Four years ago

Sometime In The First Month of the Lunar Year of 1632, Year of the Monkey

The light hurt her eyes. The shadows moved urgently, breaking the flow of the dimly lit ceiling, which perplexed her. The floor beneath her felt still. She tried moving her neck to seek her companion, the moon. In its place, she could only see walls—the long, austere expanse of unadorned walls that held the far-off ceiling in place, interrupted by the latticed windows that filtered faint streams of light.

Was it a day outside? Did those two boatmen bring her to this place?

"Do you feel better?" a kind voice spoke. Choi Jina realised she was lying on her stomach, and trying to look at the source of the voice meant she had to lift her head. She simply nodded into her pillow.

"Here, drink some water, child," the kind voice said. Choi Jina obeyed the instructions, as she had been trained to do since childhood. Her tired lips closed on a wooden spoon, and a few drops of cool liquid ran to her closed throat. Even swallowing hurt her head.

There were more people around her. Her periphery vision gave her glimpses of dark robes and shaved heads.

"Where-" Choi Jina tried to use the muscles of her rusty throat-"am I?"

"You are in a Buddhist temple in Mount Taebaeksan" the kind voice replied.

A bell tolled. Another man spoke from around her feet, informing the man feeding her water that it was time for prayers.

The man gently patted her head. "Try not to move too much, child. You might reopen your wounds on your back. I will be back again soon."

It was then that she realised she was wearing a jeogori backwards. Her back was unclothed, and a sheet covered her lower extremities. She knew she ought to feel mortification, but all Jina could feel was relief that she was still breathing. Jina closed her eyes, grateful to be left alone.

She was unsure how she had reached this temple, but a strange, inexplicable peace surrounded her, and she drifted back into oblivion.

*

Hanyang; Spring of 1632

Seung paused outside the impressive gates of his in-laws' house. Anger, helplessness, frustration, and pity vied for dominance in his confused mind. His mother-in-law's pitiful cries of forgiveness lingered in his ears, as did the sad, ashamed demeanour of the proud Choi Si-wan, who had looked invincible only days ago, thumbing Seung down for wanting to walk away from the marriage, knelt in front of him, his hands folded.

"We will speak to her and try to convince her. Please give us some time. Please do not push for this divorce. She is stubborn. I do not know what to do, but we will try our best to rectify this. Son-in-law, we have wronged you gravely. I do not know where we went awry. My daughter's sins are unaccountable. But I beseech you, please do not divorce her, at least not right away. I will be ruined, my family will be ruined, and I will lose the Court's favour. I will personally request His Majesty to allow you to join the army without compromising your rank."

The man went on and on about how he would make up for his daughter's failure.

Seung tried to be charitable to Choi Ji-Na After all, it was evident she was forced into the match. He could forgive her for not liking him as her husband. However, if a woman could rebel against her parents to this extent and go against the King and the institution of marriage itself, why did she not do it before the marriage? Why wait until marriage, ruin his life, his sister's life, shatter his mother's dreams, bring disrepute to her father and reduce a proud man to grovel in this fashion? What kind of woman was she who could rest easy amidst so much ruin she left in her wake?

His mouth puckered, distaste filling it as thoughts of his so-called wife floated in, the faceless entity that was the source of everything unpleasant in his life.

A shuffle caught his ears. A feminine voice was calling after him. Intrigued, he turned to find a young woman around his sister's age approaching him with short, quick steps. Her round, homely face had a pasty complexion. She was dressed in a servant's attire.

"Dari, dari, please wait," she pleaded.

As she came closer, she looked around, her eyes darting restlessly. She kept looking behind her.

"Do you mean me?" Seung asked, intrigued.

The woman came closer and bowed deeply. "Dari, I am Woo Sa-ri, Lady Choi's maid. I must speak to you," she said. She worried her fingers and looked behind her. "But not here. Can I come to your house tonight? I went to help Lady Lee with the marriage chest, so I know where it is," Woo Sa-ri's words tumbled from her mouth in a hurry, perspiration beading her forehead.

Seung quickly scannnd the street. He nodded and left.

*

Lord Choi slowly sipped from the delicate cup, his eyes half closed as if deep in thought. Three servants, one man and two women, knelt before him, their hands folded.

His wife, Im Nabi, sat beside him, her face bereft of emotion, her eyes trained on an abstract spot on the table. Only the trickle of sweat running down her temples betrayed her terror.

The famale servant trembled. "It was a mistake; it will not happen again, My Lord," her voice shook, the tears running down her face into the corners of her mouth.

"I will ask again. What did you tell him?"

Woo Sa-ri hiccupped. "I-I just said I had to tell him something. I am to meet him at his house. I swear on my brother's life, I said nothing else."

