The Chancellor of the Red Tomb
Author: Kim Dong-in

"Hmm!"

A long silence.

"Open the paper sliding doors!"

"Yes, my lord."

The doors opened quietly.

"Everyone, step back!"

"..."

"I need to think alone for a while."

"Yes, my lord."

The sound of careful, retreating footsteps.

Only after it became quiet did Choe Yeong finally lift his head. He was an old man with sparse white hair. However, the spirit in his eyes and the complexion of his face still clearly displayed his formidable authority. The old man, lifting his head and leaning against his backrest, slightly raised his eyes to look out into the courtyard through the open doors. It was the third lunar month of spring, and the pear blossoms showing off the season in the courtyard were like snow...

"Ah, it is spring."

Spring? Indeed, it was spring. Since winter had passed, it was spring. Since summer had not yet come, it was spring. However.

Could such a thing truly happen?

"Commander Yi Seong-gye and his faction are plotting treason..."

"Currently, a bizarre rumor is circulating among the people that His Majesty the King is the seed of Sin Don, and that too is being spread by Yi's faction."

It is a plausible rumor. But it is also too insolent a remark to believe. He had been wary of Chancellor Yi's suspicious behavior from early on, but could such a disrespectful rumor really be spread among the people? Chancellor Yi is certainly the kind of person capable of harboring treasonous intentions, but no matter how rebellious he might feel, as a subject, could he really concoct such an unspeakable lie about His Majesty? The seed of Sin Don? How dare such words be spoken against the one he currently serves as King, the very person the late King firmly entrusted to him during his reign?

"Wicked scoundrel!"

He could not help but grind his teeth.

With his eyes glaring, burning with anger and displeasure, Choe Yeong looked at the pear tree boasting of spring in the courtyard.

"Spring!"

Since winter has passed, it is spring. Since summer has not come, it is spring. But what makes it feel like spring?

Is it spring because the pear blossoms have bloomed? Is it spring because the days are warm? Is it spring because the kites are flying? Other than that, where has spring arrived?

The citizens are lost and confused by the absurd rumors spread by Chancellor Yi's faction. In the government, the officials are trembling in fear due to the military threat posed by Chancellor Yi's faction.

Amidst all this, not a shadow of spring could be seen in the hearts of the ten million souls of Goryeo.

"Ah, what is to be done?"

He himself was already old.

Yi Seong-gye was in the prime of his life.

Even though he was already old at seventy-three, he was the only one in the Goryeo court right now who could stand against Chancellor Yi's power. Privately, he and Chancellor Yi might be on friendly terms, but for the sake of the nation, they had no choice but to rise against each other as enemies now. Though he was already old and his military strength was beyond comparison, at this perilous time for the dynasty, there was no one but him to shoulder this burden.

The five-hundred-year royal history—as long as my eyes remain open, who would dare covet it? Let us dispose of Yi Seong-gye!

The fourteenth year of King U, the twenty-first year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, the third lunar month of spring in the year of Mujin.

Yet, as it was spring, the pear blossoms on the tree in the courtyard were like snow...

"Your Majesty! I believe there is no other way."

Choe Yeong, having sent even the eunuchs far away, was secretly granted an audience with the King in his bedchamber.

The King, full of sorrow, remained silent without giving any answer.

"Your Majesty, as a result of my deep contemplation over the past few days, there is no other good plan but this."

Chancellor Choe Yeong, with tears in his old eyes, knelt before the throne. After a while, the King responded.

"Will Chancellor Yi Seong-gye comply?"

"If we employ a stratagem on one hand and issue a royal command on the other, how could even Chancellor Yi dare to openly defy it?"

The King sealed his lips once again. Choe Yeong slightly raised his eyes and looked up at the King, whose lips were sealed.

The protagonist of this fateful destiny, this King, was in the prime of his life, around twenty-four or twenty-five, but the calm demeanor and gloomy aura covering his royal face made him look like a middle-aged man around thirty no matter how one looked at him.

