"This is a royal order! You have no choice but to follow."
Those were the words that triggered Dong Hee's moral dilemma. Walking down the palace grounds, looking at the vast diamond night skies, she had confusion regarding whose orders to follow. If she followed the Queen, that would mean treason for disobeying the King. On the other hand, if she granted the King's orders, this would inflict an eternal burden on her heart, her conscience would definitely make her sleepless forever.
She prayed fervently to the Heavens, gazing to the skies, "Please Heavens, help your humble servant."
----
"Now we have something to discuss."
"Yes, Sire?"
"When will the Queen give birth?"
"Most probably tomorrow, Sire. Around the time of Hwasi."
"And how much is the interval of the twins?"
"I am not certain, Sire. Half an hour is the maximum in her case."
"All right. Know that I am doing this just in case things go wrong. This is a one-step plan ahead against my enemies."
"What do you mean, Sire?" Dong Hee asked in confusion. Half of her wanted to hear it already to stop her agony, while the other half told her to stop listening.
"Whether the eclipse happens or not, do as I say... When the first twin comes out, bring him to me quick. I would be waiting at Minister Dae Wong's house. Your travel time will be short. I will teach you a shorter route."
Dong Hee breathed heavily and continued listening.
"I have a feeling that the Prime Minister's troops will be on high alert inside the palace because a royal member will be born, that is why you would meet me outside. I do not want the twins to stay for long in the palace. I will let you think your own way on how you could sneak the Prince out of the palace."
Dong Hee was shocked by what she heard.
"Going back, when you gave the baby already, go back quickly to the palace and assist the Queen for the second twin. Now, this twin must be proclaimed dead."
She gasped upon hearing the dreadful statement. Time stopped. She realized that she was like half-numb already, barely moving a single muscle. This was definitely against her principles and practices as the Head Nurse.
"You need to sneak out of the palace... and... and claim the baby as your own," he stammered, snorting to hold back any tears that might fall from his eyes.
"Sire?"
"Yes, claim the baby as your own. If you do not want, give it to someone else, far from the palace."
Observing the King's stammered way of speaking, she realized that his strong and intimidating presence was a huge act. He pretended to be strong and sturdy as a boulder, but deep inside, he has a very soft heart for his children. This move would definitely kill and break his heart into pieces.
She reminded the King about the Queen's feelings, "Sire, Her Majesty will not agree with this."
"The Queen shall not know about this! Like what I have said, proclaim the death of the other twin!"
Glaring at Dong Hee, he hid his cold, quivering hands under the table, "This is a royal order. You have no choice but to follow."
----
Minister Dae Wong and his two nangdos traveled continuously to find the monk at Anju Village. They used blazing torches as their guide to the deep forest because the moon is nowhere to be seen.
"My Lord, let us settle here for the night. We need to rest," one nangdo suggested.
"All right, we will set a camp here. Get yourself a good sleep. We will continue first thing in the morning," Minister Dae Wong ordered.
About a mile away, Chil Yook alongside with two red group nangdos traveled in the deep forest. What could be the purpose of this travel? Whatever that is, one thing is for sure. This time, Chil Yook was very determined not to disappoint the Prime Minister again. He pledged to do his best in everything the Prime Minister ordered him to do.
"Grand Marshall, how long would this travel take anyways?" one of his nangdos asked.
"Right now, perhaps about four more hours if we would travel fast," Chil Yook replied.
"It is too late already. Can we just set camp for a while and get ourselves a good sleep? Our horses are exhausted," another nangdo butted in.
"Fine. Go set up the camp. This time, I guess Minister Dae Wong's group is resting already. But remember, we need to get to that monk first before them."
The two hwarangs set up the camp while Chil Yook sat on a dead, mossy log, thinking deeply.
----
"What are you standing there? Detain Lady Jang now!"
"My... Lord, well," one of the nangdo stuttered, trying to report something.
"What is it?"
"Well, we thought that you need to know this. We have seen Minister Dae Wong with yellow group nangdos leaving the palace. It was as if they would travel far."
Lady Min butted in, "My Lord, they are going to Anju Village to find the monk that I mentioned who can possibly read the almanac."
"Anju? You mean the remote village in Jinhae District? Hmm, it would take a lot of time for them to reach that but I know a shortcut. You need to go through Jinju District and cross the Geum river. If you take that path, you would only take six hours," the Prime Minister added.
