Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 688 The Fixing Star? Holding a Thunderclap!
"Brother Renfu, your insight is brilliant!" Cui Mingji clapped his hands again. "I just feel that the evaluation of 'having no bad reputation' is a declaration to the world that the Crown Prince's position is not a foregone conclusion, but is open to discussion! As long as we seize the opportunity to get involved, we can pull the Crown Prince down from that position."

"But how can we get involved?" Lord Lingyang, Li Zong, asked with worry in his eyes but eagerness in his face. "Mr. Cui just said that for that Guardian Yuan, the most important thing right now is to stabilize the situation and support Liaodong. He doesn't want to see anything unrelated to this, or even harmful, happen."

“That’s right, both Supervisor Yuan and Admiral Shen are definitely unwilling to get involved in our country’s royal family feud. If the struggle affects the political situation and the front lines, they might even take drastic measures to suppress it!” Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Cui Mingji let out a long breath, immediately putting Li Zong and Gu Hong on edge. “But there is a group of people who are definitely willing to get involved, and more importantly, this group is beyond the control of Supervisor Yuan and Admiral Shen!”

Li Zong smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness. "In Korea today, is there anyone that even Supervisor Yuan and Admiral Shen can't control?"

"Yes!" Cui Mingji nodded emphatically.

"Who?"

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard!” Cui Mingji uttered these three syllables in Chinese, almost word by word.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard? They're just here to deliver the imperial edict as usual, right? They should be going back soon." Li Zong paused for a moment and said, "Sir, are you trying to bribe them to deliver a 'dissatisfactory' impeachment to the Emperor?"

“If they are going back now, it is indeed possible, as you suggested, to have them take a memorial back with them.” Choi Myung-gil rested his chin on his hand, gently stroking his long, magnificent beard. “However, I think they are likely to stay in Korea for a long time.”

"How do you know?" Li Zong asked.

“From what I’ve observed, these Imperial Guards have been very active since entering Hanyang, going far beyond the scope of guard duties. They seem more like secret agents on official business,” Cui Mingji said. “More importantly, they’ve taken control of the Uigeumbu.”

"Control the Righteous Forbidden Prefecture?" Li Zong was startled.

“Yes,” Cui Mingji explained. “As I said before, the Ming army took control of all government offices, including the Yijinfu, on the day they entered the city. This in itself wasn’t a big deal; later, that Commander Shen restored the normal operation of all the government offices, only replacing the guards with Ming soldiers. Only the Yijinfu remains directly controlled by the Ming army, or rather, the Jinyiwei, to this day. Powerful figures like Li Yingxing and Gu Shibo are all staying at home in retirement and haven’t resumed their duties.”

"They must be investigating the case of the Prince's uncle's treason, right?" Li Zong thought for a moment and said, "Deposing and establishing an emperor is no small matter. Even the emperor has to give an explanation to the people."

“You’re right!” Cui Mingji said with certainty. “We learned today that Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui, who were previously transferred to the palace, are now in the Uigeumbu. I’m afraid they will soon bring up the details of the Jiwei Conquest to prove that the emperor’s anger and the dispatch of troops to punish the enemy were justified.”

"So Mr. Cui wants to drag Li Zhu into this case as well, to give him a bad reputation?" Li Zong asked.

“No. This case is no longer in doubt; the Crown Prince is definitely innocent.” Cui Mingji shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice. “I think you should remember what happened with Li Erzhan. When we arrested him before, he said that the Crown Prince had absolutely no involvement in instigating Jiang and Jin’s conspiracy.”

"These must all be lies told by that damned old thief to save his own life!" Gu Hong interrupted Cui Mingji, his fists clenched, his eyes flashing with shame and anger.

“Sigh,” Cui Mingji sighed with a laugh. “That old scoundrel Li Erzhan is indeed extremely cunning, but I think this matter should be true. The reason I am so sure is because I also found out that Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui were sent out by the palace on their own initiative, and along with them, a detailed confession was also sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

"How does Mr. Cui know so much detail?" Li Zong was first suspicious, then delighted: "Could it be that Mr. Cui has already made contact with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

“I do intend to make contact with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but I have not yet received Your Excellency’s approval, so how can I act on my own?” Cui Mingji replied politely.

Li Zong nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with even more respect and gratitude as he looked at Cui Mingji. "Since you haven't had any contact with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how did you learn of this information?"

