Chapter 5

That evening, I listened toward the men’s quarters. The sounds that had leaked out from the servants’ quarters must have carried all the way to the men’s quarters, and if Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung was there, he would certainly have heard them.

Sure enough, my personal maid, Gaksim, quietly approached me.

“Young Master, earlier, His Excellency stopped while walking toward the servants’ quarters. He stood there for a while before returning to the men’s quarters.”

I nodded.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had heard, but he had not intervened.

Although he had not abandoned his plan to place his second son, Yi Myeong-bok, on the throne, he was also keeping a close eye on what his eldest son, Yi Jae-myeon, was doing.

That meant the father was keeping a backup plan.

Even if Yi Myeong-bok became king, he would keep Yi Jae-myeon around if he proved useful. And if Yi Jae-myeon turned out to be better than Yi Myeong-bok, it also meant he could change his plans.

The fact that he had not intervened yet meant he had not made his decision.

My next task was to pull that decision toward my side.

Autumn, 1859 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

I sat before the writing cabinet, grinding ink.

It was the morning of my twelfth birthday.

I looked back over the past three years in my mind.

Queen Sinjeong, Jo Clan, had summoned me two more times, and each time we met, I could feel her trust in me gradually growing.

But it was still not enough.

Queen Sinjeong liking me and choosing me as her successor were two entirely different matters.

My relationship with Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung was still unresolved. The English and Japanese education of the household servants was still only at a basic level, and I had yet to uncover the weaknesses of the Haedong Kim Clan.

I needed one decisive move.

I had to place in Queen Sinjeong’s hands the sword she had been sharpening for decades.

If I did that, Queen Sinjeong would entrust that sword to me.

There were four years left until King Cheoljong’s death.

My personal maid, Gaksim, knocked on the door.

“Young Master, a letter arrived for His Excellency from the Haedong Kim Clan this morning.”

I put down my brush and raised my head.

“Whose name was it under?”

“They said it was sent in the name of His Excellency Kim Ja-geun, the leader of the Haedong Kim Clan.”

It was Kim Ja-geun, the leader of the Haedong Kim Clan.

He was the man who had been responsible for placing Cheoljong on the throne and had kept the Joseon court firmly in his grasp for the past twenty years.

My mind began turning rapidly as I considered what it meant for him to send a letter to Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung.

Was it surveillance?

Or a threat?

I rose from my seat and looked straight at Gaksim.

“Find out what is written in that letter by the end of today. Use whatever means necessary.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“And, Gaksim.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell His Excellency about this either.”

Gaksim nodded and left the room.

The leader of the Haedong Kim Clan, Kim Ja-geun, had begun to make his move.

Now it was time for me to move in earnest as well.

Kim Ja-geun. Why now?

Autumn, 1859 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

My personal maid, Gaksim, entered the room.

“Young Master, I found out what the letter said.”

“Tell me.”

Gaksim lowered her voice.

“It said that they intended to send a holiday gift. It also said that they would transfer a parcel of land near the residence into His Excellency’s name.”

The moment I heard that the leader of the Haedong Kim Clan, Kim Ja-geun, intended to give land to Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, I immediately realized it was not a gift.

It was a leash.

This was how the Haedong Kim Clan had dealt with the royal family.

They silenced people with money and land, bound their hands and feet, and had maintained their power that way for sixty years.

Whether it was moving Queen Sinjeong, pressuring Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, or opposing the Haedong Kim Clan, everything ultimately required money.

But Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s household was poor.

One of the reasons Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung pretended to be a wastrel was precisely because of that poverty.

His family lived in debt.

I rose from my seat and looked at Gaksim.

“Gaksim, have you ever picked up black stones from the hills around Siheung?”

“Black stones?”

“Stones that leave black powder on your hands when you touch them.”

Gaksim thought for a moment before nodding.

“There are stones like that around Gahak Mountain. The village children pick them up and play with them.”

“Bring me a basketful tomorrow.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Early Winter, 1859 — Road in Front of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

As I was passing along the road in front of the residence, I noticed something huddled at the entrance of an alley.

When I approached, I saw that it was a child of about eight years old.

His lips had turned blue, and he was barely breathing.

I called for Kang-soe, one of the servants of the residence.

“Carry him.”

Kang-soe put the child on his back without complaint.

We brought him to the servants’ quarters, lit a fire, and fed him warm porridge.

It was only after three days that the child finally opened his eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“Gwidong.”

“Where are you from?”

“I don’t know.”

He had no parents and did not even know his hometown.

I looked at Gwidong.

His eyes were strangely clear.

They were not vacant or frightened.

It was difficult to believe that those were the eyes of a child who had just awakened in an unfamiliar place.

“Do you know how to read?”

“A little.”

I took out the Analects and opened it.

“Read this.”

Gwidong looked at it for a moment before beginning to read fluently.

He did not stumble even once.

I closed the book and opened it to another section.

“Recite the part you just read.”

Gwidong recited it exactly as it was written.

He did not get a single character wrong.

I closed the book and muttered inwardly.

I need this child.

Early Winter, 1859 — Servants’ Quarters of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

I held the stones Gaksim had brought in my hand.

They were lignite.

Because of their low degree of carbonization, they produced less heat than anthracite, but they could still be burned.

In Joseon, some people in certain regions had used this type of stone as winter fuel since the seventeenth century, but it had never been properly distributed in the markets of Hanseong.