"I am sure that the King oriented Minister Dae Wong regarding that shortcut," Chil Yook said coldly.
Annoyed with the cold treatment that Chil Yook manifested, he realized that it was because of Lady Jang's unconscious body on the floor, waiting to be picked up. He decided to order Chil Yook in search for the monk. He must talk to him before Minister Dae Wong. More importantly, the Minister must not come back to the palace on time.
"Do not let Minister Dae Wong meet the temple. He must not discover the information inside the almanac. Do not let me down this time. You know me!"
"Yes, My Lord," the coldness in Chil Yook's voice continued, avoiding the Prime Minister's eyes.
"Look at me! If you are truly concerned with Lady Jang's safety and felt guilty about your negligence, do as I say... Yes, they have the almanac but knowing what was inside is a different thing."
"Bring me the almanac at all cost, but do not kill the monk or the Minister. Bloodshed is not necessary for this mission. Tomorrow noon, I will wait for you in the forest, you know where specifically, do you not?" he winked before continuing, "Understand?"
Chil Yook had a thought for a while, "Yes, My Lord."
"Now, Go!"
----
In the middle of belated juncture, the King visited the Prime Minister in his bedchambers. In fact, it was not a brotherly visit. The mere intention of the King was to confirm the reports regarding the coincidental departure of Chil Yook with two red group nangdos. He thought that the Prime Minister ordered his henchman to follow Minister Dae Wong who was on a journey, searching for a monk.
The Prime Minister removed his uniform robe and changed to his night robe. Removing the pin from his top knot, his hair fell on his shoulders perfectly. He placed all accessories on a wooden chest, and he went straight to the bed, straightening the bedsheet.
He suddenly heard the announcement of the lady-in-waiting about the King who demanded an audience. His eyes narrowed in extreme displeasure. There are two trivial things that make him shudder in annoyance. First was disturbing him while reading and finally, disturbing him with his private bed moments. Well, he can be a bit considerate sometimes, if and only if, the reason for disturbing him was acceptable.
"Sire, what made you visit here in this hour?"
"Sit," the King glanced coldly.
Pestered with extreme annoyance, he dragged the chair and sat. The two remained silent for a few seconds, their eyes shooting fiery glances with each other. The Prime Minister cannot handle it anymore. He was disturbed just to have a staring session.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"What do you want, Sire?" he spat out, failing to console himself.
"Where is Chil Yook?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Just answer the question. How dare you talk back to a King?"
He did not sugarcoat anything, answering in full honesty, "I sent him out of the palace. I ordered him to follow Minister Dae Wong. I want to know what was written in that almanac."
Hearing those vile words from the Prime Minister, the King stood quickly and slammed the table with his two hands. He pointed his trembling finger to his brother, shooting a hawkish glare.
This hasty action did not make the Prime Minister shudder in fear. He reciprocated the King's glare, not daring to give a single blink. He looked directly at him with no sense of fear at all.
"You knave! I am warning you. Do not ever dare to touch Dae Wong, or else, you will have to answer to me!"
"A piece of advice, Sire. Please think rationally. I will not stoop low for those silly tactics you thought I would do. Your mind is always populated with doubts and paranoia."
"Guarantee this. Minister Dae Wong shall come back to the palace alive! Honestly, I was disappointed. It seemed like you do not trust me at all; as your brother."
Blood flowed up to the King's face. He ardently disagreed with what he said; not about the trust, but about being his brother. He did not consider him as his younger brother. As a son of a royal concubine, he was just a one-night sin. The King cannot seem to fathom the reason why a person like him dreamt of being the ruler of heir Heavenly Kingdom.
"It was hard to consider you as a brother. I have tried, but it was tiresome. If I did not pledge to our Father King in his deathbed, I would have abandoned you before. When your mother passed away, leaving no one to protect you, I tried loving you, but it was no sense. Your heart was full of envy."
"Honestly, you were, and you are still a daunting person. I do not know the full extent of the things that you can do. Funny, is it not? A king is frightened to his subordinate."
Hearing this, the Prime Minister scoffed, feeling no single guilt at all.
The King's words did not falter the Prime Minister's realm of conscience completely forgotten a long time ago. Instead, it made his anger worse. Those words served as a burning fuel for his desires and dark aspirations. He felt disrespected for bringing up their past especially her late mother. It was a one-sided story, summing up that the Prime Minister was a despicable and a scary person. He did not care to explain his side, believing that the King's beliefs will not change.
