Chapter 4
Inside the Imperial Court in Hanyang—the gleaming capital of the new dynasty—the King sat upon his wooden dragon throne, his voice echoing off the high-timbered pillars in total fury.
“What? Do you people truly think I am weak? How dare these men raise private armies under my very nose!”
“Jeon-ha (전하), please calm down,” the Chief State Minister urged, bowing low as he stepped forward with smooth composure.
“I will personally investigate this matter, Your Majesty…”
“Investigate?!” The King slammed his hand onto the armrest.
“Do they still wish to return to the fallen Goryeo Dynasty? Is that their true desire?!”
“That is an abominable thought to even speak aloud, let alone consider!” the Left State Minister interjected, dropping to his knees.
“Please refrain from such dangerous thoughts, Jeon-ha!”
In a swift domino effect, the rest of the court ministers bowed until their foreheads nearly touched the polished floor, their voices echoing in unison: “Please refrain from such thoughts, Jeon-ha!”
The Chief State Minister crept a half-step closer to the throne, his eyes glinting with quiet malice.
“Jeon-ha… a disturbing rumor has been circulating through the capital. It is said that former Commander Kang Mu-shin, who once oversaw the defense of the northern borders, is actively acquiring weapons and gathering elite sword fighters to his estate.”
“Absurd!” the King snapped back, waving his hand dismissively.
“He is nothing more than a retired scholar living quietly in Hanyang.”
“Jeon-ha!” the Right State Minister cried out, joining the attack.
“It is precisely because he is a celebrated war hero that he possesses the leverage to draw young scholars and martial artists to his side! Please, let the Minister of War dispatch troops immediately to have him arrested and tried for high treason!”
“Let him be prosecuted, Jeon-ha!” the remaining ministers chorused, surrounding the King in a wall of pressure.
Two weeks later, the atmosphere at Commander Kang Mu-shin’s private villa was a world away from the lethal intrigue of the court.
Sunlight filtered through the courtyard trees as Mu-shin sparred with wooden swords against his two young sons, laughter filling the quiet morning air.
Their play was interrupted by the creak of the front gate.
Two men dressed in noblemen’s silk robes arrived at the villa.
Recognizing the visitors immediately, Mu-shin laid down his wooden blade and stepped forward to greet them.
“Greetings, Scholar Mu-shin,” the leading nobleman said, bowing his head slightly.
“Greetings, Young Master,” Mu-shin replied smoothly, before lowering his voice to a hushed murmur.
“…Or should I say, Je-ha (저하)?”
The Crown Prince let out a quiet sigh, gesturing with his hand.
“Stop with the formalities, Mu-shin. We are alone here.”
“Even so, My Lord, the days when I could address you by your given name are long past,” Mu-shin said, his eyes softening with respectful loyalty.
“You are the Crown Prince now. Furthermore, Je-ha, you cannot keep sneaking out of the palace like this. What if the ministers discover your absence?”
“Well, my royal father would give me an earful, but that would be the extent of it,” the Crown Prince chuckled, dismissing the danger.
He glanced toward the yard.
“How are your sons?”
“They are at the back, playing,” Mu-shin answered.
Right on cue, pitter-patter footsteps echoed across the wooden floorboards as the two boys rushed outside toward their father and the visitor, tugging at Mu-shin’s sleeves to join them again.
“Your children have grown so fast,” the Crown Prince remarked with a warm smile.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Mu-shin replied gently.
“And how are the princesses, the Grand Prince, and the Crown Princess?”
“They are all doing well,” the Prince answered.
He turned his attention to the boys and motioned with his hand.
“Come here, Pung. Woon.”
Both boys approached the royal visitor.
Pung looked up with bright, energetic excitement, while young Woon kept his head slightly lowered, composed and observant.
The Crown Prince reached deep inside his silk sleeve pockets and drew out two ornate ornaments—tiger teeth capped in pure, polished gold.
Intricately carved into each golden socket was a royal dragon soaring through clouds upon the wind.
The Crown Prince knelt down, presenting the gifts and quietly explaining the deep meaning carved into the gold—a royal token of safety and lifelong bond.
“What do you say, sons?” Mu-shin prompted softly.
“Thank you, Sir!” the two boys chimed in harmony before turning around and darting back toward the courtyard garden to inspect their treasure.