"Your Majesty, what is your sincere intent?"

The stratagem Choe Yeong offered the King was roughly as follows.

At that time, Goryeo had distanced itself from the Yuan Dynasty, which it had served as a great power for generations, and had just begun to serve the newly established Ming Dynasty as its suzerain. However, because they had served the Yuan Dynasty as a great power for hundreds of years, the people of Goryeo still habitually tended to think of the Yuan Dynasty as the great power. On top of that, the newly emerging Ming Dynasty did something very displeasing to Goryeo. It was none other than the Ming Dynasty taking Liaodong, which Goryeo had considered its own territory up until now, claiming it as their own.

Thus, due to this territorial issue, Goryeo and its suzerain, the Ming Dynasty, were at odds with each other. However, the Ming Dynasty scoffed at Goryeo's intentions and simply declared Liaodong as Ming territory.

Choe Yeong's opinion was to take this opportunity to order Chancellor Yi to lead an expedition to conquer Liaodong. This was a very crucial matter with two meanings: first, to use the opportunity while Chancellor Yi was far away leading the expeditionary force to prepare for his eventual return, even if triumphant; and second, to reclaim Liaodong, which had been taken by the Ming Dynasty.

Even if Chancellor Yi unfortunately failed the expedition and the Ming Dynasty held them accountable, they could simply shift the blame to the already failed Chancellor Yi, leading to his downfall either way. With this intent, Choe Yeong proposed sending Chancellor Yi on the Liaodong expedition.

The silence continued again. On a spring evening, with a heart-melting floral breeze blowing in, the sorrowful young King and the sorrowful old Chancellor sat silently before the flickering candlelight.

"Your Majesty!"

"Cock-a-doodle-doo"

Already the sound of the first rooster crowing.

At the sound of the rooster, Choe Yeong sat back slightly.

"Your Majesty, the night is already deep, so I shall withdraw. Please consider it deeply."

Only then did the King answer.

"What do I know? I only trust you, Chancellor, so do as you see fit."

"Your Majesty!"

"Chancellor, please help me. My heart aches. It is hard to discern what to do. I have trusted Chancellor Yi up until now."

Looking up, the traces of two streams of tears on the royal face glimmered in the candlelight.

Ah! For a noble being destined to rule to shed tears, what is the meaning of this? Choe Yeong, who had sat back slightly, shuffled closer to the throne on his knees again.

"Your Majesty, although I am old, as long as the pupils of my eyes remain black, how could someone like Chancellor Yi even think of violating your dignity? Please rest assured, rest assured. Although they remain silent on the outside due to Chancellor Yi's power, if you only distance yourself from Chancellor Yi, there are still a thousand, a hundred loyal subjects in Goryeo who will rise up, so please rest assured and wait for the right time."

"I only trust you, Chancellor."

"I will repay your trust without fail."

The spring breeze, hastening the falling blossoms, made the candlelight flicker once more. The sound of the rooster crowing, the spring night gradually deepening...

A few days later, the government announced the King's royal tour to the west. The ostensible reason was to personally travel to Seogyeong to materialize the transfer of the capital, which had been a pending issue since the previous king's reign. Royal Consort Yeongbi Choe, who was Choe Yeong's daughter, along with Choe Yeong and Yi Seong-gye, were also scheduled to accompany him. Seoul was left to be guarded by U Hyeon-bo, while Prince Chang and the other royal consorts were sent to stay at Jungheungseong Fortress.

On the surface, it was called a royal tour of Seogyeong, but its underlying purpose was entirely different; this was a secret known only to the King and Choe Yeong, and to no one else. In other words, by framing it as a royal tour of Seogyeong, they planned to make Chancellor Yi accompany them with peace of mind, and then suddenly order the Liaodong expedition midway. Thus, they intended to force Chancellor Yi to depart for the conquest of Liaodong before he could react, and then proceed with the second stage of their plan behind his back.

In the fourth lunar month of summer in the year of Mujin, the King, accompanied by his officials, left Seoul and embarked on the path of his western tour.