“Rumors circulating in the marketplace.” Cui Mingji’s expression gradually turned serious again.

"Rumors?" Li Zong was taken aback.

“That’s right, it’s just a rumor,” Cui Mingji said. “It’s only natural for the Ming army to take over Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui, and it’s normal for rumors to circulate among the people. But it’s strange that it’s described as ‘voluntary handover’ with ‘an accompanying confession,’ so I’m suspicious.”

"The palace is actively spreading rumors!" Li Zong immediately understood Cui Mingji's meaning and blurted out.

“Hmm!” Choi Myung-gil nodded solemnly. “I even suspect that it won’t be long before the contents of that confession spread throughout Hanyang. The fact that they dared to do this, whatever their purpose, at least shows that the Crown Prince was not involved in instigating Kang Hong-rip and Kim Gyeong-seo to defect to the enemy on the battlefield.”

"Since we can't use this case, what kind of 'bad news' should we send to the Emperor?" Li Zong said with considerable melancholy. "As far as I know, Li Zhu hasn't really done anything that would anger both Heaven and the people."

“Your Excellency, we don’t actually need to be fixated on the ‘bad reputation’ mentioned in the imperial edict,” Cui Mingji said, his eyes narrowing and a slight smile playing on his lips. “To make the Crown Prince lose his throne, we don’t even need to attack the Crown Prince himself.”

"Since Mr. Cui already has a plan in mind, then hurry up and tell me!" Li Zong clenched his right fist, his five fingers rubbing together incessantly.

Cui Mingji took a deep breath and slowly uttered four words: "Questioning the Wang faction."

"Questioning the Wang faction?"

“Yes,” Cui Mingji said. “I remember in the thirty-sixth year of the Wanli reign, after King Seonjo passed away, the Celestial Empire sent officials from the Liaodong Military Command to Hanyang to investigate whether Prince Imhae was qualified to inherit the throne. Not long after the Ming envoy left, it seems that only half a year later, news of Prince Imhae’s death reached Hanyang. We can start from here and directly argue that the deposed king violated human ethics, murdered his brother, and usurped the throne! I believe that the emperor, who has struggled for decades in the struggle for the succession, must be very sensitive to such matters. As long as we portray the deposed king’s succession as a usurpation, then even if the crown prince has ‘no bad reputation,’ he is not qualified to sit on that position.”

“That’s a good idea.” Li Zong nodded in approval, but wasn’t particularly excited. “But even if it’s just like that, it won’t get me that position, will it?” “Your Excellency… I suggest you make plans as soon as possible regarding this matter.”

"What are your plans?" Li Zong frowned.

Cui Mingji swallowed hard, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Choose an uncle, and then form an alliance with him."

"How can this be allowed!" Gu Hong suddenly became agitated again. "We've taken such a huge risk and done so much just so that His Highness can sit in that position. How can we let someone else benefit from it?"

“The rules of propriety are such and cannot be disobeyed!” Cui Mingji did not look at Gu Hong, but continued to say to Li Zong: “Judging from the current situation, Your Excellency has no possibility of inheriting the throne. Rather than doing something for someone else in vain, you would be better to contact a potential uncle who may succeed to the throne as soon as possible. In this way, you can also occupy an important position in the court in the future.”

"How could it not be possible!" Gu Hong exclaimed. "We can try to get in touch with the Grand Queen Dowager, or even bribe the Imperial Guards!"

“No, that won’t work,” Cui Mingji explained. “If we were to launch a coup under the guise of following the will of Heaven, we could try to gain the title of king through the Grand Queen Dowager and achieve justice. But now that the Celestial Empire is interrogating us, that path is completely blocked. As for bribing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it’s pointless. The Embroidered Uniform Guard might be able to play a role in deposing the Crown Prince, but they have no say in the matter of bestowing the title of king. If they were to speak up, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Rites, the Grand Secretariat, and the Censorate would all intervene.”

“But…” Ju Hong wanted to say something more, but Li Zong stopped him.

"Alright, Uncle," Li Zong said resignedly, "Mr. Cui is right. If anyone is to blame, it's my father!"

Yes, the only one to blame is his father, Prince Dingyuan, Yi Fu, who died too young. If Yi Fu had lived two years longer, he would be the eldest son of King Seonjo besides Yi Hun. If Yi Hun had been deposed, the throne would naturally have passed to him, and then to Yi Jong.

