1636 September

Outskirts of Ujju, Northern Joseon border

His straw hat covered half his face, the other half covered by fuzz and grime. His tall frame was stooped at the shoulders. Ugly, crisscrossing scars marred the back of the hands, a testament to knife battles fought in dim back alleys. He peered at the cards in his hands and leaned on his left towards Seung. Loudly, he growled with a heavy slur, "You son of a flea-infested dog, I know you won by cheating in the last three games; this game is mine."

Seung tossed a bag of coins at the centre of the table. "If you drank less, you might have a chance to win, foul mouth," he said derisively to the offensive man.

Scarred-hands let out a snigger. "Want to bet, cutie?"

Seung's impassive face gave away nothing. He studied his nails nonchalantly. The ink stain he used to dirty his cuticles might be difficult to scrub off before he met with the ministers later that evening.

The shabby chamber was saturated with the stench of sweat, greed, and stale food. The coins rattled as they banged and scraped against the wooden surfaces. Cries of dismay were juxtaposed with shouts of joy. Eager hands swept winnings off the tables while desperate men wagered even more of their dwindling luck. Young, garishly dressed women counted coins and bartered objects at cash tables. They filled the fast-emptying wine cups while allowing the men to grab and pinch their bodies, but adroitly escaped their leering hands before they went too far. Bouncers grabbed people by the neck and escorted them out at regular intervals.

Scarred-hands banged his empty cup and hollered at a boy passing their table. "Hey, pig-tailed rat, fill my cup," he ordered.

"I don't want any vomit, assholes," a large, heavily bearded man with muscles that looked like they were made of granite slabs glowered from behind him.

The drunk man waved his scarred hand. "Understood, understood, ain't no vomiting. But I am breaking his pretty nose if I catch him cheating. Nobody hustles Hwi Yung and gets away," the man bent tauntingly towards Seung, baring his blackened teeth that took an even more revolting tinge in the dim light of the scone torches around them.

Seung stared at the man, unfazed. "You are losing, scum." The two men sitting across them snickered, eyeing their cards with calculative gleam. One of them threw another bunch of coins. "Five more from me."

"Pyo Min, you will lose again," his shabby neighbour groused, picking his yellowed teeth with a grime-encrusted finger.

"Mind your business, Song Ka," Pyo Min scolded.

A few minutes later, Pyo Min was sweeping the table with glee. Song Ka whined and retrieved a few more coins from his stack.

Hwi Yung leaned on the table and glared at Pyo Min. "I saw you cheat, bastard," he snarled.

"He didn't," Song Ka jumped to Pyo Min's defence.

"This place is infested with insufferable gutter worms," Seung got up to leave the table.

"Where are you leaving rice cake? You took my money. If you leave, I will slit your throat," Hwi Yung slurred heavily.

"Try it. I won that fair and square slimeball," Seung countered, collecting his winning and dropping the pouch in his sleeve pocket. He drew his cone-shaped straw hat further down his face so that only his jaw, shadowed by soot, was visible. A dark mole on his lower jaw stood out. "I am done for tonight."

"Who ya callin names? Aish-" Hwi Yung grabbed Seung's tunic.

"Settle your brawl outside," the granite slab yelled at them.

Seung drew a long, cold breath outside the claustrophobic, shady chamber. People were milling around him. The sun barely shone in this part of the world during this time of the year, and the temperature had already dropped. Soon, the landscape would be covered by powdery snow that would eventually harden into rocks for a significant part of the year.

Hwi Yung followed him. He grabbed Seung from behind, but Seung shook him off.

The large man came at him again, held Seung by the collar, and dragged Seung close to his face. "Give me my money -"

The man was a brute, and even though Seung was exceptionally tall, the man who called himself Hwi Yung still managed to clear him by a few inches. Seung twisted the hem of Hwi Yung's hanbok at the throat until the man choked.

"Fuck off," Seung yelled at his face.

Disinterested eyes glanced at the two squabbling men briefly before they moved on, too inured to violence and too absorbed in their own miseries to care.

Seung lifted a brow from under his hat. "Need I go on, or we keep this going?"

"If you want me to speak, loosen your grip, you thumbsucking ingrate," the man coughed.