The King's entourage reached Bongju, which is present-day Bongsan. The season was the height of summer, and the chirping of insects seemed to hasten the short summer night. Laying his old body down in a separate room of the temporary palace, Choe Yeong tossed and turned from left to right, unable to fall asleep.

The plan was to send Chancellor Yi on the Liaodong expedition by royal command the following morning. With a great task ahead, this old chancellor could not sleep due to an excitement unbefitting his age.

His kneecaps rubbed together. When he felt his body, his once healthy and massive frame was covered in wrinkles, and his rock-hard muscles had lost their strength. Having fought for the country for over fifty years, let this emaciated old body fight for the country to the very end. It is tomorrow. Tomorrow.

It is the day to make the final, decisive move. How will it turn out?

Oh Heavens, please help us. Tomorrow is the day of a great decisive battle. If this royal house is not utterly doomed, please help us. Choe Yeong prayed and prayed to the deities all night long.

"Chancellor Yi, you are to immediately organize the troops and depart on the expedition to Liaodong."

At this royal command, which struck like a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky, Chancellor Yi was dumbfounded. It was not just Chancellor Yi. The civil and military officials summoned before the throne, not knowing the reason, were all dumbfounded.

Inside the hall, which was as quiet as death, everyone remained in a daze for a moment. Only after a long while did Chancellor Yi finally gather his senses and open his mouth.

"Your Majesty! I cannot support the deployment of troops at this time."

Choe Yeong intercepted his words.

"Chancellor Yi! It is a royal command to deploy the troops; I do not believe His Majesty asked for your opinion."

Chancellor Yi shot him a glaring look. Choe Yeong shuddered involuntarily. It was the most terrifying gaze he had seen in his seventy years of life. Regardless of what Choe Yeong said, Chancellor Yi continued speaking.

"I shall now present to the throne the reasons why deploying troops is impossible at this time. First, it is against the natural order for the small to attack the great, so how can Goryeo, a border state, defy the great Ming Dynasty? This is the first reason it is impossible. Second, deploying troops in the summer brings great hardship and little gain. Third, if we empty the nation to send an expedition, the Japanese pirates might launch a surprise attack on our weak points, which is the third reason. Fourth, it is currently the rainy season, so the glue on our bows and crossbows will melt, and on top of that, there is a fear of an epidemic breaking out in the camp, which is the fourth reason. Since this expedition brings a hundred harms and no benefits, I humbly suggest that we cancel it."

The King raised his glasses. He silently looked down at Chancellor Yi's bowed head for a moment. Only after doing so did he open his mouth.

"It is already decided, so prepare to execute it immediately."

"However."

Choe Yeong intercepted him as he tried to object again.

"Chancellor Yi! It is a royal command. Your Majesty, we will execute it according to the royal command. Since Chancellor Yi is also a pillar of Goryeo, how could he defy a military command? You say the small should not attack the great, but while Goryeo has lasted five hundred years, that Ming Dynasty is merely decades old, making this a natural act of the righteous punishing the wicked. Furthermore, Liaodong is in the north, so if we do not deploy troops in the summer, it will be hard to endure the bitter winter later. And though it is a national expedition, we still have enough generals to guard the borders. If we do not march north at this time, I fear we will leave a regret that will last a thousand autumns. As my humble opinion aligns with Your Majesty's sincere intent, I believe this is none other than the spirit of our founding King guiding Your Majesty."

Feeling Chancellor Yi's sharp glare continuously piercing him, Choe Yeong made this report.

"Even so."

"A subject only has the duty to obey his lord's command."

The demeanor of Choe Yeong, who raised his old eyes to scold Chancellor Yi, held the full dignity of a Chancellor.

A royal command? Oppressed by the royal command in every possible way, Chancellor Yi had no choice but to seal his lips.