"Your Highness, please don't be discouraged! We still have that guiding star in our hands!" Gu Hong put his hand on Li Zong's shoulder and turned to Cui Mingji, saying, "Mr. Cui, you don't know yet. When the Emperor ascended the throne last year, we asked the Envoy of the Ascension to the Throne, Park Yi-seo, to send two tribute women to the capital! Do you think this matter can be put to use?"

"Such a thing is true!" Cui Mingji exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. We originally wanted to plant a seed in the Emperor’s mind, to make him remember us. That way, we could try to gain the Emperor’s approval after we succeeded. Mr. Cui, what do you think?” Li Zong’s voice trembled slightly.

In his own view, the Park sisters would not have any significant impact on the question of who would inherit the throne, but deep down, he still hoped that Choi Myung-gil could give him a positive answer.

"But the Ministry of Rites has always been under Li Erzhan's jurisdiction!" Cui Mingji's eyes widened in disbelief. "How did you manage to get the tribute women into the delegation?"

“No, it wasn’t a mission.” Li Zong smiled. “We sent the two sisters to Tianjin on a merchant ship. The only thing we had Park Yi-seo do was tamper with the gift list. My uncle just said that leaking this information would ensure our safety for the time being.”

Cui Mingji glanced sideways at him for a moment, then quickly reached the same conclusion as Ju Hong. "It can indeed ensure safety. As long as the Ming army is hesitant to act rashly, the deposed prince and his son won't be able to openly do anything to you. You said they were sisters?"

“Yes, his surname is Park, and he looks very much like him.” Li Zong nodded.

"Surname Park?" Choi Myung-gil asked. "Then what is their relationship with Park Yi-seo?"

“It’s nothing,” Li Zong said. “It’s just a coincidence that we share the same surname.”

"Is it beautiful?" Cui Mingji asked again.

“They’re all rare beauties! The kind that make you want to pity them. It cost a lot of money to buy them back then,” Ju Hong interjected. “If the rumors about the Emperor having sex with eight women tonight are true, he’s definitely spoiling them rotten right now!”

“Hmm,” Cui Mingji had obviously also heard about the emperor’s extreme lust. “This can be used to get closer to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or even to win their help. But don’t get your hopes up too high. Although the emperor is lustful, he is clearly a ruler of great talent and ambition. It’s impossible for him to be so blinded by lust that he would decide the succession of the Joseon throne because of a pair of beautiful women.”

"Sigh!" Upon hearing this, Li Zong's trembling voice turned into a long sigh. "Mr. Cui is right, that's what I actually think too."

"Your Excellency need not be too disappointed. Even if these tribute women cannot affect the succession to the throne, they can make your uncle, who is cooperating with you, hesitant to act rashly. He won't betray you after the deed is done." As he spoke, Cui Mingji seemed to suddenly remember something, and his words abruptly stopped. He looked at Ju Hong, his eyes widening: "Brother Renfu just said that you bought these sisters for a high price?"

"Yes." Ju Hong was in low spirits, and in the dim light, he didn't even notice Cui Mingji's change in mood. "It seems the two of them spent about five hundred taels of silver in total. What's wrong?"

Cui Mingji's eyes widened, and his breathing became heavy. "Could they be from a brothel?"

“Yes, where else can you find beautiful women besides brothels?” Ju Hong said matter-of-factly. “But don’t worry, the midwives have checked, they are all virgins, very clean.”

"This isn't about whether they're courtesans or not!" Cui Mingji's features contorted in disbelief. "Sending prostitutes to the palace to seduce the emperor—that's something that will be recorded in history! How many people know about this now?"

“No, not many people.” Cui Mingji’s tone became serious, and Li Zong panicked as well. “This idea was proposed by Li Gong. The two sisters were found by Li Shu. After buying them, they have been kept in the villa. Besides the two of them and the confidant who takes care of the sisters, there is only your uncle, Han Gong, and Mr. Cui, as you know.” Li Zong paused, then added, “And Park Yi-seo! Park Yi-seo certainly knows as well! But he doesn’t know the origin of the two sisters.”

"This 'idle trick' is no longer a sure thing. It's a ticking time bomb!" Cui Mingji's expression completely changed, looking extremely anxious. "The fact that these sisters are prostitutes must never be made public! Otherwise, the Emperor will be furious, and no one can bear that!"

(End of this chapter)