The problem was that when the lumps were burned as they were, the fire did not spread evenly and quickly went out.

But if they were ground into powder, mixed with clay, and molded into a uniform shape, things were different.

I ground the lignite into a fine powder.

Then I mixed it with clay, added a little water, kneaded the mixture, and shaped it with both hands into the form of a shell.

One side was convex while the other was flat.

After leaving them to dry in the shade for two days, they hardened.

The next morning, I gathered everyone behind the servants’ quarters.

My personal maid Gaksim, the household servants Dolsoe, Bokdong, and Maksoe, the household servant Kang-soe, and Gwidong.

Six people in total.

I placed one of the shell-shaped briquettes into a brazier and struck a flint.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Sparks flew, and the shell-shaped briquette caught fire.

At first, smoke rose from it.

Then the smoke subsided, and glowing embers spread evenly throughout the entire piece of coal.

The six exchanged glances.

“It burns longer than wood.”

The six stared into the brazier.

Indeed, the fire lasted longer than firewood.

“We’re going to make these and sell them in the Hanseong market.”

Kang-soe cautiously opened his mouth.

“Young Master, will people actually buy this? Won’t they just continue burning wood?”

“Sell it for half the price of a bundle of firewood. If it burns twice as long, people will buy it.”

Kang-soe nodded, but he did not look convinced.

I looked at him.

“Kang-soe.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“You’re going to handle selling these at the market, buying land, and establishing business connections.”

Kang-soe’s eyes widened.

“Me?”

“That’s right. Everyone in this residence knows that you possess the strength of a champion. If you step forward with that strength, no one will dare mess with you.”

Kang-soe straightened his shoulders.

I continued.

“But Kang-soe, you’re far too straightforward and kind by nature.”

Kang-soe’s shoulders drooped again.

“That isn’t a bad thing. But there are many people at the market who deceive others with words. No matter how strong you are, if you’re slow with numbers and someone has a silver tongue, you’ll end up being taken advantage of. I’m still young, after all. I can’t go out there myself.”

Kang-soe lowered his head.

I continued.

“So I’ll have Gwidong accompany you.”

Kang-soe raised his head and looked at Gwidong.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes as he looked at the eight-year-old boy.

“Don’t look down on Gwidong just because he’s young.”

Kang-soe closed his mouth.

“Gwidong never forgets anything he hears even once. He’s quick with numbers, and he’s good at reading people. You’ll block things with your body, while Gwidong will figure them out with his head. Whatever Gwidong says, you must take it seriously. Understand?”

Kang-soe looked at Gwidong again.

Gwidong was looking straight up at him.

There was no fear in his eyes.

Kang-soe slowly nodded.

“I understand, Young Master.”

I looked at Gwidong.

“Gwidong, follow Uncle Kang-soe around, and if you notice anything strange, make sure you tell me.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Gwidong’s answer was clear.

Gaksim, who had been watching from the side, let out a small laugh.

I turned toward her.

“Gaksim, demonstrate how to light these yourself at the market. We need to show people right in front of their eyes if we want to sell them.”

“I understand, Young Master.”

Winter, 1859 — Chilpae Market, Hanseong

Gaksim placed the brazier down and struck the flint.

Clack! Clack!

The shell-shaped briquette caught fire.

A passerby stopped.

“What’s that?”

“It’s fuel used instead of wood. It’s made by grinding lignite, mixing it with clay, and shaping it like a shell. It costs half as much as a bundle of firewood, and the fire lasts twice as long.”

The man tilted his head.

He reached out and picked up one of the shell-shaped briquettes before setting it down again.

He stared at the fire.

After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out several copper coins.

“Give me two bundles.”

That was how it began.

On the first day, ten bundles were sold.

Three days later, thirty bundles were sold.

About ten days later, Kang-soe and Gwidong returned from the market.

Kang-soe set down a bundle of coins and spoke.

“Young Master, someone suspicious approached us at the market today.”

“What kind of person?”

“He said he wanted to buy the lignite and asked all sorts of questions. Where the stones came from, who made them, and how we shaped them like this.”

I looked at Gwidong.

“What do you think?”

“He wasn’t a merchant. He came to investigate.”

“What makes you think that?”

“If he were a merchant, he would have asked about the price first. That man never asked about the price. He only asked where it came from.”

Kang-soe looked down at Gwidong.

There was a hint of recognition in his eyes.

“You observed that well. If someone like that comes again, tell him you don’t know anything. Not where the stones come from, nor who makes them. And if he shows up again, tell me immediately.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

A month passed.

Kang-soe poured a bundle of coins onto the floor of the servants’ quarters.

Clink!

I counted the coins.

It was a considerable amount of money, but it was still not enough to buy the land in Gahak-ri.

Kang-soe added,

“Young Master, the owner of an inn near the market said he wants to buy them in bulk. He said he could use two garams a month.”

An inn used fire throughout the entire day.

They needed fire to warm liquor, cook soup, and prepare rice, so their consumption of firewood was several times that of an ordinary household.

If they switched to the shell-shaped briquettes, their fuel costs would be cut in half.

“Sell to him. But don’t lower the price.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Once the inn became a customer as well, our monthly profits would double.

Even so, it was still not enough to buy the land in Gahak-ri.

Now was the time to buy it, while no one knew the value of that hillside.

In the end, I would have to use Queen Sinjeong Jo’s card.