Having arrived in Pyongyang, Seogyeong, Chancellor Yi finally had no choice but to embark on the expedition to conquer Liaodong by the King's command. Choe Yeong was appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Eight Provinces, Jo Min-su was made the Commander of the Left Army with generals like Sim Deok-bu, Yi Mu, Wang An-deok, Yi Seung-won, and Bak Wi serving under him, and Yi Seong-gye was made the Commander of the Right Army with generals like Yi Du-ran, Bae Geuk-ryeom, and Bak Yeong-chung under his command; an army of forty thousand marched toward Liaodong.

Thus, after sending the tiger far away, the King, the Queen, and Choe Yeong stayed behind in Seogyeong.

"Chancellor!"

"Your Majesty!"

The young King and the old Chancellor looked at each other.

"Let us return to the capital now."

"Your Majesty, Seogyeong is a place renowned for its scenery and historical sites. If you return to the capital now, when will you ever have the chance to visit this ancient capital again? Please take some time to recuperate from the fatigue of being engrossed in state affairs, and perhaps take a short trip to the Seongcheon Hot Springs before you return to the palace."

In the dreamlike city with green willow leaves in the fourth lunar month of summer, the young King enjoyed this four-thousand-year-old ancient city. Listening to the resounding lively music and watching the fluttering sleeves of beautiful dancers, the old Chancellor and the young King washed their minds, previously weighed down by state affairs, in the summer breeze of the Daedonggang River.

"Chancellor!"

"Your Majesty!"

"What will happen?"

"Goryeo will prosper for ten thousand years."

"If only that were so..."

"What else is there to worry about? That certain Yi went far away and it is hard to even guarantee he will return alive, and only those loyal to Your Majesty remain within the country, so what is there to fear?"

An unconcealable smile formed on the face of the old Chancellor as he watched the young King enjoying archery or polo with his young consort, Choe Yeong's daughter, at Bubyeokru Pavilion.

A refreshing breeze blowing through his sparse white hair.

The clear, ringing melody of the lively music.

"Ah, long live Goryeo!"

On the day of Eulmi in the fifth lunar month, the entourage of these nobles arrived at Seongcheon Hot Springs. The plan was to rest at the hot springs for a few more days before returning to Seoul to begin the great task of national revival.

Thus, on the third day of their stay at the Seongcheon Hot Springs. An unexpected, tragic report chilled the hearts of the King and his subject.

"Chancellor Yi has turned the army around."

"He went as far as Wihwado Island and turned back on his own accord."

"He is leading the forty-thousand-strong army back to Seoul."

"He has already reached Anju."

"This is not the return of an expeditionary force. It is the march of a rebel army attacking the capital."

Treason. He defied a royal command. Turning the army back on his own accord was an act of treason in itself, but now he was pointing his spears toward Seoul and advancing.

"Chancellor, what should we do?"

"Yes..."

There was nothing to report. Faced with Chancellor Yi's tyranny, the King and his subject held onto each other, gnashed their teeth, and wept bitterly.

The plan had crumbled to dust.

Hope had also crumbled to dust. Now, there was no choice but to rush straight back to Seoul.

The royal procession immediately turned back toward Pyongyang.

Passing by Jajuniseong Fortress, an order was issued:

"Yi Seong-gye, who was sent on the Liaodong expedition, has arbitrarily turned his army around and is returning, so the military and civilians great and small along the way must fight to stop him."

And they hurried back to Pyongyang through the night. Thus, crossing the Daedonggang River the next morning, the King, his subject, and their entourage hastened their way to Seoul, evading the rebel soldiers.

A war that was not quite a war on a summer day stretched from Seogyeong to Songgyeong. Returning hurriedly to Seoul, the King's entourage made the palace their final stronghold and hid inside.

"Chancellor! What will happen?"

"Your Majesty!"

With nothing more to say, the King and his subject held each other and wept aloud.

