Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 653 The Calm at the Center of the Whirlpool

Even though the sun has begun to set in the height of summer in May, the weather is still sweltering.

Outside the southeast wall of Changdeokgung Palace, dozens of short but wiry men were standing, sitting, or squatting. Beside them were piles of bamboo baskets, crates, and cages that looked heavy, and at the end of the procession were several donkey carts or oxcarts loaded with goods.

These men were laborers conscripted by the Imperial Garden Bureau; they came here to deliver fresh ingredients needed by the royal palace.

The Sipu Office, a sixth-rank government office under the Ministry of Revenue, was mainly responsible for managing government-run vegetable and fruit gardens located in the suburbs of Hanyang and for providing the royal palace with fresh ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, poultry, eggs, live poultry, and live fish.

Except for some special ingredients and tributes from the seven outer provinces, which are preserved for a long time through methods such as pickling and smoking, most of the ingredients managed by the Sipu Department are "freshly picked and supplied." Therefore, many bamboo cages are filled with turkeys and live ducks that crow from time to time. And at the end of the procession, there are also several fat sheep tied to the back of the donkey carts or oxcarts.

Generally, the Department of Plantation and Gardening will prepare fresh ingredients that will not spoil in a short time the day before, such as live chickens, live ducks, live sheep, cucumbers, loofahs, and winter melons. On the morning of the day the ingredients are delivered, seasonal vegetables that cannot be stored for too long, such as spinach, lettuce, and garland chrysanthemum, will be picked.

As noon approached, the laborers, fully equipped and ready, would transport the fresh ingredients to the palace and hand them over to the cooks. After completing their task, the laborers could then enjoy a lunch bestowed upon them by the king in a designated area of ​​the palace.

This lunch wouldn't involve them carrying fresh ingredients, but it wouldn't be just a thin, watery porridge either. There would definitely be some oil and meat, and on special occasions, there would even be real meat and wine, so the laborers looked forward to it.

It's almost dinnertime now, and still no one has come out to hand over the duties to them. If the clerk in charge hadn't promptly found some dry rations for the laborers, they would have already started a riot.

"Damn it, do we still need these things or not?" one of the laborers, who had been waiting impatiently, began to complain again. He raised his leg and kicked the cart beside him, cursing, "Are all the people inside dead?!"

"Watch your mouth." Another laborer, who looked even older, quickly tugged at the hem of the first laborer's clothes, his eyes glancing at the clerk in charge every now and then.

But the impatient laborer didn't quiet down; instead, he grumbled even louder: "I'm talking about all those managers inside and out! It's one thing to always dawdle, but the sun's already setting and they still haven't come out! What if the goods don't get in, and we have to go through the trouble of getting beaten up along with them!"

"What's all the commotion about? What's all the shouting about!" The petty official in charge of the garden had indeed heard them. He was also getting impatient and annoyed from the sun, but since they were right outside the palace, he had to greet them. "I didn't shortchange you, you son of a bitch, just consider it a rest stop!"

"Stop my ass! This godforsaken place doesn't even have a shady spot!" At the other end of the line, a laborer sitting on the ground fanned his face with his straw hat while chirping softly to express his complaint.

"That's right. His mother ate too much, that's why she's resting in the sun." Another laborer beside him chimed in, taking another gulp of water. "Both water jugs are almost empty! And he hasn't even peed once!"

"Leave some for me!" the cricket whispered, snatching the water bottle away.

"Hey! What are you chirping about! You think I'm giving you face?" The petty official of the Garden Bureau stood with his hands on his hips and looked around at the crowd, but the response to him was either silence or eye rolls.

"My dear sir! You should hurry over and ask. If they still want to take us in, go in; if not, go back. What's the point of just sitting here under the scorching sun?" the impatient laborer shouted again.

"That's right, let's go ask right away!" A voice immediately echoed from behind the clerk of the Imperial Garden Office. "Otherwise, where will we rest when the city gates close?"

"Oh dear!" The minor official from the Imperial Garden Bureau stood still. He had already gone to the palace gate to inquire earlier, and he really didn't want to go back and cause trouble again. "It's still daylight, what are you all panicking for!"

The minor official and his laborers were unaware that the military authorities had already issued an early curfew order, and the city gates were about to close. So even if they returned immediately, they probably wouldn't be able to get out.

