212.
Empress Ki's Secret Envoy — Gathering the Remnants of Gi Cheol
Spring in Liaodong came late and felt gloomy.
The wind still carried shards of ice, and the river ran turbid, as if iron filings had been dissolved in it.
At night, lights flickered from the fortress below the mountains—not the torches of merchant caravans, but the signals of secret envoys.
That night, a man dressed in black appeared at a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of Liaoyang Fortress.
From his travel bag he took out a sealed letter and placed it beneath the base of a pagoda.
The mark on the seal was unmistakable—the emblem of the Empress.
Moments later, a middle-aged monk emerged from behind the temple.
He held a Buddhist scripture in his hands, yet concealed within it was a directive from the Bureau of Military Affairs.
"Whose order is this?"
"It comes from Dadu. It is the will of Her Majesty the Empress."
The monk opened the letter.
A dense scent of incense spread.
Do not forget the name of Gi Cheol.
Rouse Liaodong once more.
Burn Hwaju and shake the king of Gaegyeong.
Only three lines.
Yet words sufficient to throw a kingdom into turmoil.
At dawn, the envoy rode south along an old caravan route that had now become Goryeo land.
Wherever he passed, names long asleep began to awaken.
Yi Tak, a remnant of the Pyeongjang Jeongsa, appeared on horseback.
Jang Heon-yu, once Gi Cheol's in-law, clasped a copy of the secret letter in his hand.
And the Eunpo Trading Company—nominally merchants, in truth a band of brigands who had managed the Gi clan's wealth—gathered once more.
* Pyeongjang Jeongsa was a high office in the Zhengdong Branch Secretariat established by the Mongol Yuan in Goryeo during the late Goryeo period, originally for campaigns against Japan.
They did not trust one another.
They were not people who ordinarily crossed paths.
Yet before the plum-blossom seal of the Empress stamped upon the letter, all bowed their heads.
The envoy spoke.
"This will not end with Hwaju. Her Majesty's intent is clear—strike Hwaju and shake the king in Gaegyeong."
Yi Tak asked quietly,
"In Lord Gi Cheol's name?"
"In effect, it is to cooperate with Lord Gi Cheol," the envoy replied, his gaze cold.
"Her Majesty herself is watching."
At dawn, lights flared atop the hills of Liaodong.
Not beacon fires, but the signal of a new conspiracy.
That night, the envoy spurred his horse onward.
Many joined him along the way.
The road from Liaoyang to Simju, and from Simju to Hwaju, was long and harsh.
A strange smile touched his lips.
"That boy—Park Seongjin, was it? He has offended Her Majesty. His name, too, will soon be erased in blood."
Hooves kicked up clouds of dust.
Within that dust, the night of Liaodong flickered.
The Court of Gaegyeong — Watching the Spark
Rain weighed heavily upon the sky over Gaegyeong.
Mist pooled in the palace courtyards, and even the footsteps of the inner attendants along the corridors sounded sodden.
Yi In-jung prostrated himself before the hall.
From within came the king's low cough.
"Enter."
The king sat upon the throne with only a single lamp beside him.
Fatigue lay upon the face lit by its glow, yet his eyes remained clear.
"I have read the letters from Hwaju," the king spoke first.
"Is it true that Empress Ki's hand has reached there again?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Movements have been detected in Liaodong.
The remnants of Gi Cheol, trading companies, and scattered forces of the provincial armies are secretly colluding."
The king tapped the armrest of the throne with his fingers.
"So this time it is not soldiers, but money."
"Yes. They are buying former officials with silver and silk, stirring merchants and bands of brigands."
The king fell silent for a moment.
Thunder rumbled faintly outside the window.
"Yi In-jung."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"How do you see it?"
"If we retreat, we become a tributary state once more.
I fear we will lose the Hwaju we worked so hard to reclaim," Yi In-jung replied, his voice low but firm.
"If we fight, more blood will be spilled.
But if we stop now, the meaning of recovering Hwaju and Liaoyang disappears."
The king rose slowly.
The lines of authority were deeply etched upon his brow.
"Enough blood has already been shed. I wish it would stop."
"Which is precisely why we need resolve," Yi In-jung answered.
"This time, it is not a battle to hold land, but a battle to sever the hands that exert influence."
The king gazed long at the rain-soaked window, then nodded.
"I understand your intent."
After a pause, he asked,
"And this man called Park Seongjin—the nangjang guarding Hwaju. What is he like?"
"He is upright. He has not yet been tainted by politics."
A faint smile spread across the king's lips.
"Good. A young pair of eyes.
A commander who once guarded my side with loyalty. Entrust it to him—and support him."
The rain showed no sign of stopping.
The sound of it falling upon the palace roofs echoed like the gathering winds of war from the north.