Summer, with lush greenery befitting the season. Flocks of chirping birds, swarms of fluttering butterflies. However, the King and the Chancellor, unable to appreciate any of this, hid in the inner quarters of the palace, their bodies trembling. In a panic, they called for soldiers, but there were no soldiers. They had given them all to Chancellor Yi and sent them on the expedition, and now they needed to recruit, but recruitment did not go as they wished.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Yi's army of forty thousand finally reached the outskirts of Seoul on the first day of the sixth lunar month.

By royal command, the official posts of the rebellious generals, including Yi Seong-gye and Jo Min-su, were stripped away. However, what effect could a powerless King's dismissal have? The forty-thousand-strong army completely surrounded Seoul in multiple layers. And a letter arrived for the King from Chancellor Yi, the commander of the besieging army.

It demanded the exile of Choe Yeong.

"Chancellor!"

"Your Majesty!"

"I am outraged."

"What shall we do?"

The old general pondered for a long time before raising his head.

"Your Majesty, I will go to that certain Yi's camp."

"If you go, Chancellor, who will handle what follows..."

"Entrust the aftermath to U Hyeon-bo..."

"You cannot. I know full well that that certain Yi's objective is not just you alone, Chancellor... Let us hear what his intentions are first."

The King sent Seol Jang-su to Chancellor Yi's camp to order the army to withdraw by royal command. However, rather than withdrawing, the soldiers advanced further and set up camp right outside the city gates.

The King had no choice but to haphazardly gather whatever soldiers were left inside Seoul to guard the four gates, but there was no way these hastily assembled troops could stand against Chancellor Yi's elite forces. The troops led by Jo Min-su surged toward Sunginmun Gate, and the rebel army finally swept into the heart of Seoul.

The sound of shouting.

The chaotic clamor of warhorses. In the turbulent capital of Songgyeong, Jo Min-su's black grand flag and Chancellor Yi's yellow dragon grand flag fluttered in the east and west.

The sound of shouting! The noise of chaos!

And amidst it all, the sound of the people crying and screaming. While this was happening, the yellow dragon grand flag eventually crossed Seonjukgyo Bridge and reached the crest of Namsan Mountain.

Choe Yeong, with his old body, had been personally commanding his troops, trying to hold out a little longer against Chancellor Yi's rebel army. Upon seeing the yellow dragon grand flag fluttering on the crest of Namsan Mountain, Choe Yeong's soldiers lost all their fighting spirit. No matter how much he shouted, commanded, and encouraged them, there was no way to turn back the fear-stricken hearts of the soldiers now.

Even the government troops who had been holding their swords and putting up a semblance of a fight until now were terrified upon seeing the yellow dragon grand flag on Namsan Mountain, and they all fled.

What could be done now? Even Choe Yeong, who had been commanding the troops with his general's sword held high amidst the chaotic swarm of men and horses, had no other options left. Watching the soldiers fleeing in all directions, east, west, south, and north, Choe Yeong finally turned his horse around.

Where was he heading? To the palace. The old Chancellor, who had dedicated over fifty years of his seventy-year life to the country, could clearly see what lay ahead. He would not survive this.

Once he died, the royal house of Goryeo would be played with in the palm of Chancellor Yi's hand. Tears streamed down his cheeks at the vivid realization of these two facts. Amidst the chaotically scattering soldiers, the old Chancellor buried his head deep into his chest and spurred his horse toward Suchanggung Palace...

Upon returning to the palace, he found the main hall, the King's office, and the royal bedchambers entirely empty. Only a few low-ranking eunuchs were wandering around as if they had lost their minds, and the King and the noble figures were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he? Where has His Majesty gone?"

He grabbed a eunuch and asked.

"He is at the Octagonal Pavilion in the flower garden."

Going around to the Octagonal Pavilion, he found the King trembling, pale as a ghost, accompanied by Consort Yi, Consort Yeong, the prince, and a few eunuchs.

"Your Majesty!"

"Prime Minister! What happened?"

"Your Majesty! This defeated general has no face to look up at your royal visage."

Looking down from the pavilion was the young King, and kneeling below the pavilion was the old Chancellor; their words ceased for a moment. In this flower garden, lacking even soldiers to guard it, if the enemy discovered them from over there, they would be overtaken without a single sword being swung.