Lord Choi glanced at his wife and said derisively, "I am never disappointed by your incompetency, Im Nabi."

His white-faced wife lifted her chin. "My Lord, give me a chance to rectify the situation. I shall ensure Lee Seung remains ignorant of any information his ears are not supposed to hear. She will not go anywhere. And I will ensure she is punished appropriately." The woman turned to the terrified servant. "Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes, My lady. I will not go. I shall n-n-never step out of the house if you do not want me to, My Lord. I made a mistake. Please, please forgive me."

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Choi Si-wan gently placed the cup on the table, the fine china settling in soundlessly.

"On the contrary, you shall keep your appointment with son-in-law Lee Seung at his home as promised," Choi Si-wan smiled at the trembling girl. His eyes were merciless.

Later that night, as Choi Si-wan lovingly polished a porcelain vase, Kang Do asked quietly, "Is this the best way possible, My Lord?"

Choi Si-wan blew vapour onto the vase's glistening surface and rubbed the cloth on the moist spot. "Are you suffering from residual guilt from last week, Kang Do?"

Kang Do didn't move a muscle.

"If her sense of righteousness drove my daughter to dissolve a marriage, what would have happened had she ever learned the truth? We could not have that, could we? Those letters still exist somewhere. I cannot take chances. She would not have been worth it." Choi Si-wan's mouth twisted. "She never was."

* ───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Present Day: Evening of April 2nd, 1636, Ganghwa Island.

Lee Seung placed the quill on the table. He shuffled through the pages, tapping to align them. He dipped his neck backwards to relieve the pressure. He was exhausted, not by the work he had put in but by the overwhelming sense of futility that engulfed him. Despite his tireless efforts, he couldn't escape the fatal realisation that his work had no significance or tangible impact on those he was slogging for.

The barbarian King Hong Taiji's coronation was in a week. They were already smarting from the terrible reception they received from the Joseon powers during King Injo's gentle wife, the late Queen Inyeol's funeral two months ago. The air was dangerous, and they were looking at another war if they did not pay heed.

Seung looked at the document in his hands, thinking about the inability of the people in authority to follow caution. He had spent four gruelling years—first fighting against the rebels of the Ming dynasty and then disguised as a silver-ore merchant moonlighting as a mute Jurchen vagabond—amongst the Mongolian and Barbarian tribes in the north to shore up as much information as possible on the capabilities of the barbarians.

If they decided to invade, Joseon, led by a King who refused to lift a weapon, would not stand a chance. Seung knew Grand Prince Bongrim would ably raise an army to fight them off if given a chance, but his father had tied his hands.

The corners of Seung's mouth lifted in reminiscence. Grand Prince Bongrim had daringly smuggled himself out of the Palace secretly to fight a battle on a real battlefield. The young prince had no lack of valour, but his inexperience and zeal would have gotten him killed. Seung had helped bring him back to the Palace. The Royal Court had barely managed to sweep the scandal under the rug.

The loud scraping broke his reverie. Wang Jung waddled in, holding a stack of ledgers. "Are you meeting the rumoured new Governor Kim Tae-Oh tonight?"

"Not officially. He is still a minister of the court. I am meeting Interior Minister Choe Myeong-Gil first, and I believe Minister Kim will be there."

At half past midnight, both men were ushered into a modest house clustered amongst the thicket of trees. Though the house was small and elegantly designed, it was the kind that did not draw attention to itself. Seung bent his tall frame to enter a small, efficiently appointed chamber while Wang Jung waited outside the chamber door. The walls were lined with books and occasional wall hangings of cranes and birds. The chamber was well-lit, revealing the impressive profile of Choe Myeong-gil, the Interior Minister, a statuesque man who proudly wore his scholarly robes.

Four men were seated in rows on each side of a large, low table headed by Interior Minister Choi Meying-Gil. Seung presented his greetings and took his seat at the third table on the left. Lee Shi-baek, the garrison commander of the Hwanghae province, sat across from him.

A guard announced Minister Kim Tae-Oh's arrival. A tall, thin man entered. Kind eyes set in an angular face looked around the room, acknowledging everyone's greeting. They stopped on Lee Seung, surprise evident in his gaze. "Have we not met before?"

"Yes, My Lord," Seung said. "Unfortunately, our last meeting was not in the best circumstances."

Kim Tae-Oh looked at him keenly. "You are Lord Choi Si-wan's son-in-law."

"Yes, My Lord," Seung replied, keeping his face stoic.

"My son-in-law only has praises for you," the kind eyes of Kim Tae-Oh smiled.

