"But Your Majesty, you are supposed to take care of the King," The lady-in-waiting reminded her
Ji-Hye scoffed at the thought, "He doesn't need me. What he needs is someone to protect his throne. That little girl needs me." She waved off the lady-in-waiting, "Enough of this talk. Ask the princess what her favorite foods are and tell the royal kitchen to prepare them." The lady-in-waiting bowed to the Queen and immediately went to the Queen's bathing area.
Around the same time, Yeng successfully evacuated the Mt. Yangge village. The villagers decided to go to Nyuong gum instead. When they arrived there, they were met with death and destruction. "What has happened to this place?" Dam wondered, looking at the burning Jang estate.
Yeng asked around, looking for her friends. "Do you know where the prince is?" she asked another. "The prince was the prince here?" with no one giving her an answer. "Does anyone here know the prince?"
Kwan, upon hearing that someone was looking for the prince, looked for the one asking, "Yeng? What are you doing here?" he questioned
"The villagers decided that they would be safe here," She explained, her eyes wandering at the chaos that was unfolding. "What happened here? Did you save the prince?"
"Yes, we were able to save Prince Young-Sik. However, while we were gone, the King attacked and killed the prince's grandfather and kidnapped Ha-Rin and her daughter." The news came as a shock to Yeng, as she imagined the King's cruelty
"Oh, my goodness, what about Jin-Ri and the others?" Yeng asked, worried about her friend
"They went to Mun-He, in hopes of getting information that they could use," Kwan told her
"Yeng, where is Jinnie?" Seuk asked as he was hoping to see his daughter, "You mentioned she would be here with the prince."
"Mr. Hong, this is Captain Gi, he is a trusted friend of Jin-Ri and the prince," Yeng said, introducing Kwan to Jin-Ri's father
"Captain, is it true that the King would have attacked our little village?" The villagers asked Kwan
"Unfortunately, that is true. That is why Prince Seo-Joon, Prince Young-Sik, and Lady Jin-RI all went there to confront the King," Kwan explained. "They went there to stop the King from doing anything harm to us all."
"Prince Seo-Joon? Isn't he dead?" one of the villagers asked
"It is a long story, but the real King is alive. We, along with the Gyong and Haan villagers, are going to the palace now to help and support the prince. I don't have the right to ask this from any of you...but should anyone want to help the prince is welcome to join us" Kwan expressed "We are marching there now, you can join us" He bowed to Yeng and Jin-Ri's parents and went back to mount his horse and led the caravan.
"We must help them," Yeng expressed to his villagers
"But we are just commoners, we know nothing of fighting," An old man protests about Yeng's idea.
"So, you would rather live the rest of your days in fear?" Dam inquired, "Just because we are not warriors, should we just wait for a savior? Should we not rise and fight for ourselves?" She said, expressing her sentiments to her fellow villagers, stirring their hearts and minds
"I say we join them in the fight!" Seuk yelled, raising his arm, "We should fight for ourselves!" The other villagers joined, and they decided to march to the capital. Kwan glanced at Yeng, who was shrugging her shoulders at him.
Noon the next day, Young-Sik, Jin-Ri, and Min-Jae, under disguise, arrive at the Cherry Blossom. The prince revealed himself to the man guarding the entrance to the kitchen. Upon recognizing the prince, he took the horse's reins and pulled a lever hidden among the wooden posts. A hidden door opened, and the trio entered the passage straight to Young-Sik's secret room. Inside, they took their respective seats with Young-Sik positioning himself at the head of the table.
"Shouldn't I be sitting there? I am the oldest?" Min-Jae jested in protest
"When you get your secret room, you can sit at the head of the table," Young-Sik jested back
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Jin-Ri blurted out, tired of the brother's bantering, pulling the golden chord before Young-Sik could reach for it. After a few moments, the doors to the secret room opened, Mun-He entered carrying an empty food tray, followed by several ladies carrying trays of scrumptious food.
Mun-He bowed to Young-Sik, while the servant ladies placed the small feast on top of the table. After pouring the visitors their drinks, the ladies hastily left the room, closing the doors behind them. Jin-Ri stood up, walked to Mun-He, and hugged her friend. "It's nice to see you again, Lady Hu," she exclaimed
"And I am glad to see you beside the prince once again," Mun-He replied with a hint of mild sulking in her voice.
"Where is Kwan?" She asked, looking around the room, "And who is this fine gentleman, that you are with your Highness?" She inquired of the prince when her gaze landed on Min-Jae
Young-Sik quickly replied, "Kwan will follow us soon enough, do not worry about your lover." The prince replied, answering the first question with a grin on his face. Turning to his brother, he introduced who he was, "And this fine gentleman here is my brother, Kim Seo-Joon, and the true King of Chiongsun."
Mun-He's jaw dropped, and her eyes grew wide as she stared at the visage of Min-Jae. She suddenly dropped to the floor and bowed to him, "Forgive me, your Highness, I have not recognized you."
"That's quite alright, I prefer it that way, actually," Min-Jae explained while gesturing at the bowing lady to sit.
After Mun-He sits, she hits Young-Sik on the shoulder. "Bad little brat, why did you not tell me he is the King of Chiongsun? You waited for me to ask who he is before you told me!" She told Young-Sik with a voice that reflects how cross she is with the prince.