Suddenly, a loud trumpet blast rang out from the north of Ambangsa Temple. Looking up, the yellow dragon grand flag was fluttering there, and it seemed they had already spotted this flower garden, as they could clearly be seen pointing in this direction.

"Chancellor!"

"Your Majesty!"

He approached on his knees. Upon reaching the stone steps, he climbed up to the pavilion, still on his knees.

It was a breach of etiquette, but in this critical moment, there was no room to observe manners.

"Your Majesty!"

"Prime Minister!"

They held hands tightly...

He looked up at the royal face. The boy King, unable to even shed a tear, was simply trembling. The consorts and court ladies attending beside him were also trembling, unable to even cry.

Finally, Yeong opened his mouth.

"Your Majesty. I will go to Yi Seong-gye's camp."

"What? What are you saying?"

"Already..."

Looking outside the fence of the flower garden, the opposing soldiers had already begun to gather.

"There is no way to avoid them. Since we cannot avoid them anyway, I wish to hand over this unregrettable old body to Yi Seong-gye and deliver my final request."

"Even so."

"..."

Finally, the flower garden was surrounded by the opposing soldiers. They had surrounded it, but knowing the King was inside, they dared not charge in carelessly; they only thickened the layers of the siege, their deafening shouts seemingly shaking the heavens and the earth.

A figure descended from the Octagonal Pavilion in the center of the flower garden.

It was Choe Yeong. Stepping backward down the stone steps, Yeong bowed deeply on the ground below to bid his final farewell to the King.

It was a silent farewell. He lay prostrate and wept silently for a moment. Then, standing up quietly, Choe Yeong scanned the soldiers surrounding the flower garden and took calm, firm steps in the direction of the yellow dragon grand flag.

"He's coming!"

"The enemy Choe is coming."

"Prime Minister Choe is coming."

Reaching the fence amidst the cacophony of voices from outside, Yeong issued a command to the soldiers beyond it.

"Cut down this fence."

Stepping outside the fence through the opening made by the soldiers, Yeong walked toward the yellow dragon grand flag, passing through the soldiers who parted to the left and right to make way for him.

"Chancellor Yi!"

A quiet but powerful voice.

To the Prime Minister who called him directly and approached, Chancellor Yi smiled thinly with a flushed expression.

"Chancellor Yi, is this siege aimed at me? Or is it aimed at His Majesty the King?"

"What grudge could I possibly have? It is just that the hearts of the soldiers are too restless..."

"You are also a senior statesman of Goryeo, Chancellor Yi; as long as your mind is resolute, it matters not whether an old relic like me exists or not. Now, I shall surrender my body to you, Chancellor Yi, so do as you please, but do not become a sinner to the state."

"..."

"His Majesty the King is currently in the Octagonal Pavilion. Troubling the royal mind is not the duty of a subject, so immediately lift the siege. I will go and wait at my house, so come for me whenever you need."

Having thrown down these words, he took his steps forward without even a backward glance. Passing through the soldiers who stepped aside before his imposing presence...

Chancellor Yi, who never dreamed that Choe Yeong would come out to confront and command him like this, stared blankly at his retreating back. Yeong returned to his humble home, which scarcely looked like the residence of a nation's Prime Minister. Before he even had time to bid farewell to his family or his ancestral shrine, he was seized by the pursuing soldiers and taken back to the military camp.

That very day, he was exiled to Gobong-hyeon, which is present-day Goyang.

After its great pillar had been broken, the Goryeo court fell into total chaos.

Who was the King, and who was the Chancellor? U Hyeon-bo, whom the King trusted second only to Choe Yeong, was also soon stripped of his official post.

Furthermore, Jo Min-su, Yi Seong-gye, and all the other generals who had been stripped of their ranks by royal command during their retreat were all reinstated, though it was unclear by whose order.