A short while later, Mu-shin changed into formal street attire to escort the Crown Prince and his disguised bodyguard—a trusted former military comrade serving as a palace eunuch—as they slipped quietly into the bustling Hanyang marketplace.
“I feel an unnerving chill whenever I am inside the palace halls,” the Crown Prince confessed as they walked through the crowds, his eyes scanning the streets.
“I can sense something is deeply wrong. I believe someone within the court is plotting against my life.”
“Do not worry for my sake, My Lord,” Mu-shin replied calmly.
“I keep my hands far away from political factions.”
“And what about me?” the Prince asked, casting a sideways glance at his old friend.
“Well… apart from you, of course,” Mu-shin said with a gentle smirk.
Both men chuckled softly, their laughter lost in the noise of the crowded market square.
Later that evening, around Hae-si—the Hour of the Pig—a palace eunuch knelt outside the entrance of the Crown Prince’s quarters, his voice breaking the stillness of the night.
“Dong-gung Ma-ma (동궁마마), His Majesty requests your presence immediately!”
The Crown Prince adjusted his robes and walked down the dimly lit timber corridors toward the King’s private chambers.
Entering the royal room, he bowed low before his father.
“A-ba-mama (아바마마), you called for me? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, my son,” the King replied weakly, gesturing toward the low table.
“Have a seat.”
The Prince sat quietly as the King stared into the flickering candlelight.
“Maintaining this throne has been my sole focus ever since I became King of Joseon,” the King began, his voice heavy with fatigue.
“I never gave myself enough time to look after my own family… Tell me, how is the rest of the royal household?”
“Thanks to your royal benevolence, A-ba-mama, we are all fine,” the Crown Prince answered softly.
“My benevolence?” The King let out a bitter laugh, which quickly turned into a dry, hollow cough.
“The ministers are raising their swords against my throne and my family, mocking my royal authority at every turn… Must I truly turn into a tyrant to show them what I am capable of?”
“Calm yourself, A-ba-mama,” the Prince reassured him gently.
“The ministers are merely making noise. The ultimate power resides with you—the monarch.”
“I know I have failed you, my son,” the King murmured, his eyes filled with regret.
“When you were only fifteen, you lost your mother because I was locked in battle protecting Goryeo. I was forced to send you into the military at such a young age… And tonight, after two decades, I have called you here to ask for one final favor.”
“What favor, A-ba-mama?” the Crown Prince asked, a cold knot tightening in his chest.
The King looked at him with an unreadable expression.
“I have already dispatched a force of soldiers to your friend’s residence. Kang Mu-shin will be executed tonight. The ministers are accusing him of high treason, and I will not allow my only son and heir to be dragged down with him.”
Horror struck the Crown Prince like a physical blow.
He scrambled forward, dropping to his knees directly in front of his father, his voice desperate.
“A-ba-mama! Please, revoke your command! I will personally order him to leave Joseon immediately! Please, A-ba-mama!”
“Se-ja!” the King barked, his voice stern and unyielding.
“It is only natural that sacrifices are made for the throne!”
Overwhelmed with grief and shock, the Crown Prince stumbled backward out of the King’s chambers, ignoring his father’s calls echoing behind him.
Rushing into the dark courtyard, he mounted his horse alongside his loyal retainer, and the two men rode furiously through the palace gates toward Mu-shin’s villa.
Meanwhile, at the Kang estate, the household was fast asleep under the pitch-black night sky.
Suddenly, a violent, metallic pounding rattled the wooden gates of the villa.
Mu-shin opened his eyes, immediately sensing the danger.
He threw on his outer robe and instructed his servant to unlatch the heavy wooden beam.
The moment the gates swung open, a platoon of armed royal guards rushed into the courtyard, their torches throwing harsh, flickering shadows across the walls.
The Commander of the Royal Guard stepped forward, his hand resting heavy on the hilt of his sword.
He looked directly at the former general and declared in a booming, echoing voice:
“Commander Kang Mu-shin! Prepare your household and step forward to receive His Majesty’s royal decree!”
Kang Mu-shin looked at the glittering steel of the guards surrounding his home.
Silently, he stepped onto the stone courtyard and sank to his knees to accept his fate.
(Fade to Black)