"I am honoured, My Lord. Jo Hee-Bong and I go back a long way," Seung smiled back. His best friend Jo Bong Hee married Kim Tae-Oh's daughter, Kim I-On, sometime during the last four years.

Kim I-On also happened to be Choi Ji-Na's best friend.

Seung's mouth lifted in a wry smile. His life was going to become a little more colourful in the event Kim Rae-Oh was appointed as the new Governor. Kim's family was one of the few families that knew about the sad state of his married life.

"Do you have the details?" Choi Myeong-Gil asked Seung, drawing their attention back to the meeting.

Seung rose and placed the stack of papers on the rectangular table Choi Myeong-Gil sitting behind before returning to his seat.

"His Majesty King Injo cannot win this one, Scholar Choe. Hong Taji has the support of Kong and Geng generals," Seung said, his voice heavy with concern.

"I am trying to persuade His Majesty, but he is surrounded by too many well-meaning scholars whose heads are filled with ignorance. They will not give in." Choi Myeong Gil sifted through the papers Seung had placed before him. "His Majesty cannot forget that he had taken the throne away from his Uncle Gwanghaegun, who had tried to broker peace with the Barbarian forces. He is too fearful of the Western faction that put him on the throne."

Seung was frustrated. He pointed at the papers he had placed on the table. "I have detailed everything I saw and heard and have notes of, My Lord. I had already sent this information to my spymasters. What is the use of creating such a spy network, putting men and women in so much danger if no one even wants to acknowledge the threat we are under? We can never compete with the Barbarians unless we arm every man in Joseon. They have fortified their army with Red Cannons and warships, and the rebellion of Wuqiao and its leaders Kong and Geng joining their ranks has only emboldened them," Seung said.

"We should have buried Geng when we had the chance," First Secretary Song Joong Ki muttered.

Geng, a Chinese general, raided Joseon for supplies and was caught, but he was eventually released due to an understanding between his corrupt superior and a corrupt Joseon court official.

"Why blame Geng? The Ming delegate sitting in Hanyang empties Joseon's coffers even as we speak!" Seung burst out.

"You could be charged with treason for this!" First Secretary Song Joong Ki said.

Choi Myeong Gil said, "Corruption has eaten the Ming court, Lord Song. We cannot ignore that. The Ming treated both General Kong and General Geng harshly. It's no surprise they switched sides."

Seung sighed and bowed his head. "I do not want to sound unpatriotic, but Hong Taji is made differently. The barbarians are......different. They do not have a conscience. Their men do whatever it takes to win. The King cannot win this one, Scholar Choe. Their ranks have swelled, and Hong Taji now commands an impressive fleet of warships."

"One hundred and eighty-five of them," the Naval Commander of the Province Park So-hoo said.

*

Present Day: Evening of April 2nd, 1636, Hanyang

Unbeknownst to the men gathered in Ganghwa, a different storm blew in Hanyang. Powers were changing hands with the gentle Queen now gone. The King was enamoured by his young concubine Soyong Jo, known for her beauty and alleged prowess in the bedroom that had taken the King captive and, subsequently, the royal Palace by storm. It was becoming widely known that the new Queen Jangryeol didn't have the clout that Concubine Soyong Jo enjoyed. Moreover, Concubine Soyong didn't leave any stone unturned to divide a wedge between King Injo and Queen Jangryeol. By all accounts, it was working. It was rumoured that King Injo had not visited Jangryeol for months.

Hyenas were taking note.

Choi Si-Wan had orchestrated Soyong's entry into the Palace with the help of his long-time associate and Concubine Soyong's brother-in-law, Kang Hyun. Soyong was a querulous woman, greedy and manipulative. Si-wan didn't trust her, and he was no stranger to her cunning. However, it didn't matter what Choi Si-wan thought of her. She was his future insurance to power. Because unlike King Injo, his son, Crown Prince Yi Wang, was not easily controlled. It would behove to keep the Crown Prince's stepmother happy. An heir from Soyong promised a shift in the Palace dynamics, solidifying Si-Wan's hold on the Royal Court for a long time.

To achieve that, Choi Si-Wan had to ensure Crown Prince Yi Wang was eliminated without any suspicion ever falling on Choi Si-wan. His work had already begun. Two months earlier, his wife had given birth to another daughter. While he still planned to send his older one to Crown Prince Yi Wang as his Concubine, Choi Si-wan would make arrangements so his newborn daughter became Concubine Soyong's future-born son's Royal Consort.

That night, Choi Si-Wan went to bed smiling and woke up with sweat running down his temples. His second wife, his beloved Im Yoo-Joo, emerged from the clouds of his dreams. Her beautiful face was close to his, her hands reaching out in love, and her eyes suddenly changed. "Will you not go to fetch my daughter home, my love?"