ERDIKG 14

Chapter 14

Spring, 1861 — Daejojeon Hall, Changdeok Palace

It had been three days since Queen Sinjeong Jo had read the note sent through servant Gaksim.

Today, she summoned Yi Jaemyeon.

They sat facing each other, with only one court lady of Daejojeon remaining by the wall.

Queen Sinjeong Jo spoke first.

“You said Grand Lord Kim Jageun sent land to Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung. Did he actually write in the letter that he should keep his son under control? Was he really that blatant?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Those exact words were written at the end of the letter.”

“And Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung simply returned the four hundred nyang without conditions?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Queen Sinjeong Jo looked at me.

“Did Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung return it of his own accord, or did someone stop him?”

I hesitated for a moment.

“I persuaded my father.”

Queen Sinjeong Jo let out a small laugh.

“A fourteen-year-old persuaded his father.”

Queen Sinjeong Jo set down her teacup.

I waited quietly with my head lowered.

“Since he couldn’t succeed with land, he’s bringing up a petition to the Royal Council this time? After his previous attempt concerning the succession order was blocked, has he changed direction and decided to attack through procedural matters?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It appears he intends to raise the issue of Prince Waneun’s title under the clan succession law again.”

“I will stop that. It is not something you need to worry about.”

Queen Sinjeong Jo’s voice was firm.

I lowered my head and briefly dropped my gaze.

“But there is one thing I want to ask.”

Queen Sinjeong Jo’s eyes grew serious.

“How long do you intend to do nothing but block Grand Lord Kim Jageun of the Haedong Kim Clan?”

I froze for a moment.

Queen Sinjeong Jo was asking about attacking.

“Your Majesty.”

“Tell me.”

“For now, blocking him is enough. Whenever Grand Lord Kim Jageun makes a move, if we block it, his intentions will be revealed. Once revealed, those moves become weaknesses.”

“When will you use those weaknesses?”

I looked at Queen Sinjeong Jo.

“When His Majesty the King passes away.”

The inside of Daejojeon fell silent.

Queen Sinjeong Jo’s eyes wavered.

A fourteen-year-old had just spoken of His Majesty the King’s death, and he had done so in front of Queen Sinjeong Jo herself. Moreover, the words could be interpreted in either direction.

Queen Sinjeong Jo studied me for a long time, as though trying to determine what this child knew.

Slowly—very slowly—Queen Sinjeong Jo nodded.

“I understand.”

She did not ask anything more.

Queen Sinjeong Jo called the court lady of Daejojeon by the wall.

“Send five bolts of palace silk to Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s residence. Tell them that Prince Waneun has been very diligent in paying his respects.”

The court lady of Daejojeon bowed at the waist.

I lowered my head deeply.

Five bolts of silk.

It was a signal that she was looking after our household.

When Grand Lord Kim Jageun of the Haedong Kim Clan heard the news, he would understand.

His attempt to shake Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had instead brought Queen Sinjeong Jo and our household even closer together.

I left Daejojeon.

A few days later, Gwidong came in.

“Your Highness Prince Waneun, there is news from Grand Lord Kim Jageun of the Haedong Kim Clan.”

“Tell me.”

“After hearing that Her Majesty Queen Sinjeong Jo had bestowed silk upon the household, the atmosphere in Grand Lord Kim Jageun’s sarangchae reportedly changed. They are continuing to prepare the petition to the Royal Council, while also looking for a way to cut off servant Gaksim’s communication route.”

That was to be expected.

“Tell servant Gaksim to reduce her movements for the time being. And create one more alternate route so that information can still reach us even if Gaksim’s route is blocked.”

“How should we make one?”

“Have Gaksim use her connections among Catholic believers to establish a route to someone living near Daejojeon. It doesn’t have to be an official route. As long as the information gets through, that’s enough.”

Gwidong’s eyes lit up. He nodded and withdrew.

Grand Lord Kim Jageun had begun looking at the conflict differently.

I had expanded the game from one involving Yi Jaemyeon alone into one in which he now had to deal with Queen Sinjeong Jo as well.

The larger the game became, the more mistakes would appear.

All I had to do was wait.

Summer, 1861 — The Haengnangchae of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

My family’s servant Gangsoe and Gwidong sat side by side, giving their monthly profit report.

Gwidong began reading from a sheet of paper.

“Coal briquettes have been supplied this month to twelve taverns, five blacksmith shops, and more than thirty ordinary households. Monthly profits have increased two and a half times compared to three months ago. The Cheonil Salt Fields produced forty sacks in the second harvest. The first harvest produced fifteen sacks, so that’s nearly three times as much. The Pung-hyeon Jo Clan is currently carrying out additional embankment construction, so the next harvest should increase even further.”

I nodded.

“How far along are we with purchasing the additional plots adjacent to Gahak-ri? We mustn’t cross the boundary of the lignite deposit area.”

“We acquired two more adjacent plots. That brings the total to seven. The coal mining speed is increasing. Our household servant Dolsoe dug a new shaft farther down.”

“What about the twelve plots of hillside land in Unsan? Are the documents still safely kept under my family’s servant Gangsoe’s name? Have there been any suspicious movements from the local authorities?”

My family’s servant Gangsoe answered.

“The documents are in order. There have been no unusual movements from the local authorities either. Moving before the government changes would only draw attention, so we’re waiting for the right time, Your Highness Prince Waneun.”

It was the right decision.