"If we can't get back, let's just rest in a brothel!" someone started with a lewd joke. "One shot, and all the heat will be gone."

"Hehe. Brothels are good, of course." A seemingly honest-looking laborer not only chuckled lewdly but also subconsciously patted his crotch. "But I don't have any money in my pocket."

"As for money, our Third Master has plenty in his pocket! He'll take care of it all." Another sarcastic voice drifted over from behind the clerk of the Imperial Garden Office, echoing the sentiment.

"Bullshit! Am I your father? Would I invite you to a brothel?" The clerk of the garden office turned around, but couldn't find the person who had echoed his words.

"Third Master, you should go and ask again. Waiting like this isn't a solution. We can't just rest here on the street, can we?" At the clerk's feet, a laborer, his face drenched in sweat from the heat, sighed and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Exactly! Whether to stay or leave is just a matter of giving a straight answer, is it really that hard!"

Beneath the city wall, the laborers of the Sipu Office began to chatter and clamor again.

"Alright, alright, stop yelling like that, I'll obey your orders!" In order to quell everyone's resentment and avoid being punished by his superiors for the laborers' commotion, the clerk could only sigh, turn around, and walk towards the palace gate once again.

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

A moment later, the minor official of the garden office, whom the laborers called Third Master, knocked on the East Gate of Changdeok Palace for the third time that day.

"Who's out there!" a man's voice came from behind the door.

"I'm from the Imperial Gardening Bureau, here to deliver meat and vegetables to the palace! Please open the door." The clerk called out through the crack in the door.

The voice behind the gate of the "Directorate of Gardens" paused noticeably for a moment. "Why are you only arriving now?"

"Ha!" The clerk was so angry he laughed, but given his position, he could only patiently say, "We arrived this morning, but you haven't been letting us in."

The man behind the door was a guard, and he immediately understood what was going on. "Was it the group from this morning who wouldn't let you in?"

The clerk was taken aback. "Yes, yes. We've been waiting here for most of the day. Please, sir, have mercy and let us in before it gets dark."

"I can't let you in either." The guard behind the door spoke in a friendly tone, but that was all.

"Why?" the clerk asked anxiously. "Didn't those people tell you this morning?" the guard behind the door retorted.

"Sigh, no." The clerk could only sigh helplessly. He had knocked on the door twice this morning. The first time, he received a curt "Wait," and the second time, he received an impatient "Get lost."

"The palace is locked. No one can enter until the palace restrictions are lifted," the guard behind the door explained.

"Palace curfew? Why?" Changdeok Palace was indeed under martial law, but because the training supervisor had not arrived in time, the military command's martial law order did not extend to the palace area. Therefore, even though the minor official was close to the center of the vortex, he did not feel the dramatic changes taking place in Hanyang at all.

"You're asking me?" The guard behind the door spoke without any tension, even sounding somewhat lazy. "I don't know either. Something must have happened." The Inner Palace only issued the order for martial law to the inner guards, without explaining the reason for it.

"Could you please ask the cooks if we need any more fresh meat and vegetables today?" the clerk from the Imperial Garden Office requested.

The voice behind the door became noticeably uneasy. "I don't know anyone from the Imperial Kitchen, and I can't leave my post without permission."

"I only need you to pass on this message," the clerk of the Sipu Office pleaded.

"I really can't help you. You should go back," the guard refused.

“But these meats and vegetables are all freshly picked and delivered; they’ll spoil if we take them back. Besides, we have two cartloads of goods here that are for the imperial use!” the clerk from the Imperial Garden Office said slyly. “If His Majesty blames me for not having the best vegetables, I can’t bear the consequences alone!”

"You little brat! I was trying to be nice to you, and you're threatening me in return?" The guard behind the door was furious.

"No, no." Even though he knew the person behind the door couldn't see him, the clerk from the garden office still put on a fawning smile. "Although everyone has their own job, you're guarding the door here, and I need to go in from here, so aren't we connected? Besides, I'm not forcing you to open the door, I'm just asking you to do me a favor and go ask."

The clerk of the Imperial Garden Office wasn't unwilling to take everything back, but he needed approval to absolve himself of responsibility. Otherwise, if he did take the things back, and the Imperial Kitchen sent someone to question him, he would definitely be in big trouble.