Mun-He's expression turned serious when she was asked by the prince, "Have our guests told you anything yet?"
"Yes, Your Highness," She happily reports, "Just as you were hauled away, I told her that she no longer has a choice because there was no one left to protect the King," she explained
"Wait!" Min-Jae interrupted, "She? The King? Are you talking about Eri?" He inquired, wanting to know the identity of this guest they were referring to.
"Yes, I had her hidden here for the last month or so," Young-Sik explained to his brother
"How did you get her? The last thing I heard about her was that she was to be executed, then she escaped and is now considered a traitor by her son," Min-Jae continued to ask, wanting to clarify things.
"Long story, brother, but the short answer is we got her out of the dungeons," Young-Sik said, answering his brother's question, turning to Mun-He. He asked, "What were the things she said?"
Mun-He lifted the empty tray and placed it on the table. She felt the wide sides of the tray until she found a switch. She pressed on the switch, and the bottom of the tray opened up, revealing a ledger and several rolls of parchment.
Young-Sik and Min-Jae each took a roll of parchment, unrolled it, and read the contents. "These are signed declarations of support in the event Lim Do-Yun decides to overthrow the crown," Min-Jae exclaimed, surprised at how Lady Hu had obtained such delicate information.
"How did you manage to secure these documents?" Young-Sik asked, perplexed at Mun-He's ability to gain such sensitive documents
"Remember that favor that you asked me a year ago, the one that I declined?" She asked the prince, to which Young-Sik nodded. "After you left, I changed my mind. So, I had some of my people infiltrate the Lim household as servants. They waited for over a year, memorizing the layout of the place, the people there, and their routines, especially Do-Yun and his family." Mun-He explained, "They have been collecting information, copying, saving, and securing discarded documents for over a year. And these are those documents."
As Jin-Ri and Min-Jae opened each scroll to see the names of Minister Lim's supporters, Young-Sik shifted his attention to the ledger. He read carefully through some of the pages, and then it hit him: "Lim Do-Yun is not the person I thought he was!" he exclaimed, shocked at his discovery. "But I think Mun-He and I know who this person is."
"What do you mean?" Jin-Ri asked while sifting through the names written in the parchments
"It details here how Do-Yun receives funding from a mystery figure." Young-Sik explains, "It seemed that even Lim Do-Yun had no idea who this person is, but according to him, the funds come from the mystery person's illegal activities, human trafficking, weapon smuggling, illegal trades with Aranes and Guiong. Even fraudulent tax collection," He explains, confused at the last entry.
"Then it means whoever's pulling the strings behind Lim Do-Yun is someone within the palace?" Jin-Ri deduced
"Not just that, this person was also the mastermind behind the uprising from sixteen years ago," Young-Sik revealed. "There is an entry here dated a few months before the uprising. Do-Yun records how he used his former position as minister of war to sell a large cache of weapons to this person and used the money to fund the rebellion, under this figure's instructions." The prince added
"So, Minister Lim is only a puppet," Mun-He suggested,
"It seemed so, but the question is, who is this person behind Lim Do-Yun?" Min-Jae interjects, "It will not be enough to catch all these names. We also need to figure out who is the head."
"We can do that once we have Lim Do-Yun in prison. For now, it's time to talk with the King," Young-Sik declared. "Mun-He, secure the ledger and the signed declarations. You're going with us to the palace."
"Your Highness, there was one more thing they found amongst the documents." Mun-He then pulled something out of her sleeves and showed it to Young-Sik and Min-Jae.
"Bring that with us, that will be our last resort," Young-Sik told Mun-He, who quickly returned the item to her sleeves.
The four marched out of the Cherry Blossom and onto the capital's streets, their destination the royal palace. The brothers marched in sync with each other's movements, the white and red swords held tightly in their hands swaying with each move they made. Jin-Ri and Mun-He, though walking a step behind the brothers, exuded great courage. People left the brothers' path and headed straight to the northern gates.
As they approached the northern gates, the guards recognized the prince at once. They readied their weapons, determined to seize the four intruders. But as Young-Sik and Min-Jae advanced, they unleashed a whirlwind of combat. Young-Sik's fist connected with one soldier's chest, sending him crashing down, while another was caught in a roundhouse kick, soaring through the air before hitting the ground with a loud thud.
Min-Jae, with his formidable strength, dispatched the soldiers charging at him, lifting two by their necks and slamming them down, leaving them unconscious. A third soldier lunged with a spear, only to be caught and knocked out with a single, powerful punch.
Jin-Ri and Mun-He stayed behind the two men. The two brothers showcased their fighting skills, with Young-Sik executing a flawless maneuver that sent a soldier soaring through the air after a swift crouch and explosive rise. Meanwhile, Min-Jae demonstrated his might, gripping a soldier by the collar, twisting him around, and casting him away like a ragdoll.
The soldiers stopped engaging the brothers as they learned they were no match for them. Cautiously, they followed the two, maintaining a safe distance. They followed the four intruders to the royal court grounds, where Man-Ju waited atop the stairs leading to the courtroom.
The four stopped at the foot of the stairs, as their path was blocked by a platoon of archers. "Don't make another step, or I'll make sure my archers will skewer all of you in an instant," Man-Ju warned the four.
Young-Sik boldly advanced, challenging the King. "Is this the welcome you offer us, your brothers?" he demanded, his voice echoing through the hall.