Emitting a low laugh, Seung loosened his hands around the man's throat.

Suddenly, the man dropped his voice to barely a whisper, "You have a snitch on the island."

Seung shoved the man, swung his fist, and connected it with his jaw. Hwi Yung stumbled around a wooden pole, and Seung followed him. Hwi Yung wrapped his trunk-sized forearm around Seung's neck in a vice grip, and both men tumbled into an alley. However, this time, Seung's tone was low and urgent. "I have had my doubts. Any leads?"

"Find out who has a white porcelain jar with plum and bamboo designs on the island. He could be the leader or at least a part of the treasonous gang."

"How much do they know?" Seung asked.

Hwi looked around them carefully while Seung scanned the area with his penetrating gaze. There were other men, some sitting, some lounging, and a few prone on the ground stoned, but they all had one thing in common - they had no interest in what went on around them.

Blend or stand out—two basic rules of disguise. If anyone asked after them, people would remember two tall men who looked like gamblers and had run-of-the-mill gambler's fight, a common sight outside the teeming gambling and whoring alleys of the mountains. One had scarred hands, and the other had a mole on his chin.

Distraction.

However, there was a strong chance that they were not the only ones undercover here. In reality, Hwi Yung was Sim Junho, the chief of special operatives of Joseon's undercover operations. They had to be careful and quick.

"I am not sure. Three Mongolian barbarian mercenaries were caught in Pyongyang," Sim Junho said, his face close to Seung, with no trace of slurring in his controlled, carefully modulated voice.

Junho then pretended to shake Seung as if carrying on their fight. Seung grasped the scarred hands holding his collar. "They had details of all the men posted in Ganghwa and the layout of all the Palaces on the island," Junho continued in his low voice. "Kong Yeude and Geng Zhongming have been placed in charge of the western coast and Ganghwa. The mercenary presence has increased in Jeong Ju here in the north, mainly around the villages. Barbarians are doling out money and arming the local lords with their men. General Im Gyeong-eop is fortifying the Beakma Fortress, but it's not enough. We need more men, or we need a peace treaty. Also, the news is that someone powerful is trying to replace you as the Commander so that their person will be in charge of Ganghwa if the war happens."

Seung's mouth tightened. "They are targetting Ganghwa. Kong Yeude and Geng Zhongming do not want to fight me. So they are greasing someone's hands."

"Yes. Fifteen bolts of cotton and fifty bags of rice were stolen from storage in Anju, but there is no trace of where they disappeared," Sim Junho said.

Seung then shoved him. Sim Junho slumped and fell flat on the ground.

Seung crouched and bent over Junho's face. A decade older than Seung, with mammoth experiences gleaned from many battles his seasoned body had fought, Sim Jung was Seung's mentor and had personally trained Seung in the art of espionage. "I am sorry, Hyungnim. I hope the punch didn't hurt much."

"You want to declare your love for me numbskull?" Junho muttered, lolling his head on the side. "Leave before they marry us off."

Seung gave a soundless laugh and rose. For good measure, he kicked the prone man on the side and left him. The gambler Sim Jung would soon slink away into the night and probably turn up as an obscure Ming Prince the next day somewhere, Seung thought amusingly.

∞

Interior Minister Choi Myeong-gil looked disturbed when Seung related the information to him soon after. As a leader of the peace-seeking group of ministers, the man had already lost hope of reconciliation after the abject failure of his negotiations with the Qing generals. "We have similar information from the Admiral of the western fleet. If true, you must fortify Ganghwa before it changes commands. You must return to Hanyang immediately and persuade His Majesty to Ganghwa so you can plan their defence."

∞

Seung returned four days later and tried convincing the King and the Crown Prince to proceed to Ganghwa. His closest ministers objected vociferously. Would that not mean their King was afraid of the Barbarians and was running away?

Even though he was terrified of the war, King Injo was too indecisive to fight his powerful ministers. However, he agreed to move his consorts, children and grandchildren to Ganghwa, including Grand Prince Bongrim.