"Your Majesty!" Chancellor Yi offered congratulations to the King in the main hall on the pacification of the incident.

"I intervened early and saved Goryeo from the wicked clutches of the enemy Choe."

"Commendable."

"If we had begun the Liaodong expedition according to Choe Yeong's idea, how could we have withstood the Emperor's forces? The five-hundred-year royal house of Goryeo was almost lost."

The King nodded his head, but inwardly, he trembled with pent-up rage. In the scorching heat of the sixth lunar month, the King secluded himself in the inner palace and did not step outside. He kept the doors firmly closed...

He was terrified of meeting Chancellor Yi and the subordinate generals, whom he would inevitably encounter if he went to the main hall. Those scoundrels who insolently and freely roamed the palace as if wandering through their own guest rooms. It was deeply insolent and overwhelmingly infuriating, but there was no way to stop them, no power to stop them, and no one to stop them.

Whenever he met Chancellor Yi, the man's demeanor seemed to say, "Consider yourself lucky that your life is still attached to you."

"Ah."

Fourteen years on the throne. Having ascended the throne at the age of twelve, and now twenty-six, he had barely managed to hold together this turbulent government with the help of loyal subjects like Yi In-im and Choe Yeong, but was this now the end of the royal house?

The sweltering, melting heat; he wished to throw the doors open and catch even a hint of a breeze, but he was in such a pitiful state that he could not even do that.

Finally, the final day arrived.

"Your Majesty! Chancellor Yi has called away all the soldiers guarding the palace."

What? While he was startled and at a loss for what to do, the sound of a horse galloping toward the inner quarters could be heard. Who dares to ride a horse into this palace, and especially into the inner quarters? Since the founding of the palace, who dares to ride into this inner courtyard, which has never before been trampled by the hooves of a horse?

Suddenly, a shout rang out.

"Come out, Royal Consort Yeong, daughter of Choe Yeong!"

Inside the trembling hall, the King, Royal Consort Yeong, and the court ladies held their breath, not daring to make a peep.

"Come out, daughter of the treasonous and atrocious Choe Yeong!"

The King could endure it no longer. The King stood up. Barely supporting his limbs, which were trembling with rage and terror, he went to the door and pushed it open.

Outside the door, Jo In-ok, sitting on a horse, glared with fierce, menacing eyes at the opening door.

"Where do you think you are!"

"This is the inner quarter of Suchanggung Palace."

There was no retort to be made against this defiant response.

"Why are you looking for Royal Consort Yeong?"

"Royal Consort Yeong is the daughter of a sinner, so the supreme council has decided to depose her!"

Had this incident occurred abruptly, the King surely would have burst with rage and collapsed on the spot. However, since he had been living in constant fear day after day, he managed not to collapse even now. The King looked down. He stared down at In-ok for a moment with emotionless eyes.

A thousand, ten thousand thoughts crossed the King's mind.

Three or four officers and soldiers followed suit, riding in on horseback.

"It is Chancellor Yi's order. If Royal Consort Yeong does not come out, the order is to go up and drag her out."

Indeed, their momentum suggested they were more than willing to storm up into the hall.

Thus, the final catastrophe unfolded.

At the very end, the King even resorted to pleading. He went so far as to say that if they dragged Royal Consort Yeong away, he would go with her. However, there was no way those words would hold any weight.

First disbanding the palace honor guard, and then capturing Royal Consort Yeong, the generals commanded the King to come out to the main hall. Coming out to the main hall, which he had not visited for some time, he found Chancellor Jo, Chancellor Yi, and other prime ministers waiting, and down in the courtyard, even the King's beloved horse was waiting in readiness.

Walking like a cow being led to a slaughterhouse, as the King moved toward the royal throne, Chancellor Yi blocked his path.

"The royal throne is no longer your place. Step down into the courtyard below and get on the horse."

You are not the son of the late King Gongmin of the Hyeolleung Tomb, but the son of the wicked monk Sin Don. You have been deposed in accordance with the will of all the people, so get on that horse and leave immediately for your place of exile in Ganghwa. We specially permit Royal Consort Choe and Consort Yeonssang to accompany you, so take them with you.