"Please stop, Sire. I do not want to talk about this. It was getting far from our main concern here. I want to wrap this up already... I assure you that Minister Dae Wong will come back safe to the palace."
The King sighed deeply, "I will try to hold on to that. I do not want you to mess up with the solar eclipse ceremony in any ways possible. That includes Dae Wong."
Leaving the chambers without saying a formal goodbye, the King swaggered coldly and slid the door in an instant. The Prime Minister, who was left inside the chambers, swore that he would win this battle that started years ago when they were still Princes.
"I swear. One day, I will rule this kingdom!"
----
The sun's halo of light shone in the skies, giving a rejuvenating morning in the woods. The cold breeze of the spring wind caressed every element in the forest. As the chirping of the birds resounded and the trees greeted, Minister Dae Wong and his men woke up. They ate and prepared for their journey.
Traveling in a single line, one nangdo at the front, Minister Dae Wong in the middle, and one nangdo at the back, the group successfully passed through Jinju District. There were only two hours left before they reach the village of Anju. In the middle of their journey, the horse at the back twitched its body upward and whinnied loudly, causing the nangdo to fall.
"What happened?"
Minister Dae Wong turned his horse back. The other nangdo saw a tail of a snake slithering away quickly.
"There! A snake!"
Minister Dae Wong was startled. He ordered the two nangdos to look for any wounds. Unfortunately, one of them has found two small circular holes on the right leg of the horse. Having a hint of an obvious outcome, the Minister still ordered the two nangdos to get some cloth to cover the wound of the helpless horse.
It was too late. The horse stumbled completely to the ground, waiting for its demise. Feeling sorry towards the poor horse, he ordered his men to leave the horse and distribute the stuff to the two remaining alive horses. The Minister sighed out of frustration. With this unfortunate random event, the Heavens is truly testing their determination.
As the Minister contemplated this mission, the King was greeted by a rough morning. He did not have a good sleep since the start of the preparations for the solar eclipse. He was always uneasy and was always pestered by nightmares. He did not perceive the sun's rays as something that gives light to the whole palace for she still lives in a place full of darkness.
He rose from his bed, making himself ready for another rough day. Slipping his feet to the wool slippers, he heard Minister Yeol's voice, asking for audience early in the morning. He wondered what could that be for it has been a long time since he visited personally.
"Minister Yeol, what can I do for you this morning?"
The old Minister bowed, paying his respect, "I came here to talk about the Queen."
Confused with what he heard, the King asked for his purpose. The Minister did not come to talk about the Kingdom's finances or whatsoever. He came to have a heart to heart talk with his son-in-law. As a father, he was worried about the Queen's sensitive pregnancy. News regarding the twins traveled to him easily, like a blowing wind in the vast ocean.
This made the King extremely worried, for the number of people who knew their secret increased in number, "I understand, Minister Yeol. You are concerned for your daughter and for your future grandsons. Do not worry. The eclipse will not happen."
"I entrust the lives of my daughter and grandsons to you, Sire. I know that you will do the best for them."
"Of course, my father-in-law. I love them so much. Trust me. I will protect the both of them."
The King smiled and he held the hands of the Minister, "Thank you, Sire, for understanding the sentiments of a father."
----
As time passed by, Chil Yook's group was able to pass through the Minister's trail. He saw a palace horse lying dead on the forest ground. One of his nangdos went down and inspected the horse. He reported that the horse just died recently. Scanning through the horse's body, Chil Yook realized that they were not too far behind from them, fueling his desire to accomplish his missions.
After hours of travel, the mysterious images of Anju village finally revealed itself. It was the least improved place in the kingdom, but the most beautiful in terms of nature. Each color of the trees, the leaves, the mountains, and the streams were vibrant. People were very joyful and lively, away from the stress and pressures of the capital.
Minister Dae Wong's group went to the public market, where a lot of people were concentrated in the morning. With a smaller population, the noise was actually lesser as well. Roaming around, they asked where they could find a small temple. People were inconsistent with their directions because of their busy schedules.
Unbeknown to them, Chil Yook's group managed to get to the marketplace as well. They started asking directions as well about this small temple, where a multi-language literate abbot is allegedly living.
"Excuse me, do you know where to find a small temple in the forest?" one of the nangdo asked.