Two weeks later, Lee Seung sat, all expressions wiped clean off his young, hardened face, listening as the self-serving ministers spewed foam, fervently urging the King to declare war on the Qing barbarians. Fuelled by the news that the newly named Qing's barbarian emperor, Hong Taji, had refused to meet the Joseon envoy Choe Myeong-gil, the courtiers pressed the King to dismiss Myeong-Gil. They were convinced Ming would come to their aid if the need arose.

"Ming is no position to help, Your Majesty," Choi Myeong-gil tried to reason with the ministers, but even though not one of these ministers had lifted a finger to prepare Joseon against an invasion, they kept badgering the King to wage war.

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Choi Si-wan was a part of that sanctimonious troupe.

"What do we have to fear? We have enough fortresses on the northern border, and our infantry and navy are matchless."

Seung wondered why a man as intelligent as Choi Si Wan would support a war against the barbarians. He seemed terribly short-sighted for someone planning to send his daughter to the Crown Prince.

Later that night, the ministers convened a separate council where lower-ranked officials could voice their opinions. Despite widespread reservations against the war, few dared to speak up.

A lanky, round-faced man with sharp but melancholy eyes approached Seung. It took him a few minutes before Seung recognised the newcomer.

Choi Se-min, Lord Si-wan's eldest son.

"Brother-in-law," Choi Se-min greeted Seung, his face pinched. "How is my sister?" He asked Seung in a hushed tone.

Seung wondered if his face betrayed the surprise he felt. A corner of his mouth lifted in a ghost of a smile. "I am sure she is well, Choi Se-Min, and appreciates your concern."

"Son-in-law Lee, I hope you are keeping well," Lord Choi Si-wan appeared behind his son. Seung bowed his respects.

Lord Choi turned to Se-min. "Did I not tell you not to bother Lord Lee? Do you not understand how grateful we are for his graciousness?"

The young man paled. "Yes, father. Thank you, my lord, for accepting my undeserving sister and giving her another chance. Please take good care of her," he said in a tone so low that Seung had a hard time catching his words. The young man left, his shoulders drooped.

Seung's eyes narrowed.

"Your Excellency, is this the new story? Now, Lady Jina is supposed to be with me? Last I heard, she was fooling around with someone."

"As her father, what else can I say? Reconciling the difference is the best option right now for both our families. Fortunately, even my daughter agrees with that."

"Really? Your Excellency, I mean no disrespect, but since when did your daughter turn so filial?"

A hard look came over Lord Choi's eyes before he schooled it. "She is older now and understands more about her duties than before."

Sure. Seung thought uncharitably. Though Seung felt sorry for the man, he was too immune to the sufferings of Choi family. "In other words, she is now seeing the benefits of power. Unfortunately, I do not have a stomach for your political ambitions, Lord Choi. I have not changed my mind about the divorce," Seung said coldly.

"Do you think His Majesty will take kindly to your petitions at a time like this? Can you deny you have benefited from being related to me? You are commanding Joseon's most critical military space because you are my son-in-law."

Seung scoffed. "I thought that was because I had rescued a prince from a place where he was not supposed to be."

Lord Choi emitted an ugly chuckle. "Do you think your posting happened without the backing you have in this court? Even if we assume that were true, some people are actively working to remove you from that post."

Seung didn't have the bandwidth for Lord Choi's manipulative machinations. "And you are helping me stay there? You are sadly mistaken if you think you stand to benefit from my position in any way. I would rather resign and leave Ganghwa than let that happen."

"You are mistaken, son-in-law. I only want you to pretend you have accepted my wayward daughter back. His Majesty was particularly pleased to know you and my daughter have reconciled your differences, so I do not think he will heed those men. And why would you want to leave Ganghwa? I know how important that place has become to you. I hear it has a particularly comely physician who has piqued your interest."

Seung felt blood drain from his veins. He had forgotten Lord Choi's power and how far his tentacles spread.

"Leave her out of this," Seung's voice was dangerously low.

"Oh, do not worry, son-in-law. I have no curiosity about your interest in other women. I am not asking you to tolerate your marriage indefinitely. You know His Majesty will not give you a divorce unless my daughter meets him personally. I have told you many times I shall help you with your divorce when the time comes. Help me keep the pretence of your marriage for a few more years, at least until the danger the barbarians pose to us is over and my younger daughter is old enough to go to the Crown Prince. In return, I will help you stay in Ganghwa for as long as you wish. I can even provide a dowry for this commoner woman you fancy if you want her as your concubine."