This was the command the chancellors handed down to this King. The time was right at sunset; the evening sun was slowly sinking below the horizon.

What could he do? His heart was pounding, but there was nothing he could do. It felt just like a terrifying dream. As if wandering through a dizzying nightmare, the situation was so wildly unexpected that he could not grasp what was happening.

Holding a riding crop, the King dejectedly stepped down into the courtyard.

He approached the horse and patted its mane a couple of times. The horse snorted, seemingly delighted to see its master after such a long time.

He made it to the horse. But with the day already dark, how could he travel the road? The road ahead was nothing but bleak. Patting the horse's mane for a moment, the King barely managed to open his eyes a little.

"The day has already declined, so if we leave at daybreak..."

There were two types of reactions to this.

Chancellor Yi and the subordinate generals pretended not to hear and utterly ignored the King's words. Among them, some chancellors who had attended the gathering that day out of coercion could not bear it, turned their heads, and wept.

Sobbing chancellors, sobbing consorts and eunuchs; amidst this miserable scene, the King, who had been patting the horse's mane, silently mounted the horse. With the day already waning, he now set off on the road to his exile in Ganghwa.

Without knowing exactly what had transpired inside the palace, the citizens of Gaegyeong wailed loudly upon seeing the King, accompanied by his Queen, being escorted away under military guard. Receiving these mournful wails of condolence, the King's entourage dejectedly navigated the twilight road.

The court of Goryeo, its pillar Choe Yeong already broken, danced in the palm of Chancellor Yi's hand. Chancellor Yi's faction, having deposed the King and Queen by claiming they were the seed of Sin Don, enthroned the King's nine-year-old son as the new King. And they consecutively elevated the ranks of their own faction members, while eliminating all those who went against their will.

In the twelfth lunar month of that year, Choe Yeong was finally beheaded at his place of exile.

The loyal soul that had consistently fought for Goryeo throughout a long, seventy-three-year life vanished as a vengeful ghost in the exile of Chungju. The people of Goryeo, who had enjoyed their lives under this Chancellor, all closed their shops and expressed their condolences upon receiving the news of Choe Yeong's death.

"If I ever acted with even a sliver of selfish motive while I lived, grass will grow on my grave."

Indeed, in later years, not a single blade of grass sprouted on Choe Yeong's grave, earning it the name "Jeokbun" (Red Tomb). Shortly after, they deposed the boy King as well.

Since they deposed the late King on the grounds that he was Sin Don's son, if the late King was Sin Don's son, then the current King must be Sin Don's grandson. Discovering this self-contradiction, they had no choice but to depose the boy King as well. Afterward, they brought in Prince Jeongchang, a seventh-generation descendant of the former King Sinjong and a distant relative of the King, and placed him on the throne.

The new King's lament on the night of his enthronement:

"I have had sufficient food and clothing my entire life, so for what reason must I bear such a heavy burden now?"

And he wept all night long. In the twelfth lunar month of the following year, which marked the first anniversary of the death of Goryeo's pillar, Choe Yeong, the late King and the boy King were also killed in their places of exile.

In this way, throwing the politics of Goryeo into extreme chaos and leaving the people utterly confused, while secretly securing his own power base, Chancellor Yi left the puppet new King in a false position for four years before deposing him as well and ascending the throne himself.

He was King Taejo of Joseon, Yi Seong-gye.

"This has been a reading of author Kim Dong-in's The Chancellor of the Red Tomb. General Choe Yeong's words that grass would grow on his grave if he ever acted out of self-interest in his life, and the heavy ending where his grave was indeed called 'Jeokbun', or the red tomb, because not a single blade of grass grew on it, leave a deep lingering impression. We conclude this reading while honoring the soul of a loyal subject who consistently fought for Goryeo and the sorrow of the people amidst turbulent history. Thank you for listening until the end."