The Unsan gold mine was something we would keep buried until the mining ban was lifted.

Touching it now would cause more harm than benefit.

“You said we’re only collecting ferry fees at Mapo Ferry. Why aren’t the other three locations generating profits yet? Is it because you haven’t secured trade routes, or because the local power structures haven’t been fully settled?”

Gwidong picked up the paper again.

“The local power structures have been settled. It’s a matter of trade routes. For us to collect cargo brokerage fees, merchants have to trust us enough to entrust their goods to us first. Mapo Ferry was easy to establish because there is a lot of trade, but the other three locations have lower trade volumes, so it is taking time.”

I looked at Gwidong.

“You said you met Park Mandeuk twice more. Tell me separately what Park Mandeuk brought up first and what we brought up first. And did his attitude change between the two meetings?”

“At the first meeting, Park Mandeuk brought up the subject first. He came to confirm whether it was true that we had been moving in and out of the markets in Hanseong without paying under-the-table money. At the next meeting, we brought up the subject first. We asked about distribution routes for goods throughout the eight provinces of Joseon, and Park Mandeuk gave us detailed answers. He was much less guarded than before. I think we can formally join hands within the next month.”

Business was moving along.

Our sources of income were steadily multiplying—from coal briquettes to the Cheonil Salt Fields, and from the salt fields to ferry fees.

Our household was no longer a family surviving on debt.

Money piling up isn’t enough. Money is a means. The goal lies elsewhere.

“Good work. You can go.”

Summer, 1861 — The Blacksmith Alley, Hanseong

This was a place introduced by the white-bearded hunter from Inwangsan.

From the blacksmith shop deep inside the blacksmith alley, the sound of iron being hammered could be heard all the way out on the street.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

My family’s servant Gangsoe entered first, and I followed behind him.

The blacksmith in the alley was a man in his forties. There were several burn scars on his forearms, and his body bore the marks of a man who had worked with iron for a long time.

When he saw my family’s servant Gangsoe, he did not stop hammering.

“Are you the person who contacted me yesterday?”

“Yes.”

My family’s servant Gangsoe stepped aside, and the blacksmith looked at me.

He looked at me like I was just a child.

“Is this young master the customer?”

I took a sheet of paper from inside my clothes.

It was a drawing I had prepared beforehand showing the basic structure of a Minié rifle.

The barrel, front sight, trigger, firing mechanism, and stock were all drawn on it.

“Can you make this?”

The blacksmith accepted the paper.

He looked it over.

At first, his expression was indifferent.

Then it changed.

His eyes fixed on the drawing, and he pointed at the barrel with his finger.

“Are there spiral grooves inside this?”

“Rifling. Spiral grooves are cut along the inside.”

The blacksmith raised his head.

“How do you cut those? Does Joseon possess such technology?”

“Not yet. But there’s a difference between being unable to make something because you lack the technology and being unable to make it after learning the technology. I’m not asking you to cut the rifling right away. First, we need to establish the barrel’s structure and make sure the firing mechanism works properly. The rifling comes later.”

“Who are we supposed to learn it from?”

“I’m working on a separate way to obtain that technology. For now, this drawing is all I can give you. I’ll bring someone who knows rifling technology within six months. Until then, complete a structural prototype.”

The blacksmith looked at the paper again.

“How long should the barrel be?”

“Exactly as shown here. A little over four Joseon cheok.”

“Where will we get the iron?”

“Tell me what you need. I’ll get it.”

“Wrought iron won’t do. We need refined iron. And it has to contain very few impurities.”

I nodded.

“I’ll get it. I’ll cover the cost. First, make a single prototype. You can leave out the rifling for now. We need to confirm that the structure works first.”

The blacksmith looked at the paper again, then at me.

“Young master, what is this?”

“A gun.”

“That isn’t a Joseon gun.”

“It’s a Western gun. It was designed in France.”

“Why are you making a Western gun?”

“Joseon’s matchlock guns often miss even at a distance of a hundred paces. This gun can accurately hit a person from more than three hundred paces away. Its range is six times greater. By the time the Joseon army begins firing their matchlocks, the side armed with these guns will already have brought down the enemy twice over. You don’t need me to explain what that difference means, do you?”

The blacksmith stared at me for a while before letting out a small laugh.

I calmly met his gaze.

“How much will you pay?”

“I’ll give you twenty-five nyang of silver for one prototype. I’ll pay you more once it’s completed.”

The blacksmith blinked.

Twenty-five nyang was the amount a blacksmith had to work for three months to earn.

“When does it need to be finished?”

“Two months.”

“I’ll do it.”

The blacksmith folded the paper and put it into the pocket of his apron.

I looked at my family’s servant Gangsoe.

“You’re responsible for getting the wrought iron. I’ve heard there’s an ironworks in Hwanghae Province that handles wrought iron. Start by looking there.”

“Yes, Your Highness Prince Waneun.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As we left the blacksmith shop, the sound of hammering once again filled the alley.

The blacksmith had already picked up his hammer.

The first Minié rifle in Joseon had begun with those hands.

The Byeonginyangyo of 1866 and the Sinmiyangyo of 1871 were waiting ahead.

When Western armies came pouring into Ganghwa Island, the Joseon army would face them with matchlock guns.

And the outcome had already been decided.

Even a hundred Minié rifles would change the situation.

And the single prototype the blacksmith was making right now was the beginning of it all.