"Let me spell it out for you, Your Excellency. Leave. The Woman. Alone. Keep out of my business." If the blade in his tone could kill, Lord Choi would have been six feet under.

The change in Seung's tone of address was not lost on Lord Choi, who smiled. "You should call me Father. I believe you have not visited your mother in a while? Please convey my regards to her."

Lord Choi's power in Joseon was absolute. Seung had not considered him to pose a problem for Minjae, and he didn't trust himself to reply.

∞

Ganghwa Island

Within a few hours of Woo Sari regaining consciousness, Minjae realised that staying close to her could be vital for her recovery. Her doubts were soon confirmed. When it was time to leave the temple, Woo Sari clung to Minjae's hands, her breathing becoming increasingly laboured, the panic in her eyes spreading to her white face.

Woo Sari was healing much slower than Minjae would like, but miraculously, she was recovering her lost speech rapidly. Her words were still somewhat garbled and came out with a heavy accent, but understanding what she said was getting progressively easier.

Choi Si Wan had planned to kill Woo Sari on the day she had gone to visit Lee Seung. Ironically, the man entrusted to do the job had double-crossed Choi Si Wan and had sold her instead.

Tears welled up whenever Minjae thought about it. She was so thankful to have this woman alive. Based on Woo Sari's account, Minjae knew Kang Do had no hand in Sari's disappearance.

But then, her mind would wander to his connection to the murder of Seung's father. Minjae's heart clenched with terror whenever her thoughts connected the obvious dots. Kang Do executed most of her father's dirty deeds. But why Seung's father? They had been childhood friends, united in the cause of getting King Injo to the throne. It defied all reason. In that light, it was inexplicable why Choi Si Wan would marry his daughter to the son of the man he had murdered in cold blood. Hatred for her father burned deep within her.

If it weren't for the safety of Woo Sari, Kang Do, and her adopted family, Minjae would relish the shock on her father's face if she suddenly appeared before him with Lee Seung in tow and declared herself his concubine.

Lee Seung. Her husband.

Seung had been gone for over two months now. Minjae often visited Seung's quarters in hopes of getting news. Wang Jung had kindly told her he had no idea where Seung was. A month after he left, Minjae received a letter from Seung telling her how much he missed her.

She ached in his absence.

Woo Sari grasped Minjae's hand in her small, coarse one. "I am glad Lord Lee found you, my lady, even if he does not know the truth." she sighed happily.

Much to Minjae's exasperation, Woo Sari refused to drop the honorifics when speaking to Minjae. Woo Sari was born into the Choi household to slave parents and had been Jina's companion and maid since she could walk. They had grown up together, and Woo Sari had frequently shielded Jina from Lord Choi or Lady Im's wrath.

When Minjae returned to the island with Woo Sari, Kim Da Bom was aghast. With her hands on her hips, she asked in a stunned whisper, "How are you going to hide her?"

"Why, with your help, of course! I couldn't leave her there," Minjae said.

Kim Da Bom had always suspected Minjae was a yangban, and Woo Sari's dogged honorifics confirmed this.

Woo Sari was terrified of Kim Da Bom. Whenever Da-Bom entered the room, Woo Sari would struggle to bow to her.

"Make her stop, Minjae," Kim Da Bom had exploded irritably one day. "At this rate, you could tattoo 'runaway slave' on her forehead, and it will be less visible. She will be a sitting duck for those slave killers one day!"

Minjae sighed.

"You can't call me 'my lady' anymore, Woo Sari. I am a commoner, just like you," Minjae whispered, holding the spoon gently to the convalescing woman's dry lips.

"You know I cannot do that! Do you ever plan to tell Lord Lee who you are, my lady?"

Minjae had considered the idea long and hard in the past two months. Leaving with Woo Sari would have been the easiest way out, but Kim Seo Jun had disabused her of the idea.

"I never knew you to be a coward, Minjae. Do you think a man like Lee Seung would let you vanish? He would tear the country apart to find you." Her astute adopted father had correctly gauged that her relationship with Seung went beyond her time in Ganghwa, though Minjae had refused to confirm anything like she had been doing all these years.