"Temple? Which temple? I think we have three temples in the forest," a random seller answered.
Scratching his head, the nangdo looked at Chil Yook in disappointment. He signaled him to continue asking, "So, where are these temples located?"
"My apologies. I do not know. I am just new here. All I know is that there were three."
A sign of displeasure embossed on Chil Yook's entire visage. He ordered to continue asking. If turning the whole place upside down makes him find answers, he will certainly do it.
----
Minister Dae Wong's group bought some food while resting outside a small tavern, "My Lord, this is so exhausting. These people seemed to have no idea where this temple might be located," one of the nangdos said. Their group tied their horses in a wooden post and drank water.
"Enough with your grousing. Remember, we have come this far. We do not want this to end up like nothing," Minister Dae Wong reproached. He drank his water placed in a wooden container and savored it up until the last drop.
Suddenly a random bearded man who seemed like a crazy beggar snatched the food of one of the men.
"Hey! Thief!"
They untied their horses and chased the crazy beggar.
"Out of the way, out of the way!"
Everyone in the market panicked with the loud sound of the stomps of the horses.
"Grand Marshall, there seemed to be a commotion there," Chil Yook's nangdo pointed at the panicking crowd.
"Idiot! That's the palace horse. It was them!"
Chil Yook's group quickly lashed their horses and chased Minister Dae Wong's group.
----
The beggar ran quickly to the forest. He was very fast, slick and agile like a monkey. He ran through the pine trails and crossed a flowing stream. After some time, the horses outrun him, making him run out of luck. One of the nangdos jumped out of the horse and pinned the beggar down, "How dare you snatch our food?" he yelled.
The beggar just laughed. Then suddenly, an old bald man wearing simple brown robe and beads of necklace saw what they did and approached them quickly.
"Stop! Please stop! Release him!" the old man pleaded.
"We need to teach this beggar a lesson," the other nangdo answered.
"Please spare him. He is my friend. Come, as a sign of apology. I would like to offer you a drink at my house."
They released the beggar, and he ran to the bald man and clung to his arms. They followed them to their house and discovered that he was living in a small temple hidden in the forest.
"This is my little home," the bald man smiled.
"Wow! I guess this is it... the one that we have been looking for."
They gazed at the small temple in disbelief. Who would have thought that the beggar was a blessing in disguise? Without any hesitation, Minister Dae Wong asked if the bald was a monk.
The bald man just smiled. He gave them water and offered them some food.
Minister Dae Wong was somehow convinced that he might be the monk they were looking for. He stood up and introduced himself.
"I am Minister Park Dae Wong, the second rank Minister of the Silla Kingdom. I heard that there is a monk living in a small temple in Anju who is a multi-language literate. The King commanded me to look for him to read this almanac that I have. Is that monk you?"
The bald man chuckled, "I am amazed that I am quite famous. I guess that was me. I can read and understand many languages. Do you mind if I look into that almanac?"
----
Chil Yook and his hwarangs lost sight of the Minister's company, making him very furious. His two nangdos tried to calm him down and suggested a way to catch them. One of his nangdos was sure that no matter where they were, they would still go back to the marketplace to be on track returning to the palace. In short, it will be a stealth attack.
As they speak, they were not aware that Minister Dae Wong has successfully talked to the monk already. Basing on that, he was half-way near the truth regarding the almanac's mystery. The monk read the almanac and, shockingly, he dropped it quickly asking them to leave.
"What did you just say? Are you sure about that? There must be a mistake," Minister Dae Wong exclaimed in denial.
"It was true. I will bet my fingers for this."
"Goodness! We are in great trouble!"
Rubbing his fingers on his temples, the Minister asked the monk the fastest way to the marketplace. He was hysterical and anxious.
"Follow the pine trail. When you already passed a stream, turn left. You will be a few paces away from the market."
"This cannot be! We should inform the King before he makes an announcement to the public!"
"Lady Jang, you fooled us!"
__________
NOTES:
Hwasi (화시) - fictional depiction of the time between 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Jinju District (진주) - located in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
Geum River (금) - fictional river in Silla.
Geum River (금) - fictional river in Silla [https://em.wattpad.com/3848eb132cd9db8eaac54ecdc2e3906cf8acd7c2/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6b6a754f636b45497278334834673d3d2d3233323339353831382e313534316562303365613737613865393232333634363933313839352e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]