But his worries were unnecessary, because at that very moment, the Director of the Imperial Kitchen, Prince Inseong (Yi Gong), and his younger brother, Prince Inheung (Yi Young), had been placed under house arrest by the Chief State Councilor Park Seung-jong.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you. I really can't leave here to ask you anything. You should go to Dunhua Gate and ask. Even if the palace is under lockdown, there are guards outside," the guard behind the gate suggested.

"Sigh," sighed the minor official of the Garden Bureau. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

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The minor official of the Sipu Office, feeling restless and depressed from being baked by the sun, arrived near Dunhua Gate with his head down.

Like Dongbianmen, Dunhuamen was also closed. However, unlike the smaller gates that facilitated the entry and exit of lower-ranking officials, Dunhuamen was indeed guarded by soldiers and ceremonial guards. This meant that the minor official was stopped before he even reached the eaves of the gate.

"Halt! Go back!" The military officer in charge of guarding Dunhua Gate shouted, his voice even more irritating than the chirping of cicadas.

"Sir." The clerk stopped and bowed from a distance. "I am from the Imperial Garden Bureau, here to deliver fresh meat and vegetables to the palace. I have been waiting for several hours. Please go in and inform them."

"Go, go, go." The imperial guard officer waved his hands impatiently, he was also feeling hot and irritable. "The palace is under lockdown, no one can get in!"

“We don’t have to go in. I only ask that you inform the Imperial Kitchen so they can send someone to collect them. In this sweltering heat, even if a person can bear it, the chickens and ducks in their cages certainly can’t.” The clerk from the Imperial Garden Bureau resorted to his usual diversionary tactics. “If they die and rot, the palace will have less food. If Lord Rencheng or even the King blames us, my frail body simply cannot bear the consequences.”

The military officer of the Inner Palace Guard narrowed his eyes slightly. "If I remember correctly, the Directorate of Gardens doesn't enter the palace through the main gate, does it?"

"Oh dear, yes!" The clerk of the Sipu Office lied with a troubled expression: "But the East Gate is also closed, and there's no one to talk to. Please, sir, have mercy and send someone in to ask. If they're not sending anyone today, I'll take my men back with me."

"What about your chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep?" The military officer of the inner palace guard craned his neck and looked around.

"Sir, as you know, I should enter through the East Gate. My servants and the meat and vegetables I brought are waiting over there. If you don't believe me, you can go straight there and take a look. Perhaps if you listen carefully, you should be able to hear a rooster crowing." The clerk from the Garden Bureau pointed in the direction of the East Gate.

The military officer of the inner palace guard was too lazy to move, and had no interest in listening to the damned crowing of roosters amidst the incessant cicadas. He turned his head and instructed his subordinate, "Go in and ask if it's the day the Gardening Bureau delivers meat and vegetables."

The subordinate who was given the order didn't want to run around in the still-warm sun, but an order is an order. Since his superior had called on him and not someone else, he could only reluctantly reply, "Yes."

"Thank you very much, sir!" The clerk of the garden office bowed deeply in relief.

"You should thank me!" the guard who was called out by the military officer thought to himself.

Just as the guard reached the door and was about to knock, a series of footsteps approached from inside. It was obvious without even listening closely that it was a large group of people!
So the guard who was called didn't knock on the door, but instead took a step back.

Before long, the Dunhua Gate opened to the left and right.

The first thing that catches the eye is the two Qingdao flags leading the way. Next, there are four guards of the crown prince holding golden gongs and drums, followed by a three-tiered blue umbrella and four vermilion round fans, and then two banners with seven tassels inscribed in gilded seal script that read "Crown Prince of Joseon"!
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Upon seeing the Crown Prince's entourage, the Imperial Guards on duty at the gate immediately knelt down by the roadside.

"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince!" The clerk from the Garden Bureau had seen the Crown Prince's entourage before, but he had never before bowed so closely to the Crown Prince's imperial carriage.

The imperial carriage drove out of the palace gates, its wheels passing by the crowd, but the Crown Prince's eyes remained vacant. From the moment the Qingdao Banner was erected until the entourage had departed, Crown Prince Yi Cho did not glance at them even once.

(End of this chapter)