Minjae pressed her lips together. She had foolishly wished she would spend a little more time with Seung in the make-believe world she had created. But she could hardly be his concubine while also being his wife, could she? Yet she knew if Seung were to learn the truth, it would break his heart. He would probably hate and despise her and drag her to court to divorce her. And she would have to live with that. But then, Minjae also knew he would let her leave with Woo Sa ri and not endanger her, no matter how much he hated her.

But deep within her, Minjae also hoped he could find it in his heart to forgive her, especially once he understood why she had behaved the way she had. After all, he still had held on to that bracelet. That had to mean something.

And she prayed her love would hold.

A light pressure on her clasped hand drew her attention back to the present.

"My lady?"

Minjae sighed. Caressing Woo Sari's forehead lovingly, Minjae said, "Yes, I do plan to tell him."

∞

The boatmen rested their hands and let the junk boat drift in. Their oar handles made clunking sounds in their oarlocks, and the flat of the paddlers dripped water as the boat slid against the shore. Seung jumped off eagerly, exuberance filling his chest at the prospect of seeing his sister and mother.

The village had not changed much since he had left for school. As he strolled past swaying fields of bountiful millet and the familiar cabbage patches being irrigated, memories of home-cooked meals flooded his mind, particularly his mother's speciality cabbage dishes. Two months earlier, he had missed meeting his mother, who was visiting her sister in a neighbouring village up north. His Uncles had patted his back, brought their families and cousins to meet him, and tried convincing him to give up everything and join them in mining the ore. The business was booming. After all, he was the only son in the family.

Unsurprisingly, Lee Gil-ae immediately noticed his dreamy disposition and had no trouble determining that her brother was smitten. In less than an hour, she had ferreted out Kim Minjae's name and spent the rest of the time badgering him for details. Contrary to his initial, completely superficial objections, he had no difficulty divulging every detail about the woman who had captured his heart.

He had droned on for so long that his sister had fallen asleep on him.

This time, though, the conversation would be much more sombre. Seung only had a day to persuade his family to move from this village. His Uncles had families in the south, where barbarian attacks were less likely. He also had to convince his mother to leave their family home and move to Ganghwa with him.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Seung swung open the imposing doors of his home and stepped into the compound. But the sight that greeted him was so unfamiliar that, for a moment, he thought he had come to the wrong house.

A young, voluptuously built woman was berating two men kneeling on their knees, her voice hard, cold and unrelenting.

Seung almost turned around but then paused. Clothes hung out to dry on the lines fluttered gently. The familiar facade of his sprawling childhood home sat like a comforting beacon at the far end of the compound. Patches of flowers and vegetables adorned the space, lovingly tended by his sister, who excelled in horticulture. Female servants scurried around with baskets, cutting a wide arc from the woman who had gone quiet as she became aware of the new arrival.

The woman turned to him. She was dressed in a fine silk hanbok of lavender and green. Her oval face was lined with cat-like amber eyes, a small, defined nose, and full lips. It was an intriguing face - a sultry face, Seung thought dispassionately. Who was she? A visiting distant cousin, perhaps?

Her eyes caught his attention. They went over him boldly, intimately. A slight smile lifted the corners of her plump lips, and she bowed.

A fissure of unease ran down Seung's spine.

"Oraboni!"

Lee Gil-ae appeared from behind one of the large white sheets on the clothesline.

Seung's face broke into a wide smile as he spread open his arms to envelop his little sister. But instead of running to him, she stopped short and bowed to him. Seung's arms fell to his side, and he noticed her pinched face.

"Gil-ae? Are you unwell?"

"No, Oraboni. I am doing very well. It's time for our family to celebrate," Gil-ae said in an overbright voice. "Sister-in-law has come home."

At his look of complete incomprehension, the woman stepped forward.

"I apologise, my lord, I was amiss in introducing myself. I am Choi Ji-Na, Lord Choi Si-Wan's daughter and your recalcitrant wife. I am here to apologise and repent for my past behaviour if you will accept me."

Lee Seung felt violently ill.