Shut up!" It was one thing for Lee Hun to say it himself, but it was another thing for Park Seung-jong to call him out. What he wanted to hear and see now was not some "daring advice," but the cries and pledges of loyalty from the senior officials.

The doubts of Ryu, Jang, and Lee vanished instantly. No wonder Park Seung-jong was so calm and unusual. As long as the Crown Prince could ascend the throne, the deposition of the King would be of no harm to him!

"Your Highness!" Park Seung-jong, seemingly ignoring Yi Hun's words, kowtowed as he spoke. "Now that things have come to this, the only way to protect yourself and your life is to submit to the will of Heaven and abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince! Once the Imperial Envoy arrives in the capital, the situation will inevitably change, and Hanyang will be thrown into chaos. If those with ulterior motives seize the opportunity to launch an uprising, slandering and falsely accusing others, causing a change in the royal line, Your Highness and the Crown Prince will be in grave danger!"

"Shut up! Shut up! I told you to shut up! Cough! Cough!!" Li Hui's blood rushed to his head, his throat tasted sweet, and after a few violent coughs, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark red blood!

"Your Highness!" A few tiny specks of blood splattered in front of Park Seung-jong, startling him and causing him to recoil. But he quickly recovered and shouted in the direction Kim had left, "Guards! Guards!"

"Calm down, Your Majesty! Please don't hurt yourself." When Jin Shanggong saw Li Hui coughing up blood, she felt a wave of dizziness, but she managed to steady herself, stepped forward to support Li Hui, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth.

"Your Highness!" The other kneeling men also rose anxiously, approaching Li Hui with expressions of genuine or feigned concern. "Your Highness, what's wrong! Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!" Director Jin rushed in with his men, but they were stopped by Lady Jin before they could take more than a few steps: "What are you doing here! Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

"Yes." Jin Ti turned and left.

"Chief Kim!" Park Seung-jong's voice cut through the crowd and reached Chief Kim's ear.

Kim, the chief inspector, slowly turned around, and Park Seung-jong then shouted, "Go and invite the crown prince here as well!"

"Why did you call him over!" Hearing this, Li Hui, who was slightly weakened by the mouthful of blood, instantly became excited again. "You bastard, are you hoping for my death?!"

Park Seung-jong instinctively stepped back, but did not immediately kneel. "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to..."

"Let go! Let go of me, all of you!" Li Hui coughed up blood as he pushed and shoved, looking like a madman possessed by a demon.

The last one to join the group, Li Erzhan, was the first to let go and step back, kneeling back in his original position. Immediately afterward, Li Tinggui and Zhang Wan also hurriedly released their grip and knelt down on the spot. Seeing that all three had knelt, Park Seung-jong, who had been standing there, finally dared not stand alone any longer. Soon, only Liu Xifen and Jin Shanggong remained supporting Li Hui.

"What are you standing there for! Go and summon the imperial physician!" Jin Shanggong shouted at Jin Tidiao.

"Then, then we still need to ask the Crown Prince..." Jin Ti Diao suddenly had a brain fart and actually wanted to ask about the Crown Prince.

"Get out!" Jin Shanggong was afraid that Li Hui would faint, so she shouted loudly to drive Jin Tidian away.

But that tigress's scream was the final straw that broke the camel's back for Li Hui. Suddenly, everything went black, and Li Hui fainted!

(End of this chapter)